Here is the transcribed city council meeting with speaker names added based on the provided context. [2:20] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: I'd like to call the order of the city of Cannon Falls City council meeting for Tuesday February 21st 2023 uh call to order and our roll call please. **[City Clerk Sara Peer calls roll]** Jeppesen? Here. Johnson? Here. Johnson? Here. Kronenberger? Here. Nobach? Here. Montgomery? Here. Uh please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Uh I would entertain a motion and a second to approve tonight's agenda. [3:10] **Council Member Diane Johnson**: What's the item that you would like to add? [3:21] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Would this be something that we could put on a future agenda? [3:31] **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Last time the having all meetings agendas minutes times Place posted on the City website. [3:48] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: If we wait and put it on the next agenda officially so it gets public notice I would I would be willing to do that and I and I apologize I thought I had sent you the email asking after this one that I looked back and thought no I guess you never hit sent or something. I was trying not to include everyone else oh the open meeting yeah and so I got a little confused but and then I don't know um update items are not necessarily business but I wanted a couple updates with that just be under well you could do that under um we'll do that with that said a motion in a second to approve tonight's agenda. [4:34] **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Move. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: I got a motion by Jeppesen, a second? **Council Member Lisa Zimmerman**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: And a second by Lisa here we go. So I have a motion and a second. Is that German? It is German. Any further discussion? All those in favor say aye. (Aye) Opposed? It carries. All right moving on to public input. Public input is intended to afford the public an opportunity to address concerns to the city council. The public input will be no longer than 30 minutes in total length and each speaker will have no more than three minutes to speak. Speakers may address topics relevant to the governance of the city. Speakers must sign up in advance and must provide their name, address, and the topic they intend to address. Comments must be on topic, respectful, pertinent to City business and adhere to the applicable data privacy rules. Any speaker that violates these rules will be asked to sit down and if the speaker refuses to comply they may be removed from the meeting. Speakers shall not address topics that are the subject of a public hearing. All such comments shall be made at the public hearing. The city council will not generally act on issues raised by the public input but may choose to schedule consideration of the item on a future agenda. Mr. Kurtz? [5:20] **Greg Kurtz**: Good evening, thank you. Good evening, Greg Kurtz, Cannon Valley Fair. Just a couple of things that I'd like to mention, bring up. I hope last Friday I dropped off some 100 Year Fair booklets. I hope you all got your booklets and had [6:07] a chance to read through some memorabilia there. Uh this is in regards to the Hannah's Bin deal which we started this on April 15th about a year ago. And uh I happened to run into it as I was on the internet just kind of going through and this piece of property popped up saying that we owned it. So I went to County, talked to them, they also gave me paperwork saying yes you do own that. I came back to town, stopped at City Hall here and talked to Jon [Radermacher] and [6:56] at that time said that he had known about this when he had started a couple years ago I guess approximately. [7:10] And Hannah's Bin was given to the—as far as I can find what I've done—was given to the fairgrounds in 1930 back when 9th Street was put in. It goes by the fairgrounds. The fairgrounds didn't have the money for the assessments to pay for their portion of that. So to my understanding it was given to the city and a third of that Park was kept by the fairgrounds. Back in 1975 the city dedicated Hannah's Bin as Hannah's Bin, and swing sets were put in, fire pits were put in, [7:57] and we can't really find anywhere where anybody has asked the fairgrounds permission to put all this stuff in on at that time our property. 2011 there was a Memorial put in down there which nobody has asked the fairgrounds, we can find and from what I understand from what I've asked the city has no record of it being put in. Few years before that there was a lift station put in which the city needed. We can't find any paperwork where the city had came to us and asked permission [8:43] to put it on our property and I've asked and the city doesn't seem to be able to come up with any year or any time that this was put in. So I'm just kind of wondering you know why so much of this has been going on. [9:12] So we've been talking about this for for about a year now and uh paperwork's been drawn up. There's some stuff that Jon's proposed and We've looked it over and we've decided to sign that piece of property over to the city to donate that property that we own. There are some conditions and there's some streets that go through the fairgrounds that we're going to get vacated I believe; and I'm I think I've got this right: Ninth Street, York Street, Floyd and Dowell I believe. Throughout this whole thing I mean [9:58] even the first day that we met with Jon and Matt, it's always been told us "let's work together" and I agree 100 percent and I hope that's the way it will stay. The way it's been working, we've been around now for—this will be our 108th year in town. If you just notice in your book, go back to 1954 and towards the end of that year there they talk about the attendance at the Cannon Valley Fair one day, July 4th, and the attendance for that day was 12,000 people for one day. [10:44] I looked up on to see what the population in Cannon