Here is the transcribed townhall meeting with speaker names added based on the context and the provided list of officials. **Note:** Some names mentioned in the transcript (like "Neil," "Suo," "Mike," and "Derek Londelle") were not in your provided list but are identified here based on their spoken roles (Finance, EMS, Fire, and Council respectively). [0:28] e (Placeholder) ... [26:56] e (Placeholder) [27:21] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: [Laughter] I call to order city council meeting for Tuesday December 19th 2023. If I could get a roll call please. [27:32] **City Clerk Sara Peer**: Guesmi? **Council Member Steve Guesmi**: Here. **City Clerk Sara Peer**: Grot? **Council Member**: Here. **City Clerk Sara Peer**: Jeppesen? **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Here. **City Clerk Sara Peer**: Johnson? **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Here. **City Clerk Sara Peer**: Kronenberger? **Council Member Laura Kronenberger**: Here. **City Clerk Sara Peer**: Londelle? **Council Member Derek Londelle**: Here. **City Clerk Sara Peer**: Montgomery? **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Here. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. [27:45] **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. [27:55] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: If I could get approval of tonight's agenda. **Council Member**: So moved. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion from Miss Grot. Do I have a second? **Council Member Steve Guesmi**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Second from Mr. Guesmi. All those in favor? **Council Members**: Aye. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? Carries. Uh, public input—there is nobody that has signed up, so we will skip public input tonight and get straight to the consent agenda. Consent agenda items may be adopted under one motion as presented or may be removed for discussion and resolution as city council business. Item A: Just and correct claims for the accounting period ending on December 14th. Meeting minutes for November 27th, 2023 city council work session. Item C: Meeting minutes for December 5th, 2023 city council meeting. Item D: Second reading and Adoption of ordinance 401, an ordinance establishing the public works and Park Board. Item E: Approve final pay request for Bluff Drive Paving project. Item F: Resolution 2725 accepting a monetary donation of $1,000 from Invenergy to the fire department. Item G: Resolution 2726 accepting a monetary donation of $1,000 from Invenergy to our Police Department. Item H: Resolution 2727 accepting a monetary donation of $1,000 from Invenergy to the ambulance department. And Item I: Approval of the public works the 49ers Union contract. Is there anything the council would like to pull down for discussion? Not hearing any, I would take a motion to approve the consent agenda. [29:22] **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: So moved. **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion from Jeppesen, second from Diane. All those in favor? **Council Members**: Aye. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? And it carries. Gets us to council business: Resolution 2728 adopting our 2024 tax levy and budget. Neil, I know we've worked through this a lot; everybody should have all the information in front of them. If there's anything you'd like to highlight tonight—the last meeting of the year—just the formality. [29:55] **Neil (Finance)**: Yeah, um, I just got a couple of things that I want to talk about. I'm not going to read all the stuff that we went through the last meeting, a couple meetings ago, but uh, I did miss one line item of the police Aid which was 70,000, so I inserted it into the budget. And then I wanted to talk about two items that the state had funded that uh, we'll be receiving in 2024, but uh, we don't know the exact amounts. And one of them is that uh, small City street fund, um, and uh, uh, the public safety money that the chief has been talking about. We don't know what them numbers are yet. We don't know what we can spend them on. Um, that'll be more to come, but it um, sounds like the chief was talking 70, 80,000 on the public safety side and typically 30, 40 on the street side. So, more of that to come later. So that's—that's a wrap on the budget. [30:52] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Great, thank you. Questions, comments, concerns from the council before we take a vote? Hearing nothing, I would take a motion to approve resolution 2728, the 2024 tax levy and budget. **Council Member Derek Londelle**: So moved. **Council Member Steve Guesmi**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion by Londelle, second by Guesmi. All those in favor? **Council Members**: Aye. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? Carries. Moves us on to Item B: Paramedic tuition program. Uh, Tim is not here. Suo, would you like to speak, or Neil, would you like to speak on this? [31:26] **Neil (Finance)**: I'll start it off and Suo can answer any questions uh, that you may have. Um, this did hit the finance committee uh, on December 11th. Um, what it is, is a paramedic tuition program where we'll help out EMTs that are currently working for us or want to work for us, um, with some of their training to get through the Paramedic program. Um, if you read the memo, it's uh, broken into four parts: 25% uh, while in school, 25% while uh, after their certification, and then 25% after one year and 25% after a couple of years. Um, as everyone knows how we've struggled to get paramedics uh, um, to work in Cannon Falls, it's uh, it's nice now with uh, um, with what's going on in in the world today that—that people are—are trying to finesse their way, employees away from other uh, sources. So I—I think this will be a good thing to uh, get in place. And we have a retirement tonight right after this agenda item uh, uh, a long-term employee, and uh, trying to replace Brenda will be difficult. So uh, um, I think this is a good program to get started. [32:39] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Questions or comments from the council regarding the paramedic tuition program? **Council Member**: Sounds like a great idea. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Yeah, great. I would take a motion to approve. **Council Member Diane Johnson**: So moved. **Council Member Lisa Zimmerman**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion from Diane, second from Lisa. All those in favor? **Council Members**: Aye. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? Carries. Which brings us to our last item of the day: Full-time Paramedic Brenda Vchalik announcing her retirement. Suo, if you would like to—is there anything you'd like to say on this? [33:12] **Suo (EMS Lieutenant)**: I have a few things I'd like to say. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: All right, step right up, young man. [33:14] **Suo (EMS Lieutenant)**: Good evening, Mayor and City Council. My name is Suo, the EMS Lieutenant for Cannon Falls Ambulance Service. Um, I might get a little emotional, so sorry about that. Um, Brenda has been an employee of the city of Cannon Falls in one way or another for over 40 plus years. And um, she has a direct or indirect [impact] um, and—and everyone who's ever worked for the Cannon Falls ambulance, she pretty much is probably on the first call until her last day in December 29th. Um, she has taught all of us how to be EMTs, paramedics, and how to um, take care of patients and be that person. One thing I can say about Brenda: when she's not on a call and we show up, they say, "Where's Brenda?" That pretty much sums up Brenda uh, in a nutshell. Um, most of all of us have learned from Brenda. She has taught us how to be compassionate and how to take care of our community. She's devoted her life to serving others and there is no one better. The passion and dedication that she has is inspiring for all those who work, especially me. I've worked with Brenda for 15 years and I don't believe I would be where I'm at, the compassion that I have for patients, if it wasn't for Brenda. Um, let's see. With that being said, Brenda, from the bottom of our hearts from Cannon Falls Ambulance Service and all of your employees that have worked for you, we thank you very much for all that you have done. And one more thing I'd like to say: Cannon Falls Ambulance Service is in good hands. We got it from here. Thank you. Thank you for your time. [35:16] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Thank you. Thank you. Now I'm going to let Mike—he has some things. Mike's worked with her for about 50 years. [35:28] **Mike (Fire Department Member)**: Not that [long]—um, yeah, so we got to discover a couple more things. Brenda, um, what most people don't know is as long as I've been on the fire department, for 21 years now, um, and Brenda's been an honorary member of the fire department that entire time, and who knows—I'm guessing a couple decades before that. Um, so she's very important to us on the fire department. She helps us with everything down there, a lot of our admin stuff, things that us volunteers don't have the time to do all the time, she just does it. And um, I don't quite know how we're—we're not letting her go just yet, you know, we got to transition that somehow. Um, but she'll—she'll figure that out with us. She's—she's a good teacher. Um, so and maybe this isn't legal to say, but I'll say it: Um, like so I was a ambulance employee for 10 years. I never applied for the ambulance service. She filled out my application for me after I got done taking the class that she taught—the entire thing—and just said, "Oh by the way, you were on the Council agenda last night, you're on the ambulance service now." I'm like, "Well, I didn't apply." "Yeah you did, but don't tell anybody." So obviously they didn't know it wasn't my handwriting, so she took care of that for me. Um, but then I spent 10 awesome years on the ambulance service with her, six of them full-time in Suo's position. And I'm just one of the people I know that she's touched, that I got everywhere I got in Emergency Services because of her. Um, I—I can't think of a better mentor that people have had for the years and years she's put in. I mean, 45 years—that's legendary, you know? Nobody does that anymore. But she did, and she's still smiling about it. You know, she's not leaving bitter, she's leaving with tears in her eyes because of how much she loves this place. So on behalf of the fire department, Brenda, thank you. I—I know that's not enough, um, but we had to say it tonight. So thank you. Thank you. [37:25] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Ah, that gets us to our reports. Uh, oh—oh, I'm sorry, we—we have to make an official vote to accept... well, I don't want to accept it, I want to keep her! I—I know, decline it! We're fine with a revolving door. Um, if Council would like to make comments now or if you'd like to save that for the end of the meeting, that's fine. There is action that does need to be taken, unfortunately. Uh, if you'd like to do that now? [37:55] **Council Member Diane Johnson**: I move we accept with very much regret and and a ton of thankfulness for her service—her resignation. **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: I'll second it. Nobody wants to second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion from Diane, second from Ryan. All those in favor? **Council Members**: Aye. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? It carries. Thank you, thank you, Brenda. Thank you. Thanks, Brenda. Uh, EDA, Library Board... anything you'd like to say before the end of the year? **Council Member**: Library board didn't meet. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Okay. And uh, EDA, if there's anything that uh—we had some goal setting? **Council Member**: Yep, looking forward to 2024. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Uh, Jed, anything that you'd like to add? [38:36] **Jed Petersen (Public Works Director)**: Um, I've had a couple question phone calls about uh, tree trimming. Um, the guys have been going around trimming boulevard trees mainly to—as we plow to, you know, things grow through the summer and just to keep things from hitting our mirrors and whatnot with the plow trucks. Um, but the boulevard trees are the city's responsibility, just to remind the public of that. I've had a couple people just question—question us on that. Um, also Hardwood Estates is uh, moving right along. They've got uh, sewer and water—the main line's about complete—and the the services are—are being installed now. So it's moving right along. They're thinking they'll make it maybe a little bit next week and then I think the temperature is going to drop too much and they'll be done for this year. So, all right. And that's all I got. [39:21] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Thank you. Chief, anything you'd like to add tonight? [39:24] **Jeff McCormick (Police Chief)**: Wow. Uh, I wasn't sure that I would see Brenda retire before I did, so... yeah, we—we're... this is—this is uh, this is uh, you know, quite uh, quite a shock for—for the ambulance department, for the Fire Department, for the police department. Brenda's been a part of every one of those organizations. Um, I know she's not going to disappear, uh, because during those 40 plus years she was also a very active member of our community and I expect that to continue. Uh, but on behalf of the police department—current, past, present, future—thank you for all you've done for us, for their community, Brenda. It's really appreciated. That's all I got. [40:11] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Thanks, Chief. Sarah? [40:13] **City Clerk Sara Peer**: All right, I have a list. I'm gonna extend this meeting a little long... no. Um, I always said that uh, if I were to be in an accident, this would—Cannon Falls would be the area, because I knew Brenda would come and help us out. So, um, and I know a lot of other people feel that way too, Brenda. Um, you truly are a gift to this community. So thank you very much for your service. Um, I know Tim is planning on doing a little something for you eventually, sometime—Tim and I talked about it a little bit—but we do have cookies for after the meeting to celebrate Brenda a little bit here. So, a little something. So moving on... um, today we had our auditors here, we had a pre-audit today. Um, everything is moving forward with that. We did—it looks good today. So hopefully the full audit will be in April. So we'll—they'll be here for a week in April. Um, coming up in the New Year, we have three elections coming, um, starting in March. So we'll probably eventually I'll be coming to the council; we'll have to change a couple meeting—council meeting dates because that will interfere with some elections. So, and other than that, Merry Christmas! [41:25] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: All right, thank you, Sarah. Neil? [41:30] **Neil (Finance)**: I just want to say thank you. Um, I haven't been here very long, but the—the stuff that I've heard about 40 some years of dedication... I heard a statement today that kind of shocked you—shocked me—and it was said that, you know, there's a lot of people walking around here today that might not have been walking around here today because of her. And that come from the public. So thank you for all them years. Thank you. [42:12] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: We'll start over here. Laura? **Council Member Laura Kronenberger**: Um, no, I just reiterate—I don't know if we can say it enough, but thank you. **Council Member Lisa Zimmerman**: Lisa: Congrats Brenda, Merry Christmas everyone. **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Ryan: Thanks Brenda, lot of years. Um, other than that, happy holidays. **Council Member Derek Londelle**: Derek: Yeah, for my whole life you've basically been the face of that department, so it's going to be very strange not having you around. So enjoy your retirement and thank you. **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Diane: And if I need the ambulance, you come out of the retirement just long enough to get me there! All right? But um, incredible job for all those years and the community and all of us. Thank you. **Council Member Steve Guesmi**: Steve: Um, same as everyone else, Brenda. My first ride with you was from the old hospital to the—the old helicopter pad. It wasn't a very long trip but you—it was nice and smooth. You know, nicer than Suo gave me on the way! But thank you. 45 years is just—you just don't hear it anymore. We just—I don't know what else to say about that, but thank you. [43:40] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Uh, thank you Council and everybody for a great year. Uh, it's hard to believe how fast this year went by. Uh, Brenda, everybody saying thank you there—words can't describe how much you have meant to the community in this time. But also, one of my biggest moments was after that event and seeing you and even trying to tell the story... it's not really going to do it justice, but how much you meant to the other EMTs and to the fire department when I stopped in just to see—just to stop by to say hi and see how everybody was doing and see if there's anything I could do. And the fire department members walking in there, putting their arms around you, everybody just saying—giving you a hug. Uh, that story to me is the perfect example of you. You mean that much to the entire community. That day it was the fire department and the other EMTs, but everybody here saying thank you isn't enough to—to truly show what you mean. And thank you. Thank you for all these years. Thank you for helping to shape this community. With that said, it's time to adjourn. **Council Member Derek Londelle**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion from Derek, second from Diane. All those in favor? **Council Members**: Aye. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you. [44:54] (End of Meeting)