City of Coon Rapids City Council Recap

🏛️ City Council Recap

Coon Rapids City Council —

AED donations accepted, sign ordinance adopted, $9.99M in bonds authorized, property purchased — all in 32 minutes. Then a resident with a paper trail shows up and asks three questions about the state flag that no one can answer on the record.

🚨 State Flag Removed From City Property — No Documented Vote

Resident Connor Olson came prepared. He searched the public record, reviewed meeting minutes, and found that the official Minnesota state flag has been removed from Coon Rapids city property — with no formal council resolution, no recorded vote, and no adopted policy authorizing the change. The only public reference is an informal discussion at the October 15, 2024 Council meeting. He has asked for three specific answers and requested the matter be placed on a future agenda for a formal vote.

The three questions still on the table:
  1. Under what authority or formal direction was the decision made to stop flying the state flag?
  2. What communication or consensus-building process among councilmembers and staff led to the current practice?
  3. Does the City currently possess sufficient quantities of either the old or new Minnesota state flag to display at locations where city flags are flown?
No responses were given at the meeting. The council should answer on the record — at a minimum as an agenda item.

📚 Past City Council Recaps

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Meeting Overview

Date: Tuesday, May 19, 2026, 7:00 PM
Location: Coon Rapids City Hall, Council Chambers
Attendance: Full council present — Koch, Greskowiak, Butler, Novack, Geisler, Armstrong, Carlson. No absences.
Adjourned: 7:32 PM

Top Items

  • AED Donations Accepted: Manufacturer gift + Fire Department Community Fund + North Star Lines — new AED save stations at Sand Creek Park and Riverwind One
  • Ordinance 2351: Temporary sign standards amended and adopted
  • Resolution 26-64: 2026(1) appealed assessment levy adopted
  • Resolution 26-62: Recycling Center paper shredder replacement approved
  • Resolution 26-65: $9,990,000 in General Obligation bonds authorized
  • Property Purchase: 9XX 93rd Avenue NW approved — 610 interchange project
  • Open Mic: Connor Olson — state flag removal, no documented vote
  • Legislative Update: Local sales tax denied; dam funding secured

Watch the meeting

Business items concluded at 7:32 PM — one of the shortest meetings on record for a session with $10M+ in financial decisions. Full video link to be added.

Detailed Meeting Recap

📋Consent Agenda — Approved Unanimously

Motion by Novack, seconded by Butler. All items passed without discussion.

  • May 5, 2026 Council Meeting minutes approved
  • Resolution 26-67 — Twin Cities Gateway 2026 Member City Grant Agreement accepted
  • Temporary on-sale liquor license — Strong beer and wine approved for July 4 Community Celebration to Coon Rapids North Star Lions
  • Resolution 26-66 — Donation accepted for AED save stations (see below)
  • Electronic payments schedule received
  • Resolution 26-63 — Victim Services Grant accepted
AED save stations — the backstory:
New AED units are being placed at Sand Creek Park and Riverwind One — a gap Councilmember Armstrong had heard about from residents. Funding came from three sources: the Coon Rapids Fire Department Community Fund, North Star Lines, and a direct donation from the device manufacturer. Mayor Koch recalled that the manufacturer’s CEO attended the Fire Ball fundraiser the prior fall, was so moved by the community’s effort that she donated a unit on the spot. Resolution 26-66 formally accepts that donation into the city’s books.

🪧Item 7: Ordinance 2351 — Temporary Sign Standards Adopted

✅ Approved unanimously (motion by Butler, seconded by Geisler)

Planning Case 26-10 returned for adoption. Ordinance 2351 revises temporary sign standards and amends City Code Section 11-1203.6(2), with authorization for summary publication. This is the second and final read — the ordinance is now in effect.

📊Item 8: Resolution 26-64 — 2026(1) Appealed Assessment Levy

✅ Approved unanimously (motion by Geisler, seconded by Carlson)

The Council adopted Resolution 26-64 adopting the 2026(1) miscellaneous special assessments for contested three-year cases. These are assessments that went through the Board of Adjustments and Appeals.

Councilmember Geisler acknowledged the Board of Adjustments and Appeals for its detailed work — noted he had reviewed the meeting minutes to understand the reasoning behind differing decisions and described the volunteer review as “significant, detailed, and complex.” Mayor Koch echoed the commendation, calling the board’s work “valuable public service.”

