sorry just worried about myself all right we'd like to welcome everyone here for our planning and zoning meeting and um we'll call this meeting to order we'll start with the pledge of allegiance everybody please stand
i pledge algiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands one nation under God indivisible with liberty and justice for all we would like to welcome our newest
member Mike Harding to the commission he brings all kinds of knowledge and and entertainment so all right we'll take roll call tim Kesh here
uh Jeremy here mike here and Mike there it is and myself we're all here okay so we'll move on to the approval of the agenda everybody take a good look at it if it looks good we need a motion to
approve it motion to approve we have a motion by Mike Harding i'll second second by Jeremy all in favor i I motion approved we move on to the approval of the minutes from the March 17 2025
regular meeting everybody look that over you see anything you want to change or whatever otherwise I'll entertain a motion to uh approve the minutes as printed move to approve we
have a motion by Mike Conu second second by Tim Kh all in favor i I all oppose we have no one that moves on public hearings we're going to open the public hearing ordinance number
2025-330 an ordinance amending chapter 90 of the Lawndale City Code concerning chickens we're going to open it up for uh comments but we um have to have everyone walk up that wants to talk stand at the
podium give us their name address and you're limited to two minutes and no swearing okay do we have anyone that wants to say anything okay eric 33216th Avenue Southeast in
Lonsdale okay i don't have a problem with the chickens what I do have a problem is another hidden tax on the citizens you guys are going to charge $50 for a permit of the chickens why what do I get out of from from the city what do I get from the city i can easily go to YouTube i can go to AI and figure
out how to how to raise chickens how to grow chickens how to build chicken hens but you're going to charge people $50 a year just to have chickens in somebody's backyard doesn't make any sense to me it's another hidden tax on the people of the city thank you
okay we'll address that later okay anyone else 21 1st Avenue Northeast and I'm greatly in favor of chickens um I believe that chickens would certainly be
a decider in many people choosing to purchase a home in Lndale because a lot of people if they're living this far out from the larger cities they want to have the benefit of being able to do um what they want with with their property in a
self- sustainable way and Chickens are not any uh noisier or grubbier than dogs and everybody's got dogs uh city chickens make really nice pets uh they're clean they don't attract things we're not talking big flocks here we're
talking a small curated flock of you know cute fluffy little um fancy breeds and I lived in a large city before population 275,000 and we had chickens and my kids loved them dressed up in doll clothes
and had tea parties with them and we had our own eggs so I'd like the city to consider including chickens thank you okay thank you very much and m pardon Mr chair yes um say I'm going to do a brief overview really quick just to get make
sure that everybody uh that's attending the meeting is caught up to speed okay all right staff uh uh staff met with the planning and zoning commission on March 17 2025 meeting and conducted the final preliminary review of proposed ordinance
2025-330 an ordinance amending chapter 90 of the Lawndale city code concern concerning chickens the commission's recommendations were incorporated into the ordinance of the 2025 330 which has been um on our website uh for public
view uh since the beginning of the month and also ran in the Lawndale area news review so the proposed fee structure 50 uh a $50 permit fee expires on July 31st the following year of issuance $50
annual renewal fee and then a $300 10-year permit fee a person may keep up to we decided on a person may keep up to six chickens on residentially zoned property
permit required or uh requirements um an insure rider for additional coverage for coupe run and chickens located within the property that's on the proposed application um also on that application this is like a fence zoning permit
meaning that a site survey is required with the locations meeting the required setbacks of this ordinance inspections the city may inspect the premises for which a permit has been granted in order to ensure
compliance um inspections or complaints it will be uh complaint driven so if anyone has an issue with um a neighbor having chickens or not or having non-p permitted chickens there it
would be their responsibility to call it in uh to the police department but I might want to add here that we're work the police department's uh is working on a current situation with two roosters in town and that process can take up to
three to four months to enforce the city may inspect the premises for which the permit has been granted in order to ensure compliance uh then the established general standards for keeping a backyard
chickens uh chickens shall be kept in a stationary coupe or accessory structure the coupe shall be set back a minimum of 30 feet of behind the house the principal structure and at least 5 feet from all property lines and shall
