Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes - 2005/01/24.. ~' ,,~u' ~ ! PROCEEDINGS OF THE MOUNDS VIEW CITY COUNCIL V CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW =~~ • ~~ RAMSEY COUNTY, MINNESOTA ''/ Regular Meeting January 24, 2005 Mounds View City Hall 2401 Highway 10, Mounds View, MN 55112 7:18 P.M. 1. MEETING IS CALLED TO ORDER 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was led by Troup 367, Den 5, Scout Leader Joel Swanson. 3. ROLL CALL: Marty, Stigney, Gunn, and Flaherty 4. APPROVAL OF AGENDA A. Monday, January 24, 2005 City Council Agenda. • City Administrator Ulrich added Item 9N, Right of Entry Agreement to allow Medtronics to perform an Environmental Study of the golf course properly. Community Development Director Ericson stated that after presentation of the Finance Department Quarterly Report, he would like to present some information that they had received regarding property that is available. MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Flaherty. To Approve the Monday, January 24, 2005 agenda as amended. Ayes -4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 5. PUBLIC INPUT: Carol Mueller, 8343 Groveland Road, stated she is a candidate for the open Council seat in the election scheduled for February 1St. She stated she had been speaking to many residents lately, and she wanted to share a few items with the Council. She stated that many people would like to see a large grocery store in Moundview Square. They would also like medical, dental, and eye care facilities. CL. R Mayor Marty stated that they had been trying to attract medical facilities to the area for the new • building on Long Lake Road, but the medical clinic that had been lined up didn't come through. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 2 He stated that they have realized the need for some time, as well as the need for a larger grocery store in the area. Ms. Mueller stated that another concern was that the residents of the apartment buildings were hoping for some form of a transportation system for them. She stated that one resident had hoped the Lions Club would provide a van. Mayor Marry stated that the Lions Club did donate a small bus for City and Public Works, but the Lions Club doesn't have the funds that it used to have because of charitable gambling cuts. He stated there is a meeting coming up on February 14th, so that may be a meeting to attend. Ms. Mueller asked what it would take to get that van rolling. Mayor Many stated that it is rolling, but it was an issue of having drivers and so forth. He stated that Metro Mobility does service Mounds View. Ms. Mueller stated that Metro Mobility generally required having a doctor's order. Mayor Marty stated that there is a survey coming out, and to please have these people respond accordingly. He stated that they would be having a Town Hall meeting to go over the survey results, and perhaps further issues could come up at that time. Ms. Mueller asked if the meeting would be an open forum. Council Member Gunn stated that the legislators usually explain what is happening at the legislature, and then they open it up for questions. Dave Jahnke, 8428 Eastwood Road, congratulated Councilmember Flaherty and stated that he hopes he does a good job, and he hopes that he watches their money, which has been a very serious problem in the past. 6. SPECIAL ORDER OF BUISNESS A. Annual Storm Water Permit Review -Present and discuss the City's Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP). Marla Manypenny from the Public Works Surface Water Division, gave a PowerPoint presentation to the Council of some examples of their projects in 2004. She stated that Mounds View is way ahead of some of the larger outskirt cities in implementing the program. She stated a big project for 2005 is going to be Greenfield Park and Oakwood Park, which was last done in 1986, which is going to entail dredging of some areas. She stated that 66 children had volunteered for their summer program and had participated in stenciling some of the storm drains. • Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 3 • Council Member Flaherty stated that it seemed to him the big issue seems to be easements, and he asked what was being done as far as education regarding the easement program. Ms. Manypenny stated that they would like to work with Community Development to produce a brochure or flyer to let people know what easements are and what their responsibilities are, and to let them know what the drainage utility easements are for. Mayor Marty stated that perhaps a paragraph should be put into the next Mounds View Matters regarding contacting the City if residents had any plans to put up a fence or shed to find out where their easement and drainage issues are. Ms. Manypenny stated she would speak to some sign companies to see what they have available as far as no dumping signs for compost, brush, and leaves. 7. JUST AND CORRECT CLAIMS. Council Member Stigney stated that on big page 8, small page 5, third from the bottom it says electrical installation/maintenance for $2,1'14.39 for walk-in cooler, and he assumed that was for the Community Center. He asked why the City was being billed for that. Public Works Director Lee stated that this invoice would be billed back to the Canyon Grill. • Council Member Stigney stated that on big page 10, small page 7, up at the top there was $1,200 to Jerry's Floor Store for carpeting, and he didn't recall any discussion on that. Public Works Director Lee stated that it was approved by the City Council in Resolution 6224 on April 12th, and had been presented as part of the Park's Needs Analysis as one large package, and the individual components hadn't been presented. Council Member Stigney asked about the $800 for Meth Lab Assessment. Director Ericson stated that a drug lab had been found, and they were seeking reimbursement from the property owner, but they had to pay the up-front expense. Council Member Stigney asked what happened to the cable for the $1,699 to Master Technology Group to repair Mounds View Public Cable. Public Works Director Lee stated that the cable had been damaged by mice in the Public Works Building, and that this fall they did expend funds to exterminate the mice because they were getting into the walls. Council Member Stigney asked what the phone was for in the amount of $42.51 from Menards. • Public Works Director Lee stated that a phone was not functioning at the Community Center, and it was a standard phone. