Based on the context provided and the dialogue within the transcript, here is the formatted version with speaker identifications. **Note on Identification:** While your provided list includes Jon Radermacher as City Administrator and Brice Miller as Fire Chief, the transcript from 2020 clearly identifies the individuals then-serving or present as **Neil Jensen** (City Administrator), **Mike** (Fire Department), and **Tim Milko** (EMS). The Council Members identified in this 2020 session (Bill, Morris, Mary Jill, Derek, and Steve) appear to be the seated members at that time. [0:06] **Matt Montgomery**: Just uh she's watercolor she's not really there this. [0:20] **Matt Montgomery**: I think Laura is trying to impress us by coming to let me do the council meeting there's somebody's down there it looks like you are so easily amused. [1:22] **Matt Montgomery**: Oh there's Tim, yeah. [1:41] **Matt Montgomery**: This may work. [1:54] **Matt Montgomery**: Pacific react when most people talk to you I think when they speak it was been talking now there's the horse again. [2:20] **Matt Montgomery**: Donald Duck. [2:38] **Matt Montgomery**: Go stick your face in there. [2:54] **Matt Montgomery**: I know what he's doing. [3:01] **Matt Montgomery**: You okay all on Zoom or what are they on in there suppose for sake of the minutes I can check us out there again ready goody yeah we're all here good job okay. [4:03] **Matt Montgomery**: Good evening everybody I'd like to call the April 7th 2020 meeting of the City Council of the city of Cannon Falls to order it's a little different meeting tonight we've got a few people here and we've got a few people and remote we'll have a roll call. Yeah we're all here. Bringgold? [4:30] **Mary Jill Bringgold**: Here. [4:32] **Matt Montgomery**: Esme go ahead John okay. Neil, good evening everybody I'd like to call the April 7th. Derek? [4:40] **Derek**: Here. [4:41] **Matt Montgomery**: Montgomery? Here. Would you stand for the Pledge of Allegiance? [4:46] **Matt Montgomery**: I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all. [5:10] **Matt Montgomery**: Okay okay motions for approval of the agenda. [5:15] **Council Member Bill**: So moved. [5:17] **Matt Montgomery**: Go ahead Matt. One nation under God okay here on okay okay motions for approval okay again a motion by Bill and a second by Morris to approve the agenda any discussion all in favor? [5:35] **Council Members**: Aye. [5:37] **Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? Carried. No presentations tonight. [6:00] **Matt Montgomery**: So we'll get right into the consent agenda. The consent agenda items may be adapted or one motion as presented or maybe remove for discussion and resolution as council business for you at home and in the audience here. I'll go through the consent agenda: Item A, just incorrect claims for the accounting period ending April 2nd 2020; Item B, minute meetings for March 17th 2020 City Council meeting; Item C, Resolution 24-76 authorized purchase and acceptance of land for the Third Street bridge project; Item D, approve the 2020 Goodhue County mutual aid fire services agreement; Item E, approve a boat trade-in and boat purchase for the Fire Department; Item F, Resolution 24-70 for accepting a monetary donation from Cannon Falls Fire Department Relief Association in the amount of $2,500; Item G, approve Welch Mill to use the Riverside Park to launch canoes and kayaks; and Item H, authorization to change the bank's signature cards. Is there anything the council like to bring down? Derek? Steve? Matt say? [7:45] **Council Members**: Another nope. [7:48] **Matt Montgomery**: Well hearing none we have a motion to approve the consent agenda. [7:50] **Mary Jill Bringgold**: I'll second. [7:52] **Matt Montgomery**: Motion by Mary Jill and a second by Bill to approve the consent agenda any other discussion all in favor? [7:57] **Council Members**: Aye. [7:58] **Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? Carried. Okay we'll move on to council business item A as a resolution 2475 designating building as structurally substandard I'll turn that over to Dave. [8:31] **Dave (Consultant)**: Thank you. This is a continuation of the project and the plans to redevelop the former Cannonball property site and where we are right now in the process is the asbestos abatement evaluation has been done. I should receive that report within the next day or so so we'll find out what kind of asbestos is in the building. We've issued a permit to allow the canopies to be removed and the underground tanks to be removed and that will start within a within the next week for those two efforts. In this resolution tonight is under the tax increment financing statute that allows a city to preserve the opportunity to legally establish a tax increment district in the future in the event you choose to do that as a council. Let me be clear on how that works for a redevelopment tax increment district which is like the Artisan Plaza district where we had an existing building. An existing building that was structurally substandard under the law—I mean it has to be falling down but it has certain code compliance violations