HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 06282011K
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CITY OF ST. ANTHONY
CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
JUNE 28, 2011
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Mayor Faust called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
9 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
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11 Mayor Faust invited the Council and audience to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance.
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13 ROLL CALL.
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15 Present:
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Absent:
Mayor Faust; Councihnembers Gray, Jenson, Roth, and Stille.
None.
Also Present: City Manager Mike Mornson, Finance Director Roger Larson, and Fire Chief John
Malenick.
Guests: Brian Rosenau (CenterPoint Energy), Barry Tedlund (St. Anthony Historical Society
President), Jan Parker (Ramsey County Commissioner), and Peggy Moeller, CPA
(HLB Tautges Redpath, Ltd.)
CONSIDERATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ALL OF THE FOLLOWING
ITEMS.
27 I. APPROVAL OF .TUNE 28, 2011 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA.
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Motion by Councilmember Gray, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to approve the City
Council Meeting Agenda of June 28, 2011.
Motion carried unanimously.
II. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITIONS.
A. Presentation of CenterPoint Energy Grant to the St. Anthony Fire Department.
Fire Chief Malenick explained that the City has been awarded a community grant in the amount
of $635 from CenterPoint Energy that will be used to enhance the City's ability to trace gas
leaks. He stated that Lt. Joe Basara conducted research on some new equipment that will shave
minutes off the City's ability to detect gas leaks and will zero in on wbich. appliance in a house is
causing a problem. He then introduced Mr. Brian Rosenau of CenterPoint Energy.
Mr. Brian Rosenau stated that CenterPoint Energy's Community Partnership Grant program
provides an opportunity to partner with local police and fire departments by helping to leverage
funds to purchase needed equipment that is important to the safety of the community. He then
presented a $635 grant to the City to be used to purchase a combustible gas leak detector.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2011
Page 2
Mayor Faust expressed the City's appreciation to CenterPoint Energy for the community grant
which will be used to make the City's residents safer.
B. St. Anthony Historical Book — Barry Tedlund, St. Anthony Historical Society President.
Mr. Barry Tedlund, President of the St. Anthony Historical Society presented the recently
published "St. Anthony Village History" book. He expressed the Historical Society's thanks to
Gail Olson who wrote the book, to Tom Heller who produced the book, and to the City for its
support and encouragement in publishing the book. He stated that copies of the book are
available at City Hall and on the website. He added that the Historical Society is interested in
continuing to interview people and collect photographs on the City's history. He encouraged
anyone with information and/or photographs to contact the Historical Society or City Hall. He
indicated that George and Florence Marks are pursuing interviews with WWII Veterans.
Mayor Faust commended the Historical Society for producing the book and encouraged residents
to purchase a copy of the book.
C. Update from Ramsey County Commissioner Jan Parker.
Ramsey County Commissioner Jan Parker presented the City Council with a packet of
information and introduced her assistant, Sara Merz. She discussed the potential State
government shutdown and stated that the County has contingency plans in place, as outlined in
the packet of information. She reviewed the County's cash flow information and stated that
budgets are being prepared for the next two year cycle using a 6% decrease in budgets as a
starting point. She advised that a road project using Federal funds to rebuild County Road C in
Roseville will be completed in 2015 -2016 and Roseville has indicated that they are interested in
adding a bike trail along the shoulder. She suggested that St. Anthony consider whether it wants
to construct a trail on the St. Anthony portion of this road. She discussed the Union Depot
project in downtown St. Paul which will be restored to house a transit center. She advised that
Tamarack Nature Center recently opened Destination for Discovery, a free outdoor play area for
kids located in White Bear Township. She stated that the County has a yard waste drop -off site
in Arden Hills which can be used by residents of St. Anthony; City residents can also take
advantage of the free mobile hazardous waste collection site at Arden Hills on Fridays and
Saturdays. She advised that the County has some free recycling containers which it is making
available to municipalities for use in parks and public spaces and encouraged the City to request
some of these containers. She stated that the County's solid waste staff has been working with
some of the schools on organic waste recycling of school lunches and suggested that St. Anthony
may be interested in this program. She discussed the recently remodeled Roseville Library and
reported that a new library will be opening in the New Brighton Community Center, which will
be most convenient to residents of St. Anthony and is tentatively scheduled to open in October.
