Council appoints new city attorney, hosts pair of public hearings, more

The Worthington City Council appointed a new city attorney and elected the mayor pro tem for 2026 during Monday's council meeting.

The office of Woods Fuller in Worthington had notified city administration several months ago that it would not seek re-appointment to serve as the city attorney in 2026. Staff subsequently had discussions with Peter Mikhail of the Kennedy & Graven law firm and recommended appointment of Mikhail as the city attorney. 

Kennedy & Graven, located in Minneapolis, serves as the city attorney for a number of communities throughout Minnesota and offers a large staff of legal professionals that are experienced in many aspects of municipal practice, according to a city administration memo.

The 2026 hourly rate for shareholder attorneys is $230, and the agreement is for a one-year period that concludes Dec. 31. 

Elected as Mayor Pro Tem for 2026 was Amy Ernst, who will preside over the meetings of the city council during the absence of the mayor from the city, or upon the inability of the mayor, from any cause, to discharge the duties of the office.

In additional administrative business, the council approved a proposal for the 2025 year-end audit services from Abdo Solutions, which has offices in Mankato and Edina. The maximum would not exceed $55,000 for the Financial Statement Audit, $5,500 for each major program covered by a Single Audit and additional fees for out-of-pocket expenses.

The council on Monday also approved its committee appointments for the year. There are a total of 17 civic and city council appointed committees.

In separate matters, Worthington City Council hosted a pair of public hearings during Monday night's meeting.

The first pertained to the planned Third Avenue full street reconstruction project that will extend from 11^th to 13^th streets. Estimated improvements costs are in the neighborhood of $1.5 million. Water and sanitary main work is scheduled to begin this spring, while street reconstruction is scheduled for 2027.

The council passed a resolution following a presentation on the project to order improvements and preparation of plans.

The second public hearing regarded the vacation of one block of Tower Street between Clary Street and 11^th Avenue. This will allow the city to eventually close and remove the section of roadway. In its place, new parking lots and a concession/restroom building are planned to compliment a new softball field that Worthington Independent School District 518 has planned for the site of the former west elementary school. 

Ownership of the land will remain with the city after its vacation. Council members ultimately adopted a first reading of a proposed ordinance to vacate the one block of Tower Street. 

Also Monday, council members voted to terminate an agreement dating back to 1947 that granted the city rights to drill wells for the extraction of water on a property located at the southeast corner of First Avenue Southwest and Crailsheim Road. In another matter, the council approved a resolution accepting the donation of $1,500 from Jason Vote State Farm that will go toward the purchase of all flags at the Veterans Memorial that are on display there for 2026.