2024.05.06 CC Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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MINUTES City Council Workshop City Hall Conference Room Monday, April 22, 2024 6 p.m Mayor Weidt called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM COUNCIL PRESENT: Klein, Miron, Strub, Weidt COUNCIL ABSENT: Petryk STAFF PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, Community Development Director Rachel Juba, Public Works Director Scott Anderson, City Engineer Mark Erichson, Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr., Deputy Fire Chief Dave Jensen, Associate Planner Max Gort 2024 Bridge Projects City Engineer Mark Erichson presented some background on the two bridges identified with need for replacement in 2024. These bridges are the Fable Hill Bridge which connects two areas of the Fable Hill Development, and the Forest Road Bridge which spans across Hardwood Creek to the west of the Hardwood Creek Trail and Highway 61. In both cases, the bridges have been identified as fracture-critical. Erichson presented a few options to the Council, including cost estimates for repair, removal, or replacement. In both instances, the City Council directed staff to begin drafting plans to apply for state bridge bonding funds. Fire Department Update Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. presented an update on the operations of the Fire Department since he’s come into his full-time role in November, 2023. Chief Compton detailed the organizational restructuring of the department he had been preparing, including evaluating compensation for all salaried positions and updating all job descriptions. Chief Compton also detailed the shifting environment within the fire station where daytime firefighters who work remotely have been working from the fire station, allowing much quicker response times due to a higher number of firefighters at the station at any given time. Chief Compton asked for the Council’s direction for redesigning the fire station to allow for more firefighters to work their jobs remotely within the office space, which the Council viewed favorably. The Council also discussed the ongoing “farm system” and evaluation of the Fire Marshal position. Chief Compton requested that the City Council approve the updated Fire Department job descriptions at the next meeting. Shoreland Ordinance Discussion Community Development Director Rachel Juba presented an update on the current state of the City’s shoreland ordinance, and the intention of the state statute that the ordinance follows. Juba described the direction that staff received from the EDA to pursue implementation flexibility with the MnDNR which would give the City more flexibility to allow development within certain shoreland areas in exchange for more restrictive practices in other areas. The City Council directed staff to begin the process of revising the shoreland ordinance and pursue implementation flexibility with the DNR.