We provide these West St. Paul City Council previews with your support.
With Mayor Dave Napier and Council Member Dick Vitelli out of town for the last City Council meeting (Napier presided over the meeting virtually), the Open Council Work Session (OCWS) was canceled and rescheduled for Monday, October 18 at 6:30 p.m.
What’s on the Agenda?
- Planning Commission: The expansion of the Planning Commission, which prompted a veto from Napier and was overridden by Council, will be up for discussion. The Planning Commission had nine members from 1969 to 2011 when it was dropped to seven due to lack of applicants. The proposed changes will return it to nine members and potentially require ward representation (there are options that mandate ward representation vs. recommend it). A survey of comparable first ring suburbs show that none require ward representation and only two out of 12 have nine members instead of seven (and one of those has two vacanies).
- Limiting tobacco: In response to interest in tobacco licenses, the city is considering putting a cap on tobacco licenses to limit the number of tobacco shops in the city. There are currently three and nearby cities have implemented restrictions or bans, which may push more shops into West St. Paul.
- Marthaler Park Master Plan: A draft of the Marthaler Park improvements is up for review after getting input from residents last month. The most exciting change is a potential overlook/observation deck at the top of the hill.
- Future OCWS: The Council will also look at the upcoming OCWS schedule, which could mean changes to the sign ordinance and art policy in November.
The public can watch the meeting live on Town Square TV or cable channel 18 starting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, though since it’s an OCWS meeting there is no public comment.
If you’re not able to attend the meeting in person, you can always use our coloring pages to imagine you’re there.
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