Council approves 2025 Public Works work plan, wayfinding plan and legislative priorities; routine contracts and proclamations cleared

The Roseville City Council took routine but wide‑ranging actions Monday, approving the Public Works 2025 work plan, a wayfinding signage plan, the city’s 2025 legislative priorities and a consent agenda that included several contracts and proclamations.

Public Works work plan Public Works staff presented a multi‑year work program and a project list for 2025. City Engineer Jennifer Lowery summarized the department’s accomplishments from 2024 and the major work items planned for 2025: pavement preservation (mill, overlay and selected full‑depth reclaiming), pathway construction and resurfacing (including the Twin Lakes Trail phase 2 and pathway segments on Lexington and Hamlin), sanitary and storm system work including lift station upgrades and pipe lining, and replacements for aging street lights. Lowery said the city has completed wide outreach on service line material reporting and that, “we have just over 10,000 water services, and we have, I think, now a little over 90% reporting,” referring to homeowner responses to a state water service reporting requirement.

The council approved the 2025 Public Works work plan as presented; the vote was unanimous. Council members asked follow‑up questions about ponds, stormwater handling, snow storage for pathways and the planned schedule for the Hamlin water main and lift‑station work.

Wayfinding signage The council also approved a wayfinding signage plan that adds 24 signs at pedestrian scale to encourage walking and to direct people to parks, commercial nodes and transit stops. Staff said the pole and blade system allows blade swaps as destinations change; poles are expected to be long‑lived and mounted behind pathways to reduce damage from plows. The wayfinding plan passed unanimously.

Legislative priorities City Manager Pat Trojena reviewed the proposed 2025 legislative priorities. High‑priority items include support for capital needs at the John Rose Minnesota Oval, a statewide licensing framework for massage therapists, a change to the state’s park dedication statute to allow fee collection where land cannot be dedicated, and a request to permit local governments to designate ambulance providers and service levels. The council adopted the 2025 legislative priorities unanimously.

Consent agenda and other routine items The consent agenda — approved unanimously — included: approval of $3.78 million in payments, authorization to purchase police and fire vehicles and equipment (including gear for a new electric fire engine), designation of banks and the Pioneer Press as official depository/notice paper, renewal of an agreement with Northeast Youth and Family Services (NYFS) for $88,020 plus an additional $24,266 contract to support a community advocate program with the police department, authority to begin design and a contract to evaluate police resources and operational efficiency, and several other routine administrative approvals.

Other actions and administrative items The council also: approved rules of procedure with one minor change on presiding officer succession; approved commission reappointments and declared vacancies and a timetable for recruitment; confirmed council liaisons to outside organizations and bodies; and designated an acting mayor for 2025. Council approved the meeting minutes from late 2024 and other standard housekeeping items. Nearly all of these actions passed unanimously.

Ending City staff will follow up on the Public Works schedule and return with design and funding details for capital items listed in the work plan. Staff also will coordinate with the organizations receiving city liaison assignments and will transmit approved legislative priorities to the city’s state delegation.