Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016.04.04 CC Minutes MINUTES FOR HUGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON APRIL 4, 2016 Call to Order Acting Mayor Petryk called the meeting to order at 7:02 p.m. PRESENT: Haas, Klein, Miron, Petryk ABSENT: Weidt ALSO PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, City Engineer Jay Kennedy, City Attorney Dave Snyder, Community Development Assistant Rachel Leitz, and City Clerk Michele Lindau Approval of the Minutes for the March 21, 2016 City Council Meeting Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the minutes for the March 21, 2016 meeting as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of the Agenda Petryk made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the agenda as amended by adding a moment of silence for Washington County Deputy Bill Lake and an update on Metropolitan Council Stormwater Grants. All Ayes. Motion carried. Moment of silence for Washington County Deputy Bill Lake Acting Mayor Petryk called for a moment of silence for Washington County Deputy Bill Lake who passed away on March 26, 2016. He was 50 years old. Approve Hugo Good Neighbor Days Festival and Temporary Liquor License—Lions Chair Dan Balthazor The Hugo Good Neighbor Days 401h Anniversary Festival will be held on Thursday, June 9th - Sunday, June 12th. The Hugo Lions Club GND Chair Dan Balthazor, 14208 Geneva Way, explained some of the events this year will include a parade, music, food, beer garden, carnival rides and a vendor area. They are also adding a color run, possibly a trout pond, and a heritage area to highlight City businesses to get people involved with what is going on in Hugo. Tracy Thomas, 4342 Victor Path, provided dates and times. Dan requested the Council co-sponsor the event by waiving the Special Event Permit and providing police protection for the event, as in the past. The Lions also were requesting approval of a temporary on-sale Liquor License for the event. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 4,2016 Page 4 of 5 Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve waving the Special Event Permit, providing police protection for the event, and approve the Temporary Liquor License. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approve Flips 5K Color Run Special Event Permit—Event Coordinators Jill Engwer and Sharon Hanifl-Lee Flips Gymnastics Booster Club has applied for a Special Event Permit to hold a 5K Color Run on Saturday, June 11, 2016. This event will be held prior to the Good Neighbor Days Parade that morning, and will begin and end at Lions Park. City staff and the GND committee have worked with Flips color run coordinators Jill Engwer and Sharon Hanifl-Lee on the details of the event. Jill Engwer, 4784 Sharon Lane, White Bear Lake, explained the color run will raise funds for the booster club while getting families and kids outside and active. There is a website for registrations, and the teams of girls belong to Flips will work on getting people to attend the event. Petryk made motion, Haas seconded, to approve the Special Event Permit for the Flips Gymnastics Club 5K Color Run on Saturday, June 11, 2016. All Ayes. Motion carried. Forest Lake YMCA -Executive Director Sharna Braucks and Hugo Parks Commissioner Ranell Tennyson At its March 7, 2016 meeting, Council approved the appointment of Ranell Tennyson as the City of Hugo representative to serve on the YMCA Board of Directors. Ranell and Executive Director Shama Braucks were in attendance to provide the Council information on the new Forest Lake YMCA, located west of the Washington County Headwaters Service Center. Shama shared information on the evolution of the YMCA, which started in London, England and came to MN in 1856. The YMCA is a global and national organization, and the Forest Lake YMCA is part of a 22-branch association. She explained their mission and vision to help all. As a nonprofit, they make sure everyone is able to participate by offering scholarships. The YMCA offers hundreds of programs, including a youth in government and other leadership programs. Shama explained the Forest Lake YMCA broke ground on July 2015 on land donated by the City of Forest Lake, and a Grand Opening will be held in June. There are over 120 positions to be filled, and there is a board of 27 community members. Once the facility opens, they will be reaching out to be in partnership with cities and other non-profit community organizations. To get more information, visit their website at www.ymcatwincities.org, FaceBook, or call the Forest Lake or Lino Lake location. There is now a construction trailer on site and it will be staffed regular hours. The Council thanked Shama for presenting the information to Council and Ranell for volunteering to be on the Board. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 4,2016 Page 4 of 5 2015 Building Department Annual Report—Community Development Assistant Rachel Leitz Annually, a report is prepared on the years activities of the Community Development and Building Department. Community Development Assistant Rachel Leitz presented the 2015 annual report to Council. Planning application and building permits have been steadily increasing over the last few years with 67 permits issued in 2015. There were 3,179 inspections done with approximately 16 % of them being in Scandia, Lino Lakes, and Lake Elmo. There are currently a total 309 lots available to be built on and many more will be created in 2016 due to new developments in progress. There are two new commercial developments coming: Park Dental and Growing Generations Daycare. Foreclosures have declined since 2010 and equal less than 1% of available homes in Hugo. Residential construction remains stable with many new residential projects, including one with a water reuse system, Clearwater Cove. Approval of the Consent Agenda Miron made motion, Haas seconded, to approve the following Consent Agenda: 1. Approval of Claims 2. Approve Escrow Agreement for Hugo Daycare Properties, LLC for Wetland Banking All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Claims Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Claims Roster as presented. Approve Escrow Agreement for Hugo Daycare Properties, LLC for Wetland Banking The City Council approved the Growing Generations Daycare Site Plan and Frenchman Place 3rd Addition Final Plat at its March 7, 2016, meeting. This included approval of the wetland replacement plan to fill 3,680 square feet of wetland associated with the construction of the parking lot for the daycare facility on property located at 14689 Victor Hugo Boulevard. The applicant is proposing to use project specific wetland credits generated by the Rosemary Way wetland mitigation completed in 2014. These credits are available for projects within the Frenchman Place development; however, the credits are not yet certified for use. The wetland credits are planned to be certified after monitoring over five years. WCA rules allow the LGU to approve wetland replacements in advance of the credits being available when an escrow is provided to the City to be used to purchase wetland bank credits in the event the credits are not certified. The applicant is required to provide an escrow to the City in the amount of$10,150.00 as a condition of approval for the development. The applicant has provided a draft escrow agreement outlining that the escrow will be used to purchase wetland credits from a wetland bank, if the project specific wetland credits are not certified. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Escrow Agreement between Hugo Daycare Properties LLC, Team Two Investments, LLC, and the City of Hugo. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 4,2016 Page 4 of 5 Approve Award of Bid for 2016 Dust Control Proiect At its February 1, 2016 meeting, the Hugo City Council authorized City staff to advertise and receive bids for the 2016 dust control project. Bids were received and opened on March 30th for this contract. Public Works Director Scott Anderson explained the City received two bids with the low bid being Envirotech at $.885/gallon. This bid is $.07 less than last year. Total contract cost will be approximately$173,000. Haas made motion, Klein seconded to approve a 2016 dust control contract with Envirotech to apply calcium chloride at $.885/gallon. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approve Award of Bid for 2016 Seal Coating Project At its February 2, 2016 meeting, the Hugo City Council authorized City staff to advertise and receive bids for the 2016 seal coat project. Bids were received and opened on March 30th for this contract. Public Works Director Scott Anderson explained the City received two bids with the low bidder being Pearson Brother, Inc., at $211,803.95 Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the 2016 seal coat contract with Pearson Brothers, Inc. for$211,803.95. All Ayes. Motion carried. Review of Quotes for 2016 Gravel Road Resurfacing Project The Public Works Department solicited quotes for the 2016 gravel road resurfacing project. Public Works Director Scott Anderson explained that they acknowledge the high clay gravel specifications last year made roads too muddy after rain. There is now a new specification dropping clay content from 22% down to 12%. The City received the low quote from Dressel Contracting. Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the purchase of Class 5 modified gravel for the quoted price of$8.00/ton from Dressel Contracting. All Ayes. Motion carried. Update on Water Rebate Program Community Development Assistant Rachel Leitz talked about the Water Rebate Program implemented by the City in January 2016. This program offers rebates to residents and business owners on efficient toilets, washing machines, irrigation audits, and irrigation controller replacements. The City had received a grant from the Met Council Clean Water Fund for $36,000 and from Washington County for$9,000 towards the rebate program. She explained what was necessary to qualify for the rebate. The City received 10 applications, Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 4,2016 Page 4 of 5 six for washing machines and four for toilet replacement for a total rebate amount of$1,800. Annual water savings are estimated to be around 100,000 gallons. Moving forward, the rebate amounts will increase, and the program will be promoted in the City newsletter. The program will end in June, 2017. Update on Solar Subscription Agreement Community Development Assistant Rachel Leitz updated the Council on a proposed solar subscription agreement. In July 2015, the City joined the Met Council's request for proposals along with 23 entities for solar subscriptions. Lottery results were released in February, and the City was paired with Geronimo Energy. Hugo was allotted two lottery tickets equivalent to 240 kW (402,960 kWh). The City of Hugo uses approximately 1 million kilowatt hours a year, and solar would provide approximately 38% of the total use through this subscription agreement. The process would start with Geronimo building a solar garden and providing energy to Xcel. The City would see a bill credit from Xcel and would pay a portion to Geronimo. The result would be the City saving one penny per kWh, resulting in an annual saving of$4,029.60 the first year and $3,572.86 the 25th year, considering a degradation factor of.05% each year. The total savings to the City would be $94,921.06 over the 25 year subscription agreement. Xcel has not approved the projects yet and Scandia has not yet approved the site for the proposed solar garden. Also, Geronimo has more proposed gardens and could offset more of the City's usage with a subscription. The downside would be future solar panels or energy sources may offer something better during the 25 year subscription agreement. The Council talked about the state mandate that requires, by the year 2020, that 20% of energy comes from alternate sources such as solar. There was discussion about Connexus Energy's program that allows for customers to buy shares in their solar gardens, and how it compared to Xcel Energy. Also discussed was a possible increase in customer costs by Xcel to pay for projects and the possibility of other forms of energy, such as wind, that may become available in the future. It was also noted that projects were not moving forward very quickly due to concerns, and there was a general hesitation from Council to commit to something when things are not yet in place and operational, and the benefits were not clear. City Administrator Bryan Bear explained there are many solar subscription offers being made in Xcel's territory due to the state mandate. There is also a federal tax credit being offered as further incentive to develop these projects. He said it could be put in contract that, if a mandate caused this program to seize, the City could be released from the contract. He also pointed out the savings would only be about $4,000 per year, so there is not a lot of pressure to do it. Bear stated that the Met Council has provided the contract that the providers were using, and agreed that time and effort needed to be spent on reviewing it. City Attorney Dave Snyder suggested asking those who were proponents of these contracts to make their case, perhaps Geronimo and Xcel. Council reached consensus to get a summary from the providers of the businesses on the pros and cons of solar subscription contracts. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 4,2016 Page 4 of 5 MnDOT Speed Limit Change on TH61 City Engineer Jay Kennedy informed Council that MnDOT had recently completed an engineering and traffic investigation on Trunk Highway 61 within MnDOT's Metro District to determine reasonable and safe speed limits. The results indicated one location within the City of Hugo where the speed limit will increase. The existing 35 mph speed limit between 142"d and 152nd will increase to 40 mph based on results of data collected. MnDOT will implement the change during the summer of 2016. The Commissioner of Transportation has authority to change speed limit whether the City objects or not. The City could have discussions with them if there was a compelling argument. No formal action was taken. Legislative Updates The 2016 Legislative Session began on March 6, 2016. The City has been working with legislators on bonding requests for the rail line serving the Bald Eagle Industrial Park and for storm water reuse projects, as well as following other items being discussed at the Capitol. City Administrator Bryan Bear provided an update to the Council. Bryan stated there have been discussions with legislators regarding the City's short line railroad bonding request for $1.1 million for repairs. The bills have been introduced and referred to the capital investment committee, and there