This transcript has been formatted with the appropriate speaker names based on the context provided. [00:00:00] **Mayor Mary Supple:** We're okay. Okay, that sounds good. Wait another minute. Good evening. Today is January 27th at 7 p.m. and I'm going to call to order this meeting of the Richfield City Council. If you're able, please rise and join us in the pledge of allegiance. [00:00:15] **Group:** [Pledge of Allegiance] ...justice for all. [00:00:20] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. We have a number of community members wishing to speak this evening. So before we move on to the meeting, I ask we please listen respectfully to all, even those you disagree with. Please do not clap, cheer, shout out, or boo. We will also have some agenda items dealing with requests made at our last council meeting and followup information during the city manager's report. So I encourage you to stick around after open forum for the full meeting. Please now join me in a moment of silence for Alex Jeffrey Prey, who died so tragically last week being shot by a federal agent. Thank you. I want to offer my sincere condolences to the family and friends of Alex Prey. We grieve with you as a community. Alex should still be with us here today along with Renee Good. I'm deeply saddened and angry that families across our community have been ripped apart and traumatized by ICE activity and detentions that they are not able to leave their homes to go about their lives in peace and are struggling to meet their daily needs. This is beyond wrong. I call upon our federal government to end operation metro surge. It is not making us safer. It's making us less safe. Every community member deserves to live in peace and dignity. Again, I want to thank all the volunteers who have been out in the community distributing food, providing transportation, keeping a watchful presence at schools, places of worship, and local businesses, and engaging in peaceful legal observing. Our community is under siege, but we stand together in solidarity with love. Together, we will remain strong and meet this latest challenge. Are there other council members who wish to make remarks? Council member Coleman Woods. [00:02:15] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Absolutely. Thank you, Mayor. Um yeah, I have seen some amazing resilience from our neighbors this week and um since the last council meeting, even more organizing, even more peaceful protests. And I am proud of our community for continuing to maintain our levelheadedness, to maintain our cool even in this tragedy, in the amount of tragedy that we have seen. And I couldn't be prouder to be a part of Richfield um and having been uh having grown up here um as one of the only brown girls on my block and I will die on this hill that our community will stay together. We'll stay together peacefully. We'll continue to make the changes that we need to make in order to make sure that our neighbors are safe. Um, and I will um make sure that we can recover. Um, it it's going to take some time here because I think that we have um there's been a lot of trauma that's been caused here. Um, we are so resilient and we will continue to to power forward in terms of um how we can move forward. And I just I just so grateful for everybody that's been able to be on the rapid responder responders lists, people that have brought food, people that have helped uh get people back from Texas having been unlawfully detained and sent to those detention centers. Um some of these are miracles that are happening before us. I can't and I actually was able to witness one this week. after a family had been detained last week on Monday, they were brought back to the Whipple building on Saturday night. It's actually it is happening. So there are there are things that are being put forth and put in place so that innocent people can be released from there. Um so thank you to everybody that's been involved on the ground. [00:04:10] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Anyone else wish to council member Hayford? [00:04:15] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Thank you to everyone who's here in this room and those of you who can't join but are still involved in the community. Uh it's awful to start a second meeting in a row uh recognizing a motan who has been killed by these federal uh federal law enforcement if you can call them that. And I I was reflecting that on that a little bit seeing the awful video. I'm sure all or many of you saw what happened on Saturday and how grateful it makes me for the fact that for for issues and challenges we have in law enforcement sometimes locally. How grateful I am to have a responsible police department that shows their faces that shows up in the community that is properly trained and that does not behave like the horrible violent behavior that we saw on Saturday. I think not only are federal agents doing harm directly to community members that they are abducting or in some cases killing, they're doing harm to the law enforcement profession by making it appear to be people acting recklessly um with complete disregard for the people they're charged to protect. So I want to thank all of you for again being involved. Um we've seen some positive developments um like Greg Bavino being shown the door, but I want us to you know remain peaceful but not complacent. Um I was proud to be one of 50,000 people in downtown Minneapolis last Friday uh protesting. I know there'll be another march this week and the continued involvement um on the ground here in Richfield is so important. So I think it is we are doing well. We are not only helping and saving community members here. We're serving as an example to the country of how to do this right, how to do it peacefully but persistently and to show the Trump administration that they cannot just rail railroad over Minnesota. So, thank you for being part of that. [00:06:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Council Member Burke. [00:06:20] **Council Member Walter Burk:** After the last city council meeting, and I'm sure you'll prove me right, all of you will prove me right that we up here cannot express as well as you will the trauma that you've experienced, the things you have seen, the things that you know directly of the abuses that have occurred. I want to thank you all for being here and standing witness and tell us these stories because this needs to be known. It needs to be recorded. Thanks goes to those who are out there who are recording the abuses that are occurring. Again, these need to be documented and recorded so that hopefully once again um hopefully this time people will learn about the abuses that government that can occur through government and the best way to deal with it. Um I still get messages from some people in the community. They are our neighbors. They are our res fellow residents who insist that uh the city should be doing more to cooperate with ICE. And I respectfully tell these people that no that when you have a federal government that is not respecting rights and is not uh respecting human rights and common decency and humanity that the right thing to do is to protect those people from the federal government. There is hope as as has has been mentioned. Um but that hope really is going to have to come from getting the message out beyond the borders of Minnesota. And I encourage you if you have family, friends, relatives who live outside Minnesota to contact them and ask them to speak to their representatives in the federal government. I have family across the state and it astounds me the messages that they're being told about what's happening here. They're getting the wrong messages. So please reach out, make those connections. This is a national problem. This is not a local problem. And the only way it's going to be solved is if the federal government gets the understanding that the entire nation gets it. I want to get thank you all again. And I'm looking forward to hearing to your comments. And I'm also looking forward to the city expressing to you the concerns that have already and the suggestions that have already been laid out, the things that we can do and are willing and able to do and that we will continue to engage in dialogue with the community to see what we can do. So, thank you again. [00:08:45] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Council Member Christensen. Did you have anything to add? [00:08:50] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Um, yes. I I do appreciate the uh the city workers and the police department in Richfield and also the residents very much because I am temporarily homebound for medical issue. So, I I have not been out and about in the community as much as I would like to, but I am looking forward to the day when I get be able to go out and support the small businesses again and talk with the people in the community in their homes again and that type of thing. So, in the meantime, I rely on social media, the posts and the news, that type of thing, what's happening. and uh I look forward to the um meeting again with everybody in person. [00:09:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. At this time, it would be in order to move approval of the agenda. [00:09:45] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I move approval of the agenda with an additional item 11A to discuss joining in legal brief. [00:09:52] **Council Member Walter Burk:** I second that motion. [00:09:55] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? So, just to be clear, we're going to be adding item 11A to discuss the legal brief. All in favor, please say I. [00:10:05] **Council Member Walter Burk:** No, we got to do roll call. [00:10:08] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Oh, thank you. Glad you reminded me. We have to do roll call. So, city clerk Friedrich, go ahead. [00:10:12] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Yes. Thank you, Mayor Supple. Council member Burke? [00:10:15] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Aye. [00:10:16] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Hayford Oleary? [00:10:18] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Hi. [00:10:19] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Christensen? [00:10:20] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Hi. [00:10:21] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Coleman Woods? [00:10:22] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Hi. [00:10:23] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** and Mayor Supple? [00:10:24] **Mayor Mary Supple:** I. Thank you. All right. We've adopted the agenda as amended. Next would be approval of the minutes from the city council work session from January 13, 2026. The regular city council meeting from January 13, 2026, and the special city council meeting from January 15, 2026. [00:10:45] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I move to approve the minutes. [00:10:47] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Second. [00:10:48] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? City Clerk Friedrich, could you please call the role? [00:10:55] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Yes. Thank you, Mayor Supple. Council member Burke? [00:11:00] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Aye. [00:11:01] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Hayford