City Council - Regular Meeting

Good evening. Welcome to the city of Woodbury city council meeting for tonight. It is November 19th, 2025. It is 7:32 p.m. Um and we are here to conduct our business for tonight. Um just just to note, uh the meeting is taking place in person. These meetings are also held virtually as well. They're also recorded and can be found um on True Lens Community Media uh or played back on table cable channel 799 or the city of Woodbear's YouTube channel. Um we always invite the public to speak. If anyone here in the audience wants to speak, you have green sheets on your chair and you need to fill one of those out. And if anybody's listening online that wants to have a comment or question, uh please uh go into the live chat and uh we will be monitoring that. But as is our tradition, would you please stand and join me in 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. I dropped my pen. I dropped You dropped your pen. There you go. Thank you. Flipping things at me. Um, Ashley Sullivan is our assistant city administrator and city clerk. Ashley, would you please do the roll call? Council member Morris here. Council member Santini here. Council member Stafford here. Council member Wilson here. Mayor Bert here. We are all here so we're able to conduct tonight's business. Um, do we have anything for open form? I don't see green sheet yet from anybody here. Ashley, anybody online? No. Okay.

If not, we will skip that and we'll go right on to our consent agenda. All items listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the city council and will be enacted by one motion and affirmative vote by roll call of the majority of the members present. There'll be no separate discussion of these items unless a council member or a citizen so requests in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered a separate subject of discussion by the council. I always put this out to our audience. Anybody want anything removed? And that's usually what the feedback is I get. No. [laughter] And Ashley, anybody online? And we always go through that process. And now we'll turn to council members.

I I have one I want to pull and then one I just have a question on that we can maybe clarify. 6E 6E pole. E as in elephant. Okay. Yep. And then just the I know that this was just added the temporary change of the polling location kind of just came through. Um, so Woodbury Elementary can't be used for whatever reason. So, and so the license, uh, the new Woodbury License Center or Washington County license service center service center will be the location even on voting day. Correct. I just want to make sure for that precinct, uh, council member. Yep. Because they're the only ones who have the only half of Woodbury votes.

Yeah. Got it. True. Yeah. Good point. Okay. So, that resolves your question. That was my question. So, we do have one pulled. So if somebody would like to put it for put forth a motion for all the others besides I am recommending that we remove and pull item 6G G. Oh two. All right. Now we have two poll. Okay. All right. Anybody want to put forth a motion for the others? I will move to approve consent agenda items 6A through 6K with the exception of items 6E and 6G. Second. Motion a second. Any further discussion hearing? None. The roll call, please. Council member Morris, I. Council member Santini, I. Council member Stafford, I. Council member Wilson,

I. Mayor Bert, I. Those agenda items pass or consent agenda items pass. Okay. We'll now move on to a public hearing. We do have two public hearings tonight, although one has been

continued. So, we really only have one. But with that said, I need to read the public hearing information. So, in order to allow for full airing of all speaker comments, individual remarks may not exceed 10 minutes. By the way, well, I don't know that I have to read this. Sorry, I'm jumping I'm jumping forward. Do we have any green sheets on this topic related to the the agenda item? This is for um intoxicating liquor license for Pizzeria Pezo. If not, all right, I'm not going to read the whole thing then. It's written. I'm going to avoid reading it in essence of time. So, if somebody needs to speak, please let us know. Otherwise, I'm going to open up the hearing right now and we will hear from Who am I hearing from? Ashley. Yeah, that's right. I knew that. Sorry, Ashley. This is what happens when we leave our previous meeting and we're kind of all in a rush and a jitter and

I don't have time to breathe. So, anyway, Ashley, please share more about this.

Thank you, Mayor Bert, members of the council. Uh, PZO Woodbury LLC doing business as Pizzeria PZO has submitted an application under new ownership for an on-sale intoxicating liquor license including Sunday and patio sales for their restaurant located at 8505 Valley Creek Road Suite 200. The business has a single owner, uh, Chris Christensen with 100% interest in the company. Um, the slide is pretty standard. Uh we've conducted a criminal history check on the on the owner and that was found clear. Um all necessary fees have been submitted. Our city attorney has reviewed the materials and found them to be acceptable and then we did mail out the public hearing notices for tonight um to the surrounding properties. Um I do just want to mention that the the restaurant has been operating under a management agreement with the previous owners. Um, but they will start full on sale intoxicating liquor sales under their new license uh as soon as the license is approved by the council. So with that, the staff recommendation is on the screen for your consideration and I'm happy to answer any questions if you have them.

