Hermantown meeting summaries, agendas, and minutes

Hermantown boards weigh data center, trail payment, sewer extension

Hermantown city boards and commissions held several meetings over the past two weeks, with agenda items ranging from a proposed Google data center to a trail construction payment and a sewer extension. No minutes have been published yet, so no decisions are confirmed. The City Council also has a budget work session scheduled for Aug. 24.

City Council

The City Council met Aug. 17 for a closed session under Minn. Stat. § 13D.05 Subd. 3(b) to discuss potential litigation, then reconvened in open session. Agenda items included:

• Second reading of Ordinance 2026-01, amending Chapter 9 (Utilities and Services).
• Resolution 2026-96, approving pay request #5 for Keene Creek Trail Segment 4 to Veit & Company for $339,201.47.
• Resolution 2026-97, approving final plans and ordering bids for the Reinke Road sanitary sewer extension.
• Accounts payable warrants totaling $1,358,968.06.

The agenda also listed a presentation from Google representatives and a pre-agenda discussion on Stebner Road.

On Aug. 20, the council held a work session to discuss proposed data center land use application materials. The meeting recessed to the Aug. 24 work session.

Planning & Zoning

The Planning & Zoning Commission met Aug. 18 for public hearings on three special-use permits for large accessory structures:

• 2,400 sq ft at 3879 Kenroy Road (R-3 district)
• 2,688 sq ft at 5801 W. Arrowhead Road (S-1 district)
• 3,200 sq ft at 4041 Sangstrom Road (S-1 district)

The commission also considered two zoning ordinance text amendments: one to allow administrative review of flag lot subdivisions (Chapter 10, Section 1010.04) and another to Chapter 5, Section 555 (Shoreland). A work session was held to ask questions about the proposed Google Data Center; that session was not open for public comment.

Park Board

The Park Board met Aug. 18 with no new business listed. The prior meeting's minutes, referenced in the agenda, showed discussions on:

• Naming park fields after individuals, including a proposal to rename Rose Road after Tom Bang and other considerations involving Fichtner.
• Trail construction updates: the Johnson Road segment is to be built with class 5 material, a concrete pad, benches, and trash can locations staked out, with a close-out date of Oct. 1, 2026.
• A meeting between the city engineer and the DNR regarding a bridge structure south of Hermantown Road.
• Concerns about e-bikes on existing trails.

Board of Appeals

The Board of Appeals & Adjustments held a public hearing Aug. 10 on a variance request by Christopher Dixon for a 1.3-foot reduction to the required 10-foot side yard setback, to allow a 10x10-foot addition to a home at 4271 Lavaque Road (R-3 Residential zone). The board also considered approving minutes from the May 12, 2026 meeting and took public comment on non-agenda items.

Coming up

The City Council will hold a work session on Aug. 24 to discuss the 2027 budget. The agenda lists only that discussion item and a recess to the next regular meeting on Sept. 8.

Hermantown roundup: Trail contracts, Stebner Road development, and data center water on the agenda

Hermantown's City Council and Planning Commission held three meetings in late July, but minutes have not yet been published for any of them — so no outcomes can be confirmed from the official record. The agendas, however, outline what was scheduled for consideration, including a $299,394.02 trail construction payment, a housing development amendment, and a work session on data center water use. A regular Council meeting set for August 3 carries the heaviest agenda, with more than $1.4 million in city warrants and over $500,000 in trail change orders up for action.

July 20 City Council

The Council's regular meeting agenda included a consent agenda with city warrants totaling $674,509.67 and several resolutions. The largest scheduled item was Resolution 2026-87, a $299,394.02 payment to Veit & Company for construction of Keene Creek Trail Segment 4. Other agenda items were Resolution 2026-84 on insurance coverage and municipal tort liability limits, Resolution 2026-85 authorizing an easement for the Lightning Drive Improvements and Trail Project, and Resolution 2026-86 approving a request for proposals for City Attorney civil services. Presentations on second-quarter financials, the capital improvement plan, and the 400-foot rule were also listed. Because minutes are not yet published, the Council's actual votes and any changes to these items cannot be confirmed.

