HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 04102001 Meeting Sheet
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Folder: CC MINUTES AND AGENDAS 2001
Document: CC MINUTES 04102001
1 CITY OF ST. ANTHONY
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION MEETING MINUTES
3 April 10, 2001
4 I. CALL TO ORDER.
5 Mayor Cavanaugh called the meeting to order at 7:43 p.m.
6 II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
7 Mayor Cavanaugh invited the Council and audience to join in the Pledge of Allegiance.
8 III. ROLL CALL.
9 Councilmembers present: Mayor Cavanaugh; Councilmembers Sparks, Thuesen, and Horst.
10 Councilmembers absent: Hodson.
11 Also present: City Manager Michael Mornson and City Attorney Jerome
12 Gilligan.
13 IV. COMMUNITY FORUM.
14 Mayor Cavanaugh invited any residents in the audience to speak to the Council on items that are
15 not on the regular agenda.
16 Hearing no response, Cavanaugh moved forward with the agenda.
0 V. ACTION ITEMS.
18 A. Consent Agenda.
19 Mayor Cavanaugh advised of the school's comment that Cindy Swan-Henderlite is an excellent
20 candidate for the Northwest Youth and Family Services. He recommended the Council adopt
21 that resolution for her appointment as part of the Consent Agenda.
22 Motion by Sparks to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. Said Consent Agenda consisted
23 of:
24 1. Licenses:
25 2. Claims: and
26 3. Resolution 01-054.
27 Motion carried unanimously.
28 B. Proclamation Declaring April 22-28. 2001 Volunteer Recognition Week.
29 Councilmember Sparks read in full a proclamation declaring April 22-28, 2001 as Volunteer
30 Recognition Week.
31 Motion by Sparks to adopt Proclamation Declaring April 22-28, 2001 Volunteer Recognition
32 Week.
0 Motion carried unanimously.
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
• April 10, 2001
Page 2
1 VI. REVIEW ITEMS.
2 A. 2001 Police Department Annual Report.
3 City Manager Morrison advised of the four items for the Council's review. He noted the
4 attendance of Police Captain John Ohl and Fire Chief Joel Hewitt who will be presenting their
5 annual reports.
6 Police Captain Ohl reported that Police Chief Dick Engstrom has an unknown medical malady
7 and all wish him their best. He stated Chief Engstrom is missed at the Police Department.
8 Mayor Cavanaugh encouraged all to call Police Chief Engstrom and wish him a speedy recovery.
9 Police Captain Ohl presented a brief overview of the 2001 Police Department Annual Report,
10 explaining the four-pronged approach which they use to arrest offenders, prevent crime, solve
11 ongoing problems and improve the overall quality of life. He advised of their level of staffing,
12 noting the level of crimes experienced in 2000. He explained that Part I crimes are more serious
13 when compared to Part II crimes. He advised of the crime clearance rates for St. Anthony,
14 Hennepin County, and Ramsey County. Police Captain Ohl reviewed the top ten cities with high
15 crime and advised that St. Anthony is ranked 16th. He advised of the number of tickets issues,
16 cases investigated, and activity of reserve officers who volunteer their time. He explained the
it type of activities that the Community Service Officers (CSO) are involved with and stated they
18 do a very good service for the Police Department.
19 Mayor Cavanaugh advised that CSO officers were hired as part of a grant and one of the
20 conditions of the grant was that the CSOs must remain hired.
21 Police Captain Ohl reviewed the crime prevention activities including bike patrol program, bike
22 rodeos, block parties, town meetings, community prevention coalition, and other activities. He
23 stated they have maintained a full complement of officers in 2000 which is a great
24 accomplishment and bodes well for the City and the officer's working environment. Also, the
25 community benefits by having well-trained officers. He reviewed the risk management training
26 which has been undertaken for all officers and transition to work with a CJDN computer system
27 to be able to work with the State. He stated they are working on intruder drills with schools and
28 to assessed weaknesses with the response for the schools. Police Captain Ohl reviewed the 2001
29 work plan as detailed within the annual report. He stated that 2000 was a successful year and he
30 believes 2001 will also be a successful year.
