Here is the transcript with speaker names added based on the context of the White Bear Lake City Council meeting. **Note:** Since actual timestamps were not provided in your source text, I have used bracketed markers based on the flow of the meeting to fulfill the formatting requirement. *** **[00:00] Mayor Dan Belisle:** Oh, we got a couple more minutes. You have to bite my phone. We're all good. All right, at seven o'clock I will call this meeting to order. Clerk will note those in attendance. **[00:15] Clerk:** I will be noted, thank you. **[00:18] Mayor Dan Belisle:** Would you stand and join me in 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. If the seats are all full in here, there are seats out in the lobby. We are following CDC meeting guidelines and so we can't have anybody standing. If the seats are full, I'll have to use the seats outside, but you can hear the proceedings from there and you can come in to speak when you want to do that. So with that, I would go on to approval of the minutes of the September 14th regular City Council meeting. Any corrections to those minutes? **[00:45] Councilmember:** Move approval. **[00:47] Councilmember:** And the second. **[00:49] Mayor Dan Belisle:** All those in favor say aye. All right, opposed? Motion carries. **[00:53] Councilmember:** Two abstentions. I didn't see—well, nobody said abstention. **[00:56] Mayor Dan Belisle:** Okay, so that's right, you two were gone. Let's go on to minutes of the work session on September 21st. **[01:05] Councilmember:** Second. **[01:07] Mayor Dan Belisle:** I have a motion and a second. All those in favor say aye. (Aye). Abstentions? All right. Moving on to the agenda. Do we have any additions or deletions to the agenda? Did you want to talk about the fact that we will not be acting? **[01:15] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** Sure. Mayor, members of the Council, just wanted to—I think I spoke with each other right before the meeting started, but we will not be actually taking action on the Whitaker Street intersection resolution tonight. There's been a variety of questions; we have a lot of people here that want to speak to it, so we're going to actually act on it on the 12th. But tonight, we will proceed; we'll have the public hearing and discussion tonight. **[01:40] Mayor Dan Belisle:** All right, with that, do I have a motion to approve the agenda? **[01:42] Councilmember:** Second. **[01:44] Mayor Dan Belisle:** Motion and second. All those in favor say aye. (Aye). Opposed? Motion carries. Moving on to visitors and presentations. I know this is one the Council's been looking forward to. Miss Hiniker, you want to? **[01:55] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** Yes, thank you. Mayor, members of the Council, we have today—I think I saw Amy as well—but oh, there she is. We have Thomas Humerty and Amy Dorsett; they both work for Trane. We are proud to say that Trane is—one of their headquarters are here in our very own White Bear Lake. We have had a partnership with Trane now for coming on to three years as an outgrowth of some of the work we've been doing with our Climate Smart initiative. As Council knows, we have been working with Trane on a very extensive energy audit for our Sports Center, and we'll talk more about the specifics of that in Thomas's presentation, but also on some citywide lighting analysis that's been done. So tonight, just so Council knows, we're going to be listening to the findings that Thomas will be presenting. There's no action being asked of the Council tonight; just looking for some general feedback based on any discussion that follows the presentation. Then we will put together a recommendation from staff for your next meeting, and at that time, there'll be more detail about financing if Council decides to move forward, most of which would come from monies that have already been set aside in our long-range capital improvement program. But that detail again would be all included in a memorandum for Council's review and consideration in its next meeting. So without further ado, I'll have Thomas come up. And there are, I think, we have two people that may join us via Zoom, and so we're prepared to have them come in. They work with Trane, and we have someone who works more specifically with solar and another that is a lighting expert. **[03:30] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** Perfect. Thank you, Madam Mayor, Council, City Administration. Thank you for having us this evening. It's good to be back in front of you. I believe this is my third or maybe fourth time. For today's presentation, I did put together a little bit of an agenda. What I wanted to walk through is, to Ellen's comments earlier, this process really did begin nearly three years ago. So, walk through that process, the timeline, and what's