Summary of Shorewood City Council Meeting July 28, 2025

For transparency and resident education, SCA is providing a quick summary of Shorewood City Council meetings. Due to technical changes at the LMCC website, please use the Chapters directory below the video to navigate to the referred content. Where applicable, links are included to the documentation in the council packet.

Present: DiGruttolo, Gorham, Sanschagrin, Labadie, Maddy, Nevinski, City Attorney, Clerk/HR Thone, Finance Dir. Schmuck, City Planner Griffith
Absent: Engineer Budde, Public Works Morreim, Parks Czech

1. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL MEETING

2. CONSENT AGENDA (p. 1)

The Consent Agenda is a series of actions which are being considered for adoption this evening under a single motion. These items have been reviewed by city council and city staff and there shall be no further discussion by the council tonight on the Consent Agenda items. Any council member or member of city staff may request that an item be removed from the Consent Agenda for separate consideration or discussion. If there are any brief concerns or questions by council, we can answer those now.

Motion to approve items on the Consent Agenda & Adopt Resolutions Therein: Read: What is a consent agenda?

City Council Work Session Minutes of July 14, 2025 Minutes
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes of July 14, 2025 Minutes
Verified Claims List Claims List
Water Assessment Agreement – 23622 Smithtown Road City Administrator Memo Re-approve Resolution 25-066
Codification of Supplement S-20 City Clerk/HR Director Memo Ordinance 623

Approved 5-0

3. MATTERS FROM THE FLOOR (Chapter 3) This is an opportunity for members of the public to bring an item that is not on tonight’s agenda, but related to the governance of the City of Shorewood, to the attention of the City Council. In providing this limited public forum, the City of Shorewood expects respectful participation. We encourage all speakers to be courteous in their language and behavior, and to confine their remarks to those facts that are relevant to the question or matter under discussion. Please remember that this is a public business meeting, available for viewing on television and the internet by members of the public, including children. Consistent with FCC rules, obscenity, and profane or indecent language will not be tolerated by the presiding officer. Anyone wishing to address the Council should raise their hand, or if attending remotely please use the “raise hand” function on your screen and wait to be called on. Please make your comments from the podium and identify yourself by your first and last name and your address for the record. Please limit your comments to three minutes. No discussion or action will be taken by the Council on this matter. If requested by the Council, City staff will prepare a report for the Council regarding the matter and place it on the next agenda.

Dale Newberg, Beverly Drive:
- Told the council he disapproves of assessing fees to residents with access to city water or forcing connection to city water.
- Long-time resident for 35 years and has spent a total of 35 years on his private well, does not need nor want city water
Barry Brown: Burlwood Court:
- Communication to residents could be better: Insist on public access to a single contact at the cable company doing the install…
- B&M did have a single person who communicated on most things except the need for curb removal, and philosophy for removing trees on private property.
- Asked the city to explain why the crews were removing ash trees on private property in Shorewood Oaks at taxpayer expense.
- Why are curbs being added on the Eureka North project, when he does not recall curb being approved. The public needs to know how these decisions are made and who is making them.
- Later in the meeting, Nevinski explained the trees were removed as part of the mill and overlay in that neighborhood. Staff explained later in the meeting that this was a proactive move for trees that were dying. The exact number on private property was not known.
- Asked for an analysis of the last 3-5 years of estimates that are given by staff and what actually occurred, and what were those changes? The public does not see the big picture.

4. REPORTS AND PRESENTATIONS (Chapter 4)

A. South Lake Minnetonka Police Department (Chapter 4A) – City Administrator Memo 2026 Budget – Chief Justin Ballsrud (The actual budget, as discussed by the council, was not included in the public packet.)

- 8.4% overall increase over 2025 being proposed.
- Staffing changes to decrease expenses were explained.
- Both the Police Operating Committee and Coordinating Committee guided the chief in formulating the budget.

5. PARKS

None.

6. PLANNING

None.

7. ENGINEERING/PUBLIC WORKS

None.

8. GENERAL/NEWBUSINESS (Chapter 8)

A. Recycling RFP (Chapter 8A)

- Current contract with Republic ends December 31;
- Solicited two proposals (1) single sort recycling and (2) organics;
- Council discussed options of Suburban Waste vs. Waste Management;
- Staff recommended WM due to education, outreach and sustainability measures
- The council discussed organics recycling and that all households would pay for organics whether signed on or not;
- Some council members noted organics would add additional heavy trucks on the streets, exhaust and low net benefit;
- See 2025 resident survey results on this topic (p. 21 -Table 15).

MOTION to direct staff to negotiate a contract for curbside recycling with Waste Management (WM): Approved 5-0

MOTION to direct staff to develop a schedule and process to implement a curbside organics collection program: In favor: DiGruttolo, Labadie Opposed: Maddy, Sanschagrin, Gorham. Motion failed 2-3.

Reports (Chapter 9):

– Planning Griffiths: Nothing

– Finance Schmuck: Rolled out RFP for auditors

– Clerk-Thone: Finalists interviewed for Admin Asst. position, candidate will be recommended August 11

– City Attorney: None

– City Administrator Nevinski:

- Work is developing on the coalition study;
- Focusing on replacing “chunks” of the A/V system, audio is the priority.
- Safety Camp has been cancelled due to lack of interest.
- Mill and overlay underway, Boulder Bridge complete, other streets are in milled stage, waiting for contractor to do some tree removals.
- Tree removal on private property has occurred along mill and overlay projects with property owner permission. Unknown what the strategy is for trees on the owner’s property as a proactive measure. 70 trees taken down in Shorewood Oaks project.

Council (Chapter 9B):

DiGruttolo: What is the process for a council member having an item placed on the agenda and put out several examples::
- Nevinski said the process will be addressed and finalized in the Council By-Laws. (Note: Shorewood City Council’s draft bylaws are not publicly available in a single, easily accessible document.
- Understanding of how police and fire budgets are formulated, some amounts are hard to comprehend without better information.
Gorham: Nothing
Sanschagrin:
- Asked for future topics (p.62) to be listed with tentative dates. Nevinski pushed back: dates change.
- Asked for council opinion on cost benefit analysis for replacement/refurbishment of playground equipment.
Maddy:
- Fire Dept. relief fund is doing well
- Transitioning to four full-time positions which are increasing costs.
- There is no grant money for Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBAs)
- Replacement chiller adding to budget increased
- Fire Dept. is moving into a 20 year financial plan, not previously done.
Labadie:
- Mayors spoke at the fire department budget meeting voicing concerns about the current proposed structure: the concept and the dollars are difficult.