City Council Meeting-September 1, 2026

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[0:08] Owatonna City Council meeting to order for Tuesday, September 1st, 2026.
[0:13] Could I have a roll call, please? S2:
[0:26] Thank you. Would everyone please rise as Council Member Burbank leads us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
[0:33] I pledge allegiance 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.
[0:50] All right. Good evening, everyone. On the week after the fair. I hope everyone's recovered. First up tonight is the council agenda. We will be removing 2.5.8. So with that being removed I'd look for a motion to approve the agenda. Motion to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Doug. Any discussion? Hearing? None. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? The agenda has been approved. Uh, Mayor Jessup is not here tonight. So for the mayor update, we will go to City Administrator Tuma. Good evening.
[1:25] Thank you. Council. Uh, yes, I'll do my best here. First of all, I'd like to introduce Christian Fenstermaker, who is no stranger to the city of Owatonna, but he has recently been selected as our new General manager of Owatonna Public Utilities. So welcome, Christian. He's here to give us a little update too.
[1:49] Thank you for that. I'll correct you anyway. Fenstermaker.
[1:53] Fenstermaker. I've been practicing all day.
[1:56] No problem. Uh, I just want to give you a quick update. Uh. Um, we had about four different things we wanted to bring up for you guys. Uh, as you have seen a lot of work going on along Main Street. Uh, all that work is really related to our gas main replacement project, getting ahead of the Main Street project. So I'm happy to report that that actually has concluded. We have gotten all the main installed as of today. The last little bit was installed. So there is a small portion right in front of our building that has yet to be, uh, stored that will be restored over the next week or so. So, uh, we anticipate, uh, the street right in front of our building to be opened up in a matter of a few days here. So within a few days. So, so hopefully that is concluded at that point. We do have electric main installation work that's being going on right across the street on bridge. Bridge. Main right there. Right where it transitions. Anyway, that's associated with the Ascend South project. We are still working on getting a lot of that overhead line that is along the river, underneath the ground in a duct bank. So that is a current ongoing project. So you'll still see some lane closures associated with that, um, work getting completed. And then we will have some electric main installation that will be done in the next month or two with the main street project that is be will be closer to federated buildings. So all that's in preparation for that Main Street project. Um, the second item I thought I'd give an update quick on is, as uh, many are aware, looking at your own bills, we have transitioned to what we call a one read billing situation. So we um, had 17 different billing periods for all of our customers. As you can imagine, 17 different billing periods means a lot of processing for staff. Um, one of the biggest issues with that, uh, that 17 different reads is some customers would have half a half of their bill from one month and half from another month. We are moving all that to calendar consistent billing. So you're right on the first of the month, your entire bill is associated with the entire month. Uh, what that means is consistency. Everybody will have a bill that's associated with the month. It's associated with our actual expenses. So it allows us to true up costs very accurately to what those costs are. Unfortunately, there's been some hiccups with that because in order to do that, we have to shift everyone's read date from some as late as the 20th or so in the month to the first. That means a few everybody did see receive two bills in one month in that particular situation. But um, everything is being trued up at this point. So overall goal with that is it's consistency, getting everything associated with the same cost. But in the long term, we hope to be able to offer choice in billings. So you'll be able to choose what day of the month you can have your bill due. That's a down the road, but we need to get through this whole process to get to that point. First. Third item, um, as many people are aware, we did do kick kicked off a data center newsletter series in our newsletter that started last month. We have the second part that's out this month. And the whole goal with that is just to get everyone, understanding how we would handle a project like that. And the whole point is to make sure that no matter who comes in, if there was someone to come in, we don't have a project. I'll be very clear about that. There is no data center out there. Um, but if one did come in, how we would treat that type of customer, we would expect them to pay their way into the system and have zero impact to the rest of the customers. They would have to pay their own costs. We would collect deposits from them, have agreements set in place so that they would not increase rates for the rest of the customers. That's a pretty well standard across many utilities in today's environment. So.
[6:39] Um, the third third part to that series will be coming out next month. And it's all about that cost component, making sure they all do pay their own way. So.
[6:52] The fourth item is just a preliminary rate outlook. We. We did present to the commission this this last month, a couple a little over a week ago here, we presented our preliminary rate outlook that's associated with our budget process. We aren't complete with the budget process. So this is very preliminary. It is not set in stone. The Commission still needs to review final budget numbers and set those those rate recommendations out there. But I'm happy to report our our overall rate outlook right now for 27 is a 0% increase for electric. In fact, we're projecting 0% for the next five years for electric. That reason is because our power agency is going through a big transition right now. Many people are aware of the Sherco three unit that is being retired coming up here. That's a big coal plant up in Becker that is being retired, but the debt for that has been paid off. So costs associated with those debt payments are coming off. That means reduction in rates. But we are taking on more debt for new projects coming in to pay for new projects as that one is being retired. So we're in a bit of a transition phase with where they are reducing the rates, increasing the rates, reducing the rates. It's kind of a roller coaster game going on right now, and what we have done for our customers is to make sure that we are transitioning everybody so that we aren't doing that roller coaster. We are building a rate stability reserve so that they see only flat reserve, flat impact over the next several years.
