HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.03.24 Council MinutesCity of Farmington
Regular Council Meeting Minutes
Monday, June 3, 2024
The City Council met in regular session on Monday, June 3, 2024, at Farmington City Hall,
430 3rd Street, Farmington, Minnesota.
1. CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Hoyt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Hoyt led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3. ROLL CALL
Members Present: Mayor Joshua Hoyt
Councilmembers Holly Bernatz, Nick Lien, and Steve Wilson
Members Absent: None
Staff Present: Lynn Gorski, City Administrator
Julie Flaten, Asst City Administrator/HR Director
Leah Koch, City Attorney
Deanna Kuennen, Community & Economic Development Director
Matt Price, Interim Fire Chief
Matt Brown, Fire Marshal
Kellee Omlid, Parks & Recreation Director
John Powell, Public Works Director
Shirley Buecksler, City Clerk
4. APPROVE AGENDA
Administrator Gorski requested to:
Add Item 12.1, Resolution 2024-50 Revising Precinct Boundary, Re -
Establishing Existing Precinct Boundaries, and Establishing Polling Locations
Remove Item 7.13, Amendment to the Criminal Justice Network Joint Powers
Agreement
Motion was made by Councilmember Bernatz and seconded by Councilmember
Wilson to add Item 12.1, remove Item 7.13, and approve the agenda, as amended.
Motion carried: 4 ayes / 0 nays
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2024 Page I of 7
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS / COMMENDATIONS
5.1 Appointment of Katie Bernhjelm as City Councilmember and Oath of Office
Motion was made by Councilmember Wilson and seconded by Councilmember
Lien to appoint Katie Bernhjelm as City Councilmember to fill the vacancy for the
remainder of the term, beginning June 3, 2024 and ending December 31, 2024.
Motion carried: 4 ayes / 0 nays
The City Clerk provided the Oath for Councilmember Bernhjelm, after which she
took her seat at the Council dais.
5.2 Swearing in Fire Chief and Fire Marshal
Administrator Gorski presented for Council, Matt Price as the new Fire Chief for
Farmington Fire -Rescue Department. The City Clerk provided the Oath of Office
for Fire Chief Price, and he was pinned by his girlfriend, Nikki Sickmann.
Fire Chief Price presented for Council, Matt Brown as the new Fire Marshal for
Farmington Fire -Rescue Department. The City Clerk provided the Oath of Office
for Fire Marshal Brown, and he was pinned by his wife, Kimberly Brown.
6. CITIZENS COMMENTS / RESPONSES TO COMMENTS
No comments
7. CONSENT AGENDA
7.1 2025 Proposed Apple Valley/Lakeville/Farmington Ambulance Budget (A.L.F.)
7.2 Minutes of the May 20, 2024 Regular City Council Meeting
7.3 Minutes of the May 20, 2024 Special Work Session
7.4 Municipal Advisory Service Agreement with Northland Securities
7.5 Payment of Claim
7.6 Staff Changes and Recommendations:
• Kennedy Meier, Seasonal Skating Instructor
7.7 Agreements with AV for You for Outdoor Movie Services
7.8 Resolution 2024-47 Accepting a Donation of $2,000 from Marlene Swantek to
the Rambling River Center
7.9 Resolution 2024-46 Accepting a Donation of $500 from Nancy Bohn to the
Rambling River Center
7.10 Resolution 2024-44 Accepting Donations to the Rambling River Center, in the
Amount of $500 from the Farmington VFW and $745 from the Veteran's Steak
Fry Committee
7.11 No Child Left Inside Grant Contract Agreement with State of Minnesota
7.12 Temporary Access Easement Agreement with Vermillion River Watershed Joint
Powers Organization
7.13 Amendment to the Criminal Justice Network Joint Powers Agreement — Item
Pulled
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2024 Page 2 of 7
Motion was made by Councilmember Wilson and seconded by Councilmember
Bernhjelm to approve the Consent Agenda, as presented.
Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays
8. PUBLIC HEARINGS
8.1 Public Hearing — Resolution 2024-45 Approving the Tax Abatement and
Authorizing the Issuance of Tax Abatement Bonds
Mayor Hoyt opened the public hearing at 7:24 p.m.
Seeing no one from the public wishing to speak, Mayor Hoyt closed the public
hearing at 7:24 p.m.
Motion was made by Councilmember Bernatz and seconded by Councilmember
Bernhjelm to adopt Resolution 2024-45 Relating to a Tax Abatement; Granting
the Abatement and Authorizing the Issuance of General Obligation Bonds
Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays
8.2 Public Hearing — Resolution 2024-48 Approving the Five -Year Street
Reconstruction Plan and Authorizing the Issuance of General Obligation Bonds
Mayor Hoyt opened the public hearing at 7:25 p.m.
Seeing no one from the public wishing to speak, Mayor Hoyt closed the public
hearing at 7:36 p.m.
Motion was made by Councilmember Bernhjelm and seconded by
Councilmember Wilson to adopt Resolution 2024-48 Approving the Adoption of
the City's Five -Year Street Reconstruction Plan and Authorizing the Issuance of
General Obligation Street Reconstruction Bonds.
Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays
9. AWARD OF CONTRACT
None
10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
None
11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
None
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2024 Page 3 of 7
12. NEW BUSINESS
12.1 Resolution 2024-50 Revising Precinct Boundary, Re -Establishing Existing
Precinct Boundaries, and Establishing Polling Locations
Clerk Buecksler presented Resolution 2024-30 Revising Precinct Boundary,
Re -Establishing Existing Precinct Boundaries, and Establishing Polling Locations.
Due to the recent annexation of two parcels into Farmington Precinct 2, per
Minnesota Statute 20413.14, subdivision 4, any change of election precinct must
be adopted at least 10 weeks before the date of the next election.
Motion was made by Councilmember Bernatz and seconded by Councilmember
Wilson to adopt Resolution 2024-30 Revising Precinct Boundary, Re -Establishing
Existing Precinct Boundaries, and Establishing Polling Locations.
Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays
Councilmember Bernatz:
A great night for our new Fire Chief and Fire Marshal, and I am excited to work with
you, Katie. Thank you so much because I know once you've stepped away, the call
to step back takes a lot of internal conversation and a lot of family finagling and it
takes a village. So to your whole family, the gift that you're giving us to step in and
serve in this capacity, we are very grateful.
Councilmember Bernhjelm:
Happy to be back. I will echo in thanking my husband, especially, for allowing me
to do this for the next seven months. It does take time commitment on his part to
commit to children when I'm here, so I appreciate that. I'm thrilled to be back, and
a little bit feels like I never left in some ways and trying to pick up where I left off,
but happy to serve.
Councilmember Wilson:
Correction that Katie's term is seven months, not nine. Welcome back, Katie.
Congratulations to our high school seniors and also thank you to the school district
who, with the not so favorable weather, did a really nice job for graduation.
Congratulations to our new Fire Chief and our new Fire Marshal.
Thank you to our Veterans, all the Veteran leaders, and Beyond the Yellow Ribbon
for the two really nice programs that we had over Memorial Day weekend. I also
want to thank the band and all the residents who showed up to make that portion
of the weekend important, as it should be.
Thank you to the residents who came to our Work Session tonight. We do have
another Work Session tomorrow at 4 pm. I would encourage anyone who wants to
learn a little bit more about some of the possible changes and activity that are going
on in Farmington.
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2024 Page 4 of 7
Administrator Gorski:
The Joint Work Session with the City Council and Planning Commission will be
tomorrow at 4 pm.
Welcome back, Katie. You already picked up where you left off and we appreciate
you being here.
Congratulations to Fire Marshal Matt Brown and Fire Chief Matt Price, and we are
so thankful for the Fire Department family that showed up. The room was packed,
and we appreciate that. Thank you.
Clerk Buecksler:
Welcome, Katie, thank you for being here.
Director Flaten:
Welcome, Katie.
