BLUE EARTH– It was a relatively short Blue Earth City Council meeting on Monday with discussion focused on how to resolve the issue of cars not being moved during snow emergencies.

“Public Works has done an excellent job of clearing snow from our streets so far this winter, and I’d like to thank them for all of their hard work,” city administrator Dawn Collins shared. “However, there is a persistent problem of cars remaining parked on the streets during snow emergencies, and it has been a consistent obstacle to our plows, and it needs to be addressed so our plows can work efficiently and safely.”

Collins went on to explain that she had looked over the city code regarding moving vehicles during a snow emergency, as in the past there has been confusion regarding what qualifies as a warning versus a citation.

“According to city code, a citizen should move their car as soon as a snow emergency is issued, and if they fail to do so, then that is considered their first warning,” Collins explained. “If their car is still parked on the street the next morning after the snow emergency, that should be the point when a citation is issued.”

Mayor Rick Scholtes confirmed that this was a known problem during the winter, and voiced his support for finding a way to enforce the code.

“We’ll have to see how things go this winter, but I do agree that we should update our ordinances to better fit what the city code says,” Scholtes remarked. “If we keep issuing warnings but never follow through with a citation, nobody has a reason to bother moving their vehicles.”

“I’ve had some requests from local business owners that they would like some form of notification when the plows are actually out on the roads,” council member Mike McNerney commented. “It would give them more notice to get out and clear their parking lots, rather than trying to do that after the plows have already gone through.”

Scholtes indicated that snow emergency notices were already sent out through a variety of sources, including via text, broadcasts on the local radio station and via the GoGov app.

“We can definitely get some sort of text group or alert set up through GoGov to notify people when the plows are expected to be out on the roads,” Scholtes replied. “They would just need to opt in to that particular notification.”

Other business discussed at the council meeting included:

— Resolution 26-01 approving the second half of the State Airport Fund Grant Agreement was unanimously approved. These funds will be going towards the construction of the five-unit T-Hangar at the Blue Earth Municipal Airport.

— Resolution 26-02 adopting the 2025 Faribault County Hazard Mitigation Plan was unanimously approved.

— The appointment of Ryan Vereide as the new Blue Earth Fire Captain was unanimously approved.

— The first reading for an ordinance vacating the alleyway in Block 10 of Dow’s and Bowen’s Addition was held. A motion and second to set the public hearing for the ordinance at the next City Council meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 20 at 5:05 p.m. was unanimously approved.

— A discussion was held regarding the decision to advertise in the 2026 Blue Earth Visitor’s Guide. Following some discussion, a motion was made and seconded to purchase a half-page color ad with an updated message at the price of $530, with the cost being split equally between the City Council and the EDA. The motion passed 6-1, with council member Ann Hanna in dissent.