##VIDEO ID:nH1h7jKqk_g## up all righty we are going to go ahead and call to order the regular meeting of the Oakdale city council September 10th 2024 Sarah will you take the role council member her here council member inab britson here council member Morcom here council member willenbring here mayor zel here please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance pledge aliance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all okay first up in front of us is the approval of the agenda council members we have a slightly amended uh version in front of us uh can I get a motion to approve as amended so moved there's a motion as there second second motion a second final comments all those in favor say I I opposed and the agenda is adopted next up we have approval of the minutes two sets in front of us tonight first up Workshop meeting minutes from August 27th 2024 council members any changes or Corrections I'll look for motion so moved there's a motion is there a second second motion a second final comments all those in favor say I I opposed and the workshop meeting minutes are approved next up we have regular meeting minutes from August 27th 2024 any changes or Corrections I'll look for motion so uh there's motion is there a second second motion a second final comments all those in favor say I I opposed and regular meeting mens from August 27 2024 are approved next up public hearings none tonight so we'll move into the open Forum we have a couple proclamations and some recognition to do I'm going to start with the proclamations uh first up recognizing Patriot Day whereas on September 11th 2001 Al-Qaeda terrorist hijackers carried out a coordinated attack on the United States and nearly 3,000 innocent American lives were lost and whereas the courage heroism and resilience of Americans displayed on 9/11 and in its aftermath are Perpetual tesat to the spirit of our country and whereas on September 11th whereas every year on September 11th Americans commemorate Patriot Day as a day of remembrance of the 9/11 attacks and stand in solidarity to remember remember the victims and mourn their stolen hopes and dreams and whereas September 11th 2024 marks the 23rd anniversary of this tragedy therefore I Kevin zel mayor of oale Minnesota do hereby Proclaim September 11th 2024 as Patriot Day we also have a proclamation recognizing Constitution week and day whereas SE September TW let me try again whereas September 17th 2024 marks the 237th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention and whereas it is fitting and proper to Accord official recog recognition to This Magnificent document and its memorable anniversary and whereas Public Law 9115 authorizes the president of the United States to designate September 17th through the 23rd as Constitution week each year if Kev able mayor of Oakdale Minnesota to hereby Proclaim September 17th through the 23rd as Constitution week and September 17th as Constitution Day in the city of Oakdale finally we have recognition and appreciation for council member Noah her I'm actually gonna go down there so I can look at Noah watch him get all Misty I don't cry I promise all righty no her joined the city council in March 2023 and during his tenure he has been a consistent voice for residents and businesses alike advocating for fiscal transparency high quality city services and positioning Oakdale for a growing and changing World council member her also has the honor of being the first M American member of the Oakdale city council bringing voice to a growing population in Oakdale and the East Metro as part of the city council Noah has brought his business Acumen and experience to to policy discussions advocating for additional Outreach to oakdale's business community in a changed postco World programs like the business retention expansion and attraction program have been invaluable as Oakdale has developed deeper ties to our businesses and Noah has not only been a passionate supporter of this project but also has been an active participant as well on behalf of our residents Noah has been a steadfast voice for fiscal restraint and transparency while also striking an important balance in meeting the needs and expectations of our residents as Noah or as Noah as Oakdale has grown and faced generational infrastructure improvements Noah has been or Noah has consistently encouraged staff and his city council colleagues to View financial decisions through the impact of taxpayers council member her has also been a valued information shareer encouraging all of us to remember that our community is different than it was 5 10 or 20 years ago and things like Park amenities and Civic events should evolve as our city becomes more diverse before I wrap up I want to offer a deep thank you to Noah's family while one person sits in the chair attends meetings and casts the vote they aren't doing it alone there is always a group of support behind them every minute spent here at City Hall or at a city event is a minute Noah hasn't been spending with his family we so deeply appreciate your family sharing you with us as you do this very important work Noah you will be Miss around here your passion and insight have made Oakdale A Better Community to call home and to do business in and you should be incredibly proud of that we all are on behalf