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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11/24/2009xr LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 3 November 24, 2009 The Mayor called the City Council meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Councilors present: Clay Christensen, Karen Doherty, Lara Mac Lean, and Mayor Jeff Dains. Councilor Absent: Denise Hawkinson. 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 Christensen moved to approve the agenda. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the November 10, 2009, City Council meeting minutes. Councilor Doherty seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved approval of the claims totaling $30,853.92. Councilor Christensen 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 none, Councilor Christensen moved the consent agenda items including: 2010 rental housing licenses; resolution 112409A applying for SCORE grant funding; PCIC membership renewals; and the request by the owner of 1769 Walnut to move playground equipment in 2010. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Buticowslci said the Council discussed the sewer and recycling rates at the last meeting. After reviewing cash flow projections, the Council proposed increasing the storm sewer rate by 10% and the sanitary sewer rate by 7.5%. The recycling rate was not slated for an increase in 2010. Councilor Doherty moved to adopt resolution 112409B — establishing 2010 storm sewer, sanitary sewer, and recycling rates. Councilor Mac Lean seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Buticowslci told the Council that Ramsey County recently sent property tax statements to residents. 59 percent of residents will see a small decrease in their city taxes while 37 LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 3 percent will see an increase of less than ten percent. Staff noted that there have been no changes in revenue or expenditure projections that warrant a change to the budget or levy as it was established in September. Unless the Council recommends changes, the final budget and levy will look like the one presented. Butkowski said the Council approved the 2030 Comprehensive Plan in October, which means the City has until July 2010 to bring its internal controls in line with the Plan. The Council asked staff to solicit requests for proposals for a zoning code update. The City received eight proposals. Councilors Hawkinson and Mac Lean reviewed the applications with staff and selected three consultants for an interview with the Council. The three consultant candidates were from Bonestroo, the Cuningham Group, and SEH (Short, Elliott, Hendrickson). After each provided a brief overview of their experiences, zoning philosophy, and project approach, the Council had an opportunity to ask them questions. The Mayor thanked the consultant candidates for their presentations and noted that the Council would make a decision at the next meeting. Butkowski reviewed the preliminary agenda for the next meeting, which included: selecting a zoning code update consultant; public hearing and adoption of the 2010 budget and levy; and employee step increases. 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. Larry Grell of Donnelly Development and Tom Betti of the 292 Design Group addressed the Council. Grell said Donnelly Development has been trying to sell the New Mech site for the last year without luck. Now they have a party interested in renovating one of the buildings into office space, so they are considering being the developer of the New Mech site. They presented the Council with a concept plan that included the office space plus two retail spaces that could accommodate a small grocer and/or a pharmacy. To make the development happen, Donnelly Development must find tenants for those spaces. The project must also be financially viable. Donnelly Development asked the Council whether they would partner on a Recovery Zone application. Recovery Zone money is funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and allows applicants to be awarded low-interest loans. The funding is generated through the sale of industrial revenue bonds which make cities a pass through for the money but not responsible for repayment. The Council thanked Grell and Betti for their presentations. The Mayor said the City would consider partnering on a Recovery Zone application if the project proved viable. He " LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 3 asked staff and Stacie Kvilvang, the city's financial advisor, to follow up with Donnelly Development. There being no further business on the council agenda, Councilor Christensen moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilor Doherty seconded the motion and it carried. The meeting adjourned at 9:21 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Heather Butkowski City Administrator