Call City Council meeting two for Tuesday, 07/15/2025 to order. Could I have a roll call, please? Council Member Spende. Here. Voss. Here. Dodson. Here. Burbank. Here. Mckhan. Here. And Rainey. Here. Mayor Jeffsop. Here. We have all seven of the council and the mayor present. Thank you. Would everyone please rise for the Pledge of Allegiance led by Council Member Burbank. I pledge allegiance 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.
Alright. Good evening on a steamy summer evening. First up tonight, we have the council agenda. We do have some changes to the agenda. Being pulled from the agenda tonight are 2.5.1 in the consent agenda and action items 3.4.5, 3.4.6, and 3.4.7. With those changes, I would look for a motion to approve the agenda. Motion to approve as noted. Motion by Brent to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Nate. Any discussion? Doing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Mayor Jessup have you got anything for us this evening?
Nothing tonight. Thank you Council President Reaming. Thank you. We're now to the consent agenda. Consent agenda consists of city council meeting minutes, other board commission minutes, licenses, permits and miscellaneous items all grouped together for the council to review prior to the meeting and vote on collectively. With that I will entertain a motion on these consent agenda. So moved. Motion by Dan Du. Approved. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Don. Any further discussion? Brent Spenby. I just wanna note my involvement with the still county free fare as a mud director, so I just wanna make that for the record.
Thank you. Anything else? We have a motion in the second. All those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. We're now up to the action items and first up tonight is the finance report and for that we go to vice president Doug Boss. Good evening. Thank you president Rainey and thank you to the staff for a nice shortlist tonight. Checks over $20,000 for your consideration tonight are as follows. $23,548 to Central Farm service for fleet fuel. $97,382
to Hydro Clean for the twenty twenty five CIPPS projects, pay estimate number three. $40,800 to the Chamber of Commerce for the second half of the Main Street contract, the second half of the economic development services, and Chamber Bucks third quarter anniversary awards of $800.26500 dollars to Terracon Consultants for professional services on the Eighteenth Street Southeast Project Other expenditures of $246,590
For total expenditures presented for approval, dollars 434,821.28. That's a small report. That was great. Any questions on the finance report? We have a motion to approve? So moved. Motion by Dan to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dave. Any further discussion? Hearing Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Finance report has been approved. We have one ordinance tonight three point two point one, the second final reading of proposed ordinance 25 dash two zero nine to amend the
city code section 93 dash zero two nine noise and public parts. And we go to city attorney Mark Walbrand. Good evening, sir. There are no changes to the, ordinance that was approved at the last council meeting. Thank you. No changes to that so I would look for a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Motion by Doug to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Nate. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Council member Spenby. Oh, I'm sorry. We need we need a roll call on this. Where were you on that, Doug? Trying to get your attention. Kind of a roll call vote,
please. Council member Spenby. Aye. Boss. Aye. Dotson. Aye. Burbank. Aye. Bokey. Aye. McKean. Aye. And Rainey. Aye. Thank you. Thank you. Appreciate it, Jeanette. We're now up to the resolution. We have one resolution tonight, 36 dash 25. It is for Good Day Express Car Wash, and we go to Community Development Director Troy Kletter. Good evening sir. All right. Good evening. Thank you. We do have a request for Good Day Express Car Wash to be located at 1810 Salcedar.
That's the site of the former Salvation Army. It is zoned B to Community Business District and car washes do require a conditional use permit. The site would eliminate access, off of Cedar Avenue as well as at the corner of Cedar Avenue and Eighteenth Street. Their one access point would be directly across from the Hy Vee Driveway on Eighteenth Street. All traffic would be directed around the building, providing quite a bit of stack room before you get to the the pay station
and then they would all exit at that location as well. All parking requirements are met. They are also proposing seven trees to be planted to meet our landscaping requirements. We did have a public hearing at Planning Commission. Last week we did have the property owner to the south that expressed some concerns about access and visibility of the the strip mall there. There are no access easements to anyone's knowledge providing access to that parking lot.
The Planning Commission did recommend approval and with the conditions listed in the staff report there and staff would recommend approval as well. Thank you. Any questions for Troy on this? Hearing none, I look for a motion to approve. So moved. Motion by Dan to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Doug. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. We have six miscellaneous items tonight. First one is three point four point one tree trimmer permit, the Davey Tree Expert Company out of Rochester,
and we go to seed administrator, Chris Busse. Good evening. Good evening. We have received an application from Tanya Austin for a tree trimmer permit, for the Davey Tree Expert Company. Their main office is in Kent, Ohio with a location in Rochester. We have received their application, payment of fees, and the required certificate of insurance. A background verification is in process. Total amount received is $150 and staff recommends approval contingent upon completion of a successful background check.
