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AGENDA RECOMMENDATION |
Public Hearings 7.F.
City Council Regular Meeting
- Meeting Date:
- 02/09/2026
Agenda Item:
Ordinance amending Chapter 2 of the Mankato City Code, adopting an ordinance addressing requests for reasonable accommodations, and motion approving summary publication.
Recommendation/Action(s):
Adoption of the attached ordinance and motion approving summary publication.
Summary:
The City receives a request for reasonable accommodation from a resident with a disability. These accommodations are often associated with barriers to accessing housing. An example would be accommodation from setback regulations impacting the construction of an accessible ramp in the front yard in order for the resident to safely access their home. These requests are administratively processed through the City Manager’s office instead of requiring a hearing process. This is done to comply with the standards of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Fair Housing Act (FHA).
The ADA and FHA require public entities to consider requests for accommodation and, when reasonable, including when not overly burdensome to the City, to grant those accommodations or modifications to rules, policies, practices, or services that may be necessary to afford persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. While the accommodations are often associated with a zoning standard (setback and occupancy), there are other regulations that may be subject to reasonable accommodations. Other requests may include rental regulations, parking standards, and building code standards.
While the requests are not frequent, the number of requests has increased, particularly with the aging and recovery populations. In Minnesota, approximately 12–14% of the population (about 700,000 people) report having one or more disabilities. In Blue Earth County, an estimated 14,200 residents—about 21% of the total population—have one or more disabilities, with roughly 85–90% of these individuals being adults. Therefore, staff expects the number of requests for accommodations to continue to increase and be associated with a wider variety of situations.
To demonstrate that the requested accommodation may be necessary, there must be an identifiable relationship between the requested accommodation and the individual's disability. In addition, a request for reasonable accommodation may be denied if providing the accommodation is not reasonable, if the reasonable accommodation would impose an undue financial and administrative burden on the city or would alter the nature of city operations.
To respond to the requests and to ensure consistency in process and standards for consideration, it is recommended that a reasonable accommodation ordinance be adopted as part of the City Code.
The ADA and FHA require public entities to consider requests for accommodation and, when reasonable, including when not overly burdensome to the City, to grant those accommodations or modifications to rules, policies, practices, or services that may be necessary to afford persons with disabilities an equal opportunity to use and enjoy a dwelling. While the accommodations are often associated with a zoning standard (setback and occupancy), there are other regulations that may be subject to reasonable accommodations. Other requests may include rental regulations, parking standards, and building code standards.
While the requests are not frequent, the number of requests has increased, particularly with the aging and recovery populations. In Minnesota, approximately 12–14% of the population (about 700,000 people) report having one or more disabilities. In Blue Earth County, an estimated 14,200 residents—about 21% of the total population—have one or more disabilities, with roughly 85–90% of these individuals being adults. Therefore, staff expects the number of requests for accommodations to continue to increase and be associated with a wider variety of situations.
To demonstrate that the requested accommodation may be necessary, there must be an identifiable relationship between the requested accommodation and the individual's disability. In addition, a request for reasonable accommodation may be denied if providing the accommodation is not reasonable, if the reasonable accommodation would impose an undue financial and administrative burden on the city or would alter the nature of city operations.
To respond to the requests and to ensure consistency in process and standards for consideration, it is recommended that a reasonable accommodation ordinance be adopted as part of the City Code.