Council News
Sign of the Times
On May 13th Council approved the sign ordinance on a 4-1 vote.
This includes clear rules for placing campaign signs during the election season.
Public Process Matters
What started as just another Shorewood City Council meeting on Apr. 22, quickly became questionable for what was said, and not said.
Before the Council could approve the agenda, administrator Nevinski removed items 2H and 6C. He did not explain what those items were for the audience. He only said there were “notice issues and concerns.”
STAND-OFF: Government v. Process
At the Monday, April 8th Shorewood Council meeting, the 3 attending members, (Labadie, Zerby and Callies*), without discussion, voted to approve the blanket spraying of Freeman and Manor Park soccer fields with an unspecified weedkiller. The recommendation by the contractor was for 6 applications per year, for up to 2 years. *All three are up for re-election this Fall. See it all here in the meeting video. Resident Greg Larson came to Matters from the Floor (MFTF) and asked the Council to name the herbicide. They could not. Labadie reminded him that questions are not answered at MFTF. Mr. Larson persisted. The Council refused to answer any questions or “debate” the matter. After some cringe-worthy moments, Labadie directed Larson’s question to Matt Morreim, who would not answer the question: what chemicals are being used. He asked Mr. Larson to contact him the next day for the information. Larson was dismissed
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Camera Will Analyze Shorewood Streets
The city roadway maintenance program ranges from total street reconstruction, to mill and overlay down, to pavement preservation, such as filling cracks and seal coating. To improve on the overall pavement management program, Shorewood’s Public Works Director, Matt Morreim, is implementing the use of Vaisala RoadAI. The Council approved the subscription to the service on June 26. The cost is approximately $8500-9500 annually. The Director’s report read, in part: “Vaisala RoadAI utilizes high-quality video and artificial intelligence (AI) to assess pavement surface and facilities quickly and accurately. It operates through a specially designed smart phone camera. Visual data can be collected at normal driving speeds. This data can be used to create reports to help strategic decisions regarding capital projects and routine maintenance on roads, signs and striping. “Benefits to utilizing the Vaisala RoadAI system are: Specific road defect categorization with geolocation Identification of potholes including severity Full analysis of
Get Smarter: The Minnesota Open Meeting Law (OML)
The Open Meeting Law (Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 13D) divides government meetings into three types: regular meetings, special meetings, and emergency meetings. See a detailed presentation here. Every public body is required to provide members of the public with notice of its meetings,* regardless of the type of meeting. The same notice requirements that apply for any type of closed meeting, would apply for the same type of open meeting. The law also guides meeting notification, quorums, and serial communication. Learn more here. OML applies to state and local governmental bodies, including committees and subcommittees. In Shorewood, that is the City Council, Park and Planning Commissions. The purpose of the law is to: Assure the public’s right to be informed at Council meetings; Prohibit actions being taken at a secret meeting where it is impossible for the public to be informed about a public board’s decisions, or to detect improper influences;
Get Smarter: The “Consent Agenda”
Note from SCA: Citizens must be attentive to the Consent Agenda based on the reasons outlined below. To be positive, it adds to the efficiency of a meeting by doing a bulk approval of routine items, such as minutes and accounting payments. Beware, it is also a place to tuck items that avoid the scrutiny of residents. For example, the April 8th agenda included blanket spraying of herbicides on the fields in Freeman Park. May 28th had approval of a permit for music at all baseball games and practices, on three fields, in Freeman Park, for the remainder of the summer. Imagine if that had passed without discussion! Don’t be dumbed down. What you don’t know can affect you. _______________________ Ever wondered about the section of the council agenda called “Consent Agenda”? The consent agenda is a tool used to streamline meeting procedures by collecting routine, perceived non-controversial items into a
What to Know About the 9.6% 2024 Tax Levy Increase
Public comment was taken at the December 11 Truth in Taxation Hearing at City Hall. (See the Finance Director’s report here, starting at page 80) See the approved budget and related information here). The 2024 increase for the city share of your taxes is 9.6%. Through a series of work sessions on August 14, September 11 and 25, the Council reviewed revenue and expenditures forecasted for the coming fiscal year. The increase was certified to Hennepin County on September 30. The City had until December 28 to gather public input and reduce the levy. The final budget was certified to Hennepin County on December 28. Residents were invited to attend the Truth in Taxation meeting on December 11. Three residents attended. One had questions about the Tax Increment Financing District* for The Waters and The Pillars. There were no direct challenges from residents relative to the levy itself. *SCA will
Council Discussion of Agenda “Structure”
At the 9.25.23 work session, the Council talked about agenda structure, more specifically, consent agenda[1] items. Watch the conversation. This Council has a history of controlling resident engagement. Resident initiated Emails, phone calls and Matters From the Floor have been points of anxiety for Council members and residents alike. The Council acknowledged that a member may remove an item and have it placed on the agenda for discussion, later in the meeting. Several Council members were firm that residents cannot remove an item for further discussion, though some other cities allow it. The Council said a resident could contact a member with an item of concern, and that member could remove the item from the consent agenda, at will. If the Council member agrees that the matter deserves Council attention, that member would have up to three minutes to prove their case to support the item being added to a
Shorewood Violated Its Own Ordinance on City Water
At the regular City Council meeting on Sept. 26, 2022, the City Council voted 4-1 to approve the plans for reconstruction of Birch Bluff Road. Labadie, Siakel, Johnson and Callies voted yes. Gorham voted no.
Included in those plans and specifications, were plans for a water improvement project at a cost projection of $913,000.00.
