I call the City Council meeting for Monday, May 4th to order. Will everybody please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance. 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. Call the roll, please. Council member Weinschrottel. Here. Council member Bernatz. Here. Council member Cordes. >> Here. Council member Wilson. Here. Mayor Lee. Here. Moving on, were there any changes to the agenda? No. No. None. None. Uh as there were no changes to the agenda, we look for a motion to approve the agenda. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Phil, second by Steve. All in favor say aye. Aye. >> Aye. We have an agenda. So, moving on. Announcements and commendations. We have item 5.1, the Top the Tater Days proclamation. Second. All right, we are going to read the Farmington Top the Tater Top the Tater Days proclamation 2026. Whereas the Farmington community festival, known as Dew Days, was created in 1979 to celebrate the citizens of Farmington that the citizens of Farmington drink more Mountain Dew than any other city. And whereas the city festival was planned to celebrate and the citizens of Farmington have continued to support this festival in our historic downtown to celebrate family-friendly fun and community pride since 1979. And whereas the festival may have changed its name, location, and activities over the years, but the one thing that has not changed is the citizens of Farmington who love to celebrate each summer. And whereas Kemps has been a Farmington business for almost 100 years and is committed to a multi-year partnership to the name to be the naming sponsor of the event. And whereas the festival name has now changed to Top the Tater Days. And whereas Farmington City Code section 311.5 allows the City Council to grant an exception to ordinance section 311.4 prohibition, which states that it is unlawful for any person to drink or display an open container any intoxicating liquor or non-intoxicating malt liquor upon any public street, alley, sidewalk, walkway, or thoroughfare within the city limits of Farmington. And whereas an exception to the ordinance will be made by proclamation for a specific period of time to accommodate a public, civic, and municipal activity community-wide such as a celebration or festival where the public may enjoy local, regional music and arts, activities, and history with culture. Now, therefore, I Mayor Nicholas Lee and on behalf of the City Council of the City Farmington do hereby proclaim an exception to City Code section 3-11-4 for Top the Tater Days from Thursday, June 25th through Sunday, June 28th and ask that the citizens of Farmington join me in celebrating Top the Tater Days. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the seal of the City of Farmington, Minnesota to be affixed on this 4th day of May, 2026. And moving on right along to our Peace Officers Memorial Day proclamation. Jake's going to start this one. Whereas law enforcement officers across our nation serve with courage, dedication, and sacrifice to ensure the safety and protection of our communities. And whereas each year we honor and remember the brave officers who have lost their lives or been disabled in the line of duty while safeguarding the rights and freedoms of others. And whereas the men and women of law enforcement deserve the heartfelt gratitude of the citizens they serve as they willingly place themselves in harm's way to maintain peace, enforce laws, and uphold justice. And whereas Peace Officer Memorial Day, observed annually on May 15th, offers the citizens of Farmington and across the nation the opportunity to express our appreciation for the ultimate sacrifice made by fallen officers and to acknowledge the continuing service of those who protect us every day. And whereas the City of Farmington recognizes the importance of honoring those officers who have fallen, supporting their families, and reaffirming our commitment to the values of service, integrity, and bravery that define the law enforcement profession. And whereas lowering flags to half-staff on May 15th and participating in memorial events pays tribute to those officers whose sacrifices will never be forgotten. Now, therefore, I Nicholas Lee, Mayor, on behalf of this Farmington City Council do hereby proclaim May 15th, 2026 as Peace Officers Memorial Day in Farmington. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the seal of the City of Farmington, Minnesota to be affixed on this 4th day of May, 2026. I should probably look up before I start reading proclamations. Did Would you like to come up and give the background? No, that's fine. Thank you. >> Okay. Sorry about that. This one. Would you like to come up, Jen? Okay. So, we're moving right along. >> [clears throat and laughter] >> Thank you. All right. So, I'm I'm good to start? >> You are good to start. >> [laughter] >> Whereas public works professionals focus on infrastructure, facilities, and services that are vital importance to sustainable and resilient communities and to the public health, high quality of life, and well-being of the people of Farmington. And whereas these infrastructure, facilities, and services cannot be provided without the dedicated efforts of public works professionals who include maintenance workers, engineers, managers, and employees at all levels of government who are responsible for building, improving, protecting, and operating our nation's transportation corridors, water supply, wastewater systems, storm drainage systems, fleet, and other essential facilities for our citizens. And whereas it is in the public interest for the citizens, civic leaders, and children in Farmington to gain knowledge of and to maintain an ongoing interest and understanding of the importance of public works and public works programs in their respective communities. And whereas the year 2026 marks the 66th annual National Public Works Week sponsored by the American Public Works Association {slash} Canadian Public Works Association. Now, therefore, I Nicholas Lee, Mayor, on behalf of the Farmington City Council do hereby designate the week May 17th through 23rd, 2026 as National Public Works Week. I urge all citizens to join with representatives of the American Public Works Association and government agencies in activities, events, and ceremonies designed to pay tribute to our public works professionals, maintenance workers, engineers, managers, and employees to recognize the substantial contributions they make to protecting our national health, safety, and quality of life for all. In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand and cause the seal of the City of Farmington, Minnesota to be affixed on this 4th day of May, 2026. Thank you. I'll have a parking ticket waiting on my truck when I leave, aren't I? All right. Consent agenda. We look for a motion to approve that. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Jake, second by Holly. All in favor say aye. Aye. Aye. No public hearings. Item 8.1, the AIA owner-architect agreement with BKV Architects for the police department project. You've got 5 minutes, Nate. >> [laughter] >> All right. Uh today we are requesting the City Council approve an AIA agreement with BKV authorizing the design phase for the police station expansion remodel and begin planning for a 2027 construction project. Uh our current facility um it's built in 2002. It's currently at approximately 15,000 square feet. Uh it was built in 2002 with a plan for an occupancy uh of about 20 years. In 2024, Kraus-Anderson did a a condition assessment of our building and determined there was um 2. Uh 2 million dollars plus of uh deferred maintenance on the building and uh approximately 5.6 million dollars in replacement value on on those items uh with a facility condition uh index of 0.27. Um 0.1 is preferable. 