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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-07-12-WS lt �-ARQEN HILLS Approved: June 11, 2012 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MAY 7,2012 5:30 P.M. - ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Pro-Tem Nick Tamble called to order the Special City Council Work Session meeting at 5:35 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant (arrived 5:37 p.m.), Council Members Fran Holmes, Nick Tamble, and Ed Werner Absent: Council Member Brenda Holden Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers, Building Official Dave Scherbel, Lance Ross and Greg Hayes,Emergency Preparedness Resource Group, LLC 1. ADOPT AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Holmes moved and Councilmember Werner seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously (3-0). 2. AGENDA ITEMS A. City Council Chamber Gates Building Official Scherbel presented the City Council with several quotes for installing gates at the west end of the staff desk and for between the staff desk and Council Chamber dais. Staff requested a price for two gates that match the existing desk fronts and received three quotes. An alternate was requested for converting the gate between the Council Chamber dais and staff desk to another work station/desk for the recording secretary. Building Official Scherbel discussed the quotes in detail stating Steven Cabinets was the low bidder with a bid of $4,394.00. This quote included the two gates and converting the gate to a desk. He indicated that each gate was approximately $1,800 a piece and $733 was for converting the gate to a desk. It was noted each gate had a special latch. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MAY 7, 2012 2 Councilmember Holmes was in favor of the gates and the desk as it would offer protection to both staff and the Council. Councilmember Tamble questioned how staff felt about the proposed gates and desk. City Administrator Klaers commented he liked the idea of another work station and that the location would provide the recording secretary with good visual sight lines for the Council meetings. Councilmember Werner and Councilmember Tamble were in favor of the gates and desk. Councilmember Tamble questioned why the desk was considerably more by Stevens Cabinets than the other vendors. Building Official Scherbel reviewed that the desk included a great deal of detail work and was a custom piece. Mayor Grant wanted to proceed with the work station. He stated he was uncertain if the gate on the west end was necessary. Discussion ensued regarding the location and placement of the proposed gates. Mayor Grant suggested this item be delayed until comments could be taken from Councilmember Holden. He requested City Administrator Klaers speak with staff regarding the matter to gain additional feedback on the gates. B. Building Department First Quarter Report Building Official Scherbel presented the First Quarter Building Department report to the Council. He noted the City of Arden Hills was relatively busy with construction projects in comparison to other communities this size. Mayor Grant stated he would like to see comparisons between this quarter and past quarters. In addition, he would like to see the first quarter expenses and revenues with respect to the 2012 budget. Building Official Scherbel commented that the first quarter for 2012 was unique in that a large payment came to the City from Presbyterian Homes, which was unbudgeted. City Administrator Klaers indicated Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson's report would include the revenues and expenses for the City. Councilmember Holmes asked if there were concerns with unresolved building permits. Building Official Scherbel stated he did report on the number of permits that were pulled, completed and which remained open. He explained there were no building permits outstanding ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MAY 7, 2012 3 over two years. He commented the Building Department has been busier this spring, than in the past several years. Mayor Grant stated an aging report showing when permits are issued would also be beneficial to relate to the Council the number of permits outstanding. This would also show the current level of building activity in the City. Building Official Scherbel explained the City has been busy with the 19 homes sold by Pulte since October, Presbyterian Homes and the new Walgreens. City Administrator Klaers commented that staff may need additional help in the Building Department when Dave leaves on vacation. Building Official Scherbel indicated the Building Department would need assistance on a part- time basis. Mayor Grant supported the hiring of a temporary part-time inspector, as needed, to assist with the Building Department. C. Emergency Management Training City Administrator Klaers provided the City Council with information on the Emergency Management Training that would be presented this evening. He noted Lance Ross and Greg Hayes were present to lead an emergency preparedness training class for the City Council. Lance and Gregg have met with City staff individually and as a group to review the roles and responsibilities for key staff members when responding to an emergency. These meetings have resulted in the development of updated "checklists" for each staff member. This Council training class will meet the requirement of the G-402 Incident Command System Overview for Executive/Senior Officials. Lance Ross, Emergency Preparedness Resource Group, LLC, introduced himself to the Council and provided background information on his work history. He noted he responds to emergencies state-wide and works with the U of M in the Emergency Management Department. Greg Hayes, Emergency Preparedness Resource Group, LLC, stated he had 20 years of fire and EMS experience. He noted he worked for the City of Chanhassen for a number of years and works with the U of M in the Emergency Management Department. Mr. Hayes then reviewed with the Council a presentation discussing the role the Council has in the case of an emergency in the City of Arden Hills. He explained the presentation was specific to Executive/Senior Officials and their expectations. At the local level, the City falls under Ramsey County's plan. This allowed the City to avoid drafting its own emergency plan and defaulting to the County. Mr. Hayes discussed a tornado scenario and how the City and staff would handle the emergency situation. He explained he and Lance Ross would be watching radars in severe weather situations in order to be ready to respond. A plan of attack would be coordinated and documented with the ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MAY 7, 2012 4 Public Works Department. An Emergency Operation Center (EOC) would be operated out of the City Hall and the County would be present. Councilmember Holmes asked how coordination between the Public Works Department and City Hall would be accomplished. Mr. Hayes