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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2002/02/11PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW CITY COUNCIL CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA Regular Meeting February 11, 2002 u ..k Mounds View City Hall r ~ ~ ~ ~~ 2401 Highway 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 ~5 ~ 7:05 P.M. 1. MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL: Mayor Sonterre, Quick, Marty (not present), Stigney, and Thomas. 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A. Monday, February 11, 2002 City Council Agenda. Finance Director Hansen requested that Resolution No. 5712, a Resolution Approving the 2002 Community Forest Health Oak Wilt Grant Agreement be added under Council Business. MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Stigney. To Approve the February 11, 2002, City Council Agenda as amended. Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 4. PUBLIC INPUT David Jahnke of 8428 Eastwood Road said he watched the work session and agrees with most of Council that the report is no big deal and should not take more than 10 or 15 minutes so he is not sure why the rest are opposing it. He then said his other concern is that the current City Attorney seems to take questions under advisement and offer to research the matter rather than answer the questions of Council when asked as the previous City Attorney seemed to do. Mayor Sonterre commented that Council sometimes asks for an opinion and sometimes asks for a report and noted that Council would attempt to be more cognizant of how the questions are asked in the future in an attempt to save money on attorney's fees. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. • • Mounds View City Council Regular Meeting 6. CONSENT AGENDA February 11, 2002 Page 2 A. Just and Correct Claims B. Licenses for Approval C. Resolution 5708 Approving a Charitable Gambling License for the New Brighton-Mounds View Chamber of Commerce D. Resolution 5702 Authorizing Expenditure for Two Cellular Phone Accounts for Community Development as Identified in the 2002 Budget E. Set a Public Hearing for 7:05 p.m., Monday, February 25, 2002, to Consider the Revised Preliminary Plat for the Longview Estates Major Subdivision; Planning Case MA01-001 F. Resolution 5711 Authorizing Payment to Elegant Thymes Management Co. G. Resolution 5705 Approving Appointments to the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning and Zoning Commission H. Resolution 5699 Approving a Severance Payment to Joan Babekuhl ~J MOTION/SECOND: Thomas/Quick. To Approve Consent Agenda Items A through H as Presented. Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 7. COUNCIL BUSINESS A. Finance Department Quarterly Report -Charlie Hansen Mayor Sonterre explained that Council had decided to re-institute a portion of the City's Charter that requires department directors to make reports to the public and Council once per quarter. Finance Director Hansen addressed the Council and gave his report in two parts, the first part was a preliminary quarterly financial report for the City for the fourth quarter of 2001 and the second part was specific to the activities of the finance department. Finance Director Hansen explained that there were some items yet to be accounted for in the financials for this report and cautioned Council that the report was preliminary. Finance Director Hansen explained that some of the projects taken on by the Economic Development Authority exceeded the projected amounts and will require a transfer to bring that account into balance. Finance Director Hansen indicated the hotel/motel tax and franchise taxes had revenues that exceed the projected budget by 3%. Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 3 . Finance Director Hansen indicated that the licenses and permits exceeded the revenues budgeted and noted that, while construction can be sensitive to the economy, he does not anticipate a slow down in the construction within the City. Finance Director Hansen explained that intergovernmental revenues were less than what had been budgeted for and noted that the City had anticipated receiving a $68,000 police grant and did not receive it. Finance Director Hansen indicated that he believes that total revenues will exceed 100% of the revenue budget. Finance Director Hansen explained that the general funds total $3,911,000 and the budget was for $4,428,000 making the City under budget by $517,000. He then commented that the numbers could change slightly as the rest of the expenses come in but he feels the City will stay under budget on expenses. Finance Director Hansen explained that the Economic Development Fund was over budget by quite a bit and noted Council would need to discuss this area and he would be asking Council to retroactively revise the budget to reflect the level of the projects approved. He further commented that there would be a transfer out of the TIF fund to balance out the fund. • Finance Director Hansen noted that Pages 26 through 28 cover the Community Center and said Finance Director Hansen indicated that interest income and depreciation have not been added to the water and sewer fund