--- title: - MINUTES - author: shelb date: D:20260526154000Z --- ## - MINUTES - ## CHASKA CITY COUNCIL ## MAY 18, 2026 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Mayor Hubbard at 7:00 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance ## 3. Roll Call Roll call was taken. Present: Mayor Hubbard and Councilmembers Sheveland, Grau, Benesh, and Hatfield. Also Present: Matt Podhradsky, City Administrator; Elise Durbin, Assistant City Administrator; Matt Clark, City Engineer; Alex Mollenkamp, Assistant City Engineer; and Christophe Morschen, City Attorney. 4. Adopt the Agenda City Administrator Podhradsky noted that item 8.A. Public Improvement Hearing and Scheduling the Assessment Hearing for the 2026 Street & Utility Reconstruction Project was a recent addition to the agenda. Motion by Councilmember Hatfield, second by Councilmember Sheveland to adopt the agenda as presented. Motion carried. ## 5. Visitor Presentation Libby Fairchild of 2678 Shadow Wood Court, Chaska, Minnesota, noted that this month is Poppy Month. Last weekend, they were available at the VFW, and this weekend, they will be available at the American Legion. Staff does not sell them, but will take donations that are used for veteran services. Ms. Fairchild explained that after the Civil War, women began decorating the graves of fallen soldiers, and in 1865, the federal government began creating military cemeteries for the Union dead. Memorial Day was previously known as Decoration Day for many years. Memorial Day was merged with the wearing of poppies in 1915 after the publication of the poem "In Flanders Fields" by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, about poppies growing among the graves in the cemetery, and the poppy quickly became a symbol of the fallen military. Mayor Hubbard read aloud a proclamation in declaration of the recognition of Chaska American Legion Auxiliary Unit 57 on May 23, 24, and 25, 2026, as Poppy Days. Mayor Hubbard asked the Scout members in the audience to come up and introduce themselves and list their favorite things about the Scouts. Logan of the Chaska Scouts noted his favorite thing about the Scouts is hanging out with friends, camping, and working towards merit badges. ## MINUTES-CHASKA CITY COUNCIL May 18, 2026 PAGE 2 Evelyn of the Chaska Scouts noted her favorite thing about the Scouts is going camping, the friendships, and the opportunities. Grayson Boer of Chanhassen added that his favorite thing about the Scouts is the skills he has learned. Ms. Fairchild noted that the Beyond the Yellow Ribbon of Chaska has ceased operations, because there were only five volunteers and the work they were doing was not aligning with the mission of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. The volunteers were hand-writing holiday cards to go to all the Veterans' homes, and sponsoring a golf tournament with proceeds going to veterans. The purpose of Beyond the Yellow Ribbon is to help service people, and Carver County has the Veterans Council that is doing all of the things that the Chaska chapter should have been doing for Beyond the Yellow Ribbon. Mayor Hubbard added that it is good to know that the county is taking over, but it is sad to hear the Chaska group is disbanding. ## 6. Approve Previous Meeting Minutes ## 6.A. Approve the May 4, 2026 City Council Meeting Minutes Motion by Councilmember Benesh, second by Councilmember Grau to approve the minutes of the May 4, 2026, City Council meeting. Motion carried. ## 7. Consent Agenda Motion by Councilmember Hatfield, second by Councilmember Sheveland to approve the ## Consent Agenda Items A through L: A. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-38 Awarding Bid for Circuit Breaker at West Creek Substation Motion to adopt a Resolution 2026-38, awarding the bid for the 115 kV SF6 Circuit Breaker at the West Creek Substation to Siemens, in the low bid total amount of $131,105.00. B. Approve Temporary Liquor Licenses for Southwest Metro Chamber of Commerce Motion to approve Temporary On-Sale Intoxicating License TW.26-4 and 3.2% Malt Liquor License 32.26-01 for the SouthWest Metro Chamber of Commerce at the Taste of Chaska event, as previously approved. ## C. Approve On-Sale Wine license for Chaska Thai Restaurant Motion to approve an On-Sale Wine license for Chaska Sushi and Thai Restaurant LLC, DBA Chaska Thai Restaurant, located at 2 River Bend Pl, Chaska. D. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-39, 2026-40, and 2026-41, Authorizing funding applications for CSAH 44 Corridor Improvements and US 212 Interchange upgrades through the Regional Solicitation Program, Highway Safety Improvement Program, and Local ## Partnership Program D.i. Resolution No. 2026-39, authorizing and supporting the City of Chaska’s application to ## the 2026 Regional Solicitation Program Motion to adopt Resolution No. 2026-39, approving the submission of the CSAH 44 Improvement Project to the 2026 Regional Solicitation and Highway Safety Improvement (HSIP) programs. ## MINUTES-CHASKA CITY COUNCIL May 18, 2026 PAGE 3 D.ii. Resolution No. 2026-40, authorizing and supporting the City of Chaska’s application to ## the 2026 Highway State Improvement Program Motion to adopt Resolution No. 2026-40, approving the submission of the CSAH 44 Improvement Project to the 2026 Regional Solicitation and Highway Safety Improvement (HSIP) programs. D.iii. Resolution No. 2026-41, authorizing and supporting the City of Chaska’s application to ## the FY2028 Local Partnership Program Motion to adopt Resolution No. 2026-41, CSAH 44, and US 212 Interchange South ramps project to the FY 2028 Metro Local Partnership Program. E. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-42, approving Construction Plans and Authorizing Bids for ## CSAH 61 Sewer Extension Motion to adopt Resolution No. 2026-42 to approve the plans and specifications and authorize city engineer to solicit bids for the CSAH 61 sanitary sewer utility project. F. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-43, approving the final plat for Firefly Acres/Jenn & Scott Schlauderoff/PC #2026-10 Motion to adopt Resolution No. 2026-43 approving the final plat for Firefly Acres (PC #2026- 10). G. Adopt Ordinance No. 1079, approving the Zoning Ordinance Amendment (ZOA) to PMD- 21/Amcon/PC #2026-09 Motion to adopt Ordinance No. 1079 repealing and replacing Ordinance No. 1017 (PMD-21). H. Adopt Ordinance No. 1080, approving the Zoning Ordinance Amendment (ZOA) to PCD- 18/City of Chaska/PC #2026-11 Motion to adopt Ordinance No. 1080 approving the Zoning Ordinance Amendment to ## PCD-18. I. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-44, approving Plans and Specifications and Authorizing bids ## for the City Hall Plaza Project Motion to adopt Resolution No. 2026-44 to approve the plans and specifications and authorize city engineer to solicit bids for the City Hall Plaza Improvement project. J. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-45, approving City Bridge L9466 removal for Third Street ## East Motion to adopt Resolution No. 2026-45, approving the request to the State to secure bridge bond funds for removal of Bridge L4966. K. Approve On-Sale intoxicating and Sunday Sale Licenses for the Copperfield Motion to approve an On-Sale Intoxicating and Sunday Sale licenses for The Copperfield Inc., DBA The Copperfield, located at 3210 Chaska Blvd, Chaska. L. Adopt Resolution No. 2026-46, approving settlement agreement – Kruses Motion to adopt Resolution 2026-46 approving a Settlement and Release and Easement Agreement with Daniel and Suzanne Kruse. Mayor Hubbard noted that she is excited to see the City Hall Plaza Project getting underway. Councilmember Grau added that there is a giant hole outside of the City Hall Plaza project covered by a cone, which is a good reminder of why the project is moving forward. Mayor Hubbard agreed and stated that this project is very much needed. Mayor Hubbard added that the bridge replacement is also very needed and thanked City Staff for putting that bond request together for that project. The project was estimated to cost $2.73 ## MINUTES-CHASKA CITY COUNCIL May 18, 2026 PAGE 4 million, but after funding from the state and the bond request, it will only cost $238,500, which is a huge difference. City Administrator Podhradsky added that the City has replaced a lot of bridges, and the state covers the bridge costs, and the City pays for the approach costs. Motion carried. ## 8. Action Items 8.A. Public Improvement Hearing and Scheduling the Assessment Hearing for the 2026 Street ## & Utility Reconstruction Project City Administrator Podhradsky introduced Assistant City Engineer Alex Mollenkamp to present this item to the Council. City Engineer Matt Clark added that he wanted to apologize for this last-minute add-on to the agenda, and noted it is a result of his not hitting send on an email. All of the residents who are impacted by this project have received notice, and Ms. Mollenkamp has been meeting with residents over the last few weeks, discussing the bridge. Tonight's meeting is about accomplishing part of the improvement hearing and rehashing what was discussed at the last meeting. Mayor Hubbard asked if the hearing was happening at tonight’s meeting. City Administrator Podhradsky noted that this is the improvement hearing, and the assessment hearing will have to be scheduled by the Council. Ms. Mollenkamp presented the item to the Council. Mr. Clark highlighted project costs to the Council. Councilmember Grau asked who would mow and maintain the grass on the easement. Mr. Clark stated the City will have rights to maintain the piping in the channel, but it will be up to the property owners how to maintain the easement. Councilmember Grau added that a lot of the residents have fences that they may choose to keep or take down because they will have more space, but it makes sense for them to have a fence there at this moment in time. Mr. Clark noted that the Council needs to open the Improvement Hearing to hear any public comments. Mayor Hubbard opened the Public Hearing at 7:24 p.m. Chaska Scout Grayson asked if the City had to purchase the easement. Mr. Clark answered that the easements in this case are owned by the residents, and the City is upgrading that portion of the residents' property, and in the end, the City will have the ability to maintain the new system that is going into the residents' yard. ## MINUTES-CHASKA CITY COUNCIL May 18, 2026 PAGE 5 City Administrator Podhradsky added that this will create more usable lawn for the residents, which is sort of considered compensation in that way. The City did something similar on Third Street to the west of Hickory Street, where a pipe was