HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 051220261
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CITY OF ST. ANTHONY
CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
MAY 12, 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, and City
Planner Steve Grittman.
Others Present: None.
CONSIDERATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ALL OF THE
FOLLOWING ITEMS.
IV. APPROVAL OF MAY 12, 2026 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA.
Motion by Councilmember Elnagdy, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to approve the City
Council Meeting Agenda of May 12, 2026, as presented.
Motion carried 5-0.
V. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS - NONE
VI. CONSENT AGENDA.
A. Approve April 28 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 Liability Limits For The League Of Minnesota Cities Insurance
Program
E. Resolution 26 038 Authorizing City Staff To Participate In The 2026-2028 Residential
Waste Reduction And Recycling Grant Agreement With Hennepin County
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 12, 2026
Page 2
1 Motion by Councilmember Jenson, seconded by Councilmember Randle, to approve the Consent
2 Agenda items.
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4 Motion carried 5-0.
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6 VII. PUBLIC HEARING - NONE.
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8 VIII. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF — NONE.
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10 IX. GENERAL BUSINESS OF COUNCIL.
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12 A. Ordinance 2026-01 - Amending Sections Of The City Code Related To Vision Triangle,
13 Administrative Penalties, Mobile Food Units, Impervious Surfaces, Scavengers,
14 Definitions Of Rodents, Amusement Devices, And Sign Enforcement
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16 Mayor Webster reminded the Council that this is the final reading of Ordinance 2026-01 and
17 provided an overview of the previous readings. She invited City Planner Grittman to answer any
18 final questions.
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20 Councilmember Doolan asked what the next steps in enforcement are if this ordinance is
21 adopted. City Planner Grittman stated that the next step will be for Staff to prepare informational
22 materials on resident impacts and expectations related to the new ordinance, and that the Code
23 Compliance Officer will use community contacts to disseminate the information.
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25 Councilmember Doolan asked what residents should do if they are in violation of the new
26 updates. She additionally questioned if there is a timeline for remediation for residents. City
27 Planner Grittman informed that if a resident is aware they are in violation, they are welcome to
28 remediate. There will not be an active search for violations, but any violators they are aware of
29 will be brought up to code
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31 Councilmember Doolan requested clarification on standard practice regarding fee issuance and
32 data privacy. City Manager Yunker stated that all City activities, including code compliance, are
33 governed by the Data Practices Act, so the City will operate under that framework.
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35 Councilmember Jenson stated that they do not expect residents to troll the website to stay
36 informed about code updates, so he questioned how residents will realistically become aware of
37 changes. City Planner Grittman stated that Code Compliance would contact violators directly,
38 but only issues of imminent public safety will likely be actively sought out for change.
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40 Motion by Councilmember Jenson, seconded by Councilmember Doolan, to approve Ordinance
41 2026-01 - Amending Sections Of The City Code Related To Vision Triangle, Administrative
42 Penalties, Mobile Food Units, Impervious Surfaces, Scavengers, Definitions Of Rodents,
43 Amusement Devices, And Sign Enforcement.
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45 Motion carried 5-0.
46
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 12, 2026
Page 3
1 B. Resolution 26-037 - Approving Summary Publication For Ordinance 2026-01
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3 Mayor Webster clarified with City Manager Yunker that the Council can approve the summary
4 publication instead of the full ordinance to save on costs when publishing in the legal newspaper,
5 the Star Tribune.
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7 Motion by Councilmember Elnagdy, seconded by Councilmember Randle, to approve
8 Resolution 26-037 - Approving Summary Publication For Ordinance 2026-01
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10 Motion carried 5-0.
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12 C. City Delegation Visit To Sister City Salo Finland (Motion Only)
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14 Mayor Webster informed the Council that Salo has been a Sister City of St. Anthony since 1985.
15 Historically, the City has accepted invitations and requests for Staff and Councilmembers to
16 meet with representatives in Salo. Conversely, representatives from Salo are also invited to meet
17 with Staff and Councilmembers in St. Anthony. City Staff and Councilmembers have visited
18 Salo in 2005, 2007, and 2012. Salo leadership has requested a delegation visit from June 15 to
19 June 18 of this year. This would include up to two City Staff members and up to two City
20 Councilmembers. She directed the Council to view expectations for City Council travel. She
21 clarified that the purpose of this item is to discuss goals of the visit, how they align with City
22 goals, and the request that the City pay for travel costs for up to two Staff members to participate
23 in the visit.
