Tonka Bay is located between the upper and lower bodies of Lake Minnetonka. With shoreline on both bodies, Tonka Bay has more Minnetonka shoreline than any other village of its size. The city has an area of about one square mile.

Incorporated as a village in 1901, Tonka Bay made history long before. In 1853, Peter Gideon staked out a claim of 160 acres in what is now Tonka Bay and where Gideon’s Bay still bears his name. Gideon successfully propagated his first apples “The Wealthy,” named for his wife, before he died in 1899. Also on Gideon’s Bay, the first of Minnetonka’s great hotels was built in 1897. The Lake Park Hotel, later named the Tonka Bay Hotel, contained 200 rooms. A railroad from Minneapolis brought visitors to the hotel for summer visits.

The village was, and still is, an assortment of neighborhoods widely varied in aspect and real estate value. It contained several large estates at the turn of the century. Clay Cliffe, located across from City Hall, was built in 1890. “Old Orchard,” another historic home, was built about 1887 by John F. Wilcox, the first mayor of Tonka Bay. The W.O. Winston house was built in the same era. Its caretaker, Ed Becker, also a mayor of the village, was known to residents for his knowledge of botany.
Many acres of land along what is now County Road 19 were once filled with orchards. The wielder of the first ax in the forests was probably a man named Stephen Hull, who came to the area in 1853. Hull left his name on the first cut through the two lakes, then called “Hull’s Narrows” and located about 80 feet north of West Point Road near County Road 19. But the cut was shallow and narrow, and the big stern wheelers had rough going during dry seasons–often teams of horses hauled the ships through. Later a shorter and deeper connection between the upper/lower lakes was dredged about a mile further west on the north boundary line of Tonka Bay. The first bridge was built in 1911.
Once the heyday of steam boating died and tourists left, a more stable population of residents began to fill the village. In those days the village hall was a school building.

Between 1923 and 1931, 31 families lived in the village year 'round. In 1920, the town’s worst fire occurred, burning six homes to the ground.
In 1953, the school building became the Tonka Bay Town Hall. A sewer system was constructed in 1964 in a cooperative effort with Excelsior. The municipal water system was constructed in 1972. The City Hall, as it is known today, was remodeled in 1983. The mural in the council chambers was painted by long-time resident Al Holde in 1985. It depicts images of Tonka Bay, past and present.

City of Tonka Bay

4901 Manitou Rd. 952-474-7994
Fax 952-474-6538
E-mail clink@cityoftonkabay.net
Web site www.cityoftonkabay.net

Frequently Called Numbers
Police, fire, medical emergency 911
Police Administration 952-474-3261
Fire Administration 952-960-1650
Utilities Billing 952-474-7994
Animal Control 763-525-6210
Parks & Recreation 952-474-7994
Water Treatment 952-474-2947

Tonka Bay City Council

Mayor
William LaBelle
45 West Point Dr. 952-470-0374

Council Members
Ken Folley
420 Lakeview Ave.. 952-401-6235
Anthony Marceau
100 Tonka Bay Lane 952-470-9755
Clayton Tessness
4833 Manitou Rd. 952-471-0800
Gerry De La Vega
135 West Point Court 952-474-7512
The mayor and four council members serve as the Tonka Bay City Council. All five are voting members of the Council. The position of mayor is elected at large every two years. The council members are elected to four year terms, with two seats up each election. The City of Tonka Bay holds elections in even-numbered years.

Meetings

Tonka Bay City Council
Council chambers 7 p.m.
Meets the second and fourth Tuesday.

Police Service

South Lake Minnetonka
Police Dept. (SLMPD) 952-474-3261
Bryan Litsey, Police Chief
Formed under a joint-powers authority, the SLMPD serves Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood and Tonka Bay.

Fire Protection

Scott Gerber, Fire Chief 952-960-1650
The Excelsior Fire District contracts with Deephaven, Excelsior, Greenwood, Shorewood and Tonka Bay for fire emergency service. Serving since 1889, the Excelsior volunteer firefighters suggest that you take steps to prevent a fire in your home. Call Fire Prevention for a free, no-obligation home inspection.

City Ordinances

Licenses & Permits

Building Permits
Loren Kohnen, Building Official
Metro West Inspections 763-479-1720
Projects that involve a structural change, deck, reroofing, plumbing, heating, new additions, insulation, substantial remodeling or fence construction require a building permit.

Dog Licenses
City Hall 952-474-7994
Dogs may not run at large at any time. All dogs over age six months must be licensed. No more than two dogs are permitted per household. Licenses, which are obtained at City Hall, should be obtained before March 15 for the year they are issued. Licenses obtained through March 15 cost $10. Those purchased after March 15 cost $16. Proof of rabies vaccination must be provided at time of purchase.

Lost Pets
Orono Animal Control 763-525-6210

Homestead
Homestead Applications
City Hall 952-474-7994
Make applications in person at City Hall.

Regulations

Burning
Open burning is not permitted. Recreational fire permits are available at City Hall.

Snowmobile Operation
Snowmobiles may enter fire lanes to the lake between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m., at a speed limit of 10 mph. Speed on the road is limited to 20 mph. There are five fire lanes designated for snowmobile entrance to the lake. They are on Interlachen Lane, North and South Waseca Avenue, Woodpecker Ridge Road and Bay Street.

Traffic Speeds
All residential roads in Tonka Bay are posted at 20 mph.

Note: The city has other license and permit requirements. Only the most commonly used have been published here.