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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/25/2022LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES L auderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street L auderdale, MN 55113 P age 1 of 3 October 25, 2022 Call to Order Mayor Gaasch called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. Roll Call Councilors present: Andi Moffatt, Duane Pulford, Jeff Dains, Roxanne Grove, 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 Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Pulford to approve the agenda. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any corrections to the minutes of the October 11, 2022 city council meeting. There being none, Councilor Moffatt moved and seconded by Councilor Grove to approve the minutes of the October 11, 2022 city council meeting. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Gaasch asked if there were any questions on the claims. There being none, Councilor Pulford moved and seconded by Councilor Grove to approve the claims totaling $84,846.40. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Councilor Grove moved and seconded by Councilor Pulford to approve the Consent Agenda thereby acknowledging the September financial report and approving the Larpenteur Avenue snow removal agreement with 8th Day Landscaping. Informational Presentations/Reports A. Halloween Event Assistant to the City Administrator Bownik shared a Halloween update. On Halloween night, candy and beverages will be available from 5-6 p.m. at City Hall. The City s event will compliment other festivities hosted by residents. Residents that register with City Hall will be added to the Lauderdale website to help parents plan for the night Volunteers are still needed to decorate and set-up at City Hall during the morning and afternoon of October 31. LAUDfi;RDALF, CITY COUNCIL MEFi,TING M1NUThS L auderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street L auderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 October 25, 2022 B . City Council Updates Mayor Gaasch shared that the League of Minnesota Cities Board of Directors adopted the policy recommendation prepared by committees. These policies provide the basis for the League's requests to the state legislature for the upcoming session. P ublic Hearings A. Speed Limits on Residential City Streets A month ago, the City Council began discussing its authority to change residential speed limits. Speeds can be reduced from 30 to 25 mph by resolution, and seduced from 30 to 20 mph, if warranted, based on a speed study. Now that city councils can change residential speed limits, the Council invited residents to provide feedback via a public hearing on the topic. Mayor Gaasch opened the floor to those in attendance interested in addressing the Council on this issue. Chris Bower, 1639 Rosehill Circle, advocated for a 20 -mph speed limit for a couple of reasons: 20 mph is the recommendation of the National Association of City Transportation Officials for minor streets with traffic counts of less than 6,000 cars per day; neighboring cities Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Falcon Heights moved to 20 mph; and the lack of sidewalks in Lauderdale. Robert Holthaus, 1631 Carl Street, inquired whether data existed to support the speed reduction. After discussing, the Council directed staff to prepare the resolution to change the speeds to 25 mph and bring back an engineering proposal for a traffic study to assess moving to 20 mph. Discussion/Action Item A. Resolution No. 102522A — Supporting Membership within the Carbon Free Future Minnesota Coalition Xcel l~nergy along with other utilities, are promoting their efforts to achieve carbon free energy by 2050. Part of this effort is asking likeminded businesses, government agencies, civic groups, and individuals to joint their Carbon Free Future Minnesota Coalition. After discussion, the Council decided more information was needed to decide on whether or not to participate in the coalition. Staff will request Xcel Energy staff present at a future meeting. • B . Community Park Retaining Wall Replacement Estimate B utkowski said finding a solution to fix the retaining wall at Community Park has been a challenge. Staff spoke with a few contractors with the intention of replacing the top row of caps. All of them warned against it because the condition of the other layers was poor and crumbling. Those contractors verbally estimated $40,000-$50,000 to replace the wall. LAUD F ,RDAL F CITY COUNCIL MN I ,TING M11\UTFA,S L auderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Stieet L auderdale, MN 55113 P age 3 of 3 October 25, 2022 Staff began talking to Matt Villella, a Lauderdale resident who owns a landscaping/ concrete company. He worked with staff to find a cost-effective replacement option. If approved, he plans to do the work this fall after his cement work is done for the season. Villella is offering a reasonable price compared to everything else we have found, and staff recommend approving the contract with the payment terms. Councilor Moffatt made a motion to approve the estimate from Select Concrete Services for the replacement of the retaining wall at Community Park. This was seconded by Councilor Dains and carried unanimously. Set Agenda for Next Meeting B utkowski stated that the November 15 council meeting might include canvassing of the 2022 election results, the quarterly investment report, the 2023 special/debt/capital improvement/ enterprise funds, a resolution for the 2023 election polling places, speed limit reduction options, and an update on the Carbon Free Future Minnesota Coalition. Work Session A. Community Development Update B utkowski shared that the City and St. Anthony are still searching to fill the forestry core position. She also said that absentee voting is ongoing at City Hall, and a timeframe for construction at 1795 liustis Street has been put on the City's website. B Opportunity for the Public to Address the City Council Mayor Gaasch opened the floor to those in attendance interested in addressing the Council. Robert Holthaus, 1631 hustis Street, mentioned some ideas to expand visibility for the houses participating in handing out treats on Halloween. There being nobody else interested in speaking, Mayor Gaasch closed the floor. Adjournment Councilor Dains moved and seconded by Councilor Pulford to adjourn the meeting at 7:48 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Respectfully submitted, 04- on Miles Cline Deputy City Clerk