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HomeMy WebLinkAboutOctober 14, 2026 City Council Regular Meeting MinutesA. B. CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the City Council City Hall 2077 W est Larpenteur Avenue MINUTES October 1.4,2026 at 7:00 P.M. C. CALL TO ORDER: 7:01 P.M. ROLL CALL: GUSTAFSON X MAY X MOGEN X MIELKE X WASSENBERG X STAFF PRESENT: LINEHAN X APPROVAL OF AGENDA Council Member Mielke asked that Consent Item G7, Approaal of Resolution 26-88 Authorizing a Contract Extension with Goff Public for Communications Support, be pulled from the consent agenda and moaed to Policy to aote on it separately. Council Member Mogen motioned to approve the agenda as amended; Approved 5-0 D. PRESENTATION There were no presentations E.APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1,. September 23,2026 City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes 2. September 23,2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Council Member Wassenberg motioned to approve the minutes; Approved 5-0 F. PUBLIC HEARINGS: There were no public hearings CONSENT AGENDA: L. General Disbursements through 10/9/26: fi139,756.11. Payroll through 10 / 8 / 26: $341,781..01 Wire Payments through 1.0 / 9 / 26: 929,255.75 G. 37 2. Approval of City Licenses 3. Approval of Resolution26-84 Appointing Mona McGarthwaite to the Community Engagement Commission 4. Approval of Resolution26-85 Authorizing Splash Pad Change Order #1 with Flagship Recreation for the Community Park Improvements Project FH-01 5. Approval of Resolution26-86 Authorizing the Application for a Metropolitan Council - Livable Communities Application - Les Bolstad Remediation Site Investigation 6. Approval of Resolution26-87 Authorizing an Amendment Extending the Computer Aided Dispatch and Mobile Data Agreementwith Ramsey County 7. Approval of Resolution26-88 Authorizing a Contract Extension with Goff Public for Communications Support 8. Approval of 2027 MN Public Employees Insurance Program Rates for Medical and Dental Insurance and Authorizal:.on to Sign 4-Year Agreement Council Member Wassenberg noted that the disbursement lists normally included in the packet were absent. Council Member Mogen moaed to reconsider the consent agenda, and the Council agreed by aoice aote. Mogen asked that Item 1 (disbursements, payroll and wire payments) be remoaed and handled separately, noting tlnt consent agendas cannot be amended. Item G7 (Resolution 26-8B) hnd already been pulled at the approaal of the agenda. Motion to approve the revised consent agenda, consisting of Item 2 (City Licenses), Item 3 (Resolution 26-84),Item 4 (Resolution 26-85),Item 5 (Resolution 26- 86), Item 6 (Resolution26-87) and Item 8 (2027 MN Public Employees Insurance Program rates and authorization to sign a -year agreement), was made by Mayor Gustafson; Approved 5-0 H: POLICY ITEMS: 1. General Disbursements throughL0/9/26:9L39,756.1't, Payroll through lO/8/262fi34L,78L.01, Wire Payments through L0/9/25: fi29,255.75 Council Member Wassenberg noted that the disbursement lists were not in the packet. Administrator Linehan apologized and said he would investigate. He noted that checks above his $5,000 purchase authority are held until Council approval, and that the city must pay vendors within 30 days to stay clear of Minnesota's Prompt Payment Act. He proposed that payroll and wire payments be approved and that routine disbursements be sent out administratively, with the full list returning on October 28. Council Member Mogen asked how wire payments differ from general disbursements. 38 Linehan said wires are payments made by wire, such as FICA, while most general disbursements are checks. He described the contents of lhe$139,756.1L general disbursement list:. About $61,000 is the Met Council sanitary sewer bill, which is the same amount every month.. A Little Canada payment was voided because of a calculation error. . About fi26,560 is for park fumiture, a non-routine purchase the Council had already approved.. About $1L,000 is a sanitation hauler bill. He also corrected the payroll figure: the packet's 9341.,781,.0'1. contained a stray "3," and the correct amount is $41,,781,.0L. Linehan described his multi-step review of each invoice and check, and Council Member Mielke commented that the error had caught her attention. Council Member Mogen proposed delegating approval of payroll and routine bills within 10% of the prior bill to the Administrator, with everything else held for formal approval on October 28. Council Member Wassenberg supported this and asked that the information also be shared with the Council administratively. Linehan said no policing services bill was included in this list. Council Member May asked that future disbursement lists be sent electronically rather than printed. Council Member Mogen asked that this be taken up separately Council Member Mogen motioned to approve payroll through October 8,2026 of $41,,78'1,.01,, and those general disbursements and wire payments that are routinely billed expenses within 'I.,0% of the last bill with all other items to return for approval on October 28,2026; Approved 5-0. 