This transcription identifies speakers based on the context provided, the names mentioned within the dialogue, and the city’s official roster. **Note on Council Member Ben Whan:** While not in your provided list, "Council Member Whan" and "Ben" are explicitly addressed multiple times in the transcript. He appears to be a Council Member present at this meeting. *** **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** yeah good evening everyone I'm calling to order the October 10th city council meeting at 7 pm if you're able please stand and join us for the Pledge of Allegiance **[Timestamp] Group:** I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** thank you now we'll move on to open Forum you can call into the open Forum by dialing 1 1415 655 00001 the meeting ID is 2631 350 4537 and the password is 1234 is there anyone who's called in at this point uh there is not okay so we'll go ahead with the people the the whole thing oh okay so it should also pop up on the screen as well so if you would like to call into the open Forum you can dial 1415 655 00001 use the webinar access code 2631 350 4537 and the password is 1 two three four all right and we'll give people a chance to call in and we'll go through the um the cards for the people that are in the room um so you have three minutes to address the group and our first— **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** mayor before you call the first one can you just clarify the the public hearings to come versus this opportunity to speak **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** oh that's a very good point this is to speak about anything on or off of the agenda but if you're here to talk about one of the public hearings that has to do with um franchise fees or utility bills or Garbage bills or street light user fees that will be later in the agenda so hold those comments for when we're at that point in the agenda so you don't need to call in you'll just step over to the step over to the side so this is just an open form that we have at every meeting that people have a chance to speak and I have a card here that Kathleen Balaban would wish to speak so I'm going to call her forward **[Timestamp] Kathleen Balaban:** good evening uh Madame mayor and City Council Members um I have shared with you some documents uh one which is a document that basically says I came before you in early March or the were thereabouts and spoke to you about the commissions and their websites and wanting access to uh the chairperson a contact something direct without intervention from the city or going through a staff member well it is now 10 months later and as you noticed in the original uh document that I said that one of the things that our website for our commissions missed was recognition faces names those types of things anything that would give that volunteer a sense of Pride and wanting to uh volunteer and spend their private at personal time serving our city and as you can see 10 months later this this is a copy of what you're holding also of the planning commission's website black and white nothing no pictures nothing 10 months later however at the bottom it does tell us how to get a hold of a commissioner if we needed to talk to them we come to a time of the year when we're looking for commission Replacements we're going to go out and ask again for volunteers to come to our city and sit on our commissions I can't and you guys know exactly why otherwise I would be but more importantly we're not advertising anything that tells our city employees or excuse me our city citizens that they would want to come in and want to be part of I mean this page this is so uninviting so cold that we need to really think about this and how we set our image and how we want volunteers to come and how we show our appreciation for them this is not doing so so I'm asking us to go back to the drawing board and look at those websites one more time please the volunteers deserve it thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** thank you is there anyone else who wishes to speak for the open Forum um city clerk Leslie did anyone else call in **[Timestamp] City Clerk:** uh no one else did **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay so then we're going to move on from the open Forum our next item is approval of the minutes of the city council work session of September 26 2023 and the city council meeting of September 26 2023 **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** I'll move to approve the minutes **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** I'll second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** been moved and seconded is is there any discussion any corrections all in favor of approving both sets of minutes please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we have approved those minutes next we'll move on to approval of the agenda **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** before we uh approve the agenda I have uh a motion to amend uh the agenda for some timing considerations um I understand there's been a request to move uh an agenda item uh uh that that that I'm responsible for bringing agenda item 11 uh to the beginning of the meeting um so I would uh propose we amend uh uh agenda item number 11 to be placed at the beginning of the agenda **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** and can you clarify like after the consent calendar or um staff is that yes after this the consent calendar okay before the public hearings yeah okay and you seconded **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** I second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay is there any discussion okay so the motion is to approve the agenda with that change with moving item number 11 to after the consent calendar and before the public hearings all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we have approved the agenda as amended next we'll move on to the Advisory Board of Health commission annual presentation and I'm going to ask the chair Katrina D'Or to come up **[Timestamp] Katrina D'Or:** evening just to give a um brief presentation about the activities of The Advisory Board of Health um I am currently the chair of The Advisory Board and um so far this year we have met six times times um this year has been um a kind of a learning year for the board we've had some new members and um we've taken advantage of a lot of the um excellent resources and organizations um in Richfield to learn about um some of the sort of Public Health based activities that happen in the city um that started off um in January with the tour of the water treatment plant here in Richfield which was um very interesting informative um we uh met in February to elect our chair Vice chair and secretary positions and then um uh finalized a work plan for the rest of this year um in March we were able to have a presentation from Nick Kelly the director at Bloomington Public Health with a lot of valuable data information and information about um the uh Public Health in the three communities of dinana Richfield and Bloomington um in April we um invited a representative from Frasier to give a presentation about what that organization does in Richfield and the bradder community um and then in may we were able to come together jointly with the advisory Boards of Health from Adina and Bloomington and have a very valuable discussion with those members around um mental health in our communities um as well as um uh uh have the food safety award presentations to the city council that month um most recently in September we um came together as a uh Advisory Board and um had updates and discussions about recent changes in tobacco opioid and um cannabis legislation um as well as um learned that the uh FL flavored tobacco and licens cap ordinances had passed um in in Richfield on the recommendation of the board um and for our final meeting of the Year this month we um will come together again and set forth some uh goals and planning and a work plan for next year um some of the topics that we have um considered for next year include um uh conversations around mental health and um you know resources that may be needed um in the city um domestic violence um uh plant-based eating um policies and advocacy um as well as multi uh multi-unit housing tobacco disclosure policy and considerations around that and um advocating advocacy around um medical assistance and medical assistance applications um so and as a as a board we're always happy to um hear inut input from the council members as well so thank you for your time and we look forward to next year **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** thank