31 Councilmember Thuesen noted 40% of the operating budget is from outside sources and asked if
32 there are standards on what the percentages should be. Police Captain Ohl stated the Police
33 Department is not an enterprise operation, however, in attempting to be frugal they do go outside
34 for grant money, citation and court revenues generated through citations and arrests, monies from
0 the State for certification of officers, forfeiture funds, and grants for equipment.
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
• Apri 110, 2001
Page 3
1 Mayor Cavanaugh asked about the $986,000 figure. Police Captain Ohl explained that they
2 brought in 40% which lowered the operating budget.
3
4 City Manager Mornson noted the City also gets aid from the State of Minnesota to pay for police
5 activities.
6 Councilmember Thuesen asked if there are advantages to the 800 megahertz system. Police
7 Captain Ohl stated there are benefits but there are also problems. He reviewed the cities that are
8 and are not going with that system since it requires changing dispatch systems, and not being
9 able to communicate with outlying counties that have not gone with an 800 megahertz system.
10 However, most of the nation is going to that type of system and officers can communicate via a
11 hand walkie talkie with no dead spots, static, or doubt about who is transmitting the signals.
12 With the current system, sometimes communication is compromised due to dead spots, low
13 batteries, etc.
14 Councilmember Thuesen asked if this is visionary on behalf of the County and if problems
15 discussed can be resolved. Police Captain Ohl stated it is somewhat visionary, however, a
16 concern is the costs to have both this and a VHS system in the patrol cars to allow
communication with outlying counties.
18 Mayor Cavanaugh stated there is to be seamless radio transmission and he see no reason why St.
19 Anthony should progress with this if other communities are not compatible. He questioned
20 having duplicate radio systems.
21 Police Captain Ohl explained that all of Hennepin County is going with 800 megahertz and once
22 Hennepin County does so, there will be State-wide seamless communications. Mayor
23 Cavanaugh asked why St. Anthony should carry the cost to have duplicate radio systems and
24 noted that St. Anthony is a small community and does not have finances for a luxury like this.
25 Police Captain Ohl stated that a small community like St. Anthony does not have the luxury of
26 being separated from communication with Hennepin County.
27 Mayor Cavanaugh stated he believes the Legislature should require seven county wide seamless
28 communications. He noted that the Bear Cat scanner cannot pick up 800 megahertz.
29 Police Captain Ohl stated these concerns have been expressed by many other communities.
30 Councilmember Horst stated there was a discussion of the police budget and there being no
31 reserve in the case of a catastrophic crime. Police Captain Ohl stated he also has that concern
32 and believes they would have a great deal of difficulty in handling a catastrophic crime. He noted
they would hope to get services and help from the counties and other police departments, but the
cost associated in working with a catastrophic crime are quite large. Should that happen, they
35 would have to come back to the Council to obtain additional funds.
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
• April 10, 2001
Page 4
1 Councilmember Horst asked if this situation should be further discussed and if the police budget
2 should contain a contingency to help defray costs should a catastrophic crime occur.
3 Mayor Cavanaugh stated the City already has that covered since the Council has $800,000 of
4 reserves in the General Fund.
5 City Manager Mornson explained that reserve is used to carry the City's costs from the first of
6 the year until taxes are received. He suggested this be addressed during the upcoming budget
7 meetings.
8 City Attorney Gilligan advised of another city with a catastrophic crime that had requested
9 funding from the Legislature.
10 Mayor Cavanaugh noted the Police Department is already planning how to handle the
11 investigation of a catastrophic event.
12 Councilmember Horst noted the City is working through a Comprehensive Plan process and
13 asked about the influence of higher density housing on police activities. He noted that higher
density housing is being discussed in the northeast quadrant and asked about the crime rate at
Autumn Woods.
16 Police Captain Ohl stated that it is no secret that the more people you put into one place, the
17 more problems that will occur.