And Chris, I think we'll just get that back. The easiest one is done, yes. Okay. Any questions for Chris? Hearing none, looking for a motion to approve. So moved. Motion by Nate to approve by the second. Second by Dave. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? And that has been approved. Next, we're up to 3.40.2, another tree trimmer permit born to trim out of Princeton, Minnesota and once again to administer Bucy. Yes. Thank you. Similarly, we have received the application. Background check is in process. We haven't received it yet. So we would recommend approval contingent upon a successful background check.
Thank you. Any questions on this? Dave? Christie, what would that give us for total licensed tree trimmers in the city now? Yes, we've gotten quite a few lately. Do you know off the top of your head, Jeanette? I would say we probably have 10. Okay. Is there anybody in the audience from either firm? I wonder what's driving the growth. Is it Emerald Ash borer? I think there are a lot of trees affected by emerald ash borer, yes. Okay. Thanks. Any questions? And a motion to second, right? No other questions, I'd look for our now we have motion second.
All in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Dave, you screwed me up on that. We're now up to three point four point three, a service agreement, with a financial assessment with ABDO and we go to human resources manager Emily Famer for that. Oh, we're going the other Emily. Emily Burns, I'm sorry. It's it's one of the Emily's. Good evening mayor council tonight we are asking for approval for two service agreements with ABDO which is a consultant firm that we have been visiting within the finance department,
over the course of the last twelve months. As you know, our department has undergone significant changes in leadership and personnel. And, with the investment into the OpenGov ERP software, we felt like it was time to, work with an outside company to kind of reevaluate our processes and procedures, make sure we're optimizing the software or utilizing the software, and also our payroll software, to its best capabilities. So ABDO will help us reevaluate everything, make sure that we are on track and doing everything as efficiently as possible.
The 2025 budget impact for these agreements is forty nine five, and then the final costs upon completion of the project will be accounted for in the 2026 operating budget, which we have already put into our proposal. And staff recommends approval. Thank you. Any questions for Emily? Kevin? Don. Emily, just a quick question. So this is just a one year overall twelve month agreement. It's not continuous going forward? It's, well, it's actually I know it goes 2526. So it's Yeah. Twelve months? It's several months.
What it will get us is we will have several, consultants come out, many of whom have been in municipal finance for decades, and then different CPAs, different financial advisors will come out, work with the team. They'll conduct interviews, discussions with the staff to make sure that everybody knows exactly what their roles are, how to utilize the software, and then it'll be an ongoing service, I believe throughout the next year. Might be additional service or fees if we continue on with the agreement.
But it's really just kind of, to get everything up and running as efficiently as possible. And they're they're available anytime that we need them. So, you know, if we consult with them for other things, there'll be additional cost with those. But, right now, for the foreseeable future, it's just these two agreements. Okay. So it's to help us maximize the software that we currently are using to Right. Yes. To make sure we're getting the most out of the software. We have a very comprehensive software package right now that,
with the staff being so new and, you know, myself coming on board less than a year ago, it will help us make sure that we're using everything, to its best capabilities. Okay. Thank you. Mhmm. Any other questions for Emily Burns? I think that's the second time I've done that to you. It's fine. Yeah. Being none, I'd look for a motion to approve. Motion to approve. By Doug to approve, do I have a second? Second. Second by Nate. Any further discussion? Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Our next item is three point four point four,
accept proposal for tuck pointing project at city hall with innovative masonry. And for that, we will go to assistant administrator, Jenna Tuma. Tuma, good evening. Thank you. Hello. I'm wearing my other hat and this is government buildings. We I've been doing a number of tuck pointing projects for about three or four years on city hall, and we've been doing it phasing. We got probably a couple left. This one in front of you is for the south end of the building, the that wing down there, that bump out area. We put it out for bid, to meet within our,
parameters, our funding, we're looking to move forward with innovative, masonry restoration. They're the same group that did it last year, very confident in their ability and the work that they did. They did really quality work. So looking for, are looking for approval to accept this bid. Thank you. Any questions? Doug. Do you by any chance know what percentage completed we are on this project? I would say we're probably about 85% on this building of the really the the desperate needed areas. It's really the the back area via the art center and that wing that we're
working on are the two areas that are still left. So we've been kind of chipping away at it, I guess. So it'll be 85 when this is complete? I would say 85%, 90%. We've got about two more rounds of this or we could combine them together. Okay. Thank you. Any questions? Seeing none, look for a motion to approve. So moved. Motion by Dan to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dave. Any further discussion? Being none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Thank you. We're now up to 3.4.8 accept proposal and award contract for the wastewater treatment facility lift station panel installation with
advanced engineering and environmental services And we go to Sean Murphy, Public Works Director. Good evening. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Yes, we're requesting City Council's approval of our wastewater treatment facilities lift station panel installation proposals and contract awarding to Kilmer Electric to allow us to monitor all of our lift stations and all to allow us to monitor all of our lift stations and all of our satellite pumps, operating equipment to understand when issues go wrong or to operate more efficiently during low
high times of volume of inflow. With this contract awarding, we will be replacing our Autumn Hills, Cedardale, Frontage Road and Heritage Lift stations. The contracted cost for all four of those panels would be $75,392 and the project is being paid for out of our sewer fund. With that staff recommends approval. Thank you. Any questions for Sean? Hearing none, I look for a motion to approve. Motion to approve. Motion by Brent to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Don. Any further discussion?