and those are significant numbers. He then noted that the City needs to prepare a utility rate study and do a comprehensive review of the utilities and decide whether to restructure costs or institute a rate increase to keep up with inflation. that the City has struggled with accounting for the businesses operating there and is in the process of improving the accounting for that area to identify what is or is not working. He then noted that for 2001 the Community Center had expenditures that exceeded revenues by $43,000. He further noted that the numbers are preliminary but fairly close. Finance Director Hansen indicated that the golf course numbers are hard to draw conclusions from because there are outstanding personnel issues that could be significant and noted that the depreciation had not been recorded. Council Member Stigney asked whether the golf course figures included the debt service. Finance Director Hansen indicated the debt service was included in the numbers for the golf course. Council Member Stigney asked where the money received from the federal gas tax refund are accounted for. Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 4 Finance Director Hansen explained that the City puts those funds back into the account that the City buys gas out of. He then explained that the numbers reported show the cost of gas net of the federal gas tax refund. Council Member Stigney indicated that he would like to see the receipt of those funds accounted for. Finance Director Hansen indicated he could check with the employees that file the reports and get a copy of the most recent report. Mayor Sonterre inquired as to whether the $43,653 overage for the Community Center could be accounted for each of the uses within the Community Center. Finance Director Hansen explained that the goal behind the way the budget was set for 2002 was to have it restructured to break out the costs for each use but the numbers have not been recast for 2001. He then asked if Mayor Sonterre wished him to recast the 2001 figures. Mayor Sonterre indicated he would like the 2001 figures from the Community Center broken down by use for discussion at the March work session. Mayor Sonterre noted there was a long list of items that are club-house related and asked whether • the amounts were gross revenues or net revenues. Finance Director Hansen indicated he was not sure and said he would research the matter and report back to Council at the work session. Finance Director Hansen reported that the finance department is over budget for 2001 by $47,000 and that is due entirely to legal and audit fees. He also indicated that there is a backlog of work that needs to be cleared up before the audit in April. Finance Director Hansen indicated that Council had approved the purchase of fixed asset accounting software and noted that none of the current Staff had been trained to work the old system. He then indicated that Staff has been working on a purchasing policy and that will be discussed at the next work session. Finance Director Hansen indicated the Council had decided in December to engage a new firm for audits and one major objective is to review City-wide procedures and come up with a list of recommendations as to how the City can improve its procedures and documentation. He then cautioned against changing auditors too frequently because whenever you bring in a new auditor there is a heavy work load for the auditor and Staff to bring the new auditor up to speed with all the documentation needed whereas a returning auditor would have that. He also recommended staying with this auditor for a few years to recoup the upfront costs associated with changing auditors. • Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 5 • Finance Director Hansen indicated that his department is going through all of its procedures and documentation in an effort to streamline the process. He then noted that the report on quarterly reports was due two weeks ago and noted that the efforts to redo procedures and documentation contributed to the delay. He further noted that there would be a delay in receiving information from the finance department for up to a year as they wade through things in an effort to provide better service in the future. William Werner of 2765 Sherwood Road asked if the City was putting any money into running the golf course. Mayor Sonterre asked Finance Director Hansen if the City is putting City funds, not generated as forms of revenue from the golf course, into the golf course. Finance Director Hansen indicated that, in looking at the numbers, he would say the golf course is not breaking even. He then indicated that the last two years the golf course has reported a net loss and he expects the same for 2001. He then expressed concern that if the course continues to show a loss year after year, and the City has to start replacing capital equipment, there will not be cash for those replacements. He further indicated that the City is not currently putting cash into the golf course but the fact that it is operating at a loss is of serious concern in terms of needing to put cash into it in the future for the replacement of capital equipment. Council Member Stigney indicated it was his