Eagan City Council Meeting – June 3, 2025: Firefighter Swearing-In, Administrator Resignation, CUP & Sign Amendment
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
Eagan City Council Meeting – June 3, 2025: Firefighter Swearing-In, Administrator Resignation, CUP & Sign Amendment
The Eagan City Council met on June 3, 2025, at 6:30 p.m. at the Eagan Municipal Center. The meeting began with the swearing-in of new firefighters, promotions of Battalion Chiefs, and the swearing-in of a new Deputy Chief. The council then moved through a consent agenda, notably pulling personnel item B regarding City Administrator Diane Miller's resignation for separate action, which passed 3-1-1. Two new business items—a conditional use permit for Champion Plumbing and a planned development amendment for The Haven—were both approved unanimously.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the consent agenda as presented, with the exception of item B (personnel), which was pulled for separate action. The consent agenda included: minutes from May 6, 2025; check registers; contracts; final payment to Jackson & Associates, LLC for $22,000 for Eagan Community Center roof improvements; acceptance of donations; adoption of the 5-Year Public Works Capital Improvement Plan (2026–2030) and authorization of 2026–2027 improvements; revisions to the Winter Trail Maintenance Plan; approval of plans and specifications for Contract 25-03 (2025 Citywide Trail & Parking Lot Improvements); final payment for Contract 24-19 (Cliff Lake Sanitary and Storm Televising); direction to prepare an ordinance amendment concerning special hunting permits; acceptance of a Federal High-Intensity Drug Trafficking Area Grant; approval of an on-sale liquor license with Sunday sales for Lago Viking Lakes, LLC (dba Lago Tacos); and approval of a Reciprocal Fire Service Agreement.
Recognitions and Presentations
- Firefighter Swearing-In: Three new firefighters were sworn in: Drew Schmitt (pinned by wife Ashley), Kaneeshia Johnson (pinned by girlfriend Kayla), and Matt Moore (pinned by wife). A fourth appointee, Nick Kindlespire, was absent due to his wife's recent childbirth. Each received a badge with a unique firefighter number. Fire Chief Hugo Searle administered the oath.
- Promotions to Battalion Chief: Captains Mike Winters (15-year veteran) and Drew Klees (10-year veteran) were sworn in as Battalion Chiefs, pinned by their wives Maggie and Anne, respectively.
- Deputy Chief Swearing-In: Holly Mulholland was sworn in as Deputy Chief of Operations. Mulholland is a 16-year veteran from the Rochester Fire Department, where she rose to Deputy Chief. She was pinned by Kelly Geisler.
- Mayor’s Remarks: The mayor thanked the firefighters and their families, emphasizing the solemn public trust and community commitment.
Discussion Items
- Personnel Item – City Administrator Resignation (Item B): Councilmember Hansen pulled the item for separate action. City Administrator Diane Miller submitted her resignation after 24 years with the city, including three years as city administrator, to become Deputy Director/COO of ICMA. Mayor and council members expressed gratitude and congratulations. Councilmember Bahner stated she would not vote for the resignation (continuing a tradition of not voting for prior administrators' resignations). The mayor noted Miller's last day is expected around July 18–19, 2025. The council's personnel committee will meet soon to plan the recruitment process for a new city administrator, which may take six to eight months. An interim administrator will be appointed.
- Conditional Use Permit – Champion Plumbing (3670 Dodd Road): Planner Schultz presented the request for outdoor storage of 15 box trucks and service vans in the front yard. The applicant moved vehicles from the rear to the front due to theft and vandalism issues (catalytic converter thefts). The proposal met 2 of 6 performance standards (paved area, minimum off-street parking) but failed others (fence, front yard location, screening, drive aisle encroachment). The Advisory Planning Commission (APC) recommended approval unanimously on May 27, 2025, citing police department support for visibility. The council approved the CUP with conditions from the APC minutes.
- Planned Development Amendment – The Haven (3040 Eagandale Place): Planner Schultz explained that a new monument sign was installed by mistake, encroaching into the right-of-way and a drainage utility easement. The applicant requested a zero-foot setback (deviation from the required 10 feet) to keep the relocated sign. The revised sign would be 5.5 feet wide by 7 feet tall, narrowed and squared to clear the right-of-way. Fire and engineering departments found no issues. As a condition, the applicant will enter an encroachment agreement with the city. APC recommended approval unanimously on May 27, 2025. The council approved the amendment with conditions.
- Council Comments: Councilmember Babine mentioned the official ribbon cutting for the new Eagan Art House, which will open for classes on June 16, 2025. Councilmember Fields reminded attendees of the first outdoor Market Fest on June 4, 2025.
Key Outcomes
- Consent Agenda Approved (unanimous, except item B).
- City Administrator Resignation Accepted (vote: 3-1-1; Councilmember Bahner voted no, Councilmember Hansen abstained).
- Conditional Use Permit Granted for Champion Plumbing (unanimous).
- Planned Development Amendment Approved for The Haven (unanimous).
- The council will appoint an interim city administrator and begin recruitment for a permanent replacement.
- The meeting was adjourned shortly after the business items were concluded.
Meeting Transcript
I was asking about the membership. Well, he sent it to planning. I don't know. I give my email address. I believe the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands by nation. Under God. Well, welcome everybody to that June 3rd regular meeting of the Egan City Council. It's our first meeting of the month of June. We have a fairly full house tonight, which means that either the conditional use permit and the planned development amendment that we have on task are really controversial. Or we're swearing in some firefighters and promoting a few others. So I'm gonna go with that second one. So we got a uh fairly uh efficient agenda tonight. We're gonna uh do the swearing in of some firefighters, and that's why the room is so full tonight. Uh welcome everybody. Uh and then we're gonna do uh just a little bit of business and uh get out of here fairly early this evening. So uh with that, Ms. Miller. I think he changes the agenda for tonight. No, Mr. Mayor. Uh council, any change his agenda. No, sir. Motion Councilmember Hansen for motion. The agenda is presented. Second. That's moved and seconded. Any further discussion on the agenda. Seeing none on favor, single saying aye. Aye and opposed, nay. That motion carries, and we have an agenda. Um under recognitions and presentations, we're gonna be doing two uh different uh swearing in and oath of office uh ceremonies tonight. Uh I'm gonna uh turn it over to uh Chief Searle. Uh both in the fire department be swearing in uh some new appointees to a firefighter in the city of Egan. Uh and then after that, we're gonna uh promote a couple of other uh already uh firefighters take the oath of office as Italian chief. So Chief Searle, with that. Thank you. Mayor City Council, thank you. Uh my name is Hugo Surla. I'm the fire chief for the city of Egan. Uh and this is a joyous occasion. Um I think that's obvious behind me, a lot of happy people. Um these are some really significant events um in uh the lives of these firefighters and their families. Um we do the swearing in. Um it's something that uh is important in public safety in both police and fire. Um the role of a firefighter comes with a high level of uh responsibility and uh and public trust and uh firefighters express that at the beginning of their of their tenure here um by uh this oath that they're going to swear. Uh we also have uh oaths of office for promoted uh people. When we promote our firefighters to the rank of chief, they take the oath of office um as a fire chief. So and then with that we also have the badge pinning. And uh so when um the firefighters uh come up here, uh the first thing that they'll do is they'll bring with them their badge pinner, somebody that's significant in their life that will pin their badge on them in a ceremonial uh manner.
openpublica.com