Wolf Lake votes in favor of praying at start of city council meetings
News | Published on August 26, 2025 at 12:46pm EDT | Author: frazeevergas
0Curtis Aho sworn in, sale price of liquor store lowered
By Matthew Johnson
Reporter
The Wolf Lake City Council has voted 3-1, during its Tuesday, Aug. 12, regular monthly council meeting, to adopt the practice of praying at the start of council meetings following the Pledge of Allegiance.
The vote followed a brief discussion, which was a continuation of a discussion that began during the council’s Tuesday, July 8, regular monthly meeting. The topic was on that meeting’s agenda per the request of Councilor Cody Lake.
He pointed out at the July meeting that one of the more recent local decisions to begin council meetings with prayer occurred in Detroit Lakes. The council there voted 6-2 on Tuesday, May 13, to institute prayer at the start of its council meetings. The Verndale City Council has allowed prayer at the start of its council meetings for close to 11 years.
These cities are among a number of local government entities across the country that have instituted prayer after the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in the 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, NY, were not coercive.
Councilor Vernette Gilbertson, during discussion in July, expressed doubt as to whether religion and government should be mixed, indicating she’d like more time to consider it and council consensus was to continue the discussion at its August regular meeting.
Cody Lake also noted in July that, according to the League of Minnesota Cities (LMC), councils can institute invocations/prayer before meetings, but cannot discriminate against any particular faiths. This follows the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which allows for the free exercise of religion within the public square without the threat of the government creating a national religion or favoring one religion over others.
Cody Lake made the motion during the Aug. 12 council meeting to start the council meetings with a prayer of any denomination following the Pledge of Allegiance. Curtis Aho seconded the motion. One other councilor voted in favor of the motion and one councilor voted in opposition. Mayor Michelle Suhsen did not vote since it was not necessary to break a tie.
Curtis Aho takes
oath of office
Curtis Aho took the oath of office and was sworn in during the Aug. 12 council meeting.
Aho attended the July 8 regular monthly meeting when the council passed a motion to appoint him to fill the seat formerly occupied by Cassy Makela pending his acceptance. Aho indicated to the council at the July meeting that he would accept the nomination.
The council accepted Makela’s resignation and declared a vacancy of that seat on the council during the July 8 meeting. The action followed receipt of Makela’s written, official resignation letter, dated Tuesday, May 13, which pointed out that she was obligated to resign due to no longer living in Wolf Lake nor owning property within the city.
Aho reported, during the Aug. 12 meeting, that Wolf Lake Township approved his petition to release his property, located on the northeast quarter of the city, to be annexed into the city. The council unanimously passed a motion to approve an ordinance extending the city limits to include particular property owned by Aho.
Aho said he will have a survey done of his property that has been annexed into the city before he starts the building process.
City lowers sale
price of liquor store
The council has unanimously passed a motion by Councilor Cody Lake, seconded by Councilor Curtis Aho, to lower the sale price of the municipal liquor store to $169,000.
The city passed a motion about a year ago during its Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2024 regular monthly meeting signaling its intent to sell the liquor store. The council had, prior to that, looked into the possibility of selling the liquor store in November of 2022, but sales began improving so officials stopped pursuing the possibility of selling it at that point. Officials agree a private owner would likely be able to put more into, and get more out of, the store.
In other news
• Acknowledged the success of the Wolf Lake Community Hall fundraiser in July, extended a public “thank you” to all those who participated and noted ongoing hall improvement projects. They include mudding and taping the mop sink closet, installing the mop sink and painting the bathrooms.
• Discussed needed repair/replacement of the siding on the warming house at the base of the Wolf Lake sledding hill.
• Unanimously passed a motion authorizing up to $1,000 to be spent on building covers for the sewer lift stations. The purpose is to extend the life of the lift pumps.
• Reviewed the monthly report of the Wolf Lake Fire Department. The report included three mutual aid calls since the July meeting, all for house fires in Carsonville. Fire Chief Brock Anderson signed the DNR Mutual Aid Contract that had no major changes and is now effective until 2030.