Northfield City Council Meeting – May 19, 2026: TIF District Approval, Community Survey, and Council Compensation Ordinance
Northfield City Council Meeting – May 19, 2026
The City of Northfield City Council met on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. The meeting included a public hearing and resolution establishing a Tax Increment Financing (TIF) district for the Harvest Hills affordable housing development, a first reading of an ordinance adjusting mayor and council compensation for 2027–2028, and a presentation of the 2026 statistically valid community survey results. Council also recognized graduating high school seniors and heard an annual presentation from the Friends of Downtown Northfield.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the agenda as amended (one supplemental memo).
- Approved the consent agenda (routine items) by unanimous voice vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Rich Graves thanked the council for their service and commented on the upcoming June 23rd presentation at the Northfield Library about extreme risk protection orders. He noted that 90.9% of survey respondents felt safe in the city and that only the library rated higher than police/public safety. He shared personal anecdotes about feeling unsafe on three occasions involving convicted felons.
- No public comments were offered during the public hearing on the Harvest Hills TIF district.
Presentations
- Recognition of Graduating Seniors: Emily Culver led the recognition of Northfield High School seniors and youth finishing service on boards and commissions. Certificates were presented, and a group photo was taken.
- Friends of Downtown Northfield: Josh Zimmerman (president) and Logan Wells (treasurer) presented the annual update. Highlights included: the 25th anniversary of the Vintage Band Festival; new businesses (Loon Liquor, Tintee, King Claw Land, El Citio, Taco Turco); the Third Thursday program (bringing thousands downtown); the Mary Microgrants program (hundreds of dollars to businesses for Winter Walk); a window display contest; and a petition for a special services district for trash and snow removal (discussed with council last fall). Upcoming initiatives for 2026 include: shifting Third Thursday to September with college bands; leaving Division Street open; focusing on Bridge Square with picnicking, games, and dancing; a “100 Conversations” stakeholder outreach; raising over $2,000 for Pride flags to be placed on street lamps; and a Valentine’s dining guide. They thanked the city for its partnership, staff time for the Main Street director, and contribution to Main Street dues.
Public Hearing – Harvest Hills TIF District
- Director Scott Wapita provided background on the 71-unit, two-phase rental project southwest of the middle school. He noted that pedestrian counts and speed data collection are underway. He explained the TIF plan establishes a budget ($10.5 million maximum revenue) and that the TIF agreement (to be voted on in June) will determine the actual subsidy. The plan meets city TIF and business subsidy policies, and sustainable building policy will apply, with phase two expected to increase sustainable design.
- Nick Annhutt (Ellers & Associates) gave a detailed presentation on TIF mechanics: the city captures the incremental tax value above the frozen base value of $246,800; the project would generate $430,000 in total taxes per year, with $61,000 going to school operating referenda levies and $4,500 continuing to support current services, leaving an estimated $362,000 annually for TIF. Over 26 years, the maximum revenue is $10.5 million, which equates to about $5.9 million in present value to potentially fund the project. The “but for” test showed a $2 million financing gap for phase one (a $13 million project budget supports only a 1.9% return vs. 5% on treasury bonds). The funding would be pay-as-you-go, with no upfront city costs. The city has 10 active TIF districts representing 3.9% of gross tax capacity; adding Harvest Hills would increase to 4.9%, with some districts sunsetting. The housing TIF requires that either 40% of units be restricted to households at 60% of area median income ($45,000 for individuals) or 20% at 50% AMI ($37,950 for individuals). No comments were received from the county or school district. Council members expressed support, noting the project’s alignment with housing goals.
Key Outcomes
- Resolution 2026-055 – Harvest Hills TIF District: Unanimously approved (voice vote). The resolution adopts the TIF plan, modifies the master development district, and establishes the Harvest Hills TIF district. A specific financing agreement will be brought to council in June.
- First Reading of Ordinance 1093 – Council Compensation for 2027–2028: After discussion, the motion passed 6–1 (Dalin opposed). The ordinance follows the precedent set in 2017 to adjust mayor and council salaries by the same cost-of-living adjustment given to city employees, on a two-year delay. For 2027 (4% increase) and 2028 (3% increase), the total increase is approximately $5,000 over two years. Supporters emphasized that modest compensation helps remove barriers to service for younger people, working families, and those with caregiving responsibilities. Councilor Dalin cited the economic climate and difficulty of justifying a raise when the community is feeling financial strain. The second reading and final adoption will occur at a future meeting.