Director Kuennen:
Welcome, Katie. And congratulations to our Fire Chief and our Fire Marshal.
One of the things that we do is we work really hard to find ways that we can support
our existing businesses, as well as try to attract new businesses to the community.
You'll probably hear me mention this at every meeting leading up to it, but with the
EDA's blessing, we will be holding a Small Business Resource Fair on July 16tn
We will be working on getting the word out to all of our businesses in town. The
point of this resource fair is to make sure that these community assets, these small
businesses that call Farmington home know that we are here to support them and
know that we have partners, resources, and a lot of people dedicated to making
sure they have what they need to allow them to stay and grow here in our
community because they are very important to us. So we will be having that on July
16tn, there will be information provided on our website, and we will be trying to
contact all of the small businesses. So please spread the word that it will be here
at City Hall in the morning. I'll bring this up every opportunity I can to get the word
out. We want our small businesses to know that we are here working for them, as
well.
Director Powell:
Welcome to you, Katie. And congratulations to Chief Price and Fire Marshal Brown.
I really look forward to working with both of them.
We received the Jetter last Thursday and, from a Public Works standpoint, we're
very excited about that. It's basically a big shop vac with a water tank attached but
costs much more. I've already had feedback that, with the new technology and the
way the equipment is laid out, we are going to save time with our jetting, just based
on the ease of equipment, going from joysticks to push buttons, and the crew really
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2024 Page 5 of 7
likes it. It's going to be a big help to us, and it's a key piece of sewer maintenance.
Thank you, again, for supporting that.
Director Omlid:
Welcome back, Katie. I look forward to working with you. Congratulations to Fire
Chief Price and Fire Marshal Brown.
Thank you to a couple Rambling River Center members who made generous
donations to the Rambling River Center, Marlene Swantek and Nancy Bohn. Thank
you so much for your ongoing support of the Rambling River Center.
Summer programs start in two weeks. The Dew Run is three weeks away and it is
not too late to register. Sign up online at farmingtommn.gov and we'll see you this
summer.
Chief Rutherford:
One more time, Katie, welcome back. Also congratulations to Chief Price and Fire
Marshal Brown. I think the Fire Department is on really solid footing moving forward
with those two.
And vote Chief Rutherford with your coins and bills for Kiss the Pig.
Mayor Hoyt:
As the last one — welcome back, Katie. I understand both sides of how the whole
thing happened. Residents always want an answer to everything, and sometimes
there's a play on the field that has to be called and you reached out and asked if
we would consider and we said yes. And how quickly you're going to be able to just
get right in. Knowing how you operate, you have gotten back in and got yourself up
to speed and I just have to say, you're going to really enjoy serving the next seven
months. Welcome back. The community is better with five voices than it is with four,
and there's a lot of work to do. Thank you very much for raising your hand.
Congratulations to Fire Chief Matt Price and Fire Marshal Matt Brown. This is
significant for our Department to have Matt's leadership, to have a plan moving
forward, and to have the Team behind him and what that ultimately means to our
residents and the ability for the Department to serve at the highest possible level.
This is a great day for the Fire Department.
It's that time of the year where we're sprinting. We were just talking about having to
salt and plow again and now it's graduation. We're going to sprint to Dew Days, and
it'll be the Fourth of July. Next thing you know the County Fair is going to be on us
and we'll be talking about Labor Day and back to school. It's going to happen fast.
With that, follow the social pages, check the calendar, and stay on top of all the
community events because we try to get as much of them out there as possible
because there are so many things happening in the community that aren't always
on the City's publications. Just get involved with the community, whether it's
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2024 Page 6 of 7
volunteering or being a patron for the events. Support Farmington in every possible
way you can because that's what makes it the greatest community to live in.
IIIADJOURNMENT
Motion was made by Councilmember Bernhjelm and seconded by Councilmember
Lien to adjourn the meeting at 7:49 pm.
Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays
F�Tspectfully submitted,
h' ley u c sler
ity Cler
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 3, 2024 Page 7 of 7