[0:50] Mayor Matt Montgomery: That'll be great. Call to order. City of Canon Falls City Council meeting for Tuesday, July 1st, 2025. If I could get a roll call, please. [0:58] City Clerk Sara Peer: Yes. Diane Johnson, here. Zimmerman, here. Chad Johnson, here. Jeepson, here. Noach, absent. [1:06] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Croninburgger, here. Montgomery, here. Please rise for the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands. One nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. [1:25] Mayor Matt Montgomery: All right. If I can get a motion to approve tonight's agenda. [1:28] Council Member Lisa Zimmerman: Motion. [1:29] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Motion from Lisa. [1:30] Council Member Chad Johnson: Second. [1:31] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Uh we're going to give the second to Chad. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. That carries. Uh public input. Nobody has signed up tonight, so we will skip that. Gets us to consent agenda. Consent agenda items may be adopted under one motion as presented or may be removed for discussion and resolution as council business. Item A, adjust and correct claims for the accounting period that ended June 26th. And item B, meeting minutes June 17, 25 city council meeting. Is there anything the council would like to pull down? Hearing none. I would take a motion to approve. [2:01] Council Member Ryan Jeppesen: So moved. [2:02] Council Member Diane Johnson: Second. [2:03] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Uh second from Diane, motion from Jeep. All those in favor say I. I. Opposed. Carries. Gets us to council business. The text amendment for data centers as conditional use. John. [2:11] City Administrator Jon Radermacher: Thank you, mayor. Uh so before you have the memo, it kind of explains what the the situation is in reviewing the uh development application that we received from track through Kimley Horn. Uh in order to fairly process that, we do need to bring data centers into existence within our code. Uh the the way that they're requesting through a PUD, the rezoning, all the platting that essentially has to come through a conditional use that's allowed within our whatever zoning district that they will ultimately be in. And that needs to first start by us amending our uh ordinances to bring data centers into existence. So in the next few weeks we can work—if authorized—we can work through a draft um on that text. So defining uh data centers as well as establishing the conditions in which we would allow them within various jurisdictions. [2:57] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Basically to sum this up it's so that our city ordinance allows data centers because the last time it was written data centers probably didn't even really exist. [3:06] City Administrator Jon Radermacher: Yes. The—and certainly not to the extent as as what they are today. So, in order for us to even fairly evaluate the proposals from Tracked and any other future data centers that potentially could come to the city, um having this established will will give us the opportunity to to do that. [3:25] Mayor Matt Montgomery: All right. Thank you, John. Uh comments, questions, concerns from the council, Diane. [3:29] Council Member Diane Johnson: Um, and I think I mentioned to both John and to to Matt ahead of time, uh, I have no problem with us doing this, uh, because it is a very specialized thing and it is much newer. I'm wondering if it might be wise for us for the sake of the future of the city to look at hiring somebody uh, who specializes in data use, land management, land ordinance, uh, be that attorney or somebody else to work with us through that step and possibly the PUD in the future. [4:16] Mayor Matt Montgomery: John and Shelley, do you think that's something that is needed for the text amendment? Uh tonight is we're just giving a thumbs up or thumbs down to do that. But with Diane's concern, is that something at this phase or is that something that would be addressed later on? [4:29] City Administrator Jon Radermacher: I I don't think starting right now with the text amendment, but certainly using uh all the consult we've—you know right now we're using all the consultants that we have available to us and that we're we're contracted with to do the evaluations of everything that's coming forward whether that's the land use decisions, the um the infrastructure pieces. So we we very much are doing that. Um I am not too familiar of specific attorneys that focus on the municipal side uh for data centers that have that as a specialty. Um I do know that uh other firms have worked on ones recently in the in the state. we and the local partners are very good to be sharing information with us in terms of what those agreements are when they're finalized and um you know and even potentially discussing as amongst colleagues of how you know that work came to fruition. So we can absolutely explore um you know additional services if if they're needed. Um but right now know that we're thanks to the escrow agreements that we have we're we're fully utilizing our consultants every step that we can. [5:39] Mayor Matt Montgomery: All right. Any other questions, comments from the council? I would accept a motion to approve the text amendment for data centers as conditional use. No, no, no, no. Authorizing staff to initiate text amendment. I just read the what? Authorizing the staff to create the text amendment. Yes. [5:52] Council Member Ryan Jeppesen: All right. So moved. [5:54] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Motion from Jeff. [5:55] Council Member Laura Kronenberger: Second. [5:56] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Second from Laura. All those in favor? I. I. Opposed. That carries. Uh, nobody here from chamber. We'll just go around the horn. Jed, anything from public works? [6:04] Public Works Director Jed Petersen: Um, it is fair week. Um, public works are, you know, trying to spruce up the, you know, catch up on uh mowing and uh, weed whacking and make everything look nice for the the parade and everything. Just, uh, bear with us as we we go run around town and make things look nice. Um next our next projects coming up will be the the mill and overlay of uh we're hoping the end of July uh for uh industrial park and uh John Birch Park alley. Um so we will be start working on that as soon as we get through the fourth and the and fair. So thank you. [6:40] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Jed Chief. I'm sure you got something with the fair as well. [6:43] Police Chief Jeff McCormick: Yeah, as uh Jed said fairs week is coming up. Uh just reminder for