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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 03271979 Meeting Sheet IIIIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIVIIIIIIIIIII 105853 Box: 36 Folder: CC MINUTES AND AGENDAS 1979 Document: CC MINUTES 03271979 CITY OF ST. ANTHONY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 27 , 1979 The meeting was called to order by Mayor Haik at 7 : 30 p.m. Present for roll call: Letourneau, Ranallo, Haik, Sundland and Sauer. Also present: Jim Fornell, City Manager William Soth, City Attorney Ron Berg, Administrative Assistant Carol Johnson, Clerk/Treasurer Motion by Councilman Ranallo and seconded by Councilman Letourneau to approve the minutes for the Council meeting March 13, 1979 and the March 15 , 1979 Council work session on the proposed police reserves as submitted.. Motion carried unanimously. Ray Sopcinski presented recommendations to the Council and other actions taken by the Planning Board as reflected in the minutes of their meeting March 20 , 1979 . He told of the appearance of Gordon Hedlund before the Board to dis- cuss the plans for one of three identical buildings proposed to be erected on the Silver Lake Road portion of Lot 12 , Block 1, Penrod Addition which Mr. Hedlund presented as fulfilling the Detailed Plan under the Hedlund PUD. The Board saw the material presented as far short of that required for the PUD and since the staff had not had time to make a recommendation regarding the material sub- nitted, Mr. Sopcinski said the Board was unable to make a recommenda- tion to the Council. Instead they attempted to advise Mr. Hedlund as to areas which were still lacking in his proposal which would bring it into conformance with the PUD. Mr. Sopcinski also reported that Mr. Hedlund had insisted he would not be able to comply with the identification of 50% of the tenants for a commercial building required by the PUD before a building permit could be issued nor with the required proof of financial responsibility for the entire PUD with the one building he was pro- posing. He was, however, willing to compromise the turning of the proposed building 900 as compared to its positioning on the prelimin- ary plat for the PUD. �. No Council action was considered to be required. The Board' s response to a request from Elmer Hansen for a review of the City staff' s interpretation of the actions taken by both the Board and Council regarding the variances which had been granted to permit the construction of a single family dwelling on Silver Lake Terrace by Mr. Hansen, was reported by the Board representative. Their recommendation was that no building permit be issued to Mr. Hansen for any dwelling which did not meet the variances which had been stipulated by Mr. Hansen in the proposal which had been approved by the Council January 23, 1979 . Mr. Sopcinski concluded his presentation with reports on the Board ' s consideration of the Kenzie Terrace Report, New Brighton ' s Compre- hensive Plan and a work session on the proposed Sign Ordinance. Mr. Hansen was present and prefaced his request for an additional variance, which would permit him to construct his home according to plans drawn up by a new architect, with "a public apology for his own ineptness" in presenting his original proposal which he felt had resulted "in a misunderstanding of his request" . He pre- sented current plans for the house which had been revised so that the building will be moved away from the lakeshore and will require only a five-foot front yard- variance to build. These plans will place the dwelling within the original rear yard setback of 22 feet from the lakeshore on which the Council had originally based its approval but only 20 feet from the street in front as compared to the required 25-foot front yard setback required by the City Zon- ing Ordinance.. Mr. Hansen defended this variance by saying all other homes on that particular cul de sac are built at least a foot closer to the street than he is requesting. He added that all his neighbors had indicated approval of his current plans . Mr. Soth reiterated his March 15th opinion that it would be advisable for Mr. Hansen to repeat the required procedure for granting a vari- ance and that this should include a Public Hearing at which Mr. Hansen ' s neighbors would be given the opportunity to voice their reaction to the proposal. He then read the section in the City . Zoning Ordinance which seemed to permit the deck proposed to be built on the back of the house within five feet of the lot line which in this case would be the lakeshore. There was some concern that the front yard might be cut down to the extent that the snow storage Mr. Hansen had agreed to on his property might, with exceptionally heavy snowfalls , end up "almost in his kitchen sink" , but a majority of the Council indicated they would be willing to have Mr. Hansen apply for the five-foot front yard variance. By moving the home back from the lakeshore and possible flooding, they felt they were averting a possible charge of city negligence for allowing the home to be built too close to the lake. Councilman Letourneau however indicated his inability to "come to grips" with the request for an additional variance in the face of the latitude he saw allowed Mr. Hansen in the variances he had recently been granted. He was also concerned with cutting down the front yard on such a small cul de sac and the potential for problems with the City ' s snow storage in that area. The legal ramifications of the proposed crisis intervention letter , proposed by the Chemical Abuse Information Committee to be presented for signing