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11-08-21 CC Reg Mtg MinutesCITY OF SHOREWOOD CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MONDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2021 MINUTES 1. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD COUNCIL CHAMBERS 7:00 P.M. Mayor Labadie called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. A. Roll Call Present. Mayor Labadie; Councilmembers Johnson, Siakel, and Callies; City Attorney Keane; City Administrator Lerud; City Clerk/HR Director Thone; Finance Director Rigdon; Planning Director Darling; Director of Public Works Brown; and, City Engineer Budde Absent: None B. Review Agenda Johnson moved, Gorham seconded, approving the agenda as presented. All in favor. Motion passed. 2. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Labadie reviewed the items on the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Johnson expressed his appreciation to Sam Larson for undertaking his Eagle Scout project in the City. Johnson moved, Callies seconded, Approving the Motions Contained on the Consent Agenda and Adopting the Resolutions Therein. A. City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes of October 25, 2021 B. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of October 25, 2021 C. Approval of the Verified Claims List D. Approval of Assessment Agreements for Water Connections, Adopting RESOLUTION NO. 21-128, "A Resolution Certifying Special Assessments on the 2022 Hennepin County Property Tax Rolls." E. Approval of Summary Publication for Ordinance 584, Adopting RESOLUTION NO. 21-127, "A Resolution Approving the Publication of Ordinance 584 Regarding City Code Ordinance Amendments Related to Commercial Animal Breeders." CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 2 of 12 F. Accept Donation of Compost Bin from Sam Larson, Eagle Scout Candidate, Adopting RESOLUTION NO. 21-129, "A Resolution Accepting a Donation for Installation of a Compost Bin for Freeman Park Community Park." G. Accept Construction Improvements and Authorize Final Payment for the Echo Road Storm Sewer Improvements, Adopting RESOLUTION 21-130, "A Resolution Accepting Improvements and Authorizing Final Payment for The Echo Road Storm Sewer Improvements." H. Accept Constructed Improvements and Authorize Final Payment for the Smithtown Road Storm Structure Repair, Adopting RESOLUTION 21-131, " A Resolution Accepting Improvements and Authorizing Final Payment for The Smithtown Road Storm Structure Repair." All in favor. Motion passed. 3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR Kelly Rogers, 20960 Radisson Road, distributed packets of information to the Council and explained that she had heard that the Council may grandfather Mayor Labadie's dock. She stated that she wanted to clarify information in an e-mail sent by the City regarding a dock on an easement next to 21035 Radisson Road. She noted that the e-mail stated that there were not grandfathering rights to use the dock on Christmas Lake, and it could not be addressed through Conditional Use or variance process. She stated that she has seen the City grant variances in the past and would like to see documentation on why grandfathering or a variance would not be considered in this case. She stated that the dock has been maintained on this easement for over fifty years and because the shoreline is shallow and muddy, it is the only way to provide an outlet to the lake. She noted that the easement was established in 1948 which states that it was to provide outlet for premises lying northerly of said road to Christmas Lake and explained that she highlighted this in the packet she distributed to the Council. She explained that she had also included aerial photos and letters from residents from the area and noted that this land was undeveloped until 1987 even though the easement was put into place in 1948. She stated that she had included information on a similar easement case from Lot 11 on Radisson Road that was successful at both Appellate and District Court levels. She reiterated that she looked forward to receiving the pertinent documents or notification of consideration for grandfathering in this dock. Mayor Labadie asked if staff would be able to review Ms. Rogers concerns and bring information back to the Council for the next meeting. Planning Director Darling confirmed that staff will review the situation prior to the next Council meeting. City Attorney Keane noted that information requested through the Data Practices Act must be submitted in writing and asked that Ms. Rogers submit her request in that manner. Kris Sanschagrin, 27725 Island View Road, stated that she was aware of the three minute rule and would appreciate it if she was not interrupted during her time on the floor. She read aloud a statement concern the responsibilities of the Council and other elected officials and her reasons for questioning the leadership within the Minnetonka School Board. She gave the examples of both the City and the School Board appointing a new member rather than hold a special election. CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 3 of 12 She stated that both of these situations are examples of why citizens are losing faith in the democracy and noted that these types of micro -inequities cause mistrust and suspicion. She stated that these actions trickle down to the young people in the community and impact their perception of what is right and what is wrong. She explained that the citizens are expecting another strike against the trust they have in the Council's leadership because of the item on tonight's agenda related to Mayor Labadie's dock. She stated that Mayor Labadie received two notifications that