This transcript has been formatted with speaker identifications based on the provided context and the dialogue within the meeting. *Note: While the provided context list includes Council Members Burk and Coleman-Woods, the transcript features Council Members Troutman and Wayan. I have identified them as they were addressed by the Mayor during the meeting.* *** **[00:00:00] Mayor Mary Supple:** ...there you go. Okay, good evening everyone. I want to call to order this city council meeting for the city of Richfield. It is April 23rd at 7:00 p.m. If you're able, please rise and join me for the Pledge of Allegiance. **[00:00:15] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, thank you. Next, we'll move on to Open Forum. I have one person who's signed up to speak, and if there's anyone else, please let us know. Has anyone called in for Open Forum? Doesn't look like it. **[00:00:30] Management Analyst Chris Swanson:** Mayor and Council, there is nobody currently called in for Open Forum. **[00:00:35] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. If somebody is wishing to call in, the call-in number is 1-415-655-0001, meeting ID is 2634 327 8930, and password is 1234. Um, as usual, we ask people to sign in, stick to municipal issues, and please state your name and your address, and you have three minutes. So, is there anyone else that wishes to speak other than the one sheet I already have? All right, then I'm going to call Kathleen Balaban to the podium for your three minutes. **[00:01:05] Kathleen Balaban:** Good evening. My name is Kathleen and I live on 65th and Stevens. I looked at the comp plan that is up for resolution today and I have some concerns. I did some study and I went out and I looked at Minneapolis, and their city manager is known as their City Coordinator. Their City Coordinator right now has a salary range of $175,000 to $212,000. Her name is Heather, and her current salary right now for the City of Minneapolis—which has 425,000 people and approximately a 60-square-mile city—is making $198,000. Our city manager's current salary is $168,000 and is given a new range up to $194,195 for 36,700 people in an 8-square-mile range. That looks odd to me. There is something wrong with this plan. The difference between the city manager midpoint in this plan to the top end is only $2,365. At a 3% increase annually, she's going to top out in less than five years. So what do we do? Get rid of her or change the plan? We need a policy issue that states there's something wrong with this. And if the city manager’s pay scale is out of range, what is everybody else's? Okay, I believe that we are overpaying even at this pay scale, and I understand that we clearly have to make an adjustment to take care of this problem, but we need to do it with understanding and knowledge. We have an $801,000 noted expense for 2024. Now, if you take full-time employees at 25% of their salary for additional benefits, the taxes, etc., and part-time at 15%—which is a standard—and turn it into 20% and then take that against that $801,000, you've just added another $160,000 to the tag. We're now up to $960,000 for the first year. Nothing in here says what we're going to get every year after. So you plan, you do it, and then what is the annual increase going into '24, '25? How are you going to compare what was, what is, and what should be? I'm asking us to take a minute and step back. We still need to do it—all right, we still need to do it—but I don't believe that we're doing it correctly because first, we change the... we could do the comp, and then we change the titles before the comp's done, and that is not the normal process. Thank you for hearing me, but I am going to say the process is: comp plan, job descriptions, functions, and then change your staff around. Thank you. **[00:03:40] Mayor Mary Supple:** Is there anyone else who wishes to speak? And it doesn't look like anyone else has come online, so we'll close out the Open Forum and move on to the approval of the minutes of the City Council work session of April 9th, 2024, and the City Council meeting of April 9th, 2024. **[00:03:55] Council Member (Unidentified):** I'll move to approve the minutes. **[00:03:57] Council Member (Unidentified):** Second. **[00:03:58] Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to approve both sets of minutes. Are there any questions or corrections? All right, all in favor of approving both sets of minutes, please say aye. **[00:04:05] City Council:** Aye. **[00:04:06] Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? We've approved both sets of minutes. Next, we'll move on to approval of the agenda. **[00:04:12] Council Member (Unidentified):** I move approval of the agenda. **[00:04:14] Council Member (Unidentified):** Second. **[00:04:15] Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda. Is there any discussion? All right, all in favor of approving the agenda, please say aye. **[00:04:22] City Council:** Aye. **[00:04:23] Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? We've approved the agenda. Next, we have a proclamation to recognize Arbor Day for 2024. Management Analyst Swanson, is there someone here to receive this, or should I read that from up here? **[00:04:40] Management Analyst Chris Swanson:** Mayor and Council, I do not believe there's anyone here to receive that proclamation tonight. **[00:04:45] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, so I'll stay here to read this one. Whereas Arbor Day will be celebrated nationwide on Friday, April 26th, and will provide people across the nation an opportunity to celebrate the importance of trees and forests to our economy, culture, history, and future; and whereas Arbor Month is celebrated in Minnesota through the month of May to promote the value and planting of trees; and whereas Arbor Day 2024 marks the 152nd anniversary of the original United States Arbor Day celebration held on April 10th, 1872, in Nebraska City, Nebraska; and where trees are of great value as they provide clean air and water, shade and energy savings, wildlife habitat, recreational opportunities, wood products, and jobs, while reducing stormwater runoff and capturing and storing carbon from the atmosphere, thereby offsetting greenhouse gas emissions; and whereas properly planting and caring for a diverse mix of trees makes community forests more resilient by minimizing the impacts of diseases, insects, and other stressors such as climate change, and providing long-term community and environmental benefits; and whereas thoughtfully choosing, planting, and caring for a diverse mix of trees now supports resilient communities into the future; and whereas Arbor Day was celebrated in conjunction with Earth Day by the City of Richfield through the park cleanup event at