Rochester City Council Meeting Summary - February 2, 2026
Rochester City Council Meeting - February 2, 2026
The Rochester City Council convened for a session focused on reaffirming the city's status as a compassionate city in response to significant concerns regarding federal immigration enforcement actions, alongside routine zoning approvals and community development updates. The meeting featured an extensive public comment period where residents expressed deep fear, documented specific incidents of perceived civil rights violations, and called for immediate protective measures against federal agents. The Council subsequently voted unanimously to reaffirm Rochester as a compassionate city and passed a motion directing the City Attorney to explore joining an amicus curiae brief in ongoing federal litigation.
Consent Calendar
- Approved the consent agenda as a whole without any items pulled, including routine business and administrative reports.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Jan Thorenson (Retired federal law enforcement officer, president of Bell of Honor): Expressed full support for veterans and law enforcement but condemned the presence of a political rally at Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial as "outrageous and disrespectful," calling for public action to prevent future occurrences.
- Three Rivers Restorative Justice (Jeff Stilwell and Tony K. Megs): Expressed full support for the Mayor and Council's November proclamation, highlighting that restorative justice affirms accountability, repairing harm, and community trust.
- Virginia Wright Peterson: Expressed strong opposition to the "indiscriminate sweeping" of streets by federal agents, arguing that U.S. citizens are being arrested without authorization and that inaction makes the city complicit.
- Kelly Klein: Described personal trauma regarding ICE agents in military gear using force in residential areas, expressing opposition to their tactics and fear of future violence.
- Amy Cockett: Condemned the abduction of a U.S. citizen near the government center as a failure of local police to protect residents, expressing opposition to the lack of accountability.
- Representative Tina Liebling: Expressed full support for joining the federal lawsuit (Minnesota v. Noah) and urged the Council to join as a plaintiff or file an amicus brief, characterizing current federal actions as an "invasion" rather than law enforcement.
- Brendan Nielsen: Called for specific prohibitions on ICE operations, including banning public property for staging, detaining without warrants, and using facial recognition, expressing opposition to "authoritarian actions."
- Jeff Almer: Expressed fear and opposition to the current environment, stating that immigrants feel unsafe and that federal agents should be held to the same standards as local police.
- Heather Leonard: Expressed strong opposition to federal agent misconduct, citing reports of excessive force and violations of the 10th Amendment, and urged the Mayor and Council to emulate Chicago's protective measures.
- Kowtar Regal: Expressed deep concern for the safety of children and the community, calling for compassion to prioritize safety and demand accountability for deaths caused by federal agents.
- Mande Gauss: Expressly stated that immigrants are not "garbage" and expressed fear and opposition to the uncertainty of immigration enforcement, urging the Council to protect residents' dignity.
- Mohad Abdul Halali: Expressed opposition to "aggressive" federal actions that create fear, calling for judicial warrants and body-worn cameras as mandatory conditions for federal presence.
- Jan Wersma: Demanded that the Council direct the Police Department to enforce laws ICE is violating (traffic laws, warrants) and forbid mask-wearing by federal agents.
- Becca Herbst: Expressed opposition to the economic and emotional harm caused by ICE presence, urging the city to support local businesses affected by the fear.
- Wes Lund: Expressed full support for the Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial and opposition to protests held there, emphasizing the need to respect the site.
- Lucianne Kronig: Expressed support for the compassionate city resolution but argued it must be paired with action; strongly opposed the normalization of fear and called for joining the amicus brief.
- Andrew Sibley: Wrote that he is unable to operate his business due to the presence of ICE, expressed opposition to their tactics (masks, lack of ID), and requested the creation of an "ICE observational committee."
- Melissa Thompson: Expressed a desire to have ICE out of the city and called for specific actions to hold federal agents accountable and enforce local laws.
- Valerie Fernandez: Expressed fear of masked federal agents, arguing they are endangering citizens and questioning their authority, calling for an end to their presence.
- Jason Baelbach: Expressed strong opposition to the local government's perceived inaction, accusing officials of dereliction of duty and financial fraud related to the crisis.
- Abdi Shaid Farah: Described the traumatic impact on his family (including a child with special needs) regarding ICE surrounding their home, expressing urgent need for safety and compassion.
- Kyle Pike: Expressed strong opposition to the lack of action, labeling federal agents as "Nazi thugs" and demanding the Council join the lawsuit immediately.
- Salah Muhammad: Expressed conflict between love for the community and anger at the administration, urging the Council to use all available authority to act.
Discussion Items
- Zone Change (CD 2025-007 ZC) by INH Properties: Staff and Planning Commission recommended re-zoning 1.2 acres from R2X to R3 to facilitate multifamily infill. Councilmember Palmer noted the area is currently R2X; Councilmember Keene inquired about existing structures. Councilmember Miller expressed support for the process.
- Zone Change (CD 2025-008 ZC) by Sunshine Behavioral Health Group: Re-zoning 2.71 acres from Light Industrial to MXG General to convert a hotel into a substance abuse rehab home. Councilmember Palmer questioned the relevance of the specific use case in a zoning hearing, but staff clarified it is permitted. The motion passed 6-1, with Councilmember Palmer voting nay.
- Final Plat (CD 2026-002 PLAT) by West 34 Partners LLC: Approval of the final plat for "Badger Heights" (32 residential lots). Motion passed unanimously.
- Compassionate City Resolution: Councilmember Doring introduced a resolution reaffirming Rochester as a compassionate city. Councilmember Wall expressed concern that the resolution might deepen community division and emphasized trust in local police, but ultimately noted the resolution breaks no new ground. Councilmember Palmer questioned the City Attorney's ability to mandate conditions on federal agents (e.g., masks, IDs). Councilmember Keene advocated for joining the federal lawsuit via an amicus brief. Councilmember Palmer argued the state lawsuit is partisan and moving without more facts was risky. The resolution reaffirming the city as compassionate passed unanimously.
