City Council

Minutes Woodbury City Council Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Pursuant to the due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting was duly held virtually and at the Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road, on the 16th day of April 2025. Call to Order Mayor Anne Burt called the meeting to order at 7:46 p.m., and she welcomed those attending the meeting both in person and virtually. Mayor Burt explained that members of the public may attend the meeting in person and may also join the meeting using a computer, tablet, or smartphone. She stated public comments will be accepted during the meeting both in person and virtually. Virtual questions should be submitted via the online Q&A feature within the virtual meeting link. Questions regarding the meeting will also be taken between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. via email at council@woodburymn.gov or at 651-714-3524. Questions received after 4:30 p.m. will be responded to in the next three to seven business days. Pledge to Flag Audience, staff, and Council pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Roll Call Upon roll call the following were present: Mayor Anne Burt, Councilmembers: Kim Wilson, Donna Stafford, and Jennifer Santini. Absent: Steve Morris Others Present: Ashleigh Sullivan, Assistant City Administrator/City Clerk; Kevin Sandstrom, City Attorney; Clinton Gridley, City Administrator; Eric Searles, Assistant Community Development Director/City Planner; and Chris Hartzell, Engineering Director. Special Order of Business A. Presentation of Community Member Merit Award Director of Public Safety, Jason Posel, introduced George Frambo. Mr. Posel explained that Public Safety has been diligent in educating the community about scams. He added that they cannot do the work alone and need the help of families, businesses, friends, and other community members to protect the community. He recognized Mr. Frambo in his work for helping a community member he barely knew. In December of 2024, Mr. George Frambo was working as an Uber driver when he received a request for a pickup at a local senior living complex. Mr. Frambo arrived at the senior living complex and located the woman who requested a ride to her bank. Mr. Frambo noticed the woman was on her phone, speaking with a man, and overheard the man instructing the woman not to speak with the police or the Uber driver. The man on the phone also directed the woman to withdraw $20,000 in cash from her bank. Realizing something didn’t seem right, Mr. Frambo did not drive the woman to the bank, rather, he called the police because he believed the woman was being scammed. Further investigations from Woodbury Police determined this woman was being scammed. Mr. Frambo’s mindfulness, intuition, and compassion saved a woman from being scammed $20,000. His commendable actions are recognized and honored with the Community Member Merit award. Mr. Posel presented the Community Member Merit award to Mr. Frambo. Mr. Frambo thanked the Council and the police officers. He asked that the frontline staff at senior living facilities be trained and educated on scams. He thanked the City for recognizing that there is a problem with scams. He added that anyone can be a victim to scams. Mayor Burt agreed that it would be important for the City to work with the senior community on the issue. B. Public Service Recognition Week Proclamation Mayor Burt read a Proclamation in full declaring May 4 through May 10, 2025, as Public Service Recognition Week, May 11 through May 17, 2025, as Police Week, May 15, 2025, as Peace Officers Memorial Day, and May 18 through May 24, 2025, as Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Week. C. Police K9 Unit Visit and Protective Vest Demonstration  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Mayor Burt introduced Bob Bixby, President of the Woodbury K9 Police Fund, and mentioned he would be doing a K9 visit and protective vest demonstration. Mr. Posel mentioned that they were accepting the donation of two state-of-the-art protective K9 vests. The funds that purchased the vests came from generous community donations to the nonprofit Woodbury Police K9 fund. The vests are custom-measured and made for each individual dog. The vests weigh 1.5 pounds, which is light enough for the dogs to wear regularly without getting fatigued. The vests offer ballistic and stab protection. The vests cost over $3,500 each, which could not typically be covered through the Public Safety K9 fund. The Woodbury Police K9 Fund stepped in to provide the funds for the equipment. Mr. Bixby introduced himself and thanked Councilmember Stafford for allowing him to be the president of the Woodbury K9 Police Fund. Officer Robert Boleen introduced K9 Echo. He showed the Council the vest that Echo was wearing and explained that the vest provides extra protection. Mayor Burt asked if the material was Kevlar. Officer Boleen replied that it was. Councilmember Santini mentioned that the issues with the previous vests were that they were too heavy. Officer Boleen agreed and mentioned that it caused the dogs to exert more energy. Officer Emily Wessels