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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020.03.16 CC Minutes Call to Order Mayor Weidt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. PRESENT: Haas (via Skype), Klein, Miron, Petryk (via Skype), Weidt ABSENT: None ALSO PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, City Engineer Mark Erichson, City Attorney Dave Snyder, Community Development Director Rachel Juba, Community Development Assistant Emily Weber, City Cl erk Michele Lindau Approval of Minutes for the March 2, 2020, City Council Meeting Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the minutes for the Council meeting held on March 2, 2020, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. March 4, 2020, Neighborhood Meeting on Proposed Public Works Facility Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the neighborhood meeting on the proposed Public Works facility held on March 4, 2020, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. March 5, 2020, New Creations Child Care and Learning Center Open House Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for New Creations’ open house held on March 5, 2020, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Agenda Weidt made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the agenda as amended by removing the recognition of the GFOA Award, move the discussion on the coronavirus to earlier in the meeting, and remove the announcement of the Metro Cities’ meeting because it had been cancelled. All Ayes. Motion carried. Minutes HUGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING HUGO CITY HALL MONDAY, MARCH 16, 2020 – 7 P.M. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for March 16, 2020 Page 2 of 8 Presentation of GFOA Award for Excellence in Financial Reporting - Finance Director Ron Otkin Finance Director Ron Otkin had received notification from the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada that the Hugo Finance Department has received their 26th Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting. This item will be moved to a future meeting. Discussion on Coronavirus Response Planning Staff had been following the developments related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) health pandemic. City Administrator Bryan Bear updated the Council on the City’s efforts to prepare for the crisis. National and state emergencies have been declared by President Trump and Governor Waltz. The City had not been asked to take any official action and is doing its best to follow guidance by public health agencies. Bear talked about the continuance of essential public services and changes to non-essential services such as no water meter installations, temporary suspension of peddler permits, and modifications in entering homes for building inspections and emergency situations. In the future, non-essential services may be reduced or eliminated. City hall had been open but there was little traffic. Staff was available and preferred to communicate via email, telephone, or video conferencing. The Fire Department staff temporarily terminated drills, but will respond to emergencies. Events were being cancelled in the City’s community rooms, and Bear recommended closing the rooms to the public. Public recreation events have been cancelled, and a provision was added to special event permits reserving the City’s right to cancel events due to a public health threat. Nearly all City meetings had been cancelled to avoid person-to-person contact, and discussions needed to be had regarding legal requirements on land use applications. Staff was looking for a way to make meetings happen electronically, which is allowed by state statute in cases of a pandemic. Weidt made motion, Miron seconded, to close the City’s event rooms until it is safe to reopen. All Ayes. Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to prepare for electronic meetings and hold them at the direction of the Mayor. All Ayes Proposed .25% Sales Tax – Washington County Commissioner Fran Miron Washington County was proposing a .25% sales tax for transportation in addition to the .25% sales tax currently dedicated for transit projects. The County held the first public hearing on February 11 and had planned on continuing the public hearing on March 17th, with final consideration likely on March 24, 2020. Washington County Commissioner Fran Miron addressed the Council. Miron stated he couldn’t recall any public hearing being open as long as it has been for this item, which showed there was great interest in tak ing public comments. He stated that a board meeting was scheduled for the following day, and he e xpect ed staff to propose language to the Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for March 16, 2020 Page 3 of 8 board to table or postpone action on this item (due to the pandemic). He expected future public hearings to be held, and said he would return to the City Council to discuss at that time. Miron talked about the coronavirus saying it was critical for the public to know the County was there to provide essential services and will continue to work protecting employees and the public. He said the county will take action from the state and federal government and follow Minnesota health organizations recommendations. Miron was concerned about social isolation caused by this virus and said he will be monitoring mental health services to make sure situations are not being exacerbated. He encouraged communication with the county to make sure needs are being met. Consent Agenda Weidt made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the following Consent Agenda: 1. Approve Claims Roster 2. Approve Annual Performance Review for Finance Director Ron Otkin 3. Approve Lawful Gambling Exempt Permit for White Bear Lacrosse Club for April 19, 2020 Bingo 4. Approve Special Event Permits for New Life Church on June 14 and October 4, 2020 5. Approve Special Event Permit for the Blue Heron Grill Tent Party on June 19 and 20, 2020 6. Revision to 2040 Comprehensive Plan Housing Policy All Ayes. Motion carried. Approve Claims Roster Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Claims Roster as presented. Approve Annual Performance Review for Finance Director Ron Otkin Ron Otkin was hired as the City’s Finance Director on April 3, 1989. For the past 31 years, Ron conducted duties related to the City’s Finance Department which included the annual preparation of the City’s budget as well as financing of public improvement projects and accounts payable and accounts receivable. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the annual performance review for Finance Director Ron Otkin. Approve Lawful Gambling Exempt Permit for White Bear Lacrosse Club for April 19, 2020 Bingo The White Bear Lake Boys Lacrosse Club had applied for a Lawful Gambling Exempt Permit to hold a Bingo on April 19, 2020, at the Hugo American Legion as part of their fundraising event. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Lawful Gambling Exempt Permit for their event. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for March 16, 2020 Page 4 of 8 Approve Special Event Permits for New Life Church on June 14 and October 4, 2020 New Life Church, 6000 148th Street North, had applied for a Special Event Permit to hold outdoor events on Sunday, June 14 and Sunday October 4, 2019. A Special Event Permit approved by Council was required because they would be using an amplified sound system. The June event is an outdoor service at 9 a.m. followed by a potluck. The October event is an outdoor gathering from 2-5:30 p.m. with a small band, hayrides, and outdoor games. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Special Event Permit for New Life Church for their Spring and Fall events. Approve Special Event Permit for the Blue Heron Grill Tent Party on June 19 & 20, 2020 Blue Heron Bar and Grill, 14725 Victor Hugo Boulevard, had applied for a special event permit to hold their annual outdoor tent party on Friday, June 19th and Saturday, June 20th. The event had been held at the Blue Heron for the past seven years. A special event permit approved by Council was required because alcohol would be served outside, approximately 500 people were expected to attend, it would extend after dark, and there would be amplified music. The event would consist of a bean bag tournament during the day on Saturday and bands playing from 8:30 – midnight. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Special Event Permit for the Blue Heron Grill Tent Party on June 19 and 20, 2019, subject to the requirements in the permit. Revision to 2040 Comprehensive Plan Housing Policy On November 18, 2019, the City Council adopted the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. The Met Council since informed staff, after reviewing the adopted plan, that in order to be fully consistent with the Met Council’s Housing Policy, Table 4-11 in the Housing Chapt er needed to be updated to consider all widely known housing tools. This was a minor revision and only required administrative approval at the Met Council. Staff ha d revised the table to include the additional tools . Adoption of the Consent Agenda appro ved RESOLUTION 2020-15 APPROVING A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN AMENDMENT CHANGING TEXT ON TABLE 4-11 EXISTING HOUSING NEEDS IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS IN CHAPTER 4 HOUSING PLAN. Public Hearing on the Vacation of a Drainage and Utility Easement – Adelaide Landing Community Development Director Rachel Juba explained that OP5 Adelaide (Excelsior Group) had requested a vacation of the existing drainage and utility easement located over Outlot B, Adelaide Landing 4th Addition. Outlot B will be used for the development of Adelaide Landing 5th Addition and other future phases. New drainage and utility easements will be placed on the lots at the time the final plat is recorded. She explained that next on the agenda was approval of the final plat and the development agreement for Adelaide Landing 5th Add ition. She recommended that the Council hold the public hearing as scheduled and approve the notice to vacate the easement. Mayor Weidt opened the public hearing. Mike Atkinson stated he was the owner of the lot at 13452 Goodview Avenue North, which is adjacent to outlot B. He had questions on the elevation o f the inlet, which he said would drain most of the water from his property. He also had concerns about the 15” pipe that would be 14’ Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for March 16, 2020 Page 5 of 8 below ground. He didn’t think the five foot setback between lots would allow room for maintenance. City Engineer Mark Erichson addressed the Council on the drainage, stating there would be a minor modification to increase the drainage easement, and he would be happy to meet with Atkinson to go over the elevations of the outlets and pipe sizes. The City was still waiting for comments from the developer’s engineer to address the City’s concerns. Juba clarified that the building setbacks were not changed on the lots adjacent to the Atkinson parcel; they were still at seven and a half feet. The setbacks on lots in the northern portion of the development were changed to five feet . There were no other comments, and the Mayor closed the public hearing. Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the notice to vacate the drainage and utility easement located over Outlot B, Adelaide Landing 4th Addition. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approve Resolution Approving Adelaide Landing 5th Addition Final Plat and Development Agreement As Community Development Director Rachel Juba explained in her earlier presentation, OP5 Adelaide (Excelsior Group) had requested approval of a final plat to be known as “Adelaide Landing 5th Addition” in order to plat 79 lots and 3 outlots on a parcel located east of Highway 61 and north of 130th Street, which would develop a portion of Outlot B Adelaide Landing 4th Addition. The lots met the minimum lot standards and requirements outlined in the regulations for the Adelaide Landing PUD. Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve RESOLUTION 2020-16 APPROVING A FINAL PLAT AND DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT FOR OP5 ADELAIDE, LLC FOR ADELAIDE LANDING 5th ADDITION . All Ayes. Motion carried. Update on Neighborhood Meeting Regarding Proposed Public Works Facility City Administrator Bryan Bear provided background on discussions regarding the Public Works facility. In April of 2019, the City Council authorized Oertel Architects to perform a space needs study of the existing Public Works facility. A workshop was held on November 12, 2019, to review the results to expand the facility at its current site. It was concluded that the current facility site, even if expanded, would not be conducive to meet the City’s long term needs. The study was expanded to consider an alternate plan to construct a new facility on an alternate site. Oertel Architects had provided Council with a proposal for a new facility to be located on the Irish Avenue Park property. Workshops were held on February 10 and 19, 2020, to consider all options as well as a finance plan. Council directed a neighborhood meeting to be held