Rochester City Council Regular Meeting – September 9, 2024
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Rochester City Council Regular Meeting – September 9, 2024
The Rochester City Council convened at 6:00 p.m. on September 9, 2024, to address a full agenda including a public hearing, consent agenda, a hazardous mitigation plan, and the adoption of the 2025 preliminary tax levy. The meeting included an open comment period with seven speakers, and later recessed to an executive session and an Economic Development Authority meeting. The council adjourned at 11:08 p.m.
Consent Calendar
- F.1–F.22 were approved en bloc, with F.16 (Revocable permit for Brett and Keri Ostby) voted separately: 5–1–1 (Councilmember Dennis dissenting, Councilmember Kirkpatrick recused). The consent items included:
- Acceptance of minutes from August 16 and August 19, 2024
- Accounts payable totaling $61,608,462.70
- 2024 Latino Fest community festival designation (Resolution 171-24)
- 2025–27 collective bargaining agreement with Police Supervisors (Resolution 172-24)
- Contract awards for office furniture ($170,922.85), 50th Ave NW reconstruction ($135,575), EV bus maintenance stand ($137,130), Second St parking ramp repairs ($1,045,087.50), North Broadway reconstruction ($14,813,216.57), and others.
- Authorizations for sanitary sewer design, downtown energy transition, Highland Hills public improvements, easement release, site development agreements, and pedestrian path rebidding.
- Additional property acquisitions and eminent domain authority for LINK BRT (Resolution 177-24)
- $100,000 loan to Cytotheryx via RAEDI
- Airport grant amendment and warehouse purchase agreement.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Rod Haworth (Soldier's Field Memorial) invited all to the September 14 dedication of Wayne Stillman Drive and a new GWOT wall ring; expressed appreciation for city support.
- Wayne Wilson (Northwest Rochester resident) urged the council to reduce spending, noting his property taxes have risen 65% since 2011; questioned the 10.35% levy increase and high medical costs.
- Terry Throndson (President, Soldier's Field Memorial) thanked council for street naming; described memorial expansion and school tours, and encouraged attendance at September 14 event.
- Apostolis "Paul" Psomas (property owner near St. Mary’s) opposed the LINK BRT plan, arguing it will landlock a neighboring parcel and leave an 80-year-old building across from Mayo Clinic; cited city comprehensive plan goals for density and transit-oriented development.
- Nick Chonis (adjacent property owner) supported Psomas, stating they had sought joint development but the city’s acquisition would leave his lot undevelopable; requested further discussion.
- Benjamin Zastrow (President, Lowertown Neighborhood Association) opposed the August 28 Planning & Zoning Commission decision granting non-conforming industrial use to Shaw Acquisition Corp; argued the decision undermines long-term economic development and that notice was insufficient; asked for reconsideration.
- John Kruesel criticized the city's use of taxpayer funds to acquire land east of the former YMCA, stating it displaced ten businesses and UMR’s promises have failed; urged council not to approve a proposed dorm in downtown.
Discussion Items
- Vacation Petition CD2024-004VAC: Planner Desmond McGeough and applicant representative Bill Tointon presented. The 18-foot alley within Block 8, Cumming's Addition is no longer needed for access or utilities; applicant owns all surrounding properties. No public testimony. Approved unanimously with two conditions.
- Olmsted County Hazard Mitigation Plan: Presented by Captain Brett Knapp (RFD), Captain John Turk (RPD), and Captain Jonathon Jacobson (Olmsted County). The five-year plan focuses on natural hazards and makes the city eligible for federal mitigation grants. Collaboration involved multiple city departments and UMD Spatial. A future annex will address man-made hazards not required by FEMA. Approved unanimously.
- 2025 Preliminary Tax Levy & Supplemental Budget: City Administrator Alison Zelms presented a recommended levy of $112,041,952 (10.35% increase) and total budget of $689,419,593. Explaining that the rate increase for a median-value home ($288,200) would be approximately 4.5% ($57.44) due to new construction and homestead exclusions. Discussions ensued on reducing the levy. Several amendments were proposed and voted:
- Remove internal auditor position ($158,433) – Approved 6–1 (Dennis dissenting).
- Remove snow grooming equipment ($213,333) – Approved 6–1 (Dennis dissenting).
- Reduce council travel budget by half ($15,034.15) – Approved 4–3 (Carlson, Kirkpatrick, Palmer, Bransford in favor; Keane, Wahl, Dennis opposed). A motion to cut council compensation by half ($199,628) failed 0–7. A salary cap of $200,000 for city employees lacked a second. Ultimately the final amended motion passed 5–2 (Wahl and Dennis dissenting) setting the preliminary tax levy at $111,645,142 and total budget at $689,022,783. The public hearing for final adoption is set for December 2, 2024.
