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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Packet_3-08-17CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the City Council City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue AGENDA March 8, 2017 at 7:00 P.M. A.CALL TO ORDER: B. ROLL CALL: LINDSTROM ___ HARRIS ____ BROWN THUNDER ___ FISCHER ___ GUSTAFSON___ STAFF PRESENT: THONGVANH____ C.PRESENTATIONS: D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1.February 22, 2017 City Council Meeting Minutes E.PUBLIC HEARINGS: F. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. General Disbursements through: 2/28/17 $102,301.58 Payroll through: 2/28/17 $19,143.88 2.Fire Department Grant-Urban Area Security Initiative G: POLICY ITEMS: 1.ADA Transition Plan for Facilities within the Public Right-of-Way H.INFORMATION/ANNOUNCEMENTS: I. COMMUNITY FORUM: J.ADJOURNMENT: BLANK PAGE  1 | Page CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the City Council City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue MINUTES February 22, 2017 at 7:00 P.M. A.CALL TO ORDER: 7:00 pm B. ROLL CALL: LINDSTROM _X__ HARRIS __X__ BROWN THUNDER _X__ FISCHER _X__ GUSTAFSON_X__ STAFF PRESENT: THONGVANH_X___ C.PRESENTATIONS: 1. Northeast Youth & Family Services – Jerry Hromatka Executive Director, Jerry Hromatka, presented on the programs and services that NYFS provides. They are in their 40th year of operations. They serve 15 municipalities and four school districts. Feedback on their organization was that it works to have the partnerships that they do, they emphasize respect and a solution-oriented approach, and they’re innovative. They serve all ages, primarily ages 5-21, and they serve about 4,000 youth, adults, and families. Their programs consist of mental health services, community services, and day treatment. They secure their funds through contracts, fees, grants, and contributions. 2. Citizenship Award – Melanie Leehy Melanie Leehy recommended establishing an annual Citizen of the Year Award. This award would be to recognize individuals who have given back to the community or have been an avid volunteer. This award would be for a Falcon Heights residing adult who has displayed noteworthy service. This individual would be nominated and would have to fit the set criteria of what it means to be a Citizen of the Year. The awardee would be recognized by the Council, and their selection could be coordinated with the annual Ice Cream Social for the awardee to receive recognition. She also recommends naming the award the Philando Castile Falcon Heights Citizen of the Year Award. The Community Engagement Commission had some discussions on a Citizen of the Year Award in general and got stuck on some of the logistics. They also expressed more of an interest at the time in discussing an event that acknowledges all volunteers in Falcon Heights. D.APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. January 25, 2017 City Council Meeting Minutes Approved E.PUBLIC HEARINGS: F. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. General Disbursements through: 2/16/17 $233,749.62 Payroll through: 2/15/17 $38,661.76 2.Recreation Agreement with the City of Lauderdale 3.SafeAssure Training Agreement 4.City Hall Rooftop Unit Replacement 5.Appointment of Georgiana May to the Community Engagement Commission 6.Appointment of Martin McCleery to the Environment Commission 1 of 25 2 | Page 7.Application for U of MN Good Neighbor Fund –Piano in the Park City Administrator Thongvanh stated that the Pianos would be in the park for 30-60 days. After the 60 days, it goes back to the company it was purchased from to be recycled or repurposed. The intent is to encourage arts in the parks. Council Member Gustafson Moved, Approved 5-0 G: POLICY ITEMS: H.INFORMATION/ANNOUNCEMENTS: Council Member Fischer: The Community Engagement Commission is still looking to appoint one or two Commissioners. City Administrator Thongvanh: The Community Engagement Commission has two openings and currently four applicants. The other Commissions are full. Council Member Harris: The Tri-City Work Group has meet twice recently. The City of Burnsville has been a pioneer for body-worn cameras. The next meeting is in Falcon Heights on March 15. She also serves on the Land Use Advisory Committee for the Metropolitan Council. They are working hard to try to help cities prepare their comprehensive plans that are due in 2018. Council Member Brown Thunder: The NYFS Leadership Luncheon is Wednesday, May 3 11:30am-1pm, and there are a lot of community leaders that attend. Council Member Gustafson: ·Summer programing is coming together and will be available the second week of March, and registration will be available shortly after. The search and hiring process for summer programing will start mid-March with the hope of to have positions filled by early May. Anyone interested should be watching the city website. Summer and fall city events are in the process of being planned. ·The Falcon Heights Inclusion and Policing Task Force has held three meetings and one Community Conversation since the last Council Meeting. There is a series of five Community Conversations which are designed to seek input from residents and guests that visit the community. The first Community Conversation focused on community values, and the summary of discussions can be found on the Falcon Heights website. Community Conversation two will be on Thursday, March 2 at Falcon Heights United Church from 6:30-8:30pm. From these Community Conversations, the Task Force will begin developing a draft of recommendations to present at Community Conversation three for feedback. A report of recommendations