HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 081220251
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CITY OF ST. ANTHONY
CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
AUGUST 12, 2025
I. CALL TO ORDER.
Mayor Webster called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
Mayor Webster invited the Council and audience to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance.
III. ROLL CALL.
Present: Mayor Webster, Councilmembers Lona Doolan, Nadia Elnagdy, and Jan Jenson.
Absent: Councilmember Thomas Randle.
Also Present: City Manager Charlie Yunker, Police Chief Jeff Spiess, Officer Adam Kodet, City
Planner Steve Grittman.
Others Present: None.
CONSIDERATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ALL OF THE
FOLLOWING ITEMS.
IV. APPROVAL OF AUGUST 12, 2025 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA.
Motion by Councilmember Jenson, seconded by Councilmember Doolan, to approve the City
Council Meeting Agenda of August 12, 2025, as presented.
Motion carried 4-0.
V. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS.
A. New Officer Swearing In — Adam Kodet.
Police Chief Spiess introduced Officer Kodet and provided background. Chief Spiess
administered the swearing -in of new officer Adam Kodet. Photographs were taken. The Mayor
and Councilmembers offered their welcome to St. Anthony.
VI. CONSENT AGENDA.
A. Approve July 22 2025 Council Meeting Minutes.
B. License and Permits.
C. Claims.
D. Resolution 25-055 — Approving a Combination of Lots and Waiving the Requirements
for Platting.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
August 12, 2025
Page 2
Motion by Councilmember Elnagdy, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to approve the
Consent Agenda items.
Motion carried 4-0.
VII. PUBLIC HEARING - NONE.
VIII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF.
A. Ordinance 2025-03 — An Ordinance Amending Section 154.179 of the City Code to
Provide for Regulations Related to Electric Vehicle Charging Requirements.
City Planner Grittman reviewed the City Council's considered regulations related to Electric
Vehicles (EV) charging in a recent workshop, following the Planning Commission's
consideration of an ordinance at a public hearing in June 2025. The Council reviewed the staff
ordinance along with the Commission's comments and directed staff to develop an ordinance for
formal Council consideration.
The ordinance developed by staff under consideration was based largely on ordinances adopted
by New Brighton and Roseville. The ordinance provides the following modifications from the
prior version, per Council discussion:
• Revises the terminology in subp. (a) referring to "Commercial Parking Lot", which could
raise confusion for this purpose.
• Modifies the Table of required charging stations to:
o Eliminate charging station requirements for Commercial and Industrial property.
o Revise the Charger level to require a minimum of Level 2 chargers, replacing the
references with Level 1 charging.
o Provides in subp. (b) a definition of Level 2 charging based on US Department of
Energy guidelines.
o Provides in subp. (h) a definition for Level 3 charging, again based on USDE
guidelines.
o Adds a new provision in subp. (i) clarifying that this ordinance does not prohibit
the installation of additional EV Charging facilities over the ordinance minimums.
Staff recommends approval of the I' Reading of Ordinance No. 2025-03, based on the City's
objectives as stated in its annual Goal Setting activities and its Sustainability Plan.
This applies to new and reconstructed parking lots.
Councilmember Jenson stated that this is clear and easy to understand. He does not see an impact
on existing multi -family units.
Councilmember Doolan stated she supports having the commercial component removed. She
feels the percentages need to be greater. She hopes developers will think of this as an amenity.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
August 12, 2025
Page 3
Councilmember Jenson stated that apartment owners want to attract tenants, and they will need
to provide for EV owners to become tenants. The percentages could be raised in the future.
Councilmember Doolan appreciated the removal of Level 1 chargers, as it is not a viable option.
Mayor Webster noted that if there were 50 parking spaces, there would be a requirement for 5
spaces with chargers.
Councilmember Doolan stated that the volume of how big the complex is as relevant as having
enough chargers.
