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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Rochester City Council Meeting Summary - January 5, 2026

City Council — Monday, January 5, 2026

BodyRochester, Minnesota

SessionCity Council

DateMonday, January 5, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:46:32

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:13

Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance.

0:19

I pledge of the US.

0:27

Under God.

0:35

Thank you and welcome to our January 5th, 2026 City Council meeting.

0:42

First one of the year for us.

0:45

For some of us, that it's our year anniversary on the council.

0:50

So we begin each council meeting with our open comment period.

0:55

This is an opportunity for anyone from the public to speak on items that we will not be taking public testimony during a public hearing later in the agenda.

1:05

Each person has up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes.

1:23

And so please know that if uh you get to the two minutes, I may need to cut you off.

1:29

I'd also request that you be concise to allow more people to speak during the designated time.

1:36

And then 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.

1:47

Uh council members and staff do not respond directly to your comments during public comment periods.

1:54

But if uh you need a follow-up uh no, we'll uh get back to you.

1:59

If you have materials to share with us, please uh give them to the city clerk to my right, and uh she will distribute them to the council.

2:10

With that, uh we'll begin with uh the sign-up sheet, and we have uh John Flaga.

2:24

Jason Council members.

2:25

You may need to push the button.

2:27

There you go.

2:27

You got it.

2:28

Good evening.

2:29

Um thank you for holding this meeting.

2:32

And I just wanted to uh just say that I'm here and present as a community uh member from the community at large, and um just listening and learning what um what we're how we're getting things done here.

2:48

Um thank you.

2:50

Thank you.

2:51

Next we have uh Lucy Creesall.

2:59

Good evening, happy new year.

3:01

I was hoping for a little bit more warm-up, but um here we go.

3:05

So um Lucy Creasel.

3:07

I'm here um in anticipation of the discussion upcoming about First Avenue Southwest, the bike lane blip.

3:14

Um so Mike Collins informed me, he'll be speaking sometime in January.

3:17

So I just wanted to bring up some ways that we could think outside the box together, just some food for thought.

3:22

Um I'm here to speak for my unique position on the issue of first, um, not with a solution tonight per se, but just to recommend some consideration and caution.

3:33

So as many as you know, as many of you know the Cresel family owns a property on First Avenue Southwest, um, which currently houses one business, and then we have another business on historic third.

3:42

I also have another business in the alleyway.

3:45

Come and visit it, bookstore.

3:46

Um, so that's two businesses where we've got received a lot of years of customer experience and feedback from people.

3:54

I'm also a trained LCI or a league cycling instructor, which is essentially like a written and on-bike um 24-hour training.

4:02

Did that with Nick, and um for two years I've also taught a safe riders club at Kellogg Middle School preparing youth to be um independent commuters amongst traffic and cars.

4:14

So um I just want to address briefly, I have 44 seconds left.

4:20

Okay, so I might be sending some of you emails, but um, I just want to say that I think this is an issue that has the possibility to unify business owners and unify cycling advocates.

4:32

I want more walkers and bikers downtown totally.

4:36

I'm not sure that this I think there might be more risk involved with this particular spot um because I'm not sure it would invite new commuters to arrive to downtown.

4:46

Um I think there are some other interesting solutions we can consider, such as Broadway and some other ideas, and so I look forward to being a part of that conversation as we move forward.

4:58

Thank you.

4:58

Thanks for your time, everyone.

5:00

Perfect timing.

5:01

Next, we have uh Jason Bale Bucken.

5:10

Hi.

5:16

And I'll tell you what, you guys said you've been doing this for about a year now.

5:20

Okay, I've been doing like auditing down here at the government building and on like the police force and everybody for the last year.

5:25

And I mean, I've lived here 41 years, and this last year is by far the worst it's ever been.

5:30

Today, I was at the government center, went to go petition towards the sheriff's department, you know, arresting me for trespassing.

5:37

What am I trespass for?

5:38

They won't say.

5:38

I didn't know it could be trespassed for writing grievances on the sheriff's department.

5:42

And then today, I go to the Rochester Police Department.

5:46

I let them know what's going on.

5:48

I thought they were there to protect our to enforce law, right?

5:52

So why when the sheriff's department, right in front of the eyes of the RPD can break laws and nothing happened to them?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Transportation Safety██████████████████18%

Procedural█████████████13%

Community Engagement███████████11%

Engineering And Infrastructure███████████11%

Zoning Regulations███████████11%

Public Safety████████8%

Environmental Protection███████7%

Flood Insurance██████6%

Infrastructure And Capital Projects███3%

Summary of Proceedings

Rochester City Council Meeting Summary - January 5, 2026

The January 5, 2026 City Council meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance and a public comment period featuring three speakers. The meeting included a review of the 2025 City Administrator's report highlighting record permit valuations and community growth, followed by four public hearings and several council-initiated actions. Key discussions centered on street reconstruction assessments, two major land subdivision proposals (Prairie Oaks and Pulti Homes), and a resolution reaffirming support for the Somali community. The session concluded with routine ordinance readings and financial discussions regarding the Salvation Army's rental assistance program.