installed, and it is now a nice lawn area. Mayor Hubbard added that the assessments for all of the downtown reconstruction of the roads have been the same amount, and the easement part is not really a factor in that component. Mayor Hubbard closed the Public Hearing at 7:27 p.m. City Administrator Podhradsky asked Ms. Mollenkamp to show the slide of the whole downtown area, and noted that the only streets left to be reconstructed are the ones around the City Square west block and the City Square Park. The City Square Park has been a construction issue because of the sensitive archaeological issues there. Mayor Hubbard added that this was a necessity because of the age of the roads, and it has been a journey for both the residents and the City Staff. City Administrator Podhradsky stated it has been neat to see residents reinvest back into their properties along the roads that have been reconstructed. Motion by Councilmember Hatfield, second by Councilmember Benesh to Approve Resolution No. 2026-47, Scheduling the Assessment Hearing to be held on June 15th for the 2026 Street & Utility Reconstruction Project. Motion carried. 9. Bills ## 9.A. Accounts Payable Claims Roster 05-18-2026 Mayor Hubbard asked about the Lions and Rotary trees, and if the City pays for the trees and the Rotary finds the labor. City Administrator Podhradsky stated that the City purchases all the trees, and the Rotary and Lions reimburse the City. Motion by Councilmember Sheveland, second by Councilmember Benesh to approve the bills as presented. Roll call was taken. Voting aye: Councilmembers Hatfield, Benesh, Sheveland, Grau, ## and Mayor Hubbard. Voting nay: None Motion carried. ## 12. Other Business ## City Administrator Podhradsky: • Shared that the City received bonding money back in 2024, for the City Square West project, but has been unsuccessful in the past at getting the additional dollars necessary to finish the project. This year, City Staff took a different approach and went in for a bonding request and a tax increment financing (TIF) district extension of 10 years. The bonding request was not approved, but the TIF legislation did get included in the tax bill. The process is not over, but if completed, the City is very close to making that project a reality. The county and the school district know this is a high-priority project ## MINUTES-CHASKA CITY COUNCIL May 18, 2026 PAGE 6 for the City, and it will involve a conversation with them to try to get this project done. The TIF dollars would be received upfront, and the tax increment each year would be used to pay the debt service. The intent is to put the City in a position financially to start working on this project next summer. • Shared that KPMG, which is the Women's PGA Championship, is coming to Chaska on June 25 at Hazeltine National Golf Club. • Shared that there was language in the tax bill to help attract the PGA to bring additional major tournaments to Chaska. ## Councilmember Grau: • Shared that the bi-weekly Farmer’s Market starts June 11 every Thursday through the summer in the paseo on the east side of Highway 41. • Shared that Monday, May 25, the Memorial Day ceremony will be held at the VFW and the American Legion at Veterans' Park at 10:00 a.m., and a short parade will be held before the ceremony. ## Councilmember Sheveland: • Encouraged residents to join the Library Task Force. ## Councilmember Benesh: • Reminded residents to be safe over Memorial Day Weekend and drivers to be cautious of extra foot and bike traffic. ## Councilmember Hatfield: • Recapped the Rust and Luster grand opening. • Recapped Taste of Chaska last weekend. • Shared her condolences with the family members of the person who tragically passed away after a drowning accident in the river over the weekend, and thanked Public Safety for their quick response time. • Shared that the donations made for poppies make up a large portion of the budget for helping Veterans each year, and those donations stay in the community. ## Mayor Hubbard: • Recapped the Taste of Chaska event. • Shared condolences to the family members of the person who passed away. She thanked the Public Safety agencies that responded and were able to recover the victim from the river so the family could have closure. • Shared that she watched a disconnect day at the Utility building, and it was not fun, but it was necessary. She thanked the Utility Billing Department for having great interactions with community members over really tough situations, and directing residents to resources to best help them. • Recapped the Cub Scouts Bike Rodeo she attended last week. • Shared that the Library Task Force and the Downtown Master Plan Revamped Task Force are looking for residents to apply and join. • Shared that KPMG is upcoming, as well as Chaska Rocks Music Fest later in June. ## MINUTES-CHASKA CITY COUNCIL May 18, 2026 PAGE 7 • Thanked Representative Rehm and Senator Coleman, lobbyists, and City Staff for helping with the bonding tour and getting the hearings for the TIF extension to make that happen for Chaska. • Shared that the next Council meeting is on June 1, and she will be absent. ## 12.A. City Administrator's Report 12.A.i. Bi-Weekly Report 05-18-2026 13. Adjourn Motion by Councilmember Sheveland, second by Councilmember Benesh to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 p.m. Motion carried.