International Falls council accepts building official Kelly Myers' resignation; discusses 15‑day deadline and replacement options

The International Falls City Council unanimously acknowledged a letter of resignation from Kelly Myers, the city's building code official, zoning administrator and Wetland LGU, effective April 10.

The mayor read the resignation and thanked Myers for his service, noting "several large projects" completed during his tenure. The mayor moved to accept the letter of resignation, Councilor Kahler seconded, and the council voted to acknowledge the resignation unanimously.

Council members then discussed options to meet the city's legal obligations under the state building code. The mayor told the council the city "has 15 days to have someone present, to do that job and enforcement," and warned that if it fails to do so the state could appoint someone. The mayor outlined three paths: 1) contract the service with external firms that provide building‑code inspections and administration; 2) arrange a temporary stop‑gap contract with another community or a retired/resigned official (potentially including Mr. Myers) to provide coverage; or 3) develop an internal candidate who could obtain a limited building license.

The mayor warned that a limited license allows an inspector to enforce the state building code but "they can't supervise public municipal projects," meaning larger municipal projects would still require contracted supervision or other arrangements. Kelly (speaker 5) noted the licensing system has been tightened and that accumulating the necessary "points" for licensing can be challenging.

To explore feasible options, the council discussed research versus forming a formal committee. The mayor offered to meet with appropriate parties and requested a placeholder for the next regular council meeting on Monday to present a framework and recommendations. "We will give an agenda update on Monday at the regular city council meeting, with options and discussions and, quite frankly, hopefully, a couple of recommendations that can be enacted upon," the mayor said.

Next steps: the mayor will meet with staff and Mr. Myers about potential stop‑gap arrangements, the city will compile options, and the council will consider recommendations at its next regular meeting. The council emphasized prompt action to avoid a state appointment under the statutory timeline.