This transcript reflects the Richfield City Council meeting held on December 10, 2024. Please note that while some names (Simon Troutman and Ben Whan) were not on the provided context list, they are identified through the dialogue as the outgoing council members being honored at this meeting. [00:00:00] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Good evening ladies and gentlemen, it is 7 pm on December 10th, 2024, and I'm calling to order this regular city council meeting. Um, if you're able, please rise and join us 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. Thank you. Next, we have open Forum. Participants can share their comments in person by voicemail or email, or they may also request to participate virtually. For more information on submitting comments, you can refer to the council agenda and minutes page on Richfieldmn.gov at city council, and I'll have more information. Did anyone turn in any comments ahead of time or email any comments? [00:01:15] **City Clerk Michelle Friedrich:** I have not received anything, mayor. [00:01:20] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. Is there anyone here that wishes to participate in open Forum? All right, so it does not look like we have anyone for open Forum, so we will move on to approval of the minutes of the commission interviews from November 16th, city council work session meeting, and city council Truth and Taxation meeting, and the city council regular meeting—all three of those were on November 26th. [00:01:45] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** So moved. [00:01:47] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Second. [00:01:50] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to approve all four of those meetings. Are there any comments or questions? Hearing none, all in favor of approving all four sets of minutes please say aye. [00:02:00] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:02:02] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And we've approved the minutes. Next, we're going to move on to the presentation of the Edwina Garcia Community Builder Award and proclamation to John Bostad. Um, before we get into the award ceremony, um, former council member Garcia sends her regards to everyone. She was unable to be here tonight and she reminded me that the purpose of this is to say that the people that are getting awards like this are the residents that are the glue that holds the community together; they're the engine of the community. So beyond just staff and elected officials, there are the people out there that are doing all the organizing, leadership, and volunteers, and she wanted to make sure that they were recognized as well. So, um, Mr. Bostad, if you would like to join me up at the podium front. So we'll start off with the proclamation. Thank you so much for joining us. You can come up here. So turn so everybody can see you. [00:03:05] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Whereas John Bostad has received the fifth annual Edwina Garcia Community Award for his commitment to the Richfield community; and whereas Mr. Bostad has been a proud resident of Richfield since February 4th, 1962, dedicating over six decades to the betterment of our community; and whereas Mr. Bostad has demonstrated exceptional leadership as a multiple-term president of the Richfield Optimist Club, fostering youth development, community connection, and optimism; and whereas Mr. Bostad has enriched the lives of Richfield residents through tireless service, including leading the Richfield Remodeling Fair, contributing over 1500 hours to building the Richfield History Center, serving multiple terms as the congregation president of Oak Grove Lutheran Church, and volunteering on a range of committees and commissions; and whereas Mr. Bostad has shown steadfast commitment to preserving Richfield's history as treasurer of the Richfield Historical Society for two decades, ensuring future generations can appreciate our history; and whereas Mr. Bostad has exemplified civic pride and social responsibility through his participation in the Richfield 2020 visioning committee, Loaves and Fishes, mentorship of future leaders, and volunteerism in countless community efforts; and whereas the Richfield community celebrates John Bostad for his commitment and service to the residents of Richfield, his optimism, and his tireless dedication to community growth. Now, therefore, I, Mary Supple, Mayor of the city of Richfield, and the Richfield council members, do hereby award you this proclamation and the award for your service, demonstrating your commitment to the core values of the city of Richfield. Proclaimed this 10th day of December 2024. Thank you, and we truly appreciate your service, and we'd love to give you the floor to say a few words. [00:05:10] **John Bostad:** Well, it's uh, it's nice to be recognized and uh to receive this honor. But um, the things that uh I've done over the years are are merely things that needed to be done and somebody needed to do them, and so I did. And I don't—most of the time I didn't consider them to be anything special, uh, just something uh I uh enjoy doing and and needed to be done. And uh, I thank you so much for this honor. It's um—it's well deserved. Well, I don't know about that, but uh, I'm glad to get it. [00:05:55] **Mayor Mary Supple:** I know if you want to hold up the—see the plaque—and then we were hoping to get a group picture with Mr. Bostad and his family and friends. The council can come down and join us as well. Okay for [Applause]. Next, we'll move on to approval of the agenda. [00:06:30] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** I move approval. [00:06:32] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Second. [00:06:34] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right, it's been moved and seconded to approve the agenda. All in favor please say aye. [00:06:38] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:06:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? Excuse me, we have approved the agenda. Next, we'll go on to the consent calendar and I'll turn it over to City Manager Rodriguez. [00:06:50] **City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** Thank you, mayor. The consent calendar contains several separate items which are acted upon by the City Council in one motion. Once the consent calendar has been approved, the individual items and recommended actions have also been approved. No further Council