Hearing none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Thank you. Finally, final item tonight is three point four point nine employment agreement with city administrator, Tuma. And we will go to Emily Famer now for that. Good evening. Evening, mayor, council. So tonight, I have the employment agreement for Jenna Tuma. So following a comprehensive and public selection process, the city council voted unanimously during their special meeting on May 23 to the offer
the position of city administrator to Jenna Tuma. So upon approval of this agreement, Jenna will assume the role on August 8. So the impact of this agreement is included in our annual personnel budget. Staff recommends approval. Thank you. Any questions for Emily on this? Motion to approve. Motion by Doug Voss to approve. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Don. Any discussion? I just want to say it was a very large process to get to where we are tonight.
I thank Emily and her staff guiding guiding counsel all the way through this. This is not something that we do very often. So really appreciate Emily and her staff. Jenna, congratulations. I'm not going to ask Chris to put her hold her feet up, but you've got some big shoes to fill. And I know you're capable more than capable of doing it but, thank you. Any other comments? Being none, all those in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. Congratulations. And we have one staff report tonight and that would be our future city administrator,
Jenna Tuma. Well, first of all, thank you so much for your vote of confidence. It's, humbling to be able to take this role over. And, part of my update is this transition that we've been in for a number of months, with Chris and myself and also all the department heads. And so my update is to tell you it's going very smoothly. It's a lot of information that lady holds in her head. And so it's a lot to take over. But it's been going really well and I just, you know, applaud Chris for being so open and so sharing with her information to make sure
it's successful for me and the rest of the team. So she really cares. And I know it's hard to believe, but she's not slacking. She's still coming in to work on time. We're holding her here till six or seven at night. But she is really working hard to make sure the transition goes well and it really is. So really, we also have a reception for Chris, in, the Wednesday, '6. Yes. Before the council meeting. So we are sending her off on her way that day. No. And then the next day, sorry, day early. But we do have a reception for it and there'll be more promotion and advertising
for that too. But, really just wanted to give you an update that things are going well. The, the community should know we're in good hands and, the team is really rallying around to make it happen. And I would add that Jenna is doing a great job. She's really taking the reins and she's a fast learner and a hard, hard worker. And I, I couldn't be happier with, with the selection the council made and she's going to do a great job for you. I'm very pleased. Thank you. Any questions of Jenna? Thank you. We're now up to the public comment portion of the council meeting.
You'll be limited to two minutes for your comments. Please approach the microphone, sign in, state your name and address for the record after being acknowledged by the council president. Speakers will be limited to two minutes to deliver their comments. Council Vice President Voss will be timing and hold up a hand after one minute forty five seconds to notify the speaker they have fifteen seconds to complete their comment. Those speaking are asked to conduct themselves in a respectful manner as they deliver their comments. Audience members are asked to refrain from reacting to comments. The council will not respond directly to comments in this venue or take immediate action
in response to them. With that, the public con comment area is now open. Yes. Like two minutes? Nope. Right. Slow. Councilors and Mayor, thank you for the opportunity to talk tonight. On Saturday my wife Excuse me sir, can you state your name? I'm sorry, I wrote it down. Douglas I'm Doug Parr, 560 Oakwood Lane. Thank you. Good evening. You're welcome. Thanks. On Saturday, my wife and daughter and our daughter-in-law went to celebrate love at the Pride in the Park event in Central Park.