Councilmember Elnagdy stated it makes sense to look at the number of EV owners and build the
numbers off that. Mr. Grittman stated the numbers were taken from the New Brighton and
Roseville models.
Councilmember Jenson stated he feels the percentages are too low. The use of EV vehicles is
going to increase. This is also a marketing thing for apartment complexes. He suggested raising
5% to 10% for 30-49 spaces.
Councilmember Elnagdy stated she would like to see the number increased after the data is
received.
Mayor Webster suggested getting data from the DMV when license tabs are renewed. Mr.
Grittman will research.
Councilmember Doolan suggested that the charging stations be part of the screened
infrastructure.
Mr. Grittman noted Council requested to increase the 30-49 space category and asked if that also
applies to the smaller tier. Mayor Webster suggested all three levels be at least 10%.
Motion by Councilmember Elnagdy, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to approve First
Reading of Ordinance 2025-03 — An Ordinance Amending Section 154.179 of the City Code to
Provide for Regulations Related to Electric Vehicle Charging Requirements, with the condition
that current EV data will be reviewed to increase the percentage of charging spaces.
Motion carried 4-0.
B. Ordinances 2025 04 — An Ordinance Amending the City Code. Sections 152 and 154,
Related to Licensing and Regulations for Renting of Single -Family Detached Housing
and Ordinance 2025 05 — An Ordinance Amending the City Code. Section 152, Related
to Licensing and Regulations for Renting of Single -Family Housing.
City Planner Grittman reviewed the Ordinance 2025-04 presented this evening updates the draft
ordinance that has been the subject of prior Planning Commission public hearings and
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
August 12, 2025
Page 4
1 discussions, and various work session reviews over the past several months. The ordinance is
2 written to accomplish the following consensus elements from those prior discussions:
3 . Create better definitions for residential dwelling uses (in both the Zoning and the Rental
4 Housing chapters).
5 a Specify the prohibition of single-family detached residential dwellings in St. Anthony
6 Village in the various zoning districts.
7 • Create a limit on the number of rental dwelling licenses that can be held by any
8 individual or business organization. This clause requires applicants to disclose other
9 rental dwellings in the City in which they hold an ownership interest and limits their
10 maximum licenses to four.
11 • Establish a limit of single-family detached licenses in the City overall, setting that limit at
12 80 (approximately 4% of the existing single-family housing supply), and further
13 establishing a limit for each segment of the City as defined in the ordinance — the limit
14 for any one Subarea also being approximately 4%. Per prior discussion, a fixed number is
15 used, rather than a percentage, for ease of administration. Rental single-family units total
16 58 per current records.
17 • Establish an Exception clause which permits the City staff to issue rental licenses over
18 the prescribed limits where a hardship situation is found to exist. The clause lists
19 examples such as "military deployment, physical or health issue, temporary business or
20 study leave, or similar events".
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22 Staff recommends approval of the first reading of Ordinance No. 2025-04 if drafts are found to
23 accurately reflect the Council's direction.
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25 Mayor Webster asked how the State of Minnesota views short-term rentals. Mr. Grittman stated
26 the MN Department of Health includes vacation rentals the same as motel licensing, as they are
27 required to have a State motel license and listed on the State's website as a transient motel. The
28 area of concern for communities is for homes not properly maintained or not compatible with
29 single-family neighborhoods. They are present in almost every community in one form or
30 another.
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32 Councilmember Jenson stated he has a concern about exceptions and asked how City Staff can
33 say yes or no to an exception. He fears exceptions would be a slippery slope. He would be in
34 favor of removing the exception category from the ordinance.
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36 Mayor Webster noted in looking at four zones within the City, if the maximum number of rentals
37 meets capacity and another wants to have a rental, they could request an exception.
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39 Councilmember Jenson stated there is capacity before the maximum is reached. If someone
40 needs an exception, it would most likely be for more than 30 days, and then would qualify for
41 long-term rental.
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43 Councilmember Elnagdy stated that it is difficult to create laws that would solve that problem.