action on these items is necessary. Tonight's consent calendar is a long one, so bear with me. Item A: Consider a request for a conditional use permit for 115 child daycare at 7132 Portland Avenue, Hope Church. Item B: Consider the approval of the first reading of an ordinance amending city code section 550, flood plane management regulations. Item C: Consider the approval of the local health and foundational public health responsibilities grant for 2025 provided by the Minnesota Legislature and administered through the Minnesota Department of Health. Item D: Consider the adoption of the city's legislative priorities for 2025. Item E: Consider the adoption of a resolution authorizing Richfield Public Safety Police Department to accept donations from the listed agencies, businesses, and private individuals for designated uses. Item F: Consider to approve the renewal of the 25 licenses for on-sale intoxicating club, on-sale 3.2% malt liquor and wine, and off-sale 3.2% malt liquor doing business in Richfield. Licenses to sell wine and 3.2 percent malt liquor on sale: Devan Joyce, Paya Kataki, My Burger, Patrick's Bakery, Red Pepper, Sandy's Tavern. Licenses to sell 3.2% malt liquor off sale: Assal, Winner Gas Pump, and MCH Lavita 2, Lavita Shortstop, Portland Food Mart, Target Corporation, Richfield Monoco, Speedway number 4186, Speedway number 4188, Speedway number 4191, Speedway number 4615. On sale intoxicating: El Abanico, Fireside Foundry, Frenchman's Pub, Giordano's, Los Sanchez Taqueria, Lyndale Smokehouse, Sal’s, and Fred Babcock VFW Post 5555, and that's a club license. Item G: Consider a resolution requesting a variance from state aid route 8820-941 for the design of the 70th Street Safe Routes to School project. Item H: Consider the approval of a contract with Graymont LLC for the purchase of 4,400 tons of quicklime annually in 2025, 2026, and 2027 for water treatment purposes in the amount of $992,200. Item I: Consider a resolution awarding a contract to Veit & Company LLC for the Adams Hill Pond maintenance project in the amount of $845,000 and authorize the City Manager to approve contract changes up to $175,000 without further city council consideration. Item J: Consider adoption of a resolution designating polling places for 2025. Item K: Consideration of an amended Professional Services agreement awarding American Rescue Plan Act funding to VEAP for services and activities that aid in the recovery of Richfield community members negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. And finally, Item L: Consider a resolution adopting an updated Capital Assets Policy for the City. And I submit all of these items for your consideration as part of the consent calendar. [00:10:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Do we have a motion to accept the consent calendar? [00:10:18] **Council Member Ben Whan:** I'd move approval of the consent calendar. [00:10:20] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** Second. [00:10:22] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? Um, I would like to thank all the donors that—we had a number of um donations that were received by the Public Safety Police Department, so I want to thank all of those people for their generosity. With that, if there's no further discussion, all in favor please say aye. [00:10:40] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:10:42] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And we have adopted the consent calendar. Next, we'll be moving on to a public hearing and I'm going to turn it over to Council Member Hayford Oleary. [00:10:55] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Thank you. Uh, this public hearing is to consider and approve the renewal of the 2025 pawn broker license for Metro Pawn and Gun Inc. at 7529 Lyndale Avenue South. On October 15th, 2024, the city received the application materials for the renewal of a pawn broker license for Metro Pawn and Gun, 7529 Lyndale. All required information and documents have been provided and all licensing fees have been received. The Public Safety Director has reviewed the background information and approves of the contents and sees no basis for denial. So this is recommended for approval for us, but we do have a public hearing now. Um, I'm assuming nobody registered to uh speak online or or virtually. Um, so does anybody in person wish to speak? And yeah, please, please come up and just state your name and address and whatever you wish to say. [00:11:55] **John Clst:** My name is John Clst, 7529 Lyndale Avenue. Uh, as you probably know, I've been the general manager there for 25 years now. Um, Mark uh sends you all his best wishes and happy holidays. He's doing his best to um work on pursuing his retirement endeavors and um, well, he wanted to make sure I came by in case there were any questions or um just to show our respects and thank you very much for making such a wonderful city to work in. [00:12:30] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you so much. And if we do have any questions, they'll come up in discussion, but we really appreciate you coming every year. So thank you. Would anybody else like to speak on this item before we close the public hearing? Okay. [00:12:45] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I will move that we close the public hearing. [00:12:48] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Second. [00:12:50] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to close the public hearing. Is there any discussion? All in favor of closing the public hearing please say aye. [00:12:58] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:13:00] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? The public hearing is now closed. [00:13:05] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I move that we approve the renewal of the 2025 pawn broker license for Metro Pawn and Gun at 7529 Lyndale Avenue South. [00:13:12] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** Second. [00:13:14] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded. Is there any further discussion? Um, Council Member Hayford Oleary. [00:13:20] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Um, I would just reiterate: I appreciate uh these folks being good neighbors. Not every city and and pawn shop have great relationships, so we appreciate that you show up. We love seeing no issues from the Police Chief. Um, and and thank you for coming and doing a good business. [00:13:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Thank