[7:21] Anne Burt: Good evening and welcome to the city of Woodbury City Council meeting for tonight, February 25th, 2026. It is 7:30 p.m. This meeting is taking place virtually. Um, and people are welcome to attend that. We do monitor online if anyone wants to comment or question from a virtual perspective. Uh but we're also here in person and it's great to see so many in um in our council chambers tonight. Meetings are also recorded by True Lens Community Media and they're broadcast live. They're also replayed on cable channel 799. [7:54] Anne Burt: Meetings are also available on the city of Woodbury's YouTube channel. Um we do take public comment from people. I already have something uh here green sheet that's sitting on the chairs or there's some outside if somebody want—I already have somebody for open forum. Um open forum is a time to um bring up something that's not already on the agenda but there's opportunities if you have an agenda item you want to speak about. You can just fill out a form and we'll take it during that time. Same goes for somebody online. There's an opportunity to fill it out online and uh we'll be monitoring that as well. But as is our norm would you please stand and join me in the pledge of allegiance? [8:31] 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. [8:48] Anne Burt: Okay, Ashleigh, would you please do the roll call? [8:48] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [8:48] Steve Morris: here. [8:48] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [8:48] Jennifer Santini: here. [8:48] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [8:48] Donna Stafford: here. [8:48] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [8:48] Kim Wilson: here. [8:48] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [8:48] Anne Burt: we are all here tonight. Oh, I'm here. We're all here tonight. Here. I should have said that first. Uh, so we're able to conduct tonight's business. Um, the very first order of business we have is a civic pledge proclamation for a stronger Minnesota. And this is something that all the council members have had an opportunity to review and in agreement with. So, I'm going to read this official proclamation. This is a proclamation of the city of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota civic pledge proclamation. Whereas the city of Woodbury values the well-being of all community members and affirms the importance of civic responsibility, mutual respect, and open dialogue. And whereas as a city council committed to the well-being of our state, our city, and one another, we stand together for respect, dialogue, and democracy. [9:49] Anne Burt: And whereas the council will engage peacefully with each other and with fellow Minnesotans, working in good faith to resolve disputes. And whereas the council will reject political violence in all forms and stand firmly against rhetoric that incites such violence. And whereas the council will embrace the hard but the necessary work of finding common ground, recognizing that our strength as a community is rooted in shared purpose, trust, and civility. And whereas by committing to these shared values, the city of Woodbury stands as a part of a Minnesota that confronts division, not with silence or hostility, but with hope, honesty, and shared responsibility. [10:29] Anne Burt: Now, therefore, be it resolved that the city council proclaims this commitment to the civic pledge for a stronger Minnesota in the city of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota, and encourages all residents to uphold these values in their daily lives and interactions. [10:45] Anne Burt: That is our civic pledge. So, it's new to um our council and we're very pleased to uh be putting that in place. We all have official pledge cards that we'll be signing. Um I would just like to say that I feel as though we've always worked in this manner. This is not something we're, you know, big change. We've always worked with civility and respect for one another. I appreciate the colleagues in that and I think we've always worked very hard to do that with our uh with our constituents and anyone who shows up to speak with us or in council chambers as well. So awesome. Okay, now the exciting part for tonight is the swearing in of new firefighter and EMS personnel. We have several and I will um I can name all those but I'll let um we're going to have Assistant Public Safety Director Chris Klein come forth to podium and speak the meaning of the firefighter and the EMS badge. Or we will have Director Jason Posel even though it says Director Klein on my thing. Welcome. Are you going to name everybody or will you? I would like to make sure it is identified who all of our new— [11:30] Jason Posel: Yeah, Chief Klein is gonna introduce them here. [11:57] Jason Posel: Yeah. So, I'm just here to say a couple words. First, thank you, Mayor Burt, city council members. Exciting night for our department and for the community tonight. We're swearing in nine new full-time EMS firefighters along with conducting badge pinnings. Um you know, this is really a historic night for the city. This is the single largest full-time division, fire division hiring that we've ever