[0:51] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: We'll call the city council meeting for Monday, March 2nd to order. Would everyone please rise for the pledge of allegiance? [1:03] Council and Audience: 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. [1:18] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Call the role, please. [1:18] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Wilson, [1:18] Council Member Holly Wilson: here. [1:18] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Cortis, [1:18] Council Member Jake Cordis: here. [1:18] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Bernance, [1:18] Council Member Steve Bernance: here. [1:18] City Clerk Shirley: Acting Mayor Lean [1:18] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: here. All right, we are all here. Unless there's any changes to the agenda, I would look for a motion to approve. [1:35] Council Member Holly Wilson: Um, mayor, councel, um, under consent item 7.1, I'd like to move that to section 12 under new business and make that 12.2 and then renumber sections or reumber the consent accordingly. [1:52] City Administrator David McKnight: Okay. Acting mayor, I have a request that we pull item 5.1, the swearing in police department personnel, and postpone it for another time. Thanks, ma'am. [1:52] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Okay. So, I would look for a motion to approve an agenda uh removing item 5.1, swearing under the police department personnel and moving item 7.1 from the consent agenda to new business item 12.2 and adjusting all remaining consent agenda agenda items. Motion to approve. [2:21] Council Member Holly Wilson: Second. [2:21] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Uh motion by Steve, second by Holly. All in favor say I. [2:21] Council Members: I. [2:21] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Okay. So then we will skip item five and we'll go number five, announcements. All right. Comments are a time for anyone to address the city council on matters not on the agenda. Comments from speakers must be informational in nature and may not exceed five minutes. The city council will not engage in discussion or debate in those five minutes, but will take the information and issue a response to those requiring one by the next council meeting. When you come up to the podium, state the city or township that you live in. As part of the protocol, it is unacceptable for any speaker to slander or engage in character assassination or discuss personnel complaints at a public council meeting. As such, speakers will not be allowed to identify city employees either by name or position or to identify any other person by name during the public comment period. If one does, their comments will be deemed done. Please address your comments to the council as a whole. If decorum cannot be maintained during a speaker's time, the council will recess to allow decorum to be restored. Upon return from recess, citizen comments will resume provided order can be maintained. If order cannot be restored, the meeting may be adjourned. Is there anyone who would like to speak tonight? And real quick before we start the timer, I know some people get a little nervous. Starting the time timer before they say their name and address cuts into the time where they actually want to talk. So I just ask, can you maybe say, "Hey, David Sabberg, Farmington, 224th Street," then start the time just so it doesn't infringe on that 5 minutes. It just gives them a little bit extra time. So just something to consider and I see you're doing that. So once again, if you go ahead, [3:38] David Sabberg: David Sabberg, 224th Street West, Formington, um, at a previous meeting meeting that was at, a couple council members expressed a deep concern about buyers who knowingly will purchase lots next to train tracks. They questioned what disclosures or warnings the builder would provide about trains running past those homes multiple times a day. But those buyers have a choice to move there. that builder probably would change the lot, add landscaping. Do something to incentivize that, whether it's a cheaper lot or whatever the case may be because real estate is location, location, location. Now, speaking of that, I live near the golf course. My builder and the comp plan the city provided stated that I'd be next to a golf course or at worst residential homes, low to medium to high density and highway business. All which were acceptable when I made my decision to buy my forever home. I built a walkout rambler with two steps to get into it. So when I become an old man and have crappy knees, I can get into it pretty easily. First floor living through and through. So, with that being said, I paid a premium to be in the lot that I was at, knowing that I'd be by a golf course or by homes, not industrial. That being said, that choice is taken away from me when this spot zoning occurs. I take a look at it and go, now former mayor suggested that residents, if they don't like it, they can just leave. So, I started shopping around, went to the same exact builder, found the same footprint, found this same size lot. Now, the lot was a little different. It was a steep slope to a pond. Not ideal for toddlers running around to have a giant steep hill going into a pond in the backyard. But all in all, all things considered, the same house, same lot. Now, that being said, did not have the large patio that I built, a threeseason porch, the large three stall garage. Guess what? For me to sell my house, saying I get the same market value today, Sand's data center, my mortgage payment would double. Okay? So, my payment would go from X to 2x. My terms would go from 14 years to 30 to get the exact same house. Oh, by the way, I would have to buy it in Fairboat. So, once again, when people say just shut up and move or do that, how am I supposed to fiscally responsibly move without