Oleary? [00:11:03] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Hi. [00:11:04] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Christensen? [00:11:05] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Aye. [00:11:06] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Coleman Woods? [00:11:07] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Aye. [00:11:08] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** And Mayor Supple? [00:11:09] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Aye. Thank you. And now we have approved all three sets of minutes. We're now moving on to open forum. There are a number of people wishing to speak tonight. So we will strictly follow the three-minute time limit. I will hold up a yellow card when you have 30 seconds left and a red card when your time is expired. And I would like to remind you to please listen respectfully and quietly to all, even those you disagree with. When you approach the podium, state your name and the city of residence and then I will start the timer. Please keep in mind that anything you share becomes part of the public record and that's why we did change so that you don't have to tell your exact address. You just need to tell what city you live in. Thank you. Now, the normal procedure would be to have 30 minutes for open forum. [00:11:55] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** I make a motion to uh extend that time to 50 minutes. Well, yeah. [00:12:00] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Let's try that. [00:12:02] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** So, that'll take us to 8:02. Is there a second? [00:12:05] **Council Member Walter Burk:** I'll second that. [00:12:07] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Yes, I'll... All right. Any discussion? [00:12:10] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Mayor Supple, I just wanted to remind you about the one ADA compliance request that we had in case we need to make that motion as well. [00:12:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** So, yeah, we included that one. And if we get to the end and there's more people that want to speak, we could have a second motion. Is that correct? All right. Thank you. So, we right now have for 50 minutes. And could you please call the role? [00:12:30] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Yes. Council member Burke? [00:12:32] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Aye. [00:12:33] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Hayford Oleary? [00:12:34] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Hi. [00:12:35] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Christensen? [00:12:36] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Hi. [00:12:37] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** And council member Coleman Woods? [00:12:38] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Hi. [00:12:39] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** And Mayor Supple? [00:12:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Hi. [00:12:41] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Thank you. [00:12:42] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Okay. We've extended the time limits. Um and I'm going to follow the um suggestion that was made the last meeting and say who's up and then who's on deck. So our first speaker will be Betsy Stark and Deb Nord Markin is on deck. [00:13:00] **Betsy Stark:** Hi. Can you hear me? My name is Betsy. My name is Betsy Stark. I've lived in Richfield for 67 years. I've raised my kids here and now I enjoy my grandkids here. When I was a child, we were an all-white community. We still had cornfields, large sand dunes, and empty grass fields. Our airport was one building with a single parking lot across the street. It was the 60s. My neighborhood was made up of large families. There were swarms of kids running around playing in the parks. I've stayed in Richfield all my life and I've seen a lot of change. The greatest and in my mind the most wonderful change has been watching Richfield's increased diversity. Our hardworking, family-oriented immigrants have been a great addition to our community. And now when I take my grandkids to the park, our immigrant families share popsicles with my grandkids as our kids all play together. Last winter, we had a bad snowstorm. Every winter we don't. I went outside the next morning to shovel and was discouraged and horrified to discover three to four foot depths of snow running up and down my long driveway. And to make things worse, the top 12 in had turned heavy, hard, crusty snow. I looked at my driveway and said a quiet but desperate prayer, help. And then I heard voices and turned to see seven young Latino men walking towards me each with a shovel in their hand and smiles on their faces. They didn't ask if I needed help. They just started shoveling my driveway. What would have been impossible for me to do, they did in 20 minutes. And when I And when they finished, I asked, "How much?" "Free," they said. And with tears in my eyes and smiles still on their faces, they walked away. I couldn't ask for better neighbors. These are our neighbors, our immigrant neighbors with smiles, a helping hand, and a caring heart. This is our community. But in recent weeks, we haven't seen them. They're hiding in their homes, afraid to leave their apartments as they're hunted down by ice together as a community. I've seen us doing amazing work to keep our neighbors safe. And I am only one person, but I belong to we the people and we are many and we are strong. And I'm so proud to see my community's response to ICE. And together we say enough. You have terrorized our town. You do not know what is best for our community and you must go. [00:15:45] **Mayor Mary Supple:** You've reached... Okay. Thank you. Okay. Next, we have Deb Nord Markin and on deck is Alicia T. [00:15:55] **Deb Nord Markin:** Debbie Johnson, also known as I [clears throat] am so glad actually to have everyone here because I don't think if you were here you would be aware. And thank you Sean Hayford Oleary for getting the name right. It's why I could not find information about Joshua James Motton. Do you remember the case of the 14-year-old girl that was taken out of a class? I don't know all the details. We have not had full disclosure at all um other than what I've been able to read. The superintendent hasn't really said anything at all. How is a 14-year-old girl able to be taken out of a class and he wasn't even a teacher? I don't know. I don't understand. But um this last week he waved a jury trial and I have to tell you this is where I am really very angry because the judge that oversaw the case he got no jail time. He gets one-year work release from home with an ankle bracelet. He does NOT HAVE TO REGISTER AS a sex offender according to Judge Sarah West. And I don't know if you're familiar with her name. Um, but I already did not care for her very much because two months ago in November, she overturned a guilty fraud verdict by a jury of our peers. She overturned the verdict and now she's letting sex offenders off without registering. What do you think his job is since he's on work release and doesn't have to register? So, what I'm asking is that we as a city speak up. This judge, she is obviously abusing power. I mean, don't you think why doesn't he have to register as a sex offender? I want to know how how do you take as a 23-year-old take a 14-year-old girl to a hallway? If you read about the emails that we did get to hear about, she was frightened. I don't know. I'm sorry, but I'm a I'm a survivor and I just have so MANY QUESTIONS AND I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'RE NOT ASKING cuz you don't know. But now you do. So roll with me here because I know a lot of you, you think I'm evil because my husband's a first responder and I fear for his job every day because they're attacking civil servants. So you look at me as evil because I've asked for seniors because we don't have a lot of money. And every now and then the lady across the alley, I know she would love to be included in your food drives. I just found out from Mary. It was kind enough. She is actually putting with the H that mortgage assistance will be available. Homeowners, can I ask you? You were a taxpayer. How many years? You have a couple months and your city doesn't even allow you mortgage assistance, but there's plenty of renters. [00:18:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Reached your end of your time. [00:18:42] **Deb Nord Markin:** Correct. We need to do something about Judge Sarah West and you need to say something to this school board. Thank you. Speak as loud as you do. My husband. [00:18:55] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. All right. So, we have Alicia T and on deck is Coral Thcker. [00:19:05] **Alicia T:** Hi, everyone. I'm Alicia T. I'm a resident of Richfield for almost a decade. Um, last week or two weeks ago was my first city council meeting. Came, spoke from the heart, listened to everyone. Appreciate all the comments that were shared here in the stories. [snorts] I'm here today. I've sent you an email with some documents. I took the time to go through all of the open forum comments and emails that were sent in after the last council meeting. I've highlighted the calls to action and the comments that seem relevant to the discussion. Um, at the January 13th council meeting, we saw a complete domination of the community speaking out that we are a community in crisis due to the increased DHS and ICE enforcement in the city. Out of 39 comments, 30 received from speakers here um that night and nine through email. 