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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-26-2010 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES July 26,2010 APPROVED 1 CITY OF LINO LAKES 2 MINUTES 3 4 5 DATE : July 26,2010 6 TIME STARTED : 6:37 p.m. 7 TIME ENDED : 8:20 p.m. 8 MEMBERS PRESENT : Councilmember Gallup, O'Donnell,Rafferty, 9 Roeser, and Mayor Reinert 10 MEMBERS ABSENT 11 12 Staff members present: Acting Administrator and Director of Administration Dan Tesch; City 13 Attorney Jay Squires; Community Development Director Michael Grochala; City Engineer Jim 14 Studenski; Economic Development Coordinator Mary Alice Divine; City Planner Paul Bengtson; 15 Police Captain Kent Strege; and City Clerk Julie Bartell 16 17 PUBLIC COMMENT 18 19 No one was present to address the council regarding a matter not on the agenda. 20 21 SETTING THE AGENDA 22 23 The agenda was approved as presented. ‘IS 24 25 CONSENT AGENDA 26 27 Council Member O'Donnell moved to approve the Consent Agenda, Items 1 A through 1H as 28 presented. Council Member Roeser seconded the motion. Motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. 29 30 ITEM ACTION 31 32 Consideration of Expenditures: 33 34 July 26, 2010 (Check No. 88645 through 35 88755) in the amount of$433,320.04 Approved 36 37 Centennial Fire District(4378 through 38 4400) in the amount of$50,591.45) Approved 39 40 July 6, 2010 Council Work Session 41 Minutes Approved 42 43 July 12, 2010 City Council Meeting 44 Minutes Approved 45 1 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26,2010 APPROVED 46 Resolution No. 10 -63, approving a special event 47 permit and 1 to 4 day temporary on-sale liquor 48 license for American Legion Post 566 Blue Heron Days 49 Family Picnic on August 21 &22, 2010 Approved 50 51 Resolution No. 10-61, approving a special event 52 permit for Miller's on Main annual music/tent event,to 53 be held on August 20 and 21, 2010 Approved 54 55 July 12, 2010 Special Work Session Minutes Approved 56 57 Resolution No. 10-67, approving a special event 58 permit for District 53A Republican All American 59 Pig Roast,to be held at residence of James Keefe, 60 6300 Rolling Hills Dr, on August 12, 2010 Approved 61 62 Appoint Capt Kent Strege Interim Public Safety 63 Director Approved 64 65 FINANCE DEPARTMENT REPORT, AL ROLEK 66 67 There was no report from the Finance Department. 68 69 ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT REPORT,DAN TESCH 70 71 A. Personnel Policy Updates—Acting Administrator Tesch explained that city staff regularly 72 reviews the city's policies and finds that it is appropriate to consider some adjustments at this time to 73 the city's Personnel Policy. The changes he is recommending are considered housekeeping updates 74 that relate to language on Family Medical Leave Act(FMLA), severance,post retirement health care 75 savings account, fire department personnel and health care benefit package. 76 77 Council Member Gallup moved to approve the amendments as presented. Council Member Rafferty 78 seconded the motion. Motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. 79 80 B. Blue Heron Days Festival 81 i.) Liability insurance for certain Blue Heron Days events—Economic Development 82 Coordinator Divine reported on the matter of liability and insurance related to the events included in 83 the 2010 Blue Heron Days festival. The city maintains insurance through the League of Minnesota 84 Cities Insurance Trust. Staff works with the festival organization,this year the Lino Lakes Lions, and 85 determines what events will be included in the festival, where they will be located (for instance on 86 city property) and whether event operators are able to provide insurance. Some of the events will be 87 covered by the city's League insurance without additional city expense as laid out in the staff report. 88 There could of course be some additional exposure to claims with the coverage. Staff is asking if the 89 council wishes to provide the insurance coverage (as they have in past years)for certain Blue Heron 90 Days festival events. 2 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26,2010 APPROVED 91 Council Member O'Donnell moved that insurance be provided for those elements noted. Council �.. 92 Member Roeser seconded the motion. Motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. 93 94 ii) Use of certain city-owned property for Blue Heron Days events—Economic Development 95 Coordinator Divine reported that staff has determined that certain elements of the Blue Heron Days 96 festival that are planned on city owned property and is requesting that the council grant pemission for 97 that use. She noted that the council has previously heard and considered insurance coverage for 98 certain events so that liability in utilizing the city's property is minimized. 99 100 Council Member Roeser moved to approve the use of city property for Blue Heron Days events. 101 Council Member Gallup seconded the motion. Motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. 