Roseville City Council — Transcript
Monday, October 13, 2025
Roseville Area Public Schools Capital Projects Levy
Code Violation Abatement at 949 Brooks Avenue West
Future of Roseville Leaf Recycling Center
Updates to Street Light Policy
Selection of Construction Manager at Risk for Civic Campus Project
Approval of Architectural Services Agreement for Civic Campus Project
Acceptance of FEMA SAFER Grant for Fire Department Staffing
Votes (9)
Recognitions and Donations: Roseville Area Public Schools Ballot Issue Presentation
Dissent: N/A
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
Superintendent Jenny Lake and Executive Director Sher Thompson presented on the upcoming $60 million capital projects levy for technology and safety in Roseville Area Schools. They emphasized the need for consistent funding for infrastructure, cyber security, digital learning tools, and communication. The levy would provide $6 million annually for 10 years, with a tax impact of $18/month for a median-valued home. Council members praised the school district's programs and acknowledged the necessity of ongoing funding for modern education.
Consider Request to Perform Abatement for Unresolved Code Violations at 949 Brooks Avenue West
Dissent: N/A
Moved by Council Member Strong [20:13] · Seconded by Council Member Grath [20:13]
Code Officer David England presented the history of complaints and lack of compliance at 949 Brooks Avenue West, involving junk, debris, and unlicensed vehicles. Staff made multiple attempts to contact residents and a new family owner, who committed to resolving issues but failed to do so. The council discussed the nature of the violations and the enforcement process. Public comment was invited but no one spoke. The council authorized the abatement, noting that costs would be charged to the property owner and could be assessed as a property tax if unpaid.
Consider Closing the Roseville Leaf Recycling Center
Dissent: Council Member Strong
Moved by Council member Schroer [45:26] · Seconded by Council Member Grath [46:04]
Public Works Director Jesse Fryhammer presented staff's recommendation to close the Leaf Recycling Center, citing cost savings (aging equipment, staff time, fuel), duplicative services with Ramsey County, and site issues (queuing on county roads, illegal dumping, odors). The Public Works, Environment, and Transportation Commission recommended keeping it open for one more year. Public comments emphasized the convenience for residents, particularly seniors, and the potential negative impact on stormwater management and cost increases for private haulers. The council discussed the feasibility of volunteer staffing, equipment lifespan, environmental impact, and public outreach. A motion was made to postpone the closure for one year.
Consider Updates to the Street Light Policy
Dissent: N/A
Moved by Council Member Grath [57:42] · Seconded by Council Member Strong [57:51]
Public Works Director Jesse Fryhammer presented updates to the street light policy, proposing the adoption of an illumination target (0.3 to 0.6 foot candles) for residential areas, consistent with national and other city standards like Minneapolis. This update followed a study of three specific intersections (Fulham/36, Marian, Acorn) that lacked adequate lighting. The proposed standard would ensure safety and negate the need for an appeal process for light installation. Council discussed the placement of the standard within the policy document and the role of lighting in pedestrian safety and potential crime prevention. The policy update was approved unanimously, with a minor modification to its placement.
Consider Selecting a Construction Manager at Risk for the Civic Campus Project
Dissent: Council Member Grath
Moved by Council Member Schroer [1:10:07] · Seconded by Council Member Bower [1:10:07]
Public Works Director Jesse Fryhammer presented the recommendation to select Krauss Anderson as the Construction Manager at Risk for the Civic Campus Project. The selection process involved RFQ, RFP, and interviews, with Krauss Anderson ranking highest based on experience, team expertise (including project manager and superintendent with over 10 years experience), knowledge of the project, and overall value. The proposed cost for Krauss Anderson's services was $3.6 million. A council member inquired about the firm's integrity due to a past resident complaint, but staff confirmed positive reviews. A motion was made to divide the question before voting.
Approval of Construction Manager at Risk for Civic Campus Project (Maintenance Operations Center Portion)
Dissent: N/A
Moved by Council Member Schroer [1:11:37] · Seconded by Council Member Bower [1:11:37]
Following a motion to divide the question, the council considered and approved the Maintenance Operations Center portion of the construction management services contract with Krauss Anderson. No specific discussion beyond general appreciation for the work was recorded for this segment of the vote.
Approval of Construction Manager at Risk for Civic Campus Project (License, Passport Center, and Dance Studio Portion)
Dissent: Council Members Bower and Schroer
Moved by Council Member Grath [1:12:44] · Seconded by Council Member Strong [1:12:44]
Following the approval of the Maintenance Operations Center portion, the council considered and approved the License, Passport Center, and Dance Studio portion of the construction management services contract with Krauss Anderson. Discussion was minimal, reflecting similar sentiments to the previous vote on the divided question.
Consider Architectural Services Agreement for Civic Campus Project
Dissent: Council Members Bower and Schroer
Moved by Council Member Strong [1:07:38] · Seconded by Council Member Grath [1:07:38]
Public Works Director Jesse Fryhammer presented the agreement with LHB for architectural services for the Civic Campus Project, valued at $2.6 million for base services. The agreement was finalized with the city attorney. Discussion included the option to add sustainability costs later in the design process and the procedure for managing and approving any future change requests, with City Manager Pat Trean suggesting a threshold of $10,000 for reporting changes to the council. The city attorney confirmed that the agreement could not be divided for separate votes. The council ultimately approved the agreement.
