Minnesota Government Engineering Council

Engineering Minnesota's Future

MGEC Board Meeting 3.24.25

Attendees:

  Present   Present
President Corey Mathisen x Director Blake Nelson x
Vice President Benton Campbell x Director Brandon JB Nelson x
Past President Fernando Nacionales Director Luke Schuette x
Treasurer Wes Leksell x Director Mark Trogstad-Isaacson x
Secretary Mike Rude x Director Hunter Vraa x
Director Carroll Aasen x Executive Director Dana Wheeler x
Director John Dalton Administrative Assistant Donna Blackwell x
Director Jared DeMaster Labor Relations Specialist Tony Kelly x
Director Bruce Henningsgaard    

Others in attendance:

  • None this month

Call to Order (Corey)

  1. Meeting called to order at 3:35pm by President Corey Mathisen.

Review & Approve Agenda (Corey)

  1. Motion to approve the agenda with amendments (Trogstad-Isaacson/Aasen).
    • Motion Carried.

 Secretary’s Report (Mike)

  1. Motion to approve December Board minutes (Brandon Nelson/Blake Nelson).
    • Motion Carried.

  President’s Report (Corey)

  1. The Annual Meeting and Golf Outing is tentatively scheduled for September 23rd.
    • Conflicts with MnDOT Project Managers’ Conference
    • Will investigate alternate date; possibly September 22nd.
  2. ASCE is seeking volunteers to assist with their 2026 Infrastructure Report Card. Deadline for the short participation survey is March 31st.  Corey will draft an email to membership this week to seek participation.

Executive Director’s Report (Dana)

  1. Discussed and clarified severance language in our contract in lieu of a recent inquiry by a member. Compared with MAPE contract language, which differs slightly.
  2. Reported on leave balances. Dana is on track to have his leave expended by October.

Treasurer’s Report (Wes)

  1. Presented a report on year-to-date financials and addressed questions.
  2. Planning to have an annual budget prepared and ready for approval shortly.

 Executive Committee Report (Corey)

  1. Presented and discussed membership for committees:
    • Executive Committee
    • Membership Committee
    • Finance Committee
    • Advocacy Committee
    • Bargaining Proposals Committee
    • Staff Relations Committee
  2. “At the Table” Bargaining Team Membership to be determined later.
  3. Motion to approve new Staff Relations Committee (Rude/Schuette)
    • Motion carried.
  4. Discussed posting of committee membership on the MGEC website. No action taken.

Insurance Update (Blake)

  1. Preparations for bargaining are underway.
    • Reviewing input from members
    • MGEC represents 2.4% of coalition membership. AFSCME and MAPE represent approximately 2/3 of membership.
  2. Hunter V. requested to participate as an MGEC representative to the coalition and was encouraged to attend future meetings.

Membership Update (Donna)

  1. Presented current membership numbers.
    • Presented new members since January meeting.
    • Presented and discussed conversion rates by job class.
  2. Corey M. requested a percentage (members vs. total) in future reports to help clarify trends.

 Labor Relations (Tony)

  1. LCPR has been convening.
  2. MSRS Board is recommending increasing the pension multiplier to 1.9 from 1.7. Discussed how this might apply if put into effect.
  3. Updated on progress toward bargaining.
    • Discussed an MOU with MMB accepting healthcare coalition bargaining.
  4. Provided an update on and discussion of bargaining survey results.
  5. Reported on MDH “collaboration session.”
    • Employees (approx. 10) at risk due to grant funding changes
    • Planning for funding disruptions
  6. Met with Engineering Specialists at a recent conference and discussed compensation and other issues.

Vice President’s Report (Benton)

  1. Planning to set up the first meeting of the Bargaining Proposals Committee sometime in the first part of April.

Past President’s Report (Fernando)

  1. Not present at meeting.

Other Updates (Blake)

  1. Discussed possible attendance at National Association of State Highway and Transportation Unions (NASHTU) annual conference.
    • Motion to send Tony and 2 Board members (Brandon Nelson/Blake Nelson)
    • Motion carried.
  2. Tony will confer with the Board to identify 2 members attending conference.
  3. June Board meeting will be rescheduled to avoid conflict with conference attendance.

Adjournment (Corey)

  1. Motion to adjourn at 6:10pm (Blake Nelson/Aasen).
    • Motion Carried.

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