Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Edina City Council Regular Meeting - February 17, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, February 17, 2026

BodyEdina, Minnesota

SessionCity Council

DateTuesday, February 17, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

Meeting Thumbnail

⇩ GET FROM SOURCE

STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Transcript — Verbatim

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

Speaker 1

0:00

Are you

Speaker 2

0:01

ready?

Unassigned speaker

0:03

Well,

Speaker 1

0:03

good evening, everybody, and welcome to the Adina City Council meeting.

0:06

It is Tuesday, February 17, 2026, right on 7 o'clock, which is our scheduled meeting time.

0:14

And as Director Bennerot just told you all in the audience, just a few short minutes ago, we're handling these public meetings in uh hybrid sort of fashion, like we did during COVID and since uh people might be watching on uh some form of uh cable TV or um uh streaming it for purposes of uh both watching the meeting and possibly participating.

0:37

Uh we've got one opportunity tonight for people to participate in that's in community comment.

0:41

Uh no public hearing this evening, and just a reminder again whether you're tuning in remotely uh from the virtual world or uh you're here in the chambers uh if it's on the agenda or scheduled for a future public hearing.

0:56

Those topics are off limits for community comment or for public hearing matters.

1:00

Uh but we're certainly welcome to hear your concerns about anything else.

1:04

And we've got some things going on tonight that are interesting

Speaker 3

1:07

uh, I

Speaker 1

1:08

think, and uh you'll enjoy the meeting.

1:10

And so having provided that information, this is the call-in information.

1:13

Incidentally, it's up on the screen now.

1:15

So people at home that are interested in speaking uh calling in during community comment.

1:20

Please get this information down.

1:21

We'll put it back up at the appropriate time, but we're gonna let people in the council chambers uh address the council on matters of concern to them first, and then we'll go to the virtual world.

1:31

So having provided that information, I'm gonna call the meeting to order and ask our clerk Sharon Ellison to call the role.

Speaker 4

1:36

Councilmember Agnew, here council member Jackson, here councilmember Pierce, here councilmember Risser here, Mayor Hudlin.

Speaker 1

1:43

Here uh next is the Pledge of Allegiance.

Unassigned speaker

1:50

I

Speaker 5

1:50

Pledge of the Fight of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands underground and divisible.

2:01

We've really beginning to throw

Unassigned speaker

2:03

on.

Speaker 1

2:04

Thanks everybody.

Unassigned speaker

2:07

Uh

Speaker 1

2:07

we've got a form of meeting agenda in front of us.

2:10

Is there anyone on staff or uh on the council wishes to modify the agenda in any form or fashion?

2:16

All right.

2:17

Is there a motion to approve the meeting agenda is published?

Speaker 6

2:19

So

Speaker 1

2:19

moved.

2:20

Second.

2:21

Councilmember Jackson moves and uh council member Pierce seconds the adoption of the meeting agenda is published.

2:26

Any further discussion?

2:28

All those in favor of adopting the meeting agenda is published, say aye.

2:31

Aye.

2:32

Opposed, carried.

2:33

Meeting agenda is adopted.

2:34

We have a document to work from.

2:36

And here we are now at community comment.

2:39

And um put those uh I guess we'll wait until we can uh complete our conversation with people in the uh audience here at City Hall, and then we'll go to people in the virtual world.

2:50

So welcome folks to the uh to the podium.

2:53

And uh, as you know, please give us your name and address and uh

Ralph Sickert · Speaker 7Inferred

2:56

important.

Speaker 1

2:57

No, excuse me, not the address.

2:58

Just give us your name.

2:59

I'm getting the hang of this.

Ralph Sickert · Speaker 7Inferred

3:01

Mayor, council members.

3:03

My name is Ralph Sickert.

3:05

Tonight I'd like to reiterate my opposition to the City of Adina's borrowing some 20 million dollars to construct a parking garage at 7001 France Avenue.

3:17

20 million dollars to fund a private parking structure for the possible future development of an office building in an apartment complex, 20 million dollars for a site designed, designated as a tax increment financing district four years ago with millions of taxpayer incentives, and yet it remains undeveloped, shrouded by a blue tarp.

