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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 042820261 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 CITY OF ST. ANTHONY CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 28, 2026 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 her in the Pledge of Allegiance. III. ROLL CALL. Present: Mayor Webster, Councilmembers Lona Doolan, Nadia Elnagdy, Thomas Randle, and Jan Jenson Absent: None Also Present: City Manager Charlie Yunker, Assistant City Manager Ashley Morello, City Planner Steve Grittman, and City Engineer Justin Messner Others Present: President of the St. Anthony Area Chamber of Commerce Cody Holiday. CONSIDERATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ALL OF THE FOLLOWING ITEMS. IV. APPROVAL OF APRIL 14, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA. Motion by Councilmember Elnagdy, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to approve the City Council Meeting Agenda of April 14, 2026, as presented. Motion carried 5-0. V. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS. A. Villager Of The Year — Natalie Warren Mayor Webster invited President Holiday to introduce the award recipients. President Holiday announced that the Villager of the Year recipient was Dr. Natalie Warren, highlighting her extraordinary leadership, environmental stewardship, and commitment to building a more connected community. He provided an overview of her extensive professional and educational background. He discussed her work as Chair of the Parks and Environmental Commission to make the City more walkable, bikeable, and environmentally responsible. He stated that Dr. Warren was the driving force behind the Wilshire Park bike bus, which helps students bike safely to school, and that the nominators highly praised it. He finished by congratulating Dr. Warren. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 28, 2026 Page 2 2 Dr. Warren expressed her appreciation for St. Anthony and for the opportunity to make a change 3 in her small community. She noted that they had 64 students on the bike bus last week. She 4 thanked the Council for the award. 5 6 Mayor Webster thanked Dr. Warren for her commitment to the Parks Commission and the 7 community. 8 9 Councilmember Doolan thanked Dr. Warren for her work on the bike bus. She also thanked her 10 for her contributions to the active transportation survey. 11 12 Councilmember Jenson noted that he saw the bike bus a few weeks ago and was amazed by how 13 many people came out to bike. He thanked her for organizing the bike bus and highlighted the 14 importance of the work on the active transportation plan. 15 16 Councilmember Randle congratulated Dr. Warren. 17 18 Councilmember Elnagdy shared that her children look forward to attending the bike bus. She 19 congratulated her on the award. 20 21 B. Business Of The Year — St. Anthony Service 22 23 President Holiday announced that the Business of the Year recipient was St. Anthony Service 24 and Tom Freiberg. He recognized their more than 50 years of service to the community. He 25 highlighted St. Anthony Service's integrity and high -quality customer service. He shared a 26 meaningful comment from a nominator about the business's respectful atmosphere, and another 27 comment about how St. Anthony Service makes car care easy and stress -free. President Holiday 28 highlighted Tom's no -cost assistance to a stranded driver, for which the St. Anthony police 29 department recognized him. He stated that Tom Freiberg exemplifies what it means to be a 30 community -minded business owner. He finished by congratulating Mr. Freiberg and the rest of 31 the team at St. Anthony Service. 32 33 Mr. Freiberg thanked the Chamber of Commerce, the Council, and the City of St. Anthony. He 34 discussed his father starting the business in 1972 and reminisced about his memories in St. 35 Anthony and working in the mechanic business. He stated that his customers are more than just 36 customers and that he appreciates the meaningful relationships he has with them. He expressed 37 his appreciation for his City and the small, tight -knit community. He finished by thanking 38 everyone for the award again. 39 40 Councilmember Doolan congratulated Mr. Freiberg and thanked him for his recommendation 41 letter for last year's Business of the Year award. She thanked him for his work on Village Fest 42 planning and all he does for the community. 43 44 Councilmember Jenson thanked Mr. Freiberg for running such a quality business and noted high 45 praise from everyone who patronizes his business. 