04-14-26 City Council Workshop Packet

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STAFF REPORT DATE: 4/14/2026 WORKSHOP TO: Mayor and Councilmembers FROM: Jason Stopa, Community Development Director Nathan Fuerst, Consulting City Planner REVIEWED BY: Nicole Miller, City Administrator Clark Schroeder, Special Projects Manager AGENDA ITEM: Community Forecasts and 2050 Comprehensive Plan CORE STRATEGIES: ☐ Vibrant, inclusive, connected community ☒ Responsive, transparent, adaptive governance ☒ Managed Growth ☐ Efficient, reliable, innovative services ☐ Balanced Finances now and future ☐ Resilient Infrastructure BACKGROUND: The Met Council releases system statements containing community forecasts based on regional population models. After release, communities have 60 days to appeal. Historically, Met Council staff have been willing to work with communities to amend population forecasts periodically, including outside of the comprehensive planning process, where there may be inconsistencies between the regional population model and local realities. The White Bear Lake lawsuit has caused the Met Council to take a new position on water that was not understood during the review period for system statements. In a White Bear Lake Methodology Memo (“WBL Memo”) the Met Council states that it will effectively cap population forecasts based on availability of water. This has complicated the City’s review and would have likely resulted in a different determination on how to proceed regarding its system statement. Staff have continued to coordinate with the Met Council and are actively identifying the City’s options and next steps with respect to population forecasts. A timeline and analysis of staff’s review is provided in this memo along with analysis of the City’s options and a recommendation on how to proceed. ISSUE BEFORE COUNCIL: How should staff proceed with respect to the City’s system statement and 2050 Comprehensive Plan?