Mayor & City Council

City of Rochester City Council Workshop July 21, 2026 CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP Tuesday, July 21, 2026 Council Chambers 6:55 PM Members Present Others Present Councilor Creteau Katie Ambrose, City Manager Councilor Fitzpatrick Mark Sullivan, Finance Director Councilor Fontneau Terence O’Rourke, City Attorney Councilor Gianotti Carol Petrusewicz, resident Councilor Hamann Rick Perrault, resident Councilor Horne Krystian Kozlowski, resident Councilor Larochelle resident Councilor Rice resident Councilor Richardson Councilor Sullivan Councilor Thompson Deputy Mayor Walker Mayor Grassie Minutes continued from the July 21 Public Hearing 7. Call to Order Mayor Grassie called the Workshop to order at 6:55 PM. Austin S. Leavitt, Deputy City Clerk, took a silent roll call. All members were present. 8. Public Input Carol Petrusewicz, resident, spoke regarding City finances. Rick Perrault, resident, spoke regarding the zoning of one of his properties. Councilor Thompson asked for additional details about the property and Mr. Perrault’s intentions to develop it. Krystian Kozlowski, resident, spoke regarding the improper disposal of trash and bulk waste on Academy Street. Councilor Fitzpatrick agreed that this was a serious issue and suggested that the City should identify a plan to meaningfully address improper waste disposal. Councilor Fontneau concurred, but noted that the issue was partly to blame on staffing shortages in Waste Management, which had caused significant disruptions in the waste pickup 1 City of Rochester City Council Workshop July 21, 2026 schedule in recent months. Councilor Sullivan inquired about City Staff’s response to this issue so far. Mr. Kozlowski confirmed that City Staff had been responsive to all of his specific complaints, but noted that Staff had also expressed that their broader enforcement options outside of specific complaints were limited. Lisa Willey, resident, spoke regarding ongoing issues with the development of the Carol Court subdivision. She expressed frustration with assessors reviewing improvements to her property while basic infrastructure of the development (such as roads, sidewalks, and drainage systems) are either failing or remain incomplete. Kevin Willey, resident, also spoke regarding ongoing issues with the development of the Carol Court subdivision. He highlighted a 2025 memorandum of understanding between the City and the developer which identified a number of major repairs necessary to fix failing or incomplete roads, sidewalks, and drainage systems. He requested the City to exercise its enforcement powers to hold the developer accountable for the identified issues, which remain unaddressed far beyond the developer’s proposed timeline. Mayor Grassie requested a copy of the discussed memo. Councilor Sullivan inquired about City Staff’s response to this issue so far. Mr. Willey confirmed that Code Enforcement officers had responded to specific complaints, but indicated that their response had seemingly done little to motivate the developer so far. Councilor Rice asked if Mr. Willey had come before the Codes and Ordinances Committee as well. Mr. Willey confirmed that he had spoken to that Committee regarding stormwater management issues, a separate but related concern caused by the developer’s negligence in engineering the subdivision’s drainage systems. Councilor Thompson inquired about actions Mr. Willey had taken or could take against the developer. Mr. Willey outlined his and other residents’ attempts to contact the developer by phone and by e-mail, none of which had received any responses. He indicated he believes the City may have more leverage to intervene in this issue on behalf of the residents. Mayor Grassie noted that State law does limit some of the City’s enforcement options, but confirmed that he considers addressing this matter to be a high priority. He suggested that the Public Works Committee should continue to follow up on the matter. 9. Communications from the City Manager 2 City of Rochester City Council Workshop July 21, 2026 Katie Ambrose, City Manager, shared one item of online public input with the following subject: • “Senior Center” from Geraldine Fazio City Manager Ambrose thanked all those who helped with and who attended the recent Lilac Family Fun Festival. 10. Communications from the Mayor Mayor Grassie announced that August 4, 2026 would be National Night Out. He noted there was a proclamation which he would read and present in its entirety on the August 4. Mayor Grassie announced that August 1, 2026 would the Pride Celebration in Rochester. He invited other Councilors to attend. Mayor Grassie noted that he had shared training opportunities with the Council that are available through the NH Municipal Association and encouraged Councilors to pursue relevant training on subjects related to local governance. 11. Discussion Items 11.1 City Council Goals 2026-2027 Mayor Grassie briefly reviewed the initial draft of the Council Goals as provided after the Council’s goal-setting session with Primex. He solicited input from other members of the Council. Councilors Fontneau, Horne, Gianotti, Creteau, and Hamann had no comments at this time. Councilor Sullivan expressed his opinion that the facilitators of the goal- setting session had not fully understood the Council’s intentions. He indicated that he would like the final goals to be more long-term and impactful. Councilor Richardson expressed his opinion that the goals as written were vague and ineffective. 3 City of Rochester City Council Workshop July 21, 2026 Councilor Rice expressed her opinion that the goals did not accurately reflect the Council’s intentions, but requested more time to review the document and provide further feedback. Councilor Walker expressed his opinion that the goals as written were lacking substance. He indicated that he would like the final goals to be more meaningful and concrete. Councilor Larochelle suggested that the goals should be revised and rewritten with a comprehensive, top-down perspective (covering the high- level philosophy behind each goal down to the level of specific and actionable objectives). Councilor Walker noted that initial discussions at the goal-setting session had felt siloed, with Councilors breaking off to discuss specific individual goals but never reconvening for a broader discussion. He suggested that the full Council needed to take more time to discuss the goals in total. Councilor Fitzpatrick suggested that standing Committees should take time to review and discuss specific goals relevant to their purviews. Councilor Thompson agreed. Mayor Grassie expressed his hope to continue to work on improving the Council’s goals from the draft provided. 12. Department Reports 12.1 June 2026 Monthly Reports There was no discussion pertaining to the Department Monthly Reports. 13. Public Input No members of the public came forward to address the Council at this time. 14. Adjournment Mayor Grassie ADJOURNED the Workshop at 8:11 PM. 4 City of Rochester City Council Workshop July 21, 2026 Respectfully submitted, Austin S. Leavitt Deputy City Clerk 5