It was uplifting. No one came there to show negativity. Everyone there intended to express their joy in Owatonna's inclusive and welcoming spirit, except for a very small group of people from outside our beautiful community who came to show to sow hatred. These hate filled zealots came to insult us for our loving acceptance of our sisters and brothers and daughters and sons, And they succeeded in making this joyful celebration less so. Like boorish ill intended uninvited guests at a sacred observation of love for one another,
they insulted and intentionally provoked the revelers. They stood in front of the stage and shouted insult at the performers and those of us who were there to hear the musicians and enjoy the day. Some of us were made to be afraid as these bullies obviously intended. They want us to go back to being afraid and silent. A few of us were intimidated to the point of tears. Many of us felt rage, but we held our tongues and kept our fists at our sides. The bullies were there to provoke us, and we peacefully held our ground in spite of the obvious provocations.
These outsiders were here to inspire conflict and hate. After returning home, I did some research and found that there was a statute, a Minnesota statute that covers their behavior and calls for a possible, ninety day jail time or, up to a thousand dollars of, fines. Thank you. Good evening. My name is Reverend Nathan Black, Mayor Jessup, council members, city staff. I am delighted to live in Owatonna. I think we have a beautiful city. I think that your commitment to this city shows in so many ways and so
many aspects of our life here. However, I believe what has been happening, with the response to how the city has responded to, outside or actually their local protesters to LGBT events has been inadequate. And while there has been a lot of hard work over the past several years, and I acknowledge that, I acknowledge the progress that we have made, What happened on on Saturday, I believe, was a failure, of response by specifically by our police department. There, we we made multiple calls throughout the day to have the police come to be
present. There were specific instances of incitement to violence that these protesters were were causing. The police did not come until, city staff had to call them in, city staff that were present. And so as a community, we are wondering if the if the city, if our police department actually supports us. My two requests are, and I get from our conversations with city staff and with our police leadership, is that there's a major concern about how to, enforce city statute, like disorderly conduct,
while honoring the civil rights and protecting the First Amendment for everybody. There's a lot of concern about how to do that well. And so my request is that the city invest in, specific education consultation, by civil rights attorneys that can educate our police department on on the law on how to intervene in these situations. I also ask the city, accelerate Council, mayor, thank you for letting me speak. My name is Levi Hendricks. I live at 109 Lincoln Avenue. Good evening. Thank you. The following might be uncomfortable, but I wish to relay specific events that happened because respectfully,
I believe you need to know, And it is of concern for you. I witnessed events this last Saturday at Pride in the Park with Rainbow Ohtana. People following others around repeatedly calling them whores, demons, saying they would burn in hell. And while it's your right to hold these beliefs, shouting them at others while following them round repeatedly in a public park is harassment, and it is intimidation. Furthermore, attempting to drown out others as free speech, blocking view of a stage that the city has put up for entertainment for people
to see. That's not free speech. That is prohibiting others as free speech. That is suppression of free speech. Screaming at people and not leaving them alone with the grace and poise of a child waving their hands in front of your face saying, I'm not touching you, is maybe staying within the letter of the law, but I think we all know that that's actually incitement to violence. Wearing cameras while doing so kind of demonstrates foreknowledge and premeditation of this. I think is a failure of the police department to not have a presence in this situation.
We see violent situations, or situations that are tense and can cause violence at bar close. An officer might be there just to remind people, make good decisions, don't throw that punch, don't drive drunk. But there was none present for the majority of our time on Saturday, and that is an embarrassment. I have friends on the force, I don't mean to disparage any individuals. I I appreciate what they do for us, but I ask of the city and the police department to do better and to do it now. Thank you for your time. Thank you. John Weisenberger. 352 East Broadway Street. Good evening. Good evening.
Yeah. I've lived in town for over twenty years and worked here. I was at the Pride in the Park event, and it was pretty disturbing what happened, just the way it unfolded. Intimidation and disruption was their goal. We all and, I think the city and police department, they knew they were coming, but still to to allow it to happen, what happened is not great. Right? And I think, I understand. I appreciate talking to, police chief Mandel, about, like, exclusive use permits versus public spaces. And legally, there's some bind there, and there's fear of, being sued in prosecution by the city and the police department.
