[1:00] I was really hoping we could audit this. Audit. >> I call this meeting to order. This is the 20th day of January, a regular meeting for the Rosemont City Council. Please stand for the pledge of allegiance. [1:16] I pledge 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. [1:32] >> Thank you. Addition. Any additions or corrections to the agenda? >> No, sir. >> If not, would anyone like to move a motion to adopt the agenda? >> So moved. >> Second. Uh moved by uh Tammy and our Climpmple and uh seconded by Fresky. [1:51] Agenda is approved. Three uh zero. Awesome. All right. Next item up for it is presentations, proclamations, and acknowledgements. I'll turn it over to Chief Thomas. [2:06] This the fun part. [laughter] Acting [2:16] Mayor Tyson, members of the council, city administrator and staff, I have the privilege and honor to be standing in front of you to represent the Rosemont Police Department and the amazing women and men who do the work to protect and serve this community. Tonight, we will be recognizing two officers who will be taking the oath of office. And then we're going to have a chance to uh meet our newest partner who will bring a new skill set and new drive and new tools to serve our community. When I was thinking about the oath of office, it really became clear to me that it goes back to our founding fathers. If you look in the historical books, we learned that George Washington was the very first individual to take the oath of office on April 30th, 1789 in New York City. The act of taking o the act of taking an o oath of [3:02] office is deeply rooted in our history and it carries a sign significant amount of weight. An oath of office is a kind of speech act. Taking an oath expresses a specific intention to others. Using the words like I swear that the attention when taking an off an oath is not limited to the moment someone art articulates the words of oath. But the oath of office is about taking the attention to future commitment to the act in a certain way. Taking an oath is so much more than just words on a paper or a phrase that you say, but it's to commit to the continued action which you are sworn to. So tonight, we could celebrate the oath of office with officer Mitch Hen and Officer John Clicker. And looking at the agenda, I told Clicker that he was going to go first, but actually Mitch is going to go first. [laughter] So [3:49] in [clears throat] the summer of 2024, the police department conducted a hiring process for officer the officer position department was fortunate enough to have officer Mitch Hen apply and be selected to be a part of our department. So in September of 2024 as badge 3575, he was taken in and brought into the family. Mitch grew up in Deer River. Now I'm going to pronounce this wrong. [4:14] Coheset. >> No, Cohasset. >> Cohasset and Grand Rapids. And after graduating from Grand Rapids High School, Mitch moved back to Deer River where he earned his associates degree from the criminal justice program at Minnesota North College. In speaking with Mitch, he always said, "I had a dream of becoming a police officer, someone that people could turn to when they were having the worst day of their life. It's about being able to make a difference in people's lives." Mitch said he chose Rosemont because he loved the area and the community. He wanted to be closer to the metro, but not in the metro. And he also believed in the mission and vision of the department and how Rosemont supports the community. [4:50] Miss said one thing that really surprised him about law enforcement was the bond you form with the co-workers and how one day you can be complete strangers and the next trusting each other to make it home to our families at the end of shift. Mitch wants to take his time to thank his family and friends for being here. Officer Hen completed his one-year probation period on fall of 2025. Over the course of the last year, he mostly worked nights, which see a higher volume of improgress calls for service. And like most calls, they they are not always what they seem. And it takes investigation skills to figure out what's going on. Officer Hen was involved in multiple stops. One two stops that really resonate. One was that Hastings had a call for service where someone stole a bunch of meat. So Officer Hen went out to the 52 to survey [5:36] what was going on. He ended up finding this the the car, talking with the individuals, got a confession of what they did, and then was able to help return the product back to Cub. Another another situation that Officer Hen was involved in was recently with one of our other officers. They got a call for service of a woman who was covered in blood, yelling and screaming in the lobby at very early in the morning when it was fairly cold outside. The officers respond for service were able to investigate, get her the information, the medical needs she needed and realized that she was in a mental state of trauma and that they were able to take all that information, process it in the cold weather, concerned for the safety of others in