[0:03] [music] [0:08] [music] [0:14] [music] [0:20] [music] Hey. [music] [music] [0:53] We'll call the city council regular meeting to order for Monday, December 15th, 2025. Would everyone please stand for the pledge of >> allegiance [1:06] 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. [clears throat] >> Call the roll please. [1:24] >> Council member Wilson >> here. Council member Gordes >> here. >> Mayor Hoy >> here. >> Council member Bernett >> here. >> Council member Lean >> here. Right. Any changes to the agenda? Amy, >> Nick, >> I do. I have a change. I would like to uh amend the agenda tonight to move citizen comments after new business. My son is in a choir concert at 8. So, I have a hard stop tonight. I'd like to be able to be for for as much as I can. [1:50] >> Okay. Jake, Steve, Lynn, >> I have none. Anyone else? All right. And I'd seek a motion to approve the agenda amending the moving of citizen comments item six to follow new business uh item 12. [2:07] >> I'll make a motion to approve with the amendment. So just to confirm item number six is going to be going after item number 12, new business. Is that correct? Okay. I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> Motion by Steve, second by Nick. Say I >> I [clears throat] >> I consent agenda. Take a motion to approve the consent agenda. [2:30] >> So moved. >> Second. >> Motion by J. >> All in favor say I. >> I. >> All right. Next item on the agenda is 81. Now this item is for a public hearing for the 2026 fee schedule amendment. Uh ordinance and public hearing. At this time, I go I'd like to go ahead and open the public hearing. [2:52] >> Thank you, Mr. Mayor. Members of the council, staff annually reviews fees charged for work items, rentals, and services performed. The management team reviewed the 2025 fee schedule for recommended changes for 2026. [3:09] And those changes are presented in the council uh the memo that uh Shirley put together and will be um and are represented in the attached proposed ordinance 2025 TAC 0009. [3:25] Um does are there any questions on in lie of going through it in detail? Any questions on the proposed amendments? >> Nick, none for me. >> None for me. Jake, >> none. [3:40] >> Steve, >> I have no questions, sir. Since this is a public hearing, this will be a time for anyone to come up and speak or comment on the proposed fee schedule. [4:06] All right. So, So seeing none, I will go ahead and close the public hearing at this time. Nick, any questions? >> Holly? >> No. [4:21] >> No. >> Steve. >> All right. [clears throat] Excuse me. Then I would seek a motion to approve the 2026 fee schedule and pass ordinance 2025 tag 009 establishing changes in fees for licenses, permits, or other city approvals and services for the calendar year 2026. [4:42] >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Motion by Holly, second by Nick. Call the role, please. >> Council member Gordes, >> yes. >> Mayor Hoy, >> yes. Council >> member Bernetts, >> yes. Council member Lean, >> yes. Council >> member Wilson, >> yes. All right. Next item on the agenda under new business is 121, staff approvals and recommendations. David, >> thank you, Mr. Mayor, members of the council. Nine new staff positions were included in the 2026 budget, and tonight we are presenting appointments to seven of those positions. While personal actions are normally included on the consent agenda, we felt it appropriate to take the opportunity to formally present these individuals and discuss once again why these new positions were included in the 2026 budget that you [5:28] adopted on December 1st. Tonight, we present Tyler Buun, Matthew Jans, and Caitlyn Schaw for appointment to the position of full-time firefighter. Matthew Denine, Brian Hansen, and Steven Karsten for appointment to the position of full-time fire captain and Samantha Hazelig to the position of human resources manager. Six out of six out of seven of these individuals are here with us tonight and all will start employment on Monday, January 5, pending your approval tonight. At this time, I'm going to hand it over to Chief Price to discuss the city's transition to a hybrid full-time paid on call fire department. [6:08] Good evening, mayor, council, and staff. Uh, this evening marks marks an historic event and time in the Farmington Fire Department with the hiring of three full-time firefighters and three full-time officers. These full-time members will be placed on three shifts, being able to provide coverage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, responding directly from the fire station. These six members will be starting January 5th of 2026 uh with an internal academy Monday through Friday, then moving into 48 hour work shifts beginning February 1st of 2026. [6:41] [snorts] I want to briefly talk a little bit about the history of our department, which starts out back in 1873. The village of Farmington was founded in the summer of 1865 and was incorporated in the spring of 1872. Just a year earlier in 1871, the city of Chicago suffered from the worst fire in the nation's history. [7:00] With the great Chicago fresh or with the great Chicago fire fresh in the mind, some of the Farmington business businessmen realized that their newly incorporated village should have a fire department. A meeting was held on Saturday evening, January 4th of 1873 to organize the first volunteers. 