not encroach upon utility and drainage is easements uh we're keeping the same setbacks um especially the side and rear yard setbacks as the accessory building structure uh roofs um on co uh coups
must be made of non-combustionable materials extension cords and heat sources are prohibited coup shall be locked uh when coupoops not actually being maintained and then the minimum sanitation standards must meet city code
chapters 153.057 nuisances and 91 health sanitation so the the council has um scheduled this meeting tonight to collect public input uh the city did
receive two emails one from Melanie Moocher and another one from Carrie Barren Bar and this was regarding both of noise complaints and of a neighbor having existing roosters
so I'm sorry to interrupt Mr chair but I just wanted to just catch everybody up here thank you catch everybody up to speed here and please continue on with the public hearing there's no problem i passed over you and I'm sorry for that okay so is there anyone else that would
like to talk okay since he just described that can I come up and talk again sure you go ahead you are Sounds good man eric M 3326th Avenue Southeast Ldale what was just described as literally
overreach by a city what I can and can't do on my property you got more taxes more permits $300 fees $50 fees every freaking year for you guys to charge a person for having chickens on their lot when I can go live in Edina Minnesota
and not have to pull a permit to have a chicken we live in rural Minnesota but you need a permit to pull a chicken or to have chickens in my backyard this is ridiculous somebody needs to address this and figure this out
thank you jesse Cooper 306 Second Avenue Southwest permits being required to own chickens is absurd and contrary to the freedom we have as Americans i can't I can't imagine a world where our forefathers would allow government to
not only restrict a citizen's right to provide food for their family by not only limiting how many livestock animals you can have but to force you to purchase a permit in order to provide for your family now let's talk about these permits and the fact that they are
in direct violation of the constitution you can't take a right which in this instance would be my right to life liberty and pursuit of happiness and uh require a permit it is my right to life
to provide the food needed for my family and I it is my right to have government out of my life business personal affairs and my property it is my right to provide and enjoy the happiness my forefathers guaranteed me and my children in that beautiful
constitution now let's talk about the rules in regards to the permit i love how you use the permits to clearly try to circumvent the fourth amendment of the constitution you know the one about needing a warrant to enter or search one's property if you can't access or I
refuse to grant you access to my property you think you can re then revoke that permit you don't get to access my property or you don't get to circumvent the Constitution using the people's interest like this to get around the
Constitution is a slap in the face to all of Lonsdale residents because you think you're too stupid to see what you're doing with these rules now let's discuss roosters in order to have a sustainable flock you need a rooster not sure if you all know that or not but
uh in order to get fertilized eggs you need a rooster the rooster also protects the flock from any predators that may try to get the flock the size of my flock and come and coop or run or where it's placed should be no concern to the
city you have no right to tell me where I can put my where I can put my coupe uh you want to prohibit the slaughtering of chickens but I can bring deer home all winter long and I can slaughter them but no rules against that but we're
going to have rules on and on chickens let's see uh just like everything the government does it's always to benefit themselves at the detriment to the people the taxpayers that pay your salaries and vote for you
you need permits to raise money because you can't live within your means like the rest of us taxpayers have to every year since I've moved to Lonzale my taxes have gone up and I'm not talking $100 to $500 it has been $1,000 a year or
more raising my mortgage rates every year and what do I see for my money nothing i got what this uh the uh new city hall building that none of us got to vote on y'all decided that you
were going to go and put our money to that where was where's this community pool and water park I've heard about for the last seven years where are all the activities for kids and families that our tax dollar should be going to how about instead of forcing us to get
permits to do upgrades and change every little thing on our property so you can raise money how about you do fundraising let the people decide what we want done with our money let's see in conclusion government has gotten far too big and we the people
have allowed it to take on powers that were never vested in it we the people need to take back the power and say to hell with these regulations and permits our forefathers fought over a 3% tax on tea it's time to step up and start acting like Americans and take back the
freedom our founders fought and died for government doesn't control we the people we the people control the government thank you have a great day we appreciate everyone's comment but I just want to make it clear this is the planning commission they make a
