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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-20-12-WS 'It ,- VEEN HILLS Approved: September 10, 2012 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING AUGUST 20,2012 5:00 PM—COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Grant called to order the City Council Work Session meeting at 5:04 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant, Council Members Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Nick Tamble, and Ed Werner Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Patrick Klaers; Director of Finance and Administrative Services Sue Iverson; Community Development Director Jill Hutmacher; City Planner Meagan Beekman; Community Development Intern Matt Horton; and Deputy City Clerk Amy Died 1. ADOPT AGENDA Councilmember Holmes requested that Item G become Item F so it may be discussed after Item E on the agenda. The Council accepted the agenda as amended. 2. AGENDA ITEMS A. Sheriffs Department Update—Police Services Update City Administrator Klaers stated that the City of Arden Hills contracts with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department for police services, and as such, one of the Council goals is the continued monitoring of police services and budget. He indicated that although he and Sheriff Matt Bostrom speak regularly, the Sheriff wants to attend a City Council meeting at least once a year to update the Council on police services. Sheriff Bostrom noted that the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department focuses on five core lines or divisions of operation. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 2 • Detention Services Division. Pre-sentencing detention is provided to people who have been arrested. This represents a daily population of approximately 400 to 450 people, and the length of their stay is around five to six days before they appear in court for sentencing. • Court and Security Services Division. The Sheriffs Department is involved with the criminal side of the court system when they provide courthouse security. They are involved in the civil side of the court system when a judge issues an order or a writ that is required to be delivered to a recipient. • Public Safety Services Division. The Sheriffs Department contracts law enforcement services for communities that do not have their own police departments. Also falling within this division is the water control program. There are 82 lakes located within Ramsey County communities, and the Sheriffs Department has the responsibility of enforcing the law on the waterways. • Administration Division. The program of Gun Permits and Warrants falls within this division. The Sheriffs Department is responsible for permits to purchase/transfer ownership of guns and they also issue permits to carry. • Regional and Special Services Division. With 17 cities in the county, the Sheriffs Department is often involved in large scale operations and investigations. Sheriff Bostrom stated that the five divisions all have their own mission statement, and it is a goal of the Sheriffs Department to ensure that the people who work there are not indispensible, but he also wants each person on staff to feel important. In order to help improve services, performance evaluations are now being done for each staff member. Councilmember Holden inquired if a neighborhood officer has been assigned to the community; particularly for the Neighborhood Watch Program. City Administrator Klaers noted that Deputy John Eastham is responsible for the Crime Prevention Program, which includes services and programs such as Neighborhood Watch and Night to Unite. Councilmember Tamble stated that there are neighborhoods that are not organized and that do not have representation. Councilmember Holden indicated that there used to be block captains in neighborhoods and the Sheriff s Department would relay crime information to those block captains who would share the information with the neighborhood residents. Sheriff Bostrom noted that the Sheriff s Department's website now offers "CodeRED", which is a service that alerts subscribers of emergency situations, such as severe weather events, sex offender notifications, and increased crime in neighborhoods. Anyone who is interested may sign up for this confidential service, and they may opt out of it at any time. He stated that a "Community Concerns Form" is also available on the website, and this feature allows residents to share concerns and comments and report crimes and other suspicious behavior. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 3 Sheriff Bostrom announced that within the communities they serve, there were 132 Night to Unite parties, which is up from last year's 116 registered parties. Councilmember Holmes stated that the Sheriff's Department does a good job of being professional when responding to calls but a real connection to the community is still lacking. She indicated that she believes there is too much emphasis placed on the Night to Unite event considering there are more neighborhoods not participating than those that are participating. Sheriff Bostrom explained that in terms of providing neighborhood services, serving the City of Arden Hills is a"beat". When a patrol officer works a beat, they should get out of their squad cars and talk face-to-face with residents and business owners. That practice may have happened more in years past than it does today, so the purpose behind Night to Unite is to try getting back to officers and residents communicating. Councilmember Holden stated that she thinks there is plenty of communication taking place between officers and those working in the commercial areas. She thinks the problem is that residents are not seeing enough of officers driving through neighborhoods. Sheriff Bostrom noted that it is beneficial for him to meet with cities to learn what the community expectations are so he knows how to accommodate those expectations. Mayor Grant stated that he would like to discuss the police budget. He has been on the City Council for 12 years, and during his tenure, he has seen new deputies added every few years. His concern is that Arden Hills' population has not increased, nor does he think the crime rate has increased. He is sensitive to additional officers being added because he does not see the need, and he does not feel it is as useful for Arden Hills as it is for other cities to have added police staff. The cities participating in the police services