**[00:00] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** All right, we're going to go ahead and call to order the regular meeting of the Oakdale City Council, July 9, 2024. Sarah, will you take the roll? **[00:05] Sarah (City Clerk):** Council Member Moore? **[00:07] Council Member Kari Moore:** Here. **[00:08] Sarah (City Clerk):** Council Member Ingerbritson? **[00:09] Council Member Ingerbritson:** Here. **[00:10] Sarah (City Clerk):** Council Member Morcomb? **[00:11] Council Member Andy Morcomb:** Here. **[00:12] Sarah (City Clerk):** Council Member Willenbring? **[00:13] Council Member Willenbring:** Here. **[00:14] Sarah (City Clerk):** Mayor Zabel? **[00:15] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Here. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. **[00:20] All:** 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. **[00:35] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** First up on our agenda tonight is the approval of the agenda. Council members, no changes? Let's go around. So, can I get a motion to approve the agenda as presented? **[00:45] Council Member Andy Morcomb:** Moved. **[00:46] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** There's a motion. Is there a second? **[00:47] Council Member Kari Moore:** Second. **[00:48] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Motion and a second. All those in favor say aye. **[00:50] Council Members:** Aye. **[00:51] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Opposed? And the agenda is adopted. Next up, we have approval of minutes. Two sets in front of us. First up, Workshop meeting minutes, June 25, 2024. Council members, any changes or corrections? I'll look for a motion. **[01:05] Council Member Kari Moore:** So moved. **[01:06] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** There's a motion. Is there a second? **[01:07] Council Member Andy Morcomb:** Second. **[01:08] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Motion and a second. Any conversation? All those in favor say aye. **[01:10] Council Members:** Aye. **[01:11] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Opposed? And those minutes are adopted. Next up, we have regular meeting minutes, June 25, 2024. Any changes or corrections? Look for a motion. **[01:20] Council Member Kari Moore:** So moved. **[01:21] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** There's a motion. Is there a second? **[01:22] Council Member Andy Morcomb:** Second. **[01:23] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Motion and a second. Any conversation? All those in favor say aye. **[01:25] Council Members:** Aye. **[01:26] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Opposed? And the regular meeting minutes are approved. Next up is public hearings. We don't have any in front of us tonight, so we will move into Open Forum. Before we open up the floor, we have two items on the agenda in front of us. I'm going to tackle the proclamation first, recognizing Park and Recreation Month and Park and Recreation Professionals Day. "Whereas recreation programs and events promote physical, emotional, and mental health and wellness through organized and self-directed fitness, play, and activities; and whereas recreation programs and events build healthy, active communities that aid in the prevention of chronic disease, provide therapeutic recreation services for those who are mentally and physically challenged, improve the mental and emotional health of all residents, and are fundamental to the environmental well-being of our community; and whereas recreation programs and events offer safe, vibrant, attractive, progressive communities that make life better through positive alternatives offered in their recreational opportunities; and whereas park and other natural recreation areas ensure ecological beauty of our communities and provide a place for all to connect with nature and to recreate outdoors; and whereas the city of Oakdale supports the skilled work of its Parks and Recreation professionals in strengthening community cohesion and resiliency, connecting people with nature and each other, and providing opportunities for healthful living; and whereas the National Recreation and Park Association will celebrate nearly 40 years of a Park and Recreation month this year with the theme 'Where You Belong'; and whereas as part of Park and Recreational month, NRPA proclaimed the third Friday in July as Park and Recreation Professionals Day; therefore I, Kevin Zabel, Mayor of Oakdale, Minnesota, do hereby proclaim July as Park and Recreation Month and recognize July 19th, 2024, as Park and Recreation Professionals Day in the city of Oakdale." On behalf of the City Council, I want to say a big thank you to our parks crew at Public Works as well as to our recreation staff housed out of the Discovery Center. They do incredible work 12 months of the year. They don't let Minnesota weather get in their way. They provide a tremendous service to our residents, to our city's visitors, of all ages and ability. So a big thank you to them. We also have a certificate of recognition tonight recognizing Keith Miller for 20 years on the Environmental Management Commission. Keith Miller was appointed to the Environmental Management Commission 20 years ago in 2004. He was elected chair in 2007 and graciously served until his term ended earlier this year. Keith inspired the EMC to start a strategic planning process and lead development of the commission's first work plan after becoming chair. Throughout his time on the commission, Keith participated in an annual planning process and identified three priority areas for the city and the EMC: water quality and conservation, energy conservation and greenhouse gas reduction, and waste management. Keith was instrumental in getting the city involved in the Minnesota GreenStep Cities program and helped it become a state leader in the program. Some of Keith's accomplishments include participating in the Tanner Lake annual cleanup project, the development of the Adopted Wetland program, and the development of the Rain Garden guide. Without a doubt, Keith cares deeply about the environment in this community. On behalf of the City Council, the Environmental Management Commission, and the city and our residents, we thank Keith for 20 years of dedicated service. I have got to see Keith's commitment to the environment and our city up close serving as the liaison to the EMC for a number of years now. I don't think I can name anybody who has a greener thumb in this community than Keith. He cares about our environment; he actively looks for ways to make small and large change, which is incredibly important. Oakdale is a cleaner and a more enjoyable place because of Keith's contributions and passion for our environment. So Keith, thank you. We have a certificate of appreciation for you. Will you meet me down front? City Council will come down and we'll grab a quick photo. **[05:55] Keith Miller:** Well, first of all, I'd like