Community Survey Report
- Robert Heacock (ETC Institute) presented findings from the 2026 statistically valid survey (428 completed surveys; margin of error ±4.7% at 95% confidence). Key results:
- Satisfaction with services: Police services (85% satisfied), city parks, sewer, library (library value for tax dollars: 65% satisfied).
- Perception of city: Feeling of safety (90.9% satisfied); quality of life; appearance of properties.
- Areas of concern: Availability of affordable housing, quality of new development, management of growth, and effectiveness of economic development (only 42% satisfied).
- Communication: 28% dissatisfied with city communication; top desired methods: newsletter/insert in utility bill (62%), city website (53%), social media (44%).
- Priorities for investment: Economic development, street maintenance, and communication ranked as highest priorities.
- Benchmarking: Northfield rated significantly higher than national and Plains region averages in most categories, especially police and safety.
- Staff will conduct a follow-up smaller survey with approximately 100 respondents who opted in for further questions, focusing on communication and service areas.
Administrative Update
- City Administrator Bennett reported:
- The state legislature passed a bonding bill that includes $3 million for the Northfield Community Resource Center (food shelf expansion, HVAC, storage).
- The city’s request for a local option sales tax (to help fund capital projects with about 40% from visitors) was not approved; the city will continue to advocate for this tool.
- He thanked Senator Leese and Representative Purcell for supporting city priorities.
Reports from Mayor and Council
- Councilors reported on committee meetings: Rice County quarterly meeting (Councilor Ness), 911 Joint Powers Board (move delayed to June), Age-Friendly, NAFRS Finance Committee (clean audit), Hiawathaland Transit advisory (Councilor Peterson White), Pride Festival (June 6, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. with events), Beyond the Yellow Ribbon Memorial Day ceremony (9 a.m. at Veterans Park with picnic following), and intergovernmental meeting (May 20 at Greenvale Town Hall). Mayor reported attending a League of Women Voters event on the Northfield Hospital partnership and signing the Army Corps of Engineers agreement for the Northwest Area Water Tower.
Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at approximately 8:45 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you. Good evening. This is the City of Northfield City Council meeting for Tuesday, May 19th, 2026. It's 6 p.m. and I am calling this meeting to order and requesting a roll call, please. Counselor Peterson White, here. Counselor Sokop, here, Counselor Beamer, Councillor Dalin. And Councillor Holmes. Here. Thank you. The first item uh on our agenda tonight is our open public comment period where anyone can address the council for up to two minutes. If you'd like to address the council, uh ideally for any item not on the agenda because there will be uh comment period times prior to each agenda item. Um please fill out a card. Uh they're on the table over there under the Cows Colleges and Community Board. So I do have one comment card filled out tonight, and that is for Rich Graves. If you'd like to come up, thank you. And uh I'm a little taller than that. There we go. And now the light is even green. So I have to run to the Chamber of Commerce to chair another meeting over there. So I just want to quickly comment and say thank you for your service to the three of you who will not be returning next year. Especially in these days, thank you for your service. So having met a couple people who were assassinated within the last couple of years. Um, not that anything that extreme has happened in this city, but thank you. Um so I do recognize, I know that later in the agenda there's a discussion in the community survey, in which one of the key findings that I'm very proud of is that 90.9% of survey respondents felt safe in this city. And in fact, the only thing I saw on that survey that was higher rated than the police and public safety was the library. So I'm here to talk very briefly because I only have one minute left about an upcoming event at the Northfield Library, not sponsored by the library, um, but it's the June 23rd. There's a presentation by a city attorney from up in Ramsey and Henman County about extreme risk protection because some people do not always feel safe in their community. Um I'm gonna leave three copies of the calendar item from the Northfield Library at the press table. But basically, there's only been three times that I felt unsafe in this community. Uh one was when I was confronted to my face by a convicted predatory felon. The other couple times was when someone when a convicted criminal broke my neck. Um, but for the most part, I have felt safe in this community because we do not stand for that sort of thing here locally. I also felt relatively safe when I personally hired a local painting company to do some work in my house, and they were abducted on the way to my house. But that has nothing to do with me, right? Uh and now I'm out of time. Thank you. Thank you very much, and thanks for leaving um those posters over there on the table. Is there anyone else that who would like to make uh open public comment tonight? All right. Seeing no one, we'll move on to approval of the agenda, which includes one supplemental memo. Councillor Ness. I will move the agenda as amended. Thank you. Is there a second? Councilor Beamer. One second. Any discussion of the agenda? All right. All those in favor signify by saying aye.
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