Council Member Explains Vote on Potential Lakeville Park Fee Refund For Father

At the last , Council Member caused a stir when in fees paid to the city.

In an email sent to Lakeville Patch on Oct. 28, LaBeau explained that the vote was a mistake and an accident.

"I fully planned to abstain from that item on the consent agenda" she said. LaBeau said she thought she was voting on a motion to pull an item requested to be discussed by Council Member Matt Little, not the entire consent agenda, which included a request by her father, and developer, Jim Stanton, to move $170,356 in park fees to an escrow account pending the outcome of a park fee study.

LaBeau said she quickly realized her mistake, and told City Administrator Steve Mielke what her intended position to abstain from voting on the item involving her father.

"It is unfortunate that that piece missed being communicated," she said. LaBeau said she'll be making a formal statement at the Nov. 7 meeting about the mix up.

The issue arose when Stanton, who paid $170,356 in park fees for the 37-lot development he's spearheading, called Crescent Ridge, wrote a letter to the council asking that his fees be placed into escrow while the city studies lowering the current park dedication fee rate of $4,747 per single-family lot. Stanton argued this fee was too high.

The council voted 5-0 to approve placing the money into escrow, but Council Members Kerrin Swecker and Matt Little expressed concern over LaBeau's vote, citing a possible conflict of interest.