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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01.05.26 Council MinutesCity of Farmington Regular Council Meeting Minutes Monday, January 5, 2026 The City Council met in regular session on Monday, January 5, 2026, 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 David Chanski, Assistant City Administrator Amy Schmidt, City Attorney Deanna Kuennen, Community & Economic Development Director Matt Price, Fire Chief Kellee Omlid, Parks & Recreation Director Nate Siem, Police Chief John Powell, Public Works Director McKenna Anderson, Water Resources Specialist Shirley Buecksler, City Clerk 4. APPROVE AGENDA Motion was made by Councilmember Cordes and seconded by Councilmember Wilson to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of January 5,2026 Page 1 of 8 5.ANNOUNCEMENTS/ COMMENDATIONS 5.1 Dakota County Update from District 1 County Commissioner Mike Slavik Commissioner Slavik provided an update on the year in review and upcoming happenings in Dakota County. 5.2 Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4} Annual Review Water Resources Specialist Anderson presented the Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4} Annual Review, along with a brief update on Storm Water Maintenance activities and answered questions for Council. 5.3 Presentation of Police Department -Citizen Letter of Appreciation Police Chief Siem recognized Dakota 911 Dispatcher Tiffany Gleason for her outstanding professionalism, calm direction, and life-saving assistance during a cardiac arrest emergency, and citizen Jodi Whipple for her courage, composure, and decisive actions in performing CPR that directly contributed to her husband's survival. Although they were not present, both individuals will be presented with Citizen Letters of Appreciation in gratitude for their extraordinary efforts and service to the community. 6.CITIZENS COMMENTS / RESPONSES TO COMMENTS The following citizen(s) addressed the Council: •Steven En dress, Farmington •Cathy Johnson, Castle Rock Township 7.CONSENT AGENDA 7.1 2026 City Calendar of Meetings and Important Dates 7.2 Annual Attendance Report for Boards and Commissions 7.3 City Council By-Laws 7.4 Designation of the City's Official Newspaper for 2026 7.5 Minutes of the December 15, 2024 Special Council Work Session 7.6 Minutes of the December 15, 2025 Regular City Council Meeting 7.7 Resolution Designating Data Practices Responsible Authority 7.8 FY2026 Community Development Block Grant Funds Application 7.9 Depository Designation and Investment Accounts Authorized 7.10 Payment of Claims 7.11 Out-of-State Travel to Attend the International Association of Fire Chiefs Wildland Urban Interface Conference 7.12 Staff Approvals & Recommendations: • Appointment of Marco Iracheta as Patrol Officer 7.13 Donation from Carol Sprute to the Rambling River Center Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of January 5, 2026 Page 2 of 8 7.14 Donation from David McKnight to the Rambling River Center 7.15 Donation from Finch & Daisy Consulting to the Rambling River Center 7.16 Donation from Gary Smith to the Rambling River Center 7.17 Donation of a Recliner from Merry Briner to the Rambling River Center 7.18 Final Acceptance of Public Streets and Utilities and Release of Securities for Meadowview Preserve 7.19 Final Acceptance of Public Utilities and Release of Securities for Dakota Meadows Preserve 1 st Addition 7.20 Final Acceptance of Public Streets and Utilities and Release of Securities for Vermillion Commons 7.21 Professional Services Agreement with WSB LLC for the Industrial Park Drainage Ditch Construction Services 7.22 Receive Bids and Award a Contract for the Industrial Park Drainage Ditch Project 7.23 Right of Entry Agreements for the Industrial Park Drainage Ditch Project 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 10.PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS 11.UNFINISHED BUSINESS 12.NEW BUSINESS 12.1 Designation of Acting Mayor for 2026 Motion was made by Councilmember Wilson and seconded by Councilmember Bernatz to approve the appointment of Councilmember Nick Lien as Acting Mayor for 2026. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays 12.2 Resolution Approving Council Committee Appointments for 2026 Motion was made by Councilmember Cordes and seconded by Councilmember Bernatz to adopt Resolution 2026-003 Approving Appointments to Council Committees for 2026, which includes a new Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of January 5,2026 Page 3 of 8 committee titled, 'Legislative Priority Committee,' and an amendment to the title of the Farmington/Castle Rock Planning Advisory Committee formerly Farmington/Castle Rock Discussion Group) as listed below: Airlake Airport Advisory Commission o Primary: Holly Bernatz o Alternate: Jake Cordes ALF Ambulance (Apple Valley/Lakeville/Farmington): o Primary: Steve Wilson o Alternate: Nick Lien Dakota 911 Board of Directors o Primary: Nick Lien o Alternate: Steve Wilson EFPAC - Empire/Farmington Planning Advisory Committee o Primary: Joshua Hoyt o Alternate: Jake Cordes Eureka/Farmington Planning Advisory Committee o Primary: Holly Bernatz o Alternate: Joshua Hoyt Farmington/Castle Rock Planning Advisory Committee o Primary: Joshua Hoyt o Alternate: Steve Wilson Fire Relief Board o Primary: Steve Wilson o Alternate: Jake Cordes Legislative Priority Committee o Member: Jake Cordes o Member: Steve Wilson Liquor Operations Committee o Primary: Jake Cordes o Alternate: Nick Lien MUSA Review Committee (Metropolitan Urban Service Area) o Primary: Holly Bernatz o Alternate: Nick Lien Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays 13.CITY COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE City Attorney Schmidt wished everyone a Happy New Year. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of January 5,2026 Page 4 of 8 Councilmember Lien hoped everyone had a good and safe holiday. 2026 should be exciting. Councilmember Bernatz shared good news about the Farmington Holiday Light Tour. There is a cul-de-sac in the Light Tour called the 12 Homes of Christmas which, technically, now includes 14 homes. How this came to be is that I live in this cul-de-sac and we've always been fairly festive - and a couple of years ago, our neighbors Krista and Nate Miller asked the neighborhood how we would all feel if we synchronized the lights. Krista's idea was far beyond what any of us could have imagined. She took it upon herself to research everything, and their family privately assumed a lot of the cost, and we all chipped in to help make it come to fruition. But one of the primary goals for us was not to just have it be a fun light show, although it is, and what she does is amazing. Last year was the first year that we put forward a goal to make a positive change, and we moved the needle a little bit. This year, however, our donation totals came in, and I am not sharing these because this is something our cul-de-sac did. I'm sharing this because this is something that our community did. And this is something that people who decided to come to our community did. In the Toys for Town program, we collected $5,554 and four truckloads of toys to be donated to Toys for Town for 2025. While that is awesome, what comes next is staggering. The donations that came in for the Farmington food shelf totaled 13,098.53 and over 4,847 pounds of food that were donated. So, our cash total is $18,653.53 plus the value of toys and food. Mark from the food shelf sent a message saying, "This is truly mind-blowing, and I'm already thinking about all of the ways that we can utilize this huge gift. We'll increase our quantities of food for all of our families and invest in some much-needed gas cards, for starters. We cannot thank all of you enough for this outpouring of generosity. Be sure the neighbors know how much it is appreciated." I am actually passing this along to the community and for the people who came into the cul-de-sac. We were averaging between 500 and 1,000 cars a night. Many of us stood out at the back and, consistently, people reached out their hand to donate cash or to pull over and donate anything from a couple of cans to a few bags, to an entire back of a car full of food. And you are all amazing. Absolutely amazing. It was a pretty cool holiday to be a part of, and I hope it can continue and grow upon. Thank you all for everything you did to support those two organizations and the people that benefit from them. Mayor Hoyt-when they do the winter in the village at Dakota City Heritage Village, the people working the gate often ask people coming in where they traveled from. Did you ask people how far they came from? Councilmember Bernatz - I know we had people traveling from neighboring states including Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, and many from all over Minnesota, including many who drove an hour or Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of January 5,2026 Page 5 of 8 two to come, which I think is super special. The furthest is someone who claims they came from Hawaii. I think they were just home for Christmas, but they win. My favorite message came from a family that was able to come through on the first of the year and it reads, "My oldest is in town on military leave. I got ill shortly after he got here, his first Christmas in the military, and I couldn't see him until seven days into his eight-day leave. So, New Year's was the first full day that we could spend quality time together, and he had to leave the next morning, which he did. And we love the synchronized lights and the synchronized tree that said Happy New Year."That was pretty special, too, and wherever that individual was stationed, that's where they came from. Councilmember Wilson commented that, on every Council agenda, we always see donations to the