July 21 Planning Commission

The Planning Commission agenda featured a public hearing on a Planned Unit Development amendment submitted by BMAX, Inc. The request would add one twinhome building (2 units) to an existing 10-acre site at 399x Stebner Road, bringing the total to 11 twinhome buildings and 22 units. The amendment would shift the garage area and pickleball courts westward and remove a previously approved right-of-way extension. The agenda also listed the withdrawal of a Preliminary and Final Plat application for the same site, plus a wetland replacement plan submitted by Minnesota Power/Allete covering 1.12 acres at 5816 Morris Thomas Road. No minutes have been published, so the commission's recommendations are not yet on the record.

July 27 City Council Work Session

The Council held a work session to review an AUAR (Alternative Urban Areawide Review) presentation and a data center water overview. Work sessions are discussion-only and do not include formal votes. The agenda noted the Council would recess until August 3, 2026. Without published minutes, the substance of the presentations and discussion is not available from the official record.

Coming up

August 3 — City Council regular meeting. The agenda is the busiest of the cycle. Scheduled items include:

• Resolution 2026-88: Wetland replacement plan for the Arrowhead Substation.
• Resolution 2026-89: Amendment to the Stebner Road Planned Unit Development.
• $107,972.95 pay request for the Water System Connection and Booster Station, Improvement District No. 323.
• $30,000 pay request for Hermantown City Hall HVAC upgrades.
• Change orders totaling $501,695.52 for Keene Creek Trail Segment 4.
• Consent agenda including minutes and approximately $1.4 million in city warrants.

Residents interested in the Stebner Road development, trail spending, or utility infrastructure may want to attend. Check the city's official agenda for meeting time and location.

Hermantown roundup: Utility Commission denies sewer credit; council to vote on $299K trail contract

Utility Commission denies additional sewer credit

The Hermantown Utility Commission met July 9 and, on a 5-0 vote, declined a request from Jan Holt for an additional credit on the sewer portion of a utility bill, citing existing policy. The commission also approved its May 14, 2026 meeting minutes (5-0) and adjourned by a unanimous vote.

City Council: special use permits, warrants on July 6 agenda

The Hermantown City Council was scheduled July 6 to consider several items, though minutes have not yet been published and outcomes are not confirmed. The agenda included a closed session to discuss lawsuits related to a proposed data center, held under Minnesota Statutes §13D.05 Subd. 3(b).

Routine items on the agenda included approval of general city warrants from June 16–30, 2026, totaling $641,616.36. The council was also set to vote on a special use permit for a greenhouse/nursery in an S-1 suburban zoning district and a special use permit for a 103-unit apartment building in an HM – Hermitown Marketplace zoning district.

Other scheduled items included resolutions on election judges, a grant application, an easement for Lightning Drive improvements, and authorization of a professional services agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. for up to $20,000.

HEDA: 2027 budget, $300,000 treasurer bond on July 16 agenda

The Hermantown Economic Development Authority met July 16, with minutes not yet published. The agenda included a motion to establish the Treasurer's bond at $300,000, approval of the 2027 budget for submission to the City Council, approval of a 2025 Annual Report to the City, approval of an audit for submission to the City Council, and a report to the City Council on the Enabling Resolution.

Coming up

City Council — Monday, July 20: The council will consider a $299,394.02 payment to Veit & Company for construction of Keene Creek Trail Segment 4 (Resolution 2026-87). The consent agenda includes general city warrants totaling $674,509.67. Members will also vote on resolutions covering insurance coverage and municipal tort liability limits (Resolution 2026-84), an easement for the Lightning Drive Improvements and Trail Project (Resolution 2026-85), and a request for proposals for City Attorney civil services (Resolution 2026-86). Presentations on second-quarter financials, the capital improvement plan, and the 400-foot rule are also scheduled.

Planning Commission — Tuesday, July 21: The commission will hold a public hearing on a Planned Unit Development amendment from BMAX, Inc. for an additional twinhome (2 units) on the existing 10-acre site at 399x Stebner Road, bringing the total to 11 twinhome buildings (22 units). The amendment shifts the garage area and pickleball courts westward and removes a previously approved right-of-way extension. The commission will also receive notice of a withdrawn Preliminary and Final Plat application for the same site and a wetland replacement plan submitted by Minnesota Power/Allete for 1.12 acres at 5816 Morris Thomas Road.