Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023.04.03 CC MinutesMINUTES City Council Meeting City Hall Council Chambers Monday, April 3, 2023 7:00 p.m. Call to Order Mayor Weidt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll Call COUNCIL PRESENT: Klein, Miron, Petryk, Strub (via ZOOM), Weidt COUNCIL ABSENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, City Engineer Mark Erichson, City Clerk Michele Lindau Approval of Minutes for the March 20, 2023, City Council Meeting Petryk made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the Council meeting held on March 20, 2023, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for March 23, 2023, Solar Ordinance Workshop Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the Planning Commission and City Council joint workshop on the solar ordinance held on March 23, 2023, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Agenda Weidt made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the agenda as amended by adding the invite to the White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting. All Ayes. Motion carried. Fire Department and M Health Fairview EMS Annual Report Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. presented a PowerPoint to Council on the annual report for the Fire Department. He provided a breakdown of the roles of the 27 members saying there were a few open positions. The department had responded to a total of 380 calls in 2023. Ninety were alarm calls mainly due to routine maintenance. They responded to 66 fire calls, and Compton provided a breakdown of those types of calls. This was the third year assisting MHealth Fairview, and they were called out 166 times to assist them. Motor vehicle accidents made up 31 of those calls, which required firefighter skills for extrication, scene cleanup, and traffic control. Trends showed there was a 7% increase in call volume, and Compton predicted it was likely to grow due to growth in the City. Calls per hour showed that 53% of them occurred between 8 Council Meeting Minutes for April 3, 2023 Page 2 of 7 a.m. and 5 p.m., the busiest day was Wednesdays, and the busiest month was July. He said it was important to know this information for staffing purposes, and he stressed the need for daytime firefighters. Three new firefighters were hired in 2023. The department had received $9,000 in donations from the Hugo Legion, and the department was awarded a 50/50 grant from the DNR for $5,000 for wildland gear. They will be replacing the Chief’s squad vehicle for a new F350 grass firetruck, which is on order, and they hoped to get it soon. This vehicle would use high pressure foam, reducing gallons per minute of water. Training in 2023 included 3,643 hours spent on drills, a bus extraction training done on a donated bus, and one live burn. Leadership development continued, and they try to get together once a month. Firefighters and officers were sent to schools throughout the state for training, and NIMS training was done through FEMA. The department continued to participate in blood drives, fire prevention classes, toy drives, boy scouts, parades, rodeos, etc. Compton talked about Hugo being a Heart Safe Community saying there were 23 AEDs in Hugo with six located in City buildings that are available to the public. These were all purchased through donations, and some volunteers on the department carry them. Some of their goals for 2023 included continued talks about a fulltime fire chief and work on their daytime staffing model. Petryk asked about electric vehicle (EV) fires and if foam worked on those. Compton replied there was no data tracking that, and Hugo had not had one yet. He said they are very dangerous fires, and a lot of the metro departments were learning about them. He estimated it took about 20,000 gallons to cool the batteries in the EVs, and it only took about 3,000 to put out a normal car fire. He added that a lot of the salvage yards were not taking those vehicles. Compton thanked Finance Director Anna Wobse and Accounting Clerk Amber Lozier for compiling the data. M Health Operations Manager Kevin Kane was in attendance to present the M Health Fairview EMS 2022 Annual Report. He had with him Clayton, their first and only facility dog. Clayton was a three-year-old lab bred and trained as a service animal. He provided passive therapy for the EMS crews and was good at interacting with the public during community events. He talked about a story Channel Five News did on them, and said they were looking at expanding the program. Kane provided a breakdown on the data for the northern region. There was a total of 4,963 requests in 2022, mutual aid was received 172 times and given 475. He reviewed call types on severity, which dictates whether they respond with lights and sirens or not. The emergent response for the overall region averaged at 7:37 and the overall combined was 8:24. In 2022 in Hugo, there were 1,032 requests for medicals with 28 cancelled in route, and there were 43 mutual aid requests. The combined response time was 7:46. He shared a breakdown of call types. Mental health calls made up 17.74% of all calls. Kane explained that number was not indicative of the mental health of the community, since some are repeat patients. One property in Hugo specifically brought that number up. Kane said they try to embed themselves into the community by attending events at no costs. They continue to provide education free of charge to the Fire Department to maintain their EMS certifications. He predicted requests to do community events will increase with the presence of Clayton. Council Meeting Minutes for April 3, 2023 Page 3 of 7 Miron asked how they were doing in recruiting people into the EMS service. Kane responded there was a shortage nationally and low school enrollment. Mutual aid showed they are in a good position with staffing levels and they recruit anytime they can. Approval of the Consent Agenda Miron made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve the following Consent Agenda: 1. Approve Claims