Falls was, the closest I could get was 1950 and that population was 1800 people. So I'm kind of wondering where the other 10,000 plus people came from that the Cannon Valley Fair brought to town. But as you look through there a lot of it, even back in 1927 there was a couple days where for a single day it was 5,000 people. In 1927 there wasn't a lot of cars on the road then, so I can imagine there was a lot of horse and buggies that were [11:29] parked over to Fairgrounds for the fair. So I hope like I say through this whole year I've heard time and time again that "why would anything change with the city and the fairgrounds as far as working together to make this come together." From what I can see and I think you maybe could see it too that the fair is probably the biggest event that goes on in this town. It has been that way for quite a few years as far as bringing people to town. I can't say if anybody's come to the fair and decided to move to town but I bet there's people that have thought [12:15] about it. So I think we're a pretty big asset to the city. Like I say this will be our 108th year so we've been around and I hope the city will work with us as they have in many many years now and not change anything. I... two weeks ago there was a sheet that was putting out in regards to what the city has done here. There's some stuff on here that I don't agree with that I would like to at some time speak to somebody about, but we can do that later. [13:02] I guess the last thing I have to say is we're always looking for volunteers and see you July 1st through the 4th, thank you. [13:02] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Thank you, thank you. Moving on to the consent agenda. Consent agenda items will be adopted under one motion as presented or may be removed for discussion and resolution as Council business tonight's items: A. Justin correct claims accounting period ending February 16 2023. B. Meeting minutes for February 7th 2023 the work session. Item C. Meeting minutes for February 7th 2023 city council meeting. Item D. Approve new therapeutic massage practitioner license for Peyton O'Keefe. [13:49] Item E. Approve purchase of new squad car replacement. Item F. Introduction and first reading of ordinance 390 amending city code section 152.648 relating to indoor storage. Is there anything the council would like to move down? Hearing none I would take a motion and a second to approve the consent agenda. [14:38] **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Motion. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion by Diane, second? **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Second by Mr. Jeppesen. Any further discussion? All those in favor say aye. (Aye) Opposed? And it carries. Moving on to Council business item A: the Emerald Ash Borer DNR Grant. Diane is not present or is she—oh is she on Zoom? Oh my apologies, my apologies. That's actually Dan—**Jed [Petersen]**, you've got a busy night coming up so if you want to if you want to do a quick introduction of the Emerald Ash Borer Grant we'd that'd be wonderful. [15:24] **Jed Petersen (Public Works Director)**: Yeah back on January 17th the council approved for us to go forward applying for an Emerald Ash Borer Grant for forty thousand dollars. And after Laura [Qualey] started applying for the grant and doing all the paperwork, she discovered that we have about two and a half years to satisfy the grant. So what we'd like to do is up the asking to fifty thousand and we would have a couple years of budget to add to the in-kind donation. So we're just looking for your approval to increase the amount of the application. [16:13] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Any questions from the council or discussion about the applying for the Emerald Ash Borer grant for fifty thousand dollars? Yes Diane. **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Um and whoever's doing the grant, this is not a grant that we would apply for every year then? **Jed Petersen (Public Works Director)**: It is not. **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Okay. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Any other questions from the council? And as you said in-kind, this would be ten thousand dollars from the city each year? **Jed Petersen (Public Works Director)**: So it'd be it'd be twice. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Okay. **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Okay so is that Grant... you're going to apply for that Grant now? It's not for sure that we would get it or...? **Jed Petersen (Public Works Director)**: The application deadline is February 28th so Laura's got the grant completed it just hasn't been submitted. We wanted to wait for your blessing on this. [17:02] **Council Member Chris Nobach**: Well I make a motion we move forward. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Do I have a second? **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion by Chris, second by Ryan. Any other discussion? All those in favor say aye. (Aye) Opposed? It carries. Reports—let's start off with the finance committee. Jon, would you like to take this one or would you like me to? **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: All right okay. We just had a couple items on the agenda. It was... we started working with the fire contracts and there was a request to do fireworks down at John Birch Park by a private individual. And our ordinance states it's got to be an organization that can do the fireworks, so we brought it to the finance group and they unanimously denied that request. So that's about as far as that's going to get simply because it's against [17:49] our ordinance. So that was the only two items if I remember right. