TUESDAY, AUGUST 18, 2026
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting of the Redwood Falls City Council was called to order in the Municipal Chambers on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at 5:00 p.m.
Roll call indicated Mayor Tom Quackenbush and Council Members Matt Smith, Denise Kerkhoff, Jim Sandgren, Larry Arentson, and Shannon Guetter were present, constituting a quorum.
Also present were City Administrator Keith Muetzel, Finance Director Kari Klages, City Attorney Trenton Dammann, Public Works Project Coordinator Jim Doering, and Deputy City Clerk Caitlin Kodet.
A motion was made by Council Member Smith and seconded by Council Member Arentson to approve the agenda. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Guetter to approve the July 21, 2026, minutes as presented. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Guetter and seconded by Council Member Sandgren to approve the following items on the Consent Agenda:
1. Purchase of Batwing Rotary Mower
2. Purchase of Sewer Inspection Camera Trailer System
3. Declare Equipment Surplus Property and Authorize Sale
4. Insurance Liability Coverage Waiver Form
Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Police Chief Jason Cotner was present to introduce the Toward Zero Deaths Traffic Safety Grant.
Chief Cotner stated the Toward Zero Deaths program (TZD) is a state-wide, multi-disciplinary initiative whose goal is to reduce traffic fatalities in Minnesota to zero. One aspect of the initiative is enforcement of traffic laws. To facilitate that part of the program grant money originating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is obtained by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety-Office of Traffic Safety, which then provides funding to law enforcement agencies for officer overtime shifts for the sole purpose of traffic enforcement.
Chief Cotner stated historically, these grants were awarded to one law enforcement agency within each designated region of the state. That agency was then responsible for managing the grant and providing funds to law enforcement agencies within their region. The City of Marshall has been the TZD grant manager in our region for several years and Redwood Falls Police Department has participated in the TZD program. At the start of the next fiscal year the Office of Traffic Safety is changing the TZD grant. Grants are no longer awarded per region, rather, every law enforcement agency must submit their own TZD grant application.
Chief Cotner stated the deadline to submit the grant application was August 12, 2026. However, the new grant requirements were received by RFPD after the deadline for the previous City Council Meeting. In order to meet the grant application deadline, City Administrator Keith Muetzel approved the grant request submission in the amount of $14,316.58 with the requirement that the request must still be presented to Council for final approval.
A motion was made by Council Member Sandgren and seconded by Council Member Smith to approve the Toward Zero Deaths Traffic Safety Grant. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Police Chief Jason Cotner introduced Resolution No. 46 of 2026 – Resolution Approving State of Minnesota Joint Powers Agreements with the City of Redwood Falls on Behalf of its Police Department.
Chief Cotner stated in the course of its duties, the Redwood Falls Police Department requires access to the Criminal Justice Data Network (CJDN) which is maintained by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA). The CJDN provides access to tools, data, and systems that assist with the investigation and prosecution of criminal cases. Access to the CJDN requires a Joint Powers Agreement (JPA) between the City of Redwood Falls and the BCA. The City of Redwood Falls last signed a JPA with the BCA in 2021 and that agreement is set to expire in October of 2026. By signing this JPA the Redwood Falls Police Department will retain access to the CJDN for another five years.
A motion was made by Council Member Guetter and seconded by Council Member Arentson to waive the reading of Resolution No. 46 of 2026 – Resolution Approving State of Minnesota Joint Powers Agreements with the City of Redwood Falls on Behalf of its Police Department. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Kerkhoff and seconded by Council Member Smith to approve Resolution No. 46 of 2026 – Resolution Approving State of Minnesota Joint Powers Agreements with the City of Redwood Falls on Behalf of its Police Department. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Public Works Project Coordinator Jim Doering introduced the Library Addition and Renovation Project – Change
Order #4.
Mr. Doering stated Staff is recommending the approval of Change Order No. 4 for the addition of re-coring the existing library doors to match keys throughout the building, a credit for changes in carpet by not replacing carpet that was recently installed, and a cost change for matching shingles from the bid GAF shingles to Malarkey which are currently on the library. Approval will allow the City Administrator to execute the Change Order. Change orders will be drawn from the 5% contingency allocated in the project budget. The current balance of contingency remaining after Change Orders 1-4 is estimated at $145,802.17.
A motion was made by Council Member Guetter and seconded by Council Member Sandgren to approve the Library Addition and Renovation Project – Change Order #4. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
Public Works Project Coordinator Jim Doering introduced Resolution No. 47 of 2026 – Authorization to Execute Award of Contract for the 2026 Phase I Lead Service Line Replacements.
Mr. Doering stated in response to the Advertisement for Bids, the City received seven proposals for construction of the 2026 Phase I Lead Service Line Replacements. The proposals were opened and publicly read at 10:00 a.m. on August 13, 2026. The lowest responsible bidder was Crow River Construction of New London, MN for the 2026 Phase I Lead Service Line Replacements per bid unit prices with the resulting bid including the base bid and alternate provided as $713,950.00 or 28% below the engineer’s estimate of $995,000.00. Staff recommend the award to Crow River Construction of New London, MN.
Mr. Doering stated Council approved the plans and specs and authorized bidding at the July 21, 2026, meeting. Bolton & Menk Inc. and Staff are required to provide as-bid results to finalize the Project Order document that accompanies the Master Service Agreement with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). Upon receipt of an approved Project Order, securing the MDH funding and reimbursement channels, the contracts can be finalized and the replacements can commence.
A motion was made by Council Member Sandgren and seconded by Council Member Smith to waive the reading of Resolution No. 47 of 2026 – Authorization to Execute Award of Contract for the 2026 Phase I Lead Service Line Replacements. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
A motion was made by Council Member Arentson and seconded by Council Member Kerkhoff to approve Resolution No. 47 of 2026 – Authorization to Execute Award of Contract for the 2026 Phase I Lead Service Line Replacements. Motion passed by unanimous vote.
City Administrator Muetzel stated there is significant construction activity currently underway throughout the community. Seal coating is scheduled to begin on Monday, August 24.
Bills and Claims were presented to the Council for informational purposes. No questions, comments or concerns were raised.
There being no further business, a motion was made by Council Member Guetter and seconded by Council Member Smith to adjourn the meeting at 5:17 p.m. Motion passed by unanimous vote.