City Council Meeting

CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, November 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM Baxter City Hall, 13190 Memorywood Drive, Baxter, MN “A Growing Community” CALL TO ORDER Mayor Olson called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor Darrel Olson and Council Members Connie Lyscio, Zach Tabatt, Patrick Sundberg and Mark Cross were present. City Administrator Brad Chapulis, Assistant City Administrator Kelly Steele, Finance Director Jeremy Vacinek, Community Development Director Josh Doty, Police Chief Matt Maier, and Public Works Director Trevor Walter were present. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE All joined Mayor Olson to recite the Pledge of Allegiance. PRESENTATIONS 1. Visit Brainerd – Mary Devine Johnson Ms. Devine Johnson provided an annual update on Visit Brainerd’s strategic planning efforts and presented their proposed 2026 budget. The organization will be re-branding to Visit Brainerd Baxter. ADDITIONS OR CHANGES TO THE AGENDA City Administrator Chapulis explained there are two changes to the agenda. The first change is to pull item16 from the agenda and the second item is to revise the amount of item 17 to reflect the actual pay estimate. PUBLIC COMMENTS - Comments received from the public may be placed on a future meeting agenda for consideration. None. CONSENT AGENDA - The following items are considered non-controversial by staff and are recommended to be read and passed in one motion. Any council person, staff, citizen, or meeting attendee can request one or more items be pulled from the Consent Agenda and the item will be pulled and addressed immediately after the passage of the Consent Agenda; otherwise, the following items will be passed in one motion: 2. Approve City Council Work Session Minutes from November 4, 2025 3. Approve City Council Minutes from November 4, 2025 4. Approve the Payment of Bills and Finance Report (Addendum A) 5. Accept the Utilities Commission Minutes from November 5, 2025 11/18/2025 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 2 6. Approve Panera Bread Escrow Agreement for Inspection Services and Asbuilts 7. Approve Stormwater Facilities Maintenance Agreement with Access Rights and Covenants for Panera Bread 8. Approve the Hiperline High Performance Lining Manhole Quote in the amount of $32,662.30 9. Approve ASTECH Corporation Final Pay Estimate No. 3 in the amount of $54,730.19 for 2025 Micro Surfacing Project 10. Approve the Traut Companies Change Order No. 3 in the increased amount of $5,000 for Contract A related to the 2025 Water Supply Improvements - Wells 5 & 6 Project, Municipal Project No. 6011- 45040 11. Approve Traut Companies Partial Pay Estimate No. 4 in the amount of $34,651.25 for work completed on Contract A related to the 2025 Water Supply Improvements – Wells 5 & 6, Municipal Project No. 6011-45040 12. Approve Pratt’s Affordable Excavating Inc. Partial Pay Estimate No. 6 in the amount of $225,713.63 for work completed on Contract B related to the 2025 Water Supply Improvements – Wells 5 & 6, Municipal Project No. 6011-45040 13. Approve the Pratt’s Affordable Excavating, Inc. Final Pay Estimate No. 6 in the amount of $10,025.70 for the 2024 CSAH 77 Utility Improvements Project, Municipal Project 4118 14. Approve the Anderson Brothers Construction Change Order No. 4 to in the Increased Amount of $23,341.29 for the 2025 Commercial Full Depth Reclamation Improvements Project, Municipal Project Number 4425 15. Approve the Anderson Brothers Construction Partial Pay Estimate No. 2 in the amount of $146,097.26 for the 2025 Commercial Full Depth Reclamation Improvements Project, Municipal Project Number 4425 16. Approve the J.R. Ferche, Inc Change Order No. 3 in the Increased Amount of $238,065.24 and amend the project budget from $3,589,186.15 to $3,793,278.39 for the 2025 Design Road & TH 371 Stormwater Improvements Project, Municipal Project Number 4135 17. Approve the J.R. Ferche, Inc Partial Pay Estimate No. 3 in the amount of $879,014.08 for the 2025 Design Road & TH 371 Stormwater Improvements Project, Municipal Project Number 4135 18. Approve the Tom’s Backhoe Service, Inc. Change Order No. 1 in the amount of $8,882.55 for the Lift Station No. 17 Reconstruction project 19. Approve the Tom’s Backhoe