A special meeting of the St. Cloud City Council took place on the afternoon of November 15th. The purpose of the meeting was to the official swearing in ceremony of the newly elected council members. Dave Askew was re-elected his second four year term in seat #4 and Keith Trace, a newcomer to the council in seat #5 who replaced incumbent Donny Shroyer. The council certified the election results and thanked Shroyer for his service. Shroyer graciously stepped down, shook hands with Trace who took his seat at the dais following the swear in ceremony.

Dave Askew said that he was looking forward to his term and expected to closely look & evaluate projects individually on new development and whether the City of St. Cloud could handle the capacity – whether it is a residential or commercial project. He noted that it was important to partner with NeoCity and Bridg in order to keep growing opportunities for the community. Askew further emphasized the need to adapt the necessary land use codes to suit the needs of the development to make the community more welcoming to businesses that would like to call St. Cloud their home. Also, of note is the lakefront area which leads to new opportunities for the city.

“They are going to draw back the water next year, that might be a good time to take a look at [the lakefront],” said Askew. “It’s more entertainment down there – when we bring a concert in, they’ll have a space for the people to be there.”

Keith Trace was excited to get started with his duties as early as the same night that he was sworn in – the first City Council meeting that he gets to sit on as an official member is taking place at 6:30pm on the evening of November 15th. Trace said that with the fastest growing county in the area and all the growth that goes on, the standard of development ought to be raised so it can pay for itself and not overburdening the community. Trace similarly echoed Askew’s call to review the land use code to ensure that businesses with offices can come to the area and offer local opportunities, however Trace noted that St. Cloud is located in a convenient place between Medical City and NeoCity that offer high-paying jobs and benefit the local economy.

“I think we already have a great community with the people here, with the park, what we have going on downtown,” said Trace. “I’m looking forward to being a part of that momentum for the next 4 years.”