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2026-02-10 CC Meeting MinutesMOUND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES February 10, 2026 The City Council of the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met in regular session on Tuesday, February 10, 2026, at 6:01 p.m. in the Council Chambers in the Centennial Building. Members present: Mayor Jason Holt, Council Members Sherrie Pugh, Kathy McEnaney, Kevin Castellano, and Michelle Herrick. Members absent: Others present: City Manager Jesse Dickson, Deputy City Manager Laila Imihy, Finance Director Lindsey Erdmann, City Attorney Scott Landsman, City Engineer Matt Bauman Call to Order 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Adopt Agenda The Mayor amended the agenda to add Ben Brandt, the LMCD representative, to join and present at item 5c. MOTION by McEnaney, seconded by Pugh, to approve the amended agenda. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 4. Public Comments There were no public comments. 5. Presentations a. Orono Police Department with the January 2026 Activity Report Officer Spencer presented an activity report, there were 127 calls for service slightly up from the past January. Weather has been cold, and things have been relatively quiet. The polar plunge was two weeks ago and was a great event. OPD has one new officer in FTO, and he will have his first shift on February 15th. Colton Beck is now on solo patrol. A few more officers will begin in the next few months so the department will be very busy with training. b. Introduction of Finance Director Lindsey Erdmann Deputy City Manager Imihy introduced Finance Director Lindsey Erdmann. Director Erdmann provided a brief introduction of her career history. Council Member McEnaney asked how long Finance Director Erdmann had been with the City and if she had any advice right away. Director Erdmann shared that she was still learning a lot about the City. Mayor Holt welcomed her to the Mound team. c. LMCD Representative Ben Brandt Rep. Brandt requested the opportunity to speak with the council, to understand their perspective on wakes on Lake Minnetonka as the LMCD board considers actions regarding wakes. Rep. Brandt discussed a study done by the U of M regarding the impact of wakes on lakes. The LMCD has not taken a formal position on wakes, however they have worked to push wake producing speeds away from the shore as well as providing education and enforcement on wakes. LMCD is also working on an improved map for boaters to reference. Mayor Holt questioned if there had previously been a vote on expanding that wake zone and if Rep. Brandt voted no. Mayor Holt noted that he had seen the white paper on wakes but that perhaps the council needs more time to offer an opinion on wakes. Council Member McEnaney mentioned that she has a lot of experience with wake boats, and most do not bring this type of boat onto Lake Minnetonka and that while it may not be liked by some people, she does not feel that there is anything which convinces her to increase regulations. She is impressed that no tickets have been issued, and she thinks the work LMCD has done is effective. Rep. Brandt shared that there have been quite a few good social campaigns to help with wakes. Mayor Holt mentioned that he feels jet skis are worse than wakes. Council Member Pugh asked why Rep. Brandt voted no on this issue, and Rep. Brandt said he did so because he was did not feel he had enough information until the U of M study came out. Member Pugh asked if he would vote no on the 500-foot regulation, and he said he was here to receive feedback from the City Council but that he is leaning towards no. Council Member Pugh shared a story regarding a wake boat on Harrison's Bay along with the other issues such as water quality issues and that she feels that people should be better stewards of the water and the lakeshore by voting to expand the wake restriction. Member Pugh asked how Rep. Brandt would deal with protecting the resource of the lake. Rep. Brandt shared that there are other resources, such as bay specific quiet water, designations that could limit wake in specific areas. Member Pugh asked if he would champion this on behalf of Mound, and Rep. Brandt said that he would if the Council was supportive of this. Mayor Holt shared that he feels there is no magic number for solving this issue, and he feels that banning wake boats is not the right choice for the Council and that he is more worried about jet skis rather than wake boats. Member Castellano shared that he wants the lake to be enjoyed by the most amount of people and that Harrison Bay is not useable or enjoyable for other boaters when wake boats come into the bay. He shared that he is not personally opposed to the proposed restrictions, but that it does make very few areas for people to do this. Council Member McEnaney felt this punishes those on the big bays. Council Member Pugh shared that when she was in high school the lake was dying and people worked hard to bring the water quality back and that she