Veterans Park on April 23rd; now, therefore, I, Mary Supple, Mayor of the city of Richfield, do hereby proclaim April 26, 2024, as Arbor Day in the city of Richfield as a way of promoting tree stewardship and mindful choices to help preserve and enhance our urban forests. Proclaimed this 23rd day of April, 2024. Does anyone wish to add any comments? All right, I'll save mine for Hats Off. So we'll move on to our next proclamation to celebrate Marty Kersch for his exemplary service and unwavering commitment to the City of Richfield, and I believe he's in attendance, so I'll meet him up at the front. And I know there are a few people that also wish to add some things to the statement. Welcome, Mayor Kersch. All right, I'm going to read the proclamation, then if you want to say a few words, and then there are a few people that would like to say a few words to you. Whereas Martin "Marty" Kersch has dedicated his life to public service, serving the Richfield community with passion, integrity, and commitment for decades; and whereas Marty served as the Mayor of Richfield, leading with vision and a deep dedication to improving the quality of life for all residents; and whereas Marty's involvement with the city started when he began attending council sessions to learn more about the community; recognizing he was already at the meeting, he decided to throw his hat in the ring for a council seat; and whereas after one unsuccessful run for council, he was elected, serving as a City Council member from 1982 to 1991 and as Mayor from 1991 to 2007; much of that time was a period of rapid growth and development for the community, shaping Richfield into the city it is today; and whereas Marty also chaired the Friendship City Commission for decades and served on the Richfield Charter Commission for 17 years, serving as the president of the Charter Commission for much of that time; and whereas outside of his public life, Marty attended Concordia College, the University of Minnesota—he is a longtime fan of the U of M Women's Basketball team—and he graduated from the Minneapolis School of Drafting; and whereas he used that education to have a long and successful career with the Donaldson Company, retiring after 45 and a half years as a printing and duplicating supervisor; and whereas he commits his time not just to the city but to other community organizations as well: he was president and chairman of the board of Mount Calvary Lutheran Church for 37 years, was a member of the Richfield Historical Society and the Optimist Club, and was involved with the Richfield League of Women Voters and served on the Board of Trustees for Fairview Southdale Hospital; and whereas Marty's impact on his friends, family, and the community will forever be felt; now, therefore, I, Mary Supple, Mayor of the city of Richfield, do proclaim our deepest gratitude and appreciation to Marty Kersch for his exemplary service and unwavering commitment to the betterment of Richfield, Minnesota. We commend Marty Kersch for his outstanding and tireless contributions to our city and our community. Proclaimed this 23rd day of April, 2024. Congratulations, Mayor. **[00:10:05] Marty Kersch:** Well, thank you. Thank you all of you that have come to celebrate with me this evening. This has been a real challenge to become the president—or the Mayor—of the city of Richfield. We've made a lot of head ground on different projects that we've done, and so we really thank all of the people that have been involved and all those that will continue to be involved as we continue to be one of the growing cities in the metro area. And so we thank and hope all of you will, in good faith, move forward for the city of Richfield. Thank you very much. **[00:10:45] Mayor Mary Supple:** Now, before I read the comments, there were a couple of people that wanted to say a few words. So if the first person wants to come up and introduce themselves. **[00:10:55] Bob Donley:** I am Bob Donley. I’d like to share with you how our family got to meet Marty. Our family became friends with Marty about 10 years ago at the University of Minnesota women's basketball games. Marty sat close to us, and after getting to know him, we really enjoyed seeing him at the games. Marty is from Hutchinson, a hometown of Lindsay Whalen, and he once drove to Hutchinson in a blizzard to watch the jersey be retired at the high school. When lady Gophers aren't making their free throws, Marty will often say, "They need to go to the dark room and practice." We heard that a lot. Since Marty was having a hard time getting around these last three years, we would pick him up for the basketball games. Our family found this to be a special time because we got to know him better. Marty was always a gentleman; he would make a point of holding that car door open for my wife and daughter. Marty's a very humble, honest, kind-hearted man who puts the needs of others ahead of his own. He gets involved and makes things happen. This is not only true at the City of Richfield, but at Mount Calvary where he goes to church. Marty has told us he was very pleased when Best Buy decided to build the offices in Richfield; he said he worked very hard on that project. Marty is proud of his statue in Richfield, and as you may know, it is often decorated or dressed up for various occasions. Over the years, someone has taken pictures of the statue dressed up and Marty has saved an album. Our family has been very blessed to have known Marty. We are glad to know that he has been recognized by the city of Richfield for his contributions. Thank you. **[00:12:45] Mayor Mary Supple:** Is there someone else that wanted to say a few words? Otherwise, I have several here that I was going to read, but I'll give you first chance if you want to come up. All right, this one is from Pastor Krauss. He says, "I've known Marty for about a year, but clearly the Lord called him to be the light in this community. Rather than seeking to serve himself, he has followed in his Lord's humility, taking on roles of service because they needed to be done and being greatly concerned about the generations that would follow him. This concern and love for others is clearly born from Jesus's love for him and why Marty has been a faithful and committed member of both Mount Calvary Lutheran Church and the community and the city of Richfield." We also have a message from Sid Raywalt to the city of Richfield and the council: "How do you pay tribute to Marty Kersch, a man that has been to more City Council meetings than any Richfield citizen? He has attended them as a fellow citizen, councilman, and mayor—and citizen again. Served on various commissions as a member and a chairman. A very humble man, but proud to be able to serve his city with the community for decades. Never has he