in the building—and to the degree that it would allow it to be considered structurally substandard under state law if we have a building like that we can create a tax increment district for redevelopment purposes. And the value of a redevelopment tax increment district it allows up to a 25 year term so it's the most liberal of the tax increment district authorizations that the city has available to them. But you gotta have a bad building, right? We have a bad building. The Cannonball, believe me, it's really bad. There's no question that that building would qualify as structurally substandard under state law. But the issue is the building is proposed to be demolished before such time as a tax increment district may be created. So we want to preserve the opportunity to use that bad building, the structurally substandard building as it exists today, to prequalify that as a structurally substandard building so that within the next three years if tax increment financing is going to be part of the financial program to redevelop that property to bring a building or buildings back onto that site the City Council would be able to establish a tax increment plan for the district that time without a building because the building will have been removed. So it's a way to kind of preserve the option to the city. We've talked about this before; I think it's a good idea to do that to give us that option in the future because we don't know what's going to develop there. We don't know what our final cost will be to clean up the environmental conditions on that site and demolish that building so it's just another tool that will allow us some flexibility in the future if it's needed and if it is a tax increment plan would come before the City Council at that time. So it's keeping your options open pretty much is what it's about. You need to talk to your state legislature. Any questions of the council? Any questions at home? [11:38] **Matt Montgomery**: All hearing none. Of a motion to approve resolution 2475 designating building referring to the Cannonball is structurally substandard. [11:45] **Council Member Morris**: Motion. [11:47] **Matt Montgomery**: Motion by Morris and a second by Mary Jill to approve Resolution 24-75. Is there any other discussion? All in favor? [11:55] **Council Members**: Aye. [11:57] **Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? Hearing none resolution passes. Okay item B approving development agreement for Carson Rentals LLC which is the TIF district number 2-8. Dave? [12:24] **Dave (Consultant)**: Thank you. The City Council previously held a public hearing and approved a tax increment financing plan related to the Carstensen Trucking project. With the adoption of that plan of the Builder developers were allowed access to the site and if you've been out there recently you can see that there's been a lot of movement a lot of activity on that on that site. So the tax payment plan has been approved and you may recall in that tax increment plan that there was a finance plan and we discussed a development note in that plan whereby the new taxes that are created as a result of the construction of a 15,000 square foot commercial building would be captured for a nine-year period in pay off a development note. The development note is held by in this case Matt Carstensen, the owner of the of the property. And in that plan we authorized in the plan approximately 113,000 or 114,000 dollars of present value principle value that we would incorporate into a development note and pay with the approval of this development agreement would pay Matt Carstensen over a nine-year period based on the tax increments paid by his development. We would use that to retire the hundred and thirteen or hundred and fourteen thousand dollar principal amount of the note plus five percent interest. So the cash flow that we had provided to you at the time of the public hearing in the tax increment plan has rolled over if you will into a development note and if the council approves the development note they're in the contract there would be an agreement between the city of Cannon Falls and Matt Carstensen and in this case we're if the building's built the terms of the development agreement are followed the values created on that site he pays his taxes for a nine-year period that each year those tax would be taxes would be paid by Matt Carstensen Goodhue County sent to the city of Cannon Falls and then twice a year there'd be a payment back to Matt Carstensen under that development note. When the total principal amount is paid the note is done. If the nine years goes by in the 113,000 or 114,000 is not paid off there's no obligation in the development contract for the city to make supplemental revenues available only the tax increments are used to repay this note. So if the building doesn't happen the building doesn't create the kind of value that generates sufficient revenues to pay off a note that's fine. The city has no legal obligation under the development contract to make up that difference. So it's kind of the final step if you will in the tax increment financing planning process: we develop the plan, the council approves a