0.2 to 0.3 uh is poor condition. Uh that's what they rated our building at currently. This is the condition assessment. They identified several parts of our building that are in need of repair or replacement. Uh the roof is is one of the major items in the building uh as well as the parking lot, curbing, sidewalks, drainage improvements, uh doors, windows, uh control joints, boiler replacement, and rooftop units. So, I have some pictures of the items in the building uh that I'll go through quickly, but uh this is our current roof. If you can see in the pictures there on the left, those rectangular portions on the on the roof are patches. Um there are I would say pushing 100 patches on the roof currently. Uh we have a contractor out three, four, five times a season uh to patch holes in the roof membrane of the building. You can see in this these pictures here. These are uh pictures of the ceiling inside the facility. Uh that's where the we identify the leaks are coming through when it rains uh and we have to call the contractor out to make the repairs. Um the roof replacement is necessary. Uh the leaks are continuing and continuing to damage the ceiling and then uh risk damage to other items inside the PD. These are the doors that were mentioned in the uh study. Uh significant rust on the jams on the doors and uh rust and damage to the doors as well. You can see our front handicap bollard is just uh quite rusty. And then I have a image of our parking lot. They mentioned the parking lot. It is in desperate need of uh repair or replacement as well. So, the city of Farmington uh has experienced significant growth uh since the building uh was constructed back in 2002. Uh in 2000, we had approximately 12,000 population uh compared to today's is double that at 24,000 people. Uh in the next 24 years, it's anticipated that we'll reach uh 30,000 people. Uh continued population growth growth will place uh significant demand on public safety services, staffing, and facility capa- capacity. Along with that population growth, the PD itself has seen significant growth. Uh when the building was built in 2002, we had a chief, two patrol sergeants, one investigation sergeant, an investigator, one school resource officer, seven patrol officers, and two record staff for a total of 15 total PD staff. Compared to today uh with a chief, two captains, five patrol sergeants, one investigation sergeant, two investigators, an SRO, 14 patrol officers, three record staff, and two CSOs for a total of 32 staff. Uh with that significant population increase in the 2000s, the the department really blew up and assumed all of those spaces that were set aside for that growth. Uh space need study was conducted in 2022. Uh identified significant need for expansion. Uh the the final uh recommendation was 46,585 square feet to accommodate our needs. And uh that was in 2022, so still 4 years ago. I have some pictures just identifying some of the specific needs inside the building. On the left there is a picture of Captain Sodder's office. When the building was constructed and for the first 15-ish years of use, uh that was our soft interview room, so it had a couch, a table, and it was used for meeting typically victims or citizens that wanted to come into the office into the PD and talk with an officer. And we'd have an area there that could be recorded, and uh we could have that conversation in more of a comfortable environment. Uh with the expansion of staff, we had to take over that space and use it as captain's office. On the right are two sergeants' offices and then the captain's office there at the end. Currently, this is occupied by a total of six staff. Uh five sergeants and one captain and and the captain's office at the end is actually occu- occupied currently by the captain and one of the patrol sergeants cuz we didn't have another spot to put him. This is just an image of our current squad room. Uh we currently occupy two officers to each cube and have to shuffle and jockey officers around as shifts change because our officers bid once a year for three periods. So, they're always moving around, and we try to avoid having two officers in the same space at the same time. It makes it very difficult to work when you have to share that space and you're working together. Many of you have seen this. Uh this is our our emergency operations center slash training room slash briefing room uh and only conference space in the PD. As you can see, our our tables right there are set up and comfortably seat about 12 people. With current staffing at 32, it makes it difficult for us to hold any kind of uh large training event, and certainly impossible to hold a department staffing meeting in that space. And that is our only space to hold that meeting. So, anytime we have a a whole staff meeting, we have numerous people out in the hall trying to listen from the hallway. And it gets incredibly warm with that many people in there. Uh another space that's been adapted to other use. Uh the building was constructed with two interview rooms separate from each other and um flanking both of our investigators' offices. One of the rooms was transitioned during COVID when we had to transition to um I'm going to say Zoom court. Uh we had officers in court throughout the week, and to have a space where they can hold court that's quiet and private, uh we ended up taking over one of the interview rooms and using it for that. And then also a overflow fridge ended up in there after that as well. On the left here, we have our men's locker room. And the picture is just uh to bring up the point that we are almost at capac- capacity with the men's locker room. We have two lockers left. Uh we have another hire here shortly, and then we'll be at capacity and we'll have to find alternate ways to find space for them. And on the right is just our storage area. It's pretty packed full right now. Um you all know and have seen what Toys for Town is and how much equipment and uh supplies are associated with that. Almost the whole right side there is just Toys for Town, and there's still more Toys for Town back here on the left. But then we also have uh mobile field force equipment for riot gear and uh the far left there are SWAT lockers. We initially had a SWAT room that was dedi- dedicated to SWAT officers, and they had their own private space to store their gear. Uh we had to transition to this hallway to put the lockers in because we needed that room for our um uh evidence processing. Here's just a list of space needs or or desires really for what uh we are lacking and and could have at the PD if we had the space for it. Um admin offices, as admin expands, we need more room for offices. Crisis co-responders are a becoming a expected service that police departments re- uh provide, and Farmington currently isn't able to do that because we do not have the space for it. Uh social workers, domestic violence advocate we had at one time, but we no longer have the space for that person. Uh they're currently housed over at Lakeville Police Department instead of here in Farmington. Future needs, community engagement officer is a future need for the department that I see us looking at uh very close in the future, and uh we need space for that position. A crime analyst is another standard offering from most police departments in the area. Uh record supervisor currently occupies the same space as their as their staff. Uh we'd like to have an office separate from them for that supervisor. Uh CSO office and uh training officer space. >> [snorts] >> Other space needs, um I'll start down at the bottom. A wellness space is also becoming a standard offering in police departments in the area and across the country really uh as we adapt to a more consideration for officer wellness, providing more facilities and options for them. Uh weapon armory uh and weapon cleaning area. We currently have a small room we use for armoring, uh weapon cleaning, and we don't have a separate secure space to store weapons away from that. So, we'd like to have another space that we can use to store uh our weapons. Uh again, the SWAT room, uh reserve room. We don't currently have a reserve program, but that is something that agencies around us offer, and I think it's something we'd like to look at in the future if we have the space for it. Uh conference rooms for uh admin, for the PD, for investigations, uh to have a separate conference room to discuss cases are are a needs as well. Uh training and briefing room. Uh we talked about that, the expansion with the EOC. Storage space is always needed and you can't get enough of it. And then the last one is garage space. That is a significant part of the square footage in our request. We're looking at probably 12,000 to 14,000 square feet of additional garage space that we're requesting. Currently our fleet is present there. 