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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 03252008I CITY OF ST. ANTHONY 2 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES 3 MARCH 25, 2008 4 5 CALL TO ORDER. 6 7 Mayor Faust called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 8 9 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 10 11 Mayor Faust invited the Council and audience to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance. 12 13 ROLL CALL. 14 15 Present: Mayor Faust; Councilmembers Gray, Roth, Stille, and Thuesen 16 Absent: None 17 Also Present: City Manager Mike Momson, City Attorney Jim Lindgren, Assistant City Manager 18 Kim Moore - Sykes, Police Chief John Ohl, and Fire Chief John Malenick, and Richard 19 Fursman of Global Synergy Group, LLC. 20 21 22 CONSIDERATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ALL OF THE FOLLOWING 23 ITEMS. 24 25 I. APPROVAL OF MARCH 25, 2008 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA. 26 27 Motion by Councilmember Stille, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to approve the City 28 Council Meeting Agenda of March 25, 2008. 29 30 Motion carried unanimously. 31 32 II. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS. 33 34 Mr. Barry Tedland, St. Anthony Village Historical Society, announced the Historical Society 35 Open House scheduled for Saturday, April 5s', 1— 4 p.m. at the Community Center. He stated the 36 Historical Society is attempting to track the history of St. Anthony. The Historical Society will 37 be present at a fixture City Council meeting to discuss the possibility of a commemorative tree 38 planting in participation with the State's Sesquicentennial celebration. 39 40 Mayor Faust stated his appreciation for what the Historical Society does for the City. He noted a 41 graduate student was hired to gather information that the Historical Society is working to put into 42 a coherent document. He requested information on the Historical Society meeting times. 43 44 Mr. Tedland replied the Historical Society meets every third Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. They are 45 looking to build membership, and would also like to meet with residents to record their stories. 46 47 III. CONSENT AGENDA. 48 49 A. Consider March 11, 2008 Council meeting minutes. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 2 B. Consider licenses and permits. C. Consider payment of claims. 4 Motion by Councilmember Gray, seconded by Councilmember Thuesen, to approve the Consent 5 Agenda items. 6 7 Motion carried unanimously. 8 9 IV. PUBLIC HEARING. 10 11 None. 12 13 V. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF. 14 15 A. Resolution 08 -023; Variance to Fence Height for 2916 Silver Lake Court. 16 17 Planning Commissioner Kim Goodwin stated last week at the Planning Commission meeting the 18 Commission reviewed the request for a variance to fence height for 2916 Silver Lake Court. The 19 Council and Mayor have been provided with the staff report on the property. She explained due 20 to the proximity to Silver Lake Road, this property is affected by lighting from the businesses 21 and the noise from Silver Lake Road. The owners of the property were present at the Planning 22 Commission meeting and discussed the need they feel to construct an 8 -foot high fence; the 23 current fence is at 7 feet. All but one member of the Planning Commission were present and the 24 resolution was unanimously approved. 25 26 Councilmember Stille asked if there was any opposition to the variance request. 27 28 Ms. Goodwin replied there were no members present in the audience that voiced any opposition. 29 There was discussion by the Commission about the rationale and the concern from the applicant 30 about the light from nearby businesses. There were no principal concerns expressed. The 31 Commission recognized there may be similar requests brought forward from neighboring 32 properties, and it was noted that there is a neighboring property that already has an 8 -foot fence. 33 34 Councilmember Stille asked if there was any discussion about addressing the request for the 35 fence in a different way than a variance, such as crafting an ordinance for certain lots in 36 proximity to streets like Silver Lake Road. 37 38 Ms. Goodwin replied she had considered this, but does not recall any specific discussion to that 39 point. 