CC 02-08-1999 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - FEBRUARY 8,1999 11 . Councilmember Aplikowski asked if Bethel College had a proposed timeline for the project. Mr. Fritsinger stated that they do not. There will be many issues to resolve before setting a timeline. Councilmember Aplikowski asked, if the project does move forward, how soon could it be completed. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the College had hoped to develop the park this year, however, this may be unfeasible and the project may have to wait until the year 2000. Mayor Probst expressed his support to continue moving forward with the review of the proposal. He stated that any drop-dead issues must be resolved first. He agreed that there will be financial issues with the City and, ifthe project requires a fifty-fifty cost participation by the City, the project will be in serious trouble. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS Mr. Fritsinger referred to the bench handout regarding the 1999 Council Retreat. He indicated that he had met with Mr. Dennis Cheesebrow to put together a program, based on the Council's input. The intent is to determine if it would be feasible to complete the retreat in one day, rather than the standard one and one-half day. . Mr. Fritsinger asked for input from the Council about whether or not the proposed schedule would be on track with their expectations. He stated that he does need to let the hotel know if the City will need the space on Saturday as well. Mr. Fritsinger stated the plan for the morning would be to review what had been done last year. Since there are two new Councilmembers this year it would be helpful to go back and determine if there is a correct interpretation of the City's philosophy statement. From there the discussions could move to the key goals and objectives which had been set for the coming year. In the afternoon the Council could discuss the issue of committees and how they help or hinder the process and how they might be better utilized. The Council would also take this time to discuss the organizational structure from a services contract standpoint. There may be some interest in the future of adding to the City Staff some programs which are contracted out such as police or fire protection. The Council could also discuss internal Staff changes over the last two years and how this fits together with the goals for 1999 and the year 2000, Mr. Fritsinger indicated that the agenda which had been put together would not include specific discussions of adding or deleting committees. If there is interest in a more detailed discussion of any of the points presented, Staff would need to rework the agenda and add the half-day back in to allow enough time. . Mr. Fritsinger stated that he would present two questions to the City Council and Department Heads prior to the retreat to allow some pre-thinking on some of the key points. The two questions would deal primarily with the high priorities and key expectations the Council and Department Heads have for the organization and the City.