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Home My WebLink About02/27/2007MINUTES OF THE LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, FEBRUARY27, 2007 7.30 p.m. Lauderdale City Hall, 1891 Walnut Street Mayor pro -tem Doherty called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and asked City Administrator Heck to call the roll. Council members present: Karen Gill -Gerbig, Denise Hawkinson, Karen Doherty, and Clay Christensen. Heck informed the council that Mayor Dains called prior to the meeting and said that he would be arriving around 8:15 p.m. Also present for the meeting: Assistant to the City Administrator, Jim Bownik; Deputy City Clerk, Heather Butkowski; Bob Alsop, City's Civil Attorney; and Katrina Joseph, City's Prosecuting Attorney. Mayor pro -tem Doherty asked if there were additions or deletions to the agenda. Council member Christensen moved to approve the agenda. The motion was seconded by council member Hawkinson and carried. Mayor pro -tem Doherty asked if there were any comments or changes to the council meeting minutes of February 13, 2007. There were none. Council member Gill -Gerbig moved approval of the minutes and council member Hawkinson seconded. The motion carried. Mayor pro -tem Doherty asked if there were any questions on the claims. Council member Hawkinson moved approval of the claims in the amount of $33,716.83. Council member Christensen seconded the motion and it carried. The mayor pro -tem Doherty stated this was the time established for members of the public to address the Council with issues not present on the agenda. There were no members of the public who wished to address the Council. The mayor pro -tem Doherty asked if the Council wished to remove items from the consent agenda. No one wished to remove items from the consent agenda. Council member Gill -Gerbig moved approval of the consent agenda approving attendance at the following training seminars "Site Planning Basics", "Beyond the Basics of Planning and Zoning", and "2007 TIF Seminar", approving rental housing licenses, and approving the 2006 year-end investment report. The motion to approve the consent agenda was seconded by council member Christensen and carried. Chief John Ohl appeared before the Council and presented the 2006 Lauderdale Annual Police Report. He indicated total calls for service are down from last year, however, he -1- said both Part I and Part II crimes were up over last year. He said the reason for the Part I increase is thefts. Lauderdale encountered a rash of thefts from vehicles. The increase in Part II crimes is related to an increase in DWI arrests. Chief Ohl updated the Council on the hiring of two new officers. He said the new officers have been selected and begin with their Field Training Officer (FTO) on Monday, March 4. After the FTO period, they will begin on their own, and if all goes well, he anticipates Lauderdale will have 24 hour patrol service beginning June 1. He also provided the Council the current status of patrol hours. He said Lauderdale is receiving 20 hours per day everyday and more than twenty hours three to four days per week. The council thanked Chief Ohl for his good work and that of the officers. 7:50 p.m. Mayor pro -tem Doherty began the rental licensing hearing for 1768 Eustis Street. Heck provided the background and stated the owner of the house failed to comply with the deficiencies identified, and after the existing tenants moved out, he rented to new tenants in violation of the city's ordinance. Mr. Busse, owner of 1768 Eustis, was not present at the hearing. Council member Gill -Gerbig moved to deny a rental license for 1768 Eustis Street. The motion was seconded by council member Christensen and carried on a roll call vote with members Gill -Gerbig, Hawkinson, Christensen, and Doherty voting yes. Mayor Dains arrived at 8:11 p.m. The Council then discussed what action to take regarding Mr. Busse, the owner of 1768 Eustis Street, for non-compliance with the rental licensing code. Heck stated Mr. Robert Alsop and Ms. Katrina Joseph were present to assist the council in choosing a plan of action. Heck briefly described the action open to the council and outlined in a memorandum prepared by Mary Tietjen. Bob Alsop, city civil attorney, expressed his view that pursuing the administrative fee is the lengthiest process; a civil action is costly and lengthy. He does not have experience with a Tenant Remedy Action and feels the best course of action is a criminal action. Katrina Joseph, city prosecuting attorney, discussed with the council her success in dealing with similar issues in Richfield. She said her office is using both a civil temporary restraining order and criminal action to gain compliance. She outlined the process and effectiveness. After additional discussion, Mayor Dains asked for the desire of the council. Council member Gill -Gerbig moved to proceed with a temporary restraining order and criminal prosecution as outlined by Ms. Joseph. Council member Doherty seconded