[0:00] **(Background Noise)** [0:38] **Brad Phenow**: Does he want that M? You want this mic now? Mics are live, might as well. That one's not on as you pulled it out. We're live on YouTube. Her car was outside. Okay, somewhere. Yep, she's turned around. Oh, in the back. [1:15] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Ready? We call the Tuesday, October 8th, 2024 meeting to order. We'll start with a roll call. [1:15] **City Clerk Heather Slechta**: Council Member Rowan? **Council Member John Rowan**: Here. **City Clerk Heather Slechta**: Doumbouya? **Council Member Adama Youhn Doumbouya**: Here. **City Clerk Heather Slechta**: Ross? **Council Member Royal Ross**: Here. **City Clerk Heather Slechta**: Barnes? **Council Member Mandy Barnes**: Here. **City Clerk Heather Slechta**: Thiele? **Council Member Chuck Thiele**: Here. **City Clerk Heather Slechta**: Mayor Spooner? **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Here. Please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. [1:15] **All**: 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. [1:53] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: I need a motion and a second to approve tonight's agenda. [1:53] **Council Member Adama Youhn Doumbouya**: I'll make a motion to approve. [1:53] **Council Member Chuck Thiele**: Second. [1:53] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: I got a motion by Council Doumbouya, second by Council Member Thiele. All in favor say "aye." (Ayes). Opposed? That passes. We have a proclamation tonight and then some oaths of office. [2:46] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Office of the Mayor, City of Faribault Proclamation. Whereas Infants Remembered in Silence Incorporated and many other nonprofit organizations work with thousands of parents all over Minnesota and across the United States who have experienced the death of a child in early childhood; and whereas many of these parents live in, deliver in, have a child dying, or bury a child in; and whereas Infants Remembered in Silence, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, was founded in 1987 to offer support for parents whose child or children died from miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy, stillbirth, neonatal death, birth defects, sudden unexplained death of a child syndrome, sudden infant death syndrome, illness, accidents, and other types of infant early childhood deaths; whereas bereaved parents around the world remember their children annually in their homes or with small gatherings October 15th with candle lighting at 7:00 p.m. Families remember their children around the state and across the nation; this proclamation unifies these parents. Whereas in 1988, President Ronald Reagan proclaimed October as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month in the United States, honoring the lives of children gone too soon and in support of grieving parents, siblings, grandparents, family members, and friends whose lives are changed forever by the heartbreaking death of a child; whereas in honor of the thousands of children that die each year in Minnesota, Infants Remembered in Silence respectfully requests that October 15th, 2024, be recognized as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Now, therefore, I, Thomas J. Spooner, Mayor for the City of Faribault, do hereby proclaim Tuesday, October 15, 2024, as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. [4:45] **Infants Remembered in Silence Representative**: I'd like to thank everybody, the Council, and the community of Faribault for being so supportive of infants for the past 37 years and having this proclamation. We have lots of brochures if you have questions. [4:45] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: I do like to come and see you every year. [5:13] **Infants Remembered in Silence Representative**: It's unusual. We'd like to invite everybody to come to the office, which is west on... we'll be doing a candle lighting service in front of a lot of different locations all around. [6:23] **City Administrator Jessica Kinser**: I need more of a semi... Get Brad. Okay, I am going to read you all the oath, and I would ask that when I say the part about stating your name, that you would individually state it as we go along so that we all recognize who is being sworn in tonight. [6:51] **City Administrator Jessica Kinser**: Please state your name. [7:17] **Firefighters**: (Individuals state names). I solemnly swear to support the Constitution of the United States and of the State of Minnesota, and that I will faithfully discharge the duties of a firefighter of the City of Faribault, Minnesota, to the best of my judgment and ability. [7:17] **City Administrator Jessica Kinser**: Thank you all, and I will turn it over to Chief Dienst. [8:02] **Fire Chief Dustin Dienst**: Thank you, Administrator Kinser. First, I want to thank the Mayor and the Council for giving us the resources and the ability to hire these young men. Also, I want to thank you for stepping up and offering to serve your community. These guys have been on for a few months, they've been through a lot of training—their Firefighter 1 and 2 training, homework, weekend work. It's a big commitment like this to help our community. Let's get some badges pinned on you guys. Badge pinners, come up. Step on the step or you can bend over so that they can reach. Go ahead, anybody. [9:24] **Fire Chief Dustin Dienst**: As long as it dangles, you're good. So join me in welcoming the new Faribault firefighters. (Applause). Congratulations, thank you, welcome. Congratulations, thank you, welcome. Congratulations, congratulations, welcome. Congrats