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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06-20-16-WS --SIZEN HILLS Approved: July 11, 2016 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JUNE 20,2016 5:00 P.M. -ARDEN HILLS CITY 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 5:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes (arrived at 5:01 p.m.), Dave McClung (excused at 6:02 p.m.) and Jonathan Wicklund Absent: None Also present: Interim City Administrator Sue Iverson; Acting Public Works Director John Anderson; City Planner Ryan Streff; Senior Planner Matthew Bachler; and City Clerk Julie Hanson Councilmember Holden requested an item be added to the agenda to allow for the discussion of the League of Minnesota Cities Conference (Item 1J). Councilmember Wicklund requested two items be added to the agenda to allow for discussion regarding a Communication Committee Fund Request (Item 1 K) and the Ramsey County League of Local Government Article Update (Item 1 L). 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Communications Consultant- TCAAP Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated due to the vacancy in the Community Development Director's position, staff has been working with our Financial Consultant, Stacie Kvilvang of Ehlers, on potential items that the Council may want to consider going forward with on TCAAP. Communications is one of those areas. Stacie Kvilvang, Ehlers & Associates, stated on June 6, 2016 the JDA approved a Preliminary Development Agreement (PDA) with Alatus for development of the TCAAP site. Over the course of the next 6 to 12 months, many actionable events will likely take place. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 2 Ms. Kvilvang indicated the redevelopment of TCAAP presents a once in a lifetime opportunity to manage the reuse of a large part of the city for a sustainable future. Along with this opportunity comes a complex communications challenge. The success of the development depends to a significant degree on the ability of the City, the JDA, the Master Developer, and their spokespeople to communicate clearly, effectively and persuasively about the goals, objectives, and processes surrounding the development. How the City participates in this process and communicates about the development will play a significant role in the degree to which businesses and residents understand and support it. Ms. Kvilvang stated in order to be successful, large and complex projects such as this require significant and continual communication to the public. In 2007, the City hired Davis Communications to assist with the development and implementation of a communications plan that included the following objectives: • Increase understanding among residents and other key audiences of the opportunities presented by the potential redevelopment of the TCAAP site. • Develop understanding of the goals, objectives and timelines of the TCAAP development. • Create communications channels between the City and stakeholders within the community and those within other communities who will have an impact on the successful redevelopment of the site. • Build support for the City's vision among stakeholders who will have an impact on the success of the redevelopment project. Ms. Kvilvang commented to ensure residents are well informed about various aspects of the development and to provide an avenue to address development and community concerns/issues in a timely, effective and efficient manner, she would recommend that the City hire a communications consultant. This consultant would be charged with updating the City's prior communications plan and act as the central communications coordinator. This will include coordinating and/or developing press releases with the JDA and Master Developer, coordinating any updates in the City newsletter or website, preparation of key messages for various aspects of the project, and acting as a central contact for media inquiries and responses. Ms. Kvilvang stated as a point of reference, the City received two proposals in 2007 when they hired a consultant (Davis and Goff) and selected Davis based upon interviews and pricing (Goff is currently the communications consultant for the JDA). The original communications plan cost $8,500 and at the time, Ted Davis had an hourly rate to complete all other communication aspects of $150/hour. It was her recollection that the City had a positive working relationship with Mr. Davis and was pleased with his services. She recommended approaching Mr. Davis to provide a proposal to update the communications plan and hourly rate requirement. Councilmember Holden supported the City hiring a consultant. Councilmember Holmes did not believe that Mr. Davis provided the City with any product in the past. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 3 Ms. Kvilvang described the work completed by Mr. Davis. Councilmember Holden recalled that Mr. Davis' "feet had to be held to the fire" but that he did complete quality work for the City. Mayor Grant stated the alternative would be for the City to do nothing. Councilmember Wicklund recommended the City be specific about the communications that would be expected from the consultant. Councilmember Holmes believed that in the past there was a plan, but no communication or guidance was provided. Councilmember Holden asked what Mr. Davis would be doing for the City of Arden Hills. Ms. Kvilvang stated Mr. Davis would be responsible for updating the City's communication plan, preparing key messages on issues that arise and providing input on any press releases or coordinating with the JDA and Master Developer. Councilmember Holmes supported the City hiring the same communications consultant as the JDA or County. Mayor Grant and Councilmember Holden