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 4 Council Member Flaherty asked for an explanation on Boyer Truck Parts for truck repair at page 7. Public Works Director Lee stated that he thought it was for components for the sewer van, but he would have to get back to him on that. Finance Director Hanson stated that it was for repair of an oil leak in the engine. Council Member Flaherty asked if that was one of the trucks that was up for replacement. Finance Director Hanson stated it was up for replacement in 2006. Mayor Marty asked about the All City Elevator item on page 6, second item. Public Works Director Lee stated that it was for doors that were sticking, and they had had to be repaired. Mayor Marty stated it seemed that they were sticking a lot of money into that elevator that is not being used. Council Member Gunn stated they had to have it because the handicapped restroom was downstairs. • Ma or M noted that eve hin that Cle Channel is bli ated for the have alread aid. Y ~Y ~ g ~' o g ~ Y Y P He asked if the items on page 16 could be removed. City Attorney Riggs stated he would defer to Charlie, but he thought that was correct. Finance Director Hanson stated that they have all been paid. He stated there would be no further charges to Clear Channel. because the agreement was that they would pay up until the point where the MnDot decision was overturned, and that happened last summer, so unless there were some new agreement with Clear Channel, there would be no further charges there. He stated that those three could be discontinued from the report. MOTION/SECOND: Flaherty/Stigney. To approve the Just and Correct Claims as presented. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried 9. CONSENT AGENDA Council Member Stigney requested to pull Items C and D. A. Resolution 6418 Approving the 2005 Golf Course Seasonal Positions B. Resolution 6437 Accepting the Improvements at CVS Pharmacy located at 2800 County Road 10. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 5 . C. Resolution 6442 Authorizing the Purchase of two replacement Squad Cars for the Police Department D. Resolution 6443 Supporting Legislation Permitting Certain Employees of Blaine, Spring Lake Park, and Mounds View to Become Members of the Public Employees Retirement Association Police and Fire Plan E. Licenses for Approval F. Set a Public Hearing for Monday, February 14, 2005 at 7:20 pm to Consider Resolution 6440, an Off Sale Liquor License for Vino & Stogies located at 2345 County Road H2 in Mounds View. MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Flaherty. To approve Items A, B, E and F of the Consent Agenda as presented. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried C. Resolution 6442 Authorizing the Purchase of two replacement Squad Cars for the Police Department. Council Member Stigney asked how many squad cars were replaced last year. Finance Director Hanson stated that two were replaced last year. • Council Member Stigney stated that their policy had been to replace two one year, and one the next, and he asked why they were replacing two this year rather than one. Finance Director Hanson stated that the police department has a total of 11 vehicles, and so replacing two per year keeps them an average of five or six years. Police Chief Sommer stated that one of these vehicles is eight years old and the other is six, and that these are emergency response vehicles that need to be maintained to respond at a moment's notice. He stated that they were also rusting. He stated he wasn't sure when the new replacement policy went into effect. He stated that there are issues with the brake lines, and there is a potential safety issue. Council Member Stigney asked whether the people who don't patrol could use the older vehicles. Police Chief Sommer stated that there is a 1997 Dodge Intrepid and a 1994 Ford Taurus that are used as staff vehicles for that purpose already. Council Member Gunn asked what happens to the old cars. Police Chief Sommer stated that they are sold at auction this year. • MOTION/SECOND: Marty/Gunn. To approve Resolution 6420, Authorizing the Purchase of two replacement Squad Cars for the Police Department. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 6 • Ayes-4 Nays-O Motion carried. D. Resolution 6443 Supporting Legislation Permitting Certain Employees of Blaine, Spring Lake Park, and Mounds View to Become Members of the Public Employees Retirement Association Police and Fire Plan Council Member Stigney stated the reason he pulled this item was he wanted to know if there would be a cost to the City. Finance Director Hanson stated that there has been a problem getting a sufficient number of volunteer firefighters to respond during the daytime, and that the prime source of daytime responders are employees who work in other departments. He stated the purpose of this resolution was to allow employees to switch from PERA Coordinated to PERA Police and Fire Plan, which in certain respects is a more attractive retirement package. He stated that currently it's actually a cost savings to the City because the people on the Police and Fire Plan do not contribute to Social Security, so the cost is actually lower to the City. He stated that the real savings to the City is if a vehicle such as this can be used to make daytime volunteering attractive, they will be able to stay with the volunteer department rather than having to go to full-time. Council Member Stigney asked about employees who are not city employees. • Finance Director Hanson stated that anyone from a private business would not be eligible for PERA either way. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Stigney. To adopt Resolution 6443 Supporting Legislation Permitting Certain Employees of Blaine, Spring Lake Park, and Mounds View to Become Members of the Public Employees Retirement Association Police and Fire Plan, and to waive the reading. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. 10. COUNCIL BUSINESS A. 7:05 P.M. Public Hearing to Consider the Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 754, an Ordinance Establishing Planning and Development Fees. (ROLL CALL VOTE)--Ericson. Community Development Director Ericson stated that this is the second reading of an ordinance that codifies all of the planning and development fees for the City. He stated that previously they would adopt a fee schedule on an annual basis, and the fee schedule would include all fees that would be associated with planning and development. He stated that what the Ordinance does is create a new Appendix that would be put into the City Code, grouping all of the planning fees together in one spot. He stated that the effect of this is that if any changes are made in the future to any of the individual fees, it would have to be done by ordinance, so it's Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 7 • more complicated than just adopting a new fee schedule, but this is what is required of them through Minnesota Statutes. He stated that if the fees are not sufficient to cover all the work and all the fees that the City incurs, the applicant is responsible for the fees above and beyond the application fee. Mayor Marty noted that some of the fees had increased from the last reading somewhat in order to cover City Staff costs. Council Member Stigney asked if these were in