100% of those addressing the topic opposed the current ice activity that we're seeing in our town and our state. Residents described an atmosphere of terror, citing specific incidents such as the abduction of teens from Target and surveillance at local schools and daycare centers. The overarching demand was for city council to move beyond thoughts and prayers and take tangible legislative and law enforcement actions to protect our residents. So, I've gone through all those notes. I've aggregated the data. I've provided you with a chart of high priority requests that each and every single one of us ranked and rated in order of importance to us. The um highest or the critical items that over 15 or over 10 members raised were police intervention and non-cooperation with ICE and DHS, Border Patrol, whatever you want to call these goons and removal of the flock camera system or stopping sharing flock data with DHS. We also raised concerns and a call to action for eviction and rent moratorium. I was happy to see that some funding has been allocated to VEP and action is being taken there. That's a huge win and I thank you for that. We also asked that u I think it was Alicia Waters who did the research and brought up the city code section 306 and city code chapter 13 part S things that we can take action on now and I understand we'll be hearing more about those items later. Thank you for those also. In general, we saw a huge calling for action, real action from our city. I'll stop talking about the first form and just mention I've also included um examples that I've seen from other cities in the area. Roseville, um their paper has put out the same week that we met two weeks ago, details on a day-to-day timeline of what they've done. I've also shared with you examples from social media which was brought up by this group last week showing communities of Falcon Heights and Roseville doing the exact things that these folks in this room or on email virtually joining have shared. On the last page you'll see the mayor and council members of city of Roseville. Should you need any help, please contact them. Thank you. [00:22:00] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next we'll have Coral Thcker and on deck is Ashley Daniels. Oh, and um without objection, we did have an ADA request, so I'll incorporate that in if there's no objection. All right. Thank you. Go ahead, Coral. [00:22:15] **Coral Thcker:** Hello. Um I'm Coral Thcker. I live in Richfield. [clears throat] I want to start out with a poem written by Lindsay Rush that I plan to use in protest art video and a photography session soon uh featuring my new hair. Uh [clears throat] it is called being a bit much during the apocalypse. I brought glitter to a gunfight again. Armed and dangerously hopeful despite the icy breath of fear at our backs. Despite the hateful Christian love on display, I've never been quiet a day in my life. So why start now? If joy and justice go hand in hand, and every sorrow has a song, then I'll go down swinging and singing at the same time. I think we must strike, we must protest, and we must fight authoritarianism. I fought for our country as an Army vet in Iraq and this is worse than that. I feel like I'm on a domestic deployment when I go out with my friends and go on these patrols training them in on the job in one night. I want these recent events to topple the two-party system. Capitalism is the devil. Profit any price, including human lives and the very demise of the natural environment on this planet that we call home. Again, I want to reiterate, humans are humans, and none of us are better than the other, no matter what we've done or what we do in our lifetime. I think it's time for America to wake up. Not only those in the MAGA cult, but all of us. All of us. We can't sustain as we have been for much longer. But there's a better way. If we're going to be able to repair the fallout of what this administration and what the federal government have done to we the American people, we have to find a better way. I know we have our small small bubble and our small community to worry about, but I fear for our entire country. I fear for our entire planet and our very human species if we do not fix and set things right for real this time. I don't intend to scare anyone or preach a radical ideology. I just want us to look about others and look look and think about others more and really think about moving towards the idea that a democratic socialism society is truly just humanitarianism at the end of the day. It's the closest that we can come to equality and true democracy. Though we will still have to work towards that is the closest to being just in an unjust world. And I think we're ready for that shift. With Mayor Mandani, I didn't even realize until a day ago that he was a democratic socialist. Um there's countries Finland, Norway, Sweden, the best places to live here on this planet. And and they do it and we basically already were that. It's the closest to being I think we're ready for that shift. And will you, as our voted representatives of our small community here in Minnesota, think about running as that in the next election cycle? Will you help make Minnesota better going forward and America, too? I think there's plenty to discuss, but I really just want to plant that seed and change will come even if feel feels like a bit much. Maybe it's the real change that can make a difference. Thank you. [00:25:05] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next, we have Ashley Daniels and on deck is Burgot. [00:25:15] **Ashley Daniels:** Can you all hear me? Uh, my name is Ashley Daniels and I live in Richfield. Uh, first and foremost, I want to thank the council for taking the time to listen to suggestions from the last town hall and allocating uh $50,000 to VEP and leaving a pocket to allocate more for the need uh to help with rent assistance and exploring options as far as further responses and also at the same time with the brutal execution of Alex Pretty and Pam Bondi's extortionist threats demanding Minnesota surrender SNAP and Medicaid records, repeal sanctuary policies so ICE can kidnap and send more people to Texas, and finally demanding Governor Walls turn over Minnesota's voter roles, which include names, addresses, and social security numbers. We now know that this attack on our state was never just about immigration. This attack has been about political leverage, revenge for not voting for Trump, and an attempt to stop the inevitable on all fronts. We know Trump is in the files with Sasha Riley's testimony. We know Trump incited an insurrection on January 6 with Jack Smith's testimony. And we know the midterm caucusing and voting is about to begin across this country very soon, which will lead to his inevitable impeachment. And also at the same time, because multiple things are true, Minnesota is in a state of emergency and does not have the time to wait for the midterms. So in this moment, I am calling on the council to join both the city of Minneapolis and St. Paul to sign a proposed resolution to call on Governor Wals to sign a statewide eviction moratorium to keep motans housed and safe to also include encampments to protect people who are unhoused but also to call on Governor Walls to declare a state of emergency to call on our state representatives to pass an emergency budget to give our communities a financial safety net to avoid a historic mass eviction crisis and to prioritize people over profits. In this moment, as I speak, the people have organized in this state in ways that will be written about in history books. We participated in the first organized strike nationwide since 1946 and the first one in Minnesota in nearly 100 years with 50,000 people marching to protest in detest of what ICE and the Trump regime are doing in our state. My question to the people is when do we stop paying federal taxes because we are under federal attack with our tax dollars? And my question to the council is what are you going to do with your legislative power to meet this moment on the level that the people already have. The last thing that I want to say is directed to all of the white people in the room who are here right now, including myself. This is a moment in history that we need to describe accurately because while there are a lot of us making comparisons of ICE to the Gestapo, we also need to recognize that the Gestapo and the Nazis studied from the Confederacy, the KKK, our founding fathers and the pilgrims who brutalized black indigenous and people of color centuries before the Gestapo and now ICE. We must confront the dark past of our ancestors, name it for what it is, and continue to show up for our neighbors in all the ways we can to do all the good we can for as long as it takes to abolish ICE. But Veno is but a small cog in the machine. We cannot stop now because our neighbors are worth it. Thank you. [00:28:20] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Okay, next we have Burgot. And then on deck is Travis Mort. [00:28:25] **Burgot:** Johnson, Richfield resident. For those of you who are not the nice people, those who look away when they are inconvenienced or see something that should have been reported. I thank you. A democracy only works with participation of all. And for that we are needed to vote, to be informed, and to speak up. And we shouldn't just speak up when we should speak. We shouldn't just speak up. We should speak truth to power. Our participation helps to keep a check on those in power. But this participation is a duty we must accept, especially if we feel inconvenienced or afraid. Watching our neighbors and friends safety is what we are supposed to do. When we see something, especially something that is horrendous, we should not be afraid to say the truth. Right now in the United States, we are witnessing the rise of complete unabated authoritarianism. The parallels of the of this rise of authority are very close to those of 1930s fascism. This is not the American way. This not only affects us locally as a city or state. This will have lasting consequences for us as Americans on the world stage. It will last for generations. If you don't want to be part of this slide down to a fascist country, speak truth to power. Question authority. Otherwise, you can be one of those nice people and look away for your convenience. Um, Minnesota nice got a lot nicer. and hold on. [00:30:10] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next we have Travis Mor and on deck is Brianna Darling. [00:30:15] **Travis Mor:** I'm Travis Mor, City of Richfield. Hello council members. Thank you for taking the time to listen to me today. My name is Travis Moore. I'm a resident in Richfield, a father of two children and a licensed psychologist practicing around the community. I recently sent a letter to each of you voicing my concerns related to the conduct of federal ICE agents. And I want to first thank those of you who took the time to personally respond to my letter. I am speaking you today to be one more voice amidst the outcry of our citizens, friends, visitors, and all those who call Richfield and the greater state of Minnesota home. I also want to offer a specific request for the sake of the children in our community. We as adults are acutely aware of the anxiety and exhaustion experienced in this political climate. That reaction is amplified for children, especially those who are directly impacted by the actions taken by us agents. Their nervous systems will continue to carry these events forward long after the presidency is over. We have extensive research showing how childhood trauma affects academic success, resilience, and many long-term outcomes of children. Despite the bleak nature and sense of fear created in this current political climate, I am encouraged at the recent news of the reduction in ICE presence and removal of Gabino from Minnesota. It is obvious that this is not the end and more steps need to be taken, but it is healing to see the needle shift in the other direction, even if briefly. I want to offer an encouragement to each one of you, especially as it pertains to your role in fortifying the sense of safety for children in a time of recovery. For recovery for a time like this needs to be active. How our community organizes to process these events will have a direct impact on how our children internalize these experiences into the future. Please continue to be active in your roles while we all make make it through this time. And when the day comes that this passes, I kindly ask that steps are taken to reaffirm the sense of trust and safety that our children need at all levels of community. I fear it will not be enough to simply return to normal. Rather, it is imperative that we all actively rebuild a sense of safety for those who had that safety taken from them. I ask that you help create a community spa community spaces whether it be partnership of local providers, family forums, or ongoing events where