of the residents and businesses in Oakdale as well as our city staff and city council thank you for your service to our community we have a small token of appreciation for you for your time with us and if you're not done yet you have one more meeting come all right count of three one two three one two three one two three one more one two three thank you tack from there that than no the floor is yours Mr Mayor uh fellow council members uh and City administrator um Chris oers um I regret to share the news that um you know I will be leaving sooner than what I had uh intended to uh at the start of my journey here um and looking to try my hand at something new um at the onset of uh being diagnosed of cancer I had wanted to uh set a path forth for my kids to say that if Dad could do it you guys can certainly do it to uh have the sense of Duty and a sense of service um and in that regards I'm a little embarrassed uh to have to step down sooner uh than than what I had intended um sometimes as uh life happens and different opportunities come up um that is where I am um sad and and a bit embarrassed for for not seeing this through through to the end um but with that said you know I want to encourage you guys all to carry forward this work to continue to keep full of the residents in in mind to continue to remember that we are all Americans uh we are all Minnesota nights we are all midwesterners we are all odans um no matter our belief systems no matter what our Creed no matter what um you know we we may look like that at the end of the day um our pursuit of uh love and a happy uh joyful life is really what all residents want uh uh at the end of the day um it has been my pleasure uh to work alongside of you guys um you for here it has been my pleasure to lead and work with You Chris um you said something that uh upstairs while we were having uh the conversation um and workshop about the level of um transparency that uh that the department heads want to go to keeping um the city council informed on on decisions that are really uh intended to be uh at at the department head level but you want to keep us informed and I really say uh mean what I said to Kyle earlier which is hey at the end end of the day when you hire the right people when you guys do the right work as a councel I felt like my job was really just to check in Balance but really get out of your way and let let the city staff do your work you know we have a a bunch of talented department heads um I think you guys are going to do the city well like you have in the past and like you will in the future um and I'm excited to have been part of of this uh brief uh history uh during this time so thank you uh each and every one of you who are in this room and for those of you who aren't in this room um thank you guys so much for the work that uh you do for the city the work that you've helped me and staying informed and supporting uh the work and the development um here in the city of Oakdale um Oakdale I hold a special place in my heart this time will always always be something special and something that I will carry with me um to the Future Kevin um I don't know what my future holds for me but let me tell you that the example that you've set for me um I just want to tell you that you set that bar really high on what a elected official um how they should carrys how engaged they should be um and you know I'm not sure what my future may hold in the fut uh in in this next city that I'm um moving to but um I've always said to myself and said to my wife that if I were to model anyone I think um the example that you've set forth is uh one to be um uh the gold standard uh and something that I would uh always strive to uh achieve so um thank you for being a leader in that sense and so thank you guys all for your time and your trust and letting me have this opportunity so thank you thank you Noah [Applause] getting Misty we are still under open form if there's anyone in the audience that would like to make any comments we're just going to keep rolling because uh if anybody would like to step up to the podium share anything that's on their mind please feel free to do so uh please state your name and address for the record and proceive your comments all right we're going to keep things rolling move into consensus motions um we don't want to have a meeting on Christmas Eve weird huh so we have consensus motions a through G uh are there any that council members would like to pull for individual consideration seeing none I'll look for motion make a motion to approve uh consensus motions a through G as presented there's a motion is there a second second motion a second all those in favor say I I opposed consensus motions are approved next up opportunity to check in with our advisory boards and commissions none we had a couple cancellations in there nobody else met so we'll keep things rolling move into Award of bids oh never mind sorry uh nothing under Award of bids so we'll go to staff reports uh Finance drum roll please Finance director Costas welcome thank you mayor councel all right uh for this evening uh the request for Council action uh the city is required to adopt a proposed Levy for 2025 and certified to Washington County by September 30th in setting this proposed Levy Council should uh consider it can only be decreased