BLUE EARTH– A new city kennel contract will be coming soon, as discussed at the Blue Earth City Council meeting on Monday.

Mayor Rick Scholtes presented the council with the proposals received during the Request For Proposals (RFP) for a new city kennel.

“We only received one proposal for a city kennel, that being from New Chances Humane Society (NCHS) in Blue Earth,” Scholtes shared. “I personally have a question about the charges listed for a reserved kennel – we requested one kennel be reserved for the city’s use, but here it says we would be eligible for more.”

NCHS president Crystalynn Rilea, who was present at the meeting, offered some clarification on the issue.

“The $350 fee is for the one reserved kennel, as requested in the RFP,” Rilea explained. “If you wanted to reserve extra kennels, if multiple dogs were brought in by the city at the same time, for example, that would cost $20 per extra kennel per day.”

Having received clarification, and hearing no further discussion on the issue, a decision was reached to draft a contract for approval at the next City Council meeting on Nov. 17. No formal action was taken on the issue at this time.

Other business discussed at the City Council meeting included:

— At the work session prior to the City Council meeting, Blue Earth Community Library director Heidi Schutt and Public Works director Jamie Holland presented their reports for the 2026 budget.

— A draft proposal for the Minnesota Family Paid Medical Leave was unanimously approved. Under this policy, paid leave will run concurrently with the Family & Medical Leave Act, employees may use accrued sick leave to supplement remaining time not covered by MN Paid Leave, and the 0.78 percent payroll premium will be split 50/50 between the City and the employee.

— Resolution 25-28 adopting the amended/final assessment for the 2024 Street & Utility Improvements project was unanimously approved.

— Bids for the city lots located at 116 Sixth Street West and 926 Galbraith Street South were reviewed. There were two bids received for the Sixth Street lot, with Paul More as the high bid at $7,100. The Galbraith lot received only one bid from Jason and Stephanie Stine, which was for $100.

— A retirement notice from Blue Earth Fire Chief Steve Brown was approved 6-0, with council member Dan Ristau abstaining. Brown will be retiring as Fire Chief on Dec. 31, 2025, and then will retire from the Fire Department on Jan. 9, 2026.

— A retirement notice from Faribault County Fitness Center and Blue Earth Municipal Swimming Pool director Michelle Hall was unanimously approved. Hall will be retiring on Oct. 30, 2026.

— A motion to increase the Per Service Year Benefit for Firefighter Relief from the current amount of $2,850 to $3,000 was unanimously approved.

— Resolution 25-29 approving the issuance of Electric Revenue Bonds Series 2025A was unanimously approved.

— Resolution 25-30 accepting the offer of Revenue Note 2025B for the Lead Service Line Replacement Program in the amount of $466,664 was unanimously approved.

— Resolution 25-31 approving the South Linton Area Street Project and holding a public hearing for the project on Dec. 1, 2025 at 5:05 p.m. was unanimously approved.

— A request to amend the Parks Master Plan to include the Giant Playground as part of Giant Park was unanimously approved. Following this, Resolution 25-32 to submit a grant application for the Outdoor Recreation Grant to the Department of Natural Resources was also unanimously approved.

— Resolution 25-33 adopting the assessment for unpaid charges for current services was unanimously approved.

— A motion to pursue grant funding for the painting of a hangar at the Blue Earth Municipal Airport was unanimously approved.

— A motion to renew the Fire protection Services Agreement with the city of Elmore was unanimously approved.

— A liquor license application for Aztecas Mexican Restaurant was unanimously approved.