Rochester City Council Regular Session - August 18, 2025
Rochester City Council Regular Session - August 18, 2025
The Rochester City Council convened on August 18, 2025, for a regular session. The agenda included multiple public hearings, an update on the Destination Medical Center (DMC) plan, a detailed discussion on the future of transit services, and a resolution to improve public meetings. Several items pulled from the consent calendar were debated separately.
Consent Calendar
- The council approved routine items including the Fiscal Year 2026 DWI/Traffic Safety Grant, a donation of a refrigerator to the fire department, various public works contracts (West End watermain, Mayo Clinic parking structures), a master broker contract with Dialect Real Estate Advisors, and a settlement agreement regarding Transportation Improvement District fees. Items F3 (SRF Consulting Group) and F8 (ICMA Subaward Agreement) were pulled by council members for separate discussion later in the meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Casey McGregor: Stated the City Council should investigate Mayor Norton for a conflict of interest related to her husband's role in the group Indivisible 507. Expressed strong opposition to proposed Ordinance J1, arguing it shrinks due process rights by removing judicial involvement in enforcement. Also criticized Contract F7, asserting that a real estate broker for city property removes direct public financial oversight and has potential for abuse.
- Molly Dennis: Advocated for government transparency and due process. Asked for a follow-up on the promised replanting of trees downtown and requested information on the number of accessible parking spots.
- Patrick Cresel: Argued that citizens feel unheard by DMC personnel and requested formal public hearings. Regarding the ICMA grant (F8), advocated for broader community involvement and suggested the city prioritize restoring the Chateau Theater.
Mayor's Report & Presentations
- ESGR Award: Mayor Norton accepted the "Above and Beyond" award on behalf of the city for its exceptional support of a Staff Sergeant in the Army National Guard.
- Rochester Visioning: The Mayor presented housing data from the community visioning survey, noting that affordable housing, homelessness, and the need for family-sized units were the highest-priority topics raised by residents.
- RPD Achievements: Four officers were recognized for making the DWI Enforcer All-Star team, having made a combined 230 DUI arrests in the prior year. The summer "Safe City Nights" events drew an estimated 5,000 attendees.
- ROYCE Youth Council: The Mayor announced recruitment for the youth council program.
Public Hearings
- Zone Change G1 (Veldco): The council held a hearing on rezoning a 5.48-acre site from MXS to MXC to accommodate a 94-unit apartment complex.
- Public Testimony: A resident expressed concerns over noise and light pollution. Another resident opposed the rezoning, arguing site layout issues are not a valid legal criterion for rezoning and expressing concern about increased height allowances on elevated topography.
- Outcome: Passed unanimously. The council directed the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance for first reading.
- Transit Program G2: The council held the annual hearing on the 2025 FTA Program of Projects. Staff emphasized that Rochester Public Transit does not receive city levy funds.
- Outcome: Resolution adopted 6-1. Councilmember Palmer was the lone dissenting vote, criticizing the system's declining ridership and lack of cost-cutting measures.
Discussion Items
- H1 - DMC Development Plan Update: Staff presented the mid-point update of the 20-year initiative, proposing three strategic drivers: Health Innovation as an Economic Engine, Health Excellence as an Attractor, and Health in the Built Environment.
- Council Positions: Councilmember Miller expressed support for the initiative as an opportunity to build preventive health into public policy. Councilmember Doring expressed appreciation for the expanded definition of "health" beyond Mayo Clinic. Councilmember Keene cautioned against framing health innovation solely as an economic driver. Councilmember Wall supported the approach of leveraging the city's existing strengths.
- Outcome: Informational presentation only. Staff will return in November with the near-final plan.
- H2 - Transit Services RFP: A significant debate occurred regarding the upcoming RFP for transit operations, maintenance, and the new BRT Link. Staff noted ridership is projected at 650,000 for 2025, down from a pre-COVID peak of 2 million.
- Council Positions: Councilmember Palmer expressed strong opposition to combining BRT with other services in one contract, criticized current system efficiency, and stated the transit system must never rely on property tax revenue. Mayor Norton voiced concern that the council lacked an opportunity to weigh in on the RFP structure before it is published, warning that service gaps on the BRT would be unacceptable. Councilmember Keene analyzed the funding model as an enterprise fund. Councilmember Miller requested more detailed ridership data and benchmark comparisons.
- Outcome: No formal action on the RFP. Staff acknowledged the concerns and agreed to bring additional information back to the council before the RFP is finalized.
- H3 - Democracy Innovations for Public Meetings Project: Mayor Norton introduced a resolution to partner with the National Civic League, funded by a grant, to assess and improve public engagement, public comments, and boards and commissions.