[8:40] The water rates, we are projecting another 10% increase. We're still trying to catch up those rate revenues for water associated with actual costs. We have one more year of that we anticipate. Um, we did present a 10% for the next several years, but we actually identified one project that could get pushed out to allow us to reduce that impact in future years. So we're, we're estimating about a 10% increase for next year, very minimal portion of the the bill on that case, but a 10%, no matter what is a big jump on that one. But that's all about catching us up to what our actual costs are for water. It's been in place for the last five, six, seven years or so. So on the gas side, we are projecting about a one and a half to 2% increase next year. And that's all about actual cost increase and then future years 2 to 3%. So that's the preliminary rate outlook. Um happy to take any questions about any of the other pieces.
[9:48] Dan.
[9:50] If I might. We've read about security issues. Some Minnesota municipal plants have been shut down.
[10:00] Are we okay with security? S5:
[10:14] Okay. Um, I know sometimes in Owatonna we feel kind of insular down here. Um, in, in.
[10:24] Our power company. Is there still a lot of, uh, need, if you will, uh, support for those that can't handle their utility bill in the winter.
[10:37] Uh, the heat assistance programs. Yes. Yes. Yeah. There's still a need for that. Uh, that's always going to be ongoing. Need to keep that program funded on the on the federal. And there's actually there's been a lot of discussion at the state level to expand that even further. So that is something that's still a goal to keep that going.
[10:58] So how about the overall quality or reliability of our grid all the way from Canada down to Texas? That's that meso grid.
[11:09] Meso yep. That's the independent system operator that we have in our region, the midcontinent independent system. Operator. Uh, they do, uh, every year a rate, a rate, a reliability outlook to see how their, the system fares for the next several years. We are in a concerning time period right now when it comes to the transition between coal sources to renewable sources not being quite as as dependent or reliable. Anyway, um, we are in a transition in that case, and we've been fortunate so far this year. We do have steps in place for our own case if we get any concerns from the grid operator. If you ever notice, we send out what's called a grid alert that a grid grid alert, which is separate from our peak alert, peak alert just says, hey, costs are high right now. Reduce all you can to help reduce overall costs to the rest of the customers. A grid alert is when constraints are out there. That's when we if we are calling for that, that's really important to follow that, to make sure that we are doing whatever we can to reduce strain on the grid, something we can't really control other than to help pass that message out.
[12:26] So one more thing, if I can keep going a couple of years ago, maybe 4 or 5, maybe longer, Owatonna was chosen as a site for a new generation plant. It's up and running now out by Crown Cork and Seal, and I understand that we've been chosen to build a second generation plant, which is a real feather in our cap. Uh, a lot of communities would join that belong to SMMPA would love to be in that position. So congratulations to that.
[13:05] Uh, and of course, then does that have anything at all, anything at all to do with data centers coming in? S5:
[13:48] And one more question, what percentage would you say Owatonna Energy uses renewables?
[13:55] I'd say we're we're right around that just shy of 30% at the moment.
[14:01] Thank you. Sorry to take up so much time.
[14:04] Anyone else?
[14:06] I got a quick one during the heat waves that we've had. And you guys are asking for less use of, you know, hydro appliances in the afternoons.
[14:24] Can you monitor how that affects? S6:
[14:36] We don't track that. What we have a couple different mechanisms that we do when it comes to the peak alerts is what you're talking about. That's all about, again, when costs are high, not necessarily grid constraints. Um, so not a reliability issue just to help reduce costs. We do those peak alerts. That's just a goodwill. We're asking people to do whatever they can. That's exactly what you're you're mentioning. Whatever loads you can do, if you want to push out your laundry, use to a weekend or a different time, change your thermostat down, um, or saying up for a couple of degrees, all that can really help. We do have our low control program. So that's where we control your, your AC units. That is actually a control mechanism that we turn on at, at the, at our facility. Um, we do see that drop, but we don't necessarily track individual ones. And then we have a program that's is called where we work with partners out there. So usually larger industrials or or larger commercial entities. And we asked them to contract a certain amount of power demand to be reduced. So we call upon them in those situations. Some of them have a generator. They turn on the generator to offset their load. I know one customer that actually does shut down for the day in those situations. They do know that the cost is higher. So they just say we're just going to shut down our operations. So those are the couple of mechanisms we do. We also have a on our water production side, we will shift a lot of our well well pumping so that it's not hitting during those peak times, reduce some additional demand on our facilities.
[16:30] Thank you.
[16:31] Anyone else? Thank you for your update on the lack of data centers. There's, Um, a lot of conspiracy theorists out there that, uh, I appreciate, and I'm sure you've had to answer that question more than once this week and probably more than once next week. No problem. Take care. Welcome aboard. Good to have you.
[16:54] Thanks, Christian.
[17:03] Next to me. Okay. I'll go. You're just gonna wait? I was waiting for the call, but our next item on the agenda is to accept the resignation from our library board, Annie Harmon. Annie, uh, officially took over the duties as the communication specialist with the city. And to avoid any potential conflicts of interest, she's, uh, stepping away from the library board. So with that, looking for a recommend approval of, uh, accepting her resignation.
[17:27] So with that, I'd look for a motion to approve the resignation.
[17:32] Motion to approve.
