This transcript features **Mayor Matt Montgomery** presiding over the Cannon Falls City Council meeting. Notable speakers include City Administrator **Jon Radermacher** (referred to as "Neil" in the transcript), various Council Members, and guest presenters. [5:00] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Call to order the city council meeting for Tuesday, May 16, 2023. Could I get a roll call please? [5:05] **City Clerk Sara Peer:** Ghazny? **Steve Nordin:** Here. **Sara Peer:** Roeber? **Lisa Zimmerman:** Here. **Sara Peer:** Jeppesen? **Ryan Jeppesen:** Here. **Sara Peer:** Johnson? **Diane Johnson:** Here. **Sara Peer:** Kronenberger? **Laura Kronenberger:** Here. **Sara Peer:** Lindell? **Chris Nobach:** Here. **Sara Peer:** Montgomery? **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Here. Please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. [5:15] **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. [5:30] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** I would take a motion to approve tonight's agenda. **Chris Nobach:** So moved. **Diane Johnson:** Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Motion from Lindell [Nobach], second from Johnson. All those in favor? [Ayes]. Opposed? [5:46] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Carries. That moves us to public input. Public input is intended to afford the public an opportunity to address concerns to the city council. The public input will be no longer than 30 minutes in total length and each speaker will have no more than three minutes to speak... Kurt, the floor is yours. [6:45] **Kurt (Public Speaker):** Um... I wasn't here last time I had another meeting to go to but I am just in general just to speak of this a little bit. I was wondering what the type of vehicles or what kind of go-karts are going to be up there... [Plays audio recording of 125cc go-karts]. So this—and you can multiply that by 10. Okay? That’s what we would be listening to... I know the fair board is its own entity, they’re sovereign if you will, but at this point, what’s the role of the city council? I think it’s to do what’s best for the residents of the city... thank you. [10:32] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Thank you. Nobody else has signed up for public input so we will move on to our presentation tonight. Goodhue County recycling program and is it Willie Roop? Yes, Willie Roop. Willie, yes, floor is yours. [11:00] **Willie Roop (Goodhue County Recycling):** Thank you, Mayor and City Council Members. Thank you for allowing me to come and speak with you tonight... [Begins presentation on recycling and hazardous waste]. [15:31] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Can I ask you to stop right there? Can I ask—those boxes are absolutely wonderful. I think there are a lot of people that put the wrong thing in the wrong place. What happens? Is that extra labor for you, or is there ever a threat that those things would be taken away? [16:00] **Willie Roop:** Thank you for asking that because that was the main reason why I wanted to come tonight... it is a lot of extra labor and it’s a lot of extra cost... [Continues presentation]. [34:02] **Diane Johnson:** Do you have to take tape off of cardboard boxes? **Willie Roop:** You do not have to take the tape off. Just take the styrofoam and any plastic out... [34:47] **Council Member:** Yeah so, I [talk] to Waste Management, correct? They pick up our recycling. So they don’t bring it down to you then? **Willie Roop:** They do not. It’s just what we collect and what’s dropped off at our center... Thank you so much for your time. [36:00] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Thank you very much. That moves us on to the consent agenda tonight... Are there any items that the council would like to discuss or pull down? **Lisa Zimmerman:** I'd like to pull down item A. **Steve Nordin:** I would like to pull down F just for a question—actually, does it need to be pulled down for a question or could that just be asked? I noticed that there were three separate categories on the caulking and I wondered why we only did one and not all three? **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator):** The others will be hopefully okay. **Steve Nordin:** Okay, thanks Neil [Jon]. [37:10] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Any others from the council? **Chris Nobach:** Without pulling it down, I just want to say for item E, the Girl Scout project, thank you... exciting to see that we have young people that are getting involved in the community. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** I would take a motion to approve the consent agenda. **Diane Johnson:** So moved. **Steve Nordin:** Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Motion by Diane, second from Steve. All those in favor say aye? [Ayes]. Opposed? Carries. [38:15] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Moving down to council business, we will put Item A that got dragged down as Item C. We'll start with John Birch Park Donation Agreement and Dugout Plan Approval. Neil [Jon], I'll let you start off. [38:44] **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator):** This did go to Park Board at their last meeting. We’ve been working on this for quite some time. The dugout project is a great community project... Rich, you got anything else? **Rich Burr (John Birch Park Supporters):** Rich Burr, I'm here representing John Birch Park Supporters. Basically, our project is for the third-base dugout side. It’s a dugout and a storage area... we'll