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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/24/2014LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 4 June 24, 2014 Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Councilors present: Mary Gaasch, Denise Hawkinson, Lara Mac Lean, and Mayor Jeff Dains. Councilor Absent: Roxanne Grove. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator; and Kevin Kelly, Deputy City Clerk. Mayor Dains asked for changes to the meeting agenda. There being no changes, Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the agenda. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Hawkinson moved to approve the June 10, 2014 City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved approval of the claims totaling $38,698.48. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains asked if anyone wished to remove items from the Consent Agenda. The Mayor removed the June / July staffing proposal. Councilor Hawkinson moved approval of the remaining items including Resolution 062414A regarding fines for payable offenses, the May Financial Report, and City Park applications. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. The Mayor mentioned that two staff members might have overlapping leave due to the additions of new members to their families. Staff requested authorization to make short term hires to ensure better coverage of the office, if necessary. Councilor Hawkinson moved to permit the city administrator to hire temporary help in June and July at a rate not to exceed $25/hour. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Discussion Items Amendment to the Garbage and Refuse Ordinance Butkowski explained that she felt the clarity of the garbage ordinance could be improved. It requires weekly garbage service for obvious public health reasons but the ordinance doesn't clearly explain that the service has to be by one of the licensed haulers. In addition to that clarification, the amendment would allow residents to opt out of the weekly service requirement LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 4 June 24, 2014 if they demonstrate that they have another viable way to dispose of their garbage. This arrangement will help small and elderly households that have expressed an interest in sharing services with another household. Mayor Dains opened the public hearing at 7:40 p.m. No one addressed the Council and the public hearing closed at 7:41 p.m. The Council had no further questions or discussion. Councilor Hawkinson moved to adopt Ordinance 14-04 amending the Code of Ordinances regarding Garbage and Refuse. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski explained that annually the Council must decide whether to waive the monetary limits on municipal tort liability and purchase workers compensation insurance. Historically, the Council has not waived the tort liability limit and has saved money by selecting a $2,500 deductible for workers compensation insurance. Councilor Gaasch moved not to waive the monetary limits on municipal tort liability established by MS 466.04 and purchase workers' compensation insurance from the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust based on a $2,500 deductible. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Agenda items for the June 24 Council Meeting may include a discussion of the Larpenteur Avenue Sidewalk Project; the police contract renewal; and 2014 election judge appointments. 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. Historic Stone Frank Langer, owner of Historic Stone, addressed the Council. He stated his interest in putting a billboard on his property on the west side of TH280. As billboards currently aren't allowed in the City, the Council would need to amend the zoning ordinance to allow for that. Prior to making a formal zoning amendment change request, Langer asked for Council feedback on the concept of a 250 square foot digital sign. After further discussion with Langer, the general consensus of the Council was that they would not approve a digital sign but some expressed that they wouldn't oppose a static sign. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 4 June 24, 2014 Bank Qualified Conduit Debt Butkowski introduced Julie Eddington, Bond Counsel at Kennedy and Graven. She presented the Council information regarding bank qualified conduit debt as neighboring cities are looking for opportunities to partner with cities that don't use their annual $10,000,000 allowance. Eddington further explained to the Council that the City would be under no condition to repay the debt in case of default but cities receive compensation (in the neighborhood of I%) for assisting in projects. After answering the Council's questions, Eddington said she would prepare a draft policy for Council consideration at the next council meeting. Ramsey County Economic Prosperity Report, Ryan O'Connor County Commissioner Mary Jo McGuire introduced Ryan O'Connor, Policy and Planning Director for Ramsey County. She explained that the County Board had been ambitiously learning about and working towards policies to eliminate concentrated areas of poverty and cultivate economic prosperity. O'Connor continued on this these talking points by addressing the ways in which Ramsey County was addressing challenges unique to the most diverse county in the state. Sidetivalk Maintenance Policy Butkowski said staff is beginning to look at snow removal options for Larpenteur Avenue after the sidewalk is completed this fall. Based on feedback from the single family homeowners on Larpenteur Avenue, the Council expressed interest in removing snow from the front of those homes. In the long run, staff said the Council could consider working with the rest of the corridor on a unified snow removal option but that would take additional time to coordinate as a special service district would need to be created. Staff drafted a sidewalk maintenance policy for Council consideration. The policy indicates that the City will take care of aspects of snow removal. This will be done by staff, when possible, with the rest performed by a contractor. Councilor Gaasch moved to adopt the Sidewalk Maintenance Policy as presented. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Community Development Update Staff has been spending a significant amount of time working on the Luther Seminary platting process. It is anticipated that it will come before the Council in August. There being no further business on the council agenda, Councilor Hawkinson moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 4 Respectfully submitted, I ��� u4u - 1w Heather Butkowski City Administrator June 24, 2014