North St. Paul City Council — Transcript
Tuesday, October 20, 2026
Public Comments on School Levy
Public Comments on Traffic and Infrastructure Hazards
Public Comments on City Communication and Hydrant Flushing
Special Assessment for Unpaid Utility Bills
Health Insurance Carrier Change
North St. Paul Community Center Property Plats
City Manager and Department Reports
Council and Commission Reports / General Business
Votes (3)
Public Hearing: Special Assessment for Unpaid Utility Bills
Dissent: None
Moved by Council member Dave McKenzie [6:48] · Seconded by Council member Troy Woods [6:48]
Finance Director Dan Winik presented the annual special assessment process for delinquent utility bills, including recycling, solid waste, water, wastewater, environmental utility, and street lights. The total proposed assessment was just over $26,000, plus interest (6% or 10% depending on the service). Residents have until November 20th to pay before the amounts are certified to Ramsey County for inclusion on 2027 tax statements. The discussion clarified that different interest rates are mandated by state statute.
Health Insurance Carrier Change
Dissent: None
Moved by Council member Dave McKenzie [7:05] · Seconded by Council member Troy Woods [7:05]
Finance Director Dan Winik detailed the proposal to change the city's health and dental insurance provider from United Health Care to HealthPartners. This followed an RFP process initiated after United Health Care proposed a 17.2% increase. HealthPartners offered a 1.7% decrease in costs if both health and dental plans were taken, resulting in approximately $42,000 in savings. The new 2-year contract includes a cap of 7.5% on the second-year increase, which is beneficial given prevailing double-digit increases in the industry. The city's insurance committee unanimously recommended the change.
North St. Paul Community Center Preliminary and Final Plats
Dissent: None
Moved by Council member Dave McKenzie [7:17] · Seconded by Council member Troy Woods [7:17]
Ken presented the proposed preliminary and final plats for the North St. Paul Community Center property. He explained that current property lines were problematic (running through buildings, misaligned) and creating issues for a potential buyer. The replatting would simplify legal descriptions, clearly define boundaries, and dedicate necessary easements for existing utilities (fiber optic, water, sanitary sewer) and public rights-of-way for Seppala Boulevard and North St. Paul Drive. The Planning Commission had already recommended approval of the preliminary plat, and the Council was asked to approve both plats concurrently to expedite the process due to minimal expected changes.
Notable Quotes (6)
This is an annual process that we do um, per uh, state statute um, that um, we have uh, some delinquent utilities.
Why is the interest rate different? Why is it 10% for South and 6%? >> It's per statute.
what ended up coming out of it was that HealthPartners um um to meet apple to apple with the same coverage all the way across the board, offered us a 3% increase. If we took their dental, it would be a 1.7% decrease.
this is a 2-year and this is another beautiful piece to this is that they're capping the second year at 7.5%.
If you study this carefully, there's a little piece of city-owned property that goes out in the middle of this intersection here. There's a little property line that goes right through the building.
We're condensing a couple of steps into one because there's really no changes from preliminary to final. We want to keep this process moving.
Ordinances & Resolutions (11)
Minutes from a previous city council meeting.
Approval for a specific special event.
Formal acceptance of donations received by the city.
Approval of an application for a grant in 2027.
Three separate resolutions to certify unpaid utility bills for North St. Paul properties, Maplewood properties, and North St. Paul properties billed by Oakdale.
Process used for soliciting bids for health insurance.
Formal approval to switch health and dental insurance providers.
A map and drawing outlining the proposed layout and new property lines for the Community Center area.
Formal approval of the initial platting document for the Community Center area.
The final version of the plat document for the Community Center area, incorporating all dedicated easements and rights-of-way.
Formal approval of the final platting document for the Community Center area.