25 people attended and put down their names. A week later on Saturday, January 11th, 1873, another meeting was held in the Witaker and Woodward's dry goods store. That evening, a hook and ladder company was organized with 33 names signed to the company list. The company was a self-governing institute establishing its own rules and electing its own officers. On January 20 27th, 1873, at [7:45] the meeting, the members voted on the officers. The uniform was set and the fire company shall be called Eagle Hook and Ladder Company number one. On a motion, that meeting was adjourned to meet the next Monday at 7:00 sharp. Um, with the public invited to attend to see the bylaws and the regulations. [8:04] Again, at the at a March meeting, the village trustees agreed to accept the Eagle Hook and Ladder Company organization, and the trustees started began to set aside funds to help purchase fire equipment. 153 years later on January 5th, 2026, the Farmington Fire Department will have its first full-time firefighters and officers responding day and night from out of the fire station. Just like back in 1873 when the village of Farmington saw the need for a fire department, we have seen the need and requirements for change uh within the department by changing our model, training, duties, and response plan for an everchanging world uh is now to have our full-time staffing. These first uh these first six full-time members will begin to increase [8:50] the standards of the organization and begin the process of having a hybrid department with both full-time and paid on call staff. And with that, I'll stand for any questions or comments. >> Thank you, sir. Steve have none. Jake, [clears throat] >> um I just want to welcome Tyler, Matthew, Caitlyn, Matthew, Brian, and Stephen to Farmington History. Um, not only are you starting a new job, but you're making history as the as the chief said. And I think this is a exciting moment for us all, but but specifically for you guys, and I am excited just to be able to bear witness to this historic event. [9:29] >> Uh, no questions. just very grateful for all the time, energy, and work that went into um bringing this before us, making it uh something that was um not easy, but at the same time easy for us to be able to get behind. Um taking care of uh our residents through fire support and taking care of our firefighters um who are giving of their time so that they have a balance. and then also being able to employ people who are widely passionate about it. Uh it's exciting. So, thank you. [10:04] >> Yeah. Yeah. I just want to say I guess congratulations to to everyone here. Jake, you said that very well actually that like kind of strange feeling to sit here and watch probably Farmington history being made. I don't you know, you read all the old books in the library and you never really think of like it look something like this, right? [10:19] And you're probably watching it in real time and it's just kind of an interesting feeling. Um, I really appreciate how much work you guys have put into this and how you were willing to ch tackle the challenge. I know it's a lot. I know it's big and scary, but you guys went through it and here we are on the other side and I can't say thank you enough. [10:39] I don't know how to add to what my peers have said [clears throat] other than it is very historic and it's historic for a number of reasons. Most importantly, um it reaffirms the confidence that we have not only in our department but in our ability to provide the highest level of service. Um our residents know one thing. They pick up the phone, they call 911, they expect someone to show up and this is a way that we can deliver at an even higher standard. Um, there's part of me that gets a little giddy, too, because I I know most of you will. Um, then you don't just look at at fire as another job, right? It's a passion. It's something that's in you. And the opportunity to now do this full-time as [11:24] your career is a pretty big deal. And so, I'm I'm excited for you. I'm excited for our city. I'm excited for um all of the great things that we're going to be able to do as we continue to build the department. Um, I will ask for a little patience as we work through the accommodations and [laughter] the overnighting and all the things and, you know, the logistics of of putting it into action because it it will be a moving target for a little while. But, um, we will continue to be there to support you in every way that we can. [11:53] And, uh, thank you to each one of you for raising your hands and stepping forward. Thank you. Thank you, Chief. As for human resources, over the last five years, human resources has seen a transformation from a two-person department comprised of a human resources director and payroll specialist to a threeperson department comprised of a full-time HR specialist, a threequarter payroll specialist, and an [clears throat] assistant city administrator, HR director who splits time 50/50 between HR and administration. [12:26] However, as team Farmington grows, an unfunded legislative mandate such as ESST, paid family medical leave, and no tax on overtime continue to mount, has become ever more apparent that additional leadership and expertise within human resources is necessary. [12:43] Looking at just the four council meetings between November and December, the human resources team has presented for approval the appointment of eight full-time staff members and 16 seasonal staff members, a new position job description, a PFML policy, and two labor contracts. And this only scratches the surface of the daily work that happens mostly behind the scenes, including policy analysis, development and and administration, benefits administration, performance management, workers compensation, labor relations, safety and wellness, and of course, compensation and payroll. [13:20] The responsibility of the human resources manager will be to serve as a working manager who actively contributes to the daily operations of the human resources division while providing leadership and working collaboratively with the HR specialist