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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.03.25 Council Minutes City of Farmington Regular Council Meeting Minutes Monday, November 3, 2025 The City Council met in regular session on Monday, November 3, 2025, at Farmington City Hall, 430 Third Street, Farmington, Minnesota. 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hoyt called the meeting to order at 7 pm. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Hoyt led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present: Mayor Joshua Hoyt Councilmembers Holly Bernatz, Jake Cordes, Nick Lien, and Steve Wilson Members Absent: None Staff Present: Lynn Gorski, City Administrator Amy Schmidt, City Attorney 4. APPROVE AGENDA Motion was made by Councilmember Bernatz and seconded by Councilmember Wilson to approve the agenda, as presented. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS / COMMENDATIONS 6. CITIZENS COMMENTS / RESPONSES TO COMMENTS • Nate Ryan, 22390 Cambrian Way, Farmington • Deb Johnson, 20349 Enright Way, Farmington 7. CONSENT AGENDA 7.1 Non-Waiver of Statutory Tort Liability Limits 7.2 Deputy Public Works Director Job Description, Wage, and Authorization to Hire 7.3 Donation from Happy Harry's Furniture to the Rambling River Center 7.4 Engagement of LB Carlson for 2025 Financial Audit 7.5 Gambling Exempt Permit Application from Farmington Volleyball Club, Event Dates January 9, 16, 23, and 30, 2026 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of November 3,2025 Page 1 of 6 7.6 Payment of Claims 7.7 Professional Services Agreement with WSB for Geotechnical Investigation 7.8 Rental Order and Rental Order Terms and Conditions with Satellite Shelters, Inc. 7.9 Flagstaff Avenue Mill & Overlay - Final Payment and Change Order 1 7.10 Resolution 2025-074 Requesting a Hearing by the Metropolitan Council's Land Use Advisory Committee to Consider an Amendment to the 2025 System Statement 7.11 Staff Approvals and Recommendations: • Appointment of Ryan Roszak to Seasonal Arena Supervisor Motion was made by Councilmember Lien and seconded by Councilmember Cordes to approve the Consent Agenda, as presented. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT IO.PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS 11.UNFINISHED BUSINESS 12.NEW BUSINESS 13.CITY COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Attorney Schmidt offered her condolences to the Police Department and the Police Department family, to all Farmington Staff and City Council. Most importantly, I offer my condolences to Officer Pete's wife and children, all of the people who know him and love him. He made a big difference and touched a lot of lives in very important ways. My heart hurts for everybody who will feel his loss for some time to come. Councilmember Lien said what he saw on Saturday night and over the course of the last few days, it shows what he meant to those of you who knew him well. The impact was tremendous. When the Burnsville incident happened a few years ago, I didn't know what to say then, either. Like all times in my life when I feel lost, I go and find my Paster and ask, "What do you say in situations like this? Because, clearly, he has talked in this kind of discomfort more than me to groups of people and tried to comfort groups. And I said, "Well, how do you help a whole group of people?" And he said, "Sometimes you don't. Some days are just dark, and you let it be dark." And that stuck with me and that's why I seem to have repeated it then and I repeat it now. To those of you who Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of November 3, 2025 Page 2 of 6 knew him well, it's okay to let the dark days be dark. There is no amount of time to move out of the dark day. And his legacy and impact continues through all of you who did know him well, and when the time comes for that next step, you are uniquely positioned to show people like me who didn't know him well, what he brought into the world. I've heard a lot of those stories in the last few days now. Those of you who are like me and want to show that you do care and are sitting on the sideline like me, I am an introvert. I can't say I'm the best at hugs or finding the right words or not making awkward or uncomfortable jokes in situations like this, but two things I know. First, when someone shows up to a vigil or a wake or a funeral, regardless of what they say, they don't do it with bad intent. They do it because they care. And showing each other grace in these situations that, if someone makes a faux pas or says something stupid, they had the right intent. The second one is similar. I like this quote, "Empathy doesn't have to look like what others do. People can feel your care, even if you express it quietly or subtly orjust by listening, as long as it's genuine." So, I will do my best to be genuine through all of this. Councilmember Bernatz said tonight's roundtable is going to go in two very different directions so that I can speak first about the levy vote for tomorrow. From the position that I'm in, it's not appropriate nor is it my job to tell anyone how to vote. What I want people to consider is that when they're voting on a local school levy, it is worth pausing for a second to realize who is actually impacted by the choice that you make. If your choice to vote no is because the District has shown