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Home My WebLink About04/12/2016LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 1 of 4 April 12, 2016 Mayor Dains called the Regular City Council meeting to order at 7:35 p.m. Councilors present: Mayor Jeff Dains, Mary Gaasch, Roxanne Grove, and Lara Mac Lean. Councilors absent: Denise Hawkinson. Staff present: Heather Butkowski, City Administrator and Jim Bownik, Assistant City Administrator. Approvals Mayor Dains asked for changes to the meeting agenda. City Administrator Butkowski requested hiring a temporary deputy clerk be added under Additional Items. Motion was made by Councilor Gaasch to approve the agenda as amended, seconded by Councilor Mac Lean and carried unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved to approve the City Council meeting minutes of March 22, 2016. Councilor Grove seconded the motion and carried unanimously. Councilor Mac Lean moved and seconded by Councilor Gaasch to approve the claims totaling $120,725.72. Motion carried unanimously. Consent Mayor Dains asked if any Councilors wished to remove items from the Consent Agenda. There being none, Councilor Gaasch moved and seconded by Councilor Mac Lean to approve the Consent Agenda thereby approving the February Financial Report and Purchasing Policy Revisions. Motion carried unanimously. Special Order of Business/Recognitions/Proclamations A. Recognition of Retiring Police Chief John Ohl and Captain Dominic Cotroneo The Mayor introduced retiring Police Chief Ohl after a reception was held prior to the meeting. Chief Ohl expressed his gratitude for the relationship the City Council has had with the St. Anthony Police Department over the years. Captain Cotroneo also addressed the City Council to express appreciation for the City's support over the years. The officers being promoted to fill the Chief and Captain positions, Jon Mangseth and Jeff Spiess, then addressed the City Council to say they are looking forward to working with them in their new capacity. The Mayor and Council Members thanked and congratulated the officers. Informational Presentations / Reports A. Annual Auditor's Financial Report Andy Berg, City Auditor, gave the City a qualified or clean opinion regarding the 2015 audit. He stated there were no deficiencies this year. Berg stated that the City's financial position is LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 2 of 4 April 12, 2016 strong. The City expenditures were under budget for 2015 with revenue up slightly. The General Fund balance is at 60% of the next year's operating expenses, which matches the City's internal policy. Anything above 60% was transferred to Capital Improvement Funds. Revenues and expenses had a positive variance of about $52,000. Berg also pointed out a new requirement this year is to recognize pension liability in the financial statements. Public Hearings A. Fence Ordinance Revisions Butkowski stated the penalty section was revised along with other changes discussed at the last meeting. Mayor Dains opened the public hearing at 8:14 p.m. There being no public comment, Mayor Dains closed the public hearing at 8:15 p.m. Motion was made by Councilor Gaasch and seconded by Councilor Mac Lean to adopt Ordinance No. 16-01 Amending Title 9, Chapter 7 of the Code of Ordinances Regarding Fences and Retaining Walls. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Discussion / Action Items A. Award 2016 Seal Coating Project Butkowski explained the City received one bid. The base bid for seal coating the streets came in lower than expected with the alternates for seal coating the parking lots and alleys coming in at expected amounts. Motion was made by Councilor Gaasch and seconded by Councilor Grove to award the 2016 seal coating project to Allied Blacktop Company for the base bid along with alternative 1 for parking lots and alternative 2 for alleys. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. B. Award 2016 Sanitary Sewer Ling Project Butkowski explained the City received two bids for lining the sanitary sewer lines between Larpenteur Avenue and Como Avenue. Motion was made by Councilor Mac Lean and seconded by Councilor Grove to award the 2016 sanitary sewer lining project to Insituform Technologies USA, LLC. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Additional Items A. Hiring a Temporary Deputy Clerk Butkowski stated the hiring process has been slower than anticipated due to the low number of applications received and it would be helpful if the City could hire someone temporarily until the LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 3 of 4 April 12, 2016 position is filled. She was contacted by former employee, Colleen Callahan, about helping on a temporary basis. Motion was made by Councilor Gaasch and seconded by Councilor Mac Lean to approve hiring Colleen Callahan per the temporary employment agreement as presented. Motion carried unanimously on a roll call vote. Work Session A. Public Comment None. B. Planning for Events Organized by the State Fair The City Council and Chief Ohl discussed concerns about an event called SoundSet at the State Fairgrounds Memorial Day weekend. Council Members were concerned what affect the one -day concert may have on Lauderdale such as noise and the potential spill-over effect. The City Council agreed to work with Falcon Heights on a joint letter to State Fair Management about shared concerns about the event. C. Utility Billing Fee Correction Policy Staff recently audited the sanitary and storm sewer billing records. Three accounts were found to have discrepancies. Butkowski presented a draft policy on how to handle over charges and under charges but asked for direction on how many years to go back to correct errors now and in the future. Based on the discussion, staff will revise the draft policy to include six years as the look - back period and bring it back to a future meeting for adoption. D. Predatory Offender Ordinance The City Council revisited a draft ordinance that would limit where level three sex offenders could live in Lauderdale. Staff asked them to consider how far the offenders should reside from parks and day care centers. Based on the discussion, staff will revise the draft ordinance to include 2,000 feet as the distance and bring it back to a future meeting for adoption. E. Community Event Planning The City Council and the Park & Community Involvement Committee have been discussing possible improvements to Day in the Park due to attendance, volunteers, and other events in August. After considerable discussion, it was decided to try holding Day in the Park on Thursday, July 21 in conjunction with the Farmers Market. LAUDERDALE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES Lauderdale City Hall 1891 Walnut Street Lauderdale, MN 55113 Page 4 of 4 April 12, 2016 F. Community Update Butkowski updated the City Council about the potential subdivision of a residential lot on Fulham Street, discussions between Historic Stone and MnDOT, and that staff is working with Corval on a solution to their inflow and infiltration problem. There being no further business on the council agenda, motion was made by Councilor Mac Lean and seconded by Councilor Grove, carried unanimously, to adjourn the meeting at 9:32 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Jim Bownik Assistant City Administrator