04-06-2009 Council Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 6, 2009 APPROVED 81 Board on Wednesday(April 8) on the Comp Plan. Staff will then bring the Plan to the 82 council on April 27 and as needed thereafter to receive council authorization to submit 83 the Plan. He along with Senior Planner Smyser reviewed the written report to the 84 Planning &Zoning Board that includes comments from other jurisdictions, staff review 85 revisions, other revisions and landowner revision requests. The council will await the 86 outcome of that hearing and plan on discussing the Plan and eventually voting on 87 forwarding the Plan. 88 3. I-35E/CSAH 14 (Main Street) Interchange Update (No Written Report- 89 Verbal- Community Development Director Grochala reported that things are still 90 somewhat up in the air as far as stimulus funding for this project. It is a $22 million 91 project with $6.7 in federal funding currently available, leaving approximately$15 92 million unfunded. The city had planned on contributing in the area of$5 million 93 (assessment based). The project design is about ninety-five percent complete. 94 Development in the area has pretty much come to a halt, awaiting completion of the 95 interchange. The cities and the county applied for stimulus funding but, if that comes 96 through, there would still be a $3.6 million gap. The status of the stimulus funding is that 97 there is competition from one very large project that would consume about 90% of the 98 available funding. News on the program is changing almost daily. Mr. Grochala reported 99 further on the assessment element, noting that most of the property involved is 100 agricultural and that could involve deferred assessments; the city may have to ask the 101 county to consider those assessments as a loan until they are actually collected. If 102 everything comes together, Mr. Grochala anticipates things will move very quickly; 103 property owners will be informed and involved as necessary. 104 4. Acting City Administrator-The council reviewed a resolution included in the 105 packet for the upcoming council meeting (Item 1D) that would appoint Administration 106 Director Dan Tesch as the acting city administrator supervising all areas except the Police 107 Department and establishing that Police Chief Pecchia will report on his department 108 directly to the council until a city administrator is hired. Regarding compensation, there 109 has traditionally been a ten percent temporary increase granted to the acting administrator. 110 In consideration of the additional duties during this transition, the council consensus was 111 to grant the ten percent increase to Mr. Tesch. The council also concurred that Mr. Tesch 112 will fill the city administrator position on the Centennial Fire District Steering 113 Committee. 114 5. License Background Investigation Fee—City Clerk Bartell reported that staff is 115 in the process of reviewing many of the city's fees to ensure that they comply with current 116 state law and to compare our fees with those of other municipalities. Fee changes may 117 be recommended in the future based on that research and on the outcome of strategic 118 financial planning. 119 120 The council had requested, as part of updating liquor licensing code language, that staff 121 specifically review the city's current fee structure for background investigations. The 122 council is receiving a report that includes a comparison of the city's initial and renewal 123 background fees to other cities. The Lino Lakes Police Department conducts the city's 3