04-09-2003 Council Workshop Minutes

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M1NUT1:r5 CITY COUNCIL APRIL 9, 2003 .Fahey noted that at its regular meeting the Council authorized staff to obtain bids for the following trail improvements: Jackson Street trail, the Desoto Street trail (phase l), and the Country Drive trail (from the Water Works to Little Canada Road). Cow~cil then proceeded to review the action plans for the remaining 2003 goals. The first was "Explore Cooperative Agreements with other Cities and the County". The City Administrator reviewed a listing of existing cooperative agreements as well as new efforts that City staff is pursuing. The Administrator pointed out the suggestion that the City pursue the creation of a joint powers engineering company that would provide engineering services to cities on a collaborative basis. The Council suggested exploring the possibility of a larger city, such as Roseville or Maplewood, providing engineering services for Little Canada. Another suggestion that was discussed was for the consolidation of cable commissions given the possibility for a reduction i^ the administrative expenses associated with maintaining several cable commissions around the Twin Cities area. Montour indicated that he would raise this issue with the cable commission. The City Administrator indicated that staff will bring additional recommendations back to the Council relative to this goal at a later date as the various recommendations are explored in greater detail. The next action plan discussed related to the goal "Explore Turnover of Water System with St. Paul". The City Administrator indicated that staff has a meeting scheduled with Bernie Bullert of St. Paul Water to explore the issues related to turning the City's system over to St. Paul. The Administrator indicated that another option may be for Little Canada to purchase its water through the City of Roseville in order to obtain a reduced water rate. These issues will be evaluated in more detail, and a recommendation brought back to the Council. Blesener indicated that he has reviewed the proposed contract with St. Paul related to their taking over of the City's water system. Blesener felt that there were a lot of hidden costs in the agreement, and indicated that he had concerns with maintenance standards. Blesener felt that one step would be to contact other cities that St. Paul has similar arrangements with to determine if these cities have any problems or concerns with the service St. Paul is providing. 'Blesener indicated that he was unsure about the level of savings the City would realize by turning the system over to St- Paul. Fahey felt that once the staff' concludes their discussions with St. Paul, a report will be presented to the Council and the matter discussed in a workshop setting. 5