12 squad patrol vehicles and we have three investigations SUVs, three admin squads, one force vehicle, one CSO truck, two enclosed trailers, a speed trailer and a camera trailer. Currently we have um I'll show you a picture. This is our actual squad patrol squad garage. So we have spaces for six patrol vehicles and that's what the space was initially used as. Six patrol vehicles. We have another side garage that is a wash bay and it's our sally port secure prisoner transfer garage for bringing inmates in and then transferring them to our booking area. That is now garage space and then we have our investigations garage stall. That's used for storing recovered vehicles that were stolen, but that is now occupied by squads. The 12 squads, we have 10 on site with two CSOs and or excuse me SRO and a canine handler that take home their vehicles. Otherwise the 10 squads occupy all the garage spaces. That leaves those other vehicles. The CSO squad, our two enclosed trailers, speed trailer and camera trailer left outside and then any expansion to our fleet with additional officers is going to um cause our vehicles to be stored outside. Any any additional vehicles will be outside. It's just a interior view of of the garage space. Here is the back, the northern edge of our parking lot with those vehicles stored outside currently. We have two additional training transport vehicles there on the right, our CSO vehicle and then a squad that's I think was out for maintenance, but it's parked out there. And then our two trailers. Two enclosed trailers, our speed trailer is deployed right now and our camera trailers as well. If you've driven down Elm Street recently, you'll see it there by the railroad tracks. Um just an example of what the elements can do to our vehicles or in this case one of our trailers, some damage on the front wrap of that vehicle. All right. We intend to engage BKV to begin the design of a police station expansion remodel based on an estimated $20 million project cost. BKV's services are charged through the phases of the project with a total cost of 1.18 8 million dollars. There's an additional $17,800 in reimbursable expenses. Staff is requesting council approve the AIA agreement with BKV authorizing the design phase for police station expansion remodel. And I do have Mike Healey and Paul Mitchell here from BKV if you have any questions for them. Sounds good. Phil, we'll start with you. No, thanks Nate. I think you did a good job but it explains a project that's well deserved and well needed around here. Just a question. So the $1.1 million, is that based on the total project cost, a percentage? Correct. That's based off of the $20 million estimate. Okay. So if if the project doesn't cost $20 million, are we still paying the 1.1 or is it going to be less could be less than that? >> Could be less, yeah. >> Okay. Nothing further. Looks great. Thanks. All right. Thank you. Um I have seen a version or variation of this a couple of times now, so this isn't a a new conversation that we've been having. In fact, I think it was one of the first conversations I remember being a part of back in '22. Um and it's showed up on an off book a little bit. Um so if if residents are catching up, um we've seen this in work session and we've we've seen it before and it's kind of been pushed. Um I don't sit from the perspective of wondering, you know, what happens to aging infrastructure and what we need to pour into a police department or into the buildings that we are set to maintain or into the individuals that um you know, are >> [clears throat] >> are taking care of protecting residents, but I think the question that's going to come up from a resident perspective is what difference does it make to me if you're operating out of an old building or something that's newer? How does it improve what it is that you do? Why should I care if council believes that this is something that's necessary and the police you know, decides that this is something that's necessary. And so as uncomfortable as those questions are, they're the big ones that I have is from a resident perspective when we look at a project like this, you know, we we come at it from one perspective, but can you help for the average person that lives in Farmington understand why should they care about this project? All right. Thank you for the question. There there are several reasons and I'll start first with I had mentioned officer wellness in there. The current status of the PD does not put us in a competitive position with neighboring agencies. The facilities that can be offered to staff in other agencies far exceed what we have right now at Farmington PD and not over the top of amenities, just amenities that make our staff feel appreciated and that this is the place that they want to be. And in the competitive market that we have right now in law enforcement, every little bit helps and it's it's been a real struggle the last few years getting and then maintaining staff at the police department. We're back to almost where we want to be, but I want to put us in a position where we're keeping those people here and they're happy to be here and feel appreciated. Additionally, all those positions and spaces that I mentioned that we need space for, um the crime analyst, the co-responders, the domestic abuse advocates, those are immediate impact positions that citizens are going to benefit from. Um Our agencies around us have those have those amenities or those staff. Just having a social worker on staff that can work with officers to follow up on cases after the fact. Right now if we have a domestic violence case, our officers go out there and they will handle the call and if someone needs to be arrested, they're arrested and they're taken to jail. The next day that report goes on to the attorney and goes on for prosecuting and charging. We don't have someone on staff that goes and follows up directly with that victim and can follow them through the process. The county has people that can do that, but they're not as easily accessible and and our victims aren't as apt to go and engage those people as they would be if our staff went out there and did it and we had a social worker that was actually going out there with our people. One of the one of the craziest increases in calls that we've ever experienced has been the crisis calls over the last 10 years and that's across law enforcement. So one of those other co-responders that are a lot more common now across the county and across the country >> [clears throat] >> responding to crisis calls with our officers. Our officers are there to make sure that the environment is safe. The co-responder is a trained social worker that can come in and diagnose issues, um pinpoint problems and put that person on a path to success. Right now our officers are just putting out fires because we are not trained social workers. We are trained in the field in that we respond to more crisis calls than anybody else on the planet, but having the training and the ability to really address