looked to gain recognition for himself, but rather he worked to make this city better for these many years. He has served his church, Mount Calvary, as president for 36 years. In the same manner, the honor to serve is not for him, but is the reflection of his faith in his Lord and Savior. All that he does is to honor God and not himself. It makes Marty the man he is—a servant to his city, his church, and to our Lord and Savior. And I'm proud to have the honor of serving with him in his city and church." This next one is from Susan Moss: "Marty has been a man of honor and sacrifice. He has been a blessing to the congregation at Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in Richfield, and he has touched us all with his humble and gentle spirit." And I stand corrected, that's Mark and Susan Moss. And finally, I have one from Reverend Mark Johnson: "Congratulations and God's richest blessings as you are recognized for your many faithful years of service to the city of Richfield. It was a privilege to serve as your pastor for 34 years at Mount Calvary Lutheran in Richfield. What a blessing for the city of Richfield that your Christian faith informed all your actions and decisions as mayor. You kept Mount Calvary informed of the decisions of the city council and the events happening in Richfield. By your example, you encouraged us to be more involved in politics and civic service in our community. Again, God continue to bless you, and I want to extend my personal thanks for serving as our congregational president for many years and also helping Richfield become a great community to live in." So I'm going to give these to you so you can keep them for your scrapbook. Thank you. And I'll add, I first got to know Marty when I was serving on the friendship commission and he was involved with those activities. And it's been kind of odd lately going to like Planning Commission and HRA and not seeing you there, because you've kind of been somebody that was always a steadfast fixture. So thank you for everything that you've done for our community and congratulations on all of the great work that you've done over the years and best wishes for the future. Is there anything else that anyone wishes to add? All right, thank you. Council Member Hayford Oleary wanted to add something. **[00:16:30] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Yeah, I don't have much to say, but I did want to say thank you, Marty. I first met you about 10 years ago when I was the bike liaison to the Transportation Commission when you were still chairing it. And in fact, that didn't even make the list because you've done so much for Richfield—that the work on transportation wasn't even there. But I found you to be an inspiring leader established in Richfield. You were very supportive of me as a new person getting involved in the community. You ran the meetings beautifully, and it's just so impressive to see the dates on here and to realize that that was seven years after you completed 25 years of elected office in Richfield. So thank you so much for your work, and it's an honor to continue the work that you worked on so long here. Thank you. **[00:17:25] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Hey, thank you, Mayor. And Mayor Marty, I just want to say thank you. And something that's not talked about that I think is worth lifting up is, in so many of the conversations I've had with you over the years, the care that you show for our staff. You know, that's something that's not public, but I just want to lift that up—that you love our city, but you've also loved the people who work here faithfully, and you never missed an opportunity to praise them, both in public and in private. So for a lot of things, but I just want to say thank you for being willing to lead and leading with courtesy and compassion for a lot of folks. **[00:18:15] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** I would just add, similar to other comments, just thank you for the breadth of your service and your interest. I don't think we have someone else who has been so flexible and open to the different needs of the community and the different avenues that you've worked on. And so I appreciate all your willingness over the years on transportation, on the Charter Commission, Friendship City, obviously as council and Mayor—there's a bunch of different directions that you work on. But thank you for your commitment, not just longevity, but in multiple directions. **[00:18:55] Mayor Mary Supple:** Right. Once again, thank you. All right, next we'll move on to the consent calendar, and I'll turn it over to City Manager Rodriguez. **[00:19:05] City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** Thank you, Mayor. Actually, I also wanted to thank Mayor Marty. He was there for my interview; he attended my interview. It was when I was just starting to learn how special Richfield is, and I then later learned how much you contributed to it. And I'm so glad that Council Member Troutman lifted up how much that staff appreciated you, because they would often give you as a great example of a leader. So thank you for your service and thank you on behalf of staff. And now I will transition to the consent calendar. I couldn't get your attention. The consent calendar contains several separate items which are acted upon by the City Council in one motion. Once the consent calendar has been approved, the individual items and recommended actions have also been approved. No further council action on these items is necessary. On tonight's consent calendar: * Item A: Consider Richfield Fire Department membership with the Hennepin County Fire Chiefs Association. * Item B: Consider a resolution authorizing staff to submit an application for an equipment voucher rebate via the Energy Efficiency Conservation Block Grant program and authorize staff to execute an agreement if the project is approved by the Department of Energy. * Item C: Consider resolution authorizing the execution of an agreement with the Federal Department of Housing and Urban Development for an Economic Development Initiative Community Project Funding grant in the amount of $3 million to assist with funding of the Wood Lake Nature Center building project. * Item D: Consider approval of a resolution of support for a Community Project Funding grant application for a design plan development for the replacement of the 73rd Street pedestrian bridge over I-35W. I submit these items for your consideration on tonight's consent calendar. **[00:20:55] Mayor Mary Supple:** So is there... I would entertain a motion to approve the consent calendar. **[00:21:00] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** So moved. **[00:21:02] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Second. **[00:21:03] Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Council