This transcript follows the official roster of the Burnsville City Council and staff. Please note that **Elizabeth Kautz** was absent for this meeting; therefore, **Cara Schulz** served as the Acting Mayor and presiding officer. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** In fact, there's less on this one. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. It's now 5:30 and I call this work session of the Burnsville City Council to order. Members of the public are welcome to attend in person. They can also choose to watch the meeting at Burnsville.gov/me or Comcast channels 16 and 859. The public can also participate through Zoom by joining us at zoom.us/join. More information is available on our meetings web page and in the council agenda packet. So first up we have Jared Shepard. Our city attorney is presenting. [00:00] **Jared Shepard:** Good evening. Thank you mayor, members of the council. See here. All right. So tonight I'm doing my quarterly legal update. The topic tonight is agendas and meeting management. Um, this will be a fairly brief discussion. Um, but just some kind of reminders for the council and for members of the public about um, some of the kind of the building blocks of council meetings. So you've actually seen this slide before. So the presentation tonight is a [snorts] little bit of a mix between some city code requirements on our meetings as well as the open meeting law and some kind of Robert's rule stuff. So again, there's three types of meetings that we have under state law. Regular meetings, notice is required, there's a regular schedule of those meetings that you adopt that schedule. And when we have one of those regular meetings then—and we'll talk a little bit about this in a minute—you can amend the agenda and kind of talk generally about anything that you want. Special meetings are meetings that are on an ad hoc basis. So when we do a special meeting, you're required to post written notice the date, time, and purpose. And the important thing is the purpose of the meeting has to be pretty specific. So once you post notice of that special meeting and the purpose within that special meeting, you can't add things to the agenda or discuss things outside the purpose of that meeting. And then there's emergency meetings which happen very infrequently but that is a special meeting but it's called because circumstances need immediate consideration of the public body. So you try to give appropriate notice to news media and anyone who is on the list for notices of meetings. But the idea is there's something sort of cataclysmic that's created an emergency meeting generally. And tonight we're in a work session. And we're going to talk about the difference between a regular meeting and a work session, but basically for Burnsville, there's not too much of a difference in the sense that our work sessions are regularly scheduled meetings. So, we can add things to the agenda in a work session if we needed to. We can take votes, although we infrequently are in a work session, but we can't do that because those are regular scheduled meetings. Copies of an agenda are posted three days prior to a meeting. They're posted online. They're also posted here in city hall to provide notice to the public about what we're going to be speaking about within that meeting. Additions to the final agenda are permitted upon an affirmative majority vote of the council members in attendance. And that's from our city code. So that's kind of self-imposed in terms of how we do that. Our agendas look differently for regular meetings and work session look different. So on the top you have the regular city council meetings and that's kind of our general order of business. Again that comes from city code. Here, as everyone in this room knows, we have additions to the final agenda and that's a time that the mayor typically announces that that's for emergency items only. And those come, again, that's added with that majority vote. Some cities adopt the agenda; we don't have that mechanism here. We just have the agenda as set by staff. And then we have any additions should they come up, again, infrequently. Work sessions agendas are a little bit different. As we're seeing tonight, you have roundtable discussions, you have written reports, various updates on projects that are coming before the council. Most of these things will eventually come before you at a regular city council meeting. Work sessions in Burnsville obviously work in a way that this is the primary discussion where the primary discussion happens before we get something kind of moving down the road through staff or onto the regular council meeting agenda. One of the other things addressed in our code is who's the presiding officer—the mayor. In this case tonight, Council Member Schulz is the acting member as the presiding officer enforcing the rules, preserving order and, you know, from time to time making calls and determine without debate the rules of procedure, subject to a final decision of the council on appeal. If there was a scenario in which the presiding officer made kind of a ruling, it could be appealed to the city council as a whole and that's a Robert's Rules [clears throat] provision that's also within our city code. In Burnsville the presiding officer is not deprived of any privileges of voting. Some cities have restrictions on that. So the presiding officer of the mayor may move, second, and debate any motion. Minutes are how we record what happened in a city council meeting. So minutes are kept by the clerk and then the absence of the clerk the deputy clerk. If both were be absent in a meeting we would need to appoint an acting deputy clerk. Ordinance resolutions—these are things that are not set out in full in the body of the minutes, but they are kept in the orderly course of business in this for access by the public in the city clerk's office. Minutes shall be in typewritten form and signed by the clerk. Obviously, every meeting, every regular meeting, the council approves the meeting minutes from the last meeting. Consent agenda guidelines... sorry, a consent agenda calendar is prepared for each regular meeting. As you saw that was on the list of the agenda for the regular meeting in a few slides previous. These are generally list issues to be acted upon by the council on one vote, one majority vote, not to be involved in any debate. That consent calendar is governed by policy. We have a policy on what gets in the consent agenda and generally speaking, that is things like items coming from committees or commissions. As the council knows if you have a unanimous vote from the planning commission on a land use item that goes on the consent agenda routinely. It can get pulled off the consent agenda of course. But we see a lot of our items coming from the planning commission are unanimous and they get on the consent agenda. Items that are bi-weekly, monthly or annually repetitive items, those also fall on the consent agenda. Items on which staff has received previous advice from council. You know, from time to time we have a land use issue where council makes the motion to bring back findings for a particular approval or denial and that could go back on the consent agenda if that were to happen. Items brought forward in accordance with other city code and adopted council policies and procedures. Generally speaking, the idea is to have stuff that's relatively uncontroversial and the general business that the council has to do every time and then save the meteor stuff for for the regular business items. Votes of members of the council by voice for it or any other matter in which we can signify the intention of the members. You know, sometimes we do a roll call vote. Obviously with advances in the law with respect to remote meetings, we do roll call votes when we have a member attending remotely. Generally speaking, majority of all members of the council are necessary for the approval of an ordinance unless a larger number is required by state law. Every ordinance and resolution shall be presented in writing before a vote is taken. All motions shall be stated in reasonable completeness before they are submitted to a vote by the presiding officer and shall be recorded in the minutes. Obviously, we work to try to make motions as clear as we can. The title of this slide is ordinances, resolutions, motions, and petitions. You know, resolutions and motions are pretty much the same thing. They're a decision of the city council. There are certain types [clears throat] of issues that require resolution by state law. Occasionally we have issues where we just want to make sure that we're more robust in our decision-making in terms of explaining why the council made a decision and we either do resolutions or findings of fact as opposed to just a motion to capture the reason for that decision. One thing to note here, a motion to reconsider—this occasionally comes up—may be made at the meeting at which such action is taken or the next regular council meeting and that must be made by a council member who voted in the majority of the previous action. So, if there was a motion to approve an action and a council member in the majority later, whether in the same meeting or at, again, the next meeting, determines they want to reopen that discussion, they are the ones that have to make that motion for reconsideration. Every ordinance and resolution passed by the council shall be signed by the mayor, attested by the clerk. That is from state law and retained as part of the official record. Proof of publication of every ordinance shall also be filed in the office of the clerk. You know, on the subject of ordinances, as the council knows, oftentimes we pass a notice of summary publication so we can give a kind of a discrete description of an ordinance not having to fully publish it, because an ordinance is not in full effect until [clears throat] it's passed by the council and then published. We have in our city code for suspension or amendment of the rules—depending on—this rarely comes up but the rules and regulations that are in the code, the ones that we're talking about today, could be temporarily suspended by a vote of four members of the council. And then the rules and regulations shall not be repealed or amended except by a vote of four members of the council after notice has been given at a preceding meeting. That's a little bit onerous in the sense that if we're going to make a code change, we have to sort of be cognizant and forecast it. Which is not quite typical for an ordinance change of this magnitude is probably not the right word, but for a non-sort of [clears throat] land use ordinance change, but that's what our code says now. So, we'll have to deal with that if we make any changes to those rules. I think this is my last slide. Just the public has access to agenda documents. So, we've talked about the agenda and what that looks like. It guides our discussion in regular meetings; public who comes to attend our meetings should have access to the agenda so they can follow along. And then there's access to the agenda for the council members and this really is kind of the practice we do. You receive it via email beforehand as well as the members of the public. So that was a brief quick kind of look at this issue. Do you have any questions? [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Well, good review. [00:00] **Jared Shepard:** Thank you. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** That works. Thank you. [00:00] **Jared Shepard:** All right. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** All right. Uh, so next up we have the police wellness updates. So we have Captain Andrea Newton and Laura Ormaza, our wellness coordinator. So they'll be presenting for us. Um, and we'll let them get underway. [00:00] **Captain Andrea Newton:** Good evening, acting mayor, members of the council, staff. I'm excited to introduce you to Laura Ormaza, who is sitting to my right here, our police department wellness coordinator. Laura joined our team in April of 2024 from California and brings a wealth of valuable experience and knowledge to the city of Burnsville. While she most recently worked in California, she grew up in Minnesota. Um, and so we're excited to welcome her back to the Midwest and just really excited to have her part of our team. During her nine months of working here with the city, Laura has reviewed our wellness initiatives and has taken a strength-based approach to the program by focusing on what we are doing well. She will talk with you tonight about the program, her background, the realities of law enforcement wellness initiatives and the impacts, our approach as a police department to wellness, our progress, and the benefits to the city and the community. Laura's thoughtful approach to program development speaks to our strategic priorities of safety and organizational culture. And with that, I will turn it over to Laura. [00:00] **Laura Ormaza:** Thank you. [clears throat] Good evening everyone. Members of the council and city staff, thank you for the opportunity to present today. Before I begin, I would like to acknowledge and um, thank the council for your support and investment in this position. I'm very grateful to be here and honored by the city's trust. Moving into tonight's presentation, I'd like to begin with a brief overview of my background here. My background provides a clinical foundation for my work as a wellness coordinator. My role here is to sustain and strengthen an already high-performing organization through evidence-based and data-driven programming, services, and initiatives. I'm a licensed independent clinical social worker and also have a master of public health degree. My clinical training has focused heavily on trauma, anxiety, grief, and suicide prevention, including focusing on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. Over the past 15 years, I've worked across clinical health care and community services in a variety of roles, including therapist, training coordinator, clinical director, and consultant. Much of that work has involved supporting individuals who regularly encounter high levels of stress and trauma. A significant portion of my career has focused specifically on first responders, military veterans, and individuals who have experienced profound loss or traumatic events. Through that work, I've developed a specialized expertise in first responder health and wellness. In addition to this background, I'm also a registered yoga teacher, which allows me to incorporate evidence-based approaches to stress management, resilience, and recovery. Together, this combination of clinical training, a public health perspective, and direct experience working with first responders provides the foundation for building a comprehensive and sustainable wellness program within the department. Can you click for me? Yeah. Um, [clears throat] so let's review some of those realities that were mentioned about law enforcement. While my background provides the clinical foundation for this work, the reason that this role exists is because of these unique realities in the profession. Law enforcement is one of the few careers where repeated exposure to trauma, high stress, irregular sleep, and life-threatening situations is just simply part of the job. Because of that, we see measurable impacts on both mental health and physical health across the profession. Research consistently shows elevated rates of PTSD, depression, and suicide among law enforcement officers compared to the general population. We also see higher rates of cardiovascular and neurological disease, which are strongly linked to the chronic stress and long-term exposures to high-intensity work environments among first responders. Shift work and overnight schedules also contribute to significant sleep disruption which increases risk for sleep disorders and compounds both the physical and mental health impacts of the job. Finally, the demands of the profession often extend beyond the individual officer contributing to higher rates of divorce and family conflict. These challenges are sometimes referred to as the hidden costs of policing. Not because anyone is doing anything wrong, but because they are natural consequences of a profession that routinely asks people to operate in extremely difficult situations. Taking care of people who take care of our community isn't just a wellness initiative. It's a public safety investment for the city. These realities, as we continue to look at them, help to illustrate the hidden costs that show up over time. From a mental health and emotional health perspective, research consistently shows that rates of PTSD and depression are more than twice that of the general population. This reflects the cumulative repeated exposure to traumatic events that officers experience throughout their decades-long careers. We also see this reflected in national and local suicide data. Nationally, suicide is currently the third leading