This transcript features **Mayor Charles Cadenhead** presiding over the meeting, with Council Members **Nick Dragisich**, **Matt Hirn**, **Jeff Holtz**, and **Nick Kragness**. Staff participants include City Engineer **Nate Stanley**, Fire Chief **Dustin Kalis**, and Finance Director **Clarissa Hadler**. *** [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: That's to Lisa McInn. Okay. So, it's Tuesday, January 6th, City of Lake Elmo City Council meeting. I'm going to call the meeting to order. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Please stand with me for the pledge of allegiance. Pledge 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. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: All right. First uh item B on our agenda is to approve the agenda. If there's no exceptions to what's presented to us, I'll entertain a motion. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: So move to approve the agenda. [Timestamp] Council Member Matt Hirn: Second. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: We have a motion and a second to approve the agenda as presented. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: I. Agenda is hereby approved. There are no presentations this evening. I do not believe we have any public comments or inquiries unless either of our guests want to pontificate about the great New Year's of 2026. No. Okay. Uh item E, approval of the minutes. We had several minutes to catch up on we in there. Was there any um if there's not any changes to the minutes requested? Then I'll entertain a motion. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Kragness: Motion to approve the minutes listed in the agenda as written. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: Second. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: We have a motion and a second. Approval of the minutes. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: I. Are approved. On the consent agenda this evening, we have approved payments and disbursements. Designate official depositories of funds. Designate authority to make EFT payments. Appoint city attorney. Point city engineer. Designate data practice authority and compliance officer. Approve pay equity report. Accept donation of the fire department. Designate official newspaper of record. Approve purchase CIP pro project F-011 utility terrain vehicle one replacement. Accept improvements and approve pay request number eight final for the Stillwater Boulevard Saw 14 trunk water main improvements. Approve utility oversizing payment for Bridgewater Village. Accept improvements and reduce security for Bridgewater Village. That's what we have in the consent agenda. At this point, I'll entertain a motion to approve the consent agenda as presented. [Timestamp] Council Member Matt Hirn: So moved. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Second. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: Support. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: We have a motion and a second. All those in favor, please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Consent agenda is hereby approved. Item number one on the regular agenda tonight is uh appointing the acting mayor. Um I think council member Holtz has been previously acting mayor. If anybody else would like to put in their name or if somebody would like to put in their name for acting mayor when the mayor is not here to carry out their duties. I'll take nominations. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: I'll move to appoint council member Holtz as acting mayor for 2026 to comply with and fulfill all duties enumerated Minnesota statute 412.121 relating to selection of an acting mayor. [Timestamp] Council Member Matt Hirn: Second. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: We have a motion and a second to appoint council member Holtz. Do you accept the nomination? [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Sure. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Okay. All those in favor please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Uh, Council Member Holtz is appointed as the acting mayor. Appoint school liaison. Um, I'm just getting down here. Do we have somebody? I think I was the last school liaison. I don't remember really anybody contacting me for school liaison stuff. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: Really? [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Really? [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: I think they still thought you were the school liaison, which is fine. Doesn't bother me. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Um, we have any any nominations for appointing a school liaison for the the three districts that lie within uh the city of Lake Elmo? Do you still want it? [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Not necessarily. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: I'd like to uh nominate uh council member Dragisich as a school liaison if you would so accept. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: Well, I would think it'd be appropriate someone who has children in school to be the school liaison. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Okay. So, [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: so I think there's another Nick on the council. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Kragness: I have a child. She's only 11 months old. We still got about five more years till she's in school. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: Well, you got potential ready. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: You're the intended audience for districts and wanting to uh recruit. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Well, with that, then I'll nominate Council Member Hirn as the uh school liaison if he'll so accept the nomination. Someone else planning to take cable commission? [Timestamp] Council Member Matt Hirn: I don't know. I don't think it's on here. Oh, that's on the next one. I'll do I I'll do school liaison. That's fine with me if I don't really want to do cable commission either. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: I'll stick with I mean Well, I getting ahead of it, but [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Oh, I thought you were going to do some musical chairs here. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Yeah, I don't know. Where am I going? All right. So, I guess I'll nominate put my my hat in the ring for uh school liaison. All those in favor of appointing uh Mayor Cadenhead to the school liaison, please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: There you go. Cable commission appointment. Um, did I hear you'd still be willing to do that? [Timestamp] Council Member Matt Hirn: All those stuff coming up. So, [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: All those in favor of appointing Council Member Hirn to the Cable Commission. