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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02-05-85 CCMLAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 5, 1985 The meeting was called to order by Mayor Morgan at 7:00 p.m. in the council chambers. Present: Armstrong, Christ (arrived 7:05) Dunn, Mazzara, Administrator Klaers. 1. Agenda M/S/P Mazzara/Dunn - To adopt the agenda as amended. Add 5A - Proclamation for Safety Sabbath, 7A - Update on City Attorney search, 8G - City Insurance. (Motion carried 4-0) 2. Minutes: January 22, 1985 M/S/P Mazzara/Armstrong - To approve the minutes of the January 22, 1985 city council meeting as written. (Motion carried 4-0) 3. Claims M/S/P Mazzara/Armstrong - To approve claims 85757 thru 85815 as presented. (Motion carried 5-0) 4. Appointments: A. Citizen representatives on 834 and 622 Community Education Advisory Board The Council was provided with the Proposed Guidelines For School District 834 Community Education Advisory Council. They were further advised that there has been but one response to the ad in the City Newsletter soliciting interested citizens to serve on this board. The notice will continue to run in the City Newsletter, and brought back to the council when applications are received. B. Parks Commission - Second Alternate The council reviewed the two applications for this position; Tom Simpson, 5270 Jamaca Blvd. N. and Ronald Ramirez, 8840 27th Ct. N. Mr. Ramirez attended the meeting and was interviewed by the council. The council also wishes to interview Mr. Simpson and he will be asked to attend the next meeting. As there is only one vacancy on the Parks Commission, Mr. Ramirez was asked if he would be interested in filling the vacancy on the Planning Commission. Mr. Ramirez stated he was interested in the Planning Commission vacancy should the other applicant be chosen for the Parks Commission. 5. Public Inquiries A. NATIONAL SAFETY SABBATH Violet Wagoner, representing the Lake Elmo VFW, asked the City to proclaim February 14 thru February 17, 1985 as NATIONAL SAFETY SABBATH in Lake Elmo. The intent of this proclamation is to request that all LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 5, 1985 PAGE 2 clergy and lay leaders of religious organizations share information with their congregations on the significance of safety as an instrument of faith. M/S/P Dunn/Christ - To proclaim the period from Thursday, February 14, 1985 to Sunday, February 17, 1985, as NATIONAL SAFETY SABBATH in Lake Elmo. (Motion carried 5-0) 6. 1984 Fire Department Annual Report - Fran Pott Chief Pott reviewed the Fire Department's 1984 Annual Report which is on file at the City office for public review. Amoung topics discussed in this report were call summary, fire losses, personnel count, significant personnel activities, apparatus repairs, expenditure summary and public education. With regards to the EMS contract with Washington County, Pott stated that in the past few years the City has had this contract which basically stated that for some undefined subsidy, Lake Elmo would agree to respond to emergency medical calls at the request of the County dispatcher. There will be no subsidy for 1985, therefore, no EMS contract. However, it will not change things from an operational standpoint; there just won't be a contract between the City and County. The Administrator acknowledged that the Fire Department's Capital Improvement Program will be reviewed as soon as possible and a presentation will be made to the council after the review is made. 7. City Council Reports A. Update on City Attorney search. The Administrator advised the council that he has formalized the input received from the council at its last meeting and incorporated them into the guidelines. He also included a cover letter that is being distributed to the interested applicants explaining the process and how these guidelines were put together. The City has received ten requests for this information. 8. City Administrator's Report A. Large lot subdivision application by Lyle and Mary Slawson (80 acres into two 40 acre parcels) west of Keats Avenue and 1/4 mile south of Highway 36. The Council reviewed the application, memo from the City Engineer dated January 21, 1985, and acknowledged that a public hearing was held by the Planning Commission, at which time notice was sent to property owners within 350' of the Slawson property. There were no property owners present at this public hearing to offer comments for or against this lot split. Also, no variances are required with this subdivision (the area of the subdivision is 39.7 acres per parcel) and meets the code definition for nominal 40 acre subdivisions. No right-of-way deeds are required with the subdivision, and the City has received the park donation fee. The Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval of this application. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 5, 1985 PAGE 3 The applicants were present and stated that if this subdivision is granted, both parcels will remain in the AG zone. M/S/P Christ/Dunn - To adopt Resolution 85-1 granting a large lot subdivision to Mr. and Mrs. Lyle Slawson for two 40 acre parcels west of Keats Avenue approximately 1/2 mile south of Highway 36. (Motion carried 5-0) B. 1984 MSA court appointed commission expenses. At its 1-22-85 meeting, the Council requested an itemized list of expenditures for the court appointed board of appraisers that was used in determining the fair appraisal value of the right-of-way land taken during the 1984 MSA construction project. The Administrator advised the Council that state law requires that cities make these payments to the court appointed appraisers, and this item is an eligible MSA expenditure. He further presented an itemized list of the expenditures and noted that the City will be billed for another days activity at $125 per person per day if any more information is required by the Council. The Administrator suggested that for any future cases where court appointed appraisers are required, the City state up front that it will expect an itemized list of expenditures - not a blanket statement of what the appraisers want. Armstrong stated that the appraisers are entitled to $125 per day, no matter what portion of the day they put in. Therefore, the City would come out a lot better if these people were paid by the hour, not by the day. We should contact the Washington County Clerk of Court and tell him that we would like to see this changed. Dunn feels that_in--bringing this up initially, his worst suspicions are confirmed.,- the taxpayers are gettingfleeced.The fact that the appraisers will not itemize and do everything°to discourageusfrom requesting further information confirms your first suspicions. Also, if the City has any control, he does not want to see these people involved in any more appraisals for the City of Lake Elmo. M/S/P Christ/Mazzara - To reluctantly approve payment to the court appointed court appraisers for the 1984 MSA construction project in the amount of $2683.42. (Motion carried 5-0) C. Resolution 85-2 recommending a Lake Elmo public water system as the solution for the residents adversely affected by the contaminated ground water caused by the landfill. The council reviewed the draft resolution recommending to Ramsey County and Washington County that Lake Elmo Water Supply Alternative D, as outlined in the Advisory Committee Report dated December, 1984 be selected by the Counties as the method to provide a safe water supply to the affected area. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 5, 1985 PAGE 4 The Administrator advised the Council that there are some delays on the part of Ramsey County. He further stated that if the resolution is approved, he will include a cover letter with the resolution requesting quick action by both County Boards. M/S/P Dunn/Armstrong - To adopt resolution 85-2 making a recommendation to Ramsey County and Washington County regarding a safe water supply to those properties adversely affected by the Ramsey/Washington Sanitary Landfill #1. (mot•' r- _7_- } (Motion carriie�� � Amended at 2-19-85 Office Space Committee Guidelines City Council meeting. The Administrator advised the Council that guidelines were drafted for this committee, and a notice has been placed in the City Newsletter requesting interested individuals to apply for this committee. He further stated that the committee members should be completely unbiased. Therefore, nobody that participated in the 1981 study should sit on the committee, nor should any citizen who voiced objection or preference to the rental option be selected because this is still an alternative. Dunn suggested several changes in the guidelines. PURPOSE - Delete the last sentence which states "The City Administrator will attend all meetings to provide background data and technical research information". (He sees no reason why the City Administrator should take up his time in this citizens committee). COMPOSITION - Delete the last sentence which states "The Council should give serious consideration to appointing the Lake Elmo Planning Commission to serve as this Office Space Citizens Committee". (The Planning Commission's function is the Comp Plan, public hearings, etc., and they have a full schedule for the most part and we don't need to bother them with this - would rather see this as a citizens committee). RESPONSIBILITIES - Delete #1 (If the committee wants to look atthis file - fine, but we should not place importance on it. It is not relevant to this decision). Also, people that have expressed an opinion on the topic in the past should not be excluded from this committee. Mazzara stated that whomever sits on this committee should have an open mind and not be tied to one specific idea and not look at other alternatives. Carol Kuettner, 9130 Jamaca Court asked if the City Administrator will not be sitting on this committee, where will the people sitting on the committee get the needed information? Most of the citizens will probably be working a full-time job and will not have time to do the kind of research that is going to have to be done. Morgan stated that a chairperson will be elected by the committee, and the chairperson will see that the committee gets all the needed information. The committee can also come to