City Council Meeting Date: October 21, 2025
To: Mayor and City Council
From: Ben Martig, City Administrator
Subject:
TITLE
Consider Adopting Schedule for 2026 Board and Commission Meetings.
BODY
Action Requested:
The Northfield City Council is being asked to approve the attached Resolution adopting the 2026 schedule for City of Northfield boards and commissions.
Summary Report:
City Code establishes that board and commission meetings “shall be held at a fixed time, on a fixed date and in a fixed place as shall be determined by the council (Sec. 2-287).” In 2022 the City approved a monthly calendar that established a day of the month that every board/ commission would meet, with minor adjustments made throughout the year. In addition, the start time for most meetings moved to 6:00PM and the meeting location for most meetings moved to the City Hall Council Chambers. Starting in 2025, the City Council began approving the meeting schedules for most City boards and commissions, with exceptions noted below.
Attached is the meeting calendar agreed upon in 2022 with slight updates for 2026 (attachment #3). Those changes include:
• Removal of the Park and Recreation Advisory Board (PRAB) which was disbanded. There will continue to be expanded outreach related to capital improvements within parks to receive both neighborhood and broader community perspectives.
• Removal of Arts and Culture Commission (ACC) which was disbanded. There will continue to be community engagement integrated with the Public Arts Policy. Additionally, there has been new partnerships with the Northfield Arts Guild that brings both administrative support and broader arts representation to the public art processes.
• Removal of the Youth Substance Prevention Alliance Task Force (previously the Northfield Alliance for Substance Abuse Prevention) which was moved from a board to a task force. Their schedule will now be less formal and will not require approval from the Council. This group was previously a task force and it was determined this would be a better fit for their needs.
• Transition of the Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) membership to the City Council. The HRA meetings will now align with the previously set Council meeting dates. HRA meetings will be every other month and will start at 6:00PM with the Council meeting following immediately after. For 2026, there will be two HRA work sessions to allow staff time to bring the City Council up to speed on ongoing HRA initiatives. This will align with January and March Council work sessions. The HRA will continue its prior programs, duties, and authorities, this simply is a change in board membership. The intent is for more direct engagement by the Council to complete this work that is a strategic priority of the City to expand housing availability for all in addition to other goals.
Below is the day of the month designated for each of the city boards/commissions. The specific schedule and exceptions are noted below. The full 2026 schedule is attached (attachment #2).
Heritage Preservation Commission 1st Wednesday of the month
Library Board 2nd Wednesday of odd months
Housing and Redevelopment Authority 3rd Tuesday of even months
Environmental Quality Commission 3rd Wednesday of the month
Planning Commission 3rd Thursday of the month
Economic Development Authority 4th Monday of the month
Human Rights Commission 4th Wednesday of even months
Exceptions to the above calendar for 2026:
Economic Development Authority
• Will not meet in May or December.
Library Board
• Will meet on Monday November 9, 2026 not Wednesday November 11, 2026, due to Veteran’s Day.
Housing and Redevelopment Authority
• Will meet on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, and Tuesday March 10, 2026, for work sessions to allow staff to update the City Council on ongoing HRA initiatives.
• Will meet on Tuesday, December 8, 2026. This will not align with a Council meeting since the Council is only scheduled to meet once in December.
Human Rights Commission
• Will meet on Monday, December 14, 2026, not Wednesday, December 23, 2026, due to the holidays.
The following boards and commissions meet on the days noted below. Those schedules will be approved by the individual board/commission. These meetings are not included in the attached resolution, however anticipated dates for these boards and commissions are included in the attached calendar (attachment #2) for awareness.
Charter Commission 2nd Thursday of odd months
Northfield Area Fire and Rescue Services 3rd Thursday of the month
Hospital Board 4th Thursday of the month
Mayor’s Youth Council 1st Wednesday of the month
Alternative Options:
The Council could modify the meeting schedules or delay action on the resolution to a future meeting.
Financial Impacts:
None.
Tentative Timelines:
The current meeting schedule will remain in effect until modified by the Council. However, adjustments may be made at staff discretion throughout the year, as conflicts come up and special meetings or work sessions are needed.