Richfield City Council — Agenda
Tuesday, March 3, 2026
Metro Transit K Line BRT Selection
Public Engagement Strategies during Increased ICE Activity
Penn Avenue Reconstruction & Planning
Transportation Commission Governance & Policy
City Policy on Vehicle Impoundment
Votes (5)
Election of Officers for 2026-2027 Term (from Feb 4, 2025 Minutes)
Dissent: None
Moved by Commissioner Kubista · Seconded by Commissioner Gepner
Commissioners held elections for the Chair and Vice-Chair positions for the upcoming 2026-2027 term. Louis Dzierzak was nominated for Chair and Adam Knosalla for Vice-Chair.
Review and Approval of Commission By-Laws (from Feb 4, 2025 Minutes)
Dissent: None
Moved by Commissioner Kubista · Seconded by Vice-Chair Knosalla
Commission members discussed a proposed amendment to establish an elected commission secretary responsible for attendance and minutes. Commissioners expressed satisfaction with city staff's current handling of these duties. The Commission also sought clarification on its authority regarding fiber-optic build-out projects.
Recommendation to City Council on Temporary Suspension of Vehicle Impoundment (from Feb 4, 2025 Minutes)
Dissent: Commissioner Gepner abstained.
Moved by Commissioner Yang · Seconded by Commissioner Kubista
Commissioner Yang initiated a discussion on amending the city's vehicle impoundment ordinance to provide relief to residents impacted by Operation Metro Surge. The proposal aimed to temporarily halt impoundments and associated fines for abandoned vehicles, with exceptions for public safety threats, and to offer retroactive fee waivers upon proof of detainment.
Decision on Buffered On-Street Bike Lane Alternative for Penn Avenue Reconstruction (from Feb 4, 2025 Minutes)
Dissent: Commissioner Gepner opposed.
Moved by Chair Dzierzak · Seconded by Commissioner Knosalla
As part of the Penn Avenue Phase 2 Engagement Results, the Commission discussed a preliminary recommendation not to proceed with a buffered on-street bike lane alternative. Hennepin County staff cited MNDOT guidance and traffic volume as reasons against the bike lanes.
Decision on On-Street Parking Alternatives South of 68th Street for Penn Avenue (from Feb 4, 2025 Minutes)
Dissent: None
Moved by Commissioner Yang · Seconded by Commissioner Olson
Following the Penn Avenue Phase 2 Engagement Results, the Commission considered a preliminary recommendation not to proceed with on-street parking alternatives in residential areas south of 68th Street.
Notable Quotes (8)
Commissioner Kubista motioned to approve the By-Laws without the change of adding an elected secretary.
Commissioner Yang suggested to make a recommendation to City Council to edit the existing City ordinance to assist residents who have been impacted by Operation Metro Surge and/or have been forced to leave their vehicles behind.
Directly in response to Operation Metro Surge, the Transportation Commission recommended to City Council to cease the impoundment of abandoned vehicles, excluding instances where the vehicle poses a threat to public safety, and that the City does not issue associated City fines for the impoundment of the vehicle.
Huggins answered that based on MNDOT’s guidance and the number of vehicles on Penn Ave (ADT), it is not recommended to have on-street bike lane.
Metro Transit has completed their arterial BRT study and selected Nicollet as the K Line.
Recommended K Line: Nicollet •Downtown Minneapolis to American Boulevard, serving South Minneapolis, Richfield, Bloomington •Top ranked corridor in technical evaluation •No major outstanding questions about alignments, termini, or network structure.
Staff are seeking direction on how to best approach engagement for these projects over the next few months to best serve the community.
This discussion is intended to be centered around how to equitably engage the community.
Ordinances & Resolutions (17)
Agenda for the March 4, 2026 meeting
Materials relating to agenda items
Location for electronic agenda packet
Minutes from the February 4th, 2025 meeting
Governing document of the Transportation Commission, subject to amendment discussions
City regulation for abandoned vehicles, subject to recommended temporary suspension
Historical planning documents for Penn Ave private property development
Existing plan for public outreach, heavily reliant on in-person events
Presentation materials for the Metro Transit BRT Study Update
Four-step process (Identify, Screen, Evaluate, Prioritize) used by Metro Transit for BRT corridor selection
Metro Transit plan to identify the next three arterial BRT lines (J, K, L)
Recommended Arterial BRT line for West 7th Street
Recommended Arterial BRT line for Nicollet Avenue
Future Arterial BRT line to be identified after further study
Submission target for the J Line BRT project
Amendment to include J Line and K Line in the Transportation Policy Plan
Immigration enforcement operation impacting residents and public engagement