understanding that the City made a loan to the golf course. He then asked if the golf course had begun paying back that loan. Finance Director Hansen indicated that the golf course is not paying back the loan at this time. B. Community Development Quarterly Report -Jim Ericson • Community Development Director Ericson explained that his department was able to spend $100,0001ess than the amount budgeted for 2001. He then indicated that the savings could be attributed to a drop in personnel costs and the ability to pass on to the developers most of the consultant costs involved with development projects. Community Development Director Ericson reviewed the building permit applications with Council and indicated that the value of the permits for 2001 was $16,000,000 and said he did not expect that level for 2002 but said the permits should be somewhere around $10,000,000. Community Development Director Ericson gave a brief overview of the 2001 nuisance code activity handled by Jeremiah Anderson and noted that the City is reimbursed for the Section 8 housing inspections conducted by Mr. Anderson. Community Development Director Ericson explained that it is not always easy to get residents to comply with the nuisance code and Staff is working on ways to make the process more efficient. Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 6 Community Development Director Ericson indicated that the County Highway 10 revitalization Community Development Director Ericson indicated the Mermaid project is proceeding as planned and noted that the nice winter has helped with construction. He then indicated that the Economic Development Authority would be hearing a concern regarding the project because Mr. Hall has been having difficulty obtaining the final parcel to complete the redevelopment. project is taking up a lot of Staff time and noted that there would be an open house in mid-March to outline the proposed plans for the revitalization. He then indicated that Ramsey County intends to proceed with the mill and overlay and the City expects to receive special striping at the crosswalks to make motorists aware of those crosswalks. He further indicated that the City is researching many avenues for funding the project. Community Development Director Ericson updated Council on the County Highway 10 billboard to be updated and expanded by Clear Channel Outdoor. He then indicated that Rice Creek Watershed District had approved the permit and the matter would be coming before Council for approval of a wetland alteration permit. He also noted the permit would generate $50,000 up front for the City and $7,000 per year adjusted for inflation to continue every year. Community Development Director Ericson indicated that he continues to work on the parking issues at the Wynnsong Theatre and noted he had spoken to the district office and the representative had expressed a willingness to work with the City for a successful resolution of the matter. Community Development Director Ericson indicated that the Council would be considering revoking the license of the Gas and Splash for failure to pay SAC fees. He then explained that the City has been working on resolving the matter for two years and the business owes the City $43,000 in overdue SAC fees. Community Development Director Ericson explained that Council would be hearing a request for a revised preliminary plat for Longview Estates presented by Mr. Harstad. He then explained that Council denied a variance for reduced lot widths because the property is located within a wetland zoning district and Mr. Harstad had then brought a plan before the Planning Commission outlining 261ots, none of which met the Code requirements, and the plan was denied. He further indicated that he had received calls from residents asking why Mr. Harstad had brought a proposal for 261ots if he was denied 11 lots and said he is not sure, only Mr. Harstad knows why he has requested the 261ots. Community Development Director Ericson reported that the Edgewood regional pond had been completed and noted the storm water runoff generated by the Mermaid development will be treated in that pond before entering the creek. Community Development Director Ericson indicated he went to William Mitchell College of Law to listen while the Minnesota Court of Appeals heard the City's argument with regard to the • Commissioner of Transportation's denial of billboards at the golf course. He then commented Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 7 that he is not a lawyer but he felt it went well. He further indicated that a decision is expected within 90 days. Community Development Director Ericson indicated that staff has been working with a number of developers trying to create redevelopment opportunities and focus activity on certain areas within the City where the City would like to see redevelopment occur. He then indicated that those sites are the former Amoco site on Silver Lake Road and Highway 10, and the area by Groveland Road and Highway 10. He further noted there have been some for sale signs up in residents' yards in that area. Community Development Director Ericson reported that the building official was out on 2,000 building code issues in addition