Good evening and welcome to this Prairie Village City Council meeting of Tuesday, April 14th, 2026. Uh if you would please join me stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance >> to the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> Thank you, and it's so uh nice to see so many in the council chambers this evening. First item on our agenda is the public forum. Public forum is that opportunity for those in our midst to come before us and testify. Um the only items uh for which uh we would ask that you not testify is on items for which a public hearing has either been scheduled or has taken place. But with that lone exclusion, um is there anyone that would like to come before the council this evening and be heard? Seeing none, I'd go ahead and move along to the approval of the agenda, council. Uh if there are no modifications to the agenda or uh accept a motion to approve as submitted. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by council member Braid, second by council member Churchill, to approve the agenda as submitted. All those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Aye. >> Aye. That motion carries, bringing us to the meeting minutes, that being the approval of the March 24th, 2026 City Council meeting minutes. Again, council, if there are no modifications, uh I would look to see a motion to approve that as submitted. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by council member Churchill, second by council member Braid, to approve those meeting minutes. Again, council, all those in favor say aye. >> Aye. >> Aye. >> Aye. And that motion carries, bringing us this evening to the consent agenda. I'm going to go ahead and hand over the consent agenda, as well as those items before us, to City Manager Jason Wudel. Manager Wudel, please. >> Thank you, Mayor, and councilors, and members of the audience. So, our consent agendas for those items that are considered routine or non-controversial, they're placed all together on consent. So, unless the mayor or a council member asks for an item to be removed for separate consideration, they're all approved under a single motion, second, and a vote. If an item were to be removed for separate consideration, they would be placed under item 10 on tonight's agenda. So, tonight we have the following items on consent. Approval of the claims listing. Approval of the December 2025 Treasurer's Report. Approval of the January 2026 Treasurer's Report. Approval of the February 2026 Treasurer's Report. Approval of the fourth quarter 2025 Investment Report. A resolution authorizing the 2026 insurance policy renewals. A resolution receiving bids and awarding contracts for the 2026 street maintenance activities. A resolution receiving bids and awarding a contract for the Spring Lake and Raymond Lift Station Rehabilitation, City Project 2026-09. Resolution receiving quotes and awarding a contract for chiller replacement at the police station. Resolution receiving quotes and awarding a contract for building maintenance at the police station and library/club prior. Approval of franchise agreement renewal with Xcel Energy. Approval of the franchise agreement renewal with Minnesota Valley Electric Cooperative. A resolution approving amendment to the water tower antenna agreement with AT&T for the Tower Street water tower. Resolution receiving quotes and awarding the contract for the Lake Theilen Outlet Replacement Project, City Project 2026-14. Resolution approving a cooperative agreement with Scott County for the Marsh Drive Extension Project, City Project 2022-27. Authorizing a water efficiency grant application submittal. Approval of the animal control services report for the month of February. And finally, approval of the building permit summary report for the month of February. >> Thank you so much, Manager Wedel. Council, are there any items before us on tonight's claims listing that you would ask be removed and taken up under item 10? Seeing none, I would entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda. >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by Council Member Lake and a second by Council Member Brede to approve the consent agenda. All those in favor say "Aye." Aye, that motion carries bringing us this evening to new business item number 9A, and that is an ordinance to approve a cable television franchise with Comcast. >> Yeah, thank you, Mayor and council members. And I'll just note Council Member Hellier just stepped down because he's been recently employed with Comcast, and so to not have any confusion there, we're just he's going to sit this one out. So tonight we are asking Council to consider an ordinance approving a cable television franchise with Comcast. So we have established regulations under Chapter 4, Article 7 of the city code that requires cable television providers to enter into franchise agreements with the city. Currently, we have franchise agreements with Mediacom and Nuvera. Both of those agreements were just approved in March for another five-year term by the city council. So the proposed agreement with Comcast is a brand new franchise agreement. Last July, the city council did conduct a public hearing to consider their application by Comcast to come to the city and operate a cable system within the city of Prior Lake. We published notice. It was published in June 11th and 18th, and they submitted their application on the 18th. At that public hearing, we heard from Megan Shay, the director of government affairs. She presented the company's proposed service plan to the city council. And we did not receive any additional public testimony at that time. So, subsequently, city staff, in coordination with our city attorney, began preparing and negotiating a franchise