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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-20-11-WS- -ARZENHILLs Approved: July 25, 2011 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING JUNE 20, 2011 5:00 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor David Grant called to order the City Council Work Session meeting at 5:02 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Ed Werner, and Nick Tamble. (Councilmembers Holden and Tamble arrived at 5:04 p.m.) Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Parks & Recreation Manager Michelle Olson; and Finance Analyst Kyle Howard. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved, Mayor Grant seconded, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously (3 -0). 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS & STAFF UPDATES MOTION: Mayor Grant moved, Councilmember Holmes seconded, to move Council Comments & Staff Updates to the end of the agenda. Motion carried unanimously (5 -0). 3. AGENDA ITEMS A. Metropolitan Council — Representative John Q. Doan ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 20, 2011 John Q. Doan explained that he is the newly appointed Met Council representative for District 10 which includes Arden Hills. He stated he is interested in determining how the Metropolitan Council and the City of Arden Hills can collaborate towards a brighter future for the entire region. He reviewed the communities that are included in Met Council's District 10. He asked the City Councilmembers to share their needs and interests. The Met Council, he explained, is responsible for regional planning for the Twin Cities, including transportation, land use, parks, aviation, and wastewater. Specific areas of operation include Metro Transit and wastewater treatment facilities. He added that he serves on the transportation committee and the environment committee. Lisa Barajas, Metropolitan Council staff liaison to the East Metro communities, explained that her job is to work with City staff and answer questions about the Met Council and the services it provides. Mayor Grant questioned how the current budget issues the state is facing will impact the Met Council. Mr. Doan responded that they are in a "wait and see mode" with regard to the state budget. They do anticipate some impact to transit operations in the region. The wastewater treatment services, he explained, are funded by user fees and should not be impacted. Mayor Grant asked if the Met Council has considered how they will proceed if there are cutbacks because of the budget shortfall. Mr. Doan explained the Met Council has done considerable work at the staff and Council level as to what cuts would be made. Ms. Barajas added that the Met Council does not receive a majority of its funding through the state budget; they actually have a separate property tax levy, but the transit operation does receive a majority of its funding through the state. Mayor Grant questioned if the Met Council will continue to impose the Inflow & Infiltration surcharge on the City of Arden Hills. Mr. Doan deferred this question to Ms. Barajas who stated that she is not familiar with the Arden Hills surcharge. She offered to follow -up with the Met Council Environmental Staff and get back to the City Council. City Administrator Klaers commented that this year the City is paying the last year of the five- year surcharge. Councilmember Holden stated that there had been some talk at the legislative level about changing the Met Council structure with regards to elected representation. Mr. Doan responded that it his understanding that this topic has come up several times over the years but no action has been taken. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 20, 2011 3 Councilmember Holden stated there is no Metro Transit bus servicing Arden Hills and yet Arden Hills scores lower on Met Council grant applications because we do not have bus service. There are changes occurring in Arden Hills that constitute a need for bus service. There are also large companies located in Arden Hills. In addition, we have a Superfund site in the City which should not be the sole financial responsibility of the City. She suggested there be one location where all grants available are listed in the Met Council information. Councilmember Holmes thanked Ms. Barajas and Mr. Doan for attending the work session. She asked if the Met Council has an opinion on the proposed Vikings Stadium in Arden Hills. Mr. Doan stated with regard to the stadium, the Met Council has not taken a position and it is yet to be determined if the stadium falls under any Met Council review. He added there is statute that requires any project of regional significance to go through a Met Council review, although he has learned that Target Field was exempt from that requirement. He stated there are other related issues for infrastructure which would go through the Transportation Advisory Board process. Councilmember Holmes asked if Mr. Doan would have any suggestions on how the City can work with the Met Council to meet their common goals. Mr. Doan stated one way is to have this type of conversation. Creating a list of Met Council grants would not be too difficult to do and they will get it to the City Council as soon as it is available. Mrs. Barajas commented that the only difficulty is that the Met Council grants are administered under different statutes and sometimes they do not receive funding. But she added that she will be happy to help connect the City to those resources. City Administrator Klaers commented that affordable housing appears to be becoming a bigger issue for the Met Council. Mr. Doan stated that affordable housing is under the cloud of uncertain future due to budget concerns. He believes there is a desire for more affordable housing and more resources and incentives, but the budget climate is affecting everyone's ability to develop affordable housing. Mayor Grant thanked Mr. Doan and Ms. Barajas for coming to the City Council meeting. B. 2012 — 2016 CIP Finance Director Sue Iverson explained that the Council last discussed the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) when Public Works Director Maurer added some major equipment purchases to the 2011 -2015 plan. To start the 2012 Budget process, Finance is looking at the 2012 -2016 Capital Improvement Plan and her memo highlights the major changes made to CIP. Attached to her memo is a summary page to make it easier for the Council to review the CIP as it allows a per project review rather than the per year review which the Council has done in the past. She explained