you. All in favor please say aye. [00:13:42] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:13:44] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And we have um approved the renewal. Thank you. Next, we will move on to item number six to consider the second—consider approval of the second reading of a new ordinance establishing a local sales and use tax in Richfield. And so I'm going to turn that over to Council Member Troutman. [00:14:05] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** Thank you, mayor. This item is to consider the approval of the second reading of a new ordinance establishing a local sales tax and use tax in Richfield. Council approved the first reading at the council meeting November 26, 2024. Uh, Richfield's an older community with a modest tax base and the city has an immediate need to continue making investments to ensure community amenities are available for residents in the future. In 2022, a local sales tax and use tax, the LST, was identified as a potential funding source for three major projects including the Wood Lake Nature Center building project, the Veterans Park improvements, and the Richfield Community Center project. The projects will support athletics, recreation, and wellbeing in Richfield. On January 24th, 2023, the City Council approved a resolution number 12067 directing staff to submit a request to the Minnesota Legislature to propose a one-half of 1% uh LST on the gross receipts from the retail sales in Richfield. In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature approved the Minnesota Laws 2023 Chapter 64 Article 10 Section 44 as introduced by the legislature. This gives the city the approval, with approval from the voters, the authority to impose an LST under the special law. The special law was approved by the City Council on July 25th, 2023. Voters approved imposing a local sales tax and use tax to finance the projects on the November 5th, 2024, general election. Uh, the City of Richfield is authorized to impose a one-half of 1% local sales and use tax, and the LST may only be imposed for the lesser of two time periods: either 20 years or until enough sales tax revenue has been generated to cover the costs of the approved projects plus financing costs. Staff have anything else to to add? [00:16:10] **City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** Uh, yes. Thank you. Um, I just want to thank the voters again for uh investing in our parks and our assets. Um, we are working hard to make sure that those assets are the best that they can be. We actually just had a work session on the new Wood Lake Nature Center building—it has been a long process. Um, and I just wanted to say thanks to our Council, also thanks to our—our incoming council members, um, also our former mayor, Maria Regan Gonzalez, that's how long it took, how long we've been working on it. Um, also thanks to Karl, our our Recreation Services Director and his team, and then Amy Markle who was the previous director, and a big thank you to Kate Aitchison who led the communications campaign. Um, and staff are available for questions. [00:17:05] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** Thank you. Um, with that, I would move we approve the second reading of the new ordinance establishing a local sales and use tax in Richfield and by resolution approve summary publication of said ordinance. [00:17:20] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Second. [00:17:22] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded. Any further discussion? Um, Council Member Whan. [00:17:28] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Thank you, mayor. Uh, just wanted to again echo the thank you to residents and voters. Um, if staff could remind—these are uh all three projects will happen, they're not on the same timeline. If you could remind anyone listening what our—the Nature Center we were just talking about, that is set to move pretty quickly, um, but the others are farther out. If you could just remind us of that please. [00:17:55] **City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** Uh, correct. So the Wood Lake Nature Center building will be 2026 into 2027 project timeline. Vets Park will start in late 2026, but it will—those projects will be done over time, so that'll be a longer timeline. Um, the—the pool liner, which is the most urgent, will—will be done after the season um in 2026. And then for the Community Center, we are looking at right now it's in 2030. Uh, if—if possible, we'd love to see that moved up to 2029, but right now it's slotted in in 2030. That project is because it's the farthest out is the least developed. [00:18:40] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Thank you. And yes, primarily wanted—I know we've had a lot of community uh members ask about the Community Center, and uh for those who are interested in that, want to be part of shaping that, that is yet to come. Um, you will have plenty of opportunities to do that in future years. [00:18:55] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Any other discussion? Council Member Troutman. [00:19:00] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** Thank you, mayor. Um, I wanted to—I wanted to also thank our staff. Um, and residents might not appreciate just how much work goes in uh over, as uh City Manager Rodriguez said, just a number of years and a number of different uh staff members and elected leaders. And so I want to thank our staff. I also really want to thank our residents. Um, somebody who has spent more than 30 years going to Veterans Park and going to Wood Lake Nature Center... um, and we have—we have my—my kids are here in the audience today. It just—I want to thank everybody. As a community, we can have great amenities because we choose to invest in great amenities as a community. And so, thanks, community. [00:19:45] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Any further discussion? It's already been said, but I think it bears to be said multiple times: I want to thank all of the voters for approving this and also thank all of the volunteers that were involved and gave feedback, and the staff and everyone that worked on this project. So we really appreciate it and it's very exciting to see this all move forward. With that, all in favor please say aye. [00:20:10] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:20:12] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And let that be recorded