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Need a motion or no? [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Oh, yeah. That's true. Yeah, we do need a motion. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Motion to appoint Council Member Hirn to the Cable Commission. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Kragness: Support. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: All right. All those in favor of appointing Council Member Hirn to the Cable Commission, please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: All right. Duly noted. Appointments to Lake Elmo Airport Advisory. I know this was previously done by Council Member Holtz. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Motion to appoint Council Member Kragness as the primary for the Lake Elmo Airport Advisory Committee. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Okay. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: If he has the time, as I know that was the reason for being a backup last time, but [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Kragness: No, I Yeah, it should be good. All right, [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: you do that. [Timestamp] Council Member Matt Hirn: All right, support that. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: All right, so that's a motion and a second. All those in favor of appointing Council Member Kragness to be the Lake Elmo Airport Advisory Committee for Lake Elmo, please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Now, in the past, they have asked to have a backup as well. I the other entities don't, but I would then make a motion to have someone be a backup as well. It's not in our documents per se, but they have asked that we have a a backup for when he may not be able to show up. So, at least they have a quorum. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: I I'm I'm happy to do that, too, unless Nicole I I guess I don't know how that worked previously when you were doing it, Jeff. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: I think Nicole was the backup, my two cents is it's not worth our administrator's time and labor to be there. She has skills that are far more valuable to be used for the city. But that's my two cents. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: I mean, unless you want to be the backup since you have the— [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: No, I'm I'm good to go. So, I would nominate council member Hirn to be the backup uh for the airport advisory committee. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: I'll support that. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: You cool with that? [Timestamp] Council Member Matt Hirn: Yeah, absolutely. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Yep. Uh all those in favor of having council member Hirn as the backup to Council Member Kragness on the Lake Elmo Airport Advisory Committee, please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Item number five, approve plans um and specifications and order advertisement for bids for the 2026 street improvements. City engineer Stanley presenting. [Timestamp] Nate Stanley: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. All righty. So before you is an item as you just mentioned to approve plans and specifications for the 2026 street utility improvements and also uh advertise for bids. So tonight, you've seen a lot of this information before, but I'm going to provide a recap of the project, um, including the schedule and proposed improvements, um, touch on, uh, current estimated costs, and then, um, request that we approve and move forward. Pardon me, clicking the wrong button here. As you recall, we're uh proposing to reconstruct the Lake Elmo Heights neighborhood, which is on the west edge of town here. Um there's really it's kind of broken into three areas just from an access perspective. There's two Lake Elmo Heights sections and then this Eagle Point Creek Estates um which is the dead end cul-de-sac of um Inwood Avenue. Okay. So, today is January 6th and we are before you asking for approval of plans and specifications. Uh, this project was initiated last June uh in 2025. Uh, we developed a feasibility report over the summer. It was presented to council this fall. What's not noted on here is some of the public engagement that's been done. We have held two meetings um one towards the tail end of developing the report and another in advance of the public improvement hearing um this past October. Um also noted on the schedule is future engagement. Um you know we'll be planning to hold uh public open house uh once we get a contractor on board and get some scheduling information this spring. Let folks know. Um, we'll talk about it from more of a construction angle than the design angle that we've been sharing with everybody. To recap the improvements, um the streets are um at a point where they they need to be rebuilt. We can't do a mill and overlay. We need to do something more intensive. Um so um through geotechnical analysis we determined that the streets can actually be uh rehabilitated with a full-depth reclaim which is um kind of less intensive than a full reconstruction um but it it provides a a full new street section for for residents. Uh this will also allow us to uh install concrete curb and gutter along the edges of the road which they currently lack. Curb and gutter is a very important structural element of the roadway. Um, as far as um the grades and and widths of the roadway, we're looking at matching more or less what's out there today. Making minor improvements if we find flat spots or or puddles, things like that. Uh there is a policy of no parking in the ends of cul-de-sacs, which will be uh posted uh with this project at the tail end. Uh we're looking at making some other repairs along with the street uh that to the storm sewer system. We have some structures that are deficient in the area and some some pipes that need to be cleaned out. There is public water main in the neighborhood that was installed roughly 20 years ago. Um we did do a a an inventory of the neighborhood with public works uh through the preliminary design process and determined that everything was more or less in good shape. Um we, you know, we did anticipate potentially um replacing some valves or or hydrants if if need be, but as 20 years is not even really midway through the service life of of water main. So we're looking pretty good there. Um and this area does reside outside of the Musa boundary. So no sanitary sewer improvements are proposed. This doesn't provide a ton of detail. There will be uh final plans and specifications at uh city hall once this is um once once we go out for bids. We didn't provide them in the council packet as it's such a large file, you know, it's a lot to go through, but they will be at the counter for examination purposes. Um but more or less this is just kind of showing the streets to be rehabbed. Um