the apartment, but making sure that she ultimately got the care she needed. So, those are just two glimpses of the amazing work that he does day in and day out. So now we would [6:23] like to take this take this time to um have our city clerk come up and officer Mitch Hen for the oath of office. [6:48] support of the United States [6:58] >> as an officer of police >> as an officer of police department >> for the city of >> Dakota State and the city of Minnesota to >> the best of my judgment. [7:14] So, excellent. [applause] [7:25] [applause] And now, Officer Graph's going to go ahead and pin the badge. >> Thank you very much. [applause] >> [applause] [7:44] >> The second individual we're going to be able to recognize tonight is uh John Cleer. Uh John Cleer also came within that batch of officers with Mitch Howen went through the process. Um was selected uh these two individuals really ra rose to the top when we were talking about what the honor, integrity and courage looks like for our city. And so John also started the same time in his FTO process and completed his his probationary period in September of last year. Uh John is uh just one of those guys that is constantly one that you can really count on. Um he was born and raised in Owatana. Um he grew up with six siblings. If I get this right, it's Grace, Lydia, Mason, Alex, and Owen. Um he graduated from Owaton High School in [8:29] 2019 and went on to Mano State University where he received his bachelor's degree in law enforcement. He continued on his education at Minnesota North College but located at MSU where he completed his skills in law enforcement. Also in speaking with John asking him what why law enforcement and he said that um there was many reasons but one of the reasons that resonated in his heart was that um his stepfather Josh was in law enforcement and Josh just set such a high bar of what it meant to be a person who served the community and he wanted to follow in those footsteps and it seemed like such a rewarding career because you got to make a difference. In asking John why he chose the city of Rosemont, he said the city and the police department were both growing rapidly and thus providing numerous opportunities for growth within [9:15] the department. Uh officer John Kletcher completed his one-year degree, his probationary period in 2025. And over the course of this last year, John received a life-saving award for a house that he and a few officers went in where it was on fire and and saved a individual and his animal. He also has been involved in domestic violence arrests, narcotics, DUIs, calls for help, assisting community members through their problems, and being a listening ear. We are excited to have John Clucker part of the team and believe his character, tenacity, and for what he is doing is his compassion help others will be a staple in how he serves our community. Uh John is here, has his mom here, Shannon, his stepfather Josh, his father, Scott, and his stepmother, Tiffany, and his uh better half, Grace, is here also. So, we welcome you tonight to this momentous occasion. Um, like [10:02] Officer Mitch Housen, I'd like to have the clerk come up and have John come up to take the oath of office. [10:21] Constitution of the United States [10:32] an officer of police. [10:47] [applause] >> [applause] >> And now John's mom will be patching pinning the badge. [11:10] [applause] >> [applause] >> Okay, last but not not least, over the course of the last 10 years, the city of Rosemont has seen a significant growth in residential housing and commercial development. As the city has grown, so are the needs of the community and how they are served and protected by the Rosemont Police Department. One of the areas which continue to come up was the need for a K9 unit. Conversations continued over the years, but it wasn't until 2023 which real real traction took place and we started looking at objectives, goals, and we put those into motion. At the top of the list was how would a K9 best meet the needs of our community and the greater Dakota County. [11:50] As we reviewed the calls for service in the city and looked at the capabilities of every K9 capacity, it became very clear that we needed a K9 who could track missing persons, conduct article searches, and alert firearms that would best serve our community. Once the decision was made, the department went to work in researching and interviewing K9 breeders both in Minnesota and nationwide. In 2024, Sergeant Sergeant Exin brought back a detailed list of breeders and presented each organization to the command staff. [12:18] The vending process went on for months, but after careful consideration, recommendations, the body of work of all breeders, both within the United States and outside, it became clear that one K9 breeder out of Wisconsin rose to the top, and that was Aspen Creek K9. In 2024, members of the department went and met with the owner, Jerry Petriz of Aspen Creek K9 to discuss the department's needs and goals in the newly developed K9 unit. Jerry and his staff have worked