those problems with a social worker response is a benefit that we haven't seen here in Farmington yet and we'd like to. There's there's just a lot of things that we could go a lot of directions that we could go that we just can't right now with the space that we have. >> [snorts] >> And the only other question is just one of understanding cuz you know, obviously residents do have seen the fence that went up in the last I don't even know how long it's been now. We'll say months. Yes? The last 12 months. It was in the last 12 [laughter] months. Right? And so a question related it's two part. One related to the financing for that just to clear it up again so that people understand where that was financed and then also an expectation and understanding that we don't need to pull that or do anything with that to be able to facilitate the needs that are coming next. Is that correct? Absolutely, yeah. The fence was initiated by Deputy Chief Jim Constantino when he applied for a grant. Um a federal grant to pull some of that federal money back to Farmington. There's community project funding that's um given to uh congressmen to distribute in their districts and we applied for that money. If we hadn't applied for it, it would have been given to somebody else. So that's not an additional tax in any way by having that fence here. That money was already appropriated and being distributed. We just happened to grab on to some of it and bring it here to Farmington. That's why that fence is there. When we designed the fence and worked on that project, we designed it anticipating that this was in our future because it regardless of whether it's now or 10 years from now, it's in our future and that fence is going to be there for a long, long time. So we wanted to make sure that this project would work with the fence and we wouldn't have to see any additional costs through destruction or or rebuilding of the fence. And actually the fence isn't fully completed. It's anticipated that when we do the the expansion remodel that we will connect that fence to the building and really finish that project off. That's all I have for right now. Thank you. Jake. No questions for me tonight, but thank you Nate for the presentation. Like Holly alluded to, we've had the chance to talk about this to on this for the last, you know, 15 months in my case, longer for some of my peers, but thank you for sharing the pictures and the information tonight for our residents who may not have been aware that this project was on on the pipeline. And thank you especially with Holly's question for providing some of those things that we will gain once this project is completed. I think you guys have done a lot with what was appropriate 20 plus years ago and I'm I'm excited to see what you guys will be able to do once you have an adequate facility. Thank you. You, Steve. Yeah, [clears throat] I think I'll I don't have any questions, but I do want to add a few comments. So, um you know, again, I guess from a resident perspective, anytime that we're looking at building infrastructure in the community and taxing residents for that or asking and proposing that, we always want to have a time frame on the building. You know, do we expect this to last 5 years, 10 years? And that kind of helps us figure out if it's a good investment. And you know, so we're about 20, I think 22, 24 years beyond what we projected. And Nate, you had a number of really good comments, but there's a couple I want to accentuate because I've taken a tour of the building a few times. I've been part of the Citizens Police Academy. Um you know, I [clears throat] absolutely think this is going to be critical for retention. Um and I also look at it to having you know, just kind of again, kind of thinking about those tours I've had, we need a safe work environment for people who are there full-time. And then we have, you know, desk officers who are doing, you know, investigative work or other kinds of work. And right now, we don't have an ideal setup up there and I think that's a super important part of it, too, for, you know, attracting not just police talent, but police support talent. Um who enjoy that type of work. Um the other piece that I think is really important, you know, we're talking about it from the policing end, but we also have a lot of and I think you can confirm this, I'm just making the statement that I believe to be true, that, you know, we have a lot of residents that show up on one of their worst days. And we want to create an environment that feels welcoming, that provides them the necessary resources, whether it's a social worker, whether it's a investigative officer, something like that. And those are the kind of things that really excite me about the building. I mean, the building itself is just a building, but the way we can serve the public, um and let's be honest, if a community isn't safe, then residents are going to look somewhere that is safe. Um or potential residents. So, I'm really excited about this project and um I'm really impressed by this firm that we brought. Uh clearly, as we can see in our packet, um just a tremendous wealth of expertise that they're bringing to the table. So, I'm excited about that, too. So, thank you. I guess I don't need to add too much on what Holly said. It's probably >> [cough] >> what is great is [clears throat] I would She asked the tougher questions that I think are probably It's an uncomfortable topic at the end of the day, right? This is a large-scale item that we're talking about and whether it's a need or not, I think it's going to be up to everybody's interpretation of what a need is, but you know, we had this exact same discussion, I think it was 4 years ago, right? Um and we saw a price tag for it at that time and we said, "This is a need at some point, maybe not right now." And we punted on it for a handful of years and here we are 4 years later and there is a significant cost increase even in those 4 years for the same thing we're asking for, basically, there. So, you know, this is to me is it is a need and whether we do it now or 10 years from now, you're going to pay more for it later down the road. So, let's figure out how to solve this problem now. Let us Let's create that competitive environment that we talk about because that is the number one most critical piece of this to me is making sure that we have the best cops in Farmington and that they have access to the resources that they need to be the best cops, to not make mistakes, to not get tired and fatigued and burned out and and do those things that we don't want happening here because those cost money, too, right? One bad cop can undo anything about this project. Shouldn't think bad cop. One mistake, sorry, right? Because someone's that tired or didn't have that support and we give that to them, we take that away, that comes out as a win for us. So, that is risk management to me and that's why I'm super excited about this project. I know risk management is tough because you don't see the immediate benefit and it's all a dice roll at the end of the day, but like I said, we have to pay this fee at some point. Let's pay it now while it's still cheaper. So, appreciate everything you've done to put all this together. So, with that, I believe the action is you look for a motion to approve the AIA owner architect agreement between the city of Farmington and BKV Group for professional architectural and engineering services related to the police department renovation and expansion project and authorize the mayor and city clerk to execute the agreement. Motion to approve. Second. Motion by Steve, second by Holly. Call the roll, please. Councilmember Wilson. Yes. Councilmember Cordes. Yes. Councilmember Bernats. >> Yes. Councilmember Winchell. Yes. Mayor Lee. Yes. Thank you. Citizen comments. Here we go. I have to read disclaimer today. Comments are a time for anyone to