Minnetonka City Council — Transcript
Monday, May 19, 2025
Story
Minnetonka approves police drone program, saves $5.3 million
Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Update
Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Proclamation
Jewish American Heritage Month Proclamation
City Manager and Council Member Reports/Community Updates
Interim Use Permit Ordinance Amendment
Temporary On-Sale Liquor License for Unmapped Brewing LLC
Drones as First Responders (DFR) Cooperative Agreement
Sustainability Commission Young Adult Appointment
Votes (6)
Second Amended and Restated West Metro Drug Task Force Agreement and dissolution of the Southwest Hennepin Drug Task Force
Dissent: None
Moved by Council member Wilburn [0:44:48] · Seconded by Council member Romey [0:44:54]
This item was part of the consent agenda and passed without discussion. It involved approving an updated agreement for the West Metro Drug Task Force and dissolving the Southwest Hennepin Drug Task Force.
Minnetonka Family Collaborative Mini Grant
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Kley [0:47:06] · Seconded by Council member Calbert [0:47:11]
Council Member Kley pulled this item from the consent agenda to commend the grant's focus on building youth leadership through a policing academy for 25 students and fostering positive relationships with the police department. Council Member Calbert also highlighted the value of the Minnetonka Family Collaborative's partnership in the community.
Interim Use Permit Ordinance Amendment
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Calbert [0:55:54] · Seconded by Council Member Wilburn [0:56:00]
Planning staff proposed an amendment to the city's interim/temporary use ordinance to introduce flexibility by allowing the city planner to determine similar uses, broadening general standards, and permitting conditional or unanticipated uses as interim uses. The current ordinance is seen as too restrictive, potentially leading to denial of reasonable temporary uses or accidental permanent approval. The Mayor suggested the Planning Commission consider a finite time frame for interim use approvals.
Temporary On-Sale Liquor License for Unmapped Brewing LLC at 14625 Excelsier Boulevard
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Kley [1:01:45] · Seconded by Council Member Shack [1:01:49]
Unmapped Brewing LLC requested a temporary liquor license for its 8th-anniversary party on June 8th, featuring an outdoor beer tent, food trucks, games, and live music. Staff noted a history of successful events and minimal parking issues in the Glen Lake area, recommending approval. The applicant, Derek Almondinger, shared the brewery's community-focused mission and invited residents to the event.
Cooperative Agreement between Axon Enterprises Incorporated, Skyo Incorporated, and the Minnetonka Police Department to provide public safety solutions related to drones as first responders
Dissent: None
Moved by Council member Wilburn [1:20:00] · Seconded by Council member Calbert [1:20:10]
Deputy Chief Tate presented a 'Drones as First Responders' (DFR) program, a strategic shift from adding personnel to leveraging technology for public safety. The program is projected to save $5.3 million over 10 years, enhance officer safety, and improve response times. It includes six drones on city rooftops, with a transparency portal for public flight data and adherence to privacy laws (no general surveillance, non-criminal video deleted after 7 days). Drones will be equipped for all-weather, night operations, and potential future AI integration. The program was viewed as a force multiplier for public safety and a city-wide infrastructure asset.
Sustainability Commission Young Adult Appointment
Dissent: None
Moved by Mayor Worman [1:22:05] · Seconded by Council Member Calbert [1:22:42]
Mayor Worman put forward the motion to appoint Michael White as a young adult member to the Sustainability Commission, emphasizing his qualifications, strong interest, and accomplishments.
Notable Quotes (10)
I just want to say I really like this idea of working with the 25 students to help them um learn about um policing and to build youth um leadership um as part of the academy. Um I think this is a really great program.
As it stands, if a proposed use does not meet the specific and restrictive standards set forth in our interim use ordinance, we really only have two options. completely deny what we might otherwise think is a reasonable use or potentially allow it as a conditional use, which means something that was temporary could become permanent.
I'm wondering if maybe um um would we want to consider identifying a time frame as part of our ordinance like 3 years or something like that where um if an interim use is approved um it's uh it it's you know in three years it needs to be reapproved or something like that because certainly times change and so is that again I'm not saying that's an something I recommend or a good idea. I'm saying that, you know, as the planning commission considers it, you know, considering a finite amount of time associated with um an interim use, um I'm wondering if that would be um a good idea and what the planning commission would think of that.
As the council knows, Unmapped has successfully hosted multiple uh similar events like this over the last eight years. Uh we do recommend that the council hold the public hearing here this evening and then grant uh the license for this temporary event or temporary license for the event.
One of the best things about we started unmapped. Everyone asked what does unmapped mean? And basically it just means you know go somewhere you've never been before do something different try something new and we've really tried to embrace that and what it's turned into is you know a community gathering place and that's kind of what we're most proud of.
Drones aren't used for general surveillance. Drones are not flying around proactively. This is based off of a call for service where someone has called the police and we are responding to those.
Flight data is going to be made publicly available on our website through a transparency portal... anybody can go and click through this. They can search by date, by time, location, any of that, and find out exactly the flight path of our drone, where it was flying.
I'm not a mathematician, but if I've done my math right, has an opportunity to save us about $5.3 million of of personnel cost versus hardware and software costs, which is pretty substantial to us.
I mean I think the opportunity to use technology as a force magnification tool to extend the effectiveness of the manpower. We've already got the man and p the person power... is um you know the the effectiveness of our police department and our public safety personnel um to do that and having technology enhance that um without having to add um um is just a is very big deal for the budget and the the savings that are indicated are are significant.
I chatted with Michael White and he um is a capable young man and is strongly interested and highly accomplished uh young man. So, I think that um his joining I recommend that he um be selected to join the sustainability commission.
Ordinances & Resolutions (12)
City document highlighting community inclusiveness and performance measurement
Official declaration for May 2025
Official declaration for May 2025
Second amended and restated agreement
Task force dissolved by a consent agenda item
Grant supporting youth leadership and policing academy
Proposed changes to allow city planner discretion and broaden interim use standards
License requested by Unmapped Brewing LLC for an anniversary event
Strategic plan guiding police department initiatives and staffing
Agreement for Drones as First Responders (DFR) public safety solutions
Piggyback agreement for DFR services
Quote ID for DFR services