Based on the context provided and the dialogue within the transcript, here is the formatted version with speaker names. **Note on Mayor:** While your context list mentions Nick Lien as Mayor (likely reflecting the current 2026 status), the transcript is dated **October 2, 2023**. At that time, **Joshua Hoyt** was the Mayor, and Nick Lien was a Councilmember. I have used the names as they were identified during the roll call of this specific meeting. *** [0:00] **[Music]** [0:45] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** We'll call the city council meeting to order for Monday, October 2nd, 2023. Would everyone please stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? [0:57] **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. [1:10] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Call the roll, please. [1:12] **City Clerk Shirley Buecksler:** Councilmember Bernatz? [1:14] **Councilmember Holly Bernatz:** Here. [1:15] **City Clerk Shirley Buecksler:** Councilmember Lien? [1:16] **Councilmember Nick Lien:** Here. [1:17] **City Clerk Shirley Buecksler:** Councilmember Wilson? [1:18] **Councilmember Steve Wilson:** Here. [1:19] **City Clerk Shirley Buecksler:** Mayor Hoyt? [1:20] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Here. All right, any changes to the agenda? No? No. All right, seeing no changes, I look for a motion to approve the agenda. [1:29] **Councilmember Holly Bernatz:** I'll make a motion. [1:31] **Councilmember Nick Lien:** Second. [1:32] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Motion by Holly, second by Nick. All in favor say aye. [1:35] **Councilmembers:** Aye. [1:36] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** All right, moving on, we will move to item six, which is our citizen comments. Would anyone like to speak at this time? Feel free. [1:47] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** The citizen comments are a time for anyone to address the city council on matters not on the agenda. Those speaking should state their name and address and limit their comments to five minutes. You're good. [2:00] **David Pritzloff:** David Pritzloff, 20255. I'll try to keep it to five minutes. I don't know why this process has been so hard on both you, the city staff, and me and everybody out into my neighborhood to get my yard done. I now have it done on my dollar. I've worked with Morgan to talk to the city about reimbursing me for the sod; that was a no. Delivering the sod that they were going to use; that was a no. I talked to another person with the city—I'm going to keep it confidential if they want to discuss it with you what we talked about a week ago—to try to work out a deal with the city. Again, no. Everything I've ever tried is no. I had a six-inch deep sinkhole in my yard because the gas company didn't water and pack it, so when we got four inches of rain, had we saw it early, I'd have a big sinkhole in my yard. I've had to get 15 yards of dirt delivered on Thursday. Had to have McNamara come out with the Bobcat to try to level it; did a crappy job. Four more yards for me to make my yard presentable. Now I've got it sodded, no thanks to the city and/or the council member stepping up on that. It's just... I just don't know where where this went so wrong. I get a retaliation letter from the city as though, because I've spent so much time here asking for certain information, they sent out a surveyor and marked only the right-of-way and they were only going to sod the right-of-way. The problem is when McNamara came out on Thursday to do the leveling of the dirt, I didn't check my email yet, but at 10:30 they sent me an email saying Friday is no longer the day. They couldn't start on Thursday or Friday; their people are on a different job. I said, "Don't this job come first? Don't you want to finish this one first?" Apparently nobody wanted to finish this one worse than I did, and I had to go out and do all this. So the retaliation letter—because the city spent so much time on this—they were only going to sod the right-of-way. Well, that stops two feet from my landscape and edging for my trees. That would have been ridiculous. That's how far the city is going out of their way to make it miserable on me, that you're only going to sod the right-of-way two feet short of where they screwed it up. Again, the guy north of me gets a twenty thousand dollar driveway because the bike path was wide and it was a two percent grade differential, so engineering made the decision that instead of just fixing the right of way like you threatened me with, you give him a twenty thousand dollar driveway all the way up to his garage at my cost, at everybody else's cost in this city. So at this point in time, I'm requesting the final documents for the final price of the project, including all change orders, that being one of them, and the base that was put down for that gravel driveway across from me. In order for that to get paid, weeds planted... I talked to a bunch of neighbors last night and they look like corn stalks out there. I don't know why you didn't hydroseed if that was the best thing since sliced bread, but we got corn stalks on the boulevard and people are wondering how they're going to cut those down. Well, they had a guy from McNamara on Saturday as we were finishing up my sod, weed-whacking the things. I asked them, "Are you going to weed-whack the whole thing?" No, just these bigger weeds. They're going to come by and cut it later. I don't know how they're going to cut it because it's that plastic mesh with the hay in it or whatever they call that. Whoever designed this project, you're taking water from basically Dunbar Avenue on Aiken Road on the ditch, the curb and gutter running all the way down to 203rd Street. Pollute the wetlands now because that berm that they made for all the water to drop into—well, it's a 40-foot drop. It's washing out, it's going over the silt fence. You are now contaminating the wetlands. And with all the salt and all that runoff where everybody would have to... the salt would go to the side of the road and do a slow runoff... come springtime, all that salt and water from Dunbar all the way south is going to go into the wetlands. It's going to be a washout. I requested all the council members twice via email to stop out and talk to me. One stopped out for five minutes. I haven't heard a peep from the rest of you. It's pretty pathetic as far as public servants not to engage with a resident who pays the taxes and wants his yard presentable and had to go through all of this to do it. It really