City of Shoreview, MN City Council

Bad. Yeah. Did she. Does she live in Keith? Yeah. Mhm. I thought of her. Yeah. It s been morning. It s been horrible. Um. Watch the news today. So it s okay. Family is okay. Yeah. Getting the thumbs up. Look at my clock. This meeting shall come to order. Welcome to the Shoreview City Council meeting for Tuesday, SEPTEMBER 8th, 2026. The first thing we do is to

Have you stand and ask that you do the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands. One nation. Under GOD, indivisible. With liberty and justice. For all. Thank you for coming tonight. And for those who are in attendance here, if you are interested. There are agendas on the podium at the back of the room. So. Um, our roll call, which is item number three on the agenda, should show that all council members are present tonight. And we will now look to approve tonight s agenda. So I look to council to see if anyone has anything they d like to add. Um, or suggest. And if not, or remove. And if not, I ll look for a motion. Move to approve the agenda. Second. Mayor and Council, if I MAY, I think we re gonna remove the one item. I thought we were gonna do that when we got to the consent agenda.

This is the overall agenda. Would we do it at this point? Sorry. Yeah, I would recommend we just. If they re going to remove something, we could do it right now at this point in time. All right. Apologies. Uh, then actually, yes, I would like to, uh, make a motion to remove item. Where d it go? H. H. There it is. Established parking restrictions on lead pack court. Uh, I had emailed the city manager last week and suggested we look at, um, amending, uh, the ordinance that s there. So. So we will see that back to us in the future. But if we could take it off tonight and we ll come back in the future. Okay. And that s eight. Hours, eight h. All right. Great. All right. So with that change to the consent agenda, a look for an approval to the overall agenda. I ll motion to approve. Okay. I ll second.

Just declare. So it s a motion to approve with the removal of. the porch. Yep. Okay, so we have a motion by council member Maryland. And a second by council member Gardner. All in favor of approving the agenda with that change, removing item h from the consent agenda, please say I. I I I ll oppose same sign. Motion passes 5 to 0. Um, the next item on our agenda is, um, proclamations and recognitions. And we do have a proclamation. Today recognizing Constitution Week. So I will share that proclamation with the crowd. And I believe we ve been doing this annually, or at least last year we did as well. So this is a City of Shoreview proclamation that recognizes Constitution Week, and that is SEPTEMBER 17th through 23rd, 2026. So I ll read the proclamation at this point. Whereas SEPTEMBER 17th, 2026 marks the 239th anniversary of the drafting of the Constitution of the United States of America by the Constitutional Convention.

And Whereas in 1956, PRESIDENT Eisenhower and the Congress passed a resolution declaring SEPTEMBER 17th through 23rd as Constitution Week, and whereas it is fitting and proper to give official recognition to this magnificent document and its memorable anniversary. Now therefore, be it resolved that the Shoreview City Council designates SEPTEMBER 17th to the 23rd to be Constitution Week in the City of Shoreview and ask our citizens to reaffirm the ideals the framers of the Constitution had in 1787 by vigilantly protecting the freedoms guaranteed to us through this guardian of our liberties. So. It s a very sobering moment. And and I want to thank the daughters of the American Revolution chapter for bringing this to the Council for us to read this week. Um. And now we come to the item on our agenda, which is number six, which is public comments. And this is the part of the agenda or the meeting, rather, that, um, individuals can come and address the City Council on items that are not already on the agenda, because if they are on the agenda, you would have an opportunity to speak that point.

Um, so anybody wanted to come up for a public comments? Um, you re asked to give your name, address and keep your comments to three minutes if possible. Um, and then depending what the item is, you likely will not get an answer today. But if there is follow up needed by staff, that will follow. So with that, I invite you to come up. If you ve got a public comment and thank you for being here. My name is Luther Dale and I live at 481 Sherwood Road. My wife and I love living in Shoreview for 38 years. I want to thank you, the Council, for developing a really comprehensive and timely climate action plan to guide future city operations. This plan comes at a time when efforts to address climate change are bubbling up in many forms. In this community, in businesses, institutions and among residents. Two brief stories to support that incarnation Lutheran Church, where I am a member, has been focused on making our facility more climate friendly through energy efficiency, led light bulbs, temperature management and new hvac system.

And last NOVEMBER, we went live with a solar array that will provide 91% or more of our energy needs and save $20,000 in energy expenses per year. There was some initial skepticism among our members, but that turned to real excitement in addressing climate change, and we think we have an exciting story to tell others about our experience. And then I want to tell you about my eagle. I m sorry, my ego. More. Just to be clear, as in, uh, 12 years ago, I replaced my gas powered, smelly mower with a battery powered Eagle lawnmower. Neighbors stopped by because it was so quiet. I told them my story. A mower with power beyond belief, with no maintenance cost, and then let them try it on my yard. Now, a number of egos are humming in the neighborhood. It s clear from fires in Ely and extreme heat and floods around the world and in the us, and warnings from scientists that increasing an increasingly warmer climate will bring more and more extreme weather and destruction.

So, beyond just focusing on city operations, I believe the council can provide a strong leadership using the work plan to build collaboration among residents, businesses and institutions. So we can all tell our stories about the many benefits of climate change and climate actions. Working together around common goals and sharing our experiences would be very powerful in addressing climate change. In Shoreview. Perhaps a power beyond belief. Thank you.

My name is Sharon Coombs, com bs and I ve lived at 3400 Owosso Street since 1990 and I am here also to respond to the city s draft climate action plan. I m heartened by the city s climate actions to date. I like seeing the ev charger out there and in the solar panels. I am concerned, though, about the the plans timeline again this year. Has increasing co2 emissions and the second hottest heat wave in Minnesota history. The first one was in 1936, and a neighbor of mine went to Como Park and was sleeping out there with many, other people because it was too hot in their houses. And she ended up leaving and going to Oregon, and she never came back. We need to use more of the sun s energy to speed up successful installations of rooftop solar. So I m asking you to consider using an app called the Solar Automated Permit Processing App, or Solar App Plus, developed by the us Department of Energy in 2019 and launched in 2021.

Solar App Plus is an online automated permitting platform to ensure code compliance and promote safety. It is live in 300 jurisdictions, including our neighbor, Mounds View, and has resulted in 29% fewer initial installation failures. With the climate crisis building, we don t have time for failures. The average time to process a permit for any kind of government permit is currently 60 to 90 minutes, with solar app, the city s codes can be preloaded, so all the burden is on the installer to enter their information accurately. And that means an investment of just minutes on the part of the city. Nick Henley, Mounds View Building official, is happy to share his positive experience with solar app plus, grant money is available from the state to offset the cost of time invested in adopting the app, and solar App plus does not require abandonment of existing city systems and workflows, so I urge you, our City Manager and council members, to consider adding Solar App Plus to the Climate Action Plan.

And I gave MR. Martin, um, a handout with frequently asked questions and contact information for Nick Henley at Mount View. And I have one more copy of that. If someone would like that. Thank you for your time. Thank you. very much for the stories and this increasingly

Hot summer and the summer that doesn t seem to ever end. It s it s kind of timely, but I appreciate hearing the story too, about the electric or the lawnmower, and it s battery operated or electric. Okay, I ve heard about. Those. And I know for the snowblower, okay. Okay. And enables me to stay in my house because both are so light and maintenance free. And I ve changed out the those bolts that break on the door one time, you just flip over the thing that s right there. You change it. Much different from my previous. Okay. Thank you. We shouldn t have started a conversation. We have people streaming and watching, but they also shared the use of electric snow blowers or a battery operated snow blower as well. And just that, they re light and easy to use, so. Well, thank you very much. Appreciate it. Is there anyone else who would like to make public comments? Thank you for coming. And now we will move to um, council comments and. I think I m going to start today because I was so proud when I read this story about our seven lakes, um, development. And, um, that Shoreview has won, um, a redeveloped redevelopment

Award. Um, for excellence. Uh, it s an economic development. Services silver award for 2026 by the International Economic Development Council, which is the largest membership organization for economic development professionals. Um, and the award was given to Shoreview for the redevelopment of the deluxe property, which, um, they mentioned a number of things that justified this award. Um, and some of the things that were mentioned were the forward thinking and rapid action, because despite attempting to keep in contact with Deluxe Corporation, it was somewhat of a surprise at how quickly they moved. Um, and the city was approached with a number of alternatives. Um, one of which was, uh, repeated request for a distribution center there. Um, and but. The we we held out for something better. Um, so let s see, we let s see when deluxe left, um, 500 jobs left with them. But what s when Scannell bought the property, they were able to develop it to add 450,000ft of medtech, high tech and manufacturing space, which attracted two new businesses here as well, allowing as well as allowing power to expand.