Member Wayan. **[00:21:08] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** Um, just would briefly say, I know these are straightforward, but some exciting things in here. So I wanted to highlight and thank staff for the continued work toward our Climate Action Plan—some of the money there will be going towards some lighting upgrades that will save energy over the long term; certainly the continued work towards our Wood Lake Nature Center building; and then particularly, I know the pedestrian bridge conversation has come up on numerous things that never quite makes the cut, either in getting approvals in previous grants we've applied for or the priority over some other urgent projects, but it is really needed. And so I appreciate that we continue to try and find a way to fund that. **[00:22:00] Council Member Ben Troutman:** And I think we may have mentioned this in other meetings, but the $3 million that we were able to secure for the Wood Lake Nature Center was not an accident or a lottery. It took a lot of really effective and vigorous advocacy—first by our staff and also our Council Member Ilhan Omar and our Senators. And so it was a team lift, and so when they see that, it's not a rounding error, not a miss of commas; it's a generous award that we were able to get because it's a great project but also because we had advocates for it. **[00:22:50] Mayor Mary Supple:** Any other comments or questions? It has been moved and seconded to approve the items on the consent calendar. All in favor, please say aye. **[00:23:00] City Council:** Aye. **[00:23:02] Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And we've approved those items. Moving on, we will go to item number six, and I'll turn that over to Council Member Troutman. **[00:23:10] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Thank you, Mayor. Item number six is to consider the approval of the second reading of an ordinance amending section 925 relating to the abatement of public health nuisances and assessment of abatement costs to property. The number and severity of public health nuisance cases has been increasing over the past seven years. Historically, staff has had to handle abatement on a case-by-case basis, with abatement often occurring over several months due to staff capacity, costs associated with abatement, and property owners' individual circumstances. By including a clear process of notice of abatement proceedings, appeal process, abatement, and assessment, staff will be better equipped to address not only the time it takes to abate but have better outcomes for the owner and property. The City Council approved the first reading of the proposed ordinance on the April 9th, 2024, meeting. So this is the motion... before the motion, does staff have anything to add? **[00:24:15] City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** No, we're available for questions. **[00:24:17] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Then I would make the motion we approve the second reading of the ordinance amending section 925.07 through 925.9 of the Richfield City Code related to the abatement of public health nuisances and assessment of abatement costs to property, and approve a resolution authorizing summary publication of said ordinance. **[00:24:45] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** Second. **[00:24:47] Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded. Is there any comments, questions, discussion? Council Member Wayan. **[00:24:55] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** Um, just want to lift up—I know most people watching or listening don't have the full packet—one of the stats in there is that these cases have had a 70% increase. So that's quite significant. And I don't think I'm speaking out of turn to say that some of these have taken months to resolve, and so I appreciate looking into a process to speed that up. I'm seeing nodding, so I'm not making that up. **[00:25:30] Support Services Manager Jennifer Anderson:** Mayor Supple, Council Member Wayan, only just to say that the significant increase has pushed us to this point. As I mentioned in the staff report, we've been able to handle in the past the few that we had every year, and for some reason, they're coming fast and furious now—more so than they ever have. And with the amendments to code tonight, this holds the process to a stricter standard. We've got some resources behind this now. This is also being addressed at the regional and state level; we are not the only city dealing with this issue. So process improvement is always a good thing, and we think that this will resolve the issues that we're seeing in Richfield. **[00:26:20] Mayor Mary Supple:** Other comments or questions? I do appreciate the clarity and adding the resources, because I know this is an ongoing problem. And I don't know if it was the stress of the pandemic or what caused it, but I have heard that it's increasing in intensity, and it's good that we're addressing the problem and not ignoring it. Other comments or questions? **[00:26:45] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Thank you, Mayor. I just had a question as I was looking at the ordinance. It's subsection subdivision 7, "Interference with Access and Abatement Prohibited." And it says, pursuant to the Minnesota statute, it's a misdemeanor to deliberately hinder a city staff member or their agent from entering a property wherein contagion, infection, filth, or other source has caused—is the source of or cause preventable diseases to exist, or is reasonably suspected to exist, or otherwise interfere with the performance of duties of the city related to the inspection and abatement. And so... I'm sorry, I'm just reading this subsection now, and maybe this is a question for the Mayor or the Chief, but it just strikes me as a little overbroad. I mean, we had disease, we had infection... if it just says "infection is the source," is that the cause to allow somebody to enter into a home? And that it's a misdemeanor to prevent somebody because you've identified infection? I just wonder if that could create an opportunity to enter people's homes where you wouldn't normally have... the city wouldn't normally have the right to enter people's homes. That maybe is intended towards people that are in danger, but could maybe be overbroad and wouldn't just be in an infestation situation. So I'm just sharing that concern as I'm reading it. Normally, I'd like to give staff a heads-up. **[00:28:10] Support Services Manager Jennifer Anderson:** Mayor, Council Member Troutman, I'm not quite clear what the question is or what the concern is. I can say that this language comes straight from State Statute. So that's where it comes