risking financial ruin? I'm doubling everything. Now, we talk about mental health. We always talk that everybody has and we patted the mayor, former mayor on the back for being courageous about talking about his mental health. And like I said, he last meeting I said he had to do what he had to do for his sake. I still believe that. But what about the mental health of the four people in my household, the 20 some odd kids that are under the age of 16 from one street down to the golf course, all their families, what about their mental health? If you start doing research, facts don't just live in La La Land. They're there. There's proof that these monstrosities cause physical and mental toll on neighbors. So now we're not talking just mental health. We're talking physical health. So what about them? We pat everybody on the back and say, "Good job. You did what you needed to do for your mental health." Bunch of us are standing in here saying, "What about my mental health? So, I have a choice between risking financial hardship and financial ruin by choosing to buy the same style house, or you're making me downgrade to keep the same fiscal responsibility. So, I'm losing the quality of life that I have to get a smaller house, but the same payment, crappier lot, but the same payment for my mental health, for my physical well-being. Now, am I as happy as I am on my current lot? Probably not. So, why is one person's mental health more important than the whole neighborhood's mental and physical health? Do better. [8:37] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Anybody else? [8:37] David Pritzoff: [clears throat] David Pritzoff, 20255 Aken Run. I couldn't help but think at the last meeting when the mayor resigned and stepped away how many comments were said from the dis about his condition. Whatever it is, I stay out of that. I thanked him for his service, but as a public official that stepped down, some of the things that were said shouldn't have been said in public. I mean, I was told when I was on the city council, yeah, you take aim at, you know, that's what you you applied for is to take shots from people whe if that's what you ought to call them. But like I said at the last meeting, I was told you grow thicker skin when you're up there. And that's what you need to do. When you step away, you're just like any of any of the rest of us. You don't get to talk about my personal issues. So, some of the things that were said about the mayor was very sketchy. Get yourself into a lawsuit, I think. Secondly, is on Wednesday after that meeting, I went to the rally at the state capital. I'll take a shot. I didn't see any of you there. I learned a hell of a lot. I've learned more about this data center thing from January than I think you guys did in two years. This this type of thing that is going on here isn't unique to Farmington. I mean the NDAs are all over the state of Minnesota. We had people from Herington, Hermantown, Duth, Monaceelt, Pine Island. Same crooked shi stuff went through every city and it seems crooked. So, I mean, I'm I'm just going to put my my opinion out there that, you know, if it seems crooked, it must be crooked because there was a lot of other cities that are it's doing the same thing. They're just ramrodding these things down to people. It's just unbelievable. So, I know you guys I know the mayor said that you guys have visited some uh data centers. you went down to Iowa, which was a smaller one. But I just can't believe what I've learned since January about these things and the processes and everything else. So, um I'm still going to ask you that in in May when the developer does come to you for an extension that you do not grant extension. You're wasting [cough and clears throat] the city's uh time. You're wasting the taxpayers money to keep having the city staff work and work and work on it. That's not the way developments should go. They should come here with all their eyes dotted, tees crossed, and be ready for you, not to keep, you know, prolonging things. I understand now they've own own the land. Again, don't let that be pressure to you because I wouldn't go out and buy land that I know that that I don't know what I could do with. I mean, if I was going to buy some land, I'd come talk to the planning commission and the city and and say, "Hey, is it something I can do there?" But to go buy it and then come back here and ask for certain certain approvals. Again, like I said before, you put yourself down the dead end road that you can't turn back and you think you got to keep saying yes. You really don't. As to this clock, I've said this before, too. Now, with whatever you guys do with with the mayor tonight, that mayor has the option to take this clock away. The fivem minute rule has always been in effect, but it's up to the mayor to give extra time. And if somebody can't talk as fast or get their point across, it's the mayor's job to say, "Hey, we'll let you go six. We'll let you go seven. We'll let you know way I would work it. If somebody comes up here repeating themselves, just rambling on, I'd probably say, "Okay, stop." But if they're trying to get their point across, get rid of the clock. It just it just makes people nervous. And then you just make it so that people don't even want to come here. If they want to prepare a speech at home and they get up here and they, oh well, I can't finish it. They get nervous. There's people out here that they just can't do it. So, whatever you do with the mayor tonight, that mayor can make the decision and run the meeting the way he or she wants to run it and get rid of this clock. [13:26] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Thank you. Anybody else tonight? [13:40] Casey Nelson: Okay. Um, my name is Casey Nelson. I live at in the neighborhood adjacent to the proposed data center in uh, executive estates. At the last meeting, there was a statement made that uh no one