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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 03241987 Meeting Sheet IIIIII VIII VIII VIII VIII VIII IIII IIII 101674 Box: 21 Folder: CC MINUTES AND AGENDAS 1987 Document: CC MINUTES 03241987 C=TY O F S T . ANTHONY COUN C= L M=NUT E S MARC H 2 4 , 1 9 8 7 The meeting was opened at 7 : 30 P.M. with the Pledge of Allegiance led by Mayor Sundland. Present for roll call: Marks, Ranallo, Sundland, Enrooth, Makowske. Also present: David Childs, City Manager Jerry Gilligan, Dorsey & Whitney, City Attorney State 'Representative John Rose Brings Council Up-to-Date on Pending Legislation The Mayor thanked the legislator for taking time out of his busy schedule to do the above. Representative Rose' s response was to say he wanted the Council to know what legislation was coming up and was seeking their counsel on how he should vote on some 'of those bills. Prior to giving his report, Representative Rose distributed copies of the new Minnesota map and on the March 20th issue of the Session Weekly, put out by the House Public Information Office, which had won its Public Information Officer, Jean Steiner, national acclaim for provision of good government information. The legislator indicated the greatest focus and most attention would probably be given to the upcoming tax bill which the Ways and Means Committee would be reporting on the following evening. His comments and Council reaction on some of the bills were as follows: 3 :00 A.M. Bar Closings Rose -reported he has had considerable communication with St. Anthony and the surrounding communities on this bill and tended to agree that the impact of having impaired drivers passing through these communities would be significant; -said he had not supported the bill and didn' t expect there was enough support to get the bill through the legislature. Liquor Monopolies Rose -said he had also been contacted by persons from St. Anthony regarding the adverse impact the proposed bill to go back to liquor distributor monopolies would have on the munici- pal . liquor operation; • -2- -reported one St. Anthony resident, Bill Zawislak, a member of the Municipal Liquor Stores Board, had given consider- able testimony against the bill; -indicated he had been with the majority who had defeated the bill. Taxes on Medicare Payments Rose -said concerns of Kenzington residents had been relayed to him, and he perceived the bill could be in trouble in committee. Liens on Polluters' Properties Rose -indicated there were several environmental bills this session which he perceived would prevent some of the pro- blems cities like St. Anthony have experienced in the past; -said House Bill F297 would allow the imposition of liens to pay the costs of hazardous waste clean-up when offend- ing properties are sold; -added that an even-handed approach where victim property owners would be protected from being penalized for unauth- orized dumping of industrial pollutants by outside parties helped the bill; -summarized the purpose of the bill to be to encourage industry to take action right at the start to prevent pol- lution rather than to respond after the fact; -expected this legislation would pass. Office of Software Technology Marks -was concerned proposed legislation might eliminate the above state agency. Rose -promised to check on the bill; but -indicated he understood the proposed legislation would only transfer this important function to the Greater Min- nesota Corporation where it could be decentralized to several technological centers around the state where there is dire need for diversification and the growth which seems to follow this function; • -said his own problems with the bill' s intent was that deci- sions would be made by a non-elected board who would have • -3- Power of Eminent Domain and would be exempt from the open meeting process in Procedures #15. Threat of Local Government Aid Cuts and Sales Tax on City Purchases Sundland -said he perceived the Governor' s proposal for the above would just be "transferring monies around" ; -pointed out that the League of Minnesota March 23rd letter to municipalities had alerted them that the imposition of the 6% sales tax on cities would cost them $30,000, 000 a year, -twice as much as the Department of Revenue had estimated; -perceived the imposition of the sales tax on city purchases would only result in the cities having to pass these costs right back to the taxpayers. Rose -indicated he expected the legislators to give hard scrutiny to both bills; -perceived the idea behind the cuts in local aid to govern- ment had been to free up more money for the state to fund more of the educational benefits which were lost by failure of local referendums; -pointed out, however, that more state funding would surely result in more state regulation; -indicated that, from his own standpoint, if the change could get by the first biennium without inflicting great harm on communities like St. Anthony, it made more sense to force cities like Minneapolis to levy for the costs like having 45 planners on their payrolls; -said he thought the proposed sales tax legislation might not have been well thought out because