A city finance presenter recommended the council adopt two resolutions to issue $4,845,000 in bonds and set the final interest rate for the 2026 projects at 5.5%. The award recommendation named Robert W. Baird & Co.; the transcript records the recommendation and a second but does not include a final vote tally.

A presenter told the meeting that, after counts and forecasting, a full-access intersection or added westbound turn lanes are the leading options for Alger Drive/North Costco access; a full traffic signal appears infeasible under access-spacing rules and a right-turn lane would require developer land.

Project staff presented a mid-design briefing for the new interchange and pedestrian bridge, showing aesthetic choices and opening-day traffic visualizations and warning of staging and major traffic impacts beginning in 2028 and continuing through 2029–2030.

The county emergency manager recommended a memorandum of agreement and an RFP to establish annual preventative maintenance for 52 aging outdoor warning sirens concentrated in Brainerd, Baxter and Cross Lake, and outlined a phased plan to assess, repair and seek federal funding for two-way cellular upgrades.

The Baxter City Council approved a tax increment financing (TIF) plan and a development agreement framework for Timber Ridge of Baxter, an 80‑unit mixed‑income assisted‑living and memory‑care project, authorizing staff to finalize terms and allowing up to $1.1 million (present value) in pay‑as‑you‑go assistance to the developer.