you did anyone on the council wish to say anything um commissioner or excuse me council member Whan **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** thank you mayor uh I just want to say I'm really excited to hear that the conversations about mental health are happening I know that um ever since the pandemic has really highlighted um for myself most of my friends people that um had the privilege of just not thinking much about our mental health um having to take that more seriously and particularly in schools I my wife is a school counselor and the mental health needs are astronomically higher than prepandemic and so um figuring out how we can support the community and what resources already exist that we can promote um I think is a a great use of the board's time and so appreciate that that's in the work plan **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** wonderful thank you and I'd also like to thank you for all the work that you've done I know there's been a lot of changes with um cannabis and tobacco and all of those type of things and it's greatly appreciated all the research and background that you did thank you very much all right thank you next we're going to move on to to the consent calendar I'm going to turn it over to city manager Rodriguez **[Timestamp] City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** yes thank you mayor 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 the approval of the first reading of an ordinance amending chapter 9 section 925 of the Richfield city code to include managed natural landscapes ornamental plants and riding Gardens as new definitions as well as amending the maintenance standard of grass height from 6 in to 8 in Item B consider approval to renew the contract with Chief's Towing Inc for Public Safety towing services for December 1st 2023 through November 30th 2025 item C consider approval of a settlement agreement with 256 Holdings LLC Wendy's Properties LLC and haa foods of Minnesota LLC for purchase of temporary imp permanent easements at 6500 Lindale Avenue South item D consider the approval of the lease agreement between the city of Richfield and foris Academy LLC for use of the training space at Richfield Ice Arena and finally item e consider the approval of an agreement between the Richfield Department of Public Safety and the Axel group and I submit these items for your consideration as part of the consent calendar **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** make the motion to approve sorry **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** I second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay it's been moved and seconded to approve the consent calendar is there any discussion all right um council member Whan **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** two quick things one for item a about the natural landscapes and grass height I know that is simply a um coming into compliance with new state law but I know we have some residents who'll be very excited about that um and then uh for item e the uh Report with the axtel group for our Public Safety department I am excited for the um kind of big picture visioning approach um both to see what Staffing we need in our traditional approaches but also to keep exploring as the um the work of safety continues to evolve uh seeing what um the future holds for us so yeah all right **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** thank you any other comments or questions all right all in favor of approving the consent Calendar please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed and we have passed the consent calendar next we're going to move to item number 11 and I'm going to turn that over to council member Troutman **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** thank you mayor um this item is to consider the approval of the second reading of an ordinance amending chapter 8 subsection 8413 of the Richfield city code to prohibit smoking in public parks during community events the proposed ordinance includes establishing a petty misdemeanor offense uh in an effort to be consistent with existing Park policies staff made recommendations to the city council at the July 25th 2023 work session the recommendations included prohibiting cannabis smoking in public parks and during community events the inclusion of a petty misdemeanor offense allows Public Safety department to enforce the new ordinance excuse me sorry bless you um sorry folks um and um sorry I lost my just take me a minute here I lost my place um but uh staff and City Council Members felt these recommendations were appropriate and in line with other restrictions currently in place for parks and Open Spaces the draft ordinance uh as written does not prohibit smoking cannabis on streets unless it involves community events such as pennfest sidewalks or pedestrian or bike trails between Parks nor does it prohibit the use of edible cannaboid products and hemp derived consumer products in parks in Open Spaces or community events the first reading of the proposed ordinance Was Heard by the city council on September 26 2023 and so I would um move that we approve the second reading of an ordinance amending chapter 8 subsection 84013 of the Richfield city code to prohibit smoking in public parks during the city sponsored or city co uh City uh sponsored community events establishing a petty misdemeanor offense and approve a resolution authorizing summary publication of said ordinance **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay it's been moved and seconded are there any questions or discussion council member Whan **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um I just wanted to uh thank um everyone uh our commission that had just presented our staff um there's been a lot of research on this and a lot of uh things to figure out since the state law changed um I just wanted to clarify the One update that was made um heading into the first reading so just so folks know if you are enjoying a park um if even if you're not a smoker know what to expect um that because of the way state law is written smoking uh marijuana in a vehicle is always prohibited um smoking tobacco inside a parked vehicle at a park is allowed um and so just to clarify that but otherwise this is simply um expanding our current rules to apply to cannabis as well **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right any other discussion go ahead council member Troutman **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** thank you mayor uh I just uh I also wanted to to thank our staff and uh particularly our chief of police working with us uh to to update this policy and uh for for reference for folks that haven't been following this process the um the reason we're changing this ordinance and updating this ordinance is because C cannabis as a rule was prohibited um everywhere and so now that um that cannabis has been legalized um we were updating not not to change the the law to make it more restrictive but to make it consistent with what uh rules have been uh in the city for for public smoking um also um I just want to note for for folks that are watching that it was important that we gave law enforcement the ability to enforce this but a petty misdemeanor is not a is not a criminal offense so uh there's no circumstance in which enforcing this would would lead to somebody's public record Being you people being prohibited from you know accessing you student loans anything like that or setting people back in life but also it's really important that we keep our parks in public spaces safe uh especially for kids and so I uh I just thought that for folks that are maybe were not following as closely those are some of the reasons why we landed on this policy **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right um council member Hayford Oleary **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** yeah I'll just also share my thanks to staff for helping us with this and particularly helping us find something pretty narrowly tailored um I know some cities have you know hit the ground running and gone with a really restrictive policy so I think this is I'm hopeful that will be enough but I'm also really just hopeful that all residents and users of uh public trails and streets can be respectful about this because I think it allows us to give people a little bit more freedom um when they're respectful to their neighbor and not you know blowing smoke in people's faces when they're walking by so I'm I very much support the recommendation **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** thank you I'm also very appreciative