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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/18/2001 Council MinutesCITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 DATE TIME STARTED TIME ENDED MEMBERS PRESENT MEMBERS ABSENT CITY OF LINO LAKES MINUTES : July 18, 2001 . 5:35 p.m. . 11:25 p.m. : Council Member Carlson, Dahl, O'Donnell, Reinert, and Mayor Bergeson : None Staff members present: City Administrator, Linda Waite Smith; Ci Engineer, John Powell; Economic Development Director, Brian Wessel (part); *c Development Assistant, Mary Alice Divine (part); Chief of Police, Dave P k<' (p Community Development Director, Mike Grochala; Finance Director, ); Chief of Police, Dave Pecchia (part); and Public Services Directdner (part) INTERVIEW PLANNING AND ZONING B DATES Council Members interviewed Mr. Michael yden = r the Planning and Zoning Board vacancy. Mayor Bergeson advised the anno ng to the vacancy would be made prior to the next Planning and Zonin 'ng on August 8, 2001. WEST SHADOW PONWELL City Engineer Powell copies of letters from Mr. and Mrs. Junes and Mr. Arnold Rehbein. He st II k residents would like to address the Council regarding the West Shadow Ponds de ''r: pment. He noted there is no action this evening relating to this item. The West Shadow Ponds development project will be discussed further at the August 8, 2001, Council work session. Mr. Wayne Junes, 599 62nd Street, came forward and stated he would like to sell his property and he believes the development is a good project. He stated he does not believe traffic will be a problem. He added that staff and the Planning and Zoning Board are recommending approval of the project. Mr. Arnold Rehbein, 607 62nd Street, came forward and stated he also believes the project is a good project and it does fit with the neighborhood. He indicated he would also like to sell his property. 1 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 Mr. Tom Brickner came forward and distributed a petition with 321 signatures. He read the petition that indicates the residents are in favor of the roadway extension to 62nd Street without a barricade. He referred to a drawing of the area noting that residents feel it is important to connect the roadway now. He read comments from Council Members from previous meetings regarding problems with a barricade. He responded to the concerns of residents on 62nd Street that were expressed at a previous Council meeting. He stated that safety is a big issue and the driving force behind the petition. He gave facts relating to safety concerns including the number of children in the area, number of path crossings and visibility issues. He stated that the disbursing of traffic on two (2) routes does make the most sense. He asked that the City be consistent with all developments noting the residents want a second access. A connection needs to be made now to 62nd Street and 62nd Street should be improved as soon as funds become available. City Engineer Powell advised from an engineering standpoint, he would not recommend a connection until the improvements to 62nd Street have been made •q . ; to pedestrian ter. traffic. He stated there is no way to separate the vehicular traff and estrian traffic. Other options have been discussed that include constructiona Vides an trail along 62nd Street. Council Member O'Donnell asked how the plat wa ap rove ity Engineer Powell advised the Planning and Zoning Board approve • "<with a recommendation to develop a cul-de-sac. He noted the speed li e roar` ay is 30 mph. Council Member Reinert stated discuss the north end of the roadway. He in improve 62nd Street so the road c held about placing the barricade on he would like to explore other options to d now. Council Member Carlson r , he City's transportation plan noting it shows West Shadow being extended ti ° 9 roa•i="ays as well. She stated she does not support building bigger faster oads J • get traffic through and hopes a compromise can be found. Mayor Bergeson advise other meeting will be held and notices will be sent out. Mr. Barry Rice stated he did send a fax to Council Members regarding this issue. He stated he would like to see the road punched through if the development goes in. He noted traffic continues to get worse in the area. Mr. Brian Olson, 511 Hawthorne, stated residents are concerned that they are not being heard. Residents have done their job with the petition. He stated he is very concerned that funds for 62nd Street will not be available until 2005. City Engineer Powell explained the State Aid Fund process noting Elm Street has been a priority for a long time. He indicated the Council could still decide to reconstruct 62nd Street and look at doing both 62nd Street and Elm Street within a few years. 