46 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 28, 2026 Page 3 Councilmember Jenson described Mr. Freiberg's story as the embodiment of the ideal St. Anthony Village business. She thanked him for his contributions to the City. Councilmember Randle congratulated Mr. Freiberg. Mayor Webster also congratulated Mr. Freiberg and thanked him for keeping his business in St. Anthony and for continuing to support the community. VI. CONSENT AGENDA. A. Approve April 14 Council Meeting Minutes. B. License and Permits. C. Claims. D. Resolution 26 032 Approving Renewal Of Municipal Insurance Coverage And The Non Waiver Of Tort Liabilily Limits For The League Of Minnesota Cities Insurance Program E. Resolution 26 033 - Declaringti Items Surplus And Authorizing Sale And/Or Disposal Motion by Councilmember Doolan, seconded by Councilmember Randle, to approve the Consent Agenda items. Motion carried 5-0. VII. PUBLIC HEARING - NONE. VIII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF — NONE. IX. GENERAL BUSINESS OF COUNCIL. A. Resolution 26 034 - Approving A Lawful Gambling Premises Permit For Spring Lake Park Dist 16 Youth Hockey At Village Pub Mayor Webster directed the Council to the provided overview of a request for a permit for lawful gambling at Village Pub to support a local youth sports organization. City Manager Yunker stated that state law requires local approval to allow lawful gambling at a specific location. He noted that the applicants were invited, and they will be able to answer any questions the Council may have. Councilmember Doolan asked City Manager Yunker if there should be a further discussion about parking conflicts in the area. City Manager Yunker noted that no prior significant issues have ever arisen relating to parking during gambling events at the Village Pub. Mayor Webster concurred that charitable gambling events have occurred here before and that no issues have arisen. Councilmember Doolan stated that parking is limited in that area at certain times of night. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 28, 2026 Page 4 1 Mayor Webster invited the applicant to the podium. 2 3 Mr. Krantz thanked the Council for reviewing the application. He noted that there is an 4 established charitable gambling organization at Village Pub and that Spring Lake Park Youth 5 Hockey will replace it. He noted their previous relationship with the owners of Village Pub, as 6 Mr. Krantz currently runs another charitable gambling site for them in Blaine. He confirmed it 7 will only be pull tabs at Village Pub. 8 9 Councilmember Jenson commented that Spring Lake Park Youth Hockey is based in St. Louis 10 Park, has an established gambling site in Blaine, and is looking to expand into St. Anthony. He 11 asked if the St. Anthony Sports Boosters benefit from their pull tabs. Mr. Krantz corrected that 12 they are based in Spring Lake Park and that most of the association is in Blaine. He stated there 13 is no connection with the Boosters in St. Anthony. 14 15 Councilmember Jenson asked why it was labeled as various gambling and not just pull tabs. Mr. 16 Krantz informed him that this is because they will also utilize electronic pull tabs. 17 18 Councilmember Doolan noted the current concern around responsible gambling. He asked how 19 Mr. Krantz and his company deter addictive behavior. Mr. Krantz highlighted the State program, 20 which all charitable gambling associations sponsor through fees and taxes. He stated that they 21 are also required to have a gambling addiction hotline number on all documents on site. 22 23 Motion by Councilmember Jenson, seconded by Councilmember Randle, to approve Resolution 24 26-034 - Approving A Lawful Gambling Premises Permit For Spring Lake Park Dist. 16 Youth 25 Hockey At Village Pub. 26 27 Motion carried 5-0. 28 29 B. Resolution 26-035 - Approving The Use Of City Property For A Special Event On July 30 30, 2026 31 32 Mayor Webster directed the Council to the provided request to use the Central Park parking lot 33 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m on Friday, July 30. 34 35 City Manager Yunker noted that this is a relatively small event the library has held before, which 36 will feature llamas on site for petting, accompanied by a handler. He highlighted the additional 37 use of this process to allow the host to promote and speak about their event at the Council 38 meeting. He invited the applicant to discuss the event at the Council's discretion. 39 40 Mayor Webster introduced the Head Librarian of the St. Anthony Library. 41 42 Lois discussed the event parameters, noting that there will likely be two llamas on leashes, each 43 with a handler. These llamas will be available for petting and possibly feeding. She reiterated the 44 event time: July 30, from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. She thanked the Council for allowing them to 45 host the event near City Hall. 46 2 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 28, 2026 Page 5 Councilmember Elnagdy asked if there would be additional activities, such as reading. Lois stated there will be no additional activities, but highlighted the many wonderful books available at the St. Anthony library. Councilmember Doolan asked whether there were any other events in Central Park that day. Mayor Webster stated she did not believe so. Councilmember Jenson expressed his hope that the event would go well and suggested advertising it on City Hall's front sign. Motion by Councilmember Elnagdy, seconded by Councilmember Doolan, to approve Resolution 26-035 - Approving The Use Of City Property For A Special Event On July 30, 2026. Motion carried 5-0. C. Ordinance 2026 01 - Amending Sections Of The City Code Related To Vision Triangle, Administrative Penalties Mobile Food Units Impervious Surfaces Scavengers, Definitions Of Rodents Amusement Devices And Sign Enforcement Mayor Webster announced that this is the second reading of this ordinance. She reviewed the history of the ordinance. She welcomed City Planner Grittman and invited the Council to ask any additional questions. City Planner Grittman noted a proposed change raised by the City Code Compliance Officer. Paragraph C of the Administrative Penalties Section contains a clause stating that any subsequent administrative penalties issued for the same offense on the same property within the same calendar year cause the fine to double. The proposed language includes that a failure to correct the infraction within the allotted time would also qualify for fine doubling. Councilmember Doolan asked whether this applies to all code violations. City Planner Grittman confirmed that it applies to all violations. Councilmember Elnagdy asked if there are concrete timelines for the administrative penalties. City Planner Grittman confirmed that there are outlines in the code and that the Code Compliance Officer works directly with property owners to establish a timeline as well. Motion by Councilmember Elnagdy, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to approve the second reading of Ordinance 2026-01 - Amending Sections Of The City Code Related To Vision Triangle, Administrative Penalties, Mobile Food Units, Impervious Surfaces, Scavengers, Definitions Of Rodents, Amusement Devices, and Sign Enforcement as presented. Motion carried 5-0. D. Resolution 26-036 - Committing To A Complete Streets Approach For People Of All Ages And Abilities City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 28, 2026 Page 6 1 City Engineer Messner gave a presentation on Complete Streets: Creating Safe, Accessible 2 Streets for Everyone. The presentation included information on Why This Matters Now, 3 Defining Complete Streets, Community Benefits of Complete Streets, How Complete Streets 4 Principles Are Applied, Real -World Complete Streets Examples, A Complete Streets Resolution, 5 and Next Steps and Council Action. 6 7 Mayor Webster thanked City Engineer Messner for the overview and appreciated how Complete 8 Streets aligns with the Active Transportation Plan. 9 10 Councilmember Jenson commented that he appreciated the concrete definitions of what 11 Complete Streets are and are not. He noted that a road plan is coming up and asked whether 12 these concepts would be applied. City Engineer Messner confirmed that if this policy were 13 adopted tonight, these Complete Streets concepts would be assessed and applied. He noted that if 14 the street reconstruction involved the County, the City would work with the County to compare 15 their policies and meet the needs of both groups. 16 17 Councilmember Doolan asked if this would also give more influence when negotiating with the 18 County on how St. Anthony envisions their County roadways. City Engineer Messner confirmed 19 that this will allow St. Anthony to more clearly express their desires to the County, but does not 20 guarantee the County will abide by them. 21 22 Councilmember Doolan asked whether Complete Streets only involves streets and sidewalks, or 23 if it also encompasses things like wayside rests. City Engineer Messner confirmed that the 24 resolution is not just about hard infrastructure but also amenities, including additional bus stops, 25 lighting, or rest areas. 26 27 Councilmember Doolan asked if there would be continued community engagement to inform 28 where areas of concern are. City Engineer Messner confirmed that community input is a large 29 aspect of Complete Streets. 30 31 Councilmember Doolan expressed appreciation for this policy and highlighted it's cost 32 effectiveness. 33 34 Motion by Councilmember Doolan, seconded by Councilmember Randle, to approve Resolution 35 26-036 - Committing To A Complete Streets Approach For People Of All Ages And Abilities. 36 37 Motion carried 5-0. 38 39 X. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. 40 41 City Manager Yunker had no report. 42 43 Councilmember Elnagdy reported that she attended the Chamber of Commerce annual awards 44 dinner the past week and participated in the Silverwood Park cleanup day. 45 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 28, 2026 Page 7 1 Councilmember Jenson reported that he attended the Metro City semi-annual meeting, the Water 2 Education and Conservation fair, participated in the Northeast Youth and Family Services 3 finance subcommittee, attended the St. Anthony Chamber of Commerce annual awards dinner, 4 and participated in the Condo Communication event. He expressed appreciation for 5 Councilmember Doolan's work putting together talking points for the Council at this event. He 6 also complimented Mayor Webster on her effective speaking at the event. 