from. We didn't create this language ourselves; this is directly, I believe, a quote from the state statute that was incorporated into the ordinance. I think Chief's coming... **[00:28:40] Police Chief Jay Henthorne:** Thank you, Madam Mayor and Council Member Troutman. That is state statute. We've had problems in the past, as it stated, when we go in and abate and placard it; unfortunately, we've had people break back in, which then interferes with our ability to abate it. Or it's very unsanitary, or unfortunately there's deceased vermin and things like that which cause disease. So we found people that have broke back into the house, or the residents that were... where we were abating and living there, and then we have a mental health issue or we have a hospitalization. In the past, what we've done is we worked with our City Prosecutor to look at possibly charging them with that misdemeanor. Some cases we have, some cases we haven't. But that's dated back decades on cases that we've had. And my experience with these cases is it's rare that you have somebody who doesn't allow you in initially to allow us to assess whether a public health nuisance exists, but there is that rare occasion where this clause is helpful. **[00:29:45] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Thank you. And I guess my question isn't whether it would be helpful—that's not my question about the law. I guess my question is, when you're looking at a law, it's not "how is it used when it's employed in the best case?" when we're doing what we think it's going to do. But my concern is that when you have a law that's too broad, it leaves the door open for a case that we don't contemplate, that's not a circumstance that you're contemplating. And so my concern is that as it's written, it says that if there's infection, filth, or another source of preventable disease... in the circumstances where there could be a preventable disease inside a home, it shouldn't just necessarily create the right for the city to enter into a home and then create a misdemeanor because we found that there was preventable disease in your home. So I'm just trying to understand that as I'm reading that; it just leaves me a little concerned. **[00:30:40] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** As I'm reading this, it seems that access is only allowed—this section is only relevant if the scenarios above it have already happened: they've received written notice, they have not changed the situation, they have received written notice about it... I don't think this is, as I'm reading it—and now I'm not a lawyer—but I think reading it in the context of the page and a half above it, it is not just a blanket permission to access a property because you believe there is another cause of preventable disease. **[00:31:15] City Attorney Mary Tietjen:** Mayor and Council, if I could just maybe add on to that a bit. I agree with Council Member Wayan's comments. Also, as a matter of practice—and staff can correct me—but the city doesn't enter property unless there's consent from the property owner. And in the rare instance where there wouldn't be consent, we would go to court and get permission to enter the property before any work was done in most cases. And I think Miss Anderson can correct me, but I think in most cases there's cooperation and consent from the property owners. **[00:31:55] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** So I'm just curious... the language of concern is exactly what's in the statute, but I am just curious, as these are drafted, is there a reason why we repeat that? Like, why do we need to state this at all if it's already a state law? **[00:32:10] City Attorney Mary Tietjen:** Council Member, I think the reason is primarily just to give the information to those reading the ordinance. Sometimes it's easier to see it in the ordinance than try to find the statute and dig out the language. So I think the intent here was just to be helpful, to put people on notice of this provision so that it was readily available and accessible right in the ordinance itself. **[00:32:35] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Just to follow up—it's a general question—but if Minnesota Statute Section 145 etc. were changed, say it were limited in some way because this were being abused, to Council Member Troutman's concerns, would our language like supersede that, or would a change to the state law cause us to have to follow the revised state law? **[00:33:00] City Attorney Mary Tietjen:** Mayor, Council Member, we would go back and amend the ordinance to be consistent with State Statute. **[00:33:05] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Okay, thank you. **[00:33:08] Mayor Mary Supple:** Other comments, questions? **[00:33:10] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Thank you, Mayor. And I appreciate Council Member Wayan's comment; I agree that I think that's the natural intent. I don't see the operative language that actually says that this subdivision 7 is triggered only in the event of notice. I just read it to say that pursuant to the statute, it is a misdemeanor. And so to the extent it's clarifying, I'm looking it up—the state law says it is a misdemeanor to inhibit a city official. I feel really uncomfortable with this language. It doesn't sound like that will be the determining vote, and I think I would feel much more comfortable if we didn't have that language in there. But I appreciate the good faith explanation; it still makes me a little uncomfortable. **[00:34:05] Mayor Mary Supple:** Other comments or questions? All right, I'm going to call the question. All in favor, please say aye. **[00:34:12] Council Member (Hayford Oleary, Christensen, Wayan, Supple):** Aye. **[00:34:13] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Nay. **[00:34:14] Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, we have four in favor and one against, and the motion passes. Thank you. Next, we'll move on to item number seven. Council Member Wayan. **[00:34:25] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** Thank you, Mayor. This item is to consider implementing the compensation and classification study findings and approve recommended general and specialized pay grades and pay plans. The compensation review process began last fall when staff completed the position analysis questionnaires. Baker Tilly, our consultant, then collected compensation and benefit data from 11 peer cities, which was used by the consultant to recommend pay grades and a corresponding pay plan for each position. These recommendations underwent review by supervisors, department directors, and HR. The questionnaires, market analysis, and reviews did result in 35 positions being placed in higher grades. The overarching