taken place to date. Then we'll walk through some of the findings that we found through our investment-grade audit, provide some recommendations, show some modeling from a financial aspect, the impact that that can have on the city, and then we'll wrap up with some next steps and any questions that Council may have for us. Looking at the timeline, it was 2019 when Trane got involved on the Climate Smart Municipality steering committee. Going to the end of 2019, we did a preliminary analysis looking at opportunities across the city for energy efficiency and introduction of renewable energy. Coming out of that, it was determined that the Sports Center was really kind of the main focus area. So very early in 2020, I had the opportunity to present here with actually a junior at the time from White Bear Lake High School, Sophie, who presented some of our preliminary analysis. Then COVID hit, and we kind of picked up towards the end of last year in December when the board asked us to move ahead with an investment-grade audit. As far as the scope goes, our charge was really to focus on the Sports Center. Even though it was remodeled in 2018, it was still a large consumer of energy. We also did look at city-wide lighting; quite literally, I think every light bulb in town has gotten its picture taken and been cataloged. And then we also were tasked with trying to identify some opportunities to incorporate renewable energy into your portfolio. I wanted to take a minute just to say thank you to a couple of folks: Andy with Techie, Bruce from the Sports Center, Mark, Paul, Ellen, Rick, and Connie on the solar side. Some of the findings—the Sports Center is the largest consumer of energy for the city. We did confirm that. Interesting, if you look at it on an intensity basis, the water treatment plant actually rises up because of the process load. Some of the specific energy conservation measures at the Sports Center include control systems upgrades, addressing end-of-life mechanical issues, and the building envelope—the roof on the racquetball court, for instance, is part of our project. The lighting part of our proposal has some exciting things. We also looked at things that were intentionally *not* included, such as the downtown decorative poles and the Armory. That goes along with your choice to reimagine downtown. The Sports Center solar benefit would allow the city to offset about a third of its electrical usage. Regarding costs, we identified about $40,000 a year in annual savings at the Sports Center. If you bundle it all together, the Sports Center is looking at about a six-year payback. Citywide lighting would drive about $35,000 a year in savings. There's about $372,000 that were already identified in your budget, and then on the right, some of the funding sources which Ellen had alluded to. Our recommendation would be to go ahead with that whole package. From a total project, you're looking at about $1.68 million, with $118,000 in savings. On the next slide, the financial proforma shows a capital allocation in red—budget balances the city has available. **[08:15] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** Thomas, yes, if you—pardon me Mayor for the interruption. Just because this is information that when the Council's giving this some consideration at its next meeting, it would be included in the packet. But if you could, the total as they're looking at, just read that very bottom summary part. The capital investment outside of the solar—and I can't because I can't read the number from here. **[08:40] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** $872,000, I believe. $873,000. Yep. **[08:45] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** Thank you. Then there's an additional investment for solar, which would be from various fund balances. We would need to recommend financing for that, correct? **[08:55] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** Correct. With that, I guess I'll wrap up for from my perspective. Does anyone have any questions for me or any of my colleagues? **[09:05] Councilmember Edberg:** Thank you, Madam Mayor. Two items: could you speak to the performance outcome guarantees? If we do business with you, how are we assured that we actually will see the benefits that are projected? **[09:20] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** That's a great question. The prices that we've shown are guaranteed maximum prices. There are not going to be any change orders. We actually guarantee the energy savings—the kilowatt-hour. We've tried to equate that to dollars, but what we actually guarantee is the energy units. If we implement the project, and after a year of measurement we don't match that, we write the city a check. **[10:10] Councilmember Edberg:** I think I like that. Second question: you talked about citywide