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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024.12.02 CC MinutesMINUTES City Council Meeting City Hall Council Chambers Monday, December 2, 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, Strub, Weidt COUNCIL ABSENT: None OTHERS PRESENT: City Administrator Bryan Bear, Finance Director Anna Wobse, City Engineer Mark Erichson, Community Development Director Rachel Juba, Associate Planner Max Gort, City Clerk Michele Lindau Approval of Minutes for the November 18, 2024, Council Meeting Strub made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the City Council Meeting held on November 18, 2024, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for the November 20, 2024, Legislative Reception Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the minutes for the Legislative Reception held on November 20, 2024, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for the November 26, 2024, Beaver Ponds Street Project Neighborhood Meeting Klein made motion, Miron seconded, approve the minutes for the Neighborhood Meeting held on November 26, 2024, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Minutes for the November 26, 2024, 2025 Street Project Neighborhood Meeting Strub made motion, Klein seconded, to approve the minutes for the Neighborhood Meeting held on November 26, 2024, as presented. All Ayes. Motion carried. Council Meeting Minutes for December 2, 2024 Page 2 of 7 Approval of Agenda Weidt made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve the agenda as written. All Ayes. Motion carried. Approval of Regular Firefighter Status and Swearing in for Firefighters Cory Albertson, Jen Verplaetse, Tom Robinson On November 21, 2022, Council approved the hiring of Cory Albertson, Jen Verplaetse, and Tom Robinson as probationary firefighters. All three have completed the necessary requirements to complete their probation. Fire Chief Jim Compton, Jr. provided information on what it takes to become a regular firefighter saying several hundred hours go in to training and classes. Compton swore in Jen Verplaetse, and the badge pinning was performed by her cousin who is a member of the Linwood Fire Department and provided her encouragement. Compton swore in Cory Albertson, and the badge pinning was performed by his wife who supported him. Compton swore in Tom Robinson, and the badge pinning was performed by his wife and kids who encouraged him to stay with the department when he wanted to quit because he was away from home too much. Mayor Weidt thanked the Department for the work they did the previous week fighting the fire at Wilson tool, and he congratulated the three new firefighters. Mayor Weidt called for a short recess at 7:13 p.m., and called the meeting back to order at 7:19 p.m. Approval of Consent Agenda Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve the following Consent Agenda. 1. Approve Claims Roster 2. Approve Hiring of Probationary Firefighters Dalton Brauner, Emily Pieper, and Christian Bieniek 3. Approve Donation from the Hugo American Legion to the Hugo Fire Department 4. Approve Pay Request No. 5 to Dresel Contracting for 125th Street and Dellwood Ridge Neighborhood Street Project 5. Approve Purchase of Caterpillar 305 Mini Excavator All Ayes. Motion carried. Approve Claims Roster Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the Claims Roster as presented. Council Meeting Minutes for December 2, 2024 Page 3 of 7 Approve Hiring of as Probationary Firefighters Dalton Brauner, Emily Piper, and Christian Bieniek The Hugo Fire Department Hiring Committee had completed the latest round of its hiring process that started in the spring of 2024. Dalton Brauner, Emily Piper, and Christian Bieniek had successfully completed all phases of the hiring process. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the hiring of Dalton, Emily, and Christian as probationary firefighters with a start date of Tuesday, December 3, 2024. 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 Pay Request No. 5 to Dresel Contracting for 125th Street and Dellwood Ridge Neighborhood Street Project Dresel Contracting, Inc. had submitted Pay Request No. 5 in the amount of $396,465.40 for work certified through October 31, 2024, on the 2024 125th Street/Dellwood Ridge Neighborhood Improvement Project. Substantial completion had occurred on the project and punch-list items were almost all complete. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved payment to Dresel Contracting, Inc. in the amount of $396,465.40. Approve Purchase of Caterpillar 305 Mini Excavator In the past, Public Works had either rented an excavator or borrowed White Bear Township’s mini excavator to best access ponds, inlets, outlets and stormwater ditches through residents’ yard to clean and maintain the infrastructures. The need had increased over the years and staff had requested to purchase an excavator through the MnDOT contract. Money was available in the Stormwater Fund to cover the purchase. Adoption of the Consent Agenda approved the ordering and purchase of the Caterpillar 305 mini excavator as outlined in the quote from Ziegler for the amount of $75,436.00 to be paid in 2025 taking delivery in March of 2025. Public Hearing on the Beaver Ponds Street Improvement Project On September 16, 2024, City Council authorized the preparation of a feasibility study for the 2025 Beaver Ponds Area Street Improvement Project. City Council accepted the competed study at the November 4, 2024, City Council meeting and called for a public hearing to be held on December 2, 2024. City Engineer Mark Erichson reviewed the previous meetings held with the neighborhood property owners and showed pictures of the existing conditions. He explained the 2025 Beaver Ponds Area Street Improvement Project would consist of roadway milling and paving, spot curb replacement, trail reconstruction, and sewer and storm water improvements. Council Meeting Minutes for December 2, 2024 Page 4 of 7 The overall cost was estimated at $1,543,300. Mark explained the Assessment Policy was last updated in 2013, and the amounts had not changed. The assessment for an urban roadway overlay was $2,100 per unit. Mark explained how the townhome areas would be assessed differently due to the HOA’s responsibility to reconstruct their own private drives and the number of properties being assessed for a small amount of road frontage. Assessments would pay for $337,810 (21.9% of the total cost) the City would cover $1,205,490 (78.1% of the total cost). Mark provided a timeline showing that if it was approved this evening, an open house would be held in January to review plans, construction would take place in the summer of 2025, and an assessment hearing would be held in the fall of 2025. Mayor Weidt opened the public hearing, There were no comments, and Weidt closed the public hearing. Weidt made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve RESOLUTION 2024-58 ORDERING THE PROJECT AND AUTHORIZING THE PREPARATION OF PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE 2025 BEAVER PONDS AREA STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT All Ayes. Motion carried. Public Hearing on the 2025 Street Improvement Project (Duck Pass, Palmes Long Lake Estates, Ingersoll Avenue North) On September 16, 2024, City Council authorized the preparation of a feasibility study for the 2025 Street Improvement Project (Duck Pass, Palmes Long Lake Estates, and Ingersoll Avenue N). City Council accepted the competed study at the November 4, 2024, City Council meeting and called for a public hearing to be held on December 2, 2024. City Engineer Mark Erichson reviewed the previous meetings held with the neighborhood property owners and showed pictured of existing conditions. He explained the project would consist of roadway reclamation, paving, and minor storm sewer improvements. The overall cost was estimated at $1,820,900. Mark explained the Assessment Policy was last updated in 2013, and the amounts had not changed. The assessment for a rural roadway reclamation was $3,400 per unit. Assessments would pay for $180,778 (9.93% of project costs) and the City would cover $1,640,122 (90.07% of project costs). Mark provided a timeline showing that if it was approved this evening, an open house would be held in January to review plans, construction would take place in the summer of 2025, and an assessment hearing would be held in the fall of 2025. Mayor Weidt opened the public hearing, There were no comments, and Weidt closed the public hearing. Weidt made motion, Strub seconded, to approve RESOLUTION 2024-59 ORDERING THE PROJECT AND AUTHORIZING THE PREPARATION OF PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE 2025 STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT (DUCK PASS, PALMES LONG LAKE ESTATES, AND INGERSOLL AVENUE N). All Ayes. Motion carried. Council Meeting Minutes for December 2, 2024 Page 5 of 7 Public Hearing on the 2025 City Budget and Tax Levy State statutes required the City Council to hold a public hearing on the proposed city budget and tax levy for the 2025 fiscal year. Finance Director Anna Wobse presented the budget and tax levy to the Council prior to taking public comment. Anna began by explaining the year long process of establishing the budget beginning with the goal setting workshop held in January through this evening’s Truth-in-Taxation public hearing. She explained that 761 cities received Local Government Aid (LGA), and Hugo is one of 94 cities that did not. She cited Hugo’s tax rate being lower than the statewide average and the lack of unmet needs being some the reasons why. The median homestead value decreased by 5%, and Hugo saw a decrease of $85,145,200 (-3%) in taxable market value for 2025. Anna explained that changes made by the state to the Homestead Market Value Exclusion