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05-21-2025 ARC Minutes CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY, MINNESOTA AIRPORT RELATIONS COMMISSION MINUTES May 21, 2025 The regular meeting of the Mendota Heights Airport Relations Commission was held on Wednesday, May 21, 2025 at Mendota Heights City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve. 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Norling called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Commissioners present: Norling, Sloan, Dunn, Neuharth. Absent: Sharma, Hamiel, Bobbitt Staff present: City Administrator Jacobson and Administrative Coordinator Desmond. 2. CONSENT AGENDA a. Approve Minutes from the September 18, 2024 Meeting b. Approve Minutes from the November 20, 2024 Meeting c. Acknowledge Airport Operational Statistics Reports 1. Complaint Information 2. Runway Use Information Commissioner Sloan noted that the minutes from the November 20, 2024 meeting did not state who attended the meeting. City Administrator Jacobson explained that the November meeting was a joint meeting with the city of Eagan ARC, and attendance was not taken. Commissioner Dunn asked to have his question about air traffic control staffing on the next agenda. Commissioner Neuharth commented about runway use for departures north of the corridor, noting the increase in November, December, 2024, and January 2025, and asked that an inquiry be made with MAC for an explanation of the increase and if the usage could be brought closer to the mean level. City Administrator Jacobson said she will forward the question to MAC staff. Chair Norling noted that the April complaints for Mendota Heights have gone up a lot over the last few years. Chair Norling approved the consent agenda. 3. PUBLIC COMMENTS Rob Meyer, 1399 Clement St, had questions about going from a commission to a committee. Chair Norling stated that the group would discuss those questions later in the meeting since it is on the agenda. Rose Agnew, 671 Woodridge Dr, talked about an air traffic control article published in the Washington Post that she would like to share. City Administrator Jacobson asked Rose to send it to her. 4. BUSINESS a. ARC Update to the City Council Chair Norling initiated a discussion on providing an update to the City Council and asked Commissioners Sloan and Dunn to contribute background information on the history and role of the ARC Commission. Chair Norling read the commission’s powers and duties as outlined in the city code, stating her belief that this language defines the purpose of the ARC Commission. Commissioner Dunn noted that without the commission’s oversight, issues such as increased runway usage and other operational concerns at MSP would likely go unaddressed. He emphasized that the ARC Commission plays a critical role in monitoring activity and advocating for the community. Chair Norling requested Commissioner Neuharth’s assistance in drafting a summary of the ARC’s current initiatives and activities. City Administrator Jacobson asked when the commission intended to present the update to the City Council. Chair Norling proposed reviewing the draft content at the next ARC meeting, with the goal of presenting to the City Council in August. Commissioner Dunn recalled that similar presentations to the Council were made annually in the past. Chair Norling confirmed that the last formal update occurred in 2015. City Administrator Jacobson encouraged the commission to consider its future direction, including how institutional knowledge can be passed along to new members. Chair Norling then recognized Rose Agnew, who underscored the value of involving realtors in community education efforts related to airport impacts. City Administrator Jacobson suggested the commission consider evolving into more of an educational body, focused on outreach and public awareness. b. Commission Structure Discussion City Administrator Jacobson began the discussion by clarifying the distinction between a commission and a committee, noting the differences in formality, structure, and scope of authority. Commissioner Sloan raised the importance of having a resource for residents to voice concerns and observations, questioning where those comments would go if the Commission were no longer in place. He emphasized the need for a body that can monitor and share knowledge on aviation-related impacts. Commissioner Dunn expressed concern that consistent monitoring might be lost under a committee structure, stressing that continuity is critical to the commission’s role. City Administrator Jacobson stated that city staff would continue to conduct monitoring and provide data, including making the charts every two months, as is currently being done. Commissioner Sloan commented that as long as there remains an opportunity for residents to meet and discuss issues—whether through a commission or a committee—the structure may be less important than maintaining open dialogue. City Administrator Jacobson discussed how changes could be made and what the structure of a committee could be. She also said that the commission may need to evolve to meet changing needs and explained that a more flexible model could allow broader participation. Chair Norling commented that with a set meeting schedule, those interested will stay on top of what they need to do, but if there aren’t any meetings, then people may get lax and not keep up if they don’t need to. Chair Norling then recognized Rose Agnew, who raised a question about how a transition to a committee format might affect public participation and interaction. City Administrator Jacobson explained that a committee structure could potentially allow for a more inclusive format, enabling additional stakeholders and residents to participate beyond commission members. Commissioner Neuharth asked what the committee’s structure would look like. City Administrator Jacobson suggested the possibility of scheduling two formal meetings per year, with additional meetings added as needed. Commissioner Neuharth expressed concerns about the timing of the change to a committee with RNAV going into place, and noted that this would be a big change in Mendota Heights. Commissioner Dunn said that he didn’t think that RNAV going into place would be that big of a deal for Mendota Heights. City Administrator Jacobson explained that the NOC workplan incudes assessing and monitoring any potential changes once RNAV is implemented. She also mentioned that the implementation timeline has slipped, delaying implementation. 5. INFORMATION AND CORRESPONDENCE City Administrator Jacobson said that she will send out the news article discussed. City Administrator Jacobson said that phase one construction was complete and the runway reopened today, two days early, and phase two will be in August City Administrator Jacobson said that the next NOC Listening Session will be in Highland in July. 6. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND COMMISSIONER COMMENTS 7. ADJOURN Motion by Neuharth and second by Sloan to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 4-0. Chair Norling adjourned the meeting at 7:21pm.