The Rochester City Council convened on Monday, May 19, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. for a regular session. The meeting included a consent calendar, three public hearings, a discussion on potential 2026 state bonding priorities, several pulled consent items, and concluded with an executive session on threatened litigation. Key actions included approval of a major land subdivision and annexation (Badger Heights), a contentious vote to approve municipal consent for the Broadway Avenue South/Trunk Highway 14 intersection improvement project (4-3), and approval of travel budget overages for two council members.
Staff presented a request by North Rock Real Estate to subdivide 33.56 acres into 84 residential lots and two outlots (Badger Heights), with access from 50th Avenue and Valley High Drive. The property is proposed for annexation and zoning R2/R3 consistent with the land use plan. The Planning Commission recommended approval with 10 conditions. Applicant Jeff Brown (North Rock Real Estate) agreed with the conditions. No public testimony was offered.
Key Outcome:
City staff and MnDOT presented the $19.5 million project to reconstruct the intersection of Broadway Avenue South and US Highway 14 (12th St SE/SW). The project includes smart channels, raised crosswalks, a 10-foot shared-use path, and addition of dual left-turn lanes on Highway 14 (increasing crossing distance by 4 feet). The city's share is approximately $5.7 million plus engineering and potential contaminated material costs. The municipal consent hearing was required due to a change in access at First Avenue SE (converting to one-way northbound).
Public Testimony (six speakers, all opposed to the design with dual left-turn lanes):
Discussion:
Vote: The resolution to approve the geometric layout was adopted 4-3. Ayes: Keene, Wall, Fredericks, Palmer. Nays: Miller, Doring, Schuberg.
Deputy Administrator Aaron Parrish presented a list of potential bonding priorities for the 2026 state capital investment bill. Projects included:
Councilmembers provided feedback:
No formal action was taken; feedback will be incorporated for a resolution at the June 2, 2025 meeting.
F7 (Mayor Norton out-of-state travel): Approved unanimously after discussion.
F8 (Councilmember travel budget overages for Doering and Miller): Councilmember Palmer opposed, arguing council should stay within budget as a leadership example. Councilmember Fredericks offered to contribute unused training funds to support newer members. Councilmember Keene noted the overall $15,000 budget (adopted in 2024) is not exceeded by these overages. The motion passed 5-1-1 (Palmer nay, Doring abstain).
Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. I plead allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation, indivisible liberty, and justice for all. Welcome everybody to the May 19th, 2025 City Council meeting. We begin every meeting with the open comment period. This is an opportunity for anyone from the public to speak on items on which we will not be taking public testimony during a public hearing later this in the agenda. Each person has up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes. I will be keeping track of time through a few methods. First the timer clock up here, the one in red, and then the stoplight here. And so please know that I may need to cut you off. Because of the limited time, we want to be sure that others have an opportunity to speak. And I'd also request that each speaker be concise to allow more people to speak during the designated time. Participants are further encouraged to limit comments generally to topics that are within the scope and jurisdiction of the council's ability to affect policy. Council members and staff do not respond to your comments during public comment, but will instead follow up on any specific requests separately. If you have any materials to share with the council, you may give them to the city clerk clerk's office over here to distribute. And at this time you will be invited up to speak in the order of which you signed up. First on our list is Tom Schmidt. Welcome, and you have two minutes. There you go. Okay. All right. Specifically like to reference uh agenda item number F eight, which is a request for an extension of travel budget from by some of the council members. Um would uh ask that uh this item be given um next uh consideration. Uh the council uh council members are given a budget for the travel and asking for an extension is going over the budget and city uh city departments and all of us, you know, we can't go over budget, so uh ask the council kind of as a leadership role, so uh keep themselves within the budget. And as such, uh poll F8 discussion, uh hopefully denial, and as a way as a way of kind of uh enforcing uh discipline uh in terms of budget manager by the something the council members can do personally. All right, thank you for your time. Thank you. Uh next up we have uh Loris Mortonson. I probably messed up your first name there. Larissa. Larissa. Uh okay. I think it's already on. All right. All right. Good evening, City Council. Um I'm a member of 319, um, and I'm here in support of uh my part-time library co-workers as well as the community uh who relies on these services that the same co-workers uh work hard to provide. Um as a reminder from the last open comment period, um it has been projected that the library will be over budget in their part-time hours, which jeopardizes these city workers' total hours and their jobs as a whole. Um these are people who every day are working hard to get the books and other materials in the hands of library users, uh community members, and your constituents. Um we are uh and um they are integral to uh library operations and losing them uh would be felt. Uh we are a community with many diverse backgrounds. Uh the city workforce should also reflect this diversity. Many folks who are most at risk of their hours being disrupted are people with disabilities, people with 2S LGBTQIA plus identities, and people of color. Many folks who are most at risk of their hours being disrupted are people with disabilities, people with 2S LGBTQIA plus identities, and people of color, losing their perspectives and labor will not help make the city more welcoming to all. Finally, at a time when our community wants more from the library, and when the city considers itself a community forget focused organization, I feel strongly that allowing these hours to be cut is not the solution. Uh part-time hours are vital, and I want solutions that allow the city to help the community more and not less. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Next up, we have Linda Smith. Hello.