tirelessly both domestically and internationally. Some of the things they've done is overseas work with the armed forces, um, Mall of America, um, K9 units, TSA K9 units, LA County, LAPD, and the East Coast. As we solidified our breeder, we also needed to look at a handler. So in September of 2024, a departmentwide selection process [13:04] was conducted and h and the handler was selected. Officer Honest Amedic was selected. In 2025, K9 handler Amedic and his partner Jet started the rigorous process of building a relationship, learning new skills, and trained to complete the certifications to meet the high standards of the United States Police K9 Associations. So today, we have the honor to swearing in our very first new member, Jet the K9. And so I know that our clerk as well as our canine handler and the rest of you have been looking at different ways to swear in the canines. So we're going to have [laughter] our clerk come up and we'll have honest and hij come up as partner. [13:40] >> Okay. This is hilarious. [snorts] >> I know. This is awesome. >> Oh my goodness. [laughter] [13:56] >> [laughter] >> Swear >> to swear >> to serve and protect >> serve and protect >> citizens of Rosemont. >> Citizens of Rosemont. >> I pledge to use my senses >> I pledge to use my senses >> strength and training >> strength and training >> to assist my family >> to assist my handler >> and uphold the law >> and uphold the law. I will remain loyal, >> loyal, >> courageous, >> courageous >> and dedicated >> dedicated >> to the safety of this community of this community. [14:25] >> So long. [applause] [14:37] >> Who would you like to pin the badge? >> Sure, I'll sure. >> [laughter] >> Oh, [laughter] [15:02] >> perfect. [15:32] So well behaved. Love it. There we go. [applause] [15:47] >> Thank you very much. >> Do you guys want to head down then and and honest and Mitch and John pop up and we'll do a photo with the council? Yeah. Come on up. [laughter] Give me [16:12] >> love that. [16:27] Come [16:34] on. [laughter] >> Yay. [applause and cheering] [applause] [16:53] [laughter] >> Goodbye. We had to practice. [laughter] >> That That was a first. That was great. Nice job. So, that was items one through three. Um item number four, we're going to bring recognition of Peter Lundelle. [17:11] I'd like to turn it over to administrator Martin. >> Thank you, Mayor, members of council. Uh yeah, you know, 56 years of service requires multiple celebrations, and so we have Pete Lundell back again tonight uh as he retired this fall. Uh but really excited. um Representative John Hwitt reached out and the state of Minnesota caught wind of of Peter's story um and his and his dedicated service and they wanted to recognize him at a state of Minnesota level and so really excited to do that and that you were willing to come back again tonight, Pete. And so with that, I would turn the mic over to State Representative John Huitt, [17:47] council, uh staff, and citizens. Um, I'm not going to have as good of act. [laughter] >> We don't have dogs or anything like this. But in these times that we're all going through, regardless of where you sit on this, it's a very complicated time, but this is a real happy time to celebrate our people that keep us safe. [18:08] We have a wonderful police department. I think the best in the state, and I hope Apple Valley isn't watching this. And uh, [laughter] same with our fire department. I mean, we have great stops and I I just can't say enough when I I get to give an an opportunity to appreciate everything they do for us. [18:24] They're truly the heroes and the people that let me sleep better at night and now we have more of them. And unfortunately, we're saying goodbye to you. Is that So, um I did bring this to the governor's attention. Um, as you know, I work a lot on state issues uh regarding first responders, police officers, firefighters, and there is a real deficit right now on volunteers. [18:46] Uh, we just can't get them around the state. And when we hear of somebody that gave us 56 years, and I think it's more closer to the other number I gave you earlier, but um it's it's real. We need to celebrate that because what he what basically and I Pete and I talked about this in the hallway. Um, it's not just him that's made this sacrifice. It's the family that came with him tonight. When he left the birthday parties, when he left the graduations, when he left in the middle of the night, they were okay to support him. And that's what a true first responder family is like. And that's the same for our police officers. [19:20] They're they're always police officers and they can't leave that. They love to sometimes, but you know, it's the same thing for politician. The other thing I was supposed to apologize for the way I'm looking tonight, I I have to leave here and get back to my concession job at the high school. So anyways, [laughter] yeah, I wherever you can make a buck, right? So, um, so this is a state of Minnesota proclamation that the governor signed. [19:44] Um, whereas Pete Lendell has served Minnesota with