address the city council on matters not on the agenda. Comments from speakers must be informational in nature and may not exceed 5 minutes. The city council will not engage in discussion or debate in those 5 minutes, but will take the information and issue a response to those requiring one by the next council meeting. When you come up to the podium, state the city or township that you live in. As part of the protocol, it is unacceptable for any speaker to slander or engage in character assassination or discuss personnel complaints at a public council meeting. As such, speakers will not be allowed to identify city employees either by name or position or to identify any other person by name during the public comment period. If one does, their comments will be deemed done. Please address your comments to the council as a whole. If decorum cannot be maintained during a speaker's time, the council will recess to allow decorum to be restored. Upon return from recess, citizen comments will resume provided order can be maintained. If order cannot be restored, the meeting may be adjourned. Is there anyone who would like to speak tonight? I don't need to do anything up here, right? >> Nope. Okay, good. My name's Michael Rivera and I'm from Farmington. Uh embers in 187th. And if I stick to my script, I ought to be at ought to be ought to have 30 seconds to spare. So, here we go. Good evening, Mayor. Congratulations, Phil. Thanks. You're welcome. Uh Mayor, council members, and residents of Farmington. Uh this is going to be fun. I want to thank you for the opportunity. Thank you for my 5 minutes. Uh I stand before you not just as a resident, but as someone who deeply values community and what community truly means. In a time when division often feels louder than unity, spaces like this, local government, local leadership, and more are critical and more important than ever. Because this is where community is not just discussed, it's where community is shaped. At its core, a strong community is not built solely on policies, projects, budgets, or infrastructure. Those are essential, yes, but they are not the foundation. What truly sustains a city is how we see each other, how we treat one another, and how we choose to lead. From my own Christian experience and faith perspective, I am guided by three enduring principles. Love, dignity, and responsibility to one another. And while those values are rooted in my belief, they are not limited to my belief alone. They resonate across cultures, backgrounds, and belief systems. Love in this context is not sentimental. It is intentional. It means choosing the good of others even when it's inconvenient. It means asking not what is best for me, but what is best for us. Dignity means recognizing that every person in this city, regardless of background, income level, belief system, or life situation and circumstances, has inherent worth. Not earned worth, not conditional worth, but inherent worth. And community responsibility involves understanding that the decisions made here do not just affect systems, they affect people. Families, children, seniors, veterans, and individuals who may never stand at this podium, but whose lives are impacted by what happens here. So here's the challenge that I offer everybody tonight. As you deliberate, as you decide, as you lead, do not lose sight of the human impact behind every agenda item. When discussing policies, ask, "Does this reflect the dignity of all people?" When disagreements arise, ask, "Are we engaging one another with respect, dignity, and integrity?" When tough decisions must be made, ask, "Are we choosing what is right or what is merely easy?" Because leadership at this level is not just about governance, it's about stewardship. Stewardship of trust, stewardship of people, stewardship of the kind of community that we want to be and are becoming. Farmington has the opportunity to be more than just a growing city. It can be a place where people can feel valued and respected. A place where differences are not erased, but navigated with wisdom and care. A place where leadership models not just authority, but character. And that begins here. Not in perfection, but in intention. Not in agreement on everything, but in commitment to what matters most. And to my fellow community members, both on video that will watch this later and in person, we also carry a responsibility. Community is not something we expect from our leaders, it is something we embody in our daily lives. It is reflected in how we speak to one another, how we show up for each other, and how we respond when we disagree. We cannot ask for unity in this chamber if we are showing and sowing division outside of it. We cannot ask for dignity in policy if we are withholding it in practice. Each of us plays a role in shaping Farmington's culture, whether in our homes, neighborhoods, schools, or workplaces. We are setting the tone for what kind of community this will be. So let us be intentional. Let us choose respect over rhetoric. Let us choose understanding over assumption. Let us choose love, not as a feeling, but as a daily decision on how we If we do that, then what is decided in this room will not stand alone. It will be supported by a community that lives out those same values. Thank you for your time. Thank you, Michael. I'm Kathy Johnson. I live at 22280 Bering Avenue. Uh Castle Rock. Um In thinking about what to say tonight, I decided to reflect upon the article that uh Cara Hildreth did in the paper recently. And Track, the [clears throat] CEO of Track, is now saying that they've established a website to educate the public. Um In that same article, they called our lawsuit frivolous and meritless. I wish that the public would remember that there have been one attempt for Castle for Farmington and two attempts for Castle Rock to have our case dismissed, and we've prevailed every time on every count. This early winter, we added two environmental counts based on the Minnesota Environmental Rights Act. Um at first there was a conflict in the wording, and the judge guided our attorneys how to change that because, she said, our case had merit, and she would not disclude that just based on a technicality. We changed the wording, and the and the environmental counts are part of the coalition's lawsuit. So I ask you, are you going to believe an attorney who just proclaims that we're meritless, or are you going to listen to a judge who has four times as um supported the fact that, no, in fact, we do have merit, and uh we have prevailed every time in court to date? Um This is an example of what Track is calling an education, and I put that in quotations because they're the only ones who have access to that. It's not an open website that anybody can post on. They're saying that we use social media as the basis, when in fact, if you look at our website, our our sources are cited. Um The attorney at the last meeting also proclaimed, "The Vermillion River will not be harmed." Um I question his authority to know that, but rather than taking an an attorney's word on that, what I suggest to the public is that you be aware that um the coalition is sponsoring another public hearing or public informational meeting, and you're all invited May 14th, 7:00 at the Heritage Library in Lakeville. Our speaker is Dr. Carrie Jennings. She is a geologist and hydrologist and pilot environmental policy leader who's best known for her work on groundwater sustainability, surface water protection, and land use impacts. I think she might be a better source of information about whether the Vermillion River is safe or not than a lawyer who just decides, "I'll proclaim that this is the truth." Um I think that the Farmington residents that are listening to this tonight need their eyes wide open. Um The court of public opinion is definitely changing in the direction of people thinking like the coalition because of the