sucks. [7:08] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Is there anyone else who would like to speak at this time? And because we are on air, when accusations get levied like that, we will respond. [7:18] **David Pritzloff:** It's all facts! [7:19] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** We've had three meetings here at City Hall. We've met outside the building inspections department. So if you want to come up here and loft that we don't respond and we don't interact, we do. We've had conversations and we'll have another one after our meeting tonight if you'd like. [7:34] **David Pritzloff:** If you don't have the... I'm into this for all my money and all my time! All you guys get paid! When I take time off and I'm told that they're going to sod my property on Friday the 4th and I get dirt out there on Thursday and I take those two days off from my own business, I get paid this much: zero. Everybody here gets paid. [7:53] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** We'll have the conversation after the council meeting if you're willing to go over with it. [7:58] **David Pritzloff:** It's done with! I've had to do it myself! I'm tired of it! [8:03] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** I think we appreciate you sharing your comments here. Maybe next time do a better process of a project and know who lives in that project so that you don't get people that get a twenty thousand dollar preferential treatment, and you don't get somebody that works for the company that is high up in the company and can sell you all the concrete that you got out there. Get your facts before you do a project. Sucks. [8:21] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Is there anyone else who would like to speak? Well, moving on to item number seven, which is our consent agenda. Look for a motion to approve the consent agenda. [8:35] **Councilmember Steve Wilson:** I'll make a motion to approve. [8:38] **Councilmember Nick Lien:** Second. [8:39] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Motion by Steve, second by Nick. All in favor say aye. [8:42] **Councilmembers:** Aye. [8:43] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** All right, we are on to city council Roundtable. Nick? [8:46] **Councilmember Nick Lien:** I'm just gonna try and read this because it's probably easier than me trying to come up with something meaningful, but I went to a funeral today for Leon Orr. I don't know how many of you know that, but I'm probably just going to read it right from his obituary here: "Leon served several roles within the local community and was heavily involved in the design and development of the park system, the youth center, the Senior Citizen Center, the ice arena, and the Farmington Lutheran Church. Leon also served many years as a city council member, ten in fact, and seven on the Park Board. Leon had been a volunteer coach for Little League baseball and had mentored several local youth at his church. Leon's last big project in Farmington was truly a great example of his belief in the service to the community and country. Leon worked with other dedicated military veterans to design, fundraise for, and implement the construction of the Farmington Veterans Memorial. He drove to several states to visit other memorials to gain ideas and make sure this was the best possible salute to those who served our nation." So thank you, Leon, for all your service to Farmington. [9:45] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you. Holly? [9:47] **Councilmember Holly Bernatz:** Great man, great man. I had a great time over at Bourbon Butcher last Friday. Twin Cities Live was in town. They did a fantastic job of really letting people know what Farmington was about. It was a community event at its finest in my opinion, and so thank you to them for selecting Farmington. Thank you to everyone for coming out, for the band and its directors for performing. And yeah, just a great day. This week is homecoming, so I guess my only thought with that is it's going to be a lot busier. Kids are going to be out and about; they're going to probably be a little excited, a little crazier than usual. Wednesday night is the parade, and I'm sure Kelly will talk a little bit about other festivities. Friday nights are games, Saturdays are the dance. Guys, this is where we also show who we are as a community, so be mindful of the kids, be mindful of the visitors, and just everybody have a good time. [10:55] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you. Steve? [10:57] **Councilmember Steve Wilson:** I have no comments. [10:58] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Nothing? Nope. Nick? [11:00] **Councilmember Nick Lien:** Yeah, I've mentioned before about how the pandemic brought a backlog of criminal cases to the judicial system generally, and the First Judicial District, which Dakota County is a part of, actually received some recognition for doing really good work on that backlog and getting rid of it. So congrats to all those City prosecutors, all the people on the bench, all the people in court administration for their good work on that. [11:29] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you. Shirley, anything? [11:33] **City Clerk Shirley Buecksler:** The school district is still in need of election judges for the November 7th election, so if anyone's interested they can contact me or the school district. We're hoping to get some more people. [11:41] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you. David? [11:43] **Assistant City Administrator David Chanski:** Well, it's a little bittersweet to say goodbye to Chris after tonight's meeting. I'm super excited tonight that on the consent agenda you approved the hiring of Kim Summerland as our new Finance Director. She will begin October 23rd. [12:05] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you. John? [12:07] **Public Works Director John Powell:** Thank you, Mayor. Public Works staff held Snow Day 2023 last week. Might sound like it's a bit in advance of the season, but what we did is had the PD over to come talk about how the PD and plow drivers interact and reminders of who to contact if something happens. We reviewed all the plow routes and any plow road updates. As part of that, we talked about damage claims and reporting any damage and the steps, and then the staff went through and reviewed all their equipment to make sure they had what they need for success once the season starts. And then in the afternoon, they went out and drove all their entire routes and documented things like manholes that need