and payroll specialist to deliver highquality human resources and payroll services to the to all of the city's departments. In addition, this position will serve as the right hand of the assistant city administrator who will now shift focus to organizational development, including leadership development, organizational structure analysis and improvement, and succession planning while supporting the city administrator with the overall administration of the city's operations. [13:59] Samantha Hazelig was selected out of a pool of 48 candidates to be the city's first human resources manager. She has extensive human resources experience in both the public and private sectors as well as a master's degree in human resource strategic management and multiple certifications from the public sector human resources association. [14:19] Sam comes to this comes to team Farmington from the city of Chesa where she has spent the last three and a half years as an HR generalist. So with that, mayor and council, unless you have any other questions, I ask that you approve the appointment of Tyler Buun, Matthew Jans, and Caitlyn Schaw as full-time firefighters, Matthew Denine, Brian Hansen, and Steven Karsten as full-time fire captains, and Samantha Hazelig as human resources manager. [14:46] >> Motion to approve. >> Second. >> Call the role, please. Council member, excuse [clears throat] me. Council member Vern, >> yes. >> Council member Lean, >> yes. >> Member Wilson, >> yes. Council >> member Gordes, >> yes. [15:02] >> Mayor Hoy, >> yes. >> Thank you, >> sir. [15:11] It agenda is citizen comments. Citizen comments are a time for >> anyone to address the city council on matters not on the agenda. Those speaking should state their name and address and limit their comments to five minutes. The council will not engage in discussion on your topic, but those issues requiring a response will be responded to by the next city council meeting. Those wishing to speak come up at this time. [15:42] Mayor, council, my name is Jeff Shhatler. I live at 2420 Calico Court, Farmington. Couple things, I guess. Uh, congratulations to the fire tonight for transferring to a full-time staff. It's going to be needed as we grow in the city. Um, tonight you guys interviewed several candidates for planning commission. Um, I hope I know you guys take it seriously. It's been a long day, probably 8 hour day for you guys and it's still going. Um, I hope you can choose people that also have residential views in mind, not just aligned with your views. Um, you were elected by the residents to represent our voice, and you're now appointing people to align with your views, but also to help [16:28] represent our voices. Um, I know personally some of the applicants that you have and their experience and how professional and the knowledge that they could bring to the table. Um, they've also stood at this podium, too. I hope that that doesn't disqualify them. I hope it makes them on a serious candidates. I don't know all of them. [16:46] I'm sure you had some great ones. It's an important thing to give a diverse group of people, not just people that are like-minded and on the same track as you. That's that's my point on that. Um, second thing I guess is I understand there's no application on the table. There's nothing to consider or talk about, but there is. You have residents here. We are your people and we're concerned and we're scared. Look at the proposal that track gave to Canon Falls. [17:16] They gave them 200 foot buffers. They didn't have to ask for it. There's things that could be improved that you could talk about with track still that you could mention, hey, these are concerns of ours. there's plenty of time to work on things to discuss it. You you work at every angle for your budget. You you go over thousands of pages of data. You look at all the numbers, we're begging you to put a little more time into this. If if you're going to stick with that this is proper reszoning and and it fits into the areas which a lot of us disagree with, continue to work on the setbacks and the buffers and the things that are affecting us. have them adjust this pro project. They can move buildings around to give more space without losing square footage. I've said that time and time again. [18:03] There needs to be some work done on it. It just isn't by no means acceptable to anybody. What if they put this in Charleswood? What if every single piece of land in Farmington comes for sale? What if it goes right next to Charleswood? What if it surrounds Vermillion Commons? What if it goes right in front of Vita Ativa? Those people will then be the next group of people here to argue it. So, that goes to my third thing. Take a look at your ordinances and your zoning and talk about them seriously and update them. [18:31] You know, your current ordinance, let's it says it can go 40t away from from residential. That's crazy close. The buildings would be taller than they would be farther. Um, take a look at that. How do we get that as residents on the table to protect the rest of the city, the other neighborhoods, your neighborhoods, the new neighborhoods, the future planning that we're doing? How do we get a way to keep a buffer that's acceptable for residents but still sets guidelines and acceptable for developers to still want to come in and and do it and not end up with these arguments. [19:03] So I got some way somehow I'd like to see a discussion made about that getting these things put into ordinance so that this isn't a fight every time with your residents. None of us feel good about it that are doing it. I'm sure you guys don't feel good about it. [19:18] I hope some way there can be a difference made to where you can listen to the residents and work