Consider Accepting a Grant for Fire Department Staffing (FEMA SAFER Grant)
Dissent: N/A
Moved by N/A · Seconded by N/A
Fire Chief Rosahan presented the details of the $3.9 million FEMA SAFER (Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response) grant awarded to the Roseville Fire Department for hiring 15 additional firefighters. He highlighted the escalating call volume (over 7,500 in 2024), current staffing limitations affecting response times and community outreach, and the operational benefits of the proposed staffing model (including a staffed ladder truck and battalion chief). The grant requires a local match ($2.4 million over 3 years). The main point of discussion for the council was the optimal start date for the grant (April 2026 vs. September 2026), weighing factors like recruitment time, full utilization of grant funds, and the additional levy cost of an earlier start. The discussion of the start date was ongoing at the end of the provided transcript, with no decision recorded yet.
Notable Quotes (19)
If approved, the levy would provide a dedicated source of funding for uh technology and safety. It would be $6 million a year for a 10 10-year period. So, $60 million over the course of the 10 years.
I just wanted to make a comment for the public. Um, as you move away from a physical textbook and you go to an online subscription, you are making sure that you don't have a generation old textbook in a student's hands that maybe has whole lifetime of things that have happened since then, but it is an ongoing cost and it is an ongoing tech cost to have that subscription for each child.
safety and technology aren't optional. And again, our families deserve to send their children off to school feeling safe each day. uh we'll continue to pay those costs, but the cuts will come from our co-curricular, extracurricular, and curricular areas if this levy doesn't pass
As of I think it was, yeah, the 7th of October, we did learn that there was a transfer of property ownership from the current resident to a family member of the resident. U, we were able to make contact with that individual just to make sure they were aware of this action. Um, he said he would make sure that the property came into compliance before today.
It's frustrating because I know Mr. England makes every attempt and he you you've heard that, you know, the number of times he's reached out to people and people have to take this seriously a month's time, six weeks time, you know, eventually we have to act on these. It affects neighbors, it affects neighborhoods, uh, and uh, we have to have some standards that we live up to.
We're the only city in Ramsey County that offers this specialty or additional service.
The thing that concerns me most is I think the impact on us and others is highly minimized. You're talking 1.49 miles average increase. Ours is I believe round trip. I think I figured on using the same criteria is 14 miles for one trip. It's not an alternative for us. It's a showstopper.
I would like to um actually move that we postpone this uh to the 20 make the decision in 2026 based on the um you know our commission had recommended and that I'm getting a lot of hears and calls that people felt that they didn't get an opportunity to um talk more about this and it seems like there's still some unanswered questions and information that our commission and others are looking for.
residential areas are supposed to be uh.3 to 6 foot candles of of of light, basically measured.
we're not suggesting since it is related to safety not to have a an appeal for a light that's required.
I know in my neighborhood it is dark and some of those corners are are dark. People like have the darkness, but when you're walking with your dog or something in the winter, it can be a little unnerving.
They've done over 40 public works facilities as well as at least 20 licensed uh center and dance studios.
someone who does some watch uh dog work with um both of our top two scores um had nothing of concern when it came to um use of staff or or other things within the top two people. So I just wanted to make sure people know that we did I at least looked to make sure that we knew if they were a bad actor in the environment that they're working in and and they came back both came back with very positive reviews.
this does include environmental work uh up front, some geotechnical work. Obviously, if we encounter a deeper level thing, we might have to do some additional changes, but we like to think this um covers everything, but not going to say it's everything for sure.
I would suggest with a project this large, there's regular communication with the council in regards to those things to make sure that we're all on the same page. I don't want to have u not saying there would be, but any project creep on this without us all being fully aware of what those reasons are and ramifications are.
I would like to um make sure in the future that these contracts are split between the two. So there's that opportunity.
The safer grant or the staffing for adequate fire and emergency response grant was created um in 2003 under the Bush administration. Um truly what it is for on that second bullet point is is to provide funding directly to frontline firefighters.
We topped out in 2024 with over 7,500 calls. Um over our past uh six years, we've a averaged a 4 to 10% increase every year year-over-year. Um almost 40% in 5 years.
FEMA does not like funds to be returned. Believe it or not, that's actually not a good sign when you, you know, if they give you $3.9 million, they gave you $3.9 million for the for a reason, not to send back, you know, $300,000 or whatever it might be at the end of the grant.
Ordinances & Resolutions (9)
Ballot issue for Roseville Area Public Schools for technology and safety funding
Previous successful funding measure for Roseville Area Public Schools for building updates
Previous successful funding measure for Roseville Area Public Schools for operational funds
Request for Qualifications, part of the construction manager selection process
Request for Proposal, part of the construction manager selection process
Standard providing expectations and recommendations for fire department response
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant, awarded to Roseville Fire Department
City policy governing the installation and standards for street lighting
Study detailing illumination measurements at specific intersections