North St. Paul City Council — Transcript
Thursday, May 15, 2025
City Debt and Financial Planning Strategy
Park and Open Space Master Plan Approval
Utility Bill Inserts for City Events
Howy Park Windscreen Installation
Tick Prevention and Trail Maintenance at Southwood
Votes (3)
Budget Update and 2026-2035 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) Process Overview
Dissent: None
The Finance Director provided a comprehensive overview of park funding sources, including the operational general fund, building maintenance fund, restricted park dedication fund, and the general park capital fund. He detailed current balances, revenues (mainly investments), and expenditures (e.g., final HGA payment). The 2025-2034 CIP was reviewed, noting no approved projects for 2025. The core of the discussion focused on the upcoming 2026-2035 CIP process, emphasizing the need for commissioners to review existing projects, adjust costs, and propose new ones using a template. The director stressed the city's financial constraints, the desire to shift from debt-funded projects to a cash-based approach, and the importance of prioritizing and potentially phasing large projects (like those from the HGA report) due to affordability. The commission recognized the need to break down large proposals into smaller, manageable, and cost-estimated components.
2025-2026 Park Project Recommendations (Casey Lake, Polar, Urban Ecology, Smaller Parks)
Dissent: None
Moved by David Andren [0:46:17] · Seconded by Laura Greenley Karp [0:46:27]
The commission discussed specific park improvement priorities for the upcoming CIP cycle. Key recommendations include: removing an old, dangerous open-air shelter and fencing from Casey Lake's Field 3 to convert it into a flexible green space (mini-pitch/volleyball area) for 2025, with the ninja park at Casey Lake targeted for 2026. For Polar Park, playground equipment replacement is planned for 2026, with an emphasis on ADA accessibility. Urban Ecology Park is slated for low-cost, nature-themed play elements in a newly cleared area in 2025. Additionally, smaller parks (Howy, Northwood, KBY Hills, and potentially Tower) are targeted for low-cost, high-impact additions like gaga pits, a spider climber, and a starship orbiter in 2025. Specific project write-up assignments were made to commissioners for the May 15th deadline.
Park Passport Program Proposal
Dissent: None
Rachel Lucas presented a proposal for a 'Park Passport Program' aimed at incentivizing citizens to visit all city parks. The program would involve individuals taking selfies at park signs or notable objects, submitting them online, and receiving prizes upon completion. Initial ideas for prizes included magnets, pins, gift cards, t-shirts, or hats. Discussion focused on logistics, potential costs ($3,000-$6,000 annually for 300 participants, plus staff time), and promotion via QR codes and city channels. Commissioners suggested refining the prize structure (eliminating midway prizes, using smaller, easily stocked completion prizes like magnets/stickers, or a raffle for larger items) and simplifying logistics to reduce staff burden and upfront costs. The program would be self-paced, open to all ages, and could potentially integrate future components like geocaching or naturalist identification.
Notable Quotes (10)
it must be used only for acquisition and development or improvement of parks, recreation facilities, playgrounds, trails, wetlands or open space based um based on the approved park systems plan cash payments but not be used for ongoing oper operation or maintenance of parks, recreational facilities, playgrounds, trails, wetlands, or open space.
I want us to move into more of a cash basis versus carrying this debt.
Our best bet is to write those up separately. Start from the bottom up where that parking lot's going to be and then try to get them approved if we can't tackle it in one big thing.
So, consider that that Mcnite parking lot out of there. Awesome. and then it'll be updated and I'll incorporate that you have in there.
I can make a motion to remove that as I've never seen anyone in it. Yeah.
I second the motion.
If we're replacing the parks I read through the whole ADA manual for playgrounds. Um we would have to make it accessible. So therefore we'd have to change we can't have mulch and all that anymore. So it would have to then would increase the cost.
The purpose is to incentivize citizens to visit all of North St. Paul's parks, encouraging personal and positive interaction with the city's park system.
There's also opportunities for growth. We could do a component of like a hiking have like a hiking trail at each park uh with like a password along the way. There could be a geocaching segment sometime where we have a little bury your little treasure somewhere. There could also be a naturalist component sometime in the future where you identify a a flower or a tree or an animal at uh different parks.
The t-shirt thing was like we don't like that because we have to keep all the sizes in stock and that's hard for us. That's what I was. So, like a hat is nice.
Ordinances & Resolutions (8)
The primary document guiding the city's long-term capital projects, with a new 10-year iteration starting, which commissioners are tasked with contributing to.
Legislation restricting the use of the Park Dedication Fund to acquisition, development, or improvement, not ongoing operation or maintenance.
A long-range financial projection used to assess the affordability of capital improvement projects and guide the city's debt reduction strategy.
A study of all city facilities, including parks facilities, completed last year and incorporated into the CIP.
An approved plan that guides the use of park dedication funds for acquisition and development.
A study that identified major park development projects, which the commission is now tasked with breaking into smaller, fundable components.
Accessibility guidelines that dictate surfacing and other requirements for playgrounds.
Officially approved by the City Council, serving as an official document guiding park-related decisions.