in this room is in possession of facts and that facts are an objective in objective space. I want to respectfully but clear clearly respond to that. Residents are not searching for abstract facts. We are searching for verified information uh documented impacts and clear timelines so that we can understand the decisions that will shape our homes, our finances and our daily lives for decades to come. Facts do not float. They are measured, studied, and publicly documented. [snorts] And across the country, the impacts of hypers scale data centers are well established. Water consumption. Depending on cooling methods, large data centers can consume hundreds and thousand hundreds of thousands to millions of gallons of water per day. Many mun municipalities now evaluate long-term water sustainability before approval to ensure community resources are protected. Energy demand and infrastructure. Hypers scale facilities require enormous electrical capacity, sometimes comparable to tens of thousands of homes, often [snorts] requiring new substations, transmission uh upgrades, and long-term grid planning. light and visual impacts. 24-hour operations require security lighting in large industrial structures. Without [snorts] strong controls and buffering, nearby neighborhoods can experience light spillover and significant vis visual um industrialization [snorts] noise and public health. Large data centers operate continuously using industrial cooling equipment and backup generators. uh persistent low frequency mechanical noise can travel through long distances and is difficult to mitigate without substantial setback and sound uh mitigation. The World Health Organization and the Environmental Protection Agency have both identified chronic environmental noise as a problem as a public health concern. Long-term exposure has been linked to sleep disruption, increased stress levels, cardiovascular strain, and negative it all of this negatively impacts mental well-being. Research AC research across multiple countries show that continuous background noise can contribute to anxiety, reduce concentration, and decrease quality of life. For families living nearby, this is not theoretical. This is about sleep, stress, and daily well-being. Before coming here tonight, I did a quick headcount of children living [snorts] in just my few block radius. 40. 40 minors. This is literally in maybe a twob block area. [snorts] That is not even half of the neighborhood. They are our future and the decisions we make here will [snorts] affect them the most and they have no say. It is very sad and disappointing. Because of these realities, m municipalities across the country have strengthened sitting uh sighting mitigation standards. Cities such as Chandler, Ma M me Mesa, and Ashurn have developed enhanced setbacks and noise mitigation requirements, [snorts] infrastructure review standards, and environmental evaluation when data centers are located near residential areas. These are not hypothetical concerns. These are planning realities. I have also heard council meal members describe themselves as team Farmington. That is something residents want to believe in. But for many families living closest to this proposed site, the process has felt unclear and at times distant. Being team being team Farmington means ensuring that the residents most directly affected feel informed, heard, and protected, not uncertain about decisions that will shape their daily lives. Transparency builds trust. Uncertainty erodess it. So tonight, I respectfully ask and hope to get some answers before the next meeting. [snorts] Where exactly are we in the approval process? What approvals remain before construction can begin? Will environmental review be required? What protective standards are being considered for this adjacent neighborhood? Will the residents have formal opportunities to input before final decisions are made? We [snorts] are not asking the city to reject growth or change. We are asking for fact-based process, meaningful transparency, and enforceable protection that reflect the long-term well-being of the residents who live here. Because strong communities are not built by growth alone. They are built by trust, transparency, and decisions that will protect the people who already call this place home. Thank you. [18:07] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Anybody else tonight? Oh, sorry. Didn't see you come up there. [18:47] Katie: Hi, my name is Katie and I live in the um executive estates neighborhood. I haven't spoken at one of these meetings before, primarily because I feel like it wouldn't matter. I've watched a number of council meetings virtually and after seeing residents bring forward valid concerns only to watch you move forward. Specifically with the resoning back in November 2024 for the hyperscale data center, it felt like you weren't listening and the decisions were already made. And some of the responses from the council only reinforced the feeling when people raised concerns about lighting noise and the overall impact of a massive industrial facility next to their homes. The solutions offered focused on fencing locations and faux windows. How does that address noise, 247 operation, backup generators, or the global facility of this scale? How does that show any understanding of what was residents were actually worried about? Residents raised concerns about setbacks. They asked about construction impacts with years of heavy machinery, diesel trucks, dust, vibration, daily disruption. They asked about the long-term noise, the longterm noise, [clears throat] low frequency humming, lighting, pollution traffic environmental impacts, and property values. These weren't abstract fears. They were specific, reasonable, and grounded in real world impact seen in other communities. And yet, none of those concerns concerns seem to be meaningful enough to influence the decision. This land