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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-15-11-WSA.KEN HILLS Approved: September 12, 2011 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING AUGUST 15, 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 5:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Fran Holmes, Nick Tamble, and Ed Werner. Absent: Brenda Holden (excused) Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director Terry Maurer; Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Parks & Recreation Manager Michelle Olson; and City Planner Meagan Beekman. 1. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved, Councilmember Tamble seconded, to approve the agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously (4 -0). 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS & STAFF UPDATES 3. AGENDA ITEMS A. July 16, 2011 Storm Update Public Works Director Maurer explained that the City experienced a large rainfall event in a very short period of time on Saturday, July 16. This event happened after a rain event of over 1.5 inches on Friday, July 15. Due to the large volume of rainfall, several areas in town flooded causing property damage. In one area a lift station could not handle the clear water entering the system which caused back -ups into several homes. The general locations of the problem areas were as follows: ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 2 • Arden View Court / Drive townhomes • Lift station #8 service area (Tiller Lane, Ingerson Road, Hamline Avenue) • Indian Oaks pond • Amble Road / Nursery Hill Court rear yard area • Glenarden neighborhood between Forest and Skiles Public Works Director Maurer further explained that Public Works staff has been reviewing each of these areas. He stated he is now looking for Council direction regarding whether or not additional work should be done. He then reviewed the aerial map of each of these areas. Public Works Director Maurer stated that the area staff has spent the most time researching and reviewing is the Arden View Court and Arden View Drive townhome development. The staff's findings are as follows: • All storm drainage from both the north and south areas flows through the same storm sewer pipe and pond facilities. • It appears the City Council, in the mid 1970's, accepted the storm sewer along with the sanitary sewer and water main. He presented the Council minutes and back -up from June 16, 1975. • Staff asked Bolton and Menk to review the site and prepare a proposal for several items including: an analysis of the existing storm sewer system; creating a computer model of the system; collecting relative topographic information; model storm water options; analyzing grading overflow options; and preparing "ballpark" cost estimates. Public Works Director Maurer then reviewed Bolton & Menk's document dated August 8, 2011, titled "Proposal for Professional Engineering Services for the Townhouse Villages North and Townhouse Villages at Arden Hills Drainage Analysis." Included in this document is a breakdown of the proposed fees as listed below: • Task 1. Develop Options for Storm Water Improvements $ 3,500 • Task 2. Collect Topographic Data. of Critical Information $ 4,900 • Task 3. Analyze Existing Storm Water Conveyance System 4,000 • Task 4. Model Storm Water Improvement Design Options $ _ 4,000 TOTAL $16,900 Public Works Director Maurer stated his recommendation would be to do some initial scoping / analysis of the area to determine the least expensive options and then review those options with the Associations. He added that just because the City accepted the improvements in that area does not mean that the City cannot assess the benefited property owners for repairs on those improvements. He also recommended that the area be looked at as a whole since the north and south townhome areas are tied together by the same storm sewer system. Mayor Grant asked if the second pond on the north side has the ability to be drained a different way. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 3 Public Works Director Maurer responded he doesn't believe it can, but the rolling terrain of the area makes it difficult to determine by visual inspection. Mayor Grant stated the residents in the south section should not have to live with the possibility of flooding in a large rain event. This five inch rain event with the previous rain is certainly enough to cause flooding but there have been bigger rain events. He agreed that the drainage structures for this area should be reviewed. He then asked Mr. Maurer to elaborate on his comment regarding assessments. Public Works Director Maurer stated that even though the City accepted the improvements in this area in 1975 it does not mean that they accepted all the costs for the life of the system. He added that if improvements to the drainage system benefit the properties, the City has the right to assess. He further stated that he thinks the City should take on the cost of the study and if it turns into a project, the study could be included in the total project cost and the City could assess whatever percentage of those costs they decide to. Mayor Grant asked the Council if they are comfortable moving forward with the Bolton & Menk study or if they would prefer to seek other bids. Councilmember Werner questioned if the ponds on the townhome property have silted in. Public Works Director Maurer stated that there could be some silting in but that doesn't affect the volume of storage. It's an issue that should be taken care of some day, but didn't contribute to the recent problems. Councilmember Holmes asked if the Bolton & Menk proposal is only for the Arden View Court, and Arden View Drive area. Public Works Director Maurer stated that is correct. The Council consensus was to have