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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/14/2021LAUDhRDALh CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTFi,S H-h,LD REMOTELY VIA T I-i,L l i,CONT FiREN C Page 1 of 3 April 14, 2021 Call to Order Mayor Gaasch called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll Call Councilors present: Roxanne Grove, Jeff Dains, Duane Pulford, Andi Moffatt, and Mayor Mary Gaasch. 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. Butkowski asked to add the Grounds Services Agreement with Joe Sax Lawn Service to Additional Items. Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Pulford to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any corrections to the March 23, 2021 city council meeting minutes. Theie being none, Councilor Grove moved and seconded by Counciloi Pulford to approve the minutes of the March 23, 2021 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 Pulford moved and seconded by Councilor Dains to approve the claims totaling $108,896.52. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Consent Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Grove to approve the Consent Agenda thereby approving the 2021 garbage hauler licenses and acknowledging the February financial report. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Informational Presentations/Reports A. City Council Updates Mayor Gaasch spoke to the Ramsey County League of Local Governments initiative on mental health awareness which is of utmost importance right now. Gaasch continued to say that she attended a Regional Council of Mayors meeting dealing with racial equity in cities. Discussion/Action Item A. Develop Plans for and Authorize Bidding on the 2021 Seal Coating Project The Council authorized the city engineer to bid the sewer lining project and the bids carne back higher than expected. The preliminary understanding was that lining materials were impacted by the Texas storms. The City has 60 -days to decide whether to award the project. Staff are waiting for other projects to be bid to see if the outcome is the same. The shortages are expected to be short- term. If that is the case, we may iebid the project and push back implementation to fall/winter. LAUDhRDALE CITY COUNCIL MF,ETING MINUTF,S HELD REMOTELY VIA TF,LF,CONFF,RENCF, Page 2 of 3 April 14, 2021 However, seal coating bids were coming in better than expected. The spring thaw shows that the streets need patching and a new wear surface. The city engineer outlined the process and timeframe for the work. The Council may authorize the design, approval of plans, and the bidding process, with bids due May 19 for summer construction. The funds for the pioject are in the Street Project Fund (Fund 403) but would be augmented by the allocation of excess General Fund money to the Street Fund. Councilor Pulford made a motion to approve the plans and authorize bidding of the 2021 seal coating project. This was seconded by Councilor Dains and carried unanimously on a roll call vote. B. Renewal of Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System (MS4) Permit Staff reviewed the draft MS4 Permit completed by storm water engineers at Stantec. Staff will submit to the MPCA by the April 15 deadhne. C. Resolution No. 041321A — Depositing Excess Unreserved Fund Balance in the Street Improvement Fund The City has "excess" funds in the general fund at year end relative to the 2021 operating budget. This hasn't happened since 2016 and is the result of a variety of factors related to Covid-19. We had more expenses in some ways and less in others. Historically, the City Council has transferred this money to capital improvement funds. This has been the primary tool for saving foi capital projects and purchases. The resolution transfers the funds to Fund 403, the Street Project Fund to help pay foi the proposed seal coating project this year. Councilor Pulford made a motion to adopt Resolution 041321A - A Resolution Depositing the hxcess Unreserved Fund Balance in Capital Improvement Funds. This was seconded by Councilor Dains and carried unanimously on a roll call vote. D. Goal Setting for 2021-2022 Due to the pandemic, Council and staff did not track progress in meeting objectives we set for ourselves in 2020. As we close the books on last year, and begin to receive information on the oppoitunities and obligations of the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), staff believe it's time to revisit those goals. In spite of COVID-19, a number of priority projects were completed. Some items are on-going and left on our list to spark discussion. Some items are daunting to undertake on a small budget but the new ARPA might allow us to get over that hurdle. Council and staff worked thiough the list and added to it. A final copy will be distributed. Additional Items A. Grounds Services Agreement with Joe Sax Lawn Service LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES HELD REMOTELY VIA TELECONFERENCE Page 3 of 3 April 14, 2021 Staff received pricing information from Joe Sax for grounds services this summer. Last year Joe Sax and Stn Day Landscaping did finish work for us. This year, staff want to bring that under one contract. This contract, in part, makes up for not hiring seasonal staff. Councilor Pulford made a motion to approve the contracting agreement with Joe Sax Lawn Service to perform grounds services in 2021. This was seconded by Councilor Moffatt and carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Set Agenda for Next Meeting The April 28 council meeting may include the March financial report, the quarterly investment report, public works management software, an audit presentation by Abdo, Eick, and Meyers, and the 2020 annual report from Police Chief Mangseth. Work Session A. Community Development Update Butkowski stated that the follow-up vaccination clinic took place at City Hall on April 12, street sweeping will take place at the end of April, Rich Hinrichs is performing restoration work on the baseball fields in the Community Park, and staff are waiting for the list of Lauderdale high school graduates so we can recognize them as we did last year. B. Opportunity for the Public to Address the City Council Mayor Gaasch opened up the floor to anyone in attendance interested in addressing the Council. There being no people interested in speaking, Mayor Gaasch closed the floor. Adj ournment Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Grove to adjourn the meeting at 8:14 p.m. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Respectfully submitted, Miles Cline Deputy City Clerk