44 She would like the Council to continue discussing short-term rentals where the owner occupies
45 or lives adjacent. She fears the City faces a legal challenge if existing short-term rentals are
46 forced to stop renting.
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
August 12, 2025
Page 5
2 Councilmember Doolan noted the exceptions would be for long-term rentals. While listening to
3 the Planning Commission meeting, there were reasons for some types of exceptions. There are
4 situations that she would support as an exception. There may be an increased burden on staff, but
5 possibly the rental fees could be increased.
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7 Mayor Webster reminded Councilmember Jenson that the exceptions are for long-term rentals.
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9 Councilmember Doolan stated that the threshold can always be raised, and the exception process
10 would show if that number were too low.
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12 Councilmember Jenson stated that currently, there are 58 single-family rentals in the City, with
13 the possibility of 22 more.
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15 Mayor Webster stated that part of this Ordinance is to clarify that short-term rentals are not
16 allowed. She asked if someone had a 3-bedroom home where one bedroom could be rented out,
17 and Mr. Grittman stated that it was correct. She suggested there be a discussion on short-term
18 rentals during major events in the area. She would be open to adjacent property owners having
19 rentals.
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21 Councilmember Elnagdy asked what the difference is between a basement and an adjacent
22 property or property across the street. She stated there is no evidence that limiting short-term
23 rentals increases the amount of affordable housing in an area, which is the Council's concern.
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25 Councilmember Jenson stated that the difference is that the owner is still living there.
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27 Councilmember Doolan stated that when she did research on this, she found that setting policies
28 that are enforceable. One suggestion was to have registration requirements and set regulations
29 that were more intensive than what we currently do. An owner of adjacent property is much
30 more successful than other short-term rentals in the area.
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32 Councilmember Elnagdy worries about the language that is out of the applicant's control as far
33 as exceptions for long-term rentals.
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35 Councilmember Doolan asked what if the economic conditions are challenging and a person
36 cannot afford to live in their home is what she believes the beyond your control would come into
37 play.
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39 Mayor Webster noted that with this ordinance, the long-term rental properties would be capped
40 at 80. The City could monitor the applications coming in and bring to Council the question of
41 whether the cap should be raised. The 80 licenses would be structured by zones. The exceptions
42 area needs further discussion so as not to be a burden on staff. It would be allowed for someone
43 to rent out a room or basement to another party that would be allowed. If it were an adjacent
44 property, would that be allowed? Or if a second story was built on a garage, could that be rented
45 out?
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
August 12, 2025
Page 6
1 Councilmember Jenson stated that if a room were built on a garage and it is attached to the
2 home, it could be rented out.
4 Councilmember Elnagdy asked if the reason we are banning short-term rentals; it would result in
5 an increase in the housing stock and be available for long-term rentals or purchase of a home.
6 Would Council be willing to consider grandfathering in the short-term rentals that currently exist
7 and have demonstrated compliance and been responsible homeowners? The short-term rentals
8 are not being utilized to create more problems.
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10 Councilmember Doolan stated she does not believe within our residential community, buying up
11 our housing stock and renting it out for a significant profit is appropriate for our zoning. She
12 understands there is currently some use of that, and a policy needs to be established that is
13 enforceable and more equitable. The transient tax should be charged. Our Code Enforcement
14 Officer would monitor these short-term rentals.
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16 Mayor Webster stated that a City Staff person would need to monitor the guidelines and asked if
17 that would be hiring someone to handle the transient tax. Is there a way to recoup some of that
18 revenue to pay that person? Do we want to hire someone and recoup the money to pay that
19 person?
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21 Councilmember Jenson asked if we even know if the short-term rentals are licensed. Mr. Yunker
22 stated there are no licensing requirements for short-term rentals. Staff time will be spent either
23 way the Council decides. Councilmember Jenson stated that the more clear the ordinance is
24 written, the better.