her dock did not meet the requirements of City Code and instead of complying, she has filed for an extension of time from the very City Council that she leads. She suggested that it should be the Mayor and the City Council who have the strictest compliance with City Codes. She reiterated that this is just another example of why citizens lose faith in institutions because when leaders take the position that rules apply to others and not themselves, the trust is torn down. Pat Arnts, 5480 Teal Circle, explained that she had lived in this location for forty-four years and in that time, served eight years on the Park Commission, with six of those years as Chairperson, and also spent three years serving on the Planning Commission. She noted that she had served on several other advisory committees and was also a candidate for mayor. She gave a brief overview of her professional background working with regional and national land use professionals in both public and private sectors. She stated that for tonight, she would like to focus on communication and how the average citizen can communicate with the City Council. She explained that citizens are given three minutes at the podium and noted that from what she has observed over the years, citizen comments come to the City in this manner to simply die. She noted that Mayor Labadie has recommended that citizens log complaints via SeeClickFix, however SeeClickFix has many issues that involve infrastructure failure or blatant code violations on City property. She stated that the comments given via SeeClickFix were acknowledged by vague, open-ended responses and seemed to do nothing to inform, educate, or enforce, nor was their follow up or closure. She stated that she has e-mailed the City and gotten no response and then, shortly thereafter, watched the Council discuss their fear of responding to resident a -mails and made plans to revisit the topic at their retreat where they could develop a process for handling resident communications. She noted that at this same meeting, the Council had a lengthy discussion about Zoom where they showed concern and semi -reluctance to continue using Zoom. She stated that she understands that the City is providing a Zoom link for meetings, however, all the interactive features seem to be disabled. She noted that sometimes the link does not work at all, and explained that it was glitching for the last meeting. She asked if a process was developed at their retreat for how the Council will deal with communication with the residents of Shorewood. She stated that she would love to see if they found a process that is consistent, timely, transparent, and accountable to the mission and vision of the City. Councilmember Siakel noted that the Council retreat has not yet happened and is scheduled for later this month. Mayor Labadie asked Public Works Director Brown to respond to the issues raised with regard to responses from SeeClickFix. Public Works Director Brown agreed that there are a number of issues that are out there with SeeClickFix but explained that Public Works is constrained by weather and some things like street sweeping and flushing needs to be done before the freeze. He agreed that they are behind in addressing some things, but are trying to attack them. CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 4 of 12 City Administrator Lerud agreed that the Zoom link has been glitching and explained that it was much easier when it was done completely through Zoom rather a combination of Zoom and the in person meetings. He stated he thinks they have been able to work out the bugs of integrating Zoom with the recordings and asked citizens to let the City know if there continued to be problems. Mayor Labadie noted that it appears as though there is one resident attending via Zoom that has their hand raised for Matters from the Floor. Alan Yelsey, 26335 Peach Circle, read aloud from the Bill of Rights for the State of Minnesota. He stated that he thinks it is time that the local government be reformed for the public good. He stated that constructive criticism and reform of the government is not disrespectful. He shared examples of how he felt the City had been disrespectful and violated civil rights and State law to, for example, treat citizen differently in public forums, prosecute certain ordinance violations and not others, and haphazardly enforcing ordinances. He stated that he feels it is disrespectful and an illegal conflict for the City Council and staff to become an appeals judge and jury regarding Mayor Labadie's long-standing violation of the City dock ordinances. He thanked City Clerk Thone for showing enough integrity to cite Mayor Labadie on this violation. He stated that, in his opinion, the Council and staff should not be ruling on that matter and it should immediately be referred to an independent arbitration panel for an investigation of civil rights, conflict of interest, and discrimination violations. He expressed his opinion that the situation surrounding Shorewood Ponds was not done accurately and with full disclosures of all information. He stated that this, to him, is a three million dollar, ill-considered project and demands further, multi -city public hearings as well as an independent engineering review. He asked the Council to `look in the mirror' because he feels they are the ones who are being disrespectful to the citizens and not the other way around. 