BREEZY POINT — In its Monday, Aug. 1, meeting, the Breezy Point City Council voted to raise the rate to rent the back room of city hall after regular business hours.

Because city hall does not have electronic access control, those reserving the room must come in during business hours before their event to receive a key to access the back doors – not the best practice when it comes to security.

City Administrator David Chanski said past renters have, on occasion, either left lights on, doors unlocked or windows open. In fact, on one occasion this year, the windows were left open on a night a storm came through Breezy Point.

The new rental rates for the city hall meeting room are $50 per hour with a minimum of two hours and a deposit of $100. This will apply to everyone renting the room and is effective immediately. Those who had already booked the facility will be grandfathered in.

Previously, the space could be rented for $10 to $50, depending on the organization.

The council also voted to buy a new folding machine for city hall. Chanski said the city’s current machine is “rather old and prone to jamming.” The machine is used for folding items like public notices and utility bills.

The cost of the machine is $4,418, plus $420 per year in maintenance after two years.

“We did have the opportunity to try this new machine … during the last utility billing,” Chanski said. “It normally takes (city staff) the majority of the day, but using this machine, they did it in under two hours.”

Chanski and council member Gary Bakken – as liaison to the park commission – gave an update on the expansion to the disc golf course, saying the project is 75%-80% done.

Resident Bill Toft was the sole speaker at the open forum, opposing the course’s expansion. He cited issues such as marijuana and alcohol use on the city-owned course, a likelihood of no funds brought into the city by the project and the potential for increased criminal activity.

Before the council adjourned, Chanski reminded the public that the election filing period for mayor and city council seats opened Tuesday, Aug. 2, and will run through Tuesday, Aug. 16. Mayor Todd Roggenkamp told the council and public that he will not be seeking re-election to a second term.

In July, the Breezy Point Police Department responded to 374 incidents, an increase of 150 from July 2021. Among the incidents were 191 traffic stops, eight…