DEVILS LAKE – The Devils Lake City Commission held their regular meeting on Monday, Aug. 17, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall. Mayor Jim Moe, and City Commissioners Rob Hach, Joe Knowski, Jason Pierce and Lisa Uhlenkamp were in attendance.
After the meeting was called to order, the commission approved the minutes from the meetings held on Aug. 3 and 5.
During the visitors/delegations’ part of the meeting, Commissioner Uhlenkamp provided an update on Lake Region Public Library, as the library is part of her portfolio. Regarding the status of the roof, it was decided to hold off on a full roof replacement and make do with minor repairs for now.
They reviewed the end result of National Night Out and Crazy Days Summer Block Party held in the downtown area, in which local police, firefighters and emergency personnel were on hand to meet with the public. Devils Lake Fire Chief Nate Bennett reported that it was well received and there were “lots of compliments” from many attendees who appreciated the event being held downtown. “It was a little tight for space for the fire engines and stuff, but they’re hoping to do it downtown again next year,” Bennett said.
Bennett added that the Devils Lake Fire Department had a review to determine their ISO rating, which comes from the Insurance Services Office (ISO), and runs the Public Protection Classification (PPC) program, a system designed to assess the effectiveness of local fire protection services. The performance range between 1 and 10, and Bennett said he hopes to keep the rating at a 3, as a higher rating could lead to an increase in the insurance premiums.
Commissioners then commented on a new cookie/dessert shop opening downtown on 4th St. called Melissa’s Blissful Bites.
Pierce reviewed the first draft of a type of application for those who wanted to open new businesses in town. “Just as information, so we know what’s coming into the community,” he said, adding that it can also have stipulations that business owners will agree to keep their storefronts neat and clean, including any lawn or curbside areas, observe proper disposal of garbage, and not store any hazardous materials.
Pierce is also working with Police Chief Jason Toso and others on crafting a new ordinance to regulate the use of e-bikes in town. Pierce added that he was approached by a resident who expressed concerns on the increase of scooters being used on the walking paths used by pedestrians. Pierce also said that as of Sept. 8, any nuisances that need to be reported will be done on Tuesdays via an online form on the city’s Public Nuisances page, which handles municipal code violations via the fire department.
Pierce is also working with the DLFD to take down the banners of military veterans in September to present to their families, and they’re already accepting applications for banners for next year.
City Engineer Mike Grafsgaard said the Lake Access Committee is overseeing the installation of aluminum stairs by the lake for those not comfortable with walking along the rocky shore. The state’s Department of Transportation is working on providing improvements to the walking path (which will have lightpoles to provide illumination at night) on top of the dike from Hwy. 20 to the South Park. There’s no indication when that project will be finished though Grafsgaard said they were diligently working to complete it.
Reporting on the current status of the mosquito count, Grafsgaard said that it was low. To date, his staff have done ground spray for mosquitoes 19 times over the season.
Mayor Moe then addressed an issue that came up in the spring, as flowers were cleared from gravesites after Memorial Day. While they allow for a period of time around Memorial Day, further delay can cause problems for mowing and maintenance of the area. However, due to a miscommunication with cemetery employees, flowers were also mistakenly removed from headstones installed with permanent vases. While most were recovered as they were not discarded but simply set aside, Moe nonetheless offered his apologies for the mixup. “It was brought to my attention that we really didn’t explain ourselves very well,” he said. “It was a sensitive thing.”
Moe added that residents can contact City Hall or staff at the cemetery if this happens again in the future.
Toso reported on the outcome of the annual Battle of the Badges Blood Drive which took place Aug. 12 – 14, in which the Devils Lake Police Department defeated Devils Lake Fire Department 113-66. “It was a good event,” Toso said. “They met their goals every day.”
Grafsgaard reported on the status of the Sanitation Department; they were still accepting proposals until Aug. 21 regarding new 64 and 96 gallon garbage containers from different vendors. Thus far, they have received proposals from five different manufacturers. The sample containers submitted by vendors are being kept at the north end of City Hall and in the garage next door. Once approved, the containers will begin to arrive in late September, early October. Residents will need to be informed about the process, and the automated garbage truck should be ready for routes in late October.
Devils Lake Regional Airport Director Dominic Eritano reported another record month for passengers, over 1000, the first time ever at the airport, but also wanted to issue a public service announcement to all passengers not to leave bags unattended at the airport. “Please don’t walk down to Cenex to grab an energy drink and just leave your bags unattended,” he said. “We’ll have to call the police. They’re supposed to confiscate the bags.”
Interim City Auditor / City Assessor Rob Johnson said he was considering a flyover of Devils Lake to provide aerial imagery in the spring of 2027. The last time that was done was three years ago in 2024.
Johnson also reported that his current dual role as auditor and assessor would not be sustainable beyond the short term. “I’m doing the best that I can right now. The assessing stuff is taking kind of a back seat, which it can, that was kind of a little bit slower time, but it’s really going to compress my timeline for lot of things I need to get done on the assessing side,” he said.
While Johnson hasn’t yet decided which position he would retain, he suggested that the commission start preparing to advertise for one of the jobs in the near future.
Under old business, the commission approved upon second reading the two ordinances, #1041, section 17.76.030 for signs, and #1042, section 17.76.040 on accessory buildings, with no changes from the first reading.
City Attorney Jason Sayler from the Traynor Law Firm submitted a detailed invoice for his billable hours during the month of July, which proved to be expensive, as the total was $20,277. Though there were some voiced concerns over the expense, Sayler assured the commission that they could just pay the cap amount, as he reiterated his belief that his work for the commission was more about public service than profit. The commission agreed to pay half the amount.
They then moved to approve payment of the list of submitted bills before the meeting was adjourned.