Babaamaajimowinan (Telling of news in different places)

Bemidji City Council, Red Lake Tribal Council meet

BEMIDJI -- The Bemidji City Council held an apparently unprecedented meeting with the Red Lake Nation Tribal Council on Monday, discussing issues at interest to both governments.

As 26-year Tribal Council member Roman "Ducker" Stately put it, such a meeting had "never happened before." Officials with both Red Lake Nation and the city of Bemidji could not recall a meeting of both councils taking place in many years.

Discussion centered around economic development in Bemidji and Red Lake. Bemidji Mayor Rita Albrecht presented Tribal Council Chairman Darrell Seki and other tribal council members with chocolates from Chocolates Plus as a token of goodwill. Tribal Secretary Don Cook presented Albrecht with a bead necklace.

Monday's meeting with the City Council is only one in a series of meetings Seki has held or plans to hold with groups outside the reservation, including neighboring governments and businesses. The Tribal Council met with the Beltrami County Board of Commissioners on Aug. 5.

After the meeting, Seki said he'd like to see the City Council come to Red Lake for a meeting in the future in order to improve relations between the city and the Red Lake Nation.

Utility fees

A proposed .5 percent increase to the franchise fees the city of Bemidji charges to utility users received a public hearing during Monday's City Council meeting.

The pending ordinance increases both the electric and the gas fees from 4.5 to 5 percent of the monthly gross revenues. No public commenters came forward to participate in the hearing.

The council will have a final vote on the measure at a future City Council meeting.

Bemidji City Manager John Chattin said it was common for cities to either have no franchise fee or for it to be 5 percent, the full amount allowed by state law. It was uncommon for cities to charge an amount under 5 percent, he told the Pioneer in an interview before the meeting.

Chattin said franchise fees allow the city to draw revenue from tax-exempt properties which make up a large portion of all property in the city.

"It's spread more evenly than what a property tax increase would (be)," he said.

 

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