2 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 Mr. Olson stated he believes traffic studies were done that indicated there would be minimal impact on 62nd Street without the reconstruction. He stated he wants to believe that everyone can work together and added that the residents are not opposed to the development. Council Member Reinert inquired about a mechanism to take the barricade down. City Engineer Powell advised the Council would make that decision. West Shadow and 62nd Street are State Aid roads and having a barricade in place may put the funds for reconstruction in jeopardy. Staff cannot guarantee that the barricade would be taken down. A resident inquired about the cost of a pedestrian path. City Engineer Powell advised developers have contributed in the past to the cost of a path. He noted the path would more than likely be put in the right-of-way. Mayor Bergeson directed staff to provide additional inform 62nd Street. estrian path for City Engineer Powell advised the notices would go • ut s is regarding the meeting on August 8, 2001. He noted he is concerned ab• i�b �= edestrian traffic and vehicular traffic on 62nd Street. TOWN CENTER UPDATE, BRIAN s �,Y..'d' Y.'y Update on Lino Lakes Marketp � , � � � �� essel —Economic Development Director Wessel advised the target date . .. in_ h e Target store is still July 2002. Community Developmen t•chala stated staff has been working with the developer on redesigning the . , ess road and moving it to the north. Staff needs additional review tim.r��_: s '''ange. The County previously indicated they feel very strongly that the locate .i f e proposed second access would cause additional problems. The County and staff do - el that moving the access to the north is viable. The developer will have a new site plan tomorrow and a meeting will be held with the County on Monday. By moving the access to the north, the County will want 77th Street closed off to right in right out only. The neighbors on the east side will have to go to the north to exit the neighborhood. The neighbors on the west side of 77th Street will have to go up to 79th Street when going home. Mayor Bergeson noted there are similar situations within the City and it has not been a problem. Council Member Carlson asked if 77th Street would be extended to Main Street. City Engineer Powell advised that option has been closed off with the shopping center. 3 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 Community Development Director Grochala stated the lots have changed as well as utility issues and the site plan. Staff needs time to review the changes but are trying to hold to the original schedule. Economic Development Director Wessel stated the Council should consider acting on the rezone Monday night and move the request for tax abatement and business subsidy agreement to the August 13th Council meeting. He added staff met with Ryan Companies last week and went through a conceptual negotiation that will hopefully end in an agreement. Finance Director Rolek advised a public hearing will be held regarding the Business Subsidy Policy and Tax Abatement Policy. He asked if Council Members are comfortable with the two -(2) policies. Mayor Bergeson asked if the policies are standards. Mr. Paul Steinman advised the policies are very standard an w e required to have these policies if they offer this type of assistance. Finance Director Rolek stated the policies are broa other projects within the City at the Council's dis EDAC and their comments were incorporate Council Member Carlson stated the pol the wage rate percentage is very low consistent with EDA policy. Council Member O'Donne question with the current the developer has ind' ated th ded to be used with The policies were reviewed by e doc . ments. e precise. She noted she believes irector Rolek stated the wage guideline is the City can accurately address the but/for fro v yan Companies. Finance Director Rolek stated 'thout the subsidy they will not build in Lino Lakes. Finance Director Rolek stributed and reviewed the numbers of the four -(4) options included in the Ryan Co ter Proposal for subsidy noting the original offer made by the City. He stated the city cost of acquiring a remnant piece of JADT property is the big unknown. The City would have to go through the eminent domain process to determine the value of the property. Economic Development Director Wessel stated he believes the City is in a good position to negotiate the price of the property with the property owner. Council Member O'Donnell asked if the City can structure the deal so Ryan Companies gets a set discount on the price that the City pays for the land. Economic Development Director Wessel stated that option is possible and staff will discuss it with Ryan Companies. 4 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 Finance Director Rolek added that the City may be able to assess part of the cost of the property to JADT through special assessments. Council Member Carlson suggested the City could also make an offer to Mr. Baylor for the property. Council directed staff to negotiate with Ryan Companies an index cost within the agreement and a payback period of five (5) years. Finance Director Rolek recommended the Council table and continue the public hearings on the Request for Tax Abatement and the Business Subsidy Agreement. CENTENNIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT REQUEST TO REZONE PROPERTY ON BIRCH STREET, MIKE GROCHALA Community Development Director Grochala advised the Centenni requested two (2) rezones last month. One of the requests is to own on Birch Street from PSP to R -1X. The Planning and recommend approval. Mr. Christianson has asked to ad issue. chool District e property they did not it regarding this Mr. Christianson, Superintendent of the School ate s the Planning and Zoning Board had no issues with the compatibility of•ues the Comprehensive Plan. The Board did not feel the rezone was appr•nate other reasons. He asked the Council for feedback before Council act Mr. Christianson gave the backgr has owned the property since 1 May. He distributed a copy