plan, we have a development agreement and in this case the development note that represents to the developer what they'll get in return financially in their in in return for them building a building on that site. Okay? [15:10] **Matt Montgomery**: Any questions? Matt? Derek? Steve? Any questions? Hearing none take a motion to approve the development agreement for Carstensen Rentals LLC TIF district number 2-8. [15:30] **Council Member Bill**: I'll make a motion to approve. [15:32] **Matt Montgomery**: Motion by Bill and second by Morris to approve the development agreement for Carstensen and Rentals LLC any other discussion all in favor? [15:40] **Council Members**: Aye. [15:41] **Matt Montgomery**: Opposes? Carry. We added item C which is John Birch lights. Matt, are you're on. [16:08] **Matt Montgomery**: On the lights across Minnesota all these high schools are lighting up their fields who honor classes of 2020 all the things that they're missing out on this spring. So it was proposed—Bucky Lindo he reached out to me a couple days ago and said if I could bring this up. It was very kind of him to reach out in one council approval he would like to volunteer his time to fight lights at John Birch Park Wednesday nights at 8:20 p.m. which military time would be 20:20 and leave them live for 20 minutes and 20 seconds. And we encourage people to continue practicing social distancing and honoring the stay at home order however going out for walks or driving by or parking there but being aware of their distance from others just to honor those seniors and also show a sign of unity that our community John Birch Park is very symbolic and those lights be seen from all across town especially driving by. So very kind of Bucky to reach out and ask for council approval so I'd like to make a motion to approve lighting up there. [17:35] **Mary Jill Bringgold**: I'll second that motion. [17:37] **Matt Montgomery**: There's been a motion by Matt [himself] and a second by Mary Jill to turn on the lights at John Birch Park on Wednesday night at 8:20 for 20 minutes. [17:55] **Council Member Morris**: I don't care during people there in the council chambers well Matt doesn't—is this going to run through a certain time period? Say, Mayor, do we know how many weeks? [18:20] **Matt Montgomery**: It was suggested that this go as long as the stay-at-home order is in place or until school comes back right. I had talked to the mayor [sic] of once a week for 20 minutes. I think that the city can handle. [18:42] **Council Member Morris**: Well I think it's a good idea if by 20 minutes you're you're honoring the 2020 graduates too, right? [18:50] **Matt Montgomery**: Right, yeah. Okay motion is second motion remains. Is there any other discussion? All in favor? [19:00] **Council Members**: Aye. [19:02] **Matt Montgomery**: Opposed? Don't hear it. Carry, carried. So at 8:20 on Wednesday nights we'll turn the lights on for 20 minutes. Okay council and committee reports. Kyle Paulson isn't gonna be here tonight. Finance Committee—somebody want to tell us about the Finance Committee meetings? [19:58] **Council Member Bill**: We held a Finance Committee on March 26. We appointed chairperson Mary Jill Bringgold. Jean from Abdo, Eick & Meyers put together a report of finances that we should look at and some different recommendations. We also talked about city staffing and operations as this goes forward and and among other things we also talked about securing some two parcels of land that we did just got done discussing and other things and it adjourned at 4:45. [20:49] **Matt Montgomery**: Okay it was an interesting meeting. They come up with some interesting ideas use some more software make a lot thing more efficient around City Hall. It was a good meeting. Okay, Library Board? [21:10] **Mary Jill Bringgold**: Okay the library board met on March 27th via Zoom and the decision was made to—because Nicole feels that there's plenty of work for people to do both on site and at home—that they would continue to do that. There is going to be another meeting this Friday to reevaluate that and decide whether or not what would happen going forward. Things are changing so quickly that we just don't know but she's also—she also said she's trying to be realistic about how much work there is to do but there is a lot of behind the scenes work to do at a library. But the question is how much of it needs to be done right now. So that's a decision on Friday. Mary Jill and I will meet with the library board Friday afternoon but I'm looking for a little input from the Council on what you think should happen there. [22:15] **Council Member Morris**: Why I've heard now that Nicole has further furloughed a few of our employees I guess we'll find out Friday what that is. But like I was telling her, we let the DMV gals go. We gotta be fair to everybody around here. Yeah I think the library should other than Nicole probably shut down completely but I'm looking for a recommendation to give to the library board on Friday so but I'm looking for from the council. [22:50] **Council Member Bill**: I agree. [23:00] **Matt Montgomery**: Matt? Derek? Steve? You got any input on