4. PUBLIC HEARING A. Unpaid Bill Assessment Hearing Finance Director Rigdon explained that public hearing is an annual process for the City that certifies the delinquent utility bill accounts. He explained that essentially, residents have until the end of November to pay the bills. Councilmember Gorham stated that he had not participated in this type of public hearing in the past and asked if the amount of unpaid utility bills was larger than in years past. Finance Director Rigdon stated that it was actually down a bit from last year. Councilmember Gorham asked how many individuals typically go pay their outstanding bills following the certification. Finance Director Rigdon noted that the City will not get very many payments in and explained that many times it is the same properties that lag in their payments year after year. Councilmember Callies clarified that this public hearing is to allow individuals to state their objections. Mayor Labadie opened the public hearing. There being no comments, she closed the public hearing at 7:23 p.m. CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 5 of 12 5. REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS 6. PARKS 7. PLANNING A. Comprehensive Plan 2040 — Amendments to Land Use Map Planning Director Darling gave a brief overview of the proposed options for amendments to the City's Land Use map to address the direction given by the Metropolitan Council. Mayor Labadie noted that this item was discussed at the last meeting, however only three Councilmembers were present, so they could not take action on this item. She stated that she assumed those Councilmembers have had time to review the meeting and the packet of information from the meeting they had missed. She opened the floor for questions from the Council on this item. Councilmember Callies stated that she was able to listen to the meeting and commended the detailed responses Planning Director Darling gave to the public comments because she felt that was very helpful. She stated that the City had received a recent e-mail from Mr. Lingo regarding his property where he commented that the site would not allow for the density required by the Met Council. Planning Director Darling stated that if the parcel was re -guided for high density, and it was proposed for redevelopment in the future, they would have to show the City how many units they could provide for on that property, within the approved density range. Councilmember Callies stated that in looking through the packet it appears as though this has been looked into since 2020 and asked if staff had considered other areas of the City that could be used for higher density and this is what seemed most appropriate. Planning Director Darling confirmed that this was correct. Councilmember Johnson asked about Option 1 to keep all three properties as commercial and include text in the Plan that high density could be considered as an option in the future. He asked how likely it would be that Met Council would accept that as a final Comprehensive Plan or if they would just kick it right back to the City. Planning Director Darling stated that as long as the City meets their required numbers, she feels they would accept that text in a final Plan. Councilmember Callies stated that this is a difficult situation for a City like Shorewood that is already built out. She stated that, in principal, there should be the opportunity for high density in portions of the City. She stated that the particular sites that have been investigated seem appropriate at this time, but also realizes that it is nothing that will occur immediately and is theoretical. Mayor Labadie noted that although this was not a public hearing, she would like to give the opportunity to speak to anyone who may be interested. CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 6 of 12 Tom Lingo, 23445 Smithtown Road, The Garden Patch, stated that the Council asked at the last meeting what other ways there may be to solve the problem of finding more affordable housing. He stated that one good way, in his opinion, is to allow homeowners with large lots to subdivide and allow a smaller parcel to be the subdivision. He stated that many people in the City have large lots, but not large enough for two full lots and would like to do this for income and reduction of maintenance. He stated that by 2040, the City would have the number of units built that are affordable and would satisfy the Met Council requirements. He stated that there would also be no need to take commercial property that helps keep Shorewood balanced. Guy Sanschagrin, 27725 Island View Road, stated that when this issue is discussed, there are always discussions about the funding that the Met Council will be providing for the City. He asked how much funding they are talking about and what would happen if the City decided to simply do what is right for the citizens of Shorewood. He stated that he wanted to know why the City was letting the Met Council drive its policies. He stated that he would like the City to push back and asked if the City really needed the money the Met Council was holding hostage for the City's budget. He asked that the City do a cost -benefit analysis of increasing density as required by the Met Council. Councilmember Gorham stated that Mr. Sanschagrin brings up an interesting point, but noted that the Met Council is guiding regional planning and there is value in having an increase in density and diversity of housing stock. He stated that he thinks the proposal before the City Council is walking a fine line between allowing growth and also keeping the non -conforming uses. He stated that he does not feel as though the City is being held hostage by the Met Council and is considering the regional planning, density, and housing diversity. Mr. Sanschagrin stated that Councilmember Gorham makes great points, but thinks that there is the perception that the Met Council is holding the City and its decisions hostage. He stated that if the Council, like Councilmember