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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021.04.19 CC MinutesMinutes HUGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING HUGO CITY HALL/HYBRID MEETING 14969 Fitzgerald Avenue North • Hugo. MN SS038 MONDAY. APRIL 19, 2021— 7 P.M. The Council meeting was held using a hybrid model consisting of in -person and virtual via ZOOM, pursuant to MN Statute Sec. 13D.021. Call to Order Mayor Weidt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. COUNCIL PRESENT IN CHAMBERS: Haas, Klein, Miron, Weidt COUNCIL PRESENT REMOTELY: Petryk OTHERS PRESENT AT CITY HALL: City Administrator Bryan Bear, Development Director Rachel Juba, City Engineer Mark Erichson, Community Development Assistant Emily Weber City Clerk Michele Lindau OTHERS PRESENT REMOTELY: City Attorney Dave Snyder, Planner Shayla Denaway Approval of Minutes for the April 5, 2021, City Council Meeting Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the April 5, 2021, City Council meeting as presented. Roll call vote — all ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for the April 8, 2021, Local Board of Appeals and Equalization Meeting Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the LBAE meeting on April 8, 2021, as presented. Roll call vote — all ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for the April 13, 2021, WBL Elementary School Groundbreaking Ceremony Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the minutes for the White Bear Lake Elementary School Groundbreaking Ceremony held on April 13, 2021, as presented. Roll call vote — all ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for the April 14, 2021, Lions Park Workshop Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the Lions Park Workshop held on April 14, 2021, as presented. Roll call vote — all ayes. Motion carried. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 19, 2021 Page 2 of 6 Approval of Agenda Weidt made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the agenda as amended by Haas to add an announcement by him. Roll call vote — all ayes. Motion carried. Swearing in of Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. At its October 19, 2020, meeting, Council approved the promotion of Jim Compton, Jr. as the new Hugo Fire Chief effective January, 1, 2021, to replace retired Fire Chief Kevin Covard. Jim has been with the department since June, 2001. Mayor Tom Weidt performed the swearing in of Jim Compton, Jr. as Fire Chief. Compton thanked all the firefighters who attended the meeting that evening and acknowledged the support of his wife over the years. Swearing in of Assistant Fire Chief Colin Emans At its April 5, 2021, meeting, Council approved the promotion of Colin Emans as the Assistant Fire Chief on the Hugo Fire Department. Colin has been with the department since June, 2013. Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. performed the swearing in of Colin Emans as the new Assistant Fire Chief. Colin stated he looked forward to the challenge in leading the department. Compton talked about Colin's 15-year career as a fire service veteran who spent seven years in White Bear Lake as a captain before moving to Hugo. Colin was most recently the training captain and had spent a lot of time adapting the training program during COVID, earning him the 2020 Fire Officer of the Year Award. Recognition of Retired Firefighter Ron Gray At its December 16, 2019, meeting, Council approved the retirement of Ron Gray from the Hugo Fire Department effective February 15, 2020. Ron had served on the fire department for 40 years. Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr., presented Ron plaque and talked about Ron's time on the department. Ron joined the department in 1979, and over the years served as a lieutenant, captain, assistant fire chief and most recently an engineer. He was a daytime responder who did a lot of projects for the department. He also held positions on the Board of Trustees for the Fire Relief Association and did a lot of work putting on the Good Neighbor Days Festival. Compton recalled a time when Ron responded to a call where he administered the AED and CPR, bringing the patient back from full cardiac arrest. The family made a donation to the department of $1,700 for the purchase of an additional AED. Ron was currently working with Allina Health as an EMT. Mayor Weidt called for a short recess. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 19, 2021 Page 3 of 6 Good Neighbor Days Festival — Lions Club Members Jason Schwieger Jason Schwieger, Assistant President of the Hugo Lions Club presented to Council information on their plan to hold the Hugo Good Neighbor Days Festival on Friday, June 11 — Sunday, June 13, 2021 at Lions Park. He explained how they were working on holding the event in a safe manner due to COVID, and he acknowledged they may have to delete some activities. There were plans for a beer garden, petting zoo, fireworks, parade, craft fair, bags tournament and rib contest on Saturday. Grundhofer Meats would be donating ribs. The Lions were not planning on using the kitchen since they were getting ready for the building to be torn down with the improvements to Lions Park, so they will be using the Centerville Lions Club's food trailer. Due to COVID, there would be more washing stations, Plexiglas dividers, and sanitation stations. He stated