was zoned for residential use. Now, it's zoned for mixeduse commercial and industrial and will house a hypers scale data center 250 ft from property lines. That is not incremental growth. That is not mixed use. That is a complete transformation of the area. And when I compare that decision to the city's own 2040 comp plan, the contradictions are impossible to ignore. The plan states that its most essential purpose is to establish the community's long-term vision, guiding principles, goals, policies, and maps to shape and manage future change in the community. If that's the essential purpose, then a change of this magnitude should be reflected across the entire plan, not just the one section needed to make the project possible. The plan's vision and guiding principles describe the goal of connecting neighborhoods, preserving natural resources, strengthening community identity, ensuring quality sustainable growth. Nothing in the vision or the principles suggest that a massive industrial hyperskilled data center should be rapidly built directly next to existing homes. The same is true for the goals and policies outlined in the chapters on land use, housing, and sustainability. But due to time, I'll have to leave details on those contradictions for a separate meeting. And yet, the only part of the plan that was updated was the zoning for the parcels. not the vision, not the guiding principles, not the goals and policies, and not the growth strategy. So why was the amendment limited to just one minor update? [clears throat] If the city truly believed this project aligned with Farmington's long-term direction, then the vision, guiding principles, goals, and policies would have been updated to reflect that shift. They weren't. And that makes it looks like the zoning was changed to fit this project instead of the project being evaluated against the plan. And there's another important piece. The comp plan includes a section titled city's authority requirement to the plan. It states that the power to create and use a comp plan comes directly from Minnesota state law. The city is also required to maintain a coordinated updated comp plan. The law recognizes the interdependence of local governments and require cities to work with adjacent communities. So when a neighboring township includes language in their annexation agreement specifically addressing resoning and you move forward anyway without fully reconciling that, is that working with our adjacent communities? When the comp plan's purpose is to guide long-term development and yet the vision, guiding principles and goals were left untouched even though the project contradicts them. Is that truly guiding future development? Or is that reacting to a single proposal? And that brings me back to your oath. You swore to support the Constitution of Minnesota. You swore to faithfully carry out your duties in the best of your judgment and ability. That oath includes following state law. It includes honoring the purpose of the comp plan. It includes coordinating with neighboring communities. It includes representing the people of Farmington. So I have to ask, do your votes related to this project reflect that oath? Does selectively amending one section of the plan moving forward despite overwhelming public opposition and ignoring the contradiction contradictions between this project and the city's own vision all reflect that oath? Because from where I stand and for what I've watched in meeting after meeting, it doesn't feel like it. It feels like the plan was bent to fit the project instead of the project being measured against the plan. Like working with our adjacent communities was treated as optional. Like residents' concerns were treated as obstacles. like the oath you took, the commitment to represent this community has been pushed aside. I want to end by saying this. I do believe you're all good people. I believe you care about this community. You stepped up to serve in a role most people aren't willing to take on, and that matters. But I'm asking you to reflect, not defensively, but honestly. Ask yourselves whether your votes on this project truly align with the oath you took. Ask whether the comp plan was respected in more than just a technical way. Ask whether residents were generally heard or just tolerated. Right now, Farmington is being talked about as an example and not in a good way. Other cities are doing the opposite of Farmington. They are slowing down. They're listening to their residents. They're taking the time to ensure big decisions align with their long-term vision. I'm asking you to do the same. This isn't just about one project. It's about trust and whether public input matters. It's about whether the city's vision means something and it's about whether the oath you took still carries weight. That's something only you can answer and we're all watching. [23:53] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Anybody else tonight? All right. Seeing none, we'll move on to item seven, our consent agenda. I'll look for a motion to approve that one. [24:09] Council Member Steve Bernance: Motion. [24:09] Council Member Jake Cordis: Second. [24:09] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Hold on. Motion. Second. [laughter] Motion by Steve, second by Jake. All in favor say I. [24:09] Council Members: I. [24:09] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: And moving down to item 12. So item 12.1, the appointment of a mayor following the resignation of Mayor Hoy. [24:25] City Clerk Shirley: All right. Good evening, acting mayor and council. On February 4th, Mayor Hoy submitted his re resignation for city council creating a vacancy in our mayor spot. Um, in accordance with the Minnesota State Statute section 412.02, the council shall appoint a mayor to serve until the special election has been certified. Um tonight at the work session previous to this meeting we had a discussion