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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-26-26-R 75 Years Approved: June 8, 2026 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MAY 26,2026 7:00 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor David Grant called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant, Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Tena Monson, Emily Rousseau and Kurt Weber Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Jessica Jagoe; City Attorney Kori Land; Public Works Director/City Engineer David Swearingen; Finance Director Joua Yang; Community Development Director Jacob Reilly; and Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Julie Hanson PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilmember Holden requested Item 81), 8E and 8F be pulled from the Consent Calendar for discussion as Items 9A, 9B and 9C. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Weber seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. The motion carried (5-0). 2. TCAAP/RICE CREEK COMMONS UPDATE City Administrator Jagoe stated the JDA Advisory Committee met on May 21 st. At this meeting, JDA staff provided a verbal update on the analysis that is being done for the hybrid approach that the JDA is considering for future development of the California parcel. JDA staff continues to refine strategies to approach a future solicitation of potentially 4-5 development areas and how that might be facilitated for the timing of release simultaneously or in short succession of ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 2 each other. Staff is establishing Developer expectations that need to be considered for this hybrid approach and included as part of a future solicitation. From this discussion, the JDA Commissioners on the Advisory Committee will be bringing forth a recommendation to proceed with the hybrid approach to the full JDA at their next meeting on Monday, June 1' at 5:30 PM. The JDA's consideration of this recommendation would give JDA staff direction to continue defining Developer expectations, as well as request the City and County discuss the cost recovery of public improvements as outlined in the Joint Powers Agreement and certain development terms that will be memorialized in a cooperative agreement between the two parties for the future development of Rice Creek Commons. Councilmember Holden inquired if work would begin on the spine road this year. City Administrator Jagoe reported pre-staging elements would begin this year and grading work and construction would begin next year. Councilmember Holden asked if the Round Lake restoration work agreement had been finalized. City Administrator Jagoe stated she was uncertain if the agreement has been finalized, but she understood the remediation area has been defined. Councilmember Holden questioned if staff had any updates on the lawsuit. City Administrator Jagoe commented she did not have any updates on the lawsuit. City Attorney Land reviewed an email she sent to the City Council, noting there was a modification to the scheduling order due to court scheduling and the volume of discovery that was occurring. Councilmember Holden discussed how a piece of property on TCAAP sold and noted this parcel was not part of the Ramsey County property but was owned by the GSA. Councilmember Rousseau asked if the preconstruction for the spine road would include mass grading of the site. City Administrator Jagoe reported mass grading would occur in 2027. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen commented utilities would be installed across Highway 96 at Rice Creek and tree clearing would be occur in 2026. He explained construction of the roadway would occur in 2027 and 2028. Mayor Grant stated discovery for the lawsuit was to be completed by 8/31 of this year. He asked if discovery has already started. City Attorney Land explained the discovery phase was when the parties were exploring each other's information through a very regulated process. She noted this included the exchange of documents, exchange of admissions and depositions in order to prepare for a trial. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 3 Councilmember Holden questioned if the osprey nests would be addressed per DNR requirements prior to work beginning at Rice Creek Commons. City Administrator Jagoe reported Ramsey County was working with the DNR on this matter. She understood that fencing would be installed this September in order to protect the endangered species onsite. Mayor Grant commented the lawsuit that was referenced was the lawsuit Alatus filed against the Joint Development Authority (JDA) which was a combination of the City and the County. He reported an entirely different law firm would be defending the JDA. 3. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL Lynn Diaz, 1143 Ingerson Road, questioned what the City's process would be for considering ADU's. She indicated New Brighton City Council spent nine months reviewing and finalizing their code amendments for ADU's. She hoped the Council could work through this process, considering all impacts while not making this process too onerous for property owners. She believed ADU's would be a good option for adding affordable housing to the community. 