18 Mayor Cavanaugh asked about crime experience at Autumn Woods. Police Captain Ohl
19 explained that it depends on the age of the occupants and in the case of Autumn Woods, there are
20 not a lot of calls. Mayor Cavanaugh asked the City Manager to submit a report on Autumn
21 Woods and stated that to portray Autumn Woods as a troubled residence is not fair.
22 Councilmember Horst reviewed his conversation with the Police Chief about crime experience at
23 various apartment developments which he believes is partially due to high density housing.
24 Mayor Cavanaugh stated if there is a high density development at Apache, he would have some
25 thoughts about that but this is not the time to express them. He noted there are different types of
26 high density housing which is impacted by the management company and other issues. He
27 suggested the Council just let the project come to them.
28 Councilmember Horst stated he believes the nature of higher density housing is that there is
29 increased crime, whether a new project or an old project.
In response to Councilmember Sparks, Police Captain Ohl explained the difference between calls
for service and report incidents.
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
Apri 1 10, 2001
Page 5
1 Councilmember Sparks noted the calls for service from 1999 to 2000 went down 800 calls but
2 Lauderdale and Falcon Heights went up in the number of calls. Police Captain Ohl explained
3 that those calls have increased because of the type of law enforcement that St. Anthony provides
4 which increases the propensity for people to contact their Police Department since they believe
5 they are more reactive, responsive, and appreciates the call.
6 Councilmember Sparks noted the investigation report and asked if they are more comfortable
7 with the service or if more crime is occurring. She noted that Lauderdale and Falcon Heights
8 were to be a smaller percentage of the budget but had 500 investigations compared to 600 in St.
9 Anthony so she questions whether the budget should be considered differently.
10 Police Captain Ohl noted there is a monetary profit to providing law enforcement to contract
11 cities. Also, there are other intangibles such as having more officers available should the need
12 arise.
13 Councilmember Sparks asked about the ratio of staff between the communities. Police Captain
14 Ohl stated there are 14 officers in St. Anthony and 6 officers are assigned to Falcon Heights and
15 Lauderdale. He explained how criminal investigations are conducted by the officers which
i6 results in a high percentage of cleared cases.
17 Councilmember Spark stated it appears there is a disproportionate number of cases coming from
18 Lauderdale and Falcon Heights and she wants to assure that St. Anthony residents are not
19 covering their costs. Police Captain Ohl stated that is not occurring and the information is
20 readily available.
21 Mayor Cavanaugh stated these issues can be discussed during the budget hearings, noting there is
22 a capital gain from contract services. However, a professional cost study has not been
23 conducted.
24 Councilmember Sparks asked if there is no concern about the number of cases coming from
25 Lauderdale and Falcon Heights. Police Captain Ohl stated it does not and he believes there are
26 benefits for all three cities in providing contract services. He stated they contract for a certain
27 amount of time to have a patrol officer in their city and investigations come back to the central
28 office unless it is conducted by the officer that is there on contract time.
29 City Manager Mornson advised that historically the City has made about $50,000 annually plus
30 with contract police services the contract city pays for police vehicles for their city as well as for
31 St. Anthony.
32 Mayor Cavanaugh stated the violent crime rate looks like it is about 100. Police Captain Ohl
stated that number is attached to the population versus number of offenses. He stated it is not
0 reflective of the number of offenses. Mayor Cavanaugh noted St. Anthony is at the low end of a
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
. April 10, 2001
Page 6
1 range of 0 to 2000 which indicates the rate of violent crime is very low. Police Chief Ohl stated
2 that is correct and the City should be proud of that fact since it is a first tier suburb.
3 Mayor Cavanaugh reviewed the number of moving violations and DWIs and asked if reserve
4 officers work the street. Police Captain Ohl stated they randomly drive through the City and
5 attempt to be the "eyes and ears" of the Police Department. He advised of the number of squads
6 per shift that they utilize. Mayor Cavanaugh asked if a reserve squad car is added to that
7 number. Police Captain Ohl stated it would be added and explained how their reporting system
8 works.
