--- title: May 18, 2026, Workshop Minutes ## author: Tremble, Pamela S date: D:20230621204500Z --- ## City of Blaine ## City Council Workshop May 18, 2026 | 5:30 PM ## Blaine City Hall ## 10801 Town Square Drive NE ## Blaine, MN 55449 ## MINUTES ## NOTICE OF WORKSHOP MEETING In accordance with the provisions of Section 3.01 of the Blaine City Charter, a Council Workshop meeting is scheduled for the following purpose: 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Mayor Sanders at 5:34PM. ## 2. Roll Call PRESENT: Mayor Tim Sanders, Councilmembers Terra Fleming, Chris Ford, Leslie Larson, Chris Massoglia, Tom Newland, and Jess Robertson. ABSENT: None. Quorum Present. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Erik Thorvig; Community Development Director Sheila Sellman; Safety Services Director/Police Chief Brian Podany; Finance Director Jason Zimmerman; Director of Administrative Services Scott Johnson; Director of Engineering Dan Schluender; Public Works Director Nick Fleishhacker; City Attorney Eric Larson; Communications Manager Ben Hayle; and City Clerk Catherine Sorensen. ## 3. New Business 3.1. 2026-270 Closed Session Pursuant to MN Statute 13D.03 Subd. (1)(b) - Labor ## Negotiations Update (10 Minutes) ## Sponsors: Scott Johnson, Director of Administrative Services After a motion and second, the council met in closed session pursusant to Minnesota Statute 13D.03 Subd. (1)(b) to receive a labor negotiations update. ## 3.2. 2026-272 Speed Humps on Quincy Blvd (30 Minutes) ## Sponsors: Daniel Schluender, Director of Engineering Director of Engineering Schluender stated at the project open house meeting held on December 16, 2025, staff received feedback from residents regarding traffic volume and speed concerns on Quincy Boulevard between Territorial Road and 109th Avenue. Residents requested speed humps be installed, as part of the upcoming reconstruction project, along this corridor to help reduce speeds. Staff informed the residents that they would need to petition for the installation of speed humps. Per the City of Blaine Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, any proposed traffic management strategy will not be considered for implementation without the support of 65% of the project neighborhood and 50% of any affected neighborhood. Staff worked with residents to prepare a petition for speed humps which included proposed locations for the speed humps along Quincy Boulevard and a map of affected properties that would be considered as eligible to sign the petition. Mr. Schluender explained a petition was received with signatures from residents fronting Quincy Boulevard from Territorial Road to 109th Avenue and 105th Lane from Quincy Boulevard to east cul-de-sac. Petition signatures were provided from 76% of the project neighborhood homes fronting Quincy Boulevard (46 out of 60) and 69% of the affected neighborhood homes fronting 105th Lane (9 out of 13), meeting the requirements set forth in the City of Blaine Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. Staff has reviewed the petition and will adjust the exact locations of the speed humps as necessary to fit within the constraints present on the roadway such as storm sewer catch basins, sewer manholes and driveways. Per the City of Blaine Neighborhood Traffic Management Program, the cost for the installation of speed humps would be split between the project neighborhood (75% of the cost) and the City of Blaine (25% of the cost). A total of six speed humps are proposed along Quincy Boulevard between Territorial Road and 109th Avenue. Staff estimates a construction cost of $5,000 per speed hump, which would be assessed to residents fronting Quincy Boulevard as part of the 2026 Quincy Area Street Reconstruction project per the City of Blaine Neighborhood Traffic Management Program. Costs will be based on actual bid costs and may be higher than estimated. Staff is recommending construction costs associated with the installation of the speed humps be assessed to the benefiting properties on Quincy Boulevard over a period of one year following the completion of the project. A public hearing for the petition was held at the regular meeting on May 4, 2026. The council heard testimony from residents and elected to move this item to a workshop for further discussion. Since the May 4 meeting, the Blaine Police Department has been collecting data on vehicle speeds and will present this information at the workshop. Staff provided further traffic data to the council and requested direction on how to proceed. Councilmember Massoglia stated the proposal has the residents covering 75% of the costs for the speed humps, with the city covering 25%. He asked if these percentages could be altered. Mr. Schluender reported the neighborhood traffic policy set the percentages for speed humps. Councilmember Robertson thanked staff for the detailed presentation on this topic then ask how speed humps would impact public safety. Safety Services Director/Police Chief Podany discussed how the speed humps would increase response time. Councilmember Robertson inquired if the speed humps would damage public works equipment. Public Works Director Fleischhacker stated the areas around the speed humps would be more icy in the winter months and more salt may have to be