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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/12/2011LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 3 July 12, 2011 Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Councilors present: Roxanne Grove, Mary Gaasch, Denise Hawkinson, Lara Mac Lean, and Mayor Jeff Dains. Councilors absent: none. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator. Mayor Dains asked for changes to the meeting agenda. Ron Helgeson asked to address the Council. His request was added as the first discussion item. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the agenda as amended. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Grove moved to approve the June 28, 2011, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Gaasch moved approval of the claims totaling $77,020.94. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains asked if councilors wished to remove items from the consent agenda. Councilor Hawkinson removed the roof repair quote. Councilor Mac Lean moved the remaining consent agenda items: 2011 HVAC license and Councilor Gaasch's participation at the National League of Cities Conference. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Ron Helgeson, 1821 Eustis Street, addressed the Council. He said he would like to pave his gravel driveway but the current ordinance doesn't allow it. The ordinance states he must park in the rear or side yard but the location of his house on his lot won't allow for that. The Council determined the layout of his lot created a hardship and that he should be allowed to pave a parking pad in his front yard. Councilor Mac Lean moved to allow Ron Helgeson, owner of 1821 Eustis Street, to pave his front yard 32 feet from the curb and 18 feet wide with the stipulation he can't build a garage or park in the back without removing the front yard parking. This is being allowed because he is unable to comply with the existing ordinance. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Bonestroo drafted a Livable Communities grant application with staff's assistance. The attached resolution showing council support is needed to complete the application. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 Councilor Gaasch moved to adopt Resolution 071211A — A Resolution Identifying the Need for Livable Communities Demonstration Account Funding and Authorizing an Application for Grant Funds. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Previous city employee, Dan Olson, asked if the City needed a temporary employee until the City is able to make personnel decisions after the state budget is resolved. He worked for the City between 1996 and 2000. He is a planner by background and the City can make use of his skills to complete the zoning ordinance revisions. His employment would be through August 31. Councilor Hawkinson moved to hire Dan Olson for the temporary zoning assistant position as presented in the memo. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. City attorney, Ron Batty, drafted a memo defining the City's authority to establish a municipal liquor store. Mayor Dains asked whether the City could close a store at its discretion or only if the store wasn't profitable. Butkowski said the Council has the authority to close a municipal store at its discretion. The City's insurance renewal date is August 1. Each year the Council must decide whether it plans to waive the monetary limit on municipal tort liability and purchase workers compensation insurance. Councilor Mac Lean moved to purchase workers compensation insurance from the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust based on a $2,500 deductible and not waive the monetary limits on municipal tort liability established by M.S. 466.04. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. The Council discussed the roof repair quote removed from the consent agenda. The Councilors asked about future replacement costs and the anticipated remaining life expectancy of the current roof. Staff will get the information and provide it to the Council at a future meeting. Councilor Hawkinson moved to authorize Sela Roofing to make roof repairs at a price not to exceed $1,200. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed with Councilors Gaasch and Hawkinson and Mayor Dains voting yea and Councilors Grove and Mac Lean voting nay. Butkowski reviewed the preliminary agenda for the next meeting, which included parking ordinance revisions and the field improvement agreement with Roseville Area Youth Baseball. Mayor Dains explained the Council was moving into the work session. Work sessions are a continuation of the meetings but not aired on community television. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 The Mayor asked if anyone present wished to address the Council. No one present wished to do SO. Butkowski prepared a memo highlighting questions to consider before meeting with Ramsey County staff again regarding Eustis Street. She suggested televising the sanitary sewer line to assess their condition before the meeting as it will have an impact on the urgency in which improvements need to be made. She also asked whether any condition other than a full reconstruction was acceptable to the Council. Finally, she asked what parking and walkability concerns the Council was interested in addressing. The Council discussed the difficulty in getting Ramsey County to reconstruct the road before turning it back and the expense to take back the road in a time of declining revenue. The Council spent time discussing Eustis Street parking, especially the narrowing of parking lanes during the winter. Consideration was given to selecting a side to park on and when parking restrictions should be in effect. Staff will send a letter to Eustis Street residents in the upcoming weeks for feedback. The Ramsey County Board of Commissioners asked the Council to support the county -wide sales tax to construct a new stadium for the Minnesota Vikings. They were also asked to oppose the sales tax by St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman. The council members are generally opposed to the concept of public funding for stadiums but opted not to support either request at this time. 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 9:18 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Heather Butkowski City Administrator