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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2022/08/22APPROVED PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA Regular Meeting August 22, 2022 Mounds View City Hall 2401 Mounds View Boulevard, Mounds View, MN 55112 6:37 P.M. 1. MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ROLL CALL: Bergeron (attending remotely), Cermak, Hull, Meehlhause, Mueller NOT PRESENT: None. 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A. Monday, August 22, 2022, City Council Agenda. Mayor Mueller requested the agenda be amended to have Item 7A, Special Order of Business – Swearing in of Officer Nina Katzenmaier addressed after approval of the agenda. MOTION/SECOND: Hull/Meehlhause. To Approve the Monday, August 22, 2022, agenda as amended. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 7. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS A. Swearing in of Officer Nina Katzenmaier. Police Chief Harder introduced newly hired Police Officer Nina Katzenmaier to the City Council. He administered the Oath of Office to Officer Katzenmaier and welcomed her to the Mounds View Police Department. A round of applause was offered by all in attendance. Mayor Mueller recessed the City Council meeting to the Economic Development Authority meeting at 6:42 p.m. Mayor Mueller reconvened the City Council meeting from the Economic Development Authority meeting at 7:39 p.m. Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 2 7. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS - CONTINUED B. 2nd Quarter PD Report – Police Chief Harder. Police Chief Harder reviewed the Mounds View Police Department’s second quarter report with the Council. He stated drug arrests were down, but noted VCET was still active in the community. He explained DUI offenses were up along with theft offenses. He stated this was not just a Mounds View issue, but rather theft was up 30% throughout the entire metro area. He encouraged the residents of Mounds View to register their catalytic convertors with the Mounds View Police Department. Mayor Mueller stated she lives on Groveland Road between Mounds View Boulevard and 85th. She discussed how the construction traffic along Groveland Road was adversely impacting the residents in her neighborhood. She requested the Mounds View Police Department place extra enforcement along Groveland Road. Police Chief Harder discussed how his officers were distributed throughout the City to address crime and speeding. Council Member Meehlhause thanked the Mounds View Police Department for their tremendous efforts on behalf of the community, and Chief Harder for his leadership. C. Jill Brown and Troy Olsen – North Metro Mayors. Jill Brown, Executive Director of the North Metro Mayors, introduced herself to the City Council. She thanked the Council for being a member of the North Metro Mayors organization. She commented on the great work this organization has done by pulling together the mayors in the North Metro. Troy Ols en, North Metro Mayors representative, introduced himself to the Council noting he was a lobbyist for North Metro Mayors. He discussed the roadway projects North Metro Mayors was lobbying for at this time. He commented further on the candidate forums that are hosted by North Metro Mayors. Mayor Mueller thanked Ms. Brown and Mr. Olsen for their presentation and for working effectively on behalf of the City of Mounds View. Mayor Mueller recommended the Council address Item 6 – Public Comment next. 6. PUBLIC COMMENT Sheryl Hoye, 7750 Long Lake Road, discussed the rerouting of Bus Route 25. She explained she received a letter from Metro Transit letting her know that a bus would now be driving past her home. She highly opposed this. She questioned how many of the Councilmembers lived on a bus route. Mayor Mueller reported she lives on a bus route and noted this has not been a problem. Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 3 Ms. Hoye asked if Mounds View was incentivized in any way by having buses. Mayor Mueller reported the City was blessed to have some form of transit in the community. Ms. Hoye inquired if the City had ridership numbers for the Metro Transit buses in Mounds View. Mayor Mueller stated she did not have any of this information. Ms. Hoye asked what the average daily traffic numbers were for Long Lake Road. Mayor Mueller explained she was uncertain but noted Groveland Road had 3500 cars per day. Ms. Hoye reported the 2020 numbers show there are 2200 cars per day using Long Lake Road. She expressed frustration with the number of City lawn mowers that went up and down her street every day. She stated she did not want any more traffic on her street. She explained she works from home four days a week and was very distracted by the number of vehicles using Long Lake Road on a daily basis. City Administrator Zikmund encouraged Ms. Hoye to speak with Metro Transit because the City does not control their bus routes. He explained the City Council had asked for more bus service in the community, but had no control over where these routes went. He indicated he could forward a link to this meeting onto Metro Transit to make them aware of the residents’ comments and concerns with the new bus routes. Mayor Mueller reported the City has been requesting more public transit services for the past 16 years. Ms. Hoye indicated she supported the bus routes, but questioned why the routes were being rerouted, given the fact ridership numbers were down. James Kavanaugh, 7956 Red Oak Drive, discussed the letter he received from the MTC regarding the bus reroute. He explained he was caught short and unawares of this change and it was negatively impacting his neighborhood. He understood the Council requested more transportation and that this matter had been discussed with the Council for some time. He expressed frustration with this situation noting he was a 51 year resident of Mounds View and noted many of his neighbors were also long time residents in the community. He questioned if a transportation or traffic study was completed for the bus reroute. Mayor Mueller stated to her knowledge a transportation or traffic study was not completed by the City. She reiterated that the changes were made by Metro Transit and not the City of Mounds View. She encouraged Mr. Kavanaugh to speak directly with Metro Transit. Mr. Kavanaugh explained he had no problem with transportation running through the community so long as it is a win-win situation. He stated at this time the residents living on Red Oak Drive and Quincy Street were losers in this situation. Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 4 Council Member Cermak reported she lives on Hillview Road and has lived in this community for the past 35 years. She understood residents did not want this, but noted for the past 35 years, she has had to walk over five miles to get to public transportation. She questioned why this situation was bringing about such animosity from residents. Mr. Kavanaugh stated this was a matter of safety. He reported Long Lake Road was over 45 feet wide and Red Oak Drive was a 30 foot street. Jim Healy, 7960 Red Oak Drive, noted he did call Met Council today. He reported he spoke with Nicolas, a customer relation person. He understood the Council requested more buses in the community without understanding what the actual usage was in the community. He stated letter he received states the bus route was being rerouted to get closer to apartment buildings, mobile homes, jobs and community resources. He was of the opinion Long Lake Road was a better fit for these categories than Red Oak Drive. David Moredock, 7629 Noah Drive, addressed the Council regarding the unsafe conditions for the portable soccer goals at Oakwood Park. He reported portable soccer goals can tip over easily and should be anchored. He stated he contacted the City last Wednesday regarding this matter and nothing has been done to rectify this situation. He requested the City properly secure and anchor these goals. He also requested the City add soccer nets to the permanent goals at Silver View Park. He stated after numerous conversations with the City he learned that his workorder from July would not be completed. He questioned why the City was not allowing residents to use a public park for its intended use. He discussed how popular soccer was in the community noting pick up soccer games were crucial for some athletes. He encouraged the City to reconsider his request and to place soccer nets on the permanent goals at Silver View Park. Joy Dick, 8059 Red Oak Drive, stated she has run a licensed daycare out of her home for the past 33 years. She reported it was a chore getting in and out of her driveway during rush hour because her road was narrow. She commented on how dangerous it would be if a bus route were now running on Red Oak Drive. She encouraged the City or Met Council to review the ridership numbers and to further consider if this route is necessary. She suggested the City think about the safety of the neighborhood. She reported she wrote a letter to the MTC and explained she would like to have a neighborhood meeting with the MTC. Susan Mitchell, 5493 Quincy Street, stated she has lived in her home for the past 37 years, where she raised her eight children who all attended Pinewood Elementary School. She explained she lived at a busy intersection and served as a crossing guard for Pinewood Elementary. She stated she was worried about how the MTC buses would impact the safety of the children trying to get to the elementary school. She reported children come to the school to play all summer and she feared for their safety. She discussed how busy County Road I was already with police and ambulances. She expressed frustration with how the recent article that was printed in the Mounds View Matters and questioned if the new bus routes were due to the City or Metro Transit. She indicated she paid very high taxes for her home and she stated she would like her voice to be heard. Charles Brost, 7959 Red Oak Drive, stated Red Oak Drive was repaved four years ago and was already cracking. He discussed how the amount of foot traffic has increased along his roadway Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 5 since COVID and noted there were no sidewalks. He feared how buses would be able to fit along this roadway given the number of cars parked along the street and pedestrians using it. He anticipated that all of the extra bus traffic would further deteriorate the roadway and would be a safety hazard. Tom Pick, 2725 Sherwood Road, reviewed the fall 2022 Mounds View Matters article that has everyone concerned stating it reads: at the request of the City Council MTC is considering rerouting 25 to serve eastern portions of the City where there are more apartments and manufactured homes. He commented he was not anti-transit or anti-bus. He stated when he was younger he lived in an apartment and rode the bus. He reported it made sense to run buses by apartments but noted there were no apartments along Red Oak Drive. He explained Red Oak Drive was a narrow residential road. He believed it did not make sense to run a City bus down Red Oak Drive for ridership purposes, or for safety purposes. He encouraged the Council to do what they could to speak with the MTC to reconsider the rerouting of bus route 25. City Administrator Zikmund reported the MTC would listen to this meeting and would make adjustments. Barb Peterson, 8125 Red Oak Drive, stated she found it difficult that the City Council had not seen article that was printed in the Mound View Matters. She reported she received her copy of the City’s newsletter last week. She then reviewed a copy of the MTC bus schedule and noted she would now have 31 bus trips going down her very narrow street. She explained Red Oak Drive was not built for buses and has no sidewalks. She