recommendation to the full city council exactly we aren't voted in we are not paid no these are just strictly volunteers y reviewing stuff and making recommendations to the city council exactly anybody else
yes department yep please uh Kevin Mullica i'm here representing the Londale Fire Department our chief and assistant chief are out of town so I was the lucky one to be at the meeting tonight give our stance towards the this uh
situation uh good evening chairperson council members and community members first I want to thank the planning and zoning committee for their thoughtful consideration of the Lzell Fire Department's input we appreciate that our fire safety recommendations were adopted in the ordinance ordinance
especially the setback distances structural material requirements and provisions surrounding electrical safety these are essential steps towards minimizing risk that said I am here tonight to state clearly that the Lonsale Fire Department still does not support the introduction of backyard
chickens or any farm animals within city limits our concern isn't based on personal opinions or rural versus urban lifestyles it's rooted in public safety fire prevention and risk management when we introduce non-domemestic animals into residential zones we also invite new
hazards fire risks property damage increased interactions with predators and the possibility of disease spread these aren't hypothetical scenarios they are real risks that we as emergency responders will be tasked with addressing our department has spent years preparing for structural fires in
residential neighborhoods the last thing we need to do is introduce into tightly packed homes our small structures filled with combustible bedding powered by unsafe heating equipment and maintained by residents residents who may not understand the implications of rural
animal care a single improperly wired heat lamp or neglected coupe could start a fire that not only destroys the owner's home but spreads to the neighboring properties putting lives at risk excuse me the truth is if a neighbor's chicken coupe causes a fire
that affects your home there is no guarantee that the insurance will fully cover the damage especially if the responsible party is underinsured this creates tension in neighborhoods and increased premiums for everyone we also recognize the argument that everyone
else is doing it that cities across Minnesota are allowing chickens but that's not a justification for dismissing our local reality lonzale's lot sizes property layouts and the proximities of homes demand a more cautious and measured approach what
works in one city might not be safe here if this ordinance is going forward and all signs point to doing so then we urge the council to maintain the strictest interpretation of the rules don't relax setbacks don't allow wiggle room for portable coops that can be dragged all
over your yard don't open the door to roosters or more animals later and absolutely do not compromise on the electrical and sanitation standards rigid enforcement and limited scope are the only way to protect the safety of our residents let's treat this not as an
open invitation to a new trend but a high liability exception to our current standard one that demands oversight accountability and firm consequences for non-compliance thank you for your time and again thanks for listening to the Longdale Fire Department's concerns
thank you anyone else actually could I speak briefly again sure thank you i'd just like to mention that I actually do have over 40 years experience raising fancy poultry uh I've been involved with
4 and I've been involved with uh breeding birds and shipping u all over the country and that was before I moved to the city with with my kids uh there is really not a big rash
of people catching on fire from from their chickens can it happen yes but you know people's garages and things yeah there there can be risks but these are not um widespread risks uh urban chicken keeping is really well documented and
it's really not difficult to set up a safe a safe coup um it's a wholesome enterprise it's something that people can do not only for sustainability but for responsibility for their kids for
increased interaction with local 4 clubs for increased um you know purchases from local stores you buy your lumber you hire people to help you build a nice coup um buy more chicken feed from the local store you buy more more chickens i
mean this is an enterprise that involves everybody and um I think that the ards uh while potentially present are certainly not something that would uh keep from being being a a good thing to
have so thank you very much thank you all right anyone else comments i would look for motion to close the public hearing motion by Jeremy second second by Mike
all in favor i all opposed passes all right so presentation of citizen petitions and comments that approval of the consent agenda there's nothing there old
business review and discuss ordinance 2025 331 and ordinance to regulate cannabis businesses thank you Mr chair members of the commission uh first of all good evening uh so we're going to continue our review
and dis uh and discuss ordinance 2025331 an ordinance to regulate cannabis businesses so the background on this staff continued the review and discussion with the planning and zoning commission ordinance 2025-331 an ordinance to regulate
