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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2002/07/22PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW CITY COUNCIL •~~~ ~ CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA Regular Meeting .-- ~1~~~~~N'`~ July 22, 2002 --- cal ~- Mounds View City Hall 2401 Highway 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 7:04 P.M. 1. MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER 2. ROLL CALL: Sonterre, Quick, Marty, Stigney, and Thomas. 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A. Monday, July 22, 2002 City Council Agenda. City Attorney Riggs indicated the Agenda contained one item of correction as Item 11B should state pending litigation rather than threatened or potential litigation. MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Marty. To Approve the July 22, 2002, City Council Agenda as amended. Ayes - 5 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 4. PUBLIC INPUT William Werner of 2765 Sherwood Road indicated he had read in a recent New Brighton Bulletin article that the City has been taking money out of other funds to the tune of $200,000 or $300,000 per year to pay for the golf course and is planning to do so again with a loan dated December 31, 2001. He then asked why the loan is backdated like that. Finance Director Hansen indicated the information came from a report at the July work session that indicated that money was needed as of December 31, 2001 to cover operations at the golf course up through that date. Mr. Werner commented that was for last year's borrowings and asked if there would be another loan this year. Mayor Sonterre indicated the city would not know until later in the year the overall picture for the current fiscal year until operations are completed for this year for the golf course. • Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 2 . Mr. Werner said he hoped the Staff would make these things clear in their quarterly reports so that residents know what is going on. John Hammerschmidt of 716 Highway 10, Blaine addressed Council and said that about two weeks ago an administrative law judge ruled he was discharged from the golf course for reasons other than misconduct. He then said the only reason he could be discharged per the policy manual is if he had committed misconduct. Mr. Hammerschmidt read excerpts from the Judge's ruling and noted that the evidence was not discovered until after his discharge and was clearly never contemplated by Council until after he was fired making it abundantly clear that personal and political factors were involved. Mr. Hammerschmidt read an excerpt from the Judge's ruling concerning Mayor Sonterre's claims of excessive incentive pay in two of five years of over $250,000 and indicated they found no misconduct in that area. He then said he would like to remind people of the hours of staff time and tens of thousands of dollars spent on this matter. He further commented that he feels it is fortunate that the administrations lies have shown and he asked what attorney in his right mind would recommend this action when there was no evidence. Mr. Hammerschmidt said he was asking Council to suspend and investigate Ms. Miller for misconduct because not only has she spent money on attorney's fees for these actions with no evidence and she told Council that the actions were well founded. He also asked that Mayor Sonterre and his business partner Dan Coughlin be investigated for not reporting the conflict of selling things to teams and being part of City Commissions. Mr. Hammerschmidt indicated that Mayor Sonterre had called a special meeting of his business partners to look at taking over the golf course club house which should be investigated. He also indicated that Mr. Coughlin had found time to make false accusations of harassment and claims as to why he was fired such as the suggestion that he had made calls to an adult telephone line while working. Mr. Hammerschmidt indicated that Ms. Miller was quoted in Sunday's paper for realizing that the state is reducing local government aid money and she said something about reducing spending but at same time she has no problem spending money on lawsuits at the golf course and setting up the golf course to be run in a way that is costing the City more money. Mr. Hammerschmidt said he did not want to spend the next two years in lawsuits and suggested someone look into these charges and appoint someone to mediate the matter because it is not fair to allow residents to spend large amounts of money on attorneys and settlement fees. Mayor Sonterre commented that this is an issue with regard to the decision of the administrative judge and something this Council needs to consider its options on. David Jahnke of 8428 Eastwood Road asked how the court had ruled in the other unemployment matter. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 3 City Administrator Miller indicated that Mr. Kesel was originally awarded unemployment benefits but that was appealed and won by the City. Mr. Kesel then appealed that decision and the City won that appeal. City Administrator Miller indicated she wanted to remind Council that the decision of Judge Dixon was simply to award unemployment benefits and said nothing of the merits of the termination. Mr. Jahnke said he has never been a big fan of the golf course because he was afraid that it would cost taxpayers money and it has. He then said that it bothers him that someone can stand up and say that they were fired and were doing a good job of managing the golf course when the golf course, over the course of the last 7 years, has lost from $39,000 to $200,000 every year. Mr. Jahnke then said he liked the former administrator as a person but nobody was watching what was going on and that is what led to the current legal fees to get out of the situations created. He further commented that the bare facts are that the City has to pay all these attorney's fees right now to get out of the hole that was created because the business of the City was not being attended to properly. Mr. Jahnke commented that every Mayor has said that the golf course would not cost citizens any money but that was before finding out what was going on out at the golf course. • Naja Werner of 2765 Sherwood Road commented that there is a statement in the article that the golf course fund took an interfund loan of $250,000 from the water fund and $306,000 from the vehicle and equipment fund. She then commented she assumes that when the City needs funds for the water fund and vehicle and equipment fund the City will go to the taxpayer and ask for them. She further suggested that the City call the golf course Linke's folly, abandon it and pay the bond because it looks like the City will be forever funneling money into the course especially in light of the current economy because people may not have money to spend on amenities like golf. Julian Sprunck of 2649 Louisa Avenue addressed Council to give a brief update relative to what has been happening in regards to the Harstad development on H2 and Long Lake Road. He then explained that since the last Council meeting two weeks ago he had the opportunity, at the Mayor's request, to survey a number of residents relative to their positions on the matter. The question was asked of the residents to brainstorm all available land use ideas for the Harstad property. Mr. Sprunck indicated that he represents 33 people who responded to the surveys and were unanimous in their objection to an R-3 zoning and to any townhouses. He then indicated that the three suggestions of the residents were keep the land zoned as R-1 and build single-family homes with attached garages, a combination of twinhomes on H2 and single-family homes on Greenwood, or twinhomes throughout zoned R-2 not R-3. Mr. Sprunck then indicated that there had been one other suggestion and that was to ask Mr. Harstad to sell the lots and let other people • build single-family homes on them. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 4 Mr. Sprunck indicated that residents had informed him that they are very tired of this issue as it has come up in 1974, 1977, 1981, 1983, 1991, and 1998 when, in each of those years, Mr. Harstad has come forward with his identical plan to build townhomes. Mr. Sprunck said his personal concern is the more often Mr. Harstad comes forward with the same plans the more solidified the residents will become in opposition to townhomes. Mr. Sprunck thanked the Mayor for providing the opportunity to work with the other residents on this issue. He then indicated that the residents involved were from Louisa, Clearview, Sunnyside and Ridge Lane. He further indicated that Ridge Lane was included because the drainage outlet for the entire area is between the last two homes immediately west of Long Lake Road on Ridge Lane. Mr. Sprunck commented that nobody needs more water in their yard and all the residents had indicated that they know that Mr. Harstad owns the land and he should have an opportunity to build on it but those residents would like to have say in how the development takes place. Mr. Sprunck said he would like to ask a rhetorical question because residents have indicated their willingness to compromise away from single-family homes and the question is why hasn't Mr. Harstad indicated the same willingness to back off of his request for R-3 zoning and townhomes. He then indicated he had provided this update at this meeting because he is unable to attend the next meeting where the item will be discussed. • Mayor Sonterre thanked Mr. Sprunck for the level of work he had done that led up to the meeting last week. 5. JUST AND CORRECT CLAIMS Council Member Marty asked what the check to the Wisconsin Department of Revenue was for. Finance Director Hansen indicated that the City has one employee who is a resident of the state of Wisconsin and the check was to pay for Wisconsin state withholding. Council Member Marty questioned why the check to Complete Cooling Services for radiator repair was so high as he did not think a new radiator would cost that much. Finance Director Hansen indicated he had looked at the invoice and it says the provision of and installation on a Ford 18000 truck and that means a new radiator was purchased and installed. Council Member Marty asked what Check Number 108810 was for. Finance Director Hansen indicated that dewatering services were required to make a repair to the sewer line. Council Member Marty asked if Check Number 108813 to Ebert Construction was to move the air conditioner to the roof of the Hillview warming house. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 5 i Finance Director Lee indicated that moving the air conditioner would be a separate bill. Council Member Marty indicated that Check Number108815 was for fairway markers and then commented that it seemed late in the season to be getting fairway markers. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated Staff had gotten a late start this year due to weather and the strike and then explained that the fairway markers had been in place since the first part of June but the invoice was recently received. Council Member Marty indicated that Check Number108821 was for a golf refund and asked why a refund was issued. Golf Course Manager Longville explained a refund was issued to an individual who had broken her arm and could not continue with league play. Council Member Marty asked what Check Number108816 was needed for. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that a banner sign was purchased to advertise a special the course was running in April or May. He then said that the sign could be used for other events as well. Council Member Marty asked what Check Number 108826 to Independent School District was for. Finance Director Hansen indicated the fee is a supervision fee to have a custodian on site when the gyms are being used for basketball or volleyball leagues. Council Member asked what Check Number108827 to J and W Instruments was for. Finance Director Hansen indicated he did not remember the details for that item and said he would have to look it up and report back. Council Member Marty asked what Check Number108866 was for. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that Staff had to re-sod the ninth green and had some trouble with some of the sod that was purchased the first time. Council Member Marty asked if this amount was in addition to what was authorized and then asked how the ninth green was doing. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated he had tried to seed the trouble areas but the weather has not been conducive to germinating bent grass seed so the only option was to patch with sod. . He then said the green is doing better now and Staff is still keeping a close eye on it. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 6 • Council Member Marty noted there was a disputed charge on the Visa statement and asked for clarification. Finance Director Hansen indicated a reservation was made for a hotel room and then cancelled but due to the timing of the cancellation it did not show up on this statement and will be on the next one. Council Member Stigney asked why the City's full time mechanic had not installed the new radiator. Public Works Director Lee indicated he was not sure but suspected that the truck was brought in for service and taken apart to determine the issue and it was easier to have the new radiator put in at that time rather than have the truck towed back to the City garage for the installation. Council Member Stigney asked whether this would be the last bill from Orkin Exterminating. Public Works Director Lee indicated there would be one more payment in August as the contract is terminating as of September 1, 2002. Council Member Stigney asked what the check for City of St. Paul radio equipment repairs was for. • Finance Director Hansen indicated that was police department item and he is not sure. He then indicated he would look into rt and report back. Council Member Stigney asked what the Wells Fargo Financial leasing payment was for. Finance Director Hansen indicated it was for the lease payment for the lease of a copy machine out at the garage. Mayor Sonterre asked Finance Director Hansen to look into how that lease is billed. MOTION/SECOND: Marty/Thomas. To Approve the Just and Correct Claims as Presented. Ayes - 5 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 6. CONSENT AGENDA A. Contractors Licenses for Approval B. Set a Public Hearing for August 12, 2002 at 7:10 p.m. to Consider Ordinance 700, an Ordinance Proposing an Amendment to the Mounds View City Charter by Amending Section 3.07 of the Charter of the City of Mounds View as to Signing and Publication of Ordinances C. Police Civil Service Commission Position Description Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 7 MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Stigney. To Approve the Consent Agenda as Presented. Council Member Stigney asked Ms. Reed to explain the change made to the Police Civil Service Commission position description. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated she had taken the information from state statute and included that Council makes the final appointment as was discussed by Council. Ayes - 5 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 7. COUNCIL BUSINESS A. Public Hearing to Consider Removal of Jakes' Parcel from Theater Planned Unit Development Agreement. Mayor Sonterre opened the public hearing at 7:45 p.m. Community Development Director Ericson explained that the request before Council is to remove the parcel from the theater Planned Unit Development Agreement. He then indicated that Jakes had entered into a Purchase Agreement with the property owners to allow Jakes to expand parking onto the parcel. He further indicated the City would be entering into a new development agreement with Jakes to control the landscaping and other issues surrounding the development of the parcel. Director Ericson indicated that the theater was approved in 1998 with two retail restaurant pads and two office pads. The parcel in question is in between the Mounds View School District building and Jakes. Director Ericson indicated that Jakes has been in business for almost year and business is great but they are under parked and customers frequently overflow into the theater parking lot on weekends. He also explained that, with the H2 reconstruction, Jakes is looking at losing 13 stalls and needs to expand parking to remain a viable business. Director Ericson indicated the issues involved with removing the parcel from the PUD are straightforward and the City has done this before for Realife and the Minnesota Institute of Public Health. He then explained the process is to hold a public hearing for resident comment. Director Ericson indicated that, if the parcel is pulled from the PUD, the Jacobs are concerned with the setback to H2 and what can be put in for a parking lot. He then indicated that currently, under the conditions of the PUD, there is a 50-foot setback. But, if this lot were pulled from the PUD, that would fall back to a 30-foot setback. • Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 8 . Director Ericson indicated this matter was before the Planning Commission and the Commission unanimously recommended that the parcel be pulled from the PUD and attached to the Jakes parcel to allow for the creation of a new development agreement. Director Ericson indicated he had put together a resolution that would accomplish removing the parcel from the PUD and it is Resolution 5803. He then read the stipulations of approval for Council. Council Member Stigney asked for clarification of the site plan. Director Ericson indicated the proposed site plan that was submitted for the Jakes' parking expansion shows a 30-foot setback. Council Member Stigney commented he had seen three layouts and asked which is the final plan. Director Ericson indicated the one before Council this evening is the final plan and the others were concept plans. Council Member Stigney commented that the 50-foot buffer was to screen residents from the theatre and then asked if 20 feet of trees would be cut down. Director Ericson said that is correct. Council Member Stigney indicated he had no problem with pulling the parcel out of the PUD but said Jakes would need to maintain the buffer. Council Member Marty asked how many trees would be lost. Director Ericson indicated he had been out at the site with the City Forester and he estimates that there maybe approximately 10 significant trees that would come down along with some more scrub trees and less significant trees. He also commented that the City Forester recommends removing some of the trees for the health of the other trees. Council Member Marty asked if there would be a fence along there. Director Ericson indicated the proposal would have a fence to maintain screening. Council Member Marty asked if the parking could be laid out east to west rather than north to south to maintain the buffer. Director Ericson indicated that was a great idea but the property would need to be replatted and the property owner is not in favor of redrawing the lot lines as that would involve park dedication fees. • Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 9 • Council Member Thomas asked if this is just the approval of removing the parcel from the PUD and putting the parcels together or if approval would automatically allow the setback to revert to 30 feet. Director Ericson indicated that approval of removing the parcel from the PUD would automatically revert the setback to 30 feet. He then indicated the Jacobs had submitted a request for a variance but the last site plan shows a 30-foot setback so a variance would not be needed. Council Member Stigney asked if the existing fence would be moved over. Director Ericson indicated that it has not been determined what type of screening would be used but the plan will involve screening. He then said that whether that means a four foot or an eight fence would need to be determined. He also indicated that Staff would be recommending fencing in addition to the natural buffer to screen residents from headlights. Council Member Marty indicated he could see that additional parking is necessary but said he would like to have a report from the City Forester as to what type of trees are in there and what would be lost. Director Ericson indicated he did have the Forester out there for that purpose and, since he is the City Forester, he likes the trees and said the trees were good and it would be a shame to lose • them. He then indicated that the Forester had made the suggestion to use an area where 20 to 30 feet could be used and would have little impact. Mayor Sonterre closed the public hearing at 8:01 p.m. Council Member Thomas asked the Jacobs for their feelings on the issue. Mayor Sonterre reopened the public hearing at 8:02 p.m. Mr. Jacobs indicated he and his brother appreciate the opportunity to express their opinion. He then said that they too like the trees but need to expand their parking onto the site in order for the business to remain viable. He further explained that they have gone over the plan numerous times looking at ways to accommodate the parking expansion with as little impact to the trees as possible. Mr. Jacobs indicated it is their feeling that the mature trees lie closer to the road so removing 20 feet of the tree line will not cause a loss of integrity to the tree cover. He also indicated they are willing to install a fence to screen headlights. Mr. Jacobs indicated the lot would be professionally landscaped including a wrought iron fence to separate their lot from the theater lot. He also indicated that they have put a lot of money into fixing up the building and grounds and they feel that this parking expansion will allow them to continue to improve the look of the area. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 10 Council Member Thomas asked if the Jacobs were willing to provide trees to fill in holes in the buffer left by the removal of the trees. Mr. Jacobs said they are willing to do whatever it takes as they need the parking. He then said they are willing to replant trees if necessary. Council Member Thomas asked if the agreement regarding trees could be worked out with Ramsey County when the parcels are joined. Director Ericson indicated that the agreement would need to be worked out prior to going to the County. He then pointed out that the Jacobs had agreed to allow expansion of the trailway onto their property by providing the City with an easement which he feels shows a willingness to cooperate with the City. Council Member Marty asked if there would be a fence on the south side as well. Mr. Jacobs indicated the fence would be shifted to buffer headlights from the neighbors and the north fence would be wrought iron to separate the lots. Council Member Marty asked what kind of lighting would be used. • Mr. Jacobs indicated they would be complying with the City's Code requirements for lighting Council Member Marty commented that he understands the situation and applauds the Jacobs' willingness to work with the City to put in more trees to plug holes if necessary. He then said that from what he has seen with the way the Jacobs have taken care of the property he believes they will follow through with what they say they will do. Mayor Sonterre asked for clarification as to whether this is an expansion of parking to accommodate current parking concerns or if the Jacobs intend to expand the building. and indicated that the lighting would be shining down. Mr. Jacobs indicated they are currently losing business because people drive by and see the lot is full and the second part of the issue is that they would like to have an outdoor patio. He then said that they will not need additional parking for the outside patio because business shifts from inside to outside when there is a patio. He also explained that it is the intent to redo the lower level banquet facility and that may require additional parking. Mayor Sonterre commented that he and his family had planned to go to Jakes for his 34th birthday celebration and when they arrived there was not parking for two cars so they went to the Mermaid and there was a 20-minute wait so they went back to Jakes, found two spots and were seated immediately. Mayor Sonterre closed the public hearing at 8:12 p.m. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 11 • Council Member Quick asked how the landscaping requirement could be added to the Resolution to ensure that it is done. Director Ericson indicated Staff could expand on stipulation number four that requires a development review because an approved landscaping plan is part of the development review process. Council Member Quick indicated he would like to add it to the Resolution to make sure. Council Member Marty suggested language be added to require the recommendation of the City Forester be followed. Director Ericson read stipulation number four and added language requiring that the Jacobs shall submit the application fee for development review for the parking lot expansion including a detailed landscaping plan with input from the City Forester as required by City Code. Council Member Thomas suggested moving the landscaping plan requirement to the end because it is not required by the City's Code. MOTION/SECOND: Thomas/Marty. To Approve Resolution 5803, a Resolution Approving the Removal of the Jakes' Parcel From the Theater PUD. Council Member Stigney commented that a wooden fence along H2 and then taking a 20-foot jog to accommodate this property would not be aesthetically pleasing. He then suggested going north with the parking rather than south. Council Member Marty commented that due to the way the property is platted it is not possible to move the parking north. Council Member Stigney indicated he did not know if the Jacobs had looked into moving the parking north. Mr. Jacobs indicated they had already tried that option and the suggestion was unsuccessfully received by the owner of the property as the only lot he would give up is the parcel they are purchasing. Director Ericson indicated that the property owner that they are dealing with is not the same property owner that has control over the theater property. He further explained that there are two entities and that complicates a potential replatting. Ayes - 4 Nays - 1(Stigney) Motion carried. B. Finance Department Quarterly Report. • Finance Director Hansen reviewed the financial report for the second quarter. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 12 • Finance Director Hansen indicated the general fund franchise taxes are down slightly from last year and that represents taxes collected by the utility for January through May of last year. He then explained the difference can be explained due to the fact that there was an energy crunch last year and the prices were quite a bit higher. He further commented that last year was the exception and this years' collection is closer to normal. Finance Director Hansen called attention to Pages 3 and 13 for total revenues and total expenditures for the general fund. He then said it is somewhat dangerous to make projections based on the first six months but it appears that the figures are running a pattern fairly similar to last year in terms of revenues and expenditures. He further stated that last year there was a surplus in the general fund before a transfer was made to the special projects fund and, given the uncertainty concerning next years budget he feels it is a good benefit to have a surplus to allow for flexibility next year. Finance Director Hansen then called attention to Page 21, a summary of the Community Center operations and indicated some scrutiny would be required for the 2003 budget because it is struggling again this year. He then noted there had been some talk of moving the management fee to the general fund but even beyond that there is a struggle to make it self-sustaining. Finance Director Hansen indicated the other thing that is a little different this month was on Pages 40 and 41, a slightly different presentation of revenues for the golf course. He then • indicated that the costs for the club house were split out this time as in the past they were buried in a supply account. He further commented that without figures for the prior year it is difficult to compare. Finance Director Hansen explained that the cost of sales figure is higher than the sales themselves so he had looked into it and that is because there is a full year's worth of purchases on the books and not a full years worth of revenue at this time. Council Member Stigney asked if Staff was doing anything to correct the deficit at the Community Center. City Administrator Miller indicated that, in the past, the City had not isolated all the costs for the Community Center and an effort was made in the last year to do so in order to provide a better understanding of the costs at the Community Center. Mayor Sonterre asked if anybody went back and took the same approach to previous financial figures to see if this is a new problem or whether it has been happening in the past. Finance Director Hansen indicated he had not attempted to do that as it would be very time consuming and his department is behind schedule on budgets and other projects. Council Member Stigney asked if there would be some attempts to make corrections prior to the next report. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 13 Finance Directox Hansen indicated that, with other things he has pressing on him such as the budget and the audit, he does not have time to do it. City Administrator Miller indicated that the majority of losses are occurring at the YMCA and recreation. She then said that Staff could review that portion if Council wishes to see what, if any, changes could be made. Mayor Sonterre said it was difficult to ask what Staff is doing so there is not a deficit in the future because the question is can the Community Center be run more efficiently but due to lack of control over that entity and a significant problem with communication it is a difficult situation for Staff. Council Member Stigney commented that, if Staff has identified that there is an issue with the YMCA, he thinks the City should look at the contract to see if the YMCA is performing per contract and identify any areas where they are not. MOTION/SECOND: Stigney/Sonterre. To Instruct Staff to Review the Existing Contract to see if the YMCA is Performing Per Contract. Council Member Marty asked when the next quarterly report would be and asked whether the . City receives a quarterly report from the YMCA. Council Member Thomas pointed out that the YMCA is not a department within the City. City Administrator Miller indicated she could ask the YMCA to provide a quarterly report to Council. Council Member Thomas indicated she recalled having discussions with the YMCA during budget construction last year and the only answer received was that the City should expect that, because the YMCA is providing a City service, the City should expect to be investing in it. She then said that she does not think the YMCA would be surprised to see these numbers. Council Member Stigney indicated he remembers when the YMCA came in and made their presentation they had talked about how this would cost the City nothing for the YMCA to run this for the City. He then said that it maybe possible that the contract created does not allow for closer control by the City but said he would like Staff to review it. Council Member Quick commented he had made the same argument two months ago and it was not well received. Ayes - 5 Nays - 0 Motion carved. Council Member Marty asked why the City is spending more at the banquet center than it is bringing in. He also commented that the figures do not correspond to last years figures. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 14 Finance Director Hansen indicated that the accounting had been changed for this year so last years numbers are not comparable. He then explained that the City had determined to begin allocating costs associated with the building to each of the four tenants. He further explained that the banquet center is turning a profit on each event but not when you figure in the overhead costs. Finance Director Hansen commented that the number for the banquet center concerns him as much as the number for the YMCA because he would have expected the banquet center to be at least breaking even. Council Member Marty asked whether both the YMCA and banquet center were being charged for utilities and devaluation of the building. City Administrator Miller indicated the same was true of all entities that exist in the building. She then said that the intent was to do this so that Staff could review the contracts and see if they made sense. Council Member Thomas asked for an update on Creative Kids. City Administrator Miller indicated she had heard nothing more on that. • Council thanked Finance Director Hansen for his report. Finance Director Hansen reviewed the activities of the Finance Department and indicated that there have been discussions with Springsted for refinancing the water revenue bond which should save the City $100,000 in interest over the remaining life of the bond. Finance Director Hansen indicated that the City's insurance contracts were up for renewal on July 1, 2002 and the proper applications were submitted to the League of Minnesota Cities but underwriting is backlogged and he expects to hear from them soon. Finance Director Hansen indicated his department is working on two other major projects and that is the completion of the annual audit and report for 2001 and the budget for 2003. He then indicated that the department is approximately two months behind on both of these projects and there are a number of issues contributing to the delay including a backlog of work when he started, getting the new accounting system up and running, and the strike. Finance Director Hansen indicated he had intended to present the audit report at the August 5, 2002 work session but due to the work needing to be finished yet that will not be possible. He then asked if Council would be willing to meet on August 19, 2002 to discuss the audit and budgeting issues. . Mayor Sonterre indicated there is a retreat scheduled for Monday and suggested schedules be discussed at that time. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 15 City Administrator Miller indicated that the August 19, 2002 date would allow enough time for the auditors to complete the report. Council Member Marty asked whether, at the retreat next Monday, there would be brainstorming to see where the City could cut because there maybe further cuts to local government aid next year. Mayor Sonterre suggested that the agenda for the retreat be discussed during the report section of the meeting. Council Member Marty asked how long it would be before the golf course bonds could be refinanced. Council Member Thomas indicated they could not be refinanced before 2004. Council Member Marty reminded Finance Director Hansen that he had asked for the figures on the lawsuit and attorney's fees and asked when he would be receiving those numbers. Finance Director Hansen indicated he had made a list of questions from the July work session but has not addressed any of the questions as he has not had the time to do so. Council Member Marty said he understood the time constraints and thanked him for his report. Mayor Sonterre complimented Finance Director Hansen on providing quality reports to Council. Council Member Quick asked for afive-minute break. Mayor Sonterre asked if there was anyone that would like to ask questions of the Finance Department. C. Presentation by the Ramsey County Library Board. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated Alice Jo Carlson from the Ramsey County Library would like to address Council concerning the libraries initiatives for 2003. Ms. Carlson indicated Mr. Anderson had been in attendance but needed to leave due to a family emergency. She then said the reason she was at the meeting is the Library was instructed to take a 7% decrease to its budget due to state budget shortfalls and when they went back and did the calculations they discovered that would mean closing three buildings as that would be more efficient than having reduced hours at all the facilities. She further indicated that the library must receive a 4.2% increase in order to maintain its current level of service resulting largely from staff costs for the AFSCME union employees. • Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 16 . Ms. Carlson indicated that the library's funding comes through Ramsey County and they have been traveling to each of the City Councils in the area to talk about budget problems and to let Councils know how popular the libraries are. She then indicated that 3,000,000 items were checked out from the library in the year 2000 and Roseville is the busiest library in the state. Ms. Carlson indicated she was at the meeting to seek support for the budget increase so that the library can maintain its current level of service. She then said that the library is asking for moral support to take to its upcoming budget meeting. She also commented that she has been to 16 of the 18 cities. Council Member Marty indicated that there has been an ongoing rumor that the Mounds View Library was to be closed. He then asked what the likelihood of that would be. He also commented he would like to be a part of a resolution extending moral support because he feels that a library in the community is a positive aspect. He further stated that he applauded them for keeping the library going. Mayor Sonterre indicated he had heard that there would be discussions to create a super library in New Brighton and that would cause Mounds View and Arden Hills to close for the larger structure. He then asked Ms. Carlson to comment on that. Ms. Carlson indicated the super library is a concept but said that the concept has not been discussed by the Library Board. She further explained that it was a concept that was brought up by the New Brighton Council and will be discussed but she is not sure how the concept will proceed. Council Member Thomas commented that the library is funded through the County and that by asking for moral support the library is really asking for financial support through approval of increasing a levy through the County. Ms. Carlson agreed with the comments of Council Member Thomas. Council Member Stigney asked whether the coffee shop in the Roseville Library contributes to its busiest library status. Ms. Carlson indicated that circulation went up 8% since the coffee shop was added but she also noted that the library has outreach programs for kids and adults as well. Mayor Sonterre commented that the reason there is so much programming in Roseville is there is space to do so where there is not in Arden Hills and Mounds View and that is why he would be guiltily supportive of a larger facility in New Brighton. Council Member Stigney commented that he does not go to the Mounds View Library because the information is geared toward kids. • Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 17 C7 • Mayor Sonterre asked whether there was consent of Council to place a resolution of support on the consent agenda for the August 12, 2002 meeting. Council Member Thomas said she would not mind further discussion but said she has not decided yet whether to support the request. Council Member Stigney noted this was the library's 16t" presentation and asked how the support from other cities has been. Ms. Carlson indicated that most of the time the resolution passed unanimously but in a couple of instances Council has requested further information before passing it. She then said the library has good support for the budget hearing in August. Council Member Stigney asked Ms. Carlson if she could assure them that the Mounds View Library would not be closed. Ms. Carlson said she wished she could do so but cannot. It was the consent of Council to add a resolution of support to the consent agenda for August 12, 2002. Council recessed at 8:53 p.m. Council reconvened at 9:03 p.m. D. Administration Quarterly Report. • Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that the Police Chief position is still open and noted that the police administrative assistant had resigned to work for the City of Brooklyn Park. Assistant City Administrator Reed commented that with respect to AFSCME the grievance process has moved to Step 2 for Ron Houston and AFSCME has stated that he is underpaid as they had an expectation that he would start at the maximum salary for his range. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the Golf Course Manager is currently reviewing a draft description for the grounds and equipment manager and once he makes changes she will bring it forward with the labor relation recommendation for salary. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the part time cable position was advertised and the City has approximately 6 responses. She then noted that Brandon has been filling in with the cable operations and will be leaving for college and Staff will be seeking authorization to fill the positions on an interim basis until the permanent person has been hired. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 18 Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the open positions on the Economic Development, Planning Commission and Civil Service Commission are being advertised on an ongoing basis. She then indicated that she has received applications for the Civil Service Commission. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the City has received an update of the municipal code from Kennedy and Graven and that will be given to Council on disk in the near future. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the City has been using Taxsaver for the City's flexible spending account but there have been a number of issues with Taxsaver and a committee has been established to discuss flex companies and bring further information to Council. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the City signed on fora 20-month health insurance policy and Staff has expressed interest in doing the same for dental benefits. She then indicated she would be meeting with Staff to discuss the details and coming to Council with a recommendation. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that two Council Members are up for re-election, Council Member Thomas and Council Member Marty, as well as Mayor Sonterre. She then noted that filing dates are August 27, 2002 through September 10, 2002 and the filing fee is $20.00. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated she had submitted a grant application a few weeks ago to the state to cover the cost of new voting equipment and received a response on Friday that the City was awarded the full amount of $7,650 for the equipment. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the City's polling location is the Mounds View Community Center. She then noted that the City has four precincts but one polling location. She also noted that new precinct maps were published in the most recent issue of Mounds View Matters. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated Staff thought it would be a good idea to increase the management piece of the election judges by adding one co-chair for each precinct. She then indicated the City would have 40 election judges and see how things go this year. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated she had included in her Staff report just the index for the investigative report on the City of Brooklyn Park and said she wanted to mention that Mounds View has addressed almost all of the issues that occurred in that report. She then commented that Staff did not want to give up a lot of those things but she thinks now they all see the importance of the work done on the front end. She further indicated that a full copy of the report is available if anyone wished to review it at City Hall or it can be located on the state auditor's website. Assistant City Administrator Reed told Council that the City Administrator has instigated discussions to address the looming issues at City Hall such as communication. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 19 Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that each department continues working on procedures manuals. She then indicated that she would be working with Shannon Roepke to streamline Mounds View Matters and will be coming to Council with a recommendation at the August work session. Council Member Stigney asked when a recommendation to fill the position on the Civil Service Commission would be coming forward. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that according to policy the Mayor would be bringing forth a recommendation to fill the vacancy. Mayor Sonterre indicated he has seen three of the four applications and needed to get the other from Ms. Reed. He then said he would bring a recommendation to Council shortly. Council Member Quick asked whether, depending on the outcome of the contact with New Brighton, if it would be necessary to fill that position. Mayor Sonterre indicated he was going to ask the City Administrator that question during the reports section of the meeting. Council Member Marty asked when the police administrative assistant had submitted her resignation. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that last Friday was her last day. She then said that it was her understanding that the Deputy Chief and City Administrator were attempting to meet to discuss an interim plan before coming to Council for approval. Council Member Marty commented that he feels that the position should have been advertised when the resignation was turned in. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the policy is to come to Council to ask for authorization to hire. Council Member Marty indicated the resignation was given prior to the last Council meeting. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the resignation was given on Thursday or Friday before the last Council meeting and there was not time to get a real plan together to present to Council. Council Member Quick commented that the individual was on strike for a period of time and the police department functioned just fine and he thinks the police department will function fine in the interim. • Council Member Marty asked for clarification on the grievance process and an explanation of Step 2. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 20 • Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that Step 1 is to provide a notice of grievance to the supervisor and Step 2 is to provide a notice of grievance to the City Administrator. She then indicated the City Administrator received that grievance and has made contact by telephone to discuss the matter. Council Member Marty commented that the Golf Course Manager's job description called for maintenance and said he was curious why a position description was being created for a grounds and equipment manager. Council Member Marty asked who Brandon was as this was the first he had ever heard of him. Assistant City Administrator Reed commented that after Jay Ericson resigned either during the strike or shortly after it and the City needed someone to cover Council meetings and Brandon came on Staff right after Sue Houston. Council Member Quick said, "we met him." Finance Director Hansen indicated Jay had resigned toward the end of the strike and the City needs to have two people to cover meetings to handle times when one or the other is not available. He then said that Dave is still with the City and Brandon was picked up from CTV. Council Member Marty said he thinks the City needs to get someone appointed to the Police Civil Service Commission because the City will be looking for an administrative assistant and a Chief. Council Member Marty asked when the election packets would be ready because other cities have had them for some time. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated there is no local primary but the City runs a state primary so there is a late filing date. She then said that she has not yet received the election packets from the County and suggested it may be possible to contact the County directly to obtain them. Mayor Sonterre commented that other cities that do not have primaries have the same filing period that this City does. Council Member Marty asked why there was not anything listed in Mounds View Matters about neighborhood night out. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the City realized the omission after it went out and said that Staff is exploring other avenues of obtaining information to be placed in Mounds View Matters to eliminate this issue in the future. Council Member Marty asked who puts out the Mounds View Matters. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 21 Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the Administrative Assistant puts it together and gets it to the printer. Mayor Sonterre asked Ms. Reed, in terms of public information, what could be explained with regard to the BMS process and why the City is still expending legal fees on the matter. Julie Flemming explained that she had, today, filed a motion to compel arbitration of the BMS matters in the Hammerschmidt and Kessel matters because she has been trying since December of 2001 to get them to move forward with arbitration and has been unsuccessful. She then indicated that neither party would agree to an arbitrator, they would not select one and would not give a name or a list of names. She further explained that she has looked into many different avenues to bring the matter to hearing and conclusion and decided this was the only way to do that. Ms. Flemming said that the reason this is going on so long is because Mr. Kessel and Mr. Hammerschmidt would not agree to move forward. Mayor Sonterre asked who initiated the BMS process. Ms. Flemming indicated they did in September of last year. • Mayor Sonterre asked what the BMS process is. Ms. Flemming explained that BMS stands for the Bureau of Mediation Service. She then explained that under the Public Employer Labor Relations Act, although she disagrees, a public employee who has a contract of employment can seek review of that contract before BMS. She further commented that the individuals had the opportunity to do so before Council but did not show up and, instead, filed a petition for review at the Bureau of Mediation Services. Ms. Flemming indicated the City originally opposed that because it believed that BMS did not have jurisdiction over non-union employees but, upon determining that appeals had been rejected and the City was not going to win the argument, the City accepted arbitration before BMS and has attempted to move the process along. She then indicated she has not heard from either Mr. Kessel or Mr. Hammerschmidt for 90 days so she made the motion to compel arbitration to compel them to proceed in front of an arbitrator to have the wrongful termination claims heard and terminated on the merits. E. Resolution Approving a Contract with Springsted Inc. for Continuing Disclosure. Finance Director Hansen indicated that there has been a requirement since 1995 to provide certain financial information to a national repository so that investors and bonds could easily and efficiently gain information for issuers of bonds. He then indicated that Springsted issued that for the City in 1996 and Mr. Kesel issued that from 1997 through 1999 but no reports were Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 22 issued in 2000 or 200E He then commented that in addition to the fact that the City is out of compliance with this law there is also the matter that the City will need to come back into compliance in order to sell any new bonds to refinance some water revenue bonds and save $100,000 over the life of those bonds. Council Member Marty asked if there is a penalty or repercussions for not being in compliance with the law. Finance Director Hansen indicated that no one has described to him what the penalties are for not complying with this continuing disclosure law. MOTION/SECOND: Marty/Quick. To Waive the Reading and Approve Resolution 5809, a Resolution Approving a Contract with Springsted Inc for Continuing Disclosure. Council Member Stigney commented that the previous finance director submitted reports for the City and asked if there was a reason Mr. Hansen needed assistance with the project. Finance Director Hansen indicated this would be practical to farm out to a consultant because he is behind on the budget and audit report. He then said he intends to determine whether it will be feasible for him to do the reports in the future. • Ayes - 5 Nays - 0 Motion carried. F. Resolution 5804 Awarding the Construction Contract for the County Road H2 Street Project. Public Works Director Lee indicated he was pleased to report that on July 18, 2002 the City received 7 bids for the H2 street improvement project and Palda and sons was the lowest bid at $1,177,252.44 and that is $185,000 below the engineers estimate. He then indicated that Resolution 5804 was before Council that would award the contract for the project but it is contingent upon receiving approval and permits from the watershed district. He further explained that he believes all the issues were addressed at the board meeting last week and the contractor anticipates starting the week of August 12, 2002 and substantially completing the project during the 2002 construction season with the second layer of bituminous, final restoration, and the trailway being constructed in 2003. MOTION/SECOND: Stigney/Sonterre. To Waive the Reading and Approve Resolution 5804, a Resolution Awarding the Construction Contract for the County Road H2 Street Project. Council Member Thomas asked if it was determined that the City would be able to have curb and gutter on this street. Public Works Director Lee indicated that Rice Creek had determined there would need to be water infiltration basins but will allow curb and gutter. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 23 Council Member Marty commented that he had not heard about water infiltration basins and asked if this would be coming to Council as well as discussion concerning the detention pond/infiltration pond on the south side of H2. Public Works Director Lee indicated these items were added to the project to get Rice Creek Watershed District approval. He then said there would be a total of 8 infiltration basins which are depressions in the boulevard area to allow water to infiltrate into the ground. He further stated that the plans would be revised. Council Member Marty commented that the third would be located at the southwest corner of H2 and Long Lake Road. Public Works Director Lee explained that the basin would be located within the City's right-of- way behind the curb and the plans would need to be revised to reflect that. Council Member Quick asked for clarification on the holding pond being required. Public Works Director Lee indicated that one of the infiltration sites is large enough to be a holding pond. MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Marty. To Tabie Approval of Resolution 5804 Until Revised Plans are Available for Council Review. i Ayes - 2 Nays - 3 (Thomas/Sonterre/Stigney) Motion failed. Public Works Director Lee indicated that a tabling motion would kill the project for this year. Council Member Quick commented he felt it was necessary to see the plan prior to approval. Mayor Sonterre indicated that the first asphalt would be put in this year and the second next year. He then asked if the road would withstand the traffic and a plowing season with one layer of asphalt. Public Works Director Lee indicated it is actually advantageous to do it this way because the road goes through a freeze thaw cycle and can be evaluated for any issues with the roadbed before the final asphalt layer is put in. Council Member Quick asked how the manholes would be dealt with. Public Works Director Lee indicated they would be flush until the final wear course is installed and would then be raised up to be flush with that wear course. Council Member Quick asked if that was reflected in the bid. Public Works Director Lee said yes. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 24 • • Council Member Stigney asked whether this project would have been completed entirely during the 2002 construction season if SEH had acted more promptly on this. Public Works Director Lee indicated that dealing with the Watershed was a problem in terms of obtaining the permit to proceed as well as the legal issue of moving Xcel's poles. He also indicated that there maybe an issue obtaining permanent easements for trailway from residents. Mayor Sonterre asked for comment on the Xcel issue. City Attorney Riggs commented that it is a hotly litigated issue. He then said he is looking at it but is more concerned with the temporary and permanent easements to get that process going. Public Works Director Lee indicated the temporary easements are not an issue and the project can proceed but the permanent easements are an issue and, if the City does not get them, it would affect the installation of the trailway not the road. Mayor Sonterre indicated he voted against tabling because he knows tabling it would kill the project for this year. He then asked if any of the issues just discussed would cause the project to be pushed into next year's construction season because, if so, he would be interested in tabling this matter. Public Works Director Lee indicated that the easements would only affect the pathway installation and does not affect the roadway installation. Council Member Marty commented that Xcel does not want to move the poles free of charge but wants the City to pay for it. He then said he assumes that putting the power under ground did not meet with their approval either. Public Works Director Lee indicated the County gave Xcel permission for the poles and through the transfer of ownership there is a question as to whether the City has the authority to ask them to remove them. He also commented that the utility does not want the power under ground. Ayes - 4 Nays - 1(Quick) Motion carried. G. SBM Fire Department Proposed 2002 Budget. • City Administrator Miller provided a copy of the proposed 2003 Spring Lake Park, Blaine, Mounds View Fire Department budget to Council and noted it represents a sizeable increase for the city of Mounds View. She then commented she had provided it to Council for comment and noted she would be meeting with the other managers and the Fire Chief tomorrow. She further indicated that the Fire Chief had wanted approval of the budget at that meeting but realizes now that there are concerns with the increases. Mounds View City Council July ZZ, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 25 Council Member Marty said he was wondering why the Mounds View portion continues to escalate. Council Member Quick indicated there is a formula to calculate the number of calls. City Administrator Miller indicated it has to do with the last three years of history and the City had a spike two years ago that enters into the formula. Mayor Sonterre asked why the Fire Chief was not at the meeting. City Administrator Miller indicated she did not ask him to be here as she was providing the budget for review. She then said she could invite him to the work session in August if Council wished. Mayor Sonterre said he would assume that any department head in this City should be present when Council is discussing their budget. City Administrator Miller indicated she did mention that it would be on the agenda but did not ask him to attend. Council Member Marty asked why the Chief s cars figure jumped from $29,000 in 2003 to $60,000 in 2005. Finance Director Hansen explained that the figure is not for one vehicle rt is for several vehicles. He further explained that the Chief had told him that having the ability to respond in a chief's vehicle saves the department money because a lot of calls can be handled by one individual rather than calling out the whole squad with a truck. Council Member Marty said he was curious as to whether the Fire Department has a vehicle and equipment fund like in this City or if, whenever they need to purchase a new piece of equipment, there is a huge spike. Finance Director Hansen indicated he had gotten the impression that the Fire Department does not have a vehicle and equipment fund. Council Member Thomas indicated she had a considerable number of questions on the numbers regardless of the total but said she would discuss the matter with City Administrator Miller. She then said she had a conversation with a Council Member from Blaine who had not yet seen the numbers and was not happy with the information she provided. She further suggested Staff look into scheduling a joint meeting to discuss the budget. MOTION/SECOND: Thomas/Marty. To Direct Staff to Contact the Other Cities for a Joint Meeting to Discuss the Fire Department Budget. r~ ~~ Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 26 Council Member Stigney commented that the meeting tomorrow is to review and approve the budget. City Administrator Miller indicated she would be giving feedback to indicate that the City wishes to have a joint meeting among the cities and have the Fire Chief in attendance. Council Member Stigney asked if Staff had received copies of the articles for the Fire Department. City Administrator Miller indicated she received a copy of the bylaws but not the articles. Council Member Stigney asked her to follow up on receiving a copy of the articles. Mayor Sonterre asked that the discussion be specific to the three-city meeting. Ayes - 5 Nays - 0 Motion carried. Council Member Stigney said he would like to see a breakdown of the dues and subscriptions amount. Mayor Sonterre asked, comparatively, how is the Fire Department budget as compared to other departments within the City. City Administrator Miller indicated that, m reviewing the various departmental budgets, the Fire Department was the only department that did not make any cuts. H. Golf Course Quarterly Report. Golf Course Manager Longville addressed Council and provided a review of his report. Golf Course Manager Longville explained that they had lost time out at the course due to poor spring weather and the strike. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that things are getting better and the numbers for the month of June are approaching more normal for rounds played. He also commented that the sluggish economy could be playing a part in the lower numbers as well as the influx of competition. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that they have received a lot of compliments at the course and have cut staff in half compared to past years. He then said that he feels like they are on the right track and the course seems busy. Golf Course Manager Longville commented that once he has an operating season under his belt and takes the winter to review and reflect he will be coming to Council with some proposed changes to improve things for next year. He then commented that it maybe time to raise green Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 27 fees as well as look at limiting inventory in the club house to what actually sells. He also commented that they sell a ton of hot dogs so that should be looked at as well. Golf Course Manager Longville commented that the City has golf carts that are 6 or 7 years old and noted that carts are normally replaced on a 3 to 5 year cycle. He then said that, while the carts are old, he things that he will be able to get one more year out of them because the City needs to purchase some other equipment next year. He also commented that there is a storage building with no electricity and that poses an issue for the Staff because Staff arrive in the dark and having guys fumbling around in there could be hazardous. Golf Course Manager Longville said that he thinks the course is on track and he is optimistic about the golf course but he says that with some degree of caution because he has a lot left to learn about the operation. He then said he hope to have the course open through October to make up for time lost in April and May. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated he had hired a lot of his people on the grounds crew at very close to the bottom of the range of the union scale and, typically in the private sector, he would hire them near the bottom and midway through the season give them a little raise as an incentive to continue doing a good job. He then said he would like to give his crew a .25 cent an hour raise as an incentive. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that about 90% of his Staff is either in college or high i school and he will be losing those people in the middle of August and would need to bring on 8 more employees to finish out the season. Mayor Sonterre suggested Mr. Longville work with the administrative Staff concerning the pay issues. Council Member Stigney noted that the City leases golf carts and asked if Mr. Longville was aware of that. Golf Course Manager Longville explained that the City owns 10 golf carts and leases an additional four to get through the busy season. Council Member Marty asked if the City could lease golf carts every year rather than purchase them. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that most facilities do lease golf carts. Council Member Marty asked if it would be more cost effective to lease rather than purchase. Golf Course Manager Longville said he thinks leasing is the better way to go. He then noted that the course is a nine hole course so, in theory, there should not be as much wear and tear on the • carts as at an 18 hole course but there are not cart paths at The Bridges so that adds wear and tear. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 28 Council Member Stigney commented that, since this is a public golf course rather than a private course, the City could not do a tax deduction if it owns the carts. He then asked if that was figured into the recommendation of leasing versus purchasing. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated he would need to research the matter before making a formal recommendation. Council Member Marty asked how the turnnover has been with employees this summer. He then asked if some of the old timers would be called to see if they wished to finish out the season for those employees that are leaving for school. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that each employee is restricted to a six month period and most of these employees will only be at two or three months. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated he is planning on a busy fall and needs to have employees. Council Member Marty asked if the City still has a pool of some of the old timers. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that all who had submitted an application would be considered. Mayor Sonterre asked that Council refer to them as previous employees rather than old timers. Council Member Quick asked if there is equipment at the course that needs to be sold. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that he believes there will be equipment to be sold and noted he is getting through the season and seeing what is utilized and what is not. He then commented that there is an aerator that was used at one time to condition the soil but he does not see a need for it. He also indicated there are two Kubota tractors and the course only needs one as well as a sprayer that he has been operating without a clutch in order to save the $1,500 to fix the clutch because the equipment needs to be replaced. Council Member Quick indicated the piece of equipment he is interested in is the aerator that is sitting up there. He then asked if it was used last year. Golf Course Manager Longville said that he would guess it was not used last year. He then said it may have been used to find rocks and aerate the soil in the beginning but there has not been a need for it recently. He also commented that there are areas that hold water but he has been utilizing a wetting agent to make the water penetrate the ground more easily and noted there is another aerator available should it be needed. Council Member Quick asked if the aerator has been leased out, loaned out or rented out. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated he was not sure but could look into it. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 29 Council Member Quick asked if there are any records of the aerator being leased out. Council Member Quick commented that when Mr. Hammerschmidt brought this recommendation to Council the idea was that it could be rented annually to a number of golf courses because there was a need for the equipment. Council Member Stigney commented that the previous golf course manager could not lease equipment out. He then suggested that Staff review why the equipment was purchased and how it was used before determining that is not necessary to have it. Council Member Quick commented that one of the big deals was that the equipment would generate money. Golf Course Manager Longville commented that there was a soil problem and that was the reason for the equipment. He then said that maybe they resolved the problem and do not need it anymore. Council Member Stigney indicated the way it was presented was along-term use and suggested that Staff look into the history of it. Mayor Sonterre noted Mr. Longville had made references to next year and said he hopes that Mr. Longville is here next year. He then suggested that Mr. Longville research to make sure that there are no pending orders from vendors because, the way the business works, there are standard orders pending and if those are not cancelled there is a restocking fee to return the merchandise. Golf Course Manager Longville said that Kenny had promised him that the only things being paid for are purchases that were made over the winter. Mayor Sonterre said he is not saying that there are pending orders but he has some experience with how the industry works and there maybe release dates that Staff is not aware of so he would recommend making sure there are no more ship dates. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated that during the strike the course was receiving things that were never ordered so Staff put a stop to that by sending out SOO letters saying that a code needed to be used when ordering from vendors. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that Mr. Longville had asked for permission to hire 8 additional people and asked for Council direction to advertise for the positions. Mayor Sonterre asked if it was necessary for the City to advertise the positions or if it could hire from applications already received. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that the City would need to advertise to fill 8 positions. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 30 . Council authorized by consensus to advertise for the positions. 8. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUSINESS A. Resolution 5806 Approving a Step Increase for John Hughes Mayor Sonterre read Resolution 5806. Council Member Marty asked why he has been at Step 1 for two years. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the public works contract is different from the other contracts within the city and only has four steps. MOTION/SECOND: Marty/Thomas. To Approve Resolution 5806, a Resolution Approving a Step Increase for John Hughes. Ayes - 5 Nays - 0 Motion carried. B. Resolution 5805 Approving a Wage Increase for Ken Manthis • Mayor Sonterre read Resolution 5805. MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Marty. To Approve Resolution 5805, a Resolution Approving a Wage Increase for Ken Manthis. Council Member Stigney commented that there were meetings concerning the salary range and Mr. Manthis had agreed that the range was satisfactory. He then said that he disagreed with skipping from Step 2 to Step 5. Council Member Marty indicated that Mr. Manthis is the only employee left at the golf course and without him the course would be in a lot worse shape than it is in. Mayor Sonterre commented that, if memory serves, the City labored over the range on this position for a long time and settled on the lowest criteria just to get it through. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated the City lowered the maximum. Council Member Stigney asked if this was pointed as recommended by Labor Relations. City Administrator Miller indicated the recommendation from Labor Relations was higher than what the City settled for. • Golf Course Manager Longville said he has been in the business almost 20 years and has seen a lot of guys come and go and he thinks the world of Ken as he has done a phenomenal job. He Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 31 then said that he continues to give lessons and is not getting paid for it and does this because of a sense of loyalty to the City of Mounds View. He further commented that he felt the need to inform Council that his pay is well below the median and he has been with the City for 7 years. Golf Course Manager Longville commented that when you have an employee that is worthy of hanging onto you compensate the employee. He then said that he feels Ken is a very important part of the business. Council Member Stigney asked if this would be in line with the budget. Golf Course Manager Longville indicated he had figured $45,000 for Mr. Manthis salary when he did his budget. Ayes - 4 Nays - 1(Stigney) Motion carried. C. Resolution 5808 Approving a Step Increase for Givonna Reed • Mayor Sonterre read Resolution 5808. MOTION/SECOND: Quick/Thomas. To Approve Resolution 5808, a Resolution Approving a Step Increase for Givonna Reed. Council Member Stigney commented that this was a position changed by the City Administrator to make an Assistant City Administrator rather than an Assistant to the City Administrator. He then said that he did not support that change and does not support an increase for that position. Mayor Sonterre clarified that the City Administrator did not make the change she made a recommendation to Council and Council made the change. Council Member Marty indicated he agreed with Council Member Stigney's comments and noted that this was merely a promotion and the position was not advertised. Ayes - 3 Nays - 2(Stigney/Marty) Motion carried. • 9. REPORTS Assistant City Administrator Reed asked for authorization to advertise for the police administrative assistant. Council Member Stigney said he thought the authority for that lied with the Commission. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that, in the past, she and the Deputy Chief had gone through the applications and kept the Commission informed as to the hiring for the administrative assistant. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 32 . Mayor Sonterre asked if the request is for approval to advertise for the position. Assistant City Administrator Reed said, "that is correct." Council Member Stigney asked if the Commission would be bringing someone forward for approval once the position is posted. Assistant City Administrator Reed referred to the City Attorney for an answer to that question. City Attorney Riggs commented that right now this is an authorization to advertise and he is not sure what the procedure is with the Police Civil Service Commission. Council Member Quick asked if there is a difference between an administrative assistant and a police officer. City Attorney Riggs indicated the statute says all employees. Assistant City Administrator Reed asked for clarification as to whether Council wished to fill the position on an interim basis or advertise for the position and leave it vacant until filled. Council Member Thomas indicated she wanted to move forward with filling the position regardless of what happens with the New Brighton situation. Council Member Quick indicated the question is whether the police department can get along without an administrative assistant until one is hired. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated there are two full time clerical people in the police department and one half time Community Service Officer. Council Member Quick commented that there are two and a half people over there and they functioned fine during the strike. He then suggested that maybe the police department does not need two and a half people. Council Member Marty clarified that the Acting Chief also stated that there were officers doing paperwork instead of out on the beat and, if you picked up a copy of the Bulletin or Focus nothing was submitted to the papers for police reports as there was no one to do so. He then commented that speaking to the Police Department would shed light on more things that were not done during the strike as well. Council Member Thomas commented that the police department was not doing just fine as there was a significant quantity of overtime hours. She further commented that officers are hired to do a specific job and should be out on the street not behind a desk doing paper work. . Mayor Sonterre clarified that the police department has two and a half people that work in a clerical capacity. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 33 Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated that the Community Service Officer is used when needed and is not an office staff person. Mayor Sonterre suggested Staff ask whether the person would like to be a part time clerical person and part time Community Service Officer while the City is looking for someone to fill the administrative position. City Administrator Miller indicated she had spoken with the Acting Chief earlier today and had asked him to put together some information on what would be needed and who could help out and he said he would be providing that information. Council Member Stigney commented that he thinks there is a need to have someone on an interim basis because it is not cost effective to have detectives and police officers doing office work. City Administrator Miller indicated she was directed at the last meeting to investigate some options for combining the police force with the New Brighton force. She then indicated she had sent a letter to New Brighton and had received a response that New Brighton was wondering if the City wished to pursue a contract for services arrangement. Mayor Sonterre indicated he was not interested in a contract for services and would only be interested in a joint powers relationship with co-ownership in the force. Council Member Stigney said he thinks the City needs to establish a purpose and a goal and, if you do not, there is no sense in going out to see what some other City wants to do with this City's police department. He then asked, "what is the goal, cost savings or additional policing?" Council Member Marty indicated he was not interested in contracting out for service as it would not be cost effective for the City. He then said that he feels there is nothing wrong with the police department and if is not broke don't fix it. Council Member Stigney said that without a goal there is no sense in talking to anybody. Mayor Sonterre commented that when he first made the motion he thought it would be worth looking at it if the police department could continue operations at the current levels of coverage at a reduced cost. He then said the goal would be to provide public safety at the same or better levels at a reduced cost. City Administrator Miller indicated that she and Finance Director Hansen had given the matter a cursory review and it seems there maybe some additional costs to a joint police department such as splitting the cost of the new facility being constructed in New Brighton. • Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 34 Mayor Sonterre indicated his goals remain the same, if the City can provide an equal or greater level of service at a reduced cost, then it is worth looking into. If it cannot be done then leave it as is. Council Member Marty indicated he had received a number of calls from residents concerned about Council proposing changes to the police department because residents feel the police department is doing a good job and does not need changing. He then said he had informed residents that Council directed Staff to look into the possibility of a joint force. Council Member Quick indicated that Council had directed Staff to write a letter and proceed with an investigation to determine whether it was cost effective to combine the police force with New Brighton. He then said he is with the Mayor on this one, if it can be done at the same level of service for less money, he would be in support but, if not, then it should be left alone. City Administrator Miller confirmed that Council is interested in looking at the numbers for a merger but not a contract for services. Council Member Stigney commented that, if the goal is to reduce costs, and the contract for services turns out to be less costly, how can Council say no to that. He then said he would not be advocating that type of arrangement but, if the costs are lower, and lowering costs is the goal, why would it not be considered. • Council Member Thomas said it was her understanding that Council was interested in reduced cost with no loss of service and she believes losing control over the force through a contract for services would be a reduction in service and she would not support that. She then stated that she would like to see the numbers for a combined force to determine if it would be less costly. City Administrator Miller indicated that Ms. Gunn had contacted her about the festival agreement and wondered if she would be reimbursed the portion of the $4,000 that was budgeted. She then indicated that she needed Council direction as to whether regular hours worked by public works on Friday to set up and Monday for clean up should be included in the costs for the festival in addition to the overtime hours worked. Council Member Quick indicated if the hours were worked on the festival they should be counted towards the festival. Council Member Stigney agreed with Council Member Quick. Council Member Marty commented that, since there was not a parade, the manpower hours would be reduced. City Administrator Miller indicated the numbers were significantly less than last year. • Mayor Sonterre indicated the question is do you bill only for overtime or for all hours on behalf of the festival. Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 35 Council Member Marty said he agreed the hours should be deducted. Council Member Thomas said she would like to have a list of the hours worked and which employee worked those hours. Mayor Sonterre said he thinks the City needs to see the financials as the City has a $2,000 payment from the Convention and Visitor's Bureau that cannot be allocated to the festival until financials are received. Mayor Sonterre commented that the City would need to find out what the advertising costs were for this year before the City can get the money from them. Council Member Marty asked whether the City paid Chuck Chisholm for back pay. Assistant City Administrator Reed indicated "the issue was discussed at the meeting last time and noted an update would be provided this evening. Council Member Quick commented that the City Council makes the decisions in the City of Mounds View and the City Administrator carries them out. He then commented that Mr. Hammerschmidt has that slightly mixed up with reality. He further said he wanted to make sure that residents know that Council makes decisions and Ms. Miller carries them out and she has been doing a very good job with the assistance of Ms. Reed. • Council Member Marty asked if the City has posted for a police chief yet. City Administrator Miller indicated that the matter is still on hold as they are waiting for an appointment to the Police Civil Service Commission. Council Member Quick commented that the City may not need a Civil Service Commission if it merges forces with New Brighton. Mayor Sonterre indicated he has been working with the I35W Corridor Coalition and North Metro Mayors Association on a new initiative to provide legislative and community outreach to candidates to update them on issues of importance to the community. Mayor Sonterre reported that he had met with Mr. Harstad and his brother as well as several residents with regard to the property on H2. He then said the meeting was polite but not much progress was made because the residents have adopted the "not in my backyard" philosophy and Mr. Harstad's position is that of money. Mayor Sonterre indicated he had been a part of the meeting with Rice Creek Watershed District and SEH. He then said a lot of things came out of that meeting which indicate that the watershed did not do a good job of communicating with the City and SEH did not do a good job of getting its ducks in a row. • Mounds View City Council July 22, 2002 Regular Meeting Page 36 Mayor Sonterre updated Council on a pending merger of AT&T Broadband with Comcast. He then said that all the consortiums that are using Mr. Creighton as their attorney are poised to fight the merger and have been told that they will be sued by AT&T. He further indicated that Mr. Grundhoeffer has indicated that this will be a long drawn out legal battle that will cost in excess of $50,000 and suggested that the City may need to consider having an elected official on the cable commission to represent tax payers as well as consider the option of showing support for the merger rather than paying legal fees on yet another matter. 10. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. Minutes for July 8, 2002 • Council Member Thomas indicated she had a significant number of corrections she would like to make. MOTION/SECOND: Thomas/Sonterre. To Table Approval of the July 8, 2002 Minutes to the Next Council Meeting. 11. CLOSED SESSION A. To Discuss Labor Negotiations MOTION/SECOND: ThomaslStigney. To Recess to Closed Session to Discuss Labor Negotiations. Ayes - 5 Nays - 0 Motion carried. Council recessed to closed session at 11:20 p.m. Mayor Sonterre noted Council would adjourn from closed session. B. To Discuss Pending Litigation 12. Next Council Work Session: Next Council Meeting: Monday, August 5, 2002 Monday, August 12, 2002 13. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Sonterre adjourned the meeting at p.m. Transcribed and recorded by: Joan Lenzmeier Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.