But, there certainly must be a way to prevent what happened when it comes around again. So just appreciate the time. Thank you. I'm Sue Lighthold Bocock. I live at 346 East School Street, and I'm part of Rainbow Owatonna. I also manned or womaned the craft space. During the time in the craft space when things started to get out of hand with the protesters they started encroaching upon the children's space and had a picture of an aborted baby facing the children's table I had children crying I had one child
say that he was told he was a devil and he was going to go to hell This is not acceptable This is not who we are What is the difference between free speech and harassment and disorderly conduct and hate speech is what I want to know And what would happen if this happened at concerts at seven or downtown Thursday or any other events such as, the farmers market? Would we tolerate this or do we just tolerate it because of a marginalized people? That's all I have to say is that it was very disturbing to a pride,
beautiful event that was in no way, provoking violence in any way from the people who were participating. But the protesters did everything that they could to make us angry. And I was really proud of Owatanans for standing up for themselves. Thank you. Thank you. Do you have a chance to sign the sheet that's going around? Okay. Thank you. Greetings and thank you. Alan, I'm Alle Lauer from 515 Agnes Street. And I was one of the I was the MC of the event and also one of the performers. And I gotta say that the amount of times that I was shouted at,
shouted down, blocked from being able to say what I was gonna say, couldn't even hear myself sing, quite frankly, because they were right there in front of me, blasting away. I I don't know if Doug is referring to, statues around harassment or not, but I think this is aggravated harassment because it's related to a protected class of people, sexual orientation, which is what the legislation said. I've also heard it said that people are talking about, well, we're gonna see what we can do. No. We shouldn't be approving this to see what we can do because usually that leads to, well, no, we can't. We need to be saying, we're gonna do something about this.
We're gonna come up with a way to prevent this from happening in the future. I know there's been talk about the idea that Rochester and Mankato have ordinances that allow for exclusive use of city parks or something to that effect, and it's been said around here that that can't happen. Why not? Let's find out what the difference is and why not. We've got to stop this from happening. I had this shirt on that says, I can guarantee you that there weren't very many people at the end of the day that felt like they belonged here. Thank you. Hi. I'm Kendra Wilson. I live at 816 South Oak Avenue. Good evening. I would like to share both my appreciation for this year's pride in the park
event and a concern regarding the conduct of certain protesters that affected the experience for many attendees. First and foremost, pride in the park was a fantastic celebration. The atmosphere is vibrant and welcoming with fun activities for all ages and a phenomenal lineup of performers that brought incredible energy to the crowd. The food was diverse and delicious, and every volunteer vendor and community member was we encounter was kind, welcoming, and helpful. My daughter, who is a romantic, an identity that isn't widely understood or talked about, true felt truly included and seen, and that meant the world to our family. She at the time of her life,
even our dog, who is loved by all and received so much attention, enjoyed every moment we danced, laughed, and celebrated alongside our community, creating unforgettable memories. However, I was deeply disturbed by the behavior of a group of protesters who stood directly in front of the performance stage, intentionally blocking the performers with large explicit signs, including disturbing images of dead babies and shouting slurs and insults at attendees. These actions were not only disruptive, but deeply inappropriate, especially with so many families and children present. Instead of seeing joyful performances, many children report to see hateful and graphic content.
To protect the integrity of future public gatherings, I urge the city to consider implementing designated protest areas to ensure that free speech does not come at the expense of public safety and community well-being, that everyone's rights are respected, both those wishing to demonstrate and those participating in community events, while still upholding the constitutional rights and maintaining a safe and welcoming space for all. Thank you for your continued support of events that celebrate diversity, love, and unity, And thank you to everyone who helped make Pride in the Park such a meaningful and joyful experience for so many.
Thank you. Lucille Larson. +1 209 Good evening. Good evening. I have something prepared, but I don't even know if I wanna say it all. Most have said it already. It the first time I've been upset has been this year. It seems like it's gotten worse. Children crying and upset running to their mothers, and their mothers being targeted. It's not acceptable. There was no police presence to stop this. There was this is why I prepared it so I wouldn't lose my place it was a beautiful event. The day was perfect. It was sunny, windy,
food vendors, art vendors, local businesses if you believe nothing, believe local businesses are impacted by this as well. And commuting hundreds of people wanting to be here to celebrate. No image no graphic images from any of our booths, no other things like that. All of a sudden, here comes the protesters with all of those things, with all of that hate. This would not be a drama filled event. If they would not be there, it would be like farmers market. It happens. It's done. We go home. Now children are traumatized. Parents are traumatized. People feel like they don't belong. How can I do I feel like I could call police in emergency?
I don't know. Would they come? Would they know who I am and say, no, we're not gonna protect her? Do the this is the view that people see of Owatonna. Is this the picture we want for Owatonna? We just spent all that money to rebrand. I don't think this is the view that we want, and I think we want the community to be welcoming to everyone, and we're not saying protesters can't be there. They can be there. They can peacefully protest. This was not peacefully protested. This was disturbing the peace or disorderly conduct, harassment of a marginalized group of people. Thank you. Thank you. Hi. I'm Melissa Danielson. I live at 1807 Saint Paul Road.