[17:32] Motion by Doug to approve.
[17:36] Do I have a second? S8:
[17:38] Second by Dan. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. Annie, you're off the library board. Thank you for your service.
[17:51] And I have one more item for the mayor, and it's a proclamation. And if I could just read through it real quick, here is whereas the Quilt of Valor Valor Foundation is a national organization created in 2003 from the servicemen Serviceman's mother's idea of comfort for veterans with quilts. And whereas the Quilts of Valor Foundation recognize and acknowledge that the war demons that plague soldiers from all wars. And. Through this foundation, quilts have been presented to the warriors from all conflicts, including World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. And whereas, each of these quilts represent a three part message from the giver to those receiving it, honor. Freedom is. Freedom is not free and comfort. And whereas in 2002. I'm sorry. In 2022, the Owatonna Exchange Club chose the Quilt of Valor. Valor as one of their Americanism service projects. Five quilts were awarded in 2022, and the number has increased each year. This year, 15 recipients are receiving those and those are David Sikora, US Army. Douglas Kolb, US Army. Richard Steffen, US Marines. Dennis Snyder, US Army. Curtis Abraham, US Army, David Kennaugh, US Army, Gary Larson, US Army, Roger Johnson, US Air Force, Arlen Burmeister, US Army, Robert Burnett, US Army, Leslie Abraham, US Army, Michael Bryant, US Army, Gerald Greenfield, US Army, Lorraine Thiele, US Navy and Richard Beam. Ray Meyer, U.S. Air Force and with sincere thanks and gratitude, these 15 veterans are being recognized for their service to our country and our community as they receive the quilt of valor. And now, the Mayor of Owatonna has hereby proclaim that September 10th as the 2026 Quilt of Valor Day. And with that, the City of Owatonna invites everyone to congratulate and celebrate these veterans as they receive their quilts on the 10th day of September of 2026.
[20:05] Thank you. Jenna.
[20:12] Consent agenda. Consent agenda consists of city Council meeting minutes. Other board commission minutes, licenses, permits and miscellaneous items all grouped together for the Council to review prior to the meeting and vote on collectively. With that, I will entertain a motion on the Consent Agenda item. So move. Motion by Dan to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dave. Any discussion? Hearing? None. All those in favor signify by saying aye aye aye. Opposed. Motion carries. We're now up to action items. First up tonight are the resolutions we have for tonight. First one is 3.1.1 resolution 80-26. To remove a non-compliant parking stall on Rose Street west. And for that, we go to Troy Klecker. Good evening. Uh, we.
[20:55] Do have a parking stall on Rose Street that's too close to the crosswalk. And it's been recommended by Sean Murphy, our city engineer, and Jake Resnick, the county engineer, to have that removed. Um, we do run all these parking changes through the planning commission, and they also recommended, uh, approval to remove that. So staff would recommend the resolution to remove the non compliant parking stall on West Rose Street.
[21:27] Thank you.
[21:30] Any questions for Troy? S1:
[21:32] Motion to approve resolution 80-26 to approve.
[21:36] Do I have a second? Second. Second by Don. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. Our next resolution 3.1.281-26.
[21:48] Designate for our parking restriction on Ted Ringhofer lane northwest. And once again, Troy Klecker.
[21:55] All right. Work is being done on Ted Ringhofer Lane northwest. That's part of the, uh, Send South project. Uh, looking to have that done sometime in September here. Uh, so it is recommended to go to a four hour parking that was taken to our planning commission. Um, and they are recommending that it go to the four hour. We've had 24 and two hour parking down there in the past. Uh, we are adding 65 parking, public parking spaces along that roadway, which is more along that roadway than we had before. Um, I know parking is tight right now with construction, so, uh, with that opening up, it should help things quite a bit. But the four hour, um, you know, it's not overnight. It's not meant to be overnight parking. We have the parking up top for, uh, 24 hour parking, but it is longer than, uh, our typical two hour parking downtown. So I think this is a good, um, um, time frame for the parking down there. We've had the four hour parking on Rose Street and that's been very, uh, productive, uh, in getting turnover, but yet people long enough time to do what they need to do downtown. So staff would recommend, uh, approving the designation of four hour parking along Teddy Ringhofer Lane.
[23:18] Thank you. Any questions for Troy during I look for a motion to approve. So moved motion by Dan to approve. Do I have a second second second by Doug. Any discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. Our next resolution 3.1.3. Resolution 82-26 to purchase property at 1116 Austin Road. And once again, Troy.
[23:46] All right. So one of the more unique intersections we have in town is the McKinley Grove Austin Road Havana intersection. And I'm sure most everybody knows which one I'm talking about. Um, you know, they all converge in the, uh, right about at the same point in the design is really tough, uh, to get a good design there with the space that we have available. Uh, the property at 1116 Austin Road sits in the middle of these intersections. And it would be valuable in any sort of redesign of that intersection. The property was recently put on the market and staff, uh, has a purchase agreement for the property for the listed price of 199,900. Contingent on City Council approval, securing the property now would allow staff to look at possible designs of that intersection and to present something to the council at a later date. So again, the price is 199,900 plus some closing costs. These funds would come from the city's, um, 405 fund for future capital projects. The plan would be to rent the house in the short term until a design and project can be presented and approved by the City Council, so staff would recommend approval of this purchase. We have situations in town where we know we have a bad situation. And so, uh, it's always kind of in the back of our mind that, you know, if there's opportunity, um, to fix it, uh, that we should at least present that to the council, uh, for them to take advantage of that opportunity. So when this came on the market, um, It would allow for a better design of that. And so we wanted to at least present that to the council, uh, for a chance to make that intersection better.
