Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-18-25 - City Council Closed Meeting MinutesLino Lakes City Council Closed Meeting Minutes DATE: August 18, 2025 TIME STARTED: 5:31P.M. TIME ENDED: 6:30 P.M. LOCATION: Community Room MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Rafferty Councilmembers Ruhland, Lyden and Stoesz MEMBERS EXCUSED ABSENT: Councilmember Cavegn Staff Members Present: City Administrator Karen Anderson, City Clerk Roberta Colotti, and Community Development Director Mike Grochala. Also Attending, Appointed Legal Counsel John Baker. 1. Call to Order and Roll Call Mayor Rafferty called the meeting to order at 5:31 p.m. 2. Setting the Agenda: Addition or Deletion of Agenda Items The agenda was adopted as presented. 3. Announcement Request from the City's appointed legal counsel (John Baker). Litigation is currently pending in a matter entitled Zikar Holdings LLC (and two others) against the City of Lino Lakes (and two others), filed in federal court in September 2024. The Court has entered two orders in that case, and the Plaintiffs and the City have served and responded to significant written discovery requests and are in the deposition stage of discovery. The parties are also required to periodically submit confidential status letters to the Magistrate Judge. The course of that litigation should be informed by a confidential briefing of the City Council by Ms. Swenson and me as the City's counsel in that case, under the attorney -client privilege. So, under Minnesota Statutes Section 13D.05, subdivision 3(b), I respectfully request that a member of the City Council make a motion to close this meeting to the public, after I'm finished reading my request. To more clearly describe the subject of that closed meeting: The Zikar Holdings LLC pending matter arises from several publicly made decisions, including the City's adoption of a one-year moratorium last summer, and the response of the City Council and several boards appointed by the Council to a request by Zikar Holdings LLC for concept plan review. The closed meeting I request would not include a decision by the Council on whether to settle or continue the pending litigation, but would be limited to Page 1 of 3 M 5 consequences of those publicly made decisions and the court's public orders. Absolute confidentiality is necessary so that members of the Council are able to make an informed assessment of the available legal options and to provide guidance to us, as the City's legal counsel in that case, regarding some of those options. The need to have confidential discussions with specially appointed counsel and to discuss strategies regarding the pending litigation outweighs the purposes of the Open Meeting Law, and is permitted by the attorney -client privilege and Section 13D.05, subdivision 3(b), of that law. So, I would now welcome such a motion. Motion to go into Closed Session By Councilmember Stoesz: On the grounds just stated by the City's appointed legal counsel, I hereby move to close the City Council Meeting under Section 13D.05, subdivision 3(b), and the attorney -client privilege, to discuss the lawsuit by Zikar Holdings LLC as described more specifically by Mr. Baker in the request that he just made. RESULT: Carried [4-01 MOVER: Stoesz SECONDER: Ruhland AYES: Rafferty, Lyden, Stoesz and Ruhland NAYS: None By Roll Call Vote Closed Meeting Discussion with Attorney Discussion with legal counsel regarding the lawsuit by Zikar Holdings LLC as described more specifically by Mr. Baker. Motion to return to Open Session. RESULT: Carried [4-0) MOVER: Ruhland SECONDER: Lyden AYES: Rafferty, Lyden, Stoesz and Ruhland NAYS: None By Roll Call Vote Page 2 of 3 6. Adjournment Motion to adjourn at 6:30 p.m. RESULT: Carried [4-01 MOVER: Ruhland SECONDER: Stoesz AYES: Rafferty, Lyden, Stoesz and Ruhland NAYS: None These minutes were approved at the regular Council Meeting on September 8, 2025. Roberta Colotti, CMC City Clerk Page 3 of 3 " t - Vyo afferty, r