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Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see how City Hall and/or City web designers have suddenly changed the placement of Public Notices on the City webpages, making it even more difficult for the public to access information in a timely manner, info concerning them with a deadline for them to comment.
Please read the details about these 3 BOA Hearings. Many community members are concerned about all 3 and are planning to speak or have submitted comments. Please inform yourselves. We are all concerned about the fires around Ely and our friends, family members, relatives and colleagues dealing with (potential) evacuations. Despite ongoing community concerns about local fires and evacuations, BOA will not reschedule tomorrow’s meetings. BOA rulings are final unless owner appeals to Council. Citizens cannot appeal.
Get as much information as you can about the BOA Hearings
You may or may not find links to additional documents when you open links on the Public Notices page. Even though there might be maps, photos, and other documents. in the hands of City Hall. There seems to be no standard procedure for what is posted (available via links on the Public Notices webpage). Hmmm
Always check the BOA documents (agenda and documents) posted on the Planning & Zoning Meetings webpage., sometimes a day or 2 before the BOA Hearing. https://www.ely.mn.us/pzmeetings There is usually more background information here, along with City “Staff Analysis” or “Fact Finding.” We are not saying something nefarious is going on. Just BE AWARE more documents exist and may/will be released.
Here’s what the public is given for these 3 BOA’s via Public Notices and P&Z Meetings webpage:
Business violating home occupation standards. No background info or other documents to look at per Public Notices. P&Z post has 18 pages.
Dog boarding 101 pages in Public Notices link. Undated “Staff Analysis.” P&Z post has 134 pages.
“Rooming House” for recovering persons with substance use disorders. 2 sets of documents = 46 pages in Public Notices. P&Z post has 112 pages.
Prepare for the P & Z meeting — after the 3 BOA’s Hearings
5-page packet is at https://www.ely.mn.us/pzmeetings. Only the June 17th draft minutes are attached, no other documents. Check their website and the table inside Council Chambers for any changes or additions to the original agenda.
Very often, topics and discussions at one meeting are continued at subsequent meetings. For more info about “Special Vehicle Ordinance,” read the draft minutes from their June meeting when Adam Bisbee and daughter Olive spoke. For even more information, look at
Special note about City Website Design and Placement Changes
Once again, City Hall and/or City webpage designers are making it more difficult for people to easily access information. All of a sudden, the Public Notices webpage has been buried. It now longer appears as a separate important entry under the Government or Our City webpages.
Our City webpage showing list of topics. Public Notices is not listed here.
Government webpage showing list of topics. Public Notices is not listed here.
If you don’t just automatically click on Our City to see the menu options, you might see Public Noticesas a subpage or subsection of the Public Calendar. Who would ever think of Public Noticesbeing posted (= buried) under the Public Calendar? Who was behind this decision? Who directed the City’s webpage designer to make this change? Is the City webpage designer being guided and supervised? Or does the webpage designer just autonomously decide whatever they want , because it just “feels good” or “looks cute”? Who is the web designer? Was there a job description with a job interview? Was Elon Musk listed as a reference?
Our City webpage showing Public Notices under Public Calendar. Compare this screen with list of topics that appear on a different version of Our City webpage (see above)
Who is going to look here for important official Public Notices?
Why do Public Notices appear here under to the left (buried as a subpage of the Public Calendar) and not at all in the menu for Our City shown above?
Who decides what wording appears in white vs. green on the City webpage? Maybe Emergency Preparedness should be in white letters?
What’s strange about the new design change:
1. Where does it say “Public Notice” on the calendar?
2. Is this a “Public Calendar” (Our City webpage) or a “Public Meeting Calendar” (Government webpage)?
3. Who thinks concerned citizens are going to click and every item on the calendar to find out if there one’s a Public Notice?
This is another version of Government webpage listing the topics. Public Notices is not listed here. It is not even listed under Public Meetings Calendar (nor in white).
Both versions of Government webpage say “Public Meetings Calendar.” Both versions of Our City say “Public Calendar.”
For a variety of reasons, intentionally orchestrated or not, the City has an extremely poor turnout for their Public Hearings. It’s not that nobody is interested. It’s the City expends the least amount of time, energy and money to inform people about the hearings. Citizen input slows the process and interferes with what the City intends to do.
This summer, the City and/or its webpage designer are making it even harder for concerned citizens to learn about meetings, prepare adequately for them, and submit comments. We wrote about upcoming and past 2026 meetings (dates, agendas and documents) suddenly disappearing from the City webpages. See https://elyminnesota.com/blog/2026-council-mtg-info-delayed/ No official explanation has been posted. We’re wondering what else has happened that nobody has noticed, including whoever is supposed to be “supervising” the webpage designer.
