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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-19-07-WS ,- IZEN HILLS Approved: May 12, 2014 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION NOVEMBER 19,2007; 5:00 PM ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Councilmember Grant called to order the City Council Worksession meeting at 5:10 p.m. Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead (arrived at 6:47 p.m.), Councilmembers David Grant, Brenda Holden (arrived at 5:20 p.m.), Fran Holmes, and David McClung . Absent: None. Also Present: City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Assistant City Administrator, Noah Simon; Public Works Director, Gregory Hoag; Finance Director, Susan Iverson; City Planner, James Lehnhoff, Parks and Recreation Manager, Michelle Olson; Building Official, Dave Scherbel; City Engineer, Kris Giga; and Recording Secretary Dianna Wise. 2. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember McClung moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented. The motion carried (3-0). 3. AGENDA ITEMS A. 2008 Proposed Budget City Administrator Wolfe stated she would like discussion on the proposed budget. She stated staff attempted to capture the key points, which includes the budget as presented with the goal of using the preliminary levy of 4.95 percent. Finance Director Iverson explained how she determined the 4.95 percent. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—November 19, 2007 2 McClung questioned whether the market value is being phased out and coming into the City's favor. Finance Director Iverson replied that was not correct. McClung questioned where Arden Hill's big windfall is at. Finance Director Iverson showed the limited market value and the impact to the taxpayer and the local tax rate. She pointed out line number seven of the tax impact worksheet. Councilmember Grant questioned whether line item five was correct. Finance Director Iverson replied that was the local portion of the levy last year. She explained which number was certified to the County. City Administrator Wolfe stated staff always based the levy discussion on the local portion as the City controls it. Councilmember Holden questioned how 3.2 percent for the market value was derived at. Finance Director Iverson commented this is the average for Arden Hills as reported by the County; individual taxes could vary widely. Public Works Director Hoag commented that some of the parks maintenance is a result of Park staff salary adjustments. Councilmember Holden asked what the percentage of benefits are based on salary. Finance Director Iverson stated she has never added it up to determine this. She directed Council to page 23 and pointed out the numbers. She commented she would email this information to Councilmembers. Councilmembers reviewed each chapter and asked for clarification on line items within the 2008 Budget. City Administrator, Finance Director Iverson, and Assistant City Administrator Simon made note of changes and requests. City Administrator Wolfe informed Council that the 2008 Budget is based on a general tax levy increase of 4.95 percent. She requested discussion on several key items: ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—November 19, 2007 3 ■ Contingency Amount Consensus reached by Council to approve a$25,000 contingency. Consensus reached by Council to approve a 4.6 percent in the general levy. ■ Deputy City Clerk Position City Administrator Wolfe stated that the Deputy City Clerk position would take on specific functions from every department. She stated the major drivers for this position are to better allocate resources and workload. She stated this is a benchmark position; therefore, it would be easy to determine a salary. She commented this position is traditionally more stable and would reduce the impact of turnover. Mayor Harpstead recommended this position be filled before the next elections. Consensus reached by Council to take this to the next step. ■ New Equipment Building and Replacement Fund City Administrator Wolfe recommended establishing a New Equipment, Building, and Replacement Fund and depositing $500,000 into it. Consensus reached by Council to set up this fund and deposit$500,000 into it to be used for City Hall building repairs only at this time. ■ $6,200 for Membership on the I-35W Corridor Coalition Consensus reached by Council to eliminate membership in the coalition at this time. ■ Proposed Part-Time Economic Development Assistant ■ Fence for South Water Tower Public Works Director Hoag commented that the original fence was estimated at $24,000; however, he hopes it could be built for much less. City Administrator Wolfe commented that the fence might not be required and could be eliminated from the budget given further research. ■ Northwest Youth and Family Services Contributions Consensus reached by Council to purchase a table at their fundraiser for $1,000 and to make up a shortfall of up to $4,000. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—November 19, 2007 4 ■ $35,000 Consultant Fee for Design of the County Road E business district Consensus reached by Council to fund $35,000 for a consultant to assist the City with design preparation of the County Road E business district. B. 2008-212 proposed CIP City Administrator Wolfe stated the 2008 CIP Budget is critical at this point. She made note of the changes and recommendations by Council. Consensus reached by Council to direct staff to build a concept plan and study in 2008 with implementation planned for 2009 for the CP Rail Bridge, Old Highway 10 Sidewalk Improvement project. Consensus reached by Council to discuss the Capital Improvement Plan again in December 2007. C. 2008 Proposed Compensation Plan/Pay Equity Councilmember Grant summarized the meeting with the consultant and reported they decided to base the pay rates on the 55 percentile and to remove Shoreview from the equation. He explained they looked at implementing symmetry within pay grades. Councilmember Grant presented the revised Compensation Plan/Pay Equity Plan. City Administrator Wolfe pointed out the information is based on 2007 data. Consensus reached by Council that they are in agreement with the assumptions. Consensus reached by Council to move in the direction of the revised Compensation Plan/Pay Equity Plan and to direct staff to prepare the new plan for implementation on December 1, 2007 and a 3% COLA adjustment for 2008. 4. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Mayor Harpstead presented the issue of donating $500 to the Lake Johanna Association to eliminate the geese population at Lake Johanna. Consensus reached by Council to not donate $500 to the Lake Johanna Association to eliminate the geese population at Lake Johanna at this time. Council directed staff to find the information presented earlier this year. Councilmember Grant questioned whether staff received information about the Holiday Inn. City Administrator Wolfe stated she had not heard any definite news. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—November 19, 2007 5 Public Works Director Hoag commented the domestic water is shut off. Councilmember Grant tasked Assistant City Administrator Simon to correct the instructions directing visitors to enter City Hall via the east door rather than the west. Councilmember Grant questioned who owned the Chatham area relative to tree removal. Councilmember McClung requested 15 minutes of discussion time at the December 2007 work session to talk about parking during the election. Councilmember McClung mentioned a moratorium for County Road E on November 26, 2007. Consensus reached by Council to direct staff to prepare an agenda item to implement a moratorium on County Road E on November 26, 2007. Consensus reached to send Christmas cards this year. 5. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Mayor Harpstead moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:04 p.m. The motion carried (5-0). 1 Star arpstea Michelle A.Wolfc A4 M yor City Administrator ATTEST (on May 12, 2014): David Grant Sue Iverson Mayor Director of Finance and Administrative Services CONSENT ITEM—5D EN HILLS MEMORANDUM DATE: May 12,2014 TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers Patrick Klaers, City Administrator FROM: Amy Died, City Clerk SUBJECT: Approve November 19, 2007, Work Session Minutes Background/Discussion Staff has been actively working on cleaning files that are in storage in the basement. In doing so, a set of unsigned work session minutes from November 19, 2007, was found. It appears as though these minutes were never brought to the City Council for approval and as such were never signed. As a housekeeping item, staff requests that the City Council approve these minutes so they can be scanned into Laserfiche for permanent retention. It should be noted that all members of the current City Council were serving in 2007, except for Councilmember Ed Werner. Requested Action Approve work session minutes from November 19, 2007. Attachment Attachment A: Draft November 19, 2007 Work Session Minutes Page 1 of 1 Attachment A -A EN HILLS DRAFT Approved: CITY OF ARDEN HILLS,MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION NOVEMBER 19,2007; 5:00 PM ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Councilmember Grant called to order the City Council Worksession meeting at 5:10 p.m. Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead (arrived at 6:47 p.m.), Councilmembers David Grant, Brenda Holden (arrived at 5:20 p.m.), Fran Holmes, an d David McClung . Absent: None. Also Present: City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Assistant City Administrator, Noah Simon; Public Works Director, Gregory Hoag; Finance Director, Susan Iverson; City Planner, James Lehnhoff; Parks and Recreation Manager, Michelle Olson; Building Official, Dave Scherbel; City Engineer,Kris Giga; and Recording Secretary Dianna Wise. 2. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember McClung moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented. The motion carried (3-0). 3. AGENDA ITEMS A. 2008 Proposed Budget City Administrator Wolfe stated she would like discussion on the proposed budget. She stated staff attempted to capture the key points, which includes the budget as presented with the goal of using the preliminary levy of 4.95 percent. Finance Director Iverson explained how she determined the 4.95 percent. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—November 19, 2007 2 McClung questioned whether the market value is being phased out and coming into the City's favor. Finance Director Iverson replied that was not correct. McClung questioned where Arden Hill's big windfall is at. Finance Director Iverson showed the limited market value and the impact to the taxpayer and the local tax rate. She pointed out line number seven of the tax impact worksheet. Councilmember Grant questioned whether line item five was correct. Finance Director Iverson replied that was the local portion of the levy last year. She explained which number was certified to the County. City Administrator Wolfe stated staff always based the levy discussion on the local portion as the City controls it. Councilmember Holden questioned how 3.2 percent for the market value was derived at. Finance Director Iverson commented this is the average for Arden Hills as reported by the County; individual taxes could vary widely. Public Works Director Hoag commented