♻️Item 9: Resolution 26-62 — Recycling Center Shredder Replacement

✅ Approved unanimously (motion by Novack, seconded by Armstrong)

The Council approved a budget amendment to the 2026 Recycling Fund to replace a failed paper shredder at the Recycling Center. Equipment replacement from the appropriate fund — no general fund impact noted.

💵Item 10: Resolution 26-65 — $9,990,000 Bond Sale Authorized

✅ Approved unanimously (motion by Armstrong, seconded by Carlson)

The Council authorized Resolution 26-65 providing for the sale of $9,990,000 in General Obligation Improvement and Water Revenue Bonds, Series 2026A. A staff report was shared with the Council; no discussion appears in the minutes beyond the motion and vote.

Accountability note — $10M in one motion, no discussion on record:
The bond authorization passed unanimously without any recorded discussion beyond the staff report reference in the minutes. Residents should track what these bonds fund as the proceeds are deployed — specifically which infrastructure projects are covered by the “Improvement” designation and which water system work is covered by the “Water Revenue” designation. The city’s debt service schedule should reflect this addition at the next budget presentation.

🏠Item 11: Property Purchase — 9XX 93rd Avenue NW

✅ Approved unanimously (motion by Butler, seconded by Geisler)

The Council approved the purchase agreement for a residential property at 9XX 93rd Avenue NW, authorizing the City Manager and Mayor to execute the agreement and all documents necessary to close. This acquisition is part of the ongoing Highway 610 East River Road interchange project — consistent with the corridor acquisitions that began earlier this year.

🎤Open Mic

Mayor Koch reviewed the rules of order. One speaker addressed the Council.

Connor Olson 11761 El Dorado Street NW, Apt. 317 Accountability — state flag

Olson came with a documented record search. He explained that the City of Coon Rapids has stopped displaying the official Minnesota state flag on city property — but he could find no formal council resolution, no recorded vote, and no adopted policy authorizing the change. The only public reference he found was a brief informal discussion at the October 15, 2024 Council meeting, where comments from a councilmember appeared to be followed by a change in practice. He noted that a current councilmember had publicly characterized the practice as a Council decision, yet no corresponding vote exists in the public record.

Olson emphasized his concern is not the symbolism of the flag — it is the absence of a documented public decision. He argued that changes to the display of official state symbols on public buildings should be tied to a formal, attributable council action. He noted that work sessions do not produce formal minutes, and that the Council’s composition has since changed.

He posed three specific questions to staff and the Council (see alert card above) and requested the matter be placed on a future agenda for a formal discussion or vote. He concluded: “Residents deserve clarity on whether the practice reflects an intentional Council policy or an administrative decision — and if it is a policy, it should be formally adopted at a public meeting.”

📝Report on Previous Open Mic — Vanessa Hite

Mayor Koch read the formal response to Vanessa Hite (May 5 Open Mic) regarding Flock Safety cameras and drone technology. The response was provided in writing per the council’s Open Mic report process.

🏛️Other Business — 2026 Legislative Session Outcomes

Councilmember Butler asked City Manager Stemwedel to brief the Council on outcomes from the 2026 legislative session that affect Coon Rapids. Stemwedel identified three primary items:

1. Local Sales Tax Requests — Denied

Coon Rapids had sought state legislative authorization to place two referendum questions before voters. The first would have funded an expansion and renovation of the Police Department and Civic Center. The second would have supported expansion of a community center at the current Coon Rapids Ice Center site.

Neither was included in the final state tax bill. No local sales tax requests from any community across the state were included in the final legislation. Coon Rapids must evaluate its strategy for the next session. Any future request requires notification to legislative tax committees by January 30.

This is a hard deadline — January 30 is the clock:
The Police Department expansion and Ice Center community center have been priorities for years. They came up empty in 2026. The next window requires a January 30 notification — residents who care about these projects should press the council at the end of 2026 to confirm the notification has been submitted and the strategy is set. Missing that date means waiting another full legislative cycle.

2. Congregate Care Facility Legislation

Coon Rapids had been working with a consortium of cities seeking changes in how reporting, licensing, and oversight of congregate care facilities are shared between state and local governments. A compromise bill was adopted. The final bill did not include every provision sought by participating cities, but the consortium viewed it as a positive step forward.