has been support at the Capitol. He explained another consideration is the state-wide freight railroad preservation bond request for $4,500,000, which was receiving broader support. Hugo is also requesting partial funding for three stormwater reuse projects for $1 million with a match from Hugo. The City is working with legislators to gain momentum after committee hearing. Bryan talked about the settlement agreement and the two proposals: one being a new water supply system and the other being augmentation. There has been no support from areas cities so far, and Hugo has remained neutral. Staff has been tracking bills relating to the White Bear Lake Augmentation. It is unclear how much money is being requesting because of competing costs estimates, and there is no clear answer as to who is going to own and operate it. He also talked about the City's role in the settlement agreement and the 17%water reduction requirement, stating that Hugo may be uniquely qualified to meet it, dependent on the DNR's rules. Staff has been working with the DNR on the water appropriations process to get them to understand their process is creating a barrier on good projects. The discussion is ongoing internally at the DNR. Update on the Yellow Ribbon Network Council Members Chuck Haas and Phil Klein updated the Council on the activities of the Yellow Ribbon Network to date. The YRN received a thank-you from the 133rd Airlift Wing. Haas thanked Oneka Golf Course for being the Hamburger Night March sponsor. Girl Scout cookies to be distributed soon. The Bayport Legion will be donating $200 a month to the YRN. The Bayport Legion hold the charitable gambling license at Sal's Angus Grill. Update on Metropolitan Council Stormwater Grants Haas talked about the Metropolitan Council Stormwater Grants and that the grants will be funded Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 4,2016 Page 4 of 5 through the Watershed District. City Engineer Jay Kennedy stated that a meeting is scheduled with the WSD on Friday to review projects and talk about how the City can get funding. Haas questioned what gets tied to the grant dollars, such as the inability to use stormwater credits, and stated the Met Council may not look favorably on the Watershed District's requirements. Severe Weather Awareness Week April 11-15 and Tornado Drill on April 14, 2016 City Administrator Bryan Bear informed Council that Severe Weather Awareness Week will be held on April 11-15 this year. Statewide tornado drills are scheduled for Thursday, April 14, 2016 at 1:45 p.m. and 6:55 p.m. Outdoor warning sirens and NOAA Weather Radios will sound in a simulated tornado warning. Board of Review and Equalization on Thursday, April 14, 2106 City Administrator Bryan Bear reminded Council that they will meet as the Board of Appeal and Equalization on Thursday, April 14, 2016 from 5:30 p.m. —7:00 p.m. The meeting will take place in the Oneka Room at Hugo City Hall. Park Dental Groundbreaking on Friday,April 15, 2016 City Administrator Bryan Bear informed Council they were invited to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for Park Dental Hugo, 14741 Victor Hugo Boulevard, on Friday, April 15, 2016 from 12:00 —2:00 p.m. Klein made motion, Petryk seconded, to schedule a meeting to attend the Park Dental Groundbreaking on April 15, 2016. All Ayes. Motion carried. Schedule Interviews for Parks Commission Vacancy City Administrator Bran Bear informed Council that staff has received three applications to fill the vacancy on the Parks Commission, and recommended Council schedule a date on which to hold interviews. Petryk made motion, Klein seconded, to schedule the Parks Commission interviews for Tuesday, April 19 at 7 p.m. All Ayes. Vacancy on the Carnelian-Marine St. Croix Watershed District City Administrator Bryan bear informed Council that the City was notified that the terms for three members of the Carnelian-Marine St. Croix Watershed District Board expire on June 21, 2016. State statute provides that the County Board will select watershed district managers from lists of nominees submitted by the municipalities that are wholly or partially in the watershed district. Anyone interested in being a board member should contact the City to be put on the list for consideration. The Council may submit the list or ask for the incumbent to be considered for Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 4,2016 Page 4 of 5 reappointment. Lists must be submitted to the County by April 24, 2016. Haas stated he had concerns about the Watershed District, including a recent increase in their levy. Haas suggested the City draft a letter to the County Board bringing these concerns to them. Petryk suggested Haas work with Bryan on a draft and bring it back to the City for approval. Adiournment Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to adjourn at 9:22 p.m. All Ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, IN\ Michele Lindau, City Clerk