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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/24/2015LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 3 March 24, 2015 Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:31 p.m. Councilors present: Mary Gaasch, Roxanne Grove, Lara Mac Lean, and Mayor Jeff Dains. Councilors Absent: Denise Hawkinson. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant City Administrator; Dave Hinrichs, Public Works Coordinator; and Kevin Kelly, Deputy City Clerk. Mayor Dains asked for changes to the meeting agenda. There being none, Councilor Gaasch moved to approve the agenda. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Grove moved to approve the March 10, 2015, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Gaasch moved approval of the claims totaling $20,625.44. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains asked if any Councilors wished to remove items from the Consent Agenda. There being none, Councilor Grove moved to acknowledge the February Financial Report and PCIC minutes; approve of the sale of miscellaneous items; and select Mike McPhillips, Inc. as the 2015 street sweeping contractor. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Informational Presentations: Audit Presentation, Andy Berg, Abdo, Eick and Meyers Berg gave the City a qualified or clean opinion regarding the 2014 Audit. The only deficiency Berg is that Abdo, Eick and Meyers prepares the City's financial statements as the staff are unable to do so. Berg stated that the City's financial position is strong. The City expenditures were under budget for 2014 with revenue up slightly. When the General Fund balance at year end exceeds 60% of the next year's operating expenses, the City transfers the excess to capital improvement funds. This year, $25,018 was deposited into Fund 402. Berg also pointed out that the City made the final bond payment for the 2000-2004 street improvement projects. The agenda for the next meeting will include the Legislative Update with Senator John Marty and Representative Alice Hausman and a resident request for a permit to keep more than 12 hen chickens. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 March 24, 2015 Work Session: Mayor Dains explained that the Council was moving into the Work Session. Work Sessions are a continuation of the meeting but not aired on community television. Mayor Dains asked if anyone wished to address the Council. No one came forward. Discussion with David Lawrence regarding 2430 Larpenteur Avenue Lawrence presented his ideas on building a coffee shop at 2430 Larpenteur (city -owned site). Lawrence owned a coffee shop in Falcon Heights for 12 years and stated he has done research on the Lauderdale area and believes it would support a coffee shop. Lawrence's idea was to house the coffee shop in a yurt. City Council members asked questions related to how yurts are constructed and whether he was looking to purchase the property. They thanked him for coming to the meeting. Mayor Dains called for a break at 8:24 p.m. The Council meeting resumed at 8:30 p.m. Hazardous Buildings Ordinance, Discussion with City Attorney Ron Batty Butkowski presented to the Council a presentation of properties that are looking "tired" or are very small by modern standards as a follow up to the previous meeting's discussion of nuisance code issues related to building maintenance. City Attorney Batty described the Hazardous Building statute found in state lay. He said the City can issue repair orders for properties that are a significant fire or safety hazard. When owners don't comply, the City can get permission from the courts to repair or tear down structures. Batty looked at the presentation and stated he didn't believe the properties shown met the standards for hazardous buildings. He then explained that some cities purchase properties similar to those shown. For example, he discussed the City of Robbinsdale which has a long-standing program to purchase distressed properties with TIF funds. Mayor Dains called for a break at 9:30. The meeting resumed at 9:31. Planning for Staffing Changes Butkowski stated the public works maintenance job description was updated and is ready for Council approval. She also presented the Council with a timeline for the hiring process. Councilors Gaasch and Mac Lean volunteered to help interview candidates. Councilor Gaasch moved to approve the updated public works maintenance job description. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 2015 Capital Improvement Projects Update Butkowski said the Council budgeted for the seal coating project in 2015. Based on a variety of factors, including the condition of the road, staff suggested the City wait on the seal coating LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 551.13 Page 3 of 3 March 24, 2015 project until 2016 but continue with plans for alley repairs and improving the two Community Park parking lots in 2015. The Council expressed no objections to this plan. Butkowski said the City occasionally gets requests from residents who would like unimproved alleys to be paved. As the City will be contracting for paving work in 2015 and 2016, it would be the time to consider alley improvements. If the Council was interested, staff could ask residents adjacent to unimproved alleys if they would like to see them improved. There are three partially paved alleys in the City which the City could connect for through traffic. The Councilors said they would take it into consideration. Community Development Update The Council discussed the 2430 Larpenteur property and concluded they will continue to hold it for the right opportunity. They also will have a subcommittee of the Council meet with interested parties in the future. There being no further business on the council agenda, Councilor Gaasch moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, AA'tc Z( Heather Butkowski City Administrator