HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-07-2014 Council Work Session MinutesCITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 7, 2014
APPROVED
1 CITY OF LINO LAKES
2 MINUTES
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4 DATE : April 7, 2014
5 TIME STARTED : 5:30 p.m.
6 TIME ENDED : 9:00 p.m.
7 MEMBERS PRESENT : Council Member Stoesz, Rafferty, Roeser
8 and Mayor Reinert
9 MEMBERS ABSENT : Council Member Kusterman
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12 Staff members present: City Administrator Jeff Karlson; Finance Director Al Rolek;
13 Public Safety Director John Swenson; Community Development Director Michael
14 Grochala; City Planner Katie Larsen; City Engineer Jason Wedel; Public Services
15 Director Rick DeGardner; City Clerk Julie Bartell
16
17 1. 2014 Board of Appeal, Review — Anoka County Assessor Alex Gugenberger and
18 Residential Appraiser Peggy Nordrum reviewed the 2014 Assessor's Report. The City of
19 Lino Lakes will be holding the annual Board of Appeal and Equalization meeting on
20 April 28, 2014. The report includes information on how properties are assessed and
21 taxes are calculated, the authority and duties of the Board, how properties are appraised,
22 types of residential property taxes, terminology used in the assessment process and areas
23 of appeal. Mr. Gugerberger noted the increase total valuation for the City and reviewed
24 sales data and percentages (foreclosure are down). Ms. Nordrum explained that she deals
25 with calls that the County receives relative to property valuation and what she has heard
26 this year is mainly questions about why market value has risen; there have generally been
27 more calls and visits than in recent years probably because valuations haven't increased
28 for a while. When Council Member Stoesz asked if the staff uses satellite date for
29 appraisals, Mr. Gugenberger remarked that they do use public aerial data.
30
31 It was confirmed that Council Member Roeser has received the required training that
32 allows the city to hold its annual meeting.
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34 2. Talan Ridge Residential Development (Regular Agenda Item) — City Planner
35 Larsen first remarked that she is attempting to rework a little bit the way that staff
36 provides information in their reports. She has not cut and pasted all the Planning and
37 Zoning Board report data but rather is attempting to incorporate that historical
38 information into the council report while providing access directions to other infoimation.
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40 The Talan Ridge Residential Development is a three lot subdivision that requires a
41 rezoning and preliminary plat and it has received a lot of resident review and questions.
42 She reviewed the site of the development on a screen using a location map. One lot
43 would be added to the west and east and the current house would remain. The
44 preliminary plat was shown, setbacks would be met, and net density meets guidelines. A
45 rezoning is required and the requirements for that have been met. The property currently
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 7, 2014
APPROVED
46 has a well but all three properties will be required to hook up to existing water and sewer
47 lines. A map was shown indicating the zoning of lots in the area as well as the location
48 of sewer and water services. The council discussed the lot width and depth. A small
49 wetland will be delineated and planning will proceed around completion of that work.
50 Ponding was discussed since there have been concerns raised by area residents and City
51 Engineer Wedel confirmed that he had walked the area and is confident that with proper
52 grading, the ponding will work.
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54 Ms. Larsen explained the Planning and Zoning Board review over two of their meetings.
55 They have recommended approval. The mayor asked staff to provide a full review at the
56 council meeting because there will be interested parties in attendance.
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58 A side question arose to Ms. Larsen. The council had heard in March that there would
59 be a speed limit sign posted on Old Birch Street at the request of the residents.
60 Apparently that is being held up because of a development project coming to the area and
61 work to the road this year. Staff explained why a sign wouldn't be appropriate under
62 current plans.
63
64 3. Bee Ordinance Discussion — City Planner Larsen reviewed her written staff
65 report that outlines the city's current regulations that allow bees only in rural areas and a
66 map indicating those areas zoned rural within the city. She noted that the University of
67 Minnesota has a website from which cities can get information on what other cities are
68 doing in this area; regulations are varied and there doesn't seem to be any real standard.
69 Staff is providing the information to allow the council to begin their discussion and is not
70 necessarily recommending any changes.
