Rochester City Council Meeting - October 7, 2025
Rochester City Council Regular Session – October 7, 2025
The Rochester City Council held a regular meeting on October 7, 2025, starting at 6:00 p.m. at Rochester Public Utilities, Community Room. The meeting covered the consent agenda, two public hearings, and multiple reports and recommendations, including the Destination Medical Center Corporation (DMCC) budget, transit service changes, a community sports and recreation partnership, and the Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex. Key votes included approval of a developer parking agreement policy, adoption of the 2026 Master Fee Schedule, approval of the DMCC two-year budget, a $55,000 marketing investment for recreation programs, and authorization to advertise bids for the sports complex.
Consent Calendar
- Items F.1–F.5, F.7–F.22 approved in block, including minutes, accounts payable ($14,799,845.72), appointments, performance evaluation of City Attorney Michael Spindler Krage (3% merit increase), renewable energy wind purchase agreements, developer parking agreement policy, memorandum of understanding with Bring Back the Clock Board, bid advertisement for water reclamation chemicals, contracts for Skyline Flats utilities and Link BRT engineering, revocable permits with Mayo Clinic, reconstruction of 2nd Ave SW, roadway name change, septic/sewer connection, property acquisitions, development assistance for Shared Lab Space, boulevard tree agreements, downtown historic preservation funding, and EV charging rate policy.
- Item F.6 – Developer Parking Agreement Policy was pulled by Councilmember Palmer. After debate, a motion to deny failed 2–5, and a motion to approve passed 5–2 (yes: Keene, Miller, Wall, Doring, Schubring; no: Palmer, Fredericks). The policy provides a framework for negotiating city parking agreements with downtown developers, aiming to ensure predictable terms and financial responsibility.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jason Bale Bachin (self-represented litigant) criticized the Rochester Police Department for alleged constitutional violations, threatening legal action under federal civil rights statutes.
- Craig Martins expressed frustration that $65 million raised for a sports complex was being used for economic development rather than a community facility, urging the council to prioritize local access.
- Guy Havilick (retired IBMer, Kutsky Park resident) supported DMC public realm investments to preserve the natural character of the neighborhood and enhance non-automotive connectivity.
- Brenda Quay (owner, DT Rot) advocated for the developer parking policy, stating it allowed her to build 40 more workforce housing units downtown by reducing required parking.
- Cameron Mullen (secretary, Kutsky Park Neighborhood Association) backed DMC funding for the public realm project, citing strong community engagement and design quality.
Public Hearings
- Final Plat – Badger Heights (G1): Approved unanimously. The subdivision of 33.56 acres into 55 residential lots and two outlots, with conditions. Councilmember Keene clarified the term “mylar” as a film document used for final plat recording.
- 2026 Master Fee Schedule (G2): Approved unanimously. Establishes fees for the coming year and directs the City Attorney to prepare an ordinance for first reading on November 3, 2025.
Discussion Items
- DMCC 2026–2027 Budget (H1): Deputy City Administrator Cindy Steinhauser presented a two-year operating budget ($5,012,040 in 2026; $5,251,692 in 2027) and a six-year CIP ($183.7 million total). The budget focuses on completing current projects, supporting infrastructure for Mayo Clinic’s Bold Forward.Unbound initiative, and preserving resources for the 5-year DMC plan update. Councilmember Fredericks raised concerns about council input timing, and staff agreed to improve pre‐DMCC board briefings. The budget was approved.
- Transit Fall Service Changes (H2): Sandra Narr (transit planner) proposed discontinuing four low-ridership routes (103, 202, 217, 309) and reducing evening route frequency from 30 to 60 minutes, saving ~$1 million annually. Public engagement in September yielded over 400 responses. The changes will affect 75% of residents within a 10-minute walk (down from 77%). Councilmembers expressed anxiety about declining ridership and urged strategic thinking, but no action was required—only a report.
- Community Based Partnerships – Sports and Recreation Programs (H3): Parks and Rec Director Paul Whitman, Ben Bolt, and Communications Director Jenna Bowman outlined partner successes (23,000 participants, 700 scholarships worth $86,000 in 2024) and barriers (cost, transportation, equipment, awareness). They proposed a marketing investment from contingency funds to increase awareness of programs. Council approved $55,000 for communications and marketing, with staff to return in December with community engagement results.