children and families can rebuild trust, agency, and safety. I would also welcome the opportunity to play a role in that process. Again, I thank you all for your service to the community of Richfield, and I thank you again for taking the time to listen today. [00:33:05] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next we have Brianna Darling and on deck is Nicole Cleland. [00:33:15] **Brianna Darling:** Hi, I'm Brianna Darling. I um am a Richfield resident, Ward One. Um and everyone else did so good with their notes and preparing. Um, and I did not I just wanted to share that I me and my husband bought our house in Richfield um about nine years ago when we were pregnant with our first child. Um, we didn't know anyone here at the time. Um, it was just convenience, closer to work and a little bit quieter. Um, and then we kind of we we settled in. We had our first kid, we had our second kid. We started to do the things, spending our summers at the pool and our weekends at Wood Lake and taking our kids to ECF and all the while making friends and meeting neighbors. Um, our kids now go to a dual language school and it has just come to be that our our friends and family in Richfield, our neighbors are the people that we care most about in the entire world and they are what makes Richfield what Richfield is. Um, you know, over over the years I have become one of Richfield's biggest cheerleaders. I love this city so much and and and without our neighbors um we would not be who we are and I I we are just so scared. I have two young children. I have a six-year-old and an eight-year-old and um they are white like me, steeped in privilege, insecurities, but they too are afraid to go to school. We we have playdates with friends while ice circles the block at dangerously high speeds. We have friends who get pulled over not because they're speeding or because their tail lights are out or because they've committed a crime, but just because of the color of their skin. Our girls teachers are pulled over for the same reason. Um, there are so many helpers. There are so so many helpers and and we are all just so scared. I know that we are not supposed to make sweeping generalizations about groups of people. But throughout my time living in in Richfield, I have come to believe that our immigrant community is the best of the best. They are what makes our community so so good. We know we know numbers and stuff. We know that they're good for our economy because of their businesses and because they buy stuff and they pay taxes. But more importantly, they are good because of the people they are. They raise good kids. They contribute by showing up, by helping their neighbors, and by just being here for us. Um, so I just I just wanted to share that. But I just wanted to emphasize what everyone else is emphasizing. Thank you for doing what you do. Continue to do more. [00:36:00] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next, we'll have Nicole Cleland and on deck is Patrick Jones. [00:36:10] **Nicole Cleland:** Nicole Cleland. I am a Richfield resident. I've lived in Richfield for over 30 years. My mother grew up here. My grandfather was the third police officer of this city. Respect for this community runs deep in my family. My grandparents lived on 76th in Portland across from Roosevelt Park. That park is where we celebrated birthdays and played during summer days. Today I drive through that same park to make sure ice vehicles aren't staging there. I also spent part of my life living at Colony Apartments, another place that should represent home and stability. instead. It's now a part of my regular commuting and legal observing route as I look for ICE and Border Patrol activity. I want to pause here to recognize something important. This community has shown up for each other. Neighbors are checking in, people are sharing information, and residents are protecting each other. That matters, and it's something we should all be proud of. I'm also grateful for the members of this council who have been vocal, present, and willing to put boots to the ground. Thank you for your leadership. It has not gone unnoticed. I am a trained legal observer. I am there to document, not interfere, to protect constitutional rights for everyone. Which is why what I experienced is so disturbing. While legally observing, I was pulled over by border control. I was identified by name. I was told they had facial recognition of me. I was warned that I would be arrested if I was seen again. Three days later, my Global Entry and TSA precheck were revoked. Coincidence or retaliation. We need to hold these entities accountable where we can. CBP and ICE are not following the law. And when agencies operate without accountability, citizens are at risk, including those of us acting legally, visibly, and peacefully. I love this community. I love its diversity. I am proud to be a citizen of Richfield, but I am heartbroken by what I am seeing. Immigrant owned businesses struggling, children not able to attend school, families afraid to move freely. This fear has an economic cost and it's one our city is paying. So, I'm asking this council for two things. First, what is the economic impact of ICE activity in Richfield? What data do we have on lost revenue, business closures, vacancies, and reduced foot traffic? If we don't have this data, what will the city commit to as far as gathering it and sharing it publicly? Second, what authority does the city have to stop ICE and Border Patrol from staging in our parks and residential spaces? Parks are for families, not federal intimidation. If staging is happening on city property, what policies, permits, or enforcement tools can be used to stop it, and when will they be used? Richfield deserves better. Our residents deserve better. I'm asking this council to act. Thank you for your time. [00:39:05] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next, we'll have Patrick Jones. And on deck is Jeff R. [00:39:15] **Patrick Jones:** Patrick Jones, Richfield resident for 25 years. I have very little to say because you were looking at my notes. Those were exactly the things I was going to say. So, I will be I will be brief. Number one, I was very delighted to hear um that uh the city is working with other cities and I encourage you to continue to do that. I think that great minds can come up with great solutions and if it is such as not allowing staging in public parks, I think that would be excellent. The second thing uh the psychologist talked earlier about the amount of trauma. I'm not a social scientist. I don't think we can measure trauma. We can measure economic impact days lost at school. And I think the reason we do that is that going to help us. No, it's not because it's going to be in the past. But I think what it does is it documents this time so people remember this happened so maybe it won't happen again. And then the third thing is on January 23rd, the state uh people in the state had a general strike. I don't know if the city closed. If there's another general strike, I hope it would. Thank you. [00:40:20] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. We have Jeff R. And on deck is Michael Fulton. [00:40:30] **Jeff R.:** Hello, I'm Jeff. I live here in Richfield. Um I say uh it's few good city has done a few good things like dending money to help with eviction with beep and everything but just feel like there's still so much more that needs to be done like things like the last two weeks since the last meeting things haven't exactly gotten a whole lot better. They're still out here terrorizing our streets and our neighborhoods driving like crazy all over the place. Like what are we going to do to stop it? Like, well, the police won't even pull them over when they're driving recklessly, speeding through the city, driving with their license plates. Why can't they even do that? Can't they do their jobs? They're completely worthless. We give them 12 over $12 million a year to not even enforce the laws that they could enforce. Even if they could, even they'll refuse to stop people from being kidnapped. They can't even do the traffic laws. Ridiculous. If they won't do that, we should take away their funding. You know how much good we could do with that $12 million? We don't have to worry about evicting anyone. That's a lot of money. We can save a lot of people, buy a lot of food, save up a lot of things, do a lot of good with that money to make our community a better place. So yeah, thank you. [00:41:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** So, we have Michael Fulton next and on deck is Landon McCay. [00:41:45] **Michael Fulton:** Good evening. Michael Fulton. I'm a Richfield resident. Uh, I've lived here on and off over the last decade. Uh, I moved to the cities for graduate school, moved away, moved back. Now I'm raising a two-year-old here. Uh, I didn't come with prepared remarks. People have said a lot more eloquent things than I'm going to say. I just want to encourage everybody who's here to keep doing what they're doing. Uh, I want to offer my support for that. I also want to say I very much support any actions that the city can take to frustrate ICE access to any public spaces. I'm very much in support as somebody who has worked with uh smart camera technologies through my life. I'm very much in support of removing surveillance systems like flock. Please do not have anything like that in this city. Uh, anything that can be done legally, I understand that there are limitations on what the city council can do, but access to public spaces should not be offered to ICE. Compliance from our law enforcement should not be offered to ICE. And uh, I also want to voice my support for continuing to put pressure on the governor for a statewide eviction moratorium. I think that's very important. Uh, but I also do want to say thank you for being so open and supportive of these comments and thank you for doing what you have already done with VEP. I'm very excited to hear that. And that's it. Thank you. [00:43:10] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next we have Landon McKay and on deck is Ben Brown. [00:43:15] **Landon McKay:** Hey everybody. Uh, Landon Mccay, Richfield. Uh, last time I was here, we talked about block cameras. Um, and Sean, I was uh, heartened to hear your comments. I believe during and after that meeting. Uh, and just like what was previously stated, I think it's unnecessary surveillance that are that's in our community that's also supporting ICE. Um, and hopefully today we'll have good news uh about the removal of those cameras. Uh, because I think it's important. I think uh I'm thankful to have a city council that seems to be on the right side of history and not wanting to cooperate with ICE and uh I think it's important to make that stand to the community and show that hey we're doing actionable things that we can do with within that are within our um our boundaries. Uh and I also want to say thank you to Ashley. I think she always comes with tremendous ideas and I think you know we have VEP but I think going forward pushing uh the governor to have a statewide moratorium is a fantastic idea and doing the work we have so many people doing the work on the ground uh amazing people in Richfield and my neighbors Brianna over there who talked earlier she's raised thousands of dollars on her own