Council considering opening meetings with prayer

By Matthew Johnson

Reporter

The Wolf Lake City Council adopted, during its Tuesday, July 8, regular monthly meeting a resolution accepting a councilor’s resignation and declaring a vacancy of that seat on the council.

The action follows the city’s receipt of a written, official resignation letter from now former councilor Cassy Makela. Makela pointed out in the letter, dated Tuesday, May 13, she was obligated to resign due to no longer living in Wolf Lake nor owning property within the city. The council also, following adoption of the resolution, passed a motion to appoint Curtis Aho to fill the vacancy on the council pending his acceptance.

“Sure,” Aho responded when the council asked if he would accept the appointment.

Aho’s official service on the council begins when he takes the oath of office and is sworn in at the beginning of the Tuesday, Aug. 12, regular monthly meeting.

A copy of Makela’s resignation letter was included in the July 8 agenda packet. She expressed appreciation for the opportunity to serve on the council the past few years. She wrote:

“It is exciting to see the energy that is building to help Wolf Lake and its surrounding communities reach toward their potential. My gratitude for each and every one of you that stepped up, met the needs of our community, and continue to do so despite the difficulties is boundless.”

Council considering opening meetings with prayer

The question of whether the council should start its meetings with prayer was added to this meeting’s agenda per the request of Councilor Cody Lake.

Lake pointed out one of the more recent decisions to begin council meetings with prayer occurred in Detroit Lakes. The council there voted 6-2 on Tuesday, May 13, to institute prayer before the start of its council meetings. The Verndale City Council has allowed prayer before their council meetings for close to 11 years.

That city council was among a number of local government entities across the U.S. that instituted prayer after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Town of Greece (New York) v. Galloway in 2014. The decision upheld the practice of invocations/prayers before legislative meetings with the caveat that minority faiths not be discriminated against. It was also noted that, historically, legislative prayer has been part of “the fabric of our society” and emphasized that the prayers in Greece, N.Y., were not coercive.

Councilor Vernette Gilbertson, during discussion, expressed doubt as to whether religion and government should be mixed and indicated she’d like more time to consider it.

Lake also noted that, according to the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC), councils can institute invocations/prayer before meetings, but cannot discriminate against any particular faiths. This is in line with the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which allows for the free exercise of religion within the public square without the threat of government creating a national religion or favoring one religion over others.

The panel agreed to continue the discussion about the possibility of allowing prayers before meetings at its next regular meeting in August.

In other news

• Announced that the next fundraiser for the Wolf Lake Community Hall is from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, July 20, at the hall. The fundraiser will feature a free-will offering walking taco meal, kids games, raffle drawing and much, much more.

• Accepted a bid for the fixing of the roof on the warming house.

• Received a monthly Wolf Lake Fire Department report from Wolf Lake Fire Chief Brock Anderson. Anderson reported that the department responded to seven service calls within the last month. The Becker County Fire Chiefs meeting will be at the Wolf Lake Fire Hall on Tuesday, July 29.

• Created an address for the new home in town built by Lyle Matson.

• Listened to a presentation by West Central Initiative Director of Development Rebecca Lynn Petersen.

• Regular monthly meetings of the Wolf Lake City Council are usually held at 7 p.m. on the second Tuesday of the month at city hall.