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Record of Proceedings

Blaine City Council Meeting - March 16, 2026

City Council — Monday, March 16, 2026
BodyBlaine, Minnesota
SessionCity Council
DateMonday, March 16, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
Meeting Thumbnail
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Transcript — Verbatim

Speaker numbers apply only to this recording. Names come from transcript evidence. “Possibly” marks uncertain attribution.

Speaker 1

0:03

No, I have people won't call for that.

0:05

They'll come up and do the paperwork.

Speaker 2

2:32

Six to order, and with that, if we could all rise for the Pledge of Allegiance, I pledge allegiance

Speaker 3

2:39

to the flag of the United States of

Speaker 2

2:41

America

Speaker 3

2:42

and

Speaker 2

2:42

to the Republic

Speaker 3

2:43

for which it stands.

Speaker 2

2:45

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and

Speaker 4

2:49

justice for all.

Speaker 5

2:59

Councilmember Fleming?

3:01

Here.

Speaker 2

3:03

Here.

3:06

Robertson?

3:07

Here.

Unassigned speaker

3:08

Mayor Sanders.

Speaker 2

3:14

All right.

3:15

So we do not have any awards, presentation or organizational business tonight.

3:20

So we're going to go ahead and move into the open forum.

3:24

Open forum is an opportunity for the public to share comments, concerns, or input on other items.

3:30

While open forum is not intended to provide responses or discussion during the meeting, city staff will contact the speaker or speakers after the meeting if follow-up is needed.

3:39

And each speaker is limited to three minutes, and we have a maximum of fifteen minutes set aside this evening.

3:46

So with that, we will go ahead and open

Unassigned speaker

3:48

up

Speaker 2

3:49

the open forum.

Unassigned speaker

4:19

It

Speaker 2

4:20

is, we can

Speaker 6

4:20

hear it.

4:32

So Eric, you had sent me this nice letter, which was missing a lot of factual information.

4:41

So I'm gonna go that direction tonight, if you don't mind, Eric, Mr.

4:45

Larson.

4:46

You'll notice in this picture that was sent

Speaker 1

4:50

that is standing

Speaker 6

4:51

by a stop sign.

4:52

Of course, you can see over five hundred feet.

4:55

Right, Dan?

4:56

Misinformation given to Eric gives a false report.

5:00

Very simple.

5:03

The whole issue here is poor visibility.

5:08

You cannot see through a six by six structure that's over five feet tall when you're in a car.

5:16

I have welcomed to get together with you guys.

5:19

No one wants to do that.

5:22

Now, Tom Newman, I don't want to pick on you.

5:24

Like you told me, you drove over there.

5:27

You couldn't even see a six by six electrical box.

5:31

That's what you wrote.

5:32

Correct?

5:33

You can nod your head,

Speaker 7

5:35

Eric.

Speaker 6

5:37

I stopped by the office here two Tuesdays or Wednesdays ago.

5:43

And you were going between places.

5:45

I came unannounced.

Unassigned speaker

5:46

And

Speaker 6

5:46

you told me you're gonna get back to me.

5:48

This weekend I looked and I still had not seen nothing.

5:51

Did you send me something yet?

5:54

Okay.

5:55

Um, is there a chance we can just get together at the site of where the stop sign is in the box?

6:01

That'd be great.

6:02

That way we can start seeing what we're looking at.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Engineering And Infrastructure███████████████████████████████████35%
Public Safety████████████████16%
Procedural████████████12%
Affordable Housing█████████9%
Miscellaneous███████7%
Transportation Safety██████6%
Water And Wastewater Management█████5%
Environmental Protection████4%
Public Engagement███3%
Summary of Proceedings

Blaine City Council Meeting - March 16, 2026

The Blaine City Council met on March 16, 2026 at 7:00 PM at City Hall. Mayor Pro Tem Jess Robertson presided with Councilmembers Terra Fleming, Chris Ford, Leslie Larson, Chris Massoglia, and Tom Newland present; Mayor Tim Sanders was absent. The meeting adjourned at 7:54 PM. The council approved routine consent items, held a public forum, debated a controversial conditional use permit for an auto repair business, and adopted several ordinances and resolutions.