3:43

Yet another example of a stalled TIFF project.

3:47

And now, this Thursday, during the HRA meeting, the city will be asked not to forego future tax dollars as proposed under the original TIFF agreement, but to use Adina's borrowing authority, and take 20 million dollars, take on 20 million dollars of city obligated debt, taxpayer debt, to fund a developer's vision that has remained relatively unchanged over the last four years, in spite of the real estate market steadfastly saying this dog don't hunt.

4:22

All the while, Adina's been asked

Unassigned speaker

4:26

to

Ralph Sickert · Speaker 7Inferred

4:26

extend the deadline after deadline and consider yet one new tax incentive after another, each more ill-conceived and riskier to tax-paying residents.

4:37

But then maybe the average resident doesn't care about adding 20 million dollars in debt to their tax levy.

4:44

For my part, it's a bad idea at many levels.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Environmental Protection███████████████████19%

Procedural█████████████████17%

Urban Planning█████████████13%

Parks and Recreation███████████11%

Technology and Innovation██████████10%

Veteran Recognition███████7%

Transportation Safety█████5%

Public Safety█████5%

Affordable Housing████4%

Summary of Proceedings

Edina City Council Regular Meeting - February 17, 2026

The Edina City Council met on February 17, 2026, at 7:00 PM in City Hall Council Chambers. The meeting covered consent agenda approvals, public comments, discussions on tree protection and lawful gambling ordinances, and approval of amendments to the mobile ECMO truck agreement. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM.

Consent Calendar

Approved the meeting agenda as published (unanimous).
Adopted the consent agenda as revised, removing items 6.1 (February 4, 2026 regular and work session minutes, and February 5, 2026 special meeting minutes) and 6.18 (2026 Commission Appointments). The remaining 18 items were approved in a single motion, including:
- Claims for payment totaling $18,164,821.25 across three pre-lists.
- Various purchase requests for library/senior center exterior improvements, playground design, streetlights, tree sale, Braemar Golf Course equipment, a police vehicle, modular wall training system, and more.
- Agreement with Minnehaha Creek Watershed District and Edina Public School District for Concord Flood Infrastructure Project.
- Waiver of permit fees for Hennepin County Library and Senior Center exterior improvements.
- Adoption of Ordinance 2026-03 amending the Water Meter Replacement Surcharge.
- Temporary on-sale liquor licenses for Our Lady of Grace Church and Midwest Rett Syndrome Foundation.
Item 6.1 (minutes) was tabled to the March 3, 2026 meeting after Councilmember Risser noted a discrepancy regarding a Minnesota statute citation.
Item 6.18 (2026 Commission Appointments) was approved separately; Councilmember Jackson read the list of 13 appointees and 5 alternates. Motion carried unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

Ralph Zickert reiterated his opposition to the City borrowing $20 million for a parking garage at 7001 France Avenue, describing it as a "bad idea" and a "stalled TIF project."
Jill Garnier (Concord Terrace resident) addressed traffic and safety concerns near Southview Middle School during parent pickup hours. She submitted a petition requesting no parking/stopping on school days from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM on the north side of Concord Terrace and extending onto St. John's Avenue. She noted the Traffic Safety Committee recommended a narrower restriction.
Laura Hann (Edina resident) requested continued action on ICE restrictions, including protecting staff rights to protest, offering unpaid leave/work-from-home options, prohibiting ICE officers from future city jobs, and protecting citizen data. She also asked for public discussions on city contracts with Amazon and concerns about police overlooking ICE traffic violations.

