---

## author: Davis, Allison

date: D:20260305155230-06'00'

---

## City Council Workshop Meeting

## Ash Conference Rooms

March 11, 2026 | 5:30 PM

This City Council Workshop meeting is taking place virtually and at Woodbury City Hall in the Ash

Conference Rooms. Members of the public may attend the meeting in person and may also join the

meeting using a computer, tablet, or smartphone and accessing the virtual meeting link at

woodburymn.gov/VirtualMeetings.

Public comments will be accepted during the meeting both in person and virtually. Virtual

questions should be submitted via the online Q&A feature within the virtual meeting link.

Questions regarding the meeting will be taken between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at

651-714-3524 or at council@woodburymn.gov. Questions received after 4:30 p.m. will be

responded to in the next three to seven business days.

Please note that all agenda times are estimates. Unfinished workshop items will be carried over

to the end of the Council meeting.

5:00 p.m.Dinner – Birch Conference Room

The intent of the workshop session is to provide a forum for City Council and City staff to discuss

more in-depth Council items, exchanging viewpoints and visions prior to the item being set for

Council action at a regular meeting of the City Council. Workshop sessions are neither a public

hearing nor an open microphone session. No formal votes will be taken and any direction from

Council will be in consensus format. The workshop session is not recorded.

## Workshop Agenda

## 1.Workshop Discussion Items

1A.Discussion of Solicitor Permits and Proposed Ordinance Changes 26-37

1B.Public Safety Vehicle Showcase: Police Armored Vehicle and Fire Ladder Truck 26-38

2.Administrator Comments and Updates*

## 3.Mayor and City Council Comments and Commission Liaison Updates*

4.Adjournment

## Watch the Live Meeting

## Woodbury City Council Workshop Agenda

March 11, 2026 | 5:30 PM

Items under comments and updates are intended to be informational or of brief inquiry.

More substantial discussion of matters under comments and updates should be scheduled

for a future agenda.

The City of Woodbury is subject to Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which prohibits discrimination on the

basis of disability by public entities. The City is committed to full implementation of the Act to our services, programs, and

activities. Information regarding the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act is available from the Administration

office at 651-714-3500. Auxiliary aids for disabled persons are available upon request at least 72 hours in advance of an

event. Please call the ADA Coordinator at 651-714-3500 (TDD 731-5796) to make arrangements.

## 1A

## City of Woodbury, Minnesota

## Office of City Administrator

## Council Workshop Letter 26-37

March 11, 2026

## To:The Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

## From:Jeffrey J. Dahl, City Administrator

## Subject:Discussion of Solicitor Permits and Proposed Ordinance Changes

## Summary

Staff will provide an overview of the City’s current solicitor permit process, outlining key operational

challenges and public concerns. Three policy options are presented for Council consideration:

1. Ordinance amendment to prohibit soliciting within the city; with exceptions

2. Ordinance amendment to implement a solicitor permit fee

3. No changes; maintain the existing ordinance and requirements

Guidance from the Council is requested regarding which option is recommended.

## Recommendation

Staff recommends that the City Council provide direction on the above options. Options one or two

are recommended by staff as they may help address the growing administrative and enforcement

burden, resident complaints, and gaps in background checks for out-of-state applicants.

## Governance Mode

1

Fiduciary - Stewardship of tangible assets, oversees operations and ensures efficient and

appropriate use of resources, legal compliance and fiscal accountability.

Generative - Identifying key questions, anticipating future challenges, framing of issues,

development of options. Problem-framing. What to pay attention to, what it means, and what to

do about it. How does it fit with our mission, vision and values?

## Fiscal Implications

Currently, the fiscal implication of allowing solicitation to occur in Woodbury is in the form of

administrative and operational costs. Staff time is required for application intake, background

checks through various agency portals, and production of individualized badges, including supply

costs for printing equipment and materials. Additionally, police officer time is expended responding

1

Items marked “fiduciary” are primarily business-oriented topics; “strategic” items are primarily related to long-

term strategies or goals; and “generative” items are primarily meant to produce new thoughts or ideas.

## Council Workshop Letter 26-37

March 11, 2026

Page 2

to solicitor-related complaints, which totaled 43 calls for service in 2025. These activities represent

an ongoing administrative burden without any offsetting revenue, as permits are currently issued at

no charge. Implementing a permit fee structure could help recover administrative costs and reduce

application volume, while repealing the ordinance would eliminate these costs.