as unanimous. Thank you. Next, we'll move on to item seven, which is considering the resolutions approving the 2024 revised and 2025 proposed budgets, tax levy, and related resolutions. And I'll turn it over to Council Member Christensen. [00:20:35] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Thank you, mayor. On September 10th, 2024, the City Council approved and certified a preliminary tax levy of $29,907,569, which included a levy for general fund operations of $23,654,551, a debt service levy of $4,101,375, an equipment and technology levy of $1,528,300, and an Economic Development Agency levy of $623,343. There are no proposed changes to the final levy as proposed. The 2025 gross levy represents a 5.45% increase from the 2024 gross levy. The proposed 2025 Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) levy is a 3% increase to $720,610. The combined gross levies represent a 5.39% increase over the 2024 combined gross levies. The final tax levy of $30,628,179, which includes both the City levy and the HRA levy, must now be considered and approved by the City Council. Taxpayers have received individual parcel-specific tax notices as part of the Truth and Taxation hearing process. The City of Richfield held its 2024 Truth and Taxation hearing on November 26th, 2024, at 6:30 p.m. At this meeting, staff presented and the Council discussed the proposed City budget. While finalizing the 2025 budget document, the staff carefully reviewed every budget at fund level and department level. It was discovered that the following capital budget item needed to be revised so that it matches with requests submitted by respective project managers. The change has been made in the budget document presented to the council for adoption. Please note that this change has no impact on the general fund budget and the tax levy. The total of 2024 Capital Improvement budget has increased from $30,946,014 to $32,445,854. Changes made to the 2025 Capital Improvement budget include project detail, original number, revised number, and net change: Recreation and Open Space: Donaldson Park playground equipment—the revised number is $175,000 with a net change of $175,000. Buildings, Fleet, and Technology: Security camera City Hall and PW building—the revised number was $250,000 with a net change of $250,000. Buildings, Fleet, and Technology: Network and fiber infrastructure projects had a change of $774,844 with a total of $499,844. And the 2026-2029 Capital Improvement Plan has also been updated to reflect the addition of a new community center project for $55 million in 2030 to be funded with LST and other revenues. The addition does not change the totals for the CIP as it is scheduled for the following year; however, significant projects beyond the four-year scope are noted in the plan. Included for your consideration are salary increases for non-represented employee pay plans. The proposed increases are a 3% increase for the General Services and the Specialized pay plans. The increases will be effective first pay period of January 2025. With the majority of paydays in 2025, this change will be reflected in the paycheck issued on January 17th. Or did staff have anything they wanted to add? [00:24:45] **City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** Yes. Thank you, mayor and council member. Um, thank-yous will be a theme tonight. Um, as you know, the budget process is led by our Finance Director, Kud Verma. Um, there's—it's a long process, and the directors and key people on their staff put in a lot of hours of good work. Kud's last day is uh January 3rd, um, and she has really had to navigate a tough stretch for the Finance Department. I'm really grateful that she stuck it out and uh is leaving a department that is stable, a staff with just lots of potential, and she has streamlined many of the processes. So, thank you. [00:25:35] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. And I want to echo our thank you to Finance Director Verma. We really appreciate all you've done. [00:25:42] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Thank you, mayor. With that, I call for a motion to approve this resolution. [00:25:46] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** I will second the motion. [00:25:48] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. It's been moved and seconded to adopt the resolutions approving the 2024 revised and 2025 proposed budgets, tax levy, and related resolutions. Is there any discussion? Council Member Whan. [00:26:00] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Thank you, mayor. Um, there's been a lot of discussion already about this. Um, I feel it's important to name uh just—not that it changes anything for this year, but as uh some up here look to next year... um, two of us, this is our final meeting, but um... the—the discussion in September as we approved the preliminary tax levy um that is now the same as the final... we talked a lot about our City's approach to public safety and that um of the—I believe it was roughly $1.6 million increase in the—the levy um and the budget, um around half of that is going simply to uh increased pay for our current officer positions, uh which is both—it's a very challenging job that uh and very hard to recruit and retain quality staff for that position. I'm not saying that that is uh not deserved or not a worthwhile spending of money. Um, and then an additional $300,000 is to add two additional officer positions. And so I just want to be clear that this is a—a very large increase in our public safety budget that is focused almost entirely on traditional policing. And we heard from a lot of residents calling for uh both traditional policing and continued investment in alternative models. And I think we've done a lot of that uh good work. We've added social workers, we have an alternative response team, and I just want to highlight that some of those alternative responses are currently still being funded with uh from our ARPA, our American Rescue Plan dollars. Um, they have not yet been incorporated into the full budget. And so for—for next year, there will both be what I would consider the bare minimum of continuing those programs, um, incorporating them into our—our normal budget um so that they are an ongoing program that our community supports. Um, and what I—what I heard, what I uh as just a normal resident next year will be hoping for, would be a continued increase to invest in—in those programs. And that uh I think