cause of death among law enforcement officers with an average rate of about 21.4 per 100,000 persons compared to a rate of 13.9 per 100,000 in the general population. Like many professions that regularly encounter trauma, like health care professionals, military veterans, law enforcement carries increased risk for stress related injuries, which is why proactive wellness programs have become an important part of modern policing. These pressures also extend beyond the workplace, which contributes to higher rates of divorce and family conflict within the profession. When we look at physical health data, we see a similar pattern. Cardiovascular disease is rampant; it is the leading cause of death among law enforcement officers, while cancer is the second leading cause of death, largely due to irregular sleep patterns. We're also learning more about elevated rates of neurodegenerative conditions including dementia and CTE, the same brain disease that is often found in football players. This appears at more than twice the rate than the general population. Taken together, this data tells us something important. The health impacts of policing are not just immediate. They accumulate over time. Which is why forward-thinking departments across the country are investing in comprehensive wellness programs. Programs that support officers early help to reduce long-term risk and ultimately help maintain a healthier and more resilient public safety workforce. The statistics that I just shared raise the important question, why do we see these issues in the profession? In public health, we often talk about something called contributing factors. Simply put, these are just the conditions or experiences that increase the likelihood of certain health outcomes developing over time. They don't guarantee that someone will experience a problem or develop the health issue, but they increase the risk when they accumulate over the course of a career or lifetime. In law enforcement, one of the primary contributing factors is chronic work-related stress, both physical and psychological. Officers regularly operate in high alert environments, often shifting rapidly from routine situations to potentially life-threatening ones. This routine engagement in their career literally changes the way that their brain functions and forces them to operate throughout their life on a high level of alert, both on duty and off duty. Over time, repeated potentially traumatic experiences also contribute to conditions like depression and PTSD unless adequate support, intervention, or recovery options are in place. We also know that the chronic stress affects the body physiologically. These elevated cortisol levels—because of the brain changing and the body's primary stress hormone routinely being released—are associated with hypertension, heart disease, anxiety, and insomnia. As we look at how wellness programs fit into the bigger picture, it's important to understand that these initiatives aren't just about individual support. They are a strategic priority for the entire department, city, and community. First, wellness programs play a critical role in workforce retention, recruitment, and sustainability. When officers feel supported and their well-being is prioritized, we see measurable improvements in job satisfaction and overall performance. That translates to fewer on-duty errors, reduced absenteeism, and delays in early retirement. This helps altogether to maintain a strong experienced police force that can serve the city effectively. From a financial perspective, wellness programs contribute to lowering health care costs and liability risks. By reducing workplace injuries, sick days, and medical expenses, the department can realize meaningful savings through their investment in the wellness program. Moreover, by focusing on prevention, these programs reduce the incidence and severity of mental health diagnosis, helping officers to stay healthier and more resilient. Finally, investing in wellness is a form of effective stewardship of taxpayer resources. By supporting officers proactively, we reduce costly crises down the line and improve community safety through this programming. In short, wellness programs align with the city's goals of maintaining a skilled workforce, controlling costs, and ensuring public trust. To do this, we are going to do things a little different at Burnsville. My program takes the traditional model of a reactive framework to a prevention focused framework for wellness. Traditionally, many public safety agencies operate in a reactive way. This reactive approach primarily occurs after a crisis. So after treatment is needed, after a critical incident or when stigma has prevented officers from seeking the care that they need and then those impacts reach a boiling point and result in unwanted on-the-duty activities. The focus here is instead to prevent any of those impacts and create a new framework that is original not just to the city and state but also nationally. Our approach is a prevention focused model largely driven by public health models which does not replace the crisis response or crisis support services but instead adds to it. It goes further by addressing the everyday realities of the profession and addresses the gaps that are in between these high stress experiences that officers deal with every day. What does this look like in practice? It means building a level of understanding and awareness among all department members on the risk factors that their career presents to them. Teaching coping skills, providing access to resources before any problems escalate, and normalizing the choice to seek care, whether that is scheduling a regular physical exam to prevent heart disease or connecting with a mental health professional before symptoms become severe. In other words, a prevention focused model helps officers fill their personal wellness toolbox. This toolbox equips them to manage the natural impacts of their profession and its impacts on their physical and mental health, allowing them to enjoy healthier days and perform their duties safely and effectively. Across the country, more public safety agencies are recognizing the value of having their wellness program led by a licensed clinician. Agencies want to ensure the highest level of support and care for their teams. However, our department is not only on the cusp of this growing trend by placing me in this role, but we have also established ourselves as leaders by having a wellness coordinator with expertise in both clinical care and public health programming and education. In my research, I have not found a single other wellness program or coordinator nationally that has public health training. This combination of skills equips the city of Burnsville to design, implement, and evaluate a truly pioneering data-driven and evidence-based best practice wellness program. By taking this prevention focused approach, our department is positioned not only to support officers after critical incidents with an embedded clinician, but to proactively reduce risk factors, improve daily functioning, and ultimately ensure a healthier and more resilient workforce that translates directly to stronger service for the community. So what what have I been doing in my almost 11 months here? I'd like to highlight the progress that we've made to date. A key part—if not the core—of building a successful evidence-based wellness program in a police department is to first understand the needs of those that are being served and to establish a sense of trust with those who are being served. To do that, I started by designing and implementing and later evaluating the police department's first community health needs assessment survey. Best practice in public health involves starting with this type of survey to identify the wellness needs as they are reported directly by the population being served. I'm pleased to report that this survey garnered a 93% participation rate and that the results are now guiding all next stages of program development and implementation. This will ensure that our efforts are targeted and impactful. Building on that, I designed a holistic wellness program framework that is organized around six pillars of wellness to address mental health, emotional health, social health, financial health, spiritual health, and family. In addition, as one of the few mental health clinicians specializing in law enforcement and first responders in the state of Minnesota and with advanced training in suicide