wetland. He also distrib work would be necessary to • :<<.Fd school or secondary s construction on anothe the property noting the School District was not evaluated as a school site until last tlan . delineation noting 13 acres of the property is py the soil borings report that indicated a lot of site a school. The site is not large enough for a middle intent is to market the property and use those dollars for Mayor Bergeson advised the new Comprehensive Plan will limit the amount of land within the City that will be developed. Zoning does not guarantee the property will be developed. Council Member O'Donnell requested the minutes from the Planning and Zoning Board meeting be included in the Friday packets. He asked if the parcel of land costs the School District anything right now. Mr. Christianson indicated the property does not cost the School District any money at this time. 5 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 Council Member Reinert advised a Planning and Zoning Board Member had indicated to him the concern about neighbors paying more dollars for property that abuts school property. A representative for a resident on Timberwolf stated that what came through at the Planning and Zoning Board meeting was that the lots were sold at a premium. The property is not costing the School District anything right now and the property may be needed for a school in the future. Mr. Christianson stated the School District may take the money from the sale and purchase another property that is more suitable for a future school according to the growth pattern. He stated it will be more expensive to purchase property ten years down the road for a more suitable location. Community Development Director Grochala advised the public he , was held at the Planning and Zoning Board meeting. Residents were notified . `'out t sa: meeting. Notices will not go out when the issue comes before Counc Mayor Bergeson stated a rezone does take two (2) rea g oui needs to have a discussion about the notification process. Mayor Bergeson called for a short recess at 8:. Mayor Bergeson reconvened the meet UPDATE ON VILLAGE, MA Economic Development As+ c 1 ! ivine advised staff met with the developers last Friday and discussed the reform. The land acquisition will need financial aid from somewhere. The Ci ; . pplying for another grant. The developer of the housing felt he had to i, �' ediately regarding the market studies. A discussion has been held regarding the '° ity aking the lead on the market study. Staff agreed to pay 2/3 of the study with grant dars. The studies will cost between 13,000 — 14,000. The City will be reimbursed if the project proceeds. The study will be owned by the City and should be completed by August 27, 2001. The study could also be funded by the Economic Development Department budget. Economic Development Assistant Divine added more information about the YMCA site plan should be available next week. The commercial developer needs more specifics about the YMCA because they feel the YMCA is the anchor. 6 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 CONSIDER STAFF RECOMMENDATION ON BANKING SERVICES, AL ROLEK Finance Director Rolek advised in May of this year staff mailed Requests for Proposals for Banking Services (RFP) to each bank within the City, Firstar Bank, Community National Bank and Lino Lakes State Bank. The City received responses from each of these institutions. Upon comparing and evaluating the responses, staff found that all banks met the basic criteria and had the ability to deliver the services requested in the RFP. Two (2) of the institutions, Lino Lakes State Bank and Community State Bank, offered the best package of services and costs and were virtually identical in this regard. Other criteria of a more intangible nature, such as customer service orientation, community involvement, etc., were also considered in the evaluation. Again, both institutions have a high emphasis on customer relations and are involved in community events and service. At present the City maintains one checking account, which is City's needs. It has been suggested that perhaps the City co the institutions. While this may sound like a good soluti in twice the time and work the staff would have to de keeping, reconciliations, etc. A better solution mi designated as the depository for outside financin City would have from time to time. This wo in the City's overall financial goals. In addi three (3) years, at which time it is antic' submit proposals. Finance Director Rolek reco Bank for banking services f 2004. He noted neither the to five (5) years or be both are good institutio ate for the counts between ce it would result ea in terms of record er the institutions not ed notes and special needs the the the opportunity to participate ity will revisit the RFP process in anks will be again invited to ty accept the proposal from Lino Lakes State (3) year term extending through December 31, ate Bank or the Community State Bank are capitalized mmunity for five (5) years. He indicated he believes This item will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, July 23, 2001, 6:30 p.m. DISCUSS NO PARKING ORDINANCE, RICK DEGARDNER Public Services Director DeGardner advised the Public Services and Public Safety departments are recommending to the Council to amend Section 802 of the City Code pertaining to "parking". The proposed ordinance prohibits parking of vehicles on a City street between the hours of 2:00 am — 6:00 am, from November 1— April 1. Parking is also prohibited when 2 or more inches of snow has accumulated until the street has been plowed. Residences without an established driveway, to include new construction, are exempt from winter parking restrictions. 