West St. Paul City Council highlights: April 2026

West St. Paul City Council highlights: April 2026
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | April 2026

Sports Dome
A water leak at the West St. Paul Sports Dome at 1655 Livingston Ave. that would cost an estimated $1 million to fully repair is prompting the city to end its relationship with the company managing it and bring the facility under its own management. The City plans to hire a recreation facilities manager soon and take charge of the dome six months later. The new employee will be responsible for managing day-to-day operations at the dome and all other recreational facilities in the city, including the pool, ice arena, athletic fields, park buildings, pavilions and picnic shelters.

Built in 2012, the 110,000 square-foot air-supported dome has always been operated by a third party. City staff say bringing management in-house will help the city proactively identify maintenance issues and explore more ways to offer free and affordable use of the space for residents and more programming partnerships with schools and other entities. The facility is the City’s primary indoor athletic venue, hosting sports teams year-round as well as free weekday walking and jogging for residents. User fee revenues totaled $859,000 in 2025, and the dome has about $1.5 million in cash reserves. Preliminary conversations are also stirring regarding more substantial changes to the dome, such as installing hard surface courts for sports like pickleball, altering the structure to allow for new kinds of events, and even converting the structure into a permanent hard-lid facility.

Pay increase
West St. Paul city councilmembers are slated to see a 3% raise in 2027 and an additional 2.5% raise in 2028. The mayor’s salary will go from $14,500 to $15,308, and councilmembers’ pay from $12,500 to $13,197. Currently, the mayor’s salary is slightly above the median for mayor compensation in comparable cities such as South St. Paul and Inver Grove Heights and councilmember salary is significantly above the median of $10,500. A public hearing and final reading to allow the increases will be held April 13.

Proposed businesses
The West St. Paul Planning Commission recently recommended approval of conditional use permits regarding two new businesses. Both need city council approval to move forward.

Atlanta-based The Bougie Grazer, is looking to open a franchise restaurant in the building at 963 Robert St., predominantly occupied by the Children’s Minnesota Clinic. It would offer pizza, salad bar, charcuterie boards, pastries, panini sandwiches and brunch foods, as well as wine, beer and other beverages such as daiquiris. A small patio is also planned.

A recreational cannabis shop is proposed to open in the former Camelot Cleaners space at 984 Smith Ave. S. The existing drive-through window would be removed to meet code regulations and the canopy demolished to increase parking. The shop would occupy just over half of the building, leaving space for a second business. According to state law, based on population, the city must allow two cannabis retail shops in the city. This would be the second, following the recent opening of NativeCare recreational cannabis dispensary at 2067 S. Robert St.