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Record of Proceedings

Blaine City Council Meeting January 21, 2026: Fitness Center CUP, Consent Agenda, Immigration Update

City Council — Wednesday, January 21, 2026
BodyBlaine, Minnesota
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, January 21, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Speaker numbers apply only to this recording.

Speaker 1

2:39

Good evening, everyone.

2:40

Welcome to City Hall.

2:42

We're going to call the Blaine City Council to order for January twenty first, two thousand twenty-six.

2:47

Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Speaker 2

2:50

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the

Speaker 1

2:53

United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands.

Speaker 3

4:07

But I I just wanted to give them a shout-out for helping some of the homeless families in town.

4:24

So I just wanted to give them a good shout

Unassigned speaker

4:25

out.

Speaker 1

4:28

Any other communications this evening.

Speaker 4

5:05

The Blaine Police Department is not involved in immigration enforcement and defers all immigration enforcement to federal authorities.

5:17

Federal agents have been active in virtually every or most cities across the metro area and many across the state, including within the city of Blaine.

5:26

Many of the agents are enforcing or investigating immigration law.

5:29

They do not notify us when they're coming, nor do they notify us when they leave.

5:34

Although we cannot provide legal advice or guidance to businesses or residents, we do encourage businesses to consult with the legal council for guidance and encourage residents to research any concerns they have with what exact uh exactly federal laws and requirement requirements are or are not similar to what uh people have done that have reached out to us.

5:53

Uh we're additionally working with our schools to ensure the safety of our youth who want to exercise their First Amendment rights and work to protect all of our citizens' rights to do so.

6:02

If we observe or become aware of something that appears to me misconduct or a civil rights violation that occurs in Blaine's, we will report that to the appropriate authorities as a municipality.

6:14

We do not have legal authority over federal law enforcement.

6:18

If people spot um uh federal activity that they feel is concerning, they can also contact the Department of Homeland Security or ICE or whichever agency whose actions they have a concern with.

6:29

So if there are questions or concerns, I encourage people to reach out to us and reach out to me.

6:34

We care deeply about our residents in our community, as you know, and I I uh hope to be able to answer any more questions or concerns that have been surfacing.

6:43

So if people have additional questions, I ask them not to be hesitant to reach out to us.

6:47

Thank you.

Speaker 1

6:48

Thank you, Chief.

Unassigned speaker

6:50

We'll

Speaker 1

6:51

move along in the agenda to the open forum.

6:54

This provides an opportunity for individuals to approach the council and share comments, concerns, or input on other items.

7:01

Well, open form is not intended to provide for response or discussion opportunities.

7:05

If follow-up is needed, city staff will work to contact the speakers outside of the meeting to arrange for that follow-up.

7:11

Each speaker will be limited to three minutes with a maximum of 15 minutes set aside for the open forum.

Unassigned speaker

7:18

I want

Speaker 1

7:18

to thank everyone for coming.

7:19

If there's anyone that wishes to uh speak during the open forum, you're welcome to come to the podium at this

Unassigned speaker

7:24

time.

Unassigned speaker

7:30

Good

Speaker 1

7:31

evening, sir, and welcome.

7:32

Name and address for the record, please.

Speaker 5

7:38

Rusmanthi, this is uh regarding the electrical box on intersection of Lexington Avenue and 99th Avenue Northeast.

7:50

The electrical box is six foot by six foot by approximately four foot nine inches from ground elevation.

8:00

From road elevation exceeds five feet from road elevation.

8:06

I was brought to my attention by

Unassigned speaker

8:09

uh

Speaker 5

8:10

Mr.

8:10

Larson that he has given Eric an update on his opinion or his standings on this.

8:17

And I did mention that hopefully all five areas were discussed in the report.

8:24

The five areas would be the height, which under the Blaine ordinance that if it impedes public safety over three feet was not permitted.

8:36

Overlooked by Dan, because he did not properly vet the project.

