Rogers City Council — Transcript
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Annual Financial Audit Review and Acceptance
Sale of General Obligation Tax Abatement Bonds for RAC Expansion
Zoning Code Text Amendment for Community Solar Gardens
Civic Campus Project Update and Bid Package Approval
Votes (6)
3.1 Audit Presentation by Alex Triple CPA from ABDO and acceptance of the 2025 audit
Moved by Council Member [10:05] · Seconded by Council Member [10:15]
Alex Triple presented the 2025 audit, highlighting fund balance changes, including an increase in the Major Tower and Billboard Leases Fund, and a significant increase in the Revolving Loan Fund due to a $1.9 million Minnesota Investment Fund grant. Capital project funds fluctuated due to Fieldhouse costs. Water and sewer fund revenues increased due to rate adjustments, and the liquor fund saw increased operating income after discontinuing the on-sale MUN bar. The city maintains strong cash balances and competitive tax rates, while capital expenditures were higher in 2024 (Fire Station 2) and 2025 (Fieldhouse).
5.3 Approve Resolution 2026-48 accepting donations to the Rogers Fire Department
Moved by Council Member [12:40] · Seconded by Pat Joel [12:50]
Council Member expressed gratitude for a generous donation from Kitty Fire Alarms, specifically 76 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, before moving to approve the resolution.
7.1 Items related to our general obligation tax abatement bonds (RAC expansion project)
Moved by Council Member [18:00] · Seconded by Council Member [18:50]
Jason Arzald of Ellers presented the successful sale of bonds for the RAC expansion, noting the city's AA+ rating with a positive outlook from Standard & Poor's. The competitive bid process yielded a favorable interest rate of 3.8057%, lower than the projected 4.25%, and a premium allowed the city to borrow less while meeting project funding. The positive outlook suggests a potential future upgrade to a AAA rating.
7.2 Application by Sunshare LLC for a zoning code text amendment request for allowing community solar gardens in Rogers
Moved by Council Member [38:40] · Seconded by Council Member [41:30]
Sunshare LLC requested a zoning text amendment to allow community solar gardens in R1 districts via a 30-year interim use permit, with a maximum size of 20 acres and specific setbacks. Staff noted the state's goals for greenhouse gas reduction. Council members expressed strong reservations regarding the visual impact on agricultural land, the 'blight' of large solar farms, the 30-year land-holding period, and the inability to prioritize Rogers residents for subscriptions. Sunshare highlighted environmental benefits, low/moderate income discounts, and a partnership with Halen (Rogers-based panel manufacturer) for a test facility. The item was tabled for more information and council research.
7.3 Items related to City Hall and Police Department Civic Campus
Moved by Council Member [44:50] · Seconded by Council Member [45:20]
Doran provided an update on the Civic Campus project, outlining its scope (60,000 sq ft for City Hall, council chambers, and Police Department) and current progress. The council approved the criteria for Bid Package Number Two, covering all remaining construction work, with bids expected back in July 2026 for final award and a Guaranteed Maximum Price. Additionally, a payment of $36,100.27 to Lumen Communications was approved for the necessary relocation of their fiber optic and copper lines that conflict with the building site.
Approve bid package number two and bidder qualification selection criteria and authorize solicitation of bids
Moved by Council Member [45:30] · Seconded by Council Member [45:50]
Following the update on the Civic Campus, the council moved to approve the second bid package, which covers all remaining construction elements for the City Hall and Police Department buildings. This action authorizes the solicitation of bids based on the predefined qualification criteria, advancing the project to its next major construction phase.
Notable Quotes (10)
Um kind of the main two things to focus on here that major tower and billboard leases fund that increase about $450,000 in fund balance. Um that fund really has no expenditures or costs that go along with it. So that's made up of just that revenue for the year increases that fund balance. Then that revolving loan fund. Um you'll see a large increase there from that uh $1.9 million Minnesota investment fund grant.
Um 24 you guys had the fire station 2 project that a lot of capital funds went into and then 25 the fieldhouse project makes up a lot of that.
And mainly I just wanted to um thank uh Kitty Fire alarms for the donation. We always appreciate donations. Yeah, that's very generous. 76 combination smoke and carbon monoxide alarms. Mhm. Very nice.
Uh that report is in the uh in the sale day report uh that is in front of you. And just to note that they did affirm uh the city's double A+ rating, but they included a positive outlook uh you know, which is, you know, fairly rare. They generally in the past have included the double A plus with a stable outlook. So it's a good sign. I think it it's a it's a recognition that your metrics have improved to the point where uh they may be willing to consider an upgrade for Rogers, which would be to the full, you know, AAA rating.
So what that means we can effectively borrow less than we had anticipated while maintaining the same amount that we needed to pay for those projects. So we essentially gave that premium back. We give it back but we we aren't keeping it. We're actually reducing the size of the bond so that we can maintain that same debt service number well less actually as I mentioned than we anticipated previously.
So fundamentally what we're what the proposed does is add community solar gardens as a defined use in our definitions section just to set the stage of what this means. what do we consider a community solar for Rogers and then adding that particular use as an interim use in the R1 zoning district. So we're not considering any other district other than R1.
I'm I'm not in favor of it at all actually. Um I'm I'm I see both sides of it, but currently I'm not really in favor of it. Um the plus the plus side is it it holds that space for 30 years, but then from a planning perspective, it holds that space for 30 years. I agree.
Oh yes. Um great question. So yes, we have talked with Halen um their man panel manufacturer. So they are um their first facilities in Mount Iron, Minnesota, which is in northern Minnesota, but they recently opened the new facility in Rogers. So we have used um their panels on all of our systems for the last couple of years and have a great relationship with them.
Um the site plan includes uh construction of the civic campus. It's about 60,000 square ft. It would house city hall, a new council chambers and the police department. The city hall side would be a single story and the police department will be at two stories. City hall and and the council chambers will sit at the east end of the site. um police department and their secure storage and or secure garage and secured parking would be on the west.
Bid package two now includes all the remaining scopes of work. So, the rest of the building. So, we're looking at July 28th, 2026 to bring bid package 2 bids back to the city council for award as well as a guaranteed maximum price with Terara Construction for the final construction on the the site. And the value of bid package 2 is roughly $34.5 million.
Ordinances & Resolutions (9)
Annual audit report by ABDO, accepted by the council.
Resolution accepting donations to the Rogers Fire Department.
Resolution awarding the sale of general obligation tax abatement bonds for the RAC expansion.
Proposed amendment to allow community solar gardens in R1 zoning districts.
Proposed mechanism for approving community solar gardens.
Approved plan for the City Hall and Police Department civic campus.
Approved bidding criteria for site work, utilities, demolition, and aggregate peers for the Civic Campus.
Approved bidding criteria for all remaining scopes of work for the Civic Campus building construction.
Identifier for the City Hall and Police Department Civic Campus project.