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2024-09-17
One-line summary
The council heard firefighters’ concerns about the fire chief hiring direction, failed to reverse the prior part-time shift, deferred staff-interaction concerns to a closed session, and voted to eliminate the Personnel Committee.
5 items as recorded in the packet and minutes.
1Call to Order, Roll Call, Approve Agenda
The work session was called to order, roll was taken, and the agenda was accepted as presented.
Agenda accepted as presented.
2.aNFD Firefighters
Firefighters were allowed to address the council about the change in direction for hiring a Nowthen Fire Department fire chief.
Firefighters spoke, a motion to return to the prior full-time direction failed, and follow-up information was assigned for a September 23 continuation/discussion.
2.bAdministrative Staff
Administrative staff concerns about interactions with one or more elected officials and staff were raised, and the city attorney recommended handling the issue in closed session.
The item was deferred to a closed special meeting scheduled for September 30 at 6:30 p.m.
2.cPersonnel Committee
The council considered the status of the Personnel Committee and voted after discussion to eliminate it and update the annual appointments resolution.
The minutes record a carried motion after the mayor clarified the motion to eliminate the Personnel Committee and handle hiring committees as needed.
3Adjourn
The meeting adjourned.
Adjourned at 8:03 p.m.
What this meeting did about specific topics, organized by issue rather than by document.
Nowthen Fire Department fire chief hiring process
The council allowed Nowthen firefighters to address concerns about the council’s recent change from a full-time fire chief hiring direction toward exploring a part-time chief. Firefighters Isaac Schulz and Mike Nelson spoke about the timing, lack of transition planning, and the strain on department leadership. Council members debated whether the prior full-time direction should be restored; Rainville’s motion to rescind the prior week’s action failed 2-3. Follow-up work was assigned to compare other cities, resend the job description, and bring the issue back on September 23 in connection with the budget.
Agenda: 2.a. Motions: M2, M3, M4. Speakers: Mayor Pilon, Council Member Rainville, Council Member Breyen, Council Member Fladebo, Council Member Alders, Administrator Lehner, Firefighter Isaac Schulz, Firefighter Mike Nelson.
Administrative staff concerns about elected-official interactions
Rainville asked for administrative staff concerns about interactions with elected officials and consultants to be heard. Attorney Ruppe said the matter was a personnel issue requiring a closed session with the full council and appropriate staff. Council members set September 30 at 6:30 p.m. for a special meeting to address it.
Agenda: 2.b. Speakers: Council Member Rainville, Attorney Ruppe, Deputy Clerk Johnson.
Personnel Committee structure
Rainville said the Personnel Committee had no adopted operating guidelines and historically acted only when directed by the council. After discussion, the council voted 5-0 to eliminate the Personnel Committee and update the annual appointments resolution, with future hiring committees to be selected as needed.
Agenda: 2.c. Motions: M5. Speakers: Council Member Rainville, Mayor Pilon.
Meeting administration
The council opened the September 17 meeting, accepted the agenda as presented, and adjourned at 8:03 p.m.
Agenda: 1, 3. Motions: M1, M6. Speakers: Mayor Pilon, Administrator Lehner, Council Member Breyen, Council Member Rainville.
6 motions on the record. Split votes are highlighted.
M1MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER BREYEN, SECONDED BY RAINVILLE TO ACCEPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
moved by Council Member Breyen, seconded by Rainville
4 AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
M2MOTION BY RAINVILLE SECONDED BY BREYEN TO ALLOW FIREFIGHTERS TO ADDRESS THE COUNCIL WITH THEIR CONCERNS REGARDING THE CHANGES IN THE PROCESS OF HIRING A FIRE CHIEF FOR THE NFD.
moved by Rainville, seconded by Breyen
4 AYES. MOTION CARRIED.
M3MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER RAINVILLE, SECONDED BY BREYEN (FOR DISCUSSION) TO DISCUSS WHETHER OR NOT THE COUNCIL WISHES TO TAKE ANY ACTION REGARDING THE CONCERNS OF THE FIREFIGHTERS.
moved by Council Member Rainville, seconded by Breyen
M4MOTION FROM COUNCIL MEMBER RAINVILLE TO RECIND WHAT WAS DONE LAST WEEK.
