City of Karlstad City Council
Regular Meeting Minutes | Monday, June 8, 2026 at 6:30pm
City Office Conference Room | 104 S. 1st Street
Meeting called to order by: Mayor Nelson at 6:46pm
Present: Dale Nelson, Jenny Olson, Markelle Kuznia, Ryan Anderson, Rob Mickelson, Shelby Fossell
Absent: N/A
Guests: Krista Pietruzewski (NSN), Dustin Fanfulik, Angela Holm, Adam Hanson, Steppen Isane (Bollig)
1. Minutes – Motion by Rob Mickelson, second by Jenny Olson, to approve the May 4, 2026 regular minutes and they May 18, 2026 special meeting minutes as presented. Ayes carried.
2. Claims – Motion by Jenny Olson, second by Markelle Kuznia, to approve the audit of and authorize payment of the claims for May 5, 2026 and May 26, 2026 as presented. Ayes carried.
NEW BUSINESS:
3. Street Improvements: Public hearing results were discussed based on public comment. Drainage seemed to be a major issue that stopped the project last year but this year seems to not be the issue any longer. Public comment favored paving over drainage at this time. Total project costs are just too high for residents to afford at this time. The base bid (paving) price is $278,280, Alternate 1 (drainage) price is $168,757 and Alternate 2 (County 14 to Hwy 11) price is $22,958. Motion to award Base bid and Alternate 2 was made by Rob Mickelson, second by Markelle Kuznia. Ayes carried. David Drown estimate was reviewed and clerk will update total engineering costs to David Drown. Interest rate is set at 4.75% for City and 5.75% on assessed properties. Dustin also presented the Council with the cemetery addition plotting estimate of $5,000. Council will address this at a later time.
4. New Airport: Angela Holm updated the Council on the airport zoning for new airport. The sample document will be presented to the City’s Planning & Zoning Commission on 6/9/26. Public Hearing to adopt the Zoning Ordinance into the City Code will be held July 6th before the Council meeting. Motion to accept Resolution # 06-622-2026 “Initiating an Amendment to the Karlstad Zoning Ordinance to Adopt an Airport Zoning Ordinance and Directing the Karlstad Planning Commission to Hold a Public Hearing Thereon” was made by Jenny Olson, second by Markelle Kuznia. Ayes carried. Angie also updated Council on the $6.5M that was received in the latest legislative session for airport construction. She is confident that we can get a functioning airport out of these funds. We may not get NAVAIDS & lighting but we will get the paving done. Some of the phase bids will need to be rebid as previous bids may not be honored. Angie informed Council that it is time to start working on agreement documents for future crop/hangar leases. She will send samples to review. Minimum standards is another document to start working on. Pay App #9 to Zavoral’s for work done between 11/26/25-5/22/26 in the amount of $343,352.59 was presented. This amount will come out of the contracted dollars and not the new funding received. Motion to accept and approve Pay App #9 as presented was made by Ryan Anderson, second by Jenny Olson. Ayes carried.
5. Sewer Jetting Service: Lakes Area Jetting & Jet Way bids were reviewed. Motion to accept and approve Lakes Area Jetting as presented was made by Rob Mickelson, second by Markelle Kuznia. Ayes carried.
6. Water Tower: Adam updated Council on the water tower issues currently. The pump/radio system is failing and the tower has to be operated manually until fixed. Primex estimate was reviewed. Proposed cost is $24,792 which includes SCADA/Telemetry along with $180/monthly subscription locked into a 3 year contract for iControl broadband communication. Adam addressed the urgency of this fix. Council recommended he reach out to Sweeney Controls to see if they can propose an estimate for the same fix as they handle all our sewer communications/alarm systems. Motion to approve Primex estimate conditionally dependent on Sweeney Controls availability and pricing was made by Ryan Anderson, second by Jenny Olson. Ayes carried. Adam will contact Sweeney and make the necessary decision as soon as possible.
7. City Help: Adam informed Council that Jim Muckenhirn has offered to help the City with mowing/snow removal when he’s available on an as needed basis. He has many years of experience with all equipment and machinery. Council was fine with this.
8. Homeowner Incentive: Email request for 207 Cleveland Ave W from Brooke Oberg was presented. Motion to approve and accept request as presented for 6 months free water/sewer was made by Rob Mickelson, second by Jenny Olson. Ayes carried.
OTHER BUSINESS:
9. Cemetery: Clerk informed Council of the concern brought to attention by the contracted mowing service regarding pets in the cemetery and waste not being collected. This will be added to Cemetery Rules.
10. Hardware Hank Curb: Ordinance regarding sidewalks, curb & gutter was reviewed. Council confirmed that repairs are the responsibility of the property owner with Council approval by permit.
11. Peterson Lot Matter: Settlement agreement is being reviewed by attorney. Mayor will sign agreement as is per Jeff Hane and a statement may be added to include language regarding the $7,500 contribution from LMCIT. Letter from Troy Peterson along with return check in the amount of $1,144 for work done on 4/13 was reviewed. Troy will be installing private water tanks on his property for future use and will no longer be using city hydrants.
12. Sledding Hill: Markelle Kuznia requested that the City crew stake around the entire sledding hill with yellow caution tape and signs that say “Do Not Enter” for the summer months to prevent people from riding bikes and/or motorcycles up the hill. Clerk will address this tomorrow with City crew.
13. Mid-Year Budget: Budget report to June 2026 was presented to the Council for a mid-year review.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned at 8:30pm.
The next council meeting will be Monday, July 6, 2026 at 6:30pm following Zoning Public Hearing at the Community Center at 6:00pm.
Shelby Fossell
Clerk/Treasurer