102 103 iii) Resolution No. 10-62, approving a special event and parade permit for the 2010 Blue Heron 104 Days festival, - City Clerk Bartell explained that the resolution before the council would approve a 105 special event permit and parade permit for the 2010 Blue Heron Days festival. The council has heard 106 staff report on the events included in this year's fesitival. The permit applications have been reviewed 107 by staff for compliance with city regulations and public safety considerations and are being forwarded 108 with a recommendation for approval. 109 110 Council Member Rafferty moved to approve Resolution No. 10-62 as presented. Council Member 111 Roeser seconded the motion. Motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. 112 '13 PUBLIC SAFETY DEPARTMENT REPORT, DAVE PECCHIA x-114 115 There was no report from the Public Safety Department. 116 117 PUBLIC SERVICES DEPARTMENT REPORT, RICK DEGARDNER 118 119 There was no report from the Public Services Department. 120 121 COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT REPORT, MICHAEL GROCHALA 122 123 6A. KI Auto 124 i. Resolution Number 10-64, denying a Comprehensive Plan Amendment, Rezoning, and 125 Conditional Use Permit to allow the addition of an outdoor automobile sales lot to the existing 126 automobile repair shop at 909 Maple Street; and 127 ii. Consider Resolution Number 10-65, denying a Variance to allow the expansion of a non- 128 conforming structure and reduction of a front setback for a proposed entry addition to the 129 building at 909 Maple Street 130 City Planner Bengtson reported that Resolution No. 10-64 would deny a request from this 131 establishment for a comprehensive plan amendment, a rezoning and a conditional use permit to allow 132 the addition of an auto sales facility to the existing auto repair shop. Resolution No. 10-65 would 133 deny a variance requset for the same establishment that would allow an entry way that has been added 134 by the owner that does not conform to set back requirements for the site. Mr. Bengtson explained the 135 rationale for staffs recommenation to deny all of the requests, noting findings included in the report. 3 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26,2010 APPROVED 136 He also noted conversation at the work session preceding the council meeting at which the city 37 attorney reported on some new standards related to variance consideration. Staff understands that the 138 council would like further review of the variance request in light of the new standards and other 139 information so that the variance that would allow the entry way could be considered at a later date. 140 Mr. Bengtson noted that proper notice and hearing has occurred and the Planning and Zoning Board 141 acted to recommend denial of the all of the requests. 142 143 The council noted that the expansion request(rezoning, amendment to comprehensive plan and 144 conditional use permit) is not even possible for consideration until the city's comprehensive plan 145 update is complete. A council member noted that there have been a number of items before them of 146 late that relate to business areas that are facing issues in updating or use and he wonders if it would be 147 a good time to set up a task force to work on that issue. That matter will be discussed at the next 148 work session. 149 150 Council Member O'Donnell moved to approve Resolution No. 10-64 as presented. Council Member 151 Rafferty seconded the motion. Motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. 152 153 Council Member Rafferty moved to postpone Resolution No. 10-65 as presented. Council Member 154 Roeser seconded the motion. Motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. 155 156 6B. Consider Resolution No. 10-66,Accepting Plans and Specifications and Authorizing a 157 Request for Quotes, 2010 Surface Water Management Project—City Engineer Studenski reported 58 that annually staff reviews storm sewer functions in the city and considers issues that have been \-1 59 reported. They have developed a project list based on that review and are presenting that for approval 160 and authorization to seek bids. 161 162 Council Member Roeser moved to approve Resolution No. 10-66 as presented. Council Member 163 Gallup seconded the motion. Motion carried on a unanimous voice vote. 164 165 UNFINISHED BUSINESS 166 167 There was no Unfinished Business. 168 169 NEW BUSINESS 170 171 8A. Resolution No. 10-68, English as the Official Language of the City of Lino Lakes- Acting 172 Administrator Tesch read all of the whereas clauses in the resolution. 173 174 The mayor noted that the council discussed this resolution at a pre-council work session and 175 authorized some changes to the resolution that will be considered this evening. He asked that the city 176 attorney report on the changes and also on the resolution as a whole. Following that he asked that 177 Council Member Gallup read the text of the proposed resolution so that it's content will be clear. 