8:42

He did not go out to the site the five times have asked him to do so.

8:46

And he ignored all kinds of red flags.

8:51

You're familiar with that, Tim Sanders, from what I've been reading.

8:55

Okay.

8:56

Under the police department, they confirm that section 8289, one and five.

9:03

It's a violation to pull into the crosswalks.

9:06

If so, it's at their discretions if they want to give you a ticket.

9:10

Another violation under Dan's poor judgment that was ignored.

9:17

We'll go into the state ordinance of 1542 71, which does not apply here because this road does not involve the state, but they are very surprised that this here was put forth under poor supervision.

9:34

The county came out per Dan's request.

9:38

They advised

Unassigned speaker

9:39

them

Speaker 5

9:39

this is not proper.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Immigration Enforcement█████████████████████████████████████████████47%
Affordable Housing████████████████17%
Procedural███████████████16%
Signage Regulation██████████████15%
Homelessness█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Blaine City Council Meeting – January 21, 2026

The Blaine City Council met on January 21, 2026, at 7:08 PM at Blaine City Hall. The meeting included a public hearing for a conditional use permit for a faith-based fitness center, approval of the consent agenda with one abstention, and a detailed report from the police chief on federal immigration enforcement activities in the community. The meeting adjourned at 7:28 PM.

Communications

  • Councilmember Chris Ford commended Family Promise of Anoka County for their programs assisting homeless families.
  • Police Chief Brian Podany addressed the council regarding federal immigration enforcement. He stated that the Blaine Police Department is not involved in immigration enforcement and defers all such matters to federal authorities. He reported that federal agents have been active in Blaine but do not notify local police. The department is working with schools to protect students’ First Amendment rights. He will report any observed misconduct or civil rights violations. He encouraged businesses to consult legal counsel and residents to research federal laws, and to contact the department, DHS, or ICE with concerns.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Bruce Manthei (4101 99th Ave NE) expressed continued frustration about an electrical box at 99th Avenue and Lexington Avenue, stating it is 4 feet 9 inches high and creates a visual obstruction. He argued the height violates Blaine’s ordinance (over 3 feet not permitted) and criticized the city engineer for poor oversight.
  • Nicole Mertens-Maxson (11340 Terrace Road) asked whether the city would share surveillance or other data with federal authorities if requested. She stated residents feel “under attack” from recent immigration enforcement and called on the city to do all it can to keep residents safe.
  • Marie Gardner (11325 Yancy Circle) similarly asked about data sharing with federal authorities. City Manager Erik Thorvig noted that questions raised in open forum are not discussed during the meeting but staff will follow up individually.

Consent Calendar

All items were approved by a 4-0-1 vote (Councilmember Tom Newland abstained from item 7.1 due to a potential conflict of interest):

  • 7.1 – Schedule of Bills Paid
  • 7.2 – Approval of Minutes
  • 7.3 – Payment to Intuitive Municipal Solutions for software licensing, cloud hosting, and support
  • RES 26-21 – Resolution authorizing 2025 budget transfers and amendments for police vehicles
  • RES 26-24 – Resolution authorizing purchase of a K9 dog washing station using donation funds
  • 2026-025 – Motion to authorize a three-year contract with Jimmy's Johnny's/LRS Recycling Systems for portable restroom services in city parks
  • RES 26-19 – Resolution approving Joint Powers Agreement with Anoka County for signal reconstruction and ADA improvements on Anoka County CSAH 32/Ramsey County CSAH 1 (85th Avenue/County Road J) at Lexington Avenue (Project T2610)
  • RES 26-20 – Resolution authorizing applications for the Community Development Block Grant program

Discussion Items

Conditional Use Permit for Fitness Center (RES 26-13)

Community Development Director Sheila Sellman presented a request from Thumos LLC (applicant Cam) for a conditional use permit to operate a fitness center in a Light Industrial (I-1) zoning district at 1630 91st Avenue NE #108. The proposed 5,400-square-foot space (in a 45,000-square-foot multi-tenant building) would include a fitness center and small group Bible study. Hours would be Monday–Friday 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Saturday 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. The site has 94 parking stalls, meeting the 78-stall requirement for all building uses, but striping must be completed by June 1 as a condition. Staff recommended approval with four conditions. No public comments were received other than from the applicant, who described the faith-and-fitness concept and thanked the council. Councilmember Leslie Larson expressed support for the concept. The motion passed unanimously.