3 BOAs and P&Z mtg July 15 2026
3 Board of Adjustment Hearings starting at 4:45 pm on Wed, July 15th.
Read further to find out how to get the most background details and documents before BOA meetings.
Community members are planning on speaking.
Planning & Zoning Commission meeting starts at approx. 5:30 pm, Wed., July 15th.
The 5-page packet is available at https://www.ely.mn.us/pzmeetings. Only the June 17th draft minutes are attached, no other documents.
Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see how City Hall and/or City web designers have suddenly changed the placement of Public Notices on the City webpages, making it even more difficult for the public to access information in a timely manner, info concerning them with a deadline for them to comment.
Please read the details about these 3 BOA Hearings. Many community members are concerned about all 3 and are planning to speak or have submitted comments. Please inform yourselves. We are all concerned about the fires around Ely and our friends, family members, relatives and colleagues dealing with (potential) evacuations. Despite ongoing community concerns about local fires and evacuations, BOA will not reschedule tomorrow’s meetings. BOA rulings are final unless owner appeals to Council. Citizens cannot appeal.
Get as much information as you can about the BOA Hearings
You may or may not find links to additional documents when you open links on the Public Notices page. Even though there might be maps, photos, and other documents. in the hands of City Hall. There seems to be no standard procedure for what is posted (available via links on the Public Notices webpage). Hmmm
Always check the BOA documents (agenda and documents) posted on the Planning & Zoning Meetings webpage., sometimes a day or 2 before the BOA Hearing. https://www.ely.mn.us/pzmeetings There is usually more background information here, along with City “Staff Analysis” or “Fact Finding.” We are not saying something nefarious is going on. Just BE AWARE more documents exist and may/will be released.
Here’s what the public is given for these 3 BOA’s via Public Notices and P&Z Meetings webpage:
Business violating home occupation standards. No background info or other documents to look at per Public Notices. P&Z post has 18 pages.
Dog boarding 101 pages in Public Notices link. Undated “Staff Analysis.” P&Z post has 134 pages.
“Rooming House” for recovering persons with substance use disorders. 2 sets of documents = 46 pages in Public Notices. P&Z post has 112 pages.
Prepare for the P & Z meeting — after the 3 BOA’s Hearings
5-page packet is at https://www.ely.mn.us/pzmeetings. Only the June 17th draft minutes are attached, no other documents. Check their website and the table inside Council Chambers for any changes or additions to the original agenda.
Very often, topics and discussions at one meeting are continued at subsequent meetings. For more info about “Special Vehicle Ordinance,” read the draft minutes from their June meeting when Adam Bisbee and daughter Olive spoke. For even more information, look at
Special note about City Website Design and Placement Changes
Once again, City Hall and/or City webpage designers are making it more difficult for people to easily access information. All of a sudden, the Public Notices webpage has been buried. It now longer appears as a separate important entry under the Government or Our City webpages.
If you don’t just automatically click on Our City to see the menu options, you might see Public Notices as a subpage or subsection of the Public Calendar. Who would ever think of Public Notices being posted (= buried) under the Public Calendar? Who was behind this decision? Who directed the City’s webpage designer to make this change? Is the City webpage designer being guided and supervised? Or does the webpage designer just autonomously decide whatever they want , because it just “feels good” or “looks cute”? Who is the web designer? Was there a job description with a job interview? Was Elon Musk listed as a reference?
What’s strange about the new design change:
1. Where does it say “Public Notice” on the calendar?
2. Is this a “Public Calendar” (Our City webpage) or a “Public Meeting Calendar” (Government webpage)?
3. Who thinks concerned citizens are going to click and every item on the calendar to find out if there one’s a Public Notice?
This is another version of Government webpage listing the topics. Public Notices is not listed here. It is not even listed under Public Meetings Calendar (nor in white).
Both versions of Government webpage say “Public Meetings Calendar.” Both versions of Our City say “Public Calendar.”
For a variety of reasons, intentionally orchestrated or not, the City has an extremely poor turnout for their Public Hearings. It’s not that nobody is interested. It’s the City expends the least amount of time, energy and money to inform people about the hearings. Citizen input slows the process and interferes with what the City intends to do.
This summer, the City and/or its webpage designer are making it even harder for concerned citizens to learn about meetings, prepare adequately for them, and submit comments. We wrote about upcoming and past 2026 meetings (dates, agendas and documents) suddenly disappearing from the City webpages. See https://elyminnesota.com/blog/2026-council-mtg-info-delayed/ No official explanation has been posted. We’re wondering what else has happened that nobody has noticed, including whoever is supposed to be “supervising” the webpage designer.