objective has been to place all positions in the appropriate pay grade based on job responsibilities and to align position pay ranges with market levels while establishing a consistent pay grade and step system to facilitate staff progression based on experience. Baker Tilly presented their findings to City Council at the February 28th, 2024, work session meeting. Based on that discussion and further analysis of the options, staff recommended a new option titled Option 1 Plus to City Council at the April 9th, 2024, work session meeting. There are always some challenges in implementing a significant change to compensation. Option 1 Plus is the most fair option since it provides a minimum of 1% increase upon transition. The recommended implementation of new general and specialized pay grades and pay plans are in alignment with city goals to recruit and retain a high-quality workforce, which is especially critical given the historically tight labor market. In sum, investing in a high-quality workforce through competitive and equitable compensation and classification practices is essential for the city to achieve its strategic priorities and deliver high-quality services to its residents. Would staff like to add anything? **[00:36:30] Assistant City Manager Sack Thongvanh:** Mayor, Council Member, Sack Thongvanh here, Assistant City Manager. I just wanted to thank the Council for this opportunity to work on a project that had such magnitude and complexity and impact to the city. But also, I wanted to thank the staff for filling out their questionnaires for their positions. I wanted to thank the Comp and Class Committee that we had—individuals that represented each department to provide feedback, and we had members that were frontline staff, supervisors, managers, and directors. And lastly, I just wanted to thank HR Manager Jamie Hayner for all the work and dedication to get this project done to the final stage. It's been a project that has lasted almost close to 18 months—night hours, weekend hours just to get this completed. And I believe that the compensation and the classification, again, has been overdue, and the purpose of it is to make sure that we are competitive in the market. And we've seen that across the board on various positions, various departments, especially for our finance department and also our law enforcement. The recommendations of the Option 1 Plus, we believe that that is the most equitable option for the city and that provides, as mentioned, at least a minimum of 1% increase for all staff. Thank you. **[00:38:00] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** Then to open up discussion, I would make the motion to approve the attached resolutions to implement comp and class study findings and approve recommended general and specialized pay grades and pay plans. **[00:38:15] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Second. **[00:38:17] Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded. We now have discussion. Council Member Hayford Oleary. **[00:38:22] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I don't have a lot to add that we haven't already discussed in work sessions, but I am grateful for staff for coming forward with this, especially taking our initial feedback and coming up with something that I think fit our direction well and fit the city's needs really well. This is a big... you know, it's a big expense. It's hard to see that and approve it, but ultimately we need to keep the lights on, and having staff that are appropriately compensated, that want to work here, and meeting their financial needs and being competitive with other cities is so important or we just can't function. So it is a big expense; I don't think there's any way around it, and I think it is well spent for staff that are doing a great job. **[00:39:10] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** Thank you, Mayor. I would agree with that. I think our staff is by far our best and most important investment as a city. I will just say that... clearly we worked with a consultant, staff had a big role in doing the research and coming forward with a recommendation. I will say—I won't speak for my colleagues—but I as a Council Member will own that this is a big jump for us because we as a council have not done this for, I think, decades. And none of the five of us have been in these positions for decades, but certainly my strong recommendation as someone who won't be in this seat next year is that others in these seats continue to do this regularly so it is not such a large impact. And so that we don't have... I mean, I think part of this is going to be great going forward and also is an acknowledgment that we have not been paying our staff market rate for a while here. And also, frankly, that what market rate is has been shifting rapidly. And so, greatly appreciate all the work on it. I feel very responsible that we continue to make our budget work in a way that is fairly compensating the people who are doing all the work. I also, just in full transparency... this was discussed in the work sessions as well, but some of the numbers are still estimates because a lot of our staff are in union positions, and particularly the various police unions—that position more than any other, the labor market is extremely tight. What is market rate is shifting very rapidly. And so we, as part of the budget process, will have the final numbers, but I feel very confident that we are moving the right direction and paying people what they deserve for good work. **[00:41:15] Mayor Mary Supple:** Other comments or questions? I had one clarification question. The number in the financial impact of the estimated 2024 cost of $801,000 was referenced—does that include the FICA and the PERA? **[00:41:35] Assistant City Manager Sack Thongvanh:** Yes, Mayor Supple, that does include FICA and PERA. Not all of our staff have both Social Security and Medicare, so sometimes it's Medicare but then their PERA costs are higher. So yes, that was also included in that number. **[00:41:50] Mayor Mary Supple:** That is correct. Okay. Council Member Troutman. **[00:41:55] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Thank you, Mayor. I just wanted to observe that a lot of times government municipal staff are a lot like referees in a sporting event—that folks, the best praise you can ever get is that people don't think about you or people just play the game. And so for every day that you have an existence in Richfield where you're not frustrated or you have a frictionless existence, it doesn't just happen by happenstance. And then when it does happen, you're just like when a referee makes a wrong call—you're like, "Well, who's the referee?" I know we feel that as Council Members; it's usually great when people