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2025-06-10 CC Meeting MinutesMOUND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES June 10, 2025 The City Council of the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met in regular session on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers in the Centennial Building. Members present: Acting Mayor Kevin Castellano, Council Members Sherrie Pugh, Kathy McEnaney, and Michelle Herrick. Members absent: Mayor Jason Holt Others present: City Manager Jesse Dickson, City Clerk Kevin Kelly, City Attorney Scott Landsman, City Engineer Matt Bauman, Orono Police Officer Ryan Spencer, Minnetonka Community Education Jen Bodurka, Bill and Sheri Wallace, Jane Anderson, Pat and Kaia Pelstring, Bart Hailing, Timothy Williams, Phil Bowman, Ed Rockwell, Britney Magdal, Johnny Range, Barb Zimmerman, Ben Brandt, Tom Brossard, Kay Riley, Mike Riley, Jason Baker, Erin Wombacher, John Wombacher, Kara Johnston, Dan Johnston, Tyler Pieper. Consent agenda: All items listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine in nature by the Council. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a Councilmember or citizen so Pequests, in which event it will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in normal sequence. 1. Open meeting Acting Mayor Castellano called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. 2. Pledoe of Allegiance 3. Approve agenda Dickson had an amendment to the consent agenda, Item 4J, a resolution to approve a legal gambling permit for the Westonka Hockey Association at Carbone's Pizzeria Bar and Grill. MOTION by Pugh, seconded by McEnaney, to approve the amended agenda. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 4. Consent agenda Herrick requested that Items 4E and 4G be pulled from the agenda. MOTION by McEnaney, seconded by Pugh, to approve the amended consent agenda. Upon roll call vote, all voted in favor. Motion carried. A. Approve payment of claims in the amount of $357,579.21. B. Approve minutes: May 27, 2025 Regular City Council Meeting C. Approve resolution 25-53 approving Liquor Licenses D. Approve resolution 25-54 approving a Musical Concert Permit for private party at 2460 Lakewood Lane on Saturday, July 19, 2025 E. Pulled F. Approve resolution 25-56 amending and restating Resolution No. 24-106 approving permits for 2025 Spirit of the Lakes Festival being held on Thursday, July 17, 2025 through Saturday, July 19, 2025 and waiving fees G. Pulled H. Pay Request No. 2 in the amount of $302,467.19 to Widmer Construction for the Water Treatment Infrastructure Improvements — Phase 1 City Project No. PW-25-12 Pay Request No. 2 in the amount of $205,455.55 to Concrete Idea, Inc. for CSAH 15 Sidewalk Improvements, City Project Nos. PW-25-08 & PW-25-09 J. Approval of Gambling Permit for Westonka Hockey Association 4E. (Pulled for further discussion) Approve resolution 25-55 approving a Public Lands Permit for property at 5240 Pike Road Herrick said she is concerned about the Planning Commission (PC) processes as it seems to her that the city receives a lot of requests for variances. Herrick said the PC information didn't list a reason why there is a hardship to the property owner. Herrick added why there is not an approval from the DNR and the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) regarding the number of gallons of water used for lawn watering. Dickson said the MCWD was involved with this application and the practical implication is it can be burdensome to seek approval from those agencies. Dickson said it is the responsibility of the property owner to demonstrate they have applied to all applicable agencies. MOTION by Herrick, seconded by McEnaney, to approve agenda Item 4E. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 4G. (Pulled for further discussion) Approve resolution 25-57 approving variance for property at 2881 Westedge Boulevard Herrick asked about the reason for the variance for the 2881 Westedge property. McEnaney said the reason for the variance was in the PC notes and the item was passed by the PC unanimously. Timothy Williams, 2881 Westedge Blvd., said his house was built before 1969 which was before there was a city zoning ordinance. Williams said the property is a corner lot. Williams said the house is about 60 feet off of the Pine Road side and there is plenty of frontage from Westedge Blvd. Williams said he would like to replace the existing backyard fence, which is currently a chain link, with a privacy fence. Williams added that without a variance the fence could only be four feet in height which wouldn't give the privacy sought. McEnaney said this is a corner lot and the fence wouldn't be an issue. McEnaney added the fence ordinance is under consideration for amendment by the PC. McEnaney said the new fence would be a great improvement over the current fence. MOTION by Pugh, seconded by Herrick, to approve agenda Item 4G. