Meet Real Public Safety Needs
Our police department and City staff need facilities that allow them to serve residents effectively and safely.
John's Position
City Hall & the Municipal Campus
Mendota Heights needs to address the legitimate needs of our police department and City Hall. We also need to make sure we are pursuing the right project, at the right cost, with the support of the community.
I supported moving a project forward to schematic design. I did not support
committing to the particular solution that later emerged.
Why I Voted No in June
Moving the project forward was not approving one solution
In December 2025, I voted to move the Municipal Campus project into schematic design. I believed the City needed to move the project forward. Our Police Department and City Hall have legitimate facility needs that must be addressed.
My vote was not an endorsement of the particular building solution that later emerged. I believed schematic design was the stage where we could develop and evaluate options before committing to a particular solution. I also believed residents should have meaningful opportunities to understand the choices and be involved as the project developed.
When the project returned to the Council in June 2026, we were being asked to approve a specific schematic design and spend additional money advancing that design into the next phase. I did not believe we were ready to make that commitment without adequately evaluating alternatives. I voted no.
“I supported moving a project forward to schematic design. I did not support moving that particular solution forward.”
My position on the need to address our Police Department and City Hall facilities did not change. My June vote was about the proposed solution and whether the City was ready to commit additional public money to advancing it.
What I Support
A responsible path forward
The question is not whether City Hall and public safety needs should be addressed. The question is how we address them responsibly.
Get the Project and Cost Right
Major public investments should be carefully planned, appropriately sized, and evaluated against realistic alternatives.
Listen Before the Decision Is Made
Residents should have a meaningful opportunity to understand the choices, ask questions, and be heard before a major long-term commitment is made.
A Look Back
How Mendota Heights approached City Hall in 1985–86
The City's June 1986 New City Hall Facility Citizen's Committee Report documents an earlier City Hall planning process. A twelve-member citizens committee worked with City staff and professional consultants before presenting its recommendation to the City Council.
Citizen involvement
A twelve-member citizens committee
The committee met over a period of months to study the City's future office and facility needs and to make a recommendation to the City Council.
Alternatives
Lease, build and site options were evaluated
The report describes consideration of leasing versus building, multiple potential sites, facility requirements, and the advantages and disadvantages of the available choices.
Planning
Size, cost and future needs were examined
The committee and project team worked through space needs, program revisions, financing, construction costs, site conditions, and future expansion considerations.
Recommendation
The process produced a recommendation to Council
The final report documented the committee's recommendation and the information considered in reaching it, giving the Council and community a record of the process.
Major decisions can involve difficult tradeoffs. The 1986 report is
useful today because it gives residents an original historical record
of how Mendota Heights worked through a major City Hall decision.
Original Historical Record
Read the June 1986 City Hall report
The complete 146-page scan is being made available so residents can review the original report themselves.
New City Hall Facility — Citizen's Committee Report
June 2, 2026 City Council — Municipal Campus Discussion
Responsible City Government
Major investments deserve careful scrutiny.
We can support our police department, address City Hall needs, and still ask hard questions about scope, cost, alternatives, and the long-term impact on taxpayers. Those responsibilities belong together.