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The Chisago City opened its regular June 23 council meeting by setting yet another workshop session to discuss ongoing negotiations with the City of Lindstrom regarding headquarters for the Lakes Area Police Department (LAPD). 

Lindstrom wants to house the police department in an expanded version of their existing city offices/community center. (The LAPD currently shares that structure.) Chisago City proposed that a new public safety facility should be built on land near the Chisago City Fire Department and Lakeside Elementary School, in Chisago City. The debate has gone on for several years.

 City Administrator John Pechman told the council, “The mayor and I, being on the subcommittee for negotiations with Lindstrom, have an update to provide in a workshop format about how we can possibly move forward, and our response to what Lindstrom is offering.” 

The council agreed to set the workshop session for 5;30 p.m. Monday, July 6. (Workshop sessions are open to the public, but no public comment is considered or heard.)

In other business, the council:

- appointed election judges for the 2026 primary and general elections to be held on Aug. 11 and Nov. 3 respectively. Chisago City’s elections are held in two precincts: Lord of the Lakes Church, 25402 Itasca Ave., and the Chisago Lakes Baptist Church, 9387 Wyoming Trail. Appointed were: Head Judges John Pechman, Alisa Bodell and Leah Nelson, and election judges Susan Frame, Patrick Fortunato, Linda Plug, Kim Kildat, Patricia Wesh, Cynthia Kleven, John Flip, Ruth Stark, Inez Baker-Westbrock and Candice Harding.

- approved Vicki Stute, to fill a vacancy on the Chisago City Economic Development Authority. Stute holds bachelor of science degree in interdepartmental communications from St. Cloud State and a master’s degree in leadership and management from Concordia. She also has more than 30 years experience working with chambers of commerce and trade associations. 

- heard Chris Peloquin of the Birch Lake Homeowners Association,  to discuss ongoing problems with the failing sewer system serving 97 residences on the west side of Green Lake. Currently the Birch Lake area has no access to municipal sewer. Peloquin told the council the association hopes to be able to connect to Chisago City’s municipal sewer when it is extended westward as part of the long-awaited Highway 8 expansion project.  He said they have been getting estimates on connecting to Chisago City’s sewer. They could save millions of dollars if they can connect to the city sewer at the new Pioneer Rd. Intersection rather than having to pay for extending a connector line all the way to Old Towne Rd., which is currently their only option. 

Mayor Jeremy Dresel told them, “We’ve been talking about extending that sewer for 10 years, but there are a lot of pieces to be put together before that can happen.”

Peloquin said the Homeowners Association needs to come up with a timetable. The city hopes the highway project will begin in 2028, however the project has encountered delays in the past so the exact timetable remains uncertain. Mayor Dresel told the Birch Lake homeowners, “We’re still on board to help however we can.”

-  agreed to refund the rental fee for a September wedding at Strom Hall in Ojiketa Park after the bride reported the groom has died. Normally rental fees for weddings at Ojiketa Park are nonrefundable.

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