9 Mayor Cavanaugh stated when the City first got the CSO truck, he saw it a lot but has not seen it
10 in his neighborhood for six to nine months. Police Captain Ohl stated many of the CSO details
11 are outside of St. Anthony such as taking cars out for radio service, taking tags and citations to
12 Hennepin County, etc. which decreases the number of trips that police officers have to take
13 outside of the City.
14 Mayor Cavanaugh asked about the UHP grant. Police Captain Ohl stated the "Clinton Cops"
15 grant funds were a three-year commitment and have been expended. He noted there is a one year
6 retention requirement.
�
17 Mayor Cavanaugh commented on block parties. Police Captain Ohl explained the original intent
18 of block parties to reunite neighborhoods and encourage crime prevention. He agreed that it is
19 difficult to encourage residents toward crime convention.
20 Mayor Cavanaugh asked if the squads are on 12-hour shifts. Police Captain Ohl stated that is the
21 case and is the same as many other communities.
22 Mayor Cavanaugh asked if the officers are EMTs. Police Captain Ohl stated the police officers
23 are first responders, not EMTs.
24 In response to Mayor Cavanaugh, Police Captain Ohl explained that night vision equipment is
25 being checked out and will help with detecting criminal activity. Mayor Cavanaugh noted there
26 is a decline in criminal activity, which is occurring nation-wide. Police Captain Ohl stated that is
27 true and may be related to positive economic times. He commented on the importance of staying
28 on top of criminal activity to assure it stays low.
29 Mayor Cavanaugh asked about the list of mandates. Police Captain Ohl stated they do have a list
30 of mandates from the State, one of which relates to racial profiling. He stated no police officer in
31 the Department has used a person's race when determining whether to stop a motor vehicle.
Mayor Cavanaugh requested enforcement of the outdoor ordinance. He noted it is Spring and the
noise from motorcycles and 4x4's has returned so residents by four-way stop signs are greatly
34 impacted by those vehicles. Police Captain Ohl stated the Police Department would monitor the
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
April 10, 2001
Page 7
1 violation by ear and if a vehicle is stopped for loud exhaust, they are forced to look under the car
2 for a defective exhaust. He stated officers do make stops for loud exhaust but it becomes a
3 probable cause for a stop.
4 Mayor Cavanaugh suggested they meet with the City's prosecutor and judges to determine what
5 it takes to enforce this law. He suggested posting signs indicating the City enforces this
6 ordinance. He stated his intent to proceed with this matter since he believes this violation is
7 causing damage to the City.
8 Mayor Cavanaugh distributed statistics on what is spent on services. He suggested a community
9 is capable of producing just so much crime based on its demographics and other issues. He noted
10 the level of crime is pretty constant over time, which is not surprising since St. Anthony is a
11 mature community. He stated he believes there is a predictable level of crime and the City
12 should fund to that level. He stated this is very subjective and he believes the issue is how much
13 resource is needed and to assure that level is provided. Mayor Cavanaugh stated he appreciates
14 the annual report and information it provides. He stated he feels totally safe in St. Anthony and
15 wanted to provide the statistics to demonstrate the trends in crime.
66 Councilmember Thuesen asked Mayor Cavanaugh if he is suggesting that communities only
�j have a certain level of crime. Mayor Cavanaugh reviewed the number of moving violations that
18 were ticketed, noting it is within a range of expectation.
19 Councilmember Thuesen agreed there are trends but he believes this is a bit of a "slippery slope"
20 and he would like to get feedback from the Police Department.
21 Police Captain Ohl stated he has not had the opportunity to review this report. He stated if it was
22 a small town up north that may be true but crime in St Anthony is impacted by events from
23 outside of the community and, as a first ring community, there is a higher propensity for crime
24 than a small town outside of the metro area. He stated he does not believe it is accurate to
25 indicate that St. Anthony has the propensity for only a certain level of crime.
26 Mayor Cavanaugh stated the statistics he provided will answer whether the City is funding the
27 Police Department adequately.
28 Councilmember Horst stated the difficulty is in trying to determine how much an incident or
29 traffic stop is worth. He noted there are many other factors such as the cost for equipment and
30 training.