Consent Calendar

  • Approved items 7.1 through 7.6 en bloc: Schedule of Bills Paid, temporary nursery sales license for Frattalones Hardware and Garden, recommendation to reappoint Jim Hafner to Coon Creek Watershed District Board, adoption of 2025 Anoka County Hazard Mitigation Plan, temporary removal of parking restrictions for a track event at Centennial Elementary, and approval of plans for Meadowbrook Area Street Reconstructions Phase 1.
  • Item 7.7 (three-year contract with NEOGOV for Core HR Module, $53,444.85) was pulled for discussion. Councilmember Massoglia questioned funding reallocation from a CDL program. After explanation by Director Johnson, the council approved it unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Bruce Manthei (4101 99th Ave NE) expressed concerns about an electrical box at Lexington Ave and 99th Ave NE causing poor visibility. He requested a meeting with staff at the site and criticized the city engineer's handling.
  • Dana Carlson (287 117th Ave NE) raised personal family issues including attempts to adopt his daughter, loss of his dogs, and abduction of his son, alleging involvement by various agencies and asking about dogs seized by Blaine police.

Discussion Items

  • 9.1 Conditional Use Permit Amendment for Minnesota Performance (1550 91st Ave NE, #306): The business expanded from Suite 307 into Suite 306 without a building permit or CUP amendment. Violations included outdoor vehicle storage and building code issues. The planning commission recommended approval with conditions. Council debated three options: Option 1 (approve), Option 2 (deny amendment, allow continued operation in original suite), Option 3 (deny and begin revocation of 2019 CUP). Councilmember Newland moved Option 3, which failed 3-3 (Fleming, Ford, Robertson opposed). Mayor Pro Tem Robertson then moved Option 2, seconded by Massoglia, citing violations of CUP conditions 2, 3, and 5. The motion passed unanimously. The applicant, Mr. Husain, argued the expansion was a misunderstanding and stated commitment to compliance. The council directed staff to continue code enforcement but halt actions if the applicant applies for a proper CUP.
  • 9.2 Second Reading – ADU Ordinance (ORD 26-2601): Removing detached accessory dwelling units from city code, keeping attached ADUs. Director Sellman presented. Councilmember Ford opposed, stating he preferred including more provisions for detached units. Motion passed 5-1.
  • 10.1 Second Reading – Tree Ordinance (ORD 26-2600): Amending Chapter 90 to change enforcement of hazardous trees on private property: the city will only require abatement if a tree poses a risk to public property (sidewalks, streets). Disease-related trees (Dutch Elm, Oak Wilt) enforcement unchanged. Passed unanimously.
  • 10.2 Second Reading – Sale of City Land to MnDOT (ORD 26-2603): Approving sale of a portion of Outlot A Club West 9th Addition for the Highway 65 project for $289,550. Proceeds will be discussed at a future workshop. Passed unanimously.
  • 10.3 Acceptance of Bid – 2026 Pavement Markings Project (RES 26-39): One bid received: Sir Lines-A-Lot, LLC for $115,409.12, with a 5% contingency for total $121,179.58. Funded by $135,000 in the 2026 budget. Councilmember Newland asked about only one bidder; Director Schluender explained only one striping contractor remains in the metro. Passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Denied CUP amendment for Minnesota Performance (Option 2) unanimously; staff to continue code enforcement and halt upon proper CUP application.
  • Adopted second reading of ADU ordinance (removing detached ADUs) on a 5-1 vote.
  • Adopted second reading of tree enforcement ordinance unanimously.
  • Adopted second reading of land sale ordinance unanimously.
  • Accepted pavement markings bid unanimously.

Meeting Transcript

No, I have people won't call for that. They'll come up and do the paperwork. Six to order, and with that, if we could all 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. One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Councilmember Fleming? Here. Here. Robertson? Here. Mayor Sanders. All right. So we do not have any awards, presentation or organizational business tonight. So we're going to go ahead and move into the open forum. Open forum is an opportunity for the public to share comments, concerns, or input on other items. While open forum is not intended to provide responses or discussion during the meeting, city staff will contact the speaker or speakers after the meeting if follow-up is needed. And each speaker is limited to three minutes, and we have a maximum of fifteen minutes set aside this evening. So with that, we will go ahead and open up the open forum. It is, we can hear it. So Eric, you had sent me this nice letter, which was missing a lot of factual information. So I'm gonna go that direction tonight, if you don't mind, Eric, Mr. Larson. You'll notice in this picture that was sent that is standing by a stop sign. Of course, you can see over five hundred feet. Right, Dan? Misinformation given to Eric gives a false report. Very simple. The whole issue here is poor visibility. You cannot see through a six by six structure that's over five feet tall when you're in a car. I have welcomed to get together with you guys. No one wants to do that. Now, Tom Newman, I don't want to pick on you. Like you told me, you drove over there. You couldn't even see a six by six electrical box. That's what you wrote. Correct? You can nod your head, Eric. I stopped by the office here two Tuesdays or Wednesdays ago.

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