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 5. Comments and suggestions from citizens present on any item not on the agenda. Landsman said there is a petition from the Harrisons Bay Association (HBA) on the agenda which is to provide information to the City Council as provided by the HBA on the establishment of a Lake Improvement District (LID). Landsman said the presentation later in the agenda is informational and is not a public hearing at this time. Landsman said the first City Council meeting in August will include a public hearing with opportunities for the public to comment on the creation of the LID. Landsman said that MN statute requires a 21-day notice for the public hearing of which will be sent to every resident in the proposed LID district. Tyler Pieper, 5504 Church Road, said there are several metal poles in Belmont Park which the city placed that have been vandalized. Pieper said the poles have been snapped off for the third time now. Pieper said the poles demark areas in the park which are not to be mowed. Pieper said he would like the Orono Police Department (OPD) to patrol Belmont Park more often. 6. Orono Police Department with May 2025 Activity Report Sergeant Spencer was detained in a different jurisdiction so wasn't able to present the activity report. 7. Jen Bodurka - Tour de Tonka Presentation Jenny Bodurka, Minnetonka Community Education, presented on the Tour de Tonka (TDT) event which will be held on August 2, 2025. Bodurka said this event is the 20th anniversary of the Tour. Bodurka said there will be fun ways to celebrate the anniversary at the event which includes displays of photos and shirts which were used over the years. Bodurka added there are 48 participants who have been involved in the event every year since the inception of TDT. Bodurka presented the following information: 2500 participants with 854 registrations so far Riders from many states and 113 cities in Minnesota are participating Five ride distances from 16 miles to 100 miles The 40-mile and 58-mile rides go through Mound A ride rest stop will be at stationed at Bethel United Methodist Church The rides will go through four different counties and 25 cities TDT needs 600 volunteers to work in many capacities Since 2006 TDT has helped raise over $100K for the ICA Food Shelf Thank you to law enforcement and safety partners Bodurka said the TDT rides start at either Minnetonka High School or Clear Springs Elementary School. Castellano asked for the deadline for registering and Bodurka said there is even same day registration. 8. Harrison Bay — Lake Improvement District Bart Halling, 5513 Sherwood Drive, thanked the Council for its support and the City's on -going relationship with the Harrisons Bay Association (HBA). Halling said Sheri Wallace from the HBA spoke before the Council in January about the Lake Improvement District (LID) concept and he is here to give an overview of the activity and process to create a LID on Harrisons Bay. Halling said there are a number ofvolunteers reaching out to Harrisons Bay residents. Halling said there has been dialog with many different people and the HBA welcomes all input from Harrison Bay residents. Halling said Lake Minnetonka is one of the most visited and traveled bodies of water in Minnesota and people have moved to Mound to experience lake life. Halling said the HBA was created to take care of Harrisons Bay and the HBA needs some help to do this. Halling listed a number of challenges facing Harrisons Bay: • Listed as an impaired body of water by Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) • No marked improvement in the Bay • West Arm, Jennings, Halsted are considered impaired • Invasive Species AIS • Harmful Algae Blooms • Challenging environment for native plants to grow Halling listed the reasons for "Why a Lake improvement District (LID)": • Invest for future generations • Sustainable property/community value • Improve Recreation • Local Control and Funding • Better Grant Access — LID structure will allow for more opportunities • Limited Viable Alternatives — LMCD, DNR, LMA with no specific funding for improvements • Zero dollars in property tax goes into Harrisons Bay Halling listed the LID objectives: • Improved Water Quality • Native Vegetation Support • Native Fish and Wildlife Support • Invasive Species Control • Community Education • Habitat and Health Environment Halling said the water quality of Harrisons Bay is rated as poor by the MCWD. Halling said Carman Bay is listed as excellent/exceptional water quality which was fostered by the creation of a LID in 2017 which reduced AIS and they are now seeing positive results. Halling: "What HBA has done so far": • Treated Invasive Plants (2022-2025) • Carp and Plant Ongoing Surveys • Installed three Rain Gardens 324 Rain Barrels Distributed • Educational Website • Partnerships established with City of Mound, LMCD, MCWD, DNR, University of Minnesota's AIS program, Two Mikes (Carp to fertilizer) PLM, Carp Solutions, Carman Bay and St. Albans Bay, MN Bow Fishing Association Halling listed Proposed Programs of the LID: • Treatment Strategy on Invasive Vegetation • Carp Management • Active Grant Pursuit • Shoreline Restoration/Runoff Efforts • Education on Sustainable