5:30 P.M. - WORK SESSION (TRAINING ROOM)
City Council Reviews 2026 Utility Fund Budgets and Rates
The City Council reviewed the proposed 2026 utility fund budgets and 2026–2030 Capital Improvement Plan for utility related projects, focusing on maintaining reliable service and long-term financial stability across the city’s water, sewer and stormwater funds.
For 2026, water rates are proposed to rise 5 percent, sewer rates 8.5 percent and stormwater rates 15 percent. The water increase includes a increase to the State of MInnesota service connection fee, while the sewer hike reflects an 8.9 percent increase from the Metropolitan Council. Stormwater funding will support pond maintenance, creek stabilization, street improvement drainage, and other infrastructure needs.
Final utility rate adoption is scheduled for December 15 when the final 2026 budget is adopted.
Pleasant View Road Improvement Project
The City Council reviewed progress on the Pleasant View Road Improvement Project, which aims to improve safety and pavement conditions while limiting private property impacts along the narrow corridor between Powers Boulevard and Highway 101. The project was previously estimated at nearly $20 million, but has been refined to an $8.8 million concept focused on pavement and stormwater management work, with only 6 percent of the cost now tied to retaining walls.
Staff presented a new “right-fit” layout featuring three conceptual walls, limited on-street parking zones and a multi-use trail in certain areas connecting key destinations like Carver Beach Park. The project will use Municipal State Aid and property assessments for funding and is scheduled in the city’s Capital Improvement Plan as a two-year project beginning in 2027.
Councilmembers discussed the possibility of scaling the project to reduce costs, exploring full reconstruction versus reclamation methods and balancing stormwater management priorities near Lotus Lake. A public open house will be held November 18 at City Hall to gather resident feedback before the final scope and schedule are determined.
7:00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL MEETING (City Council Chambers)
The Council unanimously approved the following items on the Consent Agenda. They were:
City Council Accepts Feasibility Study for 2026 Great Plains Boulevard and Lake Drive East Rehabilitation Project
The City Council held a public hearing to review and accept the feasibility study for the 2026 Great Plains Boulevard and Lake Drive East Rehabilitation Project (City Project 26-02), part of Chanhassen’s Pavement Management Program. The project will rehabilitate pavement, replace areas of curb and gutter, and improve accessibility, with a primary focus on the intersection control of Great Plains and Lake Drive East.
The study proposes full-depth reclamation on Lake Drive East and a mill-and-overlay on Great Plains Boulevard between Highway 5 and Grandview Road. Additional work includes ADA ramps, crosswalk updates and minor utility repairs.
Public outreach included postcards, surveys, QR-code signage and an October 30 open house attended by 27 residents. Feedback was broadly supportive, highlighting safety, connectivity and property concerns. Staff also met with Discovery United Methodist Church concerning the proposed assessment.
At the Great Plains and Lake Drive East intersection, engineers compared the existing two-way stop, a four-way stop and a mini-roundabout. Residents didn’t have a strong opinion, but most preferred the roundabout for safety and access despite a slightly higher cost.
The estimated cost is $1.4 million, with $675,000 assessed to nearby commercial properties. No residential assessments are proposed. The Council voted to adopt the feasibility study, order the project and authorize design work for 2026 construction.
Lake Minnewashta Slow-No Wake Ordinance Updated
The City Council voted unanimously Monday night to amend the city’s ordinance governing slow-no wake restrictions on Lake Minnewashta. The change raises the triggering elevation from 945.0 feet to 945.5 feet and shortens the waiting period for lifting restrictions once water levels recede from three days to one.
The decision follows a public hearing prompted by a citizen action request submitted earlier this year seeking to raise the elevation to align with FEMA’s 100-year flood level of 945.9 feet. After reviewing hydrology data, historical enforcement patterns and public input, staff concluded that 945.9 feet would be too high but that a modest increase could balance recreation and shoreline protection.
During the hearing, speakers reflected both perspectives—some emphasizing the need to preserve shoreline vegetation and prevent erosion, others noting that recent Fourth of July restrictions had limited recreational use during the lake’s short summer season.
Staff presented two decades of water-level data showing that at the previous elevation, slow-no wake conditions were triggered about every other year, or roughly 10 to 12 percent of the boating season. Under the new threshold, that number is expected to drop significantly but comes with increased risk of protecting water quality and lakeshore property.
Any ordinance change must be reviewed by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, which includes a 120-day comment period. The goal is to have the revised ordinance finalized before the start of the 2026 boating season.
Discuss Acquisition of PID 25.8680100, a tax-forfeited parcel
The City Council held a closed session to discuss the potential acquisition of a tax-forfeited parcel (PID 25.8680100) located east of CSAH 101 between Lake Susan and Rice Marsh Lake. The discussion followed notice from Carver County that the parcel is being offered through a private sealed-bid process limited to adjoining landowners, as required under recent changes to state law. The parcel includes key public infrastructure such as City sanitary sewer lines, a paved multi-use trail, and a Metropolitan Council Environmental Services interceptor, making its acquisition important for maintaining and protecting these assets. Following the closed session, council returned to its open session to authorize staff to submit a sealed bid on behalf of the City.
