04 21 2026 City Council Work Session MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS
DAKOTA COUNTY
STATE OF MINNESOTA
Minutes ofthe City Council Work Session
Tuesday, April 21, 2026
Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a work session of the Mendota Heights City Council was
held at Mendota Heights City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, Minnesota,
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Levine called
the work session
to
order at 4:30
p.m. Councilors
Lorberbaum, Mazzitello
and Maczko (arrived
at 4:39 pm) were
in
attendance.
Councilor Paper was absent.
Others present included: City Administrator Cheryl Jacobson, Assistant City Administrator Kelly
Torkelson, Finance Director Kristen Schabacker, Public Works Director Ryan Ruzek, Parks &
Recreation Director/Assistant Public Works Director Meredith Lawrence, Police Chief Kelly
McCarthy, Community Development Manager Sarah Madden, Assistant City Engineer Lucas
Ritchie, Administrative/Special Projects Coordinator Noel Mills Ford, and City Clerk Nancy
Bauer,
INDEPENDENCE DAY/250Tn ANNIVERSARY EVENT UPDATE
City Administrator Jacobson provided an overview of the request for additional city events and
activities over the Fourth of July weekend in recognition of the nation's 2501h anniversary. She
noted that because the fourth falls on a Saturday, staff will observe the holiday on Friday, resulting
in many staff being out of town. Due to limited staffing, it would be challenging to schedule
additional events.
City Administrator Jacobson added that the Dakota County Historical Society will hold an event at
the Sibley House in Mendota, and the city has arranged for food trucks at Mendakota Park prior to
the fireworks display on July 4.
Parks &Recreation Director/Assistant Public Works Director Lawrence added that two food
trucks will be available at Mendakota Park.
Councilor Lorberbaum read her email to City Administrator Jacobson asking about additional
events for that weekend and then read City Administrator Jacobson's response to her request.
Mayor Levine suggested having a banner installed at Mendakota Park for the holiday weekend.
April2l, 2026, Ciry Council Work Session Minutes Page -1
City Administrator Jacobson noted that the City funds fireworks and that no additional funding
had been allocated for 250th anniversary events. Staff will instead focus on promoting the activities
occurring in Mendota, as well as the food trucks and the fireworks.
Councilor Maczko as whether Mendakota Country Club contributes to the cost of the
fireworks display.
City Administrator Jacobson stated that they have not contributed to the fireworks costs for some
time. Parks & Recreation Director/Assistant Public Works Director Lawrence added that
Mendakota Country Chub remains a great partner by providing the launch location and other
support for the fireworks display.
RADAR FEEDBACK SPEED LITMIT SIGNS
Public Works Director Ruzek reminded the Council and reviewed the proposal presented last fall
to purchase 12 radar feedback signs for installation on County roads designated as Municipal State
Aid Streets, State Aid Funds would be used for the purchase, and the signs would collect data to
support a traffic study. Staff continue to receive speeding complaints, and many State Aid routes
carry traffic from higher -volume roadways, and the signs would be strategically placed in areas
with speed transitions. Staff indicated that the existing signs have been effective. Purchasing
additional signs would provide another tool to help reduce speeding.
Councilor Mazzitello asked if the new signs would be mobile and it was confirmed that they
would be mobile.
Councilor Maczko sought clarification on why a study was needed. Public Works Director Ruzek
stated that the current signs do not collect data. One of the signs alerts drivers when they are 10
miles above the posted speed limit, which indicates that there are speeding concerns. He also
noted that the signs can be programmed as desired by staff.
Councilor Maczko stated that the money spent to purchase the signs could be spent on fixing the
roads.
Chief McCarthy stated that most local streets do not have a significant speeding problem and
noted that the study included in the packet was 20 years old. She also described the long-term
impacts of speeding. She referenced the speed camera on Marie Avenue last year, noting that it
captured drivers traveling 15 to 20 miles per hour over the speed limit and noted that there is a
public perception of speeding on local streets. The speed feedback signs help align public
perception with actual driving behavior. The speed feedback signs will collect data and help slow
drivers down.
Public Works Director Ruzek noted that data collected from speed feedback signs would also
assist in planning traffic calming measures for future street projects.
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City Engineer Ritchie stated that the estimated $30,000 cost for the purchase of 12 feedback signs
is at the high end. The number of signs purchased could also be reduced.
