Minnetonka City Council — Transcript
Tuesday, September 9, 2025
Hispanic Latina Heritage Month
Gun Violence and Legislative Action
Community Non-profit Support
October 7th, 2023 Israel Attack Exhibit
Cemetery Conditional Use Permit and Expansion
Minnetonka Professional Fire Fighters Collective Bargaining Agreement
2026-2030 Economic Improvement Plan (EIP)
2026-2030 Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
Votes (6)
Proclamation for Hispanic Latina Heritage Month
Council Member Shaq read a proclamation designating September 15th to October 15th, 2025, as Hispanic Latina Heritage Month. The proclamation highlights the significant cultural, historical, economic, and social contributions of Hispanic and Latina communities to the nation and the city of Minnetonka. It emphasizes fostering an inclusive environment and recognizing accomplishments amidst ongoing challenges of inequity, racism, and xenophobia.
Mayor's Report: Statement on Gun Violence and Legislative Action
The Mayor reported on his participation in a press conference calling for changes to gun laws in Minnesota following the Annunciation Church tragedy. He advocated for banning assault rifles and reducing the allowable size of gun magazines. While acknowledging the divisiveness of the issue and the role of mental health, the Mayor stressed the need for leaders to take incremental actions to protect innocent lives, highlighting that society has long struggled with mental health and societal problems without a definitive end in sight.
Citizens Wishing to Discuss Matters Not on the Agenda: 'The Surviving Project' Exhibit
Lawrence Badson, a native of Minneapolis and resident of Israel, presented 'The Surviving Project,' an exhibition designed to share firsthand stories and humanize the civilian deaths from the October 7th, 2023 attacks in Israel. The exhibit aims to foster resilience, hope for peace, and counter violence and antisemitism, launching in St. Louis Park from September 25th to October 11th with ticket sales benefiting the project.
Consent Agenda Items (10A-10D)
Moved by Council Member Romey [0:33:36] · Seconded by Council Member Wilburn [0:34:08]
The Council considered four consent agenda items collectively. Discussions included Council Member Shaq's highlight of the Groveland Cemetery expansion's efficiency for accommodating 500-600 cremains, Council Member Romey's emphasis on the cemetery's historical significance (established 1871) and volunteer efforts, and Council Member Wilburn's appreciation for the new firefighters' collective bargaining agreement. The Mayor also noted the cemetery expansion as a beneficial land-use decision for increased density. All items were approved after a collective discussion.
Resolution regarding the 2026 through 2030 Economic Improvement Plan Program (EIP)
Moved by Council Member Calbert [1:42:35] · Seconded by Council Member Kley [1:58:36]
Community Development Director Julie Wishnack presented the 2026-2030 EIP, emphasizing its holistic scope covering housing, redevelopment, business, and transit. The plan outlines funding from various sources, including the HRA levy and Affordable Housing Trust Fund, for initiatives like the 'Pathways Project' and 'Homes Within Reach'. Discussion included Council Member Kley advocating for continuous funding of the $7,500 home loan program to address racial disparities in Minnetonka's housing affordability. Council Member Romey highlighted the city's success in exceeding Met Council affordable housing targets. The Mayor expressed interest in exploring manufactured and 3D-printed homes for cost reduction. The Council ultimately adopted the resolution, with further discussion on the $7,500 loan program funding source deferred to a later session.
Resolution regarding the 2026 through 2030 Capital Improvement Program (CIP)
Finance Director Darren Nelson presented the 2026-2030 CIP, outlining $165 million in infrastructure projects focused on public health, safety, and efficiency over five years. He detailed project allocations, with a majority dedicated to streets and underlying utilities, and discussed a $500,000 reduction in the 2026 levy supported by prior year surpluses. Council members discussed fleet maintenance, the Cullen Nature Preserve project (awaiting future grants), cybersecurity investments, and the integration of climate action planning. The Mayor inquired about potential reductions in future year levy forecasts, acknowledging the challenges of long-term planning. The discussion was ongoing when the transcript concluded.
Notable Quotes (13)
Whereas Hispanic Latina Heritage Month is celebrated from September 15th to October 15th each year, recognizing the profound contrib contributions of the Hispanic and Latina communities to the culture, history, and progress of our nation.
I believe that if we don't have the nerve to take action on something that can protect the lives of innocent people, then we're to a certain degree complicit.
