HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-06-2009 Council Minutes CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 6, 2009
APPROVED
1 CITY OF LINO LAKES
2 WORK SESSION MINUTES
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4 DATE : April 6, 2009
5 TIME STARTED : 5:30 p.m.
6 TIME ENDED : 8:25 p.m.
7 MEMBERS PRESENT : Council Members O'Donnell, Reinert,
8 Gallup and Mayor Bergeson
9 MEMBERS ABSENT : Council Member Stoltz
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12 Staff members present: Director of Administration, Dan Tesch; Director of Community
13 Development, Michael Grochala; City Planner, Jeff Smyser; Economic Development
14 Coordinator, Mary Alice Divine; Environmental Coordinator, Marty Asleson; City Clerk,
15 Julie Bartell
16 Fire Report—Police Chief Pecchia reported on a fire burning in an area north of
17 Lino Lakes in the city of Columbus. The council reviewed the location of the fire on a
18 map and the Chief explained evacuation plans and resources for city residents. The fire
19 had been burning since the previous night and arson is suspected.
20 7. Gang Strike Force Conference - There was an article in the Sunday, April 5
21 Minneapolis Star Tribune regarding a strike force training conference that took place in
22 Honolulu, Hawaii; one attending member was Lino Lakes Officer Noll. Chief Pecchia
••• 23 explained that strike force members have an opportunity to attend one international
24 training session in a two-year period. Officer Noll was up for his training. The strike
25 force expenditures are overseen by a board; the Hawaii trip was approved by that board.
26 He added that the funds involved are forfeiture related, not general funds of the city.
27 Chief Pecchia added that he expects another newspaper article in the near future relative
28 to a state audit of strike force expenditures. He reminded the council that the strike force
29 is a metro-wide effort and there is substantial funding involved. The value of the group's
30 work to the City was reviewed.
31 1. Reshanau Lake Water Quality Improvement(Regular Agenda Item)-
32 Community Development Director Grochala reported that Reshanau Lake property
33 owners and the Rice Creek Watershed District have worked together over the past three
34 years and are getting good results in implementing a water quality plan. The city owns
35 property adjacent to the lake and staff is proposing that city surface water management
36 funds in the amount of$1,600 be contributed to the curlyleaf pondweed treatment
37 program for the lake. The city's Environmental Board supports city participation as
38 proposed.
39 A council member noted that the county owns some land adjacent to the lake and asked if
40 they'd been approached to contribute; staff was not certain.
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 6, 2009
APPROVED
41 Community resident Robert Bening, 6788 E Shadow Lake Drive, remarked that the cost
42 of improvements to the lake should be to those living on it, not city residents as a whole.
43 The matter will be considered at the regular council meeting on April 13, 2009. Council
44 Members/Mayor Bergeson and Reinert noted that they live on the lake and asked that city
45 attorney advice be sought on whether or not they should vote on the matter. Council
46 Member O'Donnell added that he's not on the lake but near it and is a member of the area
47 homeowner's association that owns an out lot so he would also like the attorney's advice
48 on the appropriateness of voting on the matter. The city clerk was directed to obtain a
49 city attorney opinion.
50 2. Comprehensive Plan Update
51 a. Affordable Housing - Economic Development Coordinator Divine
52 reviewed her written report that responds to the council's request to review possible
53 ordinance language that could provide ways for affordable housing to be distributed
54 throughout residential districts throughout the city. She reports on ways to encourage
55 affordable housing as part of new development; it is important to recall that the Met
56 Council's requirement is for land use planning that could accommodate affordable units.
57 The city's draft Comprehensive Plan currently outlines strategies the city can use to
58 promote affordable housing (see Housing Plan) as well as identifying innovations,
59 expansion opportunities and growth areas for high density and mixed use development
60 (see Affordable Housing section). The Land Use Plan encourages better site design and
61 resource conservation using the same types of incentives that are used to encourage
62 affordable housing. In the area of ordinances as they relate to and can promote affordable
63 housing, Ms. Divine reported that she has identified some cities that promote affordable
64 housing through their code but no city that mandates it. The planned unit development
65 (PUD) tool can be effective because it takes a holistic approach to attain identified public
66 values. A density bonus is a common tool within that practice. Staff is recommending
67 that affordable housing be incorporated into the city's PUD ordinance rather than looking
68 at a"stand alone" ordinance. If the PUD approach is elected, the council should take
69 adequate time to review potential incentives.
70 Council comments: Density bonuses have been discussed by the council but using that
71 across the board would seem to take the approach too far; the city's goal is to provide real
72 affordability but this could end up being a demonstration project with little real impact;
73 what is being presented moves down the right path but the idea isn't that all high density
74 would be affordable either.
75 Community Development Director Grochala said that staff will begin working on
76 ordinance amendments once the Plan is submitted to the Met Council (the city has 9
77 months after adoption to implement ordinance changes). He is asking if the council's
78 concerns are being addressed so that the Plan can move forward.
79 b. Planning & Zoning Public Hearing - Community Development Director
80 Grochala explained that there will be a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning
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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.
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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
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 6, 2009
APPROVED
124 background checks so the report also includes a memorandum from them indicating their
125 costs.
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127 Staff requested direction on any change to investigation fees in order to provide accurate
128 information to licensees for the upcoming license renewal period. A majority of the
129 council indicated that there should be no change to the existing fee structure.
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131 6. Code Update Project—City Clerk Bartell recalled that at recent work sessions
132 the council has engaged in the process of reviewing the proposed update to the city code.
133 The council has had the opportunity to review independently those code sections that
134 contain only general non-substantive revisions. To date, staff has reviewed with the
135 council the following chapters containing more complex amendments:
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137 101. City Code
138 602. Regulating the Sale of Tobacco &Tobacco Products
139 611. Lawful Gambling
140 613. Transient Merchants, Peddlers, Canvassers and Solicitors
141 216. Campaign Regulations
142 701. Liquor Licensing
143 702. Beer Licensing
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145 In some chapters, the council authorized revisions that have either been provided to the
146 council or will be included in the final document presented for approval.
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148 Staff is now proposing that this be the final council work session review of the updated
149 city code to pull together the remaining elements in order to present a code document for
150 printing,public presentation and council approval. City Clerk Bartell reviewed an
151 updated Table of Contents showing changes proposed to Chapters 505 regarding Open
152 Burning, 611 regarding Lawful Gambling, all of Title 1000 regarding Land Usage (except
153 Chapter 1007 regarding zoning that will be updated based on the city's update to the
154 comprehensive plan), and all of Title 1100 regarding Shoreland and Flood Plain
155 Management.
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157 The schedule for completion of the code update was reviewed and Ms. Bartell indicated
158 that she will be moving forward to prepare the final code document for submission to the
159 codifiers for printing after which the code will be presented to the council for a public
160 hearing and adoption, probably in July. The council would like to review the document at
161 their work session preceding consideration at a regular council meeting.
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163 Review Regular Agenda—The council was reminded that they will be meeting
164 as the Board of Review before the regular council meeting. They received Anoka
165 County's report on this year's property assessments and staff reported that the County
166 Assessor assigned to Lino Lakes, Ms. Linda Weiner, will be present at the council
167 meeting.
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 6, 2009
APPROVED
168 The meeting was adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
169 These minutes were considered and approved at the regular Council meeting held on April 27,
170 2009.
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174 6eiriff3
175 Julianne B ell, City Cl John B:leson, ayor
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