Good evening. I'm also here to talk about Saturday. Let me be clear. I support free speech and peaceful protest, but what we've seen lately is not peaceful. We've had protesters screaming at families, shoving graphic images of aborted fetuses in children's faces, and telling strangers they're going to hell. That's not expression, it's harassment, and it has no place in our public spaces, especially at events meant to be safe and family friendly. What makes it worse is that a lot of these people aren't even from our town. They come in with their megaphones, hateful language, and completely inappropriate signs,
and somehow it's our local police protecting them and not the families who actually live here. If someone waved a bloody poster outside a daycare on a normal day, they would be removed immediately, but slap the word protest on it, and suddenly we are supposed to accept it. We need our police to protect public safety, not just stand by while outsiders shout over our citizens. Our town's events and public spaces should feel welcoming, not hijacked by extremists who stir up chaos and leave us to deal with the damage. This isn't about politics. It's about public decency and safety.
I'm urging our police department to enforce the laws we already have around harassment and disorderly conduct. We need a clear line between protest and intimidation, and we need to make sure our community stays safe, respectful, and family friendly. Thank you. Thank you. One second. I'm not used to having to squeeze down a narrow body. You look good. No tripping. Gary Jones, 995 Ridge Road. Good evening. Good evening. I'm here this evening to provide a few more thoughts on ambient light. At the last meeting, TW provided insight from Paul Burr of the DNR,
who felt that ambient light thirty minutes after dark could still provide enough light for an ethical shot in the archery hunt. As blanket approach across Minnesota, I'd say he's probably right on target. But in Owatonna, the other factors he mentioned, such as cloud cover and tree canopy, maybe all that they needed to get a park goer or homeowner killed in Mineral Springs Park. Now since I've been arguing against bow hunting in the dark in Mineral Springs, please note that I have not said in any prior meetings that time should be changed at every park. I've stated that if you are at Leo Rudolf or North Strait River Trail with a view of the west horizon and possibly low foot traffic,
you're probably fine. However, the ambient light information provided by Paul Burr with his caveat on tree canopy is exactly what I've been trying to prove, then I'm happy to know that I have a Stuart Burr on my side in my argument. Now you guys have been in Oton a long time. You know the layout? Out in Leo Rudolph, you have thirty minutes after sunset in the summer with the sun slowly sinking down in the evening, shimmering for a long time. It sinks below the horizon. By the time you go up and down across town, all of a sudden you get to Mineral Springs, and down you go into a pit. And it is dark. So in the winter,
when the sunlight disappears in minutes instead of a half hour, this gets worse. It gets way worse. A light meter comparing ambient light in the parks might be a good experiment. Now mister Burris says that it is still responsibility of the hunter to hunt in a safe manner and clearly identify their target. Well, we have thousands of motorists and 35 each day, and they also need to drive in a safe manner. Yet, we have such things as headlights, airbags, seat belt speed limits, and other laws to make sure people stay safe so human lives do not just hinge on the subjective view of one driver whose interpretation of safe may be very
dangerous. The same goes for hunting in the dark at Mineral Springs. Please move the time thirty minutes. Thanks very much. Thank you. Anyone else this evening? So thirty three year teacher, I brought my visual aid. So Jen Hansen, six thirty nine seventeenth Street Southeast, Owatonna. On Saturday, 07/12/2025, the rainbow ton of pride in the park event was disrupted by a group of protesters who positioned themselves in the front of the stage. These individuals held large signs with graphic images and sexual language. They supported religious.
They shouted religious rhetoric effectively blocking the view and the audio of the musical performers for Mart attendees. They were allowed to invade, harass, interrupt, and interfere with the event with zero repercussions. Law enforcement was contacted by event organizers and by community members, but the OPD did not respond. This situation raised concerns among event organizers and participants regarding the protection of free speech against the safety of all individuals present including families with children.
Unfortunately, despite despite the disruption, the Owatonna police still did not intervene to address the situation. I can't help but wonder what the response would have been if this was a city sponsored event like downtown thirty Thursdays or gym days. Would protesters been allowed to block the main stage and essentially take the event hostage? I believe it is essential for public gatherings to be safe and inclusive for all attendees. We urge the city council to consider ways to ensure peaceful expression,
while also protecting the rights of event participants to enjoy city activities without interruption on public land. This incident highlights the need for clear guidelines to support from law enforcement during events to maintain order and uphold the values of our community. Thank you. Hi, my name is Anh Li, first name A N N, last name Li, L E. Good evening. Good evening. The fact that multiple cars were made regarding disruptive and aggressive protesters at Saturday's Pride event and nothing was done is both deeply disappointing and unacceptable.
