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The City of Ranier City Council held its first meeting of the new year on Tuesday, January 20, 2026, taking care of the annual organizational business that sets the stage for how Ranier will operate through the year. The meeting was held at the Ranier Community Building and was called to order by Mayor Dennis Wagner at 6:30 p.m.
Mayor Wagner and Councilmembers Todd Coulombe and JoAnn Kellner were present. Councilmembers Ron Wilcox and Jennifer Lahmayer were absent. Also in attendance were Deputy City Clerk Edith Jenkinson, Liquor Store Manager Jenn Seegert, Darcy Sullivan of KCC-TV, and Tammy Toratti.
Much of the meeting was devoted to setting up Ranier’s official designations and committee rosters for 2026. The council approved all appointments unanimously.
The council also approved 2026 committee assignments:
The council unanimously approved the December 2025 claims, totaling $259,806.71 across all city funds:
Year-end financial statements and account balances as of December 31, 2025 were also accepted unanimously.
The council voted unanimously to accept a $10,000 donation from the Ranier Recreation Club. The minutes do not specify a designated purpose for the funds.
Liquor Store Manager Jenn Seegert presented the December 2025 operating statement. The store closed the month with a net profit of $5,801.29, compared to $5,102.04 in December 2024.
More notably, the full-year 2025 net profit came in at $74,962.43 — a significant jump from the $50,266.39 recorded for all of 2024. The council unanimously accepted the operating statement.
No public comments were heard during the Open Forum.
The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. — a brisk 20-minute session to kick off the new year.
Ranier is a charming small town that offers the quintessential Northern Minnesota experience!
The City of Ranier
Ranier is a small city on the shores of Rainy Lake, just a few miles east of International Falls on Highway 11. Population is around 570. It sits right where Rainy Lake narrows into the Rainy River, and it’s the gateway to Voyageurs National Park from the Rainy Lake side.
For a town its size, there’s a lot going on.
Getting There
If you’re coming from the Falls, it’s a short drive east on Highway 11. There’s also a paved bike trail that runs from International Falls through Ranier and out toward the Rainy Lake Visitor... Read more
