[0:02] Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It is now 5:30 and I call this regular

[0:05] meeting of the Burnsville City Council to order.

[0:08] We will begin our meeting with a moment of silence followed by the Pledge of

[0:11] Allegiance and we invite you to join us.

[0:31] I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the

[0:37] republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and

[0:43] justice for all.

[0:51] The clerk will note that Mayor Kautz is absence and Council member Schultz is

[0:55] attending electronically via Zoom this evening.

[0:59] Members of the public are welcome to attend in person. They may also choose

[1:03] to watch our meeting at burnsvillemn.gov/meetings

[1:06] or Comcast channel 16 or 859. The public can also participate through

[1:13] Zoom by joining us at zoom.us/ join. More information is available on

[1:19] our meetings webpage and in the council agenda packet.

[1:24] Um we'll start with announcements and proclamations.

[1:27] Um schedule of upcoming meetings, we have regular council meeting scheduled

[1:31] for Tuesday, June 16th at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, July 7th at 5:30 p.m. and a

[1:38] work session Tuesday, June 9th also at 5:30 p.m.

[1:42] Unless noted, all meetings are in the council chambers.

[1:47] Uh this evening we have some guests for I love Burnsville essay contest

[1:54] and I will go from over here. >> [snorts]

[1:59] [clears throat]

[2:05] » And then I'll later I friends from TruStone

[2:08] Chase at this one. Um so every year um we there's a I love

[2:14] Burnsville essay contest where we invite third graders from around the school

[2:18] district to write an essay and talk about

[2:21] why they love Burnsville um and then representatives from TruStone and the

[2:25] mayor get together and read those essays and [snorts] pick three honorable

[2:30] mentions and then three winning essays. So we want to give a special thanks to

[2:34] Mitchell Byers and Kim Gregg with TruStone Financial

[2:38] for their ongoing and generous support of this program and we also want to

[2:42] thank uh the teachers and the third graders for committing to this program

[2:45] every year. It's a very fun program.

[2:50] Excuse me. Uh for this contest this year students

[2:53] were asked as Burnsville celebrates America's 250th birthday

[2:58] we invite you to share what makes Burnsville a place you love.

[3:02] So with the support from TruStone Financial we have three honorable

[3:05] mentions as I mentioned uh who will receive awards um

[3:11] with each student and their teacher receiving $50.

[3:14] I will ask each student um to come up with their teacher to

[3:18] receive their award for honorable mention. So our first honorable mention

[3:22] is Vienna Miller from Gideon Pond and Mrs. Susan Zucollo.

[3:28] » [applause]

[3:33] » Where's the [applause] awards?

[3:36] You got the cash JT? >> It's right behind me.

[3:39] » [laughter] >> You did a good job.

[3:42] We enjoyed your story so well. Go there. Oops, sorry about that. Can

[3:47] you hold this? And here we are.

[3:50] » It's like his dead from the back. >> Congratulations.

[3:55] » Oh, you'll be able to take a quick picture.

[4:05] Good. >> Our next uh honorable mention is Azar

[4:09] Abdi from Gideon Pond with Ms. Andrea Tretault.

[4:13] And he is not here yet. So, our third honorable mention is James

[4:20] Bailey of William Byrne uh with Mrs. Sarah Kersten.

[4:27] » [applause]

[4:31] » Yes. Good essay.

[4:33] » James, congratulations. There you go, dear.

[4:40] And there you go.

[4:42] » Take a quick [snorts] picture.

[4:52] Good job, James. >> Yes.

[4:54] » [snorts] >> All right. So, we have our

[4:58] three winners um with each student and their teacher

[5:01] receiving $100. I will ask each student to come up

[5:05] individually and read their essay and then receive their award. So, in no

[5:09] specific order, we have Marlow Nelson, also of William

[5:14] Byrne, with um Ms. Sarah Kersten.

[5:20] » [applause]

[5:23] » Do you want a stool? Can you reach this?

[5:28] You can read your speech.

[5:33] » Can you imagine a city with nice people who help you out, places to meet up with

[5:38] family and friends, and playgrounds that are all accessible? That's Burnsville,

[5:42] and it is a wonderful place to be. First is the beautiful River Hills Park.

[5:47] Anyone can join the fun because parts of the ground are made of rubber. So, if

[5:51] you ride in a wheelchair, wheeling around won't be a problem. And if you're

[5:56] tired of being dragged by your crazy dog, let them run wild in a large fenced

[6:01] area. Next up are amazing community helpers. In stores, offices, and more,

[6:07] you can always count on your local helpers. So, in summary, beautiful parks

[6:11] and our great helpers are only part of what makes Burnsville an amazing place.

[6:15] So, if you're in the mood, come and see the wonder of our fantastic city.

[6:21] » [applause]

[6:29] » Good job. That was awesome.