to help uh people pay uh for food and for rent but us on the around delivering food, raising money, me also donating so much money and our neighbors and and trying to lobby people is not sustainable. So, we're going to have evictions, people on the street, uh and those people are going to be swooped up by ICE. So, I think it's fantastic what we're doing, but my ask is let's keep moving forward and moving forward to protect our community uh into the future because we only have so so many resources and so many things that we can do right now. We need the push of other cities and the governor to do more. It's short and sweet. Also, remove those cameras. Thank you. [00:45:10] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. So, we have Ben Brown and on deck is Alicia W. [00:45:15] **Ben Brown:** Hi, thank you. Ben Brown. I've been a Richfield resident for uh 16 years. Um, last time I had some warm and fuzzy Fred Rogers um um quotes. This time my Fred Rogers thing is a little different. It's uh the photo of him uh giving the bird to the camera. Um I'm pretty worked up tonight. I do foot patrols at RMS at pickup time. And today, uh, at the end of the patrolling around during release time, uh, another parent drove by where I was standing and said, "Hey, I think that car back there is ICE." And in the pickup line, parked in the pickup line, was an ICE agent on their own. That is completely unacceptable. They should not be allowed within 500 feet of a school or a daycare. There's We've got to do something to keep them away from schools. Roosevelt was gassed. Another preschool area was gassed. Um at Edison, a student was taken close to the school. There's got to be something that can be done at some level to not let that occur. They should not be allowed by our schools at the very least. It's ridiculous. Um I'm just My blood's boiling having seen that. It was It's awful. Um, that's most what I've got to say tonight. Um, one more thing just in general, there's a a concise definition of I think the person called it conservatism, but I think it's authoritarianism as well. Um, to look out for whenever you're looking at news. Um, you create an in-group and an out-group. The in-group is protected by but not subject to law. The out group is subject to but not protected by law. I think that is playing out nationally. And one thing I don't like is how um I was a criminal justice major so I know a lot about policing. How our police like, oh, our hands are tied, we can't do anything. Well, go to the schools. Don't let them around our schools. Just be present there. Sometimes just a presence is worth it. something more has to be done. It's completely unacceptable. Thank you. [00:47:35] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next, we have Alicia Waters and on deck is John Gravel. [00:47:45] **Alicia Waters:** My name is Alicia Waters. I live in Richfield and today I'm speaking on behalf of a few people who are unable to attend tonight, all of whom are also Richfield residents. Um first, um we're aware the city has been meeting with other cities, uh about the response to the presence of federal agents in our communities. Um I'm aware that there's a there was a press conference I think on the 20th. Um and so we just like to learn more about the city's engagement and um I believe the mayor was was there and um not sure if the police chief was participating. Um, so would just like to know um if they were also there, if not, why not? And if so, um can the city provide some communication about um about that um so that residents can know um that you stand behind us? Um second, I did receive the suggestion that um the city address um the fear of door knocking of ice breaking into people's homes and um people are on just high alert and also um our dispatch and the police trained to treat calls about fear of ICE endangering people. Are they going to take those calls seriously? Um third, um is just a reminder that this is far from over and a call for both the city and for all of us to consider long-term avenues to support our vulnerable members of our community and not just short-term solutions. Nothing short of abolishing ICE and holding those who are murdering and terrorizing people. nothing short of that, holding them accountable will be enough. Um, finally, just my own reminder to us all, next week is caucusing, so show up. Thank you. [00:49:50] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Next, we have John Gravel and on deck is Teresa Guthrie. [00:49:55] **John Gravel:** My name is John Gravel. I'm a Richfield resident for nearly 40 years now. I just want to highlight a case that I know of, a woman here who attends a church here in Richfield. She's an immigrant from Venezuela, her and her son. And um last week she received an email from the ICE says she's required and it's mandatory to report to a meeting at Whipple and failure to appear for this meeting could have negative impact on her citizenship status here. She attended the meeting. She had her attorney there. She had a pastor there for support. her sponsors from the church that helped her come to the United States were there. After about an hour and a half of waiting, this young woman was called out of the meeting and escorted out the door. When her attorney and her pastor said, "Can we come along?" They said, "No, just her." She was gone. We later learned that by the next day she was in El Paso, Texas. She had a court order court order that said she should not have been moved anywhere because of her status here was legal. We have found out now since then she has been returned back to Minnesota, but she has not been released yet. Hopefully that'll be done in the next few days, but we don't know. While she was under the custody of ICE, she was not given her required medications and that's affecting her health. I just want to let people know that you see many abductions that are happening in public. People taken out of the Target store, people taken off the street and in bus stops. They're not all in in public anymore. Some of these are private. So, when things change, don't think that they're giving up yet. Thank you. [00:51:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. We have Teresa Guthrie. [00:51:45] **Teresa Guthrie:** Good evening, Council Mayor. My name is Teresa Guthrie. I live in Richfield. This is very out of my comfort zone to be speaking, so please give me grace. I've lived in Richfield for a little over a year and um I love it. Prior to living here, I taught in Richfield for 10 years and I loved my students. I loved them all. Whether they were Republican or Democrat, whether they were tall or short, black, brown or white, I love them all. And it tears my heart apart to see what is happening in our state, in our community from lawless agents of the federal government, killing us, stripping us of our rights as human beings. I was going to church the other afternoon needing a little spiritual community uplift and I saw ICE agent parked on the car that were two masked men sitting in a large white truck. I was terrified. They took a picture of me leaving my apartment. I was on private property leaving my home faced by these lawless, fear-inducing, inhumane supposed agents who are not trained properly who are we are paying with our tax money. I would much rather they they need to be gone. No more no more funding them. I think that money should be given to our community and the communities affected by them to build and heal. Um, I think our police department has exceeded their budget in part because of ICE and what they're doing. So, I think we should get some of that money for them as well to pay the cost of what they're doing. They need to be held accountable. Um, I'm grateful for what everybody's doing and I grew up in Minnesota. I love my state. I love this community and I'm really grateful that there are so many helpers and kind, loving people. Thank you. [00:54:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. And the motion had been to go until 8:02 and it's now 8:01 and I believe we've gotten through all the cards. So, thank you for everyone who um spoke at the open forum. We really appreciate that. Oh, yeah. There will be updates during the city manager report and we will also have a couple of action items. So, at this point, um, we're going to have two presentations. So, the first one is a proclamation to recognize January 26 through the 30th as Winter Salt Week, 2026. And I'm going to ask Chris Link, deputy public works director, to join me at the podium. Thank you. Whereas the city of Richfield relies on deicing salt as part of its winter maintenance program to maintain safe and accessible roadways. And whereas nearly all the salt applied to the roadways ends up in our freshwater resources. And whereas chloride contamination from deicing salt has been found in lakes, streams, and groundwater in Richfield's watersheds and across the state. And whereas reducing overuse of deicing salt reduces damage to infrastructure and property, protects freshwater resources, and reduces harm to aquatic plants and animals. And whereas it is crucial to raise awareness among residents, businesses, and local government agencies about the responsible use of deicing salt to protect both public safety and the long-term health of our freshwater resources. And whereas winter salt week provides an opportunity to educate our community about the responsible use of deicing salt, including environmental considerations and effective application methods. And whereas residents and businesses can contribute to deicing salt pollution reduction efforts locally by learning about smart salting practices, engaging in safe winter driving, hiring trained service providers, and participating in the low salt, no salt Minnesota program. And whereas the city is committed to promoting a sustainable approach to winter maintenance for the benefit of present and future generations. Now therefore, I, Mary Supple, mayor of the city of Richfield, do hereby proclaim January 26 through the 30th, 2026 as Winter Salt Week in the city of Richfield and urge all residents, businesses, and city departments to take part in activities and initiatives that promote the responsible use of deicing salt and encourage the adoption of winter maintenance strategies which maintain safety while reducing environmental harm. proclaimed this 27th day of January, 2026. Would you like to say a few words? [00:57:30] **Chris Link (Deputy Public Works Director):** Mayor, members of the council, thank you for this. Um, this is something our department takes very, very seriously being good stewards of the environment. We're always looking for ways, methods, um, how to reduce the amount of salt that we apply on our roads. So, thank you. [00:57:45] **Mayor Mary Supple:** So, a couple of the speakers during um open forum talked about looking for the helpers and I think that's what our next presentation is about. So, I'm going to call up the chair of the Richfield Foundation and they're going to talk about the presentation of the grants. So, Lindsay Cry, if you could come up to the front and I think you may be joined by a few of the grant recipients or the foundation members. I'll let you make introductions. [00:58:10] **Lindsay Cry (Richfield Foundation Chair):** Thanks, Mary. Um, good evening, mayor and council members and community