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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/23/2012— LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 4 October 23, 2012 Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:32 p.m. Councilors present: Mary Gaasch, Roxanne Grove, Denise Hawkinson, Lara Mac Lean, and Mayor Jeff Dains. 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. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the agenda. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Gaasch moved to approve the October 9, 2012, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Hawkinson moved approval of the claims totaling $24,914.22. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Grove moved to approve the consent agenda acknowledging the September finances and the PCIC Minutes. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Informational Presentations/Reports: Halloween Party Bownik presented on the annual Halloween Party at City Hall. The Party lasts from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on October 31. As in years past, food and beverages will be available along with trick -or - treat bags, a maze, and a photo slide show of past Halloween events. The City has received many generous cash and candy donations for the Party. Winter Parking Restrictions on Eustis Street Butkowski stated the Ramsey County Sign Shop will install posts/signs into the frozen ground if a parking ban needs to take effect. The Council discussed whether the County would be able to do that in a timely fashion. Butkowski will raise the issue with County staff. Sustainability Workshop Report No Councilor or resident from the City was able to attend the workshop on October 11. The next Sustainability Workshop is scheduled for November 1 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Silverwood Park in St. Anthony. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 4 October 23, 2012 Discussion. Items: Ordinance 5-9 Regarding Background Checks for City Employment Currently, there is no ordinance in place which would allow the St. Anthony Police Department (SAPD) to conduct background checks for the City. The draft ordinance is based on a model developed by the League of Minnesota Cities. The City of St. Anthony is updating their ordinance using the same model. Councilor Grove moved to adopt Ordinance 5-9 Regarding Criminal History Background Checks for Applicants for City Employment. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Ordinance 1-5 Regarding Mayor and City Council Compensation Council member compensation has not increased since 2002. Butkowski supplied the Council with comparative compensation data from small metro area cities. The Council settled upon a $600.00 yearly increase for council members and a $900.00 increase for the mayor. The new compensation will take effect January 1, 2013. Councilor compensation will be $3,000.00 annually; mayoral compensation will be $4,500.00 annually. Councilor Mac Lean moved to adopt Ordinance 1-5 Regarding Mayor and City Council Compensation. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. City Logo Revisions The Council debated different design features for the logo. Butkowski suggested inviting Colleen Dolphin to the next meeting so the Council can provide her input on the design. Bench Swing Donation. A family in Lauderdale is willing to donate a handmade bench swing to the City. The park committee recommended accepting the donation. The Council suggested placing the bench swing at Skyview Park. The City is responsible for maintaining the bench swing after it comes into the City's possession. The Council thanked the anonymous donor for the generous gift. Councilor Mac Lean moved to accept the bench swing and place it at Skyview Park. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion. It passed with Councilors Gaasch, Mac Lean, Grove, and Mayor Dains voting yea and Councilor Hawkinson voting nea. Additional Street Lighting Request Increasing the number of street lights in the City was discussed during the October 4 community meeting regarding the recent fires. Butkowski said Xcel Energy will add lights to existing polls at the Council's request. There would be no upfront costs, just the additional monthly cost per LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 4 October 23, 2012 light. The current monthly cost per street light is about thirteen dollars. The Council suggested getting resident input on the locations for new lights. Butkowski will contact Chief Ohl for his perspective on adding street lights as well. Grant Application for Sanitary Sewer Lining Project to Correct Issues Related to Inflow and Infiltration The Council had discussed the matter previously and had no further guidance for staff. Councilor Mac Lean moved to adopt Resolution 102312A Authorizing Application for the 2012 Municipal Infiltration and Inflow Grant Program. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. TIF Fund Project Options Update Butkowski contacted Xcel Energy. Their engineers will evaluate whether they are able to move the electric utility line to the east side of Eustis Street south of Larpenteur Avenue to make room for a sidewalk on the west side of Eustis Street. Xcel will contact Butkowski within the next couple of months to discuss the options available. Agenda items for the November 13 council meeting will be establishing utility rates for 2013 and a new billing agreement with St. Paul Regional Water Services. There have been more incidents with the renters and others at 1954 Malvern Street since the Public Hearing. The owner provided the tenants with notice that they have to leave by November 30. Butkowski will send out notice of a public hearing on the property, if warranted, for the November 13 council meeting. 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. The Mayor asked if anyone present wished to address the Council. No one present addressed the Council. Recycling Rates for 2013 Bownik stated the city's recycling contract with Eureka! Recycling ends in 2013. Discussions are underway with Ramsey County to determine how the City will increase recycling rates to meet the new mandates imposed by the state. Any proposed change to our recycling service will need to be reflected in the new recycling contract. Recycling pick up currently costs each household $2.45 per month. Of the items collected, the City receives 50% of revenue generated by the paper and aluminum which is recycled in the City. The revenue sharing continues to keep LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 4 October 23, 2012 the recycling fund balance at a healthy level. Bownik did not suggest raising the recycling rates for 2013. The Council discussed including a community clean-up component in the next recycling contract. The discussion focused on "bulkies" which can be hard for residents to recycling. Staff will be working with the County to get additional funding for new recycling services. There being no further business on the council agenda, Councilor Hawkinson moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:17 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kevin Kelly Deputy City Clerk