Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024.10.21 CC MinutesMINUTES City Council Meeting City Hall Council Chambers Monday, October 21, 2024 7:00 p.m. Call to Order Mayor Weidt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Roll Call and Pledge of Allegiance COUNCIL PRESENT: Klein, Miron, Petryk, Weidt COUNCIL ABSENT: Strub OTHERS PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, City Attorney Dave Snyder, City Engineer Mark Erichson, Community Development Director Rachel Juba, Community Development Intern Phoebe Brown, City Clerk Michele Lindau Approval of Minutes for the October 5, 2024, Citywide Bus Tour Petryk made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the Citywide Bus Tour held on October 5, 2024, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for the October 5, 2024, Hugo Fire Department Open Hou Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the minutes for the Hugo Fire Department Open House held on October 5, 2024, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for the October 7, 2024, Council Meeting Miron made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the City Council meeting held on October 7, 2024, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Agenda Weidt made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the agenda as amended by adding a Watershed District Update by John Waller. All Ayes. Motion carried. Yellow Ribbon Network Update – Chair Chuck Haas Yellow Ribbon Network Chair Chuck Haas was in attendance to provide Council an update on recent activities of the Hugo YRN. He began by thanking Council and staff for their support and Council Meeting Minutes for October 21, 2024 Page 2 of 5 announcing the Hugo YRN would be celebrating their 15th anniversary in March, 2025. The YRN continued to send care packages and had so far sent up to 93,000 pounds. He shared photos taken during the packing events and many photos of the recipients. He also shared photos of Burger Night volunteers, donators, Family Meal Day, volunteers at Camp Ripley, Shoot for the Troops, Welcome Home Pheasant Hunt, a veteran’s birthday celebration, and Military Appreciation Hunt. Upcoming events included Shop with a Cop, a wine and paint event for spouses of deployed, Welcome Home Pheasant Hunt in March, and Secret Santa. Watershed District Update by John Waller This was added to the agenda by resident John Waller at 14010 Homestead Ave. John, a manager on the Rice Creek Watershed District Board, said he would be speaking as an individual, not as a board member. He provided the Council a copy of a spreadsheet with Washington County’s watershed district tax information by municipality showing that Hugo contributed $500,763 in 2024. He said Hugo was about $325,000 or lower five years ago and he is still advocating to see a bill at the legislature that requires 90% of money collected in Washington County stays in Washington County. He talked about issues he has worked on including removing Bald Eagle Lake from the impaired waters list, clearing up red tape such as requiring cities to report on money used for city projects, and getting the Board to allow money for maintenance on existing projects. He said he has applied for reappointment and talked about a letter of support the Council had provided three years ago. He further encouraged City staff and the City Council be aggressive in the City’s partners meetings. Petryk asked how projects were selected and if the money was being spread around geographically. John explained that the Board could create projects, cities could petition for one, and some could come from citizens. Citizens were allowed $7,500 for projects that were approved by the Citizens Advisory Committee, who along with staff also review more expensive projects. Some projects were instituted by individual groups like lake associations, and they also helped with the water reuses project for the golf course. He talked about the local beaver problem and said cities have more authority to take care of them than the Watershed District did. He said spreading the money around geographically was a topic with the County Commissioners, and he has lobbied for money to stay in the community. Mayor Weidt thanked John for keeping the City updated. A letter of recommendation for John’s reappointment to the Board of Managers will be on the next City Council Agenda. Approval of Consent Agenda Klein made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve the following Consent Agenda. 1. Approve Claims Roster 2. Approve Tobacco License for Hugo Tobacco Smoke Shop 3. Approve Resolution Approving Property Line Adjustment for 16155 Forest Boulevard North – Frank and Jody Puleo and Busy B Enterprises, LLC 4. Approve Ordinance Extending the Moratorium on Solar Farms All Ayes. Motion carried. Council Meeting Minutes for October 21, 2024 Page 3 of 5 Approve Claims Roster Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Claims Roster as presented. Approve Tobacco License for Hugo Tobacco Smoke Shop Muntasir Eisa, owner of Hugo Tobacco, LLC, had applied for a tobacco license to open a smoke shop at 14815 Forest Boulevard North to be known as Hugo Tobacco. Mr. Eisa had recently been issued a tobacco license for the attached Speedway store. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the tobacco license for Hugo Tobacco, LLC, for the Hugo Tobacco smoke shop. Approve Resolution Approving Property Line Adjustment for 16155 Forest Boulevard North – Frank and Jody Puleo and Busy B Enterprises, LLC Frank and Jody Puleo and Busy B Enterprises, LLC had requested approval of a property line adjustment between two properties. Parcel A was occupied by a plant nursery/garden center and is 10.22 acres, and Parcel B was a 65.03 acre farmed vacant property. The applicants proposed adjusting the property lines so that Parcel A would be a 13.46 acres and Parcel B would be 61.79 acres. Both properties would comply with all applicable regulations in the City Code for approval. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved RESOLUTION 2024-47 APPROVING A PROPERTY LINE ADJUSTMENT FOR FRANK AND JODY PULEO AND BUSY B ENTERPRISES, LLC, FOR THE PROPERTIES LOCATED AT 16155 FOREST BLVD NORTH AND A VACATION PARCEL TO THE SOUTH. Approve Ordinance Extending the Moratorium on Solar Farms At its meeting on May 20, 2024, the City Council approved an ordinance for a six-month moratorium on solar farms and directed staff to hold a workshop with the Planning Commission on whether changes should be made to the ordinance. A workshop was held on September 19, 2024. At its meeting on October 7, 2024, the City Council authorized the ORC to study and review the solar energy systems ordinance. The ORC had been meeting but did not have a recommendation yet. The moratorium would expire on November 20, 2034, and in order to provide the ORC time to provide a recommendation and notice for a public hearing on the ordinance amendments, staff recommended the adoption of an ordinance extending the moratorium an additional six-months. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved ORDINANCE 2024-536 EXTENDING A TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON NEW DEVELOPMENT OF SOLAR FARM SOLAR ENERGY SYSTEMS AND DIRECTING A STUDY TO BE CONDUCTED and the summary ordinance for publication. Discussion on GreenStep Cities Program Intern Phoebe Brown explained that GreenStep is a free voluntary Minnesota-based continuous improvement program that provided recognition and assistance to cities for achieving sustainability and quality of life goals. The GreenStep program included five steps of sustainability achievement that participating cities may pursue to receive recognition. Participating cities may also gain access to funding and technical assistance. The City of Hugo had made substantial progress toward sustainability and was on track to complete Step 2 and make progress toward Step 3 by enrolling in the program and documenting existing practices. Council Meeting Minutes for October 21, 2024 Page 4 of 5 Miron commented that it sounded like a great program and questioned whether it would it be in staff’s work plan. Bear explained that one reason staff was comfortable with bringing this forward was because it fit in Phoebe’s background, and it was a program the City could do at its own pace. Phoebe’s position was supervised in the Community Development Department so Community Development Director Rachel Juba would supervise the program. Klein asked if there was any monetary reward. Phoebe replied that every year the League of Minnesota Cities awards a $1,000 prize, but it was mostly about recognition. Bear added many things we have already done would be organized and showcased. Klein agreed the City had already check these boxes, and it could help the City when working with legislatures. Petryk asked about a contract the City signed several years ago regarding saving energy on the City buildings and if this program would be expanding it. Bear responded that the City buildings have LED lights, and the water system and streetlights were on solar energy but not lights on the building. Phoebe explained there were a few required actions left and beyond that the City would have a lot of flexibility. The green step staff had access to technical and funding assistance. Bear added that a lot of the City’s projects had been done with grant dollars. Weidt said he thought it was a great idea, and the City did a lot of this already with the water reuse program. The said it would be good recognition for the City to be a part of the program. Petryk made motion, Klein seconded, to approve RESOLUTION 2024-48 AUTHORIZING THE CITY OF HUGO TO PARTICIPATE IN THE MINNESOTA GREENSTEP CITIES PROGRAM, and to document existing sustainability practices to complete Step 2, and direct staff to continue progress toward next steps. All Ayes. Motin carried. Reminder – Neighborhood Meeting for 2025 Street Projects on Tuesday, October 22, 2024 City Administrator Bryan Bear reminded Council they had scheduled a meeting to attend the neighborhood meetings on the proposed 2025 street improvement projects to be held on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, beginning at 6 p.m. Both meetings will take place in the Peder Pedersen Pavilion. Reminder – CIP Workshop on Monday, October 28, 2024 Council has City Administrator Bryan Bear reminded Council they had scheduled a workshop for Monday, October 28, 2024, at 6 p.m. to discuss the street CIP. The meeting will take place in the Oneka Room at City Hall. Council Meeting Minutes for October 21, 2024 Page 5 of 5 Adjournment Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to adjourn at 7:58 p.m. All Ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, Michele Lindau, City Clerk