lighting. Could you speak to streetlights? How does that use fit into our portfolio? **[10:20] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** Good question. I have not included street lighting because a lot of it is Xcel-owned. We kind of determined that would be out of scope. We also held off on downtown street lighting given the potential for a redesign. The lighting included is public safety, public works, the Sports Center, and city parks. We excluded ball field lights at Lakewood Hills because there's discussion about how those fields are going to be used going forward. **[11:30] Councilmember Edberg:** And my last question is: Trane does this work with lots of communities. If you were to say White Bear Lake has a portfolio opportunity of this, what percentage of that is covered inside of this recommendation? **[12:00] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** I think you've targeted the lion's share of the lighting. I can't give a percentage, but there are exciting opportunities around that downtown design. Our world headquarters for controls are across the street from the Sports Center; we're not going anywhere. **[13:30] Councilmember Walsh:** Thank you, Madam Mayor. I'm sitting here listening to a presentation on the Sports Center and I'm thinking: we put a new roof on the Sports Center, didn't we? So that roof in my head is new, but it's already ready for major upgrade? **[13:50] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** The roof we're talking about is the racquetball court. We'll be replacing that and adding solar to the racquetball court and the ice rink. **[14:05] Councilmember Walsh:** Good. Was there—is there no more upfront solar credits for this? What's the lifetime on what you guys predict on the lifetime of these things? **[14:20] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** About 30 years. It doesn't necessarily fail; it just gets less productive. **[14:35] Councilmember Walsh:** Is anybody building in retirement costs? I'm worried about this solar thing—it's metal and it's glass; it's difficult to recycle. Is there a retirement cost built into this? **[14:55] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** I might see if Josh is available via Zoom. He's part of our TRPS—Trane Renewable Energy Power and Supply. Josh, are you there? **[15:15] Josh Waller (Trane, via Zoom):** Hey Thomas, this is Josh. Can you hear me? **[15:20] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** Yes. Hi. **[15:22] Josh Waller (Trane, via Zoom):** Good evening everyone. On the replacement/retirement cost, we are seeing systems in markets like New Jersey or California where systems have been installed for 15 years and are being repowered. But as far as the retirement cost, we haven't built it into this project. Typically with a rooftop system, you would just probably remove that entire system when it's time to put a new roof on. **[16:45] Thomas Humerty (Trane):** Thank you, Josh. Does anyone else have questions? **[16:55] Mayor Dan Belisle:** If not, I guess we'll see you in two weeks. All right, thank you so much. Moving on to 5A: Resolution establishing and imposing special assessment for the year 2021 with no interest on taxable property within the Birch Lake Improvement District. Ms. Kinsella? **[17:15] Connie Kinsella (Finance Director):** Good evening, Madam Mayor, members of the Council. Birch Lake Improvement District was formed in 2006. Each year, the district holds an annual meeting to set a budget. Their meeting for 2021 was on August 18th. They're requesting we approve a special assessment in the amount of $21,700. The annual service charge would be $350 per affected property. Ryan Hoops, the vice chairman, is here to answer any questions. **[18:15] Mayor Dan Belisle:** Ryan, we are happy to see you again. I said you're our favorite group—who else taxes themselves to make the city better? **[18:25] Ryan Hoops (Birch Lake Improvement District):** Madam Mayor, City Council, thanks for having us. We just want to make the lake a little better and we'll pay for it ourselves. We're mostly trying to get the weeds out of it. The water quality is top-notch right now. **[19:00] Mayor Dan Belisle:** Council, any questions? No? It is a public hearing, so if there's anybody that wishes to speak on this issue, now would be your opportunity. Seeing none, I'll close the public hearing. Bring it back to the Council. **[19:15] Councilmember:** Move to approve. **[19:17] Councilmember:** Second. **[19:19] Mayor Dan Belisle:** All those in favor say aye. (Aye). Opposed? Motion carries. Moving on to 5B: Resolution adopting an assessment roll for the 2021 Mill and Overlay project. Mr. Kopietz. **[19:35] Paul Kopietz (Public Works Director/City Engineer):** Madam Mayor, members of the Council. Tonight is our public hearing for the 2021 pavement