Growth main discussion at city manager open house

Prior Lake American

Growth, as with many recent public meetings, was the main topic of discussion during the city manager open house at Prior Lake City Hall on Wednesday.

Prior Lake residents met and talked with the three candidates for the city manager position — St. Francis City Administrator Joe Kohlmann, Wabasha County Administrator Michael Plante and Cloquet City Administrator Aaron Reeves.

Current City Manager Frank Boyles announced in July that he will retire in March after 26 years in the position. City officials expect the next city manager to be in the position by the beginning of February.

Residents and candidates discussed a number of issues affecting Prior Lake, the biggest of which is growth — residential and commercial.

“You’re close to the metro but have a lot of land to develop and grow still,” Reeves said. “From where I am right now, we don’t have the growth we’re going to be experiencing here in Prior Lake. It’s the same issues here as anywhere — provide services citizens expect at a reasonable price.”

Reeves worked as the assistant city administrator and the city clerk at the city of Rochester before his current position. He was also the city administrator at Cannon Falls and Kenyon. Reeves has a bachelor’s in political science and a master’s in public administration.

He said his development experience at Rochester could be an asset to the community and that he will spend time listening in order to get a feel for what direction Prior Lake wants to move in.

Plante was previously assistant county attorney for Wabasha and Hubbard counties. He has a bachelor’s in legal studies and a law degree.

Kohlmann has also worked as the city administrator for the city of Tonka Bay and as an administrative intern for the city of St. Paul. Kohlmann has a master’s degree in urban and regional studies.

Kohlmann said his experience aligns with the goals of Prior Lake.

“Development is always a challenge, wherever it’s occurring,” Kohlmann said, adding that he believes Prior Lake is well-run. “There’s different challenges that are unique to each area. It’s always going to be an issue as the city continues to develop.”

Prior Lake resident Dave Thompson, who attended the open house, said he is interested in how a city manager would handle growth.

“There’s unintended consequences to massive growth that requires new schools, new fire stations, new everything,” Thompson said. “I’m not opposed to growth, but I want to make sure it’s done in a way that doesn’t overburden the existing tax base.”

Plante said he believes his experience could aid in helping Prior Lake grow in a strategic manner.

“One of my strengths is developing plans and making sure they are followed through,” Plante said. “You have to have a good plan in place to prepare for that future development. You want to promote growth where you can and not disrupt values citizens hold dear, like the ‘small-town feel.’”

Prior Lake resident Alexandra Matyja said she is most concerned with the city’s debt and taxes.

“I want to make sure people are still possessing common sense and using it,” Matyja said. “I asked each one what the definition of common sense was. They liked mine better — common sense is a beautiful flower that does not grow everywhere.”

More than 40 candidates applied for the city manager position.

DDA Human Resources, Inc. Management Consultant Gary Weiers said the open house is fairly common for cities the size of Prior Lake.

“(The council) felt it was really important to have these opportunities for the public to come in and meet these folks,” Weiers said. “You’re inviting the citizens in to meet people, it’s a transparent part of the process.”

The candidates met the department heads and took a tour of the city on Wednesday and had public interviews with the City Council on Thursday.