Author: kfskadmin

The Petersburg City Council last week debated whether to fill a vacant position that helps run the city’s water and wastewater systems. Some councilors objected to the hire, saying the city needed to economize. Meanwhile, the councilors also passed the first reading of an ordinance dealing with snow removal on sidewalks. Matt Lichtenstein has a look at these stories and some of the other news from the Council’s first meeting of the month.

Frederick Point residents will pay the same electric hook-up rates as the rest of the town after all. The city’s electric utility had been expecting to recoup its costs for the new power line through the hook-up fees. As it turns out, the city would have to make an ordinance change in order to do that, according to the city manager. The issue came before the council Tuesday (9/5) night.

The Petersburg City Council voted to expand the prohibitions on skateboarding downtown Monday night. It was the first of three readings of the new ordinance, but a group of young skateboarders, parents and skating enthusiasts turned out to ask councilors not to single out their sport for more restrictions.

A report released by the city of Petersburg last week finds that the clashes between one of the city’s councilors and the mayor are not the result of gender discrimination. The finding comes from a labor attorney who investigated Councilor Melinda Hofstad’s complaint that Mayor Al Dwyer had harassed her because she’s a woman.
The lawyer did find some fault with both Hofstad and Dwyer’s behavior at meetings in the past. However, he did not think their conflict was the result of gender discrimination. As matt Lichtenstein found, the report did not settle the hard feelings between Hofstad and Dwyer, but they have been getting along much better at recent meetings.

It’s back to school for Petersburg students today. There are several new staff members this year, including new PE, second grade and special education teachers in the elementary school and new art and integrated studies teachers in the high school. Matt Lichtenstein stopped by the schools last week to talk with some of the district’s newest staff members.