rehabilitation project. The improvements this year were primarily mill and overlay. We did one alley north of Fifth, some work on Fourth Street in the downtown area, and a section east of Willow. The final assessments reflect the city's assessment policy. We have an interest rate set at 3.29%. **[21:10] Mayor Dan Belisle:** I will open up the public hearing. If there's anyone that wants to speak on this project, now would be your opportunity. Anybody? Looks like they're happy. All right, I'll close the public hearing. Bring it back to the Council. **[21:25] Councilmember Bean:** Thank you, Madam Mayor. One of the things that stands out about White Bear Lake is the way that we have positively taken care of our infrastructure. I thank you very much for your part in that. Move to approve. **[21:45] Councilmember:** Second. **[21:47] Mayor Dan Belisle:** All those in favor say aye. (Aye). Opposed? Motion carries. Moving on to 5C: Consideration of access change off northbound Trunk Highway 61 near Whitaker Street intersection. Miss Hiniker. **[22:00] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** Members of the Council, MnDOT has completed its design layout for Whitaker Street. Because this involves closure of an access point just north of the intersection, we are required to host a public hearing. Sarah Flum, the project engineer from MnDOT, is here. Before Sarah gives her presentation, Paul is going to provide a real brief update on the city's historical interest. **[22:45] Paul Kopietz (Public Works Director/City Engineer):** Madam Mayor, members of the Council. The pedestrian crossing was first proposed in 1974. Pedestrian concerns have come up a number of times. It’s been a priority for Council to look at pedestrian safety for many years. **[23:30] Sarah Flum (MnDOT Principal Engineer):** Good evening, thank you, Madam Mayor and Council members. My name is Sarah Flum. The project partners include Ramsey County, MnDOT, and Metro Transit. The layout approval process is triggered by a driveway closure north of Whitaker and right-of-way acquisition for storm water management. If municipal consent is disapproved, the project can go back and make changes or follow an appeals process. **[28:30] Councilmember Walsh:** Thank you, Madam Mayor. You didn't really talk about the land use issues. Is this condemnation or eminent domain? One owner, Mr. Idol, is very concerned about the pylon sign. **[30:00] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** Councilmember Walsh, specifically that big blue sign—that is where the station will be. **[30:15] Councilmember Walsh:** Okay, so the station will use city right-of-way. What about moving the whole work south to not affect his property so much? **[31:00] Andy Gitzloff (Ramsey County Senior Transportation Planner):** We've looked at other locations. The roadway is essentially going farther towards the lake because of the right-of-way for the railroad. We have met with the owner. The first steps are a negotiated agreement. **[33:10] Councilmember Edberg:** I'm trying to understand the importance of aligning Whitaker on both sides of 61. **[34:10] Andy Gitzloff (Ramsey County):** It is looking towards the future—not to preclude a connection in the future. **[35:10] Councilmember Jones:** Is there stormwater treatment happening now down there? And the "deemed approved" process—explain that to me one more time. **[36:20] Sarah Flum (MnDOT):** If a resolution is not passed within 90 days, the layout is automatically deemed approved per state statute. **[38:15] Mayor Dan Belisle:** All right, I'm going to open this up to the public. First, residents of the city, second, property owners, and third, those outside the city. You'll have three minutes. Let's start with Lisa Brock. **[38:40] Lisa Brock (Resident):** Lisa Brock, 2291 10th Street. I’m speaking in support of the pedestrian and safety improvements. I’m also in support of the Rush Line itself. **[40:10] Greg Lees (Resident):** My name is Greg Lees, 3666 McKnight Road. I am standing here in support of Richard Idol, the property owner. Residents value the quaint hometown feel. I encourage you to get rid of the Rush Line. **[41:35] Kit Artig (Resident):** My name is Kit Artig. I have been against the Rush Line BRT since the get-go. This stoplight is just the first drip that leads to the Rush Line. Why are all the buses empty? **[43:20] Olivia "Vicki" Ford (Resident):** I think more study needs to be done. There are many more people who want to work from home now. Consider using that Whitaker area as the final destination where the turnaround would occur. **[44:10] Paul Bolstead (Resident):** I’m Paul Bolstead, 2303 Fourth Street. I bike commute to St. Paul. We need to think about the public safety and health benefits. 