This transcript has been formatted with speaker names based on the context of the Hermantown City Council meeting. Note that the original transcript contained several phonetic misspellings of names (e.g., "grer" for Geissler, "jelly" for Hjelle, "the block/leblad" for LeBlanc), which have been corrected in the speaker labels. [0:00] **Wayne Boucher:** Okay, we’ll call a meeting to order and stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. [0:05] **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. [0:13] **Wayne Boucher:** Roll call please. [0:15] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? [0:16] **John Geissler:** Here. [0:17] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? [0:18] **Andy Hjelle:** Here. [0:19] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? [0:20] **Brian LeBlanc:** Here. [0:21] **Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? [0:21] **Wayne Boucher:** Here. Announcements. Do any councilors have announcements they’d like to make? Uh, I’ll throw out the reminder that there’s a fish fry this Friday at Grace Lutheran and St. Raphael’s, the last one of the season. Four to [0:48] seven. People are using those to raise funds. I know everybody’s not tired of fish yet. Um, no public hearings, no communications, no presentations. Item eight, public discussion. This time is for individuals to address the council about items not on the agenda. We ask that you limit your time to three minutes per person. Is there anyone either online or in chambers that wishes to discuss something with the [1:24] council? Anyone wishes to bring public discussion to the council's attention this [1:35] evening? Last opportunity for public discussion. Does anyone wish to address the council? We have no motions. Consent agenda. The consent agenda is approval or correction of March 4th, 2024 city council continuation minutes and accounts payable. Approved General City warrants from March 1st, 2024 through March 15, 2024 in the amount of [2:26] $449,500.24. This is a second reading of an ordinance amending chapter 10, housing and buildings, of the Hermantown city code by deleting the optional enforcement provisions adopted by the city of Hermantown. Do we have a motion? [2:58] **John Geissler:** Motion to approve. [3:01] **Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Geissler. Is there a second? [3:03] **Andy Hjelle:** Second. [3:04] **Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor Hjelle. Mr. Mulder, is there anyone you would like to have explain this, or do you want— [3:09] **John Mulder:** Two options. One was special fire protection. We didn't feel that necessary. One was grading. We caught issues through our storm [water], so one of those was not necessary. [3:15] **Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any questions or comments from Council? Is there any public input on this ordinance? If so, please start with your name and address. Is there any public input on ordinance [3:48] 2024-04? [3:55] Roll call please. [3:58] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? [3:59] **Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. [4:00] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? [4:01] **John Geissler:** Aye. [4:02] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? [4:03] **Andy Hjelle:** Aye. [4:04] **Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? [4:05] **Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolutions. Resolution [4:14] 2024-31. Motion by Councilor Geissler. Is there a second? [4:17] **Andy Hjelle:** Second. [4:18] **Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor Hjelle. Mr. Mulder, should we have Mr. Johnson address this? Eric, could you go over this for— [4:25] **Eric Johnson:** Yes, thank you very much. Hobby Forest, as you mentioned, is a preliminary planned unit development. Uh, what this is, is a 10-acre site with access from Stebner Road. It's located just north of the Payton Acres development and approximately about a third of a mile south of Maple Grove Road. This property is located in an R3 zoning district. Planned unit developments are allowed in any of our zoning districts throughout the city. Furthermore, on the planned developments or PUDs, the city is allowed to work with a developer to set site-specific [5:00] setbacks as well as lot sizes associated with it. What essentially we're looking at this evening is a good definition of a conservation subdivision. What this does is it groups 10 basically twin home buildings—there's 20 units total—within a smaller unit or land area within this property. What that does is it allows the developer to basically save a lot of the existing wetlands on the property. The image on your screen right now in the light blue color shows the extent of wetlands on this property. With the vast majority of these really being avoided as part of this work as part of this application. Looking at a 66-foot public right-of-way associated with this, terminating in [5:46] the cul-de-sac. There is the ability to extend that right-of-way further over to the east where it intersects into the Payton Acres property. City has been in conversations with the developer about this and it is shown on the plan. The water and the sewer are going to be taken from Stebner Road. Those will be public mains that the developer will install, the city will inspect and eventually take over along with the roadway as well. Um, there's three proposed stormwater basins on this property generally located in the front, back, and the middle of it. That way, the applicant’s engineer as well as the city engineer have been talking quite a bit and this is really in good tracking to work with our city's 1060 [6:32] and 1080 stormwater requirements that way. These buildings are similar in size and style to an applicant's previous development located down at Haynes Road and Morris Thomas. As I mentioned, these are twin homes that way. Lastly, as part of the planned unit development, it requires some sort of a public amenity associated with this or a project amenity. The applicant’s proposing a couple pickleball courts located on the property. Right now, these are shown adjacent to one of the building units. One of the comments that came out of Planning and Zoning was the ability to perhaps relocate that further over to the east to move those a little bit away from the dwelling units, and those comments have been passed on to the developer as well. Assuming this goes forward tonight, the next step would be a final PUD [7:18] submittal by the applicant which would be heard at the Planning and Zoning meeting and then come to city council