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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/25/2020LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 3 February 25, 2020 Call to Order Mayor Gaasch called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 5:38 p.m. Roll Call Councilors present: Andi Moffatt, Jeff Dains, Kelly Dolphin, and Mayor Mary Gaasch. Councilor absent: Roxanne Grove. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; and Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator. Approvals Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any additions to the meeting agenda. There being none, Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the agenda. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of the February 11, 2020 city council meeting. There being none, Councilor Dolphin moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the minutes of the February 11, 2020 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 Dolphin to approve the claims totaling $47,291.86. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the Consent Agenda thereby acknowledging the January Financial Report. Informational Presentations/Reports A. City Council Updates Councilor Moffatt stated that she met with State Senator John Marty to discuss the bonding bill which supports cities' infrastructure; they also discussed finding a permanent solution to financing transportation aid for cities under 5,000 population. Mayor Gaasch shared that she met with the new Metropolitan Council Chair, Charlie Zelle, at a Metro Cities meeting. Discussion/Action Items A. Front Yard Fence Regulations Butkowski said the City Council held its first discussion regarding front yard fence ordinance revisions on January 28. The City Council discussed the requirements of neighboring cities (Roseville, Falcon Heights, St. Anthony, Minneapolis, and St. Paul) as all allow for front yard LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 February 25, 2020 fences. The Council discussed the importance of creating standards to avoid inconsistent or arbitrary decision-making which would leave the City vulnerable to legal challenges. After the discussion, the Council directed staff to work with the city attorney on preparing the revised text for review at a future meeting. B. Future of Shared IT Services with the City of Roseville Butkowski explained that Lauderdale was the second city to enter into an IT services agreement with the City of Roseville and now about 35-40 organizations have done the same. This large group continues to operate via one-to-one agreements with the City of Roseville. The goal for many years has been to approve a joint powers agreement that would create a structure for the management of the organization. With the retirement of the Roseville employee that created this cooperative arrangement, it forced the need to reconsider the best method to structure and manage the organization. Cities have been asked to discuss the matter with their elective boards to see if they want to remain part of Metro-Inet. The Council determined that they would like to remain a member of the group as it provides cost-effective, high-value services to the City and our partner public safety agencies. C. Dark Fiber Lease Agreement with Comcast Business Communications, LLC During the most recent franchise agreement with Comcast, the City lost the use of fiber connection to City Hall for internet/data transmission to Roseville IT (although it is still used to transmit broadcasts to CTV). To maintain adequate internet access, the City entered into a "Managed Services" agreement with Comcast at a cost of $487.61 per month. Roseville IT has been in discussions with Comcast to go back to the fiber connection as it is better for transmitting our data to them. Roseville and Comcast worked out a new agreement for the use of the existing dark fiber that would save the City money. By adopting the Dark Fiber Lease Agreement that follows, the price per month would be $413.00. The contract lasts for five years. Councilor Dolphin made a motion to enter into the Dark Fiber Lease Agreement with Comcast Business Communications, LLC as presented. This was seconded by Councilor Dains and carried unanimously. Set Agenda for Next Meeting Administrator Butkowski stated that the March 10 council meeting may include a Ramsey County census update and a presentation from Real Estate Equities. Work Session A. Opportunity for the Public to Address the City Council LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 February 25, 2020 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 Butkowski mentioned that Real Estate Equities was scheduled to update the City Council at the next meeting on their financial plans that would allow them to move forward with the purchase of 1795 Eustis Street. Master Properties was scheduled to attend the March 24 council meeting to update the Council on their aspirations for the land they are purchasing from Luther Seminary. Councilor Dains and Butkowski met with the Roseville fire chief and assistant chief to get an update on their progress towards reorganizing the Falcon Heights Fire Department. A meeting with community members to design Skyview Park's improvements will be March 12 at 6:30 p.m. at City Hall. Adj ournment Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dolphin to adjourn the meeting at 6:25 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, Heather Butkowski City Administrator