Mendota Heights council debates scaling back $33.1M municipal campus plan after resident petition

Mayor Stephanie B. Levine convened the Mendota Heights City Council work session on June 16 to discuss whether to scale back the proposed Municipal Campus Building Project after residents submitted a petition seeking an advisory referendum on the plan.

City Administrator Cheryl Jacobson framed the issue as a set of policy-level questions: the Council should clarify its long-term vision, service assumptions, project priorities and desired project scope before proceeding with final design and financing decisions. Jacobson told the Council staff has established a B3 dashboard and met with the Department of Public Safety grants manager; the state grant currently covers predesign and design work, and using that funding for construction would require further legislative approval and additional MMB guidance. Jacobson also said the project cost estimate under discussion was $33.1 million but did not include B3 costs or potential state funding.

Why it matters: the project would replace or consolidate city facilities including a new police station and city hall, affect a community ballfield site under consideration for relocation, and could be subject to a reverse referendum tied to financing. City Attorney Amy Schmidt told the Council that Minnesota law limits which municipal matters may be submitted to a voter referendum and explained the reverse referendum process for bond financing: after a public hearing on proposed bonds, residents would have 30 days to submit a petition with statutory ballot language and signatures equal to at least 5 percent of votes cast in the city's most recent general election to force a vote on the financing.

Councilors emphasized priorities and public acceptance. Councilor Mazzitello said the highest priority is a new police station and that he would not support reducing the quantity or quality of city services; he also noted residents experienced "sticker shock" at the project's cost and size and suggested several space-reduction options — including fewer lower-level parking stalls, a smaller upper-level footprint, bringing upper-level exterior walls inward to match the lower level, and repurposing the existing City Hall for storage to eliminate storage from the new building. He quoted an approximate, preliminary cost of about $485 per square foot based on estimates to date.

Several councilors, including Maczko and Lorberbaum, said they supported preserving the project's four guiding pillars but favored scaling back the overall size to better align the project with current city needs while retaining some flexibility to expand later. Councilor Paper relayed that many residents have expressed concern that common areas, meeting rooms and the proposed community room are too large, and that relocating the existing ballfield remains a localized point of contention.

On the ballfield and athletics stakeholders: Mayor Levine said Adam Crepeau of the Two Rivers Athletic Association indicated the association would prioritize construction of the new police station and city hall over keeping the ballfield in its current location if a suitable replacement field could be provided (options mentioned included Mendakota Park, Friendly Hills Park or fields in West St. Paul) and that the association would expect field availability by about May 2027. Councilor Maczko raised site concerns including topography and the fact soil borings for the ballfield site had not yet been completed, arguing that preservation of the field at the current location had not been fully evaluated.

Budget and next steps: Jacobson reiterated that the $33.1 million estimate excludes B3 requirements and state funding that may later affect the net cost; she said Minnesota Management and Budget indicated eligible predesign and design costs incurred on or after May 18 may be considered for reimbursement and that the state will provide forms and guidance. Councilors asked staff to return with more detail on B3 requirements, clarification on what "CJN" means for inclusion in the budget (the budget currently reflects CJN consistent with prior direction), options to reduce the building footprint and the cost implications of relocating the ballfield. No formal motions or votes were taken at the session.

The Council adjourned at 5:56 p.m.; further design and financing decisions — including any formal bond hearing that could trigger a reverse referendum petition period — remain to be scheduled.