postvention, which is the care that you provide after a suicide loss, I have further established Burnsville as a leader by providing a partner agency support following the tragic loss of one of their officers to suicide. This helps to further ensure that critical care and guidance are available not just to our city, but that we uphold our role as supportive partners to all of our agencies locally. Beyond the department, I've shared this work at law enforcement association meetings and continue to strive to establish Burnsville as a leader in public safety wellness. Early indicators of program trust and impact are already clear. More than one-third of department members have opted to complete a mandatory wellness activity with me rather than an external provider and nearly 40 members have directly requested and received personalized health education and resource referral. This has resulted in successfully connecting more than 40 people with primary care physicians, mental health professionals, nutritionists, and other wellness-based services that will help to reduce the risks of the impacts of the career on their health. These early steps demonstrate that contributing risk factors for unwanted health come outcomes are already being identified and mitigated through your investment in the wellness program even in its early stages. And while we are still building the program, we are laying a strong foundation for a pioneering data-driven model that has the potential to lead locally and nationally. To do this though, we need to take the time to establish measurable success so that we can ensure that when we do share the program more broadly, it is credible, replicable, and truly impactful. And based on the early engagement and trust that I've already detailed with officers as well as partner agencies, we are well on our way to achieving that goal. The benefits to the city for all of this program is at its core building protective factors. This includes skills, resources, and supports that reduce the risks that I shared with you earlier. Chronic occupational related physical stress will be addressed through a combination of health education, targeted program initiatives, and care navigation. These strategies will help officers to develop evidence-based stress management skills and to access the right level of care for their individual needs. Second, chronic occupational related psychological stress will be addressed by having a licensed embedded mental health professional within the department. I'm available 24/7 for our department members. And with my clinical experience, I can provide both training, education, and evidence-based initiatives along with immediate crisis response both on scene and in the department when it is needed. Third, sleep disruption, which is common in shift work and law enforcement, will be addressed through education, skills programming, and initiatives to promote healthier habits. And lastly, the impact of potentially traumatic experiences will be addressed through a combination of the education, mental health support, and outreach initiatives that I've detailed. This will decrease stigma, normalize help seeking, increase access to community and agency resources, and provide one-on-one crisis support when needed. Altogether, these efforts foster [clears throat] and deepen a culture of wellness within the department. One that moves away from the traditional expectation of pushing through stress or trauma without support and quote-unquote "being tough." Instead, our program creates a model where the wellness coordinator is an accessible, trusted partner and where seeking help is not only accepted but encouraged. By addressing these protective factors proactively, we're not just improving the well-being of department members. We're also enhancing operational effectiveness, reducing the risk of costly health outcomes, and ultimately strengthening public safety for the entire community. The benefits to the city of those building protective factors that we're building integrate both public health education, mental health crisis support, and foster a workplace culture of wellness initiatives to benefit both officers and the community. Through practical skill building in stress management, mindfulness, and healthy lifestyle habits, officers are better equipped to manage the physical and psychological demands of their work. Having an embedded mental health professional also ensures that immediate access to crisis support and clinical consultation when high stress situations arise is available. These efforts don't just help officers, they foster the culture of wellness across the department and inevitably to the community members that our police officers serve. In short, this program turns wellness into a larger strategic investment in both our people, the city, and the family members of everybody who works for the city. We have a forward vision. Next slide, please. Burnsville leading the way. Looking ahead, this wellness program is being designed in combination with not just the accomplishments that I've shared thus far, but also to position our city to meet the evolving wellness needs of our police department and [snorts] serve as a model for other agencies to follow. By continuing to build a sustainable, evidence-based, and data-informed program, the city of Burnsville can expand services strategically while maintaining measurable impact. This will ensure that our police department stays at the forefront of best practices in officer wellness. In doing so, Burnsville demonstrates leadership, showing that investing in the health, resilience, and well-being of our police officers is not just beneficial to the department but to the community as a whole. In short, this program establishes a standard that others can look to while delivering tangible lasting benefits right here at home. I look forward to building the program to meet all of these goals, to continuing to build the relationships with all of our police department members, both sworn and nonsworn, and to further establishing Burnsville as a leader locally, statewide, and nationally, and striving for the values that Burnsville stands for, including excellence. So, that is my presentation. I'm open for questions. Thank you. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** Do you know how many... how many sworn and nonsworn people do we have in our police department? [00:00] **Laura Ormaza:** We have 87 sworn. So we have 106 total employees. The rest are... [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** ...so close to 40% of that staff has come to you already? [00:00] **Laura Ormaza:** Yes. I only started doing outreach for direct care about four months ago. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** Wow. Okay. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** That's really impressive. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** I just want to point out the uniqueness of this program. Um, I knew it was pretty novel in the state of Minnesota, but it's actually unique across the entire United States. Um, the data points to this department is in the top 5% of cities our size with this. And even beyond that, um, it refers to Minnesota Gold that we have um, aspects of this program that is different from any other uh, with the availability and the normalization. Um, the internal dog—like a lot of departments have therapy dogs for outside—Duke is, or DOC is an internal therapy dog as much as anything else and then the peer support density is cited as very unique. Um, this is a program that I... I'd like to get more maybe uh, specifics that I could take to the National League of Cities because I believe that there's—because it is so unique—and when the National League of Cities, when we go to organizations like the National League of Cities at conventions, um, we share these types of things. But I believe this [clears throat] is a program that would be worth offering up as a presentation at the November city summit by representatives from the city because I can tell you the room will be packed. Um, it could be one of the biggest session draws of the entire summit or city summit because this is a problem nationwide and you as a department have led one of the greatest solutions available. Thank [snorts] you for that. [00:00] **Vince Workman:** I would just echo everything that's been said. I'm very beyond proud. Um, I'm not involved in the nitty-gritty here, but this is such an amazing program. And, um, I kind of joked in our one-on-one that I wanted to gatekeep the crap out of this. But, um, [laughter] if something like this took hold in every department across the country, I think we could see a revolutionary change in policing across the country. And I think we should be very proud of the work that you've done here. So, it's really, really amazing stuff you're doing. So, I'm very grateful. [00:00] **Laura Ormaza:** Thank you. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Any other questions? Well, thank you very much for your presentation. I'm very excited about this program. Um, I have long thought that it's been unacceptable that there's this idea that if you are in policing, um, there's just all these bad outcomes that are going to happen in your life and to your health and your mental health and your family and that's just part of the job. Uh, so I'm I'm very happy that our department and our city is not taking that attitude and saying you know we all agree it this is just not acceptable. We cannot... we cannot have employees and place them in this type of environment in this type of job and then just say "wow, you know, good luck, that sucks." So, thank you very much. I really look forward to hearing more about the program as it's developing and uh, the positive impacts it's going to have. So, thank you very much. [00:00] **Laura Ormaza:** Thank you. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** All right, we're going to go to item number three, B2 district zoning code amendment um, and the automotive sketch plan review for 14801 county road 5. Uh, we have Travis Bistad, deputy community development director that's going to be doing the presentation. [00:00] **Travis Bistad:** Thank you, acting mayor, council members. Um, the purpose of tonight's presentation is um, to review a concept plan related to a potential zoning code amendment proposed by the developer, in this case business owner Tom Besser, to amend our B2 zoning code. Besser Automotive has signed a purchase agreement for 14801 County Road 5 and is seeking to move their current business, which is located right off Highway 13 in Savage, to a new location in Burnsville. The site is currently an underutilized Shell station but operates as a U-Haul rental facility and does some bait sales. The site is currently zoned in the B2 zoning district, which is neighborhood businesses, but automotive repair is not currently allowed within that zoning district. The site location here, it's kind of small on the map. Um, but the site location is right at the junction of County Road 5 and Crystal Lake Road, and it's about an acre in size. Um, adjacent to the parcel are three residential properties to the east and south. And the map—this map also depicts kind of the extent of the B2 zoning district which is spread in a couple different locations across Burnsville and it consists of 32 distinct parcels. So, as you're aware, um, the concept plan review process, the developer comes to the city, submits an application for a concept review, and part of this process includes a brief presentation to council for your initial and direct feedback. Council provides policy level review of the individual project and has the opportunity to provide that feedback to the developer. So, this is what Tom is proposing to do [clears throat] with the site. It includes a 7,000 square foot new repair facility with nine repair bays located indoors. They would eliminate—and they would eliminate—the existing access off of County Road 5. So, they'd be adding a new access point off of Crystal Lake Road, but the primary access would be from that existing location. Um, so the application is proposing to amend the B2, and the B2 is intended to support neighborhood commercial centers and staff are recommending the expanded use of the B2 as we believe it aligns with the intent of the B2. Just that auto repair is not currently permitted. So, we would just be amending that as a conditional use within the B2. Like I mentioned before, um, this extends all the way across 32 parcels located across the city, but all of which are kind of already located in these neighborhood commercial nodes. And like I mentioned, we believe this aligns with the intent of the existing ordinance. We did coordinate with the property owner or the applicant to hold a neighborhood meeting, which is our practice when we're exploring significant zoning code changes. And assisted in holding that neighborhood meeting. The developer reached out to 55 neighbors and held that meeting on February 12th. And I think I'm happy to report that we had no attendees from the public participate in that neighborhood meeting, but the applicant did receive two positive responses. One in writing, one via phone call. Um, one of which was one of the neighbors that's immediately adjacent to the location that he's interested in purchasing. So, the policy questions that we have for the council tonight: we're looking for feedback on the proposed change to the district, and just recognize that this—what we're proposing—would impact all of the 32 B2 zoned parcels across the city. So the next steps are a formal development application and then we would route that application through our normal approval process including the planning commission as well as this body along with that formal application. And with that I am happy to stand for questions. I'll also introduce the business owner Tom Besser as well as his architect Jim Connelly who have a brief presentation that we'll walk through and I'll turn it over to you, Tom. [00:00] **Tom Besser:** All right. Thank you, Travis. Um, members of the council, I... I must say I'm extremely grateful to be sitting here tonight in front of you with this opportunity, which I feel will benefit the city um, and the surrounding areas. Um, I have been in business for a very long time. I opened my shop in '94 in an old building next to the Windmill Cafe in Savage. It was an [clears throat] old gas station at the time. And uh, when I was able to move into the now retired emissions testing facility that became available back in '99... my business grew quite quickly. Um, I attempted a number of times to expand my business in Savage with... with no avail. Um, the ordinances are pretty strict and I did not get any help in with the administration there. And um, I I will say that the accommodations I've gotten from Mike, Travis, Cara have been nothing but awesome. My experience here has been just really really good. Um, my goal... this... this is my life. This business is... I built it from nothing, um, with the help of my staff. I got a great staff and uh, um, I I've outgrown this building for a long time and I've always wanted to do this, but you know, when I drove by and saw that gas station for sale one day, I went, "Hey, this is an opportunity. You know, let's let's entertain this a little bit and see what we can do." So, I started that process. Um, this goal is is is something that I've always wanted to do, but as I've gotten older and and been in business for, you know, 30-plus years, I I really have a longing to give back to the community more. And one of the ideas behind this is to give an opportunity to give a really quality service at a very reasonable price compared to all that whole line of dealerships that's, you know, a mile away. And you know some people like the dealerships, some won't go into them, but at least there's an option at that point and I would be happy to have that opportunity to give that option. Um, this has been a lifelong thing for me and I I I plan on uh, you know as part of this process to continue on with the business for a while and then obviously ownership of this building. It is my retirement basically. So it's very important to me. Um, I'm currently working with interviewing staff that's very skilled in the manner of running a place like this 'cause I'm an auto mechanic and I'm not... you know, I don't have the qualifications like some college-educated people have. So um, but I... you know, we do my... we do our best. Um, I I guess at this point I I would, you know, I've been very willing to work with what and how this works. One of the things that we were thinking about and we talked about with Mike and Travis is that we want to... I want to try to design a building that's interchangeable for other businesses because this building is going to last a long time. It's going to way outlive me, right? And um, so what can that structure be 30 years from now? Well, yeah. One of the ideas that