that it mishandles funds or you sincerely think that less funding is the right direction for future generations, it is your right and it is a reasonable reason to vote no. However, for residents voting no because you're frustrated by City Council or because County taxes are too high, I would encourage you that this levy vote affects the School District, not those entities. They are separate. Voting no because you're not happy with the State Legislature assumes that one district's vote will shift statewide policy. And in reality, it's unlikely to do that at two. Voting no because your collective tax impact is higher than you'd prefer directly affects students, as funding for programs, staff, and services depends on local support. City leaders are held accountable at City elections. County leaders are held accountable at County elections. And State Legislatures are held accountable at State elections. What you don't do, in my opinion, is punish one entity because you're displeased with another. On any given year in Minnesota, 40- 60% of levies will either pass or fail. And it's my experience that the Legislature typically responds only when there's a broad coordinated advocacy at a State level, not a single district's result. At it's heart, this is a vote about Farmington's kids. To support your children is to support our children, whether that means voting yes or voting no is up to you and your conscience. But if you are displeased, or upset, or angry at a different level of elected official, I really want you to pause for a second and make sure you understand how your choice affects them, our kids, Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of November 3,2025 Page 3 of 6 and how that's separating your frustrations between the two, three, or four different levels that exist. This is a vote for our kids, not a vote against City Council, County, or State. All of those things happen at different points. That's just my encouragement as you're making decisions coming into tomorrow. I knew Pete probably a little bit better than some and definitely not as well as others. I was asked at the vigil if I had any great Pete dirty jokes, but I didn't know Pete that well and didn't get his dirty jokes. I got a little bit of BS'ing around anytime I'd walk into the schools, and when I heard the news of his passing, the first thing that popped into my head, for some reason, is his eyes. He had such kind eyes. And I have learned in the week that has passed that his kindness didn't start or stop with his eyes. It was in every interaction that he had at every level with any person that crossed his path. And, so, I am desperately sad for his family, for his friends, for the people that were much closer to him than I was, because I can understand that if my loss feels this strong, theirs is even stronger. So, my condolences are extended to all of the people that knew Pete so much better than I did, and I'm sorry. I'm sorry for your loss. I'm sorry for all of our loss. Like his colleagues, Councilmember Cordes said he wants to talk about Pete Zajac tonight. In the Jewish mourning tradition, there is a saying, "May his or her memory be a blessing," and it's a reminder that those who are gone will always live on in our memories. But it's also a call to action. To strive to live in a way to honor those who have passed. Last week, Farmington High School aired a memorial segment on their Tiger News broadcast. It was a clip of an interview with Officer Zajac giving advice to students. In it (and I'm paraphrasing) he said, "Be good to people. Learn as much as you can, be open to change, listen, have an open mind, and just be good to people." And I think the best way we can honor Officer Zajac's memory is just to live these out in our daily lives. To anyone in public safety, anyone listening at home, please ask for help if you need it. It's not a sign of weakness to ask for help, but a sign of strength. To Pete, I'm going to miss seeing you at the coffee shop, seeing you at Farmington football games, talking about our kids, and reminding you that you were the only Police Officer to stop me for speeding and give me a ticket. To Pete's family, his friends, his brothers and sisters wearing the badge, students he worked with, the staff he worked with, and anyone who had the privilege of knowing him, I hope his memory may be a blessing to you. Councilmember Wilson said, in the years that I have had the privilege of serving the City, I don't think I can ever think of a time period where we've needed the community more than we do right now. And the community as a whole is hurting from three tragedies over the past two weeks. The vigil on Saturday was important for the community. There was a group of about three or four high students, and one of our speakers kind of alluded a little bit to the closeness of some of the high school students and middle school kids. They were crying and Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of November 3, 2025 Page 4 of 6 I asked, "Tell me about your memory of Pete. Because, to be honest with you, I have a general sense of what our SRO does, but I don't really have a flavor of what their day-to-day looks like." I was talking with these students and one of them said, "I just talked to Pete Tuesday morning and he helped me with something I was going through and he shared a laugh with me. He was a guy that gave me a fist bump every day I walked into school." This is such a repeated type of comment but, oftentimes, you learn the most about someone through others. I learned a lot about Pete during that candlelight vigil. Talking with Kim from FES and talking with others, but those four girls really stood out to me because they really shared what it was like to have Pete right there when they walked into school. He was kind of the rock, "There's Pete!"