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26 Councilmember Doolan stated that it is difficult to grandfather something that the City does not
27 know exists. She is not in favor of expanding the number of short-term rentals in the City. There
28 needs to be licensing and a well -understood registry. Something needs to be put in place asap.
29 Mr. Yunker stated that if they were to be allowed, the City would need a list of licensed short-
30 term rentals. Some Cities have three strikes and you're out.
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32 Councilmember Elnagdy stated that we cannot skip over the potential legal challenges that may
33 occur, as there is room for argument.
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35 Councilmember Doolan asked, since we do not know who has short-term rentals, how can we
36 grandfather them in? Mr. Grittman noted some of the rentals within the City are licensed but are
37 being used as short-term rentals. Some do not.
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39 Councilmember Elnagdy stated that the responsible owners are licensed. We can't just say no, so
40 all short-term rentals go away.
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42 Councilmember Doolan asked what the consequence is for not being licensed. Do we state it's
43 not allowed, and if there is an issue, complaints must be received within 30 days.
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45 Councilmember Jenson suggested the end of the year.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
August 12, 2025
Page 7
1 Mayor Webster stated some short-term rentals within the community have bookings for the next
2 few months. This would provide time for owners to move to the long-term rental or choose to
3 sell the home. She suggested January 1 be the deadline.
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5 Councilmember Doolan stated that it is some kind of amenity, but we have significant affordable
6 housing issues. If we are capping long-term rentals at 80, the owner -occupied or adjacent is the
7 standard that some entities as the gold standard.
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9 Councilmember Jenson asked Mr. Yunker to contact the City Attorney about whether we would
10 be held liable for instituting a due date of January I to eliminate all short-term rentals.
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12 Mayor Webster asked if it would be helpful for the City Attorney to give an opinion on short-
13 term rentals that are adjacent to the property owner.
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15 Councilmember Doolan stated it is a good idea to get an understanding of legal liability. This is
16 also relevant to ADUs.
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18 Councilmember Jenson agreed that the City Attorney's opinion would be good information. It
19 may be helpful to have the City Attorney present during the City Council discussion during a
20 work session. Mr. Grittman stated that a motion to table would be appropriate.
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22 Motion by Councilmember Elnagdy, seconded by Councilmember Doolan, to table First Reading
23 of Ordinance 2025-04 — An Ordinance Amending the City Code, Sections 152 and 154, Related
24 to Licensing and Regulations for Renting of Single -Family Detached Housing and Ordinance
25 2025-05 — An Ordinance Amending the City Code, Section 152, Related to Licensing and
26 Regulations for Renting of Single -Family Housing.
Motion carried 4-0.
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29 Mr. Paul White, 3201 32"d Avenue NE, is the owner of a small one -bedroom neighborhood guest
30 house. This has been rented for over 10 years. Mr. White read a prepared document. He stated
31 Council had a thorough discussion. He supports St. Anthony's goals of preserving affordable
32 housing. There are no current problems with short-term rentals. Council is trying to protect the
33 good in St. Anthony. He suggested a balanced approach to either establishing a cap or
34 grandfathering the current short-term rentals. He noted short-term rentals are not defined in the
35 City Code currently, but a rental unit that he is registered for is defined as a dwelling for rent or
36 lease in exchange for money. He believes the only short-term rentals in the City amount to 7 and
37 hold rental licenses. If there is someone with a short-term rental that does not have a license
38 deserve to have one. Operating a short-term rental exceeds revenues. They are providing
39 affordable housing compared to staying at a hotel. They don't have complaints, violations, or
40 police activity. His neighbors use and support the guest house as a neighborhood amenity. He
41 provided letters from neighbors in support of his short-term rental. People who visit St. Anthony
42 have family or friends here. He provided options for consideration. He suggested the Council
43 consider property rights. Annual inspections need to occur. There could be a requirement that
44 short-term rentals need to certify local ownership.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
August 12, 2025
Page 8
1 Mr. Charles Elliott, 3404 Silver Lake Road, has lived in St. Anthony for over 20 years. They
2 have strong ties with the community. They moved to Wisc. and decided to keep their St.