that? [23:08] **Council Member Derek**: How did we probably response to the license license people there's are they laid off are they now DMV our furlough not a DMV the DMV people there yeah they've they've applied for unemployment yeah but they were furloughed then the applied room they were furloughed then applied for unemployment. I'm sorry the audio was pretty choppy but you know I work to do in my home I'd be in favor of that I think that barring number the DMV employees dangerous has DMV obviously is required that they're face to face no no public eye that library there's both can prove that they have office work too and it began busy home I would when a jury I'm not gonna lie I can barely hear anything you got there saying I don't know if it's my computer or your guys. [24:39] **Matt Montgomery**: If this is the way we're gonna have meetings from now on it's it's definitely not gonna work for me cuz I can't literally can't hear anything anyone dance except for maximum my screen keeps jumping around show people the fence off that is on what you think. [25:47] **Council Member Morris**: You know I thought to have Barnes & Noble too they're not and I'd love to have I'd love to do you know we don't get everything they want just because it's there I got the impression they were getting done with all that the summer they got the summer programs together. Well and cuz we're dealing with the taxpayer dollar here it isn't so-and-so's library personal library so we have to be a little more careful. I might disagree with Matt on being dangerous comparing them to the DMV because it's not the library's fault today after we closed it's not the DMV's but it's beyond all control and we're having our DMV people go on unemployment. I think our library people except Nicole... [26:49] **Matt Montgomery**: Do you think Morris shut it down? [26:51] **Council Member Morris**: Well at least that should be our recommendation and then when Mary Jill and John you go on Friday give them our viewpoint. [27:00] **Matt Montgomery**: Well what do you mean—it's the Board's decision it's not—it's the council. No, it's the council. No we say what it is. I didn't you say, Neil, that there there are certain things we can and cannot tell them to do? [27:15] **Neil Jensen (City Administrator)**: Yeah the board is—if you look at the the structure of the board is not all residents of the great city. So all library boards are autonomous under the city councils. It's they're a complete different—if we'd have to go to a Cannon Falls Township yeah it's it's interesting the structure of library boards what we do is fund them right we approve their budgets fund them and then of course there's always the minimum funding that you get from the Department of Education and so yeah they the library board actually does have to make that call. [28:10] **Council Member Morris**: Well just like last year though okay what's a silver what I mean they could make yet see that's not that's not right. [28:23] **Matt Montgomery**: Right and we did discuss this Morris at the Finance Committee meeting a little bit and that's what Neil made us aware of what we can and can't do so we're somewhat limited. I would hate to have to punish the library by lowering their budget in the future and in all that sort of stuff but I'd like to see them cooperate to the extent so they operate in the same manner that we as a council operating right so we're not having different rules for different areas. [28:55] **Mary Jill Bringgold**: I also think it's important and I brought this out at the last library board meeting too that we really have to guard against creating an us-versus-them mentality. And even if even if the library is miles away different from the DMV that's not what people will think they will think it's the same thing all they do is sit there and check out books even if that's not true because all they think the DMV people do is renew your drivers license and that isn't all they do so we're we've got to be—we can't always treat people equally but we can treat them fairly so that's what I would ask the library board to consider that would be my recommendation. [30:01] **Matt Montgomery**: Well yeah why don't we leave it with Mary Jill and I'll be at their library board meeting Friday afternoon then we'll and what we'll talk in Nicole and see what she comes up with. Everybody in agreement on that? I heard that okay that's what we'll do. We're here Jill, Nobach loves writing okay. Joint Powers Board, Trail Board—it did not meet on the 24th they canceled the meeting so our next meeting is April 28th I believe. Okay, round the horn. Mike? Do you want to say so yeah give you just an update what's going on with the Fire Department. [30:52] **Mike (Fire Dept)**: Just with the COVID-19 stuff like like any department that's dealing with public safety and health care and stuff like that there are challenges right now. Probably the biggest challenge is the responders themselves not wanting to get sick and bring that home. I mean it's kind of a mental challenge I think more than is a challenge out there dealing with calls. I mean we deal with sick people 365 days a year it's just what we know how