4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES A. Public Inquiry Response from May 11, 2026 Regular City Council Meeting Mayor Grant provided a verbal update on the public inquiry response from the May 11, 2026 Regular City Council meeting. He explained he requested staff notify all Economic Development Commission members that there were openings on the EDA. He reported there were public announcements made by the City and more directly by Councilmember Rousseau at the November 25 EDC and December 17 EDC where she told this group there were two opens spots on the EDA and that the Mayor would be determining the selection process. He explained that the EDC members were asked at the December 17 EDC meeting if there was interest and two members showed interest at that time. He indicated only EDC members were eligible to serve on the EDA. He stated he set up an interview for each person that indicated they were interested in applying and developed a process that included all EDC members. He reported since January of 2023, he has never been asked by other City Councilmembers to participate in their committee interviews or provide questions. He stated committee liaisons have never provided Council with their questions, responses, or who was or was not interviewed. He indicated he followed the process he developed and interviewed the highest ranked candidates until two accepted. He explained this process took two interviews and he took notes. He commented he made it clear these notes were available for the Council to review, but he was not asked any questions. He clarified the appointments for the EDA were placed on the Consent Calendar, as were all other committee appointments and could have been removed for Council discussion. He reported in terms of information sharing, since January of 2023, Council liaisons to committees have not shared information with the Council as a whole. He indicated the last question to address was if the EDA terms could be changed to four years instead of six. He directed this question to the City Attorney. City Attorney Land stated Minnesota State Statute 469.095, Subdivision 2(c) requires a six year term for EDA members, which meant the term could not be changed by the City Council. She ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 4 explained that the EDC members appointed to the EDA would have the same voting rights as the other EDA members. 5. PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS None. 6. STAFF COMMENTS A. Transportation Update Public Works Director Swearingen reported that pipe work was completed along Highway 51 at Old Snelling Avenue. He noted MNDOT would be closing northbound Highway 51 on Friday, May 29 through Monday, June 1 for paving operations. He commented that this project has experienced some delays due to unforeseen private utility conflicts which was impacting the project timeline. He reported information on the Highway 51 project was available on the City's website. 7. APPROVAL OF MINUTES None. 8. CONSENT CALENDAR A. Motion to Approve Consent Agenda Item- Claims and Payroll B. Motion to Approve Appointment of Temporary Public Works Maintenance Worker C. Motion to Accept Resignation of Parks and Recreation Manager D. Motion to AppwVe Ofdinanee 2026 008 Related to Committees and Commissions E. Motion to Approve OFdinanee 2026 009 Related to Par-king Regulatiens F. Motion to AppFelve Volunteer-Reeegaition Pokey G. Motion to Approve Payment of 2025/2026 Bulk Road Salt Purchase H. Motion to Accept Resignation of Finance Director I. Motion to Authorize Recruitment of Finance Director J. Motion to Approve Payment of Pay Request #1 — 2026 PMP Street & Utility Improvement MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Monson seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as amended and to authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried 9. PULLED CONSENT ITEMS A. Motion to Approve Ordinance 2026-008 Related to Committees and Commissions Councilmember Holden requested staff provide further information on this item, noting she did not understand why the City would want to limit the number of members on a Committee or ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 5 Commission. She noted she didn't understand why we don't want as many residents as humanly possible in communicating the diversity in the city and the different parts. City Administrator Jagoe stated at the May 11th work session, the Council discussed several Committees and Commissions related to the composition of each and the re-establishment of some. The following is a summary of the background and proposed amendments. • Section 220.05 — Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee - The current ordinance allows for up to 12 regular members and 1 youth member. The Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee (PTRC) discussed the committee size at both its January and February 2026 meetings. At the February 2026 meeting, the committee passed a motion recommending that the ordinance be revised to state that the PTRC may be comprised of up to seven regular members and two youth members. She noted