the whole world has learned in the last few years that um public safety is getting more complicated and we need a variety of responses. And so I just wanted to—to talk about that uh as it is the primary uh driver of the—the increase in this budget and I think will continue to be an important thing to—to consider next year. Thank you. [00:28:45] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Other comments or questions? I wanted to add that if you go to the city website for the—the minutes and the agendas, there's a section for tonight's meeting that says "More," and if you click on that, you get to an over 200-page budget book. And if you get to about the middle of that book, for each department, it tells the highlights of what they did in 2024 and the goals for 2025. And it's—it's really interesting reading because, you know, you—you kind of keep moving forward and doing things, and then when you see it all in one place, it's like, wow, a lot of really great work has been done and a lot of people have put time and effort into that. And to see all of that and how the strategic planning works—and as Council Member Whan mentioned, things like the alternative response programs and all of those new things are there. So if you're interested in finding out what the city does, it's a really good summary. So I'd say probably the middle third of the um budget book would be really interesting reading for anyone that wants to know what's going on in the city. So thank you to everybody for all the work that they've done. Any other comments or questions? With that, we have a motion before us to approve the revised budgets, tax levy, and related resolutions. All in favor please say aye. [00:30:05] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:30:07] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And we have approved them. Thank you all. Next, we'll move on to consider the adoption of a resolution awarding the sale of $10 million in General Obligation Sales Tax Revenue Bond Series 2024A. And I believe the um bonds were opened up today, and so there's some papers in front of each of the council members with the most up-to-date information. And I'll turn it over to Council Member Whan. [00:30:35] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Thank you, mayor. Uh, at the November 12th, 2024, City Council meeting, the City Council approved a resolution providing for the sale of $10 million in General Obligation Sales Tax Revenue Bonds Series 2024A. These bonds will finance improvements to the Wood Lake Nature Center commencing in 2025. Uh, bids on the bonds uh were due uh in the offices of Ehlers and Associates this morning. Rebecca Kurts from Ehlers will be here uh today um to recommend the successful bidder, review documents, and provide information for the resolution, uh which is only available after the bidding is closed. Um, so I will hand it over to you today. [00:31:20] **Rebecca Kurts (Ehlers & Associates):** And um the sale day packet, which provides a lot of the detail, was distributed at each of your um seats before the meeting. So um with that, as we've done with other bond issues, we did start our process um with a rating with Standard & Poor's. I do know that the um draft report was distributed via email late last week, I believe, and I did include the final report as published by Standard & Poor's in the packet that you have before you this evening. Um, I'd like to start with saying congratulations. Um, S&P did affirm the city's double-A plus rating with a stable outlook for these bonds and with all of the city's other General Obligation debt that is outstanding. As you guys have heard me say many times, um, it—it continues to be really a reflection of the work that you as the Council and staff and the Finance Department do to um carefully plan and be responsible with the use of public dollars—how debt is used, how budgets are put together. So, congratulations on again that affirmation of the double-A plus rating. Um, I do want to, just for the public, highlight a couple of the comments that were made in the rating report um that does support why Standard & Poor's did move forward affirming that. Um, S&P talks about the stable budget with surpluses in fiscal years '22 and '23, and then along with their anticipation that the city will continue to maintain its strong um financial performance into '24 and '25. Um, Standard & Poor's also talks about the healthy reserve position that falls in line with the policy that the city adopted to maintain an unassigned fund balance in an amount not less than 40% of expenditures, and that at this point, there are no plans to spend down or touch that um fund balance. Um, S&P talks about the sophisticated management framework and really um outlines the recognition of the work that staff and Council do when putting together the budget each year and the thought that goes into that. Um, they do recognize that the debt burden will be anticipated to grow, and we talked about that a little bit this evening with those future bond issues um related to the sales tax and other capital projects. But they call out that the direct debt as a percentage of market value is 1.6%. So Standard & Poor's expects that while that um debt may grow, it will remain manageable relative to the economy in the community. And again, the complete report um is—is in your packet and I'm happy to answer questions, but congratulations on that. Um, so the real reason we are here this evening: um, we did receive nine bids for these bonds in our office this morning. Hilltop Securities out of Dallas, Texas, was the low bidder with a true interest rate of 2.713%. Um, with that, one thing I do want to call out is we did receive a premium bid. And so, um, in very simple terms, what that means is with the way the bonds were bid and the way they will be marketed, you received more money than what we anticipated um with that. So you did receive $686,000 roughly more than what was anticipated um with that. Then the par amount of the bonds still remains $10 million, so they are still the bank-qualified; however, the premium provides the ability to have $10,572,887 go into the project fund for the Wood Lake Nature Center. So it is more than what we anticipated would go into the project fund. Um, we do recognize that there is an $11 million cap on that per the um sales tax um what happened with the referendum, and so that will be accounted for when we get ready to do the next phase of the bonds. But um, there was