with the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. >> All right, welcome to the city of St. Paul Park regular council meeting for December 15, 2025. This meeting is being recorded by True Lens Community Media. You can view the city meetings live or replayed on cable channel 799. Meetings are also streamed live and archived on the city of St. Paul Park's YouTube channel. First item on the agenda this evening is approval of the minutes for the December 1st, 2025 regular council meeting and wave the reading of the same. So move I'll second. I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say I. I. >> Motion carries. 5-0. Next item is approval of the minutes for the December 1st, 2025 city council workshop and wave the reading of the same. Also moved. >> Second. >> I have a motion in a second. Any further discussion? All in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Motion carries 5-0. All right. Uh, approval of the minutes of the November 17th, 2025 city council workshop and wave the reading of the same. >> So moved. >> Second. >> I have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> Motion carries 5. All right. On to item number two, items from the public. Um, anybody have anything not pertaining to the agenda this evening? All right. Seeing nobody on that initial one, I will go to the items from the public to do the final budget and item number three and I believe I can't read the name here. Um, we have somebody signed up at 1128 Fifth Street. >> Yeah, you got the right address. >> Oh, no. I was just >> No, just go ahead and come over here to the first microphone. >> All right. and then state your name and address and then give us a couple minutes. >> The first one, >> Martin Carpenter. I'm at 1128 Fifth Street in St. Paul Park. >> Thank you. >> Um I got my tax assessment for uh proposed 2026 went up 25.9%. That's what they're proposing. Um about 180 of it, which which is probably about 12% of it is Washington County schools. I expected an increase. They said expected. Um, the largest increase is for the city of St. Paul Park and that would be close to another 15% on top of that. And I'm wondering why where the money's going and why they're lpping it on top of an already large increase. Um, I don't know how many people got a property tax assessment this year for 26%. Um, I've been living there 34 years. I never seen anything like it. Um, my jaw dropped when I opened the letter. Um, I can't believe that there everyone else is being char because I think there'd be more people here. Um, I can't help but feel singled out a little bit. And what threw me is they assessed my house at another $30,000 in one year. And all I did last year is pay my cash. I'm 65. I'm on a fixed income. I'm retired. I'm getting pushed out of my house. If this is true and this proposal comes to fruition, I'm not going to be able to afford to live down there. And that's what you're doing to all the people in my position. Fixed income senior citizens. >> That's me. >> That's all I got to say. Same Mark. >> Thanks, Mark. Um, I will just throw something in quick for you, Mark, and then we'll move on. Um, that's the initial levy set for St. Paul Park, which we did set at 14.9 um at least as far as our end, and we don't have anything to do with the valuations or any of that stuff, but uh St. Paul Park went through a lot last year with losing all of our department heads, but we have been able to work with city staff and we've reduced our portion by another five, almost 5%. So, that's what we're doing tonight is we're reducing that 149 down to 9.8. So, >> start, >> right? No, we've been working really hard. Um, >> just when it comes paired with the >> right >> expected increase with the county, you're really putting the weight on the people can afford it. >> You know, you can go in and dispute that aspect. >> Get reassessed and then go up. >> You know, I I'm trying to figure out how painting your garage adds a value $30,000 in one year. I've never seen an increase like that. And >> I know for a projection like that. And you can see why I'm a little nervous. Obviously, I've been here 34 years. I've never seen anything like why this year. >> Yeah. Right. No, I'll >> right. I'll just add a little story and then we'll move on. Um they rose the price of value of my home in St. Paul Park here that's really old and by 30ome thousand a couple years ago. And I was looking at my statement and I was like 30 some out building and here that old shed on my property that used to be the Sunday school house. >> Mhm. >> The county told me was a garage and I said that's an old falling down shed that I just don't have the heart to tear down because it was the original Sunday school house in town. It should be torn down. I have the doors nailed shut. The only thing I kept in there were my campaign signs and some other junk. And the lady was like, "Well, I thought it was a garage." And I'm like, "Well, then you never even drove by my house." So then they ended up reducing it at least for that year by $30 some thousand because it wasn't a house >> total value of your property is probably a little more than >> Yeah. I don't >> You see what I'm saying? 