for review and action. Also at that time would be a plat associated with this as well as a development agreement outlining the requirements behind that roadway as well as the utilities. [7:29] **Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Are there any questions or comments from Council? [7:34] **Andy Hjelle:** My only comment would be is that the developer has done a similar development as Eric mentioned and I think it's been a success. Very nice development. The difference here is that it's a public road, which I think I kind of like that idea of being public and turned over to the city. So thanks for working with the city on that. I think it'll be a good development. [8:03] **John Geissler:** Anything else? It says concrete pad for pickleball—is that the city going to have [8:05] to supply everything else? [8:06] **Eric Johnson:** That'll be laid out in the development agreement as part of it, though we want the developer to supply that, not just the actual concrete for it. [8:12] **Wayne Boucher:** And Eric, I had one question. The length of this road from beginning to the cul-de-sac is what? [8:23] **Eric Johnson:** I believe it's approximately 800 to 1,000 feet off the top of my head that way. That's one other reason that the city’s requiring that additional right-of-way, that we could have another out onto Payton development if it need be in the future. [8:41] **Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any other questions or comments from Council? Are there any members of the public that wish to comment on this [8:51] either in chambers or online? If anyone wishes to comment, if you're in chambers, please step forward to the podium. If you're online, raise your hand or start with your name and [9:11] address. Is there any public comment on the [9:27] 2024-31? Ask for a roll call. [9:36] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? [9:37] **Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. [9:38] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? [9:39] **John Geissler:** Aye. [9:40] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? [9:41] **Andy Hjelle:** Aye. [9:42] **Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? [9:43] **Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Next, Resolution 2024-32, resolution approving a special use permit to increase the lot coverage of a building in the Business Light Manufacturing zone district. Is there a motion? [9:56] **Brian LeBlanc:** Move to approve. [10:00] **Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor LeBlanc to approve it. Do we have a second? [10:02] **John Geissler:** I’ll second. [10:03] **Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor Geissler. Mr. Mulder, should we have Mr. Johnson go over this one? [10:07] **John Mulder:** Yes please, Eric. [10:08] **Eric Johnson:** Great, thank you again. Before you, as you mentioned, is the special use permit for a building lot coverage to exceed the maximums in a [10:12] Business Light Manufacturing district. Previously, in the Planning and Zoning commission in February, a commercial industrial development permit was approved for this property. What the applicant is proposing is a 72,000-square-foot footprint of a warehouse—it would be a story warehouse approximately 30 feet in size. The ordinance in the BLM district allows for building lot coverage to exceed that 35% and be increased upwards to 65% with the submission of a landscape plan. The applicant has submitted a landscape plan which has a mixture of deciduous and evergreen trees, ornamental grasses, as well as deciduous trees placed throughout the property. Basically, the applicant’s looking at an increase up to 51% of that [10:58] lot coverage, which does fall within the specifications within that district. [11:00] **Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Are there any questions or comments from Council? Is there anyone from the public that wishes to ask a question or comment on this [11:23] resolution? Is there any public comment on resolution [11:36] 32? Any public comment on the special use permit resolution in front of the council? Roll call please. [11:47] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? [11:48] **John Geissler:** Aye. [11:49] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? [11:50] **Andy Hjelle:** Aye. [11:51] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? [11:52] **Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. [11:53] **Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? [11:54] **Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Next is resolution 2024-33, resolution awarding contract for a Knapheide 698 aluminum service body in the amount of $31,100. Is there a motion? [12:12] **Brian LeBlanc:** Motion to approve. [12:15] **Wayne Boucher:** Motion to approve by Councilor LeBlanc. Is there a second? [12:17] **John Geissler:** Second. [12:19] **Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor Geissler. Mr. Mulder. [12:20] **John Mulder:** So this is the purchase of the truck body for a chassis that we had previously [12:22] purchased. Um, we had gone through the state bids to purchase this. [12:26] **Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any questions or comments from Council? [12:29] **Andy Hjelle:** I was just curious if our local aluminum cabinet company bid on something like this, but Paul's not here so— [12:35] **John Mulder:** Well, we would have purchased through the state bid, so I don't know if they are involved in the state bid or not. [12:41] **Andy Hjelle:** Okay. Don't worry about that answer. It would be nice to see some of that stuff come from a business in Hermantown, but if they don't bid on it, we can't do nothing about it. [12:53] **Wayne Boucher:** Any other questions or comments from Council? Is there any public input on this resolution? [13:04] Any public input on resolution 2024-33? Last opportunity for public input on the resolution to purchase an aluminum service body. Roll call please. [13:21] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? [13:22] **Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. [13:23] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? [13:24] **Andy Hjelle:** Aye. [13:25] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? [13:26] **John Geissler:** Aye. [13:27] **Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? [13:28] **Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolution 2024-34, resolution receiving bids and recommending the award of a contract for a microsurface project on various paved roads, CP 00004-778336 Arrowhead Road within the Hermantown