Shakopee City Council Regular Meeting - January 7, 2025

The Shakopee City Council met on Tuesday, January 7, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. at City Hall, 485 Gorman Street. The meeting included the swearing-in of new council members, approval of the consent agenda and the 2025 norms of behavior, a brief Economic Development Authority (EDA) recess, and liaison reports. The council reconvened and adjourned to its next regular meeting on January 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.

Call to Order, Oath, and Agenda

• Mayor Lehman called the meeting to order, and Ms. Peterson administered the oath of office to the new council members.
• Roll call was taken: Councilmembers Delaney, Whiting, Contreras, and Lara were present, along with Mayor Lehman.
• The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
• The agenda was approved on a motion by Councilmember Contreras, seconded by Councilmember Whiting, with no opposition.

Consent Calendar

• The consent agenda was approved in a single motion by Councilmember Contreras, seconded by Councilmember Lara, with no discussion or opposition. It included:
  • Designating individuals authorized to perform certain banking transactions.
  • Approving lobbying services at the Minnesota State Legislature for 2025-2027.
  • Approving Minnesota Department of Transportation Safe Routes to School Infrastructure Grant applications.
  • Declaring one vehicle as surplus property and authorizing its disposal.
  • Awarding installation of the Quarry Lake picnic shelter to RIC.
  • Contracting with Kompan for playground equipment and installation at Killarney Hills.
  • Designating the official newspaper for 2025 and the city website for transportation project notices in 2025.
  • Accepting a donation from the Willard and Mary Ann Pitzner Donor Fund to the Fire Department.
  • Approving extended construction hours for Xcel Energy's Blue Lake Generating Plant improvements.
• No business was removed from the consent agenda.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No members of the public came forward to address the council on non-agenda items.

Economic Development Authority Meeting

• The council recessed and convened as the Shakopee Economic Development Authority.
• The EDA approved its agenda and received the EDA bill list without questions.
• The EDA adjourned to February 4, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. on a unanimous 5-0 vote.

General Business

• Monetary Donation for Aquatic Programming: Recreation staff introduced Sue Westergaard, who donated $1,500 in memory of her best friend Kathy for the Women's Water Safety Program. Westergaard described how the program helps women become comfortable in the water, including a story about a non-English-speaking participant who learned the elementary backstroke and swam across the deep end. The council approved Resolution 2025-002 accepting the donation unanimously.
• 2025 City Council Norms of Behavior: The council reviewed and adopted the annual norms of behavior, which have been reaffirmed since 2015. The norms address speaking only for oneself, respecting staff and the public process, not questioning motives, accepting majority decisions, working through the city administrator, and avoiding gossip or triangulation. The motion to adopt was made by Councilmember Whiting, seconded by Councilmember Delaney, and passed unanimously.

Reports and Liaison Updates

• Councilmember Lara reported on the school board swearing-in, county commissioner swearing-in, and an upcoming downtown business meeting.
• Councilmember Contreras noted her official liaison assignments begin later that week and that she attended the county commissioner swearing-in.
• Councilmember Whiting reported on MVTA activities, including a $10 million phase-two project at the Burnsville bus garage, plans to convert four buses to a trolley look through discussions with Canterbury, and the MVTA Connect ribbon cutting on January 9 at 11:00 a.m. at the Marshall Road Transit Station.
• Councilmember Delaney reported on Shakopee Public Utilities, including support for Hockey Day Minnesota, AMI meter installations, and warranty replacement of defective purple street lights. He also mentioned the Highway 169 coalition meeting and legislative update.
• Mayor Lehman gave a state/federal legislative update, including a federal bill that would withhold highway funding from states that provide licenses/IDs to undocumented immigrants, uncertainty about the Minnesota legislative session due to a tied Senate and a one-seat Republican House margin, and the possibility of a 2025 bonding bill after no bonding bill passed last year.
• The City Bill List was presented with no questions from the council.

Other Business

• Councilmember Lara expressed thanks for the Pitzner donation to the Fire Department.
• Councilmember Lara asked to bring back the density discussion from the previous meeting. The mayor noted that placing an item on a future agenda requires only a majority vote, and staff agreed to schedule the discussion.
• Mayor Lehman thanked city staff for their meticulous council packets, transparency, and responsiveness.

Key Outcomes

• Consent agenda approved unanimously.
• Resolution 2025-002 accepting Sue Westergaard's $1,500 donation for the Women's Water Safety Program approved unanimously.
• 2025 City Council Norms of Behavior adopted unanimously.
• Staff directed to place the density discussion on a future agenda.
• Meeting adjourned to January 21, 2025, at 7:00 p.m.