She discussed the County's benches program, which provides benches free of charge and
encouraged the City to contact the County if it is interested in more benches. She stated that the
County received a bond rating of AAA and several awards from GFOA for excellence in
financial reporting. She advised that the County is in discussions with the Minnesota Vikings
about building a stadium on the TCAAP site. She indicated that she supports this and the County
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2011
Page 3
believes that the stadium would be a good use of the TCAAP site, it would clean up the pollution
on the site, and would help expedite transportation improvements projects in the area.
Mayor Faust expressed the City Council's thanks to Commissioner Parker for the update.
III. CONSENT AGENDA.
8 A. Consider June 14, 2011 Council meeting minutes:
9 B. Consider licenses and permits;
10 C. Consider payment of claims;
11 D. Consider Resolution 11 -037; Establishing Limited Clean up and Property Damage
12 Protection for Sewer Back -ups and Water Main Breaks for Water and Sewer Customers,
13 E. Consider Resolution 11 -038, Renewal of Municipal Insurance Coverage and the Waiver
14 of Tort Liability Limits for the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Program; and
15 F. Consider Resolution 11 -039: Accepting a Grant from the MWMO for an Over seeder for
16 the St. Anthony Public Works Department.
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18 Motion by Councilmember Gray, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to approve the Consent
19 Agenda items.
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21 Councilmember Gray requested further information regarding the City's experience with respect
22 to its insurance premiums with the League of Minnesota Cities.
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24 City Manager Momson replied that the City's premium increases have not been high and noted
25 that the City receives an annual refund from the League based on how long a city is in the
26 insurance pool and how much a city pays in premiums. He added that the City received a refund
27 of approximately $10,000 last year from the League.
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29 Motion carried unanimously.
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31 IV. PUBLIC BEARING.
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33 None.
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35 V. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF.
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37 A. Ordinance 11 -004: Amending_Loning Ordinance 152.142 Light Industrial — Conditional
38 Uses (first reading).
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40 City Manager Morrison indicated that Planning Commission Chair Jensen was unexpectedly not
41 able to attend this evening. He explained that the City learned that language regarding permitted
42 conditional uses in the Light Industrial District had been mistakenly omitted from the City Code
43 by the publisher. He stated that staff is also proposing to strike the language at § 154.142(g)
44 regarding caretaker units and to re- sequence the remainder of this section to include the
45 previously omitted language regarding assembly, meeting lodge, or convention halls as well as
46 catering operations and in -house cafeterias not intended for retail or public use.
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2011
Page 4
2 Motion by Councilmember Roth, seconded by Councilmember Stille, to adopt Ordinance 2011-
3 004, an Amendment to Zoning Ordinance 152.142 Light Industrial District Permitted
4 Conditional Uses.
Councilmember Stille asked if the amendment requires additional readings.
8 City Manager Mornson replied that all ordinance amendments require three readings unless
9 waived by the City Council, except zoning ordinance amendments require only one reading. He
10 recommended that the City Council approve the first reading and move its adoption and waive
11 the second and third readings.
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13 Motion carried unanimously.
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15 B. Ordinance 11 -005, Amending Zonina Ordinance 152.226 Nonconformities into
16 Compliance with Recently Amended Provisions of MN State Statute 162.357 subd. lE_
17 (first reading).
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19 City Manager Mornson stated that due to recent legislative action, the City Attorney suggested
20 amending the Zoning Ordinance for nonconformities. He recited the new provisions of the
21 statute and stated the City's limited continuation ordinance currently does not comply with the
22 statutes and the proposed amendment cleans up the existing ordinances on nonconformities.
