LANCASTER CITY COUNCIL PROCEEDINGS

The Lancaster City Council met for a special meeting to discuss Township fire contracts on Wednesday, January 21, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall. The following members were present: Mayor Bernstrom, and council members Grabowska and Olson. Stenquist and Matthew were absent. Also in attendance was Fire Chief, Casey Faken; Assistant Fire Chiefs, Tyler Swenson and Clark Weleski; representatives of the Townships served by the Lancaster Fire Department, and Anna Jauhola with the Kittson County Enterprise.

The purpose for the special meeting was to discuss annual fire contracts with the townships that the Lancaster Fire Department serves. The clerk provided and reviewed the income statement 2024 & 2025 expenditures, the 2026 budget, as well as the 2025 (EMV’s) Estimated Market Values as provided by Kittson County. Fire chief reported that the fire department felt that the previous contract’s 3% increase per year was not needed and wanted to have a zero percent increase for the next three years. They will soon be finished with their new storage building and at this time didn’t have any new large purchases planned.

Clerk Johnson read the Fire Department’s Proposal: The overall total of the township contracts of $25,492.58 would not increase for 2026, 2027 & 2028, but the pro rata share will still fluctuate based upon each township’s most recent January 1 estimated market value available from Kittson County in each year of the 3 years covered under the agreement (recalculated in each of the contract years). This will produce changes in the individual township contracts. These changes can be up or down but the total that the fire department collects from all townships of $25,492.58 will not change in the years of 2026, 2027 & 2028.

Bernstrom opened the meeting for questions and input from the township officers and firemen in attendance. A township representative questioned that if every township’s EMV went up by 20% that the Fire Department would still only be getting $25,492.58 each year. This was verified as correct, for the next three years, there will not be any increases to the contract amount but the portion each township pays would fluctuate based on their pro rata % of their total EMV in the years 2026, 2027, and 2028.

Olson made a motion to accept the Fire Departments Proposal, with a second by Grabowska and carried.

Being no further business the meeting was adjourned

Janet Johnson, Clerk/Treasurer
Approved: Kathy Bernstrom, Mayor
Approval Date: February 11, 2026

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