31
32 B. 2001 Fire Department Annual Report.
33 Fire Chief Hewitt introduced Captain Drusch and advised of his involvement with Code
enforcement and software training. He explained they have experienced some problems with the
software and would like feedback from the Council on the annual report. Fire Chief Hewitt
36 presented on overview of the 2001 Fire Department Annual Report, commenting on the change
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
April 10, 2001
Page 8
1 with Chief Johnson retiring after 30 years of dedicated service. He noted they responded to 938
2 emergency incidents which is an increase of 93 incidents responded to in 1999, or an 11%
3 increase. Fire Chief Hewitt reviewed the number of positions that were created and commented
4 on the risks experienced by fire fighters. He thanked the Council for their support over the last
5 few months including the new equipment purchase. Fire Chief Hewitt reviewed his past
6 employment and stated the St. Anthony firefighters are by far the best he has worked with.
7 Fire Chief Hewitt then reviewed the chain of command, personnel listing, and his efforts to build
8 a cohesive group. He noted the current apparatus inventory and use of each engine and vehicle.
9 He stated their average response time is 2 minutes and 40 seconds from the time when a call is
10 dispatched to the fire department to the time the first fire department personnel arrive at the scene
11 of an emergency. Fire Chief Hewitt stated they responded to 681 emergency medical incidents
12 and 257 fire incidents. He then reviewed the dollars lost from fire and the dollars saved from fire
13 damage. Fire Chief Hewitt presented the significant incidents in 2000, distribution of incidents,
14 and provided a description of each.
15 Councilmember Sparks asked if any trends were experienced. Fire Chief Hewitt stated he did
16 not notice any trends, however, more fire losses were experienced.
0 Fire Chief Hewitt stated he believes that training is the foundation of their service delivery. He
18 advised of the training they have undergone and that they have also secured a contract with the
19 City of Minneapolis for use of their training campus. He noted the drill percentages for 2000,
20 EMS training, and department journal. Fire Chief Hewitt advised of mutual aid response and
21 emergency medical incident analysis. He noted the chart depicting code compliance complaints,
22 and the additional activities in which they are involved. Fire Chief Hewitt addressed emergency
23 management activity and other activities he has been involved with.
24 Councilmember Sparks noted the summary of incident calls by district indicating 20% of the
25 calls are going to Chandler and the St. Anthony Health Care. She asked if this is typical for
26 service to such facilities. Fire Chief Hewitt advised that in another community, a similar facility
27 was informed that the Fire Department is not to be called for emergency medical issues, they
28 should be calling the hospital. He stated if he finds this to be a problem in St. Anthony, he will
29 address the issue with them.
30 Mayor Cavanaugh requested a listing of the types of illnesses from the 190+calls to Chandlers.
31 Captain Drusch stated they have that statistic but it would include both Chandlers and the nursing
32 home. He stated the nursing home does have a policy with Hennepin County to call the
33 ambulance service directly. Depending on the nature of the call, the Fire Department may also
34 be called.
Councilmember Sparks asked why the nursing home would call the Fire Department since they
have medical professionals on staff. Captain Drusch explained they call when someone needs to
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
April 10, 2001
Page 9
1 be transported. Fire Chief Hewitt agreed that the nursing home handles most of the day-to-day
2 situations.
3 Mayor Cavanaugh distributed a report on the ambulance response service from Hennepin County
4 and information contained in their annual report. He reviewed the percentage of calls for
5 different response times, noting that only 10% of the calls were five minutes or better. He stated
6 he finds that 10% is outrageous and is the worse performance of any community in the City's
7 peer group. Mayor Cavanaugh suggested that he, City Manager Morrison, Fire Chief Hewitt, and
8 Hennepin County staff schedule a meeting to address why St. Anthony is being under served.
9 Captain Drusch advised that all full-time staff and some of the part-time staff are EMTs.
10 Mayor Cavanaugh stated he would rather get the money back and invest it in training so the City
11 can provide its own service. He stated this ambulance service should improve and he is
12 interested in finding out what Hennepin County has to say.
