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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07/26/2005Lauderdale City Council Meeting Minutes July 26, 2005 Acting Mayor Giannetti called the meeting to order at 7:30 pm and asked the Administrator to call the roll. Councilmember present: Christensen, Gill -Gerbig, Giannetti and Doherty. Not Present: Mayor Daines Staff Present: Administrator Bakken -Heck 2. APPROVAL OF AGENDA The Council approved the agenda on a motion by Gill -Gerbig and a second by Doherty. 1. Minutes: Christensen moved the approval of the minutes second by Doherty and carried. 2. Claims: Doherty asked about the fire calls claim. Administrator Bakken -Heck stated the city is responsible for fire calls both real and false as there is no ordinance that he is aware of that allows the city to bill the false alarm. The Council approved the claims totaling $57,051.54 on a motion by Gill -Gerbig and a second by Doherty. 4. Public Discussion of items not on the agenda. Mr. Brian Lindstrom of 1951 Walnut Street addressed the Council on behalf of his mother, Ms. Helen Lindstrom of 1921 Lindstrom. He presented information to the council about problems his mother is having with erosion in the back yard where ally improvements were made. He stated there was a cinder block retaining wall before the improvements took place and during the construction, the retaining wall was removed. He said ever since, there has been erosion problems. He stated he spoke to Dave H, public works approximately one month ago and has not heard back from him. He installed grass in the area, but that did not work. He is requesting the Council consider replacement of the retaining wall. The Council thanked Mr. Lindstrom and directed staff to work with the engineer to see what, if anything can be done and to report back to the council. f (J� f Council Minutes Page 2 July 26, 2005 and not the problem. The Mayor encouraged him to get involved in the neighborhood watch group. The council thanked Mr. Lewis. 5. CONSENT A. Council member Gill -Gerbig moved and 1 Christensen seconded the consent item A) Second quarter Financial Report and thanked Jim Bownik for his work. 6. REPORTS: Bob Welch presented the Council with a report on the status of the insurance for the City and briefly explained the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust program. On a motion by council member Gill -Gerbig and a second by Doherty, the council approved the city's participation and agreement in this program. 7. DISCUSSION ITEM 8. ACTION Administrator Bakken -Heck provided background on the Northdale Construction / Midwest Boring issue. Councilmember Christensen asked about the total dollar amount and the apparent difference in the materials the Council received. Bakken -Heck stated the letter to Northdale reiterated the position of the described the initial offer and the amount on the council action form reflects the final amount agreed to. Bakken -Heck stated the LMCIT is reimbursing the city $1,000 so the actual cost to the city remains $15,000. The break down for the costs is as follows: $10,000 to close out the 2002 road project and $6,000 to settle the suite. On a motion by council member Gill -Gerbig and a second by Christensen, the council approved the agreement with Northdale construction and Midwest Boring on a roll -call vote with all members voting yes. 9. ADDITIONAL ITEMS Council member Gill -Gerbig and acting Mayor Giannetti asked for a brief synopsis of the "Day in the Park" celebration. Council member Doherty provided a summary of activities and turnout. Y City Council Minutes Page 3 July 26, 2005 10. SET AGENDA FOR NEXT MEETING 1. Resident Meeting regarding the property at 1801 Eustis may not be needed based on circumstances of the sale of this property. 2. Conditional Use Permit Public Hearing — Nextel Radio Tower 3. Goal Setting date 11. WORK SESSION Dave Callister presented information on the Larpentuer Avenue project. He walked the Council through the process and where the city is at this time. Mr. Callister stated that the role of the City in this process is to develop goals, both primary and secondary, then develop a plan in an effort to achieve these goals. He also stated that communication with the community is a top priority. At this point, he stated the city hired Ehlers to consult on the project, hired a planner (Don Brauer), and developed goals. The next steps include financial feasibility, refining the proposed plans, communicating with the residents (open houses and such) and doing market feasibility studies. As the council moves forward with any projects, additional steps include working with developers, determining financing, working out agreements and such. Mr. Callister indicated he will begin working out the financing for various proposals and will contact Don Brauer to set up a meeting for him to discuss the draft plans he developed. The preferred date selected by the Council is August 23, with the alternate date being September 13. Administrator Bakken -Heck will send a letter to the Metropolitan Council requesting an extension to the Livable Communities Grant to July 31, 2006. Administrator Bakken -Heck discussed with the council the initial draft of the city budget and asked for input on how they would like it presented. Bakken -Heck discussed the potential capital items including the social room floor and the restrooms at city hall as well as the purchase of new mowing and snow removal equipment and upgrading the city's telephone system. Council member Doherty asked if the new phone system would work if the computer systems such as e-mail, were to go down since under the concept the phone and computer system are integrated. Bakken -Heck said he would CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Page 4 JULY 26, 2005 have to check on that as well as if the current phone number could be retained. Bakken -Heck then addressed the issue of the city's Tax Increment Finance District (TIF). He stated the bonds in the district are retired and as a result the Council is faced with selecting one of two options. One is to decertify the district and return the area to regular taxing status, the other is to keep the district and retain the increment generated. To keep the district and continue to capture the increment, the council needs to develop an acceptable plan for the use of the funds. The council's desire at this time is to continue to capture the increment and develop a plan for its use. Bakken - Heck suggested Jessica Cook come to a meeting to discuss this with the council so that a proper plan can be developed by the council for the use of this increment. Council member Doherty asked about the personnel costs in the PCIC budget and why they have declined so much. She expressed concern that it meant less staff support for the committee. Bakken - Heck sated staff time stays the same. The drop in personnel costs is attributed to some preliminary alterations in percent of time allocated, but does not reflect the actual time given to committee support activities. Doherty then asked about the Park Improvement Budget and why there are no expenses listed in this area. Bakken - Heck stated there is no capital projects listed in the 2006 capital plan. Bakken -Heck stated this is an area the council needs to determine during the budget setting process. Acting Mayor Giannetti closed the meeting at 10:00 p.m. to discuss ongoing litigation regarding park property. The Council reopened the meeting at 10:06 p.m. There being no further business to discuss, the meeting adjourned at 10:07 p.m. on a motion by Gill -Gerbig and a second by Christensen. The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, July 26, 2005 at 7:30 p.m.