the Bolton & Menk proposal placed on a regular Council meeting agenda for formal action. Public Works Director Maurer then reviewed the problems that occurred in the service area for Lift Station #8 (Tiller Lane, Ingerson Road, Hamline Avenue). He pointed out the properties in that area that have submitted claims as a result of the July 16th event and explained that the sporadic location of those homes could be due to two factors; only one of those homes has a full basement, and several homes in that area have installed a valve in their service line which does not allow backups. He further explained that he will be meeting with the League of Minnesota Cities adjuster next Wednesday to review the claims. He also stated there are still several manhole covers in that area with a center pick -hole. He explained that the City does have monies targeted for man -hole restoration and they will start in this area to get the covers changed to solid castings. He then explained that he is providing this information as an update to the Council and is not asking for any Council action. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 4 Mayor Grant questioned if there is an adequate number of pumps in Lift Station #8 because the homeowner immediately adjacent has reported strong sewer smells at times. He also asked if the electrical use is monitored at this lift station. Public Works Director Maurer responded that this is a three -pump station which is adequate. He added that there could be times when there may be a septic smell if there is a low -flow period. He also explained that the electrical system is monitored and recorded on a daily basis and on July 16 the pumps in this station ran 11 to 12 hours each. Beyond that day, he has not been aware of any electrical usage that is beyond the normal amount. Public Works Director Maurer proceeded to review the flooding issues related to Indian Oaks pond and explained that he has been talking to the homeowner just west of the pond regarding the pond overflowing its banks on July 16. He added that the overflow did not get into that home but he is aware of one other home in that area with damage. He pointed out on a map the drainage easement for this pond where a shed has been placed and a tree has been planted. The storm sewer line running through this easement is plastic so he doesn't anticipate any problems with tree roots in the storm sewer line. He explained that the debris in the area makes it clear that the water flowed over land so he thinks the system worked. He doesn't recommend any changes at this time unless the Council wants to address the shed that is partially located in the easement. He also stated that he is not concerned about the tree in the easement other than the homeowner's risk if the pipe in that area has to be dug up. Mayor Grant suggested that Mr. Maurer make the homeowner aware of the fact that the shed and tree are located in a drainage easement. Councilmember Tamble asked if Mr. Maurer had received any phone calls from the area of 1546 Briarknoll. He also stated there was water coming out of the manhole at the area of 1565 Briarknoll. Public Works Director Maurer responded there were two property owners that had individual issues. He was aware of the ponding in the area of 1565 Briarknoll but noted that it drained fairly quickly. Public Works Director Maurer went on to discuss an issue that occurred on Amble Road and Nursery Hill Court where there is a lot of overland flow. One property owner's retaining wall failed during the July 16th storm. He explained that after reviewing the area, he doesn't see any easy way to divert the water anywhere else and the City doesn't own any land in the affected area. He stated it is his opinion that the drainage patterns have been established for a long time and there is not much that can be done. He thought the best solution would be for the property owners involved to work together and the City could assist them. Councilmember Tamble suggested that Bolton & Menk take a look at this area and offer suggestions to the homeowners. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 5 Public Works Director Maurer stated in the Glenarden neighborhood, on the block between Forest and Skiles, there is some semblance of a private drain tile. The residents are asking the City to take over that private drainage system to ensure that it continues to function properly. He stated he would not recommend that the City assume responsibility for this drainage system when we know so little about it. Robert Ecker, 1408 Forest Lane, reported that three yards flooded in this area. He claimed that the home built at 1401 Skiles Lane built in 1985 impacted the drainage of the area. That home is currently abandoned. He added that it will be very difficult for the residents to address the drainage issues without the involvement of the owners of that home. B. Non -Union Wage Adjustment City Administrator Klaers explained that during the 2011 budget discussions, the Council agreed that money would be included in the Contingency Fund for employee wage adjustments and that the Council would discuss the details of "how much" after the Union contract was settled. The Council discussed this at their March 21St work session and agreed to a 1% increase retroactive to January 1, 2011, with further discussion about an additional 1% increase effective July 1, 2011, to be brought back to a work session this summer. Director of Finance and Administrative Services, Sue Iverson, reviewed her research regarding wage increases granted by surrounding cities and explained it was difficult to get an "apples to apples" comparison. She explained that in 2007 the City did a market study and reevaluated its pay ranges, however, at the time the Council did not set the benchmark where they wanted