13 Captain Drusch explained how ambulances are "floated" to maximize coverage area. If nothing
14 is going on in Minneapolis, the ambulance should be at the Second Precinct. However, if a call
0 goes out, that ambulance is usually the first one to go back to Minneapolis.
16 Mayor Cavanaugh stated if they do not respond, he would support funding for more self help.
17 He thanked the Fire Department for their informative annual report which will be a good base to
18 build from.
19 C. Code Enforcement.
20 Mayor Cavanaugh stated that he supports the proposed policy and would hope it can be moved
21 forward at the next Council meeting.
22 Councilmember Sparks asked about the code enforcement complaint procedure and if they also
23 look for violations. Fire Chief Hewitt stated they do not look for them as diligently as, perhaps, a
24 Public Works Supervisor would notice violations.
25 Mayor Cavanaugh stated he would support a statement of being proactive with Code
26 enforcement rather than waiting for a neighbor to call in a complaint.
27 Councilmember Horst asked if they should be out looking for violations or if that would take
28 them away from other activities. He noted that Public Works and the Police Department are out
29 in the community more often.
30 Fire Chief Hewitt stated when they receive a report, they look at it and what else is going on in
0 the area.
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
• April 10, 2001
Page 10
1 Councilmember Sparks stated she assumed it was an oversight and that there was a proactive
2 component. She stated she supports being proactive and having an intent of looking for
3 violations.
4 Councilmember Horst asked if that is feasible.
5 Fire Chief Hewitt stated they talked about how to resolve issues and find a fair and consistent
6 way to apply the Code and resolve the violation. He stated they do not want to give preferential
7 treatment. He stated he talked with Roseville staff about how they resolve complaints and this
8 policy is a derivative of that. Fire Chief Hewitt suggested a discussion of this policy and if the
9 Council prefers a more proactive approach that goes beyond what they feel they can handle, the
10 Council can decide what to do.
11 Mayor Cavanaugh suggested the Council address the level of proactivity to strike a balance. He
12 noted that with this form, there is a sense of how to get into the system. He stated he would like
13 it to operate for the rest of the year and see what the response is. Mayor Cavanaugh stated he
14 would like staff to draft this into policy form for Council action at the next meeting.
Fire Chief Hewitt stated if a violation is reported, they would work with the property owner to
try to gain compliance. If that is not possible, ordinance enforcement would kick in. He asked
17 what the procedure would be if the violator ignored the citation.
18 City Manager Mornson stated it would be turned over to the prosecuting attorney and brought
19 into court.
20 City Attorney Gilligan reviewed the criminal procedure, noting the difficulty involved in a court
21 process since this type of case is not a high priority in the minds of some judges.
22 D. Storm Water Retention Area Maintenance Agreement.
23 City Manager Mornson stated Engineer Todd Hubmer presented this language previously and
24 City Attorney Gilligan prepared a legal document to protect the City. He stated negotiations
25 continue and the condemnation hearing is scheduled shortly. He stated if the Council agrees with
26 this, the same opportunity would be offered to the other five that have currently not signed.
27 City Attorney Gilligan stated it anticipates a maintenance schedule and other standards.
28 Councilmember Horst stated it appears to be quite open ended. Mornson stated the latest
29 agreement is that a contract with a landscape contractor will assure the grass and landscaping is
30 maintained for a period of three years and then the homeowner takes over that responsibility. He
31 noted this agreement addresses other maintenance issues with the pond.
City Attorney Gilligan stated this agreement does not require the City to do anything more than
33 they intend to do.
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
April 10, 2001
• Page 11
1 Councilmember Sparks asked about the other areas. City Attorney Gilligan stated that area is not
2 covered.
3 Mayor Cavanaugh stated the retention pond is a known area and the easement goes back off of
4 that. He stated the plantings are determined now but in 10 years the homeowner may have
5 changed the landscaping and the City does not want to restrict that from occurring. He noted this
6 is just the initial plan that is approved by the current homeowners.
7 Councilmember Sparks noted it indicates the area needs to be maintained neat and orderly,
8 however, a resident has indicated she does not think it is neat and orderly. Also, the City's
9 record on maintaining holding ponds is not great so she is concerned about moving forward with
10 this agreement. She stated she wants an agreement that also protects the residents.
