City Council Work MTG 012626

Monday, January 26, 2026

2026 Election Planning

Expansion to a fourth election precinct for 2028

Space Needs Assessment update for City facilities

Facility conditions and capital improvement prioritization

Areas of Interest (5)

City plans to create a 4th election precinct by 2028 to accommodate rapid housing growth despite impending 2030 census redistricting concerns.
Aging municipal infrastructure: City Hall and Fire Stations show critical equipment age, with HVAC units up to 48 years old and failing roofing.
Public Works facility cited for extreme overcrowding and safety hazards for equipment and welding operations.
Fire Department reports critical issues with alerting systems and cellular reception, raising concerns about response times.
Election budget increased to $20,000 to improve recruitment and retain election judges following competitive parity study in Anoka County.

Notable Quotes (3)

Most of the time they try to keep the number of registered voters under 2,000 for a precinct. And as I stated, we're well over 2,000 for all three of our precincts.
— Carrie

Election PlanningDiscussing the capacity issues of current precincts.

Design facility solutions that accommodated projected population growth and service expansions through 2040 and beyond.
— Kristen

Space Needs AssessmentStating guiding principles for the facility assessment.

For public works, it's a tight work space if you've ever been that in there with all of the equipment parked. There's kind of inches in between each of the vehicles.
— Melissa Stein

Facility ConditionsDescribing the current conditions of the Public Works facility.

People (4)

CarrieElections Coordinator

Discussing 2026 midterm logistics, polling place expansion, and budget adjustments.

1 quote

“we did increase the elections budget for this year even though there is not a presidential primary simply so that we can increase the pay rate for our election judges.”

Explaining the 2026 budget increase.

KristenConsultant

Representing ICS to discuss the space needs assessment process and guiding principles.

Chris SeamerConsultant

Part of the ICS team reviewing site walkthroughs and building conditions.

Melissa SteinArchitect

Representing W Architects and Engineers, detailing departmental surveys and space deficiencies.

Places Mentioned

East BethelAnoka CountyLiving Hope Church (237th and 65)City HallCommunity CenterFire Station 1Public Works buildingFire Station 2Fire Station 3

Events & Meetings (3)

January 26, 2026 - Council work meeting
August 11, 2026 - Primary election
November 3, 2026 - General election

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