7 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 The impetus for the proposed ordinance is due to the impact "snowbirds" have on the plowing operations of the Public Services Department. A typical accumulation of 2" — 3" takes the Public Services personnel approximately nine hours to clear all the roads, dead ends, parking lots, and cul-de-sacs. Snowbirds prolong this process since Public Services personnel need to back track to re -plow the snowbird areas. The Public Safety Department supports the proposed ordinance for various reason including less exposure to possible theft from vehicles and hit and run incidents, as well as better emergency vehicle access. Temporary exemptions may be granted in advance by contacting a police officer from the Lino Lakes Police Department. If the proposed ordinance is approved, staff will communicate the winter parking restrictions to residents by including an article in the fall and winter City newsletters, submitting an article to the Quad, and placing the new ordinance i t ,� i ation on cable. City Administrator Waite Smith advised a public hearing is for this type of ordinance change. Mayor Bergeson inquired about the enforcement w en a or ce first goes into effect. Chief Pecchia advised the City will do a lot of no If conditions allow, warnings will be given until people become familiar wrdin ce. This item will appear on the regular Co i1nd., onday, July 23, 2001, 6:30 p.m. UPDATE ON QUAD CITIES P�:�� ��` RICT PROPOSAL, DAVE PECCHIA Chief Pecchia gave an upda (2) officers have been dis condition. shooting incident in Columbia Heights noting two ne officer remains in the hospital in good City Administrator W " i th stated the Circle Pines City Council has agreed to pursue a joint police departmen They would prefer the joint department begins in January 2003 and year 2002 be a transition year. She stated she has not heard from the City of Centerville. Chief Pecchia stated that after the Council presentation of the Joint Police Department, he offered to make a presentation to the Centennial Lakes Police Commission at a future date. The Centennial Lakes Police Commission discussed this issue at their meeting last Thursday night before having the presentation. The issue was discussed at length and several Centennial Lakes Police Department officers threatened to quit the force. Chief Pecchia stated it is evident there is a savings for all cities with a Joint Police Department. It can also be a great service to the communities that are involved. He stated he believes the City should wait until other cities show a substantial commitment 8 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 to a Quad Cities Police Department before more research is done. He added the Police Department will move ahead with the 2002 budget for Lino Lakes. Council Member Carlson asked if other cities can go ahead with the plan in another year. Chief Pecchia advised that based on the current agreement, two (2) cites can vote to disband and have one year for transition. CONDITIONAL POLICE OFFICER JOB TO CSO JIM CARROLL, DAVE PECCHIA Chief Pecchia stated that at the July 9 Council meeting, Council approved a twenty-seven month leave of absence for Police Officer Shawn Silvera. The plan is to re -integrate Officer Silvera into the department upon his return from the Peace Corps. This would fit into the growth plan for the department. The department would like to fill the vacancy created by Officer Silvera's departure by promoting Jim Carroll, c - tly the City's Community Service Officer. Mr. Carroll has been with the department since April of 0. s"notion is the customary way the department fills vacancies. This item will appear on the regular Council age y, July 23, 2001, 6:30 p.m. CONDITIONAL CSO JOB OFFER TOUBASH, DAVE PECCHIA Chief Pecchia stated that because of will be created in the department the hiring of Nabil Gubash for officer with the department promotion of Jim Carroll, a vacancy ity service officer. Staff is recommending position. Mr. Gubash is currently a reserve ending school for law enforcement. The duties for this po tion in z M d - responding to animal complaints, office duties and general assistance to s '"ers. This item will appear on e regular Council agenda Monday, July 23, 2001, 6:30 p.m. UPDATE ON CSAH 49 RECONSTRUCTION, CONSIDER LETTER TO ANOKA COUNTY, JOHN POWELL City Engineer Powell distributed a draft letter to be sent to the County Engineer, John Olson. The letter indicates the City does support the Context Sensitive Design approach and is committed to exploring all funding options. Council Member Carlson expressed concern that the County is moving ahead with their original plans. City Engineer Powell stated all interested parties will have input on the design of the roadway. The County has proceeded with the purchase of property because it will be needed regardless of how the roadway is designed. 