HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.01.26 Council MinutesRegular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 1, 2026 Page 1 of 4
City of Farmington
Regular Council Meeting Minutes
Monday, June 1, 2026
The City Council met in regular session on Monday June 1, 2026, at Farmington City
Hall, 430 Third Street, Farmington, Minnesota.
1.CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Lien called the meeting to order at 7 pm.
2.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Lien led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance.
3.ROLL CALL
Members Present: Mayor Lien
Councilmembers Holly Bernatz, Steve Wilson,
and Phil Windschitl
Members Absent: Councilmember Jake Cordes
Staff Present: Lynn Gorski, City Administrator
Amy Schmidt, City Attorney
Kim Sommerland, Finance Director
Matt Price, Fire Chief
Kellee Omlid, Parks & Recreation Director
John Powell, Public Works Director
Robert Sauter, Police Captain
Melissa Geis, City Clerk
4.APPROVE AGENDA
Motion was made by Councilmember Bernatz and seconded by
Councilmember Windschitl to approve the agenda as presented.
Motion carried: 4 ayes / 0 nays
5.ANNOUNCEMENTS / COMMENDATIONS
6.CONSENT AGENDA
6.1 Bylaws of the Farmington Firefighters Relief Association Resolution 2026-048
6.2 Minutes of the May 18, 2026 Council Work Session Closed Session
6.3 Minutes of the May 18, 2026 Regular City Council Meeting
6.4 Payment of Claims
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 1, 2026 Page 2 of 4
6.5 Resolution 2026-053 Establishing Compliance with Reimbursement Bond
Regulations
6.6 Staff Approvals and Recommendations
6.7 Agreements with AV for You Outdoor Movie Services
6.8 Donation from Happy Harry’s Furniture to the Rambling River Center
6.9 Donation from Marlene Swantek to the Rambling River Center
6.10 Donation from Minnesota Society Sons of the American Revolution,
American Legion Post 189, and Farmington VFW Post 7662 to the City of
Farmington
6.11 Donations to the Tater Trot
6.12 Receive Quotes and Award a Contract for the 2026 Shade Tree Bond Gran
Planting Phase 3
Motion was made by Councilmember Bernatz and seconded by
Councilmember Windschitl to approve the Consent Agenda, as presented.
Motion carried: 4 ayes / 0 nays
7.PUBLIC HEARINGS
8.AWARD OF CONTRACT
9.PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS
10. UNFINISHED BUSINESS
11. NEW BUSINESS
11.1 Resolution Authorizing the Submittal of the Staffing for Adequate Fire and
Emergency (SAFER) Grant Program Application
Motion was made by Councilmember Wilson and seconded by
Councilmember Bernatz to Adopt Resolution 2026-054 Authorizing to Act
as Legal Sponsor and Authorization for Adequate Dire and Emergency
Response Grant Program Application – for hiring 6 full-time fire department
staffing and approve the matching fund of 25% for ears 1 and 2, and for
year 3 at 65%
Motion carried: 4 ayes / 0 nays
12. CITIZENS COMMENTS / RESPONSES TO COMMENTS
The following citizen(s) addressed the Council:
Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of June 1, 2026 Page 3 of 4
David Pritzlaff, Farmington
Nancy Aarestad, Castle Rock Township
Caroline Kiefer, Castle Rock Township
Terrie Pearson, Castle Rock Township
Jenny Groden, Farmington
Councilmember Bernatz requested an opportunity to share some thoughts prior to
the roundtable. Mayor Lien agreed.
Councilmember Bernatz spoke about the purpose of the AUAR and that the
current project does not have a finalized end user, so they are unable to move
onto the EIS. She then spoke about the use of Data Centers and how we use the
digital infrastructure daily and that the need won’t be going away for these types
of projects, all while understanding the concerns about visual impact. She
reiterated they are not bypassing environmental review; they are following the
process under Minnesota Law.
Councilmember Wilson addressed the Mayor and Council commented that
Councilmember Bernatz’s statement was out of order, her comment should have
happened in the City Council Roundtable, not outside of the agenda.
Councilmember Bernatz understood his concerns and acknowledged the reason
for her choosing to make that statement was due to how hard it is to discuss these
items after Citizen Comments.
Councilmember Wilson suggested having a community dialogue and agreed the
transition from Citizen Comments to the Roundtable is uncomfortable. He did say
her comments were accurate but wants to make sure we adhere to agenda.
13. CITY COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE
City Attorney Amy Schmidt stated that regarding the petition it is up to the
Councilmembers on how they respond to the petition. There is no legal
requirement to respond.
Councilmember Wilson acknowledged the approval of the benefit increase
to the Fire Relief. He then thanked the various Veteran organizations in the
community and for their contributions to our community and for their
participation in last week’s celebrations.
City Administrator Gorski congratulated Councilmember Jake Cordes and his
wife Bridgit on the birth of their daughter.