30 30,000 on a lesser value property. bigger chunk that value of your property probably lost. >> Yeah. I I don't even know. >> No. And we're seeing it and >> that's why we're trying to do our best and stuff's rolling downhill, but from the federal level to the state level to the county level to the city level, >> right? Well, hopefully we'll be reducing that by at least 5% for you tonight. So, yep. >> Did you want to say something or >> Well, I just >> you you need to come up and state your name and >> address. >> Okay. >> Uh Gan Matter 1133 Marshall. Um I haven't been here in quite a while. Um, that third street, that's kind of a I thought they were going to improve it. They made it worse by the post office. It's so narrow there in front of the post office with with the sidewalks and everything. and they still have parking in front of the post office, but you have two cars meeting and it's especially in the winter, it's very narrow there for whatever reason. I don't know if you've heard complaints about that or not. Um, and I know they can't do anything about it now. It's It's all done. But uh um it looks like they wanted to put sidewalks a new sidewalk on the west side or the Yeah, the west side. And I'm sure the the bar on the corner lost parking spots, too. So, I don't know. It's just It's too late to complain, but it's I don't know whoever thought that up. Um what can you say? They made it worse. Thanks, Jean. Um, no, I'll I guess I'll address this a little bit right now. Um, we held uh multiple meetings on Third Street. I've heard a few things, not too much, and um I'll just say and then we are going to move on. Um with the Third Street project, for anybody out there listening, anybody sitting here this evening, um we held multiple community meetings. Um we had multiple planning commission meetings. We had multiple meetings here at the council level. Um the the reasoning for narrowing Third Street was to reduce the flow or speeds especially for the trucks coming out of the mines. Um, and then also with that being statef funded money, we wanted to use that as fiscally as responsible as we could and we were able to extend by narrowing it to just parking on one side of the street, which almost every citizen I talked to that lives on Third Street was okay with. um we were able to extend that project, not only asphalt, but water and sewer a few more blocks. So thereby saving the citizens and investing back into our community. Um and then hopefully reducing the um speeds will uh it'll um help with the safety and hopefully some of the accidents and other things of that natures. And then expanding the trail was to encourage more people to use it as families. And then keeping some of that stuff, that travel, that pedestrian travel off the road, putting it onto a wider sidewalk to where families could enjoy it more and more people could traverse it more easily. Um, so that was the thought process on Third Street. um and with the we have had some discussions with the um post office and they are talking about redoing their parking lot um to make it more accessible um because I didn't know it but the post office is owned by somebody else and the federal government leases it from somebody so that's a heck of a deal for the guy who owns that but he's talking about redoing the parking not making it more handicap accessible, making it more easier to get to. So, that's kind of some of the processes um and thoughts behind why we did what we did and the decisions that we made. >> But, if you want to talk about this afterwards, I'll be more than happy to go over it some more. I talked to the postmaster there. She said they have the owner had handicap parking off the street like on the south east corner of the building, >> right? And they'll be working on that. >> But I mean, okay, >> right. Um, at this point, we're just going to move forward. I'll I'll sit and be honest with you all night after this meeting on this. All right. Thank you. All right, moving on to the consent agenda. This evening on the consent agenda, we are going to adopt ordinance 781, um the fee structure for sewer rates and approve payments, pay the bills for December 2nd through the 16th. Uh we are going to schedule our regular city council meetings for next year, 2026. approved the labor agreement with the local 49ers aka public works. Um we are getting those last liquor licenses in for the American Legion and Parkrow Bowl. Um, same with Sunday sale licenses, our annual approval of application licenses for alarm users, garbage collectors, home occupations, massage therapists, um, therapeutic massage businesses, and other just generally um, licensed businesses in the city. Um, temporary liquor license for St. Thomas for their annual Marty GR event. Um, same as a gambling permit for the same event. Um, we will be approving the non-waver for statutory limits for our insurance. Uh, budget amendments for 2025. I believe we have some money to carry forward and put around uh, pay Geisinger and Sons. And then ordinance 782 updating our subdivision ordinance and ordinance 783 updating our B2 assembly ordinance. And that is it for the consent agenda. for this evening. >> Mr. Mayor, I would like Let me take a breath. >> Sorry, man. >> Go ahead. >> I would like to pull out item O uh for separate discussion. >> All right. I have a motion to pull out item O. >> Mr. Mayor. >> Yes. Council member Swinson. I move that we approve tonight's consent agenda minus uh item O as is listed on tonight's agenda. Second. All right. I have a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda minus item O. Any further discussion? All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. >> Motion carries 5. All right. On to item O. adopting ordinance 783B2. The floor is yours, Council Member Hagerty. Yes, sir, Mr. Mayor. Um, so I I like everything that's in here uh except I would like just because of citizens concerns uh for these uh assemblies uh of them running too late uh into the evening uh cuz some of the wording uh that Rosemont uses, Cottage Grove uses, and various other