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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/22/2013LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 4 January 22, 2013 Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:34 p.m. Councilors present: Mary Gaasch, Roxanne Grove, Lara Mac Lean, and Mayor Jeff Dains. Councilor absent: Denise Hawkinson. 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. The Mayor added the upcoming Ramsey County League of Local Governments meeting and a meeting with local children regarding the old trolley path. Councilor Grove moved to approve the amended agenda. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Gaasch moved to approve the January 8, 2013, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Grove moved approval of the claims totaling $31,437.28. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved to acknowledge the finances from December. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Informational Presentation: Legislative Update with State Representative Alice Hausman Representative Hausman mentioned the recently released budget by the Governor was a starting point in prioritizing spending. Hausman said the legislative session will end on time and the budget will not use gimmicks to get it to balance. She said there are many requests for funding and they can't all be addressed in one budget cycle. Hausman said transit is a priority to her as it has been underfunded and the metro area is at a competitive disadvantage to other metro areas in the United States which have moved more aggressively on transit. Councilor Mac Lean asked about local government aid (LGA) funding priorities. Hausman stated she was not sure of the Governor's stance but the legislature is in favor of restoring LGA funding. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 4 January 22, 2013 Mayor Dains remarked there were few north/south transit projects in Ramsey County. Hausman said Snelling Avenue is likely to be improved. The Met Council is planning to establish a bus rapid transit route with service every seven minutes. Residents asked about transit options which are less expensive than light rail transit (LRT). Hausman agreed that other transportation options must be involved to improve transit. She stated LRT does spur development along the rail lines and builds population density. Hausman stated people are looking to live in the inner core of the metro and outer suburbs are seeing development at a standstill. The Council took a break at 8:15 p.m. at the conclusion of Representative Hausman's presentation. The council meeting resumed at 8:20 p.m. Public Hearing: Rental Housing Ordinance Butkowski provided the Council with text detailing the grammatical changes that had been made since the packets were sent to them. The ordinance also included the Crime Free Housing provisions the Council had recommended at the last meeting. The ordinance also requires owners to provide tenants with 30 days notice if they do not intent to renew their license. Mayor Dains opened the Public Hearing to address the Rental Housing Ordinance at 8:25 p.m. Don Vandenberg of 1737 Fulham Street asked whether the City required property owners to conduct background checks on prospective tenants. Butkowski explained that the City did not require background checks. Vandenberg asked if a property was considered a rental property if the owner let someone live there without paying rent. Butkowski explained that money did not have to change hands for a property to be considered rented. Mayor Dains closed the Public Hearing at 8:30 p.m. Discussion. Items: Rental Housing License Provisions Ordinance Councilor Mac Lean moved to adopt the Rental Housing License Provisions Ordinance. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Resolution. 012213A — Resolution Authorizing Publication of Ordinance No. 13-01 by Title and Summary LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 4 January 22, 2013 Butkowski noted that the rental housing ordinance was 19 pages long. State law allows for publication by title and summary in the case of lengthy revisions. The Council must approve publication by title and summary by resolution. Councilor Gaasch moved to approve Resolution 012213A — Resolution Authorizing Publication of Ordinance No. 13-01 by Title and Summary. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains asked for a motion to stay the meeting and go into the work session. Councilor Mac Lean moved to stay the meeting and go into work session. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains explained the Council was moving into the work session. Work sessions are a continuation of the meeting but not aired on community television. Work Session: Animal Control Ordinance Discussion. — Poulhy and Other Fowl Mayor Dains opened up the floor for a community conversation on the Animal Control Ordinance and specifically the keeping of poultry and other fowl. A number of residents that keep poultry addressed the Council. They made recommendations to the Council on the creation of a "chicken" ordinance. The residents and the Council discussed the general care of poultry, what may be an appropriate number of chickens for each property, the slaughter of the animals, and the keeping of roosters. Mayor Dains closed the work session and the meeting resumed with the additional discussion items. Additional Items: Mayor Dains received an email from St. Anthony Park school children. They were concerned about the graffiti along the trolley path near "the Grove." A meeting is scheduled for January 23 to discuss the children's idea to clean up the area and address the graffiti. Butkowski will follow up as no Council Members are able to attend. Mayor Dains inquired of the other Councilors if they planned to attend the Ramsey County League of Local Government meeting on January 24. Councilor Grove expressed interest. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 4 January 22, 2013 The Council discussed touring the St. Anthony Police Department and the Falcon Heights Fire Department. Butkowski said both chiefs looked forward to the tours. Butkowski will schedule the events closer to spring. Agenda items for the February 12 council meeting include discussions of the collateral pledged by the City's bank; business licenses approvals; St. Paul Regional Water Service Billing Agreement; and City Planner Paul Bilotta. Paul Bilotta will update the Council on his recent meetings with the Corval Group and Croix Oil. Councilor Grove questioned the status of the municipal liquor store and the Eustis Street sidewalk. These items will be discussed at the next council meeting. There being no further business on the council agenda, Councilor Grove moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:56 p.m. Respectfully submitted, /<-7. C Kevin Kelly Deputy City Clerk