Okay, great. So any green sheets? Still no. And anything online? Okay, then I make a motion that we close the hearing. Second. Motion a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? I Okay, the hearing is closed. I'll leave this to council members if you have any questions. These are always pretty straightforward. Anybody? Okay. I'll make a motion to approve uh on sale intoxicating liquor license including Sunday and patio sales to Peto Woodbury LLC DBA Pizzeria Peto located at 8505 Valley Creek Road Sweet 200. Second motion a second. Any further discussion? Hearing none. Roll call, please. Council member Santini. I. Council member Stafford. I, Council Member Wilson.

Hi, Council Member Morris. Hi, Mayor Bert. I That passes. [snorts] Congratulations. And uh, glad to know there's like no change in anything. Well, no, I mean, you can get it before, you can get it after. It's [clears throat] all good. Lovely location. I do enjoy going to that place. Okay. Um, all right. How do we handle this next one? We're just going to We have to Do we have to approve and motion to continue or are we just What do we need to do here? So, I would recommend that you open the hearing and then move to continue it.

Okay. All right. This next item is the consideration of approval of Woodbury Ice LLC doing business as Woodbury Ice located at 2122 Wooddale Drive for an on sale intoxicating liquor license including Sunday sales. The hearing is now open and then I can make a motion that we continue the hearing until December 10th. Second. Motion a second. Any discussion on that? Then the public hearing would remain open until December 10th. Yes. Correct. Okay. All in favor? I

I any opposed? No. Okay, we will continue that. All right, we're moving right along then uh for discussion. Let's take uh both of our um consent agenda items that were pulled. We'll start with item 6E approval differently on that one. Okay, that it's that simple. That simple. Does any we've had discussion in workshop regarding this? Okay, street light. This is on um approval of CD FIN 5.15 street lighting utility capital asset funding and reserve policy. We have had several workshops on this and uh we've got a resolution before us. So if it's only vote differently then would somebody like to put forth a motion? Does anybody else have any questions or anything on it? Okay. I had a number of questions but staff answered them. Okay.

Okay. I'll move to adopt resolution 25-187, a resolution approving council directive CD uh Finn uh-5.15 streetlight and utility capital asset funding and reserve policy. Second. Motion a second. Any further discussion? Can I just say one thing? Yeah, sure. Um, Council Member Morris, I know that um I know that uh you just said that you had Sorry, a number of conversations with staff regarding your or maybe one conversation regarding your questions. Okay. Well, [laughter] I don't want to jump to conclusions,

but um I I actually value when we have discussions on stuff because sometimes your questions might be my questions or there are things that maybe I didn't think of and would clear things up. So, I know that it's always recommended that we bring our questions to uh the city administrator and staff beforehand to get them answered before the meetings, but I I do I want to do I do want to say I do value discussion. So, but that being said, we can just move along on this because we I agree, but mine were um operational, I think, more than policy based. Thank you. Yep. Okay. So, we have a motion and a second. Any other further discussion or questions? Hearing none. The roll call, please. Council member Stafford,

I. Council member Wilson, no. Council member Morris. Hi. Council member Santini. I. Mayor Bert. I. That passes. Let's move on to uh pulled item 6G. This is approval of the 2026 classification and compensation plan for upper unrepresented employees. Council member Stafford. Many of my questions were answered, but I do have something I want to put out is that we are recommending a um 3% general adjustment for all the uh unrepresented employees. Unrepresented is the word I'm looking for. Thank you very much.

Um where the federal level and and with regard to social security, it's a 2.8. Who determines the 3%? Uh, city administrator, would you like to answer that?

Mayor Bert, uh, council member Stafford. So, the we staffers typically refer to that 3% general adjustment as a cost of living, but I think general adjustment is a good way of saying that because in addition to looking at CPI and inflation, we also look at what other communities are doing around so we can stay competitive. So there is a little bit of a market component there, but ultimately that was determined based on inflation, based on CPI, based on what the market is dictating, and it was plugged into the budget um early on in the budget process. We still feel really confident about that that number uh and we've seen other cities even go higher. Um but that's the the the genesis of of that number. And but in addition, don't we go on [clears throat] what the represented employees get and try to match that? That's been historical, I believe.