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Yep I believe so. Planning Commission met on the same day, who'd like to take that one? **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: I can take that. Um we had two items I believe on the agenda, I forgot my paperwork. One was a public hearing and we we approved that tonight about ordinance for amending city code relating to indoor storage and that pretty much took care of that and we approved that and we had the first reading tonight so that'll be read again at the next meeting. Um the only other thing was... or was that it? [18:35] **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: We had the concept plan for the development. **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Oh yeah yeah. We just kind of discussed that for a little bit and uh went ahead and kind of moved that forward so Jon can start addressing some of the numbers on that. And that that was it. That was it, short meeting. [18:41] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Great thank you. Library board? **Council Member Lisa Zimmerman**: I was at that. Good um they started their winter reading warm-up program and got their chairs reupholstered. That was a donation from I think old Doc Mulner. And they're concerned about cleaning since Ron is retiring. So that's about it for the library. [19:29] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: All right. We'll go around the horn for department heads. I know Jed you're gonna have a busy night, is there anything else you'd like to bring up? **Jed Petersen (Public Works Director)**: Um start time is about midnight tonight and we'll be doing some other start times like 3 A.M. I think the alley crew is coming in. So plan on the next couple nights you know the streets should be cleared and everything starting around midnight, that's about it. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Thank you Jed. As long as we have you is there anything that you would like to talk about? **Council Member Diane Johnson**: No I'm good thank you. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Chief [McCormick], anything for you? [20:15] **Jeff McCormick (Police Chief)**: Just building off of what Jed talked about um with this storm it's going to likely leave snow into Friday morning as far as snowfall. It may taper off overnight but with the blowing, so I anticipate that there will be plowing needed this evening and the next two. I'll work with Jed and Tony at Public Works to get definitive answers on what their plans are. But I would like to remind residents: go out and move your car if it's on the street. Get it off of the street, put it in your driveway or somewhere else. There's parking available in the city lot and the Chevrolet for our downtown residents. The biggest thing is is we want to get those streets clear so when Public Works comes in at midnight they can really go to work and not have to slow down to go [21:02] around cars. That allows them to get everything accomplished before 6 a.m. usually other than some of their cleanup, and then they go back and they do some of those the alleys and that type of thing. But it really depends on the cooperation of our residents in making sure that those streets are clear. Otherwise we're going to be ticketing and towing starting at midnight and it's never fun when you come out in the morning find your car gone and then you pick it up at the tow company and find there's a ticket that goes with it. Um we want to try to avoid that if possible, so just to remind residents please get out and move your car. It's Minnesota, it happens every year multiple times. Please get them off the streets thank you. [21:50] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Thanks Chief. Laura? **Laura Qualey (Community and Business Development)**: I've just been working on the emerald ash program truly and we did start working on some of the plans for Hardwood Estates meeting with our planner for that. So we've started the process with that, otherwise nothing. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Great. Jon? **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: Just uh we're gonna push our work sessions ahead for the next two meetings instead of... we missed that tonight, there were some people that probably needed to get home so um yeah. So we're gonna just push that ahead for the next two meetings and then we'll discuss when we'll do the the site trip for all the facilities and stuff, so we'll do that in the next couple times there. [22:38] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: All right great. Laura [Kronenberger], anything from you? **Council Member Laura Kronenberger**: Hi. Um I know I missed the work session—we won't talk about why I wasn't here but we all did today, no two weeks ago—but I know that there was the the fire contract was on there on the work session as well as the it was in the finance committee so I was just curious as to an update as to what's going on with that? [23:25] **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: Still a negotiation. They came to the table with a four percent increase and we exchanged some numbers and said that we'll invite them back probably within the next couple months and see if a four percent increase is satisfactory or if we need to reassess that. **Council Member Laura Kronenberger**: And then that's something that the finance committee talks about or do we get involved in that? **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: That's where the finance committee will start and then after that it'll come to the council. **Council Member Laura Kronenberger**: That's it. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: All right. Lisa? **Council Member Lisa Zimmerman**: I got nothing but shoveling. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Ryan? **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Yeah I do have a couple questions. Um were those people notified that park in front of Nick's? So they're going to go down to the... they have to have a special... [24:10] **Jeff McCormick (Police Chief)**: So we issue parking permits. The location was changed um mid-season so um we put flyers on and Public Works also sent letters to all the ones that had been issued permits. Um and so the officers—in fact I had a conversation with my officers this evening just reminding them—get out there early and make contact if you find cars there. We'd much rather wake them up at 10 o'clock than midnight. **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Yeah I see why you wanted to do that, that must have been a mess down there. And then the second thing is I was reading through the charter and I'm learning all this now so I'm an idiot but um I was curious, I've never met her but isn't the city attorney supposed to be down here at the meetings? **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: Or when as needed. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: As needed or upon request I believe because it would cost us money for her to be present. **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Oh okay. So that's not... that's why we usually save it for item number contract kind of thing okay. It's a money saving thing for us right yeah. That's all I got thanks. [24:59] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: All right. Chris? **Council Member Chris Nobach**: Nothing I am. Okay now I can ask for my updates? I will take as much time as I would like Mr. Jeppesen. No um so uh update or kind of clarification of where we're at with the fair board Association. We have the two quitclaim deeds now been signed correct? [25:47] **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: Okay so then the next step—everything's been signed and the next step will now run it through—there's vacating right-of-ways and easements that was part of that agreement that we weren't going to go further ahead on and do all the public hearings and stuff if this wasn't going to follow. Correct, true. So now we're I think I talked to Diane about it today, it probably won't make the March meeting because of timing um with public hearings and stuff. We've got to have a certain time between the meeting and the and the posting, so it's probably going to hit the April meeting and then it'll come through and and then we'll work through the process. [26:32] **Council Member Chris Nobach**: Super. I just wanted to make sure we did have everything both sides signed sealed. And then the second thing is on the 2023 Sewer, Bridge, and Street project—or the one that's supposed to be going forward. I noticed back on the feasibility report from the engineers back on October 26th they had talked about the need for either land acquisition and or easements. And I know you said at the last meeting that we're running into a little bit of problems. One landowner agreed to sell to us the land we need for that project and then I believe Riverside Terrace LLC, we're still up in the air on what their responses have we received an official response from them? [27:18] **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: We... our City Attorney had sent them out a letter by email and by mail. They have to the 28th of February to respond. That was sent out last week sometime, first part of last week. **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Well yeah as long as everybody else is yelling at Jon... I wouldn't consider that yelling. DMV—have you got any correspondence from them? It's just like they quit. [28:05] **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: You know I don't know what's going on. I haven't emailed them for a long time. Whenever I get a blank from them they don't respond. I don't know if it's something that we should talk to our legislature and ask them if there's what's going on or if they're so far behind. I know they were trying to open up um driver's license stuff all over the state and if that takes priority—I think they said had 20 some of them to do and they're probably I don't know if they're working on them or what's going on so um I don't get much of an answer. **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Yeah but just to be clear it's in the state's hands. **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: It is absolutely. Nothing moves forward without their blessings so they uh they control the DMVs totally. **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Right here thanks Jon. In fact I got a little scolding one time by the guy that don't answer me back anymore about how this process works and I I do know how it works now for that reminder. [28:52] **Council Member Ryan Jeppesen**: Hey Matt I do have one thing. There's—we all have a letter here I think we all have it from a resident—yes sir um about sewer and water stuff. Is this just kind of FYI or is this going to be in a future Public Works thing? **Jon Radermacher (City Administrator)**: Okay just we'll probably... it's to all of you so that's why we passed it out but it will put it on Public Works for you guys to make that answer or to give that answer. [29:38] **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Yeah uh I really don't have too much other than what Jed had said and what Chief McCormick had said. Um be safe. This is going to be a two and a half day storm. Don't take it lightly because if you do and you get stuck and you stop a plow from doing its job, then it creates the gridlock of they can't do their job and clear the way for people to get through. And I was talking with Chief Altov today and emergency responsiveness is a huge deal at this time because they can't guarantee how fast to get there. So if something you know an emergency is to happen in the city or in our neighboring townships, they'd like to get there as fast as possible. So if you don't have to travel please don't. Let the plows do their work and if you do have to travel be safe. Uh that whole thing: if you're on 52 stay with your vehicle, stay belted, wait for responders to get there but in these conditions they can't guarantee. That's all the more reason to say stay safe and stay home if you can. With that I would accept a motion and a second to adjourn. **Council Member Diane Johnson**: Motion. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Motion by Diane, do I have a second? **Council Member Chris Nobach**: Second. **Mayor Matt Montgomery**: Second by Chris. All those in favor aye. (Aye) Opposed? It carries. Thank you everybody.