40 41 Mr. David Johnson, applicant, addressed the Council and thanked Ms. Goodwin for her overview 42 of the situation. He stated essentially they wanted to replace the aging fence in the back of their 43 lot, which is 7 feet, and they found there is an ordinance in place that restricts fences to 6 feet. 44 They felt reducing the size of the fence would be unacceptable. They are on a very busy road to 45 the back of their house and the lighting from the businesses has a lot of effect at night. They feel 46 a higher fence would continue to shield that. He explained a 7 foot fence would almost double 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 3 the cost of the fence due to the labor involved of trimming the boards, and the cost would put it out of reach for them. Their neighbors already have an 8 -foot fence, and their property is similarly adjacent to Silver Lake Road. Councilmember Stille requested Mr. Johnson to elaborate on comments that traffic has picked up since they moved to this property in 2004. Mr. Johnson replied the increase in traffic could be due to the new properties and businesses in place. There are trucks going to some of those businesses and they hear a lot more semis now. He would say it is a notable difference, but he has not measured it. Motion by Councilmember Thuesen, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to adopt Resolution 08- 023; Variance to Fence Height for 2916 Silver Lake Court. Councilmember Gray stated as a neighbor of Mr. Johnson he can vouch for the traffic noise. He would like further review of this ordinance to consider whether it should be changed to allow for 8 -foot fences to help block noise, instead of following the variance procedure. He suggested there are a number of properties that border busy roads, such as Highway 88, 37`h Avenue, Silver Lake Road, and other areas, that probably could use an 8 -foot fence to block the noise. He stated he has experienced additional noise since Silver Lake Village has been fully developed, especially with truck traffic. Councilmember Stille stated he does not have an issue with an 8 -foot fence on Mr. Johnson's lot or lots similar to his. His concern was hardship; the hardship in this case is noise, and the noise has come to Mr. Johnson, so they have demonstrated that the variance is something that should be approved according to the statute. He expressed interest in changing the ordinance to eliminate the need to go through the variance process. He noted it would need to be a well- crafted ordinance that does not allow 8 -foot fences throughout the City. Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Faust directed staff to review the current ordinance and provide Council with a recommendation on whether the ordinance should be amended or the variance process should continue based on the discussion above. VI. GENERAL BUSINESS OF COUNCIL. A. 2008 Goals. Mr. Richard Fursman, Global Synergy Group, LLC., reviewed that the 2008 Strategic Planning Retreat was held by City Council and staff on January 10 and 11, 2008. He stated it is rare to see the kind of dedication as was put forward in the planning efforts by St. Anthony Village. Mr. Fursman presented an overview of the Strategic Planning Retreat, including the following information: • Our Core Values • Our Vision City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 4 1 ■ Our Mission 2 ■ 2007 Accomplishments 3 • Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) Analysis 4 ■ Opportunities 5 ■ Visioning: St. Anthony Village 2013 6 7 Mr. Fursman presented an overview of the Current City Goals: 8 ■ Environmental Stewardship and Rehab 9 ■ Improve and Maintain Infrastructure 10 ■ Technology Advances 11 ■ Improve and Maintain Housing 12 • Senior Housing 13 14 Mayor Faust stated his appreciation for Mr. Fursman's efforts with the Strategic Planning 15 Retreat. He stated Mr. Fursman brought a background in city government and helped guide the 16 City to something a little different. In the past they have had goals for each year that tend to last 17 more than two or three years. This year they decided to start looking at bigger issues and goals 18 that really help the vision and keep the City looking forward to the next number of years. The 19 2008 goals are really long term goals, and not just for 2008. He pointed out they will probably 20 never be finished with the goal of environmental stewardship. The goal of senior transitions will 21 involve engaging in conversation, as they are not certain yet what needs to be done in this area. 22 He stated they need to engage in the conversation to make these things happen. 23 24 Councilmember Thuesen requested an explanation of the CIP for the public, including why the 25 CEP is important to the community. 26 27 Mr. Fursman explained the CIP is the Capital Improvement Plan, which is a plan for the major 28 capital expenditures the City anticipates. St. Anthony, like many cities, puts together a plan as to 29 when these major expenditures will occur, and how much they are projected to cost, with a 30 financial plan for the CIP. He stated the work that has been done by St. Anthony is being 31 requested by other cities. This includes their efforts in putting together this type of plan, and 32 secondly, their ability to communicate it. The people in St. Anthony know what the City is doing 33 and what the plans are. It is attracting attention around the metropolitan area. 34 35 Motion by Councilmember Stille, seconded by Councilmember Roth, to approve the Current 36 City Goals: 37 38 1. Environmental Stewardship and Rehab 39 2. Improve and Maintain Infrastructure 40 3. Technology Advances 41 4. Improve and Maintain Housing 42 5. Senior Housing 43 44 Mayor Faust invited the public to provide the City with input on the goals. 