although cities like MoundsView might be getting more school aid, they would also be paying back $500 ,000 in sales tax; -understood one of the motivations behind this legislation was to have non-profit organizations competing at the same level as the private sector. Impact of Non-Profits on Communities and State to Be Studied During Interim Rose -said he had authored the bill to have this study done which had been backed by the Suburban Chamber of Commerce but had • no position on it; -4- -reported one of the issues to be studied would be the impact of direct competition of private health care centers on public institutions. Childs -the City does not compete with other public entities like a private hospital would compete with a public funded hospital; Sundland -said he agreed Minneapolis should have to levy for 45 plan- ners if they think they need that many; but -perceived cities like St. Anthony might use their tax dollars more prudently but are judged on the rule of thumb established for the larger cities. Rose -agreed, suggesting, for example, that Minneapolis includes in its property taxes the costs for having its residents' garbage hauled while St. Anthony and Roseville residents have to pay a separate fee for their own services. Wine in Gorcery Stores and Elimination of Strong Beer Rose -told Councilmember Ranallo neither bill has come up in committee yet but he expected the wine in grocery stores sto rear its head again this session; -assured the Council that "as the representative of a city with one of the most profitable liquor operations in the state, " he would certainly be opposing this legislation; -added that he perceived the same rationale for opposing keeping the bars open until 3 :00 A.M. could be applied to this legislation. Obscenity Bill Rose -told Councilmember Makowske he expected that legislation to pass because of the broad make up from a social aspect of its supporters; -indicated he would be inclined to support the bill as long as there were no Constitutional conflicts, perceiving "you can' t handle issues selectively when it comes to the Bill of Rights. " ; -would probably be supporting the bill because he understood it had been designed to protect the Constitution; and -agreed with studies that have shown violence to women is generated by pornography. -5- Marks -reported attendance at a seminar the previous week where a member of the Danish Parliament had told him that, sur- prisingly enough, some data, which was not definitive, had shown that since the issue of obscenity had gone away, the violence to women had declined and the places selling por- nography had to a great extent disappeared, or at least were not as prolific. Rose -cautioned against trying to extrapolate something from another value system, citing the Jewish use of alcohol and the education system in Japan as examples of what would probably not work in a culture like the United States. Youth Intervention Program Association Funding Marks -was concerned the above program from which the Youth Service Bureau he chairs benefits, might be in budget jeopardy this session; -said he would call Representative Rose later to allow him more time to find out about that bill. • Delayed Assessed Valuations for Rehabilitation Projects in St. Paul Makowske -wondered about the status of this legislation which the Ramsey County League of Governments peceived might have adverse ramifications for communities like St. Anthony, which 'surround St. Paul. Rose -promised to get back to her with any information he could get on the bill. The Representative was thanked for a very informative report on issues which could impact on St. Anthony and was invited to return whenever he perceived proposed legislation might be of primary interest to St. Anthony residents. MARCH 10 , 1987 COUNCIL MINUTES Motion by Makowske, seconded by Marks to approve the above minutes with the following changes: Page 1 , para. 4: Substitute "have" for "has" in line 4. Page 6 , para. 2: Substitute "this" for "his" in line 1. Page 6 ,, para. 7: Substitute "properties" for "places" in line 6. Page 9, para. 5: Substitute "screen" for "silk screening" in line 3 . Motion carried unanimously. • r LICENSES/PERMITS/PETITIONS Motion by Marks, seconded by Enrooth to approve the following as they were listed in the March 24, 1987 Council agenda packet: Rubbish Removal Twin City Sanitation Amusement Devices St. Anthony Fun Center Slick' s Alternative Service Station Murphy' s Service Center Speedy Market #7 Apache Mobil Cigarette Apache Mobil Service Mr. Hobo Town and Country Foods Contractors Patio Enclosures, Inc. Horizon Development Co. , Roseville Al-Ko Home Improvements, Lino Lakes King' s Brian Construction Motion carried unanimously. CLAIMS Motion by Marks, seconded by Makowske to approve payment of the City accounts payable listed for February 28, 1987 and the Liquor Operation accounts payable listed for February 28 and March 16, 1987 in the March 24, 1987 Council agenda packet. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Marks, seconded by Ranallo to approve payment of $1,825.00 to the Edward J. Hance law firm for prosecution services rendered between February 6 and March 4, 1987. Motion carried unanimously. • -7- Motion by Enrooth, seconded by Marks to approve payment of $1,254. 