Despite pushback, council moves ahead

It was simply a resolution to set a public hearing, but it felt like much more.

Members of the Owatonna City Council passed the resolution on a 6-1 vote, setting the hearing for 7 p.m. March 3 at city hall.

It’s the topic of the hearing that has residents – and some councilors – pushing back.

The city intends to adopt a capital improvement plan, with the intent to issue general obligation bonds for new police and fire facilities. The council action requires a public hearing be held first.

Dan Boeke, who was the lone dissenting vote, said that he’s not opposed to the plan, specifically.

“I think we need the project,” he said, “and there isn’t any doubt in the community that the project is needed for our police and our fire.

“My objection is the cost; I don’t know if I’m ready to vote to offer up to $65 million without doing some review,” Boeke said.

Construction is scheduled to begin this summer, with completion anticipated in spring 2028.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the dollar amount has climbed; the plan at one time called for a joint facility, and pivoting to separate buildings added costs, as has continued inflation. The $65 million is $2 million higher than the last total approved by the council.

The extra money is designed as a “cushion,” said City Administrator Jenna Tuma.

If the bids come in over the bond amount, or there is something added to the project, the $65 million provides some wiggle room, without having to restart the project.

“It’s not saying we’re using” the $65 million, Tuma said. “It’s just saying we have up to that amount.”

Fresh off a 9.9% hike to the 2026 property tax levy, Boeke had his eye on future levies.

“What’s this going to do? Anything new is going to be better than what we have,” he said, “but do we have the capacity to ask our taxpayers for what it’s going to cost? I don’t know if we’ve ever gotten to the phase where (we ask) are there needs or are there wants?”

Boeke spoke of the facilities council members had toured, and how they compared to the city’s plans.

The new Burnsville Fire Station is 44,000 square feet; Owatonna’s new fire hall would be 40,000 square feet, “and there’s no ambulance running out of there, no water safety rescue,” Boeke said. Additionally, the Burnsville station houses eight administrative offices.

It also serves roughly 40,000 residents, he said, “where we’re at 28 (thousand). We hope to be at 40 (thousand) in 2040, which is another 16 years.”

Boeke repeated that he did not disapprove of the projects, “because we need it. But I’m afraid of what it’s going to do to our residents,” in terms of property taxes.

“There’s got to be some give and take, and that’s why I’m voting nay,” he said.

Council member Brent Svenby said he “totally agreed” with Boeke, but supported the public hearing vote.

“Are we overbuilding the project? Maybe we are,” Svenby said. “Maybe we need to sit down again and really look at what do we really need for our police department and fire department to operate efficiently for a community our size – but also allow for growth.”

Nate Dobson said the hearing was designed “to give the public an opportunity to voice more concerns about the project itself and the funding and the cost. This isn’t obligating us to do anything, this is just setting a public hearing for the public to come in and express any concerns they have, and I do want to hear them.”

Boeke disagreed.

“I realize there’s still a couple of off-ramps available, but this seems like a pretty firm step to me,” he said, “and this train is coming down the tracks pretty fast. I’m concerned about our citizens.”

Council President Kevin Raney reiterated Dobson’s comments.

“All we’re doing is setting a public hearing, and you can certainly vote no,” he told Boeke, “but I want to hear the public – and that’s what we’re setting up tonight.”

Melissa Zimmerman, an Owatonna resident who has become active in the fight against Steele County’s proposed East Side Corridor plan, called the safety center discussions “a formality,” with “staff informing the committee of decisions already made.”

She had attended an open house about the project the night before, where she learned it has been in the works since 2019.

The Steele County Times has published stories about plans for a public safety project dating back to March 2024. An in-depth story in December 2024 said “multiple options were still on the table.”

“Yet the public only became aware of it in April of 2025 – and only if you were attending the city council meetings and paying very close attention – when the city hired a lobbyist to pursue state funding,” Zimmerman said. “Without that funding, this project wasn’t moving forward.”

At the Nov. 8 city council meeting, she said, “demolition scheduled for May of this year was quietly referenced. No announcement, no public discussion, just a passing mention.”

To recap, Zimmerman said, “I attended the first public open house for a seven-year project, with demolition starting in two months. Seven years, the first public input, two months before construction. That’s not normal and it’s not acceptable.”

She said she asked at the Feb. 3 open house if residents could offer suggestions about alternate locations, “and the administrator said it was a done deal, and the city did not want public input,” nor was it seeking public input or documenting comments and suggestions.

“That’s not public engagement,” Zimmerman said. “This is troubling – and it’s not new. I have tried, the public has tried, and yesterday, we were plainly told the city does not want our input. For three and a half years, I advocated for conversations. I became the face of hundreds of residents who wanted to participate but are shut out.

“This is not a safety center issue; this is not an Eastside Corridor issue,” she said. “This is an Owatonna and Steele County shutting out the public problem.”