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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10/12/2010LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL , MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Pagel of 3 October 12, 2010 Mayor Dains called the City Council meeting to order at 7:30 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 Mac Lean moved to approve the September 28, 2010, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved approval of the claims totaling $77,953.90. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Mayor Dains asked if anyone in attendance wished to address the Council. Dennis Gilbertson, Peace Lutheran Church member, addressed the Council. He suggested the open space at Ione and Walnut be used for a community garden and said that Peace Lutheran Church would help get it started. Dan Murphy, 1938 Carl Street, asked whether the hockey lights could be turned on at dusk. As the lights are not on timers, Councilors expressed concern over the cost to have staff turn the lights on and off each night. Butkowski said Twin City Die Casting reviewed the encroachment agreement drafted by the city attorney. They didn't offer any changes. The Council did not offer any changes either. Staff anticipates bringing the agreement back to the Council for final approval at the October 26 council meeting. In the meantime, staff will meet with Twin City Die Casting staff to go over the quotes and determine the most suitable contractor for the sewer lining. At the last meeting, the Council discussed the sanitary sewer, storm sewer, and recycling fund budgets. The council proposed raising the sanitary and storm sewer rates to cover the cost of providing the services. Staff prepared a resolution adopting the sanitary sewer increase of 7.5% (residential rate of $48.54/quarter), the storm sewer increase of 12.5% (residential rate of $9.28/quarter), and no increase in the recycling fee. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 Councilor Gaasch moved approval of Resolution 101210A - A Resolution Establishing 2011 Storm Sewer Rates, Sanitary Sewer Rates, and Recycling Rates. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski reviewed the draft 2011 Capital Improvement Plan. Proposed capital improvement projects include: a three -tub sink for the kitchen, replacement of a mower, phase II playground improvements, improvements at the Ione/Walnut Park, and a park kiosk. The Council removed the park kiosk from the list. Staff will add the remaining items to the fund budgets. The Council began discussing whether to move part of the playground equipment from Community Park to the open space at Ione and Walnut Streets. They stopped the discussion to allow Paul Bilotta from Bonestroo to present on the development of municipal liquor stores. The Mayor explained that the City Council has been evaluating the viability of a municipal liquor store as it is one of the few tools the City has to make up for LGA losses. Bilotta assisted Maple Lake in the development of their new liquor store and said he is available to help the City of Lauderdale on issues ranging from site selection to marketing. He is also a licensed real estate broker that can assist in land and lease negotiations. The Council asked Bilotta questions related to his experiences and then thanked him for the presentation. The Council will hold a follow up discuss on municipal liquor stores at their next meeting. The Council took a break from 9:05 to 9: l Opm. The Council resumed the discussion regarding moving the playground equipment. Ultimately, the Council felt moving a small portion of the large playground equipment offered the best opportunity to make the Walnut / Ione park area usable for residents. The Council asked staff to stake where they propose placing the playground equipment. Councilor Gaasch moved to select MN/WI Playground to remove, move, and reinstall the playground equipment in an amount not to exceed $8,000. Councilor Hawkinson seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Butkowski informed the Council�that a credit card policy needs to be adopted prior to the next audit. The draft provided met the approval of the city auditor and is similar to the policy adopted by many cities. The Mayor noted that the policy says employees are personally liable for unapproved expenditures. He asked whether language could be added that would allow the City to withhold the amount due from employee.pay. Butkowski said she would add that language and bring it back for final approval at the next Council meeting. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 Butkowski reviewed the preliminary agenda for the next meeting, which included a Halloween report, the revised credit card policy, and a discussion of Twin City Die Casting's sewer encroachment request. 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 9:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Heather Butkowski City Administrator