3 Anthony home. They applied for a rental license and passed the inspection. The house is
4 homesteaded, and when it isn't rented, they stay in the home. They are very careful about their
5 guests. The house is immaculate. Most of their guests have a close connection to the community.
6 He appreciated the discussion this evening and the thoughtful consideration for the residents.
7 They have structured their life to have this short-term rental. If there were a ban on short-term
8 rentals, they would be forced to make a decision to sell the house. He asked if some
9 grandfathering should be done. He would be happy to participate in the development of an
10 ordinance to include short-term rentals.
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12 Mr. Brent Casper, 29th Avenue, purchased his home in 2013. His wife quit her job to care for
13 newly adopted teenagers. They moved to a larger home in New Brighton and decided to have
14 their St. Anthony home be an Airbnb. They plan to move back to St. Anthony when their
15 teenagers are out of the home. They have had no complaints from neighbors. He described the
16 background of some of the renters and their reasons for renting. They have operated Airbnb for 3
17 years. He welcomed the Council to tour the home. Affordable housing does not exist in St.
18 Anthony. The Special Olympics are coming to Minneapolis next year, and they already have
19 guests coming for that.
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21 IX. GENERAL BUSINESS OF COUNCIL - NONE.
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23 X. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
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25 City Manager Yunker reported there are funding requests on the State and Federal levels for a
26 public safety facility. Cannabis has been in the news, and St. Anthony has received their
27 preliminary license approval. Final approval is received after a final inspection of the building.
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29 Councilmember Doolan reported that on July 30, she attended the sister city picnic. She
30 appreciated Councilmember Randle's efforts with the event. On July 31, she attended the Salo
31 Park concert. She attended Village Fest and National Night Out (5 different block parties). On
32 August 11, she attended the Chamber of Commerce Meeting.
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34 Councilmember Jenson reported that he attended the Sister City Picnic, the Village Fest Parade,
35 and the bingo booth. He participated in National Night Out. He noted Councilmember Doolan
36 created a nice handout for Council, and he received positive feedback. Councilmember Doolan
37 noted that Barb created the handout. On August 7, he attended the Ramsey County social event.
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39 Councilmember Elnagdy stated that she attended the Sister City Picnic and Village Fest
40 Activities. She attended four block parties during Night to Unite.
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42 Mayor Webster stated on July 20 that her family participated in a home energy audit. Residents
43 of St. Anthony can call 651-328-6220 to schedule and use Promo Code FRIEND-ZRM for 50%
44 off. On July 30, she attended the Sister City Picnic. She attended the Village Fest parade. She
45 thanked the announcers of the parade on NineNorth. She participated in Village Fest Bingo.
46 There were 630 attendees for Bingo. She attended four Night to Unite parties.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
August 12, 2025
Page 9
XI. COMMUNITY FORUM.
Mr. Charles Elliott and Mrs. Vicki Elliott, 3404 Silver Lake Rd NE, submitted public comments
for City Council Meetings — Submission #10552. Regarding the Rental Ordinance.
Ms. Danielle Asefa, 3112 31" Avenue NE — Submission #10625. Regarding community gardens
and compost.
Ms. Elizabeth Shaw, 2835 Roosevelt Street NE — Submission #10627. Regarding damage to their
in -ground irrigation system.
XII. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS - NONE.
A. Future Agenda Items
The next Regular Council Meeting will be held on August 26, 2025.
Councilmember Doolan noted the Chamber of Commerce is hosting a golf simulator tournament
at Par 65 in Roseville on Friday, Oct 3 at 5:00 p.m.
XIII. ADJOURNMENT.
The Regular Meeting of the City Council was adjourned at 9:12 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Wolfe
Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.
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City Clerk
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Mayor
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