Discussion Items

Tree Protection Ordinance (Ordinance 2026-04): Parks and Recreation Director Vetter presented proposed amendments including expanded definitions, tree replacement requirements, exemptions for trees causing damage, and an off-site mitigation strategy. Council discussed timing of the spring tree sale (250 trees available, date to be announced in March), feedback from the Environmental and Energy Commission (no opposition), and the user experience for homeowners. Concerns were raised about property rights and the burden on homeowners with many trees. Councilmembers emphasized balancing tree canopy preservation with homeowner education. First reading was granted on a 4-1 vote (Member Pierce opposed).
Lawful Gambling Ordinance (Ordinance 2026-02): The Council tabled the item to the March 17, 2026 meeting to allow more conversations with nonprofits, including the Ed Fund and booster club. Mayor Hovland noted he and City Manager Neal would meet with the Ed Fund. Council asked staff to inform the community of the delay and report on the number of nonprofits in Edina and associated revenue.
Amendment to Mobile ECMO Truck Services Agreement: Fire Chief Slama presented an update on the pilot program, noting a shift from cross-staffing to dedicated staffing to avoid impacts on Edina emergency response. The amendment with Fairview Health Services provides $339,000 annually for two temporary battalion chief positions who will also serve strategic roles when not on ECMO duty. The contract runs through August 2027 with an option to extend or terminate. Council members expressed support; the amendment was approved unanimously.

Key Outcomes

Votes: The consent agenda (excluding removed items) was adopted unanimously. The February 4, 2026 regular meeting minutes were tabled to March 3, 2026. The 2026 Commission Appointments were approved unanimously. The proclamation declaring February 18, 2026 as School Bus Driver Appreciation Day was approved unanimously. The Citizen Award was presented to Chris Hansen (founder of Time on the Water) unanimously. First reading of the Tree Protection Ordinance passed 4-1. The Lawful Gambling Ordinance was tabled to March 17, 2026 unanimously. The Amendment to the Mobile ECMO Truck Agreement was approved unanimously.
Next Steps: The tree ordinance will return for second reading at a future meeting. Staff will provide updates on the lawful gambling ordinance and continue internal discussions. The Immigration Response Task Force status report was acknowledged.

Meeting Transcript

Are you ready? Well, good evening, everybody, and welcome to the Adina City Council meeting. It is Tuesday, February 17, 2026, right on 7 o'clock, which is our scheduled meeting time. And as Director Bennerot just told you all in the audience, just a few short minutes ago, we're handling these public meetings in uh hybrid sort of fashion, like we did during COVID and since uh people might be watching on uh some form of uh cable TV or um uh streaming it for purposes of uh both watching the meeting and possibly participating. Uh we've got one opportunity tonight for people to participate in that's in community comment. Uh no public hearing this evening, and just a reminder again whether you're tuning in remotely uh from the virtual world or uh you're here in the chambers uh if it's on the agenda or scheduled for a future public hearing. Those topics are off limits for community comment or for public hearing matters. Uh but we're certainly welcome to hear your concerns about anything else. And we've got some things going on tonight that are interesting uh, I think, and uh you'll enjoy the meeting. And so having provided that information, this is the call-in information. Incidentally, it's up on the screen now. So people at home that are interested in speaking uh calling in during community comment. Please get this information down. We'll put it back up at the appropriate time, but we're gonna let people in the council chambers uh address the council on matters of concern to them first, and then we'll go to the virtual world. So having provided that information, I'm gonna call the meeting to order and ask our clerk Sharon Ellison to call the role. Councilmember Agnew, here council member Jackson, here councilmember Pierce, here councilmember Risser here, Mayor Hudlin. Here uh next is the Pledge of Allegiance. I Pledge of the Fight of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands underground and divisible. We've really beginning to throw on. Thanks everybody. Uh we've got a form of meeting agenda in front of us. Is there anyone on staff or uh on the council wishes to modify the agenda in any form or fashion? All right. Is there a motion to approve the meeting agenda is published? So moved. Second. Councilmember Jackson moves and uh council member Pierce seconds the adoption of the meeting agenda is published. Any further discussion? All those in favor of adopting the meeting agenda is published, say aye. Aye. Opposed, carried. Meeting agenda is adopted. We have a document to work from. And here we are now at community comment. And um put those uh I guess we'll wait until we can uh complete our conversation with people in the uh audience here at City Hall, and then we'll go to people in the virtual world. So welcome folks to the uh to the podium. And uh, as you know, please give us your name and address and uh important. No, excuse me, not the address. Just give us your name. I'm getting the hang of this. Mayor, council members.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com