Actually, for the second time in our community and move into one of the spaces. So, um, I don t know if Niki Hill, our assistant community development director, wants to say anything more, but, um, that that department, your department did such a great job in very patiently, uh, working with, uh, Scannell was actually a good developer to work with, but we went through quite a few meetings and settling on what would be appropriate and making sure that the buildings looked good. And you know, that the site would actually be attractive. And, um, so I think it was a very favorable thing and added a lot to our city s tax base, including jobs. So I don t know if you want to add anything else. Nikki. Okay. So anyway, makes our community proud. It was it was, uh, just a very, I think, surprising award as well. So. Right. So, um, and then we found out tonight from our community development that we ve passed $95 million already in construction evaluation in 2026 so far.

So a lot of building activity going on. And one thing that is probably highly visible if you ve driven by 6.94 and rice is the crew development that s going up at that corner. And also you ll notice the big structure cement, which will hopefully be the site of a restaurant at some point. So, um, that s going up, I think, as well as a lot of foundation work before winter and the project will be done next year. Um, also wanted to mention that we recently added the city recently added as part of our Master Parks plan, uh, playground in Shamrock Park in the north. Um, northwestern part of the city. But you ll notice if you drive by there, this some activity around there. They re seating around the playground to to finish off the look. But it s a really nice playground and makes the park look a little fresher, I guess. And then also, I wanted to mention that, um, the first day of Kids Corner preschool is a week from next Monday, rather so, which is Monday, SEPTEMBER 14th.

So. And I think that s all I have. But anyway, so it s something to be proud of. So I had to share that. So I m looking at Council member Marilyn. Do you want to start with comments? I can do that. Um, I just wanted to mention, um, of course, as everyone is aware, this is the first week of school for the Mountainview School District, and, um, just reminding people to be diligent, cautious. Um, apprehensive of kids out getting on the bus, walking, riding their bikes, trying to get to school on time. And and as the the time changes and as it gets darker longer in the morning and earlier at night, just to be cautious watching for those kids. Watch for those, um, red flashing lights and the stop sign arm coming out of the bus. And, um, just be extra careful to stand here so our kids can get to school safely.

Um. Thank you, Councilmember Strayhorn. Uh, mayor, although we are just barely adjusting to the fact that fall is starting here tonight, we re being serenaded with some holiday music. I don t know if it s coming through on the, uh, on the live feed, but, uh, here in the council chambers, we can definitely hear the strawberry Northern Lights variety band, uh, across the hall having their first rehearsal of the of the fall winter term. And, uh, I ll be there in my usual spot in the trumpet section next week, but, uh, had to MISS Tonight s rehearsal to be here. Uh, but just my annual reminder that there are still, uh, space spaces open. And some of the sections of the band, uh, I don t exactly know where there are and are not opening. I know that my my nephew who plays flute, uh, was looking to see if they had room for him.

And so I know we have already more flutes, uh, than we can quite handle, but, um, but I know we need percussion. I know we always need, uh, low brass. So, um, if you are interested, uh, go to the snl and and, uh, get in touch with the board, and they will let you know if we have room for the particular instrument. You MAY want to play. Um, then I also wanted to mention, um, one item that s on our, uh, consent agenda a little bit later, which is, uh, items that we don t usually have much discussion of or staff presentations there, uh, routine things generally that are approved by one motion. But I wish I had a chance to mention this. Well, uh, MISTER Dale and MISS Coombs were here. Um, but one of the items on the consent agenda tonight, I just think should should be recognized is, uh, that we received a grant from the solar on Public Buildings program to put solar panels on the Bobby Tyson Park building.

So we re looking forward to to that and saving the city a lot of money on the installation so that we can save a lot of money in the future. On electricity. So great, great. So congratulations to the city staff for securing that. Thank you. Council Member Gardner I didn t know if you were ready. Councilmember. Thank you. I, I know what Councilmember Doan has and he s been crossing things out as other people have spoken. So I don t want to I don t want to run out. Um, well thanks, everybody. Um, so, uh, some of you know, when I was in the legislature, I represented, uh, half of North Oaks. So I got to know, uh, their institutions and, uh, Wiley weighs very well. And one of the things they ve had is a great tradition for the last few decades as their North Oaks rummage sale, which has a Shoreview connection. Uh, so they clear out their houses and cabins and the like, uh, and they have pretty good, uh, variety of stuff, but they need a place to do it.

So they ve got to come to Shoreview, to the ice arena across the street, and you probably can see the marquee that shows they re open from I think it s 8 to 5 on Saturday and 8 to 2 on Sunday. So if you are going to, uh, the our destination playground or the community center, uh, you might want to go that back way by Mound Avenue. Um, uh, there are a lot of people with trucks who get there, get their loot, and take up some space. So, uh, parking could be an issue. I also wanted to thank the staff for the award over the Seven Lakes development. I see they re going to accept an award in New Orleans during hurricane season, which is good to get a good deal and having conferences then that s great. Uh, but I did check with two of those, uh, building owners after it was done. When we did the groundbreaking.

And as you nagged them, mayor and me as a private citizen, those buildings are solar ready. So, uh, when they re ready, they can plug and play. Uh, say, I did get a, um, uh, just before i came over here this afternoon, so I didn t have time to put it in my Monday email questions to MR. Martin s, but I did get an inquiry or a concern from residents who live near Presbyterian Church of the way, where there s a fair park and ride. Everyone certainly loves the fair and the opportunity to take the buses, but I happen to be in that neighborhood visiting and holy goodness, my goodness, there s a lot of vehicles and we have city signs on one side of the street to keep one lane clear. And, uh, but they all do seem, uh, stressed out, so I, I wonder if we might have a conversation about that at some point. Uh, while the iron is hot. Just having now that we re in our fair glow. Still, the sweet Martha s cookies. Uh, good feeling hasn t worn off yet. We might discuss it, but.

The parking in the neighborhood. Just, uh, people are concerned about people leaving staff trash behind. Parking really close, blocking parts of driveways and mailboxes and the like so people can t get their mail. Um, I don t know. What do we need to discuss it here about it? Something in our regular memo would be just great about how that s going. I did see that Falcon Heights is charging people to use their streets. Uh, and are bringing in quite a bundle. I have no idea how they do it. Or they have portable meters or somebody standing with a square device on their phones and ringing people up. But, um, they finished it, figured out how to use it to their advantage. So that s it. Uh, mayor. Okay. And we did. I got a couple of complaints, too. On on the parking there. So I took a couple drives through, and it was earlier in the morning.

So the park and ride was getting full, but they were obeying because I think the first Friday of the fair was when this gentleman and they already had all the construction, I don t know what they re doing on Lexington Avenue, but they re their streets are blocked at Lexington. I think this was Edgewater Street. Oh, yes. But I drove up and down, and at least when I did, which was Friday morning, I must have heard from him Thursday. Um, everybody was obeying. They were parking at least where there were not signs. However, it was early and it was also trash day, so it was noisy and crowded and you couldn t get across onto Lexington. So, um, and I did drive through another day and again, no one was, um, they were parking legally. But what I did ask him because I talked to MR. Martin and they had been working with the Ramsey County sheriff on that as well.