with council on how um the different options to move forward and how council's discussion led us to um picking I'm sorry picking um acting mayor Nick as the appointed mayor position. Um, tonight we would like to ask for a action request of motion to appoint Nick Lean as mayor of the city of Farmington effective immediately to serve until a successor is elected on November November 3rd, 2026 and the election has officially been certified. [25:36] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Great. Want to add discussion? Start from this side. [25:36] Council Member Holly Wilson: Um, yeah. [clears throat] I I think the the biggest thing is we this is not a conversation that happened in isolation right here. Um it is something that we started with at work session tonight. Uh I personally have had a couple of weeks to review what state statute says, what our role is in this, what uh our opportunities are, what our potential obstacles are um regardless of uh the decision made. And um I don't have any questions, but I am happy um with the outcome that I believe we're going to be able to take tonight um and seeing you step into this role until November and then allowing the residents of Farmington in November to decide what's next uh with the special election. [26:22] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Uh Jake, [26:22] Council Member Jake Cordis: um no questions. [clears throat] Just I appreciate the spirited conversation that we had earlier tonight during the work session. We do have a process in place to designate a acting mayor every year. And I think it's the most transparent way to uh fill this spot by honoring that process and elevating you to become the mayor for the next eight or nine months. [26:50] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: Is it eight or nine? Somewhere in there. Kind of need to know the number of [laughter] weeks. Steve, [26:50] Council Member Steve Bernance: yeah, I think uh Jay hit it on the head for what I was going to say. So there might be concern of well this wasn't transparent. How did this go about? We are going to be talking about the city council and filling that vacancy at in a separate at a separate time at a at a separate time very soon. But our city code generally prescribes um enacting mayor protocol. So any one of us could be enacting mayor um depending on the year um and the situation that happened. So um this makes sense. I have every confidence in Nick to do a great job for the rest of the year and fully support it. So, with that, I will make a motion. Uh, let me go back to the motion. Where are we at here? I jumped a little bit ahead. All right. I will make a motion to appoint Nicolen as mayor of the city of Farmington, effective immediately, which would be tonight, to serve until a successor is elected on November 3rd, 2026. And the election has been officially certified. [28:01] Council Member Holly Wilson: Second. [28:01] Acting Mayor Nick Lean: I have a motion by Steve and a second by Holly. Can you call the role, please? [28:01] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Cordis. [28:01] Council Member Jake Cordis: Yes. [28:01] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Bernance. [28:01] Council Member Steve Bernance: Yes. [28:01] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Wilson. [28:01] Council Member Holly Wilson: Yes. [28:01] City Clerk Shirley: Acting Mayor Lean. [28:17] Mayor Nick Lean: Say yes. I guess I'd prefer to abstain, but I'll say yes. Um, I just want to take two seconds for a comment here. I just kind of repeat what I said last week. I mean, this was not a path that I sought out by any stretch. If you watched my path, how I've was appointed to my council seat and then like I joked ran out on opposed and somehow I'm sitting here now, but I don't want people to take that as a lack of commitment or a lack of desire to try and do my best at this. I will give you 110% of what is left of me in this role for the next nine months. So, and I appreciate the confidence of my peers that I can do that and hopefully the staff as well. Like I said, my told you this already, but my number one goal is business continuity for you guys and making sure that all your needs continue to be met in the way they has always have been. You guys are my number one priority. So, thank you. Um, item 12.2 then, if I can go back, will be the discussion of amending of the city bylaws related to citizen comment. [29:01] Council Member Holly Wilson: All right. Thank Thank Oh, I was going to Could I add a comment before? Okay. Yeah. So, I wanted to point out that I mayor and council, I pulled this because we are making a small change to our city bylaw. So, I just wanted to call it out under new business and I would defer to our administrator to add further comment. So, thank you. [29:28] City Administrator David McKnight: All right. Thanks. Um, yes, as council member Wilson stated, we are recommending a council bylaw change under section 4, order of business. At the February 17th city council work session, council members reviewed the citizen comment process and expectations for meeting decorum. And at that meeting, it was decided by all four um all three council members. Um, Cortis, you were absent at that meeting, but the recommendation was to move the citizen comment from after announcements to after new business. And so, it was not moved at this meeting because we needed to approve the bylaws. But at the next city council meeting, it will be moved if it is um approved tonight. Thank you. [30:14] Mayor Nick Lean: Any discussion? [30:14] Council Member Jake Cordis: Um, I just want to thank you, Lynn. Uh, as you noted, I was absent for that meeting. Um, but I did provide written commentary that you shared with my peers uh during that conversation. So, thank you that for me, um, I really don't have anything to add. I'm I'm good. [30:46] Mayor Nick Lean: Okay. Yeah, I