HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 03122002 Page 1
• CITY OF ST. ANTHONY
2
3 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
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5 March 12, 2002
6
7 CALL TO ORDER.
8 Mayor Hodson called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
9
10 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
11 Mayor Hodson invited the Council and audience to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance.
12
13 ROLL CALL.
14 Present: Mayor Hodson; Councilmembers Horst, Sparks, Thuesen, and Faust.
15 Absent: None.
16 Also Present: City Manager Mike Mornson.
17
18 CONSIDERATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ALL OF THE FOLLOWING
19 ITEMS.
20
21 I. APPROVAL OF MARCH 12, 2002 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA.
22 Motion by Councilmember Horst, second by Councilmember Sparks, to approve the City
0 Council Meeting Agenda of March 12, 2002.
25 Motion carried unanimously.
26
27 II. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS.
28 A. Presentation of appreciation plaque to Dr. William Carr.
29 Mayor Hodson stated that Dr. Carr has been a resident in the City of St. Anthony since
30 1958. He added that he has been the Public Health Officer for the City for over 40 years.
31
32
33 Mayor Hodson highlighted a few of the many accomplishments and successes of Dr. Carr
34 and his life thus far. He indicated that he was a World War H veteran, and very
35 instrumental in the City of St. Anthony high school being built. Mayor Hodson called
36 Dr. Carr a national treasure.
37
38 Dr. Carr came forward to accept his plaque of appreciation for 40 years of dedicated
39 service as Public Health Officer for the City of St. Anthony.
40
41 Dr. Carr thanked the Council and residents for the honor. He indicated that the job of
42 Public Health Officer has changed over the years. He went on to tell a few stories of his
43 experience while serving as Public Health Officer.
44
Dr. Carr concluded by saying that he was in favor of a point of sale housing ordinance for
the City of St. Anthony.
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Dr. Carr thanked the Council for the recognition.
2 III. COMMUNITY FORUM.
3 Mayor Hodson invited residents to come forward at this time and address the Council on items
4 that are not on the regular agenda.
5
6 Hearing none, Mayor Hodson moved forward with the agenda.
7
8 IV. CONSENT AGENDA.
9
10 1. Consider February 26, 2002 Council meeting minutes.
11 2. Consider licenses and permits.
12 3. Consider payment of claims.
13
14 Motion by Councilmember Sparks, second by Councilmember Faust, to approve the Consent
15 Agenda.
16
17 Motion carried unanimously.
18
19
20 V. PUBLIC HEARINGS.
21 None.
22
VI. REPORTS FROM COMMISSIONS AND STAFF.
None.
25
26 VII. GENERAL POLICY BUSINESS OF THE COUNCIL.
27 A. Resolution 02-034, re: Amend Joint Cooperative Agreement with Mississippi Watershed
28 Management Organization(MWMO). A representative will be present.
29 Tom Frame, City of Minneapolis and Mississippi Watershed Organization, came forward
30 to address the Council.
31
32 Since their last meeting with St. Anthony, Frame indicated that they have gained the
33 authority through legislation to have the levy go across the entire watershed. He added
34 that the City of St. Anthony indicated they would like to participate in the Mississippi
35 Watershed Management Organization provided the revenues that were generated by the
36 City of St. Anthony would be made available to the City of St. Anthony.
37
38 Frame highlighted Subdivision 11, article VI, under the capital budget which guarantees
39 the request, "...Funds generated through the annual levy in the cities of St. Anthony, St.
40 Paul, and Lauderdale, will be made available to that member community if capital
41 improvement projects have been designated in the MWMO Watershed Management Plan
42 and approval in the MWMO capital budget."
43
44 Frame stated that they were requesting the resolution to approve that change, as well as a
few other definition changes that were part of the amendment process that they
underwent.
47
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Councilmember Thuesen asked for examples as to how this particular levy could be used
2 in the City of St. Anthony. Frame identified the 2002 watershed project request of
3 $20,000 from the MWMO.
4
5 Councilmember Thuesen asked about an average homeowner relating to the levy. Frame
6 indicated that a homeowner of a$100,000 would pay about $16.00/year for the
7 $3,500,000 levy.
8
9 Councilmember Sparks stated that the Mississippi Watershed Organization worked hard
10 to carefully draft the wording of the new agreement so that the City of St. Anthony would
11 be protected.
12
13 Motion by Councilmember Sparks, second by Councilmember Faust, to adopt Resolution
14 02-034, re: Amending the Joint Cooperative Agreement with the Mississippi Watershed
15 Management Organization.
16
17 Motion carried unanimously.
18
19 B. Preview of Board of Review-Tamara Doolittle. Hennepin County Assessing will be
20rep sent.
