OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

MVTA Update, Annexations, and Accreditations Approved at Shakopee City Council Meeting on April 15, 2025

City Council & Commissions — Tuesday, April 15, 2025
BodyShakopee, Minnesota
SessionCity Council & Commissions
DateTuesday, April 15, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:46:34

Transcript — Verbatim
0:26

Okay, we'll call a Shackfi City Council meeting for April 15th, 2025 to order.

0:33

If you could please take the role.

0:36

Councilmember Delaney.

0:38

Here.

0:38

Councilmember Whitney.

0:40

Here.

0:40

Councilmember Contreras.

0:42

Here.

0:42

Councilmember Lara.

0:44

And Mayor Lehman.

0:45

Here.

0:46

Thank you, sir.

0:48

Item number two, item number three, actually.

0:51

If you want to stand and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:05

Underground Individual with limited systems.

1:16

Or is a special presentation on the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority MVTA update.

1:22

Counselor Whiting is our council appointed liaison to MVTA.

1:27

He's going to be uh joining in on a tag team slideshow presentation with information about MVTA.

1:35

Yes, sir.

1:49

They may be joined by Mr.

1:50

Lutheran.

1:51

Yeah, Lutheran White shorting us.

1:53

Luther Whitney.

1:55

All right, we got our slideshow.

1:57

I'm just jumping into this slideshow, so thank you for uh thank you for having us tonight.

2:01

As you well know, we're members of the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority.

2:04

Uh our next slide is going to introduce uh Luther and uh Luther will be joining us.

2:09

He's a little late.

2:10

There was some uh traffic issues, so um he did not take the bus.

2:14

I was about to say you should have taken the bus.

2:16

You should have we have um VTA Connect uh that could have taken them right here.

2:21

But um here's a good snapshot if you want to take a look at this slide.

2:25

Uh it kind of details the what MVTA is all about.

2:28

I'm gonna pull this closer.

2:32

Uh so we have 170 buses, 24 routes, 14 P and Ride Station Park and Ride stations, thank you.

2:41

Uh and two garages.

2:42

Uh Joy, you want to fill in a little more detail.

2:45

And my name is Joya Stetson.

2:47

I am the community and economic development director at MVTA.

2:50

So my job is really about being able to work with your team, work with Michael, work really closely with him and Kyle to understand what's happening in our communities so that we can be more proactive with the services that we're providing to you.

3:04

So uh I'm grateful that you guys are such a a good partner for us, and I have such a fun job to be able to go out and do all of the exciting pieces of this work.

3:14

Um so, like Jay said, we provide a few different types of services.

3:17

So we have express services which allow people to get you know to and from suburbs to the cities or St.

3:23

Paul to be able to go to work.

3:24

Uh we also have our microtransit service, which has just been initiated, and that just started this year to be able to come to Prior Lake and Shockpee.

3:34

So we were excited to be able to bring that here.

3:36

And for those that have not leveraged the Connect so far, uh it's an app-based service, and it allows you to book on your phone up to three hours in advance, and it's only three dollars per ride.

3:48

So you can go anywhere within like the developed-out portions of Shockby and Prior Lake within that zone.

3:55

So it'll pick people up if they're in that from their home, right?

3:58

So it's a curb-to-curb service.

4:00

So it's really, really nice for people to get to work, for people to get to you know, appointments, um, or even just to go see family and friends.

4:08

So we're finding a lot of different purposes for that.

4:10

Uh we also provide local service.

4:12

So some of you may remember that last year we did a little bit of a reroute.

4:16

We were able to uh bring our Route 499 over to the Shockpi High School and allow students to access internships.

4:24

And that was um at that exact same time.

4:27

We also brought over that same route to the Southwest Intermediate School so that we were able to help individuals be able to get to some workforce training that was being put on by your amazing chamber here in Shockby.

4:38

So, like Jay said, we have a couple of bus garages, we have 14 park and rides and transit stations, and about 24 to 25 routes.

4:46

I say 24 to 25 because we do have a seasonal route, which is our four-fun route that's just begun.

4:52

Um the four-fun route allows you to get to a lot of different interesting destinations.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning And Land Use██████████████████████████26%
Transportation Safety████████████████████████24%
Public Engagement█████████████13%
Parks and Recreation███████████11%
Procedural██████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████████9%
Technology and Innovation█████5%
Community Engagement██2%
Summary of Proceedings

Shakopee City Council Regular Meeting - April 15, 2025

The Shakopee City Council met on Tuesday, April 15, 2025, at 7:00 PM at City Hall. Roll call was taken with all members present: Councilmembers Delaney, Whitney, Contreras, Lara, and Mayor Lehman. The agenda was modified by pulling item 6S (Social District) and updating the resolution for item 10C (Annexation). The consent agenda was approved en bloc, and the council heard a detailed presentation from the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA). General business items included updates on accreditation processes for public works and parks, preliminary and final plat approvals, and an annexation of Jackson Township properties. All actions were taken by unanimous voice votes. The meeting adjourned to May 6, 2025.