After the harm caused by previous mayor's homophobic remarks, many in the community felt some progress had been made, particularly when current mayor signed a proclamation. However, from what was witnessed this past weekend, it's hard not to see that the proclamation was as merely performative. Several of the values stated in that PA commission were blatantly ignored. I will highlight just two. One, promote yourself, affirmation, dignity, equal rights, increase their visibility as a social group, build community. And two, you should feel safe to learn without fear of harassment.
Neither of these were upheld. Instead, protesters were allowed to storm the event, hearing protests and disturbing signs, including one featuring a bloody dead baby and followed youth around, yelling at them. This is not free speech. This is targeted harassment. Your silence and inaction speak volumes. If the city of Owatonna truly believes in the commitments made in that proclamation, they must act accordingly not only in words, but in policy and response. We deserve better. Our youth youth deserve better. Thank you. Thank you. I didn't give my address.
602 Twelfth Ave. I am short. Hi. I'm Brandy Wilker of sixteen fifteen Wood Duck Lane Northeast in Washington. Evening. Hi. I recently joined Rainbow Oatonna, on the board, so what a great time to start. And, this past weekend I face painted for them. I've been face painting for fifteen years at festivals and events all around Minnesota. So I have worked a lot of festivals and events and I have never seen what happened this weekend. I can tell you that I spent a lot of times, a lot of time helping kids feel not as scared.
There was one little boy that ended up hanging out in our booth the whole time because his parent was performing at the event. So we just kind of as we were tearing down we just kind of moved things and gave him another place to sit, because we were kind of off in the corner and he felt safe there. I also had a little boy tell me that the protesters had bad hearts and I thought that was just super wise for a little guy that I was face painting at that time. So I'm just I'm wanting you guys to know that this happened this weekend. It was traumatic. It was awful.
And I think that we should probably put some something in place to help future events in Owatonna not be harassed like this. So that's all. Thank you. Hello. My name is Paula Jamieson. I am a resident of Owatonna. I do ask for safety reasons. I do not have to see my address on camera. I did write it down. Okay. Thank you. This past weekend, my children and I attended Rainbow Otono's Pride in the Park, an event that celebrates inclusion, resilience, and love.
I was part of the entertainment lineup, but before my performance, my children and I explored the booths, enjoying the laughter and light hardness that build the park. That peace was shattered when a group of men began shouting vulgar obscenities behind us. I immediately removed my boys ages eleven and seven from the area to shield them from the disturbing language and imagery. Later, the same group forced their way through the crowd again, shouting, parading signs with graphic images of mingled dead infants. My boys, along with other children, witnessed far more than they should have. Many families like mine were visibly shaken.
These men blocked the stage, disrupted music, and violated our public space. And I stood in belief as law enforcement did not intervene. This behavior violates our city ordinance on public nuisances and Minnesota state statute on disorderly conduct. This was not protected free speech. It was targeted harassment, meant to provoke fear and disrupt a peaceful gathering. Pride in the Park isn't just a celebration. It's a sanctuary for LGBTQ youth who are four times more likely to attempt suicide than than their peers.
These events save lives. They show compassion, connection, and care for a vulnerable community. I'm not asking anyone to change their beliefs. I'm asking for us as a city to stand up for our children, uphold the law, and protect the peace. Thank you. Thank you. I can start anytime. Hi. My name is, Greg Emery. I'm not the best at public speeches, so I'm just gonna read right from here. I did sign in. I work at a healthcare facility for youth with behavioral and emotional issues. And, as the previous speaker had mentioned, I've learned that, LGBTQ youth are at higher risk for trauma,
self harm, and suicide than traditional youth. They need to feel accepted. That needs to start with awareness like pride events and or education. Ideally they should be accepted for who they are as they are not hurting anyone. Society and the government have a responsibility to care for them. Just like you wouldn't accept a loud aggressive person in the city hall event, a coffee shop, that same expectation should flow to rented facilities for public events like pride. Managing protests is not suppression of free speech. And, this is just an aside. Psychology has something called an ACE which is,
adverse childhood experiences. Studies have shown with each traumatic experience a child, has they are more likely to have long term health effects for the rest of their lives. Brain scans shown trauma actually stunts cognition and mental growth as the brain is stuck in a fight or flight survival mode. So I pray for us to work together to prevent, harm to our kids and protect them. Thank you. Anyone else wish to speak this evening? Hi there. My name is Amelia Velasquez of 230 South View Street, Owatonna, Minnesota. Multiple people and I have witnessed an act of violence against LGBTQ community of Owatonna,
Minnesota on Saturday, 07/12/2025. A group of religious extremists from outside our community came to Central Park in Owatonna to antagonize children, family, and individuals celebrating their pride of existing openly. These extremists attempted to cover up music performers with their graphic signs, walk into patrons in the park, yell slurs and other forms of bigotry at children and others celebrating their humanity. My friends and I were waiting for OPD to come and deescalate the chaos I was ensuing from these extremists, but instead witness witnessed them on the sidelines possibly waiting for someone to get physical. We shouldn't have to wait for someone to get hurt in order to ensure protection
from our local law enforcement. I would also like to mention off topic that the same ideology that these extremist groups shared and presented at Central Park is the same ideology that contributes to the assault and deaths of hundreds of people who identify as LGBTQIA. And that is all I will say. Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else who wish to speak? Lisa Zimmerman, 2,525. Good evening. Tonight, we've heard about families and children being made to feel unsafe in public space and about the failure to protect those who are targeted. That's heartbreaking and it's unacceptable. And sadly, this isn't an isolated incident.