contract are treated as a whole, but he thinks the needs of each city are different. Sheriff Bostrom indicated that sharing police services is a good way to share resources. He noted that factors such as `calls for service' are in the formula to determine fees, but maybe the formula needs to be revisited to ensure that the City is getting the services it pays for. He stated that other cities, like Roseville and White Bear Lake, feel that Arden Hills, and all the contract communities, are getting a good deal under the contract. Councilmember Werner thanked the Sheriff for the ride-along that he participated in last month. He was impressed with the equipment in the squad car. Mayor Grant commented that a ride-along provides a good exchange of information between the participant and the officer. Sheriff Bostrom noted that the Sheriff's Department is working on a system that will allow for computer-aided dispatch. Such a system would maintain a database of information that would be available to the public in the form of a web-based dashboard tool. For example, a person hears sirens at 2:00 a.m.; that person could later look at the dashboard online and read about the call. Police calls are public information, so it makes sense for the public to be able to access the information. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 4 Sheriff Bostrom indicated that another improvement they are hoping to make is a 911 system with better GIS (Geographic Information System) capabilities. In the future, latitude and longitude coordinates, versus house numbers, will be used when responding to 911 calls. Sheriff Bostrom commented on a final improvement being made in his office, which is the ability to submit police reports online. He said that offering this type of service has many benefits. People may be more apt to submit a report when there is ease of doing so online rather than being required to wait for an hour or more to submit a report with a police officer. Additionally, the thoroughness of details offered in a self-submitted report are greater than details contained in a report taken by a police officer. They hope to roll this service out within the next six months. Mayor Grant thanked Sheriff Bostrom for attending the meeting and for providing an update on police services being offered by the Ramsey County Sheriff s Department. B. Website Design Discussion Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that the website ad-hoc committee has been working on the design and creation of the new website. She showed the Council a screen shot of a draft copy of the home page and two interior pages of the City's website. She noted a few features that will be incorporated into the new site: a curved arch on the home page mimics the design of the gateway sign; a slide show option is available so photos may be added seasonally; there is an "I want to" tab that will provide quick answers on how to do certain things in the City; and toggle buttons will be predominantly featured for "City News", "Calendar", and "Online Services". She also mentioned that City staff is working on drafting content for the site. The deadline for design approval is September 7. All content must be submitted to CivicPlus by September 28. Mayor Grant inquired about the picture used for the home page and where it was taken. City Planner Beekman noted that all of the photos used on the website were taken in the City of Arden Hills by the photographer hired for the project. She stated that thanks to the work of the photographer, the City will have a large portfolio of beautiful photographs available for use for the newsletter, website, and other City projects. Discussion continued regarding the functionality of some of the website tabs and buttons. The Council indicated that they liked the look of the draft website. Mayor Grant thanked the website committee for all of their hard work. C. Zoning Study Discussion—Multi-Family Design Standards City Planner Beekman noted that the City Council approved a city-wide moratorium on multi- family dwelling units at their June 25, 2012, meeting to allow the City to conduct a zoning study to review possible design standards. City Planner Beekman stated that at their July 11, 2012, work session, the Planning Commission reviewed the scope of work for the design standards study and provided direction to staff on high ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 5 priority items. She noted that staff prepared draft regulations of design standards for multi-family dwellings based on the July Planning Commission discussion, recommendations from the League of Minnesota Cities, and a review of other cities' codes. The draft was presented to the Planning Commission at their August 8, 2012, work session. She indicated that revisions were made to the draft and it is now being offered to the City Council for feedback and direction. City Planner Beekman stated that copies of the draft regulations were sent to stakeholders in the community for comments and two responses were received. City Planner Beekman explained that based on the Planning Commissions discussions, staff has prepared a draft ordinance that addresses multi-family design standards. She discussed some of the items included in the regulations. She noted that a copy of the draft regulations was sent to the City Attorney and the League of Minnesota Cities for feedback. She indicated that the League suggested avoiding regulations within the Zoning Code that pertain to items regulated by the State Building Code. The League recommended making all multi-family housing a conditional use rather than a permitted use through a PUD, as is the current process. The League also suggested requiring participation in the Crime Free Multi Housing Program through the Rental Registration Program. The Crime Free Multi Housing Program is offered by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Department. She noted that the Planning Commission recommended that additional requirements apply to all new multi-family housing, and that independent senior units or renovations of existing buildings not have separate or special provisions. Discussion continued regarding unit sizes, the rental registration program, and the other regulations noted in the draft revisions to the Zoning Code. The consensus of the Council was to keep the minimum unit size to 600 square feet as proposed in the draft revision to the Zoning Code. The Council was also supportive of the security and lighting plan components. The