with us a little bit and happy holidays. Enjoy your your Christmas. Thank you. >> Thank you, >> Nancy Arstead Bowmont Avenue. [19:37] >> I'm starting with a genuine compliment to the person at the city who creates the Halloween tour and the holiday lights tour. It adds good to Farmington. It brings joy, community, and it shows the best of us. And a huge shout out to the amazing residents who go all out with those displays. Even beyond any food donations collected, these families are giving joy to humanity. This is a beautiful thing. My daughter and I went on the Halloween tour this year, and we were blown away. Every house was bigger and better than the last. We had to park for several minutes at several of them just to get to see all the scenery. It showed how creative, spirited, and [20:23] generous people are in Farmington. It was really great. So, that's a genuine compliment. Over in Executive Estates, there was a giant skeleton reaching for a huge cat skeleton on a roof. It was adorable. Full-size horse skeletons, ghost talking in the windows. [20:42] If you haven't go gone on these tours, please do it. We plan to go on the holiday tour this next week. But um but we did visit the synchronized culde-sac with the coordinated homes. I know Holly is a part of that. And it was really cool. And hats off to all the people on that street. Very cool. As I watched it, I thought about how much fun it must have been to collaborate with those neighbors. How meaningful it must be to come together as a community. people on your street with all kinds of beliefs, different backgrounds and political opinions, and yet unified in doing something good. Those neighbors did something good. And I thought about how similar it is to the residents near the data center, my neighborhood, because we too are neighbors who come together, who came together. We were brought together [21:28] not for something not fun, but something devastating. We are viewed as necessary collateral damage, and we are now deemed the enemy. But we are just as awesome as the people on that culde-sac, just as creative and kind, just as invested in our families and our neighborhoods. We want to do something good, too. We want to protect our homes and protect our community. [21:53] Unfortunately, our version of coming together is not so festive. I also thought about how a synchronized holiday display on Kellico Court will be in a few years. Not quite the same. Not with industrial construction noise and the bright construction lights flanking the homes. Nobody will want to see that. [22:12] But thank you truly to those awesome families in Farmington. Great job. Last meeting, Holly, you said something I agree with. You talked about budget discussions and said the council had to embrace the uncomfortable. You acknowledged the discomfort of talking about money and raising taxes, but you face it anyway. Tonight, I'm asking you all to keep embracing that uncomfortable. We need to talk about Farmington's outdated MUC zoning code, even with lawsuits, even when it's inconvenient. These discussions are necessary to protect every resident in Farmington, north, south, east, and west of the city. Right now, your code treats data centers as a simple permitted use. [22:53] Meaning, a developer can walk in the door with a project and get an instant yes. These large high impact industrial plants don't belong in permitted UC zoning. They clearly belong in industrial. Another concern is Farmington has no design standards for data centers. There are no standards for building design, scale, placement of or placement of mechanical equipment. No noise standards for their massive generator yards. No screening or buffering requirements to protect nearby neighborhoods. No lighting limits to prevent night sky pollution. No requirements addressing heat, exhaust, vibration, or environmental impacts. All things you would want for your neighborhoods. [23:36] All residents need this. With the NDAs this city likes to sign, you have done so several times. They allow they allow projects to sneak in and get quickly set up like this one with tracked that you allowed to come in. So, the uncomfortable conversations need to continue. I would ask two I would request two actions. First, remove data centers from the permitted use list, put them in industrial zoning, and second, begin the creation of design standards for any future data center proposal. So, that is my question for your attorney, please. How do we as residents formally request that the city begin this process? How do we get you to initiate a code update for data centers and work on design standards for all the residents [24:22] of Farmington? My wish this Christmas and for New Year's is for softened hearts. Thank you. [24:35] I'm Kathy Johnson. I live on Bearing Avenue in Farmington. I was asked to testify at the attorney general's um uh advisory task force on the future of Minnesota waters. That was two weeks ago. I believe I was asked in recognition of the work which the coalition for responsible data center development has done over the last year and a half. Getting the word out about the issues with data centers is tough especially when local governing unit employees have signed non-disclosure agreements without the state without state predatory developers. It's a template a template happening all over Minnesota and all over the country. The coalition has earned the reputation for being a research-based nonprofit which [25:20] is working to enlighten the public about the problems of hypers scale data centers as they're coming into our state. We are telling the average person's story about a David and Goliath situation based on research from investigative reporters and various news organizations on research