exceptional dedication for 56 years as a firefighter for the city of Rosemount Fire Department, beginning his service in 1969. I was here, not here, but I was about four years old. Um whereas Pete Lindell retires as a longest serving firefighter in Minnesota history. [20:08] A distinction that reflects his extra extraordinary commitment to public service into the safety of motans. And whereas Pete has served as a captain for 16 of those 56 years with the Rosemount Fire Department providing steadfast leadership mentorship guidance and for generations to come. Whereas Pete consistently stepped forward with unwaving unwavering enthusiasm to assist motans in need rarely missing a call. [20:42] Whereas Pete's dedication is deeply rooted in the support of his family whose photos he kept on his locker and who inspired him to continue his service. Whereas Pete Landell's legacy defined by selflessness, quiet strength, and profound commitment to the safety and the well-being of the Rosemount community. And whereas Pete looked forward to enjoying where he's going to look forward to enjoying time in the outdoors at his cabin and at his farm and occasionally visits uh the station, I guess, is what his plan is. Now therefore, I, Tim Walsh, governor of the state of Minnesota, uh, proclaim Tuesday, January 26 as Pete Lindell Day. So Pete will also receive [21:29] the [applause] [applause] So I couldn't make it here fast enough because I never want to speed in the city of Rosemount. But um [laughter] when the flag comes down tonight on the cap, uh Pete will also receive that Minnesota flag that's flying over the capital right now on his day. So this is the Pete Lendell day. We can put it on the city script that you know the 20th of January. It's always your day. So >> all right. Thank you, council, and thank you, members. [applause] >> Head on down if you guys want to head on down. Yeah. [applause] Representative, if you'd be willing to take a picture with you as well. [22:06] >> Fire officers and team, whoever is ready to come on up or >> please, please. Of course. Yeah. [22:24] >> Whatever. Ready? [22:51] >> All right. [applause] [23:12] and the mousees. >> Yes. Thank you all for attending today. That was great. Congratulations. >> Congrats you guys. >> Congrats. We'll wait a little bit for that room to clear. [laughter] [23:43] I know. [24:02] >> Very nice. Well, what a treat. the first time to to step into this role and to get to see uh the swearing in of uh three new officers and and um another recognition to Pete Lundell. Congratulations. Um item four on the agenda uh response to public comment. Um administrator Martin, do we have any comments to respond to at this time? [24:23] >> Nothing to flag tonight. Thank you, mayor. >> Okay, then we'll move on to item number five, public comment. If anyone would like to address the council, now is the time to do. We just ask that you please state your name, your address, for the record, and we ask that you keep your comments to three minutes or less. [24:38] Typically, replies to the comments will be made via a letter or phone call within a week or at the following city council meeting. And as we see, we have somebody. >> Yeah, go ahead. >> Good evening, um, council. My name is Jackie Young. I'm a Rosemont resident. I live at 12895 Bengal Avenue. Um here tonight to make a public health announcement for the city. [25:04] Uh last fall I was very proud to work with the city on our first overdose awareness vigil. It was a very meaningful night of remembrance for all the lives lost to overdose recently. Now, I am here tonight to share with the council members and with the whole community the first awareness event that Dakota County Public Health and the School District 196 will be hosting in about two weeks. Uh we've been working on this event for over a year. It's going to happen Monday, February 2nd from 6:30 to 7:45 at Rose Mount High School. Uh the event will be open to all the community and it is free. Uh we we [25:53] do have a registration. Uh but it if people just show up that's fine too. Um the event is for really anyone who has young adults in their life. So whether it's your own kids, your nieces, your nephews, your students, or we're hoping to get a lot of uh uh coaches, uh so the athletes that they coach. Um we are having a parent speaker talk about how families can work together and support uh people who are um in addiction or on that path. Um, so we have a really great uh family support speaker and we also have a separate [26:41] session for youth grades 6 through 12 uh so they can learn about painkillers and other prescription drugs and the dangers of other drugs out there. And our speaker will be Bridget Noring from Hastings, the Devon Noring Foundation. [26:59] and Bridget will also speak a little bit about um the dangers of social media and some of the media websites such as Snapchat. Um so I think hopefully it will be very informative for Rosemount citizens, for young adults, and for parents and friends of young youth. Uh recently I spoke to the Rose Rosemont