Benning Printing & Publishing

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on July 13. Mayor Tara Erckenbrack was absent. Clash Over THC Licensing Fee and Sign Ordinance Brian Hagen raised concerns about the city’s new THC licensing fee and how it enforces its sign rules. Hagen questioned the $125 fee for a THC license, pointing out that he already pays fees to the state. He wanted to know what specific costs the city has for regulating THC. He argued th

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on June 8. Cannabis Business Ordinance The council approved the new ordinance required after Minnesota legalized cannabis and effectively told cities to set local rules within state guidelines. Mayor Tara Erckenbrack explained that the goal is not to recruit new cannabis businesses but to regulate what state law already allows, mainly by mirroring state setbacks from schools, dayc

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on Monday, May 11. New City Council Member Heather Ewert was sworn in. Cannabis Ordinance The city is tightening a new cannabis and low‑potency hemp ordinance. Council members directed staff to require that age‑compliance checks be handled by the county, not city staff, and to remove fixed sales hours for low‑potency hemp products, since those are already sold in existing businesse

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on Monday, April 13. Cannabis Licensing The city council discussed how to manage low-potency hemp and cannabis edibles now that local licensing is required following state approval. One local business has already received a license from the Office of Cannabis Management to sell low-potency edibles, prompting the need for the city to establish its own licensing process. Council me

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on Monday, March 9. Final Payment Approved For Sidewalk Project The recommended final payout to Ideal Construction is $48,102.19, representing the remaining amount due under the project, after negotiations with Moore Engineering. Council Member Jim Runyan repeatedly questioned whether the city should instead receive a total of $52,000 from Moore (combining an earlier discussed $30

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held a special meeting on March 5 where they spoke with representatives from Moore Engineering over Zoom. The main topic was about who should pay for extra costs of about $75,000 on a project—whether it should be the city, the engineering consultant, or the contractor. Moore Engineering had previously agreed to cover $30,000 of this extra cost. The council thought this would resolve the issue, but then the c

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held a special meeting on February 24 to discuss the payment to Ideal Construction, the contractor Moore Engineering used for the city’s Safe Routes to School sidewalk project. The meeting was to address a dispute over unpaid work and conflicting guidance from Moore Engineering. The discussion centered on whether the city should pay Ideal the full amount requested for additional work that exceeded original e

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on February 9. Payment Dispute Over Sidewalk Project Continues Council Member Raye Ludovissie opened the meeting by saying Ideal should be paid what they are owed for the work already completed, while Moore Engineering should be “put on the back burner” until they come to a meeting in person and fully explain their position. He argued that Ideal followed Moore’s directions, perform

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on Monday, January 12. Safe Routes to School Payment Darrin Fellbaum, with Moore Engineering, presented pay application five for the Safe Routes to School project, which included $11,485.50 for the final speed feedback sign. A dispute arose between Moore Engineering and Ideal Construction (Jeff Kobliska) over final payment amounts: while Moore recommended specific payments based

by Trinity Gruenberg trinity@inhnews.com The Verndale City Council held their regular meeting on Monday, December 8. Sidewalk Cost Overage Settled Moore Engineering provided an update on the Safe Routes to School sidewalk project. John Pauna of Moore Engineering explained that the project had exceeded its original budget of $436,237.79, reaching a final recommended total of $499,675.85. The overage ($63,438) was due to various field adjustments and additional work, includ