City Council Worksession

Watertown City Council T Work Session Mayor Michael Walters Deborah Everson Jim Kasheimer F Fred McGuire Kay Thul A 3/11/2025 - Minutes 1. Call To Order And Roll Call R Mayor Mike Walters called the Watertown City Council Work Session to Order at 5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Councilmembers present: Mike Walters, Kay Thul, Jim Kasheimer, Fred McGuire and Deborah Everson Councilmember(s) absent: none D City staff present: City Administrator Dan Tolsma and Administrative Services Director Michael Sommerfeld 2. New Business 2.I. Kieffer Street Vacation Request Discussion Dan Tolsma outlined the discussion of a right-of-way vacation request. Kiefer Street was platted as a through street. The right-of-way has always been there, but never actually put a street through there. Mr. Motzko lives on Westminster and he has requested that the city consider vacating the right-of-way. When a city vacates right-of-way, it is that the right-of-way basically splits and goes half on one side and on the adjacent side. Homeowner, John Motzko, came to the podium to share that his daughter is living in the house, and the issue was that in order to dig that drainage ditch, they took all the trees out and that was a privacy thing. All the lights went straight into her bedroom after the trees were tore down. Dan walked through the process of vacating. A formal land use request application would be needed, then it would go to the Planning Commission where a public hearing would be held. Just like a variance or a conditional use, everyone within the radius gets notified, they have a chance to come in and discus it. The Planning Commission would make a recommendation to the city council, and city council could take action on it either way. 2.II. City Council Retreat Scope & Dates Discussion May 3, 2025, from 8am-Noon.  it. The Planning Commission would make a recommendation to the city council, and city council could take action on it either way. 2.II. City Council Retreat Scope & Dates Discussion May 3, 2025, from 8am-Noon. 3. Adjournment Mayor Walters adjourned the Work Session at 5:28 p.m. 309 Lewis Avenue South; P.O. Box 279, Watertown, MN 55388 T _________________________________________________ Michael Walters, Mayor ATTEST:__________________________________________ F Dan Tolsma, City Administrator R A D