City staff. So I let him know if he could. If anybody is, you know, blocking a drive or doing anything illegal to go ahead and give a call to the sheriff. So but I think it was many factors which just made a, Um. Very frustrating experience for the neighborhood. So, yeah. Councilmember Dunn. Yes, thank you, mayor, uh, and thank you to other council members who have whittled my list down from 7 to 4, which is great. Welcome. Um, so, uh, first I just wanted to, uh, reiterate, uh, what, uh, Council Member Merlyn mentioned with the first day of school for both the Roseville school district and the Mounds View School District and safety out there for kids and families who are traveling to school and traveling back home. Um, as a transportation engineer, definitely think a lot about that. Um, and work with a lot of school districts to make sure that kids are getting to school and home safely.

Um, related to that, uh, the mayor and I had the honor of attending the Roseville Area Schools staff workshop kickoff event last week. Um, and they had a wonderful speaker who I will recall the name here just to, uh, it was, uh, Doctor Gloria Ladson Billings, uh, from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. And she spoke really powerfully about every adult s responsibility to help all kids succeed in our schools. And it was really an inspirational keynote and just really want to extend, um, our appreciation to both the Mounds View and Roseville school districts and their teachers and the administration for providing an amazing academic experience for our young people and for our families, because we all know that school districts are an important part of our community, and they also help with property values. And so people want to come here. And one of the main reasons is because of the quality of schools that we have.

So thank you to them. Um, second, I wanted to share that the tunnel under highway 96, if you have not visited yet, uh, the pollinator mural, the expanse that extends nine feet tall and the ceiling is now all painted as well, uh, is complete. And, uh, open for business for folks to travel through and appreciate and admire. Just really thank, uh, not only the city bike and head committee, uh, but also Gallery 96 and the Shoreview Community Foundation and the Rice Creek Watershed District for all coming together and make that beautiful, uh, art, public art for our community. Uh, a possibility. So really appreciate that. If you haven t seen it, definitely go and take a selfie and post it on and tag the city on it and let us know what you think. Um, the third item here is i ve gotten just as I ve been out in community, a few questions about, um, the old Burger King site, uh, as well as the Victoria Fire Station and what s happening with redevelopment.

They re excited to report that at least with the Burger King site, that the new building that s going up is a Chipotle. So that s, uh, they re going to be a to Chipotle s in Shoreview. Um, and then with the Victoria Fire Station that uh, good things are happening there as well, and that the city is in the process of negotiating a agreement with a future, uh, owner of the site. So unfortunately, I can t share who that is yet. Until that those negotiations are finalized and completed. But just wanted to share that. I m particularly very excited for what s to come for the next iteration and the reuse of the Victoria Avenue fire station. Uh, and then last but not least, wanted to share that the, uh Shoreview Community Foundation, in partnership with the City Park and Rec, is hosting a pickleball tournament and family fun Day on Saturday, SEPTEMBER 19th.

Um, there are still, uh, registration available for teams of both beginners who will play a bracket in the morning and more advanced pickleball players who, you know, those semi-pro types that, uh, play at Bobby Tyson Park, um, that, uh, there s still room in the advanced bracket as well. And, uh, that event is at Bobby Tyson Park. And there s also other, uh, kind of ancillary events with yard games. Food trucks, face painting, uh, kite making, uh, and flying in addition to the pickleball to make it a full experience for the family. So, uh, sign up if you haven t done it. If you re not a pickleball player and are interested in being in the beginner bracket, do that. Or if you re just going to come for the family fun day, come enjoy beautiful fall. Uh, Saturday at one of our newly renovated parks at Bobby Tyson. Thank you, mayor. And what. I m sorry, what was the date on that? is Saturday, SEPTEMBER 19th.

Okay, thanks. Good. Great. During Constitution week. There you go. All right. Well, thanks for those comments. Um, the next item on the agenda is the consent agenda. And as Councilmember Springer said, these are items that are considered routine and can be enacted by one motion. And with the change in the agenda, we can have a vote on items eight, through eight g and ai and eight j in one motion. So I m looking to council to see if there s any other changes. If not, I ll look for a motion. Mayor, I d like to make a motion to approve items eight a through eight g and eight I and eight j. Okay, second. I think I heard Corey spring corns first. So, um, we have a motion by council member Marilyn and a second by council member Spring Horne to approve those items. Um, all in favor, please say aye. aye. All opposed. Same sign.

Motion passes 5 to 0. We do not have any public hearings tonight, but we do have five items of general business. And the first one is, uh, item number ten a, which is rental license revocations for 1064 1062 Glenn Hill Road. And our assistant community development director, Nikki Hill, will present on this. Thank you. Mayor. Members of the council, I we are here for a rental license revocation hearing for 1062 and 1064 Glenn Hill Road. The property is in southern Shoreview. This is Lexington Avenue here on the west side or on the left. And then this is the shores and County Road d at our southern border. Just to give you a little bearings here. And you are being asked to revoke the rental licenses for the property at 1062 1064 Glenn Hill Road. Um, it is a duplex and the property owner of the duplex has failed to comply with provisions of the city s regulations, including the failure to comply with the city s regulations, regulations regarding allowable unit counts.

The property owner is renting out each side as having two units, effectively making the duplex into a fourplex. So section 30.91 license suspension or revocation a dwelling unit rental license is subject to suspension or revocation by the City Council for the recent specified hearing and prior to suspension or revocation. The owner or its agents shall be notified in writing at least five days prior to the City Council s consideration of such action, and then mainly the the codes that we re talking about as far as why a fourplex or quad plex is not allowed, is section 109 93 requires that in the r-2 district, two parking spaces per unit shall be required for off street parking, one must be completely enclosed, and additional off street guest parking spaces shall be provided at a ratio of 0.5 spaces per unit, and the existing garages on the site are two single stall on each side, therefore, it does not meet the requirements to allow greater than two units and additionally accessory apartments are also known as mother in law.

Suites are not allowed as an allowable use in the r-2 district. They are allowed in our single family r, e, and r-1 districts, and the provisions are specific for single family dwellings. So a little background history of how we got to where we are. The property owner contacted the city in 2025 inquiring about the use of the property as a fourplex. The owner was told that it did not meet the city code provisions to allow a four unit building rental licenses were pulled for each side individually at the renewal period. For the 2026 license. In APRIL of this year, staff was asked to verify if the property was allowed to operate as a fourplex as part of an appraisal, and the appraisals understanding of the property as having separate accessory dwelling unit or mother in law units in the basement. In JUNE of this year, a Zillow listing was found listing the property as a non-conforming quad plex, including separate mailboxes.

In JUNE, the owner of the duplex received a letter from the city informing them that the city was aware of the operation and marketing of the property as an illegal quad plex, and that the city will be enforcing the terms of the license and all applicable regulations. And then on AUGUST 6th, a rental inspection was conducted, revealing numerous code violations, including the operation of the property as an illegal quad plex with locked doors separating the top and bottom of the units. On AUGUST 18th, the notice of the Rental License Revocation letter was emailed and mailed to the owner of the property, informing them of the pending action. Staff did request lease documents and tenant rosters from the owner by 82526, staff was provided with two lease documents for each side, but those documents were created on AUGUST 22nd, 2026, which is after the date of the lease terms for both units. The digital signatures had dates before the creation date of the documents themselves, and they were not verifiable.

Digital signatures, including a blurry image with the wrong year for one of them, and then staff was provided with tenant rosters that were both created on the date that they were due, and the forum said that it needed to be submitted to the office with the register of the tenants, and then on AUGUST 31st, the Zillow listing still lists the complex as a side by side duplex, with each unit having a mother in law suite and their own mailbox. And then on SEPTEMBER 1st, staff did confirm that there are four mailboxes for the duplex, two with the unit numbers and two with a half designation. After the address. So staff is recommending that the City Council adopt resolution 2675 and move forward with the revocation of the licenses. This approval gives authorization for the city personnel to take necessary actions to post the property with a placard that they are operating without a rental license, and this will allow any tenant to withhold rent if they choose until they relocate or the property comes into compliance.