agreement with Comcast. Uh one thing to note is under state law, when we're negotiating a new agreement, we can't place any additional considerations in that agreement that are more significant than what exists with our current franchise holders. We can't add extra requirements to them that we don't require from Mediacom or Nuvera. So, that really sets the table for what um we're allowed to to coordinate with on this new agreement. So, the new agreement addresses their permitting, uh construction standards. They are still going to have to pull a permit with the city. Uh the city has now implemented uh a fee that goes along with this because it's going to be pretty extensive. Their intent is to bring fiber optic cable basically to every single home in the city of Prior Lake over the next 24 months. Uh so, they'll be working in our right-of-ways and directional drilling and digging through front yards. And so, there's a lot of coordination uh with that. And so, we just want to make sure we've got the appropriate staff and the the funds available to uh to make sure we're observing that and making sure things are getting done appropriately. Um so, we will be getting PEG fees as part of this new agreement, similar to what we get with Mediacom. So, there is some funding. It's based on 5% of the gross revenues that come out of the cable television portion of their product offering. Uh so, they will have internet and cable TV and cell phones. And they have got a whole a whole line of products, but the 5% gross revenue is based on the the cable television portion of it. Uh Council is aware that at the state level as a city and I think lots of cities around the metro have been asking for franchise laws to be amended so that we could collect franchise fees on internet and broadband but that has not happened yet so this is just based on cable television. So with that um we've got the the agreement before you this evening. Uh we do have a representative from Comcast here if there's any questions of them. Um but with that I will stand for any questions from council. >> Council, are there any questions for other manager Waddell and or the the applicant on this item? Uh please Council member Brayton. >> Well, I know we heard a lot of complaints during COVID and on about internet um availability, pricing, service and um you know, we've had uh Nuvera come to town and install fiber. Now we have Comcast coming in to install fiber which is a a real big benefit for the residents of our city they have options now for internet, for TV um which hopefully will will relay some competitive pricing as well so um I definitely will be in support of this tonight and it's uh it's been quite a few years in the making but here we are. >> Council member Lake. >> Yeah, just a quick comment as well. I've heard a lot of um desire in the in from our residents for more options and this provides us yet another option so um thankful and I'll be in support as well. >> Uh with that Council, I would go ahead and entertain a motion. >> I'll make a motion to approve a cable television franchise agreement with Comcast. >> Second. >> We have motion from Council member Brayton uh second by Council member Churchill. All those in favor say I. I. I. That motion carries. >> And we'll note the one abstention for >> Um >> Yes, for Council Member Hellier. And Council Member Hellier, please rejoin us. That brings us to item 9B on our agenda, and that being consider approval of a response to the Department of the Interior Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding the proposed fee to trust application known as uh Zenaniyah. >> Thank you, Mayor and Council Members and members of the audience. Uh so, yeah, tonight Council's being asked to consider approval of a response to the Department of um Interior the Bureau of Indian Affairs regarding the proposed fee to trust application uh from the SMSC. So, we received notice from the BIA that the SMSC uh was pursuing uh trust application for the property they've recently acquired. And so, this would be the what was formerly the YMCA property. Um it's the building itself. There's also a vacant lot directly to the south of that building right at the corner of McKenna and 42, that north east corner. So, it'd be both of those parcels uh totaling uh just over 7 acres in land. So, they're seeking to now place those parcels into trust. Um so, there's a process that we go through uh the the Bureau of Indian Affairs asks the city to provide comments and um discuss what challenges or things that we might need to work through with this property going into trust. So, when we have these applications come in, our city staff will sit down with staff from the SMSC and talk through um how this property will transition um when it goes into trust. And for example, there are a number of things related specifically to this property that we had to work through. Uh there's an existing drainage and utility easement um as well as trail easements that cross that property to the benefit of the city. The the building itself is connected to city sewer and water. And the vacant lot also has city sewer and water stubbed into it. So, discussing long-term how these properties would be served with those utilities versus having the SMSC, which they have their own water system and and sewer system. But, they have concurred that it didn't make sense for them to extend their utilities to these parcels. So, they're going to remain on city sewer and water. Uh So, we talked about that, the easements behind the building for fire access. Um and then also potentially um completing the a trail right along the right-of-way of County Road 42. If we ever needed to realign that trail, uh there's an agreement to to work through