to all the fire code inspections she does each year. He then noted that Staff is looking at drafting an ordinance to require that the City be notified when a change of occupancy occurs in the business park because the City currently has no way of tracking who is in the business park and whether or not the sprinklers are up to Code. He further commented that this ordinance would allow the City to be able to provide updated emergency contact information and inspect the sprinkler system to determine whether it complies with the Code. Community Development Director Ericson explained that Staff has been working with the I35W Corridor Coalition which is an organization consisting of 7 cities that straddle 35W. He further explained the organization gets all the cities working together to plan for the future in a comprehensive way. Community Development Director Ericson reported that the City participates in the Housing Resource Center by paying a fee to enable residents to be able to participate in a cost share program for making home improvements. He then indicated that the program has assisted 34 families in Mounds View and noted that three rebates had been issued and there are five more pending. Mayor Sonterre stated that something that speaks volumes to the good that the Housing Resource Center does is that two cities that are not part of the I35W corridor have petitioned to be participants in this organization, and have paid a lot more than what the City is paying as a member City to belong to it. Council Member Thomas noted the report states that the City has received approval for dead- ending St. Stephen Street. She then asked if that is with or without the new cross street. Community Development Director Ericson indicated that would be without the new cross street. Council Member Thomas asked if Staff was aware of the status of the sale of the one acre parcel attached to the Walgreen's parcel. Community Development Director Ericson indicated that he did not have any information on the • sale of that parcel other than being aware that it is for sale. Mounds View City Council Regular Meeting February 11, 2002 Page 8 . Community Development Director Ericson indicated he had asked Aaron Backman to look into it and the response he received was the owner is trying to sell it. He then noted it is not a very big parcel and it is hidden by Walgreen's making it difficult to market. Council Member Stigney asked if Staff had an update on the Arden Park soil borings and asked whether the City is doing an RFP. Community Development Director Ericson indicated he had been dealing with a couple of developers and, on a low-key basis, had been asking people to look into the possibility of developing it. He then indicated he has not taken the steps to create an RFP but is letting developers know that the area has strong potential for redevelopment opportunities. He further commented that he expects to see a proposal before the year is up. Council Member Stigney indicated he had seen information from Senator Chaudharay concerning $100,000 for the Highway 10 corridor. He then asked if Mounds View would receive any direct benefit from that. Community Development Director Ericson indicated he was not sure what that money was earmarked for. Mayor Sonterre indicated that the money goes into a pool and a117 cities will be making requests and prioritizing projects. He then noted the City scores high on the scale with its revitalization project and noted that the bill was an I35W Corridor Coalition bill. Mayor Sonterre indicated the City was very appreciative of the $100,000 savings in the Community Development budget but mentioned that a large portion of that savings was due to lowered personnel costs because the department was without a planner and an economic development coordinator for a period of time. Mayor Sonterre indicated that late last summer Aaron Parrish had commented that there was interest in the property off of County Road 10 and Long Lake Road for development. Community Development Director Ericson indicated that a sample plan was submitted five or six months ago for a small building that would house three different food related tenants but noted the deal fell through and Staff has seen nothing further on that property. Michelle Sandback of 2356 Sherwood Road asked if the street in front of the theatre was a City street. Mayor Sonterre indicated that the street in front of the theatre is a City street. Ms. Sandback asked why parking is not allowed on that street. She then indicated her neighbor had asked her to ask Council what happened to the wetlands issue at the golf course. • Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 9 Mayor Sonterre indicated that the majority of the street in front of the theater is posted no parking for fire reasons. He then explained that the land in question was deeded to the Ci water retention or filtration not specific to wetlands and the process was begun in 1988 or to have it reclassified to public facilities which is a generic use term but that process has n completed as of yet. He then said he would look into it. C. Fire Department Quarterly Report - Nyle Zikmund ty for 1989 of been Fire Chief Zikmund reported that