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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2023/02/27APPROVED PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA Regular Meeting February 27, 2023 Mounds View City Hall 2401 Mounds View Boulevard, Mounds View, MN 55112 6:30 P.M. 1. MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ROLL CALL: Cermak, Gunn, Lindstrom, Meehlhause and Hull NOT PRESENT: None. 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A. Monday, February 27, 2023, City Council Agenda. Mayor Hull asked that Item 8E be discussed after Item 8A. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Cermak. To Approve the Monday, February 27, 2023, agenda as amended. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 5. CONSENT AGENDA Council Member Gunn asked to remove Item 5G. A. Approval of Minutes: February 13, 2023. B. Just and Correct Claims. C. Resolution 9710, Approving Authorizing the Execution and Delivery of the Ramsey County Critical Corridors Predevelopment Planning Grant Agreement. D. Resolution 9706, Authorize Recruitment Process for 2023 Public Works Seasonal Positions. E. Resolution 9707, Authorize Recruitment Process for 2023 Parks and Recreation Seasonal Positions and Update Job Descriptions. F. Resolution 9708, Authorize Ongoing Recruitment of 2023 Parks and Recreation Part Time Positions. Mounds View City Council February 27, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 2 G. Resolution 9713, Approving Hire of Facilities Maintenance Coordinator Position. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Cermak. To Approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. G. Resolution 9713, Approving Hire of Facilities Maintenance Coordinator Position. Council Member Gunn commented on the correction that was made to the salary for this position to Step 2. MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Lindstrom. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9713, Approving Hire of Facilities Maintenance Coordinator Position. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 6. PUBLIC COMMENT None. 7. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS A. MVPD Life Saving Awards – Deputy Chief Zender. Deputy Chief Zender commented on the difference law enforcement officers were making on the world on a daily basis. He recognized Sergeant Hanson and Officer Aussie for their efforts on November 2, 2022 when responding to a medical call in New Brighton. He described the assistance the officers offered to the male patient that was in cardiac arrest. The officers began chest compressions and rescue breathing, along with applying and AED. Upon arrival of an ambulance, the officers learned the patient’s pulse had returned. Without the actions of the officers, it is likely the patient would not have made it. He congratulated the officers for saving a life on behalf of the citizens of Mounds View. A round of applause was offered by all in attendance. Deputy Chief Zender recognized Officer Odendorf for his efforts on March 27, 2022 when responding to a medical call in Mounds View. Upon Officer Odendorf’s arrival, the patient was unconscious and CPR was administered. He noted the patient regained normal breathing and the patient’s pulse returned. He commended Officer Odendorf for his efforts and excellent care for the patient on behalf of the citizens of Mounds View. A round of applause was offered by all in attendance. Deputy Chief Zender recognized Mounds View resident Lisa Straight for starting life saving measures on March 27, 2022 when an individual lost consciousness. He thanked her for administering CPR until police and EMT’s arrived. He commended Lisa Straight for her efforts and excellent care for the patient on behalf of the citizens of Mounds View. A round of applause was offered by all in attendance. Mounds View City Council February 27, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 3 B. MVPD Fourth Quarter/Year End Report – Deputy Chief Zender. Deputy Chief Zender discussed the fourth quarter/year end report in detail with the Council. He thanked Chief Harder for his continued support and wished him a speedy recovery. He explained 2021 was an unprecedented year and he believed 2022 had slightly returned to normal. He discussed the great work done by the grant funded TZD officers noting two Mounds View officers were recognized for their DWI efforts. He reviewed the calls for service in the City and noted he was working with Ramsey County on a full-time mental health worker. He commented on the important work being done by the VCET group. The community outreach events that were completed last year were discussed and it was reported the department raised over $6,000 from the polar plunge. He thanked the community for their tremendous support at the Daddy Daughter Dance. Deputy Chief Zender commended Officer Bosgarden for his great work in the schools and for building relationships with the children in the community. He described the great work the K9 officers were doing in the City, noting they were a great resource to assist in deescalating situations. He reviewed the personnel changes that occurred in 2022 noting the department lost three several officers. He noted two officers were hired and another was in the background process. He thanked the City Council for their continued support of the Mounds View Police Department and for allowing him to attend the FBI Academy training. Council Member Lindstrom requested further information on the fentanyl crisis. Deputy Chief Zender explained fentanyl use and overdoses were a concern for Ramsey County. He described how the department’s VCET officer oversees these calls on behalf of the community. Council Member Lindstrom stated he appreciated the fact the police department was utilizing the services of NYFS. Council Member Meehlhause thanked the City’s VCET officer for their great work on behalf of the Mounds View residents. He explained he appreciated the tremendous amount of training the Mounds View Police Officers received on a yearly basis. Council Member Gunn commended the department on their training efforts and for their positive interactions with the community. Finance Director Beer stated the Mounds View Police Department had great leadership along with a great culture. 