members. I'm Lindsay Cry, the chair of the Richfield Foundation. I'm joined here by some other members of our board of trustees. Um, the Richfield Foundation is a volunteer-led nonprofit made up of members of the Richfield community. We were founded by community members and for nearly 40 years, we've been supporting local nonprofits and neighborhood projects that help make Richfield stronger. Our mission is to connect resources to community efforts to create a stronger, more vibrant Richfield. And our vision is a Richfield that thrives through community connection, opportunity, and support. Each year we provide grants to organizations, offer matching grants to help nurture smaller grassroots ideas, and we raise funds to support this work through our annual fundraiser at Toasta to Richfield. We also love showing up at local events like the Fourth of July, city council meetings, penfest, the farmers market, um to stay connected to the community and help promote our grantees. And so tonight, I'm excited to announce our 2025 grant recipients and recognize the amazing work they're doing in the community. So, as I read each um name, if your organization is here tonight, um we would ask if you're comfortable to come up to the front and stay here. We'll read through all of the recipients and then we'll also hold our applause to the end and show our gratitude for what they're doing in our community. So, these are our recipients in alphabetical order: the bilingual learning center; Children's dental services; Cornerstone Advocacy Service; Crossroads Panorama; Cross Town Young Life; Down Syndrome Association of Minnesota; Improve your tomorrow Minnesota; Loaves and Fishes; Oasis for Youth; People with CAPES; Progress Valley; Richfield Dual Language School teacher student organization; Reach for resources incorporated; Richfield Events and Festivals Penfest; Richfield 4th of July celebration; Richfield Meals on Wheels; the Richfield Police Department; The Honoring All Veterans Memorial; Uplift North, formerly the Assistance League; VEP; and lastly, Woodlawn Terrace Cooperative. Um, thank you again to all of our grantees for the work you do to strengthen Richfield every day. Congratulations. [Applause] Um, thank you guys so much. We encourage everyone in the community to check out what these organizations are doing, share their work, volunteer where you can, and support them however you're able. And if you're interested in getting involved with the Richfield Foundation, um you can reach out to us at info@richfieldfoundationmn.org or feel free to connect with any of us after the meeting. Thank you very much. [01:03:00] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you to the Richfield Foundation and to all the grantees for all you do for our community. Next, we'll move on to the consent calendar and I'll turn it over to City Manager Rodriguez. [01:03:10] **Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** Thank you, Mayor Supple. The consent calendar contains several separate items which are acted upon by the city council in one motion. Once the consent calendar has been approved, the individual items and recommended actions have also been approved. No further council action on these items is necessary. On tonight's consent calendar, item A, approve disbursements and claims. Item B, second reading of an ordinance rezoning four parcels at approximately 76th Street and Morgan Avenue from R to MR-2 to facilitate construction of a new learning center for Minnesota Independence College and Community and related conditional use permit variances platt and summary resolution. Item C, consider approval of the second reading and summary publication of an ordinance amending section 300 and 310 of this code of ordinance to establish a human resources department and create a position of human resources director. And I submit these items for your consideration on tonight's consent calendar. [01:04:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Is there a motion? [01:04:17] **Council Member Walter Burk:** I move approval of the consent calendar. [01:04:20] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** I'll second that. [01:04:22] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to approve the consent calendar. Are there any questions or discussion? All right, then. City Clerk Friedrich, could you please call the role? [01:04:35] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Thank you, Mayor Supple. Yes. Council member Burke? [01:04:38] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Aye. [01:04:39] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Hayford Oleary? [01:04:40] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Hi. [01:04:41] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Christensen? [01:04:42] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Hi. [01:04:43] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Coleman Woods? [01:04:44] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Aye. [01:04:45] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** And Mayor Supple? [01:04:46] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Aye. Thank you. We've approved the consent calendar. Thank you. Next, we'll move on to proposed ordinances, and I'll turn it over to um Council Member Coleman Woods. [01:05:00] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Thank you, Mayor. Um the item for consideration tonight is an adoption of the emergency ordinance limiting the use of city-owned property for civil immigration enforcement staging purposes. Staff recommended adoption of an emergency ordinance that limits the use of city-owned or city controlled property for civil immigration enforcement staging processing or operational purposes. The ordinance clarifies that city property, including parking lots, ramps, garages, vacant lots, and non-public city spaces may not be used by federal, state, or local entities for civil immigration enforcement activities except as required by law or pursuant to a judicial warrant. In recent weeks, federal civil immigration enforcement activity has increased significantly in the Twin Cities metro area, including actions that have occurred within the city of Richfield. These highly visible operations have raised community concerns regarding public safety, access to city services and the use of municipal property. City leadership has received questions regarding the city's role and responsibilities related to such activities. The public works director conducted a preliminary review of city-owned properties and identified 18 properties with parking lots that may require signage to clearly communicate the restrictions outlined in the proposed ordinance. This review focused only on properties with parking lots and was intended as an initial assessment rather than a comprehensive inventory. A map highlighting these 18 properties is attached for reference. The proposed ordinance is intended to provide immediate clarity and direction to city staff, residents, and external agencies while preserving public trust and ensuring consistent application of the city policy. The ordinance does not restrict federal authority to enforce immigration laws, interfere with criminal law enforcement, or limit the execution of the lawful judicial warrants. The ordinance is presented as an emergency measure to protect the public peace, health, safety, and welfare as it would take effect immediately if adopted in accordance with the city charter. Uh is excuse me, any staff suggestions or comments? We're available for questions. And then in order uh in this [clears throat] order, I would uh make a motion to approve the adoption of the emergency ordinance limiting the use of city-owned property for civil immigration enforcement staging purposes. [01:07:45] **Council Member Walter Burk:** I'll second that motion. [01:07:50] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Is there discussion? [01:07:55] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Uh just for clarification um in terms of what the public can expect, this does not prohibit and I'm assuming we cannot prohibit use of on street parking by correct or rather either. [01:08:05] **Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** That's correct. [01:08:08] **Council Member Walter Burk:** So this is specifically off street parking lots like in a park or... [01:08:12] **Mayor Mary Supple:** this is city owned property. [01:08:15] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Okay, thank you for clarifying that. [01:08:17] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I had another clarification question. I believe I read somewhere that we can do this for like our outdoor parking and stuff, but what about city buildings that are public spaces? We cannot uh prevent them from coming into public spaces in city buildings. [01:08:35] **Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** That's correct. And private spaces could be marked but not public ones. [01:08:40] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Correct. So if somebody could come into the lobby here or something. [01:08:45] **Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** That's correct. And they have. [01:08:50] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. Are there other questions? Okay. There's a motion before us. Um city clerk Friedrich, could you please call the role? [01:09:00] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Thank you, Mayor Supple. Council member Burke? [01:09:03] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Hi. [01:09:04] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Hayford? [01:09:05] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Hi. [01:09:06] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Christensen? [01:09:07] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Hi. [01:09:08] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Coleman Woods? [01:09:10] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Hi. [01:09:11] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** And Mayor Supple? [01:09:12] **Mayor Mary Supple:** I. Thank you. Okay, we have passed the recommended emergency ordinance. Next, we'll move on. We added to the agenda um a resolution and since it was added this evening I'm going to go ahead and read it. So this is um a resolution ratifying participation in municipal prosecutor's amicus curiae brief. The city of Richfield joined a municipal prosecutor's amicus curiae brief filed in pending federal litigation to inform the court of the practical implications the large-scale federal immigration enforcement activity has on municipal prosecution court access and local public safety operations. The brief does not challenge federal authority to enforce immigration law. Rather, it supports limiting enforcement practices to constitutionally permissible measures and avoiding disruption to routine court processes, victim and witness participation, and the fair administration of Minnesota law. The restraining order um would require ICE to obtain a judicial warrant before entering a private home, stop ICE agents from congregating around critical locations like schools, hospitals, and courthouses, and require ICE officers to identify themselves. Would staff like to add anything? [01:10:45] **Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** I just wanted to thank the