HomeMy WebLinkAbout08.18.25 Work SessionAugust 18, 2025
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Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in a workshop
setting on Monday, August 18, 2025, at 7:OOPM in the St. Joseph Government Center.
Members Present: Mayor Adam Scepaniak, Councilmembers Adam Schnettler, Kevin Kluesner, Andrew
Mooney, Kelly Beniek
City Representatives Present: Administrator David Murphy, Finance Director Lori Bartlett, Public Works
Director Ryan Wensmann, Community Development Director Nate Keller, Police Chief Dwight
Pfannenstein, City Engineer Randy Sabart, City Clerk Kayla Klein
Native Plantings Ordinance: Mayor Scepaniak handed out information on the state statutes relating to
native plantings, along with correspondence he has received from residents both in favor of and against
native plantings. Residents will be allowed to speak for a portion of the meeting.
Margaret Bresnahan, 528 Lanigan Way: Bresnahan provided reasons why she has pollinator gardens in
her yard. Her gardens are ever evolving, and she does maintain them. The gardens are intentional, and
she does not use pesticides. There are bees, birds, and hummingbirds that frequent her yard.
Connie Barden, 604 Lanigan Way: Barden expressed her concerns, noting that the yard does not look
maintained. Barden asked why the entire yard has to be native plantings, nothing that she has flowers in
her own yard that attract bees; however, her plants are maintained.
Peter Straka, 317 Lanigan Way: Straka believes that yards should be maintained and looking nice. The
yard in questions is unsightly and that there are higher expectations for residents living in a city than there
are for residents living in the country.
Dennis Klinkhammer, 601 Lanigan Way: Klinkhammer supports protecting the environment, nothing that
he has solar panels. Klinkhammer agreed with his neighbors that native plantings do not need to take up
the entire lot and added that it will increase the number of rodents and animals in the area.
Jeff Evander, 212 Iris Lane: Evander does not live in the neighborhood but offered to help Ms.
Breshnahan with her gardens if she would like. Evander works for a landscaping company. Evander
stressed that he just wants everyone to get along.
Anne Jarrell, 29482 CR 121: Jarrell asked if there is an ordinance limiting the amount of square footage
that native plantings can cover on a lot.
Currently, there are no restrictions on how much of a lot can be taken up by native plantings.
Lou Ann Schuller, 320 Lanigan Way: Schuller noted that the lot was maintained prior to Breshnahan
purchasing the home. There were multiple pollinator gardens on the property that were maintained
without issue by the previous owner.
Gary Barrett, 621 Lanigan Way: Barrett noted that there would be animals in the area regardless of the
native plantings.
Ray Sjogren, 24 Old Ave SE: Sjogren is supportive of pollinators and noted that it can take 3-5 years to
get a pollinator up and running. Sjogren encouraged residents and the city to remain proactive regarding
pollinators.
Chuck Czech, 511 Able St: Czech stated his wife started her pollinator gardens about 3 years ago and he
was skeptical at first. Czech acknowledged that the gardens can be overwhelming at first, but get more
manageable with each year.
Thomas Schuller, 320 Lanigan Way: Schuller passed around a photo of the property 528 Lanigan Way
and another pollinator garden for comparison.
Raj Chaphalkar, 102 2"d Ave SE: Chaphalkar stated that as a volunteer of the master gardner program at
the University of MN, the city needs to be cautious when drafting an ordinance. Terms to be mindful of
include, invasive vs. non-invasive; and noxious vs. non -noxious plantings. As a resident, Chaphalkar is
August 18, 2025
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working on planting a Japanese garden in his yard. The garden needs to consistently be worked on and
will always be a work in progress. People's perception of maintained and what is beautiful is subjective.
Scepaniak provided an overview of the comments heard both for and against having an ordinance
2026 Budget: Bartlett provided the council with an update on where the 2026 budget is at. The county
relayed that the projected market value increase would be about 9.6%. The operational portion of the
budget was reviewed by department heads and will be finalized soon. The compensation study update
was concluded, and the city is right where it needs to be regarding being comparable to other cities. 2026
projects were discussed as well as what would be in the equipment certificate.
The work session was adjourned at 9:00 PM.
Kayla Klein
City Clerk