Councilor Mazzitello inquired about Lite amount of annual State Aid Funds received. Public
Works Director Ruzek noted it was approximately $630,000,
Councilor Mazzitello noted that the investment would be worthwhile, as the data collected would
help identify problem areas for future improvements.
Councilor Lorberbaum also stated that the purchase of speed feedback signs would be a
worthwhile investment. They do remind drivers of their speed and do make a difference.
Councilor Maczko stated he would like
to see data demonstrating
that speeding
problems exist in
areas without speed feedback signs.
Public Works Director Ruzek noted that a speed study could cost about $10,000.
Mayor Levine
stated that she also thought
purchasing the
speed feedback signs would be worth the
investment.
Councilor Mazzitello noted that a speed survey may have been conducted before and after for the
Marie Avenue project between Dodd Road and Delaware Avenue. That feedback may have
helped with the design of that project.
Public Works Director Ruzek noted that this item would be placed on a future City Council
agenda.
PERFORMANCE MEASURE REPORT
Assistant City Administrator Torkelson reviewed the City of Mendota Heights Strategic Priorities
and a draft Strategic Priorities Performance Measures Report for 2025. She requested feedback on
whether the report includes the desired metrics, whether the City Council would like additional
future data included, and whether the Council was interested in developing key performance
indicators (KPIs) for the report.
Mayor Levine suggested collecting data on the number of businesses in the city, tracking how
many businesses are gained or lost each year, and maintaining year -over -year comparisons and
collecting similar data for housing units.
Councilor Mazzitello suggested collecting the same data for affordable housing within the city.
Councilor Maczko noted that it was a good summary report for 2025. He is also interested in data
from comparable cities as well as year-to-year trends.
Aprit 21, 2026, City Council Work Session Minutes Page - 3
Assistant City Administrator Torkelson noted that future reports will have year-to-year data.
Mayor Levine requested that the Facebook posts metric be separated into City Facebook posts and
Parks and Recreation Facebook posts.
Councilor Mazzitello noted that the metrics used to evaluate strategies should be measurable. He
recommended reviewing these at the next strategic planning goal session, including how each
strategy will be measured and the goals.
City Administrator Jacobson noted that the strategic priority plan and the refinement of goals have
progressed significantly, and that developing KPIs will be a next step in further refining the
strategic plan.
Councilor Mazzitello gave an example of city road reconstruction/rehabilitation, noting that there
are 72 miles of streets and the goal is to reconstruct or rehabilitate them within 25 years.
Mayor Levine cautioned against focusing too heavily on measurable data points and suggested
looking at overall strategies.
Councilor Lorberbaum noted that developing KPIs would be staff -intensive, both in terms of
tracking and working toward achievement.
Councilor Maczko stated he liked the strategies and priorities. He expressed interest in reviewing
the KPIs and provided an example of tracking LED lights and instead track whether energy
consumption had been reduced in kilowatt hours.
Mayor Levine noted that the focus should be on initiatives and their progress, with staff
identifying the initiatives that are most meaningful to the community.
Councilor
Mazzitello suggested
that staff develop
measurable items, after which Council would
determine new
it would like
to establish goals
based on those measurable items.
Assistant City Administrator Torkelson recommended developing performance measures for each
strategy and tracking the data over multiple years.
Mayor Levine noted that the number of registered voters compared with other cities and serves as
a useful benchmark. Tax levels relative to other cities could also be used as a measurable data
point. Fire Department and Police Department data is not captured in this data.
Assistant City Administrator Torkelson stated there was some fire data in the report. Some of the
information could be captured through a community survey, such as residents' perceptions of how
informed they feel about City activities and how safe they feel in the city. Currently, the city does
not have a method in place to collect this data.
April27, 2026, City Council Work Session Minutes Page - 4
Councilor Lorberbaum suggested providing feedback to staff on which data should be changed or
added.
Assistant City Administrator Torkelson noted that the report is challenging, particularly in
determining the appropriate level of detail for the data. She noted that some of the data may help
identify areas that should be prioritized. It is helpful to have the data listed to represent some of
the goals.
Councilor Mazzitello suggested that metrics could include the number of fire calls per year and the
cost associated with responding to those fire calls.
The Mayor adjourned the meeting at 5:53 p.m.
u
Ste0and B. Levine, Mayor
ATTEST:
e oo P/
cy Ba er, City Clerk
April2'1, 2026, City Council Work Session Minutes Page - 5