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72 The council then heard from Blake Talley, 7181 Cinnamon Teal Court, who had a written
73 presentation Neighborhood Bees, Beekeeping in Lino Lakes, Good for Us and Good for
74 the Bees. He supports a change in the city's regulations on the keeping of bees. He gave
75 a defmition of the different types of bees, explained how ordinances differ from city to
76 city, and added that most cities have changed their laws to declassify bees as animals. In
77 cities around Lino Lakes, Circle Pines allows beekeeping on one -half acre or larger and
78 Centerville is one - quarter acre or larger. He reviewed the purpose that bees serve in our
79 environment and the decline of their population in recent years. His wife has been trained
80 through the beekeeping program at Century College and they are interested in having two
81 hives in their backyard.
82
83 Gary Reuter, Scientist at the University of Minnesota Department of Entomology,
84 reviewed his experience in 32 years of beekeeping. People want to keep bees because
85 they produce honey, provide pollination and to observe their behavior. People sometimes
86 object to the keeping of bees because they are afraid of being stung. He explained that
87 there is a very small likelihood of being stung by a honeybee. He knows that education is
88 necessary and communication with neighbors is a big part of that. Restrictions can also
89 lessen issues with neighbors. At the University of Minnesota, a public campus, they are
90 keeping bees about 50 feet from the street and are not experiencing any problems.
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 7, 2014
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91 When the mayor asked if people keep bees for extra income, Mr. Reuter responded that
92 the practice doesn't normally generate any money.
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94 The mayor noted his support of liberty and added that this type of liberty would have to
95 be dependent also on not infringing on the liberty of neighbors. Council Member Stoesz
96 remarked that he grew up with bees so he is comfortable with the idea of beekeeping but
97 he also understands that there must be rules. Council Member Roeser noted that he has
98 bee hives on his commercial property and hasn't experienced any problems;
99 understanding can do a lot for people's natural fears and also notification of neighbors
100 and set back requirements would seem to be natural requirements for this type of use.
101
102 The council received a copy of the City of Ramsey regulations. The council also heard
103 from David Schaff who keeps bees in Lino Lakes and Betsy Glennon who shared what
104 other cities are allowing and their positive experience with beekeeping.
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106 The council will continue discussion of the matter at the next work session.
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108 4. Charter Commission Correspondence
109 - budget request
110 - joint meeting with city council
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112 Charter Commissioner Chair Connie Sutherland spoke to the council about two motions
113 passed by the Commission at their last meeting.
114
115 Regarding the council's invitation for a joint meeting, Ms. Sutherland explained that the
116 suggestion of a meeting with a facilitator was discussed by the Commission and they have
117 questions about the goals and topics to be discussed. The mayor indicated that it's a good
118 idea to get the two groups together and he wouldn't have a specific goal other than to talk
119 about how the two groups can work together. Ms. Sutherland stated that the
120 Commission would rather not include discussion about the two amendments that have
121 been forwarded by the council. Rather they'd prefer discussion about how to
122 communicate better in general and bridge the gap between the groups that has occurred
123 over the years. She added that the Commission would like to have the joint meeting on
124 their regular meeting date in July since their next agenda is very full and that a facilitator
125 is not needed for the meeting. The mayor concurred that no facilitator would be fine and
126 the council concurred with the Commission's suggestion on discussion.
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128 On the matter of the Commission's budget, Ms. Sutherland reviewed the request of the
129 Commission for additional funding to provide for the services of their Attorney, Karen
130 Marty. The Commission wants to look at the proposals of the council, their impact, and
131 be able to respond without creating a third version. They have questions ready for the
132 attorney and have proposed parameters for the amount they would spend on attorney
133 services. The mayor remarked that he is thankful for the Commission's willingness to
134 send forward a request that is specific and reasonable. Ms. Sutherland noted that there is
135 some concern about the Commission's ability to utilize their regular budget for this
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CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION April 7, 2014
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136 purpose since they've been rebuked in the past for not using their funds for "frame and
137 amend ". City Administrator Karlson added that the purpose proposed by the
138 Commission would fall under the frame and amend authority in his view. The mayor
139 said he would be in favor of the council taking action to fund an additional $600 if and
140 after the Commission runs through their existing budget. Chair Sutherland replied that
141 the Commission would like to have the additional funding available for their attorney
142 needs without fear that it will be ruled not appropriate use; and they would prefer to have
143 the budget amended accordingly. Charter Commissioner Turcotte disagreed with Chair
144 Sutherland on the amount requested by the Commission.
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146 The council concurred that the city will make an additional $600 available to the
147 Commission in 2014 if they need it, and to clarify that it will be used for attorney review
148 of the two proposed charter amendments and that the work would fall under their frame
149 and amend authority.