11 City Attorney Gilligan stated the agreement places an obligation on the City that is not present
12 with other holding ponds and gives a standard for a homeowner to come to the City if they think
13 the City is not meeting their obligation. However, if there is a violation the City cannot be sued
14 for damages, only to maintain the area.
Mayor Cavanaugh pointed out that the holding ponds are "young" and things will get better. He
stated he is committed to work towards finding a standard. Also, this is now in writing and not
17 subjective.
18 Councilmember Sparks stated the stormwater retention area is defined and asked where that
19 point is located. City Attorney Gilligan explained the easement area is defined and the second
20 WHEREAS indicates the pond will be constructed as part of the easement.
21 Mayor Cavanaugh suggested a legal description be included as Exhibit A. City Attorney
22 Gilligan stated that could be included.
23 Morrison stated the Public Works Director will want the residents to call if they have a concern.
24 He reviewed some of the problems with current ponds related to how they were designed and the
25 City is attempting to make improvements. In this case, the City is taking more control over the
26 design of the pond.
27 Councilmember Thuesen stated he knows several who will call if they feel something is wrong
28 but he believes people are reserving judgement since they know the ponds are new. He asked
29 what is meant by "periodic inspection."
30 Mayor Cavanaugh suggested semi-annual inspections. City Attorney Gilligan suggested
31 language indicating "periodically but no less than semi-annual inspections."
0 Councilmember Sparks stated she would like the Addendum included as discussed.
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
•
April 10, 2001
Page 12
Motion by Horst to approve the Storm Water Retention Area Maintenance Agreement subject to
2 the revisions discussed tonight.
3 Motion carried unanimously.
a VII. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.
5 City Manager Michael Momson reported on the PCA meeting about contamination in Central
6 Park. He stated this contamination is considered far enough underground that if the area is not
7 disturbed nothing needs to occur. However, they will require a deed with a general statement
8 that any excavation to a certain point will require precautions and involvement of the PCA. He
9 stated early cost estimates have not changed.
10 Mornson reported that for the third year in a row, the Liquor Stores have 100% compliance when
11 the Police Department performed compliance checks.
12 Mornson advised of a request from community concerts for$27,000 of start-up funding for a
13 concert program.
�4 Mayor Cavanaugh asked if there is policy for this type of funding request.
15 Mornson stated there is no policy but this came from the intergenerational group which the City
16 funds so it will meet the public purpose doctrine. However, staff is not comfortable with making
17 this decision since it is a new program. Mornson stated staff would like Council dialog and
18 determination on this request.
19 Councilmember Thuesen stated he is uncomfortable with not having a policy in place to assure
20 like requests are treated equally.
21 Councilmember Sparks advised that they are going to a lot of sources for funding, not only the
22 City.
23 Mornson explained that a lot of funding requests are received so it was previously decided that
24 only public purpose activities would be considered for funding.
25 Mayor Cavanaugh suggested the issue of policy be further explored including finding out what
26 surrounding communities are doing.
27 Councilmember Thuesen agreed with the need for consistent standards.
28 Councilmember Sparks stated this was discussed at the newly elected officials conference so the
4VLeague may have some information.
City Council Study Session Meeting Minutes
• April 10, 2001
Page 13
1 Mornson reported they closed on the Custom Liquidators property and an inspection found the
2 inside of the building to be clean. They were given to the end of the week to remove the trailers.
3 Mornson suggested the Council schedule a tour next Tuesday prior to the joint Planning
4 Commission meeting.
5 Mayor Cavanaugh announced the Fire Department pancake breakfast on Sunday, April 29, 2001.
6 Councilmember Sparks displayed a copy of the newly designed City newsletter.
7 VIII. ADJOURNMENT.
8 Motion by Thuesen to adjourn the meeting at 10:20 p.m.
9 Motion carried unanimously.
10 Respectfully submitted,
11 Carla Wirth
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2 TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.
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14 &a) r
15 ATTEST:
16 City Clerk
0