cannabis business at the February 2425 meeting the commission's recommendations were incorporated into the preliminary ordinance 2025331 which included uh limiting the number of retail
registrations to one no buffer requirements established zoning requirements uh the commission determined hours of operations and days
of the week sales can occur and then m recommended restrictions for temporary cannabis events uh after the after the meeting staff reviewed the updated draft ordinance put everything updated everything put it together and then we
sent it to the city attorney's office for review after that the city administrator and myself we met to talk about those changes and what you're seeing in your packet tonight is is the work that the planning commission
did and then with the uh with the uh city approvals um approval so what you're seeing is the this is the current working draft uh the planning commission has had this since uh Friday to take a look at and uh I just want to open this
back up for review and discussion if there's any more changes to be uh updated to this uh um ordinance so Mr chair take it away take a look at it have
any comments on it can we rephrase the retail i'm sorry can we rephrase the retail section to one limiting to one business because we have more than two
businesses that are permitted to sell infused drinks and two that are in permitted to uh sell edibles at this point in time uh so this is strictly for the sale of the flower can we word it as such in the
ordinance so we don't have people calling the police department i was at so such and such a place and they're selling beverages and then I was at the next place and they're selling beverages just worded as such make it easier on our local police
department you guys through this or not i don't know if we've talked to anyone in the last month or so concerning this i myself think we should just abandon the whole
idea why I just don't see the benefit and that's why you got to raise taxes all the time could be bringing in more revenue and you're just going to piss it down the drain we will let you talk when we ask for it please don't disturb the
meeting i still come from the law enforcement background and they saw massive crime dispensal doesn't mean that that's what I'm hearing from a lot of people asker
That's up to you guys i mean I'm only one voice we would go we would have to confirm with our with the city attorney i mean the state has made the decision that this is going to be allowed so we wouldn't need to confirm
that if that if that's even an option i'm just sharing about the risks on that i've heard it from heard from other people but I mean but again not not to discount you in the back what was your name sir jesse jesse he's correct though too because it is happening across the
state at the same time but is it worth the cost if it's happening in the state capital I visa attorney attorney yeah I was under the
impression you like could do a moratorum essentially prevent this from happening while the state was coming up with their uh their laws you can defer to the county and the county can place we have 60,000 people
in the county we need to place five dispensaries in the entire county you also got to remember that the state's the one issuing the cannabis licenses we're not so might not even get we might not even get anybody for town but we do get one cent on every cannabis
dollar spent in this town unless our good old Governor Walls takes that away from us i wouldn't be surprised i grew up in it myself i mean I'm not law
enforcement background so I don't have an issue with it honestly I think you can do a lot of buildings that's just same as both mics right i I sit and ride the fence i come from a military
background so I obviously am siding against it uh but at the same time if it's picking up a revenue stream the harm it can do more good harm than good but maybe I'm not seeing the whole
picture I can see both sides just seeing some of the states I think what it's done there I don't know i don't know i wish I had a good answer well I think we did a good job last time
though as much as we can control this one set else uh Mr chair so I just want to make sure that you know as you know as you see this is a working document in front of you guys uh in front of the commission it was reviewed by the attorney's office
i got one comment uh adjustment to make to it and council member please clarify your update please that it shouldn't be specific that we're only limiting it to one flower dispensary and
not the other types of cannabis businesses thank you you're welcome and Mr chair I I'm looking for or I I'm seeking a consider of approval of uh this preliminary ordinance 2025331 ordinance to regulate cannabis
business with the one change a clarific or one update change to the to the limitations to the one cannabis retail location limiting to one being more specific only limiting to flower
cannabis flour hour making that change so I'm looking for your uh a motion here to uh approve this uh this draft all in favor okay motion carries on to new business consider approval of
ordinance 2025-330 an ordinance amending chapter 90 of the lawn city code concerning chicken all right Mr chair and um commissioners uh as you know we just had the public