uh not increased prior to adoption of the final Levy in December upon certification to Washington County the proposed Levy will be uh used to prepare proposed tax notices or the truth and tax ation notices uh this notice is required to be mailed to Property Owners between November 11th and November 24th uh this includes parcel specific uh estimated uh taxes payable in the following year for each jurisdiction for the parcel uh following adoption of this proposed Levy the current calendar calls for Oakdale to consider the final Levy in December at the December 10th council meeting in order to prep prepare the city council for considering what level to set the proposed 2025 property tax levy eight Public Work sessions were held with Council uh discussing the various aspects of the 2025 Levy first one beginning in March and then all the way through August the proposed 2025 property tax levy for the city of Elkdale is currently 19,69 th000 which is up 6.11% or 1.1 million over 2024 at the proposed Levy amount the median residential property in Oakdale which is valued at about 337,000 for the 2024 assessment report uh would see their City share of their property tax bill increase approximately $44 or 3.42% for 2025 uh assumptions and factors impacting the 2025 Levy and related budget uh include removal one time expenditures and revenues four new regular full-time employees including one licensed Sergeant in the police department uh one maintenance worker in public works one Fire Marshal and one uh ft increase total for finance Clerk and human resource generalist there's a focus on training development and Staffing of City operated Public Safety uh internal prefunding of vehicle and Equipment Replacements it promotes strategic development and Redevelopment um there is funding for the new Willowbrook Commons park and uh proposed grade step and cost of living adjustments are included uh in accordance with the city's class and comp schedule staff believes the proposed Levy accomplishes a number of important objectives including focusing on city services and funding these activities adequately maintaining appropriate fund balance to mitigate risk uh proactively fund equipment repair and replacement the debt Levy included in this uh 2025 proposed Levy is the second lowest since 2018 uh fostering Community engagement and resources to address criminal activity ensuring the best Fire Safety Services through a full-time career modeled fire department uh maintenance of City properties including the new Public Works facility uh ensuring compensation to recruit and retain existing staff and transparency in all aspects of City governance and operations and and last I'd like to thank city council for direction along with City administrator and thank all the department heads and their staff for the assistance in this massive project and uh also the finance staff and with that uh city council action requested is uh adopting the proposed 2020 2025 property tax levy and establishing the date of uh for the truth and Taxation meeting i s for any questions council members should we blow up the budget proposal and start over never nope nope nobody wants to okay how about questions for Kyle then I'm sorry Chris missed the comment she'll watching our recording we're going to blow up the budget and start over yeah he made a joke made funny we're all laughing yeah that's all that matters uh council members questions for Kyle um well let's go ahead and get the motion I'll make a comment at the end uh K get a motion I'll make a motion to wave reading and adopt resolution 2024 71 adopting the proposed 2025 property tax levy and establishing the date for the truth and Taxation meeting there's a motion is there second second motion and second final comments I'll make one I just want to reiterate something our finance director Kyle said um this action is another step in our budget process you know as he mentioned uh we started back in March gosh was March already okay um this is a step that's required by state law state law says we have to set our preliminary tax levy between now and December we can only go down we can only decrease the tax levy if we need to we can we cannot go above it this is the ceiling this is a step we take every single year um and while it is a benchmark it is a very important Benchmark um and it is a good opportunity to recognize all of the hard work that has been put in thus far um so on behalf of the city council I want to compliment our staff this is not an easy process um it takes eight months um unfortunately it seems like the second we end we're beginning again that's just how it works um but this proposal reflects very real needs in our community as Kyle said we're adding positions in our fire department uh in our Police Department in admin um we are growing as a city and this reflects those needs also you know we don't take tax or Levy increases lightly because we know families are struggling um with the growing costs that they're experiencing everywhere from the grocery store to the fuel pump and Beyond um and so we work very hard as a body with our staff and listening to our residents to find that delicate balance in the middle um you know as some cities as a lot of cities around us and around the Metro we're looking at Double Digit increases in their tax