Yes, Mayor Bert, that's a great point. Thanks for uh uh articulating that. Uh we do always try to create alignment with both union versus non-union. Uh so there's a there's equity there and um it doesn't get too one-sided one way or the other.

One more. [clears throat] I was just trying to figure out if there was a way that we could take just take a look at it since that's what I mean all of our senior citizens are getting 2.8 and everybody else is getting 3% of which neither number comes close to where inflation is at today. And we're in a we're in a difficult time right now where we need to be um cognizant of every single nickel, dime, penny, pennies, not anymore. Um [laughter] and it was just a question that I had is is that just historic and the way it's always been done, but you provided some of the facts to me because our employees are eligible for performance increases in addition to the 3%.

Right. That that is correct. And uh Council Member Stafford and Mayor Bert um wages have increased even more than that over the past uh year. Um so I would be hesitant to reduce it just based on Social Security, but I do think you know talking about this tells the public what you know what the the formula is there and there's a lot of varying factors. Uh the good thing I guess it's it's pretty close but it's it's just a little bit above. And that was primarily my point was just kind of letting our residents and people that are listening know and and watching that we do pay attention to every two ten of 1% in the budget.

Right. Well, thanks for bringing that up, Donna, but just a when is that social security number calculated? I think it's more it's more of a recent number. We've been working on budgets and and uh union representation and union contracts for a long time. So that's an interesting component, but it's year overyear from September to last September. So and I was talking to administrator D earlier. I don't even know that the September numbers would have been out. I know for a fact they wouldn't have been out when we met in September to review these parts.

Um and again, this is I also had questions on on 6G, so I appreciate Council Member Stafford pulling this items and and I had the opportunity to talk to staff. Part of my consideration also was, you know, listen, this is a COLA. This is a cost of living adjustment. Um, staff members are also eligible for merit-based performance increases. But, um, there's a conversation that we've had in a number of different workshops to what council member Stafford was talking about about how do we be maintain our position of an employer of choice. There's a difference between the public sector and the private sector. We have a very relatively recent within 24 or 36 months that we lost our community development or uh Mr. Tolden what was that 36 two and a half years ago but but that was a prime example of us losing a extremely capable staff member to the private sector because there's a significant gap between private sector and public sector and we benefit as a city by having extremely competent staff members and we want to do everything we can do in our consideration to maintain that. I am very well aware that the last workshop I was very adamantly

[snorts] um arguing for some cuts in some areas out of that exact same conversation. So I'm very aware of both sides of the mouth that I'm speaking out of right now. Meaning that we want to maintain staff and yet I'm advocating to cut a number of different areas. It's always good that it comes to realization.

I do usually mid-sentence. Uh but but to council member Stafford's point of we are looking at 2.210 of a percentage of this and what's the what's the difference and when I look at the 3% because I was originally also opposed to this when I read the packet this weekend um that that 2.8 8 versus 3% then as I was speaking with administrator at all remembering that this is a non-represented group non-represent unrepresented non-represented group there is an advantage to us to protecting that um in the non-represented group and we want to make sure that we maintain fairness between the represented groups and non so there's a number of factors that are going into this that that two ten of a percent does make a big difference and every dollar makes a big difference and I'm I'm was arguing at the last workshop for like 20 grand for travel and training. So, I'm right along there with it, but I'm actually in in support. There's a long answer

to I'm supportive of the 3%. And and after having talked to uh Jeff Dah, um I I can I understand the 3%. I just want the general public to know we look at every single penny, but that I don't want our unrepresented staff who work diligently hard to get anything less than our um represented staff. Fair. So, don't any employee take this personal. We're looking for dimes wherever we can.

Yes, we are. Just for clarification, um this uh all of these positions and this 3% are included in the budget that was presented to us. That is correct. Yep. So, it's already been um Got it. Well, and it has not been approved every budget that you'll be considering in on December 10th. December 10th is when we approve the budget. So, everybody please show up. Yeah. So, I also had just an operational question for Administrator Dolan. I don't know if you've had any other time to reflect on this. I asked administrator if this was cart before the horse if approving this before a budget approval. Have you had time to talk to staff about that?