[25:40] Thank you.
[25:44] Any questions for Troy? S6:
[25:52] Doug.
[25:53] Troy, if we end up buying this, the rent will cover the investment for the time being. Is that fairly.
[26:01] Yes. So we would we would, uh, lease it, rent it in any rent that's generated from that would just offset whatever cost we have into the purchase.
[26:12] And I know, Sean, you haven't had a whole lot of time to put much thought into this, but is there would we like to have this something done here in two years, five years, ten years? Any any guesstimate?
[26:26] Oh, I would like to assume that we could do something sooner than ten years. So, yeah, I mean, with our busy workload still being short staffed. Yeah. We didn't have a lot of time to put, uh, some preliminary design or conceptual layouts together. But, you know, I certainly think this is something that could easily be done within 2 to 5 years.
[26:47] Okay.
[26:48] Any other questions?
[26:49] If we ended up deciding it wasn't a project that was necessary, we probably could sell the property back.
[26:57] Yeah, we always have that option.
[26:59] Okay.
[27:00] Any other questions?
[27:01] Uh, just a comment. I very seldom do I go against staff. I just think that at this point in time, we've got way more things to do, uh, with streets and that coming up, uh, uh, with the two big projects, um, at this point in time, I think, uh, 200, 200,000 would be better off staying in our fund. Uh, this has been a wonky intersection for over 70 years. So as long as I've lived in Owatonna, um, I asked if there's been any records of crashes or accidents in that intersection. Uh, President Raney said, well, you know, might not be as many crashes, but you don't know how many close calls there's been there either. And I acknowledge that. But I think I'll be voting nay on this.
[27:49] Any other questions? Hearing none. Look for a motion to approve.
[27:52] Motion to approve.
[27:54] To approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dave. Any further discussion? I do have a comment. Um, in talking with Sean Murphy, uh, I remember my first time when I moved to town in 1981, and I had no idea how to get through that intersection and continually see people, uh, in the wrong lane when they're trying to make a left onto Austin Road. Um, we have an opportunity to clean up an area that maybe there aren't that many accidents, but we have an opportunity to take that risk down even more. Um, I like the fact that we're not going to tear the house down right away. We're going to be renting it. Uh, and, and give our engineering engineering department 3 to 5 years to figure out the best case scenario for this, because we've got a lot of roads coming together at once there. And so, um, I'm excited for the change.
[28:53] Having no other comments. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Nay. Motion carries. Next up tonight is 3.1 point for resolution 83-26 declare house hazardous building and abatement of hazardous conditions at 252 West McKinley Street. And for that we go to City Attorney Mark Walbran. Good evening, sir.
[29:16] Thank you. There's a hazardous building located at 252 West McKinley. There's a large hole in the roof. The owner of the property has not been responsive to the city's requests to have it repaired. So the purpose of the resolution is to declare the building to be a hazardous building under the statutes and order the abatement of the hazardous conditions. Repairs are needed immediately. There is no budget impact at this time. In the event it becomes necessary for the city to remedy the violations, the city would recover the costs through the Special Assessment system. The staff recommends approval of this resolution.
[30:00] Thank you.
[30:04] Any questions for Mark? S1:
[30:05] Motion to approve.
[30:06] Motion to approve.
[30:09] Do I have a second? S3:
[30:09] Second by Don. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. Thank you. Mark. We have two miscellaneous items tonight. First one is 3.2.1 to accept quotes and award a contract for the 2026 trail repair and seal coat and back to Sean Murphy for that.
[30:30] Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh, we're requesting council's approval to accept these quotes or bids and award the contract for trail repair and seal coat project that occurs on seven segments of trails within the city of Owatonna here. Uh, we received bids on August 24th for the trail maintenance, repair and seal coat for seven segments of trails. Uh, that includes portions of Manthey, Buxton, Cherry Street, Rose Street, Sid Canyon, 18th Street, and the trail and 24th Avenue adjacent to Lowe's. Bids were received from six different bidders, uh with the table listed. Gopher state seal coat was the apparent low bidder at $24,072.80.
[31:17] Uh, with that, the project is going to be funded through our SIP levy at that amount, and staff recommends approval to accept the quotes award the contract to Gopher State Seal Coat Incorporated.
[31:33] Thank you.
[31:37] Any questions for Sean? S7:
[31:38] Motion by Doug to approve.
[31:41] Do I have a second? S3:
[31:41] Second by Donnie. Further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. Our final item tonight is 3.2.2. Protect community forests for community Resiliency. Minnesota DNR. And back to Sean Murphy.