accordance with M.S. 16B.62, Subd. 1. City Attorneys Riggs stated he would have to look at that. Council Member Flaherty asked if they were going to make it clear that this was a minimum fee, and it might not be sufficient to cover the costs. Director Ericson stated that it will vary substantially from project to project, so it's difficult for staff, at the time they accept an application, to give the applicant a heads up of what the additional fees might be. He stated that they will be signing a disclaimer indicating that they will be responsible for any costs relative to the processing of their application above and beyond the application fee. City Attorney Riggs stated that in response to Council Member Stigney's question, that Chapter • 16 is actually for building code fees, and so that is different from what they are adopting here, which are land use type fees and development type fees. MOTION/SECOND: Gunn/Flaherty. To approve Ordinance 754, an Ordinance Establishing Planning and Development Fees, and to waive the reading. ROLL CALL: Marty/Stigney/Gunn/Flaherty. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. B. 7:10 pm. Public Hearing and Consideration of the Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 757, an Ordinance Vacating an Unused and Ezcess Utility Easement Associated with 8265 Spring Lake Road. (ROLL CALL VOTE) -Ericson. Director Ericson stated that this Ordinance is in relation to a minor subdivision application for the property at 8265 Spring Lake Road. He stated there was a lot line adjustment between the Raninski property and the property to the north. He stated that there was a perimeter drainage and utility easement around the periphery of the lot, which upon adjustment of the lot line was no longer consistent with the periphery of the lot, so the Raninski's executed a new drainage and utility easement consistent with the new property lines. He stated that that had been sent to • Alabama for consent of the mortgage holder, and they had signed it and returned it. He stated that this is a slightly different version from what was seen at the first reading in that they had Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 8 • created a summary page for publication purposes, but that the whole ordinance is available to see on line and at City Hall. Mayor Marty opened the public hearing at 8:33 p.m. There being no public comment, Mayor Marty closed the public hearing at 8:33 p.m. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Flaherty. To approve the Second Reading and Adopt Ordinance 757, an Ordinance Vacating an Unused and Excess Utility Easement Associated with 8265 Spring Lake Road. ROLL CALL: Marty/Stigney/Guru~/Flaherty. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. C. 7:15 pm. Public Hearing, Introduction and First Reading of Ordinance 755, an Ordinance Amending Chapter 1120 of the Mounds View Zoning Code Pertaining to Building Heights in a Planned Unit Development (PUD) Zoning District. -Ericson. Mayor Marty opened the public hearing at 8:35 p.m. Director Ericson stated that there is an inconsistency in the Zoning Code relating to Planned Unit • Developments, and that the PUD Zoning Code is designed to allow for a maximum flexibility to allow for the highest and best development possible, and encourages flexibility to preserve open space, environmental considerations, and other beneficial public purposes. He stated that one of the criteria in looking at a planned unit development is to allow for variation provisions of the Code, including setbacks, height, lot area, width and depth, yard, etc., so it gives the City some greater flexibility in looking at a development so as to preserve and protect certain features. He stated that you can enhance the density, you can increase the height of a building, or decrease setbacks where it's in the public purpose. He stated that the problem is later on in the City Code under the same Chapter, there is a conflicting provision which is outlined in the second page of his report, regarding building height. He stated this inconsistency was discovered a few years back when they were looking at the Mermaid development. He stated that they were thinking about a hotel that could possibly be five stories, but they did scale that back to three stories. He stated there are still plans in the works that could increase the height of the hotel. He stated that at this point they can't allow that because it's somewhat inconsistent with the provisions of the Code. Director Ericson stated that the Planning Commission had looked at this, and recognized that there was an inconsistency, and they felt that the intent was to be flexible and not to create restrictions on development, and so they are recommending, and Staff is also recommending, that adoption of this Ordinance would simply add one line to the Code, and this would be under the same Subdivision 12. He stated the new language is, "Unless additional height or stories would serve a better purpose consistent with the stated intent of this Chapter." Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 9 Carol Mueller, 8343 Groveland Road, asked if this language were changed if that would allow them to build a Community Center with a swimming pool and a water slide that was five stories tall. Director Ericson stated that that was correct. Mayor Marty stated that was if the Council approved it. Director Ericson stated that that's the key, and it would have to be in the public interest. He stated that they didn't want afive-story residential structure ten feet away from a single family house, so it has to serve the public interest. Mayor Marty closed the public hearing. Council Member Flaherty that he thought this was the correct thing to do, and that at least it allowed the question to be asked, so he thought it was a good thing. Mayor Marty stated that he thought any variance or approval should be made by the Planning Commission first. Director Ericson stated that there is an assumption that the Planning Commission does have to • review all of these applications and projects before they come to the City Council. Crty Attorney Riggs stated that rt would be redundant to add that language since the Planning Commission has to review this before it comes to the City Council Council Member Stigney asked if this was going to be prepared in a summary manner for publication. Director Ericson stated that the summary of the Ordinance would be published. MOTION/SECOND. Stigney/Flaherty. To approve the Introduction and First Reading of Ordinance 755, an Ordinance Amending Chapter 1120 of the Mounds View Zoning Code Pertaining to Building Heights in a Planned Unit Development (PUD) Zoning District, and to waive the reading. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. D. 7:20 pm. Public Hearing to Consider the Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 756, an Ordinance Amending the Mounds View Municipal Code Relating to Nonconforming Driveways and Curb-cuts (ROLL CALL VOTE) -Ericson. • Mayor Marty opened the public hearing at 8:42 p.m. Mounds. View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 10 . Director Ericson stated that this ordinance would amend various sections of the City Code relating to driveways and curb cuts. He stated that last year the City Council had adopted an ordinance which eliminated the one-foot setback provision for driveways, and as the Planning Commission and staff were reviewing that Code and the proposed ordinance, it became apparent that there is some confusion with regarding to the existing codes relating to driveways and curb cuts that warranted additional review. He stated that driveways that do not conform to the provisions of the Code may be allowed to remain, subject to provisions of a different section, and that section relates to as long as it doesn't cause a public safety hazard. He stated that the issue with that is that driveways that were constructed after that date have no such protection, and the issue is that every time a building permit is pulled on a driveway, they have to do some research as to when the original driveway was installed, and sometimes they don't have that information, or it's unclear or confusing. Director Ericson stated that what the Planning Commission and staff are recommending is eliminating the protection for a nonconforming driveway, and that if property owners are doing a driveway reconstruction and they could make the driveway code-compliant, why not do it. He stated that the ordinance as drafted would allow a property owner to keep the driveway in the nonconforming location if it's shown that there's really no other way to do the driveway. He stated there is a provision that says if the property owner disagrees with staff's position on that, they could bring that to the Council on an appeal of an administrative decision. He stated they could go through a variance process if they feel a hardship exists. He stated the Ordinance really forces the issue to correct the driveway or curb cut if possible. He stated that the curb • cuts would be looked at during the street improvement project, and that they wouldn't be driving through the community looking for nonconformities. He stated if a property owner wants to make a, small improvement to their driveway, they are not going to require or mandate that the whole driveway be approved consistent with the City Code. He stated that the Planning Commission felt strongly that they shouldn't be penalizing property owners who want to make some improvements to their property. Director Ericson stated that no changes had been made in this Ordinance since the first reading. Mayor Marty closed the public hearing. Council Member Gunn asked about a property that had recently been before them. Director Ericson stated that in that case, the property did exceed their allowance, and the property owner did request a variance. He stated that the property owner had appealed the decision to the City Council, and the City Council had denied the appeal because it was a case where there was no hardship. He stated that in that particular case a court citation had been issued, and they were in the court process now seeking resolution. MOTION/SECOND. Flaherty/Gunn. To approve the Second Reading and Adoption of Ordinance 756, an Ordinance Amending the Mounds View Municipal Code Relating to . Nonconforming Driveways and Curb-cuts Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 11 C7 ROLL CALL: Marty/Stigney/Guru1/Flaherty. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. E. Resolution 6429 Approving the 2004-2005 LELS Police Officers Labor Contract. (There was a recess while the Council discussed this item in Executive Session) MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Marty. To approve Resolution 6429, Approving the 2004-2005 LELS Police Officers Labor Contract, and to waive the reading. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. F. Resolution 6438 Approving the Election judges for the 2005 Special Election for February 1, 2005. Desaree Crane stated that state law requires election judges for all elections to be appointed for the municipal governing body, and she has a list attached with the resolution. She stated that Mounds View City Hall will be open extended hours on Saturday, January 29th from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. for absentee balloting only. They would also be open extended hours on Monday, January 31St, from 7:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Flaherty. To Approve Resolution 6438, Approving the Election judges for the 2005 Special Election for February 1, 2005. Council Member Stigney asked whether as a city employee, Ms. Crane could also serve as a judge. Ms. Crane stated that she could because she is a Ramsey County resident. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. G. Resolution 6439 Approving aone-day charitable gambling permit for Pinewood Elementary PTA for a Raffle at Pinewood Elementary School on March 6, 2005. Ms. Crane stated that there would be a raffle at Pinewood Elementary School on March 6, 2005, with first prize being $300, second prize a Schwinn bicycle, and third prize of $100. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Flaherty. To approve Resolution 6439, Approving aone-day charitable gambling permit for Pinewood Elementary PTA for a Raffle at Pinewood Elementary School on March 6, 2005, and to waive the reading. • Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 12 • H. Resolution 6441, Approving a Tobacco License for a new business called Vino & Stogies located at 2345 County Road H2 in Mounds View. Ms. Crane stated that Mr. Xiong had never picked up his liquor or tobacco licenses for Network Liquor on 10, and she had later learned they he had filed bankruptcy. She stated she had many numerous attempts to contact Mr. Xiong with no success. She stated that Mr. Waste would like to take over the business and call it Vino & Stogies, and it is in a building that he owns. She stated that a fire inspection still needs to be completed, so this would be pending a satisfactory fire inspection. Mayor Marty asked whether Mr. Xiong was entitled to reimbursement for the licenses. City Attorney Riggs stated that the response of the City could be as simple as they don't reimburse for licenses because that expense is on the front end to cover the expense of reviewing the license and issuing it. Mayor Marry stated that if Mr. Xiong ever resurfaced and he did request reimbursement, to direct it back to the City Council because they had expended Council time, staff time, and this had to be published for public hearings. Director Ericson asked that if by approving this license they would have two licenses. City Attorney Riggs stated that by approving this license, there would be only one, and that the other would be cancelled because only individuals