Tracy’s And Milroy’s Public Works Guru Moving On... And Why...
- George Tanguy
- Jul 19
- 9 min read
Updated: Jul 19
Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption has spent several months reviewing records, speaking with sources, and collecting documentation related to Tracy Public Works Director Shane Daniels and his private consulting work with the City of Milroy.
Based on our investigation, we believe the timeline raises legitimate questions regarding potential conflicts of interest, the use of public resources, and whether existing city policies were followed. At this time, these questions have not been publicly addressed by City of Tracy officials.
According to information gathered during our investigation, Shane Daniels began reviewing the cost structure and services provided by Peoples Service to the City of Currie for sewer and water treatment during the fall of 2024. Sources familiar with those discussions indicated that Daniels was evaluating the costs and services being provided.
Our investigation indicates that during the fall and winter of 2025, Daniels began discussions with City of Milroy officials regarding the possibility of providing sewer and water treatment services through his private business SKD Holdings DBA Meadowview Consulting.
At that time, the City of Milroy already employed a certified Maintenance Director who was performing those responsibilities.
Several confidential sources, who stated they were personally present during conversations, told Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption that Daniels discussed this potential business opportunity with employees he supervised while serving as Public Works Director for the City of Tracy.
Public records obtained during our investigation show that on November 5, 2025, Daniels submitted a proposal to the City of Milroy through Meadowview Consulting, operating under SKD Holdings DBA Meadowview Consulting.
Records also indicate that Peoples Service submitted a competing proposal.
Because Daniels had previously reviewed service costs involving communities with similar populations, including Currie, our reporting raises the question of whether that knowledge provided a competitive advantage during the bidding process.
Shane Daniels received the necessary training and licensing at the expense of Tracy, Minnesota taxpayers and is now using those qualifications to operate a private consulting company.
This raises the question: how is this fair to the taxpayers who funded the training and licensing that helped make this opportunity possible?
According to City of Milroy records, the City Council unanimously approved Meadowview Consulting's proposal. The contract became effective on November 25, 2025, for a one-year term. Public records show the agreement included monthly compensation of $1,288, hourly compensation of $50 per hour, and mileage reimbursement.
Following the award of the contract, Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption began receiving emails, phone calls, and tips from citizens in both Tracy and Milroy expressing concerns about a possible conflict of interest. Those reports prompted a more extensive investigation.
Members of our investigative team interviewed numerous sources and gathered additional information regarding Daniels' work in Milroy. We also visited the Milroy City Office to request public records and inquire about complaint procedures. We found the office staff to be professional, courteous, and helpful throughout that process.
As part of our investigation, observers documented numerous occasions in which Daniels was reportedly traveling to or from Milroy. According to our records, more than 94 observations or investigative reports were compiled during this effort.
Some observations involved Daniels traveling from his residence to Milroy before reporting to work in Tracy. Other observations documented a City of Tracy-owned white Chevrolet Silverado crew cab traveling from Tracy toward Milroy before later continuing toward Marshall. These observations were recorded by members of our investigative team and cooperating sources.
On June 25, 2026, the City of Milroy fulfilled our Minnesota Government Data Practices Act request. Several dates contained in those records matched dates previously documented during our investigation. We also found that several of those dates corresponded with invoices submitted by SKD Holdings, doing business as Meadowview Consulting, to the City of Milroy.
Beginning on July 6, 2026, Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption received multiple reports from sources indicating Daniels had privately discussed the possibility of resigning from his position with the City of Tracy.
Similar information continued to be received through July 13.
On July 16, 2026, the Tracy Headlight Herald published an article announcing Daniels' departure and new career opportunity. While that article focused on Daniels' career transition, our investigation presents a different timeline and raises additional questions that we believe deserve public discussion.
At the end of the Monday, July 13th Tracy City Council meeting, the council reconvened into a closed session regarding a staff review. Because the meeting was closed to the public, we cannot confirm the specific details discussed. However, we have provided the video link below for reference and transparency.
We also will include the City of Milroy City council meeting where Shane Daniels name has been referenced in part of the service he provides to the City of Milroy.
Link provided below.
Among those questions are:
Did Shane Daniels perform private consulting work during hours he was being compensated by the City of Tracy?
If so, was accrued paid time off (PTO) or other authorized leave properly used and documented during Shane’s time providing services to the City of Milroy?
If a City of Tracy vehicle was used while conducting private consulting work, was the City reimbursed for vehicle expenses?
Did Shane Daniels leave because he knew he was under investigation, or because he was aware he was being tracked and had possibly been informed of the City of Milroy data request?
Did Jeff Carpenter overlook these issues due to his involvement in private real estate business activities while on the City of Tracy's dime?
Were City officials aware that Daniels had entered into a private contract with the City of Milroy while serving as Tracy's Public Works Director?
Given the City of Tracy’s rising utility rates and continued overspending that increase the financial burden on taxpayers, why do these concerns appear to receive little attention from city officials? Furthermore, will the potential conflict of interest involving Shane’s private contract be properly investigated and resolved?
Were all applicable city policies and employment requirements followed?
Will Shane Daniels continue to conduct business through Meadowview Consulting with the City of Milroy now that he is stepping down from his position as Head of the Tracy, Minnesota Maintenance Department, thereby removing any potential conflict of interest concerns?
These are questions that, in our opinion, deserve clear public answers.
We also note that Tracy City Attorney Matt Gross serves as the city attorney for both the City of Tracy and the City of Milroy.