moved by Council Member Rainville, seconded by Council Member Breyen
M5MOTION BY COUNCIL MEMBER RAINVILLE, SECONDED BY MAYOR PILON TO REMOVE THE EXISTING MEMBERS OF THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE OR ELIMINATE THE PERSONNEL COMMITTEE.
moved by Council Member Rainville, seconded by Mayor Pilon
5 Ayes. Motion carried.
M6MOTION TO ADJOURN BY COUNCIL MEMBER RAINVILLE, SECONDED BY BREYEN.
moved by Council Member Rainville, seconded by Breyen
Each figure links back to the document it came from. When the council voted on the amount, the motion is shown.
F1
Mayor Pilon read a fire-department leadership recommendation that described a paid part-time fire chief salary range starting at $30,000 annually.
salary · part-time fire chief salary range
$30,000
outflow
Council approval status: not yet on record.
F2
Mayor Pilon read a fire-department leadership recommendation that described a paid part-time fire chief salary range up to $40,000 annually.
salary · part-time fire chief salary range
$40,000
outflow
Council approval status: not yet on record.
F3
Council Member Rainville referred to a full-time fire chief salary range in an email from the administrator.
salary · full-time fire chief posted salary range
$88,000
outflow
Council approval status: not yet on record.
F4
Council Member Rainville referred to a full-time fire chief salary range in an email from the administrator.
salary · full-time fire chief posted salary range
$133,000
outflow
Council approval status: not yet on record.
F5
Council Member Rainville said $20,000 had been removed from the fire department compensation line at the budget meeting and that she had voted against it.
budget · fire department compensation line
$20,000
outflow
Council approval status: not yet on record.
When someone tried to remember earlier business, we cross-reference the corpus and write a short related-history note.
Nowthen Firefighters approached me regarding the September 10, 2024, council meeting vote changing the direction as related to hiring a Fire Chief.
— Council Member Mary Rainville
What this is about
A prior September 10, 2024 council vote changed the fire chief hiring direction from full-time toward part-time.
The records I searched do not contain a September 10, 2024 council action matching the recollection that council voted to change the Fire Chief hiring direction from full-time to part-time. The closest items in the results are later fire-department materials: an April 14, 2026 Fire Chief monthly update noting regional leadership vacancies, and a May 12, 2026 draft resolution authorizing the hiring of Zachary Wyttenhove to the Nowthen Fire Department. Those records do not document a 2024 Fire Chief hiring-direction vote or a full-time versus part-time decision.
Council Member Rainville reminded the council that they had approved a full-time Fire Chief and had staff post it as such.
— Council Member Rainville
What this is about
Rainville recalled that the council had previously approved and posted a full-time fire chief position.
The records I searched do not contain a prior decision matching Council Member Rainville’s recollection that the council approved a full-time Fire Chief position and directed staff to post it as full-time. The search results include references to Fire Chief Miller being present at the April 14 and May 12, 2026 meetings, and a March 10, 2026 discussion of fire equipment repair expenses, but they do not show a motion, vote, or staff direction about creating or posting a full-time Fire Chief position.
in [27:39–27:50] 2019 when Ramsey and nden decided to part ways there was a two-year process [27:45–27:57] in which nin was to be stood up is that correct
— Firefighter Isaac Schulz
What this is about
Schulz recalled the 2019 Ramsey separation and the multi-year lead time for planning Nowthen fire leadership.
The records I searched do not contain a prior decision matching this recollection about a 2019 separation from Ramsey or a two-year process to stand up Nowthen fire leadership. The search results returned mostly unrelated 2026 packet items, including prosecutor agreements, hazard mitigation, farmers market support, fee schedules, and a 2026 Nowthen Fire Department hiring resolution. They do not show the 2019 Ramsey separation decision, any transition timeline, or a formal vote establishing a multi-year lead time for Nowthen fire leadership.
I want to be clear when I say this is not a [48:43–48:54] 20125 budgetary issue this is not something that just popped up out of nowhere this Council and Leadership has [48:51–49:02] had five and a half years because as any good leader would know when we started this process [49:00–49:13] 5 and a half years when we started the separ separation with ramsy this was a possibility
— Firefighter Mike Nelson
What this is about
Nelson recalled that fire-service transition planning had been underway for five and a half years and said it was not merely a 2025 budget issue.
