This transcript has been formatted with speaker identifications based on the city official list and the context of the meeting. [0:00] **[Music]** [0:20] **[Music]** [0:42] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Got bifocals. Good evening and welcome to the July 15th council meeting. If you'd join me for a moment of silence and the Pledge of Allegiance. [1:05] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** [Pledge of Allegiance] ...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. Okay, Ms. Orlofsky, roll call please. [1:18] **City Clerk Ann Orlofsky:** Michelle Volk? [1:19] **Councilmember Michelle Volk:** Here. [1:20] **City Clerk Ann Orlofsky:** Luke Hellier? [1:21] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Here. [1:22] **City Clerk Ann Orlofsky:** John Bermel? [1:23] **Councilmember John Bermel:** Here. [1:24] **City Clerk Ann Orlofsky:** Dan Wolter? [1:25] **Councilmember Dan Wolter:** Here. [1:26] **City Clerk Ann Orlofsky:** Joshua Lee? [1:27] **Councilmember Joshua Lee:** Here. [1:28] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Okay, very—we're good. Moving on to item number three, Citizens Comments. This is an opportunity for citizens to address the Council for up to three minutes. If you'd come up to the podium and provide your name and address, please. [1:49] **Bob Erickson:** Good evening, Mayor, members of the City Council, Administrator Miller. I'm Bob Erickson, 19081 Indale Drive, long-standing proud member of the Lakeville community. This evening, I just want to quickly reference a notice that I received as a subscriber to the official legal newspaper this week. As a subscriber, I'm fortunate to receive that mailed to my residence weekly at no cost, which is now going to change, and we're going to move to a paid subscription newspaper. In that regard, I'm hoping that many of the current subscribers will continue with participating as a paid subscription. [2:36] **Bob Erickson:** But for those that can't, or won't, or don't, I would offer a possible consideration by the City Council and administration, and that would be to incorporate legal notices—legal ads—which are important and oftentimes benefit the entire community by knowing a process that you might be pursuing or a consideration you might be considering. In that regard, the city currently provides a service allowing for periodic emails that I can subscribe to as a resident and get updates, but I'm not sure that they currently include all of the emails that you publish in the legal official newspaper. [3:32] **Bob Erickson:** So I've asked for your consideration to consider that maybe at a subsequent work session as an agenda item, and/or the administration could offer their suggestion or recommendation. I have had a conversation to date with the Mayor and with Communications Manager Tierney Helmer, both of which were meaningful and led me to bring the issue forward in the public, which you're allowing me to do this evening, for which I thank you. [4:19] **Bob Erickson:** So again, hoping you'd consider adding legal ads that would still remain in the paid subscription newspaper but would also be available to all residents by virtue of just applying and getting connected to that system—that process—which I think would be valuable to add to what you already effectively do in communicating with residents, whether it's the Mayor's weekly, whether it's the publication that you have in the "This Week" newspaper referred to as *Focus on Lakeville*, and now your new quarterly newsletter that you've added. So your communications as City Council are effective, meaningful, and valuable, and I think adding legal ads to your current system would be beneficial to the community. So thanks for this opportunity to share that thought with you this evening. [5:15] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Thank you, Mr. Erickson. It's a reasonable request and we'll look into it. Thank you. Any other public comment? Okay, seeing none, we'll move on to item number four. Any additional agenda information, Mr. Miller? [5:31] **City Administrator Justin Miller:** Nothing this night, Mayor. [5:33] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Okay, and now we'll move on to presentations and introductions for a celebration of fire department retirement. I'll turn it over to our Fire Chief. [5:49] **Fire Chief Mike Meyer:** Good evening, Mayor, Councilmembers. Tonight we're recognizing Chris Mogan for his 23 years of service to the fire department and the community. Chris started with the fire department in 2001 and served his time at Station 1. He held the following positions: firefighter and engineer at Station 1. But Chris also brought a wealth of leadership experience to LFD and was one that always showed up with a smile and a positive attitude to the department, whatever that we were doing—whether it was calls, training, or the events that we have. [6:22] **Fire Chief Mike Meyer:** Chris retired May of this year, but he was also fortunate enough that he retired in 2020 with 37 years of military experience with the Air Force. I'd like to thank Chris for his commitment and dedication to the fire department and our community. Chris's career with the department would not be possible without the support of his wife and his family that he brought with them, which are all sitting there. Kathy did not want to join us up here, so not that I'm going to call her out, but I want to say thank you Kathy and family for all the support of letting Chris spend 23 years with us at the fire department. And I hope you enjoy your second or your third retirement. Best wishes to all your future adventures. Thank you. I'll let you speak. [7:11] **Chris Mogan:** Mayor, City Council, Administrator, Chief Meyer, thank you for the opportunity for me to be able to serve this great community that we all call Lakeville. It was a great, great run for me. Could not have done it without the guys in blue back here. We went through lots of good calls, lots of bad calls, but what I will bring with me is like friendships with each and every one of them and we couldn't have done it without them. [7:50] **Chris Mogan:** We can also not do this without our family. Couldn't have done it without them. Deployments, fire