Council Preview: Backyard Chicken Ordinance Up For Approval on Tuesday

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The Eagan City Council will convene at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday night at City Hall to hold a regular meeting. Here's a preview of a selection of agenda items the council is expected to discuss. For a full agenda, click here.

• An anonymous Eagan citizen wants to donate $5,000 for the Eagan Police Department's canine program. On Tuesday, the Eagan City Council will vote whether to accept the donation.

• The Minnesota Valley Transit Authority (MVTA) and city officials want to connect the MVTA transit station on Pilot Knob Road to the city's newly-developed fiber network. The initial agreement for the connection was approved last year, but the Eagan City Council is expected to approve a second amendment to the agreement on Tuesday. Under the agreement, the MVTA will pay $1,612.74 to splice into the city's network, and $2,000 in one-time administrative costs. The MVTA will also pay the city $600 a year for 30 years to lease fiber from the city.

• The city has received a request from T-Mobile Central LLC. to install new telecommunication equipment on five city-owned water towers. The council may vote to approve telecommunication lease amendments with T-Mobile for the installation of the antennae and equipment at the towers.

• A proposed ordinance amendment that would allow Eagan residents to raise backyard chickens within city limits is up for a vote on Tuesday night. The proposed ordinance was reviewed by the Eagan City Council earlier this fall. If approved, the ordinance amendment would go into effect on Oct. 26, and would require residents to pay a $50 annual fee for a chicken permit.

• The Eagan Economic Development Authority, which convenes on Tuesday night, may vote whether to allow city staff to apply for a Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Contamination Cleanup Grant for the Cedar Grove Redevelopment District. The grant can pay up as much as 75 percent of the cost of cleaning contamination.

• The DEED Cleanup effort isn't the only grant application on the table on Tuesday. The EDA may also vote whether to permit city staff to apply for a Metropolitan Council Tax Base Revitalization Contamination Cleanup Grant for the Cedar Grove area. The grant, if awarded, would defray the cost of cleanup for the proposed Paragon Outlet Partners LLC. mall prior to construction of the project.