Newport City Council — Transcript
Thursday, May 7, 2026
Law Enforcement Updates and Memorial Week
Fire Department Operations and Training
Public Works Projects and Community Initiatives
Community Tributes and Event Planning
Regional Transit Development
Votes (5)
Washington County Sheriff's Office Report and Law Enforcement Memorial Week Commemoration
Sergeant Leggett provided an update on summer activity, including 116 directed patrols to address speed concerns, and noted stable call loads. He then delivered a personal narrative, 'I am,' to humanize the law enforcement profession, detailing the fears, hopes, and dedication of officers and their families, especially in advance of Law Enforcement Memorial Week on May 15th, for which he would be attending ceremonies in Washington D.C. The Mayor thanked Sergeant Leggett for sharing the human perspective behind the badge.
Fire Chief's Report on Operations, Training, and Recruitment
Chief Marston reported 13 calls for the month, including two significant outgoing fires. He highlighted departmental achievements, noting that half the department is now certified in fire inspections and the entire department will soon be Blue Card ICS certified, with two in-house instructors. He explained that Blue Card ICS is a standardized incident command system critical for organizing scene operations and enhancing firefighter safety. The Chief also updated on firefighter recruitment, with 10 applicants moving to interviews.
Authorization of Partial Payment for Cottage Grove Interconnect Project
Moved by Council member Engeman [00:21:44] · Seconded by Council member Schmidt [00:21:51]
Superintendent Matt requested authorization for partial payment number six to A1 Excavating for the interconnect project with Cottage Grove. He explained that this payment covers the installation of the 'brains and communication of the system,' including control valves and meters, which will make the clean water system operational within approximately two weeks, pending power. The payment is part of the routine process for this ongoing project.
Public Works Week 'Touch-a-Truck' Event and Tree Removal Grant Update
Superintendent Matt announced a 'touch-a-truck' event for Public Works Week on May 19th (noon-2 PM) at Newport Elementary, involving Public Works, Sheriff's, and Fire Department vehicles, aimed at educating children. He also reported on securing a $132,000 grant from the Minnesota DNR for the removal of approximately 180 dead or dying trees (120 private, 60 city), with a focus on private property first, which will include stump grinding and replacement trees for qualifying residents, calling it a unique opportunity.
Mayor and Council Reports: Community Tributes and Transit Developments
Mayor Elliott delivered a heartfelt tribute to Bev Bartel, a long-serving community volunteer who passed away, acknowledging her decades of service to the Heritage Preservation Commission, Library Board, and other community initiatives. She also provided updates on upcoming Park Board activities, including a Summer Family Fun Night in Loveland Park and Pioneer Day planning, which will feature a movie vote and changes to the 5K route. Council member Taylor reported on the Red Rock Corridor Commission's shift towards diverse, localized transit solutions, like the 345 route and the Darts circulator, aiming to meet residents' daily needs, and expressed optimism for future service expansion.
Notable Quotes (9)
I'm a person who wonders if the next person I encounter while working will hate me only because of my profession and not look past the uniform knowing not knowing who I am or what I believe in.
Well, I want to thank you for um bringing um sort of the humanity behind the badge um to your statement and for helping people to understand that an officer has the same worries and the same concerns and the same hopes and the same dreams of anybody.
It's incident command system. So, basically what it is is how you operate and run scenes, whether they're fire scenes or medicals or anything. Just it's a standardized system.
It truly truly has saved a lot of lives because if you don't know where people are in a fire scene, that's the most dangerous thing out there.
Mostly what this uh payment request is is basically putting in the uh the brains and the communication of the system. The The pipe have been in the ground since last fall. Um but now we've got a valve and a meter that we can control and read from from public works and uh Um so, within I would I would guess 2 weeks or so um pending power and everything else, um it should be operational.
this is this is the first time in my memory that we've done this for for the kids. And I think I think it's really important for them to see some of the hands-on people behind the scenes that, you know, make make life happen and and keep the world running.
this is the first opportunity that I've seen to ever take a tree on private property and get rid of it, get the stump ground, and give them a new tree to plant.
She's just been um, a wonderful community booster and served in many capacities when needed uh, beyond what I I've listed here.
And I think what we've gone with in the direction we started to recognize a couple years ago is to less that kind of home run project and more varied projects to meet people where they're at.
Ordinances & Resolutions (1)
Payment request for A1 Excavating relating to the interconnect project with Cottage Grove.