[31:59] All right. Thanks again. Uh, yes, we're here to request council's approval to move forward in applying for a Minnesota DNR grant aimed at, uh, reducing and removing, uh, emerald ash borer, uh, stricken trees within the community. Uh, at first glance, there's about 150 ash trees in the West Hills campus and over 1600 throughout our entire city, including other parks, city owned facilities or our boulevards. Um, uh, the this grant provides up to $150,000 in funding for the removal of ash trees and planting of climate resilient trees. It is a requirement to have a 1 to 1 match for replanting. Uh, the total pool for the state in this grant program is about $1.7 million. And I don't think there's a community within the state that doesn't have an issue with, uh, emerald ash borer and ash trees that have been dying over the past number of years. So we expected to, to be very competitive. Uh, work can be done anywhere in the city, but we did choose West Hills campus as it is the highest concentration of ash trees in one location that we have in the city. Um, you know, as we started sitting in on the solicitation and webinar for this specific grant, we did go through and look at our inventory on West Hills campus. It was originally performed by Rainbow Tree Care in the winter of 2019 or 2020. Um, we did note that some of the assets have not been kept up in terms of removals and additions. So as, as trees have died over the years, we've cut those down and we haven't logged those. So, uh, one of the parts of the grant application or one of the reimbursable expenses are some updated tree inventory. So we can utilize grant funds if awarded for, uh, this project. Um, uh, the final amount requested will depend on the scope of work and number of trees, which we are working on getting quotes for. Uh, the deadline for this application is September 14th. The budget impact is there is no matching requirement, uh, that comes with this grant, although we did work from a staff level to try to maximize grant opportunity. Uh, we could have city staff plant those trees rather than hiring a contractor to do so. Um, you know, we felt that the best use of funds is removing the, the dead trees and utilizing contractor that can come mobilize to one location rather than trying to sparse out between, you know, 5 or 6 different parks or multiple streets throughout the city. So trying to make it as cost effective as possible of a, of an application, uh, and if awarded, uh, the project time frame for the grant itself runs through June of 2029. So we do have some opportunity to go through and, um, and evaluate, uh, specific, uh, locations, trees, what have you, uh, with that staff does recommend, moving forward for applying for this grant.
[35:18] Thank you Sean. Any questions on this? Doug.
[35:21] You're done.
[35:22] I'm done.
[35:23] Sean. Just a question. So would we be removing all ash trees because excuse my ignorance, but if we've got a healthy ash tree and it's in an area that has disease trees is the probability of that healthy tree getting diseased higher.
[35:40] Can you say that last part again? Sorry.
[35:42] If if we have a healthy tree and it's they're surrounded by unhealthy trees, the probability of that tree getting infected is higher. I would assume.
[35:52] Uh, from a non arborist. Yes. Yes. So, uh, I mean, with the number of trees, uh, we looked at some, you know, adjacent community quotes or contracted prices for, uh, recently bid tree removal services. Everything is unique from other communities in terms of how they operate or plan. But we looked at it from a budget of about a 1500 to $2000 per tree, which includes cutting the tree down, grinding the stump and planting a new tree in its place. So depending on the amount of grant funds, which again, we we do feel that this is going to be very competitive at only $1.7 million throughout the entire state. Uh, if we can get $20,000, we'll take it to help remove a handful of dead ash trees. So, um, those would be the highest priority if there's still some longevity in, in some of the existing trees, uh, we would prioritize the ones that are, are certainly are dead or verified to have emerald ash borer effects on it.
[37:09] Okay. Yeah. And the reason or rationale for that is if you've got a live tree that's in an infected area, cut all the infected ones. That's probably going to have to come back later on and take down the other one.
[37:21] Potentially. And we do have that relief community grant that we're working with consultant on that we can kind of have them provide some recommendations if we do get awarded this grant in terms of, you know, where should we focus our efforts? Um, and if we should leave, uh, live trees or trees that appear to be unaffected by emerald ash borer, uh, adjacent to infected ones.
[37:48] Okay. Thank you.
[37:50] Any other questions, Doug?
[37:52] Sean, I got a question and a comment. Can I do them both? No, no.
[37:57] It's questions.
[37:58] Okay. Um, reading through the thing and it's a replacement. Take one down and put one in.
[38:04] That is correct.
[38:05] Are we required to replant the where you take them down.
[38:10] That is the way the grant application is written. That is the preference, but it is not a requirement. So with good reason. If we got an arborist opinion that, you know, we had a higher concentration of trees than what should be for a certain area, whether it's a park or a specific use, like our West Hills campus where we could replant in other locations. Okay. That is an option.
[38:42] That would be good. Now I can make my comment.
[38:46] Sure.
[38:47] Okay. My only comment on this is I see your map. Obviously, you've gone to a lot of work to take care of that. I think 90% of Owatonna is never going to see any of these trees. I wish we would have taken some time to look at, uh, higher priority trees. For example, I was at the fairgrounds park today and there's six dead ash trees right in the playground. They need to go. I wish we would have had some opportunity to have some input.
[39:17] It's a county park.
[39:18] No, we take care of it, though. Okay. Whatever. Mineral springs, darts, you name it. There's lots and lots of trees in those parks, and I think more citizens would see the impact of this if we took some of those. But I understand it's a grant, so it makes sense. But.