used along this roadway. Councilmember Robertson asked how long the speed humps would last. Mr. Schluender reported the speed humps would last as long as the street, approximately 20 to 25 years. Councilmember Newland thanked staff for the thorough presentation on the city's traffic management document then asked what needed to be done to add one additional speed hump along the corridor. Mr. Schluender explained he would recommend the six speed humps move forward because this was the request within the petition. Councilmember Newland stated he supported the petition moving forward as presented that included speed humps in the street improvement project. Councilmember Robertson requested signage be posted for the speed humps. Mr. Schluender confirmed signage would be posted. Councilmember Larson inquired why there was more traffic on this roadway. Mr. Schluender indicated the traffic numbers have been pretty consistent along this roadway for the past 15 years. He noted there were 70 homes along this roadway and this corridor gets residents back out to Highway 65 or 109th Avenue. Councilmember Larson questioned if these speed humps were installed would there be a potential for additional petitions to come forward. Mr. Schluender stated this may occur given how the city's gridded blocks were designed. He indicated the residents within a neighborhood would still have to go through the petition process in order to have speed humps installed. Councilmember Robertson asked if there were unique elements that should be written into this approval that would assist future councils with not having to approve every single speed hump request. Mr. Schluender reported future councils would not be pressured to approve these requests, but rather, the will of the corridor would determine if future requests were brought forward. Councilmember Ford stated he supported moving the speed humps forward. Mayor Sanders questioned what the cost would be to remove the speed humps in the future if the neighbors were to change their minds. Mr. Schluender reported he did not have the exact cost, but noted the speed humps would have to be milled off and recommended that the residents on this street bear the cost of removal if the neighbors were to change their minds. Councilmember Newland supported this recommendation and suggested this be a made a condition for approval. Mr. Schluender stated staff could include this language as a condition for approval for the speed humps. Council consensus was to move forward on June 1 to accept the petition to include the requested speed humps with a condition that before the next street reconstruction, if the property owners want the speed humps to be removed, that the cost would be borne by the property owners. 3.3. 2026-257 Pedestrian Bridge for 105th Redevelopment Project (25 Minutes) ## Sponsors: Sheila Sellman, Community Development Director Community Development Director Sellman stated as part of the 105th Redevelopment a pedestrian bridge is proposed over the new roundabout then reviewed the proposed rendering for the bridge. She said as proposed, the bridge would be a weathered steel bridge, which could be painted, but the weathered steel fits in with the design aspects of the district. The bridge will meet ADA requirements and will be permitted through MnDOT. She shared renderings of the bridge as proposed and a reference guide for other pedestrian bridge styles and requested direction from the council on how to proceed. Councilmember Fleming supported the bridge having additional lighting. Councilmember Newland questioned how much the pedestrian bridge would be used as he anticipated the majority of the pedestrian traffic would be crossing the roadway through the roundabout. Councilmember Larson anticipated the pedestrian ramp would be used during sporting events. Councilmember Massoglia suggested stairs be added to the pedestrian ramp. Councilmember Robertson noted the public wanted to see a pedestrian ramp in this area and she believed it was important to connect the north and southbound campus. She inquired if police would still be needed during major sporting events if the pedestrian ramp was installed. Police Chief Podany stated this would depend if pedestrians could still cross the street through the roundabouts. Councilmember Newland supported adding stairs to the pedestrian ramp even if this adds to the total cost. Mayor Sanders indicated he would like to see the pedestrian ramp appear more grand with lights and signage in order to create an entrance into the 105th District. Further discussion ensued regarding the color scheme that should be used for the bridge. Councilmember Newland supported the pedestrian bridge having additional signage and lighting. Ms. Sellman indicated staff can explore these ideas, but noted this would increase costs. City Manager Thorvig reported the city could pursue a corporate sponsorship to assist with the lighting and signage on the pedestrian bridge. Councilmember Ford asked who would own the bridge. Mr. Thorvig reported the city will own this bridge. Councilmember Larson supported the bridge having lights, noting this may lead to more utilization. Councilmember Newland agreed. Councilmember Robertson suggested the bridge be branded to align with the district and supported the bridge being monetized. Council requested that staff research the costs to add stairways near the ramps, explore ways to enhance the bridge to create welcome-type signage to Blaine, explore the addition of lights for better visual/use of the bridge and to highlight certain events, and explore potential partnerships to assist with bridge enhancements. 