Consent Calendar

Approved unanimously (6-0). No specific items were polled; the entire consent agenda was approved.

Public Comments & Testimony

John Flaga: Spoke as a community member simply to listen and learn.
Lucy Crisel: Expressed cautious support for increased walkers and bikers but opposed the specific "First Avenue Southwest, the bike lane blip" proposal due to perceived risks for commuters and potential to not invite new traffic; recommended considering alternative solutions like Broadway. Represented the Cresel family business owners and cited her experience as a trained LCI instructor.
Jason Bucken: Expressed strong opposition to current government operations, alleging the Sheriffs Department and Rochester Police Department are "above the law" and committing financial fraud by failing to enforce laws; described the situation as tyranny.

Public Hearings

G1: Reconstruction of Center Street East

Staff Position: Presented a full reconstruction from the Zumbro River Bridge to 11th Avenue Northeast/Southeast with a cost of $7.4 million; 25% ($575,000) to be funded via special assessments. Staff noted an assessment hearing was previously held in error regarding notice and is conducting this hearing to ensure compliance.
Public Position: No public testimony was received.
Outcome: Motion to adopt resolutions levying assessments passed 6-1 (Councilmember Palmer voting against).

G2: Zone Change and G3: Major Land Subdivision (Prairie Oaks/Oak Grove RST LLC)

Staff Position: Recommended approval for a zone change from AG (Agricultural) to R1 (Single Family Residential) and the subdivision of 15 acres into 37 lots. Staff noted the project aligns with the low-density residential land use classification and meets the General Development Plan review standards.
Applicant Position: The applicant stated the development provides needed single-family detached housing at a moderate density (2.5 lots per acre) and agreed to the nine conditions proposed by staff regarding stormwater management and final plat details.
Opposing Position: David Hinkware expressed strong opposition, arguing that the development is an "abomination" incompatible with the surrounding agricultural character, citing safety concerns regarding the 60th Street and Highway 52 intersection, and noting zoning commission irregularities and a potential conflict of interest.
Outcome: Motion to approve Zone Change CD 2025-006 ZC passed. Motion to approve Major Land Subdivision CD 2025-041 (Prairie Oaks) passed.

G4: Major Land Subdivision (Pulti Homes of Minnesota LLC)

Staff Position: Recommended approval of a subdivision of 141 acres into 300 residential lots (Del Webb brand). Staff confirmed compliance with floodplain regulations, DNR requirements for stream bank restoration on Cascade Creek, and noted the project includes 100-year and 500-year flood events management.
Applicant Position: Dean Lauder (Pulti Homes) outlined a phased approach with primary access off 45th Avenue Southwest. The applicant expressed confidence in the traffic study, noted that many buyers are second-home owners reducing peak traffic, and confirmed the bridge in the design will be built in Phase 2 (approx. 2028).
Supporting Position: Alan Watts expressed full support for the Del Webb development, citing personal positive experiences with the brand in Arizona and a desire to downsize into such a community.
Opposing Position: Dr. Sunanda Kane and John Flaga raised concerns. Dr. Kane argued the traffic survey assumptions regarding Mayo Clinic retirees were faulty, potentially underestimating peak-hour travel by full-time workers and volunteers. She requested an independent traffic survey or an alternate site. John Flaga expressed caution regarding erosion and ecosystem impacts.
Discrepancy Note: Councilmember Miller initially moved to adopt the subdivision with a ninth condition directing staff to consider alternatives to the Neighborhood Traffic Management (NTM) program for intersection control. Councilmember Keene expressed discomfort with adding new conditions without study before voting. Miller subsequently offered an amendment to restrict construction traffic to specific routes (Country Club and 45th Ave) which passed. Miller then attempted to add a motion to direct staff to consider intersection control; he withdrew this motion after receiving assurance from staff that proactive safety evaluations are a standard city priority.
Outcome: Motion to approve Major Land Subdivision CD 2025-042 (Pulti Homes) with eight standard conditions and the construction traffic amendment passed 5-1 (Councilmember Keene voting against the original motion but the final amended motion passed; Keene's vote on the final motion is not explicitly detailed as "nay" in the final roll call, but the motion passed 5-1). Correction: The final roll call for the item with the amendment shows: Keene (Nay), Miller (Aye), Wall (Aye), Palmer (Aye), Doring (Aye), Schuberg (Aye) -> 5-1.