cities use for these type of uh of buildings. Uh they do uh say that 1000 p.m. on a Sunday through Thursday and 12 midnight on Fridays and Saturdays. And I think we should add that to this agenda. >> All right. Any further discussion, questions? >> How does that reflect with permits if they if they request for later dates? >> Right. Yeah. So that'll that'll be a uh >> special event permit. Yeah. Special event permit event by event. Yeah. But in general, these would be the uh hours of operation for those banquet banquet hall type places assembly. All right. So, do I have a motion? I move that we add that addendum that's provided by Council Member Hagerty. >> Second. >> All right. I have a motion, a second to change. Is it just a change at this point and then we'll go to adoption. Nate, uh, Mr. Mayor, the ordinance draft just simply states that the council can set hours of operation, which was the planning commission's recommendation. What council members Hagerty is suggesting is just that section be changed to just say that hours of operation have to conclude at midnight on uh Friday and Saturday and then the rest of the days at 1000 p.m. And so that would just then go into the ordinance and anyone seeking a cup for a banquet hall type use, a place of commercial assembly would be required to just adhere to those hours of operation. It still requires a cup. it would still be in front of you um if somebody were to pursue one of those, but it would just state that that has to be the cut off time. And there was some discussion around that at the planning commission meeting. Some commissioners thought that ending it at midnight was appropriate because unlike a bar or restaurant where people come and go or even the bowling alley, people are coming in and going out at all hours of the night, with an assembly, a commercial assembly, it's usually the a large group of people coming at the same time and a large group of people leaving at the same time. And because of the extra noise associated with the uh that style of departure and arrival, uh some commissioners wanted to have that capped at at an earlier time. And plus with the added noise and everything that is there, they thought that would be sufficient. So, um what council member Hagerty is suggesting is to put that into the ordinance and that would just replace that section. and we could change the draft and send it back to you for your signature. >> All right. Thank you, Nate. That answers my question. Any other questions? Discussion. >> So, do we have a motion before us? >> I thought the motion was to adopt the ordinance >> with the change. >> That's >> with the change. We're not looking for >> not approving the change or approving the with the change. That's what I was looking for. All right. So, I have a motion and a second to adopt ordinance 783 with the proposed changes by council member Hagerty. Any further discussion? All those in favor say I. >> I. >> All those opposed? Motion carries. 5-0. >> All right. On to item five, new business. Um, adopt resolution 1764 approving the final city budget and established tax levy collectible in 2026. Uh, Hugo, you just want to give us a rundown on this? >> Uh, uh, thank you, mayor and councel. So, uh, staff did um reduce the initial uh, max tax uh, amount that, uh, the community may have heard in September. We reduced that down to 9.8% 8% as our um certified uh tax that we'll send to the county uh assuming council approves that. We made a number of changes and um realignments with what we're trying to do to meet the community's needs and um I think this will allow us to do that. So the um the tax levy in front of the council tonight is uh 9.8%. All right. Well, I'll make a motion to adopt 1764. >> Second. I >> have a motion and a second. Any further discussion? >> All those in favor say I. >> I. >> I. Opposed? Motion carries. 50. All right. On to item number B, EMS contract. Um what I'm looking for here I will be looking for is uh as the contract was submitted to us uh we're going to take a vote on uh denying the contract current contract as presented. Um I will uh let everybody else out there know and council that Hugo and I met with Cottage Grove again last week. Um, we are having ongoing discussions with our neighbors. Um, once again, this is a uh a very touchy subject when we're dealing with life and death and and unfortunately Cottage Grove got in this business and and that's what it is. It's a business. Um, and without getting too far in the weeds on this, um, we are going to be continuing discussions. We are always open to working with our neighbors. Um we have been working closely with Newport and Greycloud. Um Newport and Greycloud have also already rejected this contract as proposed. Um not to say that we are not working with Cottage Grove. Um which we are. Um we are looking to potentially get the councils together. I'm still waiting to hear back from Newport on a finality on whether we're going to do that, but this needs to be a greater discussion than just a contract put before us and um some Facebook posts and uh very hurried and rushed um discussion when we're talking about something as serious as this matter is. Um, so we're looking towards February, so nothing too drastic. I want to keep everybody updated, but I do want to let um Cottage Grove and our neighbors know where we stand on the contract. And I believe all of you were provided with a copy of the contract. And we did have um uh legal counsel just briefly look at it since we weren't necessarily discussing on whether we were going to assign it or not or even if we had the money. Um it's very uh weighted