00 in annual dues for labor relations subscription services to the League of Minnesota Cities. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Marks, seconded by Makowske to approve payment of $24,896.08 to the Metropolitan Waste Control Commission for March sewer services. Motion carried unanimously. REPORTS MARCH 17, 1987 PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING - COMMISSIONER RICK WERENICZ Community Development Block Grant Year XIII Allocation The Council accepted the Planning Commission' s recommendation for allocating $26,460.00 in CDBG funds. The City may or may not get the funds because of the President' s budget. They also agreed with the Commission and staff recommendation that nothing be allocated towards small business incubator/accelerator project (HERO) in the western metropolitan area at this time. Council Action Motion by Marks, seconded by Makowske to allocate 85% of whatever CDBG funds the City is granted for Year XIII towards the provision of a pedestrian signal of Kenzie Terrace and the remaining 15% towards the continuation of the Senior Citizens program through District #282 Community Services. Motion carried unanimously. Nelson Garage Variance Request Discussed There were a number of questions and comments on the minutes related to the above issue which had been tabled: Ranallo -wondered if the applicant had been asked whether he could construct the garage less than 22 feet wide; -was told that had been discussed but the final conclusion had been that, even with a garage that size, there would still be 11 feet between structures and 7 feet left be- tween overhangs, both of which would be more than the Ordinance required. Sundland -indicated he was glad all parties involved had been willing to further negotiate their differences. i • -8- Marks -recalled that when the Ordinance had been written, there had been some concern about whether houses should be built far enough apart to allow emergency vehicles to pass, but since there was no Ordinance restriction against utility poles, bushes , trees, etc. close to property lines, the rationale which was finally adopted had been that enough distance should be maintained between structures to prevent flames from jumping from one roof to another. Council Response to Commission Comments on Ordinance Revisions Ordinance 1987-002 , which the City Attorney had rewritten according to Council direction at their February 24th meeting, was scheduled for discussion later in the agenda. Mr. ' Childs assured the Mayor` that copies had been mailed as promised to the Commission members. Councilmember Makowske, reacting to what she perceived was a Commission concern that the Council had completely rewritten the Ordinance after the Commission hearing, said she did not believe that had happened at all. She said, rather, the Commission input had been used to the great benefit of the community. The Councilmember said she wanted the Commissioners to know the Council really appreciated the work they did. And, although the Council might not always come to the same conclusion • as the Commission on every issue, in this instance, as in the past, the input and information provided by the Planning Commission had been very important to them in trying to come to some decision on this matter. Commissioner Werenicz promised to relay that statement to the Planning Commission who he said, he was certain, already understood that was true. He indicated his own confusion about what had been written about the issue in the Bulletin had been cleared up during a conversation with the Mayor. COUNCIL REPORTS Congratulatory Plaque to Be Sent to Sister City Mayor Sundland reported Salo, Finland, St. Anthony' s Sister City, would be celebrating its 100th anniversary in June and he had asked staff to have a plaque commemorating the event sent to Salo with the Councilmember ' s signatures inscribed in the metal. City Now Has Its Own Chamber of Commerce The election of the new officers and board of the above would be held April 21st according to the Mayor. He said Marion Post of the St. Anthony Health Center was a candidate for President and he would not be running. • Mayor Sundland said the Chamber ' s goal of representing good corporate citizenship would include working closely with the City Council and staff and the schools towards the betterment of the community. One of the new Chamber members is Councilmember Enrooth' s firm, he added. Report on Water Situation to be Included in April Newsletter Councilmember Makowske reported receiving a good number of calls from residents in the southeastern portion of the City regarding the Roseville water supply connection this summer. Mr. Childs indicated he intended to let the residents know through the "Newsletter" that if the summer is very dry, even with sprinkling bans imposed all over the City, it appears that connection would have to be made again this year. This statement drew a groan from Jeff Lofgren, 3109 Stinson Boulevard, who was present for the discussion of proposed Ordinance changes. He described the water he pays to receive from the City as "unfit for drinking or for washing clothes. " Mr. Lofgren said even his 110 pound dog refuses to drink the water. According to the complainant, his and his neighbor' s homes are on the dead end of the water line, resulting in the water they receive in their taps being "tea colored" and unfit to use even after they had followed all the directions the Public Works Director had given them. Mr. Lofgren said he has to have bottled water delivered to his home; had to pay $175. 