on March 5, 2020, with the residents in the area of Irish Avenue Park. Bear gave a recap of that meeting where he had provided attendees the history of the property and information on the site, initiating Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for March 16, 2020 Page 6 of 8 discussion on locating the Public Works facility there. Residents had concerns about lighting, noise, access, loss of trees and rural character, and the future use of the park property if a Public works facility was built there. Bear explained that the proposed new facility building would be approximately 60,000 square feet in size at a cost just shy of $9 million. Additional cost would be $905,000 for site improvements, $150,000 for salt storage, and non-construction costs of $873,000 that would include the preparation of plans and specifications. Bear explained that at the workshops and meetings, there was also discussions on the future use of the current building and the possibility of it being used by the White Bear Lake School District. He talked about how COVID-19 was impacting discussions at the school district and delaying action on bills in the legislature that proposed sales tax exemption for the construction of a new building. The next step would be to authorize preparation of building plans and specifications if the Council was comfortable with that direction. Klein talked about how he understood the concerns he heard at the neighborhood meeting, and said overall, he heard no total objections. He said the site would accommodate future expansion, and it made sense to be able to do so, but the City needed to be good neighbors. He said he would support this. Miron said he agreed with Klein’s assessment of the neighborhood meeting. He said some of the neighbors want ed more specifications regarding connections and access points, and he questioned whether the plans would help address those concerns and provide more information. Bear explained preparation of plans would take several months, and t he s ite plan would be developed simultaneously. There would be a point to check back in with the neighborhood, though he was unsure how meetings would be held in the coming month (due to the coronavirus). Weidt stated he believed it was the most prudent plan for building a project that would be expandable in the future. He said it was money well spent for the City, its Citizens, and future taxpayers. He supported moving forward with the design. Weidt made motion, Klein seconded, to authorize preparation of the building plans and specifications. Ayes: Klein, Miron, Petryk, Haas, Weidt. Motion carried. The Meadows at Hugo Sketch Plan, Golden Valley Land Company Community Development Assistant Emily Weber presented to Council the Meadows at Hugo Sketch Plan. Golden Valley Land Company had applied for sketch plan review and a potential PUD to develop vacant land located in the area north of 159th Street and east of the city’s north water tower. The land is relatively flat and has some restrictions due to wetlands on the property. The property is zoned Future Urban Service, and guided as Medium Density Residential in the Comprehensive Plan. The Parks Commission considered the site plan at their March 20, 2019, meeting and the Planning Commission reviewed the plan at their March 28, 2019, meeting. The Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for March 16, 2020 Page 7 of 8 applicant then submitted a revised sketch plan for the Planning Commission to comment on at their February 27, 2020, meeting. The Planning Commission generally discussed how the applicant could provide more creativity to the layout and add character to the development in exchange for the 5 foot side yard setbacks they had proposed. The applicant revised the plan and were seeking comments from the City Council. The developer was requesting Planned Unit Development (PUD) flexibility for 50-foot lot widths where 80 feet is required by ordinance, and five foot side yard setbacks where 10 feet is required by ordinance. In exchange, the developer proposed to extend the trail connection to the park to the west, preserve to the maximum extent possible the site’s natural features, and install a water reuse irrigation system. Weber shared the sample elevations of the site stating a builder had not yet been selected. She showed the access to the site off Farnham Ave and the two connections to the vacant parcel to the north. The access off Farnham would be constructed through the City-owned parcel at the developer’s expense but utilities, if necessary for the City, would be installed at the City’s expense. She showed where the Metropolitan Sewer Interceptor was located and the proposed connection, which was not as identified in the Comprehensive Plan. An amendment to the plan would be necessary for the change in the connection location. Weber talked about parks and trail and explained the Parks Commission recommended payment of the park dedication fee since there was to be a nearby park, and there will be a trail system through the development. Matt Pavek with Golden Valley Land addressed the Council and answered questions about the home types and price points. He explained they were proposing 81 single family lots with villa style homes that would be slab on grade. They had not yet determined the builder. He asked the Council if there was any objection to the five foot setbacks and if they were comfortable with the plan. Council agreed with the comments from the Planning Commission and the Parks Commission and felt they were on the right track to make the development aesthetically pleasing. Update on Yellow Ribbon Network Council Member s Chuck Haas and Phil Klein updated the Council on the recent activities of the Yellow Ribbon Network.. Haas showed photos of the YRN’s first Welcome Home Pheasant Hunt ten years ago and a photo of their most recent 23rd hunting event. He thanked all their sponsors. He shared photos of soldiers who recently received care packages and thanked European coffee for their donations. The March Burger Night will be cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. Metro Cities Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 16, 2020 Council had been invited to attend Metro Cities Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 16, 2020. This was removed from the agenda because the meeting was canceled due to the coronavirus. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for March 16, 2020 Page 8 of 8 Adjournment Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to adjourn at 8:20 p.m. All Ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, Michele Lindau City Clerk