a premium bid on this. Um, with that, we are recommending um awarding to the low bid of Hilltop Securities with that interest rate of 2.713%. Um, if you do choose to move forward and award the bonds per our recommendation, there is a resolution that's been provided by your Bond Counsel, and funds would be available on December 30th of this year. Um, with that, I am... in the packet there also is a more detailed list of what the individual bids were for those nine if you're interested, um along with a um payment—final payment schedule. With that, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. [00:36:10] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Do we have any questions? All right, thank you so much for the detailed information. [00:36:15] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Then I would make a motion that we adopt the resolution awarding the sale of General Obligation Sales Tax Revenue Bonds Series 2024A in the original principal amount of $10 million, fixing the form and specifications, directing their execution and delivery, and providing for their payment. [00:36:35] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Second. [00:36:37] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded. Is there any discussion? All in favor please say aye. [00:36:41] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:36:43] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And we have adopted the resolution. Next, we will move on to the City Manager's report. City Manager Rodriguez. [00:36:55] **City Manager Katie Rodriguez:** Thank you, mayor. Um, there were no speakers at the last meeting's open forum, so I don't have anything to report on that. And I wanted to use my time to thank council members Troutman and Whan, since this is their last meeting. Um, Simon, you are the—you're the last council member from the council that hired me, and I just want to say thank you. I'm—I'm really grateful to be part of this organization. I—I think the community is a special place. Um, your love and pride in Richfield is infectious, and you bring an important historical perspective to the policymaking. I also appreciate your big-picture and entrepreneurial approach, and I felt that was important in our decision-making. You are also one of the most interesting people I have worked with, and so don't be a stranger. Thank you. Um, Ben, you also started on Council I mean just after I was hired. Uh, I've always admired your ability to thoroughly review information. You ask great questions and you communicate in concise and effective ways with residents—I'm trying to learn from that. Um, I'm also really grateful for your direct communication. We've had some tough conversations, but you made me feel like we—we could have tough conversations and it wouldn't fray the fabric of our relationship. And so I really appreciate that. Um, I've often said that I want to live in the world that you're fighting for, and I know that as you step off Council, that you'll still will continue fighting for that. So, thank you. And that's all I have. [00:38:50] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All right. Thank you so much. Next, we'll move on to claims and payroll. Council Member Troutman. [00:38:55] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** I would move claims and payroll. [00:38:58] **Council Member Ben Whan:** I will second. [00:39:00] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to approve claims and payroll. Is there any discussion? Thanks, staff. All in favor please say aye. [00:39:08] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:39:10] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And we have approved claims. So before we get into the—the bulk of the hats off, which I think is going to be about two of our colleagues, I want to talk about one other thing. So I want to give a hats off to the Richfield staff who joined me in hosting the second graders from the STEM school, and hats off to all the second graders and their chaperones and teachers. So we asked them—we talked about all the different things that happen in the city, and we took a poll of what they thought the most important thing was to them, and there was a clear winner: that they want to take care of the Earth. So I think we have some future sustainability commission members that may want to be on that in that group. So it was very clear—we emptied it after each class and so each of the four classes independently chose that. So hats off to the Richfield STEM school second graders. All right. Um, Council Member Christensen, did you have anything to add? [00:40:10] **Council Member Sharon Christensen:** Just want to advertise the uh Lights Parade being held on Thursday evening this week, and it'll be a fun uh fun evening to see all the different types of utility vehicles and everything that's going to be in the parade. Kind of kicks off this uh winter. If we would have a little snow to go with it, that would be great, but we'll take it. It's going to be cold, but we invite everybody to come on out and see it. Thank you. [00:40:35] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Council Member Hayford Oleary. [00:40:38] **Council Member Sean Hayford Oleary:** Yeah, I did want to just say thank you and goodbye—well, in this role—to uh Simon and Ben. And yeah, I was—I was thinking what exactly I wanted to say during the meeting and then—and then Katie said almost exactly the same thing, so it must be that you truly do have a brand and a style as a council member that I also thought of very similar things. But it doesn't hurt to say nice things a couple times. So I do want to say, um, you know, it's been a pleasure to serve with you the last four years, both of you. Um, particularly Simon, your positivity that you—like being out there being Mr. Richfield. Um, you're a great voice for our community. Um, you've always pushed to include equity issues and you always do everything with a smile on your face in a way that is really helpful. Um, and it makes this group fun to be a part of and it makes the city a good—a good place to be. Thanks for—thank you. And then Ben, I just want to say that I really appreciate that you're—you always challenge us in policy. And even your comments now during the—the budget passage, I think a lot of people would have just been like, "It's last meeting, just like Let It Go," but you—you continue to challenge us, you continue to speak to your passion and your priorities. Um, you've