00 to have his water softener unplugged; had to have his • bathtub electrostated; and is forced to wash his clothes at his parents' house in another part of St. Anthony. He complained that while the- "is paying for good water he isn' t getting, other people are watering their lawns, filling their swimming pools, and running their fountains. " He indicated he had been told the problem would be solved this year and warned he "wasn' t going to take it another summer. " Mr. Childs told Mr. Lofgren the City had also been given to understand that the charcoal filter system would be installed on the City' s wells before summer, but the failure of the President to sign the necessary papers had resulted in the EPA not even being able to start the engineering on the project, let alone the construction. When Mr. Lofgren questioned why St. Anthony' s suit against the Army for the contaminated water wasn' t getting the same publicity as New Brighton' s, Mr. Childs assured Mr. Lofgren that St. Anthony is doing everything New Brighton is, but "maybe a little more quietly. " The Manager said staff had not realized how bad Mr. Lofgren' s water was because they were getting so many calls about the taste and smell of the Roseville water. He suggested the only solution he saw for the Lofgren and Marty problem would be to flush out the hydrants near their homes every other day. Councilmember Ranallo also pointed out that St. Anthony water is available at both the City Hall and the school. • Mr. Lofgren was thanked for his input. • -10- Councilmember Marks Provides Further Information on "Ethics in Governments Seminar" The Councilmember said he would be getting copies of the announcement of the above seminar to be held at the Hennepin Avenue Methodist Church, April 4th to the other Councilmembers soon. He added to the list of participants he had given at the previous Council meeting by saying Hennepin County Judge Kevin Burke and Steven Young, Dean of the Hamline Law School, would also be speaking. DEPARTMENT AND COMMITTEE REPORTS The following were accepted as informational: *City Prosecutor' s report on matters conducted at the Hennepin County District Court on March 4, 1987 ; *February Liquor Operations Sales Summary; and *January, 1987 Financial Summary. CITY MANAGER • March 16, 1987 Staff Meeting Notes Mr. Childs reported Lila Johnson is home and recovering from her surgery. He indicated she needed about six pints of blood and said anyone who was able to donate could get her social security number from the office before going to the Metropolitan Medical Center do to so. No action was taken related to the request that St. Anthony make a donation towards the Hennepin County Fair in which there had been no participation in years past and which had not been addressed in the 1987 budget. Rest Rooms and Phone at Silver Point Park Reconsidered Mr. Childs had researched the above as requested by the Council at their last meeting and found: -it costs the City about $600 a year to have a phone in Central Park and the cost of installing and removing a pay phone every summer would probably be about the same; -there have only been a few instances at Central Park of unauthorized calls for which the City had to pay; -the leagues who use the parks have been given keys to open and close the restrooms and if there are problems with kids using the bushes, it must be because the coaches in charge are not opening the warming houses while their teams are practicing or playing. c -11- Councilmember response was: Enrooth -perceived this was just another case where the City has no control over a facility it maintains because that responsi- bility had been given to the Community Services. Ranallo -suggested it might be up to the Police Department to assure the restrooms are open. Sundland -agreed that could be done but doubted vandalism could be avoided if the facilities are left open without supervi- sion. Marks -said he perceived it was essential the general public as well as the leagues were able to use the parks; -suggested one problem could probably be alleviated by installing automatic water stopping controls on the faucets and toilets. Mr. Childs was asked to check to see what arrangements could be made with Community Services to keep the warming houses open. • Well #5 to be Changed Over to Electricity Mr. Hamer' s March 13th memorandum suggested as much as $300 a month might be saved under an interruptible service arrangement with NSP if the well pump is converted to an electric motor and a gas backup is provided for periods when the electric company needs the power. Mr. Childs recommended the money remaining in the budget left over from the repair of Well #4 be used