Waconia City Council Regular Meeting – February 2, 2026

Mayor Tim Litfin called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. on Monday, February 2, 2026. All council members were present: Nick Gleason, Jeff Grengs, Jacob Coleman, and Derek Siddons. Damian Gangestad, a fifth grader from Southview Elementary, led the Pledge of Allegiance. There were no proclamations or public hearings. The council approved the agenda, heard public testimony about preserving trees along 2nd Street, selected a six-foot sidewalk option for the 2026 Downtown Phase 4 project, contracted with Polco for the city’s first community survey, and approved two capital equipment purchases while deferring a Toolcat purchase. The regular meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.

Consent Calendar

• The council adopted the consent agenda (motion by Grengs, second by Siddons) after removing Consent Item 8.4, the 2026 Capital Equipment Purchases, for separate discussion. Approvals included the January 20, 2026 meeting minutes, February 2, 2026 expenditures, Resolution No. 2026-039 (2026 street lighting equipment bids and purchase), Resolution No. 2026-041 (Carver County Public Services Solid Waste Reduction & Recycling Grant proceeds), and Resolution No. 2026-042 (Lakeside Books trunk fee deferral payment plan).

Public Comments & Testimony

• Deacon Bruce Richards, Head of School at St. Joseph Catholic School, spoke on behalf of the school and asked the council to preserve trees planted when the school was built in 2002, citing shade and science/nature education benefits. He provided 14 letters from fifth-grade students requesting tree preservation.
• Bryan Larson (1510 Spinnaker Road) opposed widening the six-foot sidewalk to eight feet, saying the existing sidewalk has served students and pedestrians safely for about 30 years and that removing mature trees would sacrifice environmental, pedestrian-comfort, stormwater, and traffic-calming benefits for decades.
• Janice Matlon (1543 Serenity Lane), a St. Joseph’s science teacher, opposed the wider sidewalk and tree-removal proposal, saying she regularly uses the trees in earth science instruction and does not believe the existing sidewalk width is a problem.

Discussion Items

• 2nd Street / 2026 Downtown Phase 4: Public Service Director Jon Haukaas reported that tree removals had been removed from the project scope on the south and west sides of St. Joseph School property, with an effort to protect trees to the extent possible during construction. The current sidewalk is about 6 feet wide and the street about 40 feet wide. Staff presented three options: A) 40-foot street with 8-foot sidewalk; B) 38-foot street with 8-foot sidewalk; and C) 40-foot street with 6-foot sidewalk. Council Members Grengs, Coleman, Siddons, and Gleason all favored Option C. Grengs and Coleman said student drop-off and pick-up is working with a six-foot sidewalk and they did not want to narrow the street; Siddons said narrowing the street could create a safety issue; Gleason cited public comments. The mayor thanked residents and staff. The council adopted Resolution No. 2026-043 approving Option C, a 40-foot street with a 6-foot sidewalk, maintaining about 6.5 feet from the sidewalk edge to the nearest tree. (The agenda and minutes identify the resolution as 2026-043; the raw transcript at one point refers to it as 2026-042.)
• 2026 Community Survey: Assistant City Administrator Jackie Schulze presented two proposals. Polco proposed mailing postcards to a random sample of 2,500 households with a survey link, followed by a paper survey after two weeks; it uses the National Community Survey with about 135 questions across 12 categories plus 14 demographic questions, at a base cost of $20,000 plus $2,000 for a half-page of custom questions. Morris Leatherman proposed a telephone survey of 400 randomly selected households, with 60 questions for about $20,000, additional questions at $200 each, and typical total costs of $26,000–$34,000. Council discussion favored Polco: Grengs supported mailed surveys over random phone calls; Coleman supported the larger 2,500-household sample; Gleason supported including custom questions; Siddons valued access to peer-city comparison data. Mayor Litfin noted the city has never conducted a formal community survey and funding is in the 2026 budget. The council adopted Resolution No. 2026-044 authorizing a contract with Polco.
• Capital Equipment Purchases (Removed from Consent): Assistant Public Services staff member Mike Dressel described the proposed equipment. The council agreed to defer the first item, a Toolcat multi-use loader with snowblower, snowplow, and broom attachments, until further budget conversations; staff said there is no immediate issue with the current equipment and lead time would be about two months. The council then approved the other two items: a 2026 Toro Z-Master 6000 72-inch mower with bagger, striping kit, and Tweel tires, and a 2026 60-inch AERA-vator with seed box. Staff compared mower pricing through Minnesota State Cooperative Purchasing and Sourcewell; the city expects an $18,000 trade-in for the current mower and plans to auction the existing mower once the new one arrives. Staff noted the 2026 capital improvement plan identified $10,000 for a turf aerator; the approved AERA-vator cost is $15,268.93, and staff solicited quotes from two vendors because it is not on state or Sourcewell contracts. The mower cost is recorded inconsistently in the minutes as $23,578.02 in the staff presentation and $23,785.02 in the resolution language; the amended Resolution No. 2026-040 was approved.

Board Reports & Announcements

• Council members Siddons, Coleman, Gleason, and Grengs had nothing to report. Staff had no formal report.
• Mayor Litfin reported on recent activities: a January 21 walking tour of the Downtown Phase 4 area with engineer Jake Saulsbury; meetings with the school superintendent and principals, the Waconia Chamber of Commerce, and the High School Mayor Advisory Council; attendance at the Goodwill ribbon cutting with over 200 people; a January 28 tour around Old City Hall; taping a Mayor’s Minute at EggCetra Café, which is celebrating 22 years in business; reading to kindergartners; a Polar Plunge Committee meeting with more than 400 registered plungers; and attendance at a St. Joseph’s School gala. He invited residents to the next Mayor’s In session on Wednesday, February 4, at 7:30 a.m. at City Hall.
• City Administrator Shane Fineran announced the next regular City Council meeting had been rescheduled to Thursday, February 19, 2026, at 6:00 p.m., with a work session at 5:00 p.m. He thanked city staff for holiday lighting work and recognized Paul Melchert for securing donations from the Waconia Lions, the Waconia Legion, and the Waconia Fire Relief Association for maintenance of the holiday lighting system. The posted agenda also listed a work session on hotel development and mayor’s budget recommendations.

Key Outcomes

• Adopted the meeting agenda and the consent calendar as described, after removing Item 8.4.
• Adopted Resolution No. 2026-043 (Option C) for the 2nd Street layout in the 2026 Downtown Phase 4 Project; motion by Grengs, second by Coleman, passed 5–0.
• Adopted Resolution No. 2026-044 authorizing the contract with Polco for the 2026 Community Survey; motion by Gleason, second by Siddons, passed 5–0. Staff will refine custom survey questions by the end of February, with a planned kickoff at the Chamber Community Expo on April 10, 2026.
• Adopted amended Resolution No. 2026-040 authorizing acquisition of the 2026 Toro Z-Master 6000 72-inch mower and the 2026 60-inch AERA-vator, while deferring the Toolcat purchase; motion by Coleman, second by Siddons, carried.
• Adjourned at 6:45 p.m. by motion of Coleman, seconded by Siddons.