45 46 Motion carried unanimously. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 5 2 1. Police 3 4 Police Chief Ohl presented the St. Anthony Police Department 2007 Annual Report. He stated 5 there has been a lot of change in 50 years. He has been at the Police Department for 24 years and 6 believes he has a good perspective of what has worked, what has not worked, and what has 7 changed. The goals and connection to the community and citizens has stayed the same 8 throughout the 50 years. He thanked the Council and Mayor for the support and stated the 9 officers definitely feel whether the Council is supportive of their efforts and it has a lot to do 10 with their work on the street. 11 12 Councilmember Roth commented with 2008 possibly being a tough economic year one could 13 make an assumption that theft may be going up. He asked if there is anything they can do as a 14 City, as citizens, or that the Police Department can do to try to prevent that. 15 16 Police Chief Ohl replied economics and demographics have a lot to do with crime rates. One 17 thing to continue doing is to maintain the relationship with their citizens. The citizens are their 18 eyes and ears out there. As they go forward in 2008 they need to keep driving home how 19 important it is for residents to call the police when they see something. 20 21 Councihnember Roth asked if there are correlations that can be made of trends they could head 22 off by considering the data relating to police service in Falcon Heights and Lauderdale. 23 24 Police Chief Ohl replied it is easier to see trends in larger areas; however Falcon Heights and 25 Lauderdale have small populations and it is difficult to determine trends from the data on those 26 cities. The cities of Falcon Heights, Lauderdale and St. Anthony are all quite different, but value 27 the same things in their law enforcement agencies. There is some perspective available that could 28 be used regarding things that were successful in Falcon Heights or Lauderdale, and vice versa. 29 30 Mayor Faust pointed out in 2006 when Silver Lake Village kicked off there seemed to be a lot of 31 Part II crimes. He inquired if the reason these crimes have gone down is because the Police 32 Department is being more aggressive there and because the businesses are more cognizant of 33 what is going on. 34 35 Police Chief Ohl replied crimes that are reported by the businesses have a lot to do with the 36 statistics, for example whether the businesses decide to stop reporting a certain type of employee 37 theft. The business community has a big impact on Part I and Part II offenses. Even when Silver 38 Lake Village was being constructed the theft of things such as construction equipment was 39 noteworthy. He would like to say the trend is that they are showing people what type of law 40 enforcement agency they have in St. Anthony Village, and what they are willing to run down. 41 This will have a long -term effect on Part I and Part H offenses. 42 43 Mayor Faust noted calls for service increased in 2007 from 6,465 to 6,966. He asked if this 44 increase has a negative impact on the ability of officers to respond or if an additional 500 calls 45 for service could be handled without problems. 46 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 6 1 Police Chief Ohl stated as they grow as a community they need to start looking forward on 2 potentially growing the Police Department slightly. They have worked towards that goal and are 3 in a good position to take on another 500 calls for service and not have problems associated with 4 call times and response. 6 Mayor Faust requested that Police Chief Ohl pass on the wonderful job the Police Department 7 does. He stated the Police Department is really doing noble, good work for the benefit of the 8 general public. He appreciates the touch the Police Department has to the community, and the 9 personal service goes a long way. He encouraged the public to view the 2007 Police Department 10 Annual Report at City Hall, noting that there are many things the Police Department is involved 11 in that need community understanding. 12 13 2. Fire 14 15 Fire Chief Malenick presented the 2007 Fire Department Annual Report. He commended the 16 Fire Department staff and stated he truly enjoys working with staff. He thanked the Council and 17 Mayor for their support and stated the leadership from the top down certainly shows. He 18 announced the Fire Department is currently in the process of hiring new part time firefighters; 19 there are seven very good candidates at this time. 20 21 Councilmember Thuesen asked if it is anticipated as the City's housing stock ages that issues 22 such as older electrical wiring will result in fire calls potentially increasing, or if fire calls are 23 more related to issues that do not relate to the age of structures. 