corporate limits in the amount of $248,947. Is there a motion? [14:02] **Andy Hjelle:** Motion to approve. [14:05] **Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Hjelle to approve. Is there a second? [14:07] **Brian LeBlanc:** Second. [14:09] **Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor LeBlanc. Mr. Mulder. [14:10] **John Mulder:** So this is part of a cooperative agreement with St. Louis County. They went out for bid for microsurfacing for a number of roads throughout the county and they included this section of Arrowhead Road from Highway 53 to Bilky Circle in that process. And so we are recommending that we proceed with that project this summer. [14:32] **Wayne Boucher:** Any comments or questions from Council? Uh, I had seen somewhere where there was an original estimate of 82,000 for this? I don't know what the original—lower? Oh, lower. Yes, at one point in time— [14:46] **John Mulder:** Uh, we thought it was going to be closer to 160,000, but the bids came in much higher. [14:52] **Wayne Boucher:** Okay, thank you. And there's no assessment on this? [14:55] **John Mulder:** There’s no assessment on this project. [14:57] **Wayne Boucher:** Great, I like that. Any other questions or comments from Council? Any public input on this resolution? Any public input on resolution [15:24] 2024-34, regarding the microsurfacing on Arrowhead Road between Miller Trunk Highway and Bilky Circle? Roll call please. [15:38] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? [15:39] **Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. [15:40] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? [15:41] **John Geissler:** Aye. [15:42] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? [15:43] **Andy Hjelle:** Aye. [15:44] **Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? [15:45] **Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolution 2024-35, resolution authorizing and directing Mayor and City Clerk to execute and deliver agreement for Professional Services with Church and Associates, a Human Resources consultant. Is there a motion? [16:01] **Andy Hjelle:** Motion to approve. [16:04] **Wayne Boucher:** Motion to approve by Councilor Hjelle. [16:06] **John Geissler:** Second. [16:07] **Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor Geissler. Mr. Mulder. [16:09] **John Mulder:** So previously we had talked about some additional work that we need in terms of human resources, so we went out for proposals. The council approved that RFP. We had one proposal from Church and Associates, so we're recommending that we enter a contract with them to start with reviewing all of our city’s human resources policies, but then also working with the issue of the post-traumatic stress for emergency responders. We're required to provide training for—excuse me, not law enforcement officers, but emergency responders is a better word for it. We need to do that training before July 1st as part of a new mandate from the state. So that's what we want to focus on first, and this will provide, hopefully—not only will we check [16:55] the boxes, but we'll also make it a better employment situation and a better place for the employees to work. [17:02] **Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any questions or comments from Council? I think this is a great move forward for us to address these issues in this way. I know for years Mr. Mulder has taken a lot of this on his shoulders and it's good to see that we're at the point where we can make room for him to do other things—not that he's not doing other things now. Any other questions or comments from Council? Is there any public input on this [17:40] resolution? Any public input on resolution 2024-35? [17:50] Any public input on the resolution for an agreement to hire professional services, a Human Resources consultant? Roll call please. [18:04] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? [18:05] **John Geissler:** Aye. [18:06] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? [18:07] **Andy Hjelle:** Aye. [18:08] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? [18:09] **Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. [18:10] **Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? [18:11] **Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Resolution 2024-36, resolution directing preparation of preliminary engineering feasibility report for the road improvement of Lindahl Road in cooperation with St. Louis County in Section 4. Do we have a motion? [18:29] **Andy Hjelle:** Motion approved. [18:31] **Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Hjelle. [18:32] **Brian LeBlanc:** Second. [18:34] **Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor LeBlanc. Mr. Mulder. [18:36] **John Mulder:** So this resolution is simply to ask the City [18:37] Engineer to do a feasibility report. What would it look like, what would a preliminary engineering report look like, and what would the cost be to improve the section of Lindahl Road that is part of a city road from Highway 53 north to the city limits? St. Louis County will be working on Lindahl Road because it's a county road from the city limits north to Martin Road, and so we want to potentially have a cooperative agreement with the county next year. But this would be the first step in that process. Later, a couple months from now, you'll get the report back and if at that point in time you decide you want to proceed, we will call for a public hearing and then you can order the project if you so desire. [19:25] **Wayne Boucher:** Thank you. Any questions or comments from Council? Is there any public input on resolution 2024-36? [19:39] Any public input on the resolution in front of the council? Last opportunity for public input on the resolution directing the preparation of a preliminary engineering feasibility report for road improvement portion of the Lindahl Road north of Miller Trunk Highway. Roll call please. [20:01] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Hjelle? [20:02] **Andy Hjelle:** Aye. [20:03] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor LeBlanc? [20:04] **Brian LeBlanc:** Aye. [20:05] **Alissa McClure:** Councilor Geissler? [20:06] **John Geissler:** Aye. [20:07] **Alissa McClure:** Mayor Boucher? [20:08] **Wayne Boucher:** Aye. Next, we have a motion to recess. [20:10] **John Geissler:** Motion to recess. [20:12] **Wayne Boucher:** Motion by Councilor Geissler. Is there a second? [20:14] **Brian LeBlanc:** Second. [20:15] **Wayne Boucher:** Second by Councilor LeBlanc. All in favor say aye. [20:17] **All:** Aye. [20:25] **Wayne Boucher:** Opposed, same sign. No.