21 Tamara Doolittle, appraiser with Hennepin County Assessors office, came forward to
22 provide a summary of the 2002 assessment and some information on the local Board of
V4 Review procedures.
25 Doolittle stated that there have been some changes regarding safety and security since the
26 events of September 11, 2001. She stated that their basic functions to remain the same,
27 and that the main difference is the way that they do inspections. She stated exterior
28 inspections would be done from the street and, if an interior inspection were necessary,
29 they would issue a letter to the property owner asking them to contact the Assessors
30 office. She added that they hope that the changes will increase security for their staff, as
31 well as make their presence less invasive in the community.
32
33 Doolittle indicated that the estimated market values for the 2002 assessment were set as
34 of January 2, 2002. She stated that the average property value increase was 15%, and the
35 average sale price of a home for 2001 was $186,000.
36
37 Doolittle stated that the average town-home owner increase was 13%, a condominium
38 was 11.6%, and the duplex properties saw an increase of 19%. She indicated that
39 commercial and industrial properties saw an average increase of 7.6%, and apartments
40 had an average increase of 11%.
41
42 Doolittle indicated that they have received only twelve calls from residents in the City of
43 St. Anthony,which was consistent with the rest of the county.
44
She stated that the Local Board of Review was scheduled for Tuesday, April 9, 2002.
Mayor Hodson asked if there were any questions from the Council. There were none.
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C. Resolution 02-029, re: Award sale of bonds for 2002 street and utility improvements.
2 Bob Thistle, S,pringsted, Inc. will be present.
3 Paul Steinman, Springsted, Inc. was present in place of Bob Thistle, who was ill.
4
5 Steinman stated that the purpose of the General Obligation Improvement Bonds, is to
6 finance street improvements within the city and stated that the bonds are to re-paid from
7 a combination of property taxes and assessments against property owners.
8
9 Steinman distributed a bid summary. He indicated that there were four bidders, and
10 Cronin and Company was the winner with the lowest bid at$1,488,018.95,with a true
11 interest cost of 4.6532%
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13 Steinman stated that they believe that Cronin and Company is an aggressive bid given
14 current market conditions and credit quality.
15
16 Steinman reviewed the City of St. Anthony's credit rating. He stated that the review
17 reflected a positive credit rating, reaffirming the City's good credit rating of A1.
18
19 Steinman stated they were recommending award to Cronin and Company at a true
20 interest cost of 4.6532%.
21
22 Motion by Councilmember Faust, second by Councilmember Sparks, to adopt Resolution
02-029, re: Awarding the sale of bonds for the 2002 street and utility improvements to
Cronin and Company at a true interest rate of 4.6532%.
25
26 Motion carried unanimously.
27
28 D. Resolution 02-030,re: Award bid for improvements to the parks. Parks Commission
29 representatives will be present, as well as Molly Olivier, Short Elliot-Hendrickson.
30 Mayor Hodson introduced Molly Olivier, SEH, who came forward to review the plans
31 for the parks.
32
33 Olivier highlighted the exterior features of the park pavilion and warming house:
34 • Warming House/Meeting Room handles groups of 20 people each
35 • Accommodate multi-function activities at one time
36 • Handicap and Family Accessibility
37 • Adequate storage and mechanical space
38 • Wet Deck Mechanical Room
39 • Fireplace and Kitchenette Features
40
41 Olivier indicated that there were thirteen bidders for the project, four of which
42 came in very close together in terms of figures. She indicated that the lowest bid came in
43 from Thompson Homes at $453, 096.90.
44
Bob Kost came forward to address the specific costs associated with the poor soil
6 conditions. Kost stated that when they first began construction, they encountered several
47 different problems regarding soft soil.
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Page 5
March 12, 2002
Page 5
•1
2 Kost indicated that the park is not only on a former landfill,but also a wetland. She
3 stated that the foundations were originally done for soil that was not damaged, and that
4 the costs incurred were significant.
5
6 Councilmember Faust asked about soft soil, and the impact of it on the building. Kost
7 stated that it would affect the building. Olivier indicated that, after the second round of
8 soil borings, they discovered that there is peat 10 feet down, which needs to be removed
9 or the foundations will be horrible.
10
11 Councilmember Faust asked about a contingency plan. Olivier indicated that there is no
12 contingency built into the$453,096.90. Forsbrook, SEH, stated that the figure is
13 complete, including excavation, and soil corrections. However,he added, it is unlikely
14 that other unforeseen costs will not be incurred,which is why they recommend that there
15 is some type of contingency built into the plan.