- Rochester Sports and Recreation Complex – Bid Authorization and RCTC MOU (H4): Deputy Administrator Parrish requested two separate actions. First, the council approved directing staff to finalize a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding with Rochester Community and Technical College (RCTC) to explore near- and long-term recreational facility partnerships. Council President Schubring, Mayor Norton, Administrator Zelms, and Deputy Administrator Parrish will lead negotiations, with Councilmember Wall added to the team. Second, authorization to advertise bids for the outdoor sports complex passed 5–2 (yes: Keene, Wall, Fredericks, Palmer, Schubring; no: Miller, Doring). Bids are due December 8, 2025; staff will incorporate bid alternates to manage costs.
Key Outcomes
- Developer Parking Agreement Policy: Approved 5–2.
- 2026 Master Fee Schedule: Approved unanimously.
- DMCC 2026–2027 Budget: Approved unanimously.
- Recreation Program Marketing: $55,000 approved from 2025 contingency funds.
- RCTC MOU: Approved (direct staff to finalize).
- Sports Complex Bid Advertisement: Approved 5–2.
- Zone Change (Veldco): Approved unanimously on second reading (rezone 5.48 acres from MXS to MXC).
Meeting Transcript
Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. Under God. Liberty adjustment. Thank you all for being here for our October 6th uh regular city council meeting. We open all of our council meetings with our open comment period. This is an opportunity from for anyone from the public to speak on items that will not be that we will not be taking public testimony on during a public hearing later in the agenda. Every each person has up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes. Participants are also encouraged to limit comments to generally topics that are within the scope and jurisdiction of the city council. If you have materials to serve to share with the council, please uh give them to our city clerk and case all over there, and uh they'll be distributed to us. If you uh uh the city council does not respond to uh questions during open comment period, but if you do have questions, uh know that uh members of our staff or council members will get back to you. With that, I will start with uh Jason Bale Bach Bachin. Go ahead. You have two minutes. My name is Jason Bale Bachin. Um I'd like to address concerns of the RPD and uh um can you see if your uh mic is on it? It should be uh green. Yeah, it's green. Okay, perfect. There you go. And um, so I'm self-represented litigant, and I do audits and stuff on police force to make sure that they're doing things that are correctly into the constitution, and uh every time I go down there and I do one of these, I'm met with um harshness, disregard towards the constitution. Um just there's nothing that they do that is anywhere that they're supposed to do. I want that it be known to them that they are under contract, a verbal contract when they take oath to be you know, taking the constitution to the highest and its people. So they need to either do that or they're under US 42 um 1983 color law, they will be sued. Um and then under 18 USC 241 and 242, you guys employ them, so therefore you can be held accountable too. So I would hate to have to go through those drastic measures. I'd just like to see them, you know, perform to their contract is all. You know, I've I've been going through for five years a trial that I was arrested because I had the same first name as the guy. I've had two homes taken away. I mean, it's just ridiculous. And uh I went to file charges on it. The sheriff straight said I don't want to deal with it, and then they closed the window to me. So I don't see how that is protecting my rights, my safety, or anything like that. So I just want to know that you guys are gonna be able to do that. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to say that the militia, the local militia would have to probably cover the laws for the constitution being covered, and stuff like that seems RPD and the sheriff's department doesn't want to do it. Seems RPD and the sheriff's department doesn't want to do it. And um that's about it. Thank you, Mr. Bale Bachin. Next up we have Craig Martins. Oh, I'm Craig Martins, and uh it was John Kennedy who said ask not what your country or your city can do for you, but what you can do for your country or city. We, the city and surrounding community have given our city council 65 million over 60 16.4 years for a sports complex. We thought it would go to build a facility for us, our friends, our children, our grandchildren, where we could exercise, stay in shape, reduce our stress, and meet for community functions. Our city council had a different plan to use the 65 million for a sports complex that would economically develop and benefit restaurants, hotels, motels where there is already an existing hotel motel tax. Tonight is the night. Will the city council vote for hotel motel restaurant economic development, or will the city council pause and recognize the community's input and provide a sports complex for the community? So here it is, City Council. Ask not what you can do for your community, but what you can do for us, your community. Tough decision, tough job. Thanks very much for serving. Appreciate it.
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