did not support this suggestion. Mayor Grant believed the City needed help in this area. Further discussion ensued regarding the role of the communication consultant. Councilmember McClung stated he was underwhelmed by the services provided by Mr. Davis in the past. He believed that while Mr. Davis completed a communications plan, no additional work beyond that was completed. He supported the City having a communications consultant and recommended the City pursue another option besides Davis Communications. Councilmember Holden disagreed with this assessment and commented that there could have been a lack of communication between Mr. Davis and the City Administrator. She requested the Council be provided with a copy of the communications plan. This would allow the Council to review the content and focus of this document. Councilmember Wicklund recommended the Council address their concerns with whomever was hired as the communications consultant. Mayor Grant suggested the City pursue bids or proposals from several individuals for the City's communication consultant. The consensus of the Council was for staff to pursue bids from several individuals for the City's communication consultant and report back at a future meeting. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 4 B. Organized Collection Stacie Kvilvang, Ehlers & Associates, explained over the past month staff had been meeting with County staff, the Master Developer and legal representatives from Kennedy & Graven (JDA) and Joel Jamnik (City) on the overall framework for the Master Development Agreement and future purchase agreements. Staff raised the issue of the City's desire to have an organized collection requirement within TCAAP. Both the County and the Master Developer are agreeable to this and it will likely be documented as a requirement in both the Master Development Agreement and subsequent Purchase Agreements. It was her understanding the City Council wanted staff to proceed with drafting of an ordinance to require this. She recommended holding off at this time since it may not be required due to the issue being addressed in other documents that are considered binding. She indicated she spoke with the City Attorney regarding organized collection and provided feedback on this conversation. Councilmember Wicklund asked if the same or lower refuse rates would be paid by residents in TCAAP as the remainder of Arden Hills. Ms. Kvilvang was uncertain as to what rates would be charged. Councilmember Wicklund hoped that organized collection on TCAAP would lead to lower refuse rates for residents on TCAAP. Mayor Grant commented the HOAs on TCAAP would be allowed to bid out the refuse rates on a yearly or every other year basis in order to achieve the most competitive rates. Councilmember Holden asked if public hearing meetings were required if the organized collection would be managed by an HOA. Ms. Kvilvang explained public meetings would be held after the fact, once the Ordinance was created. The Council supported staff moving forward with this concept. C. Metropolitan Councilmember Marie McCarthy Metropolitan Councilmember Marie McCarthy thanked the Council for their time. She stated it was exciting to be before the Council. The Council took the time to introduce themselves to Councilmember McCarthy. Zoe Mullendore, Community Relation Specialist with Metropolitan Council, introduced herself to the Council. Eric Wojchik, Sector Representative, stated he would be the first point of contact for the City with the Met Council. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 5 Metropolitan Councilmember McCarthy discussed the importance of building strong relationships with her cities. She encouraged the Council to call on her with questions or concerns at any time. She then addressed the questions provided by the City Council. Mr. Wojchik discussed the training the Met Council would be providing to City staff in preparation for the Comprehensive Plan updates. He indicated the Met Council was working to make themselves more available to cities. He described why Arden Hills was not eligible for planning assistance grants from Met Council, stating this was because the City's net tax capacity was too high. Further discussion ensued regarding the funding provided to Arden Hills in 2008. Mr. Wojchik provided the Council with a contact name for Metro Transit and discussed the A- line extension. He stated at the moment, funds were not available to extend the A-line and that if extra revenues become available, an extension may become possible. He explained it would cost $7 to $9 million to create this extension. He believed that TCAAP would be a great BRT environment as it would be well connected and pedestrian friendly. Councilmember Wicklund questioned how Alatus felt about mass transit for this development. Mayor Grant stated mass transit was definitely on their radar and that they were pro-BRT. Metropolitan Councilmember McCarthy stated TCAAP would have to have enough ridership in order to support a BRT line extension. Councilmember Holden commented the current residents of Arden Hills were also looking for mass transit options. Further discussion ensued regarding bus ridership and the future redevelopment of Arden Hills. Metropolitan Councilmember McCarthy stated the ridership would have to justify the cost in order for additional routes to be added. Mr. Wojchik provided further comment on the grants that had been available from the Met Council for I&I. Metropolitan Councilmember McCarthy understood cities were working to address I&I. Mayor Grant understood the Met Council did not want to build another treatment facility. He discussed how the City of Arden Hills, like other cities in the metro, has been working to reduce I&I. He questioned what had been achieved and if any goals or desired outcomes had been met. Mr. Wojchik stated communities have invested $136 million in I&I since 2005, which has saved over a billion dollars in infrastructure expenses. He explained the benefit to cities addressing their I&I issues, noting this would lead to reduced expenses long term. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 6 Councilmember Holden did not believe changing the formula was fair to the City of Arden Hills residents. She felt that Arden Hills was being penalized for doing all the right things. Mayor Grant feared that the metro area would continually be chasing a goal that was constantly moving. He discussed how much the City of Arden Hills has spent on I&I. Metropolitan Councilmember McCarthy commented that I&I was not just a Met Council issue but was a legislative issue as well. Councilmember Holden was very interested to see how Met Council sewer rates would be impacted after Shoreview completes their sewer treatment plant. Mr. Wojchik shifted the conversation to affordable housing requirements in the metro area. He was pleased by the work the Council has done for TCAAP and how the land has been guided. He explained there was a need for senior housing in the metro area at this time. He then described the livable communities program. He indicated Arden Hills was currently meeting its goals within this program. The various grant types available for housing were discussed at length. Mayor Grant requested the Met Council provide the Council with the amount of grant money that Arden Hills has received in the past 15 years. Mr. Wojchik commented he could provide the Council with this information. Councilmember Holden was interested to learn more about the grants that were available to Arden Hills. Metropolitan Councilmember McCarthy stated she could work to gather this information for the City. Councilmember Holden inquired if there were any other connection ideas the Met Council had for tying TCAAP into the remainder of Arden Hills. Mr. Wojchik encouraged the City to speak with the Urban Land Institute. Councilmember Holden encouraged the Met Council to take advantage of the City's local newsletter by drafting articles with the happenings at the Met Council. Mayor Grant thanked Metropolitan Councilmember McCarthy and her associates for being present this evening. D. 2017 Budget Parameters Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated staff had identified a number of factors that will influence the 2017 Budget. She requested further input from the Council on the 2017 budget. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 7 Councilmember Wicklund requested further information on the budget from a 20,000-foot aerial view. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson reviewed the general fund budget from a broad perspective in further detail with the Council. She noted the City had an approximate $700,000 surplus in 2015 and had a 62.9% fund balance. Councilmember Wicklund was interested in investing the City's surplus into infrastructure. Mayor Grant recommended the City work with the County on the trail section south of the railroad. He stated he had discussed this possibility with County Commissioner Huffman. Councilmember Holden questioned when the budgets from police and fire would be available. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson reported she had received the numbers but had not had a chance to review them. Councilmember Holden indicated she was in favor of proceeding with a 5%tax levy. Councilmember Holmes could support a levy of public safety plus 2%. Mayor Grant supported this recommendation as well. However, he wanted to see what was included or removed. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson questioned what the COLA adjustment should be for 2017. She noted a 2.75% increase was approved for 2016. Further discussion ensued regarding the City's COLA and step raise increases. Councilmember Holmes supported a 2% COLA increase. Councilmember Holden supported a 2.5% COLA increase. She also wanted to see the healthcare split changed to 40/60 with the City paying 40% and employees paying 60%. Mayor Grant believed a 2% COLA was fair. Councilmember Wicklund was in favor of a COLA increase higher than 2.5%. Councilmember Holden commented on the Johanna Marsh tennis court. She suggested money be put into the CIP for renovation of this park. Councilmember Wicklund questioned how the CIP was funded. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson defined how the City funded the CIP. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 8 Mayor Grant wanted to see a feasibility study completed on the trail segment for the Bethel Trail. Councilmember Wicklund supported this item being put into the CIP. Councilmember Holden recommended the City consider a connection to TCAAP in the 2017 CIP. Mayor Grant suggested this not be placed in the CIP but rather that this connection be pursued by the County. He wanted to see the amount set aside for I&I reduced from $400,000 every two years to $400,000 every four years. Acting Public Works Director Anderson commented on the grants available from Met Council for I&I every two years. The Council discussed the City's I&I efforts and current infrastructure. Councilmember Holmes recommended the City maximize its I&I efforts in order to receive the most in grants from the Met Council. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson asked if the Council wanted $100,000 or$200,000 into the PIR fund. Councilmember Holmes and Mayor Grant supported $200,000 being put into the PIR fund. Councilmember Holden wanted to see the Public Works continue to overlay streets in need of repair without requiring a full reconstruction. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson thanked the Council for their input. She explained she would work on a preliminary budget and would report back to the Council at a future work session meeting. E. Trail Priorities Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated Councilmember Wicklund requested the City Council discuss priorities related to trails in Arden Hills. He reviewed several trail maps with the Council. Given that staff and the City Council will soon be working on the Capital Improvement Plan for the coming years, this item is relevant as it can provide staff with direction on specific trail segments the City Council wishes to see programmed. Councilmember Wicklund asked if the Bethel trail would go all the way to County Road E2. Mayor Grant explained the City's commitment was to get the trail to the entrance of Bethel. It was noted this trail had to be completed by 2018. Councilmember Wicklund recommended the trail be continued to County Road E2. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 9 Councilmember Holden questioned what the various colors on the trail map meant. Acting Public Works Director Anderson discussed what the various colors meant on the trail maps. Discussion ensued the existing and proposed trail segments for the City. Mayor Grant summarized the discussion stating the Council was in agreement there were several trail segments that needed to be completed. The Council needed to understand how much these segments would cost before proceeding. F. Engineering Pool—Request for Qualification Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated the City of Arden Hills established an engineering consultant pool in 2007 under the direction of City of Roseville staff. Since that time the pool concept as it related to engineering consultants had not been updated. The City Council previously discussed engineering consultant selection and expressed an interest in reviving the consultant pool. Staff prepared a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to be sent out to solicit interest in an engineering consultant pool in a number of different types of work. The schedule for the RFQ is as follows: 1. Issue Request for Proposal ................................................................................ June 29, 2016 2. Questions due to City staff..................................................................................July 14, 2016 3. SOQs due ...........................................................................................................July 21, 2016 4. City completes evaluation of SOQs....................................................................July 28, 2016 5. Council approval .............................................................................................August 8, 2016 Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained the full RFQ was provided to the City Council. It was staff s intent to send a notice of this RFQ to about 20 consultants that do work in these areas of expertise. In addition, staff plans to advertise this RFQ on the League of Minnesota Cities website. Mayor Grant supported the proposed timeline. Councilmember Holden asked if the City would have a pool of engineering candidates to work with or a single consultant. Acting Public Works Director Anderson described how the proposals could be pooled. He explained the City did not have any intention of working with a single consultant. The intent of the pool would be to assist the City in narrowing its focus for future projects. Mayor Grant requested this item come back to the Council at their next meeting for approval on the Consent Agenda. G. Boulevard Maintenance Acting Public Works Director Anderson indicated Public Works cuts nearly 50 acres of grass throughout the city in various locations, much of which is located in City parks or along trails. He ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 10 stated Public Works also maintains areas around lift stations, water towers and other City-owned property. He said that some of the areas historically mowed fall in boulevards adjacent to private property and that staff has reviewed those areas to ensure City property is being maintained and not private property. He indicated that some locations being maintained by the City are private property and include: 1445 Floral drive (across from Floral park), the east boulevard along Hamline Avenue between Floral Drive and Wyncrest. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated staff has reviewed the City's procedure and asked for direction regarding how to proceed. He stated staff would continue to maintain areas where the sight distance is limited at intersections such as along the east side of Snelling Avenue south of Lindy's Park. Councilmember Holden recommended the City not continue to mow private land. She suggested a letter be sent to the affected property owners to explain the situation. Councilmember Wicklund asked if it was true that if the City maintained (mowed) a portion of property for a certain length of time that the private property could be claimed by the City. He encouraged the City to be in communication with the property owners if a maintenance change was made on private property. Mayor Grant understood that many states had a similar law in place. Further discussion ensued regarding the impacted properties throughout the City. Councilmember Wicklund recommended staff speak with Boston Scientific to explain what portions of the right of way they would be responsible for mowing. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated that if the City continued to mow portions of the Hamline Avenue right-of-way, they may have to mow all of it. Councilmember Holmes suggested the three lots that do not have access continue to be mowed by the City. Councilmember Wicklund preferred to have the mowing be done in order for the City to remain nice looking, rather than having property line disputes. Mayor Grant agreed that this area of the City needed to look reasonable and should be mowed on a 13- to 14-day cycle. Further direction was provided to staff on improving communication between the City and the property owners. H. Johanna Marsh Tennis Court Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated in May of 2016 staff brought forward concerns about the safety of the playing surface at the Johanna Marsh tennis court. The City Council directed staff to contact the insurance carrier and get direction regarding closing the court because the play surface is uneven and creates a tripping hazard. Council also directed staff to notify the association in that neighborhood of any developments. The recommendation from the insurance ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 11 carrier was that the court should be closed. Staff locked the court, posted a sign and contacted the Association president. Discussion at the May 16, 2016 City Council workshop also touched on future plans for the court. Given the tennis court is presumably constructed on questionable soils and there has been settlement that has taken place over time, repairs and reconstruction costs could be substantial. This court was planned to be resurfaced in 2014 but the contractor the City was dealing with had more work that he could complete that year and the work was not done. When staff requested quotes in 2015 for this court to be resurfaced, the consensus of the contractors was the bituminous base needed to be addressed before it was worth resurfacing the court. Acting Public Works Director Anderson indicated the City Council referred the matter to the Parks Trails and Recreation Committee to get input from the neighborhood on the tennis court and alternatives if the tennis court is cost prohibitive in this location, a draft copy of their survey is attached. At this point there has been no current cost estimate prepared associated with rehabilitating the tennis court. In order to establish the paving section and soil corrections needed to support a tennis court, soil borings would need to be drilled and opinion from a geotechnical engineer should be obtained. Additionally, assuming some sort of soil corrections are needed, a wetland delineation should be prepared to identify if wetland impacts are a factor. Staff reviewed the history of this tennis court in detail with the Council and requested feedback on how to proceed. Councilmember Wicklund recommended the Council create a plan for this park given the importance of this park to the adjacent neighborhood and that this plan be communicated to the neighbors. He asked if the Council can determine what the City had committed to for the tennis court. He suggested that this financial commitment be offered to the neighborhood and that the neighborhood then be allowed to continue as they wish. Councilmember Holden wanted to better understand what the problems are with the tennis court and what the cost was to replace it. She knew it was built in 1974 and should have been resurfaced. She indicated she wanted to better understand the problems at the court and the expense to replace it prior to creating a plan. Mayor Grant suggested a plan be created to rehab the tennis court in order to find out what it would take. Acting Public Works Director Anderson understood the Council would like staff to do some research on the site in order to make cost estimates. Councilmember Wicklund estimated the cost to do a typical court reconstruction would be $50,000 to $75,000. Acting Public Works Director Anderson agreed with this estimate and stated additional costs may be involved in soil corrections at this site. Councilmember Holmes did not believe the tennis court was in that poor of a condition. She recommended a survey be conducted to see how often the park and tennis court were used. She ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 12 suggested a question be asked if the neighborhood would be willing to assist with the expense of the court. Councilmember Holden and Councilmember Wicklund were not in favor of this information being gathered at this time. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated the PTRC was creating a survey and the neighborhood has been informed that this would be forwarded in the near future. Staff was directed to conduct soil borings on the tennis court in order to gather information on the soil conditions and recommended the survey be held off until information from the soil borings was available for review by the City Council. I. Personnel Committee Update Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson explained the Personnel Committee had an update for the Council. Mayor Grant explained Stacie Kvilvang with Ehlers & Associates would be assisting the City in the absence of a City Administrator and a Community Development Director. He believed this was a cost effective solution for the City. He stated the Personnel Committee was recommending that the Council accept the proposal from Ehlers. He noted she would serve as the City's financial advisor and do Community Development work. He believed this recommendation would be a way for the City to move forward without staffing delays. Councilmember Wicklund supported the recommendation. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated this item would be placed on a future Council meeting for approval on the Consent Agenda. Mayor Grant indicated Bill Joynes was completing a proposal for the City Administrator position. He commented the Personnel Committee was hoping to find a candidate prior to needing to complete the full search process again. He understood there were three possible candidates available at this time. Mayor Grant noted Julie Hanson accepted the City Clerk position. He indicated an internal posting for the Deputy Clerk position would be posted shortly. J. League of Minnesota Cities Conference Councilmember Holden provided a summary of the conferences she recently attended at the League of Minnesota Cities Conference. She recommended the Council review the information she gathered regarding playground equipment. She thought this information may be valuable when planning for TCAAP. She stated there were many companies that assist with streetscaping, which may also benefit the Council. She indicated the price for a water tower was up to $3 or $4 per gallon. She discussed the fact that water towers were now had major homeland security requirements. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 13 Councilmember Holmes reported she had the City's GreenStep City award from the LMC conference and would present this at the next Council meeting. K. Communication Committee Fund Request Councilmember Wicklund stated the Communications Committee would like to update the newsletter that would move away from using clipart in order to create a newer and fresher look. He requested the Council consider approving an $800 to $1,000 expense which would allow a graphic designer to create a new version of the City's newsletter. Councilmember Holden believed this was a good use of funds. She wanted to see the City move away from paper. Councilmember Wicklund understood the redesigned newsletter would have to be online compatible. Councilmember Holmes agreed the newsletter should not be mailed out any longer, but rather should be available digitally. L. Ramsey County League of Local Government Article Update Councilmember Wicklund stated if the City wanted to submit an article for the Ramsey County League of Local Government newsletter the deadline was July 1st. Councilmember Holmes was in favor of an article being completed on TCAAP. Councilmember Holden explained an article was completed for TCAAP and believed there was no new information available for their next newsletter. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Mayor Grant stated Clearway has claimed they could save cities on postage. He noted a number of other cities were utilizing Clearway for mailing services. He suggested staff look into this further. Mayor Grant understood a number of trees were treated in 2014 for Emerald Ash Borer. He asked if this was still an issue and if these trees needed to be treated again. He also requested an update on the lighting on County Road E. Acting Public Works Director Anderson stated his understanding was that the Council wanted two lights on the south side of the trail to light the sidewalk. He indicated he read through the minutes from the meetings and did not find any other indicators that more lighting was required than for the trail. Further discussion ensued regarding the lighting along County Road E. Mayor Grant believed the current lighting along this roadway was insufficient for traffic at night. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 14 Councilmember Holmes believed the lighting was insufficient as well. It was her hope that the bridge would be more nicely illuminated. Mayor Grant recommended each of the Councilmember drive the bridge at night and provide staff with feedback. He questioned how much it would cost to replace the poles and lights. Councilmember Holden did not want to light the other side of the bridge as this may encourage additional pedestrian traffic where there is not a trail. Mayor Grant requested staff provide the Council with how much it cost to complete Thom Drive. Acting Public Works Director Anderson explained there was one issue with borrowing a County truck during the Thom Drive work. He noted a rock hit the windshield and would need to be replaced. Mayor Grant recommended the windshield be replaced by the City in order to keep relations between the City and County positive. The Council was in agreement. Mayor Grant asked if the Council was interested in pursuing a Gateway Sign in 2017 for TCAAP. Councilmember Holden questioned if another HVAC vendor should be considered. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson stated this was being discussed by staff. Councilmember Holden discussed the expense of sodium lights versus LEDs and requested staff investigate this further to see how many sodium lights remain in the City. Councilmember Holden stated she spoke to the County regarding the tree trimming trucks that are being parked for days in the City. The response she received from Terry Soukkala was that they only have five officers on to cover a very large area. She expressed concern that the City of Arden Hills have an officer in the area during the night time hours. Interim City Administrator/Director of Finance and Administrative Services Iverson commented on the City's solicitor licensing process that other cities follow. Councilmember Holden recommended an article be drafted for the upcoming newsletter encouraging homeowners to ensure their tree trimmers were insured. Councilmember Wicklund was not in favor of creating more regulation. There was Council consensus of requiring tree trimmers to be licensed with the City of Arden Hills. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—JUNE 20, 2016 15 Councilmember Wicklund stated he would not be able to attend the July 18th Council Work Session meeting. He indicated he could call in for the meeting if held after 7:00 p.m. Councilmember Holmes explained Sue Schroeder would be attending the next Council meeting and would be presented with her certificate of appreciation. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 9:22 p.m. lie Hanson David Grant ity Clerk Mayor