that this number was consistent with adjacent communities that staff had surveyed in relation to the composition of their committee members. City Council discussed this amendment and directed City staff to bring forward an amendment to reduce the committee composition to seven regular members and two additional youth members. • Section 220.06 — Financial Planning and Analysis Committee - As part of the Alternative Funding Sources discussion, City staff proposed reengaging the Financial Planning and Analysis Committee (FPAC). This committee was originally formed in 2007 to provide modeling, projections, and suggest fiscal policies surrounding the longer-term impact of current and near-term decisions. A main responsibility was to provide advice to the City Council and staff concerning long-term financial planning as well as make recommendations on city financial policies and procedures. The last meeting for FPAC occurred in 2020. In 2022, Council direction was not to dissolve FPAC but rather consider it an ad-hoc task force/work group ou that would be utilized as needed. At that time, an ordinance amendment was adopted to strike this committee from the city code. City Council direction from the May 11 th work session was to reestablish this committee and bring forth an ordinance amendment. The draft language for City Council consideration is the city code language that was struck, except for changes to require the committee membership to be limited to City residents and to have an odd number of members so increasing from previously at six to seven, per the recommendation of the City Attorney and to be consistent with what is being proposed for the PTRC. • Section 220.07 — Human Rights Commission - The City Council directed staff to bring forward an ordinance amendment to reestablish a Human Rights Commission using the City of Shoreview as an example. During the work session discussion, the Council discussed mirroring the proposed composition of PTRC with seven regular members and two additional youth members. In researching this topic, Staff found that the City of Arden Hills adopted Ordinance 169 in 1973, establishing a Human Rights Commission. As part of the proposed amendment, Ordinance 169 would be repealed in its entirety. The City Attorney has confirmed that there is no statutory requirement for the Mayor to appoint (similarly to an Economic Development Authority). Therefore, the proposed language mirrors other Committees/Commissions with the standard language "members appointed by the City Council". The City Council will need to further define the purpose statement and responsibilities of the Human Rights Commission, which will be brought back to a future City Council work session for discussion. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 6 City Administrator Jagoe reported in all three sections of the proposed ordinance language, the City is adding overall broad duties and functions for each of these groups. The City Attorney through this review has identified that our current ordinance for Committees/Commissions listed under Section 220 states that "The duties and functions of the Commission shall be included in the Annual Resolution appointing new members and may be changed by Council Resolution, from time to time, based upon the needs of the City." She has instructed that these duties need to be incorporated into the ordinance. Therefore, the City Attorney has incorporated standard language within the proposed ordinance which summarizes a list of broad duties to be performed. Upon approval and adoption, city staff will begin advertising for recruitment as needed for each of the above. Councilmember Holden stated in reading the PTRC minutes she understood this group used to have 12 members, but that this has become cumbersome and that too many people have too many ideas. She commented that the number of members was raised to 16 at one time to accommodate the number of residents that were interested. She has heard that we do have people that are interested in applying so we could have 12. She questioned why the number was being reduced versus being more inclusive. She said the leadership should make sure the plan is being followed. She explained she was struggling to support a reduction in the PTRC given how much work there was to do in the City's parks. She noted this group was expanded in order to allow for more diversity within the PTRC in relation to where the members live. She didn't know if six are from the same area and the same park. She noted this was one of the reasons the number had expanded was so that there was diversity and that all areas of the city could be represented as a whole. Mayor Grant requested Councilmember liaison Rousseau to speak regarding this. Councilmember Rousseau indicated the PTRC meets from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., which is an hour and a half to meet, and there has been challenges with allowing everyone to speak. She noted the City now had the adopt a park and adopt a spot program in place, which allowed residents to get involved with the City's parks. She said there were times in the past where there were significant challenges where many people wanted to come in and