3. Regional Dam Funding

The state bonding bill included funding for improvements to the Coon Rapids Regional Dam. The aging structure requires maintenance and upgrades. Securing state bonding dollars for those improvements was a legislative win for the community.

🇺🇸Memorial Day Events

Councilmember Carlson highlighted several upcoming Memorial Day observances and encouraged residents to participate:

  • Saturday morning: Morningside Memorial Gardens
  • Saturday: Anoka County Veterans Memorial, Bunker Hills — lunch available to the public
  • Memorial Day morning: Epiphany East Cemetery and Joyce Chapel Cemetery

PAC’s Plain Talk

✅ What worked:

  • AED gap filled through community fundraising. Sand Creek Park now has a defibrillator. The Fire Ball, community donors, and a manufacturer moved faster than a budget line item ever would. That’s what civic investment looks like.
  • Regional Dam funding secured. State bonding money for an aging dam is a genuine infrastructure win — no city dollars needed for repairs that protect the entire waterway.
  • Open Mic report on Flock cameras delivered. After Vanessa Hite raised the surveillance concern on May 5, the council followed through with a formal written response at this meeting. The process worked as it should.
  • Congregate care legislation — partial win. The consortium got something, not everything. Cities kept their seat at the table.

⚠️ What demands follow-through:

The state flag question is an accountability question — full stop

Connor Olson did the work residents rarely do: he went to the official record, found a gap, documented it, and brought it to the public body with three specific questions. A change to the display of the official state flag on public buildings — executed without a vote, without a resolution, and without a formal policy — is precisely the kind of undocumented administrative action that erodes the public trust that minutes are designed to protect. The council should schedule this item formally and answer Olson’s three questions on the record. “A councilmember said something at a work session and staff did it” is not a governance standard.

$9.99M in bonds passed without a word of public discussion

The bond authorization is the largest single financial action of the meeting — nearly $10 million in public debt — and it passed with no recorded discussion beyond a staff report reference. Residents are entitled to know which specific projects the “Improvement” portion funds, how the “Water Revenue” portion will be repaid, and how this issuance fits into the city’s overall debt profile. That information should be in the public record at the time of the vote, not buried in a future budget document.

The January 30 notification deadline is the only path back to a referendum

The Police Department expansion and Ice Center community center are off the table for now. Getting back on requires a January 30 notification to the legislative tax committees. That is a quiet administrative deadline that could pass without public awareness. Residents should ask the council — in writing, before the end of 2026 — to confirm that notification has been submitted and the strategy for the next session is in place.

💡 What residents should demand:

  1. State flag — formal agenda item with written responses to Olson’s three questions. If the practice reflects a policy, adopt it publicly. If it was an administrative decision, say so.
  2. Bond project disclosure — a public summary of what Project 26-5 (Improvement) and water revenue projects Resolution 26-65 funds before the bonds are sold.
  3. January 30 confirmation — written confirmation at the December or January council meeting that the legislative notification for local sales tax authority has been submitted.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened at the May 19, 2026 Coon Rapids City Council meeting?

The meeting included AED station donations accepted, Ordinance 2351 (temporary sign standards) adopted, appealed assessment levy adopted (Resolution 26-64), recycling center shredder budget amendment approved (Resolution 26-62), $9,990,000 GO bond sale authorized (Resolution 26-65), a 93rd Avenue NW property purchase approved, and an Open Mic address by Connor Olson questioning removal of the Minnesota state flag without a documented council vote. City Manager Stemwedel then reported that the city’s local sales tax referendum requests were denied by the legislature, while the state bonding bill included Regional Dam funding. Meeting adjourned at 7:32 PM.

Why did Coon Rapids remove the Minnesota state flag?

That is precisely what resident Connor Olson asked — and could not find a documented answer to. No formal vote, resolution, or policy appears in the public record. The only reference is an informal work session discussion from October 15, 2024. Olson asked the council to formally answer and to place the matter on a future agenda.

Why did Coon Rapids not get a local sales tax referendum?

The state legislature did not include any local sales tax authorization requests — from Coon Rapids or any other community — in the final 2026 tax bill. Coon Rapids had sought authority for two referendum questions: one for a Police Department/Civic Center expansion, one for a community center at the Ice Center site. Both are deferred to the next legislative session. The January 30 notification deadline must be met to be considered.

Sources

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