council. I also wanted to thank uh staff at Kennedy and Graven and our prosecutors. We as part of those meetings that we've been having with other cities on Saturday, we found out that we had the opportunity to join this. We had about three hours to to vet it and um present it to the council members. I really appreciate the council members making themselves available on a Saturday uh to give a quick decision on this. [01:11:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. So I will make a motion to consider a resolution ratifying participation in municipal prosecutors amicus curiae brief. Is there... okay it's been seconded by council member Hayford Oleary. Is there discussion? Council member Burke. [01:11:35] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Just very briefly that um you know the significance of this is that this is part of documenting and submitting something to the federal court of how Richfield has been directly harmed. I'm very pleased that we're doing this. [01:11:50] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Any other comments, questions? [01:11:55] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** I guess I would hope to uh hope that we can recover from this financially after this exorbitant amount of expenditure that we've had to pay our law enforcement agents to cover us and hope we can recover from this. [01:12:10] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Any other comments or questions? Okay, we have the motion before us. It's been officially seconded. So, City Clerk Friedrich, could you please call the role? [01:12:20] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Yes. Thank you, Mayor Supple. Council member Burke? [01:12:23] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Hi. [01:12:24] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Hayford Oleary? [01:12:25] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Hi. [01:12:26] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Christensen? [01:12:27] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Hi. [01:12:28] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council Member Coleman Woods? [01:12:30] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Hi. [01:12:31] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** and Mayor Supple? [01:12:32] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Aye. Thank you. So, we have passed the resolution. Our next item of business, I'm going to turn it over to Council Member Hayford Oleary. [01:12:45] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Thank you. This item is to consider uh the city council's approval of the mayor's appointment of a housing redevelopment authority commissioner. The executive summary um December 13th, 2011, the city council established by resolution that the public's interest is best served by having a composition of two appointed council members and three mayor appointed citizens who serve on the housing and redevelopment authority. The appointed commissioners also serve on the economic development authority. Commissioner applications were accepted from November 15, 2025 through December 15, 2025 on the city website. On January 20th, 2026, three members of the HRA and EDA interviewed five residents that applied for the seat. After interviews, the members discussed their opinions and provided a name for recommendation. Um, and then just my own comment I'm going to add after this, well, the recommendation will be for Brett Stersa for a term. Um, I do just want to say thank you to the other four who applied. Everybody came with really thoughtfully prepared and I was really impressed and it was wonderful for the city to have five great options. I will move that we approve the mayor's appointment of Brett Stersa as housing and redevelopment authority commissioner for a 5-year term starting March 1st, 2026 and expiring February 28th, 2031. [01:14:15] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Second. [01:14:16] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Okay, it's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? I did want to clarify um in the bylaws of the economic development authority it does state that the members of the economic development authority are the same as the members of the HRA. So this appointment is actually for both bodies but we just have to officially appoint it to the person to the HRA and then they're on both of those places and I too was very impressed with all of the applicants and it was a hard decision to make but we are pleased to um nominate Brett for this position. Is there anyone else who wishes to speak? All right. Um, city clerk Friedrich, could you please call the role? [01:15:00] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Yes. Thank you, Mayor Supple. Council member Burke? [01:15:03] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Aye. [01:15:04] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Hayford Oleary? [01:15:05] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Hi. [01:15:06] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Christensen? [01:15:07] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Hi. [01:15:08] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Coleman Woods? [01:15:09] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Hi. [01:15:10] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** And Mayor Supple? [01:15:11] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Aye. Thank you. And I also would like to thank um Erin Freeze Daniels who's been on the HRA I think for nine or 10 years now. So she's term limited out but she's served um well for our community and we appreciate her efforts. Next we'll move on to the city manager report. Um city manager Rodriguez. [01:15:35] **Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** Yes. Thank you mayor. Um before I respond to the dozen or so requests um from the last open forum, I do want to I want to thank residents for their thoughtful comments both weeks ago and again tonight. Um I'm grateful and I can speak for other staff as well and impressed with how organized the community has been and caring for each other in this. Um, I know that as staff sometimes, you know, it's my job to provide the information for council to make good decisions and it can seem bureaucratic um in in our response, but I I know because I've been meeting with the department staff, we are struggling with this as well. I wish we had more power to respond and um particularly our our staff of color. It has been tough because it feels like we can't do enough to protect them. So just like we feel that way with the residents. So um I've grouped these into three categories. Um there's completed and ongoing and then completed with some modifications and then reviewed or still researching. Uh so at the last meeting uh there were state they uh the community asked council to make statements condemning ICE. Um the council members did make statements uh about IC's unlawful actions at the last council meeting. Um and then we summarized them in the Richfield recap and we posted a shorter summary on socials. Mayor Supple also put out a statement over the weekend. Uh there was a request to donate to nonprofits and um as you know the HRA approved the 50,000 in Laha funding to contract with VEP to provide emergency rental assistance. Uh we have shared that information with uh Richfield landlords and staff will continue to monitor that and may request additional HRA funding in the future. Uh we've also provided information on VEP to both staff and community as a place to volunteer and donate. In fact, we've got a food shelf just out here because we have office hours for VEP and uh we've put that out to staff because we've been running out of food. Um there was a request uh to do an emergency ordinance to ban ICE from staging their operations on city-owned parking lots, parks and empty lots. and you know that that just passed. Um public works should have the signs all up by next week. I took the liberty of having them start working on that. We thought that we could um make them more quickly than we could order them. Um and and please note that we have been asking ICE our our our officers have been asking ICE to move on for a long time from our property and that will not change. Um we don't have a lot of enforcement options if immigrants immigration officials ignore the signs which they have done in other cities but we again we will continue to show up and have them move on. Um completed with modifications: uh there was a request for council members to express their views in the local paper. I believe the request was to submit letters to the editors. Uh we haven't done that, but the Sun Current has um been covering uh both Mayor Supple's January 8th statement that was in the January 15th paper and then uh it was also posted on our socials. The Sun Current also summarized council members statements condemning ICE in their last edition. Uh there was a request to mobilize the community. Uh the city is providing information on how to learn more. Um, but we feel like it isn't our role to mobilize and organize and really you all are doing such a great job at that. I mean, I know that some of our staff are involved and they're telling me things before I can learn them. um I do want to compliment you on that. Since the last meeting, we have shared more information. I I I hear you that you want more information. Uh we shared know your rights information and that the ACLU Minnesota is collecting reports of unlawful conduct by federal immigration enforcement. Um there was a request that the city collect the information on ISIS unlawful conduct. If we collect that information, it becomes public data and that could violate victims privacy and put them at risk. Um, also we don't have an easy way to create a database that's searchable. Um, so really grateful that the ACLU is now collecting this and then also attorney general's office has a form on their website that you can report unlawful actions. Uh request to site ICE for traffic violations and searches without a warrant. um Richfield Public Safety in their proactive traffic enforcement, they act they have pulled over vehicles with one license plate which is a violation of Minnesota state statute and they found that they are ICE drivers or ICE agents rather. Uh the officers have issued verbal warnings or written warning citations during these traffic stops which is normal protocol. Um, just a note, RPD is responding to an increased number of 911 calls. They've they've had to come out and deescalate some pretty tense situations between residents and immigration agents. They need to continue to do that. And it is again standard protocol that they're going to they are going to prioritize those 911 calls over traffic enforcement. Um there was a request last time to join the Minneapolis and St. Paul lawsuit. um I'll I'll just give you a summary of that and you know that we just filed this amicus brief. Um so the lawsuit was filed on January 12th. Judge Menendez refused to grant an emergency temporary restraining order, but granted an expedited briefing schedule for a hearing on enjoining ICE activities. The federal government responded to the complaint on January 18th and then the AG in the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis replied on January 22nd. Before that, on January 