Youth Council and um Mayor Weisenel was there. Um it was very very productive conversation with the youth. Um they gave me a lot of great ideas on promotion. Um, and so I again want to thank the city for their support and I want to encourage our city [27:47] council members to come. Any any of our um community that's watching this event uh as it's taped. It's open to the whole community. We have some other school districts that are interested in seeing how how it goes. So, I have a whole auditorium to fill up and I want want to get some people there. Um um more seriously, in the last three years, Dakota County alone has lost 120 youth. [28:21] >> So, it it's out there. People just are not talking about it. And the more uh education and the more prevention we can do, the better. Um, so again, there there is a a flyer, there is a community ed, it is also listed under the community ed uh website and their uh brochure that went out to all families. And um I just want to say that I'm doing all of this work in memory of my son, Michael Young, who was a Rosem graduate. And um I'm really proud to have it at Rosemont High School. I really kind of insisted on that. [29:04] >> So, and it was great to see all of the first responders here tonight. Um uh and I've spoken with the chief. So, I hope that we can spread the word and get a lot of people to come uh for just one night and maybe as the the title of it is starting the conversation. [29:25] So, thank you council. >> Yes. Thank you, Jackie. Appreciate it. And thank you for all the volunteering that you do for this event. >> You're welcome. >> Appreciate it. >> Um, not seeing anybody else uh for public comment. Um, uh, we'll close public comment and go to the consent agenda number six. [29:45] Item number six, are there any items that the council members would like to see pulled? Not. Would anyone like to make a motion to approve the consent agenda as listed? >> So moved. >> I'll second. >> Motion by by um Clint Climpmple. Uh second by Fresky. Uh we have a motion on the floor. Is second. We got that. Roll call. Roll call, please. [30:10] >> Yes. Climple. >> I Tyson >> I. >> Fres. >> Um motion approves 30. Uh now we number item seven. We move to public hearing for unmanned aerial systems. I'd like to turn it over to Chief Thomas once again. [30:42] Acting Mayor Tyson, Council, City Administrator, and staff. Thank you again for having me. Um so we are proposing and in the process of uh putting together a unmanned aerial system which in layman's terms would be called a drone program. Currently um we see five different agencies within our county who have drone programs. There's 119 different programs in the state. The BCA oversees them. There's statutes and regulations and procedures both federally statewide that oversees how it works from search and seizures to procedures and policies. There's current policies on limited limit limited data limitations on what you can keep. Um all [31:27] the integral work has been created to create a program that will greatly assist our our community. Um our community um acreage wise is 35.2 acres of land. We have commercial residential going up. We have a K9 unit who's going to be tracking missing persons. Having this ability to have a drone up in the air to assist on what we can see lifetime. Mitankka currently has two full-time drone off operators where they're up in the air and going to traffic accidents, calls for services, medical to get eyes early and often so we can get real-time information to our first responders. We believe in our department this is that next level of community service that if we don't bring then our citizens and our community are missing out on on a wonderful tool that will benefit all of us. And so if there's any questions, concerns, or if [32:12] there's anybody who would like to make comment, this would be the time to have can answer questions. >> Any questions from the council? >> No, I think this is great. >> Yeah, I think I think this is great. Do you already have somebody trained to do this or? >> Um, so currently we um looked at seven different individuals who put their name in, one from investigations, one from every team. So we will have an operator um 24 hours a day, seven days a week within our capabilities, not just to assist our community, but greater cities outside our county will be able to help out also. So >> Okay, sounds >> great. [32:44] >> Yeah. So at this Thanks, Chief. At this time, we will open a public hearing for this item. Anyone wishing to address the council regarding this item may do so now. Please state your name and address for the record. [33:02] And seeing that there's no one that uh um is going to make a comment, I'd like to make a motion. Is there a motion to close the public hearing? >> I'll make a motion to close the public hearing. >> Second. >> Second. All those in favor signify by saying I. >> I. [33:17] >> I. Public hearing is closed. No further action is taken regarding this item. >> Right. Yeah. It's a statemandated policy, so it'll be a part of our uh police policy