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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMin_02Feb13City of Falcon Heights Council Minutes February 13, 2002 Mayor Gehrz opened the meeting at 7 p.m. PRESENTATION Reid Grano, 2001 president of the Falcon Heights/Lauderdale Lions Club, presented the city with a $6,500 check on behalf of the Lions Club, to be used towards the purchase of a new park shelter at Community Park. Chuck Long, chairperson of the Park and Recreation Commission, presented a drawing of the proposed shelter and thanked the Lions Club for their very generous donation. Mayor Gehrz accepted the check and also thanked the Lions Club for the many ways in which they support the community. PRESENT: Gehrz, Kuettel, Lamb, Lindstrom. Also present was Administrator Worthington and Deputy Clerk Phillips. ABSENT: Talbot COMMUNITY FORUM: There was no one present wishing to speak before the council. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: The minutes of January 23, 2002 were approved with an addition suggested by Councilmember Lindstrom. CONSENT Councilmember Kuettel moved to approve the following consent agenda: General disbursements and payroll Licenses Step increases for Bill Maertz, Director of Parks and Public Works and Roland Olson, Finance Director Designated Signors for Orders Drawn on City Funds Continue Workman’s Compensation coverage of Mayor and Councilmembers POLICY Internet Use Policy Administrator Worthington said it was prudent for the City to have an internet policy which spells out the conditions under which employees may use the internet and E-Mail. Staff is recommending that the policy be included in the Personnel Policy. After brief questioning, councilmember Lamb moved to approve the Internet Use Policy and include it in the city’s Personnel Policy. The motion passed unanimously. Page 2 Council Minutes February 13, 2002 Mayor Gehrz requested that some policy items regarding the fire department be moved ahead to accommodate the fire chief who was present. Approve purchase of three complete SCBA units for the Fire Department Fire Chief Clem Kurhajetz said the department is in need of additional SCBA units and these would be able to be acquired at a savings of $600 per unit. Councilmember Lindstrom asked if there was a schedule under which these are purchased. Chief Kurhajetz responded that there has been no schedule but the department tries not to buy all new units at the same time. Replacement of tanks and masks are made when needed so purchase of all new units can be delayed. Mayor Gehrz said the first Wednesday council workshop in April will deal with fire department equipment, training, etc. and asked Chief Kurhajetz to be thinking of what additional needs the department has and may have in the future. Councilmember Lindstrom moved to approve the purchase of the three SCBA units. The motion passed unanimously. Approval of purchase of 10 pagers, charger, and five-year maintenance plan for the Fire Department Chief Kurhajetz said many of the department’s pagers are old and he is requesting 10 new pagers for firefighters to carry in order to be paged out for fire calls. After brief questioning, councilmember Kuettel moved to approve the purchase. The motion passed unanimously. Approval of sale of 1972 fire truck to Jacobson, MN Volunteer Fire Department in the amount of $1.00 Chief Kurhajetz said every effort had been made to sell the 1972 truck but there was no interest from fire departments until the City became aware of the Jacobson Volunteer Fire Department’s needs in December. A recommendation is being made to sell the fire truck for $1.00 so that it is considered a legal sale. The city will provide no guarantees as to the truck’s performance and it will be sold in an “as-is” condition. After brief discussion, councilmember Lamb made a motion to approve the sale of the 1972 fire truck for $1.00. The motion passed unanimously. Compensation policy changes Administrator Worthington is requesting Council to approve a change in the city’s personnel policy that would create a merit-based compensation system for employees. The current step schedule established by the council in 1999 would still be followed but rather than an increase at a set amount, the increase would be at the discretion of the administrator, based on performance. Each compensation recommendation, including any cost of living increase, would be subject to council approval. Worthington said this system will better reward high-performing employees. After brief discussion, councilmember Lindstrom made a motion to approve the policy change. The motion passed unanimously. Page 3 Council Minutes February 13, 2002 Authorize the purchase of a John Deere 4310 tractor from Scharber and Sons Equipment Administrator Worthington said this tractor will replace a 1992 tractor which has been used to mow grass and remove snow from public pathways. Worthington said the tractor comes with a range of implements including one which allows the spreading of salt to melt ice on the public sidewalk and pathways. Councilmember Lamb made the motion to approve the purchase of the John Deere 4310. The motion passed unanimously. Petition for Local Improvement – Fulham St. Street Lighting Administrator Worthington said the City of Lauderdale was approached by a resident on Fulham St. requesting the installation of decorative streetlights on their street. Signatures from both the Falcon Heights and Lauderdale side of Fulham St. were obtained on a petition. The petition acknowledged the conditions of Falcon Heights’ assessment policy which, in this instance, is 100% assessable to the property owners. There are only 2-3 streetlights involved in this project on the Falcon Heights side of the street so it is a fairly simple process. Worthington said council is being asked to approve resolution 02-07, declaring the adequacy of the petition and ordering the preparation of a report on the Fulham St. streetlight improvements. After brief discussion, councilmember Kuettel moved to approve resolution 02-07. The motion passed unanimously. Request to approve extension of the recycling contract with E-Z Recycling for one year, commencing on February 28, 2002 Administrator Worthington said council is being asked to approve extension of the recycling contract with E-Z Recycling for one year at the current rate. Worthington said staff is working with Ramsey County to research and develop a bidding process for future years. Council discussed the possibility of reinstituting a Solid Waste Commission. Mayor Gehrz said the first Wednesday of March will be a council workshop discussing the refuse/recycling issue. Councilmember Kuettel moved to approve the extension of the recycling contract with E-Z Recycling for one year beginning February 28, 2002. The motion passed unanimously. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS: Councilmember Kuettel reminded everyone of the Dead of Winter event at Community Park on Sunday, February 17, 2002 from 1 to 4 p.m. Councilmember Lamb said the drawing of the new park shelter will be on the website. He thanked the Park and Recreation Commission and the Lions Club for their hard work and support. Page 4 Council Minutes February 13, 2002 Mayor Gehrz said the city is still waiting to hear from the City of Roseville about the possibility of cooperating with them on their proposed community center. Gehrz said she contacted Roseville at the request of a Falcon Heights resident. Gehrz said a thank you note was received from the leader of Boy Scout Troop 285 who attended the January 23rd council meeting. ADJOURN The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Patricia Phillips Deputy Clerk