7. Approval of Resolution 26-88 Authorizing a Contract Extension with Goff Public for Communications Support Council Member Mielke supported using Goff Public for PR strategy, crisis communications, and media training. She objected to paying $235 per hour for recaps of Community Advisory Committee (CAC) meetings and newsletter writing. She noted that CAC meetings are televised and have minutes, and that experienced freelancers charge $75 to $100 per hour. She asked for a request for proposals (RFP) for an independent writer. She added that the CAC will meet for two years, making this an ongoing expense, and that a recent piece placed in the Star Tibune and Pioneer Press was written by Goff's newest hire. Administrator Linehan explained that the request responded to Council direction at the joint workshop with the CAC chair and vice chair to increase communication about the Les Bolstad project. He said city staff lack capacity for this work, Goff already has an agreement with the city, and the original $10,000 not-to-exceed authorization had been exhausted. He said he was open to an RFP or a freelancer, and that he was not seeking an open-ended commitrnent. 39 Council Member May tried to frame the cost difference, noting that the extra cost of using Goff might be modest when set against the time needed to find and onboard a new vendor. Council Member Wassenberg added that a new vendor would require more oversight from the Administrator. Council Member Mogen supported the $10,000 as necessary regardless of how work is later divided. He asked Linehan to define a split between routine work and higher-level work that would warrant Goff's rates. Linehan said Bolton and Menk's lowest rate would be roughly $125 per hour, that Goff may be able to provide a differentiated rate schedule, and that he would map out which tasks could be separated. Council Member Mielke noted that independent communicators are listed in the government contracting database. Council Member May suggested directing that Goff be used for emergency and high-profile matters and an RFP for routine work, leaving the distinction to the Administrator. By consensus, the Council directed Linehan to continue using Goff, sparingly and for higher- level work, until an altemative is in place. He is to bring a proposed separation of duties and an RFP with a statement of work to a future workshop. Council Member Mogen motioned to approve Resolution 26-88 Authorrzing a Contract Extension with Goff Public for Communications Support with an additional amountnot to exceed $10,000; Approved 5-0. I: INFORMATION / ANNOUNCEMENTS: Council Member May reported on Fall Fest and thanked Parks and Recreation staff. She reported on the Environment Commission, which is focused on the climate action plan, including support for CAC representative Adam Keester, a sustainable buildings presentatiory and a sustainability a.d public engagement survey from new staff liaison DeVonte Roberts. She also toured the Les Bolstad site, noting that stormwater management will be a major issue and that informal site walks help build understanding among those working on the project. Council Member Wassenberg echoed May's comments on the tour, citing the complexity of the topography, stormwater options, and the condition of the golf cart funnel. He said the Community Park playground looked great. Council Member Mielke reported on the school district's local government meeting at Little Canada, where school leaders described the impact of Metro Surge on students. She urged residents to vote yes on the constitutional amendment on the state permanent school fund, noting that not voting on it counts as a no. She also announced that the street sweeper naming contest has 19 submissions, with voting through a link in the city newsletter. Council Member Mogen announced that in-person early voting begins Friday at the Roseville Library, that Mirrresota allows same-day registration, and that the Planning Commission will 40 meet October 27 to consider adding music instruction classrooms as an allowed use in the B-1 district for a business planning to occupy the former Scarborough Fair space. He also noted the value of the Les Bolstad tour. Mayor Gustafson reported on Fall Fest and the tour. He said the Parks and Recreation Commission has a draft vision philosophy for parks that will come to the Council. Administrator Linehan gave staff updates: o He noted that the rubberized surfacing was installed this week at Community Park playground and needs time to cure. An official opening is planned