had. So, really exciting. Um, it's so unique that we even brought cupcakes. So, the cupcakes are located just outside the uh the chamber doors and uh once we finish up here, there'll be an opportunity to um to grab one. Um you know, we also are going to uh need a place to house them as well. So, that's going to be coming up here a little bit um later in the meeting and you're going to hear more about that. Um, you know, we're just so appreciative of the community and the council for their support of these positions that in turn support and keep our community safe. So, our mission at Woodbury Public Safety is to serve all people with compassion and courage. And what makes that possible is hiring people who share in our values of integrity, trust, respect, and excellence. People who have a servant's heart, who understand that this profession exists to serve others, and that we often encounter people at their worst day and work to make them better. So, I'm going to turn it over to Fire Chief Chris Klein for a couple of words and those introductions. Thank you. [13:13] Anne Burt: Great. Thank you. [13:48] Chris Klein: All right. Mayor Burt, members of the council, thank you. Uh, and like Chief Posel had mentioned, uh, this is the largest uh, full-time contingent that we brought out in the history of uh, of public safety. And I just want to thank you personally for supporting this and um, making this possible. Uh the impact that we'll see uh has already happened with these individuals being on board. So uh before I bring the individuals forward um to present to you, I just like to read the meaning of the badge for a firefighter paramedic. The badge of a firefighter is the Maltese cross, which is a symbol of protection and a badge of honor. It means that the firefighter who wears this cross is willing to lay down their life for you. The Maltese cross is a firefighter's badge of honor signifying that they work in courage. [14:24] Chris Klein: The star of life is a symbol used to identify emergency medical services. Each bar on the star of life represents EMS functions: detection, reporting, response, on-scene care, care in transit, and transfer of definitive care. Overall, the symbol represents medicine, healing, and renewal. With that, I'd like to call forward firefighter Matthew Brookshaw, firefighter Ryan Conlin, firefighter William Corcoran, firefighter Ryan Doll, firefighter Peter Engles, firefighter Kyle Grabowski, firefighter Elizabeth Hansen, firefighter Joseph Hennter, and firefighter Steven Niehaus. [15:12] Group: Wow. (Applause) [15:26] Anne Burt: Well, my job is to come down and do the official oath and the swearing in. So, I'll have all of you turn around so you can face the audience. We never have nine at once, so this is a kind of a big deal. Um, so this is the swearing in and then after this we'll have uh people come up and do the pinning of the badge. But let's begin with this. So raise your right hand and repeat after me. I, state your name. [15:53] New Firefighters: I, [Name], do solemnly swear that I will serve the citizens of Woodbury and firefighters of the Woodbury Public Safety Department with honor and integrity and that I will in all respects observe the provisions of the city charter and ordinances of the city and I will faithfully discharge the duties of my office to the best of my ability, so help me God. [16:32] Anne Burt: All right. Fantastic. And with that, um, we now invite the family or friends up. I think you all know who you are. If you're doing the pinning of the badge from the end, it's time to come forward and pin. [17:21] Anne Burt: I always like to know who's doing the pinning. So, when you've successfully pinned without stabbing, come to my mic. I'd like to just hear who you are in relation to our new firefighter. Does anybody want pictures? Because before I identify who you are, do you want to turn around? We'll get a picture with all your pinners. Can we get everyone to fit? Might have to spread out. Yeah. Oh, we're still working on pinning. We still got a couple pins. I know it's not always easy. [18:15] Jamie Niehaus: My name is Jamie Niehaus and I am Steve Niehaus's wife. [18:31] Steve Hansen: Steve Hansen. I'm the father of Liz. I am the Chief of Police for Oak Park Heights. [18:31] Brena Corbin: I'm Brena Corbin and I'm Kyle Grabowski's wife. [18:47] Aaron Engles: I'm Aaron Engles and I'm Pete's dad. [18:47] Jim Corcoran: Jim Corcoran, William Corcoran's father. [18:47] Jared Doll: Jared Doll, Ryan's father. [18:47] Paul Conlin: I'm Paul Conlin. I'm Ryan's proud dad. [18:47] Karen Brookshaw: Karen Brookshaw, Matt's wife. [19:02] Jillborg: Jillborg, Joey's mom. [19:02] Anne Burt: Wonderful. Congratulations to all of you. And I know that our city council members want to come by and congratulate as well. So, I'll start. Come on in. I'd like to do the shake of the hand. Congratulations. Congratulations and welcome. You have picked a wonderful city to work for. We so appreciate it. Congratulations. Welcome. [20:05] Anne Burt: Awesome. Well, let's do a big round of applause. (Applause) City Council always likes to get a picture with you, too. So, um, if the pinners could go sit down, keep the newly sworn in