from universities who are following this enormous and complicated issue. Please visit our website noddatacenter.com and use our library of research to help answer questions you may have. One statement which really resonated resonated with me last Tuesday in the attorney general's advisory committee meeting was the statement that the speed of governance is slower than the speed of techn technological industrial development. That phenomenon is exactly [26:05] how Farmington finds itself in the middle of a lawsuit. You said yes because governance is slower than technology. Our coalition has turned to the judiciary to protect citizens against developers who promised over 200 permanent jobs. Yet jobs promised versus jobs actually created is one of those things which are hidden behind NDAs. In good jobs first article of November 2025, cloudy data, costly deals, how poorly states disclose data center subsidies. [26:40] Investigators compared job creation to the cost of tax exemptions. The finding, every permanent job in a data center in Illinois cost $1.4 million in data center tax abatement. [26:55] Nevada, 2.1 million. Google in Ohio 1.4 million. Yes, that is the cost per one permanent job created. And temporary upfront construction jobs, the highly skilled construction jobs, again from the same article, are often done by outofstate crews that follow the data center construction circuit. Developers also promised investment in the community. That's private investment and private profit. Ask your city officials where is the community benefit analysis in the in in this town. After all this time, I'm shocked there hasn't been more concrete information about that. I wonder how long Minnesota will be keeping those attacks exemptions at the curtain levels. I can guarantee you it's certainly something being discussed when [27:41] the state states that are now currently saturated in the data center business are losing between 52 and 70 cents on every dollar they tax exempt. I got a scary earful and eyeful at that task force meeting, especially about the fact that our water is certainly not the priority of data center developers who want to use Minnesota's most precious resource in their giveaway to lure data centers to and end users to the site. [28:08] That pads their own pockets, not the cities. I invite you to attend and I invite the public to attend a public meeting on January 20th at the public library in Farmington at 7:00. We we will be presenting either in person or in a recorded presentation about environmental and issue uh environmental and other issues around data centers and answer questions about our coalition, what we're doing, why we're suing the city. Please follow us on Facebook. I invite you to educate yourself about what's not going to be a panacea for Farmington. Stand with all of us and keep data centers in their place. Thank you. [29:00] Good evening. My name is Kathy Peragrino. Um, my first hope for today before I disclose my address is that I hope that this useful information for all of you isn't tuned out. I hope it's not just white noise that goes in the background. [29:18] I hope that you're paying attention and that you honestly follow up with the suggestions that that we offer. Um I used to live less like a little over six months ago, less than a mile away from the planned um data center on the uh the Fountain Valley Golf Course. I lived in Parkplace, but I have since moved. I moved to 17218 Finch Path over in the Bermuda Triangle. Um, so my address is still listed as Farmington, but I've been a member of this respected group, the uh the Coalition for Responsible Data Center Development for over a year [30:03] now. Why am I a part of this group if I move that far away? It takes about 12 minutes to get from where I used to live to where I live now next to my sister. Um, I'm part of this group because all of the information that they've that they've researched that we've researched together, all of us has been wellounded. [30:28] It's well researched. We have resources uh dependable, reputable resources for all of the information that we that we put out. we share the same re uh resources and it's based in facts and research. [30:43] So again like Kathy said um I hope that you check out our website because there's just a treasure trove of information and about hypers scale data centers and their effects. Um what I want to share with you is the effects of this data center that's planned should it be built um is is that it won't respect boundaries the air that's affected. [31:11] We all share the air. It might be worse where the people who have it in their backyard live but air flow does not recognize boundaries. We all share the same aquafer. [31:26] So even though wells of our friends and neighbors may run dry and farmers may have problems, um we'll all be affected because we all share the same aquafer. So here are just a few of my concerns. [31:43] We'll start with water and wells um and water usage. One example is that Amazon has come to the state's eastern farmland, worsening a water pollution problem that's been linked to cancer and miscarriages. That's from Rolling Stone in November of 25. [32:01] Another closer to home, a recent report published by the Alliance of Great Lakes titled finite resources assesses threats to water in the Great Lakes region. They say if states, local governments, and economic development agencies do not begin incorporating water availability and demand into their decision-making processes, it may lead the region down a dangerous unsustainable and inefficient water use path that impacts drinking water supplies, businesses, and food production. [32:32] The report highlights a lack of understanding about natural resource extraction and