Gorham, does not feel that way, then that should be clearly communicated to the citizens. He stated that it would be helpful if the analysis was shown to the citizens, so it is more transparent and everybody understands the decisions, the why behind the decision, as well as the cost -benefit analysis. Councilmember Callies stated that she agreed with the comments made by Councilmember Gorham as well as the suggestion made by Mr. Lingo to take a look at some of the other zoning regulations in the City that could be changed to encourage other types of development. She stated that is not what the Council is being asked to consider today and might be a good idea to keep in mind when the City is reviewing ordinances, in general. She noted that it is good for Shorewood to have diverse housing types and does not feel as though the City is being held hostage. She stated that she thinks staff, with the assistance of consultants, and the public comments, have come up with the best opportunities that are currently available for the City. Mayor Labadie stated that she thinks the City has been transparent in this matter and noted that she feels Council has allowed anyone to speak on this matter, even when it has not been an official public hearing. She stated that the City has been looking at this for years and was not something that was sprung upon the City. Councilmember Johnson stated that he also does not feel that the City is being held hostage by the Met Council and they are simply asking the City to be visionaries and look forward twenty years with the understanding that there is no change to the current uses. CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 7 of 12 Councilmember Siakel stated that the Met Council is just another layer of government. She stated that there are mandates from the Met Council and while she does not feel threatened, she does feel obligated to comply. She stated that after working with the consultants, staff, and garnering public input, it was felt that it made the most sense to add the additional one -hundred fifty units along the busier corridors. She stated that the City is responding to the Met Council, but as Councilmember Callies said, this is all somewhat theoretical. She stated that she does not view this change as an immediate threat to the City, feel it will adversely affect people, and this proposal is the best alternative. Mayor Labadie asked if the Council approved this proposal if that meant that existing businesses, such as The Garden Patch, would be forced out of business. Planning Director Darling stated that the impacts to the properties are greatest for The Garden Patch and the small building that is next door because, at some point, the City will have to rezone them, which means they will then become non -conforming uses. She stated that the businesses can continue indefinitely, in the same fashion, but they would not be able to expand, unless the Council chose to amend the Zoning Ordinance to allow for some expansion of non -conforming uses. Councilmember Callies stated that the City is required to update the Comprehensive Plan every ten years, but if something were to change and another property were to become available, the City could change their Comprehensive Plan at that time. Siakel moved, Callies seconded, Adopting RESOLUTION NO. 21-125, "A Resolution Approving Amendments to the 2040 Shorewood Comprehensive Plan and Authorizing Submission of the Amended Plan to the Metropolitan Council." All in favor. Motion passed. B. Approve Extension for Code Compliance at 5510 Howards Point Road Mayor Labadie explained that she is one of the property owners at this property and would be stepping down while this item is discussed. She clarified that she would abstain from any discussion, deliberation, or vote, relating to this item tonight or at future meetings. She stated that discussion of this matter will be turned over to Mayor Pro-Tem Johnson and explained that she would physically leave the Council Chambers while this item is discussed. Mayor Labadie left the Council Chambers at 7:50 p.m. Mayor Pro-Tem Johnson asked if City Attorney Keane would like to comment on any of the comments that were brought up earlier in the evening by residents regarding this item. City Attorney Keane explained that extension requests on enforcement items are routine in the City. He stated that a property owner does not forfeit their right to this kind of request because they are an elected official. Mayor Pro-Tem Johnson pointed out that there is a clerical error on the resolution, because if this is approved, he will be signing it. CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 8of12 Planning Director Darling explained that this request is for an extension to allow more time to bring an existing dock into compliance with the zoning regulations. The applicant has indicated that their dock is affixed permanently into the lagoon and they will need to hire someone to help adapt their dock. She noted that because this is the end of the season for seasonal docks, the applicant has had some difficulty finding a contractor to help them modify the dock within the prescribed timeframe. Staff is recommending approval of the request for an additional thirty days. Councilmember Gorham noted that one of the things brought up by residents was conflict of interest, which is about perception and asked if City Attorney Keane could speak on behalf of the Council regarding their 'conflicted status'. City Attorney Keane explained that conflicts of interest are addressed in State Statute and elected officials are not to vote or participate in matters where they may have a direct or indirect financial interest. He stated that the perception