178 179 City Attorney Squires noted that the coucnil has discussed the topic of this resolution at several 180 sessions and it became clear that the focus of the council's concern was on the future and ever 4 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26, 2010 APPROVED 181 increasing demands on the city's diminishing budget and also establishing more clarity in the area of 82 the city's obligations in the area. It was also clear that the council wanted to move in the direction of 183 being more proactive than reactive in order to provide guidance to its staff The resolution before the 184 council is the attorney's best effort to provide language toward those goals. He explained that the 185 resolution basically provides that official actions of the city are to be taken in English and it defines 186 what official actions are. It does not prohibt unofficial or unbinding translations. There are numerous 187 exceptions included that reflect certain practicalities and laws that may apply where it is necessary to 188 engage in other languages. Also noted as important is that the resolution does not prohibit officials or 189 employees of the city from engaging in other langauges in non-official capacities as that has been 190 linked to free speech rights by the courts. 191 192 Council Member Gallup read the resolution (following the whereas clauses). 193 194 The mayor noted that the council would entertain public comment but only as long as they are 195 respectful and orderly. Comments are limited to four minutes in length and any show of disrepect 196 will end the comment period. 197 198 Rob Scarlett, 7156 Ivy Ridge Court, Lino Lakes. Mr. Scarlett first noted that the propety on which his 199 home is located was originally owned by German immigrants who bought it from the territory of 200 Mnnesota and spoke no English for several generations. The people on the land before the Germans 201 of course spoke Lakota. Mr. Scarlet said that since this resolution has been broght forward in the 202 context of the budget he has asked, and is still asking,how much is being spent, how much wil be '103 saved and how many people will be affected by this? If this is a budget issiue, it is a most humerous `..204 attempt and would be laughable except for the dire consequences it could have on the community,the 205 schools,the children,the businesses and the reputation of the city in the region and around the 206 country. He asked that the council consider those consequences. 207 208 Laura Higgins,president of the Metro North Chamber of Commerce that represents about 700 209 businesss and community leaders in the Anoka County area, personal address 9082 Waconia Street, 210 business address 9380 Central Avenue, Blaine. The Chamber looked at the proposed resolution and 211 while they applaud the council's attempt to be fiscally prudent with the city's dollars,the Chamber's 212 Board of Directors voted to oppose the resolution due to several economic concerns. They feel that 213 we live in the midst of a global economy with a global work force and they are concerned about what 214 this could do to the business community in efforts to attract businesses,talented employees as well as 215 relocation and expansions. In speaking with an area restaurant owner and member of the business 216 community, she has heard that he does have employees for whom English is not their primary 217 langauge and he wouldn't want to locate his business in a community where they may not feel 218 welcome. From a chamber of commerce perspective,they are concerned for what this resolution 219 could do for the community and the image of Anoka County and Lino Lakes. 220 221 Mike Chardin, 912 136th Lane NE. He first thanked the council for serving their community. He 222 serves the community by serving on the Anoka County Workforce Council. Along with the Anoka 223 County Board,the Workforce Council establishes work force initiatives for work force development 224 programs in the county area. He also serves on the Metro North Chamber of Commerce Board of 225 Directors, the leading advocate in representing over 700 businesses in the community. The chamber 5 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26,2010 APPROVED 226 has major concerns about the economic development issues that passing this resolution will bring. It L27 is seen as bad for force work development and bad publicity for the area. He strongly urges the 228 council to oppose the resolution. 229 230 Christine Peterson, 1044 Evergreen Trail, Lino Lakes. As an individual who has lived in the city for 231 over 26 years, she is embarassed when she hears about this resolution. She asked the council to 232 remember that the United States of America did not chose to adopt an official langauge for the 233 country. Yet Lino Lakes proposes to do so? There is a reason our forefathers did not—to make us a 234 melting pot and continue diversity in our country. She strongly urges the council not to pass the 235 resolution. 236 237 Brittany Anderson, 11 Golden Lake Circle, Circle Pines. She spends much time in Lino Lakes. She 238 believes the council should oppose this resolution. It doesn't make the community seem friendly. 