- Zone Change CD2024-001ZC (Second reading): Ordinance to rezone 4.73 acres from Light Industrial to Mixed Use Center at Heritage Place NW and Superior Dr NW. Approved unanimously.
- Executive Session (10:08–11:00 p.m.) – Closed pursuant to Minn. Stat. §13D.05 Subd. 3(b) for attorney‑client discussion on litigation and settlement strategy for eminent domain proceedings related to LINK BRT.
- LINK BRT Settlement Offer (Parcel 38): After reconvening, Resolution 183-24 authorizing a settlement offer was approved 5–0–1–1 (Dennis abstaining, Carlson absent).
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved with one item separated (F.16), F.22 questioned briefly.
- Vacation petition approved (unanimous).
- Olmsted County Hazard Mitigation Plan adopted (unanimous).
- 2025 preliminary tax levy set at $111,645,142 (a 9.9% increase over 2024), budget $689,022,783; public hearing December 2, 2024. Amendments removed an internal auditor, snow grooming equipment, and half of council travel funds.
- Zone change approved (unanimous).
- EDA actions (consent agenda and exclusive negotiating rights for former Michael’s Restaurant site) adopted unanimously.
- Settlement offer for LINK BRT Parcel 38 authorized (5–0–1–1).
- Meeting recessed to EDA meeting (9:13–9:55 p.m.) and to executive session (10:08–11:00 p.m.), adjourned at 11:08 p.m.
Meeting Transcript
Recording in progress. Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. Welcome, hello everyone to our welcome to our city council meeting for September 9th, 2024. Great to have you all here with us this evening. Just a reminder that we do take breaks every 90 to 120 minutes between items. So we open every meeting with an open comment period, and this is an opportunity for anyone from the public who would like to speak on items that we will not be taking public testimony on later in a public hearing in the agenda. Each person has up to two minutes for a total of 20 minutes, and I will be keeping track of time through a variety of methods. There's a stoplight here, there's a timer on the clock or up on the wall, and I will be also reminding you when you're getting close to make sure that other people signed up have time to speak. But we ask that you do so respectfully and that you address your comments towards me as the presiding officer. I use the list that the city clerk has given me. If you have items you'd like to hand out during open comment, please do so to the clerk ahead of time, and she will also make sure that we receive those. All right, so I will go ahead and open public comment and invite Rob Howbett. Please correct your name if I misspeak. Rod How Beth? Wonderful. And please state your name and you have two minutes. My name is Rod Hayworth. Rod Hayworth, welcome. I'm the closest filled veterans. And I'm here basically cordially invite uh uh Madam Mayor, all board members, and uh anyone with an earshot on the 14th of September down to the Soldiersfield Veterans Memorial. We're gonna be talking about the past, the present, and the future. We're gonna be talking about the foundation of the wall, how uh Wayne Stillman uh helped develop that entire project. We unfortunately lost Mr. Stillman earlier this year. Uh we're gonna be talking about uh his his uh tremendous contributions and the dedication of Wayne Stillman Drive down there, and then I'm gonna come up and talk about the expansion of the wall if you want to look in your graphics that uh we provided. We're adding another ring to the memorial that's going to cover the GWAT era. So we just came out of the global war on terror, started of course before 9-11, and then uh led all the way through the 2000s up to 2021 with the withdrawal in Afghanistan. We've been talking about that and what we're gonna be putting on that wall, and then the last portion we're gonna be talking about uh a bench that we're donating to uh Wayne and Carol Stillman right at the entrance of the memorial. It's be a beautiful piece uh that will be there for uh for generations to come. That is my presentation. Thank you. And we have your materials. Thank you, Mr. Hayworth. Thank you. Wayne Wilson. Good evening. I'm Wayne Wilson. I live in Northwest Rochester. Uh I just want to say a few words about the proposed tax levy. Um I moved here in 2011 in Rochester to retire. And since then, my property taxes have gone up 65 percent. I'm just asking you, please to reduce the spending and uh stop the tax increase in taxes. Um all the costs keep going up for us to we don't be in retard, we don't get much of an increase on Social Security. Um I can't just give myself a big raise. And um the homeowner's insurance went up 50 percent just a few weeks ago. And uh all the uh medical and premiums are horrendous. We pay more in Southeast Minnesota just because Mail Clinic is your is the highest in the state. Probably one of the highest in the country for medical health insurance. But um I can't ask you questions, can I?
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