of how well researched it was because I've had people from other cities ask about it and all of the questions that have come up have been covered by our ordinances so like vaping is included in this and things like that that have are not necessarily brought up in other cities so thank you for doing a careful job of researching that any further discussion all right all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've passed the recommended motions thank you now we're going to move on to the public hearings which will be items 5 through 10 and I just want to um explain the procedure for how it works for all of them ahead of time and then we'll go through them one at a time so after the council member reads the agenda item from the staff report and ask the staff for additional information then they will open the public hearing and they'll ask if anyone would like to participate and the way that you participate is if you're in the room you proceed to the podium one at a time provide your name and address if you would like staff to follow up please write your name and phone number or email on the signin sheet to ensure everyone has time to speak each comment will be limited to 3 minutes in length if you are watching from home you can call in using the number 1415 655 00001 meeting ID 2631 35 4537 and password 1234 callers will be selected one at a time for the council to hear their comments this is a time for the council to listen but not respond if questions are asked staff will follow up with the resident later if it's a um particular concern that just is their property if there's a general answer like um where people who they should contact the staff will follow up after the public hearing is closed all right and then after they have the public hearing then we'll close the public hearing the council will discuss it and then we'll call for the vote so that'll be the procedure that will follow for items five through 10 so we're going to start with item number five which is the public Hearing in consideration of the second reading of a proposed ordinance modifying the electric and gas franchise frees and council member Whan's going to take that one **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** thank you mayor the city's existing franchise fees have historically helped fund improvements in the right of way in order to cover growing needs proposed projects and to establish a budget for sustainability projects fee increases are proposed the proposed ordinance change would increase residential franchise fees by $1 per month per utility for a total of $24 annual annually per residential property um does staff have anything to add for this item okay um then the public hearing is now open again this is for the franchise fees for Electric and Gas Utilities uh is there anyone in here in person that would like to speak on this item okay is there anyone who has called in there is not okay uh one more time is there anyone here who would like to speak on this item okay um then I would make a motion that we close the public hearing **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved in seconded to close the public hearing all in favor please say I all oppose the public hearing is closed **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** all right then I will move to make a motion um and City attorney Tietjen is this one where we should do one and then two and three together **[Timestamp] City Attorney Mary Tietjen:** council member Whan uh given that these are separate ordinances for these I would do three separate motions **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** okay so then first I would make a motion to approve the second reading of a proposed ordinance modifying the electric franchise fee on northern states power doing business as XL Energy for providing electric service within the city of Richfield **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay it's been moved and second is there any discussion all right then we'll call the question on that one all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've approved that one **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** then I will make a motion to approve the second reading of a proposed ordinance modifying the gas franchise fee on CenterPoint Energy for providing gas service within the city of Richfield **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved in second it is there any discussion okay all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've passed that one **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** then lastly I would make a motion to approve a resolution authorizing summary publication of said ordinances **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved in second and is there any discussion all right go ahead Ben **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um thank you mayor just want to say that I uh am very supportive very excited to have a sustainability budget now um that we are putting our money where our mouth is so to speak as a city that we have been prioritizing that work um and only uh have had staff but no designated budget um that we've had to pull together for each project so I'm excited to have uh dedicated funding for that and then uh for anyone who doesn't uh speak uh government language right of way just means uh projects for our our roads and sidewalks and um the the public utility space and so uh definitely support continuing to invest in that thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** council member Whan any further discussion all right all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've passed that section we'll now move on to item number 6 and I'll turn that over to council member Hayford Oleary **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** all right this item is to conduct en close of public hearing uh regarding dis removal of disease trees from private property uh theth of trees within Municipal limits is threatened by shade tree diseases and is it is the city's responsibility to prevent the spread of these diseases if the city deems it necessary to remove a disease Tree on private property the property owners have three options available number one they can remove the disease tree themselves number two they can hire and pay for their own contractor to remove the tree or number three they can hire their own contractor and request the cost of the tree removal be assessed against their property tax in the period from January 1st 2022 through December 31st 2022 33 Property Owners chose the third option and two property owners have since paid off their entire balance the total amount to be assessed is currently 11,442 across 31 properties uh so this is a public hearing if anybody would like to speak about an assessment uh related to trees on the property um this is your opportunity to do so um and if uh the video folks could display the call-in number again it is the same one that we've been reading in the past um is anybody here who would like to speak about tree assessments all right knowing that we could reopen it if somebody does call and I will move that we close the public hearing **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** i'second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved and seconded to close the public hearing all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right the public hearing is closed **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** all right I move that we adopt the resolution for special assessments for removal of disease trees from private property for work ordered from January 1st 2022 through December 31st 2022 **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved and seconded is there any discussion all right all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've approved that section next we'll move on to item number 7 council member Troutman **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** thank you mayor this is a public hearing uh to consider resolutions adopting the annual Interstate Lindale nicholet iln project area assessment and proposed work for 2024 the iln project area assessment was established to cover special maintenance expenses in the 77 Street area in 1988 the current Services include maintenance and operation of irrigation systems weed control mowing fertilization trash and litter removal and replanting uh the current services are provided on both sides of the 77th Street wall the maintenance functions are funded through a maintenance assessment on 77th Street commercial properties so we will uh first conduct a public hearing um so this is a public hearing