procedure, but council took the action that I needed to take just just here by having the public hearing. So, thank you for that. >> Appreciate that. Thank you. [33:34] >> All right. So, thank you, Chief. Busy night. Um now, we'll move on to number eight uh on the agenda, unfinished business. Uh there's none on the agenda for tonight for unfinished business. So we'll move to number nine, new business, which there also is none on the agenda. [33:52] So we got all the fun stuff out of the way. Uh announcements, city staff updates. I'll turn it over to city administrator Logan. >> Uh thank you, mayor and council. Uh don't have a whole lot to flag tonight. Maybe just a couple of of kind of upcoming events from a staff and council level. One that you may or may not mention. I'm sorry, mayor, on your on your upcoming events uh listing, but we'll be meeting on January 30th with the council for goal setting sessions. [34:15] So, we look forward to that. Uh and perhaps maybe if council wants to comment. We had a pretty exciting Friday in Rosemont with two big uh events. We had the uh the Omni event and the Northwind event if anybody wanted to make a comment on that. If not, we can uh leave it to our social media pages to kind of continue to promote that. But it's been an exciting time in Rosemount. [34:33] Um and uh look forward to what's to come. But with that, I can turn it back to you. Not much else to add tonight, Mayor. Yeah, I'd love to hear from >> Yeah. Um, so on Friday morning, um, if you haven't haven't paid attention to our Facebook pace page, um, we did host an event here at the Rosemount Community Center center, um, including, uh, lawmakers, uh, you know, everything from local to national levels and across both sides of the aisle to celebrate um, a new project coming to Rosemount, a $ 1.1 billion investment in what will be the most advanced aerospace research and test and and testing facility in the country called the Minnesota air aerospace complex. And this is just a really exciting um delivery for the city of Rosemount for our local taxpayers as we see some of this 60 acres of uore [35:20] land return to or actually finally join our tax roles. And so that's a really good me message for all of us who uh pay taxes here in the city of Rosemount. But um even bigger than that, this project actually is serving a national defense and training function and is in service of the public good as well. So, and it was a really good example of how um public private partnerships uh come together over the course of multiple years, but um very exciting times, really cool event. Uh we had a good turnout from city staff and city city council there as well. So, check out um the Rosemount City of Rosemount Facebook page. There's a really great post with some additional detail about it and more to come. I'm sure we this is not the last we'll hear about it, but it was a very exciting and very good day. [36:04] >> Yeah. >> I'll turn it to you. >> No. and thank you uh for representing the council and speaking on the on behalf of the port authority. Um it sound like it went really well. Um and then the second event was the Omni um event and winery. Um do you want to talk a little bit about that? >> Sure. We um council city staff um port authority commissioners. We joined the Omni ownership and general manager to um unveil their new event center that's on their property. Um it's a beautiful, beautiful facility that I believe seats about 250 maximum that can be used for weddings and other social um gatherings. [36:39] So that was a wonderful event and you can see some um do we have any do we have that online yet? >> Video coming up. >> Okay. In a couple days. >> Okay. A video will be coming will be forthcoming. It is a beautiful beautiful facility for people to check out. >> Yeah. Yeah. That was another big event. [36:55] And I believe the the day after Saturday, they had a wine tasting there and I think they're going to be open. You did? Was it good? >> Yeah, they were uh Hopin had lots of uh interested bridal parties kind of taking tours through the winery and event center which was great to see. >> Um and it was a typical busy day at Omni at two buildings instead of [laughter] it was great. [37:14] >> Oh, that's great. Yeah, it was a busy Friday for staff. So, we appreciate everybody um for all the time and and the work that goes on behind these big projects. Um, we just want to thank staff and for all the different work and all the the zoning and all the different things that happen behind the scenes. So, um, thanks again to you, city administrator, and then and and all your staff. [37:35] >> Um, but that that that concludes announcements. Um, then we move to number 11, adjournment. If there's no further business to come before council, I make a motion to be uh this meeting be adjourned. Is there a second? >> Second. >> Uh, seconded by Freski. The meeting is adjourned. All in favor signify by saying I. [37:53] >> I. >> Meetings adjourned. Thank you. [music] [38:13] [music] [38:23] >> [music] >> Heat. [38:36] [music] Hey. Hey.