We’re North Mankato residents (and a few candidates) who like environmental sustainability, public safety, neighbors, water, historic buildings, responsible growth, civil rights, art fairs, diversity, the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances, street festivals, Fun Days, the Godzilla sculpture and you.
We love North Mankato and are proud to call it home, with its small-town vibe and big heart. And we appreciate all who give their time and talents to help keep the city vibrant and healthy.
In some important issues, however, the current North Mankato City Council and its administration have made several decisions we believe are not in residents’ best interests.
Please browse the issues below when considering your vote this November.
Joe Tougas, Danielle Bollman, Benton Bakke, Tom Hagen.
On the 28th of July, 2023 the City of North Mankato formally entered into a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Oppidan Incorporated, a company that constructs data centers. See the NDA and background on the issue here.
Many states and localities are instituting year-long moratoriums on data center planning. We concur and believe any action on data centers needs to include·open communication and widespread resident input.
Data Center Decisions
Wait, We Bought a $27 Million Building?
On April 20, 2026, City Council members Peterson, Whitlock, and mayor Carlson, voted a second time to approve a new $27 million Public works facility. Cost to the taxpayers will be $44 million over the next 25 years to be paid with property taxes. How much in individual property taxes will this cost? Here’s the tax table provided by the city and more information.
We recognize the need for a better public works facility but also feel a price tag of this magnitude should have been put to a vote, or at least examined further. We feel that not enough alternatives were examined, and to the extent possible we propose scaling back the project.
Demonstrating the need for a park board, the cost of a small bridge over a creek in Spring Lake Park came in at $100,000. This bridge was designed so lawnmowing machines could more easily move to the west side of the park without exiting at Webster Avenue.
Citizen input fortunately prevented a second such costly bridge from being constructed. Details here.
A city park board made up of taxpayers might have prevented this excessive and expensive overbuild.
The $100,000 Shortcut Bridge
Currently, the city allows a maximum of 15 minutes total for public comments, but only three minutes per person and only on agenda items. If a resident wants to address the council on a different issue, they get a chance at the end of the meeting. Details here.