Questions. So besides, the third bullet, which was the withholding of rent, is there anything else the city can do to, for example, our are the properties unsafe? I assume. There are rental license violations, but there s not violations. And I know there s an inspection scheduled for tomorrow or later this week where those might be in compliance. We have not verified to them to this point. Right. But either way, it s illegal as a, uh, because I was going to ask what a nonconforming quad plex is. It s not an allowable use as a complex. Right? But, I mean, it s not something we put in our code to allow conforming and nonconforming complex. Okay. Um, okay. Other questions. Council. Have we heard anything for so the owner is aware that they re up. For revocation? Yes. Do you believe the owner is here? Oh. All right. Good. Okay. Great. Andy Council, any other questions?

Nope. We ll then I ll invite, uh, the owner or anyone else who wants to speak about the property to come forward. Hello. My name is Matthew Brown. Uh, do I need to give. My address, please? Yes. 785 North Oak Drive, Badness Heights, Minnesota. All right. Thank you. Um, yeah. So when I purchased the property in 2024, I purchased it from, uh, who s it? Trust from? Fran, what was the last name? I think it was, like, folding or something. Um, the the property was in distress, and so I put in quite a lot of effort to update it. Um, she had already installed the mother in law suites, so there were already kitchens, full kitchens and bathrooms, and a lot of the doors that were locked were already there as well. And so, uh, but she had owner occupied it. And so, uh, whenever I started renting it originally I was renting out each side individually, but then the finances didn t work out on it.

And so, um, I started listing them as individual spaces because the basements had walkout, egress, walkouts. Okay. Um, and so and all, all spaces had access to the laundry unit. Shoot. Um, and so whenever they contacted me, uh, that it was illegally being used as a fourplex, I contacted all the residents and I was like, hey, would you guys mind if you all went on one lease for one side? Um, and they ve kind of formed a, like a nice little community. They all they all know each other and they re all fairly friendly with each other, and they enjoy living in that spot as well. Um, and so they actually did sign. So whenever they asked for the leases, I had just sent them over the leases with the dates. So originally the original move in dates was in MAY, I believe. And so then for the 1062 side and then, uh, the original moving date for the left side.

Um, the, the, the person that moved in the basement recently just moved in on AUGUST 1st. And so, um, I asked them and they re like, yeah, that s fine. So I created a lease for the where they were all one unit where they all were on one lease. Um, and they were in agreement that that s fine. And then, uh, but yeah, I did it last minute. I, I m, uh, I m a math teacher, and I also have a lot of other things that I m working on. So it was like, oh, I gotta get this done in time. Um, and so then whenever I submitted the leases, I was informed that they were illegal because of the. It was I had them sign them after the the time that the lease has begun. And so I went and asked them if they would sign one in person. So I have new leases as well where they the upper unit and the lower unit, they agree to be on one lease together.

Um, and so it ends up being two adults on one side. And uh, on the other side, there s a family and then an adult, um, on either side. So, um, yeah, I don t know if that would be something that you all would consider, but the parking there is, there is only two single stall garages, but the driveways are about like 100, 150ft long. And so we can easily get four cars on each driveway in one car, in the garage. Um, in terms of like, keeping all the cars off the street at night, and then that s in the leases as well to keep the cars off the street at night. Um, yeah. So I guess my, my request to the city is to, um, at least give me more time to satisfy the, uh, the department s request for corrections. Um, and and see if they would be willing to accept the new leases that the tenants were willing to sign.

Um, and then go forward from there. Well, and I, I it sounds to me, and I ll verify with MISS Hale about this, but that the leases are part of the problem. However, that doesn t correct the zoning. Um, the zoning issue or, and I think there was a space, the amount of space that each, um, leased facility needs to have. So there were other. Well, that s in the packet that I had. It mentioned that. But the problem is not just with the leases themselves. Um, it s it s with the using having a four plex in a non, in an area that s not zoned for that. So I m just and i, there MAY be some things you can work out with MISS Hill on the these leases in terms of what she needs right now or what the city needs. However correct me if I m wrong, but the the the real problem is, I mean the zoning because you ve got a quite an illegal, um, use or rental license per the zoning, which is a within the code of the city, which is basically the law of the city. So, um, but I do want to if council has questions and we can get more clarification on that as well. But council, what questions do you have? Mayor. Council member. Springer.

Yeah. So so just to clarify, if the properties had been had been properly listed as just two units, a duplex, there would be no problem with two unrelated adults jointly leasing one of those units. Correct? That is correct. And then or the other situation with the family jointly leasing the other unit with with another individual. Yeah. Uh. I will get the exact verbiage, but there is verbiage related to the, um, how many unrelated adults can be living in a. All right. So I m just I m trying to figure out how how that affects how we go forward. I mean, obviously there was it was done incorrectly to begin with. So trying to figure out how how how that gets corrected. Now. You mean the sale itself. The, um, well, what what would the circumstances would have to be to be eligible for, uh, for the rental license? Did you have something? Yeah. Mayor and council, if I MAY.

I think it, you know, staff made this condition aware back in 2025. We re now at SEPTEMBER of 2026 with significant formal notice since APRIL. Um, and as of today, it is not in compliance. So it is a recommendation to staff to move forward with the relocation. The owner could then, you know, take care of the situation and reapply for a new rental license. And then everything could be verified during that time. Um, but just because there s been a history of non conformance here and then blatantly violates the code, it we stand by our recommendation to continue with the revocation and allow for the application to come forward. If they see that fit. It doesn t evict the the those that live there. It s posting the notification of the potential or they could withhold the rent. It s not like they don t have to pay. Um, so there s a whole legal compliance for that money I think would go.

But um, it really would just it really satisfies the condition that exists today is that it s not in compliance. And it s been abundantly clear that what needed to happen. So that d be my recommendation to continue forward. And ideally, it gets into compliance. Uh, Council member. Doan yes, mayor, I just wanted to ask MR. Brown at, uh, how long you ve owned the property and how long it s been rented in the current condition of or rented as four units. And at what point did you learn that was out of compliance with city zoning code? Right. Uh, so I own the property. I bought it in 2020 for fall 2024. Um, and 2025. I had one side rented to one family. Um, so the 1020, the 1064 side and the 1062 side, I had split that up. So then I was using it as three units, essentially with three leases. Um, and then in.

I listed the property for sale of this APRIL, and then that s whenever people started asking me like, oh, can you lease it this way? I was like, well, I have, I have a property management company that leases the whole thing that I wrote a lease to. And then they called, I own that property management company, but then kind of subleased it as a rooms. Um, but but yeah, essentially it was being used again as a non-conforming fourplex or um, so, so I was I kind of investigated it more in APRIL. Um, and uh, the one unit that was on the 1064 side, I ended up leasing that basement just, uh, not AUGUST, JULY. Someone was in JULY there in JULY. Um, because the families shifted like the the tenants kind of shifted where they were, uh, this kind of spring. Um. Yeah. So I guess. Yeah, that it answers.. Mayor, could I ask just to clarify that? I guess I m still unclear. Uh, MR. Brown, when you became aware that, uh,

Having more than two units rented at this property was in violation of the zoning code? Sure. Um, it would be APRIL 20th, 20. This this APRIL, 2026. Um, and again, whenever I was writing up the leases, the, the way I had written up the leases, um, was there is a like a master lease for one unit and then sub leasing. So I have another rental where I rent out rooms. And so each room gets its own lease. Um, and so then you could say I have four units in that one single family room, a house because there s four bedrooms. But yeah. And then each room, actually I put a lock on each room so that each person can lock away their belongings when they leave so that other roommates aren t, um, tempted to do anything to their room. So, yeah. Thank you. Okay. Council member Gardner. Had a question. Uh, just a comment and then a question for staff.