consumption, indicating that the use of non-disclosure agreements, lack of water use reporting requirements, and gaps in existing state water management laws all pose challenges for state and local governments due largely to efforts made by developers. [32:54] In the current plan, we're all tied into that city water supply. So speaking of water quality, what about the nitrates and PAS that we'll have to deal with when this goes through? We already have a PAS problem. [33:10] What about dry wells? We know that these are byproducts of hypers scale data centers and the neighbors nearby. And what about the air? In Virginia's data center alley, backup gas power generators are causing an estimated 14,000 cases of asthma symptoms. If the generators were operating at just 10% of the allowable pollution level, the public health cost from these emissions would be between 220 million and 300 million per year. The US Environmental Protection Agency believes that by 2030, AI data centers will create a national public health cost exceeding 20 billion. [33:54] And then there's electricity. The amount of power used by data centers has tripled over the past decade and could triple again by 2028. The risk of power outages will only grow as new data centers come online. The NERC forecast in a December report. [34:12] According to that, nearly all of the United States will face higher risks of energy shortfalls over the next 5 to 10 years. That report said, and that's from Reuters. The explosive growth growth of data centers could threaten the stability of the electrical grid this winter. [34:29] according to an industry overseer. So this is Minnesota. What will we do? Across North America, demand for electricity this winter is expected to be 2.5% higher than last year for a total of 20 gawatt. [34:45] And that is the um according to the North American Electric Reliability uh corporation, the NEC that I referenced earlier. And they said that in a report that was released um in November, the end of November. So what about our winter and the power grid with multiple hypers scale data centers? [35:05] What if we have many of them? What about all the air pollution that will you know will run between all of us because we know that there are many more planned for Dakota County alone and that's frightening. So with our power grid events um and this this is refers back to in Quebec there was a 1998 eastern ice storm and if we're talking about electric problems or or the failure of the electric grid back in that time there was an ice storm that left 1.4 million Quebecers without electricity or without power for up to a month. That was in the winter. that could happen here because blackouts and brown outs are [35:51] part of the prediction of all of this massive use of power. >> So, >> I'm going to ask you to button it up here at the end. I'm letting you run a little bit long, but respect finish this here. I just want to point out we are all affected. So, my question for you, whose side are you on? The billionaires that benefit from all the p tax breaks that we citizens make happen, they don't care about you. They don't care about us. Their goal is to collect their money and get out, leaving us with damaged rivers, damaged aquifers, respiratory problems, health related problems, weakened power grids, skyrocketing electric bills, contaminated water, or are you on the side of the citizens of Farmington and Dakota County, the [36:37] citizens that you were elected to represent and protect? We will all experience potential brownouts and blackouts. We will all experience our electric bills skyrocket. We will all experience exposure to air pollutants. [36:53] We will all experience water shortages. These data centers will cause water wars and likely affect um our water supply. So ultimately, whose side are you on? [37:19] My name is Terry Pearson, 2475 225th Street West. Since the Farmington City Council hasn't or won't respond to our pleas, my last speech for this year is for those of you who are watching us online. [37:37] Our country is under siege by billion-dollar tech companies that are in a race to provide for the gluttonous appetites of artificial intelligence. Concerned citizens all across the US are pushing back because the hyperdata centers use as much water and electricity as an entire city every day. [37:59] The promise of jobs is hollow. Construction jobs may last a year or two, but in the end only a handful of people are needed to watch over the computers. I also question the ROI, return on investment of these data centers. City and state officials have put out the welcome mat. We give them millions of dollars in tax incentives and they give us vague promises in return. [38:27] Just today, I heard NPR highlighting a small community in Missouri that forced the withdrawal of the developers there for now. The risk to the community far outweighed the promised benefits from the developer. [38:43] The investment in this industry is not sustainable in either money or resources. And if you live in close proximity to a hyperdata center, as the city wants our neighborhoods to do, the very reason we moved here 40 years ago is gone. Put data centers in their place, not in residential neighborhoods. [39:15] Anyone else wishing to speak? All right, we'll move on to round table. Amy, >> good evening, mayor and members of the council. Um, I would just note from my report tonight that it was about this time last year that um you all welcomed me as your regular lead city at civil city attorney. So, it's already it's been a year. It's hard to believe. And in honor of my predecessor, I will give you a report on the bison. [39:51] >> Um, I had to learn this. So, at Dakota County Spring Lake Park Reserve, there are the and if there