Council Initiated Actions & Other Business

Resolution Reaffirming Support for Somali Community

Proposal: Councilmember Doring introduced a resolution supporting the Somali community and commitment to inclusion following disturbing language.
Opposing Position: Councilmember Keene opposed the resolution in its final form, specifically the fifth clause directing the clerk to distribute copies to community organizations and legislators, stating it appeared to politicize the city council and bring the city into national debates. Correction based on transcript: The motion to remove clause 5 (striking the distribution requirement) failed 3-3 Keene (Yes), Miller (No), Wall (Yes), Palmer (No), Doring (No), Schuberg (No). Consequently, the original resolution was voted on.
Outcome: The original resolution passed 5-1 (Councilmember Keene voting against).

Salvation Army Funding Discussion

Proposal: Councilmember Doring requested a non-formal indication for staff to draft an agreement utilizing $20,000 from the contingency fund for the Salvation Army's rental assistance program, contingent on not receiving a grant from the Building Community Grant program (max $15,000).
Discussion: The City Administrator noted the Building Community Grant max is $15,000. Councilmember Palmer noted potential issues with CDBG funding if the building community grant is awarded. Councilmember Keene expressed discomfort with the language of "giving money" and preferred funding based on public mission alignment rather than direct charity.
Outcome: No formal vote taken; staff to proceed with drafting language contingent on the outcome of the grant application process.

Key Outcomes

Center Street East: Assessment resolution adopted 6-1 ($575,000 special assessments levied).
Prairie Oaks (Oak Grove RST LLC): Zone change (AG to R1) and subdivision (37 lots) approved successfully.
Pulti Homes (Del Webb): Subdivision (300 lots) approved 5-1 with an amendment restricting construction traffic to Country Club Road and 45th Avenue Southwest.
Somali Community Resolution: Adopted 5-1 despite internal debate over the distribution clause.
Ordinances: Central Park historic landmark designation (J1) and Unified Development Code text amendment (K1) approved unanimously.
Agenda Approval: Agenda approved unanimously (7-0) with no changes proposed.
Attendance: Councilmembers Keene, Miller, Wall, Doring, Palmer, and President Schubberg present; Councilmember Fredericks absent.
Major Events: Mayor Norton announced the State of the City will be held this Thursday and a Germany trip for Council President Schuberg and Mayor Norton is scheduled for June 12-22.

Meeting Transcript

Please rise as you're able for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge of the US. Under God. Thank you and welcome to our January 5th, 2026 City Council meeting. First one of the year for us. For some of us, that it's our year anniversary on the council. So we begin each council meeting with our open comment period. This is an opportunity for anyone from the public to speak on items that we will not be taking public testimony during a public hearing later in the agenda. Each person has up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes. And so please know that if uh you get to the two minutes, I may need to cut you off. I'd also request that you be concise to allow more people to speak during the designated time. And then 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. Uh council members and staff do not respond directly to your comments during public comment periods. But if uh you need a follow-up uh no, we'll uh get back to you. If you have materials to share with us, please uh give them to the city clerk to my right, and uh she will distribute them to the council. With that, uh we'll begin with uh the sign-up sheet, and we have uh John Flaga. Jason Council members. You may need to push the button. There you go. You got it. Good evening. Um thank you for holding this meeting. And I just wanted to uh just say that I'm here and present as a community uh member from the community at large, and um just listening and learning what um what we're how we're getting things done here. Um thank you. Thank you. Next we have uh Lucy Creesall. Good evening, happy new year. I was hoping for a little bit more warm-up, but um here we go. So um Lucy Creasel. I'm here um in anticipation of the discussion upcoming about First Avenue Southwest, the bike lane blip. Um so Mike Collins informed me, he'll be speaking sometime in January. So I just wanted to bring up some ways that we could think outside the box together, just some food for thought. Um I'm here to speak for my unique position on the issue of first, um, not with a solution tonight per se, but just to recommend some consideration and caution. So as many as you know, as many of you know the Cresel family owns a property on First Avenue Southwest, um, which currently houses one business, and then we have another business on historic third. I also have another business in the alleyway. Come and visit it, bookstore. Um, so that's two businesses where we've got received a lot of years of customer experience and feedback from people. I'm also a trained LCI or a league cycling instructor, which is essentially like a written and on-bike um 24-hour training. Did that with Nick, and um for two years I've also taught a safe riders club at Kellogg Middle School preparing youth to be um independent commuters amongst traffic and cars. So um I just want to address briefly, I have 44 seconds left. Okay, so I might be sending some of you emails, but um, I just want to say that I think this is an issue that has the possibility to unify business owners and unify cycling advocates. I want more walkers and bikers downtown totally. I'm not sure that this I think there might be more risk involved with this particular spot um because I'm not sure it would invite new commuters to arrive to downtown. Um I think there are some other interesting solutions we can consider, such as Broadway and some other ideas, and so I look forward to being a part of that conversation as we move forward. Thank you. Thanks for your time, everyone. Perfect timing. Next, we have uh Jason Bale Bucken. Hi. And I'll tell you what, you guys said you've been doing this for about a year now.

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