On the agenda: Sartell Minutes — license plate reader (Aug 24)

Sartell City Council Special Meeting Minutes
Meeting Location: Sartell City Hall
Meeting Date: August 24", 2026

Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, a special workshop meeting of the Sartell City
Council was held on August 24", 2026, at Sartell City Hall posted for immediately following
the regular City Council meeting.

COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Fitzthum, Councilmember Deters, Lynch, Meyer, Elness

COUNCIL ABSENT: None

STAFF PRESENT: _ Director of Engagement & Experiences Nikki Sweeter, Director
of Finance & Operations Rob Voshell, City Engineer April Ryan,
Director of Public Works, Bartt Gevens, Director of Public
Safety Brandon Silgjord, Director of Community & Economic
Development Kari Haakonson, City Administrator Anna Gruber.

CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Ryan Fitzthum called the meeting to order at 6:29 p.m.
a. Adoption of Agenda

Direction/Action

A motion was made by Deters and seconded by Elness to approve the agenda.
The following voted:

Aye Votes: Fitzthum, Lynch, Deters, Meyer, Elness

Nay Votes: None

Motion Carried 5-0.

COUNCIL EDUCATION & TRAINING TOPICS

2027 Le i

Finance & Operations Director Voshell Finance staff introduced the budget theme for 2027
as "Disciplined and Dynamic," building on the prior year's strategic foundation by
maintaining long-term financial discipline while remaining responsive to changing
economic conditions, infrastructure needs, and development activity. Voshell reviewed
multiple 2027 budget and levy related items:

Tax Capacity and Market Value Growth

Voshell presented estimated market value projections showing the city approaching
$2.5 billion, which would place Sartell as the second-largest city by estimated market
value in both Benton and Stearns counties, behind St. Cloud, and comparable to

cities such as Waconia, Winona, and Alexandria. For the 2026 assessment (taxes
payable 2027), estimated market value increased approximately 5.2%, driven by
both new construction and existing property value growth. Net tax capacity
increased by 6.9%, primarily due to the decertifications of the Toppan Merrill and
Burl Oaks TIF districts, which entered the tax rolls in 2027. Staff noted that without
those decertifications, net tax capacity growth would have been closer to 5.2 %,
consistent with prior years and FMP projections of 5%.

The preliminary median assessment ratio reported by the Stearns County assessor
was 97 % for the 2026 assessment, near the high end of the county's 94-98 % target
range, suggesting some potential moderation in valuation growth going forward.
Staff broke down the 5.2 % market value growth, noting that 3.3 % came from
existing property appreciation—below the long-term average—while the remainder
was driven by new construction totaling approximately $43.8 million, well above the
nine-year average of $26.2 million. Commercial construction was the largest
contributor at $19.4 million, followed by residential at $13.2 million and apartments
at $11.2 million.

Staff noted that the apartment growth was primarily attributable to the Beetle
Boulevard project constructed in 2023, which was assessed using an income
approach and therefore took several years to appear on the tax rolls following
lease-up. Council discussed the implications of this lag for future projects such as
Scout Haven and directed staff to seek additional information from the county
assessor on how the income-approach valuation process works and what the typical
timeline to full assessment might be.

Proposed 2027 Levy

The proposed 2027 levy increase is approximately $740,000, or 6.9%, consistent
with net tax capacity growth. Staff emphasized that a 6.9% levy increase does not
mean all taxpayers will see a 6.9% increase in their city property taxes, as individual
impact depends on how a given property's market value changed relative to the
average. The proposed levy maintains a flat city tax rate of 41.75%, consistent with
the city's financial management plan policy and for the 6" straight year.

The levy increase was composed of a general fund levy increase of approximately
$310,000, a capital fund increase of approximately $564,000 consistent with the
financial management plan, and a debt service levy decrease of approximately
$134,000.

Departmental Budget Presentations

Administration: The administration budget of approximately $1.4 million reflects a
decrease in personnel expenditure due to elimination of the executive assistant
position without backfill and the absence of an election year. Non-personnel
expenditure is increasing modestly to invest in the National Community Survey and
Al-assisted customer service technologies. Key initiatives include developing
strategic priorities, administering the National Community Survey on a three-year
cadence, continued lobbying investment, and enhanced internal and external
customer service tools.