introduced K9 Kane. She explained that the old vests were very heavy. The new vests expand with the ribs, which make it more versatile. Mr. Bixby mentioned that Andrew would be receiving a dog soon and was excited that there would be a third K9. Mayor Burt commented that the City would not have been able to afford all of the programs and equipment without the K9 Fund, and she expressed her appreciation. Mr. Bixby noted that there would be a fundraiser event next Tuesday at Northern Tap House from 5:00-8:00 p.m. 10% of proceeds that are purchased at Northern Tap House will go to towards the fund. Open Forum The Open Forum is a portion of the Council meeting where a maximum of three persons will be allowed to address the Council on subjects, which are not a part of the meeting agenda. Persons wishing to speak must complete a sign-up sheet prior to the start of the meeting. Give the sign-up sheet to any staff person. Speakers are limited to three minutes each. The Council will listen attentively to comments but, in most instances, will not respond at the meeting. Typically, replies to the concerns expressed will be made via letter or phone call within a week. Consent Agenda All items listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion and an affirmative vote by roll call of a majority of the members present. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Councilmember or citizen so requests, in which event, the items will be removed from the consent agenda and considered a separate subject of discussion by the Council. Item A 1. Approval of Council Workshop Minutes – April 2, 2025 2. Approval of Council Minutes – April 2, 2025 Item B To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-76 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing acceptance of a $200,000 grant from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Federal Recreation Trail Program (FRTP) to help facilitate trail infrastructure priorities for the La Lake Project. Item C To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-77 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the Issuance of Multifamily Housing Revenue Obligations by the Housing and Redevelopment Authority in and for the City of Woodbury, Minnesota under Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 462C, as Amended, for the Benefit of LSBD Woodbury Manning, LLC to Finance Costs of a Multifamily Housing Development to be located in the City of Woodbury. Item D To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-78 Page 2 of 6  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing the Issuance of an Additional Multifamily Housing Revenue Obligation by the Housing and Redevelopment Authority in and for the City of Woodbury, Minnesota under Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 462C, as Amended, to Finance Additional Costs of a Multifamily Housing Development to be Located in the City of Woodbury. Item E To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-79 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the issuance of multifamily revenue bonds by the Woodbury HRA for the Reserve at Settlers Ridge development. Item F To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-80 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota awarding the Solar at Fleet Services Project construction contract to Apadana LLC and authorizing the Mayor and City Administrator to sign contracts. Item G To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-81 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the Water Wise Implementation Program Cooperative Agreement between South Washington Watershed District and the City of Woodbury and approving the associated budget amendment. Item H To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-82 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing the execution of the Settlement Agreement between the City of Woodbury and Linn Investment Properties, LLC., and amending the assessment roll for the Bielenberg Drive and Currell Boulevard Rehabilitation (Guider Drive to Valley Creek Road) project. Item I To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-83 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota accepting grant funds from Washington County for the 2025 Municipal Recycling Grant and approving the associated budget amendment. Item J To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-84 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota awarding the contract for the 2025 Parks Pavement and Asset Replacement Project to Park Construction Company with a net bid of $272,797 and authorizing the Mayor and City Administrator to sign said contract. Item K To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-85 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing the acceptance of Custom K9 Protective Vests. Item L To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-86 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota amending Council Directive CD- COUNCIL-2.4 Flag Protocol. Item M 2024 Fund Closing and Transfer of Assets and Liabilities. This item was removed the Consent Agenda and moved to the Discussion portion of the meeting. Item N