that some of the parks maintenance is a result of Park staff salary adjustments. Councilmember Holden asked what the percentage of benefits are based on salary. Finance Director Iverson stated she has never added it up to determine this. She directed Council to page 23 and pointed out the numbers. She commented she would email this information to Councilmembers. Councilmembers reviewed each chapter and asked for clarification on line items within the 2008 Budget. City Administrator, Finance Director Iverson, and Assistant City Administrator Simon made note of changes and requests. City Administrator Wolfe informed Council that the 2008 Budget is based on a general tax levy increase of 4.95 percent. She requested discussion on several key items: ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—November 19, 2007 3 ■ Contingency Amount Consensus reached by Council to approve a$25,000 contingency. Consensus reached by Council to approve a 4.6 percent in the general levy. ■ Deputy City Clerk Position City Administrator Wolfe stated that the Deputy City Clerk position would take on specific functions from every department. She stated the major drivers for this position are to better allocate resources and workload. She stated this is a benchmark position; therefore, it would be easy to determine a salary. She commented this position is traditionally more stable and would reduce the impact of turnover. Mayor Harpstead recommended this position be filled before the next elections. Consensus reached by Council to take this to the next step. ■ New Equipment Building and Replacement Fund City Administrator Wolfe recommended establishing a New Equipment, Building, and Replacement Fund and depositing$500,000 into it. Consensus reached by Council to set up this fund and deposit$500,000 into it to be used for City Hall building repairs only at this time. ■ $6,200 for Membership on the I-35W Corridor Coalition Consensus reached by Council to eliminate membership in the coalition at this time. ■ Proposed Part-Time Economic Development Assistant ■ Fence for South Water Tower Public Works Director Hoag commented that the original fence was estimated at$24,000; however, he hopes it could be built for much less. City Administrator Wolfe commented that the fence might not be required and could be eliminated from the budget given further research. ■ Northwest Youth and Family Services Contributions Consensus reached by Council to purchase a table at their fundraiser for $1,000 and to make up a shortfall of up to $4,000. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—November 19, 2007 4 ■ $35,000 Consultant Fee for Design of the County Road E business district Consensus reached by Council to fund $35,000 for a consultant to assist the City with design preparation of the County Road E business district. i B. 2008-212 proposed CIP City Administrator Wolfe stated the 2008 CIP Budget is critical at this point. She made note of the changes and recommendations by Council. Consensus reached by Council to direct staff to build a concept plan and study in 2008 with implementation planned for 2009 for the CP Rail Bridge, Old Highway 10 Sidewalk Improvement project. Consensus reached by Council to discuss the Capital Improvement Plan again in December 2007. C. 2008 Proposed Compensation Plan/Payquity Councilmember Grant summarized the meeting with the consultant and reported they decided to base the pay rates on the 55 percentile and to remove Shoreview from the equation. He explained they looked at implementing symmetry within pay grades. Councilmember Grant presented the revised Compensation Plan/Pay Equity Plan. City Administrator Wolfe pointed out the information is based on 2007 data. Consensus reached by Council that they are in agreement with the assumptions. Consensus reached by Council to move in the direction of the revised Compensation Plan/Pay Equity Plan and to direct staff to prepare the new plan for implementation on December 1, 2007 and a 3% COLA adjustment for 2008. 4. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Mayor Harpstead presented the issue of donating $500 to the Lake Johanna Association to eliminate the geese population at Lake Johanna. Consensus reached by Council to not donate $500 to the Lake Johanna Association to eliminate the geese population at Lake Johanna at this time. Council directed staff to find the information presented earlier this year. Councilmember Grant questioned whether staff received information about the Holiday Inn. City Administrator Wolfe stated she had not heard any definite news. 1 ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—November 19, 2007 5 Public Works Director Hoag commented the domestic water is shut off. Councilmember Grant tasked Assistant City Administrator Simon to correct the instructions directing visitors to enter City Hall via the east door rather than the west. Councilmember Grant questioned who owned the Chatham area relative to tree removal. Councilmember McClung requested 15 minutes of discussion time at the December 2007 work session to talk about parking during the election. Councilmember McClung mentioned a moratorium for County Road E on November 26, 2007. Consensus reached by Council to direct staff to prepare an agenda item to implement a moratorium on County Road E on November 26, 2007. I Consensus reached to send Christmas cards this year. 5. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Mayor Harpstead moved and Councilmember Holmes seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 10:04 p.m. The motion carried(5-0). Stan Harpstead Michelle Wolfe Mayor City Administrator ATTEST (on May 12, 2014): David Grant Sue Iverson Mayor Director of Finance and Administrative Services