appreciate the the willingness to at least just reconcile we're we're in a a we're in a period here where we went through some strife on the topic and I understand your frustration with the timer. I mean the timer was put there because people weren't respecting that five minutes. I mean, that's just the simple truth of it. And at some point down the road, we can have that discussion again, but at the moment, it it needs to stay where it is, just so people honor that time. I don't think this one's open for public comment right now. Mayor, and it was on the agenda underneath. Um, it was moved from agenda to 12. Yeah, David, it was just moved. Okay. Um, I don't think there's action to take on this one necessarily. So, [31:22] Council Member Holly Wilson: I'd ask for a motion to amend section four of the city council bylaws to relocate the citizen comment section to follow new business in the order of business as discussed at the February 17th, 2026 work session and to approve the revised agenda format as presented. [32:02] Council Member Steve Bernance: Motion to approve. [32:02] Council Member Jake Cordis: Second. [32:02] Mayor Nick Lean: Motion by Holly, second by Steve. This will be a roll call then. This is new business. [32:02] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Bance, [32:02] Council Member Steve Bernance: yes. [32:02] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Wilson, [32:02] Council Member Holly Wilson: yes. [32:02] City Clerk Shirley: Council member Cortis, [32:02] Council Member Jake Cordis: yes. [32:02] City Clerk Shirley: Mayor Lean, [32:20] Mayor Nick Lean: yes. Believe that takes us to round table. Amy. [32:20] Amy (Staff Member): Uh, thank you, Mayor Lean, and council members. Um, I will just comment on one thing that I failed to comment last time. Um, I have failed to report that earlier in February, um, I had the opportunity to meet with the Parks and Recreation Commission and talk to them about the open meeting law and how that affects their, um, performance of their duties and I had a a really good time meeting them and it was um, hopefully I didn't talk too long for them, but it was a good meeting as far as I was concerned. So hopefully they felt like it was worth their time. But other than that, I have no report and other than to say congratulations, Mayor. [33:05] Council Member Holly Wilson: Uh yeah, it's fun to see you on my right instead of on my left. Um I really appreciate uh your commitment to Farmington. Uh I don't think any of us when we um know that our our time to serve as acting mayor expect um the turn of events that have occurred. uh but I'm very grateful to you and to your by extension to your family um for the support and and seeing you in this role. Um so just that and then uh on a very bright and happy note some really great things were happening um with our students and in our schools in the last couple of weeks. So if you follow Farmington activities or athletics um there are a lot of kids that did a lot of pretty awesome things. Um, we had some opportunities to head towards state. We had a few wrestlers um that did an exceptional job and and were awarded state title. Um, we had those that put all all of everything that they had to give um onto the court or onto the ice or onto the mat and maybe did not come out with a medal per se, but um gave it everything that they had and and they should be very proud of that. We also had a very successful cabaret weekend for FHS choir um which was super fun to see a good chunk of Farmington out for that. So um just grateful for to the community members and for the support that our kids get. [34:41] Council Member Jake Cordis: Um just a couple of things tonight. Nick, thank you for your willingness to step a little bit out of your comfort zone and step up uh into this new role during this time of transition. I made the joke with you earlier based on your uh way you found yourself to your city council seat and then running unopposed and now finding yourself in the the seat of mayor you're the Gerald Ford of Farmington. Um and I do not mean that in a in a negative way but um thank you for your willingness to serve. Um and then one addendum to Holly's uh remarks about our students. Um, in addition to the basketball, the hockey, the wrestlers, our boys swim team um, attended state as well. And I think it was the 200 free relay team set a uh, team record. They broke their own record. So, congratulations to all of our students who uh, completed their winter season. [35:27] Council Member Holly Wilson: Steve, did you just call Nick Gerald Ford? [35:27] Council Member Steve Bernance: Yes. [35:27] Mayor Nick Lean: Want to want to insert a statement. You heard that, right? [35:44] Council Member Steve Bernance: Nobody remembers Gerald Ford, so I'm totally okay with that. [laughter] No, [clears throat] but congratulations. Um, congratulations, not the right word. Um, Nick, I just appreciate the fact that uh you serve and you're very honest and um thoughtful in your approach to how you serve. Um, couple other comments I want to make. Um, we did pass on the consent agenda um, improvements to Jim Bell Park Trail and I don't know if residents are aware of this, but we have 52 miles of trail in this community, which is awesome. They are widely used. They're among our most popular amenities. So, there's going to be a partnership between us and Dakota County with some improvements on the trails. Um, and the other comment I was going to make, and we had a few self-identified new um, kind of kind of first time to the podium speaking tonight, and I just want to thank every resident who came up to speak. Um, you know, it's, um, I used to kind of say before some of the issues here became a little bit more, um, uh, maybe intense is the right word. you know, we'd often be looking out to a completely empty chamber and it so it is nice when we do have the public engage with us