Shorewood Council Meeting 90 Second Facts

City Council Meeting Jan. 12, 2026 (watch it any time)
Public Background-Packet (read it)

SCA attends every City Council meeting so you don’t have to. The agenda this week appeared routine and candidly boring. As it turns out, there were residents speaking on important topics at Matters from the Floor and some sparks flew at the end of the meeting that kept us all awake.

Now, getting to the highlights of the council actions in simple terms that make it easy to understand city business.

Financial: Accounts payable totaled $1,123,128

This biggest payments go to:

• $469,256 South Lake Police Department (first quarter)
• $245,601 Excelsior Fire District (first quarter)
• $109,705 Gross Payroll
• $100,018 Metropolitan Council Wastewater
• $12,118 Shadywood Tree Service (removed some trees somewhere in the city)
• $9,954 League of MN Cities (annual dues)
• $8,326 Lake Minnetonka Conservation District (annual dues)

Notable City Council Approvals

1. Approval of Appointed positions: This is an annual process where the council makes routine appointments to the commissions, fire board, LMCD and other entities. The mayor was quick to state her preference for Dustin Maddy as acting mayor saying the position has typically been filled by the council member with seniority. To be accurate, Sanschagrin and Maddy came on the council at the same time. Seniority could be debated. The consensus was 3-2 for Sanschagrin to be the acting mayor. Was it a coup? Ultimately, all the appointments were passed in a 5-0 vote.
2. Signed a Contract with Hoisington Koegler to update ordinances: This is a multi-year process to bring city ordinances in step with state law, current practices and in alignment with the Comprehensive Plan.

Matters from the Floor: Residents speak up:

ICE: Two residents spoke up about ICE, asking the city council to use its powers to pass a “separation ordinance” that prohibits city employees — including the police and firefighters — from participating in the enforcement of federal civil immigration laws. Its purpose is to ensure that City services and public safety efforts are not tied to immigration enforcement. The mayor suggested they contact the ACLU with concerns and protest peacefully.

Watten Ponds 2nd Addition: Six residents from Maple View Court spoke to the council about the proposed project located south of Birch Bluff Road and west of Eureka Road North. They argue the public hearing process was flawed, lacked meaningful public engagement and provided inaccurate information for public comment. The development affects one of the last old growth forests in Shorewood and includes a 10 foot setback from neighboring property. They pointed out that there would be no other opportunities for them to comment on the record. The neighbors have submitted a full statement that SCA will publish in the next few days…watch your inbox!

Debate on future meeting topics:

When reviewing the upcoming meeting schedule, Flock rose to the top. DiGruttolo asked for discussion of a city policy toward ICE and Flock, in response to the matters from the floor request. The city attorney will develop options for council consideration at the next meeting. The mayor cautioned that the police joint powers agreement may restrict what can be done without cooperation from other member cities.

The conversation heated up when DiGruttolo said she had been receiving emails about Flock and the mayor asked if she had forwarded them to Marc Nevinski. DiGruttolo said no. The mayor’s position was that all emails should be sent to staff. A serious back and forth between the two was interrupted by the city attorney who confirmed that emails sent by a resident to a councilmember could be shared only at the council member’s discretion and there was no obligation to share it with anyone else. Watch it all here starting at min. 01:34:43.

This article was 649 words and can be read in less than 3 minutes. If you finished it in 90 seconds you skimmed – go back and read it again! Share it with your neighbors or on social media.

Not to be outdone in the drama department, have a look at the work session that preceded the council meeting. Must see TV! Start min. 2:13:28

The next City Council meeting is scheduled for Jan. 26, 2026.

We will be watching!