TOWER— Residents of Northstar Addition were back at the city council meeting here on Monday, to once again express their frustration over conditions at a short-term rental unit in their normally quiet neighborhood.
Nick Levens, under public input, noted that he had left last month’s council meeting with the understanding that the city would be issuing a written violation notice to the owners of the rental over outdoor nudity on the property, only to read in the next paper that city officials had changed their mind.
“I’m just wondering what happened in that couple of days time frame as far as that,” he said.
In later discussion under old business, council member Joe Morin said the issues raised by neighbors had come before the city’s planning and zoning commission and after further review of the city’s short-term rental ordinance, they determined there was no provision that calls for holding property owners responsible for violations committed by renters.
“After a better look at the ordinance, there is nothing that holds the property owner culpable,” said Morin.
That didn’t sit well with another neighborhood resident. “This is a quiet neighborhood and this is unacceptable,” said D. Jones.
Council member Bob Anderson agreed. “There is no reason to allow behavior that is clearly unacceptable because there isn’t currently any language addressing it,” he said. Anderson said it’s time to take another look at the city’s ordinance to make sure it has the teeth necessary to properly protect neighbors.
“I think we’re in agreement that the ordinance needs to be updated,” said Mayor Dave Setterberg. Anderson suggested that neighbors of the rental properties be part of an ordinance-updating committee and he offered to serve on the committee himself. He’ll be joined by council member John Van Devoort and possibly other stakeholders, yet to be determined.
At the same time, the council approved a request from the rental property owners allowing them to use a gravel parking pad on their property for renter parking.
In other action, the council approved a request from the Prospector’s Loop ATV club to officially open an existing trail on the city’s northside hill for ATV use. Anderson questioned the proposal and said it will have an impact of residents who use the trails up there for hiking. But council member Kevin Norby noted that the club is undertaking an EAW for some additional trail work and want to include that trail as part of that work.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a resolution assigning addresses for the new twin homes being built at the city’s harbor. The new numbers, all odd, will run from 101 to 129, since all are being built on the north side of Harbor Court, where odd numbers are standard. The city will need to inform St. Louis County’s 911 system and the U.S. Post Office of the new addresses.
• Heard that delays in the wetlands permitting for the utility project at the harbor is likely to force the city to incur additional costs since the contractors currently doing the work will have to demobilize and return to the site once the wetlands permitting, which has been in the works for nearly a year, is completed.
• Approved a resolution authorizing submission of a Culture and Tourism grant to Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation.
• Approved a request to submit a letter of support for an economic relief package for area businesses negatively affected by the July 6 wildfires and subsequent fallout. In related news, Hoodoo Point Campground manager Randy Pratt said the campground had seen many cancellations during the worst of the smoke from the wildfires in mid-to-late July. Even so, he said visits are still up about two percent for the year.
• Approved pay applications for ongoing construction in the city.
• Heard that the contract for the rapid infiltration basin (RIB) project has been let, and that the approved bid left no extra funds, as had been hoped.
• Heard that the recently repaired salt dome roof at the city’s public works facility is failing.
• Heard that city officials will likely have to wait until sometime in September before they can move city offices into the historic old fire hall. Meanwhile, the current city hall is expected to be listed for sale by the end of the week.