here. City council will stand behind you for a photo just behind. So, gather together. We'll do one last photo and then um, what's the story with the cupcakes? Don't bring them into the council chambers. But I think there was a request uh by some council members. We never get to celebrate in the party. So, this is fun. So, we will probably take a little five minute pause or something uh before we carry on to our meeting after the picture and a little cupcake break just for those watching. [21:47] Anne Burt: All right. Awesome. Once again, congratulations everybody. (Applause) All right, rush out to those cupcakes. Are we taking a break? Yeah, we're getting like five minutes. True Lens, if you are able to just put up a "we'll be back in a moment" sign, that'd be great. [29:04] Anne Burt: After that short pause, we are back uh to continue into tonight's meeting. Uh the next item on the agenda is the open forum and tonight we have Senator Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger who would like to come and speak at the open forum. You know the rules so I'm not going to review them. Welcome. [29:28] Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger: Thank you so much. Uh for the record I'm Senator Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger, Senator for District 47 which includes all of Woodbury. I just want to thank you for the time tonight. Um thank you for the continued collaboration and relationship that we have. I really believe um open communication allows us to represent our constituents at all levels of government. So, I appreciate that. I just wanted to stop by to kind of give an update on session. We are halfway through our second week-ish. Off to a fast-paced start as usual. Uh committees are meeting. We're having our short floor sessions right now to kind of conduct the paperwork business. Um and bills are getting introduced. I am now on four committees: State and Local Government, Taxes, Capital Investment, and Transportation. [30:29] Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger: So, I anticipate we'll be chatting a lot. Um, I'm also looking forward to the crypto kiosk ordinance discussion tonight. I've worked really hard um on that in the past. It was an initiative brought forth by Woodbury PD. So, very excited to see continued activity there. And I continue to work closely with Commerce Chair Stephenson in the House um and bringing it over to the Senate where we're having active conversations as well. [30:30] Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger: And then uh I do want to just talk about um the we're still experiencing some ICE activity around. Despite the promised draw down um their presence, intimidating tactics and violence is going to be felt for a while. Um we've had families losing their jobs, kids aren't going to school because they're too afraid to leave their home. Um that concerns me about evictions and homelessness. Um we don't know the impact it's going to have to our economic impact. I'm concerned about ER visits and increased costs there because people aren't seeking the treatment that they need. [31:35] Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger: We have a lot of work ahead of us and this is all in addition to what's coming down from the federal government. I just saw a press release today that we're anticipating a $1 billion cut to Medicaid. So that's um going to be impacting our most vulnerable people and that's something we're going to have to grapple with at the state level um but as well as the community level because we have people who need Medicaid and SNAP supports here too. So that's my update. I can stand for questions. Again, happy for the time and thanks for the continued talk. [32:06] Anne Burt: Yeah, thank you for your comments. Just one important question is um when when are you officially done? When does the session have to end this year and what has to get done in this year? [32:26] Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger: Yeah. So being in the second year of the biennium, we are statutorily obligated to adjourn the first Monday following the third Saturday in May—May 18th this year. Um, you know, we don't have any constitutional obligations this year. We passed a budget last year, so technically nothing has to get done according to state law. Um, but I think as we're hearing from the communities and my fellow senators and representatives, like there's going to be a lot that we need to address. fraud concerns, ICE concerns, gun concerns, education concerns, so it's going to be a very active session. Um, but I do anticipate some work getting done even though it's a short session. [33:08] Anne Burt: Yeah. Thank you. Well, and I just want to state that for the record that we so appreciate working with you and our other state legislators uh because we do need to work in collaboration to get things done for our shared constituents. So, always appreciate the great collaboration. Anyone else have question or comment? [33:23] Steve Morris: I have a quick question. So, this isn't a budget year, but we didn't get a bonding bill last session or the previous session. Is that an option for this year is to consider a state bonding