9 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 City Engineer Powell advised a work plan and budget will be presented to the Council in August 2001. Council Member O'Donnell asked if the Context Sensitive Design is just for the roadway south of Birch. City Engineer Powell advised the Context Sensitive Design is just for the roadway south of Birch at this time. He stated he will speak to Bob Brown about including more of the roadway in this type of design. Council Member O'Donnell expressed concern about the residents having input about the design of the roadway from Birch to Lake Drive. Council Member Dahl indicated she is supportive of the letter but is concerned bout the lack of response from the County. It was the consensus of the Council to send the letter as written ANOKA COUNTY REQUEST TO PURCHASE "Q POWELL City Engineer Powell advised in 1995 the City poni Anoka County a .7 -acre property known as the "Kaiser" property on t east •rner of Birch Street and Hodgson Road. The property has a small a.a doneaF;home and several outbuildings, and is zoned General Business. The purcha .n was 61,400. The intent for the use of the prop development. However, Anok amount of the parcel for ro reconstruction of Hodgso e it available for commercial y lana concluded that it needed a significant storm water pond purposes related to the The County Board haspurchasing the entire parcel back from the City at the current market value o 8, 0. The owner of Apitz Garage and the County will subsequently negotiate greement for the remainder of the land for the expansion of the Apitz facilities. He noted this item was referred back to City staff on June 11, 2001. City Engineer Powell distributed a drawing showing the property noting the majority of the property will be used for ponding. Council Member Reinert asked if there is an immediate need to sell the property. City Engineer Powell advised the City should show a good faith gesture in working with the County. Council Member O'Donnell indicated he can support the sale of the property. Mayor Bergeson indicated he also supports the sale of the property. 10 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 Council Member Reinert asked that this issue be taken off the regular agenda. Council Member Carlson indicated she is supportive of removing this item from the agenda. Council Member Dahl advised she would also like this item removed from the agenda. This item will appear on a future Council work session agenda. LETTER TO METROPOLITAN COUNCIL REGARDING TRAFFIC SIGNAL AT LAKE DRIVE AND 35W NORTH BOUND, JOHN POWELL City Engineer Powell distributed a draft letter written to Mr. Carl Ohrn at the Metropolitan Council. The letter indicated the City is ready to pro : with signalizing the intersection pending completion of a traffic study of the ent mte ange area. It was the consensus of Council to send the letter as writt LINO LAKES MARKETPLACE EAW, MICH Y ELLA Community Development Director Grochala +; s the c mment period has ended. The DNR, Pollution Control Agency, Metropoli Cou it and Historical Society has responded. Staff is required to respond th nts. Community Development Direct eF ew . `` viewed the comments and recommendations from the En nt . oard that were received this evening noting the main concern is run-off eviewed the staff response to the comments made by the Environmental Bo •• ppe ed the Environmental Board was supportive of the EAW, with changes, til lat he evening. He read the motion made by an Environmental Board garding the recommendation to table the EIS determination on Moneev ping. The motion passed 3-2. The Environmental Board indicated they would like to table the EIS determination until the Rice Creek Watershed District give their approval and until the Corp of Engineers has submitted their information. Community Development Director Grochala advised the project can not proceed unless the Rice Creek Watershed District give their approval. Staff will make the changes that the Environmental Board recommended. This item will appear on the regular Council agenda Monday, July 23, 2001, 6:30 p.m. GAS FRANCHISE FEE, MAYOR BERGESON 11 CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JULY 18, 2001 Mayor Bergeson read a memo from the City Administrator regarding the Council's position on gas franchise fees. The City Administrator is asking if the Council would like to offer some type of relief to the users that have a franchise fee due to the low temperatures and high natural gas prices this past winter. The City Administrator would also like to know if the Council would consider putting a cap on the franchise fees or phasing the fees out over time. Mayor Bergeson added the 7% franchise fee is based on sales. One option is to collect an amount based on volume in a normal year. He stated he did speak with Vern Reinert who indicated he would like to meet with the Council. Council Member O'Donnell stated he would consider capping the fee if there is no impact on the budget. He requested this issue be discussed further at a future work session. REGULAR AGENDA, JULY 23, 2001 Item 1B, Consider Donation of $00 to Centennial 13 A Bas AAU National Championship Games in Sherwood, Ark requested a policy be developed relating to donations Item 7E, FIRST READING, Ordinance No. 08 — corner of Birch Street/Hodgson Road to Ano the agenda. The meeting was adjourned at 11:25 These minutes were considere August 8, 2001. Compete in Member Carlson g Property on the northeast ty - his item was removed from d approved at the regular Council meeting held on Viger, I3eputy er' Jo Bergeson, ayor Transcribed by: Kim Points TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. 12