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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-02-2023 Council Work Session Minutes LINO LAKES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES DATE: October 2, 2023 TIME STARTED: 6:00 PM TIME ENDED: 10:58 PM MEMBERS PRESENT: Councilmembers Stoesz, Ruhland, Cavegn, Mayor Rafferty MEMBERS ABSENT: Councilmember Lyden Staff members present: City Administrator Sarah Cotton; Human Resources and Communications Manager Meg Sawyer; Public Safety Director John Swenson; Community Development Director Michael Grochala; City Planner Katie Larsen; Environmental Coordinator Andy Nelson; City Clerk Jolleen Chaika. 1. Public Safety Employee Wellness Update Public Safety Director John Swenson introduced Provicita Services to present an update to Council on the enhancements being implemented to increase Public Safety employee wellness. Mike Goldstein, retired from Plymouth/Chief of Public Safety, now owner of Provicta Services and Max Lipset of Health Quotient and Twin Cities Orthopedics provided an overview of services to now be offered to all Lino Lakes Public Safety (sworn) staff. 2. Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment-Synthetic Grass City Planner Katie Larsen provided information to Council on a received application for a Zoning Text Amendment by Forever Lawns, a company specializing in the installation of synthetic turf; the information included an overview of the reviews conducted at both the Environmental Board and the Planning and Zoning Board.She also advised that a Public Hearing was held on September 13, 2023 at the Planning and Zoning Board meeting; the applicant, the property owner, and a business owner provided public comment. Following the board meetings, neither board recommend approval of the text amendment to allow for wide-spread installation of synthetic turf. She sought input from Council as to any other use or application of the product. The applicant, Troy Johnson, and resident, Jon Lipinski, were present and addressed Council. Mr. Johnson provided details on the company history and the benefits of a synthetic lawn. Mr. Johnson responded to questions from Council concerning examples of full-yard installation, transitions from real grass to synthetic, work in other communities. Mr.Jon Lipinksi informed Council that he believes he has proven that permeability is not an issue. He further stated that he should be able to have a say in what his being installed on his property. Council held discussion the topic and the consensus of Council was a future formal denial; Councilmembers Cavegn and Stoesz and Mayor Rafferty were not in favor of sending the application back to Planning and Zoning for consideration of other, limited applications. 3. 2300 Main Street (Glamos Wire, Inc.) Conditional Use Permit for Outdoor Storage City Planner Katie Larsen discussed a Conditional Use Permit (CUP) amendment for outdoor storage that will be brought before Council for formal consideration on October 9, 2023. She provided background on the CUP history of the property, basis for the amendment application, and the application history at the Planning and Zoning Board. She advised that a Public Hearing was held on September 13, 2023 and no public comment was received. The Planning and Zoning Board recommended approval of the CUP and the related site improvement performance agreement. Council held discussion related to the 10-foot fencing requirements related to the amended CUP. Mayor Rafferty voiced concerns about inconsistency in the fencing heights across the front of the property. Planner Larsen clarified that the original CUP called for eight-foot fencing but the new requirements call for 10-foot fencing and without a variance there is no option for the applicant to continue the existing eight-foot fencing, through installation of 10-foot throughout would be an option at an added expense. Planner Larsen advised she will present the CUP application at the October 9, 2023 Council Meeting for full consideration. 4. Zoning Ordinance Text Amendment—General Updates City Planner Katie Larsen provided Council an update on proposed changes to the Zoning Ordinances that were approved by Council at the beginning of the year. She advised that this ordinance amendment is being brought forward to make some slight modifications to portions of the ordinance that were inadvertently omitted and to correct clerical and typographical errors. 5. Gateway Design—49/J Street Scape Community Development Director Michael Grochala, along with Engineer Jordan Gedrose from WSB, provided Council a visual update of the proposed monument signage for the gateway project at the intersection of County Road J/Hodgson Road, consistent with the prior Council authorization for preparation guidelines. Council provided direction to further review the costs of proceeding with the larger of the concepts, Option A, and to further review the option of including a sign in the roundabout. 