bill? [33:23] Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger: Yeah. So, typically we haven't really had a normal precedented session for quite some time. Usually, you do your budget in the odd years, the first year of the biennium, and you do your policy and bonding year in the second year of the biennium. This is a bonding and policy year. As a member of Capital Investment, we are looking at bonding priorities. Um I've already talked to Chair Pappas about Lake La, so um that's on her radar. Um but yeah, the hope is um that we will have a bonding bill. It does require um two-thirds vote or 60% of the votes from both chambers. Um so we do need collaboration from both parties to get to a bonding bill. [34:18] Anne Burt: Thank you. Okay, we'll now move on to our consent agenda. All items listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the city council and will be enacted by one motion and affirmative vote by roll call of the majority of the members present. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a council member or citizen so request in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered a separate subject of discussion by the council. Um, does anybody want anything removed from the consent agenda? Council members, how about you? [35:08] Kim Wilson: I would like to remove 6E and 6F. [35:08] Steve Morris: And I'll remove 6B. [35:08] Anne Burt: Okay, you're not leaving much left to be consent agenda approved with that. All right, so that leaves us 6A, 6C, 6D, and 6G. Someone like to put forth a motion? [35:25] Jennifer Santini: I'll move consent agenda items 6A, 6C, 6D, and 6G. [35:25] Steve Morris: Second. [35:25] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [35:25] Steve Morris: Aye. [35:25] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [35:25] Jennifer Santini: Aye. [35:25] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [35:25] Donna Stafford: Aye. [35:25] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [35:25] Kim Wilson: Aye. [35:25] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [35:25] Anne Burt: Aye. Those few consent agenda items do pass. Um, moving on to the agenda. The next is discussion. And since we uh just pulled three items, we'll move those right now and address those in discussion. So, let's begin with—see yours were E and F. So, can we go in order? Would you like to do B first? [36:03] Steve Morris: Um I'll just be voting differently on this. [36:03] Jennifer Santini: I make a motion to establish the high priorities for the 2026 AAP and projects to be included in the draft 2026 annual action plan for public comment including A) housing serving small and large related households at or below 80% area median income which is the Two Rivers Community Land Trust and B) the cleanup of contaminated sites including the private ash tree removal and assessment program. [36:50] Steve Morris: Second. [37:36] Kim Wilson: I am all for helping and um serving small and large related households at or below the 80%. But I do have a concern with the way we're doing it with the land trust with Two Rivers. Um and of course the ashtree removal—I'm on board with that. So, it's really the Two Rivers issue that I have a problem with, but we are not taking them separately and I know that this is just something a tool to be added to the toolbox, but if I know that tool is going to be pulled out later, I don't know why I would say yes to it now. [38:31] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [38:31] Jennifer Santini: Aye. [38:31] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [38:31] Donna Stafford: Aye. [38:31] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [38:31] Kim Wilson: no. [38:31] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [38:31] Steve Morris: Aye. [38:31] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [38:31] Anne Burt: Aye. That passes. All right. Council member Morris, you have 6E and 6F regarding tobacco licenses and liquor licenses. [38:47] Steve Morris: E and F are going to be the same argument that I have and council has talked and brought this forward before and it's about there was a compliance memo in 2022. Administrator Dahl, do you remember the date? Sorry, it is August 8th of 2025 and there were some recommendations in there that we as a council um did not act on. We got the memo back and then it kind of escaped me and— [39:19] Jennifer Santini: Go to sleep. [39:19] Steve Morris: Anybody else see that? Okay, just checking. It was up here too. Yeah, it's my personality. Um [laughter] no, but the the alcohol and compliance enforcement options memo—I just would like this to come back before the council again. There were recommendations in the memo that I would agree with and that is moving—and that came from public safety—moving some of this to an administrative penalty versus the misdemeanor that it is. If we're in the mission of protecting the safety and welfare of the community, then we need to actually do things that I think progress us towards that. And our current compliance process and policy, because it is a misdemeanor, only sworn officers are able to do it. It's just preventative and we're just not doing ourselves a favor. This happens