to do but we are taking some more precautions right now with hand sanitizing, masks... so we're wearing a decon station that we've got set up at the fire station for police ambulance and fire when we get done with calls where we have to deal with the sick person. So we've put a few things into play. We do have a little shortage on masks that I believe—we've never really had to beef up our supply for something like this but that's kind of a national thing right now so we're not really out of line with most fire departments around the country. So I've had—I've had to fill out a few different surveys and where we're at with our PPE needs or hope I just got some in today hoping to get another way of a stuff coming in the next week or two that should help us out quite a bit. I have to off to work with Michelle a little bit on—they sounds like they approve today or are in the process of approving first responders and being covered under workers comp so I don't know if that applies to our volunteers I assume it will. The only thing that we're gonna run into questions are is if I have a volunteer firefighter who hasn't been on a call for a month but now they get it you know is that still gonna be your workers comp deal or not. I would imagine there might be some gray area for the volunteer fire departments versus the full-time firefighters so well I'll work with Michelle and Neil on that and we'll we'll see where we end up with with that. But that's the only question I've got here once that kind of gets approved is where that isn't a fine line. Other than that our limiting factor is just masks so we're staging on a lot of stuff that we would normally run in on right now just to save on the PPE. We're kind of throwing the brunt that Tim's EMS staff right now they're doing a really good job of you know getting the patients to come out and meet him in the ambulance if we can. There there's a little different slower approach that we do right now kind of treating them well i guy has my coffin of medical unfortunately but we got to do what we got to do it and keep everybody safe through this so it's uh it's been interesting been kind of a trying time for it but I think everybody's in pretty good spirits and doing pretty good with it so right now I think we're good as long as this doesn't drag on for months and months we'll hold our own the PPE and they'll keep providing our service so that's kind of where we're at yeah. [33:45] **Matt Montgomery**: Tim are you uh are you out there do you have anything? Tim Milko? [33:53] **Tim Milko (EMS)**: I've been quite busy attending several webinars and means dated Minnesota virtually and getting updated. We've been working really hard with our state and local and federal partners to get PPE. We were fortunate enough—we reached out to some people in the AG world and they were able to donate some N95 masks that they had for us but we're very fortunate on that too. Northfield Hospital has been really being an advocate for us helping partner with us to get like hand sanitizer and other resources that are very poor so my staff you quite a bit. Dr. Loudon with Mayo has had her alone in conversations where our EMS staff can call and ask some questions directly and he'll answer last and it's the most part times are changing we are still responding we have systems in place those patients what now than it did six months ago just because we don't know who has it we're just assuming everybody does and we have systems in place right now she's trying to keep her staff as safe as they possibly can and we are doing the best we can help for the fire department and securing us our hand sanitizer and setting things up at the station him and Sue open great down there so thanks. [35:05] **Matt Montgomery**: Dale, thank you. Oh, Dave? [35:10] **Dave (Consultant)**: Thank you, nothing. [35:12] **Matt Montgomery**: Yeah nothing you know well I guess the big item here for us is a decide how to go on these meetings it sounds like our for Derek and Matt and Steve it's tough for them to hear or whatever my original thought was if you wanted to be here in person great if you felt more comfortable over the phone or electronics do that too. I think it should be an individual decision. According to state statute, Neil has to be here before the meetings whether it's remote or we're here. I personally would prefer to be here; electronics are not my forte so I don't want to I can I can send text and send emails but that's about the extent of my my skill level. So when you think at least for the next meeting that we leave it an option you can come here beyond the remote and I and I hope maybe and I know Mike's doing a very good job back there maybe we can come up with something that works slightly better I don't know but okay. But outside of that I really have nothing else other than everybody just stay healthy I do follow the social distancing requests and hopefully we will get through this in the next couple months and that's it okay. So until further notice our next meetings well at least our next meeting will be in come or be online unless we decide something different at the next meeting okay. Morris? Mary