Service, Inc. Final Pay Estimate No. 3 in the amount of $15,632.55 for the Lift Station No. 17 Reconstruction Project Contingent on Receiving Project Closeout Documents 20. Approve the Excavating Stormwater Pond Tree Planting Quote for $27,000.00 21. Adopt Resolution 2025-096 Accepting a Donation from Kwik Trip 22. Accept Planning and Zoning Commission Minutes from November 12, 2025 11/18/2025 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 3 23. Adopt Resolution 2025-090 approving variance to allow four parking stalls within the required 10- foot setback to a rear lot line for property located at 7837 Excelsior Rd. 24. Adopt Ordinance 2025-012 and Resolutions 2025-091 & 2025-092 rezoning property from RS to R-1 and approving the preliminary and final plat of West Whipple Shores First Addition To Baxter for property located at 14548 Red Sequoia Drive. 25. Adopt Resolution 2025-095 approving a conditional use permit allowing an accessory apartment for property located at 5257 Cedardale Lane. 26. Adopt Resolutions 2025-093 and 2025-094 approving the preliminary and final plat of Costco Second Addition and a conditional use permit for a drive-through restaurant and amended joint access for property located west of 13692 Elder Drive MOTION by Council Member Cross, seconded by Council Member Tabatt to approve the consent agenda as amended. Motion carried unanimously. PULLED AGENDA ITEMS Council Member Tabatt asked to pull item 25. Council Member Tabatt inquired about the reason the unit is unable to have its own entrance. Community Development Director Doty explained a separate entrance creates a multi-unit use. MOTION by Council Member Tabatt, seconded by Council Member Lyscio to Adopt Resolution 2025-095 approving a conditional use permit allowing an accessory apartment for property located at 5257 Cedardale Lane. Motion carried unanimously. OTHER BUSINESS 27. Certification of Delinquent Utility Bills, Invoices, and Abatement Charges  Hold Public Hearing at 7:00 p.m. or shortly thereafter  Adopt Resolution 2025-089, Adopting Assessments for Unpaid Delinquent Utility Bills, Invoices, and Abatement Charges Finance Director Vacinek explained the city annually certifies past due bills. Mayor Olson opened the public hearing at 7:39 p.m. and after hearing no public comments closed the public hearing at 7:39:15 p.m. MOTION by Council Member Cross, seconded by Council Member Tabatt to Adopt Resolution 2025- 089, Adopting Assessments for Unpaid Delinquent Utility Bills, Invoices, and Abatement Charges. Motion carried unanimously. COUNCIL COMMENTS 28. Connie Lyscio – No comment. 29. Zach Tabatt – No comment. 11/18/2025 City Council Meeting Minutes Page 4 30. Patrick Sundberg – No comment. 31. Mark Cross – No comment. 32. Darrel Olson – Explained Kwik Trip held a ribbon cutting ceremony on November 11th . CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT City Administrator Chapulis asked if the council was ready to schedule a vote on the 371 project and if November 25th would work to conduct the council work session with MnDOT to discuss the project. The engineering firm KLJ submitted a proposal to review the 371 project. The council consensus was to move forward with contracting with KLJ to review the project. MOTION by Council Member Cross, seconded by Council Member Tabatt to hold a special council work session with MnDOT staff to discuss the 371 project on November 25, 2025 at 5:30 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. MOTION by Council Member Lyscio, seconded by Council Member Cross to enter a closed session at 7:55 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. MOTION by Council Member Tabatt, seconded by Council Member Lyscio to return to an open session at 9:11 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. City Administrator Chapulis explained council directed staff to continue negotiations with the unions. CITY ATTORNEY'S REPORT 33. City Council Will Meet in a Closed Session Pursuant to Minn. Stat. Section 13D.03, to Discuss Labor Negotiations ADJOURN MOTION by Council Member Cross, seconded by Council Member Lyscio to adjourn at 9:12 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Approved by: Respectfully submitted, _____________________________ Darrel Olson Kelly Steele Mayor Assistant City Administrator