City of Virginia officials are close to introducing an early retirement program aimed at reducing its workforce through natural attrition, rather than contemplate layoffs, but first a few details to iron out.

City Administrator Britt See Benes said she liked the offers and there was more interest than expected from employees. How many follow through on taking it up is unknown. But See Benes also asked for the program to return to the personnel committee for revisions.

“We would need to do a little more workforce planning, because if we have everybody leave on the same day from the same department, it’s going to be chaotic and awful and not going to work,” she said.

Councilor Annie Bachscheider said the plan also takes the form of workforce transition and organizational restructuring.

She added that it should not be offered as a first-come-first-served basis, but instead management directed and approved by the council to help avoid those concerns.

“I think that this is a really, really great direction that we’re going,” Bachscheider said.

Virginia also aAgreed to discuss a lease amendment for the Copper Nickel on the Course restaurant.

Among the larger requests by the restaurant owners would allow them to close during the winter, a potential cost savings for the city when considering plowing and maintenance. For Copper Nickel, the limited time off would come when it experiences significantly less traffic and loses more money.

“Their concerns as business owners are definitely valid,” said Councilor Steve Johnson. “There is no way of seeing the building from the highway. The people who are going there are going there to play golf and then they are eating or having drinks. I really respect that they came to us and put in writing what their challenges were and what their requests are.”

Mayor Larry Cuffe Jr. said the city is still a few years out from being able to sell the building. Copper Nickel also asked the city to open more lines of communication about projects and fixes that are needed, including some still outstanding from state inspectors.

“Their lease is only one year, and after that, I don’t think they would come back,” said Councilor Justin Skalko. “I think this is a good step.”

Accessing the Virginia City Council

Virginia City Council agendas, minutes and packets can be found on the city’s website. Recordings of the meetings can be found on YouTube.

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Hoyt Lakes held its latest city council meeting on July 14.

Councilor Dave Jarvela said he had a recent conversation with a NewRange Copper Nickel representative about the feasibility of a data center on the mine’s land.

He said residents in the area are used to lights, noise and the power draw, but questioned how a data center would coincide with any state laws about mine land usage.

After discussion the council opted to keep rates the same for season lake access ($3,100) and non-lake access ($2,500) at Fisherman’s Point in 2027. Councilor Cherie Grams said the city raised rates the last two years.

Deputy Clerk Tammy Snetsinger said the camping numbers are down from the “crazy” ones experienced the Covid-19 pandemic, but added there’s a natural ebb and flow in the Hoyt Lakes.

“We seem to have a cycle,” she said. “Right now golfing is up, so we have a lot more there . Camping is kind of going down.”

Accessing the Hoyt Lakes City Council

Hoyt Lakes City Council agendas, minutes and packets can be found on the city’s website. Recordings of the meetings can be found on YouTube.

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Biwabik city officials are moving ahead with an HVAC project at city hall the pavilion, but will complete the entirety of it in phases.

City Administrator Michael Schultz told the council last month that bids came in about $300,000 higher than anticipated. Biwabik received grant funding for the project, and the council decided it would capitalize on the funding now to prioritize city hall and heating at the pavilion.

“I don’t think it will turn on again and work if we needed to run the heat,” Schultz said last month. “So, that has to be done.”

In an email to Iron Range Today, he said the air conditioning for the pavilion will not be included in this phase of project, and the city will look to include it in future grant requests.

The project was ultimately awarded to Independence Heating and Cooling for $677,000.

Accessing the Biwabik City Council

Agendas, minutes and videos of council meetings are available on the city website.

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The Rock Ridge School Board set out a timeline for annual reviews of Superintendent Dr. Noel Schmidt, and the process of setting his goals for the upcoming year.

Schmidt will be evaluated in closed session based on this 2024-25 goals, which he briefly outlined in a working session Monday.

“This board, since consolidation, has had a hard time doing an evaluation,” said Director Tim Riordan. “We haven’t evaluated Noel for two years.”

Evaluation format will use a form developed by the Minnesota School Board Association.

Accessing the Rock Ridge School Board

Video of the Rock Ridge meeting and the unofficial summary of minutes are provided by Rock Ridge. The unofficial summary for Feb. 9 was not posted at the time of publishing.