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24 Motion by Councilmember Stille, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to adopt Ordinance
25 2011 -005, an Ordinance Amending Section 152.226 of the St. Anthony City Code.
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28 Motion carried unanimouslv.
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30 C. Ordinance 11 -006, Amending Zoning Ordinance 152.245 Variances (first reading)
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32 Mayor Faust stated that this amendment comes as a result of the recent law amending the statute
33 to restore municipal variance authority. He explained that the law still contains the standards of
34 reasonableness, uniqueness, and essential character previously associated with undue hardship,
35 and changes the standard to require an applicant to establish that there are "practical difficulties"
36 associated with the property. Ile added that the law also requires that variances shall only be
37 permitted when they are in harmony with the general purpose and intent of the ordinance and
38 that the variance, if granted, will not alter the essential character of the locality.
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40 Motion by Councilmember Gray, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to adopt Ordinance
41 2011 -06, an Ordinance Amending Section 152.245(C) of the St. Anthony City Code.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2011
Page 5
VI. GENERAL. BUSINESS OF COUNCIL.
A. 2010 Audit Presentation. Peggy Moeller, Tautges, Redpath presenting,
5 Peggy Moeller, CPA, presented the City's 2010 Audit, including a list of the reports issued as
6 part of the audit, and stated that once again, the City received a "clean opinion" on its 2010
7 financial statements. She reviewed the State legal compliance report as required by Minnesota
8 Statute §6.65 and the checklist provided by the Office of State Auditor, adding that they
9 performed testing in all seven areas and there were no findings of noncompliance for 2010. She
10 advised that two deficiencies were reported in the Internal Control Report and the Finance
11 Department's response is included in this report. She explained that the 2010 findings include
12 lack of segregation of duties and oversight of financial statement preparation, adding that these
13 are common findings for cities with a small finance department and it is difficult to eliminate
14 these findings completely. She reviewed the Management Letter, including information
15 pertaining to the General Fund balance, allocation of the General Fund balance at December 31,
16 2010, the City's minimum fund balance policy, water /sewer enterprise funds, liquor fund, and
17 HRA. She pointed out that the sewer and water fund had an operating loss and the current rates
18 do not cover depreciation on the City's infrastructure. She also reviewed the auditor's required
19 communications with the City Council and noted that there were no difficulties encountered in
20 performing the audit and there were no disagreements with management. She advised that
21 GASB Statement No. 54, a new standard for fund balance reporting and fund type definition,
22 will be implemented in 2011. She explained that GASB No. 54 includes five new categories for
23 fund balance reporting and Council action will be required to report funds as committed. She
24 stated that the main change to the fund type definitions has to do with special revenue funds,
25 which requires these funds to have a specific revenue source committed or restricted for specific
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28 Councilmember Stille asked if there is any way for the City to mitigate the risk associated with
29 the two deficiencies related to oversight and financial statement preparation.
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31 Ms. Moeller replied that the finding has to do with the fact that the City's auditor cannot be part
32 of the City's internal controls and the finding is that there is no one on staff who can do the
33 disclosure checklist. She stated that she did not feel the risk was significant because Tautges
34 Redpath specializes in governmental accounting, they do disclosure checklists, and the City does
35 not have anyone on staff so the technical finding cannot be completely eliminated.
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37 Finance Director Larson stated that whenever a new GASB requirement is put in place, he works
38 with several other cities and finance directors to determine the most effective way to implement
39 the requirement. He added that he will also be attending ongoing seminars presented by
40 Minnesota GFOA and further information will be presented to the City Council in a worksession.
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42 Councilmember Stille stated that the issues with the water and sewer funds should be brought
43 back to the City Council in worksession.