I did and it's a simple answer. Implementation of of uh pay increases is takes a long time. Yeah. and dece we can't wait until December 10th if we have this confidence of that the budget's going to be you know move forward with with little um disagreement or little conversation about this particular line item on the budget and to be clear thus far we really haven't had that in any of our discussions so your guidance yeah I mean you you've going forward with this this was crafted after many workshops on the budget right yes just to be clear this we're not approving only the 3% we are also approving additional positions. Correct. Correct.

And so that's where I feel the cart before the horse is you want to if we take it separately, it's one thing, but they were included. I think these were position changes. These weren't the additional FTEEs. These were This is not This is the classifications. Yeah. Correct. It creates the classification memo. Am I getting it mixed up with the memo? The the correct me if I'm wrong. This creates the classifications necessary for the future positions. Doesn't authorize the position to be hired. It just creates the position. Those are not authorized until we accept the budget. Ultimately, the budget is the final. That's my reading of it. This just creates the home for them. If we decide to approve that, I see. So, so when it says create a position, you're we're approving that.

We're approving the position, but not approving the the filling the funding and the filling of the position. Position doesn't exist today. So, you're creating a position for shortstop. I'm not hiring a shortstop. Much like the Minnesota Twins, not hiring a shortstop, but there's a position available when the funding becomes available. Exactly. When the polls define finally decide to fund the team, we'll have a short stop. Well, I'm not going to get into the pole ads and the twins. Somebody should

because I remember the World Series parade twice. So, um, but I will say I I did have a problem also with creating a position without approving the budget. understanding we're just creating a position, but nonetheless, if you're creating a position, I'm assuming you would have a way to fund the position. So, um, which is what happens on December 10th, right? And Council Member Wilson, Mayor Bert, ultimately, yeah, if it's unfunded by the budget, we're not going to fill it or we're going to have to come back to you with a tweaked plan uh early in the year. The HR policy and the compensation policy is different and separate from the budget. This is this happens in corporate world.

So just to be clear then we can approve this but it doesn't mean by approving this I'm not necessarily approving the positions even though I'm creating positions. The filling of the position or the funding. Yep. Yeah. Or the funding of it. Create positions. Yeah. You're building the house. You're not actually letting anybody live in it. I can give I can come up with metaphors all day long. Okay. Not always good ones, but [laughter] thought my twins [snorts] one was pretty good. I'll move to adopt resolution 25-189, a resolution establishing the 2026 classification and compensation plans for unrepresented employees contingent upon the city approve council's approval of the 2026 budget.

I will second and I'm really looking forward to reading the minutes from the next uh [laughter] motion second. Any further discussion hearing? None. The roll call, please. Council member Wilson, I. Council member Morris, I. Council member Santini I. Council member Stafford I. Mayor Bert I. That passes. Oh god. I do appreciate the extra discussion we had and clarif and uh good discussion. Um additional information for the public pulling that. Yep. Yep. Good point. Okay. Um on to staff reports, city administrators report.

Few things tonight. Uh Mayor Bert. Uh one is on Friday the Woodbury K9 Fund will be hosting a graduation of our most recent batch of material or not material handlers. That's a different thing. K9 handlers. Um, and our own officer Matson will be there with Victor. I believe that will be at the M Health Sports Center at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, this Friday. Um, I know Council Member Stafford and Council Member Morris, you're heavily have been heavily involved in that. So, if I missed anything there, anything you want to add? Uh, council members. So, are we approving the handler? But is the dog ready? Is the dog done with training? Graduation.

That's That's Victor's graduation. Victor and Officer Matson will both be graduating. Yes. Correct. Victor has passed. All right.

They're required to go through about three three and a half months of certification training. And what makes this special I think for Woodbury is that officer Madson, this is a class of eight from around the state of Minnesota that have gone through their certification. This is and he was elected president of his group. So, we have a true leader in this K9 handler as well as uh Victor and Andrew Matson will be the first team in Washington County and we think in the whole metro area that is certified not only in apprehension and narcotics but in uh ammunition. So once again, right,

we've worked extra hard, but it's 10 o'clock at M Health Fairview in the indoor field on Friday, and the public is invited. Terrific. That's great. So, bring a lot of milk bones or whatever is appropriate. Um, get the new K9 fat. I was just going [laughter] to say one day a cheat day. Disrupt yourself. It disrupts his discipline.

