June 8, 2026 Shorewood Council Meeting 3 Minute Recap

NOTE: Relevant links are at the end of this article

Worth knowing from Monday’s Shorewood City Council meeting:

A sample of approved expenditures:

Bluenet (monthly network & laptop) $8,406
Met Council (monthly sewer) $14,761
Dept. of Natural Resources $4,086
(water surcharge)
Spring Clean-up $5,786

Total expenditures approved $238,018

Significant matters addressed by the council:

1. Barry Brown on AI (Matters from the Floor) Resident Barry Brown urged the council to form a city-wide AI task force ahead of the 2027 budget cycle. He said Chanhassen, Plymouth, and Brooklyn Park are already adopting AI and the League of Minnesota Cities has published guidelines. Potential uses: preserving institutional knowledge, automating invoices, streamlining RFPs, cutting meeting minute’s costs by 75%, and rewriting zoning code. He also raised privacy concerns about Public Works road AI cameras questioning data storage, access, and subpoena vulnerability.

2. George Greenfield-Flock: (Matters from the Floor) Resident George Greenfield read the Fourth Amendment into the record, called Flock’s license plate reader cameras flatly unconstitutional, and demanded their removal.

3. Excelsior Fire District Report: Interim Fire Chief Nate Basinger reported the district on boarded its second full-time Battalion Chief, covering two-thirds of the 24/7 rotation, with plans to hire 4-5 more. New self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) units feature lighter frames and 30-minute bottles (down from 45-minute) to reduce physiological strain on firefighters, along with new gear washers to remove carcinogens from equipment. Council questioned whether future SCBA replacement cycles could be staggered to avoid one large lump-sum expense every 15 years.

4. Flock ALPR Camera Audit Discussion: Chief Ballsrud and Lt. O’Keefe presented the city’s first Flock ALPR audit, finding the department in compliance with Minnesota statute. Council expressed significant frustration with the audit’s lack of depth. There was no query-level detail, no methodology, essentially a “trust me” document. As of fall 2025, data sharing has been reduced to one West Metro agency with all out-of-state access cut off. The covered Shorewood camera remains bagged. The council has heard from many residents opposing the Flock cameras. Council directed the mayor to explore ways for Shorewood to pull out of the contract.

Andrew Daly of Lakeside Networks pointed out that the audit included no actual record of search queries where he said the greatest misuse risk lies, including potential immigration enforcement by outside agencies. He said Flock’s February 2025 terms of service update granted Flock a perpetual, irrevocable license to use customer data for its developing Nova platform. Nova compiles personal data including addresses, social media, IP addresses, and Social Security numbers potentially conflicting with Minnesota’s 60-day ALPR data destruction requirement. He urged removal of the cameras as the only way to stop further data collection.

Note: Tonka Bay and Excelsior have had discussions among council members with mixed opinions. Greenwood supports the cameras.

5. See My Legacy Donation Platform: Parks & Rec Director Mitch Check presented a $1,999/year platform to streamline memorial bench donations, event sponsorships, and park fundraising. Key features include an interactive map of pre-approved bench locations, online payment processing, and a unified sponsorship workflow replacing the current manual process. Council approved 4-1, with Gorham dissenting over cost-per-transaction concerns given low annual bench demands.

6. Mill Street Water Main Mire: The city previously approved (3-2) a water main on Mill Street with Hennepin County’s trail project. Combining the project would save Shorewood approximately $200,000. Shorewood has been buying water from Chanhassen for that neighborhood since the early 2000s. Now, Chanhassen has blindsided Shorewood with connection fees of $100,000-$175,000. To date no materials have been ordered and construction has not started. The original “no” votes, DiGruttolo and Sanschagrin, held firm and the supporting council members were frustrated that the case for cost-savings has collapsed, leaving open the option to remove the water main from the project. The mayor offered to call the Chanhassen mayor. The deadline for a council decision is June 22.

Other Items of Note

• Parking at Freeman Park Events: DiGruttolo relayed resident complaints about overflow parking during the June 6 tournament. Parks Director Check said he had not heard complaints; council asked him to follow up with the association.
• Midco Installation: Public Works Director Matt Morreim updated the council on Midco installation work prevalent on the city’s west side and encouraged residents to call Public Works with concerns.
• Councilmember Maddy on the Fire Department: Maddy reported the fire board is working through the recruiting process for a new fire chief and is considering a temporary position to assist both police and fire with HR and related matters.

Sources:
Read council packet
Watch video (available after Jun. 9)
Mill Street Mire (SCA)
Flock Cameras = FBI Cameras?