To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-88 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing the transfer of $10,659.51 from the Community Investment Fund to the TIF #13 Fund. Item O To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-89 Page 3 of 6  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing the transfer of funds between certain funds. Item P To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-90 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving various 2024 final budget adjustments. Item Q To adopt a motion to approve City Administrator recommendation to dismiss City of Woodbury employee as listed in Council Letter 25-121. Item R The abstract of bills includes payments made from the operating or project budgets for expenses of the city. The expenditures are from all funds of the city. Any purchased contracts requiring signature of the mayor and City Administrator is hereby approved. Staff recommends approval of the abstract of bills for March 28, 2025 in the amount of $3,133,034.18 and April 4, 2025 in the amount of $924,798.76. Item S Approval of the Amended Agreement between the City of Woodbury and South Washington County School District 833 for School Resource Officer Services. This item was removed the Consent Agenda and moved to the Discussion portion of the meeting. Councilmember Santini moved, seconded by Councilmember Wilson, to approve the Consent Agenda items with the exception of items 6M and 6S. Voting via voice: Kim Wilson – aye Donna Stafford – aye Steve Morris – absent Jennifer Santini – aye Anne Burt – aye Mayor Burt highlighted the solar array at the Fleet Services Building and noted that the first portion was the award of the construction contract for a roof-mounted solar system on the Fleet Services Building. In 2018, the facility was constructed to allow the future installation of a 120,00 rooftop solar array designed to offset approximately 1005% of the building's annual electrical use. The $55,000 project came in at 23% under the estimated cost. With the addition of external funding sources, including the Inflation Reduction Act – Clean Energy Investment Tax Credit, the Photovoltaic (PV) Demand Rider Credit, and the MPCA grant, staff believe that nearly all available external funding opportunities have been leveraged. As a result, the project is positioned to achieve maximum return on investment, with an estimated payback period of eight to nine years. Staff has since been notified that the City has been selected as a grant recipient at the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). The projects continue to advance the City’s environmental stewardship plan and goal of sourcing 100% of municipal building electricity from renewable energy by the year 2035. Mayor Burt highlighted the approval of the Woodbury Water Wise Implementation Program. The item included approving the cooperative agreement between the City and the South Washington County Watershed District for funding the water-wise implementation program. Under the agreement, the watershed district will provide the City with $25,000 to support the residential smart irrigation controller and the toilet replacement rebate program. The City managed programs include selling water sense certified smart irrigation controllers at a discounted rate to participating households. Reimbursements include up to $100 for toilet installation to participating households and monitoring water use changes resulting from the installation of the water sense labeled devices. The City’s goal is to distribute 6,500 water sense labeled smart irrigation controllers and 5,500 water sense labeled toilet replacements through the life of the program. Since 2016, the City has distributed 4,115 irrigation controllers and 1,013 of the low-flush model toilets. Mayor Burt asked when the solar array project would be completed. City Engineer Director Chris Hartzell replied that it would be completed this year. Public Hearings No Items Scheduled Discussion Consent Agenda Item M. 2024 Fund Closing and Transfer of Assets and Liabilities Page 4 of 6  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Councilmember Wilson pulled this item for discussion and mentioned that the funds that were set aside in a separate account have been under the approval of the 2025 budget and were folded into the general sports center fund. City Administrator Clinton Gridley agreed and added that it is more specific on the capital side. It does not include the operating revenues Councilmember Wilson mentioned that it was the Council’s intention that the money would be used for something special and not folded into the general or capital fund. She added that the Council wanted to be able to highlight how the funds were used because of the naming rights of the sports center. She stated she would be voting no because of this. Mr. Gridley explained that the money is available to the Council, and if there was something that the Council wanted to dedicate the money to, they would be able to. Since the money is in the capital funding side, the money could be used for a systems replacement or an improvement project. Councilmember Wilson explained