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Center City Council met March 3 for a regular meeting.  Council member Lloyd Vetter was absent.

With no public hearings, the council opened the meeting with mare talk about Hursh Ironworks.  Hursh has agreed to build a new location in Taylors Falls but the process has proven to be slow at best.  Council member Sally Swanson told the council she spoke with Taylors Falls clerk and was told the project is at the finalizing building permits phase.  Swanson said Hursh is still hoping to break ground in the spring.

Mayor Jill Behnke gave an update on the Swedish Immigrant Regional Trail.  Behnke said the engineering is completed and the project will be out for bids soon.  The county has already approved the beginning of tree  clearing the pathway.  The full surveyed paperwork from WSB Engineering regarding the road and the land swap with Marine Dock and Lift will be presented to the council at the next meeting.

The council then unanimously agreed on a request for proposal (RFP) for the Bayview Apartments catch basin reclamation project.  The basin has failed and will need replacing as well as new drainage around the site.  Proposals will be sent to the Chisago County HRA/EDA who will share the costs of the repairs with the city.

Council then heard from Ben Hieronymus about hosting another outdoor concert September 25 &26 on the street of downtown Center City.  Council agreed to the concert if the company agreed to work with the local businesses with parking and allowing them to set up their own vendor booth if they choose.

Council then was told by Behnke that there was potentially grants available from East Central Regional Arts Council that can be used towards the future trailhead to be used on such things as a mural, or arts related additions to that area.  Council said they would like to see the original trailhead plans that were in place before some of them were on the council.  Council agreed to table the grant application until they see the original plans.

Council finished the meeting with a discussion about turning the lodging tax collecting over to the state.  Center City currently has seven registered businesses with the state that should be collecting the three percent sales tax.  By handing the collections over to the state, the state would keep one percent of the three with the remaining two percent going back to the Chisago Lakes Visitor Bureau. Center City collected $134 in lodging taxes in 2025 and council agreed the clerk's time could be better spent.  Council passed the motion unanimously.

Council adjourned at 7:09pm

 

  

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