31-05-2025
Willmar City Council on Monday, June 2, to consider rules of decorum for meetings
May 31---- The
on Monday, June 2, will consider rules of decorum for its meetings.
The meeting takes place at 6:30 p.m. in the boardroom at the Kandiyohi County Health and Human Services building, 2200 23rd St. N.E. in Willmar.
Willmar Mayor Doug Reese asked city staff several weeks ago to draft rules of decorum after members of the public caused disruptions during a meeting.
During a March 3 meeting — at which the City Council declined to accept an offer from Charter Communications, doing business in Willmar as Spectrum, to install fiber-optic lines in the
if the city stopped its
— members of the public disrupted the proceedings.
The Connect Willmar Initiative will build an open-access, high-speed fiber network reaching every home and business in the city of Willmar at an estimated cost of $24.5 million. However, interest on the bonds that will be issued to construct the network would bring the estimated cost to $33 million.
Two members of the public, Joe Ridler and Ron Christianson, who oppose the Connect Willmar Initiative, arrived at the March 3 meeting too late to address the council during the open forum portion of the meeting, which is set aside for public comment.
After the City Council made its decision, it then went into closed session to discuss other matters without adjourning the meeting or taking a break.
Rather than leaving the meeting room, Christianson and Ridler instead approached the council dais to voice their displeasure over the decision. They were also reluctant to leave when told that the meeting was still in session.
Reese at the following council meeting asked for rules of decorum to be drafted.