in front of officers who are responding to domestic con- flict, were explored with Mr. Soth and Donna Stauffer, Chairman of the Committee. Mr. Soth reiterated the concerns of his letter of March 20th that having the police urge a family member sign a letter in his presence indicating a willingness to seek help in a crisis situation in which abuse of alcohoz or drugs by a family member is suspected to be a contributing catse might be viewed as coercion, and the giving of names of such individuals to the Committee might subject the City to criticism and potential liability. He suggested a preferable alternative might be to have the officer offer such persons brochures naming sources of aid or giving a crisis number for seeking immediate help as long as the call is made after his departure. Mrs . Stauffer agreed there might be some legal risks involved but other counsel had been reported to have told the Police Chief they could not be considered "to be great" . Lack of volun- teers to man the crisis phone had prevented the establishment of a crisis number for the City, but such a number might be available in New Brighton and Mrs. Stauffer will present the idea of having that source utilized by her committee along with the Council ' s sug- gestion that they research sources of training for City personnel to make them better informed so as to aid in family crisis situa- tions. Councilman Ranallo agreed to serve as a member of the Committee. Police Chief Hickerson ' s memorandum on the proposed Crime Preven- tion Program and a revised version of Resolution 79-024 were accepted as an addendum to the Agenda. The Manager requested action on the City's personnel policy ordinance be deferred until he has an opportunity to seek the reaction of the unions representing the City employees . Several suggested changes in the wording of the ordinance which dealt with employment of part- time employees ' relatives and discrimination were accepted. Motion by Councilman Sundland and seconded by Councilman Letourneau to table action on Ordinance 1979-001 for another hearing in April. ORDINANCE 1979-001 AN ORDINANCE RELATING TO CITY PERSONNEL AND ESTABLISHING A BASIC PERSONNEL POLICY, REPEALING SECTION 135 OF THE 1973 CODE OF ORDINANCES Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Fornall ' s 3/19 recommendations regarding City vehicle use policy and practices and the ordinance which will establish such a policy were discussed by Mr. Fornell who urged the use of smaller cars by designated City staff members as well as other gas-saving measures . He was requested to furnish, before the next Council meeting, fur- ther information regarding the cost benefits of various types of vehicles , projected maintenance costs of existing vehicles, possible doubling up of usage by the staff and of leasing the needed vehicles . Motion by Councilman Sauer and seconded by Councilman Sundland to approve the first reading of Ordinance 1979-004 . ORDINANCE 1979-004 AN ORDINANCE ESTABLISHING A VEHICLE USE POLICY, REPEALING SECTION 135: 87 OF THE 1973 CODE OF ORDINANCES Motion carried unanimously. 9 The pros and cons of continuing the position of Community Services Officer when CETA funding is terminated in May was discussed at length and the discussion expanded to include the crime prevention program proposed by Police Chief Hickerson as well as the police reserves and intern programs . Concern that funding the continuance would establish an ongoing $15, 000 position was expressed by Councilman Sundland, Ranallo and Letourneau who were not convinced that the same responsibilities could not be assumed by the police reserves or through the intern program advanced by the Police Department. Mayor Haik disagreed, saying she was also not in favor of expanding the budget for a permanent position, but saw the continuance as only an interim measure by which the programs initiated by the Community Service Officer could be continued until the end of the year. She also saw the young woman who is the Community Service Officer as a very effective and well-accepted person whose position fulfilled to some extent the City ' s adopted affirmative action policy and who might extend the productivity of the Police Department by setting up the crime prevention, reserve and intern programs for which the Department has said it has no time. However, she agreed with Councilman Ranallo that the duties of the CSO should be clear- ly defined. Motion by Councilman Sauer and seconded by Mayor Haik to approve Resolution 79-021 RESOLUTION 79-021 A RESOLUTION FUNDING A POLICE C.S.O. THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 1979 Voting on the motion: Aye: Sauer and Haik Nay: Sundland, Letourneau and Ranallo Motion not carried. Motion by Councilman Ranallo and seconded by Councilman Sundland to direct the City Manager to work with the Police Chief and his depart- ment to prepare in detail a report of exactly what the CSO will be doing from May 15th to December 31st with specific details and recom- mendations from the Department as to how the police reserve and in- tern programs are to be initiated and how they and the crime preven- tion program are to be continued after the CSO position is terminated. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Fornell reported better supervision of the summer softball pro- gram can be anticipated this year through the cooperative efforts of the Community Services and Public Works Department. He said the responsibility for the conduct of the teams will rest with the teams themselves . Goals of the Hennepin Co-m ty Hunger Week were cited by Mr. Berg. Motion by Councilman Ranallo and seconded by Magor Haik to approve the resolution supporting hunger week. -4- RESOLUTION 79-022 A RESOLUTION DECLARING APRIL 9-15 AS HUNGER WEEK Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Councilman Sundland and seconded by Councilman Letourneau to approve the resolution which modifies the City' s application for Year V Community Development Block Grant funds to reflect the final entitlement amount for the sidewalk project. RESOLUTION 79-023 A RESOLUTION MODIFYING THE CITY OF ST. ANTHONY'S YEAR V C.D.B.G. APPLICATION Motion carried - unanimously. Motion by Councilman Ranallo and seconded by Mayor Haik to approve the revised resolution which provides the final costs of the pro- jects appropriated for Year II of the C.D.B.G. program. RESOLUTION 79-024 A RESOLUTION MODIFYING ST. ANTHONY'S YEAR II COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANT APPLICATION Motion carried unanimously. • The consideration of the Manager' s March 20th staffing alternatives recommendations was deferred to the Council 's next meeting in April . Mr. Fornell was complimented on his "all-encompassing" list of alter- native sites for a liquor bottle shop and bar. However, it was agreed this list might .be further enlarged by input from the com- mani-t y as a whole and such input should be sought before decision- making progressed much farther. The Planning Board will, as they have requested, be involved in the considerations and an analysis of the suitability and convenience of the sites suggested. Motion by Councilman Ranallo and seconded by Mayor Haik to author- ize town meetings to seek the reactions of the residents to various alternatives proposed to increase the City liquor store productivity -as a source of income for the City and to request the Manager to ascertain how soon the hearings can be publicized through all avail- able sources. Motion carried unanimously. Motion 'by Councilman Ranallo and seconded by Councilman Sauer to authorize a presentation of Cable TV for the City by the cable com- munications company. Motion carried unanimously. Serious consideration to alternative sites for City Hall was advo- cated by the Manager, who recommendgO the operational needs of the staff be included in the deliberations . The Mayor expressed her con- cern that realistic cost figures for each alternative be provided -5- in advance of the discussions . Motion by Councilman Ranallo and seconded by Councilman Sauer to direct the City Manager to prepare, for Council consideration, a listing of conceivable alternatives to the siting of City Hall, their estimated cost as well as the advantages and disadvantages perceived for each site. Motion carried unanimously. The Council indicated its agreement with the manner in which the Manager proposes handling salary adjustments for non-union employ- ees. Motion by Councilman Sundland and seconded by Mayor Haik to approve the passenger waiting shelter permit agreement between the City and the Metropolitan Transit Commission. Motion carried unanimously. The Council will hold a closed discussion of the Manager' s position, performance and salary at 7: 00 p.m. Thursday, April 26 , 1979 . Informational data had been provided by Mr. Berg regarding the double bungalow proposed to be constructed on the southwest corner of 37th Ave. NE and Silver Lake Road. Appreciation of the fact that all zoning and setback requirements seemed to be in order, • was expressed by Councilman Sauer. An invitation to attend the opening of the adult detention center, sponsored by the Ramsey County Sheriff 's Association on March 29th , was relayed by the Manager. Attendance at the conference on highway issues for northern suburbs to be held April 7th was urged by the Mayor. The Mayor also reported on her attendance at a recent Ramsey County Commissioners meeting where the presentation of the services offered by the Youth Service Bureau was made. The City Fire Department will aid in the Red Cross Bloodmobile pro- gram which will be held May 1st. Volunteers to seek blood donors will be sought from the Congregate Dining Hall participants . Mr. Soth advised waiting to cancel the April 10th Council meeting until just prior to that date to see if there is major business which might warrant such a meeting in the absence of the City Mana- ger. Council members will offer City staff suggestions for locations for the tree which the St. Anthony Garden Club proposes to donate to the City. They will also indicate for referral to the City's legis- lative representatives which legislation they view as the best vehicle for improving the City ' s financial position. • A discussion of the St. Anthony Fun Center preceeded the granting of licenses . Motion by Councilman Sundland and seconded by Councilman Letourneau -6- f to grant all licenses listed from A. through F . in the March 27, 1979 Agenda. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Councilman Sundland and seconded by Mayor Haik to approve payment of all Verified Claims listed in the March 27, 1979 Agenda. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Councilman Sauer and seconded by Councilman Sundland to approve payment of $2 , 453. 85 to the Dorsey Firm for services during January, 1979 . Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Councilman Ranallo and seconded by Councilman Sauer to approve payment of $1, 654 . 59 to BRW, Inc. for work during January, 1979 on the City' s Comprehensive Plan. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Councilman Letourneau and seconded by Councilman Sauer to adjourn the meeting at 10 : 40 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor ATTEST: Vq- City Clerk -7-