All I know is that society and professionals and clergy men and clergy women and uh I mean people have been working on mental health and societal problems forever. And guess what? They're not going to there's no end there. It's a journey. There is no end in sight. So we have to make incremental changes to reduce the likelihood that our kids are going to get killed by guns.
it's a very powerful opportunity as opposed to waiting for a museum uh to experience this exhibition uh and hear from the stories and gain resilience from the people that died and hope for the future for for peace and against violence anti-semitism.
I asked, you know, how many creanes could this expansion accommodate? And my quick math in my head that I got in the answer is it really could accommodate close somewhere between at maximum 5 to 600 sets of crees depending on how people use their niche and their unit. And I that um is really impactful to me because it's a very efficient way to deal with remains versus a full burial plot. So um I thought this was an innovative request and I think it is a a sustainable one as well.
I just wanted to say that um how thrilled I am that we were able to reach an agreement with our new firefighters union and um how much we value our firefighters and so hopefully they they feel that.
this is really um this is really a land use decision and we're talking about an opportunity to increase density and use our land more efficiently. So, that will increase the capacity of the cemetery and require um it will put have less pressure on on future expansion.
So when we talk about economic improvement, we're not only talking about I think there's maybe a misunderstanding. This this is only about economic development. It is about economic development, but it's also about the development of housing. Um it's about redevelopment, how the city looks at tax increment financing. It looks at transit. All of those things are contained in this document um to make it more holistic in terms of the financial inputs.
But I always feel like um one thing that I told Mike today, what stood out to me is when I went and I was like really bolstering about our pathway program because I was so proud of that program that we created. But when I went to Minneapolis to talk to folks about this program, they said, 'Kizzy, that program is good, but who is it good for?' And I've been sitting with that ever since they said it to me because I understand no matter what we did in our city to offer affordable housing for people to have home ownership, people of color still cannot afford to live in Minnetonka. Why? Because $75,000 is not deep enough for a half a million dollar house.
I really want us as a city to continue to push technology um as a way to drive the cost of housing out because we need more housing. We need more affordable housing. We have to think about ways to get non-traditional.
So it's really truly bringing after this document is approved, bringing in those 2026 projects into the budget um for authority to move forward with um um implementing those projects moving forward.
But with um the implementation of other programs, um public safety master plan, those types of things, we've tried to um get by with what we can on the CIP. And so um you can see in 2026 our levy is actually dropping by about $500,000 compared to 2025.
I mean, there's a lot of bad people out there that are trying to do a lot of bad things to all of us and to cities and everything else. And so that that cyber security is an issue that makes my head spin. But I mean, I really think that investments there are critical because um the the risks are real.
Ordinances & Resolutions (32)
An official declaration recognizing the month's significance.
Amends permit for Groveland Cemetery expansion, specifically for cremains.
Permit type being amended for Groveland Cemetery.
Authorizes city participation in the state's PFML program.
Agreement approved for city firefighters.
Reimbursement for travel to Washington D.C. for the Transportation Alliance meeting.
Formal adoption of the Economic Improvement Plan.
Five-year plan guiding city's economic development, housing, and transit initiatives.
Guiding document for city operations and planning, with six strategic priorities.
Long-term plan for trails and connections within the city.
Plan with priorities and projects related to environmental sustainability.
Survey used to gather feedback from residents and businesses on city services and budget priorities.
Plan guiding investments in police and fire services.
Plan informing environmental and resource management decisions.
Plans for individual parks and recreational areas.
Plan for parks, open spaces, and trails systems.
Broad plan guiding land use and development.
Long-term planning for city facilities and assets.
Plan related to housing initiatives and goals.
Policy and ordinance related to managing homelessness encampments.
Council initiative exploring new ways to provide affordable housing.
Issue to be researched by staff concerning short-term rentals.
An ongoing process to update the city's zoning code.
City publication used for business outreach and marketing.
Internal document tracking grants sought and received by the city.
Formal adoption of the Capital Improvement Program.
Five-year program for acquisition, construction, and replacement of city infrastructure and assets.
Sets the initial property tax levy for the upcoming fiscal year.
Approves the initial draft of the city's budget.
Approves the tax levy for the EDA, funding economic development initiatives.
Sets the preliminary tax levy for the Basset Creek Watershed Management Tax District.
Cancels a specific debt service levy.