don't know our names. When they know our names, they're like, "Hey, I have a thought," which is not bad, but it's usually because they think the referee made the wrong call. I think overwhelmingly when I knock on doors in Richfield, the number one universal response is... and usually when I ask folks, I say, "How are things going? What's something that's going well? What's something that's going poorly?" It's a non-sequitur; the first response is, "I love Richfield." You're like, "Well, that's not technically the answer to the question," but I think it's a heart response, and it doesn't happen by accident. And so just like we want to invest in our roads and we invest in our infrastructure, we want to invest in our staff in an environment where staff is just naturally more mobile. That's just a reality of the working environment in 2024. Institutional knowledge and competency is really important, and it's worth investing in. **[00:43:40] Mayor Mary Supple:** I would say that I think it's very, very important that we are comparable to our surrounding communities so that we can be competitive and get the best possible staff. It always breaks my heart when somebody goes somewhere else, so I want to keep the really good people we have here by paying a rate that is comparable. And so that we can keep good staff, because there's a cost in having constant turnover insurance as well. So I'm in support of this proposal. Other comments, questions? All right, we have a motion and a second. All in favor, please say aye. **[00:44:20] City Council:** Aye. **[00:44:21] Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? We have passed the compensation and classification study findings and approved the recommended general and specialized pay grades and pay plans. Next, we'll turn to the City Manager's report. City Manager Rodriguez. **[00:44:35] City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** Thank you, Mayor. We had two speakers at Open Forum at our last meeting. Heidi Gavor spoke about her concerns with the engagement process for the new Wood Lake Nature Center building and the potential size of the building. Council Member Troutman and I spoke with her afterwards, and then Recreation Services Director Huemiller followed up with more details. Although we did need to do pre-design work, especially because we were applying for state and federal funding, the actual design work is getting underway right now. The initial square footage was determined as part of that pre-design work and it was based on the building needs, and we did actually do some community engagement then as well. It is... that pre-design is currently about 18,000 square feet of indoor space, and that compares to the current building size of 6,000 square feet. However, again—I can't stress this enough—the design process will incorporate the current community feedback, and then there will also be environmental factors to consider as they determine the actual building size. Just to note too, the pre-design does not include a fitness center, and it does include flexible meeting space that could be used for education or event space. We are planning much more communication on the projects and on the upcoming referendum soon, and that'll be in the coming weeks. Larry Ernster also expressed concern about voting on a salary proposal at our last meeting, and that would had just been presented at the previous work session. Actually, Council Member Wayan and I clarified that at the meeting. The agenda item was approved at the last meeting—it was limited just to Council Member salaries for 2025 and 2026 that we need to take up as part of our Charter. The work session topic focused on the item that you just voted on, which was salaries for staff. I wanted to recognize Chris Swanson tonight. It is his last meeting with us, despite my begging him to stay. I am kidding, of course. I am very happy he is going on to be the assistant in Savage, and it's just another step closer for him to becoming a city manager or city administrator, and he will be a great one. I want to thank him personally. He has been one of my favorite people to work with. He has excelled in every project that he took on, and especially the Strategic Plan, and I really feel like he came at a time and made really meaningful progress for Richfield. So we'll miss you, Chris. And that's all I have. **[00:47:30] Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. And I would like to also add my thanks to Chris. There's numerous times where we email and say, "Management Analyst Swanson, help! We need information on this," and you always come through and are very level-headed and keep a positive, optimistic outlook. And I appreciate all of that. So, best wishes in your new adventures. **[00:47:50] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** I would add our deepest thanks and also congratulations. I believe City Manager Rodriguez said this, and I agree, that the position—if we find the person that fits that position well—it is designed for this kind of moment. There's a bunch of great staff who manage the day-to-day operations of the city and also innovate and do new projects, but your role is such that there was hardly any major project that you didn't have a hand in: the Strategic Plan, certainly around our equity work, the organized trash and recycling hauling... the major steps forward that we've had in the last several years are in large part thanks to your contributions. And so I'm very confident you'll do a great job as an assistant city manager, and I'm sure we'll hear more of your exploits in local newspapers from Savage and excited to see where you end up next. But of course, we will miss you and we'll have to figure out how to do some of these projects without you. **[00:49:05] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Yes, I'd like to thank Chris very much too. As a newest member of the City Council, navigating different things with different meetings and different emails and just different policies and procedures and bringing me up to speed on a lot of different things really helped. Your patience with being a new person on the council... so I congratulate you and wish you the best. **[00:49:35] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Yeah, I was going to mention this in the Hats Off for Hometown Hits, but we'll go ahead and just thank you now, Chris. Your leadership has been really key in a lot of different ways in our city. There is a level of ownership that you took as someone coming to our city that immediately... you didn't just take your job seriously, you took our community really seriously. And we found out about a year in—I didn't know this at the time—but your father is also a professor at our law school, and you're just carrying on an