with a valid lease can have a license. Mayor Marty asked if they were required to verify whether a bankruptcy had been filed or not. City Attorney Riggs stated that he didn't believe so, and he felt that at this point the Council was on good ground to move forward. MOTION/SECOND. Flaherty/Stigney. To approve Resolution 6441, Approving a Tobacco License for a new business called Vino & Stogies located at 2345 County Road H2 in Mounds View, and to waive the reading. Ayes-4 Nays-O Motion carried. Council Member Stigney asked whether he had a liquor license. Ms. Crane stated he had submitted for one, and that would be put on for public hearing on February 14a`~ I. Resolution 6444, Purchase of Advertising from Prime Advertising and Design in the Blaine Community Resource & Residents' Guide. . Mary Burg from the Bridges Golf Course stated that this advertising and the advertising listed Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 13 • in Item J are fairly inexpensive advertising and reaches a broad range of people. She stated that this item is a brochure given to residents in Blaine, telling them about the businesses in the area. She stated that Item J is for church bulletin advertising, and amounts to $6.33 per week. Mayor Marty asked if this was covered in their advertising or marketing budget. Mary stated that their advertising budget is $6,000 per year. Council Member Stigney asked when the Blaine publication would come out. Mary stated that it comes out in the spring. MOTION/SECOND. Gurui/Flaherty To approve Resolution 6444, Purchase of Advertising and Design in the Blaine Community Resource & Residents Guide, and to waive the reading. Ayes-3 Nays-1 (Stigney) Motion carried. J. Resolution 6417, Authorizing the Bridges of Mounds View to advertising with Paluch. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Flaherty. To adopt Resolution 6417, Authorizing the Bridges of • Mounds View to advertising with Paluch, and to waive the reading. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carved. Mary stated that Ken Manthis, their golf pro, and won a national award, and she would be putting a copy in all the Council Member's mailboxes, and she would also be doing a press release. K. Discussion of Request from Past Employees to Join the Retirement Health Savings Plan. Finance Director Hanson stated that in years past, the City has had a couple of options for employees who separate from the City and have balances of unused sick time on their accounts. The first option they had was that they could receive a cash payment for 50 percent of the time up to 960 hours. He stated that during 1990 the second option was added where they could leave the money on deposit with the City, and the money would then be used to pay the employee's continued participation in the Group Health Insurance Plan provided by the City. In that instance, the employee is allowed to put 65 percent of the balance of their sick time into deposit, but without the 960 hour limit. He stated that during 2004 the City instituted a third option known as the Retirement Health Savings Account, and that plan was approved by the IRS. The money is transmitted to a third party, and they had selected ICM, a retirement corporation, to hold the money, and it goes into the account tax free, earns income tax free, • and can be spent on qualified medical expenses tax free. He stated that these specific provisions have been added to labor contracts as they've come up for renewal. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 14 • Finance Director Hanson stated he had received a request from one of the people who had retired before this last option was available, asking that past retirees be allowed to join the program also. He stated that he had contacted ICM, who had stated that it would be allowed within certain provisions. One is that the money would have to be considered an employer contribution rather than an employee contribution, and the City would have to require all employees with remaining balances in their accounts to contribute. Finance Director Hanson stated that he wanted to check with the Council to see if they were open to this idea prior to contacting the other two retirees to see if they were interested. He stated he would only recommend doing this if all of the potential employees were in favor. He suspects that all three will probably be in favor given the tax advantages. He stated that the cost to the City would be fairly minor. Mayor Marty asked that if you consider the Finance Department's time spent keeping these people quasi on the payroll, wouldn't that help their department? Finance Director Hanson stated that there would be some savings in terms of streamlining administratively, and it would be hard to quantify that in terms of dollars and offset that against the interest income that would be lost. Mayor Marty stated he wouldn't want to impose this on anyone after they had retired. • Council Member Sti ne stated that when eo le retire the retire under certain conditions g Y p p ~ Y which shouldn't be changed later. Council Member Flaherty stated that he felt they should be given the option of what they wanted to do, Mayor Marty asked what Finance Director Hanson's recommendation would be. Finance Director Hanson stated that he saw this as being of minimal cost to the City in terms of lost interest, and he felt this clears up an issue in terms of differences of opinion of whether or not the continued participation in the Employees Group Health Plan is a taxable event, and he maintains that it is, and he feels he is on pretty sold ground on that. Council Member Gunn asked if all others who retire in the future would have this option. Finance Director Hanson stated that they can make their individual choice. He stated that the ICM plan with the tax benefits is so beneficial to the employees, he would be surprised if anybody chose the old way from this point forward. Mayor Marty stated that he would recommend contacting these three employees, and if they • are all in agreement, to bring them back to the Council. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 15 Finance Director Hanson stated he would contact the three employees to see if they are interested in converting the balance that they have to the ICMA plan. L. Resolution 6445, Amending the 2005 General Fund and Economic Development Authority Fund Budgets. Finance Director Hansen explained that he had been told by Eihlers that they should be documenting time spent at specific meetings working on specific projects, and so since last fall they have been doing that. He stated that it had been very cumbersome, so they had decided that maybe a better way to do it would be doing a trade of some other costs, and they would reduce the amount of administrative time they allocated to TIF, and then document that through meetings attended and larger projects worked on. He stated it was intended to be a swap to reduce the amount of staff time that they have to document to not have a budget impact. He stated that the other cost they identified for the swap was the City's membership fee in the Housing Resources Center, which is $10,700 and is included in the 2005 budget and the Community Development Department in the General Fund, so he is proposing that they simply take that Housing Resource Center cost and charge that to the Economic Development Authority, so it's in the TIF category, and then take some of the staff time that they are unable to document, even though they feel they are spending it, and move that back to the General Fund. He stated that that is the gist of the resolution. • Mayor Marty stated he understood what they did and why they did it, but he asked if they had reduced this enough. Finance Director Hanson stated that that remains to be seen, because they haven't spent a full year documenting their time. He stated that the amount of the reduction here is a matter of convenience because they have that membership fee, and so just balancing off of that, they can spend the next six months or another year documenting their time, and then go onto a new budget. MOTION/SECOND: Marty/Flaherty. To adopt Resolution 6445, Amending the 2005 General Fund and Economic Development Authority Fund Budgets, and to waive the reading. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. M. Resolution 6435 Rejecting all Current Bids, Authorizing Staff to Re- Advertise for Bids, and Establishing a Bid Date for the Replacement of Carpet at the Mounds View Community Center. City Administrator Ulrich stated that it was Staffls recommendation to reject the current bid and authorize staff to readvertise for bids and to establish a bid date for replacement of the carpet. He stated that the only bid they had received was for $74,500, but that some money could be saved by the City removing the old carpet and moving the furniture. He stated it had also been • suggested that the carpet renewal in the locker rooms be eliminated, and this would save approximately $1,500. He stated that the current bid is a totally legitimate bid, and that Abbey Mounds View City Council Regular Meeting January 24, 2005 Page 16 . Carpet has a reputation as an outstanding business in the community. He stated that if the Council chose to go with that bid, there was also a resolution to that effect. Mayor Marty stated that they may be able to talk about these specific items that had been added to this bid to save money. He stated he had spoken to Craig Hauser at Milliken & Company, who confirmed that the price of carpeting is going up February 1St, so if they rebid this, the price will probably be substantially higher. He stated that Milliken & Company stated that they would probably be giving the identical bid to Jerry's Floor Store as they had given to Abbey Carpet. He stated that he had been told that the carpet itself cost $66,600, so he felt that they had a valid bid. He stated that anyone could find out what they had bid, and then come in a week later and turn in a lower bid, but he didn't think this was the type of ethics that he particularly goes for. He stated he was concerned that if they send this out for re-bid, the cost of the carpeting itself would be going up and could ultimately cost the City more than the bid that they have now. MOTION/SECOND. Many/Gunn. To approve Resolution 6435, Approval of Contract for Carpet at the Mounds View Community Center to Abbey Carpet, and to waive the reading. Council Member Stigney stated that they have an opportunity to go out for another bid, and he is not comfortable with one bid. He stated that they stand a chance of getting a cheaper bid than what is being proposed at this time. He stated he didn't think there was any need to do • anything in the locker rooms or the senior room. He stated that the bid process wasn't really defined, so this was not a bid on a product. City Administrator Ulrich stated that he had passed out the bid document in terms of the bid notice, and that it was fairly clear and in accordance with law. He stated that a product style or color had not been listed, but they had developed specifications in terms of performance. He stated that the carpet that was bid by Abbey Carpet was what they would like to have re-bid as well. Mayor Marty reiterated that the price for the carpet in this bid was only good until January 31St Council Member Gunn stated that the carpet needs to be replaced in that building, and they are running into the time where they need to be pitching the Community Center and renting it out, so that they can make money on it. She stated that the reason that others didn't bid on this project is because they don't want to do government jobs. Council Member Flaherty stated that this specification is so ambiguous that it should have invited numerous bids and quotes because they weren't specifying a particular type of carpet. He stated that they have a true and just quote from Abbey Carpet, and they had done everything they had been asked to do. He stated they are also a good corporate citizen in the City of Mounds View, and he would like to use Mounds View businesses whenever he can. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 17 • John Kopus from Abbey Carpet stated that they have been working with staff for probably a year and a half on various rooms for carpet, and they had put a lot of hours into it. He stated that they had bid very low because they wanted to do it. He stated that if they put this out for re-bid, he would probably not bid on it, and he would feel very hurt. Ayes-3 Nays-1(Stigney) Motion carried. N. Right of Entry Agreement to Allow Medtronics to Perform Environmental Study of Golf Course. City Administrator Ulrich stated that this is the next step in Medtronic's environmental review of the golf course. He stated that as part of this, there are city requirements which would require permitting to be done through the Public Works Department, which would require some financial insurance and protection against unnecessary damage to the property. MOTION/SECOND. Gunn/Marty. To approve the Right of Entry Agreement to Allow Medtronics to Perform Environmental Study of Golf Course, and to waive the reading. Ayes-4 Nays-0 Motion carried. 