Lake Elmo city administrator fired at end of council meeting; a member resigns in protest

Mary Divine, Pioneer Press
·6 min read

A Lake Elmo City Council member resigned in protest after Lake Elmo City Administrator Kristina Handt was terminated at the end of Tuesday night’s council meeting.

Handt had been city administrator in Lake Elmo since March 2016. Prior to that, she was city administrator in Scandia and village administrator in Luck, Wis.

A motion by Council Member Jeff Holtz not to renew Handt’s contract, which is set to expire on Nov. 30, was seconded by Council Member Matt Hirn. Mayor Charles Cadenhead also voted for the measure.

Council Member Lisa McGinn, who resigned in protest, was the lone “no” vote; Council Member Katrina Beckstrom was absent.

Handt had recently expressed concerns about the site of a new Lake Elmo Elementary School because of issues regarding access to city water. Lake Elmo, the fastest-growing city in Minnesota, is dealing with a multitude of water issues, including PFAS contamination and restrictions on pumping as a result of a court order regarding the water levels of White Bear Lake.

Cadenhead said Handt’s handling of the water issues didn’t directly affect the council’s decision.

“I think it’s probably more than that,” he said after the meeting. “Kristina’s not a bad person. It’s just one of the things where there’s maybe a feel for a need to change course. One of the council members did not feel that way, and I get that, and that’s OK.”

City officials will work with the city attorney on how to fill the council seat and the hiring of an interim city administrator, Cadenhead said.

McGinn said she was caught unaware of any effort for termination. The council last week performed Handt’s annual review, and Cadenhead and McGinn were appointed to look at a new contract for Handt, she said.

“I have worked with Kristina for more than six years,” McGinn said. “The depth of her commitment and knowledge and work for this city has been extraordinary. She was brought into this city during a time of extreme turmoil, and the strides that this city has made under her administration have been extensive.”

McGinn said she took issue with how Handt has been portrayed by school district officials and on social media over the last week concerning the building of a new elementary school within Lake Elmo.

“She is the most knowledgeable on water issues,” she said. “She’s really an expert on these issues. This will be a big loss to the city.”

Said Handt: “I’m proud of everything the team was able to accomplish over the last seven-plus years. I’m confident I’m leaving Lake Elmo in a better position than I found it and wish them all the best.”

Lake Elmo elementary school

The shake-up came at the end of a council meeting that started with Stillwater Area School District Mike Funk telling council members that the district is “close to a solution” that could resolve issues regarding access to city water at the site of the new school.

District officials have been working with Minnesota Department of Natural Resources officials on a plan that would enable the district to connect to city water at the 47-acre parcel on the northwest corner of Lake Elmo Avenue and 10th Street North — kitty-corner to Cimarron Park, a mobile-home community in Lake Elmo, Funk said.

About $86 million of the district’s $175 million bond referendum, which passed in November, will be used to fund the new school to replace the 103-year-old Lake Elmo Elementary School.

Any application by the school district for a new school at the site would require an amendment to the city’s comprehensive plan to allow for public facilities; a comp plan amendment requires at least a four-fifths vote of the city council, Handt said prior to the meeting.

The land also would need to be rezoned from agricultural to institutional, and that requires at least a three-fifths vote of the council, she said.

“We are asking you to rezone so that our students have access to water and potentially sewer,” Funk said. “We have been partners for 100 years, and we are another governmental entity. We are different from someone coming here to make money for their business. We hope that our century-long partnership makes a difference. Help us keep our students safe by providing access to clean water.”

District officials expect further written communication from the DNR on a potential water solution next week, he said.

White Bear Lake water levels

The White Bear Lake court order, issued in 2017 by Ramsey County District Judge Margaret Marrinan following a trial, effectively prohibits the DNR from issuing new or expanded groundwater pumping permits within five miles of the lake. The ruling put restrictions on communities, including Lake Elmo, that use water from the same aquifer that feeds the lake.

Cadenhead said he thinks the officials from the city, the school district and the DNR will be able to “work through” the water issues.

“I’m looking forward to working with Superintendent Funk and the school district on trying to come up with the best outcome for the residents and the children of the school district who live in Lake Elmo and surrounding area,” he said. “Having a school in Lake Elmo is important. We’ve had a school in Lake Elmo for over 100 years. It helps with community, it helps with home values, it helps with all kinds of things.”

Stillwater resident Laura Super attended the meeting and said she is optimistic that a solution will be reached that will allow for a new elementary school.

“I want to keep the school here in Lake Elmo because it’s a legacy school,” she said. “It’s been here for 100 years, and it would be really sad to me if it ended up having to be built somewhere else because of this issue. I feel very confident that Dr. Funk is going to be able to move this forward for the district by working through the appropriate channels and working with the city. We all worked so hard to get this referendum passed and I would be extremely disappointed if we couldn’t get the school built where the voters were told it was going to be built.”

Funk said the district officials are looking at two possible options for the current Lake Elmo Elementary School: raze the school and sell the land, or tear down half — or more — of the school and convert the rest of the school to a new central office for the Stillwater Area Public School District.

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