again, uh installing curb and gutter. Um making some minor drainage improvements. Uh here's the parking restrictions. We're not proposing to restrict any parking along the length of the roadway just in the in the cul-de-sac ends. And here is uh a kind of a a breakdown of of costs looking at it from um with with the portion to be assessed. So um Lake Elmo Heights is the the larger section of neighborhood that's accessed off Inwood Avenue. um Heights Instale Avenue Cul-de-sac is that section that's it's contiguous to the neighborhood but not accessible from Inwood. You have to come in off Stillwater Boulevard and then Eagle Point Creek Estates is that cul-de-sac that is the um Inwood Avenue dead end. So um these costs haven't changed since our last presentation. Um we um we have been monitoring we we the preliminary estimate was very much in line with the final quantities. So um the pricing didn't change at all in our estimate. That's why the numbers are the same. This is a graphic to show properties to be assessed. This again uh remains unchanged from prior presentation. And so that said, I ask that you approve a resolution approving the final plans and specifications for the 2026 street and utility improvements and um authorized advertisement for bid. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Any questions for the city engineer? All right. If no, then I'll entertain a motion. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Motion to approve resolution 2026-00007 approving the plans and specs and ordering the advertisement for bids for the 2026 street improvements. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Kragness: Support. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: We have a motion and second. Discussion? Hearing none. I'll call the question. All those in favor of approving resolution number 2026-007, please signify by saying I. [Timestamp] Council Members: I. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Right. That concludes our regular agenda for this evening. Thank you, Mr. Stanley. Um, council reports. Council member Dragisich. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Dragisich: No report. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Council member Holtz. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: Um, just for awareness, I I've been contacted now a couple times by a couple different residents when the power goes out um with voicing frustrations and I I can't, you know, obviously none of us individually represent the city. We had a lovely discussion on this thanks to our attorney a couple weeks ago. You know, we don't represent the city overall, but I just wanted to bring it up for awareness that uh it is a conversation amongst the community whether it is uh statistically valid or not that Lake Elmo has more outages than others. I can't speak to that, but the impression is certainly there. Uh I know the mayor had uh provided information a month ago now— [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: At least a month. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: When there was a substantial outage and uh I plan on responding to say you know I well I responded to say look I understand the frustration I would be very upset if I were in the same boat but we don't I'm not aware of any relationship or or way that the city can say XL you need to do better at this because that's that's not something we can do but I'm making for awareness to say it is something we are aware of. I fully understand those concerns and if anyone has any ideas for learning more do we have more outages than others? Uh if so is there a reason why and how can that be acted upon by others such as by the public utility commission or others? I am all ears but I just wanted to bring that up for people's awareness. Thank you. [Timestamp] Council Member Matt Hirn: No report. [Timestamp] Council Member Nick Kragness: No report. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: No report. Staff reports. Anything, administrator? [Timestamp] Nicole Miller: Nothing. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Chief? [Timestamp] Dustin Kalis: Uh, you'll be seeing uh, some information out soon on our upcoming sound the alarm campaign, which is a smoke alarm uh, check and installation program uh, for residents. We've partnered with the American Red Cross. Um they're going to be providing the alarms and we do the inspection and the install. Um so we'll be kind of rolling that out here this winter. We'll have information coming out in the next source newsletter and stuff will be on our website as well. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Great. [Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler: Pardon me. Um I should mention that they utility bills will have a bit of a change to them or kind of quite a bit of change with the um because of the new software that we are implementing this week. Thank you very much again. Um we are going from the postcards to a full page um utility bill um with an insert. It'll just have more information on it. And then the utility billing um payment system will change as well. We will be working in dual system so there's no hurry for people to change over but there is the option to go paperless in the new system as well. So you can opt out of that paper bill. So, more information in the new utility bill um that comes out a little bit later this month. It'll be kind of two to three weeks late. So, thank you. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: There's a for those people of uh residents have signed up for automatic payment, is there any way just to migrate them over without having them go through the process again? [Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler: Unfortunately, there's not and that is due to credit card rules. We can't see people's credit card information. None of our vendors can see it. So, it's all it's all really locked down for good reason, obviously. [Timestamp] Council Member Jeff Holtz: I really asked that question for the TV for people listening to say, you know, do why do I have to do that? And I understood that was the answer, but [Timestamp] Clarissa Hadler: I really wish we could. I really wish we could for people. Thank you. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Mr. Stanley? [Timestamp] Nate Stanley: No report. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: Council? [Timestamp] Council Members: No report. [Timestamp] Mayor Charles Cadenhead: All right. Well, that uh let's see here there's anything of people might be interested in coming up. Go down to the bottom here. Oh painful. So, we h next week we have a workshop in which we'll talk about obstructions in the right-of-way. We'll have a presentation um on the broadband franchise presented by Michael Bradley. Uh we'll have also have the parks commission and the planning commission for a joint meeting. So with that, I'll adjourn this evening's meeting at 7:23. Thank you.