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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/24/2011LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 4 May 24, 2011 Councilors Gaasch and Grove, County Commissioner Jan Parker, County Engineer Joe Lux, Aide to Commissioner Parker Sara Merz, and Lauderdale City Administrator Heather Butkowski met prior to the meeting to discuss the condition of Eustis Street. The County offered to mill and overlay Eustis Street prior to a turn back. The group discussed whether pedestrian accommodations on Eustis Street south of Laipenteur could be improved but coming up with an improvement plan was difficult with electrical polls along both sides of the street. Butkowski will contact Xcel Energy to find out why the system was designed that way and if there are plans to change it. The council members returned to City Hall for the regularly scheduled meeting. Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Councilors present: Mary Gaasch, Roxanne Grove, 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. Butkowski added a summary of the upcoming Music under the Trees events and the date change of the Luther Seminary 5K run. Mayor Dains added a discussion of cats at -large in the City. Councilor Hawkinson moved to approve the agenda as amended. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the May 10, 2011, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Hawkinson moved approval of the claims totaling $19,041.55. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains asked if councilors wished to remove items from the consent agenda. There being no one, Councilor Gaasch moved the consent agenda items: a HVAC license and April 2011 finances. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. County Commissioner Jan Parker addressed the Council. She started by discussing County plans to reduce each department's budget by 6% for 2012 and another 6% in 2013. This is the goal in spite of continuing unfunded mandates. There was a follow up discussion on pedestrian safety on Eustis Street south of Larpenteur Avenue. Joe Lux, county engineer, said it may be difficult to come up with a sidewalk design LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 4 due to the slope and the electrical poles on each side of the street. Butkowski will follow up with Xcel Energy with regard to the power lines. Parker also noted the County's efforts to increase recycling by 5-8% to meet the goal established by the Pollution Control Agency. She encouraged county residents to use the hazardous waste sites, including the mobile sites. She also reported that Ramsey County has more volunteers than employees. She expressed gratitude for their efforts and said more volunteers will be needed to ease the pain of the budget crunch. Parker also highlighted the increasing use of the county libraries. She said the Roseville Library sees 271 visitors every hour. While the library in Arden Hills is closing, a satellite library is opening in New Brighton, which will save $100,000 per year. Finally, she noted that the county board approved Lauderdale's request for funding to replace the remaining playground equipment. The Council thanked her for the grant and all of her efforts. The Council took a break from 8:20 to 8:28 p.m. Butkowski said Ramsey County was asking cities to support their effort to keep Ramsey County in one congressional district. The resolution provided addressed the Commissioners' concerns. Councilor Gaasch moved to adopt Resolution 052411A — A Resolution in Support of Ramsey County Congressional Redistricting Efforts. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Staff prepared a list of improvements for Skyview Park, should the Council be interested in funding them. Bike racks and a recycling bin were provided by grants. Staff will order the signage presented. Other items ranging from a park path to fencing are discretionary. Councilor Gaasch expressed an interest in fencing along the north side of the park to keep park users from disrupting the neighbor's property. The Council opted to discuss the items further during the 2012 budget meetings. Councilor Hawkinson moved to name the park at Ione and Walnut Streets Skyview Park. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously on a voice vote. Bownik said the next Music under the Trees event featuring the Fairlanes would be held on Monday, June 13. Hamline Autobody is sponsoring the music for the summer events again this year. Schwan's is also providing frozen treats. Schwan's will sell their products in the park on the days of the events with a portion of the profits going to support the park. Mention the campaign number 34632 on pre -orders. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 4 Luther Seminary's 5K run was cancelled due to Sunday's storm. They asked to reschedule the event for Wednesday, May 25. A copy of the amended agreement was provided to the Council. Councilor Hawkinson moved to allow Luther Seminary to hold the 5K run/walk on May 25, 2011 as described in the addendum. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains said he has received numerous complaints regarding cats -at -large as they tend to be very destructive. Owners were reminded that city ordinance treats dogs and cats the same; they must be restricted to the owner's property or on leashes when off the owner's property. Councilor Mac Lean encouraged everyone to be good community members. Mayor Dains asked staff to invite Senator Marty and Representative Greiling to an upcoming council meeting to report on what happened during the session. Butkowski reviewed the preliminary agenda for the next meeting, which included a park reservation fee structure, proposal by the city engineer to complete pond mapping requirements, draft agreement with Roseville Youth Baseball Association, parking ordinance revisions, and the July 26 visit by County Attorney John. Choi. Mayor Dains explained the Council was moving into the work session at 8:52 p.m. Work sessions are a continuation of the meetings but not aired on community television. Mayor Dains asked if anyone in attendance wished to address the Council. Anne Fieder, 1698 Eustis Street, addressed the Council. She was concerned that the proposed municipal liquor store and zoning ordinance would change the character of the community. She does not want Lauderdale to incorporate with another city, but she asked the Council to carefully consider the location of a municipal liquor store and give special consideration to those that live within a block of Larpenteur Avenue. The Council explained to those present the previous discussions of the Council and efforts to evaluate the impact of a municipal liquor store and whether one would be worth the effort. City consultant, Paul Bilotta, addressed the Council. He said the current conversation showed the level of complexity not only of determining whether and where to establish a municipal liquor store but also the future of the Larpenteur Avenue corridor. Bilotta told the Council the City would be a strong candidate for a Livable Communities grant with the goal of bringing the community together to create a vision for the Larpenteur Avenue Corridor. The grant has a matching portion. Bonestroo said they would prepare the grant application with staff at no cost. The Council directed staff to work with Bonestroo on the application. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 4 The legislative session ended with no resolution on the future of local government aid but a decision regarding the police contract must be made by June 15. Staff presented options to the Council ranging from accepting the two year proposal to establishing a dollar amount for services that the Council can commit to in spite of the uncertainty. The Council directed staff to notify St. Anthony of the interest in a one-year agreement continuing 24-hour patrol. Cuts beyond those anticipate would require the City to use reserves to cover the cost. The final decision will be made at the June 14 council meeting. 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 10:12 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Heather Butkowski City Administrator