24 25 Fire Chief Malenick replied the age of structures certainly has an impact, but by far people's 26 habits affect fires the most. 27 28 Councilmember Stille inquired how the light truck is working for the Fire Department now that 29 is has been in operation for a couple of years. 30 31 Fire Chief Malenick replied it is working great. It is getting a great deal of use and he does not 32 know how they did without it. The truck is used for second medical calls when the other truck is 33 already in use. 34 35 Councilmember Roth requested an explanation on what would occur in the event of a fire larger 36 than what could be handled by the City's Fire Department. 37 38 Fire Chief Malenick replied there are two systems in place. First an automatic call would go to 39 the cities of Columbia Heights and Fridley for immediate response. If additional resources are 40 required there is a reciprocal mutual aid agreement in place. The first responders with this 41 agreement would be the cities of Roseville and New Brighton. 42 43 Mayor Faust stated his support of the current program of fire prevention being taught to 1S` and 44 3'd graders. He noted National Incident Management System (NIMS) training is required for the 45 City Council and asked whether Councilmember Roth should receive training, as he has not 46 received the training yet. City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 7 Fire Chief Malenick replied Councilmember Roth will be required to complete NIMS training, and classes are offered on -line. The rest of the Council does not require further training at this time, but there are continuing education requirements. A tabletop exercise of the pandemic plan will likely be conducted this fall, which will qualify for continuing education requirements. 7 Mayor Faust stated his support for doing the proposed tabletop exercise. He expressed 8 appreciation to the Fire Department on behalf of the City Council and the community. He stated 9 the Fire Department touches the public; it is imperative to continue this, and it builds a stronger 10 community. He encouraged the public to view the 2007 Fire Department Annual Report at City 11 Hall. 12 13 C. Ordinance 08 -001; Fire Code Ordinance (second reading) 14 15 Fire Chief Malenick reviewed the Fire Code Ordinance with the Council and indicated that this 16 ordinance predominately is the adoption of Minnesota State Fire Code as the City's official 17 enforceable code. Section 1325 tailors that code to their community. He advised overall, this 18 ordinance is simply a housecleaning and updating item. There are sections or subsections in the 19 ordinance that have not changed, or have changed very little. It should be noted that recreational 20 burn permits have been handled by Fire Department policy, which they have now tried to include 21 in this ordinance. 22 23 Mayor Faust noted there was quite a bit of discussion at the last meeting about recreational fires, 24 with the requested changes made to the ordinance. 25 26 Motion by Councilmember Thuesen, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to approve Second 27 Reading of Ordinance 08 -001; Fire Code Ordinance. 28 29 Motion carried unanimously. 30 31 D. Ordinance 08 -002, Sian Ordinance (first reading) 32 33 Assistant City Manager Moore -Sykes indicated that this review and revision of the Sign 34 Ordinance came as a result of staff attending the League of Minnesota Cities workshop on land 35 use issues that need to come to the attention of municipalities. The sign ordinance was one of 36 those issues. She stated staff presented the proposed sign ordinance change to the Planning 37 Commission on February 19, 2008 and the Planning Commission suggested additional changes 38 to the proposed sign ordinance. She provided a presentation on Regulations of Signs and the First 39 Amendment and an overview of the proposed revisions to the Sign Ordinance. 40 41 Councilmember Roth asked where the ordinance addresses the penalty that would be applied to a 42 person in violation of a sign that refuses to take it down or alter it to be in compliance with the 43 ordinance. 44 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 8 1 Assistant City Manager Moore -Sykes replied this would be handled under the permitting 2 process, but regulations do not specifically list what would happen. Generally, if the sign is in 3 violation it is removed by code enforcement. 