01-14-2026 Workshop Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING CITY COUNCIL LITTLE CANADA, MINNESOTA JANUARY 14, 2026 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a Workshop meeting of the City Council of Little Canada, Minnesota was convened on the 14th day of January, 2026 in the Conference Room of the City Center located at 515 Little Canada Road in said City. Mayor Tom Fischer called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and the following members of the City Council were present at roll call: ROLL CALL: In attendance were Mayor Fischer, City Council Members Miller, Kwapick and Malone. Absent: Gutierrez. ALSO PRESENT: City Administrator Bryce Shearen, Assistant City Administrator Laura Linehan, Community Development Director Ben Harrington, City Clerk/HR Manager Heidi Heller, and City Attorney Amanda Johnson. DISCUSS PLANNING COMMISSION YOUTH COMMISSIONER ROLE The Community Development Director stated that under the City's current structure, the Youth Commissioner is a full voting member of the Planning Commission, which brings the total number of voting members to eight, and the Youth Commissioner is counted toward quorum. He explained with having eight voting members, it requires the attendance of five Commissioners to make a quorum, versus only needing four attendees with a seven voting member Commission. He stated that since the City Code requires that the Planning Commission make a formal recommendation, a quorum is required when there are business items. He noted that one meeting in 2025 had to be canceled and the planning case rescheduled due to not having a quorum. He noted that often staff does not know there will not be a quorum until the meeting time. He explained that delays in planning cases could jeopardize the City's ability to meet the statutory 60-day deadline for action on development applications. The Community Development Director reported that one option to address these issues would be to restructure the Youth Commissioner role as a non -voting, non -quorum advisory position. He stated that staff does not believe the value of the Youth Commissioner experience would be meaningfully diminished as youth perspectives would continue to be fully expressed during deliberations and captured in meeting minutes and in staff summaries of Planning Commission recommendations provided to the City Council. Miller stated he agrees that this change does make sense, but he wants to ensure that the Commission chairs make sure to continue to hear and encourage the youth's voice and opinions. Kwapick stated that he also agrees because it is never a good idea to have an even number on a Commission, but noted there are apparently also issues with the adults missing meetings if quorum isn't being reached. He noted that he agrees with Miller's statement about making sure to still include the youth and keep them engaged in the discussion.