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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMin_06Jan11Minutes of the Regular Meeting of the City Council City of Falcon Heights January 11, 2006 Mayor Gehrz called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. All members of the council were present. The meeting began with the oath of office read by Mayor Gehrz, taken by incoming council members Laura Kuettel and Pam Harris. Both councilors were elected to four-year terms. PUBLIC HEARING: ROSELAWN AVENUE RECONSTRUCTION City Engineer Deb Bloom began the item by giving an overview of the project, including the properties to be assessed, layout of the project, and projected cost. Mayor Gehrz opened the hearing for questions from the council first. Council member Talbot asked if there was bus service on Roselawn. Administrator Worthington replied there was not. Council member Lindstrom questioned whether the utility poles and boxes along the street and proposed pathway would cause problems with the 8-foot attached path. Bloom answered there were only one or two on Roselawn and they were not foreseeing the same type of problem as can be experienced on Larpenteur. Council member Talbot stated Ramsey County has responsibility to clear Roselawn after snowfalls, and with the 8-foot path, smaller city equipment will be able to handle clearing the path. Council member Kuettel asked about the crosswalk at Simpson, and where it would match up with, since there isn’t a matching Simpson Street across Roselawn. Bloom answered it would match up with Administrator Worthington noted the issue of the crosswalk was discussed, and the placement currently is the most traveled. Council member Harris asked whether there would be curb-cuts from side streets onto sidewalks. Bloom answered there would be. She stated that residents also have the opportunity to re-pour or tar driveways during the reconstruction. If approved, sanitary sewer will also be repaired during this project, and letters will be mailed to homeowners on Roselawn. Administrator Worthington added the sanitary replacement is the residential line between the home to the main, which will be encouraged to avoid cuts in new pavement. Also, it will be less costly for residents. Mayor Gehrz asked about a pathway between Hamline and Lexington and whether plans are underway for that area. Bloom answered that the 2008-09 reconstruction master plan will have a sidewalk going all the way through. It will be addressed by the council then. Mayor Gehrz then opened the public hearing for comments from residents. Bill Simmons, 1913 Albert St, stated he was happy with the sidewalk proposed along Roselawn, however they were disheartened by the fact that no grassy median between the curb and sidewalk was planned. He added the street will appear barren, sterile, and austere, and strongly encouraged staff to investigate options for placing flower boxes along the street for greenery. He also noted that in other cities, even those as big as New York and Chicago, few sidewalks are left without greenery to bring beauty to an otherwise sterile environment. He asked the council and staff be equally cognizant of the need for providing such amenities. Mayor Gehrz then stated in a normal process she would close the public hearing and the council would vote. However due to the holiday schedule, the notice could only be published once, instead of the required two publications. She continued the public hearing to January 25, and encouraged residents to call City Hall or a councilor if they could not attend the meeting. The minutes from the December 14, 2005 regular council meeting were approved. CONSENT AGENDA: At the request of Council member Lindstrom, consent item F5, review and adopt Council standing rules, was moved to the policy agenda and became item G2. Council member Harris noted during discussion on item F8, the Roseville Review should be delivered to more residents in Falcon Heights. Staff will investigate the paper getting delivered farther into the City. Harris also asked about item F7, and when the raise was added to employee’s pay. Administrator Worthington replied the raise would be retroactive to January 1, based on performance evaluation. Council member Kuettel moved to approve the consent agenda. The motion passed unanimously. General Disbursements through 1/06/06 $139,855.98 Payroll (12/01/05-12/15/05) $13,710.92 Payroll (12/16/05-12/31/05) $15,311.94 Reappointment of Detzner, Andrews and Garza to the Human Rights Commission 3. Mileage reimbursement rate to 44.5 cents 4. 2006 License Renewals 6. Resolution 06-01 designating official depositories for 2006 7. Consider Resolution 06-02 approving a 3% standard compensation increase for regular employees in 2006 8. Designation of official newspaper for 2006 9. Appointment of City Engineer 10. Salary Adjustment for City Administrator POLICY AGENDA: 1. Agreement for legal services with Campbell Knutson Administrator Worthington began the item by giving an overview of the changes made to the contract. The only change, she mentioned, was the charges in fees for lawyers and law clerks. The increase for attorneys is $20 per hour, and law clerks will add $10 per hour to their fees. She added that staff is very pleased with the attorneys. Council member Harris stated that on the planning commission, Attorney Roger Knutson has been great to work with and has done a great job. She added that the rate is inexpensive compared to what he could demand. She then asked what a “pass-through” charge, as indicated in the contract, meant. Administrator Worthington replied that a pass-through would occur if Campbell Knutson had a conflict of interest in a case or a specialty they could not address, and asked a different firm to handle it. The pass-through fee of $130-$225 per hour would be the range the temporary firm could charge. Council member Kuettel moved to approve the agreement for legal services with Campbell Knutson. The motion passed unanimously. 2. Adopt Council standing rules Mayor Gehrz began the item by stating the council is not heavy on procedure. Council member Lindstrom stated he had a change on page 3, number 3. The verbiage was changed to “Those wishing to speak must identify themselves, their address, and speak into a recording microphone.” A short discussion on the procedure of the council for public hearings and motions followed. Council member Lindstrom then added the rules are used as a minimum guideline, and the council can go above if they wish. Council member Talbot moved to approve the Council standing rules as amended. The motion passed unanimously. COMMUNITY FORUM: None INFO/ANNOUNCEMENTS: Council member Talbot thanked Council member Kuettel for years of service, and congratulated Council member Harris. He also thanked former Council member Lamb for his five years of service. Council member Kuettel reminded residents of the upcoming food drive at Falcon Heights Elementary, Jan. 30 – Feb. 3. City Hall will also be a drop-off site. Council member Lindstrom reported the Environment Commission met Jan. 9, and they decided the initiative for 2006 will be to bring back the community garden. He stated there was a lot of interest within the group, and while they were barely at the drawing board stage, he wanted to bring it to attention. Council member Harris stated the Parks/Rec Commission met Jan. 9 and got organized by drafting a “role of the commission” document. They also had discussions on the ice rinks. Mayor Gehrz announced to residents the CERT/Liasion/Commission get-together on Jan. 23 at City Hall from 7-8:30. The focus of the meeting will be the changing demographics of the neighborhoods in Falcon Heights. Speakers, discussion, and door prizes will be awarded. Also, a transportation option of the ZipCar is available to Falcon Heights residents. Lastly, she noted residents will begin seeing the new Lauderdale/St. Anthony/ Falcon Heights police cars changed over to black and white. Uniforms for the officers are now navy blue. She also stated the three cities are looking into combining $12,000 in funds for a speed cart that monitors speed trends and performs analysis. Administrator Worthington reported the Human Rights Commission worked on a purpose statement, and the council will see it on the Feb. 8 agenda. Also, she announced Waste Management will now accept pop cartons/cases during their every-other Friday recycling. She reminded residents to call if there are any recycling issues. Mayor Gehrz adjourned the meeting at 8:30 p.m.