03-25-13 Council Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSIO N March 4, 2013 DRAFT 4 regular meetings. She has provided an estimate of $1,000 for the remainder of 2013, and 135 that would be beyond the $1,500 regular annual budget. 136 137 M ayor Reinert recalled also that the Commission received such services in the past. He’d 138 like to see the minutes done by a professional again. He envisions that the city would pay 139 for the cost of the services as they are incurred rather than having an amo unt added to the 140 budget. Council Member Roeser sees the benefit of having a professional involved since 141 some past minutes have been approved long after the meeting and were not posted on the 142 web for years in a few cases. He’d also like to see the draft minutes posted on the web 143 prior to the next meeting. Ms. Gunderson pointed out that having a professional service 144 would address the issue of minutes not being done quickly; there has been difficulty 145 finalizing the minutes when members ask for corrections and meetings are held only 146 every three months. 147 148 The council discussed how the services could be funded. The mayor clarified that he is 149 recommending that Timesavers services be tried for a couple of meetings, paid by the city 150 outside the $1,500 budget, and see how that works. The draft minutes should be posted 151 on the website and sent to the city council within a week of the meeting. The council 152 concurred and directed staff to determine what, if any, action is necessary to formalize the 153 arrangement wit h Timesavers. 154 155 8. 401 Birch Street – Mayor Reinert explained that this is a property that has been in 156 foreclosure for some time and is causing some concerns for the neighborhood. He’s 157 hearing from neighbors that th ey’d like for the city to buy the proper ty and convert it to a 158 park. Staff has responded that there are already parks serving the area, the property is 159 really too small for a park and also there is no funding available for a purchase. The 160 mayor said he and Co uncil Member Rafferty added the m att er to the agenda because of 161 the neighborhood concern. 162 163 Jeremy Stimson, 6621 Sioux Lane , addressed t he council. He understands local politics 164 and is thankful for the council’s responsiveness to this point. He pointed out that there is 165 a signal -controll ed intersection within 30 feet of this property, a situation that he has not 166 been able to determine exists in any other city in the vicinity. This is a bad location for 167 any home and the property that has been created as a result is extremely undesirable. It is 168 an eyesore and is in disrepair. Mayor Reinert responded that he has been trying to think 169 of some way to address the situation but it is difficult. If the city were to act to buy this 170 property, there could be many others to deal with. It’s clea r that any solution to the 171 property involves money . There ar e a lot of homes impacted by this blight and he 172 wonders if perhaps those people would be willing to come together to purchase the 173 property. An area resident in the audience spoke up – she said t hat people in the area are 174 paying really high taxes so asking for more could be an issue. She added that residents 175 want to keep the neighborhood nice but things like this blighted property and a home for 176 mental step downs in the area don’t help. It is a good community and she hates to see it 177 go down the toilet. Mr. Stimson added that he feels that an investment is needed to deal 178 with the property and he believes that this is a real tipping point for the neighborhood. 179