HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC MINUTES 07262022I CITY OF ST. ANTHONY
2 CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES
3 JULY 26, 2022
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5 CALL TO ORDER.
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7 Mayor Stille called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
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9 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
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1 I Mayor Stille 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: Mayor Stille, Councilmembers Jenson, Walker, and Webster.
16 Absent: Councilmember Randle.
17 Also Present: City Manager Charlie Yunker, VillageFest Representative Julieanne Hunter, Police
18 Sergeant Mike Huddle, Assistant to the City Manager Nicole Miller, and Liquor
19 Operations Manager Mike Larson.
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22 CONSIDERATION, DISCUSSION, AND POSSIBLE ACTION ON ALL OF THE FOLLOWING
23 ITEMS.
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25 I. APPROVAL OF JULY 26, 2022 CITY COUNCIL MEETING AGENDA.
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27 Motion by Councilmember Jenson, seconded by Councilmember Walker, to approve the City
28 Council Meeting Agenda of July 26, 2022 as presented.
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30 Motion carried 4-0.
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32 H. PROCLAMATIONS AND RECOGNITION.
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34 A. Presentation of 2022 VillageFest.
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36 Ms. Julieanne Hunter, representing the 2022 VillageFest Committee, provided information on
37 VillageFest activities. A copy of the schedule was provided for the Council. She provided more
38 details of the events. New this year is the use of a QR Code. There are a number of food vendors
39 new this year. Ms. Hunter thanked everyone who helps make VillageFest happen each year. She
40 also thanked the major sponsors for VillageFest.
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42 Mayor Stille thanked Ms. Hunter for her presentation.
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44 Councilmember Webster thanked Ms. Hunter for Chairing the VillageFest Committee since 2005
45 and have served on the Committee since 2003. Councilmember Webster appreciates all the hard
46 work done by the Committee. Councilmember Webster thanked the Committee for the
47 opportunity to shoot off the fireworks.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
July 26, 2022
Page 2
I Councilmember Walker inquired about a new food vendor attending for the first year at
2 VillageFest. Ms. Hunter stated it was. He asked about the childcare and whether it was by the
3 hour and Ms. Hunter stated she is not sure but may be a donation. Councilmember Walker asked
4 about the photo booth and Ms. Hunter stated the photo booth will be near the food booths.
Councilmember Jenson thanked Ms. Hunter for her participation as the Chairperson for
VillageFest.
9 Mayor Stille noted Ms. Hunter started on the Committee the year she moved to St. Anthony.
10 This is a community run event and it is run very well. He thanked Ms. Hunter on behalf of the
11 City Council.
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13 B. Presentation of 2022 Night to Unite
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15 Police Sergeant Mike Huddle presented information on the 2022 Night to Unite held on August
16 2, 2022. The intent is to encourage residents to come together to look out for one another and get
17 to know their neighbors. It creates a sense of community in their own neighborhoods. The Police
18 Department has supported Night to Unite throughout the years. This gives the residents an
19 opportunity to meet police officers, city officials and city staff at the neighborhood events. Last
20 year there were approximately 30 block parties. This year there are 43 block parties registered in
21 St. Anthony. The deadline for registrations was July 25, 2022. Cub Foods is a partner in
22 providing support and they provide a pail of ice cream to each registered block party. Sergeant
23 Huddle gave a special thanks to Nicole Miller who every year pulls Night to Unite all together.
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25 Mayor Stille thanked Nicole Miller for her work on Night to Unite. Mayor Stille also thanked
26 Sergeant Huddle and the Police Department for their support of this event. The Fire Department
27 also was thanked.
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29 C. Proclamation for Night to Unite on August 2 2022
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31 The Councilmembers read the Proclamation in full proclaiming August 2, 2022 as the 141
32 Annual Night to Unite in Minnesota.
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34 III. CONSENT AGENDA.
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36 A. Approval of July 12, 2022 City Council Meeting Minutes
37 B. Licenses and Permits.
38 C. Claims.
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40 Motion by Councilmember Webster, seconded by Councilmember Jenson, to approve the
41 Consent Agenda items.
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43 Motion carried 4-0.
