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HomeMy WebLinkAbout04/27/2010w LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 4 April 27, 2010 The Mayor called the City Council meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Councilors present: Mary Gaasch, Roxanne Grove, Lara Mac Lean, and Mayor Jeff Dains. Councilor absent: Denise Hawkinson. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator; Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator; Dave Hinrichs, Public Works Coordinator. 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 April 13, 2010, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved approval of the claims totaling $21,505.47. Councilor Grove 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 items approving the installation of pet waste signage in the parks and open spaces and acknowledging the first quarter investment report and March finances. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski said two Lauderdale Girl Scouts, Samantha and Danielle Nelson, were Gold Award recipients. The Gold Award is the highest award given to Girl Scouts upon completion of a deserving project. Samantha and Danielle explained for the Council how they organized and taught swimming and water safety lessons for refugee children. The Mayor and Council expressed gratitude for their great work as they presented the Nelson's with certificates of recognition. Bownik reminded all present that the city-wide garage sale would be held May 15. All are welcome to register; there is no cost to participate. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 4 The Mayor noted that the Council discussed the dog park at the March 23 meeting. He reiterated the lack of city funding to make improvements to the dog park but recognized that the dog park users may want to fundraise for or contribute to dog park improvements. He suggested a meeting outside of a council meeting for a more in depth conversation. Councilors Mac Lean, Grove, and Gaasch reiterated their support for the dog park and desire to participate in a meeting with the dog park users. Leslie Kratz, 1773 Carl Street, expressed her desire for a committee chaired by a council member. Dan Murphy, 1939 Carl Street, indicated that residents were interested in organizing a group to learn more about dogs. He offered a mailbox and encyclopedia about dogs for dog owners to use. After further discussion, staff said they would organize a meeting after councilors had an opportunity to check their schedules. Time and date will be posted at the park, and on the City's website. Butkowski said at the end of each year the City retains 50% of the next year's operating budget in the General Fund to support operations until the first tax settlement in late May. Generally at year-end, the fund balance exceeds 50% so the Council transfers the excess to capital improvement funds to pay for future expenses. At the end of 2009, the City had $93,510 available for transfer. Since recent legislative action cut an addition $40,699 for 2010 and $45,891 for 2011, staff recommended keeping the available dollars in the General Fund to cover the aid cuts. Councilor Gaasch moved to adopt Resolution 042710A — A Resolution Depositing the Excess Unreserved Fund Balance in the General Fund. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski noted that staff met with the city engineer to determine the Council's options with regard to Twin City Die Casting's (TCDC) request to build over the sewer easement area between their buildings. The city engineer recommended televising the sewer line before making any decisions. The Council's options will be determined by the condition of the sewer line. Staff noted the manhole found during the bridge project needs to be televised and the stormsewer sumps jetter-vactored. This wort, plus the televising around TCDC can be done by the same contractor that performed the smoke testing work in 2008, if the Council so desired. Councilor Gaasch moved to contract with Infratech to televise the sections of sewer described in the memo and clean the sumps at a cost not to exceed $210/hour. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 4 Butkowski explained that finding a method to control weeds in the park was discussed at the goal setting session last year. Since then staff researched natural options for dealing with them. Ultimately, the watershed districts did not have any suggestions for an area as large as the city's park. Staff received an estimate from the company that sprays fertilizer and herbicide in neighboring cities' parks for a sense of the cost involved in spraying for weeds. The Mayor and Councilors expressed concern over the affects and cost of lawn chemicals. Staff said they would research options further and bring them back for Council consideration. Butkowski informed the Council that Colleen Callahan, the deputy cleric, submitted a letter of resignation effective June 10. She began working for the City in August of 2008. Her flexibility helped greatly as the City adjusted to having a part time deputy cleric. Staff will plan a way to recognize Colleen for all of her hard work for the June 8 council meeting. Councilor Mac Lean moved to accept Colleen Callahan's resignation effective June 10, 2010. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. With Colleen's resignation, staff asked for council consent to post notice of the vacancy and begin the process to select a new deputy clerk. Colleen worked 24 hours per week. Butkowski noted it was harder to adjust to the part time deputy clerk, than expected. Because the deputy clerk processes the building permit, licenses, and city facility reservations, residents had to wait longer than previously for these services. Staff asked the Council to consider hiring anew deputy clerk at 28 hours per week instead of 24 so the deputy clerk would be in the office four days per week instead of three. Staff also asked the Council to consider some small revisions to the deputy clerk's job description. Councilor Mac Lean moved to change the deputy clerk's job description as presented, which included changing the position from 24 to 28 hours per week, and allowing staff to advertise the open position. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski reviewed the preliminary agenda for the next meeting, which included purchasing policy revisions and the Citizen's Academy Graduation. Mayor Dains explained the Council was moving into the work session. Work sessions are a continuation of the meetings but are not aired on community television. The Council recessed from 8:25 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Butkowski explained to those present that the Council made revisions to the nuisance ordinance in 2007. The changes made some property maintenance items like broken windows LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 4 and peeling paint nuisances. Butkowski presented the Council and those present with slides of some of the nuisances most commonly seen in Lauderdale. The city attorney, Katrina Joseph, addressed the council. She explained the tools available to the Council for nuisance code enforcement which include: abatement, civil injunction, citation issuance, and criminal summons. Butkowski explained that while these tools are available to the Council, they have not been presented to them before. Residents in attendance addressed the Council regarding situations in their neighborhoods they believe to be nuisances and asked the Council to address them. After further discussion, Councilors noted that the City may need to revisit sections of the zoning, nuisance, and building regulations ordinances to address some of the concerns discussed during the meeting. There being no further business on the council agenda, Councilor Mac Lean moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilor Gaasch seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting adjourned at 10:07 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Heather Butkowski City Administrator