the total call volume for emergency response was down approximately 15% and he attributes that to prevention and to some change in response protocols as the Police Department is handling illegal burns. He indicated that there was a recent fire in Mounds View in one of the mobile home parks that was a total loss to the structure. He then noted that a young couple with a young child was living in the home which had no working smoke detector. He further indicated that it was an early morning fire and the father had awakened to go to work and realized there was a fire and the family was able to escape unharmed. Fire Chief Zikmund reported that his department was over budget for the first time in over 6 years and for the first time during his administration. He then explained that the budget overage could be attributed to the catastrophic engine failure in one of the fire truck engines and the fact that the department had two other engines needing to be retrofitted with a different radiator so that those engines did not fail. He further explained that the department did not seek to recover any costs from the manufacturer because the attorney's fees to do so would have cancelled out any gain. Fire Chief Zikmund explained the other reason behind the budget overage was the Larson Auto Wrecking fire that required $20,000 worth of foam from 3M. He then indicated that legal action is underway to recover the costs for that fire and the costs to do so are being borne by Blaine. Fire Chief Zikmund indicated that his staffing is at the strongest level in years and he can put together a day crew of 14 or 15 people. Fire Chief Zikmund indicated the fire department had received a grant towards the purchase of safety equipment that attaches to the self contained breathing apparatus and monitors air temperature, consumption rate, and provides an audible alarm if the fireman goes immobile for 30 seconds and has a flashing alarm to aid in location of the person. He then indicated that this is the fourth generation of this safety device and the bugs have been worked out of it making it an important safety feature for the fire department. Fire Chief Zikmund indicated that a major project for the department is converting to a state of the art software program that will provide better address information and combine all of the information now carried around in books onto the computer to be accessed via laptop computers. • Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 10 Fire Chief Zikmund indicated that the department had been granted another contract to continue as the HAZMAT response team. Fire Chief Zikmund reported he is involved in the Minnesota Fire Chief's Association and the Legislative Committee. He then indicated that there are some groups attempting to legalize fireworks in Minnesota and the departments are against that because of the obvious dangers. He then indicated that there is a bill attempting to add a box to the tax return to be able to contribute to the police and fireman's fund. Fire Chief Zikmund indicated that the department uses a curriculum called Risk Watch and noted it is a new approach to doing fire prevention education. He indicated that Risk Watch is designed to integrate into the school curriculum and be taught by the teachers. He then indicated that the curriculum has been proven to be effective but it is expensive. He further indicated the fire department would be writing a grant to attempt to obtain an $80,000 grant for more curriculum. Fire Chief Zikmund indicated he is looking at reducing the costs spent on false alarms by working with dispatch for better information on call outs. He then indicated that over the last year there had been 40 out of 1000 calls where he would say the department over responded. He further indicated that, depending on what the legislature does, his department would be looking at cutting out association activity and phasing in the software implementation slowly to save • costs. Mayor Sonterre indicated he had seen a lot of reports indicating that interest in serving rose greatly after September 11th but he has also been hearing that people are not following through. He then asked the Chief if he had received increased interest in serving. Fire Chief Zikmund indicated he had not seen any real increase in the numbers of calls. He then indicated that, in meeting with the Metro Fire Chiefs, there has been a modest increase. He further noted that those articles tend to attract people that the fire department does not want, not because they are bad people, but because they do not understand the commitment that it takes to be a firefighter. He also noted that most of what the fire department does is quite boring. D. Resolution 5712, a Resolution Approving the 2002 Community Forest Health -Oak Wilt Grant Agreement Finance Director Hansen indicated that this agreement would allow cost sharing for anyone in the City having to deal with a tree with Oak Wilt. For example, a resident would only pay $150.00 to have the tree removed rather than the full $300.00. He also noted that the same would apply to the City for any trees it needs to remove from City owned land. MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Thomas. To Waive the Reading and Approve Resolution 5712, a Resolution Approving the 2002 Community Forest Health -Oak Wilt Grant Agreement. Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 11 Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. S. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS Mayor Sonterre indicated that Council had before it Resolution 5710, appointing Mark Pothen and Mike Szczepanski to the Park and Recreation Commission. Mayor Sonterre indicated he had received a current application from Mr. Pothen but not from Mr. Szczepanski. MOTION/SECOND: Sonterre/Quick. To Waive the Reading and Approve Resolution 5710, a Resolution Appointing Mark Pothen and Mike Szczepanski to the Park and Recreation Commission. Council Member Stigney asked if both appointees had submitted current applications. Mayor Sonterre indicated that Mr. Szczepanski had not submitted a new application but had expressed the desire to be reappointed. Council Member Stigney indicated that the Planning Commission was required to provide a new application before being reappointed. He then indicated he felt the appropriate protocol would be • to require a current application before appointing him. Council Member Stigney suggested a friendly amendment to remove Szczepanski from the Resolution and not appoint him to the Park and Recreation Commission until he has submitted a current application. Mayor Sonterre and Council Member Quick accepted the friendly amendment. Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 9. REPORTS Mayor Sonterre reported that he and Mr. Ericson had attended the Court of Appeals hearing on the billboard issue and he felt that it went well. Mayor Sonterre complimented Mr. Ericson on his presentation to the I35W Corridor Coalition of the community development issues in Mounds View and said he did a great job. He then indicated that, based on conversations after the presentation, all of the persons involved have expressed significant interest in the redevelopment of County Highway 10. He also noted that a significant transportation hub located on Highway 10 was discussed. Mayor Sonterre indicated he had a chance to speak to Mr. Hall concerning the issues at the Mermaid and thanked Mr. Hall for bringing him up to speed on the matter. Mounds View City Council February 11, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 12 Ma or Sonterre re orted he had attended a forum hosted b Rice Creek Watershed District for Y p Y consideration of the three finalists for the Executive Director position. He then noted that they are close to filling the position and all three candidates had good credentials. Mayor Sonterre commented that the City of Burnsville recently fined the Super America Station $10,000 and suspended its license for one year for failing compliance checks five times in two years. Community Development Director Ericson announced that the 2002 Home and Garden Show would be held March 2, 2002 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and invited all residents to attend. 10. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. January 7, 2002 City Council Minutes. Council Member Stigney requested the following changes: On Page 13 correct the spelling of Sherry Gunn's name in two places. City Administrator Miller requested the following changes: On Page 16, indicate that City Administrator Miller had said that when City Staff took ownership of the equipment no one • checked to make sure the equipment received was what was purchased. On Page 17, third paragraph, change YMCA to Public Works Staff. On Page 18, second sentence change the last word from accepted to received. On page 19, fourth paragraph from the bottom, replace information hunting with an investigation. Change YMCA to Public Works Staff. MOTION/SECOND: Stigney/Thomas. To Approve the Minutes for January 7, 2002 as Amended. Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. B. January 28, 2002 City Council Minutes Council Member Thomas indicated that concern had been raised that the minutes from January 28, 2002 required considerable correction. MOTION/SECOND: Thomas/Quick. To Table Approval of the January 28, 2002 City Council Minutes. Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. City Attorney Riggs indicated that Council needed to approve, by majority vote, to go into a closed session for the labor discussions. • • • i • Mounds View City Council Regular Meeting February 11, 2002 Page 13 Council recessed to the EDA meeting at 8:40 p.m. Council reconvened at 8:57p.m. MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Stigney. To Recess to Closed Session to Discuss Labor Negotiations. 12. Next Council Work Session: Tuesday, February 19, 2002 Next Council Meeting: Monday, February 25, 2002 Mayor Sonterre noted that Council would adjourn from the closed session. 11. CLOSED SESSION A. To Discuss Labor Negotiations B. To Discuss Threatened/Potential Litigation Council recessed to the closed session at 9:00 p.m. Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 13. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Sonterre adjourned the meeting at p.m. Transcribed and recorded by: Joan Lenzmeier Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.