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45 IV. PUBLIC HEARING.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
July 26, 2022
Page 3
1 A. Interim Ordinance 22-04 — Establishing a Moratorium on the Use of any Land
2 Acceptance of Applications, or the Issuance of any City Permits for the Sale of any
3 Edible Cannabinoid Products as Defined in Minnesota Statutes Section 151.72.
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5 City Manager Yunker stated the Council discussed this at a July 12, 2022 work session. The
6 decision made at that work session was to establish a moratorium on the sale of certain edible
7 cannabinoid products.
9 On July 1, 2022, a new law took effect that allows people 21 and over to buy and consume food
10 and beverages with no more than 5 milligrams of hemp -derived THC per serving and no more
11 than 50 milligrams per package. The City's Code regulates the sale of medical cannabis and
12 dispensaries; however, it does not regulate the sale of edible cannabinoid products. The new law
13 does not require edible cannabinoid products to be sold from a dispensary. The City has the
14 authority to be more restrictive than State Law, but not less restrictive. City Staff is in the
15 process of researching the issue to provide guidance on the new law, and will bring
16 recommendations to the Council based on guidance from the League of Minnesota Cities and the
17 City Attorney.
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19 Mayor Stille opened the public hearing at 7:33 p.m.
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21 No one appeared to address the Council.
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23 Mayor Stille closed the public hearing at 7:34 p.m.
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25 Councilmember Jenson stated he is in favor of a moratorium to allow staff to research further
26 and provide recommendations for City Council approval.
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28 Councilmember Webster stated a moratorium will give Council an opportunity to study the issue
29 and decide what the best plan of action is for St. Anthony.
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31 Councilmember Walker stated the legislature defines this as not being a drug and referred to the
32 2"d paragraph of the interim ordinance. Mr. Yunker stated that wording came from the League of
33 Minnesota Cities and will be refined when an Ordinance is passed.
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35 Motion by Councilmember Webster, seconded by Councilmember Walker, to Approve Interim
36 Ordinance 22-04 Establishing a Moratorium on the use of any Land, Acceptance of Applications,
37 or the Issuance of any City Permits, for the Sale of any Edible Cannabinoid Products as Defined
38 in Minnesota Statutes Section 151.72.
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40 Motion carried 4-0.
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42 V. REPORTS FROM COMMISSION AND STAFF — NONE.
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44 VI. GENERAL BUSINESS OF COUNCIL.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
July 26, 2022
Page 4
A. Resolution 22-061 — Approving the Use of Central Park for Special Event on August 5-6
2022.
4 City Manager Yunker reviewed Julianne Hunter has submitted a Special Event Permit to hold the
5 annual VillageFest celebration August 5-6, 2022. Since the request involves City property,
6 amplified music and expects to exceed 100 attendees; a Special Event Permit is required. On July
7 15, 2022 VillageFest representatives met with Staff to discuss the needs of City services,
8 primarily focused around road closures and staff support for the parade, and support services for
9 the events in Central Park. Staff found those requests to be reasonable and consistent with past
10 celebrations.
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12 Motion by Councilmember Jenson, seconded by Councilmember Walker, to Approve Resolution
13 22-061 — Approving the Use of Central Park for Special Event on August 5-6, 2022.
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15 Motion carried 4-0.
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17 B. Community Survey Presentation.
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19 Assistant to the City Manager Nicole Miller reviewed a power point presentation summarizing
20 the National Community Survey. The last community survey was done in 2005. The City has
21 partnered with Polco who conducts the survey. There are 140 community related survey
22 questions which address ten key facets of community livability. Ms. Miller reviewed why the
23 survey is being conducted and how it will be conducted. Randomly 2,800 residents will receive
24 the survey and the birthday method will decide who within the household completes the survey.
25 An invitation postcard is mailed first, followed by a survey packet that includes a paper survey.
26 All mailings will include an URL to respond online.
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28 The mail and web data will be combined into a single electronic dataset. Completed surveys will
29 be reviewed and cleaned and weighted to increase representation. The survey dataset is analyzed
30 by Polco and a final report will be delivered.
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32 The survey will start August 1, 2022 and should take 20 minutes to complete. After the survey
33 closes, all residents will be invited to participate. Those results will be kept separate. Ms. Miller
34 reviewed the project timeline. The final report will be received by October 17 and the report
35 results will be presented at the City Council meeting on December 13, 2022. The survey results
36 will be posted at savmn.com/communitysurvey.