11. APPROVAL OF MINUTES • A. City Council Minutes January 10, 2005 Mayor Marty stated that at page 1, line 38, it should read that, "Mayor Marty thanked Mayor Linke for not just this term, but for his many years of service to the community." Mayor Marty stated that at page 7, after lines 33 to 39, to add that "The Council discussed holding off on this item until it was determined what was going to happen to the golf course." Mayor Marty stated that at page 8, line 6, one of the "that's" should be omitted. Mayor Marty stated that at page 8, lines 12 and 15, it should read "St. Paul Pioneer Press". Mayor Marty stated that at page 9, line 38, after MOTION/SECOND, "Gunn/Stigney" should be added. Mayor Marty stated that the font should be changed at page 10, lines 8 and 9. Mayor Marty stated that page 10, starting at line 38 did not make sense. The Recording Secretary suggested that the following be inserted in place of that paragraph: "Mayor Marty stated that Merrick took over the charitable gambling at Roberts a year or so ago. He stated that the Lions Club still has people in organizations and groups coming to them for help and • donations, and they have told them to contact Merrick or the Chamber. He stated that the Chamber has helped some, but Merrick hasn't contributed to any of these groups or Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 18 • organizations. He stated he wanted staff to give him an accounting regarding whether the charitable gambling process is giving 40 percent back to the City. Mayor Marty corrected page 13, line 33, to omit the "it" so that it would read, "...as proposed, it would be..." Mayor Marty corrected page 16, line 13, to read, "Mayor Marty stated that at page 1, line 38, it should be spelled "Heilman". MOTION/SECOND: Marty/Flaherty. To approving the City Council Minutes of January 10, 2005 as amended. Ayes - 4 Nays - 0 Motion carried. 12. REPORTS A. Reports of Mayor and Council. Council Member Gunn stated that the soft opening for the CVS store is February 20tk`, and the grand opening is going to be approximately a week after that. Council Member Stigney stated that the paper said it was going to be January 30th. • Council Member Gunn stated that the 've been havin roblems findin a harmacist, so there is Y gp g p a good job opportunity there. Mayor Marty reminded residents to show up and vote at the special election on February 1St at the Community Center, and that the doors would be open from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Mayor Marty stated that The Bulletin had contacted him last week, and anyone who doesn't have a blue mailbox should contact them, and they will come and install one. B. Reports of Staff Economic Development Director Report. Community Development Director Ericson stated that the City had been contacted by a realtor representing the property owners at 2394 County Road 10, otherwise known as the Donut Connection, and had asked if the City would be interested in purchasing the property. He stated this is a small site, about 20,000 square feet, carved out of the gas station site. He stated that they indicated they are looking for a selling price that will be below Ramsey County assessed values, and that they are motivated sellers. He stated he has scheduled this for Planning Commission review at their February 2nd meeting. He stated that there is a strong likelihood that the gas • station could also be available, and the two properties together would make a very nice redevelopment, which may not occur without the City's or EDA's acquisition. He stated he was Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 19 not looking for any direction or action this evening, but would be bringing it back for the EDA's consideration on February 14th. He stated that if this becomes a situation where there are competing offers and the Council feels this is something it needs to consider for a possible acquisition, a special meeting could be held of the EDA on February 7th Mayor Marty stated that they have been trying to sell it off and on for the last year and a half, and they haven't had any takers. He stated that in order to fix and straighten out County 10, those properties would have to be acquired in order to do that, but it would create a larger piece of property where the road exists now just south of Jakes, so he thought they should probably direct staff to look into that. Council Member Stigney asked how much assistance the Donut Connection had received from the City. Director Ericson stated he wasn't aware that they had received any. Council Member Stigney asked if they were in a TIF District now. Director Ericson stated he didn't believe the parcel was in a TIF District. Council Member Stigney asked if he could check on the funding. • Director Ericson stated he would look into it. He stated that this property and the gas station property are on the City's list of properties that could be acquired. Council Member Stigney stated that when you buy something to speculate after a certain period of time of getting something back on it, and then when it gets time to get something back, they are willing to sell it to the City, that doesn't look like it's really a good plan. Mayor Marty stated that if they were .willing to sell it to the City for less than its appraised value by Ramsey County, that's worth looking into. Council Member Stigney stated that he wants to know how much went into it. He stated if this is the policy, these people get their money up front, and then after their use is out of it, then they want to sell and get out of there, and then the City pays them off again. Mayor Marry asked Director Ericson to report back on the history of it. Council Member Flaherty stated that his initial reaction would be to do an environmental assessment of the site since gas stations are notorious for leaky tanks, and cleanup is not the easiest and cheapest thing to do. Mayor Marty stated that that was a good point, and the City had had to clean up sites where gas • stations used to be in order to make the property marketable, so .that was something to keep in mind. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 20 • 2. City Administrator's Report. City Administrator Ulrich stated that the consultant who had helped with the retreat last year said that March 7 and 8 in the evening would work well for him. He stated that that is normally a work session date for the Council. He stated they would pencil that in, and then check with the availability of the new Council member on those dates. City Administrator Ulrich stated that there was a draft survey in the Council's mailboxes. He stated that the questions originally had numbered 104, and they had cut those down to 50. He stated that if anyone felt an important question had been missed, to let them know. He stated that this will be discussed at the February 7~' work session. 