adjustment, gate valves, basketball hoops on the road. To do that, we used a new app that our GIS person developed specifically for Public Works. So they just had their phone, they brought it up on the phone, they touched "basketball hoop" and they've got the location and everything. So it really saved a lot of time. So hats off to our GIS staff and Public Works staff. [13:06] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you. Kelly? [13:07] **Parks and Recreation Director Kelly:** As Councilmember Bernatz stated, homecoming is Wednesday. The parade starts at 6:00 p.m. After the parade, Community Education and Parks and Recreation is partnering on the Tiger Cub Pep Fest. It'll be outside the Rambling River Center. We'll have a DJ playing music; we've often had the cheer team do some cheers and some gymnastics. So come out after the homecoming parade to celebrate with us. The Halloween Havoc tour—it's not too early to think about Halloween. Register your house for the second annual tour. The deadline to register is Sunday and then houses have to be ready for the tour by October 16th. So we are still accepting houses for that tour. And also want to thank Leon Orr for everything he's done for the Parks and Recreation Department; we definitely wouldn't be where we are today with the amenities we have without him. And congratulate Chris on his upcoming retirement; it's been a pleasure to work with you and I hope you enjoy your retirement. [14:14] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you. Chris? [14:15] **Outgoing Finance Director Chris:** Well, as everybody knows, this is my last council meeting. I'd just like to say thank you. It's been just a great opportunity to come here and work because it's a great place to work, a great city, and I really enjoy it. We enjoyed working with everybody here and working with the Council, so thank you. [14:31] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you sir. Chief? [14:32] **Fire Chief Matthew Price:** Yeah, next week is Fire Prevention Week. We had our open house early because of the weather; it was a great success. Fire Prevention Week is to commemorate the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. This year's theme is "Cooking safety starts with you." I just urge everyone to be careful when you're cooking and try and be safe, set timers, things like that. [14:46] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Thank you, Chief. Yes, sir? [14:48] **Police Chief Nate Siem:** As many of you are aware, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As a part of that, for the last number of years, Farmington PD has participated in the Pink Patch Project. Over the last several years, we've sold several versions of our patches in pink. You can see one that I've got here—this is our retro patch on my shirt. This year, in addition to the patches and the challenge coins that we're selling, we got this really cool replica of our canine, Smoke, who happens to also have our pink patch on his tactical vest on the back. You can pick these up in the lobby at the Police Department or at Fa-con Training Kennels, who very generously donated the money needed for us to purchase these replicas of Smoke. [15:40] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** I love it. Thank you, sir. Chris, it's been a pleasure. Obviously, you've been an asset to the team and you've filled a void that we very much needed very quickly. You've been professional, you've been there in the times that we've had questions, uncertainties, things that may be. While the time here with the City of Farmington was fairly short, we got to catch you on the tail end of what I know is most certainly an amazing career. So however you decide to spend it—golfing, traveling, watching the grandbabies, whatever it may be—enjoy it. You've earned it. [16:16] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** You guys hit on Leon Orr, right? Leon Orr is one of the pillars of this community and has been for decades. A lot of people would recognize the name, but they wouldn't know Leon, but they know and they feel his legacy. He was involved in City Council, Park and Rec, and an unlimited number of non-profits. He was the driver behind the vest for the canines. Leon was just the guy that always showed up, and always showed up for the community first. Very respectful, very passionate, loved everything about the community. It's a damn shame; he's one that's going to be missed. [17:01] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** On a lighter side, we had a very rare opportunity last week as it came to be with the whole Twin Cities Live show and the production and them coming to town. It was an unbelievable opportunity for people outside of the City of Farmington to get a picture of what we as a city have to offer and to hear the enthusiasm in the host's voice throughout the week and through the segments that were filmed—from Sweet Knees to Brand Farms to Blue Nose Coffee to Crazy Legs Pumpkin Patch, including you know, Ben's trip on Wednesday and the tour that we did, and him and Elizabeth on Friday at Bourbon Butcher. Even they joked about it again this afternoon in their lead-in. You can't buy that coverage. We can't just go out and say, "Hey, we want this news agency to cover the city." And the feedback that I personally have heard was the positive light that it shed on all of the things that are great about this community and the things that sometimes we take for granted living in the community. We forget what's right under our nose and the great options that do exist. It was fun to go into a few of those businesses on Thursday and Friday and hear how people from outside of the area had seen the show and had come in because of the show and had made purchases in a few of the stores and didn't realize that we were not that far away. So that was an unbelievable way to showcase our community and we very much appreciate KSTP and the Twin Cities Live team for coming and being a part of that. And that's all I have. [18:36] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Now with our work session being in recess, do we still... we adjourn here? Okay, yep. So we're going to adjourn and then we would call the other meetings. Okay, so I look for a motion to adjourn. [18:48] **Councilmember Steve Wilson:** Motion. [18:50] **Councilmember Holly Bernatz:** Second. [18:51] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** Motion by Steve, second by Holly. All in favor? [18:53] **Councilmembers:** Aye. [18:54] **Mayor Joshua Hoyt:** We're adjourned at 7:18. [19:03] **[Music]**