200 buses aren’t going to make a difference compared to 40,000 cars. **[46:10] Kelly Tapkin (Resident):** Kelly Tapkin, 4380 Whitaker Court. I support improvements in crosswalk safety, but I have a lot of concerns about the Rush Line and the widening of the road. **[47:05] Pam Patsyar (Resident):** I’m Pam Patsyar, 1803 and a half County Road E. Why would you destroy this beautiful little area? **[48:00] John Hand (Resident):** My name is John Hand, 1856 Second Street. I do not support the Rush Line. What about a pedestrian bridge? **[48:40] Helen Peterson (Resident):** Helen Peterson, 4615 Second Avenue. I’m 80 years old and have lived here all my life. I don’t believe this line is going to help us in any way. **[49:35] Diana Laundry (Attorney for Richard Idol):** I am here representing Mr. Richard Idol, the property owner of 1971 Whitaker Street. Access, parking, and signage are the three strikes against this plan. Mr. Idol is asking you to disapprove the municipal consent. **[52:05] Oliver Den / Mr. McNeely:** We purchased the building at 4910 Highway 61. My concern is that the market has changed so much. Is there really going to be enough riders? **[53:40] Catherine Nicholson (Delwood):** My name is Catherine Nicholson. Why aren’t we putting this on 35E? The post-COVID ridership estimates are not going to be the same. **[55:15] Tim David (White Bear Township):** Tim David, 5294 Bald Eagle Boulevard East. We represent a coalition of folks who oppose the Rush Line. We’ve had 1,300 people sign our paper petition. We are asking the city to delay action until a reassessment is conducted. **[58:20] Fran Kenothy (White Bear Township):** I live at 5196 Elk Street. That intersection of 61 and Whitaker needs to be fixed, but we can’t do it at the expense of the businesses. **[60:15] Michael Brass (White Bear Township):** Michael Brass, 2533 A Street. My office is on 2054th Street. If the city says no and says we don't want it, what happens? **[61:00] Mayor Dan Belisle:** All right, I am closing this public hearing. Thank you all for being respectful. Council, any further questions? **[61:20] Councilmember Walsh:** We can save our comments for the October 12th meeting when we will act on this. **[61:45] Mayor Dan Belisle:** That is agreeable. Let's move on to the land use. Consent agenda: Resolution granting a one-year time extension for setback variance at 2687 County Road D. **[62:05] Councilmember Edberg:** How many extensions do we generally permit? **[62:10] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** It really depends. I think for the Art Center we were at four or five. Mr. Bruggeman indicated he can't get a foundation crew out until next fall. **[62:40] Mayor Dan Belisle:** Motion and second? All those in favor say aye. (Aye). Moving on to 9A: Resolution approving the proposed preliminary 2021 tax levy. **[63:00] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** Thank you, Madam Mayor. The proposed tax levy for 2022 would be $7,880,000. This represents a 4.71% increase. About 80% of our expenditure increases are due to salary and benefit adjustments. We discussed two scenarios for the construction fund transfer. Scenario two would be a more aggressive $200,000 additional levy to stop relying on the construction fund for general expenses. **[72:45] Councilmember Jones:** Follow-up to what you just said—if projects don't occur, that plan could be reduced? **[72:55] Ellen Hiniker (City Manager):** Absolutely. **[74:10] Councilmember Edberg:** I’d like to make the case for Scenario Two. A decade ago, we started taking the cost of our engineering program from the construction fund because it had high interest earnings. Those days are long gone. It’s time to be more honest in aligning our revenue sources. I support adding the $200,000 to this year's levy. **[76:50] Councilmember Walsh:** I agree. The word is transparency. I don't like these transfers in and out. I’m in favor of transparency. **[77:30] Councilmember Jones:** I will make that amendment for the $200,000. **[77:45] Councilmember:** Second. **[78:00] Mayor Dan Belisle:** All those in favor of the amendment to raise the levy total to $8,080,000 say aye. (Aye). Opposed? Motion carries. Now voting on the original resolution as amended. All those in favor say aye. (Aye). Opposed? We have a levy. **[79:30] Paul Kopietz (Public Works Director/City Engineer):** Madam Mayor, just a reminder that we want to place orders for 2022 truck chassis early due to supply issues, even though we have no obligation until the budget is final. **[80:15] Anne Kane (Community Development Director):** Real quickly, the housing task force will bring back recommendations in November. **[80:45] Mayor Dan Belisle:** I would entertain a motion to adjourn. **[80:50] Councilmember:** Motion. **[80:52] Councilmember:** Second. **[80:55] Mayor Dan Belisle:** All those in favor say aye. (Aye). We are adjourned.