Crosslake: Council agrees to continue to pursue local option sales tax
Tax would fund capital improvement projects. City initiated plans for approval of tax in 2020, but plans stopped because of COVID-19 Written By: Nancy Vogt | ×
The Crosslake City Council met Monday, Jan. 11, including council members Marcia Seibert-Volz (left) and Aaron Herzog, Mayor Dave Nevin and council member John Andrews. Council member Dave Schrupp attended online via Zoom. Screenshot / Nancy Vogt
The Crosslake City Council agreed to again pursue a half cent local option sales and use the tax to fund specific capital improvements.
Projects include wastewater plant projects and extending city sewer service to the County State Aid Highway 66/Moonlite service area and Daggett Lake service area.
“Putting him on the same step as Corky (McQuiston) is just confusing, even though we may have done it with Corky,” Johnson said Jan. 4. “I would expect an employee coming on on the same step as a long-term employee to not make one mistake, to hit the ground running day one, no learning curve because you are worth exactly what the outgoing chief is worth.”
With that said, Johnson also said he would reluctantly support the motion to hire Baloun at wage 6.
Council member Dave Pritschet said offering Baloun step 6 should be worth considering, given his master’s degree and 14 years of experience as a police chief.
George Vinson has worked in several capacities for the Fargo Police Department over the past 17 years. 2:00 am, Dec. 22, 2020 ×
George Vinson
George Vinson, a lieutenant in the Fargo Police Department, is in line to become the next Brainerd police chief should he accept the job offer.
The Brainerd City Council voted Monday, Dec. 21, to offer Vinson the job of outgoing Chief Corky McQuiston, who is soon set to retire.
After the city’s civil service commission whittled the top seven candidates down to three, the council voted 5-2 to offer Vinson the job.
Dave Pritschet, Kelly Bevans, Tad Erickson, Jan Lambert and Gabe Johnson all cast their ballots for Vinson, while Kevin Stunek and Wayne Erickson voted for Brent Baloun, the police chief in Becker who was born and raised in Brainerd.
Negotiations underway for administrator position Written By: Nancy Vogt | ×
A local man was offered the job as Pequot Lakes’ next city administrator.
Richard Spiczka, Pequot Lakes Community Education director for the past four years, hadn’t officially accepted the offer as of Tuesday, Nov. 3, according to City Clerk/Treasurer Angie Duus, who said in an email that negotiations were taking place.
The council unanimously agreed to offer the job to Spiczka at a starting annual wage of $73,028 in a meeting Thursday morning, Oct. 29, Duus said.
Spiczka is also the Pequot Lakes High School boys basketball coach.
Before coming to Pequot Lakes, he served as the activities director/program coordinator/coach for Sauk Rapids-Rice Schools for approximately five years; as a community program director for the YMCA of Greater St. Paul in Mounds View for six months; and as the recreation supervisor for Buffalo-Hanover-Montrose Schools in Buffalo for approximately five yea
Brainerd names 3 finalists for police chief
George Vinson, Brent Baloun and Victor Siebeneck III are in the running to replace retiring Chief Corky McQuiston. 6:00 am, Dec. 16, 2020 ×
George Vinson (left), Brent Baloun and Victor Siebeneck III are the three finalists to become Brainerd s next police chief. They interviewed virtually with the city council and a community panel Thursday, Dec. 10. Theresa Bourke / Brainerd Dispatch
Three candidates from Becker, Fargo, North Dakota and Salt Lake City, Utah are in the final running to become Brainerd’s next police chief.
George Vinson, Brent Baloun and Victor Siebeneck III were the top picks coming out of the city’s civil service commission meeting Monday, Dec. 14.