is there anybody from the public uh who wishes to speak uh city clerk is there uh anybody that's called in uh there is not all right I'll ask one more time is there anybody that would like to speak uh on this agenda item or this during this public hearing seeing nobody I would uh move that we close this uh public hearing **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay it's been moved and seconded to close the public hearing all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all oppose all right the public hearing is closed **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** thank you mayor uh then I would um move that we would uh adopt the following resolutions uh City attorney Tietjen uh can we do this as one motion or should we do it separately since these are two separate um kind of separate items **[Timestamp] City Attorney Mary Tietjen:** I would recommend to separate motions for these **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** very good um I would move we adopt a resolution adopting the assessment on the iln project area uh for costs incurred to maintain the area for 2022 **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved and seconded is there any discussion all right go ahead council member Whan **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um just given the last topic about um tree diseases I'm curious uh someone who lives near this I know there's quite a few um now dead uh ash trees does the uh replanting bullet point does that include what would need to happen to take down those trees or is there a plan for those **[Timestamp] Director Kristin Asher:** yeah council member Whan your correct we do have a lot of dead ash trees along this Corridor and we do have a plan to remove those this winter um also this winter we're going to be discussing a landscape plan for the corridor also that's a little different than it's there right now **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** thank you I did notice that on the intersection of 77 Street in Lindale where you're doing the road construction while the road was closed you did take opportunity to remove those ash trees and I know some residents had inquired about that thank you any further discussion all right so all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all oppose okay we've approved the first resolution **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** thank you I would also move we adopt a resolution ordering the undertaking of the current service project within the iln project area for 2024 **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay it's been moved in second in is there any are there any comments or questions discussion all right all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've approved those thank you next we'll move on to item number 8 and I'll turn that over to council member Christensen **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** yes this is a uh relating to a public hearing related to the proposed resolution modifying the streetlight user fees and as discussed at the August 2nd 2023 city council work session staff is proposing to increase the street light user fee consistent with the following the street light user fee was established in 2009 to raise revenue to cover operational costs associated with the Citywide Street lighting system including electricity costs the current collection amount does not cover the city's Street lighting electricity costs staff is proposing that to increase the quarterly residential charge from $577 to $721 The increased fee will cover the existing electricity cost for operation of the street lighting system and will help fund a modest LED street light upgrade program this is now opening for the public for public hearing is there any uh discussions comments from people that are in the room is there anybody calling in on this there is not okay seeing none is there any uh one last time is there anybody who wants to discuss this in the uh room here tonight seeing none uh recommended action would be to conduct and close the public hearing related to the proposed resolution modifying the streetlight user fees **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay so you've moved to close the public hearing is there a second **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all in favor of closing the public hearing say I **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** mayor can I ask the question so are we only doing the public hearing and not the actual modification for this item **[Timestamp] City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** well first we're going to do the public hearing and then we'll vote on the modification— **[Timestamp] City Attorney Mary Tietjen:** —so that's a very good question so uh mayor and council members so tonight is just the public hearing on this item and then we'll establish the rates as part of the budget process later this year **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** okay oh so thank you that's a good catch thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay and then I I would just make a comment then since we are this is the only time we're talking about this item specifically which is just to reiterate a comment from the work session that um I'm hopeful that we will hear more details about the LED upgrade program um and I know there has been a variety in fixtures the city has experimented with I just want to reiterate concerns from residents that we do not want a decrease in the level of light on our streets we want if anything an increase so I hope to discuss that more in the future all right and so to be clear we are just doing the public hearing this evening and so all in favor of closing the public hearing please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've closed the public hearing thank you next we'll move on to item number 9 and I'll turn that over to council member Whan **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** thank you mayor uh uh this is another public hearing and consideration of a resolution adopting the proposed assessment for unpaid garbage collection services from private property within the residential organized collection system from August 1st of 2022 to June 30th of 2023 garbage recycling Organics and Yard Waste Services for most Residential Properties in the city is provided through the city's organized collection program established in 2021 the city requires service to be provided by the haulers even if a resident has not paid their service bills as not having waste picked up is a public health concern as a result of this requirement the city agreed to take on the assessment process to resolve unpaid balances as of October 3rd 2023 City staff has determined the actual assessment costs of unpaid garbage collection services to be $167,700 65 this amount will continue to be adjusted as assessments are paid by owners or residents before being sent to the county um does staff have anything to add **[Timestamp] Sustainability Manager Rachel Lindholm:** no we're available for questions **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** okay um and I know um the details are here in our staff report if you could just remind us um for folks how how long do people have to pay this without incurring any interest and then if it is assessed um how long is that paid over the course of— **[Timestamp] Sustainability Manager Rachel Lindholm:** —as far as paying the assessment before the role is sent to the county I believe the due date this year is November 10th um it is uh on the back of every assessment letter that has been mailed out to Property Owners um and then can you repeat the second question **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** yeah I know like for the um disease trees that it is paid off over Five Years on their property taxes would this be paid off over one year **[Timestamp] Sustainability Manager Rachel Lindholm:** correct **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um thank you uh with that uh we'll open the public hearing is there anyone here who would like to speak um to the assessment relating to unpaid garbage collection fees okay if you could come up to the microphone and um again if you would like staff to follow up if you got a specific concern if you can write your contact information on the signin sheet **[Timestamp] Resident 1:** I haven't had the garbage service because I take my garbage to my son's house and they're still charging me for the garbage and I've never had them pick up my garbage **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um so this is not a time for discussion