- Council Positions: Councilmember Miller strongly supported the project, citing low community engagement scores. Councilmember Wall expressed hope for more robust public input. Councilmember Keene supported the goal but voiced concerns over staff time and maintaining council control over the process. Councilmember Palmer was skeptical about the project's effectiveness.
- Outcome: A motion to table the item failed (5-2, with Fredericks and Palmer voting to table). The main resolution passed 6-1, with Councilmember Fredericks voting in opposition.
- H4 - SRF Consulting Group Contract (Pulled F3): Councilmember Palmer pulled this item to object to hiring the firm that made a design error on 65th St NW.
- Council Positions: Palmer objected, arguing the consultant should not receive additional city work after a mistake. Director Niemar clarified the error was an 18-foot sight distance issue and that SRF was providing approximately $200,000 in additional services at no cost.
- Outcome: Contract authorized 6-1. Palmer voted nay.
- H5 - ICMA Subaward Agreement (Pulled F8): Councilmember Fredericks pulled the item for clarity on data privacy language and termination rights, which the City Attorney confirmed were updated.
- Outcome: Approved (no recorded opposition). The $416,500 grant will support economic mobility initiatives.
Ordinances
- J1 - Ordinance First Reading (Administrative Enforcement Procedures): Received and filed.
Key Outcomes
- G2 (Transit Program): Resolution adopted 6-1 (Palmer dissenting).
- G1 (Zone Change): Passed unanimously.
- H3 (Democracy Project): Resolution adopted 6-1 (Fredericks dissenting).
- F3/H4 (SRF Contract): Contract authorized 6-1 (Palmer dissenting).
- F8/H5 (ICMA Grant): Grant agreement authorized (no opposition).
- H2 (Transit RFP): Council directed staff to bring additional information addressing concerns about the RFP structure before its release.
Meeting Transcript
I currently have a public battery. I remember that. But it just takes a while. Recording in progress. Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. Under God and justice for all. Thank you, and welcome to our August 18th Rochester City Council meeting. This is an opportunity for everyone, uh anyone from the public to speak on items that we will not be taking public testimony during during a public hearing later in the agenda. Each person has up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes. One is the uh the stoplight here and then the red uh timer clock up there. Uh I'd request that speakers be concise to allow more people to speak during the designated time. And you are also uh 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 uh instead will follow up on any specific requests that you have. If you have any materials to share with the council, you may give them to the city clerk who is to our right here, my right, uh, to distribute. Um you will be invited up to speak in the order that you signed up. And we will start uh this evening with Casey McGregor. Please state your name, and then Casey, if you could also push the um the button to turn on the mic. There you go. Thank you. Good evening, Council Casey McGregor. The City Council should demand that Mayor Norton, for as long as she may wish to remain mayor, may not be involved with or be involved with through her husband, Randy Stone, the Dark Money Group Indivisible 507, which calls for retaliatory boycotts against businesses, including the mayor's political critics. Randy Stone being on the board of this infamous dark money group, Indivisible 507 is unacceptable and presents a terrible conflict in the interests and potential for the abuse of power that should be investigated by the city council to avoid liability and violations of law. J1 removing the judicial branch involvement as first step of enforcement. This is unquestionably the shrinking of due process rights. Again, unquestionably shrinking due process rights. Very significant fines and penalties will be able to be handed out based upon one person's judgment or caprice, and the recourse for the affected business would be having to come before the body, the city council, with the burden of having to prove the city's agent was wrong or malicious. Regulations and training of inspectors and city enforcements should be reviewed and considered prior to arming them with potent new weapons with a high potential for abuse. F7 creating a broker for the city property removes control of a massive part of the city's finances from direct public oversight and control. This kind of thing avoids oversight and has massive potential for corruption and abuse. Thank you, Miss McGregor. Ms. McGregor, your time has the packet. Thank you. Thank you. Next up we have Molly Dennis. All right. Well, thank you so much for the two minutes. A month. As I think the residents' voices are very important. I moved here in Rochester in 2007. So close to 20 years ago. And I'm proud to say Rochester is my permanent home forever. I'm so I'm a very concerned citizen. And want to say that I believe that due process, transparency are both needed tremendously for government accountability. So for all of up on the diet, I hope that those two issues are taken very seriously. So I just wanted to put a friendly reminder that the trees that were promised to be replanted out in the parking lot have not been so and seem to be put grass over. So that's something that was maybe overlooked. And then parking spots, you hear the commercials. I say there's 5,000 parking spots downtown. However, I do not believe there's anywhere close to that of accessible parking spots.
openpublica.com