if the county's website is up to date, there are still p the bison living in paddics seven and eight um at the park and they have nine animals this year, but they don't expect any calves in 2026 because they did not have a breeding bull this year. So, but they're still there. Go see them. Go enjoy them. And so that I um I wish everyone happy holidays and I look forward to working with you again in the new year. [40:27] >> Thank you, Nick. >> I was generally nervous about the state of the bison. So, thank you. [laughter] >> Um [clears throat and cough] I guess a lot going on obviously. Thank you as always to the police department. It's probably my one of my favorite days, if not my favorite day of the year. Um unfortunately, we didn't had a wrestling tournament so I didn't get to do the delivery. Uh, but I did get to wrap in a turbo mode and go to the selection and just seeing all the people there, all the excitement, all the uh I don't know, there's just something you can't really put into words about that that I just I'm sure I'll be doing that for as long as I've been Farmington, forever that long it ends up being. Um, thank you for letting me dress in that ridiculous elf costume. Uh, I don't know what else to say about that thing, but I'll see if I [41:12] can keep doing that. >> You didn't need our permission for the elf costume. Well, I mean, I was going to say >> by your own own >> Thank you for tolerating it. Um, I hope everyone has a great holiday, a safe holiday, and get the chance to rest and refresh and all the good things. We'll see you next year. >> Thank you, >> Jake. Um, I too would just like to extend my thanks and appreciation to the police department for organizing another successful Toys for Town event and a huge thanks to the community members who every single year show up and donate gifts, donate funds and and wrap and deliver those gifts. It just I think we were talking about it earlier that in the course of about an hour and a half, two hours, all of the families were taken. all of the gifts were pretty much wrapped and just it's astonishing to see [41:58] how fast people work. Um, so thank you to everybody involved in that and just a a happy holidays to everybody watching at home. I hope everybody has a safe and wonderful holiday season. >> Thank you, Steve. Um, I have no comments tonight. [42:14] >> I want to give a big thank you to Farmington Rotary and Homestead Church. The holiday parade was even bigger and better than the first year. It was just absolutely amazing. The one thing I kept hearing in the crowd was it was definitely a hallmark moment. So, thank you for all the volunteers, everybody that made that happen. It was it was phenomenal. And thank you for Kelly for organizing and on the city side. Thanks. [42:45] City Hall will be closed on the 24th and 25th in observance of Christmas. And also want to welcome Samantha, you're still in the audience. Thanks for sticking with us and we're so excited for you to join our team. [43:04] >> Nothing for me. Thanks, >> David. I'm just going to say again, thank you for uh making those appointments and we're excited for everyone to join us on January 5th and I'm just going to again wish everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year. [43:19] >> Thank you, Diana. >> Thank you, mayor and councel. Um over the last year we have watched our finance director and our um assistant administrator HR director implement BSNA um which are the new finance system and the new HR management system which these are huge projects and they both have done a phenomenal job and now I have some big shoes to follow because we will be implementing the building permit um community development modules in the first half of 2026. six. And so, thank you both for taking the lead on that and showing us how it's done. We will be um following along now and implementing that. And it will be a great um addition as well for for this city. And we'll [44:06] really be streamlining a lot of the streamlining and automating a lot of the systems that impact community development, our building department, and even um how we interact with um engineering. So, I'm looking forward to that. Right away in January, we'll be working um with the BSNA team and starting all of the the behind thescenes work that these guys know very well about um to get that going. So, I look forward to that. And again, thank you for all your support for all of our work that we do. It's an honor to be able to work with this team, team Farmington, and to be able to do all this work with you. So, thank you. [44:47] >> Thank you, John. First want to extend my thanks to the police department. Uh we've been through a significant snow event to start the year. Uh nothing, you know, Armageddon wise, but a a good size event and we had some snowbirds out there and the PD pounced on the issue, got a hold of the property owners. Um and what I remember them saying is uh it shouldn't happen again. And that's what our drivers really appreciate. Uh second of all, I want to thank all the elected officials for your support uh through your actions on the capital improvement program and on the budgets. Uh your strong support of public works is appreciated and noticed. Uh we we would seem to have some breathing time this time of year, but we really don't because we're into 26 and we're already [45:35] starting to look into 27 projects. So uh uh we're anxiously wrapping up uh implementing what you've approved and moving forward. So thank you again. Thank you, >> Kelly. >> Good evening, mayor and council. Uh, tomorrow is the open door food pantry at the Rambling River Center, uh, 3 to 4:30. Um, all are invited, so please, uh, attend 325 Oak Street. Uh, last Monday was the first skate park