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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2020/09/28APPROVED PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA Regular Meeting September 28, 2020 Mounds View City Hall 2401 Mounds View Boulevard, Mounds View, MN 55112 6:30 P.M. 1. MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER Mayor Mueller stated due to the COVID-19 pandemic this meeting would be held virtually. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ROLL CALL: Bergeron, Gunn, Hull, Meehlhause, Mueller NOT PRESENT: None. 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A. Monday, September 28, 2020, City Council Agenda. MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Bergeron. To Approve the Monday, September 28, 2020, agenda as presented. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 5. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Minutes: September 14, 2020. B. Just and Correct Claims. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Hull. To Approve the Consent Agenda as presented. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 6. PUBLIC COMMENT None. Mounds View City Council September 28, 2020 Regular Meeting Page 2 7. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS A. Proclamation for National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. Mayor Mueller read a proclamation in full for the record declaring October 15, 2020 to be National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day in the City of Mounds View. 8. COUNCIL BUSINESS A. Public Hearing: Resolution 9307, Approving a Chicken/Duck Keeping License for Laura Wake Wiesner at 8250 Knollwood Drive. City Administrator Zikmund requested the Council approve a chicken/duck keeping license for Laura Wake Wiesner for the property at 8250 Knollwood Drive. He reviewed the plans for the coop and noted this would be the seventh chicken license in the City of Mounds View. He stated Ms. Wiesner was proposing to have six chickens on her property. Laura Wake Wiesner, 8250 Knollwood Drive, explained she had built a sturdy coop that had an enclosure and she was looking forward to having chickens in Mounds View. She indicated this would be a learning experience for her and her children. She reported she would not be having any roosters. Mayor Mueller opened the public hearing at 6:44 p.m. Hearing no public input, Mayor Mueller closed the public hearing at 6:44 p.m. MOTION/SECOND: Hull/Meehlhause. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9307, Approving a Chicken/Duck Keeping License for Laura Wake Wiesner at 8250 Knollwood Drive. Council Member Meehlhause commented there were a couple of residents and neighbors that had concerns regarding the noise that would be generated by the hens. He stated he did not recall the City receiving any noise complaints from the neighbors of residents that currently have chicken licenses. Mayor Mueller explained she appreciated the concerns that were raised and indicated the City Council approved the keeping of chickens within Mounds View to allow residents to live a more sustainable lifestyle. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. B. Resolution 9310, Approving Storm Sewer Repair at 2223 Bronson Drive. Public Works Director Peterson requested the Council approve a storm sewer repair at 2223 Bronson Drive. He explained the storm sewer pipe failed and was in need of replacement. He explained this plastic pipe served a small pond in the neighborhood and has been offset. He Mounds View City Council September 28, 2020 Regular Meeting Page 3 commented further on the history of this pipe, the repair work that was necessary and recommended approval of the project. Staff commented further on the project and recommended the project be approved with T.A. Schifsky with a 10% contingency. City Administrator Zikmund explained the homeowner was going to have his attorney look into this matter. He reported the replacement of the driveway was another matter that staff would be working on with the homeowner. Council Member Meehlhause asked if the person who originally signed the document still owned the property. City Administrator Zikmund reported this was not the case. Mayor Mueller questioned if the current property owner was made aware of this signed agreement with the City. Public Works Director Peterson reported the property owner was made aware of this agreement over a year ago. Mayor Mueller inquired if the bid from T.A. Schifsky for $20,078 was to repair the storm sewer pipe, only. Public Works Director Peterson stated this was correct. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Bergeron. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9310, Approving Storm Sewer Repair at 2223 Bronson Drive. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. C. Resolution 9311, Accepting the Proposal for Repairs to the Emergency Power/Generator for Water Treatment Plants 2 and 3. Public Works Director Peterson requested the Council accept the proposal for repairs to the emergency power/generator for Water Treatment Plants 2 and 3. He discussed the upgrades that would be completed on the generator and recommended approval of the project. Mayor Mueller asked when this work would be completed. Public Works Director Peterson reported the work would be completed as soon as possible. MOTION/SECOND: Hull/Gunn. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9311, Accepting the Proposal for Repairs to the Emergency Power/Generator for Water Treatment Plants 2 and 3 . A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. D. Resolution 9312, Approving HVAC Upgrades and Replacements at the Mounds View Community Center, City Hall and the Public Works Facilities. Public Works Director Peterson requested the Council approve HVAC upgrades and replacements Mounds View City Council September 28, 2020 Regular Meeting Page 4 at the Mounds View Community Center, City Hall and the Public Works facilities. He reported the average age of these units was 15 years. He discussed the work that would be completed at the City buildings and noted CARES Act funds would be used to cover the expense of the proposed HVAC upgrades. City Administrator Zikmund explained the proposed upgrades would provide improved HVAC systems at City Hall, the Community Center and Public Works in an effort to combat COVID. Council Member Bergeron stated he supported the proposed HVAC system upgrades. He indicated he wanted the air people breathed at City Hall, the Community Center and Public Works building to be as safe as possible. Council Member Gunn concurred. Council Member Meehlhause agreed with Council Member Bergeron. He asked if the proposed upgrades would replace remaining HVAC units. Public Works Director Peterson reported this was the case noting all of the City’s HVAC units would now be six years or newer. Council Member Hull asked why staff had only received one proposal for this work. Public Works Director Peterson explained this project was bid through US Communities and noted Trane had experience working with the City’s building automation system at Cit y Hall and the Community Center. For this reason, staff recommended. adopting the HVAC upgrades with Trane. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Bergeron. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9312, Approving HVAC Upgrades and Replacements at the Mounds View Community Center, City Hall and the Public Works Facilities. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 9. REPORTS A. Reports of Mayor and Council. Council Member Meehlhause thanked the residents of Mounds View who attended the Mounds View Lions Club garage sale last week and supported the Mounds View Police Foundation’s serving of brats and hot dogs. He stated he greatly appreciated the generosity of the public. Council Member Meehlhause explained he volunteered to be part of a project at NYFS and he would be working with a group that will be looking at the facilities of NYFS. Council Member Bergeron stated last Thursday he attended a virtual Cable Commission meeting where he learned CTV would be renamed to Nine North. He discussed the upcoming service changes that would be taking place at Nine North in order to make up for the loss of income from PEG fees. Mounds View City Council September 28, 2020 Regular Meeting Page 5 Council Member Bergeron thanked Public Works Director Peterson and Finance Director Beer for their collaborative efforts on the HVAC upgrades project. He stated this was a timely and important project. Council Member Gunn thanked the Mounds View Lions Club for helping a single mom in the community who was sick with COVID. She appreciated the fact that this organization had provided food and other essentials to this resident. Mayor Mueller reported she attended a Ramsey County Dispatch Policy Committee meeting. She also attended a League of Minnesota Cities seminar that focused on bridging divides. She noted she would be participating in a book discussion at a local church on the book White Fragility: Why is it so hard for White People to Talk about Racism by author Robin D’Angelo. Mayor Mueller extended her sincerest sympathies to employee Sherri Eisenbraun and her family. She noted Sherri’s husband passed away on Friday, September 25th. She reported the City also lost long-time residents, Grandma Donna Anderson and Jerry and Sharon McDowell. Mayor Mueller reported Tuesday, October 6th was Night to Unite. She encouraged residents who were planning neighborhood events to register their parties with the Mounds View Police Department. Council Member Gunn explained the 29 Minnesota firefighters that were in Oregon were wrapping up their mission and would be returning home in the coming days. She wished them a safe return to Minnesota. B. Reports of Staff. 1. October 5 Meeting – In Person or Zoom – Mask Issue. City Administrator Zikmund asked if the Council was interested in holding a hybrid meeting (virtual and in-person) for the October 5th worksession meeting. He reported the mask mandate would have to be followed. Council Member Bergeron stated he supported holding a hybrid meeting noting he would be fine with the fact he would have to wear a mask. Council Member Meehlhause commented the only problem with wearing a mask was sometimes it made it difficult to understand people. He asked if masks could be removed when people needed to speak. Council Member Gunn stated this was not recommended. She reported she had to wear a mask at work at all times. She explained she could support the City holding Zoom meetings or hybrid meetings. Mounds View City Council September 28, 2020 Regular Meeting Page 6 Mayor Mueller commented with the number of cases on the rise, she did not anticipate the mask mandate would be repealed. She suggested the Council continue holding meetings as is until the situation improves. The City Council supported this recommendation. 2. Business Assistance. Finance Director Beer stated the Council was interested in discussing possible ways to assist businesses in the City of Mounds View. He noted the Council had refunded 25% of the license fees for impacted businesses. He explained the Council could consider refunding an additional portion of these fees up to 100%. He reviewed the business assistance programs being offered by Blaine and Spring Lake Park and requested direction from the Council on how to proceed. Council Member Meehlhause commented if the remaining license fees were refunded this would total $14,000. Finance Director Beer stated this was correct. City Administrator Zikmund encouraged the Council to be cautious because the City does not know what would happen with LGA for 2021. He believed it was wise to hang onto this money until further information was available. He did understand that the Council wanted to help its local businesses and discussed how labor intensive a grant program would be for City staff. He explained an amount would have to be set if the Council wanted to pursue a business assistance grant program. Council Member Bergeron stated at this time he would be in favor of refunding additional amounts the City has collected for licenses. He suggested the City pause the refunding of 2021 fees and the business assistance program. He explained he wanted to learn more about what would happen with LGA from the State Legislature. Council Member Meehlhause commented he agreed with Council Member Bergeron. He recommended the City wait and see how things unfold prior to refunding 2021 fees. Council Member Hull and Council Member Gunn agreed the 2020 fees should be refunded. Mayor Mueller explained the City Council previously refunded 25% of business license fees. She believed the fairest way to provided assistance to businesses at this time would be to refund the remaining fees that were paid for 2020. She indicated she would support a refund of 75%, making the total refund 100% for the year. She explained 2020 has been a very difficult year and she was concerned about the health of local businesses. City Administrator Zikmund stated he and Finance Director Beer would collaborate on this matter and would report back to the Council with a Resolution. The Council supported this item coming back for approval on the Consent Agenda. City Administrator Zikmund reviewed the items that would be discussed at the October 5 th worksession meeting. C. Reports of City Attorney. 1. Council Worksessions. Mounds View City Council September 28, 2020 Regular Meeting Page 7 City Attorney Riggs discussed what the City Council may and may not do at Council worksession meetings. He reported agendas were drafted and should be followed for worksession meetings. He noted items were discussed, staff was provided direction but final decisions were not made at these meetings. City Administrator Zikmund stated he would like the Council to continue to provide staff with their input and noted he would be summarizing Council comments at the end of each discussion without informally polling the Council. Council Member Bergeron thanked staff for the clarification on this issue. Council Member Meehlhause commented on the storm water repair on Bronson and asked if the agreement that was in place stayed with the property or the property owner. City Attorney Riggs explained typically the agreement is filed against the property. 10. Next Council Work Session: Monday, October 5, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. Next Council Meeting: Monday, October 12, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. 11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:53 p.m. Transcribed by: Heidi Guenther Minute Maker Secretarial