of a conflict of interest can be rightfully held, however if the situation does not rise to the level of statutory conflict of interest, then it is within the Council's good judgment to ensure that matters are fairly addressed by the Council. Mayor Pro-Tem Johnson stated that he can remember granting this type of request in the past. He asked how often the Council has not granted this type of extension request. Planning Director Darling explained that she has been with the City a little over four years and since she has come to the City, only one request was denied and all the rest were approved. She stated that she is unsure of the exact number but would estimate that there are ten to twelve requests made every year. Councilmember Siakel stated that she agreed that the Council has frequently gotten requests for extensions. She stated that she is not yet familiar with the situation raised by Ms. Rogers during Matters from the Floor, but would note that the issue of grandfathering and approving an extension are not the same and have nothing to do with each other. She stated that in this situation, this dock was in place well before the current occupants were there, this situation has only come to light recently, and has not been an ongoing issue that was not dealt with. Councilmember Gorham asked for details on the one instance where an extension request was not granted. Planning Director Darling stated that it was when a single fence panel had been installed in a front yard and Council and staff both considered it a simple matter to remove the one fence panel that was in violation of the City Code. Callies moved, Siakel seconded, Adopting RESOLUTION NO. 21-132, "A Resolution Approving a Request for Extension to Correct a Code Violation for Property Located at 5510 Howards Point Road." Councilmember Gorham noted that there was a hand -up on-line. Mayor Pro-Tem Johnson noted that this was not a public hearing, however the Council has allowed comments on other items, and would allow public comment at this time. Mr. Yelsey stated that this issue is about integrity in government and understands the Council is looking at an extension request, but the law indicates that the person directly involved needs to CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 9 of 12 recuse themselves. He stated that a person who is responsible and supervising other people, may not have those people provide staff work for them because it is compromised. He stated that it is a conflict of interest because they are under the supervision, either directly or indirectly, of the mayor. He stated the Council is compromised in their relationship with Mayor Labadie and feels they should not be ruling on anything related to her and what he considers an obvious violation of City Code. He stated that he would ask that they act with integrity and pass this along to a third party for review which may take some time. He stated that if the Council chooses not to do that, they may see additional court action taken and will find themselves at the wrong end of a legal decision. Councilmember Siakel asked City Attorney Keane to respond to the comment and inference just made by Mr. Yelsey. City Attorney Keane reiterated that there is no conflict of interest in this situation for the Council to participate in this vote. He stated that he feels the enforcement proceeding would contradict Mr. Yelsey assertion. He explained that staff received a complaint and has brought it forward for enforcement which is why this matter is before the Council. He reiterated that he does not see the conflict of interest that was raised by Mr. Yelsey. Councilmember Callies stated that the Council has an obligation to make decisions. She noted that when there is not a conflict of interest, it is not appropriate to simply say that the Council just does not want to deal with something because it is difficult. The Council has the responsibility to make decisions regarding difficult matters and noted that today, the Council is just being asked to make a decision regarding an extension of time. Mr. Yelsey repeated his assertion that he feels the Council and staff are legally compromised in this situation and stated that he can show the pertinent decisions from the Attorney General to back up his opinion. He stated that he believes Mayor Labadie already had a months' notice of her violation and he had heard she consulted with City Attorney Keane, which he feels is another violation. He asked City Attorney Keane if he had advised Mayor Labadie on this matter, as an individual dock owner. City Attorney Keane stated that he had not advised Mayor Labadie on this matter. Mr. Yelsey reiterated that he feels this is a matter of integrity, the Council is compromised and will look bad if they move forward with this action. Councilmember Siakel stated that the issue before the Council is on granting an extension and is not an integrity issue in any way and noted that she totally disagreed with everything being stated by Mr. Yelsey. Mr. Yelsey stated that it will be perceived as an integrity and issue and if the Council proceeds with this they will not want to be involved with they decide to bring their challenge forward. Councilmember Callies stated that numerous times this evening and in the past, Mr. Yelsey has referred to "we" and noted that, for the sake of transparency, he should explain who "we" is, if he is speaking for someone other than himself. She noted that she believed there has been enough discussion on this item and the Council could move forward with a vote. All in favor. Motion passed. CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 10 of 12 Mayor Labadie rejoined the Council meeting. 