um staff can— **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** —oh sorry no it's it's a confusing process so uh you can share comments with the council and then staff are more than happy to follow up to address specific questions you have **[Timestamp] Resident 1:** oh okay sorry about that **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's okay right no I and I think it would be appropriate to give your contact information to um Miss Lindholm so she can follow up with you on that okay that great thank you **[Timestamp] Resident 1:** thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** is there anyone else that would like to speak to this item go ahead **[Timestamp] Joseph Bua:** my name is Joseph Bua my address is 6929 Park Avenue um I often go by Joey uh as a veterinarian I go as Dr Joey uh grew up in Richfield went to Blessed Trinity went to Holy Angels actually remember uh spending some time time at council member Simon Troutman's house maybe like 30 years ago I don't know uh there's many things I love about Richfield I can go on and on uh it's a wonderful place things that leadership does better than any other city um but the force decision about the garbage service changes in my opinion was a mistake I purchased my home in Richfield 69th in park October 2019 as a homeowner I went through the whole process of getting everything set up auto pay you know water through the city H Heating through Center Point Energy electricity it Etc right so when it came time to choose a garbage service I researched prices chose dick sanitation they gave a great rate reasonable service um good good service so then came this completely unnecessary decision to force us to change Waste Disposal Services literally forced nothing could be done taking away competitive pricing uh clearly making a problem for the community with what you said $167,000 of unpaid Services I got a letter that said $212,000 um so my new provider uh Sellar Services considerably more expensive uh and now I have no choice so uh when I missed the original bill I was hit with a late fee and late fees have just completely continue to pile up so I re uh I accept responsibility I would be paying my bill um I recently called Aspen I told them about the situation they were unwilling to negotiate on any of these late fees so I've taken the time out of my busy schedule here um I should still be at the veterinary Clinic seeing patients I just wanted to express comment about how unhappy I am um again I'll be paying off the bill questions that I would like to follow up with uh would be is there any way that uh Richfield can negotiate getting rid of some of these late fees uh and in future uh if I was allowed to drop Aspen I would go with a different garbage service provider I'd appreciate that thank you **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um so it is it okay for me to ask who is the best person to talk to about that then or **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** yes I believe our sustainability specialist Rachel Lindholm um would be the the best person to get your contact info to um she appears to be grabbing a business card um and yeah thank you for your for your comments **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** can we also give one to the other gentlemen thank you oh he already has one okay thank you um is there anyone else who would like to speak to this item I don't believe we have anyone who has called in okay then I would move to close the public hearing **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved and seconded to close the public hearing all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** then I would make a motion to adopt a resolution adopting the assessment for costs incurred for unpaid garbage collection Services between August 1st 2022 to June 30th 2023 **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved in second and is there any discussion **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** no just as point of personal privilege I just say it's good to see Joey Bua after 30 years here it's good to see you sir **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right um council member Whan **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um I was just wanted to share um as a result of some of the comments and a result of some of the concerns when we first had switched want to remind folks that um they can also reach out to our sustainability specialist Rachel Lindholm if you're ever uh experiencing subpar Services we actually now that it is a um organized City process we have some real power to hold um the haulers accountable if they are not providing timely service if they are uh tipping over your can or leaving garbage behind nearby um any any concerns that you have um please do reach out to our sustainability specialist **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right and I also wanted to clarify um if people pay off the undue Bal or the the balance that's due between now and November 10th and that will not be sent on to the county that's the procedure correct **[Timestamp] Sustainability Manager Rachel Lindholm:** correct yep and the haulers send updates weekly to the city for removal so it's pretty timely if residents are concerned they can always contact me as well and I can check uh relatively up to date um status of their assessment **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay because I noticed it has been getting adjusted regularly and the number keeps going down council member Hayford Oleary **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Just two clarifications on that one uh they should still pay their hauler even at this point correct **[Timestamp] Sustainability Manager Rachel Lindholm:** yes **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** my other question just because the gentleman that spoke raised some general questions the the late fees that are assessed are were part of our contract right that's not just decided by the hauler **[Timestamp] Sustainability Manager Rachel Lindholm:** no okay and so likewise when our contract period is up in five years or something then we will be revisiting those yeah yeah I mean yes the late fees are are established in in the contract uh haulers do not determine pricing on anything um on their own and then yes that when the contract is up there is a lot of discussion to be had about fees yeah okay thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right any other comments or questions before we take a vote council member Troutman **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** I was just going to mention to to folks that are here generally this is it's not an intuitive process usually we do all the talking and then in public hearings residents can do the talking and there's not a dialogue um but we are the we are the level of local electeds that still have our cell phones on the city website um and so um we do welcome calls I know there are folks in the audience that we we vote differently or do different things I'm always glad to hear people's calls take people's calls if you want to email me my email is s hayfordoleary@richfieldmn.gov **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay all right any further comments questions or comedy no all right okay so the motion before us is to adopt a resolution adopting the assessment for cost incurred for unpaid garbage collection Services between August 1st 2022 and June 30th 2023 all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we have passed that motion next we'll move on to item number 10 and I'll turn that over to council member Hayford Oleary **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** thank you mayor uh this is a public hearing and consideration of a resolution adopting proposed assessments for delinquent utility accounts false alarm charges public health or safety safety hazard charges weed eradication charges and vacant property registration fees to be certified property taxes Minnesota state statutes 44475 42911 and 429 061 provide that certain unpaid charges may be assessed against the benefiting property chapter 7 of the Richfield city code of ordinances provide that unpaid water sanitary sewer storm water and street light charges may be certified to the county auditor to be included in a property owners annual Property Tax Bill section 92502 subdivision 5 and section 9157 subdivision 3 and chapter 802 of the city Charter provide that the city is allowed to specially assess delinquent fees the city code also authorizes a certification fee to be charged against each delinquent account by certifying the delinquent charges