discussed how the cut outs along Red Oak Drive were put in place for traffic calming and stated parking was allowed on only one side of the street. She recommended the bus route be moved back to its original route for the safety of her neighborhood. Catherine Harrington, 2735 Sherwood Road, explained she loved Mounds View and she loves meeting her neighbors. She commented on how many of her neighbors she has met being outside with neighbors walking by. She anticipated she would not be meeting with her neighbors if the bus routes continued because pedestrian safety would be impacted. She discussed the number of children walking in her neighborhood to get to the park. She encouraged the Council to consider the sense of community that would be lost if the bus routes continue through her neighborhood. Robert Eickstadt, 8136 Red Oak Drive, stated he believed the buses on Red Oak Drive was primarily as safety concern. He explained when he was walking along Red Oak Drive, the MTC buses were passing within 12 inches of him. He reported there was not a green buffer and a sidewalk on his roadway, but rather pedestrians were walking on the street. He indicated the residents in his neighborhood would like to see the traffic levels reduced and not increased. He requested the “Local Traffic Only” sign be posted in the neighborhood again. He discussed the high level of truck traffic that used Red Oak Drive and noted how much of this traffic was passing through the neighborhood from US 10 to County Road 10. He believed this problem had to be addressed by the City. He ended his comments by stating the rerouting of bus 25 was a safety concern and should be reconsidered by the MTC. Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 6 Jerry Peterson, 8125 Red Oak Drive, stated he agreed with all of the issues that have been brought up. He explained Red Oak Drive was made narrow on purpose, to address the traffic levels on this roadway. He commented on how narrow Red Oak Drive was and stated he believed this was positively helping with the speed of traffic. He reiterated that Red Oak Drive does not have a sidewalk, which meant pedestrians were now walking right next to the MTC buses. He discussed how if the 825 express route were reinstated, there would be even more buses along his street. He encouraged the Council and the MTC to reconsider the route for buses 25 and 825 both for ridership and safety purposes. Steven Foust, 8136 Red Oak Drive, echoed the safety concerns that were voiced by his neighbors. He explained he walked along Red Oak Drive a quite a bit with his children and stated he was concerned for the safety of his children. Melissa Foust, 8136 Red Oak Drive, commented there are a lot of children in her neighborhood. She reported she used to commute downtown every day for work and she took a bus. She explained she now works from home as do many other individuals post-COVID. She suggested the City speak with MTC regarding ridership numbers to see if the bus routes through Mounds View were necessary. She discussed how unsafe it was to walk down Red Oak Drive with her family given the fact there were no sidewalks and a high level of traffic. She reported the MTC buses would only compound this concern. Rebecca Scholl, 2467 Hillview Road, encouraged the residents in attendance to trust the process. She noted she does not live on Red Oak Drive. She reported the letter that was mailed out was sent in good faith in order to allow the residents to give their opinion. She stated she agreed with the residents that were in attendance and she did not want to see additional buses on Red Oak Drive. She indicated there were residents in Mounds View that needed public transportation. She explained she was all for public transportation and encouraged the residents in attendance to trust the process and she anticipated after the MTC views this meeting, the buses will not be going down Red Oak Drive. Sherry Gunn, 5485 Landmark Circle, thanked the City Council for a wonderful Festival in the Park weekend. She thanked all of the volunteers that made the event possible. She believed it was the best Festival in a long, long time, noting the parade was great and the weather was perfect. Mayor Mueller thanked all of the residents in attendance for coming forward and voicing their concerns. She noted this meeting would be passed along to the MTC for their viewing and consideration. 5. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Minutes: August 8, 2022. B. Just and Correct Claims. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Hull. To Approve the Consent Agenda as presented. A roll call vote was taken. Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 7 Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 8. COUNCIL BUSINESS A. Public Hearing: Resolution 9619, Approval of a Chicken-Keeping License for Becky Whitehead at 5209 Jeffery Drive. City Administrator Zikmund requested the Council consider a chicken-keeping license for Becky Whitehead at 5209 Jeffery Drive. He explained staff received one call and one email opposing the request. He reported Ms. Whitehead had submitted all of the necessary paperwork to the City and would be meeting the City’s conditions. Becky Whitehead, 5209 Jeffery Drive, stated she would like to have chickens in order to allow her children to grow up more connected to their food. She discussed how the chickens would help her family eliminate food waste, which would be better for the environment. Mayor Mueller opened the public hearing at 8:57 p.m. Teresa Lexcen, 5229 Jeffery Drive, noted she has been a homeowner in Mounds View for the past 41 years and she does not support her neighbors having chickens given the size of the small lots in the community. She stated she does not want to deal with the smell or the noise. She discussed how the chickens would draw coyotes and fox into the neighborhood. Tiffany Alexander-Susens, 5209 O’Connell, stated she