speak and then a few that spend most of the time speaking. She commented the Chair was doing a great job at governance and noted a smaller sized committee would allow for more space to speak. She said that with a slightly smaller committee, you actually give the space for everyone to speak during a meeting. Councilmember Holden asked if non-committee members were coming in and speaking at the PTRC meetings. Mayor Grant asked if Councilmember Rousseau was referring to non-committee members. Councilmember Rousseau commented she was referring to PTRC members speaking about matters they were passionate about and not realizing there were time constraints which was leading to time management concerns for the PTRC meetings. This meant that other folks that wanted to speak during the meeting are unable to speak because another member had taken up so much time. She said they noticed this for a few years and it hasn't been related to any specific make-up of the committee but rather just due to the size of how big the committee is. She reiterated that the PTRC made a recommendation to have seven members and she supported their recommendation. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 7 Councilmember Holden asked who was taking up the time speaking? Was it committee members? Mayor Grant asked Councilmember Rousseau if it was committee members taking up the time. Councilmember Rousseau replied yes. There have been time management issues in the past. Sometimes you have people that continue to speak and repeat questions and go off on different areas, and the next thing you know you could have meetings go until 10:00 or 11:00 pm if it continued that way. But since the PTRC is an hour and a half limit meeting, it has to be a little bit more concise. Councilmember Holden apologized for asking the question twice, but it was said that sometimes people just come in and start speaking, so she didn't know if that meant members of the public or members of the committee so had asked for clarification. Councilmember Holden inquired what type of diversity was on the PTRC at this time and if it was all neighborhoods. Mayor Grant asked if Councilmember Rousseau would like to speak to the diversity on the committee. Councilmember Rousseau stated no. Mayor Grant repeated"no?". Councilmember Rousseau again replied no. She doesn't know what people's nationalities are, we haven't asked them those types of things. She doesn't know which particular neighborhood each individual lives in, so no. Mayor Grant said he does not think Councilmember Holden was referring to someone's ethnicity,rather she was referring to people that support parks,people that support trails. Councilmember Rousseau said so you're saying more than just physical diversity where they're located, you want more than that? Mayor Grant replied yes. Councilmember Rousseau replied no. Mayor Grant said you don't want to comment about that? Councilmember Rousseau replied no. Councilmember Holden said she doesn't know if everyone that is on this is self-appointed and they just got each other on the committee to do what they wanted to do in one area. She expressed concern with supporting the PTRC being reduced to seven members, noting the remaining members could all be from the same neighborhood. She believed it was important to have a diverse group of residents from all throughout the community on the PTRC than to have less on the committee. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 8 Mayor Grant indicated he had an issue with this as well. He appreciated the fact there were passionate members on the PTRC and questioned why this meant the number of members had to be reduced. If there are people interested in being on a committee and are being told they can't be on a city committee and they want to support their parks and trails. He thinks we should be more inclusive and this is limiting the membership. He reiterated Councilmember Holden's comment that at one point it was up to 16 members that were also passionate. He has a tough time limiting residents involved and wants to seek this out. He has a real problem with what is being done with the PTRC. Councilmember Weber stated this was interesting, and to be clear, when we organize any committees, the Council wants to know where all committee members live. We want to make sure, for instance, that the EDA is represented by those who have a stake interest in the finances of Arden Hills, right, so Arden Hills residents. He inquired if the Mayor asked where the EDC members lived in Arden Hills before appointing them to the EDA. He said this was clearly singling out an action for a work session that [Councilmember Holden] missed to try to create an issue around something that we do not do for any of the committees or commissions. Councilmember Monson explained it was her opinion this was productivity ineffectiveness. She indicated there was a discussion that happened with the PTRC and the recommendation came from the PTRC and noted the Council does not have wards or districts in the city. She stated there was no requirement anywhere for any committee to be represented by certain wards or neighborhoods in the City. She questioned why this would apply to the