and provide respectful comments to us. So, I just want to thank all of you who did that. [37:10] City Clerk Shirley: All right. Um, I wanted to thank everyone for their comments tonight during the work session to um bring on Nick as the mayor um appointing Mick Nick. So, what that means for the city council seat, um Nick will be vacating his city council seat, which means that we will have an opening. So, at the next city council meeting, we will um declare a vacancy. And once a position is declared vacant, then um city council can either appoint someone or they can run an application process. And tonight at the work session, council decided to run a process. So we will um declare the vacancy on March 16th and we will post the application on March 17th. Um we will post that vacancy um the application until March 30th and then tenatively um we are planning on interviews on April 6. Thank you. But that has not um been totally decided yet. we have to check some schedules but um that's our discussion that we had tonight and then also I wanted to touch briefly on the data center subject um and I appreciate all the comments tonight too but um I do want to encourage anybody that has any questions about the process that we've gone through as of today um all the step-by-step process is out on our city website under the main page and then project updates and development project um data centers. And as of right now, we do not have a project in front of us. Um what we have done is we've looked at the um council approved um some plat. But that is just to identify minimums if a specific project does come in front of council. But as of right now, there is nothing for council to approve that is in front of them. Thank you, [39:22] Mayor Nick Lean: Julie. [39:22] City Clerk Shirley: I'll try my best to say a few words and I had to write it down. Um, on the consent agenda, you approved the appointment of Melissa G to city clerk. Um, I couldn't be happier for Melissa to take over my position. She is such a kind and happy person and will be a fantastic city clerk. If it weren't for health issues, I'd probably be here another 10 or more years because I love this job and team firm so much. Um, thank you for approving her appointment. Um, she's going to be amazing. Congratulations, Melissa. I hope you love this job even more than I do. Thanks, [39:52] Mayor Nick Lean: David. [39:52] City Administrator David McKnight: So, first a little trivia. Uh, my great aunt was actually the longtime curator of the President Gerald R. Ford Museum and Library. So, some of us remember President Ford even if we weren't alive for his presidency. Um, so, uh, following on what Shirley said, so I do want to again thank the council, congratulate Melissa on, um, her pending promotion. Uh, so she will become, uh, the city clerk effective April 20th with Shirley officially retiring on April 23rd. um a little bit of Melissa's history with the city because when you have an opportunity to promote one from within that's always a lot of fun especially in local government where um for those of us that have been around and and work in it um you know there's not always opportunity to move up within your organization and sometimes you have to move around um so it's always great opportunity when we can promote from within um so first a little bit of the I first want to give background of the process um so with knowing Shirley's um pending retirement We did post the position uh received over a hundred applications following a multi-phase interview process and many candidates. Um we came to that decision that Melissa was the best person for this position and we couldn't be happier to have her on board. I do want to thank Diana and the community development team for graciously supporting her as she looks to take this next step. Um, and we're going to be uh commencing the back filling of Melissa's current position here, I think later this week, to hopefully have as little gap um in that position as possible. But again, a little bit of Melissa for those that didn't know. Melissa actually started with the city as a temp. Um, she then she became uh a admin specialist, the current position that uh Karina is currently in, and then u moved over into her building, her current position as a building permit technician. And so now um moving on to city clerk. So, it's been exciting um for the many team members of team Farmington to see uh Melissa move along in the organization and I I am very excited to get my chance to now work with you closely um for hopefully many years to come. Also, on uh staff approvals, there was one other staff approval you made tonight. Another promotion uh Derek Palant uh joined the city last year, last fall as our third uh IC Poet cadet. The IC POE program was a grant that the city received from the state um to help bring people into the law enforcement field that maybe didn't have a that didn't have a law enforcement background previously. Uh he completed his uh his skills um in the end of February and then passed his post test. So, we were able to bring him um tonight and you promoted him to from IC Poet Cadet to patrol officer and he will begin uh his field training later this week. Thank you. [42:56] Diana (Community Development Director): Thank you, mayor and councel. Um I just want to say, Nick, I have appreciated working with you as a council member and I look forward to working with you as the mayor. So, thank you for stepping into this position. I know you um you lead with your heart and I absolutely appreciate that in you. So I look forward to these next months working with you in that role. And I also want to comment on Melissa. Melissa has been a true asset to um team Farmington and especially to the community development department and to the building department. She will be missed with us, but I am thrilled for the organization and so happy that she is sticking with this group. This