Community and Economic Development: The department budget of approximately
$700,000 reflects a 7% revenue increase driven by building permit and plan review
fees, as well as increased fire review and inspection permit revenue resulting from
staff taking over fire plan review and inspections in-house. Personnel expenditure
increased approximately 6% due to COLA and step increases with no additional
staffing. Staff identified a challenge in meeting the 2027 building permit revenue
goal of $352,000, a 21 % increase over prior year, without increasing fee rates. Staff
expressed cautious optimism that the goal is achievable given planned apartment
projects in the pipeline, but flagged concern about sustaining 5% year-over-year
growth in subsequent years. Council and staff discussed the importance of not
allowing a single budget line item to drive decisions that could inhibit broader
community growth, and the need to view building permit revenue as a workload
metric tied to personnel rather than a primary revenue target. Staff also noted that
only three R3-zoned multifamily properties remain after current and planned
projects, which has significant implications for future building permit revenues and
enterprise fund access charges. A broader discussion ensued about the possibility
of creating a reserve mechanism to smooth the ebbs and flows of development-
driven revenue, similar in concept to the city's compensation liability bank for PTO.
Staff noted that cities statewide are facing legal challenges from developers over
building permit fees that are perceived to exceed actual expenditures and
confirmed that the city actively tracks and codes expenditures to demonstrate that
revenues do not exceed costs.

Public Safety: The public safety general fund budget of approximately $6.6 million
reflects healthy projected increases in police and fire state aid, modest inspection
revenue growth, and additional human trafficking task force grant funding.
Personnel expenditures increased primarily due to COLA and step increases across
the department's large workforce, and the transition from a transfer-out
arrangement to direct hiring of a full-time police officer. Non-personnel expenditure

was held relatively flat through targeted reductions. Key 2027 initiatives include
maintaining the police and fire CIP funds at healthy levels, pursuing a law
enforcement services contract with Le Sauk Township—potentially generating
revenue without requiring additional staffing, as Sartell already responds to a
significant portion of the township's calls—and continuing efforts to reduce
overtime costs through on-duty training scheduling. Staff also noted that the life
safety division has helped reduce nuisance fire calls, and that the city's lift-assist
ordinance combined with a state statute change has significantly curtailed calls from
care facilities. Regarding the city's license plate reader program, staff noted that the
current contract with Flock Safety runs through November 2027 at locked-in pricing,
and that the city is actively evaluating alternative vendors with potentially more
robust capabilities, which could result in a transition in 2027.

Public Works: The public works general fund budget of approximately $2.8 million
reflects a modest revenue decrease, primarily due to the loss of a tower lease
payment from Dish Wireless, which filed for bankruptcy. Personnel expenditure
decreased slightly due to turnover, with departing employees being replaced at
lower steps. Non-personnel expenditures increased approximately $52,000 to
address rising costs in fertilizer, road maintenance materials, and contracted tree
trimming. Staff emphasized that the dominant theme for public works over the next
several years is road maintenance and investment. Initiatives for 2027 include
continued investment in preventative street maintenance using new products and
techniques—including hot mix asphalt applied with a roller purchased in 2026 and a
newly tested mastic patching product—as well as continued data-driven decision-
making through tools such as Vialytics and a work order management system. Staff
noted that maintaining the department's established reputation for responsive and
high-quality service remains a priority even as the infrastructure inventory
continues to grow.

Community Center: The community center budget targets a 10% revenue increase,
driven by the transition of the engagement supervisor role from a contractor
position to full-time, with an anticipated focus on sales, sponsorships, corporate
memberships, and expanded programming: The center also plans to transition to a
new, more efficient reservation system and explore programming such as family
nights and adult recreational leagues. Staff acknowledged the ongoing challenge of
part-time staff turnover, particularly as employees leave for college, and noted that
adjusted hours of operation on historically higher-incident evenings have improved
the atmosphere in the facility.