PTRC. MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Rousseau seconded a motion to adopt Ordinance 2026-008 to amend Chapter 2, Section 220 — Boards, Committees, and Commissions related to Subsections 220.05 — Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee, 220.06 — Financial Planning and Analysis Committee, and 220.07—Human Rights Commission. Councilmember Holden stated she did not appreciate the attack from Councilmember Weber about her missing a meeting. She explained now was the time for her to ask questions. She indicated there were other committees where a resident's location was considered such as the EDC and if they were a resident or from a business. She appreciated how productive the PTRC was and it was her hope this group would encompass as many residents as possible. She indicated this group would be brought from twelve members to six members because the group would now have two youth members. She noted she had heard earlier that someone didn't know where their park was so we didn't put them on a committee,but what a wonderful opportunity for someone to learn about the parks and trails by putting them on a committee. Mayor Grant asked City Administrator Jagoe for clarification if the PTRC would have seven members plus two youth members or seven total members including two youth members. City Administrator Jagoe reported the PTRC would have seven members appointed by the City Council and two additional youth members may be appointed. She indicated the ordinance language states the membership is open to any resident or non-resident affiliated with an Arden Hills business, non-profit or community organization that was interested in the City's parks, trails and recreation programs. At all times, a majority of the committee membership shall be current residents of Arden Hills, geographical balance may be used for selecting a new member. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 9 Mayor Grant asked if there was a section on diversity and where they live and asked that Administrator Jagoe read that section again. City Administrator Jagoe reread the section and stated the ordinance says the membership is open to any resident or non-resident affiliated with an Arden Hills business, non-profit, or community organization that is interested in the City's parks, trails and recreation programs and that at all times a majority of the committee membership shall be current residents of Arden Hills and geographical balance may be used as a criteria for selecting a new member. Mayor Grant pointed out that the ordinance speaks to having a geographical consideration for this group though not a requirement. He reiterated that his comments stand and that he wanted to include more people in order to have more resident involvement. He thinks this is restrictive and yes people are passionate, that's the nature of the committee. He didn't know who we weren't appointing by getting down to seven members. He recommended and moved this approval be divided into subsections. AMENDMENT: Mayor Grant moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to subdivide the motion into three separate votes. Mayor Grant asked for discussion on the PTRC and Councilmember Monson pointed out that his amendment's motion needed to be approved. He then asked for discussion on dividing the three into separate votes. Councilmember Weber stated there has not been any issues with the other two subcommittees. He supported the Council taking action on the previous motion that was on the table. Councilmember Holden indicated she supported the FPAC and Human Rights Committee changes but noted she did not support the PTRC recommendation. She said going forward maybe staff will have to bring everything separately so there are different ordinances though she didn't want to have to go that way. She said she would separate each one at the beginning of the Council meetings to make sure we don't have this issue again. Mayor Grant noted he was for the FPAC and Human Rights Committee recommendations as well but noted he had reservations and did not support the PTRC recommendation because the changes were not inclusive. A roll call vote was taken. The amendment to divide the motion into three separate votes failed 2-3 (Councilmembers Monson, Rousseau and Weber opposed). A roll call vote was taken. The motion to adopt Ordinance 2026-008 to amend Chapter 2, Section 220 — Boards, Committees, and Commissions related to Subsections 220.05 — Parks, Trails, and Recreation Committee, 220.06 — Financial Planning and Analysis Committee, and 220.07 — Human Rights Commission carried 3-2 (Councilmember Holden and Mayor Grant opposed). MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Weber seconded a motion to authorize publication of summary ordinance. The motion carried 4-1 (Councilmember Holden opposed). ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 10 B. Motion to Approve Ordinance 2026-009 Related to Parking Regulations Councilmember Holden stated she had an issue with Subdivision 5 and asked if anyone on staff had spoken with residents in the Crystal/Venus/Ramsey area which was near the high school. She explained the reason this this went to six hours was because of the overflow parking from the high school. Councilmember Weber indicated he did not hear from anyone in this neighborhood. Councilmember Monson reported she did not hear from anyone in this neighborhood but did hear from people in other neighborhoods. Mayor Grant explained he heard from residents in the Janet Court area regarding parking issues. He stated the parking issues in the Venus area were from the Mounds View High School. He reported if the hours were extended as proposed, these residents will be impacted. Councilmember Holden commented she was concerned with the fact the City was looking to extend the parking hours. Councilmember Weber stated the hours allowed for parking were part of the parking regulations. City Administrator Jagoe reported at the May 1 l' Council Work Session the agenda item was titled Overnight Parking Regulations and the intro discussed the overnight parking regulations as well as Subdivisions 1, 4 and 5 which fold into number of vehicles, hours and snow emergency requirements. Councilmember Weber thanked staff for this clarification. He was of the opinion the proposed changes were within the bounds of the park regulations. He questioned what the 10 hours serves versus 24 or 72. He suggested school specific regulations/signage be considered for the streets surrounding the high school. Mayor Grant questioned if the area surrounding the high school was posted for 4 hour parking. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained a portion of Janet Court had specific signage that regulated parking Monday through Friday during school hours. He was of the opinion the neighborhood was properly signed given the lack of complaints from neighbors or comments from the sheriff's department. He noted parking was something staff takes feedback on and adjustments can be made. Councilmember Monson commented the reason the hours were extended to 10 hours was to allow someone to park on the street overnight. She explained she could support a separate conversation at a future work session to discuss parking around the high school. Mayor Grant reported the previous parking regulation restricted on-street parking from 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. He indicated he supported keeping this restriction in place November through April. He stated he supported this ordinance going back to a work session for further discussion. Councilmember Rousseau explained she would like to move on with this item. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 11 MOTION: Councilmember Rousseau moved and Councilmember Weber seconded a motion to adopt Ordinance 2026-009 to amend Parking Regulations in City Code Section 800.03, Subd. 2 — Overnight Parking and Subd. 5 — Parking on Public Streets. Mayor Grant stated he supported some of the proposed changes but not all of the proposed changes. Councilmember Holden commented on how it appears these changes were in reaction to several complaints the City received and did not thoroughly address all of the parking issues in the City. She called the question. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Mayor Grant seconded a motion to call the question. A roll call vote was taken. The motion carried 4-1 (Councilmember Weber opposed). A roll call vote was taken to adopt Ordinance 2026-009 to amend Parking Regulations in City Code Section 800.03, Subd. 2 — Overnight Parking and Subd. 5—Parking on Public Streets. The motion carried (5-0). C. Motion to Approve Volunteer Recognition Policy Councilmember Holden requested coaches have their own section, noting there was always a shortfall when it came to coaches in the community. She spoke to the time commitment provided by the coaches in the community. She also supported coaches receiving a letter of appreciation from the City. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Mayor Grant seconded a motion to approve the Volunteer Recognition Policy as amended placing Coaches under Committee, Commission Member Terms and Resignations. Councilmember Monson asked if Committee members receive more recognition from the City than non-committee members. City Administrator Jagoe explained Committee and Commission members receive a letter signed by the City Administrator, receive a thank you card signed by the City Council and are recognized in the City newsletter. She reported general volunteers, which is where coaches are listed, receive a thank you card signed by the City Council. Councilmember Weber questioned if coaches are paid. Mayor Grant clarified that coaches are not paid. The motion carried 4-1 (Councilmember Rousseau opposed). 10. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 12 11. NEW BUSINESS A. Ramsey County League of Local Governments (RCLLG) Council Liaison and Alternate Appointments Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson stated at its May 11 th, 2026 work session, the City Council discussed liaison assignments to the Ramsey County League of Local Government as well as two City Committees/Commissions that are being reestablished in 2026. Council should discuss the following appointments: Financial Planning and Analysis Committee Council Liaison: Staff. Finance Director Staff Alternate: City Administrator Human Rights Commission Council Liaison: Staff: City Administrator Ramsey County League of Local Government(RCLLG) Council Liaison: Council Alternate: Councilmember Weber asked when the FPAC and Human Rights Commission meetings were held. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson stated this has not yet been established. Councilmember Rousseau reported Councilmember Monson had expressed an interest in serving as the liaison to FPAC. She commented she would be interested in serving as the liaison to RCLLG and understood Councilmember Weber was interested in serving as the alternate for this group. Councilmember Holden inquired if anyone from the City could attend the RCLLG meetings. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson stated this was the case as the meetings are actually public. Councilmember Monson supported the recommendations from Councilmember Rousseau. Mayor Grant stated he was interested in serving on FPAC as well. Councilmember Monson inquired when FPAC would begin meeting again. City Administrator Jagoe indicated this would be largely dependent upon the City's responses to the Finance Director position. Councilmember Holden questioned if two liaisons could serve on FPAC. Councilmember Monson supported a liaison being appointed noting she did not anticipate FPAC would be a very active group in 2026. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 13 Councilmember Weber stated he supported the recommendations from Councilmember Rousseau. Councilmember Rousseau commented she would be willing to serve as the liaison to the Human Rights Commission. MOTION: Councilmember Monson moved and Councilmember Rousseau seconded a motion to adopt Resolution 2026-027 Appointing 2026 City Council Liaisons for Commissions and Committees as follows: Financial Planning and Analysis Committee Council Liaison: Councilmember Monson Council Alternate: Mayor Grant Staff: Finance Director Staff Alternate: City Administrator Human Rights Commission Council Liaison: Councilmember Rousseau Staff: City Administrator Ramsey County League of Local Government(RCLLG) Council Liaison: Councilmember Rousseau Council Alternate: Councilmember Weber The motion carried (5-0). 12. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 13. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Weber stated he attended the Valentine Hills Carnival last week and it was extremely well attended. Councilmember Holden reported that the 75 h Anniversary Committee continues to work on planning this year's event. She noted the group had spoken with Boston Scientific in order to discuss overflow parking. Mayor Grant explained he attended the Touch a Truck event and stated this was a very well attended event. Mayor Grant reported he received a request from Kayla Drake from Momentum Advocacy asking the City to consider what phase two looks like. He explained Ms. Drake was looking for the City to sign on to the byline, noting the headline was "How Local Cities Showed Up for Minnesota During Operation Metro Surge" written by Safe and Stable Communities. He asked if this was something the Council wanted to sign onto. Councilmember Rousseau asked if this was something the Mayor wanted to sign onto. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—MAY 26, 2026 14 Mayor Grant explained he supported signing onto the language that addresses funding for impacted businesses. Councilmember Holden inquired if the City had a list of businesses that were impacted by Operation Metro Surge. She anticipated the City did not have a list of businesses that described how local businesses were impacted. Mayor Grant agreed there may be other cities that had larger impacts. He indicated Ms. Drake was looking for several communities to sign on to her byline. Councilmember Weber clarified Ms. Drake was looking for the City to sign onto a letter that would ask the State legislature to spend money here or elsewhere. Mayor Grant commented that this letter was written by the Safe and Stable Communities on behalf of the member cities and would be asking the State legislature to provide funding for businesses that were impacted by Operation Metro Surge. He stated Momentum Advocacy has written a letter and was seeking support from member cities. Councilmember Weber stated this action would not cost the City much if not anything. He indicated he would support the City signing onto this letter as a show of support for the damage that occurred during Operation Metro Surge. Councilmember Holden explained she could support the Mayor signing this letter but wanted the mayor's that signed this letter to have the power to get State funding for impacted small businesses. Mayor Grant indicated he could sign onto the letter, but make it known the City could acquiesce to larger communities that had more impacts. Councilmember Rousseau requested the email the mayor received be forwarded to the entire Council. Mayor Grant commented he would have staff forward the email onto the Council. ADJOURN MOTION: Mayor Grant moved and Councilmember Weber seconded a motion to adiourn. The motion carried (5- Mayor Grant adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at 8:35 p.m. J i Hanson David Grant Clerk Mayor