[39:38] Right. Yeah. And I guess I can't disagree that maybe more citizens might appreciate those trees coming down. But like I said, we did try to focus on trying to be as efficient with the application as possible in terms of having one mobilization and maybe getting better costs to have trees removed all in one location.
[40:01] Dave.
[40:03] That's a lot of wood to take down. Can we mail any of that And sell it.
[40:12] Uh.
[40:15] But potentially, uh, usually when we go through contracts like this, you're, you're required to take the removed tree with you. If we wrote that into the contract, we'd have to figure out.
[40:30] A way to store it, deliver it, move it again. So it adds a lot of extra work. Um, and depending on some of the trees since since some are dead, their value is not very high.
[40:45] Okay.
[40:47] So question and comment if I could.
[40:51] Thank you.
[40:54] First of all, it's a grant opportunity. And I agree with you. Every city in the state of Minnesota is going to be applying for this because every city and state is having this emerald ash borer disease coming at them hard. Will they have an arborist on hand to determine, uh, what? Mr. McCann asked. Well, no, we can leave that one. Nope. Those two have to go, even though they look healthy.
[41:24] Uh, do you know the extent of that? S11:
[41:44] Okay then a comment, um, going off of Don's question, uh, last year I had to remove three ash trees from my property. It wasn't cheap. My, my, one of my neighbors had two ash trees that looked fairly healthy. And he was asked, as long as we're doing these, do you want yours removed? He chose not to. This year they're dead and he can't find a tree company to take him out. So, um, and they told me, even though your trees look somewhat healthy, they, they are not healthy. So I, I leave that to the experts. Any other questions? Hearing none, I look for a motion to approve. So moved. Motion by Dan to approve. Do I have a second.
[42:34] Second.
[42:35] Second by Don. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. We're now up to public comment. Uh, please limit your comments to three minutes. Uh, please approach the microphone sign in. State your name and address for the record. After being acknowledged by the Council president, speakers will be limited to three minutes to deliver their comments. Council Vice President Voss will be timing and hold up one hand after two minutes, 45 seconds to notify the speaker. They have 15 seconds to complete their comment. Those speaking are asked to conduct themselves in a respectful manner as they deliver their comments. Audience members are asked to refrain from reacting to comments. The City Council will not respond directly to comments in this venue or take immediate action in response to them. With that, we will open it up.
[43:33] Good evening, Melissa Zimmerman. Tonight, I just want to read a statute to you, chapter 13.05 meetings having classified as not public, having data classified as not public subdivision three what meetings may be closed? Subsection A a public body may close a meeting to evaluate the performance of an individual who has who is subject to its authority. The public body shall identify the individual to be evaluated prior to closing the meeting. At its next open meeting, the public body shall summarize its conclusions regarding the evaluation. We all know that there was a review on August 24th. I didn't see that summarization within this meeting tonight. Thank you.
[44:32] Good evening. Sarah Sanchez, Owatonna resident. I am actually currently running for City Council Ward three, and I was privileged last week to be able to get a very extensive tour of the both the fire hall and our police station. And I believe that it allowed me a perspective to see and hear from the people who utilize the responders, people who take care of us, um, to hear directly from them, what they're looking for, what they need. Um, I think that there's a little bit of a missing piece when we think about these projects in that way as well. Um, I don't think that we quantify the residents, the people who make up those teams enough. I don't think we think about their safety, their needs, what they're telling us that they need to stay current and to continue to draw in new people, new responders, who we need very much right now. And it's not looking very good. If you are someone looking to apply and you see some other options, it may not be the one you want to go for. So I do want to make sure that I mention that piece. Now, um, that did shift and kind of made me think of some things. Um, now, this evening we were, we had the opportunity to hear from our tourism director, I believe. And in, in her statement, she talked about the history, how history was added to tourism or how they were trying to incorporate that more highlighted, if you will. And so what I'm seeing right now is something that we need to weigh very carefully. How important are historic areas are to us, to who we are as Owatonna, but also weigh in the needs that are very severe. Um, we could, I mean, we could face a lawsuit. I mean, we could think we need to think about that. We could see the union, the firefighters union, you know, impose a lawsuit on us for not properly, um, you know, updating these facilities and caring for the inhabitants. Um, so this is something that I think that we need to make sure that we're weighing as well. It is absolutely it is, it isn't going to be a necessity. And I think that one of the biggest things that we need to as, as a people is think of where, where is that best? And, and making sure that we're not sacrificing either one really. So thank you so much.
[47:32] Thank you.
[47:37] Anyone else this evening?
