By Hannah Trainor

Reporter

The Starbuck City Council held a special meeting on Friday, Jan. 24, to approve the submission of the Pay Equity Report to the State of Minnesota.

The Pay Equity Report completed every three years, ensures that all employees—regardless of gender—are paid equitably. “Each job is assigned points by the state matching system. We plug in the salaries and years of service, and the state sends out the report, which shows how different genders are paid,” explained City Clerk Joan Kerkvliet. She added, “The state will notify us if we’re out of compliance; we have a certain amount of time to fix it, or we will be fined. As you can see, there are some issues; some female jobs pay less. But we will see what the state says.” The council unanimously approved the submission of the report.

At the meeting, Police Chief Mitch Johnsrud presented an updated three-year School Resource Officer (SRO) contract with Minnewaska School District # 2149. The contract adjusts the salary range for the W.I.N. Academy SRO, aligning it with the latest Starbuck Police Department agreement. The council approved the agreement.

The final agenda item addressed a request to extend a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) issued to Verizon to construct a wireless telecommunications facility on Minnewaska School District property—the old Starbuck High School football field. Mayor Gary Swenson provided background: “We had a CUP granted in 2022. The construction of the Verizon Tower at the old school football field was delayed because of financing issues and because the school district and city have been working on a potential housing project there.”

Tammy Hartman, Network Outreach Manager for the Great Plains Region, appeared before the council to request an extension through the end of 2025. “We intend to get out here this summer and begin construction. We have been working with Cody, the developer, the school district, and Mayor Swenson to put all the puzzle pieces together,” she said.

Mayor Swenson emphasized the importance of the project. “I think it’s crucial for the city. Right now, the two towers are maxed out at capacity.” Hartman confirmed this, stating, “That’s correct. We have two towers that serve your community that are getting to their capacity. We also will be bringing fixed-wireless access so people have another high-speed internet option.”

Swenson added, “As Tammy mentioned, we are seeing growth in the community, and we want to ensure we can keep everyone connected.” He continued, “One of our main issues is additional housing. Verizon has been working with the school district and the potential contractor for the housing project, and they’ve worked out details for the access roads to the housing development and the Verizon tower. I think things are lining up. We need to see that tower get up.”

Council member Kris Goracke raised safety and aesthetic concerns, particularly given the nearby daycare and school. “Because there is a daycare and a school—what are the measures being taken for that?” she asked.

Hartman responded, “This tower will be a 100-foot macro tower with fencing around it, similar to the design of the high school tower. As for safety, Verizon spends thousands of dollars on these licenses to use that equipment, and the FCC tells us how to operate it.”

Goracke followed up with a question about the tower’s long-term responsibility: “What if Verizon no longer can use that tower? Do you take it down, or is that our problem?”

Hartman replied, “There are a couple of things we can do. We can make it a condition of your CUP that I provide you with a bond to take the tower down when we use it. If that’s a real concern, we can make it a condition of the CUP.”

After discussion, the council approved the CUP extension and agreed to include a bond requirement from Verizon.

Following the special council meeting, the council continued with a work session to discuss a potential wastewater plant, a street project, and a grant opportunity for the city park. 

The special meeting was adjourned, and the next regular City Council meeting is scheduled for February 10 at the Starbuck Community Center.