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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/27/2020LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES HELD REMOTELY VIA TELECONFERENCE Page 1 of 3 October 27, 2020 Call to Order Mayor Gaasch called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:01 p.m. Roll Call Councilors present: Andi Moffatt, Jeff Dains, Roxanne Grove, and Mayor Mary Gaasch. Councilor absent: Kelly Dolphin. 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 Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the agenda. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of the October 13, 2020 city council meeting. There being none, Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the minutes of the October 13, 2020 city council meeting. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any questions on the claims. There being none, Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Moffatt to approve the claims totaling $194,657.58. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Consent Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the Consent Agenda thereby approving Resolution No. 102720A — Accepting 2021 SCORE Funding from Ramsey County for the Lauderdale Recycling Program; Resolution No. 102720B — Electing to Participate in the Local Housing Incentives Account Program under the Metropolitan Livable Communities Act Years 2021-2030; the agreement with AEM Financial Solutions for audit preparation assistance; the agreement with 8th Day Landscaping for snow removal services; the agreement with OPG -3 for software integration; and acknowledging the September Financial Report and Third Quarter Investment Report. Informational Presentations/Reports A. Update on Street Racing Patrol Butkowski shared that State Patrol, the Ramsey County Sheriff's office, and neighboring public safety agencies have been more aggressively policing street racers. Councilor Dains called State Senator John Marty and discussed the matter with State Representative Alice Hausman about garnering more resources to combat this problem. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES HELD REMOTELY VIA TELECONFERENCE Page 2 of 3 October 27, 2020 B. City Council Updates Mayor Gaasch thanked the Lauderdale residents organizing the Halloween party and coat drive this year, and mentioned that they are still accepting donations. Councilor Dains said good weather was projected for Halloween so he was hopeful kids would be able to enjoy events outside. He confirmed that Doug Cook, the Outreach Coordinator for Metro Transit, would attend a council meeting in the near future. Councilor Moffatt mentioned that Ramsey County, in partnership with the state of Minnesota, was offering free, no -barrier COVID testing for both nasal and saliva samples. Discussion/Action Item A. Discussion with Tobacco License Holder regarding City Code Butkowski mentioned that in January the Council adopted an interim ordinance to put a pause on the issuance of new tobacco licenses. One reason for the interim ordinance was to provide time to update city code to reflect the changes in state and federal law. The second reason was to address the interest of existing tobacco license holders to open tobacco shops in order to sell a broader selection of flavored tobacco products. Staff notified Tony Rammer of Lauderdale BP and Edison Siouffy of SuperUSA about the meeting so they could address the Council regarding their interest in opening tobacco shops or restoring the sale of menthol cigarettes. Tony Rammer of Lauderdale BP shared his thoughts on tobacco sales from his store. He said youth are not their base customers and he doesn't oppose the T21 measures. They lost significant sales with the menthol cigarette ban which they would like to be able to sell again. The Council decided to continue the conversation regarding flavored tobacco and tobacco shops at the next meeting and asked staff to invite Katie Engman from the Association for Nonsmokers -Minnesota for an update. B. 2021 Preliminary Fund Budget Staff began drafted the 2021 fund budgets. Administrator Butkowski did a quick walk through during the meeting to comment on the preliminary numbers. A revised version with planned capital improvements will be presented at the next meeting. C. Resolution No. 102720C — Approving Establishment of the COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program At the previous meeting, the Council discussed establishing a small business grant program to help Lauderdale businesses adversely impacted by the pandemic. The Council supported this idea, and staff prepared a program with the assistance of the city attorney and auditor. Businesses will be notified of the grant opportunity and will have a week to submit applications. The LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES HELD REMOTELY VIA TELECONFERENCE Page 3 of 3 October 27, 2020 resolution authorizes staff to enter into the grant agreements and issue payments to qualified businesses. Councilor Moffatt made a motion to adopt Resolution No. 102720C—Approving Establishment of the COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program. This was seconded by Councilor Dains and carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Set Agenda for Next Meeting The November 10 Council meeting may include the 2021 fund budget, tobacco ordinance study and revisions, and discussion of Real Estate Equities' Stage 3 PUD application. Work Session A. Community Development Update Butkowski stated that City Hall is open for early voting Monday -Friday from 8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Mayor Gaasch added that city council meeting times have been changed from 7:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. for the remainder of the year. C. Opportunity for the Public to Address the City Council Mayor Gaasch opened up the floor to anyone in attendance interested in addressing the Council. Duane Pulford, 1757 Eustis Street, said he agrees that unused CARES money should be spent on law enforcement. He asked about recent tree removal in the City. There being no additional people interested in speaking, Mayor Gaasch closed the floor. Adj ournment Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to adjourn the meeting at 8:11 p.m. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Respectfully submitted, Miles Cline Deputy City Clerk