HomeMy WebLinkAbout20251103 - CC Workshop MinutesHastings, Minnesota
City Council Workshop
November 3, 2025
The City Council of the City of Hastings, Minnesota met in a workshop on Monday, November
3, 2025,at 5:30 p.m. in the Volunteer Room at the Hastings City Hall, 101 East 4th Street,
Hastings, Minnesota.
Members Present:Mayor Fasbender, Councilmembers Beck,Haus, Lawrence, Leifeld,
Pemble, and Vihrachoff
Members Absent:None
Staff Present:City Administrator Dan Wietecha
Assistant City Administrator Kelly Murtaugh
Mayor Fasbender called the workshop to order at 5:35 pm and welcomed Council Members to
the workshop on setting legislative priorities for the City. Wietecha noted that Council has
discussed and set priorities in the past and this is a chance for Council to discuss and
High priority conversations:
•Clean Drinking Water—continues to be the highest priority of Council.
•Community Television—council discussion on reduction in cable access franchise fees
due to customers switching from cable to streaming options. HCTV rent in the high
school continues to increase. Engagement with the community through broadcasting
Council meetings, commission meetings, educational and sporting events provides value
to the city and community. Council discussion on importance of all local media to the
community.
•Local Option Sales Tax—will likely need to be able to access that option for future
projects. Council discussion on the burden on taxpayers for water rates and levy
increases. Wietecha reviewed the two-step process currently in place if the City were to
exercise this option—first to the legislature for approval to then go to the city voters. It
must be for a specific project and a timeline.Efforts by the League of Minnesota Cities to
streamline the process may be part of the discussion.
•Cannabis legislation—Council discussion on interest in restoring retailer revenue sharing.
Wietecha indicated that when cannabis was legalized, revenue sharing from the tax on
cannabis was in place. Since the state budget challenges last session, the tax increased
and the revenue sharing was eliminated.
•Social District—Council discussion on how a social district differs from the ordinance
allowing consumption of beer/wine in parks. Other cities have tried a social district with
success and may expand. Council discussion on how the downtown businesses view a
possible social district, their concerns and liability.
•E-bikes—Council discussion on concerns with the manner in which e-bikes are ridden in
the city. Council discussion about speed and the current ordinance. The approach for law
enforcement has been focused mostly on education. Council discussion on the next steps
in enforcing current laws and value in adding others.
•Cryptocurrency Kiosk Fraud—Council expressed interest in elevating the fraud issue to
the state level.Reports of scams, often with spoofed phone numbers,continue to
increase.
•Continued Health Insurance Duty Disabled Public Safety—Brief conversation on the
subject and interest in maintaining state financial support for those who need it.
•Garbage Collection—Council clarification as a legislative topic. This may not be a
priority at this time.
•Hwy 61—continued discussion of funding for the project.
•Veteran’s Park lease extension—As the current lease expires in 7 years and the city has a
tremendous investment with the baseball, softball and soccer fields, Council discussed
interest in extending the current lease.
•Safe Routes to Schools grant program that exists to make infrastructure more pedestrian
friendly especially around schools. The LMC legislative proposal is on cities under 5000
population.
•Manufactured Home Parks—Council sought explanation of the issues related to
significant increases in rent in manufactured home parks.The City Council is concerned
about maintaining the affordability of manufactured housing.There were concerns about
similar cost increases across housing types –rental, single-family, home owner
associations –and that many factors influence those cost increases, including taxes,
insurance, maintenance costs, and inflation. Council discussion on what the City’s role
may be in influencing this topic.
ADJOURNMENT
Workshop adjourned at 6:55 p.m.
__________________________________________________________
Mary D. Fasbender, Mayor Kelly Murtaugh, City Clerk