16
17 Councilmember Faust asked about the contaminated soil. Kost indicated that there is
18 both contaminated soil, and soft soil. The contaminated soil has chemicals in it that are a
19 by-product of what used to be in the area sixty years ago. Kost indicated that the peat, or
20 soft soil, was found very inconsistently throughout the soil.
21
Councilmember Thuesen asked if it was more likely to have cost overrun issues with the
41 soil versus the building itself. Kost indicated that the bid on the building is a fixed price.
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25
26 Councilmember Horst stated that they were discussing two different things: the soil and
27 the building. He indicated that the overall project has$178,000 in environmental costs
28 alone. He continued that the price is continuing to climb, and the project is becoming a
29 black-hole project. He added that he hoped that consultants would help them out of these
30 problems,rather than get them into them.
31
32 Roger Larson came forward to review the designated funding with the Council.
33
34 Larson indicated that$2,300,000 has been approved,but that additional funding is
35 necessary.
36
37 Councilmember Horst asked Larson to clarify the suggested additional funding options.
38 Larson indicated that the$51,300 from 2001 liquor profits was considered an appropriate
39 use, and that the$293,800 in Apache LGA reserves was really the end of the money.
40
41 Mayor Hodson clarified that what they are asking for would not jeopardize the City's
42 credit rating. Larson stated that it was his opinion that their credit rating would remain
43 the same.
49 Councilmember Sparks confirmed that the contingency plan may, or may not,be used.
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She asked if they had heard back from charitable gambling regarding funding. Larson
2 indicated they have not heard back from charitable gambling.
3 Councilmember Faust indicated that he was suffering from sticker shock. He recalled
4 that last year the city rejected a plan for$2,900,000 and questioned how they got back to
5 $2,700,000.
6
7 Mayor Hodson explained the additional soft costs that have been incurred. He added that
8 the Parks Commission has done the best that they can to stay within a reasonable budget
9 without sacrificing quality. He added that he has received several phone calls in support
10 of the park.
11
12 Mayor Hodson stated that he feels comfortable that Larson has done his job, and trusts
13 that they will not be jeopardizing their Al credit rating.
14
15 Mayor Hodson asked Maury Anderson to come forward and provide his opinion on the
16 project.
17
18 Anderson came forward and referred to the $2,900,000 million that Faust referred to, and
19 stated that the figure only included the park, not a building.
20
21 Anderson indicated that it has been a bit of a torturous project for the Parks Commission
22 especially. He indicated that he has never seen a Parks Commission put as much heart
into a project as the Parks Commission of St. Anthony Village. He added that the
4 process has been a good and thorough one, and encouraged the Council to approve the
25 project.
26
27 Anderson continued that the land would not work for houses,nor for filling stations. He
28 added that, as a park, it will be an amenity for the community,
29
30 Councilmember Thuesen asked if it would be fair to say that, through the process, there
31 has been compromise, yet they are getting a high-quality building, and features.
32 Anderson confirmed that the Commission and the consulting firms have really cut down
33 the costs and changed features of the building in order to keep costs down.
34
35 Councilmember Horst indicated that he has done some research on parks in other cities.
36 He added that he felt that the project feels very expensive. Anderson indicated that
37 responsible cities spend a lot of dollars on their parks.
38
39 Councilmember Faust asked how much a soil boring costs, and why they only did two.
40 Kost indicated that soil borings would cost anywhere from$2500-$3000.
41
42 Councilmember Faust indicated that he would rather add the cost of a couple of borings
43 up front, than be surprised as they get into the project.
44
Forsbrook indicated that two borings on a building this size is typical, and usually
4K adequate.
47
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes Page 7
March 12, 2002
Page 7
Mayor Hodson stated that he would like to propose that the Council consider the
2 resolution contingent upon the DNR funding approval.
3
4 Motion by Councilmember Sparks, second by Councilmember Faust, to adopt Resolution
5 02-030, re: Awarding bid for improvements to the parks with the following amendments:
6 • Budget of$2,704,100
7 • Awarding bid to Thompson Homes, Inc.
8 • Resolution is contingent upon the approval of the DNR funding
9
10 Councilmember Horst reviewed the details of what the Council was intending to approve
11 this evening. He expressed his discontentment with the figures constantly changing and
12 increasing. He asked where the City would draw the line and decide to fund the project
13 no further.
14
15 Councilmember Horst concluded that he not could support the project, and added that he
16 hoped that the other councilmembers would not support the project either.
17
18 Councilmember Sparks stated that she was in favor of the project, and that she felt that
19 the Parks Commission has done a great deal to cut costs without eliminating quality.