to be on the agenda of the first discussion item of the ordinance of enforcement of another product. But yet here we are in these two elements and we're just sadly neglecting I think what the ordinance is intended to do. It's just that we just don't have the resources. And so I just ask again for the council—the memo that was written on August 8th from Angela Gorall—I just ask that we bring this back up to another workshop. We review that memo and have a discussion about making some of the changes that were suggested in there so we can actually do what we are intending to do with this ordinance. [41:20] Anne Burt: Are you intending to deny these? [41:20] Steve Morris: No, because they meet all the elements of the ordinance. My argument is that of course they're going to meet the elements. The way that we're enforcing and checking these compliance, there's no way that they're not going to. And that's been my argument is that we've never denied a permit for poor performance or for neglect. What's the real disincentive for operators to do the right thing? There is no disincentive in my opinion. [42:11] Anne Burt: So this would be an ordinance update. You want us to give direction to staff to bring this? [42:11] Steve Morris: I want us to direct staff to take this memo and put it back on a workshop so we can discuss it for a future ordinance change. [42:26] Anne Burt: Okay, I would agree with that. Makes sense. All right. With that, would someone like to put forth a motion for each of these? [42:26] Steve Morris: I'll move to approve the tobacco licenses that were in council letter 26-32 for the period of April 1st, 2026 through March 31st, 2027. [42:44] Jennifer Santini: Second. [42:44] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [42:44] Donna Stafford: Aye. [42:44] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [42:44] Kim Wilson: Aye. [42:44] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [42:44] Steve Morris: Aye. [42:44] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [42:44] Jennifer Santini: Aye. [42:44] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [42:44] Anne Burt: Aye. Those pass. [43:06] Jennifer Santini: I make a motion to renew the liquor licenses for the businesses attached in the council letter 26-33 for the period of April 1st, 2026 through March 31st, 2027. [43:06] Steve Morris: Second. [43:06] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [43:06] Kim Wilson: Aye. [43:06] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [43:06] Steve Morris: Aye. [43:06] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [43:06] Jennifer Santini: Aye. [43:06] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [43:06] Donna Stafford: Aye. [43:06] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [43:06] Anne Burt: Aye. That passes as well. Okay, that covers our consent agenda. We'll now move on to the next item: Consider ordinance enacting chapter 11 code 8 virtual currency kiosks. Omar Maklad is here. Assistant Police Chief Omar Maklad. Hi Omar. [43:42] Omar Maklad: Mayor Burt, council members, thank you for having me tonight. Uh at the January workshop, council asked staff to bring forward a regulatory framework that protects residents without banning lawful business activity as it relates to cryptocurrency ATMs. This is not a prohibition. It is a targeted regulatory model and it requires employee controlled access, clear fraud warnings, registration, and inspection authority all aimed at reducing scams that have financially harmed Woodbury residents, mostly seniors. State law establishes licensing requirements but does not regulate physical access to kiosk placement or local enforcement tools. This ordinance addresses those gaps. [44:52] Omar Maklad: Why does this matter to Woodbury? Over $200,000 are lost annually by our Woodbury residents due to fraud that is facilitated through cryptocurrency ATMs. More than two dozen investigations per year go through our detective division and that is rising year after year. Victims are disproportionately older adults within our community and fund transfers are irreversible and rarely recoverable. What our proposed ordinance does: it requires annual registration for each kiosk, establishes operational and security standards, mandates employee controlled access, enhances consumer fraud warnings, and authorizes compliance inspections. [46:33] Omar Maklad: The key safeguards: no publicly accessible self-service kiosks. Kiosks would be behind staffed counters or locked enclosures. Employees must confirm a fraud warning is reviewed by the customer. Dedicated camera with 30-day retention. Registration fees offset the oversight costs as well. We see this as a balanced approach. Today we ask for the adoption of chapter 11. [47:20] Anne Burt: Thank you. Um, can you just for general remind us roughly how many of these do we have in the city and where might people find them? [47:20] Omar Maklad: We have about 10 in the city throughout the city and they're usually located in gas stations. [47:20] Jeffrey J. Dahl: Mayor Burt, I just going to add one thing. I know that Detective Sergeant Lynn Lawrence is currently testifying at the capital on behalf of a committee that's currently