BLUE EARTH– Beer and wine and liquor, oh my! The Blue Earth City Council discussed the municipal liquor store at a meeting held on Monday.

After some council members expressed concern about the liquor store, the council invited Blue Earth Wine & Spirits manager Dave Olson to update the council about its financials.

“Our profits have been down a little bit,” Olson reported. “One of the reasons is customers – we’re not seeing the customers we used to, so that limits our sales and limits the profits we’re getting.”

In a month-by-month sales report, the store reported a loss of $3,999 in the month of January. However, the store made a $78,881 profit last December.

Council member John Huisman wondered if the liquor store should look at cutting operational costs, given that profits are down.

Olson said he does not feel cutting staff is feasible. However, Huisman requested that Olson and city staff compile a report about the liquor store’s staffing to confirm that its eight employees are needed.

Huisman also asked the staff to study the liquor store’s Sunday sales to determine if it is necessary for the store to be open seven days a week.

The council then considered Olson and liquor store employee Amber Belaski’s request to attend the Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Annual Conference on April 20-23.

Huisman moved to approve just one person to attend the conference. The motion passed, with council member Jacque Drew voting in opposition.

The council also reviewed Bolton & Menk’s response to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA)’s new proposed limits on the discharge of total phosphorus, total chloride and total sulfate.

The response suggests the city’s existing water treatment facility is already equipped to meet the MCPA’s proposed limits on phosphorus. It also suggests the city will be able to meet the proposed limits on chloride following Blue Earth Light & Water’s planned addition of a new reverse osmosis (RO) softening expansion to the water treatment facility.

However, Bolton & Menk reported that meeting the proposed sulfate limits will be a challenge.

“Our engineer recommends at this point to do a compliance schedule to review all options available to attempt to meet the sulfate limit,” city engineer Ben Rosol said.

In other business, the Blue Earth City Council:

— Received an update from Rosol about the 2024 Street Improvement Project.

“We will start advertising for bids next Monday,” he reported.

— Received an update from city administrator Mary Kennedy regarding a city-owned Bobcat Toolcat that ignited on Wednesday morning, Feb. 28.

“Everybody is okay,” Kennedy reported, “The Toolcat will be okay.”

However, she added that the machinery will require extensive repairs.

— Approved an ordinance to amend a section of the City Code regulating kennels.

— Scheduled a second reading for an ordinance to amend a subsection of the City Code concerning the licensing of solicitors, peddlers and transient merchants.

— Reviewed the Convention and Visitors Bureau’s financial report for January through December of 2023, and approved the bureau’s proposed budget for 2024.

— Approved the city’s 2024 mosquito control contract with Mosquito Control of Iowa Inc. The services will cost $17,535.

— Approved Chris Ankeny’s application to defer the sanitary sewer and water main portion of his street project assessment, in the amount of $5,780.

— Approved Merle and Victoria Hardy’s application to defer their assessment in the amount of $22,897.