Lakeshore Management • Monitor Water Quality Halling offered the LID Boundary Overview: • Encompasses 2043 Lakeside Lane to 4778 Northern Road in Mound • Includes 233 properties • All properties are located within the City of Mound Halling provided Community Benefits to the creation of a LID: • Public Beach • Two Launches • 92 Commons Docks • Two Parks Halling outlined the LID Annual Process: • Community directed initiative to determine what is important • Inform residents about proposed projects • Create budget forecasts for projects • Annual meeting with voting for majority support for projects • PID allocation sent to City and Hennepin County for assessment processing • Funds allocated from City twice annually March/November forwarded to the LID Halling said he spoke to Maggie Lin, City of Orono Finance Director, who said it is an estimated two hours of work from the city after implementation of the LID. Halling said the 2026 Annual Budget will be set at $31,750.00 which is a starting place for LID activity based on historical evidence. Halling said the LID will have the following categories of Annual Assessments: • Lakeshore residents - $150 • Channel/Deeded Access - $100 property abuts a lagoon or channel • Non -Lake Abutting Association - $50 • Marina - $500 Halling listed the Governance of the LID • 5-7 Volunteer Directors • 2-Year Alternating Terms • LID would need to write governing bylaws • Represent neighborhoods around Harrisons Bay • Maintain key partnerships • No compensation for members with LID run by a Volunteer Board Halling said the LID would comply with existing regulations which include MCWD rules, LMCD Ordinances, DNR permitting for AID treatment and City of Mound Ordinances. Hailing said the HBA has gone out and elicited signatures for the LID petition and has achieved 56% petition signatures for approval for establishing the LID. Hailing listed the following regarding the HBA petition activity: • 14% - will not sign for approval • 11 % - no contact with resident so far • 12% - no response either pro or con to LID establishment • 3% - neutral response Sheri Wallace, 2135 Overland Lane, Board member of the HBA, thanked the Council for their support. Wallace said she is appreciative of the Council needing facts and is interested in addressing the Council's concerns. Wallace said the HBA is providing information gathered from a list of names of trusted advisors. Wallace said the HBA provided to the Council the "Get the Facts" document in the City Council packet. Wallace said the document provides links to expert consultants on AIS. Wallace said these experts offer: • Effective and proven treatments approved by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MN DNR). • Bay -wide treatments by the Lake Minnetonka Association (LMA) for Eurasian watermilfoil and curlyleaf pondweed (CLP) are effective • Plant surveys show the rebound of plant diversity after treatment • Only herbicides approved as safe by the EPA and the MN Department of Agriculture will be used • Only trained, licensed and insured applicators are hired for bay -wide treatment • LID decides on the type of treatment which are proven and most effective • There is nothing to keep a LID from using harvesting/cutting/pulling or other methods of AIS control • St. Albans Bay LID has effectively treated and is managing AIS by diligent monitoring Wallace listed the projected city staff hours used in setup as being eight hours which is based on research. Wallace listed other items of concern with establishing a LID: • Liability of LID is projected only through licensed and insured contractors • Use experts to guide decision making with DNR approval • Uncontrolled LID assessment - added a LID maximum to keep future assessments down Wallace listed Next Steps in the LID creation process: • Schedule Public Meeting — Delivered 140 resident signatures for approval of the LID • Verify those signatures as authentic • DNR review and comment on the proposal • Announce Public Meeting • Citizen Feedback • Council Vote on establishing the LID Wallace said the goal of the LID is to improve and then maintain water quality of Harrisons Bay for generations to come. McEnaney said she has supported HBA efforts and doesn't live on Harrisons Bay. McEnaney said she doesn't know if she would support a LID. McEnaney said if the Council approves the establishment of the LID this implies that the city is comfortable on a new level of taxation and governance. Wallace said the first board of the LID is appointed by the City Council and subsequent Boards are elected. McEnaney said city approval implies support of the HBA and she is uncomfortable with another level of bureaucracy. Wallace said the LID's activities have to stay within a proposed scope set by the MN DNR and 60% of residents like the idea of the creation of the LID. McEnaney said she is uncomfortable with the lack of oversight and where does this end. Wallace said this establishment of LID's may not end and is a new norm. McEnaney said there is a conflict of interest and asked where they would get their