239 She has experienced many community events here and believes it is a community based on family and 240 she feels comfortable with that. This resolution is not friendly and others will not feel comfortable 241 here. She feels that most members of the Lino Lakes community oppose this proposal as well. Please 242 oppose the resolution. 243 244 Unidentified speaker. (Words spoken in a language other than English). Question asked by speaker 245 as to how the council would feel if their council agenda was written in the Ojibwa language and they 246 had to make their decisions with only that information? He asked that the council understand that 247 individuals coming into the community who are not steeped in the community become so by being 148 welcomed and encouraged. He grew up in Carlson County next to a reservation and he learned a few ‘.449 things about prejudice. He learned to be prejudice. Ten or so years later he married a woman who is 250 half Ojibwa and he has had to learn to address his own racial and racism issues. Not long after that he 251 found out that he has Ojibwa and French in his own background. Imagine making decisions when he 252 didn't even know who he is. He asked the council to question if this is a decision that will include 253 openness and if it is in line with how did this country started and progressed. He is glad that the 254 Native American Languages Act is included as an exemption. The Native American race openly 255 welcomes other people and he doesn't see this proposal doing that. There is no current cost to the city 256 but there is a current attitude that this would portray. Please oppose the resolution. 257 258 Dora Garza Salazar Rolszen. She has been married for 37 years, she has seven children(picture 259 shown) and she moved to Minnesota when she was married. She heard about the proposed resolution 260 and it worries her. Will it be a crime to listen to Latin music in this city? She's been exposed to other 261 cultures and languages and it was completely acceptable to her. She's been told to "go back to her 262 own country"and so she knows that it is painful to be treated that way. It is hurtful to treat people 263 that way. Her mother and father were both born in this country as well as grandparents. She 264 explained that her heritage is wide spread and reaches to Europe. The proposal scares her. 265 266 Gerald Clausen, 6109 Baldwin Lake Road, since 1952 when it was Centerville Township and not 267 even Lino Lakes. He has attended council meetings for many, many years and English has always 268 been the language. It is the country's language and it should be continued to be used. There are many 269 languages and dialects but English has always been spoken here. He has seen people come from other 270 countries and they all learned the English language. There is an influx of people coming from all over 6 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26, 2010 APPROVED 271 the world now and he sees people demanding change to their ways but that is wrong. This is America ,72 and its people have died on the battlefield to keep it this way. 273 274 Brianna Trovel, (spoke in Spanish for a while). She has lived her entire life in Minnesota. Her great 275 great-grandfather was an illegal immigrant from Sweden. She spoke some in Spanish to show how 276 difficult it is from the other side of this issue. She has worked in a Somali health clinic where three 277 quarters of the people don't speak English. Many of the people have never been to school so they 278 have never learned to read or write in their first language. These are people who are here with us and 279 are our neighbors from Anoka to Ramsey to Hennepin County—all over. In her neighborhood, on her 280 block, there is a woman who doesn't speak English because she speaks Spanish and another who 281 speaks Pilipino. These people are pleasant and kind and don't' they have the right to know what's 282 going on in their government? They don't know many of the basics but they might need to use a 283 government form and,just because they haven't been gifted with an education, should they not have 284 access to what they need? Please oppose the resolution. 285 286 Carl Elmquist, Otter Lake. He is 62 years old and his grandparents came from Sweden and he 287 remembers the stories they would tell about the difficulty of learning English. They did it though and 288 they made sure it was used in their homes. He has seen the country go down the drain in his time. He 289 noted that all pilots are required to learn the English language. He goes to restaurants and hears 290 families speaking languages other than English and there doesn't seem to be any teaching of English 291 to the youngsters. He hopes the City of Lino Lakes doesn't go that way and he urges the council to 292 support the resolution. '93 94 Caitlin Andreasen, 6344 Red Hawk Trail, Lino Lakes, and currently a student at the College of St. 295 Benedict. She asked the council to envision being in a different country where they themselves 296 don't speak a word of the language. She experienced that in Spain as a student. She worked hard to 297 learn the language but it was incredibly hard and exhausting. She knows it is the same way for some 298 in this country and she knows that they are trying very hard to learn. As a community she doesn't 299 want Lino Lakes to close the door to those who don't have English skills. they still have the right to 300 know what the government is doing. She is proud of being a Lino Lakes citizen and when she is done 301 with her education she'd like to return and raise her family here. She is a part of the future of the city 302 and she is telling the council that the community must remain open and welcoming or it is not the 303 place for her. She urges the council to keep the doors open for all to enjoy the beauty of Lino Lakes. 