Roster 2. Approve Extension of Leave of Absence for Firefighter Doug Millard 3. Approve Tom Smith as Public Works Streets Lead Worker 4. Approve Rick Kieffer Public Works Parks Lead Worker 5. Approve Donation from the Hugo American Legion to the Hugo Fire Department 6. Approve Wetland Replacement Plan for Oneka Prairie 7. Approve Final Pay Request No.16 for Water Tower No. 4 to CB&I, LLC 8. Approve No Parking Resolution on 159th Street 9. Approve Appointment of Mike Granger to the Ordinance Review Committee All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Claims Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Claims Roster as presented. Approve Extension of Leave of Absence for Firefighter Doug Millard At its January 9, 2023, meeting, Council approved a three-month leave of absence for Firefighter Doug Millard. That leave of absence ended on March 31, 2023, and Doug had requested an extension to May 31, 2023. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the extension of the leave of absence for Firefighter Doug Millard to May 31, 2023. Approve Tom Smith as Public Works Streets Lead Worker The City Council, at their February 6, 2023 meeting, approved the job description for a Public Works Streets Lead Worker and gave authorization to hold interviews and select an internal candidate to fill the position. Staff recommended the promotion of Tom Smith to the position of Public Works Streets Lead Worker. This position would be pay grade 6 (non-exempt), and Tom would begin at the maximum step of the salary matrix. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved Tom Smith as the Public Works Streets Lead Worker. Approve Rick Kieffer as Public Works Parks Lead Worker The City Council, at their February 6, 2023 meeting, approved the job description for a Public Works Parks Lead Worker and gave authorization to hold interviews and select an internal candidate to fill the position. Staff recommended the promotion of Rick Kieffer to the position of Public Works Parks Lead Worker. This position would be pay grade 6 (non-exempt), and Rick would begin at the maximum step of the salary matrix. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved Rick Kieffer as the Public Works Parks Lead Worker. Council Meeting Minutes for April 3, 2023 Page 4 of 7 Approve Donation from the Hugo American Legion to the Hugo Fire Department The Hugo American Legion had requested to donate $1,000 to the Hugo Fire Department from pull-tab proceeds for equipment and training. All donations to the Fire Department needed to be approved by the Council. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the donation of $1,000 to the Hugo Fire Department. Approve Wetland Replacement Plan for Oneka Prairie Southwind Holdings, LLC, had proposed to develop a 25-acre property located at the north end of Oneka Parkway to be known as Oneka Prairie. The development would include 59 residential lots and a public park. The property had 3.92 acres of wetlands on site. The development would result in .50 acres of wetland impact, mostly for road construction and grading. The applicant had proposed to replace the impacts to the wetland basin though the purchase of wetland credits from an approved wetland bank. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the wetland replacement plan, subject to final Technical Evaluation Panel issuance of the Notice of Decision for the wetland replacement application. Approve Final Pay Request No.16 for Water Tower No. 4 to CB&I, LLC The Water Tower No. 4 project had been completed and quantities had been reviewed and agreed upon by the contractor. The City had received the appropriate contract closeout documentation. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved payment of Pay Request No. 16 for the Water Tower No. 4 project in the amount of $65,775.75. Approve No Parking Resolution on 159th Street The Shores of Oneka Lake development team was working on final construction plans for the TH 61 and 159th Street roundabout project that would provide access to the development and improve safety at the existing intersection. The City of Hugo was successful in receiving a Local Partnership Program Grant for this project and, similar to the City’s state aid projects, it needed to be built to MNDOT standards. The roadway design for 159th Street was not such that it allowed for on street parking, so the City needed to approve a no parking resolution. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved RESOLUTION NO. 2023-5 RESTRICTING PARKING ALONG 159TH STREET FROM FOREST BOULEVARD (TH 61) TO WEST TO FOXHILL AVENUE AND FROM FOREST BOULEVARD (TH 61) EAST TO GOODVIEW AVENUE FOR THE TH 61 AND 159TH STREET RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT. Approve Appointment of Mike Granger to the Ordinance Review Committee The Ordinance Review Committee (ORC) reviews new ordinances and amendments, as directed by the City Council, and makes recommendations to the Planning Commission. The ORC consisted of two City Council Members (Miron and Klein) and three Planning Commissioners (Kleissler and Arcand), however there was a vacant position to be filled by a Planning Commissioner. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the appointment of Planning Commissioner Mike Granger to the ORC. Council Meeting Minutes for April 3, 2023 Page 5 of 7 Update on Solar Ordinance Workshop Held on March 23, 2023 A joint workshop was held with the City Council and Planning Commission on March 23 to discuss the existing solar ordinance as it related to solar energy systems and solar farm projects in the City. City Administrator Bryan Bear explained that previously, the Council had declared a moratorium on solar farm applications for six months to allow time to determine if revisions to the ordinance were needed. He explained there was consensus to consider some changes and for the ordinance to be forwarded to the Ordinance Review Committee. Council had also expressed desire to see the changes proposed by the ORC before authorizing amendments to be considered by the Planning Commission. Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to refer the solar ordinance to the Ordinance Review Committee for consideration and report back to Council. All Ayes. Motion carried. Discussion on Fable Hills and Forest Road Bridges Staff put this on the agenda to discuss potential remedies and funding sources for two bridges that have issues. City Engineer Mark Erichson began by providing background on the Fable Hills bridge and the Forest Road bridge. Per State Statute, Hugo was responsible to do bridge inspections. He explained different types of bridges required different inspection timelines, and both these bridges required annual inspections. Public Works has had questions on on-going maintenance with both bridges. Fable Hills had timber decking that had been pulled off and exposed bolts that were bent or sheard off. Erichson said it rated well at a 74, but Public Works had been replacing boards to prolong the life of the deck. The bridge was only 20 years old and had creosote timbers and erosion of the steel. Maintaining it by recoating and sandblasting would be an expensive fix. Staff’s recommendation was to continue monitoring it, look at maintenance practices, and wait for the structure to be at a rating where funding was available. The score needed to be a 60 or less. Petryk recalled that it was a used bridge when installed, and she questioned whether it was really older than 20 years. Erichson replied he did not know the answer but remembered the decking as being new. She also asked if the bolts were an issue with tires. Erichson replied there were no issues. He added that he would not recommend a timber deck or truss bridge like this in the future, but it was still in good condition. Weidt asked how long before the rating dropped to a level to qualify for funding. Erichson replied that their engineers were evaluating it, but he guessed it was probably not within the next five years. Erichson next provided an update on the Forest Road bridge, which was over 100 years old. The bridge was now load posted. He explained it was a one lane bridge, and there were some areas where old rebar was exposed. WSB staff had concerns about the bridge and had evaluated bridge bonding that would pay for the replacement of the bridge structure, but it would need to be shovel ready. He explained another option would be to put a cul-de-sac at each end and Council Meeting Minutes for April 3, 2023 Page 6 of 7 eliminate the bridge; however, Public Works staff had cited a few times where it was necessary for the routing of traffic when there were issues on Highway 61. If it was replaced, they would have to evaluate the type of structure to use and the different costs to the City. Miron commented that if they closed the bridge, there would be costs to remove it and put in two cul-de-sacs, so regardless there would be some expense to City. Mark said the last state aid report had indicated there were over 50 bridges on the list right now for funding and they are typically taken in the order received. Depending on funding allocated by the legislature, they could all be done in one year. Klein recalled past discussions on the bridge and the cost was around $1 million. Ericson said he believed it would cost less than that if it was a box culvert or beam bridge, and construction costs could be paid for with state funding. They would look at the City’s cost with each option. He said before they invested any more time, he wanted to make sure they were on the right track with the Council. Klein asked about just making it a dead-end street since there were only a few houses there. Ericson said there needed to be some sort of turnaround, and they could look at different types of scenarios. Traffic volumes would need to be considered. Petryk talked about the elimination of the road and questioned the necessity of leaving it open. Erichson said they could talk to MnDOT and Public Works to learn more about when a bypass had been required. Strub agreed they should start with evaluating traffic volumes and how many times it was used as a bypass. Weidt added that he would hate to cut off a transportation corridor. There was consensus among the Council to continue to evaluate the bridges. Reminder – Highway 61 Visioning Study Open House on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 Staff would like to remind Council they have scheduled a meeting to attend the Highway 61 Visioning Study Open House on Wednesday, April 5, 2023 from 5-7 p.m. at Hugo City Hall in the Oneka Room. Reminder – Local Board of Appeal and Equalization Meeting Thursday, April 6, 2023 City Administrator Bryan Bear reminded Council the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization was scheduled for Thursday, April 6, 2023, in the Oneka Room at City Hall from 5:30 – 7 p.m. Vacancies on the Carnelian Marine St. Croix Watershed District City Administrator Bryan Bear informed Council the Carnelian Marine St. Croix Watershed District Board announced there were three terms that expire on June 21, 2023. State Statute requires the County Board to select from a list of persons nominated by the townships and Council Meeting Minutes for April 3, 2023 Page 7 of 7 municipalities within the district. Residents were asked to contact City Hall if they were interested in serving on the Watershed District Board. White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting City Administrator Bryan Bear added this to the agenda to inform Council they were invited to attend the White Bear Lake Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting on Thursday, April 13, 2023, from 7:45 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. at the Dellwood Country Club. Klein made motion, Petryk seconded, to attend the White Bear Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting on April 13, 2023. All Ayes. Motion carried. Adjournment Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to adjourn at 8:05 p.m. All Ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, Michele Lindau, City Clerk