chemicals to treat the Bay. McEnaney said she the LMA would like chemical use to be a new norm and listed the chemicals used through the LMA. Hailing asked what kind of oversight McEnaney would like to have over the LID. McEnaney said a conflict of interest relates to where the LID would get their chemicals. Hailing said the chemicals which would be used are those allowed under statewide DNR guidelines and through statewide approved, licensed applicators. McEnaney said she looks at who is in bed with the other when it comes to chemical approval and usage. McEnaney said she doesn't think the chemical applications even work. Hailing said he heard that the Stubbs Bay LID is strongly supported by residents. Hailing said their conversation with the Stubbs Bay LID was not focused on which chemicals worked on which weeds but on finding the most effective solution to respond to the issues occurring in Stubbs Bay. Hailing said HBA is interested in creating the LID in order to put in place the structure with governance oversite with repeated funding to continue the treatment of Harrisons Bay. Hailing said the Forest Lake Association has largely eradicated milfoil in its Bay and the native plant Coontail is now in the bay and can't be chemically treated. Hailing said the Forest Lake group is looking at other options like weed pulling instead of chemical treatment. McEnaney said she appreciates the HBA's involvement but doesn't want to swim in a lake full of chemicals. McEnaney said in her area of the lake the lakeshore, people are using other methods other than chemicals to respond to AIS. McEnaney said the HBA is cherry picking who is in the LID because there aren't Spring Park residents who live on Harrisons Bay included in the LID. Hailing said the reason for this was to keep the LID from being too complex by adding another local government. McEnaney asked if each resident gets one vote on the LID to which Hailing said they do regardless of their annual assessment. McEnaney said the 40% who don't want the LID are burdened with taxation they don't want. Hailing responded what is the alternative to the LID when no other entity is working on water quality in Harrisons Bay. Hailing said if chemicals are not the right solution, then the LID will not use chemicals. Hailing added that doing nothing will not clean up Harrisons Bay. Wallace said studies show that chemicals used for weed removal disappear within 24 hours and allow native plants to have a chance to grow. Wallace said a LID is locally run and the HBA isn't looking to tax people out of their houses but is looking for cost effective solutions. McEnaney said she doesn't want city involvement in the LID. Hailing said the LID will improve an asset of the City which no other entity is taking on. McEnaney said she has heard negative responses overall from residents including complaints of being strong-armed by the HBA. Wallace said the HBA hasn't asked those in support of the LID to reach out to the Council. Wallace said 140 people have had positive signatures recorded. Hailing said they are hearing negative feedback from people outside the Harrisons Bay LID boundary. Wallace said she has reached out to Ed Rockwell who has an anti -LID petition and website for discussion about their opposing views. Wallace said the HBA does not want to cause division in the community. Pugh said she has received emails and calls concerning the governance structure of the LID and how the LID would interact with other cities. Hailing said the LID boundary is within the City of Mound. Hailing said the idea is to reach out to other LIDs to coordinate with them and to share best practices. Pugh said individuals are concerned about the cost and control of the cost of the assessment. Wallace said the LID proposal is capped at double of the initial proposed fees during the lifetime of the LID. Wallace added that LID members would need to have a vote at 50% + in order to expand the LID tax. Herrick said she owns shoreline on Lake Langdon and is trying to get assistance for the cleanup of Lake Langdon. Herrick said lakeshore residents are taxed at a higher rate. Herrick said the city doesn't own the lake, but the city would need to be responsible for administrating the funds. Herrick asked where her tax money going and said it is frustrating to be taxed at a higher rate and to not get that money into improving the lake. Hailing said to wait for the State to do something with all the competing interests they face isn't going to happen. Hailing said the idea of the LID is to get the local folks connected to the improvement of the lake. Wallace said if not us, who? Castellano said the feedback he received from contacts is regarding the original proposal which establishes the assessment. Castellano said an assessment could be amended and asked if the original proposal be amended. Wallace said the 50% + vote would need to follow the DNR guidelines which cannot be changed. Castellano asked if the scope could change and Wallace said only with a 50% + vote. Halling said the DNR will involve itself with setting limits