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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12/10/2019LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 3 December 10, 2019 Call to Order Mayor Gaasch called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:33 p.m. Roll Call 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. Councilor Dains stated that he would like to add a staff appreciation item to the Additional Items section of the Agenda. There being nothing else, Councilor Grove moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of the November 26, 2019 city council meeting. There being none, Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the minutes of the November 26, 2019 city council meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any questions on the claims. There being none, Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Grove to approve the claims totaling $103,003.57. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the Consent Agenda thereby designating the Pioneer Press the official newspaper for 2020, approving the year-end accounts payable authorization, and approving the 2020 contract with SafeAssure. Informational Presentations/Reports A. City Council Updates Councilor Dains shared that the Metropolitan Council Transportation Accessibility Advisory Committee is in the process of discussing wayfinding to create better signage for light rail and busses. Mayor Gaasch stated that the Ramsey County League of Local Governments is instituting a new meeting schedule that is more conducive to working people. They also are working on an intergovernmental system that inspires more cooperation between cities, schools, and counties. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 December 10, 2019 Discussion/Action Items A. Adoption of the 2020 Final Property Tax Levy – Resolution No. 121019A The City Council held the Truth -in -Taxation public hearing as required by state law at the previous meeting. To finalize the budgets and levy, the Council made the following motions. Councilor Moffatt made a motion to adopt Resolution 121019A—A Resolution Adopting the 2020 Final Property Tax Levy. This was seconded by Councilor Damns and carried unanimously. B. Adoption of the 2020 Final Budget and Establish Fund Appropriations – Resolution No. 121019B Councilor Moffatt made a motion to adopt Resolution 121019B—A Resolution Adopting the 2020 Final Budget and Establishing Fund Appropriations. C. Warming House Staffing At the last meeting, the Council authorized staff to hire warming house personnel. We have had some interest in portions of the position, but not at the rates we suggested at the last meeting. Staff is revising their request of $12 per hour to $12 per hour to staff the warming house, and $15 per hour to flood the rinks. Should this not be sufficient to get the warming house staffed, city staff requests flexibility to revise the pay schedule as necessary. Councilor Dolphin made a motion to authorize staff to hire seasonal personnel at these pay rates. This was seconded by Councilor Grove and carried unanimously. Additional Items A. Appreciation Days for Employees Councilor Damns voiced his appreciation for city staff for their work throughout the course of the year. In recognition, he proposed staff be granted two personal days to be used at the City Administrator's discretion. Council Damns moved and seconded by Mayor Gaasch to grant two personal days to Lauderdale staff members to be used at the discretion of the City Administrator. Motion carried unanimously. Set Agenda for Next Meeting Administrator Butkowski stated that the January 14 council meeting may include the High Density Residential – Conservation Zoning ordinance, November financial report, 2020 fee schedule, 2020 city council meeting schedule, designation of official depository and investment institutions, tobacco and alcohol licenses, 2020 committee appointments and assignments, front yard fence regulations, and the City Administrator performance review. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 December 10, 2019 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. There being no interested parties to speak, Mayor Gaasch closed the floor. B. Community Development Updates Administrator Butkowski mentioned that staff sent an email to St. Paul staff in regards to Master Properties but they have not received any recent communication from them. She continued to say that the City has an upcoming meeting with St. Paul Fire Chief Butch Inks, and finally, that staff was finalizing grants to receive payments from the Metropolitan Council. C. Review of Long -Term Financial Plan with AEM Financial In March, the Council authorized AEM Financial to prepare a long-term financial plan for the City. The City has been involved with a number of big projects over the past two years in addition to the on-going discussions about financing regular increasing costs for everything from the utility bills to the police contract. The goal of the outside evaluation was to give a different perspective or second opinion of sorts to staff's expectations and projections. Vicki Holthaus of AEM Financial approached the council to go through her presentation and provide analysis. Holthaus said the City had solid financials but would have to make some policy decision in the next few years to set a course for capital improvements and debt management. Adjournment Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Grove to adjourn the meeting at 8:41 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, 0,1Le(4_ Miles Cline Deputy City Clerk