After a final pass through the planning commission, Ordinance 274 — for the keeping of chickens within city limits — finally gained council approval at a meeting on July 1.
The policy will mirror Shoreview’s, a Twin Cities metro community which also allows chickens. In line with Shoreview, Babbitt residents may keep up to four birds.
Chicken keepers will need to apply for a license every two years at a cost of $30. Additionally, they will be required to obtain a one-time $20.50 permit to build the coop — a price that matches the rate for permitting a storage shed. These costs will cover initial inspection fees and any future investigations that may occur due to complaints.
When applying for licensure, prospective chicken owners will need to show proof of completion of an online course on chicken keeping. When approved, they will receive a copy of the ordinance for their information and compliance.
The new ordinance received a unanimous yes from all council members except Jim Lassi, who additionally sits on the planning commission and initially refused to write the ordinance, but was later responsible for many of its revisions.
“My recommendation would be zero (chickens), but that’s okay,” Lassi said.
All council members voted to accept the two permitting fees.
The council also moved forward with plans for the Deep Winter Greenhouse, which will occupy a portion of the lot next to Central Manor. Dennis Peterson of the Iron Range Partnership for Sustainability said he hopes to begin construction on July 15.
In order to accommodate the greenhouse, the council plans to rezone a parcel on Central Boulevard to industrial. The city will additionally send a letter to the Manor requesting their compliance with debris cleanup, which has accumulated on the lot. New lease terms will allow for the building of a small parking lot on the property, and will likely later include an addendum for the installation of water connections.
Additionally, the council approved the purchase of eight body cameras for use by Babbitt police officers. The Babbitt Police Department recently received a $1,500 sale offer for the used cameras from the East Range police force, who are upgrading their current technology to a newer model.
“All eight cameras are in good working condition,” said Babbitt Police Chief Troy Bissonette. “The nice thing with them giving us eight for that price is we only have five officers, so if one or two break or go out of service, we’d have spares. We’d only be doing the licensure and data storage subscription for five cameras at a time. So we wouldn’t be paying for those extra three.”
The data plan will cost an additional $2,602, which the department can cover with its existing budget. The opportunity promises thousands in savings, as new body camera programs can cost anywhere from $23,000 to $46,000.
“I think it’s a good idea,” said council member Joe White, “We’ve had some complaints in the past and overall I think the camera not only protects our officers, it protects those getting pulled over when we have incidents (involving) any type of discretion going on.”
“There’s a lot of animosity toward law enforcement these days,” White added, “I think it’s good to protect our officers as well as our citizens from any complaints they may have.”
Following an inquiry from a current site holder at the city campground who can no longer occupy their seasonal site, Babbitt will adopt a new seasonal forfeiture policy. Previously, the city maintained a no-refunds policy. Now, in the case that someone on the waitlist will take the forfeited site, the original holder will receive 25% of the funds generated from the prorated lease agreement.
“We’re leaving money on the table, basically, is what we’re doing right now,” said Duane Lossing, “They did (pay for it), but we could give them something back and get a full payment from somebody else.”
“It’s good business to create a new client right now,” Losing added, “You’re creating a new client who will spend money in the office, bring family to town.”
In other business, the council:
• Adopted a resolution accepting funds from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency for the city of Babbitt stormwater resilience plan.
• Approved a wage increase to $17 an hour for Parks & City Beautification
• Hired Maizy Sundblad as a summer helper for the Street Department.
• Passed a motion to present a contract to Nancy Sanford for the clerk-treasurer position.
• Accepted a resignation from Recreation Committee member Matthew Snider.
• Referred an IT service agreement from Roger’s Online to the city attorney for review.
