West St. Paul City Council Preview: Jan. 9, 2023

Thanks to Amore Coffee for their support. Now offering homework help with Tutor from Tangerine Tutoring, Sundays from 4-6 p.m. Sponsored by The Aldrich Family.

The first City Council meeting of the year will include standard, beginning of the term business, including swearing in newly elected members, as well as discussion of the committee appointment process and a possible per diem, and legislative priorities.

Organizational Meeting

The new year and a new term will kick off for City Council with an organizational meeting before the regular meeting.

• This was originally scheduled for January 3, but rescheduled due to weather.
• Newly elected members will be sworn in: Mayor Dave Napier and Council Members Pat Armon, John Justen, and Wendy Berry.
• Organizational business will also be conducted, including assigning members to committees, approving rules, and appointing Berry as the mayor pro tem (they run meetings in the mayor’s absence).

Other Items on the Agenda

• Crisis center rezoning: A final reading of the rezoning for the proposed mental health crisis center will be considered by Council. All other measures for the crisis center and the first reading of the rezoning were passed unanimously at the previous meeting.
• Committee appointments: During the Open Council Work Session (OCWS), Council will discuss the committee appointment process. Current members with expiring terms will need to indicate whether they wish to be reappointed and any vacancies will be declared at the next meeting with an opportunity for the public to apply to open positions. Council will also discuss the idea of paying committee members a per diem.
• Legislative priorities: OCWS will also cover priorities for lobbying the legislature, including TIF for the Hy-Vee/YMCA redevelopment, bonding for sewer projects, an increase to local government aid, support for affordable housing and housing upgrades, and more.

The public can watch the meeting live on Town Square TV or cable TV starting at 6:30 p.m. on Monday (5:30 p.m. for the special organizational meeting).

Learn more about how city council works with our Guide to West St. Paul City Council.

West St. Paul Reader provides neighborhood news supported by neighbors. Become a member today.