overwhelming evidence that is showing the environmental and other residential harms of this. So um I'm taking issue with the word education that the attorneys use. I'd say it's more like brainwashing. Thank you. Thank you. Nancy Ourstad, Beaumont Avenue. Tone and truth matter. Your developers sent you and the planning commission a four-page letter. This is included in the agenda packet, April 20th. I urge everyone watching to go and read it. It's online, April 20th. Here are some highlights. The letter says Track shared its plans in public meetings, and the council voted in a way that reflected the will of the majority of Farmington residents. The word majority, where is the evidence for that? Show me the survey, the popular vote. Prove it. Is that true? The letter repeatedly calls the people opposing this project a handful of vocal citizens, a loud minority. Social media misinformation is in there. Actors who purport to lead. Who exactly are they talking about? Are they talking about the residents who have stood up at this podium for 2 years, pouring their hearts out, looking at you, begging you not to put this hyperscale data center next to their homes? All those faces. The letter calls the lawsuit meritless. They actually use meritless twice. Walk Walk into Farmington City Hall out here, and then stop. Imagine you are standing at the edge of your own property. Look down the hallway, and imagine a massive electrical substation halfway down this hallway. That is what you have proved for the residents of Farmington. An electrical substation 50 ft from properties from people's homes. Halfway down this hall. Is that meritless? It said legal action based entirely on social media misinformation. Do you think people are suing entirely because of Facebook posts? Really? The letter said Track empha- empathizes with Castle Rock taxpayers who have to fight for the who have to pay for this legal fight. So they have empathy for taxpayers paying for a lawsuit to try to save their homes. Where is their empathy for the devastating consequences of putting this next to their homes? The letter says the coalition wants to turn Track's willingness to compromise into a theater for public spectacle. What compromise? What are they talking about? Where is the compromise from this developer? We know of no compromise. The coalition's preconditions, what preconditions could those be? I have no idea. That is the tone of your good neighbor. Do you think they are nice neighbors? They're going to be nice? Do you know what an ad hominem attack is? It's when you ignore the idea and attack the speaker who is speaking the idea. Thank you to the one council member who defended us against these words and voted no. The rest of you said nothing. Now, the new development contract you four approved, it shows 2.93 million gallons of water per day, but now also includes an annual cap of 50 million gallons per year. How can this be? How do these numbers make any sense together? Why would they need 2.93 million gallons per day? They would use up their annual limit in 17 days. Let's set aside the fact that these contracts can be amended and amended. For a 708 megawatt data center to use only 50 million gallons per year, that would suggest a virtually waterless cooling system, something very different from what you approved. Go back to your AUAR. It says this is a water-cooled system. Look at your water discharge. You approved 176 million to 427 million gallons of water discharge in 6 months. 6 months. After evaporation, how does this work if they are now pulling a mere 50 million gallons of water in 12 months? This does not match your AUAR at all. What's going on? Is this all closed loop now? Or dry cooling? We don't know. You did not ask. It is If it is not water-cooled with the numbers that reflect on the AUR, then you need to revisit your approval. This is not what you agreed to. This could mean way more electricity, cooling equipment, backup generators, noise, glycol concerns, changes the entire setup. Did you Did you ask why the water numbers aren't consistent? No, you did not. You passed their plats because in your words, the last plat did not spell out a lot of things and was not clear, and this one is better than the worst one. That's what you said. You are forever Thank you, Nancy. Anybody else tonight? >> [sighs and gasps] >> Terry Pearson 2475 225th Street Castle Rock I have questions tonight. Some of you may need to ponder. Maybe you have answers, too. At the last City Council meeting, the construction company track stated they will be using two existing wells on the golf course the construction phase. Now >> [gasps] >> that the plat is divided how long is the planned construction lasting for both phases? Does anyone monitor the usage of the wells? Because I have a well that has no ability to measure my water usage. This is supposed to be a hyper data center, and I imagine even the construction phase needs huge amounts of water. Wouldn't you? The buildings in the hyper data center will house thousands of computer servers. We still don't know what companies they serve. Do you? Will they be supporting government surveillance? Will AI be supporting military actions in some foreign nation? Will they be used for crypto? Will they be supporting pornography? What have you invited into our neighborhood and city? There are so many unknowns. Who takes real responsibility for the technological monstrosity? Mitigation for something like this could be a joke. And is this someone's fantasy of a wonderful future, Farmington? Or will it be a nightmare that we won't be able to wake from? We'd like answers, not promises. Hi. My name is Chris Aiken. I live at 22390 Beaumont Avenue, Farmington, Minnesota. Minnesota. Um For more than 40 years, I have lived worked, volunteered, and raised a family in the Farmington area. My roots span both Castle Rock Township and the city of Farmington. I owned [snorts] a downtown business for 20 years and served on numerous boards and community organizations. I co-chaired events and supported the schools. My life has been intertwined with this community's growth, challenges, and celebrations. These experiences shaped my understanding of what strong community leadership looks like. Transparency inclusion, and respect for residents. Even when disagreements arose, the the conversations involved the people who lived here. That is the Farmington I knew and loved. When my husband asked me to get involved in the data center discussions that surfaced publicly in the spring of 2024, I declined. I told him I trusted our city leadership and staff to thoroughly vet a development of this magnitude. Especially one involving annexation, rezoning, and a dramatic change to a long-established residential area. I believe the city would either deny the proposal or relocate it to a more appropriate site. As I began to learn more it became clear that something had shifted at City Hall. Key staff positions were new. The Community and Economic Development Department had changed. And the Economic Development Authority itself had changed. Farmington's EDA was once comprised of community members. Today, it is composed of city council members. My research shows that most cities maintain a mix of residents and elected officials on their EDAs to ensure balanced representation. Farmington moved in the opposite direction. I understand the long-standing challenges that all of the city council and staff have faced over the years with tax revenue and the desire for amenities that neighboring communities enjoy. But I must ask, did the promise of increased revenue make this data center approval easier to accept? Was this seen as the solution to years of financial pressure? Because if so, the cost is far greater than the benefit. The approval of a hyperscale data center in Southeast Farmington will shape your legacy as community leaders. It will also shape the lives