The Council received the State of the Library, heard from a resident supporting backyard chickens, adopted ordinances for cannabis and public smoking, approved Edco's concept plan, and approved seed funding for Fishing with Friends' boat repair.
Visitor Presentation - State of the Library
Jodi Edstrom, Carver County Library Director, and Kevin Spencer, Chaska’s Branch Manager, presented the State of the Library.
Carver County Library Facts for 2024:
- nearly 1.5 million checkouts
- fine free in 2025
Chaska Library Facts for 2024:
- 58,437 visitors
- 4,204 attended free programs
- 334 volunteer hours donated
- 64% of check outs were child print
Visitor Presentation - Backyard Chickens
Kristen Bartley approached the council to discuss chicken keeping. She encouraged the council to change the current ordinance in favor for one that allows backyard chickens in Chaska. The City will schedule a work session for the Council to review an ordinance for backyard chickens.
Approved Fishing with Friends Letter of Intent for Seed Funding
As Fishing with Friends enters their 15th year of operation, they need to either purchase a new boat or complete a major overhaul of their existing boat to continue to make it usable going into the future. After exploring their options, they decided to rehabilitate their boat and replace the motor. This is more cost effective than purchasing a new boat.
Fishing with Friends will get a loan from the City for seed funding to have all repairs completed, providing payback of these funds over a 5-year period. They will continue to work with Parks and Rec to book trips for AOA participants in the Lodge and for kids programming.
Approved concept plan for Edco
Currently in Hopkins, Edco will be relocating the production portion of the business to Chaska. Edco’s goals for this project are:
- commitment to excellence
- enhance Chaska’s high quality of life
- maintain a sense of community and small town values
Located off of Hwy 10 and Creek Rd, the proposed building is 240,000 square feet with the site also showing a potential expansion up to 120,000 square feet.
Adopted Ordinance Regulating the Sale and Use of Cannabis
In 2023, the Minnesota Legislature passed a law legalizing adult-use cannabis. The state issues the licenses and develop regulations. Local governments play a role in public safety, retail registration and the ability to add restrictions to certain areas.
The Council provided feedback to staff on a cannabis ordinance in multiple work sessions. Key components of the ordinance include:
- Public Safety - cannabis can’t be used in public places and cannabis retailers will provide video and audio surveillance equipment
- Retail Registrations - the max number of retail registrations will be three, which is the minimum number of registrations required by statute
- Other Restrictions - hours of sale mirrors off-sale liquor store hours, 8am-10pm Mon - Sat and 10am-9pm Sun
Adopted Ordinance Prohibiting Public Smoking
At the March 3 work session, the Council agreed the City’s cannabis ordinance should prohibit smoking cannabis in public places. Because of this direction, the Council also discussed that all public smoking should be treated similarly to cannabis smoking. Key points of the ordinance include:
- Smoking is not allowed in indoor public places as defined by the Minnesota Clean Indoor Air Act
- Smoking and tobacco use is not allowed on property that is owned, leased, rented or otherwise used by the City
- Public smoking will be a petty misdemeanor punishable with a fine