Program reduced the tax capacity by $35,618,400. Anna talked about the flat rate policy, approximately 39%, and the deviation from the flat tax rate policy to lower the rate in 2023 and 2024 due to the large home value increases. At the budget workshop, Council considered a 2025 budget prepared by staff that continued to deviate from the flat tax rate policy. Council directed staff to prepare the 2025 preliminary budget following the flat tax rate policy to help fund road, bridge and trail maintenance projects that added $850,000 to the Street CIP Levy. Anna explained what made up the City’s levy beginning with the Debt Service Levies that included three bonds totaling $15,145,000. This was $889 per capita compared to the statewide average of $1,936. Also levied for was $2,010,000 for streets, $300,000 for the Equipment Fund, $278,788 for the Stormwater Levy, and $92,000 toward the Park Improvement Levy, which will remain at this level going forward unless increased by Council. The Firefighter Relief Levy was set at $29,176. Anna talked about the continued use of contingency budgeting for expenditures and reviewed the largest fund, General Operations Fund, that included personnel and public safety. There were 26 regular full-time employees and three vacant position that would be filled on an as-needed basis. Personnel also included a 3% cost of living and a 2% salary matrix adjustment. Health insurance premiums would see a 13.4% increase, and Health Partners was not increasing deductibles. Hugo had received $703,253 in a onetime Public Safety Aid payment that was placed in the Special Revenue Fund to pay for a new deputy from 2024-2028. The total General Fund equaled $10,119,290 in expenses and was paid 90% from property taxes and 10% from other revenue sources, most of which were left at the 2024 levels. The total proposed Tax Levy for 2025 was $12,847,855. Anna explained Fiscal Disparities that, which were 8% of the City’s tax levy, lowered the amount of taxes paid by residents. With the proposed rate of 39.190%, residents would see a $15 decrease in City taxes on a median valued homestead of $377,896 after the market value exclusion. Hugo would remain in the middle of comparative tax rates with other cities in Washington County. Anna explained that Hugo did not collect other additional fees that other cities do, and the Hugo City tax was just one of the taxes collected from a possible 13 other jurisdictions. Anna explained the tax programs available to Council Meeting Minutes for December 2, 2024 Page 6 of 7 residents that included the regular homestead credit refund, special property tax refund, and the senior citizen property tax deferral. Anna concluded her presentation by saying the proposed budget and levy payable for 2025 was prepared using the Flat Tax Rate Policy. Mayor Weidt opened the public hearing. There were no comments, and Weidt closed the public hearing Klein made motion, Petryk seconded, to approve RESOLUTION 2024-60 APPROVING THE GENERAL FUND BUDGET FOR THE 2025 FISCAL YEAR. Upon roll call- Ayes: Klein, Miron, Petryk, Strub, Weidt Nays: none Motion carried. Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to approve RESOLUTION 2024-61 APPROVING THE FINAL TAX LEVY PAYABLE IN 2025. Upon roll call- Ayes: Klein, Miron, Petryk, Strub, Weidt Nays: none Motion carried. Reschedule Environmental Center Ribbon Cutting from December 2 to December 16, 2024 City Administrator Bryan Bear had informed Council that Washington Council had rescheduled the date for the ribbon cutting at the Environmental Center to Monday, December 16, 20024 at 10 a.m. Petryk made motion, Strub seconded, to reschedule the meeting to attend the ribbon cutting on December 196, 2024. All Ayes. Motion carried. Reminder - Santa Party on Wednesday, December 4, 2024 City Administrator Bryan Bear reminded Council the annual Santa Party was scheduled for Wednesday, December 4, 2024, from 5-7 p.m. at the Peder Pedersen Pavilion. Reminder - Holiday Party on Thursday, December 5, 2024 City Administrator Bryan Bear reminded Council the annual Holiday Party was scheduled for Thursday, December 5, 2024, at the Peder Pedersen Pavilion beginning at 5:30 p.m. Council Meeting Minutes for December 2, 2024 Page 7 of 7 Schedule Emergency and Disaster Training for Wednesday, December 18, 2024 City Administrator Bryan Bear informed Council the Washington County Emergency Management was offering training done by MN Homeland Security on disaster roles and responsibilities for elected officials. Klein made motion, Petryk seconded, to schedule a meeting to attend the training on Wednesday December 18, 2024, from 6 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Washington County Government Center in Stillwater. All Ayes. Motion carried. Adjournment Klein made motion, Miron seconded, to adjourn at 8:09 p.m. All Ayes. Motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, Michele Lindau, City Clerk