The Babbitt City Council continued its efforts to bring Babbitt’s police department to full capacity at four officers during the regular council meeting Tuesday evening.
Per recommendation from acting police chief Todd Heikkila, the job description for the future full-time patrolman will undergo changes to response time requirements, with the goal to attract applicants from a wider pool.
Required response time will be expanded to 60 minutes or 40 miles, allowing those who live in cities like Virginia or Mountain Iron to apply for the position. This is up from the 15 minute or 10-mile response time residency requirement previously noted on the job description, as posted on the City of Babbitt website.
The posting for a chief of police is expected to undergo the same changes following the council’s next regular meeting.
The council authorized the department to move forward with an interview for the officer posting, which received an application submission from Reed Allen Fletcher.
Discussions about capping the number of short-term rentals within city limits also surfaced at Tuesday’s meeting.
Council member Jim Lassi requested a 180-day moratorium on new short-term rental permits, which received council approval.
Babbitt has currently authorized 12 active short-term rentals, which may operate after receiving a conditional use permit (CUP).
Lassi pointed to a need for the planning commission to investigate the issue further.
“The problem with the conditional use permit is that a conditional use permit stays with the property regardless of who owns it,” Lassi said.
The planning commission may implement a policy requiring prospective rental owners to obtain a license rather than a CUP. This would likely involve a charge to rental property owners both when applying for the license and renewing it.
A public hearing will likely be held to discuss the changes.
Short-term rental discussions have recently found their way into city council chambers in other Northern Minnesota cities. Duluth’s temporary ban on new shortterm rental permits is set to expire in October, following a year-long study period.
City officials in Brainerd consid ered caps in 2023 and 2024, while Two Harbors implemented zoning restrictions in 2024 to limit the number of permit-holders.
“We’re going to look at other examples and see what works or what would work best for us,” Lassi said.
The council also considered options for an industrial park location. The previous site near the Babbitt Conservation Club was dropped at a planning commission meeting due to safety concerns related to its proximity to the shooting range.
A 40-acre parcel south of the Babbitt Wastewater Treatment Plant emerged as a possibility.
“The ingress and egress isn’t fantastic, but for light traffic and manufacturing, if you’re not doing heavy hauling on the regular, it’s a completely usable space,” said street department director Tony Chamberlin.
The property was previously under consideration as a biosolid field for the wastewater treatment plant, but it was determined to be inadequate for disposal purposes.
Deputy clerk-treasurer Sara Powell said a wetland delineation already exists for the property, which would mean thousands of dollars saved for the city.
Clerk-treasurer Kirsten Traut will bring the newly-proposed site to the IRRRB’s attention.
In other business, the council:
• Hired EMT Eric Pulkinen and EMRErikaMapletotheambulance department.
• Approved Babbitt’s city-wide cleanup event for mid-September, with a final date pending the san itation provider’s schedule.
• Renewed the city’s property casualty insurance and decided not to waive municipal tort liability.
• Authorized the city to send an application to the IRRRB’s Culture and Tourism Grant for the dog park, disc golf and Little League field projects.
• Approved a Discover the Range sign for installation near the mining equipment display, pending permission from Twin Metals.
• Approved the city to pursue signage advertising industrial park lots.