- Amicus Brief Motion: Councilmember Keene moved to direct the City Attorney to coordinate an amicus brief to document local impacts. Councilmember Wall opposed the motion on grounds of partisanship. Councilmember Palmer moved to delay; the motion failed. The motion to direct the City Attorney passed 4-3 (Councilmember Wall, Councilmember Palmer, and Councilmember Doring were present for the vote; Doring voted aye, Wall and Palmer voted nay; Keene and Miller voted aye). The Mayor noted he signed an individual amicus brief through the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
- Rental Assistance Letter: Councilmember Miller proposed the Mayor write to the Governor requesting an eviction moratorium. Councilmember Fredericks opposed a blanket moratorium noting other eviction causes. Councilmember Keene expressed hesitation due to a lack of data. The Council did not take a formal vote, and the discussion concluded without action.
- Soldiers Field Memorial Permits: Councilmember Palmer requested clarification on enforcing permits for the memorial. Staff clarified that public spaces generally allow freedom of assembly, and penalties for address discrepancies are difficult to enforce without specific regulatory authority. Staff agreed to report back on the specific status of the memorial.
Key Outcomes
- Unanimous Vote: Adopted a resolution reaffirming Rochester as a compassionate city.
- Vote (4-3): Directed the City Attorney to coordinate amicus curiae participation in the federal lawsuit (Minnesota v. Noah) to document local impacts, with approval contingent on scope and cost estimates ($10,000-$15,000).
- Approved Zone Changes:
- Rezoned 1.2 acres in the downtown core (INH Properties) to R3 (Medium Density).
- Rezoned 2.71 acres in Wood Lake Business Center (Sunshine Behavioral Health) from Light Industrial to MXG (Mixed Use).
- Approved Final Plat: Badger Heights subdivision (West 34 Partners) approved with five conditions.
- Strategic Directives: The Council directed the administration to continue monitoring the situation, maintain transparency with the community, and consider future actions regarding rental assistance and eviction protections.
- Adjournment: The meeting was adjourned following these decisions.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you. Please rise as you're able for the uh Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and the Republic for which one nation is for all. Welcome everybody to our February 2nd uh city council meeting, and we are just so pleased to see a full house here today. And uh I know a lot of you have signed up for our open comment period, so we're hoping to hear everybody that signed up. And just a reminder that our open comment period is an opportunity for members of the public to speak on items uh that we will not be taking public testimony during the that item being on the agenda. Each person has up to two minutes to speak for a total of 20 minutes. I will be keeping time through a couple methods. One is the stop light here, and just a reminder that you will have a green light uh for the first minute and 30 seconds. The yellow light will uh turn on at the at the point where you have 30 seconds left. The red light will go on, and when you go start to go over, uh, which I hope you don't, uh it will start to blink. Um, there is also a uh red digital clock up there that will count down the two minutes. I ask each speaker to be concise to allow more people to speak during the time period, and participants are also encouraged to limit comments generally to topics that are within the scope and jurisdiction of the council's ability to affect policy. If you have materials that you want to share with the council, please hand him to our city clerk over here. And uh also a remote reminder that council members and staff do not respond to your comments during public comment, but will instead follow up on any specific requests separately. Um, an additional note for tonight's meeting. As we had over 20 speakers at our last council meeting on January 21st, I am going to call on those that did not speak at that event first. I will then turn to those who have previously spoke. Uh, if we reach our total time of 20 minutes, which I'm sure we will, I will ask our council if they would like to suspend the rules to make sure that everyone who has signed up has an opportunity to speak. So with that, I am going to uh call folks up and uh our first speaker is uh Jan Thorenson. You why don't you hold on to them when you're done and them to uh Heather over there right at the desk. Absolutely. She'll get them to us. Good evening. My name is Jan Tronson. The question before you tonight in this photo is how did we get here? Our mayor is supposed to be a nonpartisan according to our charter. The media widely reported that our mayor was going to DC to advocate for removal of ice from Minnesota. This is followed up by a story from our local paper that on Saturday, January 31st, 2026, that a pop-up ice rally planned by three individuals took place. One of these individuals states a title of social justice coordinator at first Your Tyrian Universal Church, the same church I believe our mayor attends. One of the district 535 board member. Quite a different story from the narrative written on the city forum for 20 people and signed by Amy Larson, the event organizer. As a retired 27-plus year federal law enforcement officer and president of the bell of honor, I have stood on the tarmac flag lines. We have honored the fallen at Shanksville, Pentagon, Vietnam Memorial, Washington, DC, Air Force Academy, National U.S. Memorial, Soldiers Rear Memorial, and Many Graves. I am a strong supporter of our veterans of law enforcement of our veterans, law enforcement, and first responders. I am appalled this will allow to take place, but not surprised to do the leadership of our mayor and other leaders in this community. The question now becomes what will you do as city council to prevent this action from ever taking place again at Soldiers Field Veterans Memorial? What public action will you take to hold the persons responsible for the mob protests resolved in this outrageous and disrespectful action taken at Soldiers Field Memorial this past Saturday? Thank you. Can I ask members of the thank you, Mr. Thornson? Your your time is up. Can I please ask uh members of the audience to please not respond to speakers? Uh either in uh in uh the affirmative or in the negative. Uh this is a uh public body and we are respectful to each other in this room. So uh you will have your time uh two minutes, but please let's let's uh let's recognize that. Next up, we have representatives from the Three Rivers Restorative Justice. Uh Jeff Stilwell and Tony K. Meg's cow.
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