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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-20-17-WS It -AR�EN�,HILLS Approved: December 11, 2017 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION NOVEMBER 20, 2017 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 at 5:02 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes (via telephone), Dave McClung and Steve Scott Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Bill Joynes; Public Works Director/City Engineer Sue Polka; Interim Director of Finance and Administrative Services Dave Perrault; City Attorney Joel Jamnik; and City Clerk Julie Hanson Mayor Grant requested Item IF be removed from the agenda. Councilmember Holden requested Item 11 be added to discuss the notification requirements for the Edgewater shed. 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Mayor and Council Salaries City Administrator Joynes stated the Personnel Committee requested staff look into whether or not the City Council's current salary is on par with other cities. An informal review of other City Council salaries has been conducted. Upon consulting with the City Attorney, Joel Jamnik, the Council is able to vote at any point to increase their salaries; however, it will not take effect until after the next election. The Council is also able to add an automatic inflation adjustor to their salaries, and the City Attorney recommended tying the adjustor to the CPI. Mayor Grant discussed the City of Mounds Views compensation rates along with other neighboring communities. He supported the City setting its rates in alignment with Mounds View. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 20, 2017 2 Councilmember Holden supported the City raising its rates but did not want to tie the rates to any other city. Councilmember McClung suggested the compensation rates be reviewed once every ten years. Mayor Grant proposed the rates being reviewed every six years, unless it needs to be earlier due to increased meetings, other demands from TCAAP, etc. Councilmember Holmes supported the compensation rates being reviewed every six years. City Administrator Joynes reported staff would draft language based on Council's direction. Mayor Grant questioned how the Council wanted to proceed with the compensation rates. He stated the Council last increased their pay rates 10 years ago, noting the rates were aligned with Mounds View. Councilmember Holden supported a rate increase with the rates tied to Mounds View. Councilmember Scott indicated this was all new information to him because when he filed last fall, he was unaware of the fact this was a paid position. He supported the pay rates being reviewed every six years. He stated he was comfortable matching the City of Mounds View's pay rates. Councilmember McClung explained he was comfortable matching the City of Mounds View's rates as well. He reviewed the rates from Mounds View in further detail. Councilmember Holmes stated she would also support the City of Mounds View's rates. The consensus of the Council was to review the pay rates every six years and for the Council to align their pay rates with the City of Mounds View. Staff was directed to bring this back to the City Council on December 11. B. Personnel Committee Recommendations City Administrator Joynes stated the City Council should consider taking action and/or give direction on the below recommendations made by the Personnel Committee. A. Grade and Step Changes (proposed changes would be effective 1/l/2018) - Increase the Grade and Step of the City Clerk to Grade 14/ Step 4 - Increase the Grade, Step, and Title of the Senior Planner to City Planner, Grade 15/Step 2 - Appoint Jeff Frid, the Public Works Superintendent, as Emergency Manager with a salary adjustment of$1,500 per year B. Discuss the Recreation Programmer Position C. Discuss a policy on the hiring and termination process for non-salaried personnel Councilmember Holden asked if the City Clerk's position description would be changing. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 20, 2017 3 City Administrator Joynes reported the job description had been changed to include some HR functions. Councilmember Holden stated she wanted to be assured that the position description included human resources, record keeping and administrative work in order to keep things clear going forward. City Administrator Joynes commented on the level of HR work completed by the City. He noted the upper level of HR work (policy issues) was completed by himself and the data/record keeping and reporting would be completed by the City Clerk. Councilmember McClung agreed that Councilmember Holden had a good point and wanted to see the position description clarified. City Administrator Joynes stated he would work to clarify the position description for the City Clerk. Councilmember Holden questioned if the emergency manager position had the ability to make decisions that could impact the budget. City Administrator Joynes reported all decisions would have to come through City staff and the City Council. Mayor Grant commented on the recreation programmer position. He discussed how the City's park and recreation needs would change once TCAAP was developed. City Administrator Joynes commented that there are options regarding filling the recreation programmer's position and that one option would be to hire a paid summer intern to assist with recreation duties. Councilmember Holden reported it was quite time consuming to supervise an intern and questioned if this was the best route for the City to pursue. She suggested a seasonal employee be considered. Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka explained she would be working with Recreation Coordinator Sara Knoll on a job description. It was her hope a junior or senior college student with some municipal work experience could be hired for this paid position. City Administrator Joynes provided further comment on the hiring and termination process that would be followed for hourly employees. The Council supported the proposed policy for hourly employees. C. Mobile Food Units/Food Trucks City Clerk Hanson stated at a previous meeting, the Council requested staff provide information pertaining to implementing licensing of mobile food units/food trucks. Staff has worked with the ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 20, 2017 4 City Attorney to draft ordinance language for consideration. Based on this draft language, vendors would be required to meet the following: • Obtain a temporary (up to seven days) or annual license (eight days or more during any year) • Provide a Certificate of Insurance that includes commercial general liability, automobile liability, food products liability, public liability, property damage, and workers' compensation(or waiver if a sole proprietor) • Present proof of Department of Health licensing • Comply with the National Fire Protection Association's Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. A visual inspection by the Lake Johanna Fire Department will also be required prior to issuance of a license • Follow performance standards regarding location, hour of operation, noise, and waste disposal City Clerk Hanson explained should the Council wish to move forward with this City licensing requirement, determination of the fee and modification to City Code will be necessary. Staff would recommend the following fee amounts be required: • Temporary License: $30.00 • Annual License: $100.00 Mayor Grant asked if the Council had any concerns with the proposed policy. Councilmember Holden stated she wanted the City to be notified if a vendor was to lose their license with the Department of Health. She asked if the annual license fee should be higher. City Clerk Hanson indicated the Council could adjust the proposed fees. She noted the proposed fees were based on information gathered from other cities. Mayor Grant proposed the food truck rates remain as is and that the Council take another look at the numbers in 2018. He recommended this item be placed on the Consent Agenda on December 11. D. 2018 Fee Schedule City Clerk Hanson stated the City Council annually establishes a fee schedule for administrative, building construction, liquor licensing, copying of maps and ordinances, park and recreation facility usage, planning and zoning, utilities, business licenses, false alarms, utility fees, and other miscellaneous permits and penalties that are enforced by the City. Staff reviewed the proposed changes to the fee schedule and requested feedback from the Council. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 20, 2017 5 Mayor Grant thanked staff for the information and recommended this item be placed on the December 11 Consent Agenda. E. 2018 Council Liaison Appointments City Clerk Hanson stated each year, a Councilmember is appointed to serve as Council Liaison on the various committees and commissions in the City. City Clerk Hanson reported staff is looking for Council input regarding Council Liaison and JDA appointments, as applicable. A resolution delegating appointments will be brought to a future City Council meeting for approval. Councilmember Scott stated he was interested in serving as the Planning Commission liaison. Councilmember Holmes stated her preference would be to serve as the Planning Commission liaison as well. Mayor Grant requested the Councilmembers send their preferences to him and recommended this item be placed on the December 11 Consent Agenda. F. Draft Comp Plan This item was removed from the agenda. G. Lake Johanna Fire Department/Presbyterian Homes Donation Interim Director of Finance and Administrative Services Perrault stated City Council requested staff to explore requesting a donation from Presbyterian Homes for upcoming capital expenses related to the Lake Johanna Fire Department. The rationale was that Presbyterian Homes is responsible for approximately 20 percent of the City's fire calls, and it would be prudent for them to contribute towards the City's share of capital expenses. Upon further investigation, Presbyterian Homes accounted for approximately 15 percent of the Lake Johanna Fire Department's calls in 2016 and approximately 17 percent of the calls year-to-date. Also of note, Presbyterian Homes represents approximately 12 percent of the dwelling units (not actual population) of the City of Arden Hills. Interim Director of Finance and Administrative Services Perrault explained City staff reached out to both the City Attorney and the League of Minnesota Cities for their opinion. Those opinions were reviewed with the Council. Following the advice of our City Attorney and the League of Minnesota Cities, staff would advise the City not pursue a donation request from Presbyterian Homes. If Council would like to move forward with a fee based system for Fire Protection, Council should direct staff to work with the City Attorney to draft a policy and ordinance to collect fees for fire services on a city-wide basis. City Attorney Jamnik provided further comment on his legal opinion regarding the matter and explained solicitations or donations were not supposed to be made by Police or Fire Departments. He reported the City did not want to have any donation appear to be coerced or be made under ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 20, 2017 6 pressure. He provided further comment on the services the City could charge and could not charge for. Mayor Grant asked if a third party, such as the Arden Hills foundation, could take the donation for the City. City Attorney Jamnik stated this would not be a problem but recommended the foundation pursue equipment. H. Rental Registration Program and Complaint Process City Administrator Joynes stated the City established a rental registration program in 2009 for properties with fewer than five dwelling units. The main goals of this program are to: • Track rental trends throughout the city • Distribute educational information on city regulations • Maintain current contact information for the owners of rental properties City Administrator Joynes provided the Council with information on recent registration trends, the location of rental properties in the City, and property maintenance and nuisance concerns associated with rental properties. Based on the information provided on the current rental registration program, staff is requesting the City Council provide feedback on any additional code enforcement measures they would like taken. Councilmember Holden believed that the numbers were skewed and did not properly reflect the number of complaints the City was receiving. City Administrator Joynes discussed how staff worked to monitor and resolve complaints. He stated that the 3% and 4.5% complaint rate was quite low. Mayor Grant recommended the numbers be recalculated with the base of rental properties and not on the overall number of homes in the community. City Administrator Joynes reported this was how the numbers were calculated. City Attorney Jamnik clarified that if a single incident received numerous calls or complaints, it was still calculated as a single incident. Councilmember Holden feared that some residents may have stopped calling to complain because the City was not taking action. City Attorney Jamnik commented on the length of time involved in handling some of these cases and noted there was not always a fast turnaround time. Mayor Grant indicated citations are not always written for parking violations. Further discussion ensued regarding the City's parking concerns. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 20, 2017 7 Councilmember Holden stated she was advised to call between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. to report parking concerns. Mayor Grant reported this was due to the fact the City did not allow overnight parking between those hours. City Attorney Jamnik advised he could work with the Sheriff's office to make them aware of areas of concern in the City in order to have them patrolled in the overnight hours, rather than requiring residents to call between 2:00 a.m. and 6:00 a.m. Councilmember McClung understood that issues had to be complaint based, however, the Sheriffs Department should be able to recognize patterns of behavior when it comes to parking concerns. Councilmember Holden stated she brought this issue to the Council's attention because she wanted the City to have a working rental property policy in place prior to TCAAP coming online. She feared the City would be behind the eight ball unless something was put in place sooner rather than later. Mayor Grant asked if the Council supported pursuing a rental licensing program in 2018. City Administrator Joynes agreed this was a big policy discussion for the City that would not be easy. Councilmember Holmes stated there are certain homes that have been problems for years and she wanted to see the City begin by addressing these homes. She supported the Council addressing and implementing a rental license program in 2018. Councilmember Holden questioned if the City was liable if they knew about a home that had students living in the basement that did not have proper egress windows. City Attorney Jamnik reported the City would not be liable, but could expect a claim if a tragic event were to occur at that home. Councilmember Holden asked if Bethel had a policy for college students living off campus. City Administrator Joynes stated Bethel did have a policy that covers the behavior of students on off-campus housing. He explained that the City did not have the right to enforce Bethel's policy regarding drinking and cohabitation. He indicated this was an honor system. Councilmember Holden expressed frustration with the lack of response Bethel has provided to the City based on behavior complaints of Bethel students. City Administrator Joynes believed that Mr. Washington at Bethel would be working with the City to address student behavior complaints going forward. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 20, 2017 8 Councilmember McClung supported the City pursuing a rental registration program in 2018. He wanted to see the Council clearly define what was meant by "problem property". It was his opinion this program should be online prior to TCAAP being developed. Mayor Grant questioned the order of magnitude to create an effective rental licensing program for the City. City Attorney Jamnik stated he could speak with other cities to see how they have approached this situation and would report back to the City Council. He anticipated a full FTE would be needed to implement this program. Councilmember Holden understood that different cities approached rental licenses in different manners. She stated she would like to see copies of rental licensing regulations from other cities. Mayor Grant suggested this topic be addressed by the Council at their January retreat. He agreed staffs should speak with neighboring communities and review their rental licensing regulations. Councilmember McClung recommended staff speak to neighboring communities about problem properties and how they are addressed. He commented on how his association was working to change their rental requirements. The Council directed staff to begin working on a rental registration and licensing program for consideration in 2018. I. Notification Requirements for Edgewater Road Request Councilmember Holden requested the City send notifications to 1,000 feet for the Edgewater Road Planning Case. City Administrator Joynes reported staff could would send notifications to homes up to 1,000 feet from the subject property. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holden asked if staff had an update on the sewer insurance issue being provided through the National League of Cities. Public Works Director/City Engineer Polka stated she was still working on this matter. Mayor Grant requested staff provide the Council with a spreadsheet on the PCI. Councilmember Scott reported he attended the Boo Bash Halloween Celebration on October 28. He was pleased by the number of families in attendance along with their creative costumes. Councilmember Scott thanked the City for providing breakfast and lunch to the election workers on Tuesday, November 7. He commented further on the Veteran's Day events he attended. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—NOVEMBER 20, 2017 9 Councilmember McClung reported he would not be able to attend the Monday, November 27 City Council meeting. Mayor Grant stated he received feedback from residents stating the Boo Bash was a great success. He then reviewed the results of the recent election. City Clerk Hanson explained the State passed special legislation that would allow establishments to stay open until 4:00 a.m. during the weekend of the Super Bowl. She asked if the Council wanted to allow its local establishments to be open that late. She stated Flaherty's and Big 10 may be the only liquor license holders that would pursue this option. Mayor Grant supported the City allowing its local establishments to be open for one weekend out of the year for the Super Bowl. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session at 7:00 p.m. i /z'� JU71 Hanson David Grant C1 Clerk Mayor