150
151 5. Tart Lake Road Traffic Study — City Engineer Wedel reported that residents in
152 this area have concerns about speeding. There was a speed study done in 2009 resulting
153 in increased enforcement. Complaints have risen again and a staff traffic safety
154 committee has been formed. The council is receiving a report on the process that will be
155 used to review complaints. A study is also planned. Council Member Rafferty said it
156 seems that the street parking may be a part of safety concerns. Engineer Wedel noted
157 that the street is wide enough to accommodate parking and sometimes parking does calm
158 traffic speeds. Engineer Wedel then noted that staff did another traffic study last summer
159 and he reviewed those results. The volume of cars and speeds have stayed very much the
160 same. The speeding comes down to about ten percent of the traffic. He is
161 recommending additional enforcement and signage such as driver feedback units. The
162 signs are $2,000 each (hardwired) or $3,200 (solar powered). The council directed staff
163 to go forward with one solar powered sign on the park side and look at an additional if
164 that is effective.
165
166 6. Community Room Conference Call/Audio Streaming- City Clerk Bartell
167 reviewed options for either providing conferencing and/or streaming for council sessions
168 held in the Community Room. The council has already seen the option of a conference
169 station, a table unit that provides optimum use of conference calls — something that could
170 be used to bring in absent council members. Recently the council had the opportunity to
171 have a conference call utilizing the telephone in the Community Room and that seemed to
172 work well. Ms. Bartell indicated that she has also investigated the possibility of audio
173 streaming, a process that would bring live audio from meetings to the city's Website. The
174 Mayor noted that a Webcam isn't too expensive and would bring video into the picture
175 also. The City Clerk added that there is discussion underway at North Metro
176 Telecommunications about improving the video presentation of council meetings and
177 staff is interested in improving technology overall for the council's meeting rooms, so an
178 option would be to engage in that process and make the community room a part of an
179 overall discussion of audio /video technology at city hall. The Mayor suggested that it
180 would make sense to see what is happening in the larger picture of North Metro and
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April 7, 2014
181 coordinate that with city plans. Administrator Karlson said he'd like to see improvements
182 to the community room such as a drop down screen. The Mayor added that live
183 streaming does have appeal since it would increase availability to all those residents who
184 don't have cable services. The council discussed the conferencing machine and Council
185 Member Stoesz suggested that he'd like to see an upgrade to provide better services; a
186 portable unit that could be used for other rooms would seem the best choice. Live
187 streaming with a Webcam would be a nice upgrade but usage and cost should drive the
188 discussion. Looking for a used unit may be a good option.
189
190 7. Monthly Progress Report- Administrator Karlson reviewed the written report.
191 He provided updates on the following:
192
193 - Digital scanning project — there is an item on the regular agenda requesting a
194 slight raise in pay for the scanners. The council recently extended their service
195 and that triggered a pension contribution from their pay. Mr. Karlson
196 recommends that the city pick that up by increasing pay by $.75 an hour;
197 - Labor negotiations — A mediation is scheduled (police); AFSCME has approved
198 their contract;
199 - ECFE facility lease possibilities — The day care operators are still working on their
200 financing. Another day care has expressed interest and the realtor will work with
201 them also;
202 Fire department analysis — Council members have been interviewed by the
203 consultants. Findings will be presented in April to staff and steering committee
204 members and the final report presented in May. The mayor asked that the report
205 be presented at the next work session.
206 2015 budget — Staff is gathering infoluiation and will schedule a review at the
207 council work session of May 27;
208 - Joint meeting with advisory boards — The mayor would like to have an agenda but
209 keep it informal. The meeting was set for May 19. The council discussed the
210 possibility of holding the meeting off site.
211
212 Review Regular Agenda of April 14, 2014 — The agenda was reviewed and there were
213 no changes.
214
215 The meeting was adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
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217
218 April 28, 2014.
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223 u i.i e Bartell, City Cle
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These minutes were considered, corrected and approved at the regular Council meeting held on
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