of the residents who were not meaningfully included in the process. A project of this scale, one that alters the environment, the character, the safety, and future of an entire residential area should have been approached with the highest level of transparency and public engagement. Instead, residents were left out until the process was already well underway. That is not how responsible governance works. So, please, I'm asking you to commit to rebuilding trust with the people who call this community home. Decisions [snorts] of this magnitude should never again be made without the full participation of the residents that they affect. Thank you. Thank you, Chris. Anybody else? Last call. >> [laughter] >> All right, round table. Amy >> [clears throat] >> Good evening, Mayor and members of the council. I have no report tonight. No, I'd like to say just a happy early Mother's Day to all the mothers out there. Um and also just remember that next week is National Police Week, so try to remember those that gave the ultimate sacrifice, the ones that continue to serve. A simple thank you to an officer goes a long ways. That's it. Thank you. Um first, [clears throat] congratulations to FHS Theater for a great run for Mean Girls, and uh for all of the residents and neighboring community members that came out to see it. Kids did a great job uh again uh this year. Um talking a little bit about proclamations, uh Top the Tater Days coming up. Um you know, it it's it's both enjoyable and also um I guess I see it as a uh a blessing in disguise to be able to sit in and read through some of these things that a lot of times people don't think about um or have come to um just expect to be here. Top the Tater Days is a labor of love by neighbors and community members and um businesses that donate their time and energy for the better part of a year to bring a festival to the community. So, if you are around that week in June and you have an opportunity to come and experience it, um there are a handful of people. When I say handful, I actually mean handful. Uh a very small committee of individuals that put that entire festival together. I worked on it uh a couple years myself, and it is uh one of the more labor-intensive things I think um that you can do as a community member here to be able to put on something for the rest of uh the residents to enjoy. So, if you go out, you'll you'll see them in volunteer t-shirts. So, please [clears throat] enjoy the festival and then if you see someone in a volunteer t-shirt, thank them for putting their free time and energy into making the festival happen. Phil already mentioned um peace officer memorial um day and our proclamation for that. This one hits a little differently um with our loss of officers Ajack and the reality that uh not everyone um not everyone's harms way is necessarily out in the field. Sometimes their harms way is what happens in their mind or in their head when they're not in the field and just uh as he already mentioned, um thanking our officers for what they do and being mindful of the fact that there is a burden that they bear that the rest of us probably can't possibly imagine um and that is worth noting at every opportunity. So, whether you get excited when you get to see an officer around town or whether you are the person that's like, "Oh gosh, how fast was I going and was I doing that in a way that is legal or not?" Um you know, that there is uh a human being and a family that is behind the patrol car or the badge and uh they are worthy not only of our respect, but of our deep gratitude. And that extends also national public works week and the people that work in this department and make it so that we do not have to think about the things that we enjoy in our community just as being real. One of the benefits that I've had in my not council, but human life is um serving in global ministry and I have been in parts of the world where the things that we take for granted are far from being taken for granted. When you flip on a faucet and water comes out and it is drinkable water that is not uh going to um potentially injure or kill you is a benefit that we have and we don't think much about it. And I have been in places where that is definitely not true. Um having a bathroom to go into and a toilet that flushes that takes away your waste water um and you're not digging a hole or worse yet, um living in your excrement is not something that is real for a good majority of the world. Um and we have the benefit of being in a place where I don't think we often think about our transportation and the safety of our roads or our water supply or our waste water system or where the storm water drains to. And that in large part is due to the professionals that focus their time and attention and expertise in this area so that it's not something that we have to worry about. And so, while they're not necessarily visible to us on the day-to-day, um it is another opportunity that we have to thank people that work in a way that allows us to not have to think about the things that we just get to take for granted here. Um so in all of these things, thank you to the volunteers that put on Top of the Tater Days. Thank you so much to our officers who serve and protect our community and to the people in our public works department that make it just easy to go about our daily lives and not think too much about how we get to have the things that we do not deserve to enjoy except for the simple fact that we happen to be born in Minnesota in the United States in a time like this. Thank you. Jake. Um I'd like to touch on one of the things Holly mentioned but congratulations to the cast and crew of the high school [clears throat] production of Mean Girls and and all of those involved in that production. It was a great showcase of the talent we have right here in our own backyard. And it did a fantastic job of capturing the whimsy and caprice of high school relationships and the students really brought that to life. So, well done to everybody involved, all the volunteers involved in that and uh I'm looking forward to the next high school production of something. >> [clears throat] >> Steve. Okay. I John, I just have to ask. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to put you on the spot. But um in the National Public Works Proclamation, it's referenced the American Public Works Association and Canadian Public Works Association. And maybe I'm the only nerd that happened to catch that, but is there a collaboration in the world of public works with our friends in Canada? Mayor and council members, absolutely. There's public works associations worldwide and so when I go to something like PWX, I'm running into individuals from not only other states, but also other countries. Thank you. Thank you. They have sewers in Canada, Steve. What did you say? They do have sewers in Canada. >> [laughter] >> We're we're here in little Farmington and we're approving proclamations that reference our neighbors to the north. Um Holly and you know, the previous comments or comments that have been made were similar ones I wanted to echo. Um you know, the honorary police week is a really big deal every year and the police department puts on um the open house coming up I believe in about 2 weeks. And as Holly noted, um you know, the the tragedies that can impact the police family um are certainly not limited to those that you would see on a street or a news report and they can happen much more privately. So, when you do see an officer, um you know, just in addition to thanking them, ask them how they're doing. That's okay, too. Um and I try to do that um you know, when I see one of our Farmington officers or neighboring officers. Um on Saturday and I appreciate that the fire department moved it. We had um their annual celebration and I just want to thank all the fire department personnel who were recognized for