Melrose Council Declines Wellhead Land Purchase, Approves Highlands Development Deal

MELROSE — May 16, 2024 — Melrose, Minnesota council recognizes three state speech champions and declines a wellhead protection land purchase. The City Council on May 16 honored Melrose High School speech competitors Amelia, Michaela Zervis, and Drew — all individual state champions this spring — after the team placed second overall at the state meet and sent two national finalists. Stearns County Attorney Janelle told the council the city recorded 18 felonies last year, calling Melrose's prosecution numbers "a testament to Chief [Loss's] consistency." The council unanimously declined to purchase approximately 48 acres in the city's wellhead protection area after the Public Utilities Commission recommended against it at its May 13 meeting, citing a landowner restriction barring future solar use and uncertainty about future well placement. The council also approved a residential development agreement with K Properties for the first expansion of the Highlands neighborhood since 2002, and authorized a 2024-2025 municipal insurance premium of $162,300 — an 11.66 percent increase from the prior year driven by inflation and classification-based rate changes.