16th, Judge Menendez had ordered ICE officers to limit their tactics against protesters in Minnesota. But on January 21st, the federal appeals court temporarily paused the judge's ruling that restricted agents use of force. Due to the expedited timeline, there may not be an opportunity for us to join. We are asking about it. And the city attorney's office will continue to provide more information about the process and options for the city to either formally join or support in some way at our next meeting. um because of that that we may not have an opportunity to join that suit. Um I again I was really grateful for the quick action of our staff and our attorneys and also the council members so that we could file this friend of the court brief. Reviewed and still researching: the eviction moratorium. City attorney Mary Tietjen does not believe the city has the legal authority to impose that locally. We are exploring extending the notice requirements for evictions due to non-payment and we'll provide an update on that at a future meeting. Assess the impact on local businesses: Community development is assessing if we can do this well and the legal issues involved. Um, we are, again, community development professionals are talking to community development professionals in other cities. We're all struggling to try and figure out how to assess this impact. We think it is a very good idea. CD believes that there's nine businesses in Richfield that have temporarily closed or have reduced hours, but this has been changing daily, so it's been it's been a bit of a moving target. Um, and we may not know the status of some of the businesses. We had a request to turn off the flock cameras. I joined public safety staff and our IT managers in a few meetings. And we also met with council members and to assess the flock with SLA staff to assess the risk of a data breach. Based on these detailed discussions with staff, uh we believe the Richfield implementation of the Flock cameras has several layers of security to prevent a data breach. Uh we're also confident that Richfield's data is not being shared with DHS or any federal agencies. Richfield utilizes a strict one-to-one sharing configuration exclusively with our dispatch partner, Edina PD. We have verified that Edina does not reshare our data with any county or federal agencies. Also, the national lookup, which is a feature on some software for other cities, it's never been active for the Richfield system. And so, the option to turn it on is permanently disabled. Richfield also retains, and just so you know, the flock cameras, they take pictures of the license plates. They're just pictures. This is not um you know videos of of people's faces. Um the Richfield policy is to retain the license plate data for only 30 days and that compares to the industry standard of 60 days. and 60 days is also the state maximum. There's a lot of information online regarding flock. The reports on the security vulnerabilities in flock cameras were specific to the Condor video enabled models. Richfield does not own or operate those particular cameras. Because we don't utilize that affected hardware, Richfield system was not subject to the exposed video feeds or configuration errors that were detailed in some of those reports. Flock has also verified that they have no active pilots or direct contacts, direct contracts with federal agencies including DHS. There was a request to do more to protect schools and daycares. The police department is already providing extra patrols during drop off and pickup at schools and the community has organized to be there as observers. I know Mayor Supple goes regularly. I have tried to make it to some of this but I haven't been able to yet. Partnership Academy has switched to online learning and Richfield Public Schools just announced that they have temporarily suspended their field trips to the Ice Arena and Woodlake Nature Center as a precaution. It will be harder to do more for daycares since they're so spread out throughout the city. But we are going to connect with Lored. It's a network of Latina daycare providers and we'll see if we can provide some help for them. And that's my report tonight. [01:27:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Are there any questions for city manager Rodriguez? Council Member Burke. [01:27:25] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Concerning the possibilities of the city doing something about evictions. I do know that in our legislative priorities that there are two things that we've asked the state to change the state law to require landlords who want to evict people for non-payment of rent to require them to give 30... currently it's 14-day notice. We're asking the state to change it to 30 days. And we're also asking the state to create a statute that would prohibit discrimination of tenants who receive section 8 housing support. There are cities that are already doing this in their ordinances and I think it behooves Richfield to do the same. Hopefully we can look into that more closely. And the other one I would suggest is in our ordinance to create what's called an affirmative defense in non-payment of rent evictions for those who have lost their income due to direct ICE involvement in their lives. I think it would be wise for us to consider this to research this. It would be a way for the city ordinance to make it clear that if someone in our city is being evicted and their loss of income is due to ICE involvement, they can bring this as a defense to them in court and that would be a defense so that they would not get evicted. Hopefully, we can look into that. So, thank you. [01:28:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Any other questions? Council Member Hayford Oleary. [01:28:45] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I just want to make a brief comment on flock acknowledging that the city manager described is not what I had asked for at the last meeting. I do just want to clarify I think there are legitimate privacy concerns about flock and I don't think this changes that. However, I do think what we've learned and what we've verified does address the immediate concern about ICE and flock and I am satisfied with that answer. So, um if anybody has feedback for me or the other council feel free to reach reach out to us after the meeting but I do just want to clarify. I think this narrow issue is addressed. [01:29:20] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Other questions? All right, then we will move on to the council discussion and we you can either do hats off to hometown hits or any liaison reports. Council member Christensen, did you have anything? [01:29:35] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Uh, no, nothing tonight. [01:29:38] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, Council Member Burke. [01:29:40] **Council Member Walter Burk:** I want to give a hats off to those who are supporting their neighbors in this time of crisis. I think the federal government made the mistake of coming to Minnesota to act this way. I think they greatly underestimated the sense of community and willingness of people here to help strangers. And I hope that others across the nation learned this lesson that this is the way to deal with abuses by the federal government. So again, thank you all who are doing this. [01:30:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Council member Hayford Oleary. [01:30:18] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I'll just reiterate, Council Member Burks, thank you. Thank you all for being here and for the work you're doing. And it was already mentioned, of course, on in many of your great comments, but precinct caucuses next Tuesday. I look forward to participating and seeing my neighbors there. [01:30:35] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. Council member Coleman Woods. [01:30:38] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Thank you, Mayor. Uh I am going to shout out the because I'm a sports ball mom. Uh I am going to shout out the basketball teams. Uh both boys and girls basketball are killing it right now and I encourage everybody to go out and support our high school kids who are going through it as well. And I just think sports brings thing brings people together. Um and they're both on a run for state. So let's go. Um and that's it for now. [01:31:10] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. I also wanted to thank everybody that spoke tonight and everybody that's been helping out in the community. There was a question during open forum about the group of West Metro mayors that have been getting together and we met again this afternoon and the city managers were there as well. The meeting that you all referenced earlier did also include the police chief and police chiefs and all three came from the city of Richfield. So what we're trying to do is work together and kind of get more... it's if you have like 11 communities all talking at once that's a lot more power than if I'm just speaking from Richfield by myself. And so we were talking today about what some of the main um objectives and how we could get other cities to join us and just plans like there are several mayors that are out in DC right now for the United States Conference of Mayors and so they're going to try and do some lobbying and there's going to be a um hearing at the Minnesota Senate on Thursday and so some mayors may go to that and so we're just looking at ways that we can all work together and I know they will be putting out press releases in the future about the group and give more details and that kind of thing. So, just want to let you know that we're actively participating in that and we're going to try and get more information out as it develops. We're kind of building the plane as it's flying. So, we're doing the best we can and I don't know if city manager Rodriguez wants to add anything from this afternoon. [01:32:50] **Katie Rodriguez (City Manager):** Uh, no. Thank you, Mayor. We've been meeting pretty much daily to try and um figure out the norms and the governance and all of that and um we'll have a formal announcement soon. [01:33:05] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. Again, thank you all for being here. It's in order to have a motion to adjourn. [01:33:10] **Council Member Walter Burk:** I'll make a motion. [01:33:12] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Second. [01:33:14] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to adjourn. City clerk Friedrich, could you please poll the council? [01:33:20] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Yes. Thank you, Mayor Supple. Council member Burke? [01:33:22] **Council Member Walter Burk:** Aye. [01:33:23] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Hayford Oleary? [01:33:24] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Hi. [01:33:25] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Christensen? [01:33:26] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Hi. [01:33:27] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** Council member Coleman Woods? [01:33:28] **Council Member Rori A. Coleman-Woods:** Hi. [01:33:29] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** and Mayor Supple? [01:33:30] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Aye. Thank you. We stand adjourned.