supported the Whitehead family having chickens, as they would also eat ticks and other pests. She anticipated there would not be much noise from the hens and she wanted to offer her support to the request. Hearing no further public input, Mayor Mueller closed the public hearing at 9:02 p.m. Council Member Meehlhause asked how many chickens the Whitehead family would be keeping. Ms. Whitehead stated she would be keeping four chickens. Council Member Hull inquired if staff has received an abundance of complaints regarding the eight individuals who have chickens in the City. City Administrator Zikmund reported he was unaware of any complaints. Mayor Mueller stated she moved to the community 43 years ago and chickens were allowed in Mounds View. She reported this changed when her son was in elementary school. She indicated she was not aware of any complaints, nor has anyone called her with complaints regarding chickens. MOTION/SECOND: Hull/Cermak. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9619, Approval of a Chicken-Keeping License for Becky Whitehead at 5209 Jeffery Drive. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 8 B. Resolution 9622, Authorize a Recruitment Process for the Recreation Coordinator Position and Change the Employment Status of Darryl Thibodeaux from Full-Time to Part-Time. City Administrator Zikmund requested the Council authorize the recruitment process for the Recreation Coordinator Position and change the employment status of Darryl Thibodeaux from full-time to part-time. He explained Mr. Thibodeaux would be leaving the City to pursue a dream but would be able to work up to 15 hours per week for the City going forward. He commented further on the staffing change and requested the Council authorize the recruitment process for the Recreation Coordinator Position. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Hull. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9622, Authorize a Recruitment Process for the Recreation Coordinator Position and Change the Employment Status of Darryl Thibodeaux from Full-Time to Part-Time. A roll call vote was taken. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 9. REPORTS A. Reports of Mayor and Council. Council Member Hull commented on a question he received regarding milkweed. City Administrator Zikmund explained the City could not ban milkweed and noted this information would be posted on the City’s website. Mayor Mueller questioned why the City would want to ban milkweed when this plant was necessary for monarch butterflies. City Administrator Zikmund reported there were over 100 varieties of milkweed now and some were extremely invasive. Council Member Hull stated Festival in the Park was a great event and he enjoyed bringing his grandchildren to the event. Council Member Meehlhause reported on behalf of the Lions Club he would like to thank the residents of Mounds View for their support at Festival in the Park. He thanked Public Works Director Peterson and the entire Public Works Department for all of his efforts to make Festival in the Park possible. Council Member Cermak thanked all of the residents who attended Festival in the Park and participated in the Mounds View Police Foundation sponsored children’s games. She stated she appreciated all of the youth from the NYFS Diversion program that helped on Saturday. Council Member Bergeron thanked all of the volunteers that made Festival in the Park possible. He stated he was sad to miss it, noting he recently came down with COVID. Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 9 Mayor Mueller thanked all of the residents that hosted or participated in a Night to Unite party on Tuesday, August 2. Mayor Mueller invited residents to visit with Ernie and Jeannette LaPort who live at the corner of Arden and Groveland Road. She explained Ernie and Jeannette would be hosting their last story time of the summer on Tuesday, August 23 at 10:00 a.m. Mayor Mueller encouraged the MTC to hear the concerns that were voiced at this meeting regarding the bus traffic along Red Oak Drive. Mayor Mueller thanked Council Member Cermak for all of her years volunteering on the Festival in the Park Committee. She explained this committee has a strong foundation and put on another wonderful event this year. She stated she enjoyed seeing everyone come out to Festival in the Park. She reported the food was amazing this year. She welcomed the Casina Kitchen to the City of Mounds View, which was adjacent to the Filipino Village. She encouraged residents to try out this new restaurant in the community. Mayor Mueller commented on the Festival in the Park parade and thanked the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department for participating in this event. B. Reports of Staff. Finance Director Beer explained last week he began his strength finding training. He reported he continues to work on the electronic timesheets and he was making progress on getting the new accounting software operational. City Administrator Zikmund stated K9 Officer Ace had his first apprehension over the weekend. City Administrator Zikmund commented the City received 10 applications for the two open police officer positions. He indicated the City would be looking to replace four officers by the end of the year. City Administrator Zikmund reported he has had a number of exchanges with Mr. Moredock regarding the soccer nets. He stated there was a miscommunication between him and Public Works. He noted he apologized to Mr. Moredock for the miscommunication. C. Reports of City Attorney. City Attorney Riggs had nothing additional to report. 10. Next Council Work Session: Tuesday, September 6, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Next Council Meeting: Monday, September 12, 2022, at 6:30 p.m. Mounds View City Council August 22, 2022 Regular Meeting Page 10 11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Transcribed by: Heidi Guenther Minute Maker Secretarial