Tax Rate Comparison and Summary

Staff presented Sartell's city tax rate trend from 2020 through the proposed 2027
rate of 41.75%, which remains flat and is projected to be the lowest regional tax rate
by several % points. The proposed budget is structurally balanced and follows the
city's long-term financial management plan. Staff outlined key assumptions still to
be refined before the final levy adoption in December, including labor agreement
outcomes, health care and dental premium rates for 2027, and vendor contract
rates.

Voshell recommended that the Council adopt the preliminary levy at a flat tax rate at the
first meeting in September (September 14th), with continued refinement leading to final
levy adoption in December. The Council indicated consensus to proceed accordingly.

r i rehensi i ro. Overvi
Strategic Planning Process Updates
Gruber presented options and a proposed timeline for initiating a strategic planning
process. The recommended approach would leverage the expertise of the current Council
before new members take office in January, allowing strategic priorities to be established
prior to the National Community Survey (NCS) results, the comprehensive plan kickoff, and
the spring CIP and budget planning cycle. Staff noted that a full RFP process would likely
push the strategic planning effort into 2027, and presented an alternative option by
engaging Homerun Leadership, led by Dr. Dave Webb, at a 50% discount available through
the EDAM conference attendance. The platform uses a consensus-building technology that
allows equal input from all participants regardless of staff-to-council ratio, with anonymous
voting that organically surfaces shared priorities through successive rounds of input.
Council discussion reflected broad agreement that a strategic planning process would be
valuable, with several members emphasizing the importance of the retreat format and
candid dialogue over the formal document itself. Members noted that without clearly
articulated shared priorities, staff allocate resources equally across departments by
default, and it can be difficult to provide clear guidance on trade-offs when budgets
become constrained. Specific examples raised included uncertainty about council's
appetite for additional multifamily development, and the absence of explicit priorities
around single-family residential growth. Councilmembers also raised several practical
questions about the strategic planning platform, including the nature of any necessary
long-term subscriptions, pre-work requirements, and whether the consensus-building
technology forecloses productive debate.

Council reached consensus that a strategic planning effort should proceed. Rather than
initiating an immediate full RFP, two Councilmembers agreed to participate in a follow-up

call or demonstration with Dr. Webb to evaluate the platform and approach, and to bring a
recommendation back to a future workshop.

Comprehensive Planning Process Updates

Haakonson presented context and options for updating the city's Comprehensive Plan,
which was last adopted in 2016 with a land use amendment in 2018. Three options were
presented: (1) a staff-led update, similar in approach to the 2016 process, at low monetary
cost but high staff time burden and with limited in-house expertise in comprehensive
planning; (2) a hybrid model using staff for most elements while engaging consultants for
specialized areas such as future land use, parks and trails, and economic development; and
(3) a fully consultant-led process at the lowest staff workload but highest cost. Staff
presented available budget levers including $25,000 already planned for the NCS, with
customized questions at minimal additional cost, $40,000 from the economic development
fund, and $20,000 from the Park Improvement Fund, plus in-kind staff contributions. For
context, staff noted that comparable comprehensive plans in communities such as Blaine
and Chanhassen ranged from $125,000 to $200,000, while larger metro cities with Met
Council requirements have spent significantly more and are difficult to truly compare.

Council discussion reflected support for issuing a formal RFP to understand the actual cost
of a consultant-led process before committing to an approach. Members noted that the
city already has numerous foundational documents, including the 10-year FMP/CIP, streets
plan, housing plan, and utility plans that could be incorporated by reference in the RFP
scope, potentially reducing consultant scope and cost. Staff were directed to draft an RFP
that clearly delineates what the city already has in place, identifies required core elements
and optional alternate categories, and allows the market to respond with pricing that
reflects the city's existing work products. Council also discussed the importance of routine
comprehensive plan updates rather than addressing funding as a one-time challenge every
ten to fifteen years, as well as gaining ownership over documents so updates may be made
internally. Staff will prepare a comprehensive plan RFP for review, with the intent to bring
it forward for discussion at a future regular meeting before publishing the RFP notice.

COUNCIL ROUNDTABLES
ADJOURNMENT
A motion was made by Meyer and seconded by my to adjourptke meeting at 8:56 p.m.

The motion ied 5-0.
_ P|) [LW

Anna Gruber, City Administrator

Ryan Fitzthum, Mayor