The Devils Lake City Commission met for a regular meeting on Monday, November 4th at 5:30 pm. There was an opportunity for public comment regarding the conditional use permit for work to be started at Prairie View Elementary School, but no one spoke for or against the issue. The permit was approved unanimously, and work on the updates needed at the school can begin. Next, it was brought before the commission that due to many employees taking the Friday after Thanksgiving off from work and causing disruptions anyway, the commission may want to grant that day off to city employees to avoid them needing to use vacation time. Commissioners Knowski and Moe were against this, arguing that shutting down city services disrupts service schedules and that employees should plan for vacation if this day is needed. Commissioner Pierce motioned to grant city employees the Friday after Thanksgiving (November 29th) off, but the motion died for lack of a second. The commission will review the proposed 2025 calendar and vote on it at the next commission meeting to resolve these issues before the year begins.
The commission then approved several pay estimates for curb, gutter, and sidewalk projects from the summer, as well as water main replacement projects. Following these estimates, three ordinances had their first readings, where no action was needed. The first ordinance is set to repeal a former ordinance that states that law enforcement cannot pull over drivers for not wearing a seatbelt without another violation in place (unless the driver is under 18). This new ordinance will make it so that law enforcement will be able to pull over drivers simply for not wearing seatbelts and issue citations. The second ordinance needed language amended that referenced the repealed ordinance. The third ordinance related to DUI’s, stating that the enforcement period will change to reflect state law. Currently, the city ordinance states that subsequent DUI offenses must occur within five years to accrue penalties, but state law has extended that period to seven years. The third ordinance will change Devils Lake’s DUI period to seven years, as well.
The City Commission then broke into executive (closed) session to discuss pending litigation of Fuller vs. City of Devils Lake. They reconvened to approve the list of bills before adjournment.
Past meeting minutes and future meeting agendas can be found at dvlnd.com.