Uh, next item is just a reminder for those that are listening. uh truth and taxation meeting as it was talked about just briefly here is December 10th. Uh tax statements went out last week. Uh that's advertised this truth and taxation meeting on the December 10th. Uh so please contact city hall. Go to our website if you're looking for more information about that. [snorts] Um the governor just finally approved the special election for uh repres uh house seat 47A. Um the primary will be on December 16th and there will be a primary and uh the uh general election will be on the 27th. So go to our website, go to Washington County's website if you want more information, but uh we've got another special election of course and then we're hoping we're thinking that it'll be done for a while

till next [snorts] November. I was going to say like 10 months. Yeah, exactly. [laughter] Administrator Doll, just for clarification, you said there for sure will be a primary. Yes, there there are at least two candidates. So candidates in the same party. I knew one. Thank you. I was say I didn't I was like I'll ask after. Okay. Just want to make sure.

Uh next up is you know there's a lot of great conversation um at the last meeting regarding the city's uh donation of $10,000 for uh open cupboard. Um and a lot of the disc discussion at the end was about how the community can get involved. Council member Wilson and and the rest really the entire council talked about how the community get involved. We can seize seize the moment here. And I'm just proud to say that after the hard work that staff uh put in afterwards about promoting uh a food drive for Open Cupboard and um the logistics of that, we have garnered more than a,000 pounds worth of food from the community just within the last uh two weeks. So very grateful. It it it exceeded our uh expectations. It's still going. So for people that are out there, uh go to M Health Fairview Sports Center or um Central Park. You can donate your food. Uh there's other things that we're looking for as well or that Open Cupboard is looking for as well. We'll take it off your hands. We've got bins there right in the the entrance area and we're delivering it to Open Cupboard. So thanks to everybody who's donated. there's still an opportunity over the next uh week or two uh to do so as well.

Thank you, community. Well done. And speaking of that, um at Central Park, I think the last day will be the ultimately the the the fourth. That is when we're also going to have the tree lighting. Uh our first tree lighting for the community at Central Park. Uh there will be a food truck there. The open door theater is going to perform. The actual tree lighting itself will be at 6:30. So, it's going to be led by Honorable Mayor Bert. Um, come one, come all. It's going to be familyfriendly just to celebrate uh the season. The fourth. The fourth. Yep. Yep. On Thursday. And I don't know if Mayor Bird [snorts] if you had anything to add regarding details of that event, but it's going to be the first one. And we're

It's the first one. So, all I know is that I we will be there at that time. We're looking forward to some surprises. Wondering if Steve's going to show up in costume. We don't know yet. Just going to say it's very important because I'm going to be a lot of things. Is Santa going to be there? You know what? I [clears throat] have we called up there to see if he's going to be working on those. We're working on that. We're working on other ways people can celebrate the the season. So, um it's regardless there's going to be something for everybody. And I think there has not been a lot of um communication yet on this that I'm expect I'm anticipating that staff will be doing something soon. Again, it's our first time. Oh, we want we'd like to do a big splash and then bigger splashes in the future with it. So, the indoor tree or outdoor tree?

It's going to be an outdoor tree. It's going to be out in the courtyard of Central Park. So, when you look through all those beautiful glass windows toward the south, it's going to be out sitting out there. Oh, in the back. In the back. Yes. In the back by the senior center by the stone stone. Stone Crest. Thank you. Yeah. Out that out that little patio area. So, yes. Uh, Mayor Bert, that's all I have. Thanks. Okay, that's great. Um, that's all we have tonight. I make a motion that we adjourn the meeting with a caveat just for people to know we wrapped up we were almost wrapping up our workshop downstairs. We do have to go back and finish that discussion. So we'll move from here back down there in case anyone wants to tune back into that. So I make a motion that we uh adjourn the meeting. Second.

Motion second. Any discussion? Hearing none. All in favor? I adjourned.