Consent Calendar

  • Awarded contract for 2025-2027 Emerald Ash Borer treatment project.
  • Proclaimed Arbor Day.
  • Awarded contracts for 2025 Bituminous Pavement Rehabilitation, SCADA expansion, pavement rejuvenation, native vegetation management, trail sealcoating, and cardio equipment lease.
  • Approved 2025 concession agreements.
  • Approved on-sale and Sunday liquor licenses for Boardwalk Kitchen & Bar (Trackside Hospitality LLC).
  • Approved special event permit and temporary liquor license for Shakopee Chamber & Visitors Bureau.
  • Approved city council minutes for April 1, 2025.
  • Approved joint powers agreement with SMSC and SPUC for utilities to serve the proposed Healing Center.
  • Accepted proposal from TKDA for L16 Dual Forcemain engineering.
  • Awarded contracts for Killarney Hills and West End Dog Park.
  • Approved agreement to participate in the 2025 Citizen-Assisted Monitoring Program.
  • Declared surplus IT and Fire Department property.
  • Approved change order for Jackson Commons and purchase of playground equipment from Kompan.
  • Approved Tahpah Field Baseball Improvements - Left Field Patio.

Special Presentation: Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) Update

Council liaison Councilmember Whitney, along with MVTA staff Joya Stetson and Luther, presented an update on MVTA services. Key points included:

  • Fleet and routes: 170 buses, 24–25 routes (including seasonal), 14 park-and-ride stations, and two garages.
  • Services: Express, local, microtransit (Connect), and event services. Connect service (microtransit) launched in Prior Lake and Shakopee in 2025, costing $3 per ride, app-based, with advance booking up to three hours.
  • Ridership: System-wide up 10.5% from 2023 to 2024. Express +10%, local -2% (due to 15% service reduction), Connect ridership up 44%. Average daily Connect rides peaked over 500; average wait time ~26 minutes.
  • Demographics: 16% of Connect riders use it for work; 47% would use Uber/Lyft without it; 1 in 5 have annual income under $15,000; 60% are women; 55% aged 35–54; 1 in 10 have a disability. Event services up 27% from 2023–2024.
  • Partnerships: Service to Canterbury Park, Valley Fair (including workforce), Shakopee High School internships (60% increase on Route 499), and Benedictine Senior Living training sessions.
  • Funding challenges: Shakopee is the least-funded member city due to an outdated investment formula; MVTA seeks legislative sales tax increase to expand service.
  • Future plans: All-day 490 service, new trolley-style buses for circulator, weekend Connect service, and securing land in Scott County for a mobility hub.

Public Comments & Testimony

During the annexation item (10C), two affected property owners addressed the council:

  • Paul Melcher, son of owners Tom and Sue Melcher of the 10-acre wooded parcel: Expressed appreciation for the city engineering solution to bore the sewer trunk line under the bluff to preserve the ecological character of the property. Their family hopes the land may eventually become part of the bluff land park system.
  • Frank Weber, owner of the adjacent small parcel: Raised concern that traffic may use the farm road after it is paved; city staff confirmed the road will have a dead-end/no-outlet sign and no connection to the new subdivision.

Discussion Items

  1. CAPRA and APWA Accreditation Update (Parks & Recreation and Public Works):

    • Parks Director Ms. McNutt and Kelsey presented the status of both accreditations. The city seeks to be the only Minnesota city to hold both CAPRA (Commission for Accreditation of Park and Recreation Agencies) and APWA (American Public Works Association) accreditations.
    • APWA: Covers 17 applicable chapters; self-evaluation nearly complete; peer review started; in-person APWA team visit expected within a year; mandatory review every four years.
    • CAPRA: 10 chapters with 154 standards; 36 fundamental standards must be met, and 90% of non-fundamental standards required for initial accreditation; re-accreditation every five years requires 95% compliance. Self-assessment report due by end of 2025; on-site visit and national hearing expected in fall 2026. Key development areas include recreation program standards, maintenance/operations standards, a comprehensive revenue policy, and a donated improvements policy.
    • Council praised staff for the initiative and noted the value of continuous improvement.

  2. Preliminary Plat of Richland Court (Mr. Kerske presented):

    • Applicant: Stonebrick Engineering for South Oak Realty Inc. (Matt Lajosis). Located north of County Highway 78 and east of Townline Avenue. Proposed eight single-family lots on 4.38 acres (2.23 net acres, density 3.5 units/acre), with two outlots for stormwater and wetland. Access from Townline Avenue is right-in/right-out only per Scott County requirements due to access spacing. Previous plan showed 10 lots; revised after planning commission. Zoning R1B, compliant with 2040 Comprehensive Plan.
    • Council approved Resolution R2025-003 unanimously.