[6:46] » [applause]

[6:49] » Our next winner is Olivia Ward from Gideon Pond and her teacher, Mrs. Susan

[6:55] Zucollo. >> [applause]

[7:03] » Burnsville is a great place to live. Here are a few reasons why. Burnsville

[7:08] has a good mayor. She stands up for others and herself. Burnsville has great

[7:13] houses. They are built correctly and they are clean. People donate to help

[7:18] others and feed and people volunteer Feed My Starving Children. They

[7:24] help people who really need it and can't afford things like food, water, and

[7:29] clothing. When they help, they are not mean, they are nice, and that's why I

[7:34] love Burnsville. >> [applause]

[7:42] » Awesome is here in Burnsville.

[7:56] » [applause]

[7:58] » And our third winner is Charlotte Simmons, also of Gideon Pond, and also

[8:02] in Mrs. Susan Sokolov's class.

[8:06] » [applause]

[8:13] » Burnsville is a great place to live. First, Burnsville has great libraries.

[8:17] They have funny, scary, and other nice books to read. The library also has nice

[8:21] places to sit, read, or just rest. And if you need help, there are workers.

[8:26] They're really nice and helpful. Burnsville has great schools. They have

[8:29] really nice teachers to help. The math level is really nice for kids that need

[8:34] a certain level. The lunch they make us is also really

[8:37] nice. Burnsville is a great community. They did Earth Day, where you pick up

[8:42] garbage. They also have activities for the city. And lastly, they set up sport

[8:47] fundraisers for anybody, like football, soccer, and volleyball. And that's why I

[8:52] think Burnsville is great.

[8:55] » [applause]

[9:13] [applause]

[9:16] » Hi, we just like to say thank you for letting us be a part of this great

[9:20] event. The students did an amazing job. When we read the letters, we were just

[9:26] floored by all the words, all the comments, the the

[9:30] truth and believing behind their whole essay. You could just read it and I want

[9:35] to move to Burnsville. And I live in Eagan. So,

[9:39] um and it was just a really wonderful event. We don't do something like that

[9:42] in any other district, so it really means a lot to be a part of it, and we

[9:47] hope to continue to do this every year. So, thank you from TrueStone.

[9:52] » [applause]

[9:56] » So, now we will have all of our honorable mentions and award winners

[10:00] come up to the front and we'll take a group picture with the council here.

[10:34] All right. >> [applause]

[11:04] [clears throat] >> All right.

[11:07] Our next item this evening is citizen comments. This is an opportunity for

[11:11] anyone who would like to address the council on an item that is not on the

[11:14] printed agenda and not coming before us at a future

[11:17] meeting. We had one person sign up in the lobby

[11:21] to speak tonight. Aside from that, is there anyone else

[11:25] here that would like to speak?

[11:28] Seeing nobody, I will invite Ishika Jain to the front.

[11:36] If you could just give us your name and address for the record, please.

[11:40] » Hello members of the Burnsville City Council. My name is Ishika Jain and I

[11:44] live in South Burnsville with my family behind the Buck Hill Ski Resort. Thank

[11:48] you for the opportunity to let me speak today. As a member of the Burnsville

[11:51] community, an incoming medical student at the University of Minnesota Twin

[11:55] Cities, and a concerned sister of a middle schooler, I'm speaking to you

[11:58] today to respectfully urge the Burnsville City Council to place

[12:01] stronger restrictions on the sale of flavored tobacco products. Recently, my

[12:06] 13-year-old brother came home from school asking whether vapes were harmful

[12:09] to one's health after attending a lecture about the dangers of cigarette

[12:12] smoking. During our conversation, he shared how

[12:15] peers of his secretly use flavored vape products in the middle school locker

[12:19] room. As our father is an oncologist, my brother innocently asked whether or not

[12:23] that meant his friends, 13-year 13-year-old children, are at higher risk

[12:28] of dying from cancer. Children this young should not have to worry about

[12:31] topics like these, nor should their peers have to deal with the lifelong

[12:35] consequences associated with nicotine and tobacco addiction. I respect the

[12:39] Burnsville City Council's continued interest in investing in businesses in

[12:43] our community. However, flavored tobacco usage is not an

[12:47] consumer choice, especially for children as young as my brother. The CDC reports

[12:52] that the vast majority of youth tobacco users begin with flavored products, and

[12:57] the tobacco industry has made deliberate efforts to make tobacco products more

[13:01] appealing to younger users through flavoring and youth-oriented marketing.

[13:05] In addition, the economic cost of tobacco affect everyone, contributing to

[13:09] a $4.7 billion excess cost in Minnesota and an

[13:13] estimated $983 tax burden per household, including here

[13:17] in Burnsville. Neighboring cities of ours, such as

[13:20] Lilydale, Mendota Heights, Richfield, and Bloomington, have made restrictions

[13:24] on on of flavored tobacco products. So, today I urge the Burnsville City Council

[13:29] to follow suit and create restrictions on the sale of flavored nicotine and

[13:33] tobacco products here in Burnsville. Thank you for the opportunity to let me

[13:37] speak today, and I hope you consider my request. Thank you so much.

