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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05/11/2010LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 3 May 11, 2010 The Mayor called the City Council meeting to order at 7:30 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. Mayor Dains added a work session item to discuss the council's schedule. Butkowski added a status report on the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding the City applied for. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the agenda as amended. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Gaasch moved to approve the April 27, 2010, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Hawkinson moved approval of the claims totaling $75,694.57. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains asked if members of the public wished to address the Council. Dennis Gilbertson introduced himself as a member of Peace Lutheran Church. He said the church received an urban farming grant through Triscuit. As a result, church members are planting 400 square feet of garden for use by the community. Every Monday, produce will be left on a table at the church for the community to use. Other gardeners with excess produce may also share what they grow there. The church members also plan to host gardening and food preservation classes for the community. The Council thanked them for their efforts. Mayor Dains asked if councilors wished to remove items from the consent agenda. There being no one, Councilor Mac Lean moved the consent agenda items approving 2010 business licenses and three applications for use of the City Park. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Chief John Ohl and Officer Tresse Sunde informed the Council that four Lauderdale residents or employees of Lauderdale businesses had completed this year's Citizen's Academy. They expressed their gratitude to the participants for their commitment to learning about the police profession. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 Participants Jodi Steffen and John Nordin addressed those present. They thanked the officers for the effort and energy they committed to the class. Officer Sunde presented certificates to Jodi Steffen, John Nordin, Kendra Kauppi, and Heather Butkowski. Bownik reminded all present that the city-wide garage sale would be held May 15. Twenty- one households are holding sales; most of them are on Eustis or Carl Street. Butkowski said County Commissioner Jan Parker had informed her that the City would be receiving $60,000 for playground improvements through the CDBG fund. The Council discussed a date for the annual goal -setting session. Councilors preferred to hold the event prior to a regularly scheduled council meeting. Councilor Hawkinson moved to hold the annual goal -setting session on July 13 at 5:30 p.m. at Lauderdale City Hall. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains said the owner of 2401 Larpenteur Avenue requested an extension to replace the gravel driveway she installed last year with one made of asphalt or concrete, which are the approved surfaces. Councilors expressed willingness to grant a short extension but wanted to ensure the project was completed before the onset of cold weather. Councilor Hawkinson moved to extend Jc Drobac's deadline to complete the installation of an approved driveway surface from June 1 to August 31. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains said the Council had previously discussed options for managing the weeds in the park. He preferred looking at organic options and staff provided more research for the Council to consider. Butkowski said staff researched three options. First, staff spoke with companies that spray weeds but claim to be "green." Those spoken to said they use best management practice_ s to lessen the environmental impact of the sprays and that is what makes them more environmentally friendly. Staff also researched the effectiveness and cost of corn meal gluten. Corn meal gluten inhibits the growth of new weeds and shows results after a few years; it does not kill established weeds. The cost of corn gluten meal gluten is approximately $285 per acre, but t LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 the application costs are an unknown as the City will have to rent equipment or hire someone to apply the product. Finally, staff spoke with "Organic Bob" who specializes in soil renovation. He said an assessment would cost the City about $750 which includes one soil test. Based on the results of the soil test, he would create a strategy to non -chemically treat weeds and restore the condition of the soil. The Council expressed interest in learning more about Organic Bob's approach. Staff offered to get a firm quote from him and invite him to a council meeting to explain his approach to lawn health. Butkowski reviewed the preliminary agenda for the next meeting, which may include a follow up to Twin City Die Casting's request to build over the sewer easement. The Mayor announced the City Council was moving into closed session to discuss pending litigation. The Council moved into closed session at 8:30 p.m. The Council returned from closed session and began the work session at 8:55 p.m. Work sessions are a continuation of the meetings but are not aired on community television. The Council discussed conflicts with the council's meeting schedule. To ensure councilors can attend the meetings, it was suggested to move the June 22 meeting to June 15. Councilor Mac Lean motioned to move the regularly scheduled June 22 City Council meeting to June 15. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 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 8:57 p.m. Respectfully submitted, a Heather Butkowski City Administrator