Jill? [37:32] **Matt Montgomery**: I got a few things I got it—oh yeah Matt Derek might air Steve you got anything? I wasn't paying attention I fell asleep when Bill was talking. Oliver speed and rap have you got anything? Ah very little... well they come back. I just got the Historical Society—remember we bought the building next to the Historical Society last year year before and I'm glad Steve Dabbles kind of in charge of that he's given he's he's gotten some money for us and all he's got $10,000 coming this way very shortly and he had some other donations in line so we were gonna try to get at least a hundred thousand that paid off within a year. But now with the pandemic I don't know it's not gonna take a little longer than that but he's working on he's a good guy for that yeah you know so I'm glad he's in charge of that. We mentioned the library and we'll talk to them I will talk to them Friday afternoon Mary Jill and I are going to that meeting and see what we can come up with there. [39:20] **Matt Montgomery**: I just wanted to mention sustainment. I I got a couple calls today it was it was bad out there. I think maybe we should probably have Blaze come to one of our next meetings and I you know I haven't heard anything bad for a while you know I maybe once or twice last fall but today if today it was bad you know I—Blaze and I did communicate and there was a equipment failure today which they attribute to be part of the the reason so I had just the one one complaint today so I did communicate with Blaze and that's the response I got back so we think it hopefully is an isolated incident and they'll be back to where usual operations as a result of the fix today. I know I know for a fact they've spent a lot of money trying to correct the problem put a thousands of dollars into that but maybe it was just a glitch today but we'll see what happens I guess it and if it's something down the road or lap Blaze come and talk to us I guess okay. Like we mention till further notice the meetings will be here or online for whatever the council people prefer least for the next meeting I want to thank my guests me for getting this remote so you gather tonight a lot of work he put into this. [40:50] **Matt Montgomery**: Okay let's move on to public input citizens may speak to issues not on the agenda for speaking please give your name and address for the record and kindly limit your comments to three minutes. Public comments must be respectful Burton to the city business and adhere to applicable data privacy rules. The City Council will not take action on any issue raised by the public but may choose the scheduled consideration of the item on a future agenda. Open public input. [41:35] **Mabel Gorman**: Mabel Gorman, Michael Avenue, Cannon Falls Minnesota. I really don't have anything new it's kind of the same old thing as some of you know I came home had a little surgery and I flew back to Arizona March 2nd. I turned on the TV down there and I got to see all this crap going on and what I watched was the President make a state of an emergency, so did the Governor, so did the County, and so did you Mr. Mayor. What I didn't see was our Emergency Management Director—wasn't even here and you had a workshop discussing what you were gonna do as a community not present. She's not present tonight. I heard from the Ambulance Director, I heard from the Fire Chief, but not from the Emergency Management Director or the Police Chief—I haven't seen him and from what I know nobody else has either seems a little odd to me. I got here April 2nd 8 o'clock and evening at 8 o'clock in the morning I called City Hall. I wanted to talk to Mr. Neil Jensen and I wanted to meet him within an hour or so. He called me we had a chat came right out front here and met just like that. How can I that have been gone for five months and I got nothing to do with this place and he's not my boss I can meet him within minutes and I discussed with him a few little details and and it's very simple and he seems like a likable Joe and I think you're lucky to have him. But where's the Emergency Management Director and shouldn't he be front and center and directing traffic and if he's not available then why is he on the front page of the paper discuss with little monkey Dalton. [44:02] **Matt Montgomery**: Okay anybody else public input? Public input second call. Public input third and final call. Public input? Okay well close the public input part of the meeting. The forum before we close I just want to say I'm kind of tough times are going to through now keep your discipline stay safe out there and as I've said at every meeting support your local businesses this is going to be tough on these guys just for your information there was a memoir today if he didn't have any only agenda went to the heads of the departments they didn't have to show up tonight so just you know that. Okay anything else from the council then I take a motion to adjourn. [45:10] **Council Member Bill**: So moved. [45:15] **Mary Jill Bringgold**: Second. [45:18] **Matt Montgomery**: Motion by Bill and a second by Mary Jill all in favor? [45:21] **Council Members**: Aye. [45:22] **Matt Montgomery**: Carry.