09-08-98 CCM - Laserfiche WebLink

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Woodchipping: The woodchipping program is running great. Dan will look into having woodchips available at the Sunfish Lake Park parking lot. Grading/Striving: No stripping has been done yet this year. Waiting until the sealcoating project and 309' Street is completed. Washington County is very slow on sending grading bills. The County grades every other Monday except for holidays. The City had a grader up until 1984 when it purchased a front-end loader. The City added 2 more roads this year to be graded. A suggestion was made for the City to look into policy of having road under City control, making assessments affordable and fair. The City needs grading agreement with Oak Park Heights on 700' gravel strip up through the cul-de-sac of East half of 55d' Street that has been annexed into Lake Elmo. Councilor DeLapp understood that this road was given in its entirety to OPH. The Council asked that the City Administrator and Dan Olinger negotiate an agreement with OPH for grading and snowplowing this portion of the road. Olinger pointed out since he started working with the City in 1985, the City has added 22 new developments. In 1985, there were 3 employees and one contract plower. No employees have been added. If the City wants to keep the level of service it has been providing, we need to increase our fleet. Now, they are plowing the entire City with four units, two of them are plows with no sanders on them. Therefore, half of the City goes 5 to 6 hours without being sanded after a snowstorm. There is a need for farm equipment to plow narrow roads in the new developments because the dump truck cannot make the loops in the Fields and Tamarack. He, wanted to make Council aware of the need of a person to snowplow in winter. This person could be shared with the Parks Department because two more parks have been added. It may be better to look into contracting services for this year. We need to budget for backup person for crew to take vacations or if one gets hurt. This could be added to Personal Services. Olinger asked if the City has to maintain the trails in the winter along. 30'h Street or in Stonegate. If this is correct, the City needs a Policy before winter and the proper equipment to keep the trails clean. What about the legal issue —when is a sidewalk a sidewalk and when is the trail a sidewalk? M/S/P Hunt/Johnston — to direct the staff to place on the next agenda policy discussion for trails and plowing for this coming winter. (Motion passed 5-0). Capital Outlay -Miscellaneous: The question was asked why is there a jump from $12,000 to $30,000? Dan explained if we want to keep the 1986 truck, an improvement is needed. He estimates $15,000 for chipper box, sanding and hauling gravel and $12,000 major repairs for front-end loader. The Council recommended adding $15,000 for renovation of 1986 truck in the CIP and $15,000 in Miscellaneous. Street Lights: Councilor DeLapp brought up billing residents responsible for streetlights midblock in private neighborhoods. He wasn't talking about the Old Village area. The residents in the Fields pay for their own streetlights. If you took a City map with streetlights designated, the lights would not be located in priority areas. The Finance Director stated the lights on 32"d Street have been in place since 1944. The City does not have a billing system to bill residents for streetlights. We would have to pay the County so much money for them to bill each resident. M/S/P DeLapp/Hunt— to add Street Lights - pay and locations to OLD BUSINESS on the Council agenda. (Motion passed 5-0). M/S/P Hunt/Johnston - to adopt Resolution No, 98-51, A Resolution approving the proposed 1998 Tax Levy, Collectible in 1999, and setting date for public hearing for proposed budget. (Motion passed 5-0). The Council adjourned the workshop at 6:50 p.m. --------------------------- Respectfully submitted by Sharon Lumby, Deputy Clerk Resolution No. 98-51 Approving the proposed 1998 Tax Levy, Collective in 1999 and set date for budget public hearing