Oakdale swears in four public-safety hires, names Angie Propp volunteer of the year and honors outgoing councilmember

Mayor Zabel and council members administered the oath of office to three police officers and one firefighter-paramedic, making each a sworn city employee during the meeting.

Officers sworn in were Andrew Edward Ashley, Jeffrey Lewis Robinson and Daniel Eric Rogers; Michael William Wallace took the oath as a firefighter-paramedic. Each repeated the oath to "support the constitution of the United States of America, the constitution of the state of Minnesota, and discharge the duties" of their positions for the City of Oakdale.

The council also announced Angie Propp as the City—s 2024 Volunteer of the Year, citing decades of chamber work, leadership of local fundraising for the holiday help program and stewardship of Summerfest transitions. Propp accepted the recognition and thanked the community.

In a lengthy recognition segment, Washington County Commissioner Stan (as introduced at the meeting) presented a commissioner—s recognition to outgoing Councilmember Jake Ingebretsen for six-plus years of service and partnership on regional projects. Mayor Zabel and several council members recounted accomplishments during Ingebretsen—s tenure, including public-safety staffing improvements, debt reduction, and capital projects such as the Willowbrook neighborhood work and the Aldi development. Ingebretsen thanked staff, family and residents and closed with four words of advice for future council members: "Don't screw this up."

The council—s recognition and the oath administration are ceremonial actions recorded on the meeting docket; no formal votes were required for the recognition items.