By Robert Williams

Editor

Discussions on the Long Lake Beach Dock Storage policy that were tabled in August continued at the Vergas City Council meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8. 

The policy was created after a request from the non-profit North Stars Water Ski Show Team to store their equipment over the winter.

The purpose of the policy is to establish conditions under which private docks and boat lifts may be seasonally stored on designated City-owned or City-controlled property.

Two additions to the policy were recommended by City Attorney Karen Skoyles if the policy was approved. One is that owners of anyone storing docks and other equipment on the beach have their own insurance for liability in case of it being involved in an accident, say a snowmobile crash, etc. The second is identification or identifying markers of the equipment so that it can be seen in daylight and at night. 

The ski team has insurance, but their policy was questioned by Skoyles on if the policy actually covers dock storage and personal injury liability, especially with it being on city property.

The team has been performing in Vergas for three years and were using a loaned dock from T.S. Dock + Lift Services the past two years. That relationship ended and the team had to go on their own and purchased their own dock this year, hence the need to store the dock somewhere.

The city stores its docks at the park, but a landowner that made a similar storage request in the past was denied.

“The council, and the city and the community club, we’re all appreciative of what you do; you bring people to town and put on a good show and we’re happy you’re here and we’d like to keep you here,” said Council Member Bruce Albright. “Then, of course, we also have to look at it from a liability, and others, and it gets to be a little more complicated, in my opinion.”

Utilities Superintendent Mike DuFrane also expressed his concerns on behalf of the city that the storage area for the docks have reflectors and be snow-fenced off for visibility.

“So there’s no possible way anybody can get hurt,” he said.

The city’s policy also

denotes the following storage requirements:

Docks and lifts must be stored a minimum of fifty (50) feet from East Frazee Avenue.

• Storage shall be limited to areas designated or approved by the city.

• No owner may store more than two boat lifts on City property.

• No owner may store more than 50-linear feet of dock sections on City property.

The allowed storage timeframe is to be stored not before Oct. 15 and removal no later than April 15.

Council member James Stenger and Albright both noted that the city’s policy should be written individually for the ski team and not making it a public policy.

When asked if that can be done by Clerk/Treasurer Julie Lammers, Skoyles answered that the city would need findings on why the team is allowed to store docks at the park that would stand up to a challenge from a landowner or another party.

“Why they’re the unicorn,” she said?

Council approved an Albright motion to revise the policy with findings of fact, mainly around the non-profit status of the ski team and its benefits to Vergas as a means of having a policy specific for just the team. 

The team also needs to acquire and prove it has the proper insurance that is approved by the city legal team, both issues to be discussed at the October council meeting.

OTLCA

Tasha Rohlfs, Partnership Director for the Otter Tail Lakes Country Association (OTLCA), appeared via Zoom to discuss the city’s membership level with the association.

OTLCA is the county’s official resource for resident recruitment.

“We really, truly believe that tourism is not just about leisure, but it’s about livelihood—the taxes we bring in from visitors and tourists that come all year round really does make our communities quite incredible places and we have a lot of opportunity to do more because of tourists and visitors,” Rohlfs said.

Rohlfs discussed website metrics and percentages of visitors who make purchases during visits and also how some tourists become residents or are likely to move to the area.

“So much of what we do is trying to focus on that halo effect—that visitors can become residents,” she said.

As far as metrics, on 15 Vergas-specific social media posts by OTLCA there were 250,000 views, along with different media coverage of the village.

“We do see all of your promotions of Vergas; we’ve gotten some great visibility,” said Mayor Julie Bruhn.

Vergas is a platinum member with OTLCA, which costs $5,000, which it splits with the Community Club.

Council voted unanimously to approve the City’s $2,500 to continue the platinum membership.

Abatement

The council held two public hearings prior to Tuesday’s meeting, one was a formality to correct parcel numbers for the county’s tax abatement program. Otter Tail County offered a property tax rebate and abatement of up to $5,000 that had expired but cities, like Vergas, Ottertail and other municipalities transitioned into the 2025-2029 Property Tax Abatement Program to continue encouraging residential construction. Both parcels are in the Sunny Oaks development and are eligible for an estimated amount of $5,000 to be abated.

The second was a hearing on a nuisance property and further abatement proceedings at 130 East Elm Street, which was negated as the property had been cleaned up by the time of the hearing.