[13:42] » Thank you.

[13:46] Any comments on that or

[13:49] » [snorts] >> All right.

[13:53] Seeing [clears throat] as no one else is here to speak for citizen comments,

[13:57] uh we'll move on to item number three, additions to the final agenda.

[14:01] This [snorts] is for emergency items only. Does staff have any other

[14:04] additions to the final agenda this evening?

[14:07] » Nothing from staff. >> Does council have any other additions to

[14:10] the final agenda? Seeing none, we will move on.

[14:14] Um item number four is the consent agenda. I All items listed on the

[14:19] consent agenda are considered to be routine and will be enacted by one

[14:22] motion. However, an item may be removed from the consent agenda for a separate

[14:26] discussion and vote. Is there anyone [snorts] from the public

[14:29] who wishes an item to be removed from the consent agenda for a separate

[14:33] discussion and vote? Seeing none, does staff wish to remove

[14:37] an item? >> Nothing from staff, acting mayor.

[14:40] » Nothing from staff. Members of the council?

[14:42] » Nothing. >> May have a motion to adopt the consent

[14:45] agenda. >> Move.

[14:46] » Second. >> We have a motion and a second, and

[14:48] because we are digital, we have to roll call. So,

[14:53] Ms. Collins. >> Gustafson.

[14:56] » Yes. >> Keely.

[14:58] » Yes. >> Schultz.

[15:02] Workman. >> Yes.

[15:05] » Um moving on to our regular agenda. We have one item this evening, appointments

[15:09] to advisory commissions. Uh the City Council conducted interviews on May 26th

[15:14] and May 28th. We had 28 applications this year.

[15:18] Council member Gustafson, can you please make a motion to appoint for the

[15:21] economic development commission. >> Thank you, acting mayor. Uh

[15:25] for the economic development commission, I nominate Vicki Anderson as a regular

[15:29] member with a term ending 6 2029. John Swaney as a regular member term

[15:35] ending 6 2029. Molly's here from alternate to regular

[15:40] member term term ending 6 2029. Ali Awad as a regular member term ending 6 2029.

[15:48] And Fasal Farah, the ultimate member member term ending 6 2027.

[15:54] » Thank you for that. All those in favor, please say or roll call.

[15:59] Second and roll call. Did you make a motion, Dan?

[16:01] » Yes, I'll second the motions. >> We have a motion and a second, sorry. Um

[16:06] roll call. >> Gustafson?

[16:08] » Aye. >> Keely?

[16:09] » Aye. >> Schultz?

[16:12] » Yes. >> Workman?

[16:13] » Aye. >> And the motion carries. Uh Council

[16:17] member Keely, can you please make a motion to appoint for parks and natural

[16:21] resources commission? >> Thank you, acting mayor Workman. I am

[16:24] speaking on behalf of the the mayor who is the liaison to the parks and natural

[16:29] resources but is currently out of town. So, I'd like to make a motion to appoint

[16:33] Cody Matts as a regular member ending uh 6 of 2029.

[16:39] Alpa Goswami as a regular member term ending 6 of 29. And Aliyah McNeal, our

[16:46] youth member term ending 6 of 2027.

[16:50] » We have a motion. >> And a second.

[16:52] » And a second. >> Gustafson?

[16:55] » Aye. >> Keely?

[16:56] » Aye. >> Schultz?

[16:58] » Yes. >> Workman?

[17:00] » Aye. >> And the motion carries.

[17:04] And finally, I will make a motion to appoint the following members to the

[17:08] planning commission. >> [snorts]

[17:09] » Al Anderson, alternate member term ending in June 2029. And Alexander

[17:15] Ramnarine, regular member term ending June 2029.

[17:20] » Second. >> We have a motion and a second.

[17:23] » Gustafson? >> Aye.

[17:25] » Keeley? >> Aye.

[17:26] » Schultz? >> Yeah.

[17:28] » Workman? >> Aye.

[17:31] » And the motion carries. Members of the council, there are no

[17:35] other additional items to come before us at this regular council meeting and a

[17:39] motion to adjourn is in order. >> So moved.

[17:41] » Second. >> We have a motion and a second.

[17:44] » After roll call adjourn. >> Gustafson?

[17:46] » Aye. >> Keeley?

[17:48] » Aye. >> Schultz?

[17:51] » Yeah. >> Workman?

[17:52] » Aye. >> Thank you for being with us this

[17:54] evening. Hope you have a wonderful night.

[17:57] And we'll see you next Tuesday.

Regular City Council - 02 Jun 2026

Transcript