20
21 Councilmember Thuesen stated that he was also in favor of the project. He stated that he
4 was prioritizing the park project over the City Hall improvements.
24 Councilmember Faust stated that he was in favor of the project. He added that he would
25 be rather intolerant of the Commission returning before the Council with any change
26 orders.
27
28 Mayor Hodson stated that he was in favor of proceeding with the project. He added that
29 his greatest disappointment was that the City did not have more funding at this time to
30 add other amenities to the park project. He asked that the Council keep an open-mind to
31 adding to the features of the park in the future.
32
33 Motion carried 4-1. Councilmember Horst opposed.
34
35 The Council thanked the Parks Commission for their hard work and dedication.
36
37 E. Resolutions 02-031 and 02-032,re: Approve contracts for police services for Lauderdale
38 and Falcon Heights. Police Chief Engstrom will be present.
39
40 Chief Engstrom stated that the contracts look good, and that he had nothing to add to
41 them.
42
43 Motion by Councilmember Faust, second by Councilmember Thuesen, to adopt
Resolutions 02-031, and 02-032, re: Approving contracts for police services for
Lauderdale and Falcon Heights.
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Motion carried unanimously.
2
3 F. Ordinance 2002-001 relating to physical culture and health services and clubs (3`d
4 readin ).
5
6 Motion by Councilmember Thuesen, second by Councilmember Horst, to adopt
7 Ordinance 2002-001 relating to physical culture and health services and clubs.
8
9 Motion carried unanimously.
10
11 VIII. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER AND COUNCILMEMBERS.
12 Mornson provided the Council with a bonding update. He indicated that the City of St. Anthony
13 is ranked ninth, and needs to be ranked eighth, or better. He added that he feels good about
14 where they are.
15
16 Mornson stated that local government aid would not be touched this year, and perhaps not next
17 year.
18
19 Mornson stated that they discussed a DNR grant for the practicing football/soccer field at
20 Central Park by the school board.
21
22 Mornson indicated that Jim Prosser, Ehlers and Associates,would continue to update the
councilmembers on the Northwest Quadrant redevelopment project. He added that, although it
4P4 seems that the project is moving slowly, it is really moving along well with several negotiations
25 taking place.
26
27 Mornson indicated that Finfest is held November 7-11, 2002 at the University of Minnesota. He
28 stated that the Finish community has asked all sister cities to invite their sister city
29 councilmembers to attend Finfest.
30
31 Councilmember Horst stated that he believes that a couple of years, the Council will have to deal
32 with the repercussions of their decision to approve the parks project.
33
34 Councilmember Sparks stated that there would be a meeting for Villagefest next week at 7:00
35 p.m. in the City Hall.
36
37 Councilmember Thuesen stated that he attended the Local League of Minnesota Cities and added
38 that he always enjoys the meeting.
39
40 Councilmember Thuesen indicated that a resident contacted him regarding parking in front of the
41 high school on both sides of the street, blocking fire hydrants, etc. He suggested that they
42 discuss the issue with the school board at their next joint meeting.
43 Councilmember Faust stated that the Salvation Army has a new commander and spouse,
44 Lieutenant Colonel Jack and Barbara Getz. He reminded the Council that the final Community
Concert of the season was to be held March 16, 2002, and that tickets were available.
6
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Mayor Hodson stated that a there was a meeting regarding the audio quality in the Council
2 Chambers. He indicated that the first round of recommended improvements to the audio system
3 would take place soon.
4
5 Mayor Hodson indicated the city would be conducting a media democracy week on March 17-
6 23, 2002. He added that they would be comprising a state of the city meeting which would also
7 be televised.
8
9 Mayor Hodson stated that his Coffee with the Mayor was going well. He added that he would be
10 absent at the next City Council meeting, and that Mayor pro Tem Sparks would be heading that
11 meeting.
12
13 Councilmember Thuesen asked what they have available for cable franchise money for some of
14 the corrections that they want to make. Mornson indicated that they had somewhere around
15 $50,000.
16
17 The Council wished Mike Mornson a Happy Birthday!
18
19 IX. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS.
20 None.
21
X. MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATIONAL DOCUMENTS.
None.
24
25 XI. ADJOURNMENT.
26 Motion by Councilmember Horst, second by Councilmember Sparks, to adjourn the meeting at
27 9:02 p.m.
28
29 Motion carried unanimously.
30
31 Respectfully submitted,
32
33
34 Courtney Seesz
35 TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.
36 flit
37 4"a;�yMayor
38 ATTEST:
39 City Clerk
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