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45 Finance Director Larson indicated that he is currently working with Ehlers on this issue and it is
46 anticipated that Ms. Kvilvang will attend the August worksession.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2011
Page 6
Mayor Faust expressed the City Council's thanks to Ms. Moeller for her efforts and also
expressed the City Council's appreciation to staff for their cooperation during the audit.
Motion by Councilmember Stille, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to accept the 2010 Audit
as presented.
Motion carried unanimously.
B. Resolution 11 -040, Approving the Contract Agreement for Police Services with the City
of Falcon Heights for 2012 — 2013.
City Manager Momson presented the proposed contract for police services with Falcon Heights
for 2012 and 2013. He stated the contract calls for a 1% increase in cost per year, or $596,069 in
2012 and $602,030 in 2013.
Motion by Councilmember Roth, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to approve Resolution 11-
040, Approving the Contract Agreement for Police Services with the City of Falcon Heights and
Authorizes the Mayor and City Manager to Execute Said Agreement.
Motion carried unanimously.
C. Resolution 11 -041: Approving the Contract Agreement for Police Services with the City
of Lauderdale for 2012.
City Manager Momson presented the proposed contract for police services with Lauderdale for
2012 in the amount of $596,069. He indicated that Lauderdale requested that the contract be
extended for one year only, and explained that Lauderdale receives 50% of its income from
Local Government Aid and Lauderdale expressed concern about future budget constraints.
Councilmember Gray stated that the police contracts are a great example of cities working
together and there has been terrific cooperation among the three cities. He added that everyone
appears to be happy with having one police department for three cities and this represents a win -
win for everybody.
Motion by Councilmember Roth, seconded by Councilmember Gray, to approve Resolution 11-
041, Approving the Contract Agreement for Police Services with the City of Lauderdale and
Authorizes the Mayor and City Manager to Execute Said Agreement.
Motion carried unanimously.
D. Ordinance 11 -003: Amending the Building Permit Fees (final reading).
City Manager Morrison presented the proposed ordinance amending building permit fees, noting
that this is the third and final reading. He advised that the only change from the first reading is
the deletion of the language "as stated in Minnesota State Statute 326B.153" from the title.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2011
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Motion by Councilmember Roth, seconded by Councilmember Stille, to approve the final
reading of Ordinance 2011 -03, Amending the Building Permit Fees.
Motion carried unanimously.
VII. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
City Manager Morrison reported on the following:
He participated in a two hour ride -along with code enforcement staff.
Police Chief Ohl sent an email announcing that the City has partnered with
crimereports.com.
Urban Land Institute Minnesota workshop "Navigating the New Normal." The City,
along with Columbia Heights, New Brighton, and Roseville, has been approached about a
joint session in November.
Councilmember Jenson reported on his attendance at the June 16 and 17 annual League
conference.
Councilmember Roth reported on his attendance at a June 23rd meeting hosted by the County
dealing with the question of a single hauler within a city and ways to provide residents with
better, more consistent services.
Councilmember Stille reported on his attendance at the June 16 and 17 annual. League
conference.
Councilmember Gray reported on his attendance at the June 16 and 17 annual League
conference.
Mayor Faust reported on the following:
• June 16 and 17 annual League conference. The City was awarded the Step 2 GreenStep
City award by the Pollution Control Agency. He indicated that the GreenStep program
was started last year and does not require the City to expend any new money.
• June 21 Chamber of Commerce general meeting.
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.
Comicilmember Stille stated that on Friday, June 17, St. Anthony resident Bart Hazlett and two
of his children were killed in a tragic accident. He wished to express the City's sympathy and
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
June 28, 2011
Page 8
compassion for the family and stated that a memorial fund has been established for the family at
Park Midway Bank, 2300 Como Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55108.
X. ADJOURNMENT.
Mayor Faust adjourned the meeting at 8:21 p.m.
8 Respectfully submitted,
4 Barbara Hughes
10 Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.
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13 ATTEST:
14 City Clerk
ayor