wants to preserve the natural beauty of the community. Mayor Holt asked if Rep. Pugh believed if wakes were destroying the lake, and Rep. Brandt said that yes the report showed that at depths less than 20 feet wakes are causing damage, erosion and phosphorus to the lake. He shared that they are waiting for more scientific data to prove the damage. He shared that his opinion is that this is a bigger issue and he would like the state DNR to make a rule that applies statewide. Council Member McEnaney also would like to see data on what large cruisers are doing to the lake as she feels they do just as much damage, and she'd like more science on the damage of all types of watercrafts. CM Herrick shared she agrees with CM McEnaney and that she is aware of the issues but feels she needs more data to be able to recommend a change to the rules. CM McEnaney feels that the large bays need to have more say in what will happen if the rule is expanded to 500 ft. Mayor Holt expressed that he feels that the majority of the Council is learning towards being neutral on the issue and would like more facts. CM Castellano disagreed with the Mayor and said that he is not neutral on the issue and would like to see more restrictions. Mayor Holt wanted clarification on if the issue was more environmental or more about the dislike of wake boats, and Rep. Brandt said it was both. Mayor Holt expressed again that he would like more information, and CM Pugh wanted to clarify that we were asking him to represent Mound without a formal opinion, however Rep. Brandt clarified that there is not an upcoming vote or action on this issue. CM Pugh mentioned that she emailed the new manager of the LMCD and when asked about conservation the manager expressed that conservation was not a value regarding conservation, and so she'd like Rep. Brandt to bring back a question about if conservation is still a value of the organization. CM McEnaney thanked Rep. Brandt for doing a great job representing Mound. Mayor Holt shared that he and City Manager Dickson have a meeting with Manager Kruger and that they would bring up these issues at that meeting. Rep. Brandt shared he would keep the City's view neutral and would like to see more research on this. 6. Consent Agenda a. Approve Minutes of the January 27, 2026 City Council Regular Meeting b. Approve payment of claims in the amount of $1,343,756.11 c. Accept Review of City Manager Dickson d. Docks and Commons Commission Appointments e. Pay Request No. 1 in the amount of $13,718.19 to American Liberty Inc. for Water Treatment Plant Improvements — Well 9; City Project no. PW-25-11 MOTION by McEnaney, seconded by Herrick, to approve the consent agenda. Upon roll call vote, all voted in favor. Motion carried. 7. Public Hearings 8. Old Business 9. New Business 10. Announcements a. Comments/Reports from Council Members CM Pugh shared that she went to the LMC Senior Elected's Training and attending some great training sessions on engagement and building community trust, and that session slide decks are available online. CM Pugh said she'd like the council to have a unifying statement for when they introduce themselves. She shared that she will attend upcoming Gillespie and Fire Commission meetings. She also felt the joint parks meeting was good. CM McEnaney stated that the entire council received an email regarding the humane pet store ordinance and felt that it would be best addressed at the joint planning and city council meeting. CM Castellano mentioned that Spirit of the Lakes is looking for a board member. CM Herrick has been working on a fitness challenge with a trainer at Anytime Fitness for the parks. She has invited him to the meeting on February 2411 to present the idea. She is also meeting with the Brewfest folks this week, as well as is working on the State of the City event in April. Would like to incorporate an art event for Spirit of the Lakes in 2027. Mayor Holt shared that the State of the City will occur on April 23, 2026 and more communication will come. The group of mayors discussing a joint lobbyist has had several mayors drop out and the price has increased up to $11,325 but the City could receive a discount if we chose to manage the contract. A vote will still come before the council, but the Mayor is looking for direction if the City would be willing to join and be the administrator of this item. Mayor Holt is looking for more information on how open Commerce Blvd. will be during Spirit of the Lakes. Manager Dickson shared that one side will be closed for most of the summer. The Mayor would like staff to support Spirit of the Lakes more on how to make the parade happen. b. Comments/Reports from City Manager: Manager Dickson shared a reminder about the City Council and Planning Commission joint meeting on February 17, 2026. c. Next City Council Regular Meeting: Tuesday, February 27, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. 11. Adjourn MOTION by Pugh, seconded by McEnaney, to adjourn at 6:58 p.m. Motion carried. Mayor Jason R. Holt Attest:'Kevin Kelly, Cler