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by Tom Coombe
Mayor Heidi Omerza didn’t mince words Tuesday as she reacted to the minutes of a recent parks and recreation committee meeting.
Omerza cited minutes of a recent committee gathering and went on to say “I find this a little disappointing, to be perfectly honest.”
She spoke directly to council member Adam Bisbee, who is also on the parks and recreation committee, and asked “if you could explain” minutes that indicated “there is unanimous consensus regarding the failure of the city to provide the board with a sound budget and a desire for clarification.”
“Could you please explain what that means?’ Omerza asked.
Bisbee responded and said “at the end of the meeting there was consensus. It seems as though the board’s hands are tied as far as an allocated budget from which they can operate to make decisions on or various areas in which they feel they have sound judgment to appropriate funds for certain expenditures.”
Bisbee added the committee “is limited in capacity to function as a board. It’s very frustrating to try and make decisions on certain objectives without having an earmarked amount of money to support those goals and endeavors.”
The response only amplified the exchange and Omerza pointed to Bisbee’s role as a council member and approval of the budget, as well as the committee’s role in the city hierarchy.
“Parks and Rec is an advisory board,” said Omerza. “So they essentially don’t have a budget. The other piece out of this is you do know what the budget is. You’ve approved the whole budget.”
Omerza added “We are at the very end of our budgeting process and had to cut a lot of things on budget. It has been a very painful process. To hear there’s a consensus you need clarification when you’ve helped with the whole process. You approved the whole process. I lose sleep over the budget. That’s just a balance between how much we can raise a levy in a city that has low income housing and low income residents. It’s very hard for me. My heart and soul is in a lot of this and I’m not sure how to balance that out. I feel like there’s better ways to go about this.”
Council member Al Forsman also weighed in, contending it’s “backwards” to suggest the committee and not the council would decide how parks and recreation funds would be spent. He also called on the committee to get involved and make recommendations early in the city’s budget process.
“Everything moves at the speed of government and it takes awhile for things to happen,” said Forsman.
Council member Paul Kess, meanwhile, indicated better communication and clarification may be needed to show the committee how the city pays for some recreation activities via the public works budget.
In other business, the council:
• Approved a parks and recreation recommendation to allow those in the Tour of Minnesota bicycle event to camp in Whiteside Park on June 16-18, 2025.
• Approved a residential rehabilitation loan for Linda Enquist-VandenBranden and a commercial rehabilitation loan for Jim Mealey;
• Authorized raffle permits for the Jake Forsman Memorial Scholarship and the Ely Blue Line Club.
• Granted a temporary liquor license to Northern Lakes Arts Association for an event at the Hidden Valley chalet on Dec. 5.
• Approved the first reading of an ordinance that would bring Ely Sunday liquor license rules in line with the state, including allowing on-sale purchases beginning at 8 a.m.
• Heard that the planning and zoning commission had granted a conditional use permit to Tanner Spicer for the construction of four log cabins and up to three RV sites for his in-town resort at 115 North 21st Avenue East.
• Approved a planning and zoning recommendation to explore ways to fund a potential “de-pave” incentive. It carried 6-1 with Forsman opposed.
• Approved changes in the second hand goods dealer ordinance.
• Declined a planning and zoning recommendation to approve an updated Dumpster Enclosure Ordinance and instead sent it back to the commission for further review.
Forsman said the changes would create hardship for businesses or multi-unit dwellings in the event of sale or expansion, when they would be forced to comply with new regulations.
“If you went down the alleys from this facility down Central Avenue there wouldn’t be a building that complies with this,” said Forsman. “You would not be able to update these properties. There isn’t the ability in the alleys to comply with this ordinance. Instead of making an ordinance that does not fit the majority of properties, there’s already coverage of this in the blight code.”