is um an absolute the best thing that could happen for this organization and for team Farmington. So um again, we'll miss her in our department, but I'm so proud of her and I'm happy again that we're able to keep her and promote from within. That's the best thing that we can do. So congratulations Melissa. That's all I have. [43:58] Mayor Nick Lean: John, [43:58] John (Staff Member): thank you, mayor and council members. Um, the industrial park ditch cleaning process is well underway. Uh, they've completed cleaning of the farmfield area and along the north border of Northern Natural Gas's property. And we expect in the next couple of days they'll be inside the fence at Northern Natural Gas cleaning the ditch in that area also and taking great care to avoid the existing gas lines. Um, people may notice us out sweeping with the warm weather. We've had quite a bit of melting. So, if we have any clear curb lines, we're going to be out there sweeping because if we catch it in the sweeper, it doesn't go to the pond and it saves us future maintenance of our ponds and excavation in the pond areas. Um, finally, uh, we do have an engineering technician position posted. Um, so we have Rich Shmel. He's our longtime engineering tech. uh as far as I know, he has no plans to leave, but that could happen someday. And uh so we're retaining another engineering technician uh to help with the workload and and start learning from Rich while he's still here. That's all I have. Thank you, [45:08] Mayor Nick Lean: Kelly. [45:08] Kelly (Staff Member): Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh we're excited. We're moving to the next phase of the Rambling River Park skate park. Um we have a design selection survey posted. It was posted on Friday uh just this past Friday to the city's website and social media. Spawn Ranch has developed three conceptual design options for the project. Uh we encourage all to review the proposed concepts and complete the online survey to share their preference. Um feedback will be an play an important role in guiding the final design selection for construction. The survey will remain open through Sunday March 8th. So please complete the survey. It is um basically five questions uh to answer. Um I have heard from a few people who have taken it and seen the options and they told me the um proposed concepts are sick. So I'm taking that as a positive. [laughter] [45:56] Mayor Nick Lean: Perfect. Kim, [45:56] Kim (Staff Member): good evening, mayor and council. I do not have any updates this evening. [45:56] Mayor Nick Lean: Chief, [46:43] Police Chief: uh, Mayor and Council, uh, I wasn't here because we had a, uh, traffic crash, a collision with, uh, involving a squad car. So, I was out checking on my officer and, uh, he's doing good. They did transport, but, um, I can't say the status of the other, uh, driver, but, I wanted to inform the, um, members here that, uh, 50 and three uh, is blocked right now. They were trying to clear it as I left, but there were two vehicles on scene that were still blocking. So, just be aware if you're heading east towards three. It was blocked when I left the scene before I got here. Um, and that is all I have. [46:43] Mayor Nick Lean: Okay. Uh, I already used all my material about the the mayor thing, so I better not repeat that again, I guess. But, um, I guess thank you, Holly, for gently nudging me to attend Cabaret. I think I was uh I'd already bought tickets before you made the suggestion, but it was it was it was incredible. I can't believe how much, you know, whether it's musicals, whether it's the choir, whether it's the band, whether it's, you know, anything we have with the arts. I don't think people realize how much of a a gem that we have in Farmington. I mean, you get to see it every day, but I'm not even sure you're aware of. I mean, you're you're biased, obviously, but it's it's just incredible. It just floors you when you you hear people that are, you know, there's so much potential. I don't even know how to put it in words, but it's just incredible. Um, I guess I was kind of hoping that uh Mr. Shottler was going to be here tonight. I kind of wrote a comment specifically about him tonight and I actually honestly I just it it ties into a lot of this that's going on right now and I just I wanted to thank him personally. Um Jeff took the time to text me a few nights ago and it was nothing more than just a little simple update about a meeting that they wanted to have with track and the coalition and all he said was you know hey they didn't want to meet and I said well were they willing to meet you with you personally and he said we're still waiting to hear and and that's all it was it was five five comments but he was willing to break that communication barrier where it was just one-on-one communication and that's I think that's the key to all of this is let's have these one-on-one conversations where we're talking about specific needs and specific concerns one by one by one. Not these conditions where we're, you know, person against panel or tracked going against the coalition, you know, in some giant session kind of thing. That's it's only going to get defensive behaviors out of all of us. We're not going to progress through something unless we're willing to have difficult one-on-one productive conversations about the things that keeping us keeping us up at night. And so I just like I said, I wanted to thank Jeff for kind of taking that first step and I hope we can build on that. So I think that's about all I'm going to say on that topic tonight. So with that, I would look for a motion to adjurnn. [48:54] Council Member Jake Cordis: Motion to adjourn. [48:54] Council Member Holly Wilson: Second. [48:54] Mayor Nick Lean: Motion by Jake, second by Holly. All in favor say I. [48:54] Council Members: I. [48:54] Mayor Nick Lean: We'rejourned at 7:48 and 15 seconds. Is that okay? Okay. [49:31] [music]