Questions have also been raised regarding whether City Administrator Jeff Carpenter was aware of the Milroy contract and whether appropriate oversight and review procedures were followed. At this time, Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption has not identified any public responses addressing these concerns. Additionally, sources have indicated that Jeff Carpenter communicates with City of Milroy officials and informed them about the Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption website.
Our investigation has also included information provided by current and former individuals familiar with city operations. Several requested anonymity, stating they feared retaliation or negative employment consequences if they spoke publicly.
Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption does not identify confidential sources unless they choose to come forward voluntarily.
It is important to emphasize that our investigation raises questions based on public records, observations, and witness statements. We are not concluding that any law was violated, and any determination regarding legal or ethical violations would ultimately be the responsibility of the appropriate investigative or regulatory authorities.
We believe the citizens of Tracy deserve transparency regarding potential conflicts of interest involving public officials and the use of taxpayer-funded resources. If policies were followed, the public deserves that explanation. If they were not, the public deserves accountability.
We will be submitting our data request findings from the City of Milroy to Tracy city officials and the Tracy Headlight Herald. We will also be submitting future data requests for Shane’s pay stubs and PTO requests to cross-reference the dates with the information obtained through the City of Milroy’s data request for a follow up story.
As Shane Daniels concludes his employment with the City of Tracy on August 7, 2026, we believe these questions remain unresolved and warrant public discussion and, if appropriate, review by the proper authorities.
Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption has emailed, communicated, and shared information with the Tracy Headlight Herald. In our opinion, we hope that someday they will find the path of truth and provide the citizens of Tracy with the stories and information that have not been covered.
As Per Peterson has stated, “Let the court of public opinion decide.” However, that can only happen when all facts, context, and perspectives are presented in a fair, non-biased, and informed manner so the community can make its own conclusions based on the complete picture.
Tracy Minnesota Accountability & Corruption can only include a limited number of evidence documents with each story. If you would like full access to the data request documents, please feel free to contact us by email, and we will provide those records in a timely manner.
A well-informed community is essential to our mission, and we believe providing access to factual information allows citizens to make informed decisions.
Documents to support the story can be found below.
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END OF DOCUMENTS
If you would like more please feel to email for all the data requests.
Tracy Headlight Herald July 16th article below
Tracy’s public works guru moving on
Shane Daniels taking position at Premium Plant Services
Shane Daniels, Tracy’s public works director since 2012, won’t miss the 2 a.m. watermain breaks calls, or taking unfair criticism from the public, or dealing with freezing cold temps while removing snow when another storm might be on the way. But that doesn’t mean stepping away from his position was a no-brainer.
“It was a difficult decision; I’m excited and scared at the same time,” said Daniels, who is transitioning into his new position as account executive at Premium Plant Services next month. “This is intriguing to me, so I thought I’d give it a shot.”
Daniels, a 2002 graduate of Tracy Area High School, has worked for the City of Tracy since 2007 when he was a building official trainee and public works employee under Gary Garrels. Five years later, he took over his current post, eventually succeeding Rick Robinson, and has wore many different hats ever since.
“I’m going to miss the council, and staff and the public,” he said.
For all intents and purposes, Daniels has always had a strong working relationship with Tracy council members and administration throughout the years. That is something that cannot be overlooked, as the City has taken on a number of very large projects under Daniels’ tenure, including the Phase E infrastructure project that will commence later this year.
He has also built rapport and trust with large firms the City has hired over the years like Bollig Engineering and ISG. Daniels has learned that the process of retaining the ins and outs and subtleties of Tracy is a neverending one.
“All these firms have been very good to work with,” he said. “They always start on a small scale — data collection, what do we have in the ground, what are our problem areas. A lot of that information, you obtain over the years.”
Daniels’ job has become a complicated one when it comes to infrastructure projects. After decades of not replacing what lies under Tracy’s roads, the City has recently been far more aggressive with addressing long-standing issues such as aging pipes and valves. With the City taking on large-scale challenges, Daniels has become more relied upon in the last few years than ever.
“It’s good to see things get fixed, but I understand (the taxpayers’) frustrations,” he said. “A lot of this, (the City) should’ve been planning for back in the ’50s. The 1890s stuff we’ve found should’ve been gone. How it held up is … there are still a lot of issues with valves that don’t work. If we can shut a block off to repair a main, that would be wonderful — never happens. Sometimes, we end up shutting a six-block area off to work on something.”
Daniels said he is most proud of the improvements the City has made over the years, and he gives credit to the people who have served on recent city councils who have rubberstamped expensive projects at the risk of public scrutiny.
“It’s all with the help of past and current councils and administrations for being on board with everything, and the citizens,” he said. “When I started, we had 21 watermain breaks my first year, now we have one or two at the most. I feel like the town is in a lot better shape than what it was when I started. It’s good to see all that being fixed; it helps whoever follows me sleep better at night.”
After high school, Daniels attended Lake Area Tech for Carpentry and worked for Bladholm Construction in Marshall and Northstar Homes. He returned to Tracy in December 2007.
His last day with the City is Aug. 7.
Given Daniels’ work ehtic, and institutional knowledge of his department and Tracy as a whole, the City is now facing the daunting task of replacing him. Tracy City Administrator Jeff Carpenter calls Daniels irreplaceable.
“It’s what he does at the airport, what he does with public utilities, what he does with government, what he does with any engineering, what he does with any sewer or water projects that we have, the future projects — he is the most important person as far as employees in this town,” Carpenter said. “He has that much knowledge. I have no idea right now how I’m going to hire one person to do that job.”
The hiring process has already begun with an advertisement in this week’s Tracy Area Headlight Herald.
Carpenter said he will also cast a wider net through the League of Minnesota Cities and possibly reach out to an online hiring outlet.
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