Goodhue City Council Work Meeting Minutes
City Hall ~ May 14, 2025 ~ 6:00 p.m.
Present: Mayor Ernie Valenzuela, Council Members Joe Benda, Michael Brunkhorst, Chris Schmit, Jeannine Nagel
Staff: Lisa Redepenning, Lori Luhman
Absent: None
Guests: McCrae Olson
Call to Order
Mayor Valenzuela called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m.
Approve or amend Agenda
Agenda was approved as written, motion by Brunkhorst, seconded by Nagel, motion carried 5-0-0.
Approval of Minutes
Motion to approve the April 23, 2025 City Council meeting minutes was made by Brunkhorst, seconded by Nagel, motion
carried 5-0-0.
Motion to approve the April 23, 2025 City Council and Gas Commission meeting minutes was made by Nagel,
seconded by Benda, motion carried 5-0-0.
New Business
Resolution No. 25-08 Approving the CUP for The Goodhue Sanctuary can be added to the consent agenda for
the next regular council meeting on May 28, 2025.
Administration presented the idea for offering an annual City-Wide Clean Up Day like what other cities provide
for their residents to properly dispose of items such as metal, appliances, mattresses, tires, etc... Council agreed
that it would be a good idea to test the City-Wide Clean-Up Day program in Goodhue once this fall and if
successful, continue to do it in the spring after the City-wide garage sale. Logistics and liability of staffing and
volunteers need to be addressed. Options for volunteers in the fall could include the school athletes for help.
Local disposal companies can be notified and see what services can be provided free of charge and what costs
would need to be satisfied to determine fee for residents utilizing the service. A flyer would be sent with the
water bills and placed on the website for advertising the event.
The City of Goodhue Subdivision Form for the sale of the property to the school is the final form that Kennedy
& Graven need to finish the process of the sale of the property. The reason for the subdivision is, the City needs
to retain a narrow strip of the land for the purpose of snow placement during snow removal. The school is
willing to split all the expenses involved in the purchase. The competed paperwork for the sale of the property
to the school will be prepared for approval on the consent agenda for the next meeting.
Counselor Brunkhorst reminded members and staff that Volksfest is a festival that is held to give back
to the community. Volksfest handlers have changed over the years and when the City ran the event,
vendor fees were collected to operate in the City. The Street Dance is run by the Jaycees, and the rest of the event is run by the Volksfest Committee. The vendor fees are now going to the coordinator of the
event. The City and staff help with barricades, “No Parking” signs, garbage disposal and storing the
float in shed and in the garage during the parade season. We are currently also allowing people who are
not City employees to access the float in City buildings. This is not recommended by the City Attorney
for liability reasons. Staff is suggesting that we not allow the continuation of this without a City staff
member unlocking and being present during float repair and decorating. Certain council members
mentioned they would volunteer if needed but didn’t seem to think it was necessary. Suggestions of an
event fee were brought up to offset costs for permit fees, supplies or staff labor before, during and after
the event. Council members did not feel a festival permit fee was needed. Nor do they feel the City has a
need to charge any fees for the Volksfest event supplies and labor.
Counselor Schmit mentioned that the Dance team has a food vendor for a fundraiser and the Jaycees
tried to find local food trucks within a 20-mile radius to accommodate the event. He will also talk to
Jaycees regarding the alcohol server responsibilities and expectations during the event.
The City plow truck replacement was discussed at the last meeting and Jason has quotes and council
was fine with following through.
The crosswalks that are currently at an angle by the school are illegal. To be enforced by law, they need
to be legal. They were painted with intentions of being safer for the kids to be noticed. The Safe Routes
to School program is still in progress and will help with the problem when that is complete.
The next street improvement will be 4th Street. This will also involve replacement of some water
connections that are galvanized or “unknown” located in the area being repaired.
The City Golf Cart Ordinance needs some updated language. The permit is for the golf cart, not the
person. The ordinance does not clarify age restriction for operation, only for obtaining the permit. Since
it is being amended, we should correct the policing language also. Council agreed the changes should be
made and added to the consent agenda for approval at the next meeting.
Most of the items were already discussed in the Public Works Report.
No discussion for administrator report or EDA report.
Council asked if staff have heard anything more about the Lions’ agreement moving forward. They are getting another
definition of “Net Profit” before they continue with the agreement. The City does not need to allow gambling. The council
feels the Lions did not need a permit from the City since the Gambling goes directly to the State and is managed there.
The Ordinances are being enforced and reviewed that those pools at 5000 gallons or more need a 4-foot fence self-locking from the inside. The Ordinances that were set in place are what we must work with, and we need to do our job by
enforcing them. We also want residents to enjoy their pools.
Mayor Valenzuela kindly reminded members and staff to avoid having certain conversations with others outside of
meetings. The public can bring their issues to the 2nd meeting of each month. It is ok to disagree and disagree with respect.
Staff informed Council of the trees that were donated to the City and that we will be sending a “thank you letter” to the
Goodhue SWCD for that generous donation.
Approval of Bills
A motion was made to approve the bills by Nagel, seconded by Brunkhorst, motion carried 5-0-0.
Adjournment
A motion to adjourn the meeting was made at 8:45 p.m. by Council Member Brunkhorst, seconded by Benda 5-0-0.
Respectfully submitted,
Lori Luhman, Administrative Assistant/City Clerk