3. Finance Director's Quarterly Report. Finance Director Hanson stated that this is the quarterly report for the fourth quarter of 2004, and it is the first look at the year end numbers, which are preliminary numbers. He stated that there are still a lot of transactions to record and a lot of invoices have yet to come in, so there are many expenses and revenues to report. He stated that he was projecting that they would have a balance between revenue and expenses, and if anything, a small surplus of $100,000-$200,000. He stated that the State Auditor has taken to criticizing cities that have a fund balance that equals more • than 50 percent of the next year's budget, so he suggested when they get close to the final numbers, look at canceling a few of the transfers from other funds into the General Fund to avoid having the balance m the General Fund go up. Finance Director Hanson stated that the TIF Districts have had a good year in terms of revenues versus expenses. He stated that District No. 1 will probably still have a deficit at the end of 2004, but it will be a very small one, and that the other two Districts have a surplus. He stated that it was interesting to note that M.S.A. Construction Fund, which had been running a cash deficit since he has been here, should finally break into the positive field. He stated that they were able to finance the special assessments from the County Road H2 project with bonds they had sold last summer, and that injected about $200,000 into the M.S.A. Construction Fund. He stated that the Utility Fund looked to be in pretty good shape for the year. Finance Director Hanson stated that the Bridges Golf Course had about a two and a half percent increase in its operating revenues over the prior year. He stated it had received the initial payment for the billboards, which added $62,000 to its revenue. He stated they would still be looking at a deficit for the year of something like $150,000, but it would be a month or two before he could report the number with total confidence. Council Member. Stigney asked if that $150,000 was over and above the $62,000 received for the billboards. . Finance Director Hanson stated that that was after recording the $62,000 from the billboards. Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 21 • Finance Director Hanson stated that the Finance Department was largely working on preparing the budget for 2005 during the fourth quarter. He stated that they had received an upgrading in the City's bond rating from Moody's Investor Service to a rating of A-1. He stated that they had implemented the variable sanitary sewer rate that the Council had been requesting for some time. Finance Director Hanson stated he would like to discuss replacement of the City's financial, payroll, utility billing, and fixed asset softwear. He stated that the softwear is becoming obsolete because the existing client base for that softwear is switching over to newer products, and it will eventually become cost-prohibitive to maintain it. He stated that searching for new softwear is very time-consuming, and before he started on that, he wanted to have some indication from the Council as to whether or not they would be open to going ahead with the project. He stated that the anticipated cost would be in the neighborhood of $75,000-$100,000. He stated that there is about $90,000 earmarked in the CIP, so it is something that is in the long-range financial plan. Mayor Many asked where the money would be coming from. Finance Director Hanson stated that about $70,000 of it is plugged into the Special Projects Fund, and $10,000 each in the Water Fund and the Sanitary Sewer Fund. Mayor Marty stated that Finance Director Hanson could begin looking at this to see what he could come up with, and then they could make more of an educated judgment as to whether it would be cost effective for the City or whether they should wait a year or so. Finance Director Hanson stated that this had been one of the worst roducts he had ever worked p with in his career, and that 20 years ago he had been working with products that had better reporting capabilities than this one. Council Member Stigney asked what softwear had been purchased previously for their department. Finance Director Hanson stated that they had bought a piece of software for $900 two years ago for doing the TIF reports to the State Auditor. Council Member Flaherty stated that he was disappointed that there hadn't been more forward thinking back when this softwear was purchased seven years ago. He stated he agreed with the Mayor that they should move forward and start looking at some alternatives. Council Member Gunn stated that she agreed. Finance Director Hanson stated he would start looking, and when he had enough information, he would report back on it. Mayor Marty stated that that the Finance Director had said that the special assessments for H2 • were financed with the sale of the 2004 improvement bonds, and he hadn't realized that they had Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 22 • • bonded for H2. He stated he thought they just started bonding for the street project this last summer. Finance Director Hanson stated that there had been a balance of a little more than $200,000 worth of special assessments that were outstanding from the H2 project, and when the H2 project was done, a resolution was passed which was called a Declaration of Intent, and so the option of bonding for the H2 project was out there all along, but it wasn't financially viable to do a $200,000 bond. He stated they had waited until there was a larger project, and then wrapped that in. Mayor Marty noted that Finance Director Hanson had stated that the M.S.A. Fund had received a $150,000 reimbursement from the State, and that more was expected. He asked if these were funds they were entitled to in the past, and if it was just starting to come in. Finance Director Hanson stated that there were two reimbursement requests that went to the State last fall, and one was for H2 and the other was for the summer street project. He stated that a partial payment had come in for one, and they are expecting more money on that. He stated that there was something the engineers apparently didn't document, and the State had kicked it out, so it's just a matter of getting the right documentation to them. He stated that when those two reimbursements come in, they would finally have gotten reimbursed for everything that they've spent on H2. Mayor Marry stated that a couple of years ago they had discovered that SEH hadn't applied for some M.S.A. funds that the City would have been entitled to, so they had asked them to reapply for that. He asked whether those funds had ever received. Finance Director Hanson stated that as far as he could tell, this is the missing money that they've been talking about. C. Reports of City Attorney City Attorney Riggs stated that a list of the bigger items that they had worked on over the Last year had been put together in a list for the Council's information, and if there were any questions, to ask him or the City Administrator to explain it. 13. Nezt Council Work Session: Nezt Council Meeting: Monday, February 7, 2005, 7pm (SPECIAL) Monday, February 7, 2005 at 7pm (Canvass of Special Election and Oath of Office for newly elected Councilmember)-This Special City Council Mtg will be first followed by the Work Session. • Mounds View City Council January 24, 2005 Regular Meeting Page 23 • 14. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 11:10 p.m. Transcribed and recorded by: Sheree Theobald Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. •