Tonka Bay City Council — Transcript
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
2027 Street Utility Improvement Project
Preliminary Tax Levy Increase (39.5%)
Marina Slip Rate Increases
ATV and Golf Cart Ordinance
Bee and Chicken Keeping Ordinance
Votes (6)
Consent Agenda
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Anderson [00:05:40] · Seconded by Council Member Ross [00:05:50]
The consent agenda, including various minutes and claims, was approved with a specific discussion and correction made to the October 13th, 2026 regular council meeting minutes. Council Member Anderson requested removing the word 'every' from the description of gradual adjustments to marina slip fees under 8B (referencing a previous meeting's discussion on $100 per slip every two years), to avoid implying perpetuity. A minor misspelling of 'Ross' in item 4B was also noted but did not require a separate correction motion.
2027 Street Utility Improvement Project Feasibility Report
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Anderson [00:49:50] · Seconded by Council Member Ross [00:50:00]
John, the City Engineer, presented the detailed feasibility report. He outlined the rationale (water main breaks, aging infrastructure), proposed scope (reconstruction, utility replacements, drainage), challenges (narrow roadways, poor soils, dewatering costs), and two cost options for soil treatment (subcutting at $6.2M vs. cement stabilization at $5.8M). He explained the decision to maintain rural aesthetic (limited curb and gutter) and avoid wider roads to mitigate stormwater treatment costs. Concerns about federal grant funding and archaeological permits for the Manitou Park parking lot were also addressed.
Supplemental Agreement for 2027 Street and Utility Improvement Project Final Design
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Anderson [00:52:00] · Seconded by Council Member Ross [00:52:10]
Following the acceptance of the feasibility report, the Council moved to approve the supplemental agreement with WSP for the professional engineering services required for the final design and bidding services of the 2027 Street and Utility Improvement Projects.
Resolution 2026-18, Parks and Dock's recommendation to increase slip rates
Dissent: Council Member Ecklund (Nay)
Moved by Council Member Anderson [00:57:50] · Seconded by Council Member Ross [00:58:10]
The Mayor brought forward Resolution 2026-18 for approval, which establishes new marina slip rates. The discussion was brief, acknowledging previous council review and work session discussions.
Ordinance 2026-02, ATV and golf cart ordinances
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Anderson [01:01:30] · Seconded by Council Member Ross [01:01:40]
Bridget, the City Attorney, introduced the ordinance for its first reading, detailing its provisions: allowing ATVs, UTVs, and mini-trucks on city streets with a required three-year permit ($10 fee), proof of licensed driving, and insurance. She advised against waiving the second reading due to conflicting language in the city code regarding ordinance approval processes.
Ordinance 2026-03, Bee and chicken keeping ordinance
Dissent: None
Moved by Council Member Ecklund [01:03:00] · Seconded by Council Member Ross [01:03:10]
Bridget, the City Attorney, presented the ordinance for its first reading. This ordinance allows for the keeping of bee colonies and chickens, subject to obtaining a permit ($10 per hive anticipated) and adhering to specific requirements for hive and coop locations. The city retains the right to revoke permits for non-compliance.
Notable Quotes (7)
Page two under 8B, it indicates that Council Member Anderson made a motion to approve gradual adjustments to marina slip fees of $100 per slip every two years. We had discussed that, and I think we should remove the word every, because I don't think we wanted that in perpetuity.
The pipe bursting for large segments of the water main isn't appropriate because it's too close to the sanitary sewer. So the regulations are you have to have 10 feet between a sanitary sewer and a water main. And that's to make sure that your water is clean and that we don't get a contaminated water issue. Well, in a lot of places, because we've got narrow roadways, the water main can be five feet away or eight feet away. And when we pipe burst That triggers having to move it to 10 feet away. And so this has got a significant cost element to it.
So with doing subcutting, we're at 6.2 million as a total project cost... If we do the cement stabilization, it drops us down to $5.8 million. Now, the significant cost drivers... are dewatering... and the amount of water main that we're actually replacing instead of pipe bursting.
I know we had discussed federal grant dollars for this project. Have we heard any updates on that? We got nothing. So part of the issue, frankly, is that it's a wealthy community, and so in all of the scoring, we scored very low. We did put in for with the Public Finance Authority, and we were the third from the bottom project based on our financial demographics.
The ordinance, if adopted, would allow UTVs, ATVs, and mini trucks to be operated on any city street. You would have to first obtain a permit...It would be a three-year permit, and you'd have to be a licensed driver, have insurance, et cetera, in order to operate these vehicles on city streets.
The code could use a little work in the administrative section...One says that ordinances and resolutions are not under state statute, which only require one reading. The second section says it shall require two readings, and it doesn't have any language in there about waiving the second. So with that in mind, my recommendation is that we, at this point, do the two readings and then consider some cleanup of that administrative section for a number of different reasons.
The purpose of the ordinance is to allow residents within the city of Tonka Bay to keep certain bee colonies as well as chickens. There are a number of requirements...specifically with respect to location of the beehives and location of the chicken coops and chicken runs. There's going to be a permit that would be obtained from the city.
Ordinances & Resolutions (12)
Minutes pulled from consent agenda for a minor adjustment regarding marina slip fees and a misspelling.
Approved as part of the consent agenda.
Approved as part of the consent agenda.
Approved as part of the consent agenda.
Report detailing proposed infrastructure improvements, challenges, and cost estimates presented by the City Engineer.
Future stage of the 2027 Street Utility Improvement Project design.
Agreement with WSP for the final design and bidding phases of the 2027 Street Utility Improvement Project.
The current tax levy figure of 39.5% that the City Council intends to lower.
Resolution establishing marina slip rates for 2027 and 2029.
Ordinance amending Tonka Bay City Code Chapter 9, adding Section 960, to regulate ATVs and golf carts on city streets.
Ordinance regarding the allowance and regulation of beekeeping and chicken keeping within the city limits.
Required for ATV/golf cart operation and bee/chicken keeping.