So I m. I m inclined here to support the staff recommendation. It seems every time we re in one of these situations where we re trying to figure out some flexibility, we always end up in the same place anyway. Um, so I m satisfied with what we have for recommendation. Uh, I wonder if MISS Hill could remind us what s in our ordinance about how tenants are notified of their rights in this situation, and I recall reading that in. But they will get some direct contact to let them know that they don t have to pay rent, or they pay into an escrow fund or something like that to make sure that their rights are protected here. Yeah, we would let tenants know about contacting Home line and other other resources that are there. And do we just like a certified letter or is. It we physically post a property? We re good. Okay. Thank you.

Okay. Other questions. Councilmember Linton. Mayor, I have a question about um, so once we notify the tenants, um, that MR. Brown s license is being, um, renovated. Um, what is the timeline for them, then? Before something has to change with from a four plex to a two plex or, you know, to somebody need to move out in a certain period of time or what needs to happen. Um, once they re notified. Once they are notified that the tenants, it s not an eviction process. So it s posted. And that s why they have the option to withhold rent. Usually it s through an escrow account, which is part of the information that would be provided, because that s not something the city sets up. It s usually some sort of legal representation. And then when it comes to the compliance, um, as staff has informed MR. Brown, we just can t have four separate units there.

So with the locks and whatnot, if they re renting it as two separate units and they re cohabitating, that s fine. But we can t have locked separate units because then you re just reverting it back to a fourplex which doesn t meet our code. And so that was part of why we did the inspection. And it s still listed on Zillow as a non-conforming fourplex as of today. Was it? Yes, I did. Well, I thought I corrected it on my, uh, and so I apologize that it still says that, but yeah, I believe I changed. I ll double check. And I have one further question. If I could, when you purchased the property, did you think you were buying a duplex or a fourplex? And did you do your research on what the the codes were? Um, when I bought it, in my mind, I mean, it s listed as a duplex. Um, in my mind, it s it was a mother in law suite.

And so it was easily again, in my mind, non-conforming fourplex is how I bought it. Um, I have other single family homes that have mother in law suites in the basement. Um, and so, yeah, whenever, whenever I ve rented out rooms, um, to people, I ve just rented out the room separately, uh, so that they have their own lease. And so that s how I was thinking of it. Um, but. Yeah, so. And so when you purchase a property, if you obtain financing for it, and there was an appraisal done. Was the appraisal done as a duplex or a fourplex? Yeah. As I said, the appraiser called to verify. And so he appraised it as a duplex. Thank you. Okay. Council member Doan, did you have. A question? Okay. Thank you. All right. So, um, thank you very much for coming. Thanks. Um, Council member Doan. Did you have a question? I did have. A question for staff.

Okay. So I just. Wanted to make sure we, um. If it s time. I think it is. And if anyone else has questions, we. Can. Um, I just wanted to ask, uh, Nikki if, um, she was able to find the, uh, code that speaks to, uh, habitation of a unit by non related, uh, adults. And what that says, because I think that that will be very helpful as I think about what this means, if you have, um, now, at least it sounds like in the future, uh, two documented leases with adults that MAY not be related living in the same space. In Marin County, that would apply to a future application then. Not this current situation. And then also, I a related question, which is with regard to a revocation, um, is there a

Certain period of time where, uh, is there a kind of a holding pattern or a time that you can apply for a license because it s been revoked? But can you answer that question? There isn t necessarily a holding time there. There will be a reinstatement fee to come back to have a rental license. But if they are in compliance, they re certainly welcome to apply.. And were you still waiting for an answer on. That code? Yes. Thank you. I m looking for okay. We could also just follow up with that information too. That s right. So okay. So with that council, um, thoughts on. Uh, uh. Well, it seems like the music has reached a crescendo in the soundtrack of this, uh, agenda item. So is it appropriate to make the motion now? Um, as long as no one has any other questions? Okay. Uh, therefore, I ll, uh, uh, make a motion to adopt resolution number 26, dash 75, approving the revocation of the rental licenses for the property located at 1064 1062 Glenn Hill Road, pursuant to section 39, one of the municipal code.

I ll second that. We ve got a motion by Council Member Gardner, with the second by council Spring Horn to pass the motion. All in favor, please say. Aye. Aye, aye. All opposed. Same sign. Um. Motion passes 5 to 0. Um. And, MR. Brown, what this does, is it it brings it to the point where, I mean, your tenants will not be affected, but it will be up to you to work with the city, which you can do right away. Um, to, to rectify the situation and then reapply for a license. But so, you understand at this point that there will be something posted on the property. Um, however, your tenants won t be affected by this, but I do hope that. You. know, immediately start to work with MISS Hill on this. So it. Okay. All right. Thank you very much. Thank you for coming. That was very helpful. Um, so with that, we will move on. To our next item of general business, which is ten. Be.

Tall grass and weed abatement at 225 northwest so Boulevard. And again we welcome back MISS. Hill. Thank you mayor. Members of. The council. We do have an abatement hearing for vegetative growth, also known as tall grass and weeds, for 225 North Owosso Boulevard. And you re being asked to order the abatement of the tall grass and weeds for the property located at 225 North Owosso. Um, the ordinance requirements are section 286 property maintenance. The exterior of all properties must be kept free of noxious weeds, and that includes grass and lawn. Areas cannot exceed nine inches in height. And then for that abatement procedure, we do have a notification and hearing process, which includes the notification in writing it was posted. There is a time frame to correct the conditions, as long as well as a notice of the hearing date and. Again, it s 225 and as you can see, they have significant tall grass and weeds from not maintaining the property.

And the property was inspected and a notice was posted on AUGUST 14th informing the property owner of violations and that abatement action would be taken if not corrected. The notice specified that city regulations and conditions constituting violations um was given five days for the corrections. There were three inspections on AUGUST 20th. I m not sure where the 20th came from, but 25th, 31st and SEPTEMBER 2nd as well as today were no change in conditions were found. The property does remain out of compliance after city re inspection today, so we are recommending that you hold the hearing and adopt resolution 2673, allowing the city to abate the nuisance conditions and that does allow staff to monitor the property through the rest of 2026, as well as next year s growing season of 2027, and order additional mowing if required. And then the cost associated with any abatements will be billed to the property owner and assessed to the property.

If not paid. Okay. And have we heard anything from the property owner? We did have contact with them at the end of last week. They said they would take care of it and that has not occurred. And this home has had a tall grass and weed abatement in 2022 as well. So it s not a new thing for this property. And is it currently occupied? I do believe so. From one of the pictures that looked like there was a car in the driveway. Okay. Not that that would matter for this, but okay. Thank you. Um, Council, any questions? Council member Doan. Um, thank you, mayor Nikki, do we know if this is a rental property or if it is owner occupied? And it doesn t make a difference from my decision. But I m not sure I know. That it s an investment owner, so I m inclined to say it s likely a rental property, but I don t know off the top of my head. That did not get checked.

Thank you. All right. Other questions. Thank you very much. Uh, this is just a general question. Uh, MISS Hill, in my albeit short time in the council, we processed a lot of nuisance abatements. Uh, and in many cases, there s somebody who s, um, having medical issues for having either they re at home or in a nursing home or something like that, or somebody s got a disability. Have we had a history at all of, uh, outreach with other community organizations that help people out or they just help keep track? Or do we just find it more efficient to use this process and abate the nuisance and just. Take care of contact community organizations? You know, if we the notice, ask them to call us like we want to work with them. But if they don t talk with us. Yeah. That s when we go to the abatement process or if they don t work like we had a previous one where we did talk with the homeowner and they didn t want those resources.

