Waite Park Council Unanimously Approves Construction Package, Looks Likely to Change Mayor Term Length

(KNSI) – The Waite Park City Council unanimously approved the first bid package for the government center expansion Monday night.

At nearly $4.6 million, this phase of the project is seven percent below initial estimates. The work covers targeted demolition of the ceiling and site securement. It will also allow for precast panels to be ordered that will make up the walls of the police department wing.

They come with a four to six-month lead time, and getting them in place before the snow falls is critical, says Public Works Director Bill Schluenz. “The importance of that is to get that up before winter, so that we can cap and enclose the structure, so that we can continue working through the winter.”

Another bid package is likely to come before the council at the second meeting in July. It will cover structural steel, roofing, exterior materials, and more. The project is expected to be done next August.

There was also a work session held on Monday. The council seemed receptive to a proposal that would lengthen the term for mayor from two years to four.

Before being elected to the city’s top post in 2024, Ken Schmitt was a councilman. In that position, he got four years before having to run again. Schmitt says the constant re-elections make his new job harder. “As far as a mayor and trying to push what I would like to see done with the city, two years is just not enough time to do it. I try to meet with all the homeowners’ associations, as many people as I can, but that all takes time.”

Schmitt also floated the idea of term limits. The council did not seem to believe that was necessary. Lengthening the mayor’s term can be done with a simple vote by the council. It would go into effect after the next election.

Schmitt said the idea came up during an area mayor’s conference that is held once a month. St. Augusta and St. Joseph also have two-year terms for their mayors.

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