304 305 Ivan Kozhokar, originally from Moldavia where Romanian is spoken. He is thankful for the country 306 and the opportunities he's had. He has had the opportunity through schooling to learn the English 307 language. He supports keeping English as the first language in America. 308 309 Eileen Couture, 6973 Lakeview Drive, Lino Lakes, since 1983. She is representing the Joint 310 Legislative Coalition as a member of the Justice and Charity Commission at St. Joseph's Church in 311 Lino Lakes. This organization that is made up of Catholic, Lutheran, Jewish, Muslim and other 312 religions, is working to get equality and unity within the people of this country and state. She thinks 313 that this attempt to balance the city budget by cutting costs on something like this is discriminatory 314 and is against the work she sees done in the name of justice. She works in health care and knows how 315 important it is to provide communications clearly. She is also an election judge for the city and that 7 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26, 2010 APPROVED 316 process includes some forms in other languages. That should be continued. She likes seeing"wash 17 your hands" in more than English! She would like the city to be more inclusive because it builds a 318 better world. 319 320 Julie Smith, 6398 West Shadow Lake Drive, Lino Lakes, for about 11 years. As a citizen of this 321 community and a teacher in this community she is adamantly opposed to Resolution No. 10-68. The 322 council members should ask themselves why the community wouldn't want to provide translation to 323 support non-English speaking citizens so they can be fully citizens of the community. 324 325 Nancy Charden, 912 136th Lane, Ham Lake. She works for the Anoka Hennepin School District in an 326 elementary school. That school happens to have a very large population of English as second 327 language children. She witnesses every day new families coming into the area and some have literally 328 been off an airplane perhaps a day or two. The children come to school not knowing how to speak 329 English but are put into a classroom with many others who are learning English and others who 330 already speak English. It isn't long before children pick up the language but they go home to parents 331 who don't know the language and are having a hard time learning it. She believes that picture is the 332 exact same picture as many generations ago. Children learn English easily—they are excited to do it 333 and they want to be like the other children. For the parents, it is more difficult and while they will 334 learn, in the meantime they need help in getting services and information for making decisions for 335 their children. It is clear that it takes a generation for that new-to-the-country family to become 336 English proficient. It is no different than generations ago when Germans or Norwegians came and 337 their children brought English into the home. 138 39 Jerry Berg, 6489 Totem Trail, Lino Lakes, since 1973. The residents of Lino Lakes look to the 340 Mayor, Council Members and city staff to keep expenses as low as possible. Having the official 341 language of English makes sense. He supports the Mayor and Council Members and asks them to 342 vote in favor of the resolution. 343 344 Mike Wisniewski, 6011 West Bald Eagle, Lino Lakes for 23 years. He celebrates diversity and not 345 divisiveness. He believes in living united in the United States and that requires good communication. 346 The best communication he's found is through common language and this resolution supports that. 347 He hopes that all immigrants will get all the help they need to speak the language and there are fine 348 organizations helping with that. The idea is to encourage others to speak English and their own 349 language if they wish. Business and good communication requires us to speak the same language. 