Council was supportive of the parking section as proposed and noted that there may be some flexibility with this requirement through the PUD process. The Council directed staff to more clearly define "common area" in Subd. 5. In terms of efficiency apartments, the Council consensus was that the number of efficiency apartments in a multiple dwelling shall not exceed fifteen (15) percent of the total number of apartments. Additionally, the Council directed staff to strike the clause referring to senior housing in Subd. 6. It was noted that the bicycle parking regulation in Subd. 7 referred secured storage space. The Council would like to change the word secured to enclosed. The Council was in agreement with the window coverings section as presented in Subd. 8. The Council supported staff evaluating the number of required off street parking spaces when compared to the requirements in similar cities. D. Concept Review—Brewery Tap Room Discussion City Planner Beekman stated that the State Legislature passed the Surly Bill in 2011, which allows taprooms in microbreweries in Minnesota. She noted that the law allows microbreweries that produce fewer than 250,000 barrels of beer a year to have a taproom where they can sell the beer that is brewed on site. She also noted that the state law also allows microbreweries that produce fewer than 3,500 barrels of beer a year to provide off-sale sales of 64 ounce "growlers" and 750 milliliter bottles, but the law prohibits off-sale sales of beer by the bottle, case, or keg. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 6 City Planner Beekman noted that the City has received a proposal from Bent Brewstillery to open a brewery and distillery in the B-4 Zoning District at 1160 Red Fox Road. A taproom for the consumption of on-sale beer brewed on site, as well as off-sale sales of growlers and 750 milliliter bottles, would also be included in the plan. City Planner Beekman introduced Bartley Blume. Bartley Blume, Bent Brewstillery, stated that he has done a lot of research and he feels that the City of Arden Hills is a great location to open a brewery taproom. He indicated that he plans to keep his day job right now and will do the craft brewery after hours. He has been offered a good lease and he would like to start his business here. He noted that microdistillery is not significant in Minnesota, in fact, Osakis is the only city with a microdistillery. He feels this type of business is complimentary to the area. Councilmember Tamble inquired how this business concept is different than Barley Johns. Mr. Blume stated that Barley Johns is a restaurant/brewery and at this time, he will not be serving food at his establishment. Mr. Blume explained that he would like to design his brewery and distillery so that the beer brewing equipment is visible as soon as a person walks in. He would like to blend in seating and make it a comfortable area that makes people feel welcome. He said that he loves to entertain people and he would treat this business as an extension of his home. Councilmember Holden inquired if a brewery/distillery is treated as a bar. City Planner Beekman stated that the business would operate under a taproom license, and would include an on-sale taproom license allowing the sale of microbrews brewed on-site only; as well as an off-sale license that would be available for the predetermined sized bottles of beer. Councilmember Holden inquired how many liquor licenses are available in the City. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson noted that staff can review how many licenses there currently are and how many are still available. Councilmember Holden questioned if there is an odor when beer is being brewed and distilled. Mr. Blume stated that on a large scale, yes, there would be an odor. However, he does not anticipate an odor for the smaller scale project that he would have. Councilmember Holden asked what the hours of operation would be. Mr. Blume indicated that the business would not open before 3:00 p.m. and it would close at 10:00 p.m. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, he anticipates that he might open a little earlier than 3:00 p.m. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 7 Councilmember Holden questioned what happens if there are increased police calls because of the brewery/distillery. City Planner Beekman noted that things like increased police calls would be reviewed at the time of license renewal. Councilmember Holden inquired about the parking because she thinks it looks like it could be problematic. City Planner Beekman stated that staff would talk to other cities to see how they are dealing with this type of business. She noted that St. Louis Park and Excelsior are good cities to research because they both recently allowed microbreweries/taprooms into their communities. She anticipates that the parking required would be more like retail use rather than restaurant use. Mayor Grant asked how many people Mr. Blume would expect to serve on a Friday night. Mr. Blume stated that he estimates between 50 - 75 people throughout the evening until the business grows. He explained that there is a lot of potential for shared parking in parking lots of other businesses, which would be closed when his business is open. Councilmember Holden noted that agreements would need to be made with those businesses for shared parking because of liability reasons. City Planner Beekman stated that the surrounding businesses are all managed under one management company, so there may not be an issue with shared parking. The consensus among the Council was that they are supportive of the idea and plans should proceed. E. TIF Policy Discussion Community Development Director Hutmacher stated that at the City Council meeting on July 16, 2012, staff was directed by the Council to enter into an agreement with Ehlers to develop tax increment finance (TIF) guidelines that will assist the City in determining how and when to provide TIF assistance. She noted that this is the first meeting with the Council since signing the agreement. Tonight's discussion will help provide Ms. Kvilvang with feedback as to what direction Council would like to go regarding TIF development goals and aligning those goals in any policy or guidelines that are established. Stacie Kvilvang, Ehlers, noted that state statute requires a city to have a Business Subsidy Policy, which can address all forms of public financial assistance to businesses. Business subsidies may include TIF or tax