4 5 Following discussion on regulations relating to political signs, City Attorney Lindgren advised 6 under State Statute there is one set of restrictions from August until 10 days after the general 7 election. This would apply on even numbered years. The City ordinance regulates during the 8 City election cycle, which falls during odd numbered years. He advised the federal standard 9 requires that at any time there is a limit of a six -foot sign on your own property. There is 10 allowance to go beyond this during the election cycle. He advised if someone wanted to post one 11 nonconforming sign limited to six square feet at any time on any piece of property, this 12 ordinance would likely allow that, but if they were to want five signs it would only be allowed 13 during the election time period. 14 15 Councilmember Thuesen noted the Federal Trade Commission limits language that can be used 16 on radio and television. He asked if language can be limited on signage. 17 18 City Attorney Lindgren replied in the negative. 19 20 Motion by Councilmember Gray, seconded by Councilmember Stille, to approve First Reading 21 of Ordinance 08 -002; Sign Ordinance. 22 23 City Manager Mornson indicated the paragraph previously included in Subd. 27, Non - 24 Commercial Speech, relating to the 30 day time period for political signs on non -state election 25 years, was removed because the City is authorized by the state to run an election on odd years. 26 27 Consensus of the City Council was that the above paragraph should remain in Subd. 27 of the 28 ordinance. 29 30 Motion carried unanimously. 31 32 E. Ordinance 08 -003, Housing Code Ordinance (first reading) 33 34 Fire Chief Malenick reviewed the ordinance with the Council and indicated that last year with 35 the Council's goal setting, the decision was made to re- codify the city ordinances. He was 36 directed to take the opportunity to look into changes in the Housing Code Ordinance. He advised 37 the proposed changes are influenced by current socio- economic and demographic changes in St. 38 Anthony over the past few years. There has been an increase in rentals in apartment buildings 39 and single - family homes. Also, more recently there has been a sharp spike in foreclosures and 40 concern that these homes may not be cared for appropriately, resulting in the need to beef up the 41 ordinance. Fire Chief Malenick reviewed the proposed changes to the Housing Code Ordinance. 42 He indicated it should be noted that he intends to appoint a new deputy code official to work on 43 property maintenance in June. 44 45 Mayor Faust stated it is a departure for the Council to manage rentals. As the world changes they 46 need to be able to license and do the types of things that are needed. He pointed out the City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 9 1 possibility of a situation such as children inheriting a house when an elderly person passes away 2 and allowing a family member to live there without paying rent. He suggested Section 1336 be 3 amended to state: Rental and Non -Owner Occupied Dwelling. 4 5 City Attorney Lindgren suggested the Mayor's concerns may be addressed with the following 6 amendment: Subdivision 22, Rental Unit: A dwelling or dwelling unit for rent or lease in 7 exchange for monetary payment. 9 Mayor Faust stated with some of the foreclosures people may allow others to live in a property 10 without exchanging money. These properties could be as big of a problem as a rental property. 11 He stressed the need to look at all of the potential properties and noted there are many non- 12 homestead properties in the City that may or may not be rentals. 13 14 Fire Chief Malenick noted without the exchange of money a property would not be classified as 15 rental, but would still need to comply with the International Property Maintenance Code (IPMC). 16 17 Mayor Faust explained he is suggesting that the properties under discussion should be included 18 in the licensing requirements. 19 20 City Attorney Lindgren suggested the following amendment to Subdivision 22, Rental Unit: A 21 dwelling or dwelling unit let for rent or lease, or which is occgpied by someone other than the 22 owner. 23 24 Councilmember Roth questioned the effect of this type of amendment would have on people that 25 leave for the winter and allow someone to watch their house, and how this type of situation 26 would be regulated. He questioned if property owners would need to get a permit to allow 27 someone to live rent free and take care of their house. He pointed out possible situations of a 28 foreclosure home that has been purchased on a sheriff's sale, and that by law the owner of that 29 house can live there for an additional six months before being forced to leave. He questioned if 30 the individual that purchased the home on the sheriff's sale would need a permit to allow the 31 person that is delinquent on payments to stay in the house. 32 33 Mayor Faust stated his opinion that this proposal would protect the future buyer. He commented 34 he has seen many houses trashed by people on their way out. 35 36 Councilmember Roth stated he agrees with the intention of what is being proposed, but wants to 37 ensure that every angle is considered so they have a law that can be enforced but is reasonable. 