to purchase the control panel this year with the remaining equipment to be budgeted for 1988. Council Action Motion by Ranallo, seconded by Enrooth to authorize the purchase of a new control panel for Well #5 in 1987 and to budget for the rest of the equipment in 1988. Motion carried unanimously. Equipment Purchases Authorized for the Water Department The Public Works Director had attached copies of the two quotes he had received for the above to his March 9th memorandum in the agenda packet. Mr. Childs reiterated that the equipment would be purchased only as needed. • e • -12- Council Action Motion by Ranallo, seconded by Marks to accept the low bids and award the contracts for the purchase of a new control panel for Well #5 in 1987 and to budget for the rest of the equipment in 1988 . Motion carried unanimously. Plan Review and Call for Bids - Stonehouse Off-Sale Addition Wil Johnson and Stephen Patrick of BWBR Architects presented the working drawings for the above which they estimated would cost between $350,000 and $400,000 in their memorandum which had been distributed to Councilmembers . The scope of the off-sale addition which would be constructed between the Stonehouse and the City' s fire station, had been downscaled after bids for the joint on-sale and off-sale project had come in at $900,000. Councilmember Ranallo said the only way the Council could be sure just what the project would cost would be to take bids for it. Council Action • Motion by Ranallo, seconded by Marks to schedule the bids on the Stonehouse off-sale addition to be .oper.pd-_,_ at City Hall April 21 , 1987 . Motion carried unanimously. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Council Approves First Reading of Ordinance Related to Parking Regulations and Definition of Family Ordinance 1987-002 which the City Attorney had revised according to the conversations held during the February 24th Council meeting had been included in the agenda packet. Mr. Childs summarized the changes which had been made. Mayor Sundland said he perceived the new Ordinance reflected the changes which had been proposed by the Council. Because there had been some resident complaints about the "Newsletter" article informing the residents of the changes reaching them after the Planning Commission hearing on the Ordinance had been held, the Council consensus was that residents should again be officially notified before the Council held the final hearings on the issue. The decision was to give the Ordinance its second reading at the Council' s April 28th meeting, afte the April 15th "Newsletter" went out with the water billing so an article on the changes would reach the residents in plenty of time for them to provide the Council with their input. The Ordinance could then be given its third reading and adopted at the May 12th • Council meeting. t • -13- There was a brief discussion of the variance procedures which the Council had suggested might be necessary. Mr. Childs said he didn' t think the variances could be handled administratively under the existing statutes. He also verified that the applicant would have to pay a $15 filing fee to have his variance request heard. Council Action Motion by Ranallo, seconded by Enrooth to approve the first reading of Ordinance 1987-002 . ORDINANCE 1987-002 AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO THE DEFINITION OF A FAMILY AND TO OFF-STREET PARKING REGULATIONS; AMENDING SUBDIVISION 2 OF SECTION 2 OF APPENDIX I (ZONING) OF THE 1973 CODE OF ORDINANCES BY AMENDING PARAGRAPH 29 AND BY ADDING A NEW PARAGRAPH 77(a) ; AND AMENDING SUBDIVISION 9 OF SECTION 12 OF SAID APPENDIX BY AMENDING PARAGRAPH 8 AND BY ADDING NEW PARAGRAPHS 13 , 14 , AND 15 Motion carried unanimously. • Dorothy Fleming Appointed to the St. Anthony Chemical Abuse Awareness Committee Councilmember Makowske indicated the above resident had approached her to say she had read about the opening on the committee and would be interested in serving because she felt her background well qualified her for that service. The Councilmember said she could wholeheartedly endorse Mrs. Fleming' s appointment. Councilmember Marks reported he had been very disappointed to find that the St. Charles Principal, Gary Wilmer, would not be able to serve because of a time conflict. Mr. Wilmer had suggested Joe Sroga be contacted regarding his replacement. Mayor Sundland said he would also like to have Kevin Cahill considered for that appointment. Both men will be contacted by the City Manager. Council Action Motion by Ranallo, seconded by Makowske to appoint Dorothy Fleming, 3101 Wendhurst, to serve on the St. Anthony Chemical Abuse Awareness Committee. Motion carried unanimously. Council Recognition Dinner to be Held April 23 , 1987 • Mayor Sundland said he would call the other Councilmembers to let them know whether Tri-City Legion Club would he ,available• f_or_­the above. t • -14- ADJOURNMENT Motion by Ranallo, seconded by Makowske to adjourn the meeting at 9: 05 P.M. for the St. Anthony Housing and Redevelopment Authority meeting which was reconvened at 9: 08 P.M. Motion carried unanimously. , Respectfully submitted, Helen Crowe, Secretary Ma r ATTEST: City Clerk :cjk