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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/24/2010LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 3 August 24, 2010 Councilors Gaasch and Grove, Mayor Dains, and Administrator Butkowski toured Finn Sisu with Ahvo Taipale prior to the start of the City Council meeting. Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:45 p.m. Councilors present: Mary Gaasch, Denise Hawkinson, Roxanne Grove, 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. There being none, Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the agenda. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Gaasch moved to approve the August 4, 2010, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved approval of claims totaling $54,458.34. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains asked if members of the public wished to address the Council. No one present wished to do so. Mayor Dains asked if councilors wished to remove items from the consent agenda. There being no one, Councilor Mac Lean moved the consent agenda approving PCIC minutes and the reappointment of Trygve Hansen to the PLIC. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. City attorney, Bob Alsop, addressed the Council. He said an agreement with Harvey and Jeannette Skow was reach at the pre-trial settlement hearing but the terms had to be agreed to by the City Council. Since the last Council discussion, the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust agreed to a monetary payment of $8,500 and wording had been added regarding the placement of a retaining wall. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the settlement agreement with Harvey and Jeanette Skow. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 Bownik informed the Council that the City had officially received the Community Development Block Grant for $60,000 worth of playground equipment, which is about $10,000 short of the amount needed to replace the large structure. Bownik said Butkowski will sign the agreement and after the agreement and certificate of insurance are reviewed by the county attorney, the City will receive notice to proceed. At that point, the equipment may be ordered and plans made for its installation. Jim Stewart, owner of 1862 Eustis Street, is asking for council permission to move a garage into the City. Bownik said the garage is 5-7 years old. The Council discussed whether any fees would be incurred by the City and whether the owner would need the assistance of the police department. Butkowski said the garage would be moved almost exclusively on county roads and she would check what the County requirements are for moving structures. Councilor Gaasch moved to approve Jim Stewart's request to move a garage into the City if all city code requirements were met. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Bownik told the Council that Ramsey County was purchasing recycling bins for city parks and buildings. The City requested four heavy-duty bins for the park and two for City Hall. The total value of the bins is $3,600. Councilor Mac Lean moved to adopt Resolution 082410A — A Resolution Accepting Recycling Bins as Part of Ramsey County's Be Active! Be Green! Recycling Container Project. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski said "staff looked into kiosks for the Park. The simple two post kiosks range in price from $650 to $1,100 depending on size and whether it is one-sided or two-sided. Options for three -sided kiosks or kiosks with canopies are also available but much more costly. Councilors expressed interest in getting a kiosk for the park to make more information available to residents. Staff said they will bring back options to the next meeting for final approval. Butkowski informed the Council that a tai chi class was planning to use the social room 2-3 times per week throughout the year. The group asked if a discount was available for regular users. Currently, there are no discount provisions in the Social Room Policy. Staff offered policy changes the Council could adopt if interested. Councilors discussed under what terms it may be worth offering a discount to encourage more use of the Social Room. The Councilors tended to agree that discounts should not be offered to weekend users but it could be offered to regular weekday users. Staff will revise the Social Room Policy for council consideration at the next meeting. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 Butkowski attended Ramsey County's meeting with finance officers earlier in the day. Based on the information, she presented a spreadsheet showing how changes iri the levy will affect the city's property tax rate and what the anticipated costs to homeowners will be. Just before the legislative session ended, a package of aid cuts passed. Those reductions are reflected in the budget. In addition, the budget reflects an additional cut to aids and credits in an amount equal to what was unallotted in 2010 ($128,895) in anticipation of future cuts due to the state budget deficits. The Council discussed the inability to levy for the lost aid as it would result in double digit tax increases. The Council discussed raising the levy modestly to make up for some of the lost aid. Butkowski will answer councilors' questions on the budget prior to the next meeting when the preliminary levy is adopted and the date of the December public hearing established. Butkowski reviewed the preliminary agenda for the next meeting, which included adopting the preliminary levy and Social Room Policy revisions. 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. The Council viewed informational videos from the Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association that explained why municipal liquor stores exist and how they are different from private liquor stores. After that; Chief Ohl answered questions reflecting on St. Anthony's experience with two municipal liquor stores. 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 9:37 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Heather Butkowski City Administrator