changed my mind on a number of issues over the last four years. You've been a supporter and an ally on a number of issues, particularly related to prioritizing climate change, that I've really valued. Um, and I'm going to miss you as well. So thank you so much. [00:42:20] **Mayor Mary Supple:** And I want to echo th—that gratitude. Thank you so much for all of the service you've had. Um, Council Member Whan, and I know you have a lot of passion for housing—we mentioned climate change, but the housing is another issue that you've um worked a lot on—and the equity issues. So thank you for all of your commitment and best wishes on your new adventures. Council Member Troutman, thank you also. And I also want to thank you for your mentorship because you were the experienced person when we all came on and you kind of helped all the rest of us learn how to do things "the Richfield way." So I really appreciate that, and I appreciate all your passion. And there's been a number of times that I've like, as um Council Member Hayford Oleary mentioned, you've changed my mind as we've had the discussion. So I appreciate all of that. So with that, I'm gonna let you guys have the last words. So Council Member Whan. [00:43:20] **Council Member Ben Whan:** Thank you, mayor. Um, I—I shared some of this uh with a few folks when I first announced that I was not planning to run. But as I look back on uh my time, my six years on Council, uh we're in a very different place as a city. Um, I think about uh big but little things. Um, when I first ran, um knocked on like five—five to 6,000 doors in Ward 3. And some of the things I heard over and over again were about uh communication with residents. And we since then have added—and um want to thank our communication staff for this—the—the um Weekly Newsletter that now uh hear compliments all the time about that and how uh how much we are telling people about what we're doing. Um, I heard a lot about uh something that I was not expecting, uh had not thought too much about myself, but a lot about the number of garbage trucks. And we have since implemented uh the organized hauling system. I also thought about uh what—what first inspired me to run. Um, and it was a set, frankly, of frustrating experiences with the city um that I had been part of the uh Police Multicultural Advisory Commission and was kicked off uh—and can get into details with you if you want—but that one of the things we were trying to do was start a conversation about uh racial disparities in our city. And that we since then um have hired a—an Equity Coordinator. We have um embedded into our strategic plan that every department um would be looking at tracking, identifying, and working to address racial disparities that are relevant to their department. Um, and so still—still room to grow, but that uh very—very different than where—where we started. Um, Mayor Supple mentioned the work around housing. That when I first started getting engaged in Richfield, um some of the council members who are not even up here anymore um just were—seemed only interested in uh new—new sort of expensive housing, uh were less concerned about displacement of our current residents. Um, and the Crossroads at Penn situation was something I heard about a lot and um worked with—worked with some great community members and on some tenant protection ordinances, and was told at the time by staff that we didn't have any capacity to talk with renters and uh that that's not something they—they they knew how to do. And since then, I mean, we've had several great renters um who are part of our uh commissions. Uh, I first ran for Council when I was a renter. We've certainly embedded uh again in our strategic plan some great goals about housing affordability, passed some uh great policies including one of the first cities to work on um accessible and affordable housing um in our inclusionary zoning policy. Uh, so some strong progress there. And then also on—on climate action. That when I—I started... uh and this one I'll give a special hat tip to a previous mayor, Maria Regan Gonzalez. That we uh some of our departments were talking about it, but it was not a city-wide conversation. We didn't have any dedicated staff, and now um we have two staff people, budget set aside for that, a climate action plan, uh and a—a—a conversation that uh particularly is uh thanking Council Member Troutman for—for his partnership and support on things. I feel like you helped us break open a new level of conversation around our climate action efforts about like, "What is—what is the impact really going to be here, and why do we need to care about this so much?" And so, um, I don't think any one of those areas that uh we're never done uh communicating better with residents, we're never done uh with, you know, caring for our environment... I would love to hope that in my lifetime we'll be done addressing racial disparities um but that—so the—the work goes on. But I feel really proud of uh the work that I got to be part of. I certainly—I don't list all of these things off to claim credit for all of them, but that it—it truly was a partnership with everyone here, uh many of our staff are in the room and the ones who are not, uh but especially with—with residents that um to... I see our incoming Ward 3 council member is here. One of the first things I—I told her, have told other people who run for office: uh my biggest lesson is that having sitting in this chair, having a vote, is not nearly as powerful as the moments when I've had the community behind me. And so thank you to everyone who uh weighed in, whether it was through a random late-night text as I was reading our Council packets, or uh when people came in groups to hearings to speak up. Um, but just thank you to everyone in the past six years who's had a part of our—our process. Um, and I will hand it off to my colleague. And thank you for—for all of the times we've partnered, your thoughtful discussions, and uh yes I would echo what others have said: that you are uh much better than I at being cheerful even through the tense conversation. So, thank you for your uh optimism and your personality in that regard. [00:49:10] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** Well thanks, friend. And I just have to start by mirroring some of the same comments uh to Council Member Whan. Um, as a council member I've learned a lot from you and particularly in issues of climate change and um and also uh I—I just reflect on our Council and