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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07-16-12-WS ,.It EN HILLS Approved: August 13, 2012 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING JULY 16, 2012 5:00 PM -ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Councilmember Nick Tamble called to order the City Council Work Session meeting at 5:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant (arrived at 5:05 p.m.), Council Members Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes (arrived at 5:15 p.m.),Nick Tamble, and Ed Werner Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; City Planner Meagan Beekman; Parks and Recreation Manager Michelle Olson; and Deputy City Clerk Amy Dietl 1. ADOPT AGENDA The Council accepted the agenda as presented. 2. AGENDA ITEMS A. CTV North Suburbs Update Coralie Wilson, Executive Director of Northwest Suburban Communications Committee (NSCC)/Northwest Suburban Access Corporation (NSAC)presented the City Council with the annual update on the status of CTV. The presentation included information on the technical status of the system, the needs ascertainment of the system, the recent settlement agreement, and the CTV strategic planning process. Ms. Wilson discussed the needs ascertainment study that was conducted by The Buske Group to research and to identify current and future community cable-related needs and interests. She noted that the group used eight different methods of research, including a statistically-valid survey. Ms. Wilson stated that the majority of the people who were surveyed do subscribe to Comcast's cable TV service, which is the cable franchise that services approximately 30,000 subscribers in ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JULY 16, 2012 2 this 10-City franchise area. Those who do not subscribe to cable choose not to based on expense or because they are not interested in cable television. Other findings include an overall satisfaction among viewers in regard to their cable service, and the majority of subscribers are happy with the picture and sound quality of their cable channels. Viewers are not happy, however, with the picture and sound quality of CTV channel programming. Ms. Wilson explained that the picture and sound quality of CTV channel programming is not as good as regular cable channels because CTV is not being broadcast at High Definition transmission. Transmitting in High Definition is in the budget, however, at this time, Comcast is not providing that type of transmission. She explained that Comcast operates under individual franchises that expire in 2013, and High Definition transmission of CTV channel programming will be part of the upcoming negotiation process. Discussion ensued regarding public policy on franchise fees, strategic planning, the types of services provided by NSCC/NSAC, and the current business models of telephone and cable television franchises. Mr. Craig Wilson, City Representative on the CTV Board, stated that overall, there are not a lot of complaints in Arden Hills regarding cable television. Commissioners on the CTV Board ensure that consumers are being treated fairly and often act as mediators between the consumer and the cable franchise. They also help by providing a "voice" from a community standpoint when it comes to things like franchise renewal. Mayor Grant thanked Ms. Wilson and Mr. Wilson for the updates and information they both provided. B. Sheriff's Budget City Administrator Klaers presented the Council with the May minutes of the Jurisdictions that Contract with the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department for Police Services meeting as well as a copy of the draft 2013 police budget. He explained that the Ramsey County Sheriff s Department is proposing to add one additional deputy in 2013 for the contract communities. Mayor Grant stated that the Council should be directing City Administrator Klaers on how to cast his vote on the 2013 budget. He feels the City will not notice the position increase, but will notice the budget increase. Councilmember Holmes questioned if the Ramsey County Sheriff s Department can explain why they need one more deputy to cover the same services. She cited that the sheriffs department currently requires 5.4098 Patrol Deputies to provide the City of Arden Hills with 24/7 coverage and it will take 5.5689 deputies in the year 2013 to provide the same coverage. City Administrator Klaers stated that the increase in 2013 is because the new position is considered a "Relief Deputy" and that person will be filling in as needed for those using vacation or sick time or at training. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JULY 16, 2012 3 Councilmember Holmes commented that the City gets charged based partly on the amount of calls for police services and the size of the City. She said the City's increase should not be too significant because the cities with the most calls will end up paying more. Councilmember Tamble stated that in his review of the budget, our increase is mainly due to the added cost of the added deputy position. The Council consensus was for City Administrator Klaers to cast a "no" vote for the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department budget for 2013. C. Trail Signage Mayor Grant stated that this discussion should be about the maps and not the signs themselves since the Council approved the signs already at the May 29, 2012, meeting. Park and Recreation Manager Olson noted that the Council gave direction at a previous meeting to start map trail options. She provided a sample of a map and stated that the legend and some elements need to be fine-tuned. Discussion ensued regarding which elements should appear on the maps as well as how many signs should be on the trails. Staff was provided with direction to move forward on the printing of trail signage with minor changes. D. Gateway Signs City Planner Beekman introduced Jay Higgins, owner of Fourth Dimension Architectural Signage and CNC Router Service. Mr. Higgins has been selected to design and construct the City's gateway signs. Mr. Higgins provided the Council with conceptual drawings of the proposed gateway sign design. He talked about the construction materials and the installation method, and he indicated that the ten-year warranty covers fading, peeling, and cracking of the paint. The paint is high-quality, 100% acrylic, and provides an automotive grade finish. Mayor Grant questioned how easy it might be for someone to steal a letter, or the cut-out of the tree used in the City's logo, from the gateway sign. Mr. Higgins stated that it is very difficult to remove a letter from the sign because of the way the letters are mechanically fastened to the sign. He noted that letters can easily be re-cut and installed, if needed. Discussion continued regarding the design of the sign. Consensus among the Council was that they like the shape of the sign, but they would like to see what the sign would look like with the tree of the City's logo repositioned as well as seeing the sign as if it was two-sided rather than one-sided. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JULY 16, 2012 4 City Administrator Klaers indicated that staff would work with Mr. Higgins on the suggested modifications and would bring revisions of the proposed sign design to the July 30, 2012, City Council meeting. E. Campaign Signs City Administrator Klaers presented the Council with information regarding Ramsey County's policy on campaign signs as well as the City's Sign Ordinance. He noted that in previous years, staff has heard that Ramsey County Public Works staff does not remove campaign signs in the County's right-of-way (ROW). He asked for clarification from the Council regarding what City staff should be doing in terms of sign removal. Councilmember Holden questioned whether campaign signs can be put in the right-of-way at the City level. City Planner Beekman stated that campaign signs may be placed in City rights-of-way during an election year with permission of the property owner that shares a property line with the adjoining ROW where the sign is located. She noted that campaign signs along residential streets are not usually an issue because they typically do not affect site-lines. Mayor Grant stated that he does not want City staff to go out and patrol County roads for improperly placed campaign signs. City Planner Beekman indicated that in the past, 99% of improperly placed campaign signs were located in the County ROW. When complaints were received, staff made two phone calls; one to the political campaign to let them know of the improperly placed sign and another to Mr. Joe Lux at Ramsey County to notify him of the location of the sign. She noted that complaint-based removal is not a good idea due to potential complaints that a particular campaign is being singled out. City Administrator Klaers stated that selective enforcement can create potential issues and unnecessarily raise the question of staff partisanship. Mayor Grant indicated that if a campaign sign is affecting safety, then staff should contact the appropriate people to ensure that the placement of the sign is addressed. F. Update on July 11, 2012, Planning Commission Meeting—Moratorium Discussion City Planner Beekman stated that the Planning Commission met on July 11, 2012, and discussed multi-family design standards and offered direction and feedback to staff. Some of the topics they discussed included unit sizes, security, lighting, parking standards, community space, minimum kitchen requirements, bicycle parking requirements and possible design features. Councilmember Holmes noted that separate rules for new construction versus renovation were discussed as well as minimum multi-family design standards. She indicated that a study of what other cities are doing has been completed by the Planning Department Intern. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JULY 16, 2012 5 City Planner Beekman indicated that staff is beginning to work on drafting an ordinance based on the suggestions of the Planning Commission regarding multi-family design standards. She noted that the regulations will be kept simple and understandable. G. TIF Guidelines/Policy Review—Ehlers Proposal City Administrator Klaers stated that staff has received a proposal from Ehlers for developing a ranking system of TIF proposals and for establishing a limit on the amount of City value that should be in a TIF district. He noted that discussing priorities, putting a point value on those priorities, and creating a ranking system will help in the TIF application development process. Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that a goal is to align the City's vision and goals with the TIF policy. She noted that the Council has commented before about being in a reactionary mode when projects have come in as opposed to knowing what the goals are and being able to communicate those objectives to developers. City Administrator Klaers noted that the Council should establish priorities for the City. These priorities could include redevelopment or housing. If it is redevelopment, then locations for redevelopment should also be identified. He stated that it will help staff and the Council put values on ranking criteria for possible TIF projects. The Council directed staff to continue working with Ehlers to create the TIF White Paper/Policy and report card in a not to exceed contract of$3,705. 3. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Werner inquired when the rain garden at Valentine Park will be seeded. Councilmember Holden stated that a sign is posted at the park indicating that the seeding will be done next year. Councilmember Tamble questioned how neighborhood parties are established for Night to Unite. Councilmember Holden noted that the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department has worked with people in different neighborhoods through Neighborhood Watch programs to coordinate get- togethers for Night to Unite. City Administrator Klaers stated that if residents have not established a Neighborhood Watch program, they can always contact the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department or visit the sheriff's website which has applications available for people who want to host a party. Mayor Grant stated that he participated in a ride-along with the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department and he encourages others to do the same. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JULY 16, 2012 6 Mayor Grant noted that the Council is allowed to make a motion to reconsider a motion made at a prior meeting as long as the Councilmember was on the prevailing side of the original motion. He stated that to reconsider a motion, an item could be added to the agenda for reconsideration. Mayor Grant stated that he and Councilmember Holmes met with the City Attorney, Jerry Filla, regarding the 5010 foundation. He noted that Mr. Filla is changing law firms and he would like staff to check with Mr. Filla regarding where he is at in the transition process. Councilmember Holmes noted that everyone should know that even though the foundation is not established yet, donations are still encouraged and they are tax deductible. City Administrator Klaers indicated that the Ramsey County evening Deputy has been working on resolving the parking problems on Lake Johanna Boulevard. The Deputy has knocked on homeowner's doors to talk to people regarding the feedback received on parking issues and blocked mailboxes and garbage containers. It is the Deputy's recommendation to ban parking on both sides of Lake Johanna Boulevard until the construction project is completed. Additionally, a complete ban would be the easiest and most understandable option rather than distinguishing between no parking on weekdays versus weekends. Discussion regarding the parking situation continued and the Council suggested no parking on both sides of the street from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday on Lake Johanna Boulevard up to Lake Lane and no parking allowed at all on Sandeen Road. City Administrator Klaers noted that as was already mentioned, the City Attorney is in the process of changing law firms. He indicated that once Mr. Filla's transition is complete, staff needs to meet the new firm. Staff will likely recommend to the Council that the City seek Request for Proposals (RFP) for legal services from a few law firms, including the City Attorney's new and old firms. City Administrator Klaers stated that the use of Kennedy and Graven for TCAAP work was discussed at the last Council meeting. Staff has met with Michael Norton of Kennedy and Graven regarding TCAAP and he is working on the terms for a memorandum of understanding to establish a more formal relationship between the City of Arden Hills and Ramsey County in regard to the future development of the TCAAP property. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 8:24 p.m. 'A Patrick Klaers David Grant City Administrator Mayor