Regional Industry & News

ALEXANDRIA — Douglas County is part of a new special law that allows municipalities to issue a temporary liquor license to food truck vendors for private events occurring in Douglas County only.

A task force was formed to review the special law and draft an ordinance for the Douglas County Board's approval.

At the Oct. 6, 2026 county board meeting they approved a resolution approving the special law making it effective for one year only.

The board then approved an ordinance regulating 1-to-4 day temporary on-sale liquor licenses for food trucks. That ordinance leaves it up to each municipality to adopt its own ordinance for regulating temporary on-sale liquor licenses for food trucks.

Alexandria city staff drafted the attached ordinance from the county's ordinance.

The city’s legislative committee recommended the Alexandria City Council adopt the first reading of the ordinance. There is no financial impact to the city.

The council adopted a first reading of an amendment to Section 3.08 of the Alexandria city code, temporary on-sale liquor for food trucks.

Salaries for mayor, council are frozen

The council approved a second and final reading of an ordinance that keeps the salaries at the current rate of $13,420 for the mayor and $8,709 for the five city council members for 2027 and 2028.

In addition, the ordinance states that the mayor and council will be compensated $100 for each “duly called special meeting or emergency meeting of the City Council.”

Changes made to tobacco licensing

The council gave preliminary approval to amend two sections of Alexandria City Code dealing with tobacco licensing.

The City Attorney's office brought forward to the Legislative Committee changes to Section 4.34, Subdivision 6, and Section 4.34 Subdivision 10.

The recommended change to subdivision 6 reflects current statutory age restrictions for use of vending machines for tobacco products. The original code said that vending machines are at all times, prohibited “minors.” Instead of minors, the change would say “persons under the age of 21.”

The recommended change to subdivision 10 reflects current practice and statutory language regarding who the city may engage with to perform compliance checks on tobacco license holders.

City helps deputy registrars

Douglas County License Bureau Director Susan Crotteau sent an email to the city to consider a resolution requesting the Legislature enact a permanent state revenue sharing fund for deputy registrars.

Deputy registrars are officials who assist the chief registrar in managing and maintaining official records, such as vital records (births, deaths, marriages), court documents, or academic records, depending on the institution they serve, according to ZipRecruiter.

They often oversee the processing of documents, ensure compliance with relevant laws and regulations, and provide customer service to the public or institutional members. Their responsibilities can vary based on the organization, but typically include administrative duties, supervising staff, and ensuring the integrity and confidentiality of records. Deputy registrars play a crucial role in the efficient operation of government agencies, courts, or educational institutions, according to ZipRecruiter.

The state commissioned an independent report completed in January 2022 whose charge was to review the current state of driver and vehicle services provided to Minnesotans and to submit a report to the Legislature with recommendations for optimizing services and associated funding, according to City Administration Marty Schultz.

One of those recommendations was that Minnesota law should be amended to allocate 25% to 50% of the filing fees for mail-in and online vehicle transactions to full-service deputy registrars, incentivizing promotion of online activity.

The state established a filing fee on motor-vehicle related transactions as their only income to pay for all costs in providing this local service on the state's behalf.

Over the years, 40% of the Department of Public Safety data entry work has been transferred to deputy registrars without due compensation, according to Crotteau.

Since 2021, there have been six permanent local office closures statewide. Local governments have been forced to subsidize the operations to keep public offices open, with private offices being forced to find alternative lines of credit to remain open.

Douglas County will also be considering this resolution. The Minnesota Legislature may debate the issue at its next session.

There is no financial impact with adopting a resolution seeking state of Minnesota Revenue Sharing Fund to sustain deputy registrar offices.

Street that serves Kwik Trip is official

A new street, Frontier Lane, which serves the Kwik Trip property adjacent to Highway 29 south of I-94 has been constructed, inspected and is ready to be accepted, said City Planner Mike Weber in a memo to the council.

Weber recommended the action, which was approved.

The cost of recording the resolution will be about $46. The street will be added to the city’s asset inventory and will incur the costs of regular and long-term maintenance.