working on some legislation that would either be banning or putting more regulation on these machines as well. [49:13] Steve Morris: All right. Buckle up. Um I'm with the mayor and the mayor's comments—these kiosks lead to 200,000 plus in fraud. We talked at the workshop about outright ban and our defendability. So again, if I bring up the tobacco and alcohol that we just talked through and our mission to protect the safety and welfare of the community, this is right along those lines. And so I'm in agreement with that we need an ordinance. I don't like this one. [50:47] Steve Morris: Here's why. In my non-city council job, I deal with these a lot. This is a ban. The restrictions in here are so onerous that this is effectively a ban. First one is the fee dollar amount: $3,500. It's approximately 45 to 50% of the fee that the retailer or owner would collect. Our tobacco fee is $300. This is $3,500 for a kiosk. If we're to talk about protecting the health, safety, and welfare—we're only charging $300 in transaction that's occurring with far more frequency. If that's our position that we want to recoup our operating fees through the permit fees, I can get behind that, but then we need to address our other fees—compliance checks for tobacco and alcohol. [53:03] Steve Morris: I don't agree with the public access. What you're asking for is to create a room or create a space. It's going to require construction or remodeling. It's just not operationally feasible for these businesses. Commerce is commerce and there's a level that the market will solve for that. Is that our role? [54:52] Jennifer Santini: Did you share any of this at our workshop? [54:52] Steve Morris: I did. I was adamant against the access restrictions. [55:39] Donna Stafford: In a locked and enclosed cabinet—I agree with that. But is there some compromise? Is there some way that these machines then have to be set up with to input an employee code? [57:27] Omar Maklad: That's part of our ordinance—that the employee has to essentially sign off that the transaction is legit. [57:27] Steve Morris: I don't know if "signing off that the transaction is legit" is different than—that's a little more overreach. Then the liability is moving over to the retailer. We don't do that in any other transaction in our city. [58:13] Omar Maklad: I would just add that a lot of these restrictions are put in place as pause points where we can intervene. Scammers will keep community members on the phone while they instruct them on how to insert cash. This would allow a cashier to maybe intervene or even call local police department for us to come in and try to intervene as well. [59:15] Anne Burt: Maybe we didn't fully vet this as much as we could have at a workshop. [59:15] Jeffrey J. Dahl: Mayor Burt, if I'll put in my own two cents. Um I think staff did give this a lot of thought in what we thought are reasonable restrictions and we're not trying to prevent commerce. We're trying to prevent crime—just for the record. Um but yes, if the council wanted more ability to provide input and discussion in depth, tabling it would be fine. [1:00:21] Steve Morris: I would also say that there's connection to our other restricted products. The fee part is relevant for us to have a discussion on. [1:00:21] Jennifer Santini: But then aren't we limited on some of the fees of what we can charge? The state took that over. [1:01:32] Donna Stafford: Our ordinance limits the proximity of our tobacco shops to our schools. To further protect our seniors, I would like us to research and consider limiting the proximity of crypto locations to not be allowed within maybe 500 ft of any designated 55 plus senior community, nursing home, assisted living, independent living facility, and memory care facility. [1:01:32] Steve Morris: This is getting really deep really fast. I'm going to make the motion that we table this ordinance discussion to a workshop. [1:01:52] Kim Wilson: I will second, but I'm going to add a comment and say that I also believe it doesn't go far enough. [1:01:52] Steve Morris: There are parts of this that need to include financial services kiosks, etc. Other things other than crypto because those are just as able to have fraudulent transactions, but it's not included in this. So, while I'm arguing that this goes too far, I'm also arguing it's not wide enough. [1:02:38] Jeffrey J. Dahl: Mayor Burt, I just if it's okay, I'd like to just mention that this ultimately has been a priority by our public safety department because it has been a real significant local problem. And we haven't had action from the state. Clearly we've got some more discussion to do. So we can continue to vet it. [1:03:27] Kim Wilson: I don't like being painted—I don't like being painted that we're ignoring our local people and the concerns that we have. We want to make it better. [1:03:58] Donna Stafford: If there's any specific points you want us to come back and do more research on that would be helpful. [1:03:58] Donna Stafford: I would like to see a map or a list of where our crypto Bitcoin machines are in relation to our senior community facilities right now. [1:05:06] Omar Maklad: I could definitely provide that for you. [1:05:06] Donna