for Friday at 4:00 P.M. The fence has a long lead time, and a larger ribbon-cutting is planned for spring. o Next week's CAC meeting will be televised on Nine North. The agenda includes walkability, the public realm with the developer's consultant Perkins and Will, and a review of the Council-owned goals and guiding principles to identiSr ambiguities. o Two public engagement events are planned for Tuesday, November 17, and Thursday, November L9, with a site plan to follow and an AUAR process authorization expected in January. Lastly, Linehan said that street sweeping continues with the new sweeper. J: COMMUNITY FORUM Please limit comments to 3 minutes per person. Items brought before the Council will be referred for consideration. Council may ask questions for clarifcation, but no council action or discussion will be held on these items. Donald Jaehne, a resident of 1,666 Coffman, said he attends nearly every meeting and finds the volume of decisions daunting. He praised the Perkins and Will presentation at the last CAC meeting for its organic approach to site design. Curt Diamond,'1,666 Coffmary said he is new to Falcon Heights and was attending to learn. He thanked Administrator Linehan and the consultant for answering questions at a canceled meeting. He said the city is small relative to the scale of the development and that "all hands need to be on deck." The Community Forum was closed. K. Continuation of Workshop Topics (if needed) 1,. Park Facility Rental Policy Additional time was not needed for this topic. 2. 2026 Minnesota State Fair Recap a. Parking Program Overview 41 Administrator Linehan reviewed the second year of the paid parking program. Changes included clings replacing hang tags, a digital second pass, and administrative citations, which he called the largest lift. The first weekend had a higher share of paying visitors than the last weekend. About the same number of citations were issued as last year, but compliance appeared better because ambassadors caught violations quickly. Two administrative hearings were held, and the city's decisions were upheld. Council Member May asked for clarification about "legacy" pass holders, and Linehan said certain neighborhoods, including Hollywood Court and the ends of Idaho and Iowa, continue to receive two physical passes. b. Post-State Fair Survey Results Linehan reported 96 resident responses, which were generally positive on policing, parking enforcement and traffic. Some respondents described the first Thursday and Friday as the worst traffic they had seen, and some did not know Highway 280 was open. Council Member Mielke supported color-coded passes for legacy neighborhoods and said the survey can be confusing because the program covers only two neighborhoods. Council Member Mogen praised the ambassadors and raised the balance between being welcoming and managing traffic. He also raised parking pricing, airplane noise, and pedestrian crossings at Fry and Larpenteur and at Hoyt and Snelling. He asked for a strategy, possibly involving St. Anthony Police with costs billed to the fair. Mogen asked why some residents believed many people parked without paying. Linehan and May explained that digital passes leave no visible cling, and that vehicles that paid but parked in resident-only areas were not ticketed. Linehan recommended creating additional administrative citation categories, such as parking in a residential zone without a valid permit, with a small additional fine, so St. Anthony officers have an enforcement option. Council Member Mielke noted that legislators and Congresswoman McCollum are hearing about airplane noise and that a leaders' group met with fair management and aims to meet annually. Council Member May said more than half of respondents said traffic was less of a problem and that the survey summary describing responses as "mixed" understated the positive feedback. She also urged working with Roseville and St. Paul on park-and-ride congestion. Council Member Wassenberg noted the continued improvement in traffic and in respect for private property. Mayor Gustafson raised abandoned scooters, which the city does not control, and suggested engaging scooter companies. Council Member Mielke raised painting curbs near stop signs to show the 30-foot no-parking distance. 42 Linehan said curb painting and capital planning will return at a future workshop. He also said council policy options for Tatum Street, particularly on the first days of the fair, will return to a future workshop. Mayor Gustafson noted that placing the speed trailer on Tatum early was well received. K: ADJOURNMENT: 8:33 P.M. Council Member Mielke motioned to adjourn the meeting; Approved 5-0 Amendments to the agenda sre notedinboldfor additions and st+ik+hre+qftfor remooals. Dated this 28u. day of October,2026 C.Mayor Linehan, City Administrator 43