The Forest Lake Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend City Council approval of the Amberly Woods preliminary plat and planned unit development for a 56‑home subdivision that preserves roughly half the site as parkland and wetlands, while granting limited lot‑size flexibility under the PUD.

Board approved a $200,000 allocation to Channel One to distribute food to Olmsted County SNAP recipients if federal SNAP and WIC food benefits are not funded due to an ongoing federal shutdown; staff outlined program impacts and timelines.

At its Oct. 20 meeting the Bemidji ISD 31 board approved routine items including a $6,000 donation, two Minnesota State High School League Foundation applications, multiple policy updates and a resolution to pursue refunding 2015 school building bonds to reduce tax levies.

Assistant Superintendent Dr. Cochran updated the board on a year of professional learning for cabinet and school leaders, classroom observations, and implementation supports — including training with consultants, lab-site modeling, and rollout of Wit & Wisdom curriculum at elementary grades K–4.

District operations briefed the board on construction progress, deferred maintenance, sustainability actions and a Minnesota Department of Commerce grant to fund electric buses and infrastructure.

Senior budget analyst Michelle Watkowood reviewed the Capital Improvement Budget (CIB) process, funding sources and the 2026 proposal. Council members raised concerns about committee transparency, ward representation and a decision to front-load a five‑year bond program in earlier years.

District leaders told the school board on Oct. 21 that an audit-driven overhaul routed about 3,900 students before school started but missed a key Aug. 15 communication, leaving some families surprised. Officials outlined fixes and said a fuller after-action report will come in November.

At a regular meeting, District 622 officials and community speakers pressed voters to back two ballot questions on Nov. 4 while a parent warned the board about unexamined technology use in elementary classrooms.

Staff proposed amendments to the Minneapolis–Saint Paul housing finance board’s 2026–27 Qualified Allocation Plan to use new federal tax law capacity (reducing the bond minimum from 50% to 25% starting Jan. 1, 2026), prioritize downtown office-to-housing conversions and allow 15-year qualified-contract eligibility for certain downtown projects; the

A state legislator told Bemidji ISD 31 board members on Oct. 20 that a teacher survey he circulated showed student behavior, large class sizes, meeting diverse learning needs and mental health as top priorities for legislative attention.

The county authorized a $83,350 study, funded 50/50 with the Vermillion River Watershed Joint Powers Organization, to evaluate targeted "enhanced" street sweeping to reduce pollutants and support MS4 permit compliance; consultant WSB will perform the work.

CLA issued an unmodified opinion on Meeker County’s 2024 financial statements but reported two material weaknesses (material audit adjustments and financial reporting process) and a significant deficiency concerning segregation of duties; the federal single audit showed a suspension/debarment finding for one ARPA contract and two issues in the Med‑

At its meeting, the Meeker County Board approved a $1.85 million bridge replacement contract with state and federal grant support and voted to grant multiple conditional and interim use permits for shoreline stabilization, a welding/fabrication shop, a daycare and a concrete‑recycling site. The board also approved an amendment to a social‑services,

Health and Human Services staff warned commissioners that federal SNAP and MFIP benefits could stop beginning Nov. 1 if a government shutdown continues. The board approved amending the county MFIP plan to expand emergency assistance uses of allocated state dollars and staff described coordination with UCAP, local food shelves and other partners.

A vendor presentation and more than a half-dozen public speakers addressed a proposal to deploy automatic traffic enforcement safety devices (speed cameras) in New London, raising concerns about privacy, cost and effectiveness. The Public Safety Committee received the presentation; no vote was taken.

Board members discussed recent federal Title IX guidance and a state-federal conflict, debated sending a supportive letter for protections for girls' sports, and agreed to schedule a November work session to consider next steps; members noted potential fiscal impact to district funding.

At a lengthy study session the district presented Phase 1 of its Vision 2030 statutory operating-debt (SOD) work plan, including two initial consolidation options that would reduce the elementary footprint to five or six non-magnet schools and reduce middle schools to one or two non-magnet buildings. Board members raised concerns about community, b

A community advisory group presented Vision 2030 recommendations calling for fewer buildings, a single high school and an arts-and-innovation identity to address falling enrollment and a $21 million statutory operating debt. The school board voted to direct staff to begin work on draft statutory operating debt (SOD) and reimagine timelines.

Park and recreation officials said the Pan Continental Curling Championships open Sunday at the Iron Trail Motors Event Center; organizers estimated about $1.5 million in direct spending across the region over the 10‑day event.

The Virginia City Council declined a motion to pay an outstanding $29,000 invoice from Mesabi Humane Society on Oct. 14, 2025, then voted to direct staff to pursue alternatives for meeting the city's statutory animal-control obligations.

Chief Human Resources Officer Nikki Odom told the Budget Committee the HR department will implement Minnesota paid family and medical leave in 2026, support an enterprise ERP (Workday) transition, reduce two FTEs under the mayor's recommendation, and is relying on internal savings and self-insurance reserves rather than new general-fund dollars.

CFO Dushani Dai presented the Finance and Property Services departments 2026 recommended budget for $65.1 million, described property-services projects (First Precinct move, South Side Community Safety Center design), and said the city will begin passing credit-card processing fees for utility bills to customers in 2026.

Prince Corbett, director of Racial Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (REIB), told the Budget Committee on Oct. 7 that the department's recommended 2026 budget falls to about $1.1 million from just over $2 million in 2023 and that staffing will drop to five budgeted positions, limiting capacity for enterprise racial-equity work while the department le

City Attorney Kristin Anderson presented the offices accomplishments, public-safety work and recommended 2026 budget cuts to the Minneapolis City Budget Committee, describing program wins and planned reductions that together reduce roughly 3.0% in 2026 after a 4.0% reduction in 2025.

At an Oct. 7 budget committee meeting, Emergency Management Director Rachel Sayer told the Minneapolis City Council Budget Committee that FEMA funding for the department will drop from about $900,000 to $10,000 next year, prompting a $25,000 training reduction and plans to pursue mayoral or other replacements for grant revenue.