just how smart um and talented and in different ways uh my colleagues are. And Sean, you have a command of uh details that is nearly superhuman. Um, and but—but not just for—not just for trivia's sake. Uh, you put it to extraordinarily good use and you challenge us to think more thoughtfully and carefully and deeply. And we share a visual aesthetic, which I also appreciate. Uh, and for our mayor, you know your way around our a budget and I really appreciate your—your leadership and your—your—your calming presence in—in the midst of storms. And Council Member Christensen is a serially published author—a lot of people don't know that. Um, and there—there—there are so many thank yous I'm going to try to get through them really quickly. Um, but I—I do want to thank our staff. Um, when we came in—when I—I came two—two terms ago, um... I—I grew up... when we—when we moved to Richfield we had moved maybe uh seven or eight times by the time I was seven years old. And when our family moved to Richfield, um it became uh you know many ways the forever home and Richfield the forever home. And to be able to not just represent my city, but to have the neighborhood I grew up in send me to speak for them and send me twice... just one of the great honors of my life. So thank you residents, thank you community. Uh, in one of the highest voting wards in the country, thank you. Um, but—but to our—to our staff, we came at a time of generational change. Uh, the median age of our Council shifted down 30 years in about a term. Um, and for the first time in our state's history we had a majority Latino Council. Um, and we had a city that had become about 40 plus percent people of color. And we had a staff that was functionally 100% Caucasian, and certainly at a leadership level that was the case. And we had different visions. And for for all the staff that took time to share things and teach me things that I didn't know, I want to say thank you. And for especially all the staff that's still here: change came. Um, and some people embraced that vision, some people left that vision... nobody got here without growing and certainly I was a part of that. But to our staff, um... you—you—you have moved extraordinarily through the pandemic—um was an extraordinary time of change. I want to say thank you. Uh, I'm so proud of so—so many things that we've accomplished, I won't name them because we'll be here all night. Um, but um... I do want to recognize our new council members, and I see Rori Coleman there. Um, when I became a council member, something that you don't think of all the time when you run for an elected office is the power that you'll have to—to encourage people to be joyful. Uh, I remember the day after the election I said thank you to the receptionist at my son's school and she just said... I just did the normal things you'd normally say, which is you know, "Thank you, I appreciate you, you're doing a great job." And she just said, "Oh my goodness, I'm so—" She—she—it made this impact that I wasn't expecting. And I walked away thinking: did I... I didn't just become more charismatic overnight. Um, but when I said thank you, I—I was for the first time saying thank you on behalf of our city. And it was—it's an incredible power and an incredible privilege to express something on behalf of community. And so I—I'm really excited to share that with our new council members. I'm—I'm—I'm so grateful for—for our—our new council members and think exceedingly highly of them. Um, I do want to thank one more group of people because um it is impossible to—to be here and be anywhere else at the same time. And um you might notice these all take place in the evenings, they take place at night. Um, uh my colleagues here recog—they didn't even recognize my sons how big they've gotten over the years. Um, and for every hour I've had the opportunity to be in community, um I have often dragged my children along with but oftentimes haven't. And for all the hours that you've come with me and for all the hours you haven't, I just want to recognize that you both, Leander and Justice Troutman, have made a lot of sacrifices. And to my wife, Jennifer Melendez Troutman... um, you have made a lot of sacrifices. And when things happen in community and there's—there's pain and there's us being not here, you're making a really big contribution. So I just if we could—could—could um have my—my family standing, can we give my family a round of applause? Thank you Jennifer, Leander, Justice—I love you very much. Go ahead. [00:54:55] **Council Member Ben Whan:** I did uh... thank you. I did forget to thank my family, who—my son is two so they are no longer in the room. Uh, the goldfish only lasted so long. But yes, would echo to that that I uh for this, for my day job which is out in community organizing, uh my wife often says uh when I'm recruiting others she says, "I'm already participating, yeah, I'm watching Caleb." And so thank you for—for making all of this possible, um and for your love and support through uh challenging scheduling that—that's a reality of these positions. [00:55:35] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** And—and if I could just add just because uh Council Member Whan mentioned this: this is not like a final goodbye. Council Member Whan is still in involved in—in politics and has made that as I mention... I don't feel... we're—we're still neighbors, we're still in community, there's still lots of work to do, we're excited to do that. So it's not a—not a funeral. Um, I'm reminded of Jon Stewart in his Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear if people recall that, when he said: sometimes the light at the end of the tunnel is just New Jersey. And so we're excited to still be here on January 1st. [00:56:15] **Mayor Mary Supple:** Well, thank you again, Council Member Whan and Council Member Troutman and your families, because I do think that's very important to acknowledge the families. So with that, if there's no further business, I would entertain a motion to adjourn the meeting. [00:56:30] **Council Member Ben Whan:** I would move that we adjourn our meeting. [00:56:33] **Council Member Simon Troutman:** I would second it. [00:56:35] **Mayor Mary Supple:** It's been moved and seconded to adjourn the meeting. All in favor please say aye. [00:56:38] **Council Members (Unison):** Aye. [00:56:40] **Mayor Mary Supple:** All opposed? And now we sign off with the last time with this particular Council. We stand adjourned. [Applause]