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Meeting of the City Council <br />Held at the Elk River City Hall <br />Tuesday, September 2, 2025 <br />Members Present:Mayor John Dietz, Councilmember Cory Grupa, Councilmember J. Brian Calva, <br />Councilmember Mike Beyer, Councilmember Jennifer Wagner <br />Members Absent:None <br />Staff Present:City Administrator Cal Portner, Business Services Director/Assistant City <br />Administrator Joe Stremcha, Finance Manager Lori Stich, Accountant Jill Knutson, <br />Community Development Director Zack Carlton, Building Official Mark Pistulka, <br />IT Manager Seth Calvin, Human Resources Manager Lauren Wipper, Police Chief <br />David Kuhnly, Police Captain Darren McKernan, Police Captain Joe Gacke, Fire <br />Chief Mark Dickinson, Assistant Fire Chief Joe Libor, Jr., Deputy Fire Chief Casey <br />Neumann, and City Clerk Tina Allard <br />1.CALL MEETING TO ORDER <br />Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting was called to order at 4:01 p.m. <br />2.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE <br />There was no Pledge of Allegiance due to it being performed at the regular City Council meeting. <br />3.2026 BUDGET <br />3.12026 Budget <br />Various departments presented their 2026 proposed goals and budget. <br />Community Event Center <br />It was noted that a battery for the Zamboni would cost $20,000, and Councilmember Beyer asked if <br />these types of expenses could be included in the Capital Improvement Plan. The Council noted it was <br />great to see a profit in the center's 2025 budget. <br />Human Resources <br />Mr. Portner noted that staff are reviewing other software options over UKG that could be less <br />expensive and more efficient, noting the city is not utilizing everything in the program, and the customer <br />service is poor for smaller entities. <br />Police <br />Mayor Dietz stated St. Andrews Church may have an interest in police liaison services, and they are <br />willing to pay for the service. Chief Kuhnly noted they would reach out to them. <br />Mayor Dietz questioned why dues and subscriptions were increasing by $22,000. Captain Gacke stated <br />they were looking to purchase Cellebrite, a software that performs cell phone analytics. He noted most <br />