Other Business

Councilmember Ford commented on the impact of immigration enforcement on Blaine school students, noting that many children are afraid and some families are missing. He urged residents to help neighbors who are citizens but afraid to leave their homes, through churches, synagogues, or mosques.

Key Outcomes

  • Consent agenda approved 4-0-1 (Councilmember Newland abstained on bills paid).
  • RES 26-13 (CUP for Thumos fitness center) approved unanimously.
  • Staff to follow up individually with open forum speakers on their questions about data sharing and the electrical box issue.
  • The council noted an Economic Development Authority (EDA) meeting would follow the regular meeting.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening, everyone. Welcome to City Hall. We're going to call the Blaine City Council to order for January twenty first, two thousand twenty-six. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. But I I just wanted to give them a shout-out for helping some of the homeless families in town. So I just wanted to give them a good shout out. Any other communications this evening. The Blaine Police Department is not involved in immigration enforcement and defers all immigration enforcement to federal authorities. Federal agents have been active in virtually every or most cities across the metro area and many across the state, including within the city of Blaine. Many of the agents are enforcing or investigating immigration law. They do not notify us when they're coming, nor do they notify us when they leave. Although we cannot provide legal advice or guidance to businesses or residents, we do encourage businesses to consult with the legal council for guidance and encourage residents to research any concerns they have with what exact uh exactly federal laws and requirement requirements are or are not similar to what uh people have done that have reached out to us. Uh we're additionally working with our schools to ensure the safety of our youth who want to exercise their First Amendment rights and work to protect all of our citizens' rights to do so. If we observe or become aware of something that appears to me misconduct or a civil rights violation that occurs in Blaine's, we will report that to the appropriate authorities as a municipality. We do not have legal authority over federal law enforcement. If people spot um uh federal activity that they feel is concerning, they can also contact the Department of Homeland Security or ICE or whichever agency whose actions they have a concern with. So if there are questions or concerns, I encourage people to reach out to us and reach out to me. We care deeply about our residents in our community, as you know, and I I uh hope to be able to answer any more questions or concerns that have been surfacing. So if people have additional questions, I ask them not to be hesitant to reach out to us. Thank you. Thank you, Chief. We'll move along in the agenda to the open forum. This provides an opportunity for individuals to approach the council and share comments, concerns, or input on other items. Well, open form is not intended to provide for response or discussion opportunities. If follow-up is needed, city staff will work to contact the speakers outside of the meeting to arrange for that follow-up. Each speaker will be limited to three minutes with a maximum of 15 minutes set aside for the open forum. I want to thank everyone for coming. If there's anyone that wishes to uh speak during the open forum, you're welcome to come to the podium at this time. Good evening, sir, and welcome. Name and address for the record, please. Rusmanthi, this is uh regarding the electrical box on intersection of Lexington Avenue and 99th Avenue Northeast. The electrical box is six foot by six foot by approximately four foot nine inches from ground elevation. From road elevation exceeds five feet from road elevation. I was brought to my attention by uh Mr. Larson that he has given Eric an update on his opinion or his standings on this. And I did mention that hopefully all five areas were discussed in the report. The five areas would be the height, which under the Blaine ordinance that if it impedes public safety over three feet was not permitted. Overlooked by Dan, because he did not properly vet the project. He did not go out to the site the five times have asked him to do so. And he ignored all kinds of red flags. You're familiar with that, Tim Sanders, from what I've been reading.

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