they would be waiting for the last action plan from the governor before creating their COVID plan. Council expressed appreciation for all the Lions do in putting on this event. Schwieger asked Council to waive the Special Event Permit and provide police services for the event as in the past. Haas made motion, Klein seconded, to waive the Special Event Permit and provide police services for the event with the review and approval by staff of their COVID plan. All Ayes. Motion carried. Washington County Sheriffs Office Annual Report — Sheriff Dan Starry Washington County Sheriff Dan Starry was in attendance to present the Sheriff's Department annual report. He began by commending Ron Gray on his 40 years of service to the Hugo Fire Department. Starry talked about being with the Sheriff's Office since 1993, saying it was an honor being elected the 30th Sheriff of Washington County. He introduced Chief Deputy Anschutz, newly assigned Patrol Commander Tim Harris, and Hugo Sergeant Joe Zerwas. He talked about the eight deputies that work hard to serve everyone who lived and worked in Hugo. Starry presented the guiding principles they use to build trust and collaboration in the community and serve with fairness, respect, and impartiality. The explained the budget for Hugo in 2021 was just over $1.2 million dollars, which came to $79.10 cost per capita. He talked about the new challenges in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the civil unrest due to the Chauvin trial saying an East Metro Readiness Group was formed to address requests for services. He said hiring during this time has been a challenge with the applicant pool decreasing. He provided trends in Washington County saying there had been an increase of calls for persons in crisis, speeding, theft of vehicles, driving while impaired, and no increase in overdose deaths. There were six in Hugo last year. He explained ways they were responding to each of those trends saying they created special units and received grants to assist in DWI and speeding enforcement. They also provide assistance to those struggling with opioids. He talked about the Drug Takeback Program and how they collected over 35 tons of medication since the program began in 2013. Ten barrels of were collected in Hugo alone last year. He thanked the City for partnering with them. He explained there were 8,421 calls for service last year and 5,433 Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 19, 2021 Page 4 of 6 incident calls. The highest call load occurred between 3-9 p.m. He said deputies work around the clock, and he encouraged anyone seeing something suspicious to call immediately. He reviewed the 2020 crime incidents and quality of life incidents stats, and he talked about fraud and phone scams. He said Hugo Detective Lee Mars remained busy and does a fabulous job. He presented trends on types of crimes in Hugo saying the stats were shared with deputies so they could provide proper attention. Citations and moving violations were mapped so they could see what areas they needed to provide additional enforcement. He said in 2021, they were looking forward to there being more events and opportunities for them to be engaged in the community. Council asked about the annual memorial service, whether traffic violations were by local residents or those outside the community, and if they were seeing more people on the roads as COVID restrictions lessen. Starry replied the memorial service would be held virtual again this year, and traffic violators differ from location, but many are locals speeding in their own neighborhoods. He stated there was an increase in people out, and he asked that everyone slow down, pay attention, and report things that are suspicious. There was a discussion on the new social media trend to report incidents online instead of calling the Sheriff's office. Starry encouraged people to call 911 dispatch since 911 now handles emergency and non -emergency issues. Approval of Consent Agenda Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the following consent agenda: 1. Approve Claims Roster 2. Approve Special Event Permit for New Life Church Summer and Fall Events 3. Approve Application for Water Surface Use Permit for Dave Strub on Sunset Lake 4. Approve Temporary On -Sale Liquor License for Lions Club for Good Neighbor Days 5. Approve Renewal of 2 a.m. License for Sal's Angus Grill 6. Approve Encroachment Agreement for 5555 157th Way North — Thomas Callies All Ayes. Motion carried. Approve Claims Roster Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Claims Roster as presented. Approve Special Event Permit for New Life Church Summer and Fall Events New Life Church, 6000 148th Street North, had applied for a Special Event Permit to hold outdoor events on Sunday, June 13 and Sunday October 3, 2021. A Special Event Permit approved by Council was required because an amplified sound system would be used. The June event would be an outdoor service at 9 a.m. followed by a picnic. The October event would be an outdoor gathering from noon-5:00 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 subject to the conditions in the permit including a COVID Preparedness Plan. Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 19, 2021 Page 5 of 6 Approve Application for Water Surface Use Permit for Dave Strub on Sunsest Lake On behalf of residents living on Sunset Lake, resident Dave Strub made application to the City of Hugo for a Water Surface Use Permit to allow residents to water ski on the slalom course on the lake. Washington County Sheriff's Department would issue the permit after City Council approval. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the application for a Water Surface Use Permit for a slalom water skiing course on Sunset Lake. Approve Temporary On -Sale Liquor License for Lions Club for Good Neighbor Days The Hugo Lions Club had applied for a temporary On -Sale Liquor License to serve alcohol at the Hugo Good Neighbor Days Festival June 11-13, 2021. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the temporary On -Sale Liquor License for Good Neighbor Days. Approve Renewal of 2 a.m. License for Sal's Angus Grill Since May 2010, Sal's Angus Grill held a license that permitted the establishment to stay open until 2 a.m. This license needed to be renewed annually with approval by the City Council. This year, the State had waived their permit fee due to COVID. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the renewal of the 2 a.m. license for Sal's Angus Grill. Approve Encroachment Agreement for 5555 157th Way North — Thomas Callies Thomas Callies had requested an encroachment agreement to allow construction of a fence within a drainage and utility easement on property located at 5555 157th Way North. A drainage and utility easement covered a majority of the back yard. Staff found the deck and shed would have no negative impact on utilities or drainage in the area. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved RESOLUTION 2021-28 APPROVING AN ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENT FOR THOMAS CALLIES TO ALLOW CONSTRUCTION OF A FENCE WITHIN A DRAINAGE AND UTILITY EASEMENT ON THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 5555 157TH WAY NORTH. Approve Resolutions for Lions Park Site HCM Architects, on behalf of the City of Hugo, had applied for site plan approval of Lions Park located at 5524 Upper 146th Street North. Community Development Assistant Emily Weber presented the plan that included an approximately 5,500 square foot Lions Park pavilion with an indoor gathering room, meeting rooms, serving kitchen and restrooms, which would all be made available for public use. The plan also showed playground equipment, trails, landscaping, and sport courts/fields. She provided background on the project explaining the site was master planned in 2015 after three years of planning, four stakeholder meetings, and six community workshops. In October 2020, a community workshop was held and three stakeholder committees were formed to refine the design of the playground, park pavilion, and overall park site. At its April 8, 2021 meeting, the Hugo Planning Commission considered the request for approval of the Lions Park site plan. The Commissioners liked the overall site plan and agreed that the park redevelopment would be a great amenity to Hugo. The Planning Commission found that the site Hugo City Council Meeting Minutes for April 19, 2021 Page 6 of 6 plan met all criteria required for approval and recommended approval of the site plan subject to the conditions listed in the resolution. The City Council and Parks Commission held a workshop on April 14, 2021 at Hugo City Hall, where HCM Architects and WSB presented the site plan and park pavilion in depth. Residents were invited to participate in the workshop and provide feedback and ask questions. Generally, the Council members, Commissioners, and residents were excited about the future improvements of Lions Park and considered the site plan to consist of high quality design and to be well thought out. Klein made motion, Haas seconded to approve RESOLUTION 2021-29 APPROVING A SITE PLAN FOR HCM ARCHITECTS ON BEHALF OF THE CITY OF HUGO FOR LIONS PARK LOCATED AT 5524 UPPER 146TH STREET NORTH. Roll call vote — all ayes. Update on the Yellow Ribbon Network Council Members Chuck Haas updated the Council on the activities of the Yellow Ribbon Network to date. Three thousand military members were on state -active duty due to the unrest in the Twin Cities, and they had a wish list of items, one being a hot meal. The YRN partnered with Aesop's Table to serve 255 people, and Haas showed pictures of the event. He stated the YRN continues to get requests for assistance and they are doing what they can to meet them. Burger Night will resume on April 27 at the Hugo American Legion, and the White Bear Chamber will be the sponsor. Dine in and takeout will be available. Announcement by Chuck Haas of his Retirement Council member Chuck Hass announced he will be retiring from the City Council effective May 31, 2021, after over 22 years as a Council Member. Council discussed with the City Attorney Dave Snyder options for his replacement, which were to hold a special election or fill it by appointment. Snyder explained that statute allowed a vacancy to be filled by appointment by the Council it the vacancy occurs when less than half the term remained and doing so would avoid a costly special election. Miron moved Klein seconded, to direct staff to draft an appointment process and bring back the logistics to the next meeting All ayes. Motion carried. Adjournment Klein made motion, Haas seconded to adjourn at 8:36 p.m. All ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully /Submitted, . I�v�,rX-eu�- Michele Lindau, City Clerk