[Music] Welcome to Agenda Edina, a program summarizing the actions taken at city hall that affect you most. I'm your host, Dorothia Marty. The Adina City Council has set the maximum property tax levy for 2026, but will continue working to reduce it before the budget is finalized in December. Work on the city's 2026 2027 budget started earlier this year with several meetings between the council and city staff. Through those discussions, council members gave direction. Keep the tax levy increase under 10% if possible. Continue investing in public safety, especially emergency medical services. Explore transitioning assessing services to Henipin County. and look for other ways to fund city services. City manager Scott Neil developed a strategy to match that guidance. It included limiting most department budget growth, reducing some staff positions, finding new revenue through utility franchise fees, prioritizing capital projects, carefully managing vacancies, and adjusting debt service to make room for the new fire station 2. We started our process early this year because we had some fiscal targets uh that the council gave us and we wanted to meet those targets. Uh a lot of hard decisions were made including losing some co-workers that we've uh grown accustomed to here. Uh but we were able to meet our targets and we'll continue to work on those later this fall. Last month, the council approved a preliminary tax levy of about $65.5 million for 2026, which is just over an 11% increase from this year. That increase would allow the fire department to hire 12 new paramedic firefighters, which would be enough to operate three ambulances around the clock more frequently. Neil had originally proposed funding six new paramedic firefighters with the potential for 12 if the city receives a federal safer grant. Because that grant has not yet been awarded, the council set the levy higher to ensure funds are available if needed. If the grant comes through, council members have said they will lower the levy before adopting the budget in December. If it doesn't, they may consider other reductions to avoid a double-digit increase. The city council will hold a public hearing on the budget 700 p.m. Tuesday, December 2nd. Preserving historic homes means finding the right balance between modern function and historic character. The Adina City Council faced that challenge last month in the Country Club District. The owners of 4630 Edgebrook Place want to improve their entryway. They say water sometimes comes in through the front stoop and that the lowered floor inside the doorway creates a safety hazard. Their plan called for adding a step, removing the fan transom or arched window above the front door and replacing the entry with a new arched door. I think the main goal here is to have the most practical approach to having the homeowners like to live in this house for, you know, future years to come and and keeping as much as we can on that front facade. >> The Heritage Preservation Commission denied the request, saying arch doors are not typical of colonial revival homes and that the fan transom is a defining feature of the property. But after hearing from the homeowner's architect, the council approved the project. Members agreed the arch doorway reflects the look of the original fan transom. And some suggested the custom door could be designed to mimic both the fan shape and a traditional rectangular entry. >> You got two doors here. You got the inner door, the heavy door, and then you've got that outer door. And if you can make that outer door, whether it's a storm door insert or the serene insert, look like it has that fan sort of effect, I think that's probably something to think about. >> For over 60 years, Braar Golf Course has been home to a number of standout features, including a beautiful setting, accessible golfing, and renowned instruction for golfers of all ages and abilities. Now you can add cuttingedge technology to that list. Edina TV introduces a few of the new additions at Braar Golf Course that are improving efficiency and the golfing experience. During the early mornings at Braar Golf Course, a legion of groundskeepers swarm the award-winning facility to make everything prim and proper, making sure all avid golf enthusiasts enjoy one of the premier golf destinations in the Twin Cities. That distinction includes a forward-looking vision of utilizing modern technology while promoting sustainability. >> We named the Crest mower Frank. >> Meet Frank. This autonomous mower goes about its business, trimming designated areas around the golf course, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Its brother does the same for the driving range. >> So, this is our new autonomous mower. It's the Crest brand. Um, it probably mows around 75% of the turf around the clubhouse. It's battery operated. Right now, it's doing about 2 and a half, three acres. >> The electric mower provides many benefits. >> We probably saved at least 8 hours a week with staff not having to come up here. And with that 8 hours, we've saved on labor. We were able to move that out on the golf course for other projects. >> This advanced mower also serves another purpose. Braar decided to get this autonomous mower just to be more sustainable using less diesel, less gas. >> Less emissions means cleaner air for guests as well as the environment. And it's all run from an app on your phone. You can program the location and time as well as the grass height and cut pattern. The system is GPS-based, so no extra equipment is needed. It also knows when to return to the charger when the battery is getting low. Another new piece of smart technology adopted by Braar Golf Course is the electric caddy called the Tempo Walk. >> So our Tempo walks, we have eight eight of them in our fleet. Uh they are autonomous walkbehind caddies. So you wear a transmitter on your back of your belt and it just follows along for your walk of 18 or nine holes. Like an obedient pet, the Tempo Walk dutifully follows you almost everywhere. >> There's a couple areas on the golf course that you need to steer clear of, but for the most part, you can just kind of have your way around here. >> For golf patrons who like to walk, but don't want the burden of hauling their clubs, the Temple Walk is a perfect solution. Autonomous technology has expanded from the Roomba to cars and now the golf course with Braar leading the way in enhancing the golf experience. >> We try and be innovators, right? Not too many facilities in in Minnesota have these at this point. So, uh, we kind of like being on the forefront. And then I think there was demand from patrons just from year-end surveys and and other such things. There's a group of people that still want to walk but just can't. >> A lot more battery powered equipment. We're looking at backpack blowers, you know, to save on noise and just the carbon emissions. So, yeah, we definitely have a plan to keep going on in years to come. >> For Edina TV, I'm Kenneth Gaml. >> In 2026, look for additional autonomous mowers on the golf course, as well as an autonomous range ballpicker on the driving range. As we approach the end of the outdoor golf season, we look forward to Friday, November 1st, when the Braar Golf Dome will open for the winter season. Thank you for watching this episode of Agenda Edina. I'm your host, Dorothia Marty. [Music]