hearing uh collected public feedback um this is the same uh content that was used in the narrative uh for my staff report uh proposed fee structure $50 permit fee expires July 31st the following year of issuance i know that
uh the uh city administrator and I've discussed that and we're proposing to move it back to December 31st uh just because there is no inspections included in this ordinance uh no uh there is no on-site inspections i'm going I'm making
that very clear to the commission here so it' be uh as far as processing uh it would make processing much more efficient at the end of the year by December 31st uh the $50 annual renewal
fee the $300 uh 10-year permit fee up to six chickens again uh this is an important note also this is a recommendation from the Lawndale Fire Department is to make sure that there is an additional insurance rider for additional coverage for that coupe run
and chicken located within property i want to make sure that this is very clear to the commission also that this is complaint driven and and also I want to make make sure everybody's clear that to rectify a
situation could take up to 3 to four months um the city may inspect premises for which a permit has been granted in order to ensure compliance and then back to general standards for keeping of backyard chickens uh with the setbacks to set
back a minimum of 30 feet uh from the principal structure at least 5T from all property lines rear and side roofs and cuffs uh coups must be made non-combustible materials and then this is I'm noting
this one also extension cords and heat sources are prohibited and that was a recommendation from the Lawndale fire department uh coupe shall be locked when coupe is not actively being maintained and uh here we go let's go
into uh discussion here i just want to make one clarification to Eric the the fees that set up it's not $300 and $50 it's so for correct
you guys heard the comments we're not allowed to speak up right now right what about solar why do I need power is that included in there if I have a chicken coop and I want to put solar up there so I don't need to run
power for my breaker it's a fire source what we're concerned with is I better not see any city stuff out here with any solar on it well we won't cater to threats but Not a threat that wasn't a threat at all well solar
would be the power source you'd still need a heat element we're worried about That's what we're getting the electrical cord out there and all that stuff well if I have a solar panel it's going to run through electricity it's going to run my heat
source so is that worded in there nope probably should be yeah why do I need to run for my house i need to run for solar this is something we discussed the last few times and Jamie can attest to it i I
raise chickens as well so does Joe even in the winter harsh winters in Minnesota the chickens typically don't eat it not not the babies not endorsed they're completely different no but for outside really well tell that to the next person that doesn't know that
that's about to make chickens or have chickens in their backyard i might add my my grandfather had chickens in northern Ohio and they never used a heat source there or nor did my father on his farm nor did the suburban
neighbors near near my grandfather's house and we can agree with you don't you don't need heat in the winter what we're getting at is oh the chickens are going to be so cold out there so they run the light out and um next thing you know we've got
a fire because of what's around so it's not like we're expecting that but we're trying to be ahead of it so that's why we talk to the fire department that yeah we agree we all agree they don't need the heat but you know how
that's going to be so then we're banning the heat and everything that was a recommendation from the department that was not something that we recommended be put in that's that's on like that's for you the homeowner to figure out for yourself that's more more
cost on us tax so that's more ridiculous that's why we didn't recommend it all of these regulations are ridiculous they're chickens for sake yeah they're chickens but you're
obviously very much in favor of them but your neighbor that we have to have something to fall back on and if and if a rooster crowing is going to be the thing that sets you over the edge I think you have a far
more serious problem in your life than having a rooster next when the rooster is crowing all day long constantly it isn't it doesn't crow all day i'm home
maybe you should consider anybody else all right please order you guys got any other comments on this the
I'd like to bring it up on that change we really understand that this is opening up but I'm just allowing that
yeah metal roofs are allowed on sheds yep i was Yeah we changed that couple years ago yeah I'm done talking on the on the I've still the mindset to not get chicken
well some of the ideas too is that there are complaints that's basically manact well it's the application process is reviewing the permits yep all takes um right We're
good we need a motion as to whether we want to move ahead with this and remind you uh Mr chair I am proposing that we change the renewal time uh from July 31st to December 31st just to note that
in our in our motion here a motion Make a motion okay we have a motion on the table do we have a second second by Mike Harding all in favor