The city has shown time and again it does not prioritize protecting the most vulnerable residents. I spoke to this last year and a year later it's worse, not better. What Rainbow Tana is describing isn't just disruption, it's targeted intimidation. And when people show up not to protest peacefully, but to frighten, harass, and silence a marginalized group, it meets the definition of terrorism. The unlawful use of violence and intimidation, especially against civilians in the pursuit of political aims. I'm here most meetings to speak about the Eastside Corridor, a 45 to 55 mile an hour highway that would run 17 feet from homes.
It would bring high speed traffic through quiet residential neighborhoods forever changing lives of families who live there. Eastside Corridor residents have been ignored. They've been locked out of meetings, their voices have been cut off, decisions are made behind closed doors that will affect their homes, their health and their safety. Whether we're talking about LGBTQ youth or the East Side Corridor families, the city needs to stop tolerating harm and to start listening to the people that it's supposed to serve. Protect our neighborhoods, protect our children, protect our voices. Owatonna can and should do better. We must protect the most vulnerable.
Thank you. Thank you. Anyone else? Seeing no one coming forward, we will move on to council comment and general information. First up tonight is council member Svenby. I guess I just wanna thank the individuals who spoke tonight during public comment. I think it's something we can look at improving our ordinances. So, hopefully, next year's event can be peaceful and people don't feel threatened. So thank you guys for coming out and giving us your thoughts and input on the event this past Saturday. Council member Voss.
Nothing to add. Council member Dodson. Nothing to add. Council member Burbank. Echo what Brent said. Council member Boehlke. Nothing to add. Council member McCann. I would rigor it with, Brent said. And then also, we have some of our human rights commissioners out in the audience. Thank you for coming. Appreciate that. That's all I got. Peter Matt. For those of you that I attended Pride in the Park on Saturday. For what you had to face, for what it's worth, I'm truly sorry. You shouldn't have had to put up with it, period. End of story. Hard stop.
When I was asked to sign the Pride in the Park proclamation, I read through it like I do every proclamation and I signed it because I believed every word that was in there. The reaction that the Pride in the Park event drew represents not just the ugliest and the worst in Owatonna. It represents the ugliest and the worst in people. And this isn't politics. This isn't me grandstanding. This isn't me trying to curry favor with anybody. This is just me. That behavior was not necessary,
and it has no place here. The reaction or lack thereof that you showed in the face of that kind of ugliness represents to me the best of what I want to has to offer. So from me personally, what you did or didn't do, thank you. And it's important to me to tell you that as long as I'm sitting in this seat, you have an ally. Thank you. Well said. City administrator Bussey Yes. Who now has one One more meeting.
Meeting left. One more meeting. Yes. It's yeah. It's coming fast and kinda crazy. But one thing I would like to remind everyone here tonight, our police department is a dedicated group of hardworking men and women doing an extremely difficult job, having to make split second decisions on very complicated issues of First Amendment and and other issues. I mean, I just wanna congratulate our police department for responding,
to shutting down the amplification, during that, you know, during the rainbow event, which I don't want to I don't want to minimize anything that happened to you. Everything that happened was unacceptable. But I think we really do need to recognize how difficult, how hardworking our police department is and, you know, thank them for their service. And that's all I have. Well said. I have nothing this evening. So with no other business before us, I would look for a motion to adjourn.
So moved. Motion by Dan to adjourn. Do I have a second? Second. Second by Dave. All in favor signify by saying aye. Aye. Opposed? Motion carries. We're adjourned.