I
25 Councilmember Elnagdy emphasized the value of cultural exchange, but asked how the City
26 directly benefits from this partnership. She stated that she cannot, in good conscience, ask
27 residents to pay for international travel without having a clear stated benefit to them. Mayor
28 Webster stated that the goals of the trip would be to explore sustainability initiatives, understand
29 how city government operates in Salo, learn about the division of the City and Federal
30 government in Salo, explore election processes, and learn more about the impacts of Al in
31 government operations. Mayor Webster explained that they would align the goals of the visit
32 with the City's current goals for the year and that the information gathered during the trip would
33 be used to improve the City. Councilmember Elnagdy reiterated that she cannot support this trip
34 utilizing residents' funds. She cited already rising costs imposed by the City on residents and
35 stated that all the goals outlined by Mayor Webster could be achieved remotely.
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37 Councilmember Randle concurred with Councilmember Eingady. He stated that he had
38 previously backed out of attending the delegation due to conflicting feelings about utilizing
39 resident funds for travel. He expressed his support and appreciation for the Sister City program
40 but agreed with Councilmember Elgnagdy's point. He stated that a smaller delegation may be a
41 better option.
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43 Councilmember Jenson asked if a delegation had gone last year. Councilmember Randle
44 clarified that a delegation through the Sister Cities program went to Salo, but not through the
45 Council.
46
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 12, 2026
Page 4
1 Councilmember Doolan highlighted an interest in growing the Sister Cities program into
2 something more. She provided examples of Minnesota cities that participate at higher levels in
3 information and resource sharing related to sustainability with their Sister City. This has been
4 very beneficial to Minnesota cities in building better sustainability programs. She explained that
5 in previous years the relationship with Salo had been more of a cultural exchange, and she hoped
6 that in the future it could grow into a more beneficial program for learning about sustainability.
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8 Councilmember Jenson stated that there should be a requirement for delegates to compile a
9 report on what they learned and how it can be applied to governance in St. Anthony. If there is
10 no benefit to citizens, they cannot justify asking them to pay for it.
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12 Councilmember Randle expressed that more information is needed than just sustainability
13 practices.
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15 Mayor Webster summarized that the Council would like to see a formal report if taxpayer
16 funding is being used.
17
18 Mayor Webster asked Councilmember Randle if he would be more comfortable with the
19 proposal if the delegation were smaller. He stated that the City has an obligation to honor its
20 agreement with Salo to send four delegates.
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22 Councilmember Jenson stated that he still felt there was time to renegotiate the delegation's size,
23 given that the Council was not consulted on the plan before this meeting. Councilmember
24 Doolan agreed that a smaller delegation would be more appropriate.
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26 Mayor Webster clarified that previous communication with Salo leadership had not set a specific
27 number of delegations and that they were expecting anywhere from one to four individuals.
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29 Councilmember Doolan asked if the delegation would be staying in hotels or with host families.
30 She emphasized that staying with host families could reduce costs. Councilmember Randle
31 informed Councilmember Doolan that last year, the plan was to stay with a host family that
32 would also likely provide meals.
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34 Mayor Webster stated that she believed Salo would provide housing accommodations.
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36 Councilmember Jenson reiterated the need for a substantial deliverable. He stated that he felt
37 four individuals on the delegation is far too many, and that three was likely too high as well.
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39 Mayor Webster clarified to the Council that the desired delegation size would be two and that a
40 deliverable would be required to inform the community about what was learned and how it can
41 be applied to the City.
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43 Councilmember Elnagdy stated that the goal of providing a report seems unclear. If the goal is
44 systems or process improvement, the Council should require stated proposals that include what
45 was working well in Salo, how it could be implemented in St. Anthony, the resources required,
46 and more.
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 12, 2026
Page 5
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Motion by Councilmember Doolan, seconded by Councilmember Randle, to approve a City
Delegation Visit To Sister City Salo, Finland, as proposed.
Motion carried 4-1 (Elnagdy).
REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
City Manager Yunker reported that new City Staff were recently welcomed. Dave Anglum is the
new Retail Operations Manager, and Jacqara Jackson was also welcomed to City Staff to assist
with cannabis retail operations. He informed the Council that construction has begun at
Marketplace, which includes the Cannabis store, which is integrated into that space. He informed
the Council that they will meet new City Staff members at the next Council meeting.
Councilmember Elnagdy had no report.
Councilmember Jenson reported that he attended the Northeast Youth and Family Services
Leadership Luncheon on May 6. He also attended the Ramsey County Local League of
Governments Program Meeting.
Councilmember Doolan, the Clean Energy Resources Team's annual meeting on April 30.
Councilmember Randle had no report.
Mayor Webster reported that she met with two residents, along with City Manager Yunker, on
April 29. She also attended Mike Larson's retirement parry on May 1 to celebrate his work in the
Municipal Liquor Store business. On May 8, she attended the fifth Congressional District
meeting of City Managers and Mayors.
COMMUNITY FORUM.
Carl Neumann, a resident, yielded his time to Dr. Bibi Neumann. Dr. Neumann, a resident,
wanted to speak to a pattern across City operations and policy decisions. She stated that the issue
is not a single ordinance but the government's general direction. Through Ordinance 2026-01, the
City is expanding administrative enforcement authority. She felt that the summary makes the
changes seem ordinary and technical, but the actual organization is a much broader structure than
the summary suggests. It expands the authority of citations, hearing procedures, fine escalation
structures, mailed citations, and hearing fees, all controlled by City Administration. She
highlighted that this is occurring as public participation opportunities narrow. Public Comment
time has been reduced from 5 minutes to 2 minutes. This changes the dynamic between public
power and governmental power. Timelines are based on what the City finds reasonable, hearing
officers are selected from City -approved lists, hearing fees must be paid to reduce citations, and
penalties can be doubled repeatedly. The Ordinance highlighted neutrality, but the City remains
the central operator of the process. This matters because systems should not rely solely on trust.
They should be designed so that fairness is visible. Particularly in small communities, this is
important. She also highlighted the Residential Waste Reduction and Recycling Grant
Agreement with Hennepin County. She stated it seems simple and administrative, but the
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 12, 2026
Page 6
1 underlying agreement is heavily participation -driven. She found it striking how much of the
2 framework is based on modifying resident behavior, rather than discussing waste generated
3 internally by municipal operations. Finally, she addressed the trip to Salo, Finland. She is not
4 opposed to Sister City relationships or cultural exchange. No substantive information was
5 provided about costs, funding sources, who was traveling, the measurable public benefit, or
6 deliverables. She felt that residents deserve more information before government travel is
7 authorized through motion approval. She expressed that her concerns surround institutional
8 discretion. Transparency is not publishing documents online; residents must be able to
9 understand what is happening in government without deep knowledge of institutions.
10
11 Pam Caplan expressed agreement with Dr. Neumann on the unclear benefits of the Salo
12 delegation. With travel costs rising, this could be a very expensive trip. She questioned how
13 much funding was budgeted for the trip and whether the fruits of the delegation could yield great
14 potential that could not be achieved through remote communication.
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16 XII. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.
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18 A. Future Agenda Items.
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20 The next Regular Council Meeting will be held on May 12, 2026.
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22 Councilmember Jenson stated that he will be attending the 13th annual Suburban Ramsey
23 County Law Enforcement Memorial Day Ceremony on May 14 in White Bear Lake.
24
25 Councilmember Doolan highlighted that May 12, 13, and 14 are curbside branch chipping days.
26 On May 14, there is a Senior Lunch at City Hall.
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28 Mayor Webster highlighted the last issue of the Northeaster, recognizing the bike bus in St.
29 Anthony, coordinated by Dr. Natalie Warren.
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31 Councilmember Eingady stated that this Saturday, the bike bus is hosting a party where they will
32 be spray -painting t-shirts with the bike bus logo. It is being held at Central Park from 4:30 to
33 6:30 a.m.
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35 XIII. ADJOURNMENT.
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37 Motion by Councilmember Jenson, seconded by Councilmember Randle, to adjourn the meeting.
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39 Motion carried 5-0.
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41 The Regular Meeting of the City Council was adjourned at 7:47 p.m.
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43
44 Respectfully submitted,
45 Samina Crabtree
46 TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
May 12, 2026
Page 7
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6 ATTEST: AUaUDT
7 City Clerk
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Mayor