## Policy

Woodbury City Code Chapter 11, Article VI – Peddlers and Solicitors

## Public Process

This is the first public process for this item.

## Background

Under current practice (City Code Chapter 11), the Public Safety Department processes solicitor

applications, performs background checks using our Records Management System (RMS) and the

Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) Criminal History Portal, and then issues permits to

approved applicants. The intent of City Code Chapter 11 is to regulate door-to-door sales and

canvassing activities to protect residents from fraud and nuisance while allowing legitimate

businesses to operate.

The demand for permits has increased in recent years. The City recorded 397 submitted applications

in 2025 (386 in 2024; 195 in 2023;). The process requires administrative support and officer time

to address solicitor-related complaints.

## Identified Concerns

Given the following concerns, staff believe a review of the ordinance is worthwhile.

Resident Complaints/Nuisance: In 2025, the City received approximately 43 police calls for

service related to solicitors (56 in 2024) and additional informal complaints via phone calls

and social channels. Common complaints included aggressive tactics, ignoring ‘No Solicitor’

signs, and lack of permits.

Staff Workload and Associated Cost: Administrative staff dedicate time to process each

solicitor application, which includes the background check process and creating

individualized badges. Additional hours have been spent on permits that applicants never

collect. These tasks represent a notable administrative cost burden, even before accounting

for complex reviews of applications that lead to denials. Additionally, complaint calls related

to solicitors require police officer involvement, adding further resource demands. There are

also supply expenses for producing solicitor badges, such as printer equipment, ink, and

cards.

## Background Check Gaps with Out of State Applicants: Current BCA

portal requirements limit the ability to fully verify comprehensive criminal histories for out-of-

state solicitors. In 2025, 40% of applicants were out-of-state. This limits the City’s ability to

fully vet applicants and reduce the risk of fraud or nuisance.

## Council Workshop Letter 26-37

March 11, 2026

Page 3

## Options for Council Consideration

1. Ordinance Amendment to Prohibit Soliciting Within the City: Consider modifying Woodbury

City Ordinance Chapter 11, Article IV to prohibit soliciting in the City of Woodbury. One nearby

city with a comparable ordinance is Lake Elmo. The ordinance classifies soliciting as a public

nuisance and prohibits it, though it provides exceptions comparable to those outlined in

Woodbury’s Chapter 11.

2. Ordinance Amendment to Implement a Solicitor Permit Fee: Establishing a reasonable

solicitor permit fee would both offset the cost burden and naturally limit the number of

applicants. Many cities around the Twin Cities Metro have implemented solicitor application

fee structures, and these cities have significantly lower applicant numbers (see table below).

## City Fee Structure

Oakdale $375 for a two-year background check; approval

## by City Administrator

North & South St. Paul $100 per company and $75 per applicant

Rosemont $90; application must be notarized

Blaine $600 per applicant plus $35 for background

check

Stillwater $15 for a personal history check

Hudson, WI $100 license fee for a 30-day permit

River Falls, WI $20/month or $200/year per company plus $25

investigation fee and $12 per employee

North Dakota (out of state comparable) $200 per company; cities may

require additional fees

3. Ordinance Remains Unchanged: Due to the concerns outlined in this memo, staff do not

recommend this option.

It should be noted that none of these proposed options would impact the City’s mobile vendor or

peddler ordinances, as mobile vendors and peddlers are defined differently. It is also important to

note that we propose that the options proposed above would still include the

current exemptions under Chapter 11, Article VI:

Exceptions to the definition of a solicitor

a. Any person selling or attempting to sell at wholesale any goods, wares, products,

merchandise, or other personal property to a retail seller of the items being sold by the

wholesaler.

b. Any person who makes initial contacts with other people for the purpose of establishing or

trying to establish a regular customer delivery route for the delivery of perishable food and

dairy products, such as baked goods or milk.

c. Any person making deliveries of perishable food and dairy products to the customers on his

or her established delivery route.

d. Any person making deliveries of newspapers, newsletters, or other similar publications on an

established customer delivery route, when attempting to establish a regular delivery route, or

when publications are delivered to the community at large.