350 351 Mark Spitzmueller, 6521 White Oak Road, Lino Lakes. This is being presented as a fiscal 352 responsibility issue and his question is what type of analysis supports that? What are the projected 353 savings? It seems as if the city is communicating now in English but if other language needs are 354 there,they should be met. 355 356 Charlene Elmquist, 6310 Otter Lake Road, Lino Lakes. She supports the resolution. English is our 357 common language. Her four grandparents came from Norway and were very thankful to come to this 358 land and worked very hard as adults to learn the English language. She is grateful and thankful for 359 being an American and for the English language which is, by the way, the language of the world. It 8 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26, 2010 APPROVED 360 makes common sense, is good for operations and makes economic sense to have a chosen language. L... 61 The possibilities of providing information in other languages could be very difficult and expensive. 362 363 Pablo Tapia, 3840 Patriot Lane, Lexington, and his children attend school in Lino Lakes. As a 364 correction, he noted that this isn't about language but is about continuing the policies such as the one 365 in Arizona. It isn't really about economics because it's never had any cost associated with it. He 366 doesn't know anyone who has requested any language services. This is just another tool to divide the 367 community. He has lived in the area for almost ten years. One of his children was approached by a 368 neighbor and was asked about their immigration status. Actions like this resolution do nothing but 369 increase the level of hate in the community. He comes from four or five generations before him born 370 in this country but they continue to be chased around as if they don't belong here and all because they 371 are brown and have an accent. In reality the first language spoken in this nation was Spanish but no 372 one is talking about that because that is not what the resolution is about—it is another law that will 373 force people to not like others who are not the same color. He doesn't support the resolution. 374 375 Brent Gross, 2734 Fillmore Street NE, Minneapolis. He heard about this discussion from a major 376 media outlet and felt the importance of speaking because the Lino Lakes city council in this issue is 377 very much in the spotlight statewide. To codify this fear of others preemptively when you don't yet 378 have any fiscal burden is implicitly racist. 379 380 Ramona Advony, Minneapolis. She heard about this on the news and felt compelled to offer 381 comments. This is posed as a budgetary concern and she has no reason to doubt that but she asks that '82 the city do a cost analysis before making such a weighty decision. She appreciates that the drafters 383 have tried to take into account essential things that shouldn't be limited or affected by the resolution 384 but it leaves the question about what is really left that will have a significant impact on the city's 385 budget. The perception it can create will play into the business and tourism interest. On a personal 386 note, she is the daughter of immigrants and has lived in Minnesota and other states. She has always 387 been proud to talk about Minnesota and its welcoming values. She came to this meeting to hear what 388 could be pushing a part of the Minnesota community into a wrong and dangerous direction. She 389 hopes the council will not pass the resolution. 390 391 Antonia Tapia, 3840 Patriot Lane, Lexington. Her children attend school in Lino Lakes and she has 392 told her children that they are the future of this country. America is for everyone but there is 393 persecution for Latinos in things like this resolution. As a Spanish speaker, she knows the cost of 394 translation services. She sees to it that her children know people of all cultures. 395 396 Mike Pfleghaar, 668 Highland Court, Lino Lakes. He is proud to be a citizen of Lino Lakes with the 397 people here this evening. He agrees with the council's idea for fiscal responsibility and is thankful 398 that they are seeking a way to save money. He sees the English language is also a safety issue 399 because it is vitally important to be able to communicate during emergency situations. 400 401 Paul Kozlak, 118 Egret Lane, Lino Lakes, for about 19 years. It is encouraging to see so many people 402 get involved in the process. He embraces the resolution. It makes common sense; English should be 403 the common language. 104 9 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26, 2010 APPROVED 405 There being no further public comments, the Mayor moved to council comments and action. 06 407 Council Member Roeser moved to approve Resolution No. 10-68. Council Member O'Donnell 408 seconded the motion. 