the City Council meetings at any time and ask for any information they need. Dunn stated that the Administrator shouldn't necessarily be excluded, but the committee should feel free to get information from him or to have him research things as requested. LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 5, 1985 PAGE 5 The Administrator stated that seven citizens have expressed interest in this committee to date, but we will continue to advertise in the City Newsletter. E. Maintenance Foreman resignation and schedule/plan for replacement. The Administrator advised the Council that Maintenance Foreman, Dave Wisdorf has resigned his position with the City of Lake Elmo. Before hiring a permanent replacement for this position, the Administrator stated that an ad has been place in the Washington County Review and the state and local Job Service/Employment agencies for a temporary replacement. We have already received about six applications, and the ad has not been in the paper yet. We can then begin a wide search for a Maintenance Foreman. Advertise in the League of Minnesota Cities magazine, Minneapolis and St. Paul papers, post in some of the larger communities that may have a qualified individual that is ready to move up. The consensus of the Council is for the Administrator to hire a temporary replacement, and begin working on a full-time replacement. The pay scale for the temporary replacement should be from $9.50 to $10 per hour. F. Update on Sunfish Lake "Working Committee" The Administrator advised the Council that this group met on Saturday, January 26th. The goal of the group is to not have Sunfish Lake rise any further than it currently is. The group hopes to keep the lake stable until the 509 Plan is implemented, which would reduce the lake level in Sunfish. The action proposed by the group was to pump water out of Sunfish to some area farm land. Some designated individuals were to contact the large farm land property owners in the area to see whether or not it would be possible to either rent some land and pump the water to this location, or to simply be able to provide water to these farmers and help them in their irrigation system. VBWD is doing a cost study on how expensive it is to pump water out of Sunfish to other locations, including how much it costs to pump water out of Sunfish back to Park Pond. Morgan stated that Lake Jane is at its highest level ever for this time of the year. So when the water starts coming down to Lake Jane, many homes will again be threatened. If we pump into the Park Pond, most likely we will get an injunction from the Sunfish Lake people. Sunfish Lake is only 50 acres, and the Sunfish group did agree that if they could just hold the line for this year, they would probably be satisfied. Therefore, we have a more manageable amount of water. Also, if we do find a feasible solution, we may have to petition VBWD. That doesn't mean that we have to pay for it, it means if the project is completed, it can be assessed to the benefited property owners so it can be assessed all the way back up to the Tri-Lakes property owers. The danger is if the project would not be completed so the assessments could be made, the City holds the bag, and that is a very dangerous situation. The fact is we are either going to have people in trouble LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL MINUTES FEBRUARY 5, 1985 PAGE 6 on Lake Jane or people going thru the courts from the Sunfish area to prevent any movement of the water. G. Insurance The Council reviewed the letter from Zignego Insurance Agency dated February 4, 1985 in which it is stated that they have submitted applications to insurers requesting bids for property and casualty insurance for the City of Lake Elmo. Three separate proposals were received. These proposals were from (1) CIGNA IN/Aetna Insurance Companies (the current Package carrier); (2) League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust (LMCIT) (the current Workers Compensation carrier); and (3) HOME Insurance Company. The low bid is still about $2000 higher than 1984, but the 1985 bid is still lower than what it was in the late 1970's. There are differences between the LMCIT and CIGNA bids that should be noted. The LMCIT is a self-insurance program managed by American Insurance Management Agency, Inc. of Minneapolis and it is not an insurance company. Therefore the LMCIT is not included in Insurance Best Review. The LMCIT does not offer the $1,000,000 limit of liability which is presently provided by CIGNA. Also, it must be noted that Liquor Legal Liability coverages are not available through the LMCIT. We carried the Liquor Legal Liability for the fire department to sell 3.2 beer during some of its activities. Since that is not offered anymore, the fire department can perhaps make arrangements with the Jaycees who have their own insurance for that type of activity. It was further recommended by Zignego that the City of Lake Elmo require Certificates of Insurance for all services contracted. The certificates should indicate that the City of Lake Elmo is included as an additional named insured and that the city will be provided with 30 