abatement, but can also include a waiver of fees such as building permit fees, park dedication fees, SAC/WAC fees, etc. She noted that there are certain statutory requirements for a Business Subsidy Policy. She also noted that when creating a policy, the City needs to know what it wants to provide assistance for. She said it is important to remember that a policy is being created, not an ordinance, so it is not set in stone. The TIF guidelines will be in the form of a City ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 8 policy. The City may deviate from its policy as long as the reasons for not following the policy are provided. Ms. Kvilvang provided ten basic assumptions that have been made that would be included in the policy. She noted that the assumptions are typical of what the majority of communities in Minnesota use in their policies. She stated that she would like to discuss the chart that was provided in the handouts. She noted that the matrix is broken down into commercial and housing, and there are two criteria that are required per statute; they are job creation and hourly rate/wages. Ms. Kvilvang noted that there are twenty three exemptions to what is considered a business subsidy. The two most common exemptions are housing development (because that does not affect job creation) and redevelopment. If the cost to acquire the land, to do any environmental remediation, to relocate anyone, or do any demo is more than 70% of current assessed valuation, it is exempt from the business subsidy. Discussion ensued regarding the matrix and the types of criteria that the Council may want to consider for usage in the TIF ranking system. Council consensus is that Ms. Kvilvang should take the feedback provided tonight, in addition to gathering information regarding what others are using, to draft a policy that can be reviewed at a future meeting. F. City Attorney RFP Update City Administrator Klaers stated that there have been some concerns regarding the City Attorney changing law firms. Staff has met with the new law firm, Kelly & Lemmons, and was impressed with the municipal experience and backup support that they offer. Staff has also been impressed with the work of Michael Norton with Kennedy& Graven on the TCAAP project. City Administrator Klaers noted that it is probably a good time to seek a Request for Proposal (RFP) for legal services from a limited number of law firms. Councilmember Tamble inquired if there is an outstanding contract for legal services with the current City Attorney. City Administrator Klaers stated that there is not. Councilmember Holden questioned if the legal services sought would cover all types of legal issues. City Administrator Klaers stated that the legal services would cover both civil and criminal needs and the City would be looking to contract for some legal services billed out as a retainer rather than hourly. Councilmember Holden inquired what the City of Shoreview is doing for their legal services. City Administrator Klaers explained that he has heard that they are considering entering into a short-term contract with current City Attorney, Jerry Filla. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 9 The consensus among the Council is to move forward with the RFP for legal services. G. Roles and Responsibilities of Council Liaisons Due to time constraints, the consensus of the Council is to move this item to a future work session. 3. COUNCIL COMMENTS & STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holden stated that while attending Night to Unite parties, many people expressed concern regarding the topic of the old Holiday Inn property and the proposal of 300 square foot efficiency apartments. She noted that the Fire Board will be meeting in a couple of weeks and she asked that everyone look at the budget prior to the vote being taken in September. Councilmember Tamble stated that the Celebrating Arden Hills poster was created and designed by Holly Bernatz who is the owner of Beyond Design. She offered her services pro bono and he would like to thank her for the wonderful job she did. Mayor Grant also thanked Holly Bernatz for her great work and contribution. Councilmember Holden inquired if the City could put something in the newsletter acknowledging Ms. Bernatz's contribution. Mayor Grant stated that he is making an official weed complaint in regard to the eight inch tall weeds growing in the Triangle Parcel. He inquired about watering trees using tree bags. He stated that he has seen other cities use tree watering bags and he would like to protect the trees that have been newly planted in the City of Arden Hills. He questioned the weed issue in the areas surrounding the new Walgreens building and what is going to happen with the weeds. Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated that Walgreens would have a landscaping escrow and escrow funds would not be released to them until they take care of everything in the conditions of their agreement. Mayor Grant inquired about putting soccer nets up at Floral Park. City Administrator Klaers stated that item should go to the PTRC for discussion. Mayor Grant questioned when the labor contracts were up. City Administrator Klaers stated that labor contracts expire at the end of the year. Mayor Grant inquired when the next B2 meeting is scheduled. Councilmember Holmes stated that the next B2 meeting has not been scheduled at this time. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—AUGUST 20, 2012 10 City Administrator Klaers passed around a sign-up sheet for Councilmember shifts at Celebrating Arden Hills and for the TCAAP tours. City Administrator Klaers stated that he will send out a memo regarding fundraising for Celebrating Arden Hills. He noted that as of right now, approximately $10,000 in donations have been received and the event is on budget. Two food vendors have been secured for the event and he thanked Councilmember Tamble's wife for her generous time donation and assistance in coordinating the event. City Administrator Klaers stated that a long-term solution has not been found at this time regarding the relocation of the Allina ambulance. It is currently located at Lexington Avenue and 1-694. He stated that he has been advised that the City of Roseville has five times the number of calls that Arden Hills does, so that ambulance typically responds to calls in Roseville. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 9:15 p.m. 4'6;f 1 ve��1141 Patrick Klaers David Grant City Administrator Mayor