So we ended up doing an abatement. So, um, is it fair to say that there are some nuisance abatement issues that never come before us because they already got worked out based on the suggestions you offer? Okay. Thank you. Okay. I just had one further question, if I MAY. Absolutely. Um, it looks in one of the photos. There s a it appears to be a recycling can. And then there s some further piled up debris. There. Is that garbage or is that. There is outside storage that is also working its way through the process. Okay. Tall Grass and Weeds is a very short five day period. And then we can bring it to council because we don t want to belabor the process. Whereas the other outside storage takes a little. Bit longer. Thank you. Yeah And just as a reminder, with all these abatements, although they re not formal public hearings, we do need to ask if there s anyone in the audience who want to speak to the item.

Okay. So is there anyone here who would like to speak to the property at 16? Is this. The 1649? I I m sorry. 225 Northwest Boulevard. Okay. Seeing no one come forward, I ll look to council to see if someone wants to make a motion. I ll go ahead and move to adopt the following resolution. Approving the abatement of vegetative growth pursuant to sections. Section 22-24. Uh Resolution number 2673. Property located at 225 North Owosso Boulevard. Do we have a second? We have a motion by council member Springer and a second by council member Doan to move forward with the tall grass and weed abatement at 225 North West Boulevard. All in favor, please say aye. All opposed? Same sign. Motion passes 5 to 0. Um. And item ten, c is another nuisance. Bass abatement, this time at 1649 Hillview Road. Oh.

Last one. Uh, mayor, members of the council, we have a general nuisance abatement for 1649 Hillview. And if that sounds familiar, that is because this property up in northern Shoreview was at council JULY 20th for a tall grass and weeds. And as I just mentioned, sometimes the outside storage and the refuse takes a little bit longer to get through the process. We have not been able to abate that tall grass and weeds because of the refuse and outside storage on this property, and so that is part of why we want to do the abatement, so we can get that property maintenance and tall grass violations taken care of. And as you can see from the pictures, there are outside storage violations, general property maintenance and then refuge storage. So there are lots of things out there, including a Baxter which has been there pretty much the whole summer, and then the tall grass and weeds is also pretty significant at this point.

Um, so again, it s violations of city code section 2841 outside storage city code, section 286, a general property maintenance and then city code section 32-2 refuse storage. And then the abatement procedure is the same as the previous abatement, where we did give a notification and the hearing process. So it was delivered in writing. There was a time frame given to correct the conditions, and there was the notice of the hearing. The property was sent letters regarding the outside storage. Starting in APRIL and MAY. Uh administrative citation was given in JUNE. The tall grass and weeds were approved for abatement JULY 20th, which the property owner did contact us to ask for an extension on taking care of the property with their family member. We did grant an extension, which is part of why it s SEPTEMBER now and nothing has been taken care of. So we move forward with the abatement. So we re asking that you hold a hearing and adopt resolution 2674, approving the abatement for the nuisance conditions on the property and then costs associated will be billed to the property owner and assessed to the property, if not paid.

So in this situation, have we heard from them recently? We have not. Okay. And as I this almost sounds like someone maybe who is dependent on someone else, but they ve also not responded to, uh, you know, an offer for assistance or to contact. Well, when you spoke with them. They said that a family member would be assisting them. You know, they just needed a couple of weekends to take care of it. Okay. And, you know, that was in regards to the tall grass and weeds. And we let them know if they took care of everything. We wouldn t abate it, you know? Okay. It s just we will if they don t take care of it. And unfortunately we have not heard, nor have we seen any action. Okay. Um, but someone is living in the we think, okay. Um, so again, I will ask if anyone is here to speak to the property at 1649 Hillview Road, and it appears that it s not the case.

So I think and again, with abatements, you know, there MAY be circumstances, but there is help available. And I know residents have taken advantage of that in the past. Um, so I think when we think about city staff and getting some movement here, um, abatement still gives the property owner an opportunity to contact the city to work something out. Um, although that would need to be quickly because that, uh, another thing is it s sometimes is very difficult with these because you assume that people maybe are not able to do it, etc.. Um, but also letting the properties go like that is very upsetting to a lot of other people who sometimes think the city does not do enough. Um, so we always have to keep that in mind. If we ve made every opportunity to contact, which it sounds like we have. So hopefully the property owner will come forward and get some ongoing assistance if they aren t in fact not able to manage.

It. Um, so any other council comments? No. All right. Would anyone like to make a motion. On this? I d like to make a motion to adopt resolution number 26, dash 74, approving the abatement of a public nuisance for the property located at 1649 Hillview Road. Second.

Okay, we have a motion by council member Maryland with a second by council member Doan to adopt resolution number 2674 regarding of abatement at 1649 Hillview Road. All in favor, please say aye. All opposed. Same sign. Motion passes 5 to 0. Thank you very much, MISS Hill. Mayor. Just a point of information. Yes. Um, wanted to ask. I know that for particularly for the tall weeds and grass, uh, we typically get those during the summertime, maybe late spring or early summer. We get a slew of them, and then we re getting another round right now. I was wondering, um, for these abatements, if we re seeing an increase in them this year versus in previous years, because it does feel like we ve seen more, or at least, um, I feel like we ve been talking we ve had more in our agenda and wanted to kind of see what the trend line is over the last few years, and it s nothing that we need to answer tonight.

I just wanted to understand kind of if there are trends going on here that we are able to capture them and understand why that is. Okay. Do you want to follow up later or do you have. Staff can certainly look into that. Um, to see and that can be uh, update at the next eda meeting as we have kind of a code enforcement property maintenance update. Okay. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so our next item is, um, ten d, which is a resolution amending open appointment policy for committees and commissions. And it is being presented tonight by our assistant City manager, Renee Eisenberg. Thank you, Mayor and city Council, tonight you re being asked to approve an amendment to our current open appointment policy for our advisory boards. So just some quick background. The city is incredibly fortunate to have residents who are actively engaged in our community, either through our nine advisory boards that the city has or many of our community organizations.

And over the past few years, the city s strategic goals or priorities have included an effort to cultivate future leaders from our advisory boards. And this includes balancing the experience and institutional knowledge of long term members, while also providing opportunities for new voices. So to help with that, the city sent a letter in 2021 to all advisory board members asking them to keep this goal in mind when considering reappointment. And tonight, the council or sorry the council has reviewed the current structure recommendations at their APRIL and AUGUST workshops this year. Um, and based on that discussion, we are bringing forward a amended resolution, um, to our open appointment policy. So our current advisory boards, we have nine, um, several of them are committees which are created by resolution to provide input in specific areas. And then four of them are commissions which are created by ordinance to provide ongoing input and major policy areas. We also have the Economic Development Authority Board and the Snail Lake Improvement District Board.

And just a note that these recommended changes are not going to be for the Snail Lake Improvement District board because they do have a resident requirement that they, um, board members live in the Snail Lake Improvement District. So our current appointment policy was approved in 2015 and allows most board members to be reappointed an indefinite amount of times. The eda and Planning Commission members are the only ones with a different reappointment policy process, and where after one full term on the eda, which is six years or two full terms on the Planning Commission, which is six years, members have to reapply if they wish to be reappointed, and then the city council considers those applications with any new applicants. So the policy also outlines where and how long we advertise openings. So currently we identify members who want to be reappointed in early SEPTEMBER by sending out an email. Based on the responses we get, we advertise any openings in OCTOBER through NOVEMBER.

And then advisory boards typically review and interview applicants and bring forward recommendations. DECEMBER and JANUARY, um, and then City Council considers reappointment as well as recommended appointments in JANUARY and FEBRUARY. This graph here shows our membership from 2021 through now. And it shows on the the, um, the dark blue, um, is members who have served two terms or less. The next blue is 3 to 4 terms. The lighter blue is 5 to 6 terms. And then the green is seven or more terms. And now as you can see, we ve seen an increase in members serving seven or more terms since 2021. This graph shows our members who resigned mid term or didn t seek reappointment, along with a number of applications that we ve received each year and the number of applications we ve received is in the dark green on the right hand side for each year. And it s very often that we have more applicants than we have open seats.