levy um we worked very hard to rely on the financial investments and strategy we've laid out for the last few years to avoid that as much as possible big changes in things like not putting equipment on the credit card something that we haven't done for a few years now getting our debt service you know decreasing our the amount of Interest we pay on debt every single year for the last four years all of that helps us weather um Financial storms like this and so while 6.11% is never ideal um and we UND we don't take that very lightly it is necessary to provide very important things to keep City operations going like pay increases to our residents or to our employees um and keep the the dedicated men and women that keep this city running every single day here in Oakdale so you know the process will continue between now and what's the date in December the 10th December 10th 10th um but we encourage all of our residents if you have questions reach out to any of the council members up here we are happy to discuss it reach out to our finance director reach out to our city administrator you know a few years ago we put our all of our financial documents in our proposed budget online you can see in real time what's being spent and how we're proposing to spend it in 2025 we encourage people to ask questions and reach out to anybody to get the answers you all deserve um because as we've said many many times there is absolutely nothing to hide in the city budget and every dollar in this city budget goes towards making this community a great place to live and work and play so um reach out if you have questions or come join us on December 10th that is the option as well uh motion second all those in favor say I I opposed and the uh preliminary property tax levy is adopted and TNT meeting established City attorney Mr Thompson anything for us M of C nothing specific to report anybody have questions for Jim going once going twice all right let's look the other way check in with Chris Chris um mayor city council I think the budget was enough for tonight it's enough for the rest of the year all right uh any questions for Chris alrighty uh ccil presentations anybody have any no Kevin Miss May if you don't mind um I do want to just kind of speak towards uh a situation that happened to some residents in our city um a couple weeks ago um within the mon Community there was a murder suicide that happened um down in Dakota County and it was um by Oakdale residents a couple um very unfortunate uh series of events uh what I want to take this time out really is just to um just make a statement uh condemning uh domestic violence uh condemning uh within the mon Community uh that this idea that they have no way out that they have to take such defining such tragic action actions uh towards uh their spouse um that there's always uh Alternatives and and and other ways out uh see seek uh counseling seek help um that is not a representative of of our community as a whole um the unfortunate truth though is is that it's happened uh one too many times within our community where it's uh beginning to be more of a pandemic uh where there's numerous among men who are uh who feel that this is um the path that they want to continue to take um and so as someone who is a representative of that community um I want to stand with our uh among women um and say that you know that is not accepted that should not be accepted that um you know we can do better and and we should do better so I just uh wanted to take a moment and and uh just pray for those uh for that family and and the hurt and pain that they're going through right now um and hope that um you know there they can find some Solace and some comfort and um their their remaining family members and and the support system that is offered through the county so thank you uh Susie do you have anything gentlemen anything I want just to say thanks again Noah for your service we understand how big of a commitment it is so appreciate everything you've done thank you Noah y yes thank you Noah it was really a pleasure getting to know you same here well it's not over he has to work one more meeting yeah say that don't don't let him off the hook yet like it's over uh I have a few uh updates that uh City staff would like me to cover uh first up earlier tonight uh oakdale's annual Touch of truck event was going on out here in the city hall parking lot uh weather was perfect we thought it was going to be a little warm but that sun went behind the clouds and it was a beautiful evening out there so um thank you to all of the the families that came and explored our Public Safety vehicle snow plows garbage trucks street cleaners and more um always a good time when you can come come out and interact with City staff our crews see the big equipment turn on all the lights and the horns it's a fun time so thank you to everybody that joined us um but the fun does not end we have two more big events coming up uh this Saturday we have our family fund flatables event uh it will be 11:00 a.m. to 4 P p.m. out here at Walton Park it is a completely free event um that features Inflatables uh for the whole family to uh explore including a bouncy castle obstacle course and giant slide we will also have a kids DJ out there so there'll be some dancing going on at the Bandshell um and