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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06/27/2006LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 2712006 Mayor Jeffrey Dains called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. and asked administrator Heck to call roll. Council members present: Karen Gill -Gerbig, Denise Hawkinson, Karen Doherty, Clay Christensen and Mayor Jeffrey Dains Staff present: Jim Bownik and Heather Butkowski. Mayor Dains asked for additions or deletions to the agenda. There being none, Council member Gill -Gerbig moved and Hawkinson seconded the agenda. The motion carried. Mayor Dains asked for any additions or corrections to the minutes of June 13, 2006. There being none, council member Christensen moved and council member Doherty seconded the minutes as presented and the motion carried. Mayor Dains asked for questions on the claims. There being, none, council member Gill - Gerbig moved and Hawkinson seconded approval of the claims totaling $19,361.13 and the motion carried. Mayor Dains stated this is the time for members of the audience to address the council on items not on the agenda. Linda Sax of 1935 Walnut addressed the council regarding the condition of property located at 1925 Walnut. She wanted to inform the council about the condition of the house on the corner, that it has been vacant for at least 3 years. They only cut the grass a couple of times each year and it is the first home people see when they come to the city. She provided some photos. The mayor indicated the council is doing what it can. Council member Christensen stated the city did send a letter to the owner. The consent agenda authorizing use of the community park by large groups, awarding bid in the amount of $510 for the old city truck, the purchase of hockey goals, the joint powers agreement (JPA) with Ramsey County Geographic Information Systems (GIS) User Group, carried on a motion by council member Gill -Gerbig and a second by Christensen. Ramsey County Commissioner Jan Parker appeared before the council to discuss items of interest to the city that the County is currently working on. She went over the following highlights at the County: two honors regarding financial condition with the highest bond rating possible, a AAA rating. She said she does not want to see this change. She pointed out some publications that were included in the folder handed out to the council and members of the audience, particularly the 2004 map scheduled for updating this year. The Active Living Ramsey County program also won an award. The program helps to improve the health of Minnesotans'. Her interest is in getting communities to reevaluate the Page 1 of 5 LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2006 way cities are developed and redeveloped so there is a focus on getting people out of their vehicles. Ramsey County is building a new library in Maplewood and plans are to expand the Roseville library. In 2005, Roseville was the busiest library in the state in terms of circulation. The library board is conducting a needs assessment for the northeast part of the county. Ramsey County is now operating on a two-year budget. This is the off year for the budget and the county is focusing more on outcomes and performance measurements for the programs offered. She directed the public to the folder and explained a few charts on the financial situation of the county. She pointed out county revenue is decreasing at approximately the same rate as state and federal revenue. She anticipates there will be some remedial action necessary with the budget, as there is an $8,000,000 shortfall in the human services budget. Parker mentioned that several 800 MHz radio system dispatch centers will consolidate. The first city on the new system is Mounds View in August. Parker said the County received funds to assist in continuing the study for the central corridor. The projected rides per year for the central corridor are 46 million, which compares to 25 million rides per year for the Hiawatha corridor. The county also received funds for the Depot project in downtown St. Paul. She went over the process the County is using to prepare for a bird flu pandemic. She said it is not if, but when the flu arrives in the state. The County Board went through a half-day training on disaster planning, which she believes will be opened to other community officials. This training now includes public health, terrorist attack, etc. She opened the floor for questions from those present. Mayor Dains addressed the issue of the county roads in the city. He mentioned Eustis Street in particular and also mentioned Fulham and Roselawn. He wanted to know if the County has any plans for Eustis Street. He said the council is interested in the portion of Eustis from Larpenteur to Como. This section of Eustis is down hill and presents a problem for those walking to the bus on Como. Parker said under funding is a real problem for the maintenance and reconstruction of the road system. Parker said at present, the county has enough money to rebuild roads once every 100 years or so. Right now there is no plan for Eustis Street. She said the legislature passed a good transportation bill but the governor vetoed the bill. Dan Solar from the County Highway department said Eustis. Street is not a CSAH and therefore, it does not qualify for gas tax funds. He explained a bit about the municipal account. He said there is an allotment in the municipal fund for use to maintain and reconstruct roads in cities under 5,000. He indicated there was about $51,000 for CSAH Page 2 of 5 LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2006 reconstruction and maintenance. The County looks for partnerships with cities to make road projects viable in these cities. The