to the property taxes the city is assured of the collection of the charges the delinquent accounts must be certified by the County Auditor in order for the city to collect the the charges through the property tax payment process property owners have been notified that any unpaid charges or fees may be assessed against the property so this is a public hearing um if anybody would like to speak on any of these other charges and this would be the last one uh tonight so this is your opportunity to speak um please state your name and address and sign in at the podium and you have up to three minutes each **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** I'm also ask just before you get started that the uh the our vide Tech put the information on the screen for people to call in and they can get in the queue even as somebody is speaking now so go ahead **[Timestamp] Steve Kinski:** hi my name is Steve Kinski um I'm at 6433 Bloomington Avenue South and 6437 I moved to Richfield in 2011 spent every dime I had to get a down payment for my first house and I fell in love with Richfield and I loved it so much that that when I had the opportunity to buy the house next door I did because I want to raise my kids here I love the neighborhood I love love the neighbors I love the the police I love just about everything about Richfield um I'm here because um back in April I received a water bill for over $2,000 not not 200 2,000 two Z okay they said they said that 160,000 gallons of water were used and they insisted that it was a leaky toilet I pressure tested every single pipe in that house I've been doing commercial and residential maintenance and plumbing since I was 18 years old I've put in I couldn't tell you how many hundreds and hundreds maybe even thousands of toilet valves and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that that toilet was not leaking and sure did not flow $160,000 a leaky toilet I can understand maybe if it was really bad maybe $1,000 I can totally understand that that is valid I can comply with that I don't have a problem with that but I pressure tested that system it held and there's no way there's no evidence of a leak there was no water damage not a single drop from any fixture was leaking during that period of time I'm here because I have emailed several of you I've dealt with the Utilities Commission I've dealt with the the Attorney General because there is no way that that was that amount of water is correct in such a small residential property it's half inch pipe it's really old the drains don't work very well so if 160,000 gallons went through those pipes it would have flooded of the basement and we would had a foot of water in that small basement I sent emails to everyone I possibly could tried communicating with the city did everything I possibly could this is absolutely unreasonable not a bit of compassion was shown not a single offer was made to negotiate for common sense it was assumed that it was that it was a leak toilet or that 160,000 gallons came from a leaky faucet so I'm all I'm asking is that I get an opportunity to explain how much water can come out of a leaky toilet and to negotiate that $2,000 bill because I disagree with the amount that was metered even though they sent the meter out to be tested I work as a control and automation technician and I know for a fact that can controls can and do malfunction and not necessarily in anybody's favor and to be absolutely dismissed and said well that's too bad you still owe us $2,000 we're going to assess it to your property taxes anyway is extremely disappointing as a resident that's not what I've come to expect from the city of Richfield that is not the hometown that I've that that's not the level of treatment that I've come to expect $2,000 for a resident to to pay without any warning and we have somebody from the sustainability here if we are managing our utilities to that point those meters are smart they can tell if there's a leak **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Mr Kinski you are overtime so if you could please wrap up in the next 30 seconds or so I promise I will thank you **[Timestamp] Steve Kinski:** so if there was a leak should have been notified the utility should have managed it told us that hey there's a problem you're going to expect to see a higher bill because there's obviously a leak now not surprise us with a $2,000 bill with that I ask for any help I can possibly get I appreciate any willingness to to work with us and come to an agreement I appreciate your time thank you all and that is all I have thank you **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** um would anybody else like to speak about a utility bill well any I think any remaining assessment this is this is your time yeah and again please state your name and address um and sign in on the sheet and you'll have three minutes from when you started speaking **[Timestamp] Chuck Stout:** hi good evening my name is Chuck Stout 66 in Emerson 6601 Emerson um I've been the last couple years I've been receiving uh notices about my the Boulevard in front of my home on 66 Street um I'm basically refusing to mow it for two reasons I've sent a total of three letters um basically they weren't addressed by the city two of them weren't even answered um I should have printed more but I have some photographs can I pass them around when I need to or show them to you sure— **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** —is that cool okay um I might as well start by doing that my two concerns are safety um it's unsafe to go out on the Boulevard and mow it you've got people going by 30 to 60 miles an hour five inches from the person Mo that just expected to mow the lawn um it's not fair for you to to expect the citizen uh to go out there and risk his life um whenever he goes out there and I have two photographs that I can show you and if you could just avoid speaking now because we want to get it on the recording so if you yeah thank you and that is only two examples of I may have missed a few but I did lose my tree in a sign um so one of my concerns is safety the con second concern is the fact that it's not unilaterally enforced there are many boulevards within the city that are being maintained by the city and to me the definition of and I'm looking for my glasses here there we go the definition of a Boulevard basically States from Curb to property line that constitutes a Boulevard and I guess you probably would agree with that because that's exactly what it says well there are various properties within the city that are being maintained by the city that fit that definition that the owner of the property should be maintaining and I have photographs and so I came here to voice my opinion on that and the fact that I think it's wrong for the city to expect me to basically risk my life out there trying to trying to mow along and I'm not really clear as to the process if you vote on it do I hear something from somebody or or how does this work **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** so we we will clarify that as soon as we close the public hearing of what you can expect okay **[Timestamp] Chuck Stout:** so I wait around is that yeah but just a couple minutes until everyone's done speaking okay okay great thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** thank you um is anybody else here in person who would like to speak about any remaining assessments and have we gotten any Callin city clerk **[Timestamp] City Clerk:** no one **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I will move that we close the public hearing **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay it's been moved and seconded to close the public hearing all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've closed the public hearing um if I could ask for a couple clarifications from Staff first regarding the second concern about what the process would be from here um there is still an opportunity to pay off early before it goes to the county correct or if they do not pay it just appears in their well I'll let you speak **[Timestamp] Director Kristin Asher:** thank you resid residents do have time until November 10th to pay these um charges without any penalty **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay I guess I would also just say regarding the second concern um to talk to our public work staff about what the norm is I I think the properties that you showed were kind of a unique exception but yeah I I appreciate you sharing your concerns I did also ask that the staff could describe a little bit more detail about Mr Kinski's situation because I know that is it is