that. So, those are some of the conditions that we've we've documented in this letter. Um one of the other unique aspects to this particular trust application is the the BIA will always ask us for what is the city currently collecting in property taxes. Um cuz when it goes into the trust, then we would no longer be collecting those. What's unique about this is when it was the YMCA, it was a nonprofit organization and therefore they did not pay property taxes. And then, Shepherd of the Lake Church purchased that property from the YMCA. And as a church and a nonprofit, they did not pay property taxes. But, when the SMSC purchased it, so in this interim time, they actually do pay property taxes. So, now for 2025, for those two parcels combined, the city did collect $30,063.80. Um once that property goes into trust, we will obviously won't collect those anymore, but that was really kind of a unique blip that historically the city has not received property taxes for the those parcels. So with that I would stand for any questions. I know we've got um some folks from the SMSC in the audience here too. If we've got any questions we've got tribal administrator Bill and Nikki with us and Steve Albrecht. So if if you have any questions of them but otherwise um if council um would like to consider this letter if it's approved we would send that off to the Bureau of Indian Affairs tomorrow. >> Excellent. Um council any questions for city manager Weddell? Um and or the SMSC? Uh any comments? Um I'd like to make some comments. Um you know council as has been really for the last um few uh trust uh submissions applications it's been our pleasure to sit down with the SMSC and discuss um the various um intricacies where the city and and the tribe overlap and have mutual interests and needs and this this um application is no different. Um as manager Weddell elucidated a trail um perpetual connections to our infrastructure which of course uh interestingly enough is of course joint infrastructure uh in terms of the water uh treatment plant. So again um as we see this fee to trust application come before us it once again is an opportunity for us to take a look at the strength of the partnership that we have enjoyed for many years and uh I certainly will be I'm in fully full support of this letter as drafted um and submitting and and would support um uh council doing so as well. Any additional comments? With that, I would I think entertain a motion to uh approve, support the letter as uh drafted uh for submission to the BIA. Uh there'll be the motion. I would entertain a second. >> Second. >> We have motion by Briggs and second by Council member Braid. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> I. And that motion carries. Bringing us to item 11 on our agenda, which are the Council member liaison updates. Council member Hellier, if I can have you begin. >> Yes. Uh thank you, Mayor and Council. Uh on Monday the 6th, I attended the uh Planning Commission meeting. On the 8th, I uh attended the Chamber meeting and provided um an update of all the ongoings in the city. And then on Friday, I had my uh agenda review. That's it. >> Thank you so much, Council member Hellier. Council member Lake. >> Thank you. Uh on uh the 10th, I attended the SCALE general meeting. And on the 10th, I also had my agenda review. And on Monday, uh the EDA meeting was canceled. Thank you. >> Thank you so much, Council member Lake. Council member Churchill. >> Thank you, Mayor. I attended the MVTA board meeting on March 25th, and I had my agenda review on April 10th. >> Thank you, Council member Churchill. Council member Braid. >> Uh Mayor and members of the Council, as uh Council member uh Lake stated, the EDA uh meeting was canceled on 4/13, but I would like to add that even on this agenda here tonight, um the EDA does show a balance of over a million dollars more uh than what it did have, and that's from the sale of the property to the uh apartments uh next door. So, um we're looking forward to to using that money on the EDA for the city to to continue to bring commercial development uh and vibrancy to Prior Lake. So, and then uh today I attended my agenda review. >> Thank you so much, Council Member Braed. For my update on the 26th um of March, we had the Intergovernmental Working Group. On the 31st, Manager Woodill and I had an opportunity to meet with the post office and also Spring Lake Township in regards to the delivery on Panama and finding alternatives. On April 7th, Council, we had a a wonderful event, which was the Citizens Academy kickoff. So, where we have invited Prior Lake citizens to really get a look at the inner workings of government through six sessions. First one was April 7th. On April 9th, we attended the Burnsville bus garage ribbon cutting with MVTA. Scale on 410 and then yesterday attended the Regional Council of Mayors. That concludes my update. Manager Woodill, anything you would like to add? >> Yeah, thank you, Mayor, and members of the council. So, last week we had our second Little Diggers event here at City Hall. So, our littlest members of the community get to come and watch the construction next door and I think we had 233 visitors last week, so very popular event. So, we are going to have a third Little Diggers event and it's going to be on Wednesday, May 6th. So, for all those that have little ones at home that want to come hang out and watch the construction, put that on your calendar. >> Outstanding. And with that, the final motion of this evening. >> I'll make a motion to adjourn. >> Second. >> Motion by Council Member Braed, second by Council Member Churchill to adjourn the meeting. All those in favor, say I. >> I. >> I. >> I. That motion carries and the meeting is adjourned at 7:19 p.m.