Stafford: Are you confident you know where they all are? [1:05:22] Omar Maklad: I'm confident in knowing where the ATMs are where we've had fraud. [1:05:22] Steve Morris: I have a motion on the table that we table this. [1:05:40] Donna Stafford: Second. [1:05:40] Anne Burt: All in favor? Aye. We will table this as soon as possible. We'll now move on. This is the approval of the public safety campus project. This has been in the works for quite some time. This is a two-step process tonight. We first need to approve the application and then the awarding of the bids. Eric Searles, you have this one. [1:07:07] Eric Searles: Thank you, mayor, members of the council. Uh, the city of Woodbury is requesting approval for the renovation, expansion, and redesign of the public safety building located at 2100 Radio Drive. The property is zoned city center district. The current public safety building was constructed in 1975 and was last renovated in 2010. Since that time, Woodbury's population has grown by over 20,000 residents. In November of 2024, voters approved a half cent sales tax to help support the expansion and remodeling of the public safety facility. [1:08:31] Eric Searles: The scope includes integrating police, fire, and EMS into a single 100,000 square foot hub. The fire wing will feature high-speed bifold doors and advanced decontamination areas. Access point A is a three-quarter access point for employees and visitors. Access point B is a full movement signalized intersection for fire apparatus and the parking garage. The architectural design uses brown brick and limestone to match central city standards. Staff recommends the approval of the amended site plan. The planning commission liaison is here for the planning commission report. [1:12:45] Commissioner Jake: Good evening, mayor, members of the council. Uh at planning commission, we voted unanimously to approve. Discussed the access and why that frontage road was needed to get to the visitor parking. Then also, there was a question about how this building relates to the Hero Center and council member Morris helped fill us in on what some of the differences were. So, I stand for any questions. [1:14:06] Kim Wilson: I don't have questions but I do have comments. Regarding this project—I 100% support public safety. Um so what I'm about to say doesn't mean that I don't support public safety. It means I'm not sure that the process—there hasn't been a study done to determine if this is really the best site for our public safety building that can accommodate us into the future. We have this year budgeted $250,000 to do a park study. But there hasn't been any study done on this site. Although this site is perfect for a fire station, I don't know if this is the best place for a public safety headquarters considering we're expecting to be 100,000 plus in population. [1:16:02] Kim Wilson: The safe zone parking also was something that I'm happy to see. Um I still don't like the positioning of it. To have it down at the very end and not at the entrance where there will be a little more sight lines is concerning. [1:18:24] Anne Burt: Christopher, can you just address the location? I know you've brought it up several times, council member Wilson. Can you address that? [1:18:51] Christopher Hartzell: Yeah, mayor, members of the council. One of the things that we looked at is there's approximately 20 to $25 million of existing improvements on the site. If we were to build this somewhere else, you're talking 80 to 85 million because first you have to find the land, then you have to build all new facilities. This being in the central part of the city was key to the service model from a fire EMS perspective. We're going to be fully built out around 2050. This is probably the ultimate site in the long run. [1:21:09] Kim Wilson: 100% agree that there should be a fire EMS station here. I do know we are going to have to build another fire station in the southeast corner. That's where I had suggested that we look and see if that would have been a more suitable place for a public safety campus. [1:21:39] Jennifer Santini: I will make a recommendation that we approve the public safety campus project amended site and building plan project number 16-2026-00609. [1:21:39] Steve Morris: Second. [1:21:56] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [1:21:56] Jennifer Santini: Aye. [1:21:56] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [1:21:56] Donna Stafford: Aye. [1:21:56] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [1:21:56] Kim Wilson: no. [1:21:56] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [1:21:56] Steve Morris: Aye. [1:21:56] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [1:21:56] Anne Burt: Aye. Um, that passes. Christopher, you have the resolutions. [1:22:12] Christopher Hartzell: Good evening again. We've been working on this for two years. I'm just going to give a very brief overview. We're moving forward with a Darcy geothermal system. We're able to accommodate a rapid response garage. We included a solar array of 250 kilowatt DC system. Bird safe glazing. Security enhancements. We opened bids on January 27th. The engineers estimate was 61 million. But what we found is 