the motion and it carried on a roll call vote with members Gill -Gerbig, Hawkinson, Doherty, Christensen, and Mayor Dains all voting yes. Heck updated the council on the status of the pop machine in the social room. He said it was donated by Joe Hughes several years ago and recently quit working. Heck said he was not sure how much it would cost to repair and is looking for guidance from the council on what they wish to do. After discussion, the consensus of the council was to not have the machine repaired as they would rather see funds spent on a new refrigerator for the kitchen. The council moved into the work session and started with discussion on the proposal for a dog park in the city. Council members expressed some disappointment that the members of the community who desire this amenity were not present for the meeting. Bownik provided some additional information to the council regarding the request. Council member Gill -Gerbig expressed support for an off -leash dog park, but indicated the location at the end of Walnut may not be the best place. She suggested using the hockey rink as a trial location for this summer. She suggested the openings to the hockey rink be closed up for this purpose. Additionally, Gill -Gerbig asked how many dogs were licensed in the city. Heck stated he did not know but would look it up in the animal license book. Mayor Dains said his main concern was the cost of the fencing for the dog park and thought using the hockey rink might be a good place to start. Council member Hawkinson expressed concern over the use of the hockey rink and felt that the plans for possibly paving the hockey rink were again being pushed back in favor of a new request. After additional discussion, the consensus of the council was to have the Park Committee review the use of the hockey rink as a test for the dog park. Heck provided information on purchasing city shirts for sale to the public and for council, staff and committee members. He indicated the city is out of the latest version of the tee shirt and members of the public have inquired as to when the city will have new ones for sale. Heck said staff discussed this issue and feels a couple varieties would be nice. Staff suggested a polo type shirt with "City of Lauderdale" embroidered and a tee shirt. Council member Doherty recalled the tee-shirts came out of the Park Committee and felt that the Park Committee should address this issue and provide a recommendation to the Council. -3- The consensus of the council was to have this issue discussed by the Park Committee and for the Park Committee to provide a recommendation on the shirts. The Council all liked the idea of a tee shirt and a polo shirt option and all agreed that darker colors are not desirable. Heck mentioned the City of Falcon Heights is pursuing a "Healthy Communities" grant with the idea of passing out pedometers to residents as an encouragement for them to walk more. Falcon Heights' Mayor suggested Lauderdale partner with Falcon Heights on the grant and compete to see which city could log the most miles. The consensus of the Council was to work with Falcon Heights on the grant and the program. Heck said the council traditionally holds a goal setting session early in the year. He said last year the council held the meeting before a council meeting and discussed the goals over a box lunch. Council member Doherty said she thought the goal setting was to be part of the budget process. Heck stated she was right. However, the council has not set any goals, except for the tennis and basketball courts and law enforcement, for 2007. Additional goals, not necessarily monetary in nature, need to be established for 2007. He then said goals for 2008 need to be brainstormed so cost estimates can be obtained and reviewed during the 2008 budget discussion. It was decided by the Council to hold the 2007 / 2008 goal planning session on Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 5:00 p.m. All staff is required to attend and the city will provide a meal. The Mayor indicated the new section of General Update / New Items and Issue replaces the Administrator Update. The Mayor said he spoke to the administrator about this and wanted to provide an opportunity for council members to bring up additional or general questions for staff to look into. He indicated if there are specific issues related to the Administrator, they can be addressed at this time. Heck provided the council an update on the pending litigation status and the status with regard to 1931 Carl. Council member Gill -Gerbig moved to adjourn the meeting. Council member Christensen seconded the motion and the council adjourned at 9:45 p.m. CITY OF LAUDERDALE Claims for Approval March 13, 2007 City Council Meeting Payroll 3/09/07 Payroll: Direct Deposit # 500315-500319 $7,243.96 3/09/07 Payroll: Payroll Liabilities, e -payments 137E -139E $5,984.09 Vendor Claims 3/13/07 Claims: Check #s 18573-18589 $57,220.88 Subtotal of Claims From Above $70,448.93 Total Claims for Approval $70,448.93