will be presented to the City Council at the May 3 workshop. The final Community Conversation will be after the Council has acted on the recommendations. City Administrator Thongvanh: ·AARP tax services did not have enough support staff assigned to City Hall, so they closed the site and relocated volunteers to locations in Roseville. They are hoping to reopen the site next year. 2 of 25 3 | Page ·Reminder with the upcoming snowfall to remember to move cars off the street when there is two inches or greater of snowfall. ·MnDOT will be doing an open house for the Hwy 51/Snelling Ave project on Monday, March 13 from 5-7pm at City Hall. They are still working on some of the questions that the Council posed to them. ·Staff has been working on Laserfiche, which is the city database, to make documents more accessible. ·I was also recently asked what demographic data SAPD is collecting. As of October 1, 2016 SAPD has been collecting race demographics on all stops. ·Updated the notice on the website of potential quorum of Council Members at the Community Conversations. I. COMMUNITY FORUM: Farook Meah- 1597 Hollywood Ct: He has applied to the Commissions, and he has been rejected many times. He sent a letter but has not received a response. The last time he received a response, staff indicated that there were no longer any openings and on occasion a posting will still be up as position is being filled since the city retains those applications. Mayor Lindstrom: The process for Commission openings is that they are posted, staff and Commission Chairs interview all of the applicants that apply, staff forwards the information to the Mayor, and the Mayor tries to get in contact with the applicant. His criteria that he looks for before passing names on to the Council are passion for the issue, new people having an interest in becoming involved with the Commissions, and geographic diversity of Commission Members. City Administrator Thongvanh: Staff take in multiple applications. He tries to attend the interviews as best as possible, but currently he has been occupied with other tasks that the Council has assigned him. Along with staff, they try to have the Commission Chair involved in the interview as well. After the interviews, staff provide some highlights of the applicants. Then Mayor Lindstrom makes the recommendation on who to appoint. Farook Meah- 1597 Hollywood Ct: He was told he would be interviewed, but he had to contact City Hall. He was told he would be interviewed by the City Administrator, Staff, and the Environment Chair, but only staff was present. He also applied for the Council and was eliminated in the first round of interviews. Tom Baldwin- 1716 Albert St: He wanted to follow up on a couple of things. He asked about the reluctance to put the opt out clause on the agenda. The reply before was that if it’s tabled and not voted on at the next meeting, it’s considered accepted. If you’re operating under Roberts Rules, you’d be tabling a motion, not an item. His question still remains. He’s criticizing the action of the Council and their lack of concern. The only way to show that you’re prioritizing this issue is through the policy agenda. Tyrone Tarrell- 270 Kent St. St. Paul: He wants to speak strongly against naming the city volunteer award after Philando. He didn’t live in Falcon Heights. He was murdered here, so show some sensitivity to that. Akil Foluke: 3 of 25 4 | Page He’s concerned by how everything he’s seen relates to how people are being treated. He wants to see action and not so much push back. Paula Mielke- 1869 Arona: Hawa applied for the Planning Commission and was told the city already had three applications so there was no need to apply. Did anyone get back to her about the flooding over at the Sherman apartments? Also, as she’s stated before, end the contract. Mayor Lindstrom: The Sherman apartments have been brought to their attention prior to the Council meeting, and they will look into it. City Administrator Thongvanh: The city was in contact with Hawa about applying, but by the time she had applied there were already multiple applications in the works. There are certain things that the city can do in regards to the Sherman apartments. He is hearing for the first time about them pulling out insulation. He will be in contact with the building inspector about that. The thing they were currently trying to address with Sherman is the safety hazard of the retention pond. Their snow removal contractors were piling snow up near it and kids were using it as a sledding hill. He informed the complex and contractor to push the snow elsewhere. That is difficult to regulate as it is private property. Council Member Harris: What caused the flooding? City Administrator Thongvanh: He’ll have to talk to staff to find out more information about the flooding. Mary Pat McGinnis- 1841 Arona St: She wants to reiterate the concerns that have already been expressed. Nothing has changed, which means this situation can happen again. Mayor Lindstrom: He could have brought forward his ideas on police reform, and he is learning new ideas every day about ways to improve. He has opted not to bring those ideas forward, because he wants to route that through the Task Force. He wants greater feedback from the community and guests and is committed to the greatest citizen engagement process that this city has ever gone through. J.ADJOURNMENT: 8:33 pm _____________________________ Peter Lindstrom, Mayor Dated this 22nd day of February, 2017 __________________________________ Sack Thongvanh, City Administrator 4 of 25 REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Families, Fields and Fair __________________________ The City That Soars! Item General Disbursements and Payroll Description General Disbursements through: 2/28/17 $102,301.58 Payroll through: 2/28/17 $19,143.88 Budget Impact The general disbursements and payroll are consistent with the budget. Attachment(s) ·General Disbursements and Payroll Action(s) Requested Staff recommends that the Falcon Heights City Council approve general disbursements and payroll. Meeting Date March 8, 2017 Agenda Item Consent F1 Attachment General Disbursements and Payroll Submitted By Roland Olson, Finance Director 5 of 25 BLANK PAGE  6 of 25 7 of 25 8 of 25 9 of 25 10 of 25 11 of 25 12 of 25 13 of 25 14 of 25 REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Families, Fields and Fair __________________________ The City That Soars! Item Fire Department Grant – Urban Area Security Initiative Description Ramsey County was the recipient of federal homeland security funding through the Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI) in 2016 and has funds still available. The Falcon Heights Fire Department would request the opportunity to apply for such funds. The Department would also request the authority to submit for 2017 funding. Equipment request for 2017 will be determined when we receive confirmation for 2016 request. The department would submit for the following for 2016 funds: Item(s) Amount Turnout Gear-Boots $8,000 Bunker Gear $4,500 AED – Defibrillator Machine $1,500 Monitor Nozzle $2,300 Estimated Request $16,300 Budget Impact This grant does not require a match from the city. Attachment(s) N/A Action(s) Requested Staff would recommend a motion to approve application submittal for 2016 and 2017 funding to support the purchase of safety equipment for the Fire Department. Meeting Date March 8, 2107 Agenda Item Consent F2 Attachment N/A Submitted By Sack Thongvanh, City Administrator 15 of 25 BLANK PAGE  16 of 25 REQUEST FOR COUNCIL ACTION Families, Fields and Fair __________________________ The City That Soars! Item Approve Public Right of Way ADA Transition Plan Description The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted on July 26, 1990, is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals on the basis of disability. One of the requirements of the ADA is to have an ADA transition plan. This plan includes a self-evaluation of City facilities, public outreach, grievance procedures and implementation schedule. The purpose of this plan is to provide a framework by which the City will inspect, inventory, and upgrade public facilities in City right-of-way to make them compliant with ADA laws. The major infrastructure components of this transition plan are pedestrian curb ramps, trail and sidewalks. The ADA Transition Plan would help the City evaluate the needs of all citizens who use public infrastructure. The plan will also help prioritize ADA improvements. Budget Impact Most infrastructure required to be upgraded will be done with project funds at the time of the project. Individual project requests will be evaluated on a case by case basis to determine need, priority and funding if necessary. Attachment(s) ·ADA Transition Plan ·Resolution 17-09 ADA Transition Plan for Public Right-of-Way Action(s) Requested Motion to approve attached resolution of the City of Falcon Heights ADA Transition Plan for Facilities within Public Right-of-Way. Meeting Date March 8, 2017 Agenda Item Policy G1 Attachment ADA Transition Plan Submitted By Jesse Freihammer, City Engineer 17 of 25 BLANK PAGE  18 of 25 City of Falcon Heights ADA Transition Plan for facilities within the Public Right-of-Way Introduction The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted on July 26, 1990, is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals on the basis of disability. Since the adoption of the ADA, the City of Falcon Heights has striven to provide accessible pedestrian features that meet ADA standards within the public rights-of-ways. This document has been created to specifically cover accessibility within the public rights of way and does not include information on City/County programs, practices, or building facilities not related to public rights of way. Policy The City of Falcon Heights’s goal is to continue to provide accessible pedestrian design features as part of the City’s Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) projects and maintenance projects. The standards and procedures will be kept up to date with nationwide and local best management practices. The City of Falcon Heights will consider and respond to all accessibility improvement requests. All accessibility improvements that have been deemed reasonable will be scheduled consistent with transportation priorities. The City will coordinate with external agencies and contractors to ensure that all new or altered pedestrian facilities within City jurisdiction are ADA compliant to the maximum extent feasible. Request for accessibility improvements should be directed to the ADA Coordinator at the Falcon Heights. Improvement Schedule Each year the city council approves a Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). ADA compliance and improvements are planned and incorporated into each of these CIP projects. Self-Evaluation The City, as part of its 2030 Comprehensive Plan, performed a high level review of the existing pedestrian facilities. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan is a guiding document for future plans of trails, sidewalks, and bicycle routes. Each City CIP project, scheduled street/utility project, and pedestrian facility maintenance project the City performs a detailed review of the existing facilities for ADA compliance and which facilities require upgrades. As additional information is made available as to the methods of providing ADA accessible features, the City will continue to update their procedures to accommodate these methods. 