mayor suggested the city establish a meeting with the county to discuss the future of the county roads. Commissioner Parker stated she spoke to Rep. Grieling and said that Rep. Grieling is willing to consider special legislation for the city so it can better maintain its roads. The council thanked Commissioner Parker for her presentation. The mayor introduced the rental housing license ordinance. Heck provided a brief background on the ordinance development and some main points to the ordinance. Mayor Dains opened the public hearing for comment at 8:21 p.m. He asked those who spoke to state their name address and provide the question. Michelle Upham of 1834 Walnut wanted to know what the cost of a license is and if the ordinance applied to people who rent a room in their home. Leslie Kratz of 1773 Carl asked if rental property with past documented problems can start at the tier two level. Bonnie Malterer of Duluth said they rent a unit in Brandychase Condominiums. She said in order to rent, they must follow several rules and requirements of the owners association. She wanted to know if the council would consider exempting the condominiums from the ordinance. She also asked if they would be required to obtain a license if their daughter lived in the unit. Gary Brandenburg of 1773 Carl wanted to know more specifics on the violations and suggested a summary of the ordinance. There being no further comment or questions, the hearing closed at 8:30 p.m. Heck responded to the first question and stated the city council has not established a license fee for either the tier one or the tier two licenses. He said this is something the council needs to address and indicated the fee established needs to be justifiable based on the cost the city incurs for the administration of the program. Heck then commented on Ms. Upham's second question stating he recalled the council discussing this at the first public discussion and it was his understanding this type of situation does not need a license but added that the council needs to discuss this issue. Council member Christensen commented on the second question on starting known problem properties at tier 2. Christensen said that he did not feel the city could do this, that all property should start at tier one. He said problems will arise and the license will go to tier Page 3 of 5 LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 275 2006 two then. Heck added he didn't feel the city could select properties to start at tier two and suggested the city attorney provide comment. Mary Tietjen, city attorney, told the council and those present the city needs to start all rental property at the same level. She said the ordinance needs more objective criteria for moving a license from tier one to tier two. Council member Christensen addressed the question raised by Bonnie Malterer. Heck said that as the ordinance reads, the condominiums are not exempt from the license. Heck went on to say the use of the unit by a relative was discussed previously and it was his understanding this type of situation would not require a license. Gill -Gerbig said she suggested the word "occupant" be used rather than renter to address this concern. Tietjen said the council needs to discuss exempting property. She said the exemption is based on the class of building and not specific developments. Heck responded to the question asked by Mr. Brandenburg. Heck said the council needs to discuss the details of what violations cause a property to move from tier one to tier two. He also said the suggestion for a summary of the ordinance is an excellent idea and the city will provide a summary when the final draft is ready. Butkowski discussed the process and progress of the comprehensive planning task force. She said the parks are the next step on the planning process. Butkowski addressed the issue of instituting no parking on the west side of Fulham Street. She said the council heard this item last meeting and went over some of the problems encountered when vehicles park on the street. Butkowski said letters were sent out to all residents on Fulham, the city of Falcon Heights was contacted and they only want to be kept informed what is going on, and the University of Minnesota did not respond to the notice sent. Hawkinson observed the cars and she noticed three to four cars parked on the street. She has not had many problems near her house mainly due to a fire hydrant. She doesn't see there to be much of a problem at this point. Mayor Dains has concerns about the traffic when the condominium project is completed. He wants to consider the issue of stop signs and possibly speed limit changes at that time. He does not see urgency on this topic at this point. Gill -Gerbig commented it is a 30 mph street with driveway access to homes. She stated backing out becomes a problem with cars parked there. She said there are many walkers on the street and it is safer without the cars parked on the west side. She would like to see a parking ban on the street. She also said the council should be ready to consider additional off street parking for some of the residents. Page 4 of 5 LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, JUNE 27, 2006 Christensen discussed one comment made by a resident that they liked to park for a limited time to unload groceries. He suggested allowing unloading or limited parking time along the street. He would like to see what happens when the condominium project is completed. The Council set the agenda for the July 11, 2006 meeting. The following will be on the agenda: Senator Marty visit, initial budget discussion, rental -housing discussion, and wiring in the park. The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. on a motion by Christensen and a second by Hawkinson. Page 5 of 5