that she would like the Council to get through the entire CIP to have a draft plan so that she can work on the long range financial plan, evaluate reserve balances, and analyze funds for ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 20, 2011 4 future projects. She added that the CIP budget is meant to be a guiding plan that will change over time. Mayor Grant questioned if the gateway sign amount for the first year was set at $65,000 because Staff is planning to carry -over the 2011 amount. Community Development Director Hutmacher responded it is not; it is based on two signs at $25,000 and the Arden Plaza sign would be $15,000. Mayor Grant asked about the $15,000 currently in the budget and whether or not there is a plan to get a sign in place yet this year. Ms. Hutmacher responded there are no plans to proceed with a sign this year. Mayor Grant questioned the amount included for the Springbrook software upgrade. Ms. Iverson explained that amount was carried over from 2011 because they have not yet gotten the HR module or the timecard entry completed yet. The $13,000 in Office Technology is for computers; the Council laptops and a recent upgrade for all City computers came out of that line item this year. She added that in July, Staff plans to bring before Council the purchase of a new copier under a lease agreement so it will not involve CIP funds. Councilmember Holden asked for an explanation of the item identified as Communications Equipment. Administrator Klaers explained that some of the money in that category is for items planned to be purchased in 2011 because Staff now hopes to spend some of those 2011 funds on the City's website. Ms. Hutmacher stated that they had hoped to replace the Bulletin Board software and hardware this year but that has been delayed until next year. Councilmember Holden commented that she recently read an article about other municipalities eliminating their cable access programming due to expense and the availability of social media. Councilmember Holden questioned the Valentine Park playground replacement item. Parks & Recreation Manager Michelle Olson explained that $50,000 is included in this year's budget but Staff moved it to 2012 because there is a good chance that the funds will not be expended until 2012. Discussion ensued regarding the replacement of backstops at the City ball fields. Public Works Director Maurer offered to research pricing and provide details to the Council at a later date. Councilmember Holden questioned the $260,000 figure for Valentine Park Improvements. She also questioned if, when the Valentine Park improvements are done, will they be done the fastest, ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 20, 2011 5 easiest way and then Staff can place the playground equipment wherever they want, or are they planning the drainage based on the play structure locations. Public Works Director Maurer responded that $260,000 was the amount in the current CIP. As far as drainage improvements, he explained they will be completed as appropriate and then the grade will be raised a level above the drainage and that is where the playground equipment will be. He added that once the plans are approximately 65% complete, Staff will come back before Council to discuss the placement of the park amenities. This will be done prior to a neighborhood open house. Councilmember Holden questioned if the $260,000 will be reduced at final budget time based on improvements completed this summer. Public Works Director Maurer responded that if they get the project bid this year, they will bring the $260,000 figure down based on whatever construction takes place this year with the remainder to be spent in 2012. Mayor Grant questioned how many park benches had been purchased with the funds set aside for the 2010 — 2011 park bench implementation plan. Parks & Recreation Manager Olson stated 16 benches have been purchased. Mayor Grant questioned what type of park amenities were being proposed for purchase from the park amenities line item. Parks & Recreation Manager Olson stated this amount was included in the budget based on the Council's request. Purchases could consist of picnic tables, park benches, swings, or other trail signage. Discussion ensued and the Council decided to reduce the park amenities amount from $5,000 annually to $3,000 annually. Councilmember Holden asked about the Mounds View trail connection item. Parks & Recreation Manager Olson explained that at the goal - setting meeting with the PTRC, Council suggested the PTRC look at that again; specifically adding a trail that crosses over from New Brighton to Mounds View High School on Lake Valentine Road. The PTRC has determined that this is an important project as it provides a safe pedestrian walkway for students across the bridge. Councilmember Holmes agreed that this is an important project and commented that the addition of the library in that area will draw even more foot traffic. Mayor Grant stated as the Council reviews the CIP, there are some trail costs that need to be pulled out. He believed that trail improvements have gotten a disproportionate amount of our budget. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 20, 2011 Discussion ensued and the Council decided to leave this project in and revisit the funding options, such as State Aid, at a later date. Councilmember Holden stated that the DNR is giving $10,000 grants for tree inventories that Staff may want to look into. Public Works Director Maurer explained that they have not started the tree inventory as yet because they are waiting for the software to be modified. He added that he will contact the DNR about the grant. Mayor Grant reviewed the next item, Trail Rehabilitation at $50,000. Public Works Director Maurer this item was added to cover trail maintenance expenses. They will be establishing a trail maintenance plan which will be reviewed with the Council once it is complete and, at that time, the amount requested could be lower. Mayor Grant asked about the Old Snelling trail item. Parks & Recreation Manager Olson explained this is part of the Legacy Grant from Old Snelling at County Road E to County Road E2. This project total was $975,000 with the City's portion at $475,000. Parks & Recreation Manager Olson reviewed the Hazelnut Irrigation item explaining the PTRC would like to proceed with this project. In talks with the North Suburban Soccer Association they asked if there were any projects to which they could contribute. They subsequently notified the City that they would like to contribute $8,000 to the Hazelnut irrigation project in 2012. Councilmember Holden stated that she would not support putting in a drinking fountain and would not proceed with the irrigation of the ball field for now, only the soccer field. Councilmember Holmes questioned the inclusion of the landscaping area at the entrance of the park, but she added that she thinks the ball field should be done. Staff was directed to provide Council with more specific cost information on the Hazelnut Irrigation project in order for the Council to determine the scope of the project. Councilmember Holmes asked if Staff was going to pursue funding for the Snelling Avenue Regional Trail project. Parks & Recreation Manager Olson stated that the City will have to try and find funding for this project, such as federal grants. Councilmember Holden asked the Finance Director to include in the summary sheets the total City cost for each project in the summaries. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 20, 2011 7 The Council discussed: • the schedule for considering a Snelling avenue project in 2012; • delaying the SCADA system purchase for a year; • moving the lift stations to 2012; • the cost of the City's participation in the Highway 10 / 96 project; • the street sign replacement program. Discussion ensued regarding the following CIP categories: Cracksealing & Sealcoat, Streets: Mill & Overlay, Streets: Reconstruction, Streets: Miscellaneous. Details for each item will be reviewed with the Council prior to final budget. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS & STAFF UPDATES Mayor Grant recognized the Staff for the successful negotiations on the Zayo contract. Mayor Grant commented that the Council goals have not yet been finalized and it is now almost mid -year. City Administrator Klaers explained that discussion is set for a special work session on July 11 at 5:30 p.m. Mayor Grant commented on the current status of the Vikings stadium proposal. He explained that he has had requests for an informational meeting with neighboring cities as this proposal moves forward. Some Councilmembers expressed concern about the City hosting such a meeting as this is not a City-driven project. It was also suggested that the Council have more of a discussion among its own membership before meeting with adjoining cities. Council discussed the need for a resolution of support with stipulations that will protect the City's interests. City Administrator Klaers commented that the City does not know what is going to be included in the legislation to protect Arden Hills financially or whether such considerations will need to be included in other documents, such as the developer's agreement. He also stated that discussions for this proposed stadium have been going on for several months and the City has indicated they are open to the proposal but need more information. He noted that, from his point of view, the City Council not stating opposition to the proposal implies general support, unless something changes in the current proposal that would negatively impact the City. He believes the Council has done their due diligence by repeating consistently to the County what the City's concerns are with the proposal. MOTION: Mayor Grant moved, Councilmember Holden seconded, to extend the meeting to 9:30 p.m. Motion carried (4 -1) (Werner — Nay). Council suspended discussion of the Vikings stadium proposal to allow for completion of Council comments. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 20, 2011 8 Councilmember Holden asked that Staff contact Library representatives regarding the fact that the City Council did not receive an invitation to the groundbreaking ceremony for the new library in New Brighton. Councilmember Holden asked if anything has been done about the City water rates, specifically for those residents who use less than 5,000 gallons. Finance Director Iverson stated that Staff is currently doing the rate study. Councilmember Holden stated she spoke to Xcel Energy this past weekend and was given a contact person to talk to about moving or screening the electrical boxes on County Road E. She stated she believes those electrical boxes need to be dealt with in the B2 District so they're not an eyesore. Councilmember Holden referred to a comment in the recent Administrator's Update regarding a Ramsey County Sheriff crime prevention officer for apartment buildings. She wondered what that officer is actually doing in Arden Hills when we have so few apartments. She also asked if Ramsey County Sheriff ever places the speed trailer on City roads rather than just the county roads. She questioned the reference to a half -time position for animal control in the police update. City Administrator Klaers explained the City is considering replacing our current animal control officer with a Ramsey County Sheriff's Community Service Officer. Councilmember Werner asked if the City is still employing a lobbyist for the stadium issue. City Administrator Klaers responded that the contract ended when the regular legislative session ended. City Administrator Klaers reminded the Council that his performance review is scheduled for next Monday, June 27, so there will be a special meeting immediately following the regular Council meeting. He also stated he will be out of the office June 29 through July 5. City Administrator Klaers asked for feedback from the Council regarding a special work session on July 11 to finalize Council goals. Council consensus was to proceed with a July 11th work session at 5:15 p.m. City Administrator Klaers presented a hand-out from Ramsey County Commissioners with their new talking points regarding the stadium proposal. Mayor Grant commented that once the state has a budget bill, there may be a very brief period of time before the stadium bill is acted upon by the legislature. There simply will not be time, at that point, for the Council to take action. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JUNE 20, 2011 9 After some discussion, the Council consensus was the following plan regarding the stadium proposal: • the County will host a meeting with neighboring cities (The City will participate and provide information on how a mixed development on TCAAP would impact the community.); • Arden Hills and Ramsey County will co -host an open house for the public at the Marsden Room as an information sharing opportunity (with Council participation in mid July) • the Council will then evaluate when and if they need to take action on a resolution of support with conditions. ADJOURN- Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 9:40 p.m. Patrick Klaers City Administrator David Grant Mayor