  3. Annexation, Zoning, and MUSA Amendment of Jackson Township Properties:

    • Staff presented annexation of 11 parcels totaling ~61 acres north of CSAH 78, with potential mixed commercial/residential/open space. Included properties along Highway 169 (two Scott County parcels and one former Scott Carver Humane Society site) and properties in the orderly annexation area (Melcher, Weber, Brigaman). The city will extend MUSA to developable parcels, maintain current township tax levels for owner-occupied homes until sold, and bore sewer lines under the bluff to preserve forest.
    • Council approved three actions: Resolution R2025-035 (annexation), Resolution R2025-034 (Comprehensive Plan amendment to Figure 4.60 for MUSA), and Ordinance O2025-008 (zoning to Agricultural Preservation). All unanimous.

  4. Final Plat of Highview Park 4th Addition (Mr. Kerske presented):

    • 115 single-family homes, fourth phase of Highview Park south of CSAH 78, east of Zumbro Avenue, west of Marystown Road. Developer Four-Star USA/D.R. Horton. Compliant with R1B zoning. Park dedication fees directed to Jackson Commons Park. Access via Zumbro Avenue; no connection to Marystown Road. Council unanimously approved Resolution R2025-005.

  5. Final Plat of Highview Park 5th Addition:

    • 73 single-family homes (fifth phase) across Zumbro Avenue, with additional future phases in outlots. Access planned with subsequent development to the south. Council approved Resolution R2025-036 unanimously.

Key Outcomes

  • Agenda and Consent Calendar: Approved unanimously.
  • Richland Court Preliminary Plat: Approved (Resolution R2025-003) unanimously.
  • Jackson Township Annexation, MUSA Amendment, Zoning: Three approvals (Resolutions R2025-035 and R2025-034, Ordinance O2025-008) all unanimous.
  • Highview Park 4th and 5th Additions: Final plats approved (Resolutions R2025-005 and R2025-036) unanimously.
  • Accreditations: Council received updates; no action required.
  • MVTA Update: Received; council expressed support for legislative funding efforts.
  • Reports and Adjournment: Council heard liaison reports (SPUC, transit, county). City cleanup day announced for April 26. The meeting adjourned to May 6, 2025 at 7:00 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, we'll call a Shackfi City Council meeting for April 15th, 2025 to order. If you could please take the role. Councilmember Delaney. Here. Councilmember Whitney. Here. Councilmember Contreras. Here. Councilmember Lara. And Mayor Lehman. Here. Thank you, sir. Item number two, item number three, actually. If you want to stand and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance. Underground Individual with limited systems. Or is a special presentation on the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority MVTA update. Counselor Whiting is our council appointed liaison to MVTA. He's going to be uh joining in on a tag team slideshow presentation with information about MVTA. Yes, sir. They may be joined by Mr. Lutheran. Yeah, Lutheran White shorting us. Luther Whitney. All right, we got our slideshow. I'm just jumping into this slideshow, so thank you for uh thank you for having us tonight. As you well know, we're members of the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority. Uh our next slide is going to introduce uh Luther and uh Luther will be joining us. He's a little late. There was some uh traffic issues, so um he did not take the bus. I was about to say you should have taken the bus. You should have we have um VTA Connect uh that could have taken them right here. But um here's a good snapshot if you want to take a look at this slide. Uh it kind of details the what MVTA is all about. I'm gonna pull this closer. Uh so we have 170 buses, 24 routes, 14 P and Ride Station Park and Ride stations, thank you. Uh and two garages. Uh Joy, you want to fill in a little more detail. And my name is Joya Stetson. I am the community and economic development director at MVTA. So my job is really about being able to work with your team, work with Michael, work really closely with him and Kyle to understand what's happening in our communities so that we can be more proactive with the services that we're providing to you. So uh I'm grateful that you guys are such a a good partner for us, and I have such a fun job to be able to go out and do all of the exciting pieces of this work. Um so, like Jay said, we provide a few different types of services. So we have express services which allow people to get you know to and from suburbs to the cities or St. Paul to be able to go to work. Uh we also have our microtransit service, which has just been initiated, and that just started this year to be able to come to Prior Lake and Shockpee. So we were excited to be able to bring that here. And for those that have not leveraged the Connect so far, uh it's an app-based service, and it allows you to book on your phone up to three hours in advance, and it's only three dollars per ride. So you can go anywhere within like the developed-out portions of Shockby and Prior Lake within that zone. So it'll pick people up if they're in that from their home, right? So it's a curb-to-curb service.

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