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38 Councilmember Webster thanked Ms. Miller for taking the lead on this project.
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40 Mayor Stille stated the Council adopted a policy capturing this is a tool that will assist the
41 Council to make decisions. He thanked Ms. Miller for her time working on this project.
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43 C. Liquor Operations Mid -Year Report.
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City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
July 26, 2022
Page 5
1 Liquor Operations Manager Mike Larson reviewed the St. Anthony Village Liquor Operations
2 Mid -Year Report. Mr. Larson introduced Joshua Hudson, a new employee and Holly Quarry
3 who are both full time clerks. Bill Haugen was recently promoted to Assistant Liquor Manager.
4
5 Mr. Larson stated there are two convenient locations. The Mission Statement is "Our goal at St.
6 Anthony Village Wine and Spirits is to actively prevent the sale of beverages that contain
7 alcohol to minors and intoxicated persons, while simultaneously generating revenue for the
8 community, in accordance with all city, state and county liquor laws and ordinances". The
9 Vision Statement is "The St. Anthony Village Wine and Spirits brand is committed to providing
10 a unique retail environment that is based on excellent customer service, product selection,
11 competitive pricing, while providing safe, bright and clean stores that drive long term customer
12 loyalty".
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14 Mr. Larson reviewed the Value of Municipal Liquor Operations. There has been a change in
15 customer purchasing habits due to inflation, decreased sales compared to 2021 and bars &
16 restaurants are open. There has been a sales decrease of 4.3%. with operating expense decrease
17 of 4.8%. There was a net profit increase of 19.8%. Charts showing Sales and Profit Comparison
18 and Sales Comparison were provided for Council review.
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20 The accomplishments for 2022 include:
21 . City Goal Setting
22 • League of Minnesota Cities Conference
23 . Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association Conference
24 • MMBA/MLBA Legislative Day at the Capital
25 • Students in Government
26 • Social Media Advertising & News Sharing Group
27 • Product Samplings
28 • Store Resets
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30 Mr. Larson stated they are looking forward to the Ruby Apartments opening. He believes the
31 Council's decision on instituting a moratorium was good as the information available is very
32 unclear and needs to be figured out. He doesn't believe any of the products can be mixed with
33 alcohol products.
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35 Mr. Larson reviewed where the Liquor Operations are currently and looking ahead plans. The
36 website page for Liquor Operations includes an event calendar, monthly specials, product
37 requests, store hours, contact information, and the ability to sign up for notify me, email and text
38 alerts. He thanked the staff at the stores for their dedication and customer service. He thanked the
39 customers for continuing to support the stores.
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41 Councilmember Jenson complimented Mr. Larson and the staff for the presentation given. The
42 stores are clean, well -managed and the staff is very customer focused.
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44 Councilmember Webster stated the environment the staff creates is very welcoming to all the
45 residents. She thinks it makes sense to have two presentations a year to review the Liquor
46 Operations.
City Council Regular Meeting Minutes
July 26, 2022
Page 6
2 Mayor Stille asked which challenges would Mr. Larson rather have a pandemic or the current
3 challenges of staff shortages, supply chain issues and big box stores. Mr. Larson stated the
4 pandemic was a very difficult time for the stores and himself. He would rather deal with another
5 big box store and the pandemic over what they are experiencing now. The labor shortage does
6 not affect the stores due to the dedication of the staff, however, the receipt of merchandise is
7 affected by the labor shortage. Mayor Stille thanked the employees for attending the meeting this
8 evening.
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VII. REPORTS FROM CITY MANAGER AND COUNCIL MEMBERS.
City Manager Yunker reviewed an employee recognition event was held and thanked Staff for
their dedicated service.
Councilmember Webster reported on Thursday, July 21, she attended the North Suburban
Communication Commission and the North Suburban Access Commission and noted the
Executive Director search continues.
Councilmember Jenson had no report.
Councilmember Walker had no report.
Mayor Stille attended the Employee Appreciation luncheon and was privileged to recognize Mr.
Yunker for 10 years of service to the City.
VIII. COMMUNITY FORUM — NONE.
IX. INFORMATION AND ANNOUNCEMENTS — NONE.
X. ADJOURNMENT.
Mayor Stille adjourned the meeting at 8:22 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Debbie Wolfe
Timesaver Off'Site Secretarial, Inc.
ATTEST:
C Clerk