and guidelines and LID governance Wallace said the MCWD and the MN EPA will be offering advice and the MCWD will be testing runoff into the lake and providing other guidance on LID activity. Castellano asked if the city can vote to dissolve a LID in the future. Wallace and Halling said they aren't sure if the city can dissolve a LID after establishment. Castellano said the annual meeting will be held but who holds the election of the Board nominees. Wallace said their annual meeting must be held in August with a vote conducted to potentially change the composition of the Board. Wallace added that only LID members can vote. Castellano said he has received feedback from residents about what a healthy lake means. Castellano said a healthy lake means different things to different people. Castellano said he didn't want to incur additional costs to the City as the LID isn't part of the Council task list for this year. Halling and Wallace said there is an annual report which the LID is required to produce, and the LID can also address the Council periodically. Castellano asked about the impaired Bay list. Halling said it is based on the measurements of the MCWD and on MN PCA standards and is caused by a variety of factors. Halling and Wallace said carp activity and Painters Creek are causes of the poor water quality in Harrisons Bay. Dickson said the process right now is the city and HBA are waiting for the DNR to give their report on the formation of the LID. Dickson said then a 21-day notice for public hearing would commence so this would probably lead to a Council decision at the City Council meeting on the second Tuesday of August. 9. Approve Resolution No. 25-58 Authorization to award bid recommendation for the 2025 Sewer Televising Project to Pipe Services, City Project No. PW-25-04 Bauman introduced this item to the City Council. Bauman said the city received the request for quotes on June V. Bauman said the city received three bids and Pipe Services came out with the lowest bid. Bauman said the recommendation of City Engineer was to go with Pipe Services for the project. MOTION by McEnaney, seconded by Herrick, to approve Resolution 25-58, authorization to award bid recommendation for the 2025 Sewer Televising Project to Pipe Services. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 10. Comments/Reports from Council members Council Member Pugh — No comment Council Member McEnaney — McEnaney said she would like to request that Public Works straighten out a flagpole at Veterans Plaza. McEnaney said it is the pole with the City of Mound flag. Council Member Castellano — Castellano said the Finance Committee has an upcoming meeting with staff. Dickson said there is a planned Council workshop meeting before the meeting on June 24tn Pugh said the Finance Committee should look at liquor store funds allocation and the Council should look at reallocating those resources. Castellano said the city budget and Lost Lake Commons Park priorities need to be worked out. Council Member Herrick — Herrick said she traveled around the city with Public Works Director Ryan Prich and said there are not the resources within the parks department staff to take greater care of Veterans Park. Herrick said she reached out to the American Legion Auxiliary to take care of maintenance of the park along with replacing flags. Herrick asked about a date for a future Parks and CC combined meeting. McEnaney said she wants to call a special meeting with a list of relevant items prior to that meeting to help the Parks Commission by providing more focus to Parks Crew cleanup. Castellano said this meeting could happen after the budget meeting. Herrick and McEnaney said they want more input on the Lost Lake Commons Park design, and they are receiving feedback from residents about the cost. Bauman said he is going to meet with the POSC at their next meeting to go over the Park Phase II planning and to finalize bids. Bauman said the plans are for Lost Lake Commons Park. Pugh said there has always been a budget and residents are interested in the details. Mayor Holt — Absent 11. Information/Miscellaneous A. Comments/reports from City Manager: Dickson said the budget workshop is related to questions on the budget priorities of Department Directors which are due in July. Dickson added there will be the preliminary budget meeting in September. Dickson said the Long -Term Financial Plan will be followed and Ehlers said the Liquor Store is not the steady pipeline of funds as a levy is. Pugh wondered about the fees from the Minnetonka Flats project. Dickson said he would get the specific amount from that project. Dickson added that the MN Legislature's Special Session ended with no local water treatment projects being funded through the legislation. Dickson said there may be some other avenues for funding. B. Reports: Liquor Store — May 2025 C. Minutes: April 1, 2025 — Planning Commission D. Correspondence: 12. Adjourn MOTION by Herrick, seconded by McEnaney, to adjourn at 8:27 p.m. All voted in favor. Motion carried. Attest: evin Kelly, Clerk im Mayor Jason R. Holt