that the intention of the Council was to use the money in a tangible way. She expressed her appreciation that the funds were available and expressed her concerns that the money would get lost since it is not in its own fund. Mayor Burt clarified that the sports center refers to M Health Fairview Sports Center. Mr. Gridley explained the history of the naming rights and that it was a unique agreement. He thanked the Bielenberg family for entering into a licensing arrangement. He noted that the Council would ultimately decide what happens with the funds. He added that the reason for transferring the fund is to simplify accounting. Mayor Burt asked if there would be a line item under the budget for the sports center. Mr. Gridley replied that revenues are tracked annually. Mayor Burt mentioned it would be helpful to see how the money has grown or how much there is. Councilmember Wilson asked if there would be a line for the sports center in the budget for the naming rights. Mr. Gridley replied that there would be a revenue line item. Staff could include a sub-fund balance number for the Council. Mayor Burt mentioned that she would like to see a subline in the budget in order for the funds not to mingle with the capital fund and to track the money. Councilmember Santini moved, seconded by Councilmember Stafford, To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-87 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing the closing of three certain funds and transfer of assets and liabilities. Voting via voice: Kim Wilson – no Donna Stafford – aye Steve Morris – absent Jennifer Santini – aye Anne Burt – aye Consent Agenda Item S. Approval of the Amended Agreement between the City of Woodbury and South Washington County School District 833 for School Resource Officer Services Councilmember Wilson pulled this item for discussion and noted that she is happy that there is an agreement with the City and the school district. She appreciated that Public Safety is covered by the agreement and has clear job responsibilities. She noted that the item was tabled due to the “whereas” section of the Resolution. She noted that the Council has not received the Resolution 23-155 letter. She pointed out that the “whereas” section that was discussed has been removed and asked who does not want the section included. City Attorney Kevin Sandstrom replied that it was a mutual decision between the City and the school district since there was debate about it. Councilmember Wilson asked who does not want the section included. Mayor Burt asked to clarify which “whereas” section was being discussed. Mr. Sandstrom replied that there was a version in the Council packet where the “whereas” clause was crafted by him. The school district had requested a change. He explained that he thought the school district was trying to word-smith his “whereas” clause and was going to let it slide so that it could get done. He noted that staff had inadvertently put his version of the SRO agreement into the Council packet rather than the version that the school district wanted with the changed language. Based on the back and forth with the school district and the discussion of the Council, staff felt that it was best to remove the “whereas” clause. The school district agreed to remove the section. Councilmember Wilson explained that someone does not want that section in the “whereas” clause and does not know why, and noted that it is not an accurate description of what actually happened. She added that she would have liked to see the actual letter that went to the school district that the Council had given direction to. Mr. Gridley apologized for not following up with the letter. He noted the language was very clear about the termination of the agreement. From staff’s perspective, there is no question that the City terminated the services. Page 5 of 6  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Councilmember Wilson asked if Mr. Gridley had sent an email to the district to terminate the agreement. Mr. Gridley replied he emailed the superintendent the direction of the City Council. Mayor Burt moved, seconded by Councilmember Stafford, To adopt the following resolution Resolution 25-91 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing the approval of the amended agreement between the City of Woodbury and South Washington County School District 833 for School Resource Officer Services. Voting via voice: Kim Wilson – no Donna Stafford – aye Steve Morris – absent Jennifer Santini – aye Anne Burt – aye Transportation Report (2nd meeting of the month, May-October) No items scheduled City Administrator’s Report Mr. Gridley gave a verbal update of upcoming City meetings. • April 21, 2025 – Neighborhood Meeting (Ranch Road Addition), 6:00 p.m., Council Chambers, City Hall • April 30, 2025 – Council Workshop Adjournment Mayor Burt moved, seconded by Councilmember Stafford, to adjourn the meeting at 8:27 p.m. Voting in Favor: Wilson, Stafford, Santini, Burt Absent: Morris Respectfully submitted, _________________________________________ Ashleigh Sullivan, Assistant City Administrator/City Clerk Approved by the Woodbury City Council on May 28, 2025. Page 6 of 6