to due to costs, but planned to do so over a few years time. She further explained that an advantage of approving a 1% Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) effective July 1, 2011, is that it provides a 1.5% increase for the employees overall for 2011 but raises the City's salary scale 2% overall for the year. The 1% increase on July 1 would only amount to an increase in the General Fund of $3,548. The total placed into contingency for 2011 was $20,211 and only $6,108 has been allocated so far in 2011. She stated that Staff is recommending the Council approve a 1% COLA increase effective July 1, 2011, for all regular non -union City employees. Staff is also looking for direction from the Council whether or not to place this item on the August 29th City Council agenda. Ms. Iverson added that Councilmember Holden, not present at this meeting, had contacted her earlier in the day to express her support for the 1% increase effective July 1, 2011. Councilmember Holmes stated she would support the increase. Mayor Grant stated that he would not support more than a .5% increase. Councilmember Tamble stated he would support the 1% increase primarily from the standpoint of equalizing the pay increase between union and non -union employees. He added that he would prefer to see wage adjustments done for all City employees at the same time. Councilmember Werner stated that he would support the proposed increase. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 6 Mayor Grant stated he would like to know where the City "set itself' with regard to market rate pay rates. After reviewing that information, he may have no objection to the 1% increase being proposed. He asked Staff to add the proposed increase to the Council's August 29th agenda. C. 2011 Fee Schedule Discussion City Administrator Klaers explained that at their January 18, 2011, work session, the Council had expressed concerns regarding certain fees in the 2011 schedule. The 2011 Fee Schedule was adopted but the Council indicated that they wanted to review the schedule in more detail at a work session. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson explained that the Council and the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee (PTRC) set 2011 goals for the PTRC. One of the goals was to review and analyze the impact of establishing a fee structure for park field use in the City. She explained that the Council indicated they would like to expand that research to include the City park rental fee structure. Therefore, Staff researched three areas of fees for the PTRC to review: youth field use, adult intramural field use, and park rentals. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson explained that Staff researched park rental fees for surrounding cities and organizations. She found a wide variety of fees based on the type of facility and that every city charged some fee. She also assessed the costs incurred for clean -up after a typical rental. She explained that she typically budgets to bring in approximately $2,500 in park rental fees each summer. The City currently has four fee categories: Resident, Non- Resident, Resident Non - Profit, Other Non - Profit. She enumerated the following factors to consider when evaluating our park rental fee structure: • All cities /organizations studied charge for park rentals. • Many cities /organizations no longer use the non - profit category as it can be confusing. • Maintenance costs are high due to preparation and clean -up. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson further explained that the PTRC reviewed the information she had gathered and determined that our current fee structure is fair. The PTRC is recommending to Council that the non - profit fee category be eliminated which would result in only two categories, resident or non - resident. Councilmember Holmes suggested that the non - profit category remain but that the City require proof that a renter is actually non - profit and that the rental is for a non - profit event. City Administrator Klaers commented that we shouldn't make the park rental process too difficult from an administrative point. Councilmember Tamble stated that he believes it would be fair to simply charge a flat fee for park rental regardless of non - profit status since the difference between the current non - profit and straight rates is minimal. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 7 Finance and Administrative Services Director Iverson recommended that the amount of the tax not be included in the quoted fees. She also pointed out that non - profit organizations would be tax exempt. City Administrator Klaers asked if it is typical for cities to have four separate fee categories. Parks and Recreation Director Olson responded that typically there is only a resident / non- resident fee structure. Councilmember Tamble questioned the number of inquiries last year for non - profit rentals. He also asked if having a flat fee structure would be a time -saver for staff. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson approximated that 50 — 75% of the City rentals are under the non - profit category. Having just two fee categories would be simpler, but if we require proof of non - profit status to qualify for a non - profit rate, it wouldn't be that difficult. Discussion ensued and the Council consensus was to keep the existing fee categories. Finance and Administrative Services Director Iverson asked if the Council anticipates any changes made this evening will be included in the 2011 Fee Schedule or simply incorporated in the 2012 Fee Schedule. Mayor Grant responded that any changes can be incorporated in the 2012 Fee Schedule. He also stated he believes the non - resident fees, including non - profit non - resident, should be increased. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated the PTRC also looked at youth field and adult field use fees. The majority of the youth field use is by associations such as the Shoreview Area Youth Baseball (SAYB) and the North Suburban Soccer Association (NSSA). In the past, the City has asked for donations toward field improvements but has never charged for practices or games. This year the NSSA has committed to donating $8,000 for a park improvement project at Hazelnut. She stated that the associations use the fields April through August. She explained that Staff researched fee schedules for youth and adult field use for surrounding cities / organizations. The majority of the youth field use is by associations. After discussions with the PTRC, the members decided they did not want to charge a general facility fee for youth fields use. However, the members did recommend that a permit be required at an average cost of $5.00 per field to be charged at the beginning of the year. Mayor Grant and Councilmember Tamble both stated the $5.00 fee is too cheap. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson commented that Arden Hills is one of the last communities to institute a charge for field use. She also explained that a lot of the cities have gone to a four hour block rental rate, rather than an hourly rate, which helps from an administration standpoint. Mayor Grant suggested the City set the fee for field use at $7.50. The Council consensus was to set the youth field use fees at $7.50 per four hour time block. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 8 Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated that there are also concerns for adult intramural / team fees. Intramural departments at Bethel University and Northwestern College both utilize our fields for softball and football at no charge. She stated the following factors should be considered when discussing charges for adult ball field / soccer field use: • Adults tear up the field more than youth use due to the type of activities: lacrosse, rugby, football, softball. • The City has struggled for years with Bethel University lacrosse and rugby using parks without a permit. Staff can enforce use of the fields easier with a fee base. • The colleges don't want the intramurals and club teams practicing on their facilities due to wear and tear. A fee system will help communicate that City facilities require a permit. • There will be administrative costs associated with charging fees. The per hour fee is more difficult to manage than a 3 or 4 hour time block. In most cases, groups will only book for an hour or two and use the fields for a longer period of time. • The colleges may scale back on field use if fees are instituted. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson explained that the PTRC recommended to Council that the City charge $20 for a 2 hour time block for intramural or team field use. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson stated that one of the Council's concerns regarding our vegetable garden fees was why we charge half price for a second garden plot. She clarified that the City only offers a second plot when there are open plots remaining and it's the last week prior to tilling. The Council had no concerns regarding these fees. Parks and Recreation Manager Olson explained that the City adopted a City Hall meeting room rental and related fees policy in November 2004 and that policy has not been changed since adoption. Factors considered when establishing these fees included: • City Hall is not open 24 hours and is not staffed for evening building use. Therefore, the Recreation Department has traditionally found someone to work the building during a rental period. The fees were set to cover administrative, staffing, set -up and clean -up costs. • The upstairs conference room and Council Chambers are not included as rentable areas due to the access to the internal office area and the audio - visual equipment. • Weekday business hours use is free of charge contingent upon availability. • Arden Hills City businesses take priority over all other uses. • All after hours rentals are contingent upon finding a staff member to open, monitor, and close the building. City Administrator Klaers stated there have not been many problems following the current room rental guidelines. The Council consensus was to make no changes to the City Hall room rental fees. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 9 City Planner, Meagan Beekman addressed the land use application fees. She explained that the current fee schedule for planning cases is structured based on the type of request and charged accordingly. For the 2012 Fee Schedule, staff intends to review the City's rates compared with surrounding communities to determine if alterations are appropriate. In 2010, the fee schedule was revised to include the escrow amount in the stated fee to avoid confusion. That escrow fee is set aside to cover costs the City may incur, such as legal fees, traffic studies, or outside engineering fees. The balance is then released back to the developer once Staff is sure no additional expenses will be forthcoming. Councilmember Holmes questioned how we came up with the fee amounts reflected in the schedule for land use planning. City Planner Beekman responded that in 2008 and again in 2010 the Staff researched fees charged by surrounding cities: Mayor Grant commented that he thought we should not be on the low side for "developer type fees ", but slightly higher than surrounding communities. City Administrator Klaers explained that the Council minutes reflect that Councilmember Holden believed that the $250 final PUD fee was too low. He added that City Planner Beekman was not in attendance at that meeting. City Planner Beekman stated final PUD is