days advance notice of cancellation. The Administrator noted that although it was not specifically stated (because they did not want to leave anyone out) this suggestion relates to the police. They want to make sure that the city is covered under the counties insurance as we contract with them for police services. The Administrator suggested that the City switch from CIGNA to the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust. M/S/P Christ/Dunn - To accept the recommendation of Zignego Insurance to accept the bid from the League of Minnesota`Cities Insurance Companies in the amount of $9423 for property and casualty coverage, and to accept the umbrella__ iab.ility'insurance bid from Integrity Mutual in the amount of $1750. (Motion carried 5-0). M/S/P Christ/Mazzara - To a_d,jorn the meeting (8;40 p.m.) (Motion carried 5-0) R85-1 Slawson large lot subdivision R85-2 Recommendation regarding safe water supply Since we do not have time to discuss every point presented, it may seem that decisions are preconceived. However, background information is provided for the City Council on each agenda item in advance from City Staff and appointed Commissions; and decisions are based on this information and past experiences. In addition, some items may also have been discussed at previous Council meetings. If you are aware of information that hasn't been discussed, please fill out a "Request to Appear Before the City Council" slip; or, if you came late, raise your hand to be recognized. Comments that are pertinent are appreciated. Items requiring excessive time may be continued to another meeting. AGENDA LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 5, 1985 7:00 p.m. Meetings Convenes 1. Agenda 2. Minutes: January 22, 1985 3. Claims 4. Appointments: A. Citizen representative on 834 and 622 Community Education Advisory Board B. Parks Commission - 2nd Alternate 7:15 p.m. 5. Public Inquiries 6. 1984 Fire Department Annual Report: Presentation by Volunteer Fire Department Chief, Fran Pott 7. City Council Reports ---------------------------- BREAK- 8. City Administrator's Report A. Large lot subdivision (80 acres into two 40 acre parcels) application by Lyle and Mary Slawson, west of Keats Avenue and 1/4 mile south of Highway 36. B. 1984 MSA court appointed commission expenses. ( C. Resolution 85- , recommending a Lake Elmo public water system as the solution for the residents adversely affected by the contaminated ground water caused by the landfill. (OVER) LAKE ELMO CITY COUNCIL AGENDA FOR 2-5-85 PAGE 2 D. Office Space Committee Guidelines. E. Maintenance Foreman resignation and schedule/plan for replacement. F. Update on Sunfish Lake "Working Committee". G. Other 0 January 31, 1985 T09 Lake Elmo City Council FR: Patrick D" Klaers, City Administrator RE: Informational Material for the February 5, 1985 Council Meeting This February 5, 1985 City Council Agenda is short and this meeting should go rather quickly. The Council members should enjoy this short/quick meeting as this may very well be the last one of this nature for some time. There are a number of interesting applications that the Planning Commission is reviewing which is generating a great deal citizen interest" These items will be processed to the City Council in later February and March and we can expect a full Council room for some of these items" 1" Attached for your information is the most recent dated 1-29-85" This newsletter edition highlights the Council action on the alternative recommended for solution of the landfill ground water problem. 2, The City is moving forward in attempting to comply with the By October of 1985, we must submit a plan to the State indicating how we intend to implement a job evaluation system and any inequities the system has found within Lake Elmo" The first step in complying with this law is to obtain an accurate and concise job description for each City employee, To achieve an accurate job description, all the employees must explain in detail precisely what they do during the work year. To assist in the development of these job descriptions, the staff has put together a 10 page questionaire asking for information from all the employees" These questionaires will then be checked for accuracy and interviews will be held by myself with each employee to discuss the questionaires. The information on these questionaires will then be transferred to a job description format" Once these job descriptions are reviewed and accepted by the City Council, the staff will then begin in its efforts to comply with the comparable worth aspect of the law" I will have to work with the City Council in determining the appropriate process to comply with this law" There are a number of options available including the State Jul-.) Match System or developing our own system of evaluation or using a combination of the above. The League of Minnesota Cities is anticipating having material available on how small cities can comply with this law, and this material should be received within the next few months. More'information will be reported to the Council on the job description process and comparable worth law in early March, 19135^