residents that live uh along the routes that would be entrances into and out of the fair uh they will see increased traffic. If they're seeing uh driving conduct or something that's concerning to them, please call us um so we can be aware of it and try to resolve that issue. Uh the parade uh will have some impact along the uh regular normal route uh with parking restrictions and uh you know traffic delays uh especially at the end of it. Um but uh most of the residents are used to it. But just bear with us. Uh it usually comes off without too many hitches and we get a lot of people that come to to watch and then uh a lot of them will continue to hang around for the fair. So hopefully everything goes good. Weather cooperates but uh we'll be ready in case the weather doesn't. [7:28] Mayor Matt Montgomery: All right. Thank you, Chief. Sarah, Shelley, John. [7:34] City Administrator Jon Radermacher: Uh quickly just to update attended the league conference last week in Duluth and uh Chad was there as well with uh it was again always a great conference they had over 700 participants which is probably one of the largest they've they've ever had. Duluth's a wonderful venue for that despite the weather. It was a little cold and rainy. Um, you know, they had some of the things that I enjoy. Um, the keynote speakers are very engaging, you know, trying to be uplifting and finding a uh ways to help with their you kind of work life balance in in a working in this world. Um, I I do appreciate the exhibit hall. I've worked with a lot of vendors over the years and uh it was great to kind of catch up with a lot of those folks. They provide um excellent services for municipalities. So, to have them all in one location is really cool to to kind of introduce and and make connections for folks. Um, one item I did, I attended the I was invited uh attended the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities breakfast. Uh, they're one of the lobbying partners that um kind of work through the state for cities. Uh, the Association of Small Cities Coalition, League of Minnesota Cities and then uh some there's a Metro Cities agency too. They're the big players uh for supporting cities at the at the legislative level at the state. I've worked with the coalition in the past with uh my work in Little Falls. Um they're an excellent organization with some uh high quality um you know people that that know issues that really support communities. I think they you know certainly address and uh target areas that affect our city very much um as well as others. So I've I've worked in the past to try to move forward. One of the updates that they had from the legislature and kind of priming for next year is the housing and local control issues are going to be back. Um they they just get you know reverbed and retitled as something else. The missing middle was was the title last year. Um but they they'll be continually uh targeting that and um so what they did have was a panel of other cities that are doing creative things with local control around housing uh which includes uh the city of St. Peter that is also has has been for actually longer than we have uh been doing a city-led housing development. So there the developers bought the land, paid for the infrastructure, selling the lots to then recoup the the cost of their investment. Really really cool. One other really uh uh interesting civic or uh educational session was on civic engagement. They had a couple speakers who work with the West Central Initiative uh foundation and they've been talking about different strategies that are out there to uh re-engage your community members so that kind of get them to think about and participate in in different forms of uh you know the civic involvement whether it's uh volunteering on commissions or boards or even running for elected office. um there's a um kind of a dwindling number of folks that are interested in participating in that. And one stat that they that I took home was uh one in 37 people in rural Minnesota are likely to be rep you know in some capacity of an elected position whether that's school board, city council, township board, uh county commissioner, soil and water conservation districts. Uh that's it's not a lot. and you go to the metro and that's that number goes to one in 700 or 1 in 900 some much larger number a higher ratio. So it just goes to show that we have to wear a lot of hats and we have to do a lot of things. So it's why I love rural uh Minnesota or greater Minnesota because you get that opportunity to really connect and and participate. Um but it makes it challenging when when you don't have as many people or you got the same people there kind of constantly always doing everything. Uh last uh the council budget meeting uh is scheduled for July 15th. I'm just trying to finalize the time um between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Um looking for a 2 hour block of time for for you all. The feedback that I've gotten has been pretty open. So if anybody has a very firm uh not available during that time, please let me know or otherwise I'll probably just schedule it starting at 10 um for that day. So, if you're available, that'd be great to make it because we are my intention is having the department heads kind of giving their high level uh capital needs for the upcoming year and kind of getting to know um what it is that they do. [11:51] Council Member Ryan Jeppesen: Did I not email you my— [11:53] City Administrator Jon Radermacher: You did. Okay. Yes. Y you're you're you had a couple conflicts either end. All right. Uh so, that is all that I have. [12:00] Mayor Matt Montgomery: All right. Thank you, John. Laura? [12:02] Council Member Laura Kronenberger: I'm good. [12:03] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Yep. Go ahead. Diane? [12:04] Council Member Diane Johnson: Just everybody have a safe independence, safe celebration. [12:08] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Yeah, Lisa. [12:09] Council Member Lisa Zimmerman: Good. [12:10] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Chad? [12:11] Council Member Chad Johnson: Don't drink and drive. [12:12] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Yeah, I agree. Have a great fourth. Enjoy the parade. Enjoy the fair. Go out there, have fun. I feel like there's something else, but we're just going to let it go for now. Motion to adjourn. [12:25] Council Member Diane Johnson: So moved. [12:26] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Diane, do I have a second? [12:27] Council Member Lisa Zimmerman: Second. [12:28] Mayor Matt Montgomery: Lisa, did you get in? Yes. Second from Lisa. All those in favor say I. I. We're adjourned. Thank you, everybody.