training, fire calls, times that we're away for dinners or events—thank you for always supporting. Other than that, thank you everybody, I appreciate it. [8:15] **[Music] [Applause]** [8:42] **Chris Mogan:** I have my Rookie of the Year—or rookie—we had probationary helmets for what station you were on back when I got in. I believe we were supposed to turn them in but it's been 20 years so I think the statute of limitations ran out. My badges throughout the year, and my firefighter and my engineer badge, and then our current badge up there. So it's a great, great run. Thank you very much. [9:18] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Thank you. Council, any comments? Yeah, Joshua. [9:20] **Councilmember Joshua Lee:** Well, I think it goes without saying how grateful we are for your service and to your family. I know how many times in the night you get disrupted and how that can get in the way of family occasions and birthdays and celebrations. And so thank you for supporting your father and your grandfather in this career. Because I think, you know, even just in this last week with the events of Pan-O-Prog and situations that I'm aware of that happened in even just the last couple weeks, you know, it's a hard job and we need folks like you to be here for the decades that you served Lakeville. So thank you for your dedication and commitment and good luck to you in your next chapter. [10:11] **Councilmember Michelle Volk:** I'll just echo what Joshua said. We're just so grateful for all of you in the fire department, but also Chris, for you and your family for all that you've done for this over, you know, the last few decades, right? So just want to, on behalf of the city and community, thank you for your service and wish you the best in your retirement. So thanks again, appreciate it. [10:35] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Thank you for allowing us, and we'll be exiting out. Okay, we'll just take a brief pause. [10:51] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Okay, we will now move on to the next item, which is the National Night Out Proclamation. Chief Paulson, if you want to add anything? Otherwise, I was going to have Councilmember Wolter read the proclamation. Is that good? Okay, Councilmember Wolter, I'll turn it over to you. [11:11] **Councilmember Dan Wolter:** Proclamation: National Night Out 2024. Whereas the National Association of Town Watch is sponsoring a unique nationwide crime, drug, and violence prevention program on August 6th, 2024, called National Night Out; and whereas the 41st annual National Night Out provides a unique opportunity for Lakeville to join forces with thousands of other communities across the country in promoting cooperative police-community crime prevention efforts; and whereas the City Council plays a vital role in assisting the Lakeville Police Department through joint crime, drug, and violence prevention efforts in Lakeville and is supporting National Night Out 2024 locally; [11:51] **Councilmember Dan Wolter:** And whereas it is essential that all citizens of Lakeville be aware of the importance of crime prevention programs and the impact that their participation can have on reducing crime, drugs, and violence in Lakeville; and whereas police-community partnerships, neighborhood safety awareness, and cooperation are important themes of the National Night Out program. Now, therefore, we the City Council do hereby call upon all citizens of Lakeville to join the Lakeville Police Department, Lakeville Fire Department, and the National Association of Town Watch in supporting the 41st annual National Night Out on August 6th, 2024. Further, let it be resolved that we the City Council do hereby proclaim Tuesday, August 6th, 2024, as National Night Out in Lakeville. Dated this 15th day of July 2024. [12:24] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Very good, thank you. And just—oh, Chief? [12:26] **Police Chief Brad Paulson:** Sure, if I could just add: folks do have until July 26th to go ahead online and register. That's when registration closes. I think we're up over 70 parties already, but there's a link there to make a request for police and or fire departments to visit your party. So we hope to see many folks out on August 6th. [12:43] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Very good. Thank you, Chief. And now moving on to our Consent Agenda. Anything you'd like to highlight, Mr. Miller? [12:48] **City Administrator Justin Miller:** Thank you, Mayor. Two items tonight. Item 6e is accepting a donation from the Lakeville Public Safety Foundation. This is to the fire department and it's a set of mass casualty incident medical bags—something you hope we never have to use, but when you do need them, we're very thankful for that donation. And then item 6f is a new three-year agreement with Lakeville School District 194. It's our new three-year School Resource Officer agreement, or SRO agreement. [13:16] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** All right. Council, any items that you'd like to discuss further or pull from? Okay, seeing none, I will take a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. [13:21] **Councilmember John Bermel:** So moved. [13:22] **Councilmember Joshua Lee:** Second. [13:24] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Any further discussion about the Consent Agenda? Okay, if not, all those in favor say aye. **Council members:** Aye. [13:28] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Opposed? Consent Agenda passes. There is no Action Items, Unfinished Business, or New Business. Announcements: next meeting—I should say next work session—is July 22nd. That's next week in the new Lake Marion conference room. And our next Council meeting is August 5th right here in City Council Chambers. And with that, I'll take a motion to adjourn. [14:02] **Councilmember Dan Wolter:** So moved. [14:04] **Councilmember Michelle Volk:** Second. [14:05] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** All those in favor say aye. **Council members:** Aye. [14:07] **Mayor Luke Hellier:** Opposed? We are adjourned. [14:56] **[Music]** **Unidentified Speaker:** ...communities for a number of years. Melinda is an advocate for victims and we rely on her to help—