and welcome. Thank you for coming. [10:18] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: So if you're wondering why we're all backward when we're doing the introductions, we're trying out the new camera system. We're trying to get it to work, so that's why our backs were to everybody tonight, but we'll get there. [10:18] **Council Member Royal Ross**: I was watching it, but it's impersonal. I don't like it. [10:47] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Hey, we got our two people in the audience, we're back to normal. All right, we'll move on with approval of the minutes of the September 24th, 2024, City Council meeting and the October 1st, 2024, special City Council meeting closed session. Do you have any changes or corrections that need to be made? If not, I'll take a motion and a second. [10:47] **Council Member Royal Ross**: So moved. [10:47] **Council Member Adama Youhn Doumbouya**: Second. [11:35] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Motion by Council Ross, second by Council Doumbouya. All in favor say "aye." (Ayes). Opposed? No. Request to be heard out there? Because we're back down to normal. We'll move on to Consent Items 6A through 6K. Anybody have anything they want pulled for discussion? If not, I would take a motion and a second to approve. [11:35] **Council Member John Rowan**: So moved. [11:35] **Council Member Chuck Thiele**: Second. [11:35] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Motion by Council Member Rowan, second by Council Member Thiele. All in favor say "aye." (Ayes). Opposed? (None). Move on to Public Hearings—we have none of those tonight. So we'll move on to items for discussion. Ordinance 2024-16: Amend Chapter 28, Division 4 of the Code of Ordinances regarding disconnection of water for non-payment, first reading. Over to Administrator Kinser. [12:22] **City Administrator Jessica Kinser**: Yes, thank you, Mayor. So this is the ordinance that we've discussed at a few different work sessions over two months about eliminating the disconnection of water for non-payment for 99% of circumstances. But the ordinance does still reserve the right for us to disconnect water in a situation where it is to protect the integrity of the system. That is the major change. One thing I would like to point out is if we're not disconnecting water to try and collect payment, we will be using a tool that we already do use at some points, which is the special assessment tool. Just as a heads-up for all of you, assuming this is approved in a time that works for us to move forward, November 30th is the deadline for having any special assessments into the County for them to be placed on the 2025 tax bill. We would be trying to meet that timeline with the second reading on the October 22nd meeting to ensure that the stopping of the disconnection would be something where we would not be leaving anything behind for the 2025 tax bill. [13:10] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Okay. We talked about this in work session twice now and lots of good questions taking care of issues with landlords and renters and private property owners. So, further questions for Administrator Kinser? [13:10] **Council Member Royal Ross**: Mayor Spooner, I'll make a motion to approve Ordinance 2024-16. [13:51] **Council Member John Rowan**: Second. [13:51] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Motion by Council Member Ross, second by Council Member Rowan. All in favor say "aye." (Ayes). Opposed? That one passes first reading. We'll see that one again in two weeks. We have no bids tonight. Any boards, commission reports, announcements, or project updates? [14:38] **Council Member Royal Ross**: Mayor Spooner, just a note in our consent agenda: I'd like to thank the people that we appointed to be the 2024 election judges. I believe there's about 59 of them, so thank you to all of them for their time and effort on that day. It'll be a long day for some of them. And out on the calendar, it looks like we've got the Spooktacular Fun Run coming up on Saturday, so they'll be out and about. And also the Bloody Fest, the second annual collaboration between Crybaby Craig's and 10,000 Drops. [14:38] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Right. I have a report out from our closed session here from our review of Jessica Kinser. The City Council has conducted a six-month performance review of Jessica Kinser as City Administrator for the City of Faribault. As part of the evaluation process, the City Council evaluated Jessica on fiscal management, supervision, leadership, council relations, intergovernmental relations, community relations, and personal traits. The process reached the following conclusions: Jessica Kinser's performance has an average score that is exceeding expectations. Goals, objectives, and areas to focus on were given to Jessica to work towards. As per Jessica's employment agreement with the City of Faribault, and by exceeding all expectations, she will receive a one-step increase in wages to Grade V, Step 9 under the amended non-union Compensation Plan 2022 to 2024 and receive three days of administrative leave. This will be in effect October 1st, 2024. Jessica, you've had a lot of challenges since you came in. It's been a whirlwind, and we appreciate all that you're doing. Anything else for tonight? If not, I would take a motion and a second to adjourn. [15:25] **Council Member Adama Youhn Doumbouya**: Move. [15:25] **Council Member Royal Ross**: Second. [15:25] **Mayor Thomas J. Spooner**: Motion by Council Doumbouya, second by Council Member Ross. All in favor say "aye." (Ayes). Opposed? (None). Adjourned.