[47:55] Good evening, members of City Council. My name is Thomas Gorecki And it's an honor to be back here in Owatonna with you here today. I previously served as a recreation supervisor for the City of Owatonna Parks and Rec. Um, a couple years ago during my years here, I came to know this community, its employees, and the importance of serving the Owatonna residents. I'm here today to express my strongest support for Jenna Tumor. I had the opportunity to work directly with Jenna when she served as our Parks and Rec director. I recognize that public officials should be held accountable and that residents have the right to ask difficult questions. However, some personal attacks and claims made about Jenna during the past couple of months do not reflect the leader or the person that I have come to know through the years of working alongside her. Jenna is the kind of leader, mentor, and coach that employees dream to have. She cares deeply about people. Her door is always open and she takes the time to listen. At the same time, she encourages personal growth, Honest discussions and accountability. When I started here, there was limited professional growth opportunities available for city supervisors and managers. Jenna recognized that need and took it upon herself to find resources that would help our department become stronger leaders. We learned to ask questions such as, can I provide some positive resistance? Or let's put all of our ideas on the table. It's those phrases that made a change. They helped create a workplace where employees could be, um, able to disagree, respectfully consider different perspectives, and work together towards better solutions. That leadership did not only benefit the city employees, it translated into a stronger team that could better serve Owatonna residents. Working for Jana was an incredible learning experience. Even when the lessons came from mistakes or difficult situations, she did not use those moments to tear people down. She helped us learn and improve to become better people. And I'll be the first one to admit I gave Jenna plenty of those learning opportunities, so I can say with confidence that I would not be where I am today without Jenna's mentorship. I now serve as the the Strategic Programs manager for Scott County and supporting its partnership with Three Rivers Park District. The lessons that Jenna taught me about leadership, collaboration, accountability, and public service continue to guide my work today. I ask that the county know the Council, the community to evaluate Jenna fairly based on facts, her complete record and the experiences of those who have worked with her directly. I am proud to stand here tonight in support of Jana, not because of what she has accomplished, but because of the positive and lasting effects that she's had on people. She has led and the community she serves.
[50:48] Thank you.
[50:48] Thank you.
[51:34] Gary Jones, 995 Ridge Road. Good evening. Um, through 65 or so public comments, I've tried to put together interesting thoughts and concerns about the tree hunt, and always try not to repeat the same message over and over again until tonight. Now, I've said before that we have made headway on safety with the archery deer hunt Moving the stand from a dangerous area. Leo Rudolph. That was 35ft from a path and looking into the sun. Redirecting the hunt and Kaplan's woods south away from the walking paths and Scott Scrambler. It was only 22ft from a well-used bike path, no longer allowing ladders. So you don't have kids crawling up after hours, getting the hunt out of Manthey because it did not even fit our own guidelines. Having the hunter remove the bottom sections of climbing sticks when they leave for the day, that's a big one. Signage improvements with maps in multiple languages. It was only in English a couple of years ago. Elimination of season wanted mineral Springs. It's 80 degrees. Disc golfers, park goers and photographers taking senior pics and wedding pictures. I mean keep them safe. Elimination of the South sand and Mineral Springs. It was aimed right at somebody's house and garage. So. And encircled by disc golf launch pads made out of cement Prime for Ricochet. Now, those improvements all took a lot of work to accomplish. But how about an improvement that takes no work at all? With all this, I'm bringing forth one more improvement that I ask for. I've been to 66 of these. I think I'm about done. I think I am not going to be asking, coming here back over and over again, asking for more stuff. But this is one that I do think would be good. Uh, this is the elimination of season one at Maple Creek Park. The best fall colors in town are at Forest Hill Cemetery. Anybody from Old Town of knows that each fall. People walking. Kids riding bikes home from school or walking through Forest Hill. The hunting stand at Maple Creek Park is barely 150ft from the tower paths at Forest Hill. He is right there. Now, that is not the fault of the Hunter. There's literally nowhere to place the stand. You have Saint John's Cemetery to the north, Forest Hill to the north and east. Buxton's Trail to the south and Elm Street to the west. There's not a lot of places to put it, but that's not an excuse for having arrows discharge in a tranquil area where walkers and mourners are enjoying the beautiful setting, or kids are riding bikes or walking, oblivious to the danger. The parks have orange signs going into them. The cemetery does not. And the stand is 150ft away. Obviously the thing to do, the season one ends the same time that the cemetery closes. Get rid of season one now. The liability, the liability, and the chance for anybody to get injured. Done. No money paid, no nothing. It is so easy. Please vote to do that. Uh, the, uh, test for The archers is coming up in two weeks and six weeks from about this time, the hunt starts. Please vote on it now. And I am not going to be coming back to you with a bunch more things. Thanks so much for listening, as always.
[54:33] Thanks, Gary. Thanks, Gary.
[54:34] Anyone else.
[54:34] This evening?
[55:08] Tyler Cochran, 716 13th Street northeast.
[55:11] Tyler.
[55:12] Good evening. I also would like to share some of my thoughts about my experiences working with City Administrator Tumor. I met Jenna when I joined the park board, which was shortly after she was hired as our park and rec director. It was immediately impressed by the fresh perspective she brought to her role and to the department. Owatonna has a long history of doing things because we've always done them that way, and Jenna isn't afraid to challenge that mentality when it's in the best interest of our community. This is an essential characteristic in an organization's leadership. I still see this today in her role as our city administrator. Jenna is an innovator and change can be hard for some, especially in a community that values convention so highly. I believe Jenna is forward thinking leadership makes Owatonna a better place today. But more importantly, it will make Owatonna a better place in the future. She works hard to find solutions to problems that will have an impact on our community generations from now. As a lifelong Owatonna, I'm excited about the direction we're headed and I trust Jenna's leadership to guide us there. Thank you. Thank you.
[56:31] Anyone else this evening?
