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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/25/2018LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING NIlNUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of.3 September 25, 2018 Roll Call Mayor Gaasch called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Councilors present: Andi Moffatt, Roxanne Grove, Kelly Dolphin, Jeff Dains, and Mayor Mary Gaasch. Councilors absent: None. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator; and Miles Cline, Deputy City Clerk. Approvals Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any additions to the meeting agenda. There being none, Councilor Grove moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the agenda. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any corrections to the meeting minutes. There being none, Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the minutes of the September 11, 2018, city council meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any questions on the claims. There being none, Councilor Dolphin moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the claims totaling $36,768.45. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Councilor Grove moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the Consent Agenda thereby acknowledging the August Financial Report, assigning a house number to 1749 Fulham Street — Resolution 092518A, assigning a house number to 1931 Eustis Street — Resolution 092518B, designating polling places for the 2019 elections — Resolution 092518C, and the salvage agreement for 1825 Eustis Street. Informational Presentations/Reports A. City Council Updates Councilor Dains stated that he, Councilor Moffatt, and Administrator Butkowski attended the Luther Seminary Open House on September 19. Dains mentioned that there were some inaccuracies in the discussion regarding the City's land use and zoning changes for the property. Mayor Gaasch shared that she attended the League of Minnesota Cities Board of Directors retreat. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 September 25, 2018 Discussion/Action Items A. Proposed Tobacco Ordinance Revision Discussion In July, the City Council began researching and discussing what other cities were doing in regards to tobacco regulations. The Council directed staff to continue looking into the matter and work with the Public Health Law Center to draft ordinance revisions for discussion at a future meeting. Staff notified the two tobacco license holders in Lauderdale of this meeting where draft tobacco ordinance text would be reviewed. Edisson Siouffy, owner of Super USA, was first to approach the Council to discuss the matter. He stated that he is in support of raising the purchasing age to 21, as well as restricting the sale of flavored tobacco other than menthol cigarettes. He noted that menthol sales account for about 30% of his tobacco sales and he does not see it as an issue amongst kids. Bethlehem Yewhalawork of the Association for Nonsmokers -Minnesota was next to approach the Council. She helped clarify exactly which surrounding cities increased the purchasing age to 21, which have restricted the sales of flavored tobacco, and which have done both. The Council thanked both parties for their input and stated that the official public hearing on the tobacco ordinance will be held at the next meeting on October 9. B. 2019 Preliminary Budget and Levy — Resolution 092518D Butkowski explained the proposed budget balances at $1,437,074 for 2019, an increase of 3.6% ($50,650) over 2018. The balanced budget requires a levy increase of 5.8% or $44,590. The impact of the city's levy increase is approximately $39 on a median valued home ($206,300) as residential property values in Lauderdale are up 9.1% over last year. In addition to adopting the resolution establishing the preliminary levy at this meeting, the Council must also establish the date and time of the public hearing prior to adopting the final budget and levy later in the year. Councilor Moffatt made a motion to adopt Resolution 092518D — A Resolution Adopting the 2019 Preliminary Tax Levy and Establishing the Public Hearing Date of Tuesday, November 27, 2018. This was seconded by Councilor Dains and carried unanimously. Set Agenda for Next Meeting Administrator Butkowski stated that the October 9 council meeting may include a discussion with County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 September 25, 2018 Work Session A. Opportunity for the Public to Address the City Council Mayor Gaasch opened the floor to anyone in attendance that wanted to address the Council. Rod Borg, owner of 1866 Eustis Street, approached the Council. He wanted to discuss the late fee waiver request that was denied at the previous council meeting. He stated that he has been a longtime landlord, and prior to this, has always been in good standing with his rental property. The Council reiterated their reasons for upholding his fine, and thanked him for coming. B. Update on 1795 Eustis Street, Stacie Kvilvang, Ehlers and Associates Stacie Kvilvang from Ehlers and Associates addressed the Council. She discussed perspective developers she has been in contact with regarding 1795 Eustis Street. Based on previous council discussions, she has been talking to developers that build senior housing. After discussing option, the Council and Kvilvang agreed the most important thing was to have a developer build a quality product and has a reputation for good property management. C. Butkowski explained that Fakhri Alaghbash had approached the Council about buying 2430 Larpenteur Avenue at the previous meeting. Staff intended to prepare a list of submittals as a next step but that list changed based on whether the building was repurposed. After some discussion, all members of the Council stated that they would like to see plans for a new building instead of improvements to the existing structure. The discussion also brought to light possible traffic issues as that parcel is the only one on that block that is right in, right out only. Moving forward staff will comprise a list for Mr. Alaghbash based on this discussion that he will need to submit for further consideration on purchasing the property. D. Community Development Update Butkowski informed the Council that adjustors for the tree damage to City Hall would be visiting this week, Luther Seminary has valued their wooded parcel at 2.85 million dollars, and St. Anthony's Nativity Lutheran Church is currently using goats to clean up invasive species. Adjournment Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Miles Cline Deputy City Clerk