towards Cottage Grove of course and just I've been saying it and I'll say it here. Um one of the provisions in there that just really struck out to me was something to the effect of um the city meaning Cottage Grove or its agents andor employees should they not provide the services contained here within this contract cannot be held liable. And I'm like, I I just don't even understand that statement in a contract about ambulance service. So, we're looking for clarification. We're looking to work with our partners. Um we're we're continuing to do that. Hugo is going to continue to work with staff from all of our cities. And that's kind of where we left it with Cottage Grove. Let's let the um professionals work on this a little bit and uh bring it back and and see where we go. Whether that might be an annual fundraiser or a taxing district or what do we work towards? How do we make this a long-term solution for all of our communities? That was my big thing because I don't want to be in this position in a year from now, 2 years from now, 5 years from now, 10 years from now because I don't see that the health care system is going to get any better. And I don't see that the services that are can be provided through a non um hospital system because most and a lot of other ambulance systems are owned by Alina or Health East because they want to bring you to their to their facilities to make the money. So it's kind of as a business person a lost leader. Um but um I want solutions. I don't want to put our citizens through this. I don't want to put them through it on Facebook. I don't want people to be worried. I want how are we going to become final in this and and how are we going to be able to provide the best service possible for the people that we represent and I want all those options on the table. So that's what we're going to work towards with Cottage Grove, with Newport, with Greycloud. Um and I don't want anybody to be in this position whether it's Cottage Grove feeling they have to put us in this position and it's their decision. they own the ambulance service so they can do what they want to do and then we have to react. But I once again don't want to be in this position years from now and I don't want future councils or future people um that reside in the city to have these worries or burdens. So I want to work towards a finality of a solution and how do we get to that point? Um, so we're going to continue to hopefully strive to come up with those conclusions with staff and with our neighbors. So, for right now, we're just going to let them know that um this is not the contract and and they've even um agreed that this might not necessarily be the contract, but we need to make it official so that we can move forward. So, >> Mr. Mayor, >> yes. Council members, >> are we voting to deny the contract or to approve it? >> Deny. Okay. I move that we deny the EMS contract with Cottage Grove. >> I second. >> I have a motion and a second. Any further discussions or questions? >> If I can. >> Yes, Council Mayor. >> Uh I've watched this process unfold in the last month or so and I've watched uh our new city administrator and our mayor put our heart and soul into this and um I'm just ever grateful for everything that you guys have done. This has been a full-time job just this and I know how you have had sleepless nights on this. So, uh, know that is appreciated. >> Agreed. All right. I have a motion and a second. No more discussion. All those in favor say I. >> I. Motion carries. 5. All right. Adopt resolution 1765, accepting donations to the city. I'll make a motion that we accept adopt resolution number 1765. >> A second. >> All right. Motion and a second to adopt 1765 expressing acceptance of donations to the city. Does anybody have that list right off hand? We would like to give them a thank you. I know it's in here somewhere. >> I think it wasn't WSB. >> It just WSB. I usually have it pulled up, but council member Swinson threw me off. Yep. Just WSB >> 1200 bucks irrigation work in the community gardens. Thank you, WSB. >> That helped out a ton. >> Get the irrigation in. That was awesome. >> Oh, cool. >> All right. All those in favor say I. >> I. >> All those opposed. Motion carries. 5-0. All right. Council member Hagerty. Public works. >> Public works. Our next meeting is uh March 3rd, 2026 at 6 p.m. Uh we still need one more member. Uh so please come down to city council and I mean to uh city and uh apply to be uh a volunteer on the public works commission. >> Thank you council member Higerty. Council members went public safety. >> Thank you mayor. Uh, our meeting in December was cancelled due to lack of agenda and I do believe we did not have a quorum for that evening. Our next meeting is scheduled for March 5th, which is a Thursday at 6:00 here at city hall. And we are short two people. So, if you want to uh join a fun commission, come on in and see city staff. That's all I have. >> Thank you, Council Member Swinson. Council member Conrad, Planning Commission. We had a pretty lengthy discussion about the subdivision ordinance and the B2 assembly use ordinance and uh that came out a little bit in tonight's meeting and our next meeting is Monday, January 12th at 7 p.m. here at city hall. >> Thank you, Council Member Conrad. Council member Whit Hemson, Parks and Wreck. >> Uh Parks and Wreck, we did not have a meeting in December, lack of quorum. And um but we did collect along with the St. Paul Park Fire Department 200 lb of diapers for basic needs food market. And um our bunko was going well. We just had 20 people at our last bunko. So that's $210 back into our fund. Um, we