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Council Meeting: “Structure” & Matters From the Floor
The Council discussed the structure of agenda, resident participation in meetings and Matters from the Floor. View the conversation here. Matters from the Floor* presentations from residents is “painful” (watch the Apr. 10, 2023 work session starting at hr. 2:04:10) for Mayor Labadie. After discussion, a majority of the Council resisted allowing any changes to the strict three minute, no Q&A, format now in place.
Should Staff Performance be Measured?
Based on citizen feedback, city staff was asked to consider performance measurements for response time to data practice requests. Data practice policies are driven by Minnesota Statute. However, staff performance when responding, is not. The comments focused on improving staff response time. CM Sanschagrin suggested that the timeliness of responses to some data practices request has been a “pain point,” with city residents. Mayor
Questioning a Council Member’s Vote x2
At the May 22. 2023 Council meeting, CM Sanschagrin chose to abstain from voting on a bond sale. He was challenged by the Mayor and CM Callies for abstaining. The City Attorney was asked for his opinion on the viability of the abstention. See the episode here. Note the attorney’s reply.* When can a voting member abstain? *Orono Council Member Benson recently faced a similar
The Benefits of Conifers
“Be attentive to any precautions around climate change, over-planted tree species and invasive pests that may impact your decisions. Don’t get too caught up in what looks good in the nursery, if it is not suited to your planting site. “ Planting a tree can provide many benefits to the environment and overall quality of life. Trees are typically divided into two main groups, deciduous
Get Smarter: What it Means to be a “Plan A” City
Shorewood is a Plan A statutory city. Plan A is the most common type of city government in Minnesota. These cities operate with a weak mayor-council structure, have between four to six elected members, and the city clerk and treasurer are appointed from within the staff. The clerk and treasurer positions are not members of the council. What does this mean? The mayor’s vote is
The Cost of Reclaiming City-Owned Right-of-Way
Above: A trail crossing sign covered by ROW overgrowth, first reported to ClickFix in 2021, remains overgrown in 2023.) The city has right-of-way (ROW) along almost every public street within its boundaries. City Ordinance 901.01 requires the ROW to be clear of structures, boulders, fences and trees that obstruct the view for safe passage on the roadways. This criteria is clearly set out for the
Planting Trees for a Changing Climate
Learn About the Urban Forest Benefits of Conifers Adding trees to your landscape is a great way to help fight climate change. But the already changing climate has affected the choices you make in local tree selection. Diversity is key, which is why Hennepin County forestry discourages the planting of some tree species. If the large number of ash trees in Shorewood that will likely
See and Be Seen: Traffic Visibility at Intersections
Read time approx. 2 min. Chances are that you have encountered more than one Shorewood intersection, where the sight lines are drastically restricted. There are a variety of reasons for this. The inconsistent placement of stop signs: some are too far back. Other impediments are brush, trees, boulders, retaining walls, fences, illegally placed commercial signs, and tall grasses that obscure visibility. Any of these situations
A Council Tied in Knots Over Hearing From Residents
“Every resident should be welcome, feel welcome, approached kindly, listened to, actually considered, and given the same amount of time on the floor as millionaire developers.” – Shorewood Resident (name withheld at their request). At a 2023 council meeting the Matters from the Floor (MFTF) format was vigorously debated. Watch the discussion starting at hr. 2:04:10. Additional reading at source: 4-10-23 City Council Work Session Minutes,