various awards or accomplishments and congratulate Jason Graham, our fire officer of the year and then firefighter of the year, Rick Fischer. And those are the only comments I had tonight. Thank you. Um Nate, thank you for your great presentation and representing the PD expansion and thank you to council for approving that tonight. It's it's very very much needed, so we appreciate that. Also, uh fire chief Price could not make it cuz he is at EV training, so he said I could announce that. So, the whole fire department has been invited for training on EVs tonight. So, that's all I have. Thank you. Mr. Chanski. I want to thank the council for your continued support for staff professional development. Melissa is not with us tonight as she is at the week-long clerk's institute getting a lot of great training on what it is to be a city clerk. I'm expanding her toolbox. Also, Lynn and I had the privilege of attending the annual Minnesota City County Management Association conference this past week. At the conference, I was honored to be elected to my third term on the MCMA board and [snorts] I also had the privilege of serving on a panel with three other administrators on the topic of work-life flexibility and just again continue to to share why with your leadership and support why Farmington is a great place to work and to serve and why we are all proud to be a part of it. So, thank you. Good evening, mayor and council. Um one of the things that our department is excited for is um we're coming up on our BS&A online permit system rollout. So, that will be happening in June and we're transitioning the online permitting system for our building department to this new system, which will have a lot more features and functionality and will streamline the process for our customers. So, we're excited about that and it will also be moving a lot of our permits through our planning department online as well. So, we're getting close to the finish line and I want [snorts] to just give a shout out to the entire team for all their efforts that has gone into that as well as the rest of the staff that has gone through this before us and has been providing advice and just support as we've worked our way through that. The other thing I wanted to just announce is that the International Economic Development Council has named this week Economic Development Week. And so, the quote that I would like to share is that behind every thriving community is a network of planners, entrepreneurs, dreamers, doers, change makers that are all driving progress and supporting that community. So, today we just want to take a moment to express our support and pride for the network that we have here in this community that make this ecosystem work. So, thank you for all of those in this community that are part of that. So, thank you. Thank you. John. Thank you, mayor and council members. It was on the consent agenda, so I wanted to mention it for the public's information. As part of tonight's meeting, you awarded the construction contract for the 2026 street improvements. That will be the complete reconstruction of Second Street from Ash Street to Spruce Street. We had nine bidders, very competitive on a $2.4 million contract between low bid and second low was about $55,000. So, we had strong interest. It came in about 16% under the engineer's estimate. So, uh the next step uh we'll get the contracts in place and we'll start uh having a pre-construction meeting with the contractor and then we'll have a pre-construction open house where the uh residents get to meet the contractor and the inspector that'll be out there before the dirt's flying and and can get their questions answered about uh garbage and access and all sorts of things. Thank you for awarding that contract. Thank you. Kelly. Good evening, Mayor and Council. I just want to send a thank you to all the people that cleaned a pond or park last Saturday or still have to clean and I know some uh clean at different times. So, thank you to all the people, the businesses, the teams, the organizations, and residents that help clean keep our park and ponds clean. And then wanted to invite everybody to the fifth annual spring food truck event. It is Friday, May 15th from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Steilacoom Ballfields. As you may be aware, it's a joint um event with uh Farmington Parks and Recreation Commission and Empire Parks and Recreation Commission. We have eight food trucks confirmed for that night. So, hope to see everybody on Friday, May 15th. Jim. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Um as usual, Finance doesn't have anything fun or exciting really to say, but um in March the Dakota County sent out tax statements and just want to remind her to um all of our residents that the first half of the tax payment is due May uh yeah, May 15th. So, that's all I have. Thank you. Chief. Uh first I want to thank Kelly the spring is a really busy time for your staff, but they were out last week and spruce up the PD and it looks really nice in preparation for uh police week and our open house. Um and then along with the police week, this is a time where our officers and officers around the world remember the fallen um worldwide, countrywide, here in Dakota County, and even here in Farmington. So, thank you for um proclamation today and I would love to see everyone out at our open house on the 16th to help us celebrate or those officers and then uh see our station and meet with our staff and like you said, we really celebrate and appreciate the gratitude that uh you and all the members of uh the city of Farmington give us when they come out and and uh visit the station. That's it. Thank you. I have 3 hours for public comments and we're still at the last week. So, um I mean, there's there's a lot to say. I want to say thank you to Chief Price even though he's not here for the invite on Saturday. It's always one of my favorite days of the year. I'm sorry I couldn't do the uh full black tie tradition that I started accidentally 5 years ago, but uh accept my apologies on that. Congratulations to Officer Graham and and uh Firefighter Fisher on their their awards. Um I think you said everything just perfectly about the proclamation, so skip that one. Um there there's a lot I want to say, obviously, right? There's a lot of things I heard tonight uh that you know, I can sit up here and try and offer correction or try and offer so why this, that, or the other thing is not wrong, you know, like the the difference between a daily and an annual water usage. We can pick that apart up here. I don't see the need to do it. Um let's talk offline. I I think that despite what it seems like out here, this conversation is moving forward and we are getting new places and we are having new conversations and doors are opening and things are resolving and things are moving forward. And I want to keep moving that way. So, let's keep having conversations. You you're welcome to sit up here all you want. I'll listen to them, right? Um but let's just try and stay positive through it. I do want to say thank you to you for for coming up here. You >> [snorts] >> you didn't need to. You you could have gone home, Michael, and and said, you know, the city wasted my time, the city did this, that, or the other thing, but you're still here and you're still showing up for the community and that's huge. I really appreciate that. That's what we need is those positive persistence. That's what That's what keeps things in check. That's what keeps things positive and moving forward and I I can't say thank you enough for that for being a community champion and I hope you continue that. So, um I'll keep it short beyond that as much as I joked about 3 hours. So, I'll look for a motion to adjourn. Motion. Second. Motion by Steve, second by Jake. All in favor say aye. Aye. We're adjourned at 8:13. >> [music] [music] [music]