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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/26/2003Lauderdale City Council Meeting Minutes August 26, 2003 1. Meeting called to order at 7:00 P.M. 2. ROLL Council present: Christensen, Giannetti, McCloskey, Gill -Gerbig and Mayor Dains Staff present: Administrator Getschow 3. APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA A. Approval of Agenda. Motion by Christensen, second by McCloskey to approve the agenda. Motion carried unanimously. 4. APPROVAL A. Approval of Minutes. Motion by McCloskey, second by Gill -Gerbig to approve the minutes of the August 12, 2003 City Council meeting. Motion carried unanimously. B. Approval of Claims totaling $54,915.75. Motion by Gill -Gerbig, second by Giannetti to approve the claims totaling $54,915.75. Motion carried unanimously. C. Approval of Pay Request #12 for the 2002 Street and Utility Improvements for Northdale Construction Company in the amount of $44,928.90. Motion by McCloskey, second by Christensen to approve Pay Request #12 for the 2002 Street and Utility Improvements in the amount of $44,928.90. Motion carried unanimously. Lauderdale City Council Meeting Minutes, August 26, 2003 Page 2 5. OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PUBLIC TO ADDRESS ITEMS NOT ON THE AGENDA A. Gail Strain, 1805 Fulham Street, addressed an issue she had with the removal of trees on her property. She had been given a notice by the City to remove dead and potentially diseased elm trees. During the removal process, the person that cut her trees down also began to cut a box elder tree down. This was because there was paint on the tree similar to the paint on the elm trees. The box elder tree was leaning into the power lines, and after not receiving a timely response from the utility company; Gail requested that the city view the problem. Public Work staff pushed the tree out the way of the utility lines. Gail stated that she was appreciative of the assistance, but later realized that the box elder tree did not need to be cut down. Even though the City assisted in lining up some one to help remove the small tree, Gail still felt that the City made an error in marking this tree in the first place and they should be responsible for its removal. Administrator Getschow stated that he and the public works staff had looked into the issue and felt that the paint used to mark the elm trees does not appear to be the same paint that shows up on the box elder. The Tree Inspector stated that the paint on the elm trees was sprayed many times 2-3 feet above the ground, while the box elder possessed a paint mark near the bottom of the tree that appeared to be an older and different marking. It was stated that there had been alley work and fence construction in this area where paint had been used the summer before. When questioned on why her handyman mistook a live box elder tree for a dead elm and was not a licensed tree trimmer, Strain stated she did not wish to pay a lot of money for a tree contractor to remove small clump of dead elm trees. She feels that the tree was improperly marked regardless of its species and the City should take responsibility for its removal. She also stressed how important it is that trees be properly marked. 6. CONSENT 7. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS/RECOGNITIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/ CITIZENS ADDRESSING STREET AND UTILITY IMPROVEMENTS INFORMATIONAL PRESENTATIONS 9. PUBLIC HEARINGS Lauderdale City Council Meeting Minutes, August 26, 2003 Page 3 10. ACTION A. Resolution 082603A: A Resolution Receiving the Proposed Assessment Roll and Providing for a Public Hearing on the 2002 Street and Utility Improvements. The City Administrator stated that at the August 12th Council meeting, the Council ordered the preparation of proposed assessment rolls for the 2002 Street and Utility Improvements. He stated that the next step in the process is for the Council to adopt a resolution indicating receipt of the assessment roll and to set a public hearing for the proposed assessments. It is recommended that the public hearing be set for September 23, 2003. Motion by Christensen, second by McCloskey to approve Resolution 082603A: A Resolution Receiving the Proposed Assessment Roll and Providing for a Public Hearing on the 2002 Street and Utility Improvements. Roll: Yes: all. Motion carried. B. -C. Resolution 082603B: A Resolution Appointing an LMCIT Insurance Agent and the Approval of 2003-2004 Lauderdale Insurance Policy. The City Administrator gave an overview of the 2003-2004 insurance policy. The policy cost has increased this year by more than 9% mainly as a result of increased liability coverage costs. Motion by Christensen, second by McCloskey to not waive the monetary limits on municipal tort liability and to not purchase additional excess liability coverage for the coming year. Roll: Yes: all. Motion carried. Motion by Giannetti, second by Gill -Gerbig to approve the 2003-2004 property, liability, automobile, and worker's compensation insurance policy. Roll: Yes: all. Motion carried. Motion by Gill -Gerbig, second by Christensen to approve Resolution 08260313: A Resolution Appointing an LMCIT Insurance Agent. Roll: Yes: all. Motion carried. Lauderdale City Council Meeting Minutes, August 26, 2003 Page 4 D. Resolution 082603C: A Resolution Opposing The Closure Of Any Suburban Courthouse And Requesting Ramsey County District Court To Work With Suburban Ramsey County To Ensure The Continued Operation OfA Suburban Courthouse. The City Administrator stated that the possibility of closing the Maplewood suburban court due to budget constraints has been discussed by the Chief Judge of the District Court for the past two years. The City Prosecutor and Police Department have opposed the proposed closure. This is because getting in and out of Maplewood is much easier than going to and from downtown Saint Paul. Suburban police departments, prosecutors, victims, and witnesses using Saint Paul all have longer travel distances, longer waiting times, and higher parking costs. In fact, the suburban cities have been lobbying the County for years to bring other county operations (i.e., property records and revenue, elections) out to the suburbs for convenience and lower cost. It appears at this time that all suburban entities have strongly favored the operation of the Maplewood court, or at the very least, the operation of a court outside of downtown Saint Paul. To support this effort of the suburban police departments, and other agencies of suburban Ramsey County, a resolution has been drafted for consideration by suburban City Councils. Since the resolution was drafted and placed in the packet, there has been another meeting of suburban officials where options have been proposed that allow for the continuation of a suburban court. The language of the resolution has been softened and altered to reflect this recent meeting. The Ramsey County Board will be discussing this issue within the next few weeks. Motion by McCloskey, second by Christensen to approve Resolution 082603C: A Resolution Opposing The Closure Of Any Suburban Courthouse And Requesting Ramsey County District Court To Work With Suburban Ramsey County To Ensure The Continued Operation Of A Suburban Courthouse. Roll: Yes: all. Motion carried. 11. REPORTS 12. ITEMS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT AGENDA 13. ADDITIONAL ITEMS Lauderdale City Council Meeting Minutes, August 26, 2003 Page 5 14. SET AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING 1. 2004 Preliminary Tax Levy A break was taken at 7:42 p.m. to transition into a work session discussion. 15. WORK SESSION DISCUSSION The meeting resumed at 7:43 p.m. 2004 Budget Discussioti. The City Council discussed the 2004 Budget. The discussion focused primarily on the budgets of funds 201-601. 16. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Gill -Gerbig, second by Christensen to adjourn at 8:30 P.M. Ayes: All.