So, as you can see, in 2025, we had four openings and we received 18 applications. So over the course of the last year, uh, staff have been researching and they surveyed benchmark communities to see how they handle term limits. And the majority of cities have a average term limit of three terms. And two also allow members to reapply to the same board after a year long break. So in APRIL, staff presented five options during the APRIL workshop, each having a list of pros and cons they were implemented term limit of three full terms. Implements a term limit of three full terms, with an option to reapply after a few years. Require all members to reapply after two full terms, so that would follow. The Planning Commission process or implement a hybrid approach for committee and commission members, or continue our current practice. And based on the discussion, staff are recommending option two, which is implement the term limit of three full terms, with an option to reply after a two year hiatus and that option to reapply is if they want to continue serving on the same board.

If they want to serve on one of our other advisory boards, they can certainly apply immediately. Um, so the revised open appointment policy is in your packet. The majority of the changes reflect plain language practices. And then term limits are being added to the former reappointment section. So starting in FEBRUARY in 2027, the city will follow two processes for term limits and reappointment. As noted, the eda and Planning Commission will continue their current process, where members have to reapply if they wish to be reappointed, and then we ll be considered with any other applicants. All other boards will have a term limit of three full terms, with an option to reapply after a two year absence, and so that impacts, I believe, six of our nine boards and some members, by saying three full terms, they MAY serve longer than nine years if they were appointed to fill a term mid term. Um, so by implementing the term limits FEBRUARY 1st, 2027.

And the reason we chose FEBRUARY 1st is because our current terms for members whose terms are up in JANUARY and JANUARY 31st, 2027, so then that would allow those eight members to be able to seek reappointment for one final term in 2027. So then if they did, their final term would be completed 2030. Um, and then three members will not be able to seek reappointment in 2028, and nine members will not be able to seek reappointment in 2029. I apologize for that typo. Um, uh, staff have are recommending a phased communications plan, which includes personal outreach to 14 members who have served ten or more years. And then, um, five separate letters to all members based on different scenarios in terms of where they fit in throughout the options. And those would take place. The personal outreach and the letters this month, and then we would begin advertising in OCTOBER to follow that same timeline of bringing forward recommendations in JANUARY and FEBRUARY.

So with that, staff are recommending that the council provide or approve resolution 2669, amending resolution 1505, the open Appointment Policy for Committees and Commissions. I ll take any questions. So do most of the other than the Ed, a Economic development Authority and Planning Commission. Um, so putting those aside are all of the other committees or commissions, are they all two year terms or for. Their three year terms? Okay. All right. So somebody that was applying would have the opportunity to serve on something for six years. And if they were if they were replacing someone who had to leave mid-term, they would finish theirs out. So they would apply for a three year term. Our planning commission is also three years, um, the Economic Development Authority. The reason that six years is it s outlined in state statutes that those terms have to be six years, but the remainder are three years. So, um, residents and members can apply for a three year term.

Occasionally we will have resignations, as I had shown mid-term. So then we ll, um, advertise for those openings as well. So they MAY be appointed for, you know, one and a half years and then they can seek reappointment for a full three year term at the end of their term that they were appointed to mid term. But they would be limited to that partial year term or partial term. And that would not count in the counting. The three. Counts to. If so, they could um. Potentially they could serve nine or more years, potentially between 9 and 11 years. Um. If they. Were appointed, if they were appointed for their first term mid-term. Okay. If that makes sense. Okay. It just does.

So, um, and again, uh, well, maybe you could talk about how the process kind of initiated, um, I know we ve seen an increase in the time that I ve been involved in council because of, I think a lot of it was initiated by the Citizens Academy or the leadership. What s now the Leadership Academy, because people were coming to that and then wanted to be able to use that either to, you know, volunteer for the city or maybe eventually they thought they might want to, you know, run for office or something like that. But so we ve seen a heightened interest, I know, from when I ve been on the council, um, so, yeah. And so this graph just goes back to 2022, but um, probably for, since about 2018, 2019, we ve been seeing an increase in applications. Um, and we accept applications year round. We don t just accept them that OCTOBER through November timeframe.

Uh, just because in case of, uh, mid-term resignations. Um, so this is those applications are taken, accepted throughout the entire year. And that typically is right after a leadership academy that we see an increase. Um, and we do let them know that, that those terms come up in the fall. Um, but they really after the Academy, they re really wanting to get more involved with the city and see our advisory boards as that next step for a way to be involved. Um, and we ve just seen a steady increase of that versus limited openings. So really wanting to provide an opportunity for, um, newer voices on our boards while also still balancing, uh, long term members and their institutional knowledge. Right. Well, and I know, uh, someone that I worked with applied to the she applied to a particular committee or commission didn t get on that and made multiple applications before she finally got on one.

And I think that was even a number of years, you know, a few years ago. But I know we ve seen an increase in, applications. So, um, you know, if there s never any openings, if you repeatedly apply, it can be disheartening and you MAY get to the point where you won t do it again or just think, well, this is pointless. It was just going to say these numbers don t reflect student applications, right? Um, and we do keep applications up for up to a year. Um, so if residents do apply, um, and we have an opening, we will reach out and we do ask them to fill out their, you know, top three boards. So well. And I know part of our discussion I ll share with our audience is we talked about, you know, how much we value. It s it s a, it s a difficult decision. I think this is the best option.

I think we all felt that way. But it is. You ve got people that have served on these for years. I ve been on the eda since it started. So I would be if I weren t not running again. I, you know, I wouldn t be able to apply again. So but I know there are people that have done just great work for sometimes decades. So it s, um, fully respecting that work. Um, it, also it behooves us to, to make opportunities for people that move here or, you know, and want to be able to volunteer as well. And we talked about it in terms of for those that had been serving for a long time and really enjoyed being a part of a committee or commission, it s always they have the option to apply for any other one. And with the, you know, for them having been in the community for a long time, they can add value in multiple places. So it was a difficult decision. And with great respect to those who have served for that amount of time. Um, on. One.

Uh, any other council member? Gardner. I just wanted to express my gratitude to you guys for helping us navigate this labyrinth where we have, um, we obviously want to honor and, um, appreciate the efforts of a lot of people who have spent decades contributing their expertise to our community. Uh, at the same time applying some fairness so that we can get some new ideas going. Uh, and as you ve said several times, we have more applicants than slots available, but it is a delicate, um, uh, dance. And I appreciate that. You re you re walking us through that over the last couple of months. I just appreciate. It. Okay? And I m supportive of what we have here. Councilmember Doan. Thank you, mayor. And thank you, Renee, for all the hard work to navigate through this, uh, delicate process because these are important people in our community. These are the folks who have given of their time and their skills and their talents. Um, and as volunteers, aside from the planning commission, um, no one s getting paid or even paid for mileage to do the things that they re doing. Um, wanted to ask for the planning commission and eda, uh, the term limits would not apply there. Is that correct? We would still continue the current process that we re using for the eda and Planning Commission.

Would there be any guidance that we as a council would use to keep in mind how we re treating the other committees? And I m saying this because councils will change. But having some guidance, whether it s in policy that we ve adopted or just here s from this conversation at this council meeting, uh, the direction we, uh, our intent, for both the eda and the in the Planning Commission is, is it worth having. And I m speaking more to my colleagues here. Is it worth us having some at least guidance for future councils as to how, uh, should there be a term limit for, uh, the Planning Commission or the eda? Well, we have a limit. But as MISS Eisen by said, the eda term is set by state statute at six years. So are you meaning that that. So it s just a planning commission that we would need to. Uh, for the eda.

