03-04-2013 Council Work Session Minutes

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