6. Lake Amelia Ditch Study Environmental Coordinator Andy Nelson, along with Engineering Technician Tom Hoffman from WSB, presented to Council the status of a ditch study, prompted by recent flooding in the Lake Amelia ditch corridor which is attributed to lack of maintenance. Mr. Hoffman provided details on short- and long-term designs for ditch improvement and maintenance solutions as a result of the study. Homeowners in the area will be contacted for a neighborhood meeting to discuss the study; following the neighborhood meeting, staff will bring the study back to Council for formal consideration and acceptance. 7. Paid On-Call Firefighter Compensation Plan Human Resources and Communications Manager Meg Sawyer presented to Council staff's proposal for updates to the paid on-call firefighter (POC) pay. She provided background on the history of the POC compensation as well as details of a recent market study of similarly situated cities. Mayor Rafferty expressed concern with the proposal brought forward by staff, noting that he did not believe it to fill in the blanks that are needed, primarily why recruitment and retention remain low. Council discussed pay scales and schemes for other cities, including yearly or staggered increases to incentivize longer commitments to the POC roles. Council also inquired of pensions; Public Safety Director John Swenson provided information to Council on the PERA pension increases for POC. Staff also provided information to Council on current compensation to POC for certification. Staff proposed an increase to the starting wage of $19/hour. Following discussion by Council, staff was directed to return to Council at the next Work Session on October 9, 2023 with further options, including a breakdown of starting pay at$20 or $21/hour with annual increases for cost of living and further incentives for five, 10, 15, and 20-year marks. 8. Part-Time Firefighter Compensation Human Resources and Communications Manager Meg Sawyer advised Council that staff is not recommending any changes to the current compensation plan for part-time firefighters based on research and comparisons conducted by staff. She reviewed the Keystone Job Leveling System ranking of the position, comparisons to similarly situated cities, and advised that based on the reviews conducted by staff, staff sought Council's agreement to continue with the current compensation plan. Staff confirmed that the current Keystone grade for the position is 110. Mayor Rafferty inquired as to the Keystone grade for a Community Service Officer (CSO). Manager Sawyer advised that the current grade for CSO is 130. Mayor Rafferty then sought information from Public Safety Director John Swenson as to what a part-time firefighter must do to work in such a position. Director Swenson advised that all are required to obtain certifications; further, that the job has risks and that all are trained to operate emergency vehicles. Council discussed concerns with the lower grade of part-time fire fighters compared to CSO's. Councilmember Cavegn noted that he would like to see why CSO's were graded higher; the rest of Council concurred and Councilmember Stoesz inquired if the grade for part-time fire fighters could be changed. Staff cautioned Council that simply changing the grade for one position in the City would require the same adjustment to all other positions in the City; City Administrator Sarah Cotton advised that the compensation plan and grading system is very systematic and further advised that the current grade for part-time fire fighters is at market. Director Swenson concurred and provided details to Council of reasons that recent part-time fire fighters have left the City, highlighting that the pay was not the reason; rather, full-time opportunities and educational opportunities were the reasons. Following further discussion of the Council, staff was directed to: - Determine why the grade for the part-time firefighters was lower than the CSO grade. - Provide Council with the costs to hire two (2) full-time firefighter positions. - Provide Council with the cost to provide 24-hour police supervisor coverage 9. WTP Architectural Design Committee: Community Development Director sought two volunteers from Council to sit on the Water Treatment Plant Architectural Design Committee. Councilmember Ruhland and Mayor Rafferty volunteered. 10. Council Updates on Boards/Commissions The work session concluded at 10:58 PM. These minutes were considered and approved at the regular Council Meeting on November 13, 2023. ,f‘. Jolleen Chaika, City Clerk Rob 6 erty, Mayor