incredible tradition of public service and advocacy. I haven't talked to your... I'm sure he's exceedingly proud of you, and I'm really grateful for your leadership. It's very obvious why you're moving on. People move on for different reasons, and it's not because it's not a values fit or a work fit here, but you have skills that could be utilized at a higher level. So I'm really... for you, I'm really happy. For us, this is why we need to be able to hire really talented people, because it is a competitive job market out there, just to pull it back to our last agenda item. **[00:51:00] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Just to add to this, I was reflecting... City Manager Rodriguez and probably Chris had to do with this too—when we were doing earlier "how to work together" trainings, we had to take this like Myers-Briggs test of how to work together. And one of the things that came out of it is that we all had different priorities of how we judge others and how well they're doing. Some people are more affected by the personal things, of how they collaborate with others, the attitude they bring, the stick-to-it-iveness, and other people are more focused on outcomes: "Are they delivering excellent work?" And I think it's telling, and it's definitely not just because you're leaving—I've heard this consistently from everyone who has very different priorities in how they judge and value people. I call Mayor Supple... I see things totally differently on what we prioritize in people, and we both love the work you've done. You are a team player, you do stick to it, you show up for Richfield, and you produce excellent work. And I'm just so grateful for what you've done for us. I think that deserves a round of applause. [Applause] **[00:52:15] Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. And now we'll move on to claims and payroll. **[00:52:20] Council Member (Unidentified):** I'll move claims and payroll. **[00:52:22] Council Member (Unidentified):** Second. **[00:52:23] Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to approve claims and payroll. Are there any comments or questions? All in favor, please say aye. **[00:52:30] City Council:** Aye. **[00:52:31] Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? We've approved claims and payroll. Now we'll move on to Hats Off to Hometown Hits, and we'll start with Council Member Troutman. **[00:52:40] Council Member Ben Troutman:** Tonight? You're passing... Wow, okay. **[00:52:45] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I just wanted to mention our bike ride. I went early. We had a bike ride last week for the American Planning Association National Conference that was in Minneapolis. So it was like a bike study tour. We had 25 planners or so join us. We did a loop around Richfield, talked about our bike and walk infrastructure, about some of the redevelopment we've had, and how it all sort of fits together. But I specifically wanted to thank on our staff: Sam Crosby in Community Development who helped lead the ride and spoke at a couple of the stops; Jordan Kocak from Hennepin County, who was also one of the leaders and organizer with the conference; Matt Harder and Joe Powers in Public Works who were not speakers in the ride, but they helped with a lot of the logistics, getting things all set up, getting it all happening; and finally, Tim Bracket, the Safe Routes to School coordinator at the district, who was able to set up and get us 25 bikes from the Richfield Public Schools Community bike fleet. So all of those things came together and we were able to show off Richfield and have a great conversation with folks. **[00:54:05] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Yes, I've got two things for Hats Off tonight. One, this past Saturday at the Richfield Historical Society was an author event with local authors talking about their books that they've written and things like that. And the second one was Earth Day that next day, on Sunday, at Wood Lake Nature Center. It was fun. I had an opportunity to be involved with the Arts Commission, and we made wildflower seed bombs. And if you've ever done that, it's especially a lot of fun for kids because it involves mud and dirt and seeds. And just to see the looks on their faces when we told them that they could play in mud making these little balls and taking them home and planting them—it was a good time. Thank you. **[00:55:00] Council Member Mary West-Wayan:** My only thing is just making sure people know that between now and the next time we're here, the Farmers Market will be starting up again for the year. Not this Saturday, but the following Saturday—so it starts as soon as we get into May. Thank you. **[00:55:20] Mayor Mary Supple:** I have an additional announcement from the Richfield Historical Society. They’re having an event on Saturday, May 4th, and it's to Save the Bartholomew House to help preserve Richfield history. It goes from noon to 4:00 p.m. on 6901 Lindale Avenue South. There will be food available, there's a 50/50 raffle, house tours, lawn games, and Candace Wheeler from KQRS is going to be there. And they're going to be asking people to sign a letter of support. So if you want to support the Bartholomew House, it is Saturday, May 4th. This next event is coming up tomorrow, but you still can sign up. You just have to call in and have a pencil and paper ready to go if you want to do this. The U.S. Attorney's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration is having a Fentanyl Awareness and Prevention Summit in recognition of Crime Victims' Rights Week. And so, Wednesday, April 24th, from 1:00 to 4:30 p.m. it's going to be at the Southdale Library at 7001 York Avenue South. If you would like to go, space is limited, so they do want you to RSVP to make sure there's still a seat. So you can RSVP by calling 612-664-5629. And again, that's put on through the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Drug Enforcement Administration. So you can hear... they're going to hear from victims firsthand about their experiences losing family members and friends and learn the scope of the current regional crisis and what we can do about it. So again, it's 612-664-5629. And with that, thank you to everybody who helped clean up Veterans Park today. I think the staff was out there working on that and we appreciate it. And if there's no further business, I would entertain a motion to adjourn the meeting. **[00:57:30] Council Member (Unidentified):** So moved. **[00:57:32] Council Member (Unidentified):** Second. **[00:57:33] Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to adjourn the meeting. All in favor, please say aye. **[00:57:38] City Council:** Aye. **[00:57:39] Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? We stand adjourned.