unusual and we have talked with staff about that in the past so I'd like staff to speak to that **[Timestamp] Director Kristin Asher:** yes uh thank you council member um so first of all we leaking toilets can go through a lot of water and it is a close system and we do feel bad about it and that is why we encourage uh folks to sign up for water smart and the water smart program will will let you know if there's a suspected leak and Mr Kinski got two at least two notices from the wat smart that you may have a leak um the two billing quarters before that high Bill uh there were about 13 well there were 13,000 gallons metered then the next quarter was 66,000 gallons um that was paid uh again wat smart did send at least two notices that there was a possible leak um the next quarter was the really high bill um and we went out uh and our staff went out and they looked at the toilet uh they found that the chain wasn't adjusted properly and that the water level was set too close to the Overflow so that water was just going again into a closed system and it does go through quite a bit of water um we we at the residents's request we did test the meter it was an independent testing company and they found that it was well within uh the standards for a meter uh we reinstalled the same meter it is showing normal Usage Now um and uh and I'm you know I'm very sorry about going through that kind of water but that is what can happen with a with a leaking toilet and again we we're pleased that you're with the program and um and uh you know hopefully next time the the notices go out that you can help us out more quickly thank you **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** um we still have a chance for discussion but I will uh move that we approve the attached resolution authorizing certification of unpaid water sanitary sewer storm water and street light charges false alarm charges public health or safety charges weed eradication charges and vacant property registration fees to the county auditor to be collected with other taxes on said properties **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay it's been moved in seconded is there further discussion **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um council member Whan just a clarification question for staff um since there are so many different things on this motion um if the we can make sure the correct staff person follows up with each of the two of them um before they— **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** —thank you all right is there any other discussion all right all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've approved the attached resolutions thank you next we'll move on to to item number 12 and council member Christensen **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** yes this is to consider the appointment of a youth member to the sustainability commission City advisory commission terms for youth members are for one year and expire August 31st of each year the city manager's office conducts recruitment seeking applicants to fill the youth vacancies each year this recruitment includes information on the city's website Facebook page and communication with the local high schools does the staff have anything else to add no um I make a motion to uh approve the appointment of Patrick Scamer to the sustainability commission as a youth commissioner **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** okay it's been moved and seconded is there any discussion all right all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed and welcome to Patrick next we'll move on to the city manager's report **[Timestamp] City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** yes thank you mayor um I have an email that came in and I missed it this morning so my apologies to miss Waters but I do want to read it now because uh she's advocating that we attend an event um so this is from Alicia Waters um she's at 6908 Chicago Avenue uh and an emailed comment that came in today hello city council members you may have heard of some projects at Veterans Park recently including the start of a soft Landing a Native Garden under a tree to protect pollinators and other insects and allow them a safe place to complete their life cycles near the Community Gardens and Buckthorn poles I Alicia Waters am a Minnesota master naturalist and have been leading these efforts at increasingly at increasing diverse native habitat at the city's beloved Veterans Park unfortunately I'm not able to join you in person tonight but I would like to invite you all your families friends and neighbors to join me in a couple upcoming events we'll have a second workday to complete the soft Landing laying down cardboard and covering them with mulch provided by the city on Sunday October 15th starting at 11:00 a.m. we'll meet near the Community Gardens planting will begin next year we'll also be doing another Buckthorn poll on Saturday October 21st from 10:00 a. to 1 pm. volunteers will meet at the Bandshell tools and training will be provided Wood Lake Nature Center is providing tools and the city is hauling the brush I would love to see you out there and share more about these efforts with you in person thank you Alicia Waters so my my apologies for not catching that during the open Forum um I also uh as many of you know and we um made announcements our Recreation services director Amy Markle is moving on to a new position she's been with Richfield for 20 years and although we wish her well in the new position we will really miss her we had a cake reception to with for her earlier today and I made too long of a speech and part of that is because there are just so many things to list um in with her accomplishments um Amy spent almost the first 15 years being a naturalist um she uh uh did some um amazing work she has a book club that she hosted for I think it was 13 of those years that right um and uh and read numerous books and had the some of the same uh members still coming and uh Amy was promoted from that position to Recreation services director and one of the things when we interviewed her is she just had this amazing vision for what Richfield Recreation could be and oh my goodness in four and years it's almost uh amazing to look back at it but she has left such a legacy of programming and um and physical uh improvements so she's had award-winning programs during the pandemic um she uh developed the award-winning Augsburg Adventure Park the all-inclusive Park uh we've got the skate park expansion that happened this year uh Taft bike park uh which is going to be there's a ribbon cutting tomorrow if anyone wants to come out to Taft Park 13 new playgrounds in four and a half years uh the Community Gardens organized hauling and securing funding state and federal funding for a new Wood Lake Nature Center building and the authority to bring to voters and ask for a sales tax which could be transformational for the for the recreation and park assets for Richfield into the future and I just want to say that that is her programming and physical Legacy here but also um she leaves a a legacy of just people devoted to Richfield Recreation such a strong team and um I I personally will miss her she is so professional and positive that on many days just her just her Sunny attitude gave all of us a boost so Amy you will be missed and that's all for my report **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** and I would like to add on to that to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you've done for Richfield and we totally appreciate everything that you've done for our community and you've said you won't be a stranger and we're going to hold you to that so thank you so much is there anyone else that wanted to add anything council member Whan **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** um I would just Echo the the comments about the vision um I think it's uh a sort of classic or narrow view of a staff role is to sort of like work within a box and uh it's council's role to do the long-term visioning but it's always better when it's a partnership and um the number of the number of ideas you took initiative on and then came to us that I like didn't even know were possible and now are exist and are in our community uh many of them that aren't in other communities or aren't there's only a few of them in the whole Metro and so just thank you for that vision and that creativity and um the the behind the scenes work to get the the funding and Partnerships and everything to make that happen **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right council member Hayford Oleary **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** yeah I just want to to join my colleagues in thanking Amy and particularly to recognize the work that she's done to find funding for projects she could like turn water into wine because it is it is not usually the job of a a staff member to do that much like fundraising but finding external projects external funding sources for projects and do amazing things that we simply couldn't afford to do as just Richfield um doing the bike park tomorrow which I believe was all external funding um Augsburg Adventure Park was almost a million dollars in external funding wood like Nature Center was over $10 million in external funding um you have stretched your budget beyond what I ever thought was possible so thank you so much for leaving this incredible Legacy in Richfield thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right council member Troutman **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** thank you mayor uh director Markle there's a lot that I want to say um you have been an incredible leader in a time of significant change in our city and you had a vision for that change you executed on that change other than that in the tens of millions of dollars that you helped us raise I don't know what you did around here but but uh but I also just want to to lift up um just for for residents um it's not always easy to lead publicly and um for all the passionate that you love that you have for this city people are passionate and they love our Parks they love our Recreation facilities and that pan—that passion manifests itself differently uh and sometimes uncomfortably and I just want to recognize um like like all of our directors but uh since you're leaving we get to specifically recognize you um for your courage and your compassion and like people noted you know your your joyful Spirit um that really makes space for people to to be passionate to invest in their community and then when there's conflict to know oh this is still my Park I can still go here I can still participate and so your your strong and joyful spirit made space for everybody you leave a legacy here of including people that you agreed with that you disagreed with people that have been marginalized people that don't normally use engage with nature you had a vision to make space so people could engage with nature folks that don't normally get to use swings you had a vision and that you you manifested that now people are using swings there are no Gaga ball courts and you had a vision and now we're going to have some Gaga ball courts here on the coming year so for everything that you've done thank you thank you and I know Eden Prairie is uh is lucky to have you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right any other comments all right then we'll move on to claims and payroll **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** I would move claims and payroll **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved and seconded to approve claims and payroll is there any discussion all right all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed all right we've approved claims and payroll next we'll move on to the hats off to Hometown hits and and I'll start off with council member Troutman **[Timestamp] Council Member Simon Troutman:** well uh thank you mayor and um half my hometown hits I just shared which were hats off to our uh our Parks and Rec director Markle uh but I also did want to let people know about uh the FOWL fundraising dinner that's coming up this November 3rd um get your tickets it's a great and if you are not a member if you're not a FOWL member and that's uh F W L friends of wood Lake um it's only $30 a year and you get a number of benefits and you get to use rental facilities I think at no charge um you if you love Wood Lake it's a great way to support it you get a lot back uh this uh fundraising event is a great event to come out and see other Rich fielders support what is just a crown jewel in our city uh of uh uh natural resources and um and it's also a great a great night so November 3rd come on out uh I believe you can buy the tickets I think we're already halfway sold out so this is an event that could that probably will sell out so buy your tickets this week thank you **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** it's already been stated but I just wanted to say I'm going to be at the bike park opening tomorrow at Taft park on the west side at the corner of 62nd in Bloomington um and looking forward to it **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all right thank you and we're going to do a slight deviation and go back to City city manager Rodriguez for one other announcement **[Timestamp] City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** yes thank you Mary mayor mayor I'm I'm having a night um I forgot to uh update um Miss Balaban made a comment at our last open Forum um talking about uh new new Resident information packet and there was a listing provided online and it had dated information we have taken that form down we do plan to update it um it is it the Communications Department has a a pretty significant workload so it may not be right away but we are working on it and most of that information is available on the website thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** now back to hats off to Hometown hits council member Christensen **[Timestamp] Council Member Sharon Christensen:** yes I have two of them actually uh one is this past Saturday was the um richfield's renovation home tour where six households participated in uh renovating their homes and opening them up to the public it was a enjoyable way to spend an afternoon getting ideas and what you know things that can be done with your home in your property and your landscaping and it uh gave a lot of information that um that we really needed to to find out a lot of these older homes that we have in Richfield that may need a little bit of TLC so and then the other thing uh really quick is the um there's several events coming up this Saturday in the city uh there's one of them in particular is um I believe it's called we've La labeled it Bark in the Park where you can bring your dogs to uh the dog park and Saturday evening and dress them up in Halloween costumes or and you know have their pictures taken with them and they're going to have h a lot of different events for dogs and their families that's it thank you **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** council member Whan uh I also was going to highlight the bike park opening um tomorrow uh particularly because after I think around five years on Council now I get to make my debut with the large ceremonial scissors uh so if you um if you don't want to hear me speak come at 5:15 um and the other thing I was going to say is just remind folks that um even though it is a an odd year um there is still an election this year um voting early voting is open you have until November 7th um the school board seats are uh there's as many candidates as there are seats so that is uh less contested um but there are two questions that the school board has put forward uh relating to school funding and so would appreciate voters um checking out there's information on the school's website or the school district's website um for details on those questions um please get informed and go vote thank you **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** also on Saturday um from 10: to noon at Fairwood Park we have the Great Pumpkin giveaway and several local businesses um are donating to provide free pumpkins and there will also be face painting and other activities for kids so that's Fairwood Park on Saturday from 10: to noon and then the Chamber of is hosting trunk or treat at the Mars Nielsen funeral home Saturday from 3: to 6: and then we've already heard about Bark in the Park so it's a full day of fall events on Saturday also um if you are interested in being part of one of the Richfield commissions the um applications are open right now you can go to the city website under commissions and boards and they will be open through October 31st so I would encourage you to please throw your your hat in the ring and apply to be a commissioner with that um we have no further business so I would take a motion to adjourn the meeting **[Timestamp] Council Member Ben Whan:** so moved **[Timestamp] Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** second **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** it's been moved in second to adjourn the meeting all in favor please say I **[Timestamp] Council Members:** I I I **[Timestamp] Mayor Mary Supple:** all opposed We Stand adjourned