the park and wreck were wondering our sledding event is there's not enough people on our on our committee to do the sledding event. It's a lot of work. Um, we've lost, you know, some guys on our on our commission. And we were hoping that you guys could, you know, we could get public works help us put up the lights. we could, you know, have have the whole city do it instead of just park and wreck because we are very low on volunteers. You know, the fire department, they come, they help, they they do the fire and stuff like that, but we need help putting up the lights and that's basically public works, I think. But we need help with chocolate, you know, handing out hot chocolate and stuff like that. I just I' I'd like to try to make it a city event instead of just a park and wreck event. So if we could discuss that sometime and that basically needs we need the lights put up on the trees from public works. I mean we can help but so we can do that. >> Go ahead. >> Um mayor council uh staff would love to participate and and help that. I would just want uh council approval or direction because that would be you know staff time committed to that etc. So, um, we're happy to do that if that is the direction council would like us to do. >> I mean, we could talk to public works, see which day is best for them, >> you know, maybe instead of have it, you know, we'd have it on a Friday night, put the lights up on Friday and then >> Yeah. >> Is this something that we would need to approve some type of an overtime for or I mean, >> no, I think this is again, it isn't on the agenda, so we can't really have an official vote, but we could have a consensus. I I do believe. >> Okay. Yeah. consensus have staff look at that. Yeah. >> Okay. Agreed. >> Agreed. >> Great. Thank you. Is >> that right? >> Thank you. >> I think so. Yeah. >> All right. Is that it? Council member would rather >> um Yes. Just we don't have the date set for our bunko or the sliding event. So, if you just keep uh checking our St. Paul Park park park and wreck page or our city page to keep you guys updated. Um, our ice rink is getting flooded and it looks pretty good up there. Um, we are also waiting to see the hours for the warming house. So, again, keep checking the website and the city page for that. Other than that, that's it. Thank you guys. >> Thank you, Council Member Whamson. Um, yeah, thank you to Parks and Wreck and our fire department for collecting all those diapers. I did see the posts and the great job that you guys did. In my head, I'm thinking 200 lb of diapers. I hope they were empty. >> Empty. Yeah, >> we already had that discussion. >> Um, >> some of those diapers hold 16 pounds, you know. >> That's what it's >> all right. Moving on. Um, I will say, okay, so yeah, Hugo and I, we've we've been busting our butt a little bit um on the EMS stuff. Uh, also uh um working on contracts and uh end of the year um adjustments for our employees, council member Swenson and I um and Hugo um some of the other stuff we've been doing. Um, I I want to say right now um during my time that I guess just listening to you guys and and um listening to some of the citizens, these things don't happen on their own. We need your help. Um we not only we we get the input. I mean, you know, now during the age of social media, good, bad, or indifferent, we get the input. what we need our people and bodies to serve on our commissions to help with these events um to I mean just look at and I know we're a small city and everybody's working especially me sometimes and and that's why we ask for your help that's why we're asking um to volunteer um and I think in the next couple of months maybe as a council we will I've been discussing it with Hugo we have a workshop on where do we go with our commissions? Do we expand them? Do we retract them? Do we combine them? Do we start to offer a stipen possibly to people to serve on our commissions? What do we have to do to get people involved for all these events? Um because not only does it take time, it takes money. and the less time and money that we have to pay for somebody to do to make us a community um is the time that and the money that we are able to save going back to why are my taxes going up. Now, some of that that's a little far off. I understand um it's not the same as plowing the roads or whatever, but every little bit helps and every little bit helps us feel as part of this community and that's why we serve. None of us up here, council members, we don't make a ton of money, a couple hundred bucks a month. Um because we love this community. Um every single one of us cares in our own different ways and takes into account the time that we have to set aside um because of the passion that we have for our community. And I would just like so much more to have more people get involved in bringing this community together. um right now, especially during these times when everything seems so fractured. So, get a hold of any one of us, come up to city hall, volunteer. Um I believe all of our emails. Um and and if you have some time or you have a passion or you have an ability that you may want to be able to donate or take part in or to give assistance to the city with, we're more than happy um to help you out. and I will be more than happy personally to give you direction on where you should go or who you should talk to um to seek out that opportunity. So, um just thank you and and and thank you for this opportunity. And that's all that I have this evening. Um anybody have anything else, council member comments or requests? Nothing further before this council. This meeting is adjourned.