Their term is six years. It s longer than our normal terms. Um, but they, after one full term, we do require eda members to reapply if they want to be reappointed. And that has been in place since the beginning. But there s no term limit so that someone can serve on the eda for three terms. And that would be 18 years. Yeah. So I guess that s the part that I m trying to get at, is that those two committees, authorities, um, are unique. Uh, at the same time, there is a ethos that we re trying to apply that I think that we want to or at least I d like to communicate to future councils as they re making those decisions, because I MAY or MAY not be on them. Um, as to why we made this decision for all these other committees, but did not for the eda and the Planning Commission. And I think that there s still good intent in doing something like that.

Because the state statute on eda just reflects how long the term has to be, not how many terms they can serve. That s correct. That s a fair question. Sure. Did you. Mary, call to that point? This is you know, we had a little bit of a version of this conversation when we had all the options. And I think the difference is with the Planning Commission and eda, there s a natural interview and selection process that s built in, um, whereas the other commission and committees, it s a natural reappointment that just occurs without interviewing. And, you know, selecting the say, top candidate, for example. So this would kind of build that mechanism in for that, that we re kind of already exist for planning commission, but they actually have to come in and interview in front of the council and retain their speak, their seat. Yes. I think for the eda, that s a fair question for discussion. Um, any other questions? Comments?

I just have a comment that that as others have said, this this is a really difficult decision because anyone who has served on these committees or commissions for nine years or more, we all probably know them pretty well. And we know not only how important they are to the group, but how important the group is to them. And and yes, there s certainly the opportunity for people that have fulfilled their time on one group to move to a different and yes, theoretically in the future, we could see Tim Pratt go to the Human Rights Commission and we could see Julie Williams go to the Environmental Quality Committee. But we realistically probably won t because they re in the areas of, uh, of the greatest interest to them. And so it is it s a hard it s a hard thing to say to someone who s put that much of their heart and soul into it.

You ve served long enough. And so we don t want to be anything but grateful to the folks and, uh, so the fact that we have a plan for communicating in person, um, you know, I think is very important and, um, I think also of, um, our current citizen of the year, Jane Nichols, who replaced me on the Human Rights Commission when I was elected to the city council, which is now coming up on 12 years. And he only, I believe, is number four in seniority on that group. So there s, uh, there s three people on that group who have been there longer than any of us on the council, have been on the council. And and so I think that s sort of important to keep in mind, too, that we are the ones elected by the people. And then we appoint to the committees and commissions. And so if there ever were a situation where an advisory board was really not in alignment, uh, with the council, I think it is good that the council, the current council at that time, whenever that might happen, um, would have some ability to put new people on, on the boards.

So, um, also, I went through this when I was on the board of directors at nys that we instituted a strict term limit policy for the first time, and that s why Council member Maryland is now on the board of nys. Instead of me having served my nine years. So so I ve seen that that, uh, it does, um, produce the desired effect of bringing new perspectives and, and new ideas into a board. And, uh, so as hard as it is for me, knowing some of the people who will be affected, I am willing to support this. Okay. Well, and it reminds me, when I decided not to run for mayor, I ve told the story to a few people, but I have a seven year old grandson. We were riding in the car and he said, why don t you want to be mayor anymore? Why? I think you should do it as long as the person before you and I said, well, I.

Would actually. Be in my. 90s if I did, but but he said he was having trouble grasping this because he thinks it s really cool, particularly this. And he said, he said, well, maybe you just want to give somebody else a turn. And I thought that that for his brain, that was good. But I also think that it kind of is that situation here, that there are people that, you know, we welcome them into the community, but and say, please come to the Citizen s Academy. And then we want you on committees and commissions, but we aren t always able to fulfill that. Maybe in the area they re interested in. So it it, uh, as difficult as it is, as it is, um, you know, it does give other people newer to the community opportunities. And we also, just for background, talked about doing this. We we waited intentionally until 2028 for it to take place.

Right. Because we wanted to make sure that people had an opportunity to adjust to it, to give some thought if they might want to contribute on another committee or commission. So and we did that very intentionally, I think, to get people accustomed to it, because it does take some, you know, if it s new as it was in nys, um, you know, it does. You want people to feel comfortable, have a chance to talk with us about it or get a letter, give their feedback, etc.. So. Councilmember Doan. Mayor, I will be supporting this motion, but I just had one other curiosity of a question, which is aside from the eda, edc and Planning Commission is the standard number for those other committees, uh, nine for membership. And just a number. Of number of slots. Open. I just wanted to to check. On that. It averages usually between 9 and 11. Uh, because several of our advisory boards have student representative seats.

Uh, so it s typically nine regular members. And then uh, maybe 1 or 2 student advisory board members. I know on the Human Rights Commission, which I am the staff liaison, we, um, we just have a range of 9 to 11 members with up to 1 to 3 of them being student members. So we could have eight regular members and then three student members, which is what we ve been having the last few. So but it s typically 9 to 11. All right. And I think the edc has business members as well. So there s probably fluctuates. And they also have student or school representatives I believe, or educational with Mindy Henneberg. We have a school. Yep. So all right okay. Good. I m mayor I d just like to make a comment that, you know, we have sincere gratitude for the people that have. Served. And, um, at one point, I was on the edc when when that first letter came out encouraging people to consider their terms.

And I think this is just a much more transparent way to do it. Um, it seems logical to extend it out for another year. Um, getting people to, to be used to it. And, you know, sometimes people stay on committees because, um, they feel an obligation or maybe they feel like maybe nobody else will step up. And without maybe knowing how many applications have been out there. So, um, I think it s a win for, for all the committees and the people that serve on them, and it gives them an opportunity to maybe jump over to something else if they want to. So I, I m in favor of this motion today. Okay. So sorry. MAY I just one over a piece of information that we talked about at the workshops, but we also would have an enhanced recognition for outgoing members at our volunteer recognition event as well. So some some new recognition for those members.

Yeah. Okay. Good point. Thank you. So with that I will look to, uh, for a motion. Uh, mayor, I will move to approve resolution 2669, amending resolution 1505, open appointment policy for Committees and commissions. I ll second. Okay. We ve got a motion by Council Member Gardner with a second by council member Merlin to approve this resolution on the open appointment policy for committees and commissions. All in favor, please say aye. aye aye. All opposed. Same sign. Motion passes 5 to 0. Thank you, everybody, and thanks for all the input. Thanks, MISS Eisenberg s, for the proposal and all the work you ve put into. We wanted to make sure we got it right. Um, last item of general business is ten e, which is an appointment to the Environmental Quality Committee. And is that also you? Oh. Oh, okay. All right. And look to our city manager Brad Martin s for. That one. Thank you, mayor and council.

And this is one of those instances. We have a vacancy. Do some resigning mid-term. So the eqc are environmental quality committee. Um received two applications to fill that seat. Um, Colten Borg is recommended for appointment by the eqc for you tonight. The committee cited the responses in the application and the perspective they would bring to the committee. Colten has been looking to volunteer and give back to the community. He has three young kids, plans to be in Shoreview for a long time, has a mechanical engineering background with an interest in protecting the environment, and tries to live sustainably. So it seems like a good fit for the committee. Okay. Questions? Comments? It looked like a great applicant and was glad to hear that we. Had two applicants for this. So, um, anyone looking to make a motion here? Mayor, I ll make a motion to appoint Colten Borg to the Environmental Quality Committee for a term through JANUARY 31st, 2028.

Second. Okay. We have a motion by Councilmember Springer and a second by Council Member Doan to appoint Colten Berg to the eqc. All in favor, please say aye. aye. All opposed. Same sign. Motion passes 5. To 0. And, um, that brings that finishes our general business. We do not have a special order of business tonight. So I look to council to see if there s anything else they want to bring up. And if not, I ll look for a motion to adjourn at 830.. For mayor. I d like to make a motion to adjourn at 8:34 P. M.. Okay. I ll second. Okay. We ve got a motion by council member Doan and a second by council member Marilyn to adjourn at 830 for tonight. All in favor? Please say aye. All opposed? Same sign.