- he was there for a laugh, there for a goofy look. And that's a memory I will take with me. I just ask anyone listening to pray for our community. We're hurting. As Jake said, it's absolutely okay to say you're not okay. I know it gets repeated. It's okay to ask for a hug. Weakness is definitely a strength. We will persevere but, right now, we've got a big hole in our heart. So, I am praying for his family, our Police family, our neighboring jurisdictions who, without thinking twice, came to serve us and help us. We love all you guys and just pray for all of us. City Administrator Gorski said I don't have the right words tonight, but Pete touched so many lives, and it's just amazing to hear all the great things that he did. The high school. The City. It wasn't just the School District he worked with. He came down to City Hall all the time. Everybody knew him down here - he popped in all the time, joked around, got to learn about his family. I think we're just all in shock still. Like I said, I don't have the right words but, with that, I just want to let people know that City Hall will be closed in honor of Pete and to allow Staff to attend the services. So, City Hall will be closed on Thursday, November 6th, starting at Noon. His visitation will be November 6th from 3-8 pm at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Hastings, and the funeral service will be on Friday, November 7th, at 10 am. City Hall will be closed on Friday, as well. It will be live streamed for people to view online. Mayor Hoyt said he had intended to try and keep it light. Just personally, as a suicide loss survivor, this hits especially close to home and, taking nothing away from the other loss in our community over the last couple weeks, this one hits extremely close. The relationship we have with our First Responders, specifically our Police Department, personal relationship with Pete, the work that we've done, specifically through the school, Toys for Town, the occasional cigars in passing and the mostly inappropriate jokes when we see each other. I was 19 when I lost my Dad. And one of the first things I thought about when I was notified of Pete's passing was the kids. His kids and our kids in the District, and how it took me the better part of a decade to put myself back together, and I was 19. 1 can't even imagine what all of our kiddos and, specifically, Pete and Laura's are going to go through in the weeks and months and years to come. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of November 3,2025 Page 5 of 6 Yes, our hearts will be with them. Yes, we will be there. Yes, we will do all of the things necessary. But I would be remiss if I also didn't say that it takes a loss for us to collectively grasp the impact of not only the job that our First Responders do and the weight that they carry every single day, but also the importance of mental health, mental health awareness, suicide awareness, across society. And in all of the opportunities I have had to speak with groups over the last two and a half decades, from kids as young as ten, to teenagers, to high schoolers, to young adults, to all ages. I'm completely miffed at how we continue to have a reluctance to have the real conversations, and we do have to normalize mental health. We do have to have the hard conversations. We have to have them openly. We have to have them in public as necessary, and we have to have them without reservation. Because I'm always going to get one of two phone calls. I'm either going to get the phone call that you're struggling, or I'm going to get the phone call that happens after the fact. I'm always going to get a phone call. And I will always choose the first one in every scenario. And I beg of you, everyone, to what degree you're struggling, whether you have a big circle or you have a small circle, whether you're working with someone professionally or not, we all go through stuff. And the stuff gets heavy, and it gets deep, and it gets dark. And those in proximity to those that are dealing with struggles, sometimes it's not the words, sometimes it's not waiting for the phone call, sometimes you just have to go to that person. When something is off, as insignificant as it may seem at the time, just go. Be a disruptor. When there's silence, when you haven't talked to someone, something doesn't seem right, just go. Because the alternative is not what anybody wants. And I can't say that loud enough and I can't say that often enough. Please help anyone and everyone you can. When you see them struggling in their times of need, please just go. Please. 14.ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Councilmember Cordes and seconded by Councilmember Lien to adjourn the meeting at 7:39 pm. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays R pectfully submitted, otaeyWsller City Clerk Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of November 3,2025 Page 6 of 6