7 8 Councilmember Doolan reported that she attended the Historical Society's annual meeting, 9 participated in many Earth Week activities, and attended the Chamber of Commerce event. 10 11 Councilmember Randle had no report. 12 13 Mayor Webster reported that she attended the St. Anthony Historical Society annual meeting, 14 briefly attended the Water Conservation Fair, and attended the Connect With the Council: Silver 15 Village Condos event. 16 17 XI. COMMUNITY FORUM. 18 19 Laura LaBerge, a resident, began by quoting John F. Kennedy: "There is little that is more 20 important for an American citizen to know than the history and traditions of his country. Without 21 such knowledge, he stands uncertain and defenseless before the world, knowing neither where he 22 has come from nor where he is going." She noted that when Minnesota was first settled, it was 23 occupied by many Native American groups. In 1819, Fort Snelling was established, and it 24 became a state in 1858. She highlighted that the North Star represents MN and that the Lady 25 Slipper is the State Flower. She overviewed the three pine regions in the State, the St. Croix, the 26 Mississippi, and Lake Superior, with the Norway Pine as the State tree. She noted all of this was 27 present in the original State flag, before the new flag was introduced in 2024. She noted that the 28 new flag in the council chambers erases this history. She stated that the old State flag tells the 29 story of the State's history. She stated that she believes that they should hang the old State flag 30 instead of the new one. She finished by quoting George Orwell: "The most effective way to 31 destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history," and urged the 32 council to raise the old flag rather than the new one. 33 34 Dr. Bibi Neumann, a resident, commented on Resolutions 26-032 and 26-033. She noted that 35 these appear routine, but are not. 26-032 is about insurance and liability. By choosing not to 36 waive tort limits, the City is defining the boundary of its exposure, which is a policy decision 37 about risk and accountability. She noted that the reasoning for this decision is missing from the 38 public record. Different explanations denote different levels of review and intention. Without the 39 clarity, the public sees the decision but not the evaluation behind it. In relation to 26-033, she 40 noted that declaring items surplus is optional and operational, but these are public assets. She 41 commented that the evaluation between the steps of acquiring, replacing, and disposing is not 42 visible. The public does not know whether the items were fully utilized, whether reuse was 43 considered, how value was maintained, and more. When this step is not visible, the process 44 appears weaker than realistic. She expressed a desire to see reasoning for decisions more clearly 45 explained to the public in the future. 46 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 28, 2026 Page 8 Carl Neumann, a resident, waived his time to Dr. Bibi Neumann. Dr. Neumann noted improvement in the April 14 minutes regarding the Public Forum section. She stated that it more clearly captured participation, which is a meaningful step forward. She noted that she will be watching for consistency going forward. She noted aspects of participation, such as submitting written comments, raising specific questions, and tying the questions to agenda items. She stated the importance of preserving and connecting participation over time. She commented that a resident should be able to look back at a meeting and understand what was raised, how it relates to decisions, and whether it was addressed. If this is not clear, participation loses its weight. She also noted concerns around the consent agenda. Items such as claims, licenses, and insurance decisions carry real impact. She appreciated the value of efficiency, but noted that when discussion is limited, written materials should explain the decision -making process. If this is not clearly explained, the public does not understand the logic behind outcomes. She requested that the public -facing record continue to develop in a way that reflects the decision and the reasoning in an understandable manner. She thanked the City administration for posting her written comment online. XIL INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. A. Future Agenda Items. Councilmember Doolan highlighted Spring Cleanup Day, scheduled for May 2 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. at Public Works. She also noted that May 12, 13, and 14 are Curbside Branch Chipping days. Finally, she informed the Council about the Senior Luncheon in City Hall on May 14. The next Regular Council Meeting will be held on May 12, 2026. XIII. ADJOURNMENT. Motion by Councilmember Jenson, seconded by Councilmember Doolan, to adjourn the meeting. The Regular Meeting of the City Council was adjourned at 8:06 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Samina Crabtree TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. ATTEST: City Clerk Mayor Motion carried 5-0.