3.4. 2026-274 Utility Franchise Fee Funding Utilization & Communication Outline (25 ## Minutes) ## Sponsors: Jason Zimmerman, Finance Director Finance Director Zimmerman stated since January 2025, five workshops have been held to explore diversifying revenue streams beyond property taxes, with a primary focus on implementing gas and electric utility franchise fees. These sessions examined the viability of these fees as a strategic alternative to tax increases, utilizing data modeling and revenue projections to evaluate their potential impact. The discussions also covered the status of existing franchise agreements and the proposed schedule for implementation and collection. Service providers establish distinct customer classifications to differentiate pricing across residential, commercial, and industrial sectors. While a uniform fixed charge could theoretically be applied to every user regardless of their category, most municipalities elect a tiered structure. This preference stems from the fact that consumption levels vary drastically between a single household and a massive industrial plant; consequently, a flat fee would fail to result in an equitable impact. By utilizing these tiered classifications, cities can more accurately align franchise fees with the specific infrastructure demands and usage volumes associated with each customer group. Conversations and modeling of these fees at prior workshops have also been careful to not disproportionately impact property owners compared to the alternative of incorporating such costs into a property tax levy. When revenue is generated through property taxes, the burden is tied strictly to assessed property value, which may not correlate with actual utility usage or the strain placed on public rights-of-way. By utilizing a franchise fee instead, the cost is shifted toward the actual users of the system, including tax-exempt entities and renters who utilize the infrastructure but might not pay city property taxes. To maintain equity, the tiered franchise fee structure is designed so that the total financial obligation for property owners remains comparable to what they would have paid under a traditional levy, preventing a scenario where homeowners subsidize the high-intensity infrastructure needs of large-scale industrial or commercial entities. Staff discussed other cities that were collecting franchise fees and provided further information on the amount of franchise fees being collected. Councilmember Newland supported allotting collected franchise fees for future street improvement projects. Councilmember Robertson indicated street improvement projects could be one use for the franchise fees, along with other capital or park improvement projects. Mr. Thorvig stated staff was seeking direction on this matter in order to direct communication with the public. Mayor Sanders spoke to how the use of franchise fees would assist the council with managing the levy going forward as the city would be using franchise fees for street improvement projects instead of needing to issue bonds. Councilmember Newland recommended staff speak to how franchise fees would assist with reducing the levy. Councilmember Ford explained he supported the language as written, but stated he was struggling with the fact the average taxpayer may not understand how franchise fees could positively impact the city's levy. Councilmember Massoglia cautioned the city from stating the franchise fee would reduce the city's levy and recommended the city speak to how franchise fees would reduce the city's reliance on future debt. Mayor Sanders recommended the street improvement project be right-sized for the dollars that are collected through franchise fees. Mr. Zimmerman agreed with this recommendation. Mr. Thorvig reported staff was recommending a flat fee for the franchise fees which will assist the city with predicting the amount of revenues that are collected each year. Council shared direction on the proposed communication plan for the franchise revenue with the intent to be broad regarding the revenue purpose but include examples such as the pavement management program or reduce the city's reliance on debt for public infrastructure such as parks and trails and focus on reducing future debt versus lowering tax levy. 3.5. 2026-252 Closed Session Pursuant to Minnesota Statute 13D.05, Subd. 3(a) City Manager 6-Month Check-In (Held after the Regular Meeting) ## Sponsors: Scott Johnson, Director of Administrative Services Mayor Sanders recessed the workshop at 7:01PM then reconvened the workshop at ## 7:45PM. After a motion and second, the city council met in closed session pursuant to Minnesota Statute 13D. 05, Subd. 3(a) to complete a six month check in with the city manager. ## 4. Other Business Communications Manager Hayle reported the Highway 65 groundbreaking event would be held on Wednesday, May 27 at 2PM. 5. Adjournment The workshop adjourned at 8:30 PM.