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1 <br />Nicole A. DeDeyn <br />From:Dr. Bibi Neumann <drbibineumann@gmail.com> <br />Sent:Saturday, December 6, 2025 8:29 AM <br />To:Charlie Yunker; SA City <br />Cc:Carl Neumann <br />Subject:Public Comments for December 9, 2025 City Council Meeting <br />Dear City Manager Yunker, City Clerk and Council Members, <br />I am submitting written public comments for the December 9, 2025 City Council Meeting. The City’s <br />online public comment form currently returns a 404 error, so I am providing these comments by email to <br />ensure they are included in the meeting packet and made part of the public record. <br />Please attach the comments below to the agenda items as labeled. <br />VI.A – Approval of City Council Meeting Minutes (11-25-2025) <br />I urge the City to ensure that meeting minutes accurately capture the full substance and context of <br />resident testimony, consistent with Minn. Stat. §§ 13.03, 13.04, and 138.17. When racial, identity-based, <br />or equity-relevant details are omitted or softened, the resulting record becomes less accurate and less <br />useful to future auditors, investigators, policymakers, and courts. The public record is not only for this <br />Council—it is part of the City’s legal and historical archive. It must reflect the lived realities and <br />differential impacts residents describe, especially when those impacts relate to safety, equity, or <br />patterns of disparate treatment. Omissions of context—intentional or structural—produce an <br />incomplete documentary trail that limits the ability of oversight bodies such as the Office of the <br />Legislative Auditor (OLA), Office of the State Auditor (OSA), and Minnesota Department of Administration <br />Data Practices Office (DPO) to assess compliance and accountability. Accurate, contextual minutes are <br />essential to preventing the erasure of facts that matter. Please continue ensuring that City Council <br />minutes summarize not only votes but also the key questions, considerations, and resident concerns <br />raised during meetings. Narrative-style minutes help the public understand how decisions are made and <br />maintain transparency for those unable to attend in person. <br />VI.B – Licenses and Permits <br />Licensing decisions shape neighborhood conditions and carry equity implications. Under Minn. Stat. § <br />13.03, the City’s documentation should clearly reflect the standards applied, the considerations <br />evaluated, and the community context in which decisions were made. Transparent rationale—especially <br />when cumulative impacts or demographic factors are relevant—helps prevent administrative records <br />from obscuring how decisions affect different groups differently. Future reviewers should be able to <br />understand not only whether a license complied with technical requirements, but whether broader <br />equity, safety, and land-use concerns were meaningfully considered. When licenses and permits are <br />approved, I encourage the City to provide clear public-facing explanations of how these decisions align <br />with zoning, safety, and equity goals. This helps residents understand the standards applied and <br />supports consistency and fairness. <br />194