The records I searched do not contain a prior fire-service transition decision or discussion matching this recollection about beginning a separation from Ramsey roughly five and a half years earlier. The search results returned unrelated items involving Engineer Shane Nelson and road projects, stormwater audit work, development packets, and public safety incident tables, but not fire-service transition planning, a Ramsey separation, or a council vote tied to that issue.
As the council neglected to adopt guidelines at the time of establishment of the Personnel Committee the history of the committee has been that council has directed its assignments. I cannot recall one time when the committee acted on their own nor do I find any authority given to do so.
— Council Member Mary Rainville
What this is about
Rainville recalled past Personnel Committee practice and said she could not find authority for the committee to act on its own.
The records I searched do not contain a prior decision establishing guidelines for the Personnel Committee or giving that committee authority to act on its own. The closest records are general council actions: at the January 13, 2026 meeting, council approved Resolution 2026-12 updating the Personnel Policy and City Council Policy with a new complaint policy, after staff noted there had been no clear procedure for handling complaints consistently. The excerpt does not mention the Personnel Committee or delegate authority to it. Also at the January 13, 2026 meeting, the annual appointments resolution listed council, staff, and committee assignments and stated that the City Council reserves the right to make changes during the year. It also said staff or consultants attend council, commission, and committee meetings as directed by the City Clerk, in consultation with the mayor if needed. Those records support that council retained control over assignments generally, but they do not show a specific Personnel Committee charter, guidelines, or independent authority.
And given the interactions was there a violation of Resolutions 2024-77, 3rd Party Consultant, Contractor Access and Associated Billing and 2024-03 revised 83 Annual Appointments.
— Council Member Mary Rainville
What this is about
The packet recalled the June 17 adoption of consultant-contact and annual-appointments rules as background for the administrative staff concerns.
The records I searched do not contain the June 17, 2024 adoption record, vote, or text for Resolution 2024-77 on third-party consultant/contractor access and associated billing, or for the revised 2024 annual appointments resolution referenced as 2024-03/83. The closest partial match is the January 13, 2026 packet, which includes a new annual appointments resolution for 2026 naming council/staff assignments and city consultants. That later packet confirms the city uses annual appointment resolutions for these roles, but it does not document the 2024 rule changes or any finding about whether later interactions violated them.
##### A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE HIRING OF ZACHARY WYTTENHOVE TO THE NOWTHEN FIRE DEPARTMENT. WHEREAS, The City of Nowthen Fire Department is continuously accepting applications; and, WHEREAS, Zacha
CITY OF NOWTHEN </figure> ## Fire Chief Council Update 4.14.2026 Monthly Calls-March 2026 37 total calls 5-Structure Fires (2-Nowthen and 3 Mutual aid) 5-Fire Alarms 16-Medicals 4-Grass Fires 3-Person
WRIGHT HENNEPIN SECURITY <table> <tr> <th>MEMORIAL PARK PAVILION AND 2 BATHROOMS</th> <th></th> </tr> <tr> <td>Feature</td> <td>Wright Hennepin</td> </tr> <tr> <td>Equipment Upfront Cost</td> <td>$4,6
CITY OF NOWTHEN </figure> RESOLUTION No. 2026-XX Council Meeting Location: Historic Townhall 19800 Nowthen Blvd NW Nowthen MN, 55330 A RESOLUTION APPROVING THE APPOINTMENT OF MARY LIESER, MARKET COORD
CITY OF NOWTHEN </figure> RESOLUTION No. 2026-XX Council Meeting Location: Historic Townhall 19800 Nowthen Blvd NW Nowthen MN, 55330 # A RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF THE SERVICE AGREEMENT W
Every document and recording archived for this meeting.
Meeting City Council Work Session — Agenda (2024-09-17)
Agenda · 2024-09-17
1 pages
Meeting City Council Work Session — Agenda Packet (2024-09-17)
Packet · 2024-09-17
17 pages
Meeting City Council Work Session — Minutes (2024-09-17)
Minutes · 2024-09-17
12 pages
Meeting recording
YouTube
Transcript · 755 segments · 2:01:23
The structured brief on this page is auto-generated and may need correction. The PDFs and the meeting recording remain the official record.