8. COUNCIL BUSINESS A. Resolution 9715, Approval and Revocation of Rental License at 5661 Quincy Street, 5671 Quincy Street and 5691 Quincy Street. Community Development Director Sevald requested the Council revoke the rental licenses at 5661 Quincy Street, 5671 Quincy Street and 5691 Quincy Street. He explained there has been a long history of violations at these properties. He noted these buildings have four apartments per building, for a total of 12 units. He stated a number of the units have been condemned for various reasons. He reported the properties also have a long history of police calls. Staff commented further Mounds View City Council February 27, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 4 on the matter and recommended the Council revoke the rental licenses. Council Member Lindstrom asked if the properties had no heat. Community Development Director Sevald reported this was the case. City Attorney Riggs reported this meeting would provide the landlord with an opportunity to address any questions the Council may have. He explained the Resolution before the Council would revoke the rental licenses per staff’s recommendation. Eric Halverson, 753 East County Road D in St. Paull, explained he has owned these buildings for the past 20 years. He stated the 5691 Quincy Street building was sold. He discussed how he has worked to clean these buildings up. He indicated the tenants within the building with no heat had been evicted. He reported the tenants were responsible for paying for their heat and electric. He noted the power was shut off by Xcel Energy and he had no access to the unit. He stated he had to involve the sheriff in order to get the tenants evicted. Council Member Meehlhause asked what building the tenants were evicted from. Mr. Halverson stated this was from the 5661 Quincy Street building. He questioned why he was losing the rental license for the two other buildings when only one building was a concern at this time. He reiterated that the 5691 Quincy Street property was already sold. He commented on how the City Council had moved people from a building on Hillview into his building. City Attorney Riggs clarified for the record that the City Council did not move any people into Mr. Halverson’s building. He explained rental licenses were revoked and these people were free to go wherever they wanted. He reviewed the issues with all three of Mr. Halverson’s properties. He indicated it did not appear Mr. Halverson needed his rental licenses because the properties were being sold. Council Member Meehlhause asked what kind of background checks Mr. Halverson was running on his tenants. Mr. Halverson discussed how COVID impacted renters and changed their rights. He reported it was very difficult to evict tenants now if they apply for any State aid. He stated these tenants knew they were evicted, were damaging the property, had not paid their utilities for some time and they were not allowing him access to the property. City Attorney Riggs explained City Code requires landlords to be in control of their property and it sounds like Mr. Halverson was not in control of the property. Mr. Halverson reiterated that he has been a landlord for 24 years and has been in the City of Mounds View for 20 years. He commented again on how tenants were impacted by COVID noting if they applied for any government aid they could not be evicted. City Attorney Riggs stated he was well aware of the governor’s orders and noted they were no longer in place. He reported this was not a valid excuse for what was occurring at this property. Mr. Halverson indicated he had to wait for a court date and they were 90 days behind. Mounds View City Council February 27, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 5 Council Member Lindstrom stated on May 4, 2022 the City conducted a fire inspection and Mr. Halverson failed this fire inspection. He questioned why this was not remedied. He commented further on the multiple code violations on the property and noted Xcel would not turn the power back on because the boiler was unsafe. He indicated each of these properties was riddled with problems that were unrelated to being able to get into the building. He was of the opinion that Mr. Halverson was not committed to properly maintaining these buildings to a habitable standard. Council Member Gunn agreed noting the boiler was not restarted due to unsafe conditions in the building. Mr. Halverson indicated the heat was not shut off on the other two buildings, only the one building. Council Member Lindstrom asked how many times code enforcement has been to these properties. Housing/Code/Fire Inspector Schuman explained he has been to the properties numerous times and noted this was not typical when compared to other rentals in the community. He discussed the history of the utilities shut off and noted the tenant had worked with Xcel to get the heat turned back on, but after a visit by Xcel, it was determined the boiler was in disrepair. He stated staff issued a correction order and Mr. Halverson has taken no action. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Cermak. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9715, Approval and Revocation of Rental License at 5661 Quincy Street, 5671 Quincy Street and 5691 Quincy Street. Council Member Meehlhause asked how many police calls this property had. Community Development Director Sevald reported the property had 287 police calls up to January of 2023. Mayor Hull explained the landlord was no longer in control of these properties and for this reason he supported the revocation of the rental license. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. Council Member Gunn asked what the next step was for these properties. Community Development Director Sevald reported he would post the properties for no occupancy and the tenants would have 45 days to relocate and then the buildings will be boarded up. City Attorney Riggs explained if there were squatter issues, the City would have to get involved for health safety reasons. E. First Reading Ordinance 1001, Amending Chapter 90, Section 90.005 of the Mounds View City Code increasing number of allowed chickens from 8 to 12. Assistant City Administrator Beeman requested the Council hold the first reading for Ordinance 1001, which would amend Chapter 90, increasing the number of allowed chickens from eight to twelve. He explained the Council previously discussed this item and the Council directed staff to draft an Ordinance that would increase the number of chickens. He reviewed a comment staff received from a resident requesting the chicken limit be increased. He reported Kennedy & Graven has drafted the Ordinance 1001 for Council consideration. Mounds View City Council February 27, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 6 City Attorney Riggs discussed the proposed Ordinance in further detail with the Council and noted he was available for comments or questions. Amber Urlacher, 5406 Adams Street, expressed support for increasing the number of allowed chickens from eight to twelve. She understood chickens were not for everyone, but commented on the positive impact they have had on her home. She anticipated the rising price of eggs could encourage some residents to keep their own chickens in order to have free range eggs. She discussed how egg production varies throughout the year and explained her neighbors benefit when her hens were all laying. She described how she used her food waste for her chickens and noted the chicken waste was used in her garden. She thanked the Council for considering the increase to the chicken limit. Council Member Meehlhause recalled the City started at eight because the person making the request had four ducks and four chickens. Mayor Hull anticipated the coop requirements should be increased. City Attorney Riggs reported the proposed Ordinance did not address coop requirements, but rather only addressed the number of birds. Council Member Gunn supported the coop requirements remaining as is. Public Works/Parks and Recreation Director Peterson explained there was a space recommendation for birds both inside and outside the coop. He reported if birds were over crowded there would be a pecking problem. He recommended staff review ordinances from other communities to see what the coop sizes should be for up to 12 chickens. Council Member Gunn questioned if the Council should table action on this item to allow staff to review the coop size language. City Attorney Riggs indicated the Council could take this action, or the first reading could be held and staff could be directed to review the coop size language. MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Lindstrom. To Waive the First Reading and Introduce Ordinance 1001, Amending Chapter 90, Section 90.005 of the Mounds View City Code increasing number of allowed chickens from 8 to 12 with the understanding staff would be reviewing the coop size language. Council Member Meehlhause explained he has been leery to support the chicken limit increase but he appreciated the fact staff would be reviewing the coop size requirements. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. Council Member Lindstrom suggested Amber Urlacher be considered to fill the vacant seat on the Planning Commission. MOTION/SECOND: Lindstrom/Meehlhause. To recommend Amber Urlacher fill the vacant seat on the Planning Commission for 2023. Mounds View City Council February 27, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 7 Council Member Meehlhause asked if the current seat has been resigned and questioned if the position has been posted on the City’s website. Community Development Director Sevald explained staff has received a letter of resignation and the position has been posted on the City’s website. Further discussion ensued regarding the timing of the vacancy. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. B. Resolution 9705, Allocating American Rescue Plan Act Funding. Finance Director Beer requested the Council allocate the American Rescue Plan Act Funding. He explained this allocation was for the balance of the ARPA funds and the focus would be on public safety. He indicated this would create a surplus in the General Fund. Staff commented further on the proposed allocation and recommended approval. MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Meehlhause. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9705, Allocating American Rescue Plan Act Funding. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. C. 2020-2022 Strategic Plan Results. Assistant City Administrator Beeman reviewed the results from the 2020-2022 Strategic Plan. He explained this was the City’s first strategic attempt at a strategic plan and noted a second plan was in place. He commented further on how the tasks within the strategic plan were broken down and tracked by each department. He requested the Council score the plan. Council Member Lindstrom thanked staff for all of their efforts on the thoughtful strategic plan that was created on behalf of the City of Mounds View. Council Member Meehlhause agreed this was a thoughtful plan that greatly benefited the community from 2020 through 2022. The Council then reviewed their scores for the categories within the Strategic Plan. Assistant City Administrator Beeman thanked the Council for their feedback. D. Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 1000, Amending the 2023 City of Mounds View Fee Schedule. ROLL CALL VOTE Assistant City Administrator Beeman requested the Council adopt Ordinance 1000, amending the 2023 City of Mounds View Fee Schedule. He explained the 2023 fee schedule had been previously approved, but an amendment was required to correlate with the State building permit fees. MOTION/SECOND: Hull/Lindstrom. To Waive the Second Reading and Adopt Ordinance 1000, Amending the 2023 City of Mounds View Fee Schedule. Mounds View City Council February 27, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 8 ROLL CALL: Cermak/Gunn/Lindstrom/Meehlhause/Hull. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. F. Resolution 9711, Authorization for a Chemical Storage Addition to the Splash Pad Building. Public Works/Parks and Recreation Director Peterson requested the Council authorize a chemical storage addition to the Splash Pad building. He discussed how staff has worked to control and monitor the chemicals for the splash pad. Due to safety issues in dealing with the chemicals, staff was recommending a storage addition be made to the splash pad building. It was noted this was not a budgeted expense, but could be covered by the Special Projects Fund. Council Member Lindstrom asked if the chemical mixing was corrosive. Public Works/Parks and Recreation Director Peterson reported this was the case. He stated the building addition would allow the chemicals to be separated, which would be much safer. He reviewed a sketch of the proposed building addition. Council Member Meehlhause questioned if this would impact the needs at the Community Center. Public Works/Parks and Recreation Director Peterson explained the counter would be redone but the skylights would have to wait for a future budget adjustment. MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Meehlhause. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9711, Authorization for a Chemical Storage Addition to the Splash Pad Building. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. G. Resolution 9712, Approval of the purchase of a Trac-Skid Steer. Public Works/Parks and Recreation Director Peterson requested the Council approve the purchase of a Trac-Skid Steer. He reported the City’s current skid steer was not worth repairing. He described how this piece of equipment would be used by Public Works Department and recommended approval of the purchase. Council Member Meehlhause questioned what funds would be used for this purchase. Finance Director Beer reported the stormwater and water funds would be used for this purchase. MOTION/SECOND: Meehlhause/Lindstrom. To Waive the Reading and Adopt Resolution 9712, Approval of the purchase of a Trac-Skid Steer. Ayes – 5 Nays – 0 Motion carried. 9. REPORTS A. Reports of Mayor and Council. Mounds View City Council February 27, 2023 Regular Meeting Page 9 Council Member Gunn thanked the City for allowing her to attend the recent League of Minnesota Cities seminar. She reported the focus of the recent event was on wellness. Council Member Meehlhause explained he would be meeting with the Executive Director of the National Sports Center on Tuesday, February 28 at 1:00 p.m. at the Mounds View Community Center. He stated the goal of this meeting would be to gain their support for the community center expansion. Council Member Lindstrom stated he also attended the League of Minnesota Cities training last week. Council Member Cermak reported the Mounds View Police Foundation would be meeting next on Tuesday, March 14 at Hodges Park at 5:30 p.m. B. Reports of Staff. 1. Planning Commission Vacancy Assistant City Administrator Beeman stated there was a vacancy on the Planning Commission, but noted the City Council has already taken action to address this. Finance Director Beer reported the City’s audit was underway. Public Works/Parks and Recreation Director Peterson explained a mediation date has been set for the water treatment plant contractor. C. Reports of City Attorney. City Attorney Riggs had nothing additional to report. 10. Next Council Work Session: Monday, March 6, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. Next Council Meeting: Monday, March 13, 2023, at 6:00 p.m. 11. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 7:54 p.m. Transcribed by: Heidi Guenther Minute Maker Secretarial