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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09/25/2007MINUTES OF THE LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2007 7.30 p.m. Lauderdale Ciiy Hall, 1891 Walnut Street Mayor Dains called the meeting to order at 7:31 p.m. and asked Administrator Heck to take the roll. Council members present: Denise Hawkinson, Karen Doherty, and Clay Christensen and Mayor Dains. Also present were staff members Jim Bownik, Assistant to the City Administrator, and Heather Butkowski, Deputy City Clerk. Mayor Dains asked if there were any additions or deletions to the agenda. Council member Christensen moved to approve the agenda. Motion seconded by council member Hawkinson and carried. Mayor Dains asked if there were any additions or corrections to the September 11, 2007, City Council minutes. There being no amendments to the minutes, council member Doherty moved approval. Council member Hawkinson seconded the motion and it carried. Mayor Dains asked if there were any questions on the claims. Council member Hawkinson moved to approve the claims in the amount of $23,103.85. Council member Christensen seconded the motion and it carried. Mayor Dains asked if anyone present wished to address the Council on issues not on the agenda. No residents were present to address the Council. Mayor Dains asked if the Council wished to add or remove items from the consent agenda. Council member Christensen moved approval of the consent agenda consisting of the following: a) approving step increase for Heather Butkowski, Deputy City Clerk, and b) approving the installation of "no parking" signs along the west side of Fulham Street on Saturday, September 29. Heck provided the Council with a brief update on the status of TH280. Heck spoke to Mn/DOT about the stop signs on Roselawn and Walnut and it sounded like Mn/DOT will remove the signs. Heck also said Xcel Energy is doing soil borings in preparation of moving transmission poles. Council member Christensen asked about the directional signs to TH280. He said a few old signs still direct people to Broadway. Council member Hawkinson asked about the yield sign on the ramp accessing south bound TH280. She said vehicles stop on the ramp. Bownik provided an update on the preparations for the annual Halloween Party at City Hall. The Council set the agenda for the next meeting: 1) Inflow and Infiltration Discussion 2) Rental Housing Licenses - 1 - 3) Halloween Party Bob Milligan and Heather Butkowski discussed with the Council the status of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee's work. Discussion focused on potential redevelopment along the Larpenteur Avenue corridor. Mr. Milligan stated the committee's discussions over the past several months focused on what type of zoning designations would best fit the desired outcome. He said the vision of the committee is more about service oriented businesses such as tax preparation, financial services, etc. with a residential component. The discussions moved away from destination retail as it did not seem feasible. He also said the first area of consideration is along Larpenteur Avenue from'TH280 to Eustis Street on the south and TH280 to Carl Street on the north. Butkowski and Milligan then walked the Council through the staging plan developed by the steering committee. The Council endorsed the direction the steering committee is taking and thanked them for their work. Heck reviewed the background and history of the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) surcharge program. Lauderdale experienced significant excess flow into the sanitary sewer system during two storm events. As a result, MCES assessed the City with a five-year surcharge of just over $108,000. Heck told the Council that staff submitted a plan to MCES outlining the steps and dollars the City will commit over the next two years to reduce or eliminate I/I. Heck went over the report for 2007 and discussed plans for 2008. He said staff is in the process of revising the sewer ordinance and would like the Council to provide direction on an incentive program to encourage the disconnection of improper drain the or sump -pump connections and who should be conducting household inspections. Following additional discussion, the consensus of the Council was to develop an incentive program and to seek an outside contractor to conduct the inspections. Heck addressed performance evaluations with the Council. He provided a brief background on the current methodology in staff evaluations and asked if the Council would like to consider an alternative to this process that includes using a personnel committee consisting of two council members and the administrator. It was the consensus of the Council to keep the current evaluation system The Council recessed for five minutes from 8:55 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Mayor Dains asked council member Christensen to read Resolution 092507-A, A Resolution of Commendation for Council Member Karen Gill -Gerbig. Council member Hawkinson seconded the motion made by council member Christensen. The Council thanked Karen Gill -Gerbig for her years of service and commitment to the community. Council member Christensen read Resolution 092507-B, A Resolution of Commendation for PCIC Member Michelle Krug. Council member Doherty seconded the motion made by council -2- member Christensen and the Council thanked Ms. Krug for her work and dedication to the City and the community. Ms. Krug was not able to attend the council meeting. There being no further items for consideration, council member Christensen moved to adjourn. Council member Doherty provided the second and the meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Brian W. Heck City Administrator -3-