8. ENGINEERING/PUBLIC WORKS 9. GENERAL/NEW BUSINESS A. Approve Contract with Campbell Knutson as City Attorney City Administrator Lerud noted that following firm interviews, the Council directed staff to prepare a contract for legal civil services with Campbell Knutson. He stated that the agreement, as presented, will go into effect January 1, 2022. Callies moved, Gorham seconded, Adopting RESOLUTION NO. 21-133, "A Resolution Approving Contract with the Firm Campbell Knutson to Provide Legal Services to the City." All in favor. Motion passed. B. Approval of Unpaid Bills Assessment Finance Director Rigdon stated that this item is a continuation from the public hearing held earlier this evening. He explained that the Council is being asked to consider the resolution included in the packet but would note that there could be some changes made. Siakel moved, Labadie seconded, Adopting RESOLUTION NO. 21-134, "A Resolution Certifying Unpaid Charges on the 2022 Hennepin County Property Tax Rolls." All in favor. Motion passed. 10. STAFF AND COUNCIL REPORTS A. Administrator and Staff 1. Paper Shred City Administrator Lerud noted that the staff memo is self-explanatory and recaps the Fall Shred Event. He noted that the City will host another shred event in May in conjunction with Clean -Up Day. Other Public Works Director Brown stated that there was a subdivision earlier this year located on the cul-de-sac of Law tonka Drive, which necessitated staff looking into how the new parcel would be served by municipal sewer and water. He explained that water lines had not been extended to this property for some reason, however, there are two new homes being built on this property and they have come in and satisfied their water connection charge, so the City has an obligation to serve those properties. He stated that because of time constraints, if the quote received from the contractor is appropriate, staff is planning to approve moving forward because of possible asphalt constraints due to weather and then follow up with the Council after the fact. Public Works crews are continuing to sweep roadways along with some tree activity. He noted that there have been a number of issues with vandalism at the new shelter in Badger Park and staff has made SLMPD aware of the situation. He stated that just prior to the meeting he came upon two young men CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 11 of 12 pitching rocks at the shelter but as he approached them, they fled on foot. He stated that they are beginning to consider additional steps at Badger Park with things such as additional lighting or cameras to deter this type of activity. City Engineer Budde stated that the Covington Road watermain improvements should be wrapping up this week. He reminded residents and Council that this coming Wednesday is the Strawberry Lane Open House from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at City Hall. Councilmember Johnson expressed concern about maximum occupancy numbers with COVID and asked if the Open House should be moved to the Community Center so there are not any problems in that area. City Administrator Lerud stated that he will take a look and see if the Community Center is available. Councilmember Siakel noted that for an Open House not everyone who attends is there at the same time. She stated that the City could also provide masks if necessary. City Engineer Budde stated that he did not think there would be the appropriate audio/visual equipment available at the community center for the presentation and have the ability to record it and put it on the website. Following discussion, there was consensus of the Council to hold the Strawberry Lane Open House at City Hall, as planned. B. Mayor and City Council Councilmember Johnson noted that he had attended the fall paper shred event and stated that it was well received by the citizens. Councilmember Siakel asked if the City would be looking at providing testing options for COVID to ensure that staff is kept safe. City Administrator Lerud noted that City Clerk/HR Director Thone is the one who is leading in this area. He noted that many cities are trying to get their hands around the OSHA rule and Shorewood has also started those discussions and plans are in the works. Mayor Labadie stated that she has a meeting tomorrow with the mayor's in the Minnetonka School District and their superintendent. She stated that she will ask the other mayor's what their policies look like with relation to COVID testing for employees. She stated that the Excelsior Chamber of Commerce hosted the State of the Cities address on November 4, 2021, which was a very nice event. She stated that there has been a recent uptick in car thefts in the area and encouraged people to keep house, garage, and cars locked. She stated that they are also encouraging people not to leave their garage door openers inside their vehicles. She stated that the SLMPD has urged people not to do intervene or do anything beyond call 911. She stated that if anyone has captured footage on things like a Ring or dome camera they are asking that you submit the footage to records southlakepd.com. She stated that the City received notice last week that MnDot has decided to conduct a traffic study and analysis of Highway 7, beginning near St. Louis Park all the way west of St. Bonifacius. She stated it will begin in November of 2021 and conclude in June of 2022. CITY OF SHOREWOOD REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES NOVEMBER 8, 2021 Page 12 of 12 11. ADJOURN Johnson moved, Siakel seconded, Adjourning the City Council Regular Meeting of November 8, 2021, at 8:24 P.M. All in favor. Motion passed. ATTEST: 1A 211LPatrick Johnson, Acting Mayor Sandie Thone, City Clerk