Loading...
06 16 2026 City Council Work Session MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY STATE OF MINNESOTA Minutes of the City Council Work Session Tuesday, June 16, 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 Maczko, and Paper were in attendance. 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, Police Captain Wayne Wegener, City Attorney Amy Schmidt, City Clerk Nancy Bauer MUNICIPAL CAMPUS BUILDiNGPROJECT —POLICE STATION AND CITY HALL City Administrator Jacobson stated that several policy level questions regarding the Municipal Campus Building project warrant further discussion. She asked that the City Council discuss and provide clarification on its long-term vision, service assumptions, project priorities and desired scope of the Municipal Campus Building Project. Mayor Levine opened discussion on the Municipal Campus Building Project by acknowledging that there is resident opposition to the project, and that a petition requesting a referendum has been submitted. The Mayor identified several topics for further discussion including the project's cost, facility needs, overall project scope, potential impact on taxpayers and the project's guiding principles. The Mayor also suggested further discussion of the "dig once" and "future ready" concepts to determine whether those principles should continue to guide the project. Mayor Levine stated her preference to avoid a referendum and emphasized the importance of helping the public understand the purpose, objectives, and long-term vision for the Municipal Campus Building Project. Councilor Mazzitello stated that he did not support reducing the quantity or quality of City services and reaffirmed that the project's highest priority is providing a new police station. He noted that planning for future growth had been incorporated into the project scope but that the public experienced "sticker shock" in response to the projects overall cost and building size. He expressed support for reducing the size of the building to make the project more reasonable and acceptable to the public. Councilor Lorberbaum requested clarification regarding 133 costs and the inclusion of UN in the project budget. City Administrator Jacobson explained that the $33.1 million project budget estimate did not include the B3 costs or the state funding, because these items were not known when the estimate was prepared. She also noted that the budget includes ON, consistent with previous Council direction. Councilor Mazzitello suggested organizing the project into three primary areas for discussion, the Police Department, Administration, and common spaces. He stated that, in his view, a "future -ready" building is one that meets the Ciyy's current needs while providing some flexibility to accommodate future needs. Councilor Mazzitello stated that the project's four guiding pillars should be maintained and believed they could still be achieved within a revised design. He expressed support for retaining the lower -level Police Department layout as currently proposed. If additional reductions were necessary, he suggested reducing the number of lower -level parking stalls and decreasing the upper -level footprint by reducing the number of workstations. He also suggested bringing the exterior walls of the upper -level inward to align with the lower level. Councilor Mazzitello reiterated that he did not support a referendum for the project. City Attorney Schmidt reviewed general. information about ballot questions and referendum petitions. She noted that the petition submitted by residents requested an advisory election for the building project. She explained that only certain matters may be submitted to a referendum under Minnesota law and that the Legislature has delegated authority to cities to make specific decisions, including those related to constructing municipal facilities such as a police station and city hall. She noted that the City Council is responsible for decisions regarding municipal operations, facilities, budgeting and long-term infrastructure. City Attorney Schmidt further explained that the reverse referendum process applies to the financing of the project following a public hearing on the proposed bond issuance. She explained that residents would have 30 days after the hearing to submit a petition meeting the requirements under Minnesota law, including ballot language consistent with the state statute and validated signatures equal to at least 5 percent of the votes cast in the city's most recent general election. If those requirements were met, the question may be submitted to voters as a yes or no ballot question. Councilor Maczko asked for clarification regarding the referendum petition process, noting that it would become relevant when Council determined how the project would be financed. City Administrator Jacobson explained that the availability of a referendum petition process depends lune i 6, 2026, Ciry Council Work Session Minutes Page - 2 on the type of financing used. She added that the financing method and bond type would be evaluated and determined at the appropriate stage of the project. Councilor Maczko stated that he would prefer not to submit the project to a referendum and emphasized the importance of community acceptance and transparency throughout the process. He stated that he did not believe the project's four guiding pillars needed to change but supported reducing the size and scope of the project to better align with the City's current needs. He suggested that combining storage areas and identifying other opportunities to reduce space could decrease the building's overall footprint. Councilor Maczko also noted that relocating the ballfield would add costs to the project. Mayor Levine stated she agreed with scaling back the size and scope of the project for current needs with flexibility built into expand. Councilor Lorberbaum stated that the project's guiding pillars should remain in place and that the design should include some capacity for future growth. She noted that residents have expressed a desire for the project to be scaled back and stated that the size of the building should be reduced. She also suggested that relocating the ballfield should be considered. Councilor Lorberbaum added that she would need additional information regarding CJN before determining whether it should be included in the building. Councilor Paper stated that he has heard from many residents and emphasized the importance of clearly communicating the need for improvements to the Police Department facilities. He expressed the view that the overall scale of the building is too large, particularly the common areas, meeting rooms, and community room. Councilor Paper stated that he has also heard support for the project but noted that the ballfield remains a significant community concern. Mayor Levine stated she agreed with the comments made. The size, scope, and cost of the building is concerning to residents. Future ready should be redefined to be built for current need with some flexibility for the future. City Administrator Jacobson reported that staff had met with the Department of Public Safety grants manager regarding the project funding. She explained that the state funding was awarded for the predesign and design phases of the project. If the City wished to use the funding for construction, legislative approval would be required, which would extend the process. She also noted that the grant is not available for reimbursement of costs incurred prior to the end of the legislative session. City Administrator Jacobson stated that Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) has indicated that eligible predesign and design costs incurred on or after May 18, the final day of the legislative session, may be considered for reimbursement. She noted that MMB will issue guidance and the necessary forms to administer the grant. She also reported that the project's B3 dashboard has been established. tune 16, 2026, Ciry Council Work Session MinNes Page - 3 Councilor Mazzitello asked what was required for the B3 requirements. City Administrator Jacobson said that is not known yet. Mayor Levine stated that Adam Crepeau of the Two Rivers Athletic Association had expressed that construction of a new police station and city hall was a higher priority than retaining the existing ballfield at its current location. The Mayor stated that, according to Mr. Crepeau, the association would support relocating the ballfield to Mendakota Park, Friendly Hills Park, or fields in West St. Paul, provided that a suitable field would be available for use by May 2027, City Administrator Jacobson asked for clarification on whether CJN should be included in the project. Councilor Mazzitello and Councilor Lorberbaum both stated that more information was needed. Councilor Maczko expressed concern about the site topography, the proposed building location on the site, and the overall design of the building. He stated that while two ways in and two ways out for the Police Department is desirable, it may be more of a nice to have. He also noted that soil borings had not yet been completed on the ballfield site and expressed the opinion that preserving the ballfield had not been seriously evaluated. Mayor Levine asked what cost savings would result from the proposed changes. It was noted that the building footprint needs to be reduced, which would reduce office space and square off the building. Councilor Mazzitello noted that, based on current estimates and prior to completion of a detailed design, the project cost is approximately $485 per square foot. He also suggested that the existing City Hall building could be repurposed for storage, which would allow storage space to be removed from the new building. He stated that this change would reduce the overall footprint of the proposed building. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Levine adjourned the meeting at 5:56 p.m. rvzt A Stephanie B. Levine, Mayor ATTEST: fM�C� N cy Ba%kr, City Clerk June t6, 2026, City Council Work Ssssion Minutes page- 4