03-13-2024 Workshop Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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WORKSHOP MINUTES CITY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 28, 2024 housing study in 2024. She noted that a housing study would also be an important information source for the upcoming strategic planning process in 2025. Fischer stated there have been discussions over the years about providing grants or loans for housing maintenance but a big issue was finding someone to administer the program, along with how to fund this type of program. He stated there is a cost to running any type of programs for staffing. The Finance Director stated that he received confirmation from Ehlers that these sale tax funds cannot be used for administrative expenses, and they must be spent within four years. T. Miller stated it may be a better idea to partner with existing entities to further fund their efforts which would save on administrative costs. Kwapick suggested potentially using it for utility bill assistance which could help with housing stability or micro -grants. The Finance Director stated that there was a utility bill assistance program through the state that ended in 2023, and the city offers our own utility bill assistance program for certain residents. Kwapick stated maybe this program could be expanded to be available for more residents. The Community Development Director stated possibly using the funds to help with energy efficiency improvements or to update manufactured homes. There was Council consensus to initially focus on these priorities: assistance with utility bills or utility/stonnwater home issues, expand partnerships with existing organizations, LITTLE CANADA ROAD INTERSECTION & POTENTIAL PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE UPDATE The City Engineer explained that he has been working on plans to improve the Country Drive and Little Canada Road intersections and his staff has been working on grant applications to help fund a project. He stated that $2.0 million is secured for the Little Canada Road/Lakeshore Drive/County Road C roundabout construction. He stated that Ramsey County will be reducing County Road C from four lanes into three lanes from Little Canada Road to Lexington Avenue. He explained that Ramsey County is very supportive of the Country Drive/Little Canada Road intersection redesign and are willing to cost -share whatever amount is not grant funded. He reported that the grant request from the Metropolitan Council seems to have a high likelihood of being funded. He stated that this intersection project is estimated to cost $ 8.5 million. The City Engineer explained that the city has talked about a pedestrian bridge over the freeway for at least 20 years. He stated that staff has looked again at how and where to do this, and noted that since the city is already asking for grant funds for other projects, staff thought it would be a good time to revisit this. He showed an example of where the bridge could cross north of the Little Canada Road bridge, and options for the ramps on either side. The City Engineer stated the next steps would be for further Council discussion on upcoming grant applications and further pursuits of a pedestrian bridge and community engagement efforts. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Kwapick reported that he and the City Administrator attended the League of Minnesota's Day on the Hill on March 7, and were able to meet with elected officials that represent Little Canada about needed funding for the city and other priorities. 2