to say thank you to the Mayor and City Council for this certificate of appreciation, and I want to thank you for your support in recent years—support for our advice from the Environmental Management Commission and pushing us to move forward. And I would also like to thank past mayors and council members that during the last 20 years also supported our work and made a lot of that possible. And just like to mention that one of the other things that is important to me and to all of our commissions is getting data and good information so that we can make good decisions. And that's one thing when I started 20 years ago on the commission that we didn't have a lot of good data. And so I hope that going forward we can continue to do that—to gather good information—and it has been improving over the years, the quality of the data, to make good decisions moving forward. And it's been a pleasure to serve on the commission for these many years. And I will not be going away totally, but I'll still be around. I'm still active in other environmental endeavors. So thank you. **[07:25] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Thank you. Thank you, Keith. We are still under Open Forum, so if there's anybody in the audience tonight that would like to step up to the podium and share anything that's on your mind, please feel free. All we ask is you start with your name and address for the record. All right, we'll keep things moving into consensus motions. Council members, we have A through H in front of us tonight. Are there any that you would like to pull for individual consideration? I'll look for a motion. **[07:55] Council Member Kari Moore:** Make a motion to approve consensus items A through H as presented. **[08:00] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** There's a motion. Is there a second? **[08:01] Council Member Andy Morcomb:** Second. **[08:02] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Motion and a second. Any comments? All those in favor say aye. **[08:05] Council Members:** Aye. **[08:06] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Opposed? And consensus motions are approved. There are no advisory boards and commissions to check in with, so we will go into staff reports. Oh, no award of bids either. So we'll check in with our City Attorney, Mr. Thompson. Jim, anything for us tonight? **[08:20] Jim Thompson (City Attorney):** No report from the City Attorney either, Mr. Mayor and Council, but happy to answer questions. **[08:25] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Anybody have any questions for Jim? All right, let's turn to our right and check in with City Administrator Volkers. Chris, anything for us? **[08:35] Christina Volkers (City Administrator):** No report for me, thank you. **[08:37] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Alrighty. Anybody have any questions for Chris? All right, how about Council presentations? I've got a few. Oakdale Summer Concert Series begins tomorrow, Wednesday, July 10th at 7 p.m. at the Walton Bandshell with the big jazz band, the Capri Big Band. So please come on out, bring a lawn chair, 7 p.m. at the bandshell. Next week, Wednesday, July 17th, we will have live music from Rare Form, a fun rock cover band. So those are always a really good time. We always get the question every single year: what happens if there's weather? If there is inclement weather, our city I assume will post something on social media and also make an announcement out there—usually staff does—but keep an eye on social media. It usually goes on if it rains, but it's only in the event of inclement weather. Join the Oakdale Police and Fire Departments for the second annual Ladders and Squads event this Thursday, July 11th from 5:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the City Hall parking lot. This is a free event and an opportunity for young children and families to get up close and personal with public safety vehicles. Also a really cool time just to hang out with some of our police and firefighters, so come on out, say hi, climb in the vehicles, try on the equipment, take some photos—it's always a really fun time. Another big event coming up: beat the heat with a pop-up splash pad this Saturday, July 13th from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Eastside Park, located at 1744 Helmo Avenue. You can run through the fire hose spray courtesy of Oakdale Fire, toss water balloons, and play water games. Anybody that came out to the pop-up splash pad at Summerfest knows how much fun it is, and it was even a little chilly that day and that didn't stop the kids from having fun with that event. So Mayor, Council Member Ingerbritson, and his family will be in attendance. Just letting you know—is that a selling point? Come say hi! Grab your lawn chairs and blankets and enjoy a Movie in the Park on Friday, July 19th at the Walton Bandshell. They will be showing *Barbie*, last year's blockbuster of the season. It begins at dusk. I don't know what time is dusk these days—check out the city website. Yeah, that’s a very unofficial time, but *Barbie* will be shown Friday, July 19th in the park. Finally, Night to Unite is just four weeks away, and it will be held on Tuesday, August 6th. This is a great opportunity to host a neighborhood gathering. You can also request a visit from the Oakdale Police and Fire Departments to talk about safety in your neighborhood and crime prevention. You can also request a visit from any of your truly up here if you want the City Council or me to stop by—always a really fun time to get out and chat with neighbors. If you plan on hosting an event and would like to be included on our citywide system map, please register with the city on the city website, oakdalemn.gov, by Friday, July 26th. Also, you have to register if you want the police or fire to stop by. That's all I've got. Let's pay some bills. We have a claims roster, June 26th through July 9th, 2024, in the amount of 1.8 million in change. Council members, any questions about the claims roster? I'll look for a motion. **[12:30] Council Member Kari Moore:** Make a motion to approve claims as presented. **[12:32] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** There's a motion. Is there a second? **[12:33] Council Member Andy Morcomb:** Second. **[12:34] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Motion and a second. Any conversation? All those in favor say aye. **[12:37] Council Members:** Aye. **[12:38] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Opposed? Bills are paid. Can I get a motion to adjourn? **[12:40] Council Member Kari Moore:** So moved. **[12:41] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** There's a motion. Is there a second? **[12:42] Council Member Andy Morcomb:** Second. **[12:43] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Motion, second. All those in favor say aye. **[12:45] Council Members:** Aye. **[12:46] Mayor Kevin Zabel:** Opposed? We are adjourned. Thank you and good night. Easy breezy.