stated information would be gathered, damages would be evaluated by Public Works employees and then staff would report their findings to the EOC. After information was gathered, streets could be cleared and a debris management plan could begin. Mr. Hayes noted the extent of the damage would have to be assessed through emergency response personnel and Public Works employees. This takes time to evaluate depending on the extent of the damage within the City. The role of the Council within an incident was discussed. He stated the Incident Command System (ICS) would follow the City's current chain of command. The City would need to use its resources efficiently in emergency situations. Mr. Hayes stated if a disaster were declared an emergency situation, mutual aid agreements would go into effect and additional resources could be brought into the City. There are no issues in enacting the emergency with the County. The County would then have to pass this declaration along to the State. In order to be declared a Federal disaster, there would have to be a team present to evaluate the situation before a FEMA declaration could be made. He stated no money is exchanged with the declaration of an emergency,but it allowed for resources to be available. In addition it allowed for purchasing power to meet the needs of the disaster in the community. Mr. Hayes indicated the incident commander would be in the field in an emergency situation and all orders would follow a chain of command structure so as not to over task personnel. The incident commander would provide leadership and operations direction for the community. The Council's role would be to provide policy level guidance and administrative support with local resources. Councilmember Tamble asked when FEMA takes over in a disaster situation. Mr. Ross commented that local efforts would continue and that FEMA does not fully take over any local disaster situation. He explained that the City would maintain control over emergency situations except in a public health disaster. The County or State would not be allowed to come in and take over the situation. Councilmember Tamble questioned how the Red Cross tied into the relief efforts. Mr. Hayes explained that the Red Cross came in under congregate care which would be coordinated by Ramsey County. Mr. Hayes discussed the roll of the emergency commander and incident manager in disaster situations. At the same time, the Council would need to be handling policy decisions, strategic direction and authority for the City throughout the disaster. In addition, the Council can be communicating with the public the state of the disaster along with the recovery efforts being made on behalf of the residents. The role of the Sheriff's Department was discussed. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MAY 7, 2012 5 Mr. Hayes further discussed the EOC with and how disasters were determined by the County on a tiered system. The goal would be for the emergency to be managed objectively by all those in key positions. The objectives were then broken down into tactics and delegated to staff or additional resources were sought. Mr. Hayes stated an incident action plan would need to be drafted after gathering information and evaluating the situation thoroughly. This would need to be done in a timely manner to allow the City to begin addressing the critical needs of the community. The City would need a plan in how to deal with the media because they would respond quickly to the disaster. The Mayor would be the City's designated spokesperson. Mr. Hayes commented on the importance of a unified command team. This team would include the police, fire,the City Public Works Department, City officials and Ramsey County. Mayor Grant questioned how he would get resources focused on his City if a disaster hit Arden Hills along with neighboring communities. Mr. Hayes explained authority would be delegated to the Fire Chief in an emergency situation along with power to the Deputy Fire Chiefs. The communities with the most damage would be delegated a deputy chief. He indicated the state-wide mutual aid plan would come into effect as well and a great deal of emergency support would be offered through other fire departments in meeting the City's emergency needs. Mr. Hayes stated the worst disaster that could hit the City would be a public health emergency or disease outbreak. The State and CDC would have authority in these situations. He further discussed how these situations would be handled. Mr. Hayes discussed how information would need to be communicated through an emergency situation stating a joint effort would be needed between the City, County and State. After an event was handled by the City, a thorough evaluation would be taken to assist in planning for future situations. Mr. Hayes indicated he would continue to train City Staff for potential emergency situations to assist them with working through their checklists. He stated the Council was welcome to review NIMS information available on the Internet. He explained that the training provided this evening was 90 minutes based on his 100 hours of training. Mr. Hayes stated that 70% of the communities in the State are not taking a proactive approach to emergency response efforts. He commended Arden Hills for taking steps in the right direction and to prepare its staff and Council if a disaster were to hit the community. He thanked the Council for their time this evening and encouraged the Council to pass any comments or questions along to he or Lance for further comment. Mayor Grant questioned how a public health outbreak would alter the EOC. ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MAY 7, 2012 6 Mr. Ross indicated the work could be done virtually to reduce the physical health risks to those in control. In addition, votes would have to be taken by the Council remotely. Mayor Grant asked if the media could be controlled through strict communication. Mr. Ross stated it would greatly benefit the City to establish a rapport with the media and begin feeding them the facts on the situation. Mayor Grant thanked Mr. Ross and Mr. Hayes for their presentation this evening. 3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Mayor Grant corrected a statement in the Admin Update stating The Great Wall should read The Great China. He stated The Great China has a recent water main break. City Administrator Klaers noted staff has a recommendation for the Council to fill the Deputy Clerk position on Monday, May 14ch City Administrator Klaers indicated there would be a Special Work Session meeting next Monday at 6:00 p.m. for the Council to speak with Allina regarding the use of Fire Station#1. He then discussed the regular agenda with the Council noting he would not be in attendance and that Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson would be at the meeting as the Acting City Administrator. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 8:05 p.m. i c Patrick Klaers David Grant City Administrator Mayor