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BEMIDJI 鈥� In a three-hour meeting that covered a wide range of topics on Monday night, from purchasing a new dock for Paul Bunyan Park to the community fundraising for a police canine, the Bemidji City Council also approved an employment agreement with Richard Spiczka for the position of city manager.

Spiczka, who was selected as the council鈥檚 top candidate for the role during its meeting on Oct. 2, is the current city administrator of Pequot Lakes, Minn., and was one of three candidates interviewed last month. The search for a new city manager began after the resignation of Nate Mathews in April.

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While the employment agreement was approved, it was not a unanimous decision as Ward 4 Councilor Emelie Rivera voted against the approval.

Rivera raised concerns about the salary level in the agreement and the allocation of starting benefits such as personal leave, citing Spiczka鈥檚 relative lack of experience in the field since he has only been a city administrator for two years.

鈥淭he level of experience of this incoming city manager is two years in the field of city administration,鈥� Rivera said, 鈥渁nd we鈥檙e bringing him in above the current midpoint of (this year鈥檚) wage study (and) we鈥檙e bringing him in above the market average point of that wage study鈥� I am very concerned about how that was negotiated.鈥�

Rivera also expressed concern that when the negotiated salary is combined with the value of the benefits, Spiczka would be making more than the previous city manager had after working with Bemidji for nearly 8 years.

When it came to a vote the agreement passed 6-1 with all council members but Rivera in favor.

The hope is for Spiczka to take on the role of city manager at some point in December.

The council also heard a presentation from Officer Rachel Kniss, who spoke on the Bemidji Police Department鈥檚 efforts to acquire a police canine to help city law enforcement efforts.

鈥淭his is something I鈥檓 very passionate about, a career goal of mine,鈥� Kniss shared.

The police dog would be trained for non-violent work, such as tracking human scents to help find missing people and detecting illicit substances.

Currently, the Bemidji Police Department relies on Beltrami County law enforcement for its canine needs, as it hasn鈥檛 had a police canine since the mid-1990s.

Rather than a typical German Shepherd of Belgian Malinois, the police department would look for a black or yellow lab.

鈥淲e wanted a dog that didn鈥檛 look like a typical police dog, and a dog that looked friendly and would be able to play with children and interact with our community,鈥� Kniss explained.

Kniss estimated the cost to purchase a police dog, go through the training and buy the equipment to be around $130,000, with around $5,000 annually as an ongoing expense.

The police department plans to seek out grants to help raise funds for the canine, having already received one grant for $10,500.

The other strategy the department is looking to take on is to begin community fundraising, which it sought approval for from the council during the meeting.

Fundraising would begin in December, with the goal to have the money raised by early March so that Kniss and the dog could participate in a scheduled session of training.

After the presentation was finished, the council responded favorably to the request and shared their appreciation that the dog would not be trained to bite or engage in violent tactics. The request to open a special revenue fund for community donations was approved.

During the meeting, the council also held the second readings for three ordinances related to taking over planning and zoning activities from the Greater Bemidji Area Joint Planning Board in preparation for the body鈥檚 dissolution at the end of the year.

Also approved was a request for $20,000 to help meet the cost of purchasing a new dock for Paul Bunyan Park. The current dock has aged to the point where it needs to be replaced, with the total cost for a new dock sitting at $44,000. The $20,000 will come from the city鈥檚 American Rescue Plan funds.