i all opposed i move on passes all right and we're going to pass over the review and discuss the digital billboard proposal move on to C consider approval to schedule a public hearing on May 19th 2025 at 6:45 p.m or shortly after for
ordinance 2025-31 an ordinance to regulate cannabis business yeah u Mr mr chair so we we just went to uh 10 C consider approval to schedule uh public hearing for the cannabis uh ordinance to regulate business or I'm
sorry ordinance 2025 3331 an ordinance to regulate cannabis businesses uh we just reviewed and discussed the preliminary the final preliminary draft with one quick change to it and uh we want to line this up the staff is
recommending that we uh schedule the public hearing for uh May 19th 2025 at the next planning and zoning commission meeting at 6:45 p.m or shortly after i'm looking for a uh or seeking a motion to
schedule that meeting public hearing a second second by Tim all in favor all opposed motion carries all right other business adjournment okay
under other business anybody else here want to speak up other than chickens or cannabis uh Mr chair I just want to confirm here so are we we are not discussing review and discuss digital billboard proposal tonight until next meeting next meeting
related to the next meeting oh okay see I went over your head thank you for that confirmation Mr chair okay all right anybody else have anything they want to say sure
we're going to limit two minutes again southwest i got a citation here in the mail says public motor vehicles no explanation i'm just assuming that it's because I have my boat in my parked in my
yard once again my property I pay the property taxes i pay the mortgage $130 and shove it right where the sun don't shine so well I guess if we would be a city of no rules we wouldn't look
like and your neighbors certainly wouldn't think too much of that and the city council or the people but yet we can I can drive through town and I can see a 100 different boats or campers parked and
but yet I'm the one getting ticketed because I have roosters my recommendation would be to contact the police department i ain't getting rid of them either the person you need to talk to is to your fight this too
that's your prerogative yep but we we have to think about the city a lot i don't have anybody coming to me and saying our city is too neat i don't have that i've had people complain about the neighbor doing this or the neighbor doing that even when we get to like the
uh trash bins oh that was a huge deal and we passed it i don't hear anything about it except from a couple people here and there but what I do hear is we really appreciate that it sure makes the town look nice it's just a little bit
just a little bit neater we want people to move into not drive and look at it and say "I don't want to live here look at the We're raising taxes." Well Yeah you know there's one easy way to take care of that Cory yeah there is
yep yeah manage your budget there's uh highway new businesses coming in east and west and 33 goes south and old 96 goes north that lives in this city to move the heck out of here that's real smart cuz that's
going to cost the rest of us even more money that was about the dumbest comment I've ever heard of here that is you're telling me to move out i'm not just all right we got a
motion to to adjourn one minute you said two minutes eric now 33216th Avenue Southeast Minnesota whatever the heck is I see misters and playable fountains on here i work on the irrigation i work on
irrigation systems i cover six state areas okay i'm working on golf courses and everything like that and these and these misters and these splash pads and everything please advise what the maintenance cost is of one of these splash pads it is not cheap if you're
running fresh water that's fine it's going to drain out the only way to reuse it again is run it through UV filters that need to be cleaned every about two months or not two months two weeks if not they get clogged and they don't work i can tell you the maintenance cost of
one of these splash pads is well over $375,000 a year on a city so please be advised the maintenance cost is astronomical it's not just $2 million to put it in somewhere it's the fact that the annual maintenance cost and next
thing you know the pump to pump it goes out well I just worked on one today that was another $12,000 to the customer to replace a motor what's it going to take if we put one of these splash pads in our city it's actually cheaper to maintain a pool than it is to do one of
these splash pads and let alone that if it's not filtered water and everything it's a pretty disgusting place for kids even to play it don't get me wrong I'm not a I'm not a I'm not a chlorine type person either i don't agree with that with all the chemicals but when you have
excuse me pee and poop let's say little kids are in there they ain't gonna say "Oh mom I just peed my pants." And then you don't have a filtration in it how does it clean itself it's a It's a cost that nobody ever thinks about on these splash packs and it is astronomically expensive i can
tell you this nozzles for those things are probably over $400 a piece so when one goes bad get ready thank you yeah we appreciate that we're pass a motion to make a motion we have a
motion by Tim second by Mike all in favor i opposed motion carries