also add two ADA accessible bathrooms at field level. [41:47] **Laura Kronenberger:** So the wall that's being taken down, the one that's not doing well—that's the stone from the old mill, isn't it? **Rich Burr:** Yes, that will be a separate piece of work on the first baseline. We have an ideation list of how we might want to repurpose that. [42:32] **Council Member:** Rich, would it be a permanent concession stand on top of the dugout or just for really busy events? **Rich Burr:** It’ll be multi-purpose. I see it being great for football and the state amateur baseball tournament in 2028. [43:18] **Council Member:** Is it going to mess up your baseball this year? **Rich Burr:** Potentially. Once we start demolition, the Bears will probably move games off... [43:45] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Not hearing anything else, I would take a motion to approve the John Birch Park donation agreement. **Ryan Jeppesen:** I'll make a motion. **Chad Johnson:** Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Motion by Jeppesen, second by Johnson. All those in favor? [Ayes]. Opposed? It carries. [44:05] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Item B, market study proposal from DDA Human Resources. Neil [Jon], we touched base a little bit at the last meeting. [44:15] **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator):** Steve and Lisa, as part of the union negotiating committee, we discussed that we should be doing a pay study so we really know where we’re at... $10,100 to do 23 full-time employees. [46:24] **Steve Nordin:** I think it’s a good thing. Lisa and I were talking about it with Neil. We can’t pick numbers out of the air anymore; we gotta do it according to the area and this equity thing. [47:56] **Laura Kronenberger:** Are we required to—like if the amounts come in and they're quite a bit higher than anticipated, are we kind of obligated? **Jon Radermacher:** This is guidance. I’ve seen cities break it in two or follow recommendations. Right now, we can’t keep police officers in squad cars. [50:14] **Laura Kronenberger:** Do we have a timeline? **Jon Radermacher:** They'll start tomorrow. **Laura Kronenberger:** Why are we not doing $6,000 annually for maintenance? We're in a world of hurt right now. I feel like if we were ahead of this, we wouldn't be $20,000 behind in pay. [51:47] **Council Member:** Is there no appetite for doing that on our own? Could someone from the city call Red Wing and ask their pay scale? **Jon Radermacher:** Unions will bring their own list of cities. Having an unbiased professional group helps us stay on the same playing field. [57:56] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Do I have a motion to approve the market study proposal? **Steve Nordin:** I’m gonna make that motion. **Laura Kronenberger:** Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Motion from Mr. Ghazny [Nordin], second from Laura. All those in favor? [Ayes]. Opposed? That carries. [58:43] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Which brings us to Item C—the "just and correct claims." Lisa, yes? **Lisa Zimmerman:** I was looking through the accounts payable and we paid the attorneys again $1,340 for data requests. Total $1,878 in data requests sent to the attorney by one person. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Is there a way to quantify our local City Hall manpower hours? **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator):** I used to keep track; I'm too busy right now to be figuring out how many hours I spend shoving this stuff around. I've got a file box full of them. [1:01:48] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** I would accept a motion to approve the claims. **Chad Johnson:** Motion. **Ryan Jeppesen:** I'll second it. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** All those in favor? [Ayes]. Carries. Maggie, you've got a very captive audience tonight. [1:02:15] **Maggie (Chamber of Commerce):** Good evening Council and Mayor. Just a couple updates from the Chamber. We have moved offices to 127 Fourth Street North. Our Discover guides are out... June 1st is our Fun Fest. [1:05:30] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Thank you. We'll go through reports. The EDA met on Thursday, May 4th. Park Board also met on May 4th. Neil, you want to do it? **Jon Radermacher:** Sure, Park Board approved the Girl Scout award, John Birch agreement, and pool caulking. **Diane Johnson:** Library Board met on May 8th. I did not go because it was my birthday... Summer reading program is "Find Your Voice." [1:07:55] **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Sarah [Peer], do you have anything? No. Joe [Chief Jeff McCormick]? **Jeff McCormick (Police Chief):** Final week of school, so we're going to start seeing kids on bikes. Drive safe and stay aware. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Neil, you're good? Council—Laura? **Laura Kronenberger:** Reiterate that if people have concerns about the go-kart track, they should contact the Fair Board. Legal information says that's a state issue, not a city issue. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Lisa? Ryan? **Ryan Jeppesen:** I'm excited for that John Birch Park thing. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** Derek [Nobach]? Diane? Steve? Me neither. Just a reminder, there is a meeting at the Veterans Park regarding noise this Thursday at 7 PM. I would take a motion to adjourn. **Lisa Zimmerman:** So moved. **Chris Nobach:** Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery:** We're adjourned.