19 of 25 Public Outreach Public meetings are held during the feasibility study for all CIP projects prior to design and construction to gather input from the public. Additionally input from residents regarding areas that are not part of a CIP project are evaluated on an individual basis. Information about ADA facilities and requirements within the public rights-of-way is also available on the city web site and in monthly news articles. Request Procedure If users of the City of Falcon Heights’s facilities and services located within the public rights-of-way believe the City of Falcon Heights has not provided reasonable accommodations, they have the right to file a request. A request from a citizen should be made in writing addressed to the attention of the ADA Coordinator. The City will acknowledge receipt of request within 5 business days. A response to the request will be made within thirty days. If the resident feels that an equitable resolution has not been reached they may appeal to the City Council. External Agency Coordination Other agencies are responsible for some pedestrian facilities within the jurisdiction of the City of Falcon Heights. The City will coordinate with those agencies to ensure that any new or altered work on those facilities is ADA compliant to the maximum extent feasible. ADA Coordinator The ADA Coordinator may be contacted by calling the City at 651-792-7611. All written correspondence shall be sent to the following address: Attn: City of Falcon Heights ADA Coordinator City Administrator 2077 W. Larpenteur Falcon Heights, MN 55113 Implementation Schedule The City of Falcon Heights will utilize two methods for upgrading pedestrian facilities to the current ADA standards. The first and most comprehensive of the two methods are the scheduled street and utility improvement projects. All pedestrian facilities impacted by these projects will be upgraded to current ADA accessibility standards. The second will be on a case by case basis based on information received from the City’s request procedure. Design Procedures Curb ramps, blended transitions, sidewalks and trails will attempt to be constructed or upgraded to achieve compliance within all capital improvement and maintenance projects. There may be limitations which make it technically infeasible for an intersection corner or segments of sidewalks and trails to achieve full accessibility within the scope of any project. Additionally, the City will coordinate with other agencies for all signalized intersections to ensure that they meet ADA requirements to the maximum extent possible within the scope of any project. Regardless of if full compliance can be achieved or not, 20 of 25 each intersection corner, sidewalk and trail, shall be made as compliant as possible in accordance with the judgment of the City Engineer and staff. 21 of 25 BLANK PAGE  22 of 25 City of Falcon Heights ADA Transition Plan for facilities within the Public Right-of-Way This form is for requesting the City of Falcon Heights review an existing public pedestrian facility for meeting ADA compliance or to analyze the need for new ADA compliant public pedestrian facility within the City of Falcon Heights’s public rights-of-way. Contact Information Name: _______________________________________ Address: _______________________________________ Phone Number: _______________________________________ Email Address: _______________________________________ Description and location of ADA request and preferred remedy sought: The ADA Coordinator may be contacted by calling the City at 651-792-7611. The City will acknowledge receipt of request within 5 business days. A response to the request will be made within thirty days. Please submit written correspondence to the following address: Attn: City of Falcon Heights ADA Coordinator City Administrator 2077 W. Larpenteur Falcon Heights, MN 55113 23 of 25 BLANK PAGE  24 of 25 CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS COUNCIL RESOLUTION March 8, 2017 No. 17-09 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - RESOLUTION TO APPROVE ADA TRANSITION PLAN FOR FACILITIES WITHIN THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY WHEREAS, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), enacted on July 26, 1990, is a civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against individuals on the basis of disability. One of the requirements of the ADA is to have an ADA transition plan. This plan includes a self-evaluation of City facilities, public outreach, grievance procedures and implementation schedule. WHEREAS, the purpose of this plan is to provide a framework by which the City will inspect, inventory, and upgrade public facilities in City right-of-way to make them compliant with ADA laws. The major infrastructure components of this transition plan are pedestrian curb ramps, trail and sidewalks. WHEREAS, the ADA Transition Plan would help the City evaluate the needs of all citizens who use public infrastructure. The plan will also help prioritize ADA improvements. NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED by the City Council of the City of Falcon Heights, Minnesota Approve the ADA Transition Plan for Facilities within the Public Right-of-Way. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Moved by: Approved by: ________________________ Peter Lindstrom Mayor LINDSTROM ____ In Favor Attested by: ________________________ BROWN THUNDER Sack Thongvanh HARRIS ____ Against City Administrator GUSTAFSON FISCHER 25 of 25