Eagan City Council Meeting - January 7, 2025
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Eagan City Council Meeting - January 7, 2025
The Eagan City Council met on January 7, 2025, at 6:30 PM at the Eagan Municipal Center Building. The meeting began with a swearing-in ceremony for two re-elected councilmembers, followed by the adoption of a consent agenda covering routine administrative and financial items. The council then held a public hearing on a variance and conditional use permit for Great River Energy to expand an electrical substation. Both requests were approved unanimously. The meeting adjourned after approximately 20 minutes.
Consent Calendar
- The council approved the consent agenda unanimously via a motion by Councilmember Bakken and a second. The consent agenda included: approval of minutes from December 17, 2024; personnel items; check registers; contracts; a resolution to accept donations; cancellation of the January 14, 2025 special council meeting; authorization to submit a Fiscal Year 2025 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) application and adopting a resolution approving the funding request; waiver of license, permit, and rental fees for the Eagan Art Festival; approval of Change Order No. 8 for the Eagan Art House (City Project 1558); approval of the 2025 Fee Schedule for General Municipal Services & Materials Testing Services; approval of final payments for several contracts (2024 Well Rehabilitation Project, North Water Treatment Plant Administration Remodel, Neighborhood Street Revitalization); approval of plans and specifications for 2025 Well Rehabilitations, 2025 Sanitary and Storm Sewer Pipe Lining, and related bid openings; approval of Change Orders No. 1 for 2024 Streetlight Improvements and Apollo Road/Lunar Lane Storm Sewer Repair; receipt of draft feasibility reports for six street improvement projects (Erin Drive/Erin Lane, Golfview Drive, Harvey 1 & 2/Burrview Acres/55 Frontage/Cherrywood, Lakeside Estates, Sunset/Northview Meadows/Overview Estates/Saddle Horn/Daniel Dr/Lexington Pointe Pkwy/Patrick Rd) and scheduling of a public hearing for February 4, 2025; and approval and award of a contract for a replacement fire engine from Fire Safety USA.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No members of the public spoke on any agenda item, including the consent agenda and the new business item.
Discussion Items
- Oath of Office for Councilmembers Fields and Supina: City Clerk Beth Manhus administered the oath of office. Councilmember Mike Supina (second term, originally elected in 2020) and Councilmember Cindy Fields (seventh term, originally elected in 2001) were sworn in. Councilmember Fields thanked residents and noted her long tenure. Mayor commended both for their public service.
- New Business: Variance and Conditional Use Permit for Great River Energy Substation Expansion: The council considered a request from Great River Energy (applicant Anson Belcourt) for a variance of 10 feet from the minimum 30-foot structure setback from a public right-of-way and a conditional use permit (CUP) to allow expansion of an existing electrical substation at 4380 Pilot Knob Road. The property is zoned Public Facilities and has no existing CUP on record. Proposed improvements include a 24x36 foot electrical control enclosure set 20 feet from the right-of-way, and two sets of three tower structures 57 feet high (67 feet with lightning rods). Staff noted the need for screening and landscaping; the applicant is working with the city forester on a tree plan (originally proposed too many Arborvitae). The Advisory Planning Commission recommended approval unanimously on December 19, 2024. The mayor clarified that the setback variance is needed due to IEEE clearance standards and that Great River Energy owns the underlying land. No public testimony was offered. Councilmember Hansen moved to approve the CUP subject to conditions in the APC minutes; the motion was seconded and passed unanimously. Councilmember Hansen then moved to approve the variance subject to the same conditions; seconded and passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Oath of Office: Councilmembers Mike Supina and Cindy Fields were sworn in for new terms.
- Consent Agenda: Approved unanimously.
- Conditional Use Permit for Great River Energy: Approved unanimously (motion by Hansen, second). Subject to conditions in the Advisory Planning Commission minutes, including approval of a landscape plan and completion of an easement within 60 days.
- Variance for Great River Energy: Approved unanimously (motion by Hansen, second). Grants a 10-foot variance from the 30-foot required setback for the electrical control enclosure.
- Adjournment: Motion to adjourn by Councilmember (unknown) and second, passed unanimously. Meeting ended after 20 minutes.
Meeting Transcript
I played religious states of America. It is our first uh meeting of the month of January. Um I want to thank Reese here to my left for uh helping me uh ring the bell to open the meeting tonight. Reese is Councilmember Fields' granddaughter. Uh and uh she's here tonight to see Grandma. Is it Grandma? Gurma. Gurma, I'm sorry. She's here to see Germa tonight, sworn in uh for um another term on the Egan City Council. So welcome, Reese, and thank you for your help. We really appreciate it. Um and uh with that we'll adopt the meeting for the agenda and move right on. Um Ms. Miller, are there any changes the agenda tonight? No, Mr. Mayor. For motion. Councilman, you change the agenda to adopt the agenda of the second, yeah. Move and second it. Uh and just further discussion the agenda. Saying none, all in favor saying aye. Uh and opposed nay. That motion carries. Uh and we have an agenda tonight. It's a very uh it's a fairly thin agenda. Um, but uh um important work, uh ceremony work of the council awaits us in the recognition and presentations part of our agenda tonight. Uh tonight we uh have council member Fields and Councilmember Subpoena. Um not in that order respectively, um being sworn in for another term on the Egan City Council. So I want to congratulate them on their re-election in November. Um I you can I think I speak for the rest of the council, at least I hope so, and if not they'll talk to you afterwards. But I'm uh looking forward to uh uh continuing our work uh together with both of you as part of the team. Uh and with that I'm gonna turn it to Ms. Miller, who I think is gonna turn it to our city clerk, and I think we're gonna have Councilmember Subpoena uh take his oath of office first, um and then council member uh Fields take her oath of office um afterwards. Um and uh so with that um Diane, you can kind of narrate as Councilmember Sabina walks around. Great. Thank you, Mr. Mayor members of the council. Uh the oath of office is administered to council member Fields and Subpoena tonight who are both re-elected to four-year terms on the council. And as way as bad as way of background, first uh councilmember Mike Supina was elected to the Egan City Council originally in twenty twenty, beginning his first term in January of twenty one. So this will be m councilmember Sabina's second term on council. And Councilmember Fields uh began her first term in two thousand and one. This will be her seventh term on the Egan City Council. So at this point, Councilmember Supina, if you want to go down, I'll invite our city clerk Beth Manhus to come up and administer the oath of office. That I will support the constitution of the United States. David, I'll have you raise your right hand. I Cindy Fields do solemnly swear that I will support the constitution of the United States Constitution of the United States. The constitution of the state of Minnesota. Constitution of the state of Minnesota. And that I will faithfully and impartially faithfully and impartially discharge the duties of the Office of Council Member of the Office of Council Member for the City of Egan to which I have been elected. To which I've been elected.
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