concessions will be available for purchase so cross your fingers for some good weather come on out join us Saturday at Walton Park 11:00 a.m. 4 P p.m. for family fun flatables uh next Saturday we have our I'm so excited about this one Citywide cleanup event uh first time in almost 15 years that Oakdale has hosted a uh community cleanup event like this um so it is Saturday September 21st from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Oakdale Public Works um this is a great opportunity for Oakdale residents to get rid of all of those unwanted items that are building up in your home um there are small fees for most of the uh items being collected um you can check out the city website Oakdale in.gov uh for more information on those um items that we are accepting as well as any fees that may apply but we hope you can join us um and get rid of all that junk so um we will gladly take it off your hands and make sure it is properly disposed of f got to go back up uh portions of the trail in the oak deal Nature Preserve that were closed for reconstruction have now reopened for regular use uh the trails were reconstructed as part of the city's annual stream Improvement program um we really appreciate everybody's patience as that closed down almost all of the nature preserve for a pretty big chunk of it um but the work was desperately needed also we smoothed out some of those big Peaks and valleys um so you know hopefully now you don't have that winter situation of trying to climb a icy Hill and sliding back down like I do so um please go visit the Nature Preserve check out those Trails um Cruz did a really nice job also just cleaning up some of the the vegetation that was encroaching on the trails and leaning and posing uh a safety hazard so got a lot of cleanup done which is great uh finally city is seeking Community feedback about two different uh Park Concepts um for Tanner Lake Park uh you may recall we've been in this park systems update uh process for a while now um a big thank you to all of the residents that provide feedback on the other 27 Parks um given the the special nature of Tanner Lake Park and recognizing that we have a lot of work to do we wanted to carve that one out specifically we've created two concept plans with different ideas um and we're asking residents to weigh in on that to do so you can visit our website Oakdale l.gov provide feedback on specific amenities at that park or the park as a whole or whatever you want to talk about um any comments provided are greatly appreciated um it will be it will play a corner storm Cornerstone role in um the future of that Park so please um have your voices heard by September 30th so we'll be collecting comments this entire month let's pay some bills uh we have a claims roster in front of us period August 28th through September 10th in the amount of 2.7 million in change council members do we want to pull any of those claims uh for more information all right I'll look for motion make a motion to approve claims as presented there's a motion is there a second second Motion in a second any comments all those in favor say I I opposed and claims are approved as presented Su you do me a favor pass that down to Noah he's going to bring us home tonight gladly oh get away call call for a motion a motion to a journ meeting no moved is there a second second all right uh all in favor hi all right and the city council meeting is closed thank you Noah CAU me off guard there okay we're going to go right into the meeting of the Oakdale economic Authority I'm going to go ahead and call to order the regular meeting of the Oakdale Economic Development Authority September 10th 2024 Sarah will you take the role yes commissioner her here commissioner commissioner in inab btson here commissioner morham here commissioner willing here president zabel here uh first up we have approv of the agenda can I get a motion to approve so Mo there's a motion is there a second second motion on a second all those in favor say I I oppose did we miss something agenda is adopted guess we did I guess so uh next up we have approval of the minutes we have meeting minutes of the Eda March 12 2024 in front of us any changes or Corrections I'll look for motion so moved there's a sec uh there's a motion is there a second second motion a second any comments all those in favor say I I I opposed and the minutes are approved as presented the next agenda item is to discuss offers and counter offers for the purchase or sale of real property pin ID 31292 133001 0 and pin ID 3102 uh 92132 0180 I will turn it over at this time to the City attorney for brief comment Jim do you have anything uh Mr chair no no comments other than you should that you should turn that into a motion someone should make a motion to go Jim I have a script oh I didn't write it you think I just rattle those numbers off for okay at this time I will look for a motion to close the meeting of the Oakdale Economic Development Authority pursuant to Minnesota statute section 13 d05 subdivision 3 C3 to discuss offers and counter offers for for the purchase or sale of real property at the aformentioned pin IDs so moved there's a motion is there second second uh all those in favor say I I oppos the Eda meeting is now closed we will take this upstairs to the Hadley room and then we going toy