[56:41] Good evening. My name is Rob Jarrett. I live on Ridge Road in the city of Owatonna. Uh, Council president, council members, staff. I'm here to show my support and appreciation for Jenna Tumor. I've worked with Jenna in many capacities last several years, years last year especially. Um, and I believe that she is a great leader for this community, uh, in the face of the city. And this organization is not an easy lift. You all know that being a public servant, you need to balance the needs, wants, and desires of this community. Of the 26,000 and more residents, oftentimes that can be an impossible task. And Jenna steps up for that task. I've witnessed her dedication, her common sense commitment, her ability to treat everyone with dignity and respect on a variety of issues facing the city of Owatonna. I've seen that work firsthand the recent articles, the Facebook rhetoric, the Nimby groups. all have taken front stage, uh, to what good government is happening in the city of Owatonna. I want you to think about those things that are said and take it with a grain of salt. Think about the context that those comments are provided and why. Why is because we're a democratic republic. You are elected to make decisions for this community. It's not a popularity contest. It's not a vote on every single issue to the entire 26,000 people. It's this, this council, to make those decisions and make decisions that are best for all constituents, not just for a select few or the most vocal, uh, sometimes the most vocal in the select few are. Right? But sometimes they're not. Be skeptical. Think about it. I recently read a book on leadership called Extreme Ownership. It was written by some retired Navy Seals. Um, and in that concept of extreme ownership is that you take accountability for what happens in your team. You admit mistakes and you find solutions. And I've seen that leadership style, certainly with Jenna. She's not sitting on her hands and doing nothing. She's taking action. She's done that as a leader of this community for the last year. Oftentimes in court, that's where we bring is our community. We bring to court, we resolve our disputes in court. And that's where I come from. Right? I'm in court a lot. And, um, when a jury of your peers comes and decides an issue, they are given a law. Given the law by the judge on what is, um, how do you evaluate a case and how you evaluate the credibility of witnesses. And I brought these. You can grab one on your way out if you like, but it's the it's the jury instruction guide on how to believe the believability of a witness. And some of those important things are looking at the interest or lack of interest and the outcome of a case relationship to the parties, their ability to know, remember, relate to the facts. Frankness and sincerity and some other. Some other.
[59:49] Evaluation tools and. The key to that, though, is before you get to that point, someone needs to stand up and say their name and be public. And, uh, they need to see or state what they saw, state what they heard, um, in speak. And they can't be anonymous. So I'm standing here to tell you that based on my experiences, both for intra governmental and inter-governmental, um, agencies work with Jenna, fully support her. So I appreciate your support. And if.
[1:00:24] Anyone else this evening.
[1:00:28] Seeing no one come forward, we will close the public comment portion. We are now up to public or up to City Council comment. First up tonight is Dave Burbank.
[1:00:39] Appreciate the comments tonight. Thanks for Attending Council member.
[1:00:45] No further comments.
[1:00:47] Council member McCann.
[1:00:48] I just want to make a comment. I've gotten requests from various people about this speeding that's going on in the city and the night out. There were a number of people that mentioned that, and I want to reach out to the Owatonna Police Department because they have started putting out. I'm going to put this in the context. I don't know what they call it, but the speed wagons or the signs are out there, just like you go through a construction zone, how fast you're going. So they're not going to it's not facial facial recognition, it's not going to issue a ticket. It's just the awareness of what's going on. So I would strongly encourage people to think about those types of things. Kids are back in school and sometimes they are kids. So just be cognizant of what your speed is and thank you, the Owatonna Police Department for putting those out in various areas. I know the chief had mentioned to there's going to be a little bit more patrolling going on. So, um, it's not just in my ward, but I've gotten comments from people throughout the city. So thank you to the OPD. Thank you and back. Appreciate it. Thank you Sergeant.
[1:02:00] Council member.
[1:02:01] Nothing.
[1:02:03] Council member Voss.
[1:02:05] Thank you. I would like to, uh, just take a minute and say thank you to the Steele County Free Fair Board, Brant included. What a great week that was. Special. Thank you to Scott Gazelka and Jim Abbey. Jim is the grandstand coordinator. And those guys, they really stuck their neck out the last couple of years with some of these performances they brought in the Wednesday night Jeremy Camp concert was amazing. Incredible. Best night I've ever been at the fair, and I just wanted to make sure they knew we were appreciative of it.
[1:02:40] All, said Mr. Touma.
[1:02:43] I just have two items. One, just a reminder that Monday is. Labor Day is a holiday and so city offices will be closed and two. I appreciate the comments tonight.
[1:02:54] Uh, so I'm last up first. I've got a question for Jenna. We have another tree sign up. Uh, and it's got to be in certain areas of the community.
[1:03:10] What is that date? And can you explain that, that program a little bit, please? S4:
[1:03:41] Okay. It's a great program. And, uh, at least last year you got a tree and they also provide you with the water bag with it. And so it is a great, great program. Uh, last thing I've got tonight is, uh, in regards to Miss Touma's review. Yeah. It, uh, it goes to the next public meeting. When the review is done, it's not done. So there's no report to be made. Seeing no other business before us tonight. I'd look for a motion to adjourn. So moved by Doug to adjourn. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Danny. Further discussion? Hearing none. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed. Motion carries. We're done. Please leave in a timely manner. Thank you.