181 bids. Really successful. The total cost is roughly at about 59.3 million. It's well within the adopted $60 million project budget. [1:26:00] Christopher Hartzell: By all the money we're able to get coming in 3% under, the additional funding means that we can use some of the savings from the general fund. That means there's no debt to the community that needs to be tax supported levy. We've got three different resolutions. First one is to award the construction contracts. We also need to authorize professional services—construction management, engineering, materials testing. And we need to amend the budget for that $59.3 million cost. [1:28:38] Anne Burt: I agree with you about it feeling anticlimactic. Just a huge appreciation to everyone involved. Council members have been great to work with through all this. [1:29:24] Kim Wilson: I do appreciate all the staff's time and answers to all the questions. [1:29:24] Jennifer Santini: Think about all the budget meetings and all the things that we've done over the years of yapping about our response times. Everything that we have asked for staff has gone and done. [1:30:04] Donna Stafford: I'd like to take the opportunity to thank public safety. I don't think anybody realizes the amount of jimmying around that they're having to do. I appreciate the work and time that you've put into this. [1:30:47] Jennifer Santini: I will make a motion to adopt resolution 26-15 awarding the construction contracts to the lowest responsive and responsible bidder for the public safety campus improvement project including the acceptance of base bid A, all five alternates, and authorizing the mayor and city administrator to execute contracts. [1:30:47] Steve Morris: Second. [1:31:15] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [1:31:15] Donna Stafford: Aye. [1:31:15] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [1:31:15] Kim Wilson: no. [1:31:15] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [1:31:15] Steve Morris: Aye. [1:31:15] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [1:31:15] Jennifer Santini: Aye. [1:31:15] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [1:31:15] Anne Burt: Aye. That passes. [1:31:31] Jennifer Santini: I'll make a motion to adopt resolution 26-16 authorizing the mayor and city administrator to execute professional services for engineering, construction management, inflation reduction act, tax preparation services, and authorizing the purchase of furniture, artwork, and branding, City Hall security technology and equipment necessary to complete the project. [1:31:31] Donna Stafford: Second. [1:32:00] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [1:32:00] Kim Wilson: no. [1:32:00] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [1:32:00] Steve Morris: Aye. [1:32:00] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [1:32:00] Jennifer Santini: Aye. [1:32:00] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [1:32:00] Donna Stafford: Aye. [1:32:00] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [1:32:00] Anne Burt: Aye. That passes. [1:32:16] Steve Morris: I'll move to adopt resolution 26-17 amending the public safety expansion fund and capital improvement fund budgets to accommodate bid results, owner costs, contingencies, revenue sources, and grant revenues. [1:32:16] Donna Stafford: Second. [1:32:36] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Morris, [1:32:36] Steve Morris: Aye. [1:32:36] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Santini, [1:32:36] Jennifer Santini: Aye. [1:32:36] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Stafford, [1:32:36] Donna Stafford: Aye. [1:32:36] Ashleigh Sullivan: Council member Wilson, [1:32:36] Kim Wilson: no. [1:32:36] Ashleigh Sullivan: Mayor Burt, [1:32:36] Anne Burt: Aye. That passes. (Applause) [1:33:20] Christopher Hartzell: Groundbreaking—we're talking spring/summer of 2026. The official groundbreaking is probably more like June. We're already starting the relocation of personnel. Substantial completion late fall of 2028. It's full 24-month project. [1:34:39] Jeffrey J. Dahl: Thank you, Mayor Burt. Uh, a couple things tonight. Tomorrow night at 6 p.m. we'll be having our state of the city address at Central Park. We're going to have some presentations from staff regarding our strategic initiatives. [1:35:25] Jennifer Santini: Is it amphitheater or is it in the woodland room? [1:35:25] Jeffrey J. Dahl: This is the big meeting room. Next item. Congratulations to Jake Guentzel. Woodbury native. He was a part of the Olympic team. Uh, men's hockey. He's from Woodbury. We're going to try to figure out a way to maybe get him at council chambers or some other way to get the gold medal here in Woodbury, too. In addition, I want to acknowledge the VFW awards. Fire marshal Kevin Lynch, Battalion Chief Matt Huber, and Detective Kyle Meyers all won awards. Officer Carlos Santos and EMS firefighter Tony Bender will also have their bricks in the veterans park because of their role in serving our country. We have a lot to be proud of. [1:38:33] Jennifer Santini: I make a motion that we adjourn the meeting. [1:38:33] Steve Morris: Second. [1:38:33] Anne Burt: All in favor? Aye. We are adjourned.