basically a final site plan review requiring no public hearing and no notification. She added that she will be reviewing the fees for the 2012 Fee Schedule and can provide feedback to the Council at that time. City Planner, Meagan Beekman stated that at the December 2010 Council Work Session, Council commented that fee schedule language pertaining to recycling bins was confusing. This language will be amended in the 2012 Fee Schedule to more clearly state that the City provides a free recycling bin to each property in the City and that if additional bins are needed, they can be purchased for $6.00 each. Mayor Grant stated the assumption is that Staff will escalate certain fees in the 2012 Fee Schedule and present them to Council for consideration. D. US 10 / Highway 96 Interchange Improvements — Municipal Consent Process Public Works Director Maurer explained that at the April 25, 2011, work session, Ramsey County representatives presented the proposed US 10 /Highway 96 grade separation project. Since this proposal alters access, it does require Municipal Consent from the City. The Council held the required public hearing for Municipal Consent on July 11, 2011. The City has 90 days from the date of that hearing to take action to approve, deny, or disapprove with conditions. The last Council meeting within this 90 day window is September 26. If the Council takes no action, Municipal Consent is considered to be granted. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 10 Public Works Director Maurer stated that Staff is seeking direction as to how the Council would like to proceed. The three options for Council to consider are: • Adopt a resolution approving the final layout and providing Municipal Consent. • Adopt a resolution denying approval of the final layout and denying Municipal consent. • Adopt a resolution disapproving the final layout with conditions required for approval. Once the conditions are met by Mn/DOT and/or Ramsey County, the final layout and Municipal Consent are deemed to be approved. Councilmember Tamble stated he agrees with Councilmember Holden's previous suggestion to explore the possibility of an eastbound exit off of northbound US 10 to Highway 96. This has been an issue with several residents in that neighborhood. He understands that this exit can be built, but it has been determined to not be cost effective because it doesn't benefit that many people. He also commented on the need for a southern entrance to the TCAAP property. Discussion ensued with Joe Lux, Ramsey County Public Works, regarding the feasibility of the exit onto Highway 96 referred to by Councilmember Tamble. City Administrator Klaers asked Mr. Lux if the City doesn't grant Municipal Consent, could that result in stopping this project completely because of the timing requirement for funding. Mr. Lux responded that if Municipal Consent is not granted and this goes to the Appeal Board, and if the Appeal Board sides with the City, then the project could be dropped due to increased project costs. He added that the general feeling about the current intersection is that it is not safe and there are huge delays. He then suggested that perhaps the County should get a firm estimate of what that eastbound exit off northbound US 10 onto Highway 96 would cost. He added that this cost may have already been determined and he is just not aware of it. He also pointed out that when TCAAP is developed, an access will be constructed as part of that development and there would need to be at least a quarter mile of separation between that access and the exit ramp being requested by the City. Discussion ensued regarding the closing of Hamline and Snelling at I -694 for about 18 months and how this would impact City traffic during the US 10 and Highway 96 project. Mayor Grant suggested that a traffic count be made of the number cars coming off westbound I- 694 and heading north on Lexington Avenue. Public Works Director Maurer explained that the City has until the last week of September to take action on Municipal Consent for the US 10 and Highway 96 project. City Administrator Klaers asked if the Council has other issues that would impact the City granting Municipal Consent. Public Works Director Maurer stated the other issues he has heard previously include a shorter noise wall near the manufactured homes; there was a question about a trail connection from; and one resident was requesting designated access off Highway 96. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — AUGUST 15, 2011 11 Mr. Lux explained that he, Mr. Maurer and Chris Chromey met with Mr. Cmiel regarding his concerns and they owe him a response. After further discussion, the Council consensus was to request additional analysis from the County. Joe Lux then provided the following updates: • The County Road E bridge is not eligible for federal funding. • He completed the federal funding application for the Lexington Avenue bridge. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS & STAFF UPDATES City Administrator Klaers stated that the Community Development Director has been requested by the City newsletter committee to create an insert for an upcoming edition that reviews TCAAP and the stadium proposal. Mayor Grant reported that he spoke with Greg Mack and Tony Bennett today regarding the stadium proposal and it appears it will take longer than anticipated for the special session to occur for consideration of the stadium bill. He suggested that Councilmembers discuss with the City Administrator any concerns they may have about the stadium and that he or the Community Development Director will be the Staff spokesperson for the City when the Press calls. ADJOURN MOTION: Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 8:26 p.m. //24‘ ezeA4-- Patrick Klaers City Administrator avid Grant Mayor