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Hugo City Council Minutes for March 2, 2009 <br />Page 6 of 8 <br />staff asked for direction on how staff could monitor the properties, and Council had directed staff to <br />meet with the Home Owners Associations (HOA) for feedback on the housing issues. Community <br />Development Assistant Dennis Fields explained that staff uses information from the Washington <br />County HRA, utility disconnection notifications, quarterly water billing , and neighborhood <br />complaints to track properties that are vacant. Using this information, the City shut the water off to <br />approximately 30 properties, significantly decreasing water damage to the homes caused by broken <br />frozen pipes. Dennis and Rachel Simone met with several of the HOA's and received positive <br />feedback on what the City was doing to monitor these properties. <br />Haas made motion, Klein seconded, to direct staff to continue to monitor foreclosures and continue <br />meeting with the HOAs. <br />All Ayes. Motion carried. <br />City Attorney Dave Snyder stated that owners can legally rent their property, unless prohibited by an <br />HOA or Development Agreement. The City can regulate rentals with different levels of registration <br />of rental properties, some including fees and/or inspections. Associate Planner Rachel Simone <br />discussed with Council a rental housing program that only included registration at this time. The <br />program had been reviewed with the HOAs who indicated they want the City to be proactive and <br />implement this program in Hugo. <br />Haas made motion, Klein seconded, to publish the draft rental housing ordinance, schedule a public <br />hearing, and provide Council with the associated costs to implement this ordinance. <br />All Ayes. Motion carried. <br />Update on Floodplain Ordinance <br />Throughout 2007 and 2008, the Hugo City Council and staff have been discussing the foodplain <br />ordinance revisions. On January 8, 2008, the City Council held a workshop on the ordinance. There <br />were revisions that were suggested at the meeting that included changes for the way permits are <br />regulated in the floodplain, agricultural fences being allowed in the floodplain, and requiring permits <br />for normal maintenance and repair. The Council directed staff to submit the revised ordinance to the <br />MN DNR for their comments. Staff sent the revisions to the DNR in April, 2008. During that time, <br />there was a change in staffing and another set of revisions were sent in June, 2008. Staff was <br />contacted by the DNR in November to set up a meeting to discuss the revisions to the Floodplain <br />ordinance. Staff then met with the DNR later that month. Staff received comments back from the <br />DNR December 9, 2008. Since then, staff has been working with the DNR to work though the <br />discrepancies that the DNR found that would not meet FEMA's floodplain regulations. Associate <br />Planner Rachel Simone explained the City needed to meet this requriement to remain eligible for the <br />Federal Floodplain Insurance Program, and she reviewd the revisions with the Council. <br />Miron made motion, Petryk seconded, to direct staff to prepare the draft ordinance for review by the <br />DNR, and if there were no significant changes schedule a public hearing at the Planning <br />Commission for review. <br />All Ayes. Motion carried. <br />