09-13-2023 Workshop Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

MINUTES OF THE WORKSHOP MEETING CITY COUNCIL LITTLE CANADA, MINNESOTA SEPTEMBER 13, 2023 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a Workshop meeting of the City Council of Little Canada, Minnesota was convened on the 13th day of September, 2023 in the Council Chambers of the City Center located at 515 Little Canada Road in said City. Mayor Tom Fischer called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. and the following members of the City Council were present at roll call: ROLL CALL: In attendance were Mayor Fischer, City Council Members T. Miller, Gutierrez, Kwapick and D. Miller. Absent: None. Also present were: City Administrator Chris Heineman, Public Works Director Bill Dircks, Community Development Director Corrin Wendell, Finance Director Sam Magureanu, Community Relations Manager Laura Linehan, City Clerk/HR Manager Heidi Heller, and City Engineer Eric Seaburg. REVIEW OF PROPOSED STORMWATE UTILITY FUND The Public Works Director summarized the information provided at the Council Workshop in July about establishing a new Stormwater Utility Fund. He noted that almost all other metro area communities have a stormwater utility in place and use it to fund improvements and maintenance of the city's stormwater system, like rain gardens, ponds and ditches, and for the stormwater costs that are part of every street improvement project. The City Engineer reviewed how the fees would be calculated for each classification of property and reviewed the impact for revenue in the total amounts of $425,000, $500,000 and $625,000. The Finance Director explained that we currently utilize the Infrastructure Capital Project Fund (Fund 450) to pay for stormwater which is trending negative. He stated that by establishing a dedicated Stormwater Utility Fund, the Infrastructure Capital Project Fund will be able to maintain a positive fund balance. Mayor Fischer asked Council members what total revenue amount they would be comfortable starting with and annual increase amounts they are comfortable with. There was Council consensus to begin with $500,000 revenue collection in 2024 with 4% annual increases. UPDATE ON PROPOSED GAS & ELECTRIC FRANCHISE FEE AGREEMENTS The City Administrator explained that the City has had an electric franchise fee since 2003, which has not been increased since 2010. He stated the franchise fee agreement with Xcel expires in 2023 and the city is considering an increase to the electric franchise fee, and also potentially adding a gas franchise fee. These fees are added to gas and/or electric utility bills by the utility company and passed on to the city. The City Administrator explained that franchise fees may be utilized for any purpose, and one of the strategic initiatives that currently has no funding source is gateway signage and wayfinding. Community Relations Manager Laura Linehan provided examples of gateway signage in other communities, including estimates for each type of sign and the implementation process.