409 410 Council Member Roeser moved to answer some of the questions posed this evening. He believes that 411 reading the resolution in its current form should relieve some of the concerns he has heard and 412 reassure people that the resolution is strictly about a budget issue. What the city is looking at is rising 413 expenses, home values decreasing and state aid disappearing. The city must come up with some ways 414 to save money. There are lots of different thing that will be considered and some may be bold. The 415 city cannot continue to do everything that everyone wants and that means some people will have to 416 take responsibility for some of their needs including translation services. He sees the city will 417 become more diverse in the future and he embraces that but that may bring some costs issues like 418 translation services. He thinks that the way to be fair to everyone is to do business in English. He 419 sees that there could also be some costs for certain things like translation of city regulations that could 420 result in liability to the city. He has found Lino Lakes to be a very friendly city,with many,many 421 volunteers stepping forward and he is confident that if a neighbor comes to the city and needs help, 422 there will be a neighbor to volunteer to help. 423 424 Council Member Rafferty noted the amount of passion seen at the meeting this evening, on both sides 425 of the discussion. The reality of the situation is that these are really tough times for everyone and this 426 is truly a budgetary issue. There is a good city staff that has taken pay cuts and furloughs and no 127 raises and faced even layoffs. Everyone is pretty much in the same position with the difficult •••-428 economy. He doesn't believe that the council can be perfect in their decisions to protect the good 429 staff that this city has but he is committed to doing the best he can. He thinks it is prudent to take any 430 possible steps now that could save those jobs in the future. The council's job is to protect the staff 431 and the jobs that are needed to serve the city. 432 433 Council Member Gallup thanked those who commented tonight and in other ways. She believes the 434 information has been very valuable to the council. She thanked the city attorney for providing such a 435 carefully constructed document that lays out clearly that this is a financial consideration and nothing 436 else. She does have concerns however about its perception and that Lino Lakes will come off as 437 unwelcoming and she is struggling with that. She doesn't feel she will be able to support it. 438 439 Mayor Reinert commented that he heard a comment at the mike about racism. Cutting comments like 440 that seem to come from people from outside the city—Lino Lakes residents are more respectful 441 including of differences of opinion. It is offensive to use words like that. When his family gets 442 together it looks like America's melting pot and he takes great offense to any implication using such a 443 terrible word. It is a word of intimidation and is a powerful weapon. It has been used through this 444 discussion wrongfully and it is painted with a broad brush on many issues that absolutely don't bear 445 resemblance to the word. He has heard over and over that the council hasn't explained the costs 446 involved but he feels the council can't make decisions just for today. The fact is that most policy the 447 council sets is for the future and he noted one example being the emerald ash borer. The city is 448 working and planning to address that problem but it isn't here yet. Another example is road 149 maintenance—it isn't obvious that the work is needed now but performing certain maintenance can 10 COUNCIL MINUTES July 26,2010 APPROVED 450 increase the life of the roadway twofold. He pointed out that policy similar to this one are in place in 51 quite a few other areas. This resolution makes sense for Lino Lakes and apparently for over 60%of 452 the nation also. He is supportive of the resolution and he will be voting yes with a smile and his head 453 high, knowing that this is looking out for the future of the city and it is a fiscally responsible action. 454 455 Council Member O'Donnell added that he echoes Council Member Gallup's comments thanking 456 people for their input on this controversial issue. He tried to get back to as many people as he 457 possibly could because he has appreciated the input. This is a tough decision for him but looking to 458 the future is absolutely necessary. It is no secret that funding is shrinking from every direction to the 459 city and there is nowhere to turn but to the taxpayers. The council must manage the city well and 460 keep the cost of government at a reasonable level and make tough decisions like this. He believes this 461 is the right thing to do for this city and in consideration of the cost of government. Looking ahead 462 and taking prudent action to keep costs at bay is necessary and can help keep it affordable for people 463 to come here. 464 465 The motion carried on a voice vote. Council Member Gallup voted no. 466 467 Community Calendar—A Look Ahead 468 July 27, 2010 through August 9, 2010 469 Wednesday,July 28 6:30 pm,Council Chambers Environmental Board 470 Monday,August 2 5:30 pm,Community Room Council Work Session 471 1. Monday,August 2 6:30 pm, Council Chambers Park Board - 472 4, Thursday,August 5 7:00 am, Community Room EDAC ► Monday,August 9 6:30 pm,Council Chambers City Council Meeting 474 475 476 ADJOURN 477 478 There being no further business, Council Member O'Donnell moved to adjourn at 8:20 p.m. Council 479 Member Roeser seconded the motion. Motion carried unanimously. 480 481 These minutes were considered and approved at the regular Council Meeting,August 9, 2010. 482 483 484 • 485 Ala •,� 486 Julianne Bar 11, City Cle TTf -i -rt, Mayor 487 11