Jim and I talked about is to, you know, it's a fairly large shop area, 6,000 square feet. What can we do to make that completely open area? You know, for... for a shop, it's easy. You bolt on some hoist to the ground and you run some electricity and air in there and you're good to go. But, you know, we can clear that out and make it some type of neighborhood grocery store or something like that 20, 30 years from now. So, I want to design a building that's going to be useful for the future as well as what is needed—what I feel is a needed service in that area. Um, I don't have anything else really to that, but I'm just I'm really grateful for the opportunity for for doing this. Sure. [00:00] **Jim Connelly:** Thank you. Uh, Jim Connelly, Appro Development. Thank you all for your time today, taking time out of your days to listen to us to hear. Um, as we see on the screen is our site plan and we really... this is born from experience that we've had at Appro of redeveloping sites in Edina and Minneapolis. Taking the older gas stations that had the pumps and a couple of service bays and really doing that as a redevelopment more geared towards removing the pumps and coming in and doing auto service. And one of the things we've heard and many in those communities is reducing the amount of doors, noise to the exterior, things of that fashion. So I think the next slide would show a floor plan. It shows really just an in-and-out sort of bay. We're not trying to line up six, eight service door doors that could be open during a day, things like that. Really trying to be respectful of the neighborhood that we're in, knowing that we've got residential neighbors right next to us. And one of the best ways to be a good neighbor is to be a quieter neighbor. So, with that in mind, that's why we've kind of designed a facility with less doors. And honestly, nowadays, most service techs want a little cooler environment, things like that. So having the doors closed, having air conditioning, the right amount of heat during the winter, things like that is pretty important to the service technicians today and just employees in general. Right. So, that's that's a little bit of an idea behind the building itself and how it's put together. Uh, I think the next slide might be some elevations. We're really looking at really pre-cast concrete exterior. We just find the energy efficiency there is really, you know, not only meets that model energy code that Minnesota has, but exceeds it in many cases. And then having a couple of different colors involved and heights of the building, things like that to really break it up and make it as as attractive as we can there. So, there's a couple other views from various points around the site. And with that, I I think that we can stand for any question or sit for any questions that you might have for us. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** I'll just make a comment. Um, Tom, I'm grateful for you for picking Burnsville. I know you had emailed back in August um, asking about this and here we are. And so um, thank you for picking Burnsville to come. I'm very happy with the rendering and the the plan here. This seems like a community-type business that'll fit in nicely with the area. The current store there um, I [clears throat] don't want to disparage it, but um, this will be a nice facelift for the for the neighborhood and I would imagine the people living in the area would welcome it. Um, and so I'm looking forward to seeing you more in the community and assuming my colleagues are in favor of this... welcoming you with a ribbon cutting in a few months and moving forward. So, thank you. [00:00] **Vince Workman:** I uh I [clears throat] like this concept. I think it's a... I think I agree with you. I think it's an improvement to the area over there. And quite personally, having been raised in Minneapolis most of my life, I always like the fact that we had a service provider in the neighborhood that I could go to to get things done. And I I think that's an important part of our community that they don't have to travel a long ways to make things happen for themselves. And so your neighborhood mechanic, I've always found, is they're pretty good and they're not as expensive, you're right, as some of the dealers can be, which I I get that. So I have I have no problem with what you want to do and quite frankly I don't have a problem with adding that to the B2 zoning. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Ditto, thanks very much for investing in Burnsville. We we we lose businesses between our suburban south cities. Um, some come in, some leave. It's always great and we celebrate when we're able to win a business over. And I'm glad you drove by that that property and saw that sign. That's sometimes how things happen. Uh, we certainly appreciate and respect our neighbors in Savage—don't understand why they didn't accommodate you, but we're happy that we are and compliments to the staff for... we hear this over and over again of the quality of service and how business applicants, residents are treated when they come to city hall and need help or need something. And it's a credit to the leadership, to Gregg and the entire the entire team. The culture here is is exactly what you experienced and we're very very proud of that. Um, but I love the fact that you are approaching this beyond your career. Like you're building a building that not only fits the neighborhood, but can fit another use. Um, when you decide that you're you're done, you know, you hang up the wrench or sell all the toolboxes and stuff. But, um, it's a great looking project and property. And I agree, Council Member Workman. I've rented a U-Haul. I've gotten gas. I've bought bait from that gentleman and I've talked to him over the years since I first ran for council in 2006 and he's a great guy and I... I always thought maybe his son or daughter somebody would take over the business, but not so. So anyway this is this is going to be a great looking project and I don't have any problem with changing our ordinance either. Um, to me in this project it's like grandfathering in because there's mechanic bays that have been there for 70 years or whatever it is already and it's one of those things when it comes forward you realize oh we we don't allow that right in B2 and so uh, it's really hard for us to predict well what could happen in the next 10 or 20 years by opening that door up but looking at the types of businesses that are in B2 [clears throat] I'm... I have no problem with it there or anywhere else. Right. So, thanks. Appreciate your business and investing in Burnsville. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** I forgot I got to mention one more thing. Tom, you originally had mentioned that you've wrapped the Zamboni at the Ice Arena for the last 20-plus years. [00:00] **Tom Besser:** About 20 years. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** So, I might be hitting you up for Burns baseball sponsorship. [laughter] [00:00] **Tom Besser:** Got to talk to Dean, see if I can keep my rates down with them over there. So, [laughter] he's been very accommodating over the years. I'll just say that much. The newest Zamboni we wrapped I think uh, three years ago. It's electric one out there. So, but yeah, [clears throat] I'm a little sad to see the hockey teams leave and my daughter's a head coach of Kennedy High School's girls lacrosse team and it incorporates Burnsville girls because there's no team here for that. But, you know, something might change. Obviously, the name is a big hockey name, so that's why I did that a long time ago. But, yeah, I feel like I'm part of the community for a long time, but I've never been here. You know, kills me to see him wearing the Apple Valley colors every time I see him. [laughter] [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Well, thank you very much. Uh, we do appreciate you looking at Burnsville and this does seem to be a good fit at the right time and serendipitous that this property was available for you. Um, yeah, I have absolutely no problem with welcoming you into Burnsville and no problem with the um, with the change um, in the B2 district. Of course, I... I almost never have a problem with changes to any code or more flexible ordinances, right? Yeah. Be honest. Or any of it. 'Cause my view is once you once you buy the property, it's your property and that's your property to do what you want with. So that's... that's my minority view. Um, but welcome and we're we're very pleased to have you here. [00:00] **Tom Besser:** Thank you, Ms. Schulz. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** You bet. Thank you. All right, we'll hit item number four. [00:00] **Travis Bistad:** Thank you all. All right, thanks again, acting mayor and council members. The purpose of this item is to seek your initial feedback on how the council would like to shape the city's 2050 comprehensive plan update. Um, as you are aware, state law requires that the city update our comprehensive plan every 10 years. The 2050 update will begin in earnest in 2026, so we're kind of getting into comp plan season now, and run through 2028. And the purpose of updating our comprehensive plan is to ensure our city planning documents align with the broader metropolitan planning goals specific to our regional systems, primarily transportation, wastewater, housing, and our park systems. Uh, the metropolitan metropolitan council issued system statements in the fall of last year which are really kind of the high-level goals as to what we're going to need to align with as we update our comprehensive plan. We hired Stantec to review those system statements and identify any concerning issues that we should be mindful of as we step into working on our updated comp plan. Items that they identified that we need to be mindful of are higher growth projections than we've seen in the past. Changes to our housing allocations specific to affordable housing and some tweaks to the types of housing that we may need to incorporate in our residential districts. So the plan does include a number of requirements, or new requirements that we need to address, which are: deepening our engagement and documenting our engagement strategies especially with communities that are less engaged and underrepresented. Like I mentioned, just the slide before on the land use side, we need to add some housing types in our residential districts—at least one new type of housing within our low-density districts. Like I mentioned as well, some more deeply affordable housing projections in the initial estimates. There are some new climate goals that we will need to address specific to greenhouse gas production as well as some transportation goals specific to e-commerce. A lot of that guidance hasn't come out of the Met Council yet, so we're waiting for it, but um, we are aware that we're going to need to make some tweaks based on that new guidance that Met Council is working on. So the goals of our proposed plan for this go-round is to utilize the recent capital studies and policy frameworks that we already have in place. We're in a particularly good position to work on our comprehensive plan with the economic development strategic framework done, our parks master plan, our housing and commercial needs assessment and sustainability plan. So, we're hoping we can take those documents and roll that into the next iteration of the comp plan. We want our work to be grounded in real data and real market conditions and we'll be leaning heavily on community input to shape some of that information. We also want to incorporate implementation steps into the plan—actionable, pragmatic and realistic implementation steps—and ensure that we have regular and ongoing engagement with you all going forward as we build out this document over the next couple of years. So what does the timeline look like? Like I mentioned, the system statements came out in the fall. We'll be working to craft an RFP in the next couple of weeks, release that RFP in April, and identify a vendor to help us with our comprehensive plan, hopefully wrapping all of that up in 2029 with final adoption from the city council and then over to metropolitan council. So our proposed approach and what we're looking for feedback on is that this go-round we ensure that we meet minimum requirements and incorporate current policy direction from you all. Recognize and incorporate all of that current work that we've been doing over the past couple of years. It's already done and ready to be folded into our comp plan. We're proposing to use the planning commission as the initial steering committee but aligning with the council and our community visioning project which will be happening simultaneously. So we envision kind of checking in with the visioning project as our comp plan is moving forward at the same time. So the policy questions that we have is um, do you support the proposed approach and is there anything um, any other things that we want to include in the outcomes for our 2050 plan? And the next steps are we'll release that RFP hopefully in April. We'll select a consultant in June and then we'll be regularly checking in with you all on some of those new issues and some of the more challenging issues specifically around engagement, land use, housing, climate and transportation. With that, uh, we'll take any questions. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** I like the plan. I said this in our one-on-one and I'll say it again. Can we strive to not just meet the minimums and get above that somehow? I don't think our goal to meet the lowest threshold is where we want to be as a city. [00:00] **Gregg Lindberg:** Mayor and council. Yeah. As we go, if you can just flip back to the proposed approach, it wasn't to be the only thing we're going to do. I think it was right as we just think about adding all of these things that we need to ensure we are meeting the Met Council's requirements. It's a requirement of state law and as they communicate further with how to comply with their requirements, we want to make sure that we're understanding of those and bringing those to the council for strategic discussion align with your policy direction, the other plans and the other work. So, we don't expect this to be a check-the-box exercise, but to... to make sure that we're understanding those met council requirements and um, ensuring that they're [clears throat] incorporated in the plan. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Thank you. Any other questions? Nope. Just a few changes this time around. There's not much we can... No, I noticed in the housing units just the uh, the number of affordable [clears throat] um, is... it's heavier at the 30% or below AMI. Um, about the same for 31 to 50, but from 51 to 60% average monthly income, it does not recommend any, which kind of hits into workforce housing, which we have one project that's um, about to open, but that's to me a bigger need than what their formula points to. [00:00] **Travis Bistad:** Yeah, the challenge I appreciate the question. The challenge is who pays for that deeply affordable housing? That 30% AMI requires a lot of subsidy and um, hopefully there'll be some additional resources in the future, but at this point the projects that we see are at that 60% level typically. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Sure. And other communities as well. That's the last question that's being asked right now is not here but in St. Paul is... we need housing. So, do we get to it through stripping local control comp plans, but no funding mechanisms, which I guess is a tale as old as time, but [clears throat] yeah, we'll do what we need to do. [00:00] **Travis Bistad:** Yeah. I mean, this doesn't say we can't accept a project that's at 61%. They're just saying we recommend that you you've already met your need there. We want you to focus attention in these other where there's no funding. So, we'll see. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** I wonder what Lakeville's looks like. I would like to get a hold of their... [00:00] **Travis Bistad:** Eagan's got a lot of land, too. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Yeah, I think this is a great first approach. [00:00] **Travis Bistad:** Thank you. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** We can get into the politics another time. [laughter] All right, I think we're set on that. Um, so those are all of the items that were for presentations. Now we have roundtable. Um, so we have... we need to schedule the council special work session for commission interviews. [00:00] **Macheal Collins:** Acting Mayor Schulz, we have in many years past, we have uh, used that fourth Tuesday to conduct these interviews. Of course, we're open to other days that might be available. Um, just uh, we'd like to look at calendars and see what would be the best date. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** All right. So, what... what date are you proposing? [00:00] **Macheal Collins:** The date of Tuesday, May 26 would be the day after Memorial Day. The day right after Memorial. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** It is and that we have many times had that... had these interviews on that date. Um, if that doesn't work for somebody, we can look for alternate dates, but that is the only Tuesday available for us in May. May 26th is your say. Yep. May 26th. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** I got nothing. [00:00] **Vince Workman:** We'll be well rested. Works for me. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** Twins are at Chicago that day. That's all it's on my calendar. But I'm boycotting the twins this year. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Should be back on the 25th. We'll be out of state, but I should be back. Okay. [00:00] **Macheal Collins:** Depending on the number of applicants that we get. I will circle back with you about the exact start time, but we'll assume it's 5:30 unless we have a number of applicants and and we might need to either schedule another night or start earlier. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Mac, do you know tentatively how many open seats versus um, renewals we have this year? [00:00] **Macheal Collins:** Um, of the—and I can't remember the exact number that we have open... let's say 10. Um, there is one that cannot reapply. Okay. So kind of the opposite. And I have to double check that because it could be... sometimes they get appointed to a partial [clears throat] term and it doesn't count. Um, but yes, I think that... I think that the majority of our incumbents are eligible for reappointment. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Okay. All right. We'll put that down. Put a hold on that date and then... [00:00] **Vince Workman:** Could we do a backup date in case we run into problems with the 26th? Like the 27th at 6 o'clock? Is that an option for us? [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Uh, the 27th is not available. That's an MVTA board meeting hold right now, too. 6 o'clock. It's done by then. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** I don't think I... I can do the 27th. I could do the 28th. Yeah. As a backup. Or if you wanted to go to the previous week or Friday the 29th. How does that work? Kidding. Should [snorts] we... [00:00] **Macheal Collins:** I would look more at the 28th for that. So 28th could be like the backup if Tuesday runs into some problem. Okay. We'll do a... we'll say with if additional time depending on the number of applicants. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Yeah. Could you just do a counter to block both dates and then cancel once we firm it up? That'd be great. [snorts] [00:00] **Macheal Collins:** Okay. Very helpful. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** All right. That sounds great. Thank you. We'll go to council reports. Vince, you're up. [00:00] **Vince Workman:** I have no news. Experience Burnsville meets next week. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Okay. Dan. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Uh, I35 meets this Thursday morning. Uh, we have a presentation from MnDOT on 494 and um, for MVTA news... um, there was a bill introduced in the House Transportation and Finance Committee yesterday. Uh, the bill author would like to eliminate the suburban transit providers. Of course, this... this bill would take poor transit service for the suburbs back to the '70s and '80s when Metro Transit provided very little or no transit to suburbs, which is why the bill was created and passed called the opt-out legislation in the late '80s. And about eight or nine years later, um, organizations like the Minnesota Valley Transit Authority, Southwest, and a couple others began providing service. Uh, our reps and senators covering the suburban transit providers are very much against this. They like the fact that we have high quality service that we get, you know, 85-90% high marks from ridership and um, don't want to turn back the clock and go back into the dark ages of barely any service at all. In fact, there are suburbs like Minnetonka who was an opt-out and chose to hire Metro Transit to provide their service and they're very very disappointed with the service that they're getting and they're they're having conversations with another suburban transit provider to maybe opt out of the opt-out they're in and opt in with a different one. So, um, there's... we've also heard a lot of news from other suburbs that are provided transit by Metro Transit and they're also extremely disappointed. So, um, I see this as an opportunity to introduce a bill to reopen the opt-out legislation and let these other suburbs get out of what they hate and dislike from very poor service and become like MVTA and Southwest and Plymouth and Maple Grove and apparently Minnetonka um, and and get service that is more responsive to their community's needs. So, the [snorts] committee hearing is tomorrow at 1:00 and I'll probably find my way there and I may or may not be testifying. We have three or four testifiers right now and I don't know how many more they'll allow, but it'll be an interesting bill. Um, it's not a very popular bill. It's highly criticized and um, the former transportation chair who is now a head of Ways and Means um, wants nothing to do with it and said he won't even take it up, which is the next stop for the bill if it gets past the current hearing. So hopefully it'll die tomorrow but if it doesn't that'll be the end of it anyway. That's all I have. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Well we'll we'll hope for DOA. [00:00] **Vince Workman:** Yes. Are are any of our legislators on the transportation committee, Dan? [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Uh, no. They are on other committees. They used to be a couple years ago or so but but they were be called upon to voice their opinion. Um, which they do. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** Okay. Okay. Uh, only thing I have is uh, we had a review for the executive director for Dakota County... Dakota Communication Center, which is our 911 dispatch. Um, very... we gave her very very high marks. Other cities also gave her very very high marks. Uh, she is stellar with what she is doing there. So, um, cities are seeing, uh, better service, things are more responsive. Um, their employment because it's, you know, it's difficult and competitive, especially to get people overnights. Um, she's really been chipping away at that as well. They are close now to being staffed. So, that's something we haven't heard for years. Uh, so that's... that's my major report. So, we're all done. Adjourn by acclamation. We're out. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Acting Mayor Schulz, could you allude to any... you know, those folks deal with crisis? And at a stress level that is... it kind of echoes what our frontline first responders see firsthand they experience over the phone. Um, is there um, behavioral health support counseling available to those folks? Do they have a program to care for their... [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** There is, but not... not anywhere near like what Burnsville has developed. I know that they are very interested in what we're doing. Um, they would like to look at that. Um, I believe that is a priority. Um, another priority is uh, child care for for uh, employees. Um, they've been successful in going to... which this was not a thing before... part-time employees and that is something that they're offering to people who retired and want to come back and I believe they're opening up that up a little wider as well to people with experience who then want to be part-time. So, um, but yeah, the mental health, uh, they're very interested in what we're doing and they want to hear more about that. And then I know that they're still investigating, um, child care options. [00:00] **Dan Kealey:** Yeah. [clears throat] Yes. For two-parent working families or single dependent parents, daycare is the determining factor of whether they're going to be able to keep a job or not. It's a big deal. And nighttime is especially difficult. [00:00] **Cara Schulz:** It is. Yeah. Not a lot of, you know, or school's not in session or, you know, all of that type of thing. So, yeah, it's very challenging. All right, we're done. [00:00] **Gregg Lindberg:** Nice job. [00:00] **Dan Gustafson:** Very efficient.