## Council Workshop Letter 26-37

March 11, 2026

Page 4

e. Any child aged 18 and under selling or attempting to sell goods or services when such

child represents their own school, church, or other civic organization to which they belong.

Examples include schools, churches, scouting organizations, parent-teacher organizations,

and local athletic associations.

f.Any person conducting the type of sale commonly known as garage sales, rummage sales,

or estate sales.

g. Any person participating in an organized multi-person bazaar or flea market.

h. Any person conducting an auction as a properly licensed auctioneer.

i.Any officer of the court conducting a court-ordered sale.

Registration exemptions:

a. No registration shall be required for any person to sell or attempt to sell or to take

or attempt to take orders for any product grown, produced, cultivated, or raised on any

farm.

b. No license or registration shall be required of any person going from house to house, door to

door, business to business, street to street, or other type of place-to-place movement for the

primary purpose of exercising that person's state or federal constitutional rights such as the

freedom of speech, press, religion or the like. This exemption may be lost if the person's

exercise of constitutional rights is merely incidental to a commercial activity.

## Written By:Mariah Dunson, Administrative Assistant

## Nicole Pontrelli, Public Safety Manager

## Approved Through:Jason Posel, Public Safety Director/Police Chief

## Attachment:None

## 1B

## City of Woodbury, Minnesota

## Office of City Administrator

## Council Workshop Letter 26-38

March 11, 2026

## To:The Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council

## From:Jeffrey J. Dahl, City Administrator

Subject:Public Safety Vehicle Showcase: Police Armored Vehicle and Fire Ladder Truck

## Summary

Staff will provide an informational walk through of the Police Division’s armored vehicle and the Fire

Division's ladder truck. Vehicles will be positioned at City Hall the evening of the workshop to allow

Council to see and hear more about features, capabilities, deployment scenarios, and training

considerations.

## Recommendation

Staff recommends council attend the showcase and ask questions.

## Governance Mode

1

Fiduciary - Stewardship of tangible assets, oversees operations and ensures efficient and

appropriate use of resources, legal compliance and fiscal accountability.

## Fiscal Implications

Police Armored Vehicle was funded through the 2024 Capital Improvement Fund, with a budgeted

amount of $205,000. The Fire Ladder Truck was funded over a three-year period (2024-2026)

through the Capital Improvement Fund, with a total budget amount of $2,100,000.

## Policy

Not applicable.

## Public Process

June 28, 2023 Council Meeting; Adoption of the 2024-2028 Capital Improvement Plan

June 12, 2024 Council Meeting; Adoption of the 2025-2029 Capital Improvement Plan

July 30, 2025 Council Meeting; Adoption of the 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan

1

Items marked “fiduciary” are primarily business-oriented topics; “strategic” items are primarily related to long-

term strategies or goals; and “generative” items are primarily meant to produce new thoughts or ideas.

## Council Workshop Letter 26-38

March 11, 2026

Page 2

## Background

To support the City’s commitment to delivering safe, efficient, and high-quality public safety services,

the Public Safety Department will utilize both new vehicles as essential resources during operations.

The Police armored suburban will enhance our ability to respond to high‑risk situations safely and

efficiently by providing rapid deployment to incidents where weapons may be present, while also

offering ballistic protection against firearm threats. This vehicle improves the safety of both officers

and community members by enabling protected rescue efforts when an individual requires removal

from a dangerous environment. Additionally, it allows first responders to operate in closer proximity

to locations involving search‑warrants, hostage situations, or barricaded armed subjects, supporting

a more secure and effective tactical response.

The Fire ladder truck is designed with the latest technology and improved operator-friendly functions

that increase efficiency and safety. The ladder truck has a reach of over 100 feet which provides

enhanced EMS and rescue capabilities, elevated fire suppression along with the ability to perform

complex technical rescue operations. As Woodbury continues to grow with numerous multi-level

residential buildings, expansive commercial properties, and multi-unit housing developments the

demand for reliable elevated suppression and rescue operations remains significant. This apparatus

ensures we are properly equipped to meet those demands and safeguard our community effectively.

## Written By:

## Approved By:

## Attachments:

## Jason Posel, Public Safety Director/Police Chief

## Jeffrey J. Dahl, City Administrator

## None