Rambling River Center from so many individuals in the community. On this agenda, there are two really large donations, and I want to call out David McKnight for buying a brand-new treadmill for the center. He and his family, as well as extended family, have given so much to the community. I also want to thank Joy Pearson and the team at Finch and Daisy for their generous contribution, also. And those are just two of many. We have $25 donations and $50 donations, and every donation is so meaningful to support that center, so thank you all very much. City Administrator Gorski said, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, our next scheduled is on January 19th and it will be moved to the 20th. Assistant City Administrator Chanski said today was an exciting day, as we added seven new members to Team Farmington, including Samantha Hazelrigg who assumes the newly created Human Resources Manager position. She brings additional leadership and expertise to the Human Resources Team as we strive to continually improve our support for all our employees.Thank you. Director Kuennen said I wrote something down when Commissioner Slavik was speaking. One of the things he said was "find the good." I think we often get caught up in some of the negative, and I had written this down. Holly did a fantastic job of reminding us to find the good, and also Chief Siem telling us to find the good. So, I just want to encourage all of us to find that good and to share those stories. I appreciate being a part of this Team and thank you for everything that you do. Director Powell thanked the City Council for awarding the contract for the Industrial Park ditch cleaning. It's been a long time coming to study the area and come up with the best solutions. Now we need to hope for cooperative weather. It needs to freeze really quick and get very firm out there so the Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of January 5,2026 Page 6 of 8 equipment can get their work done, then thaw in a hurry so that the farmer can get back out in the field and do their planting in plenty of time. So, thank you for awarding that contract. Just one of many that McKenna highlighted that we're doing from a stormwater standpoint. Director Omlid said Councilmembers Wilson and Bernatz talked about it tonight, but we always talk about how fortunate we are to be in a community with so many giving individuals and businesses. I want to highlight the donations to the Rambling River Center. Thank you to Carol Sprute, David McKnight, Finch and Daisy Consulting, Gary Smith, and Merry Briner for their very, very generous donations to the senior center. S'mores and More is this Sunday at the Rambling River Park warming house from 1 to 3 pm. This family event is free and includes skating, games, s'mores, hot cocoa, and more. Please join us on Sunday. The next skate park design meeting is Monday, January 26t", from 6 to 8 pm at the Rambling River Center. At this meeting, Spohn Ranch will present two conceptual designs to solicit feedback to get to a preferred design. We hope to see everyone on that evening. Fire Chief Price said we kicked off our first day of the academy this morning for our six full-time Firefighters - three Officers and three Firefighters. We talked about expectations, how we move forward, and standards. This first week is processing paperwork and everything through Human Resources, making sure everyone is on board, and we issued cell phones. Then we actually move into the physical activity portion of our academy in weeks two, three, and four. Police Chief Siem congratulated the Fire Department on their six new Firefighters. I definitely want to be on the list for your first Fire House breakfast. It's a great accomplishment- congratulations. Thank you to the City Council for approving the hiring of Marco Iracheta tonight. He comes to us from Glencoe Police Department with a year of experience, and he's going to be a great addition to the force. We'll start him later this month. Also, our first Movie Night with a Cop with be on January 215t. We received some grant funding through the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association to support this program, and it is for 5- to 10-year-olds at the Police Station and includes pizza, popcorn, and door prizes. We will be watching the movie Lilo and Stitch, the 2025 version with a bunch of our Officers. There is a limit of 20 available, and you can register by clicking on the link in our Facebook post. We hope to see you there. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of January 5,2026 Page 7 of 8 14.ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Councilmember Cordes and seconded by Councilmember Lien to adjourn the meeting at 8:34pm. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays Respectfully submitted, lire ey R cksler City Clerk Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of January 5,2026 Page 8 of 8