38 39 Councilmember Gray stated his position that the suggested amendment may be something to 40 look into, but may be overly restrictive. He is not certain he would be in support or requiring 41 property owners to obtain a permit in order for a family member to live at their home for one 42 year. 43 44 Mayor Faust suggested that a timeframe of one year could be allowed for family members. 45 Councilmember Roth suggested a timeframe of six months. 46 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 10 City Manager Morrison requested clarification that the concern is to classify the properties under discussion as rental because they can create some of the same problems as normal rentals, and that therefore regulation is needed over these properties. Mayor Faust stated his concern that if money is not exchanged the property may not be considered as a rental, but there may be someone in the house that has no interest in being a good neighbor. 9 City Manager Mornson advised with the adoption of this ordinance they are also adopting the 10 IPMC, which gives the City more teeth even if a property is not classified as a rental. He 11 indicated this may be a preferred method to regulate these types of properties, and is something 12 to look at with the consideration of the proposed amendment. He stated once this ordinance is 13 adopted there will be consideration of a fee schedule. Rental dwelling fees will increase, which 14 will pay for one or two part time code enforcement officers. 15 16 Mayor Faust pointed out Section 1336.09, Conduct on Licensed Premises, requires that hearings 17 for the first, second and third violations would be before the City Council. He pointed out this is 18 a departure from what is currently done, with most zoning issues being handled by the Zoning 19 Administrator, which is the City Manager. 20 21 Motion by Councilmember Stille, seconded by Councilmember Roth, to approve First Reading 22 of Ordinance 08 -003; Housing Code Ordinance. 23 24 Motion carried unanimously. 25 26 Mayor Faust noted at one time the Council had discussed that the Sign Ordinance and Housing 27 Code Ordinance would be handled at separate times. However, there is a sense of urgency to 28 complete these ordinances and get code enforcement officers in place. He directed the City 29 Manager to bring these ordinances forward and include them on the agenda of the next City 30 Council meeting. 31 32 F. Resolution 08-024, Adolijing the Emergency Plan of the North Suburban Planning Grog 33 as the Emergency Plan for the City of St. Anthony. 34 35 Fire Chief Malenick reviewed the resolution with the Council and indicated that it is requested 36 that the proposed Emergency Plan be adopted for the City. The Plan is generated by the federal 37 government under Homeland Security Directive No. 5, which requires that all levels of 38 government work efficiently and effectively together during disaster management. He explained 39 it is recognized that most disasters start locally, but response, recovery and mitigation are almost 40 always regional. Most recently they have seen the I -35 W bridge collapse where the City of 41 Minneapolis became overwhelmed, hence the push from the federal government to develop 42 regional rather than local plans. Fire Chief Malenick stated the Emergency Plan describes the 43 basic strategies and mechanisms through which the cities will mobilize resources and conduct 44 activities to guide and support emergency management efforts using the National Incident 45 Management System (NIMS). 46 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 11 2 3 4 6 7 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 VII. 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 Councilmember Roth questioned why St. Anthony Village is teamed up with suburbs it is not geographically adjacent to. Fire Chief Malenick replied Hennepin County is St. Anthony's home county. He explained there are mutual aid agreements in place, and there are many resources that would come from these counties. The plan recognizes that they all share the same resources. Mayor Faust noted that the main purpose of the plan is for standardization, and that grouping the suburbs by county would be simplest. He asked if there is a cost to the City with this plan. Fire Chief Malenick there is a cost with the training, which is minimal. Mayor Faust inquired about the possible cost savings due to the economies of scale of training with other cities, as well as reimbursements through NIMS. Fire Chief Malenick indicated there is a trickle down effect. The federal government oversees the State plans, the State oversees the County plans, and the County oversees the regional plans. There is that interconnection and network. He noted he attends training sessions that are paid for by the County. Mayor Faust asked who activates the emergency sirens located in the Ramsey portion of the City. Fire Chief Malenick replied there are no emergency sirens located in the Ramsey portion of the City. Motion by Councilmember Roth, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to adopt Resolution 08- 024; Adopting the Emergency Plan of the North Suburban Planning Group as the Emergency Plan for the City of St. Anthony. Mayor Faust stated appreciation for the work of Fire Chief Malenick and Assistant City Manager Moore -Sykes on the ordinances that have come forward tonight. Motion carried unanimouslv. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS. City Manager Momson commended Fire Chief Malenick and Assistant City Manager Moore - Sykes for their work over the past two years on the ordinances that have come forward tonight, and the Police and Fire Departments for the reports presented tonight. He commented on the synergy between these departments, as well as all five of the city departments. He commended Fire Chief Malenick for his work with the NIMS training and reported the Fire Department now provides training for the Police Department, resulting in cost savings for the City. City Manager Momson announced the Silver Lake Road Reconstruction Project Open House on Monday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. A presentation will be given by the County at 7:00 p.m. A City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 12 stakeholder meeting will be held in mid -April with the schools, churches and key property owners along Silver Lake Road. The anticipated project start date is approximately May ls` Information will be available next week on bids for the project, which were opened today. City Manager Mornson reported the 2009 budget is underway with financial strategies. A public hearing on the budget will be held April 22 "d; following that there will be worksessions held with staff. 9 City Manager Mornson reported the last scheduled date for Junior Achievement is April 8`h. 10 Students were given the option of attending a City Council meeting, and both classes have said 11 they will be attending. 12 13 City Manager Mornson announced the League of Minnesota Cities Safety and Loss Control 14 Workshops will be held in April. 15 16 City Manager Mornson announced staff will be attending GIS training with WSB & Associates 17 over the next few weeks. 18 19 City Manager Momson reported Stacie Kvilvang of Ehlers & Associates will be present at the 20 next City Council meeting to discuss next steps in funding for the Silver Lake Road Project, as 21 well as provide an update on Silver Lake Village. 22 23 City Manager Momson announced that Silver Lake Village has been recognized in the April 24 edition of a national development magazine. 25 26 Councilmember Gray reported he attended the first meeting for Village Fest 2008 at the end of 27 February. The next meeting is scheduled on Thursday. He stated Village Fest will be a challenge 28 this year with Silver Lake Road being under construction. It will be held at St. Anthony 29 Shopping Center; there will be a parade both days, and a band Friday and Saturday night. 30 31 Mayor Faust announced a League of Minnesota Committee has looked at different 32 methodologies on how to release value information on cities. Further information will be 33 forthcoming in the next couple of weeks. 34 35 Mayor Faust announced he attended the Mississippi Watershed Management Organization 36 (MWMO) Meeting on March 18`h. The Board selected the firm to handle site selection and 37 project management for the new MWMO building. The MWMO will also be working with the 38 Youth Conservation Corps in conjunction with the State. He announced he is serving on the 39 Logo/Identity Development Subcommittee for the MWMO. 40 41 Mayor Faust stressed the importance of buying locally whenever possible. He commented the 42 Chamber of Commerce will likely be focusing on these efforts. 43 44 VIII. COMMUNITY FORUM. 45 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes March 25, 2008 Page 13 Mayor Faust stressed the importance of buying locally whenever possible. He commented the Chamber of Commerce will likely be focusing on these efforts. VIII. COMMUNITY FORUM. Mayor Faust invited residents to come forward at this time and address the Council on items that are not on the regular agenda. Hearing none, Mayor Faust moved forward with the agenda. IX. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS. Mayor Faust announced the St. Anthony Village Historical Society Open House on April 5`h. He announced he will be attending the upcoming League of Minnesota Safety and Loss Control Workshops. X. ADJOURNMENT. Mayor Faust adjourned the City Council meeting at 9:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Carol Hamer Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. ATTEST: City Clerk M yor Motion carried unanimously.