design meeting. Um, we had about a dozen people, lower attendance than we'd hope, but good discussion. Um, we learned a lot about skateboarding and hubbas and ramps. Um the design survey is open through next Monday, December 22nd. And then Spawn Ranch will take that information and put together two concept plans and will be presented to the community in January. That will be also [46:20] in inerson meetings. We'll get the information out there. Open uh outdoor rinks and warming houses were tenatively scheduled for next week. Obviously, we aren't flooding currently. It's going to be 45° tomorrow, but please check the city's uh website and social medias for when the outdoor rinks and warming houses are open for the season. Thank you. [46:39] >> Thank you, Kim. >> Good evening, mayor and council. Um I have to say that finance is equally excited about community development moving to BSNA. I mean, part of the reason that we did the switch was because of the um efficiencies that will be um recognized with the system all being one. right before we had multiple systems and just the inefficiencies that we had that. So we're we're excited as well. Um we are moving along with that project um finding or the BSNA team has been here for the last two weeks. This is the last week that they will be inhouse and we're just working through the processes and working out all the bugs that we have um you know come across as we implement a new software system. But I think overall that everyone is excited about the change. [47:25] Um, just a quick update for our residents that InvoiceCloud, our online pay payment platform, that is back up and running so people can make those online payments. We have been getting a number of calls about not being able to search by customer number. That is a number that we did have to get rid of in the conversion, but they can make um a search by their account number and that is printed right on their bill. So, we'll try to get out some more communication with regards to that, but just wanted to make a note about that. [47:54] Thank you, Chief. >> Uh, the only thing I have this evening is to stay safe and happy holidays. >> Thank you, >> Captain. >> Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh, I would just echo a lot of the sentiment about Toys for Town. Uh, there is there's so much gratitude to be given to so many different corners of our community. um between people's time and people's contributions. Um it's a it was a wonderful event. It was a record- setting event with the amount of families and the amount of children that were helped and um I think it was a really good representation of what our community stands for. Thank you. [48:34] >> Thank you. Toys for Town. At the last meeting, I said if you hadn't been a part of it to go to the rapping event and just witness it. Um, I'll never get tired of saying this, but as a as a seventh grader, the 12 13year-old, my family was was a recipient of the program. This program started by um a still actively working Chief Sibanau who was there again this weekend. Um, but started the program with, as I understand it, two families and organically has grown over approximately 38-ish years. uh to the point where this weekend it was the culmination of serving I believe it was [49:21] 174 families and over 500 kids and to watch this program year in and year out and I mean it just from the businesses the organizations to those that donate monetarily to those that donate toys um everyone that participates those that show up and all they do is rap those that just deliver are pleased piece, our fire, um, South Metro SWAT, like everybody that that makes this event what it is. Um, I couldn't be more grateful for. And to watch it go from it, it's beautiful. It's organized chaos because it's just you have all of the madness in the weeks leading up to it to the staging and the sorting and filling the gaps of the the gifts for the age [50:06] groups that don't ever quite get fulfilled the way that we think based on the numbers that are being served. and then bang nine o'clock the doors open and by 11:30 you're tearing things down. To see that happen is just it's magnificent. And you you step back and you just look at it for what it is. It is our community coming together to serve um those in need at one of the most important times of the year. And to watch every component of that weekend and the time leading up to it is just it it's life-changing. So to each and every person, whether you've donated over the years, whether you've thrown a toy inside of one of the bins, whether you've shown up to help pack, whether you've provided in some way, shape, or [50:52] form a very sincere thank you. Um, don't think for a second that the families and the kiddos that are impacted don't remember it, because they do. For me, it was 30 some odd years ago, and I remember it like it was yesterday. [51:07] and to see it happen year over year over year is just it it's it's heartwarming to a level that I've never experienced otherwise. Um so sincere and very very grateful. Thank you for everyone that has been a part of that. Uh with that I wish everyone a happy holiday season. [51:25] Please be safe. Um snow piles are a little bit bigger than they have been in years past. Um, just be mindful of the walkers, those that are out being active, especially as the temps get warm. Um, take it slow in the mornings and the evenings when the roads seem to be a little bit slicker than normal. Um, just en enjoy and enjoy a happy holiday season and please be safe. With that, I would seek a motion to adjurnn. [51:50] >> Motion to adjurnn. >> Second. >> Motion by Jake, second by Steve. All in favor say I. I. >> We'rejourned at 7:51. Heat. Heat. N. [52:15] Hey, [52:23] hey hey.