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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-21-2020-WS Approved: October 12, 2020 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 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. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic this meeting was held virtually. Present via Telephone: Mayor David Grant, Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, Dave McClung and Steve Scott Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Dave Perrault, Public Works Director/City Engineer Todd Blomstrom, Community Development Manager/City Planner Mike Mrosla, Associate Planner Joe Hartmann, Recreation Programmer Joe Vaughan and Deputy City Clerk Jolene Trauba Also present via telephone: Finance Director Gayle Bauman; and City Clerk Julie Hanson 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. Absentee Ballot Returns City Clerk Hanson stated Ramsey County Elections (RCE) has established a process for accepting mailed absentee ballots in person for voters that do not want to utilize the mail to return their ballot but would rather drop it off in person. The process for accepting mailed ballots does not involve drop-boxes but rather established, specific ballot return locations for security purposes. Every ballot that is dropped off in person needs to be reviewed for proper completion by an on-site staff person to ensure the envelope was completed correctly and will not be rejected. Ballot return locations have been established by RCE and are open to all Ramsey County voters that wish to drop off their mailed ballot in person. It was noted ballots would be accepted from 9/18/20 through 11/2/2020 and the locations were listed for the Council. City Clerk Hanson commented should a contract city, such as Arden Hills, wish to accept mailed ballots in person at City Hall for any period of time between now and November 2, Ramsey County Elections would have requirements for staff. These requirements were reviewed in detail ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 2 with the Council. Because ballot drop-offs must be given directly to City staff for review, followed by twice weekly, then every day secure transport by staff, there will be no outdoor/indoor drop-box or unobserved drop offs allowed. Individuals cannot simply put their ballot in our City Hall drop box (mounted on the wall in the entrance leading to the building) nor can they be placed in the plastic bins we are currently using for large plans and permit drop offs. They must be handed directly to staff and processed as indicated above. Mayor Grant questioned how they would be reviewing the ballots. City Clerk Hanson stated this would be completed by a staff member. Mayor Grant explained he did not believe the City should take this on at City Hall. He stated it was his understanding no one in Arden Hills had currently been trained. City Clerk Hanson indicated this was correct. She discussed the process that would be followed by staff to review and certify ballots. She commented further on how residents could bring ballots to New Brighton, Roseville or Shoreview if Arden Hills did not accept ballots. Councilmember Holden agreed with Mayor Grant stating the City did not have staff to spare for certifying ballots. She expressed concern with the fact staff may be exposed to COVID-19 which would be a concern for the City’s already limited number of staff members. Councilmember Scott explained he would be voting absentee this year. He indicated if errors are found on mail-in ballots, a replacement ballot will be sent if time allows. He stated at this time he was not in favor of opening up City Hall to accept ballots. Councilmember McClung stated he had nothing to add. Councilmember Holmes did not support opening up City hall for ballot certification. Council consensus was to direct staff to not allow absentee ballot returns at City Hall. City Clerk Hanson reported the City Council would have to hold a Special City Council meeting on Thursday, November 12th in order to canvas the election results. B. Public Input Regarding the Keeping of Chickens Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla stated at their August 17, 2020 Work Session, the City Council discussed options to amend the language in the Zoning Code to relax restrictions on raising chickens and on chicken coops in residential districts, based on examples of similar communities’ ordinance restrictions. The City Council opted not to amend the code at that time, but instead to review the ordinance language at a later date. However, at its August 24 meeting, the City Council requested to discuss public input opportunities on the keeping of chickens at an upcoming work session. Councilmember Holden asked if staff had spoken to Roseville, Mounds View, Shoreview and New Brighton regarding any issues these cities were having with chickens. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 3 Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla stated he had spoken with several neighboring cities and the only concern was the occasional runaway chicken. He explained Mounds View does require a public hearing prior to receiving approval of a chicken license. Councilmember Holden indicated it would be important for the City to contact every citizen in Arden Hills to gain feedback on this issue. Councilmember McClung agreed with Councilmember Holden. He suggested a survey be conducted along with a public zoom meeting. Councilmember Holden suggested the survey be able to be returned postage free for residents. She commented she would never support the City having roosters. Mayor Grant indicated he too would never approve of the City having roosters. He explained none of the neighboring cities permit roosters. He stated he wanted to reach out to people so the City gets a representative sampling of opinions regarding chickens. He supported option 2 as this would help craft an ordinance. He questioned how the City could ensure it received only one survey per household. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla indicated staff would require an address and email for each survey. He stated a paper survey could be sent out by the City, but he believed an online survey would be more efficient. Councilmember Scott encouraged the City to move forward with a comprehensive online survey. Councilmember Holden discussed the petition the City received. She noted she has worked with Rachel and Marie since February of 2020. She commented further on how some of the addresses on the survey were misrepresented even though the individuals were Arden Hills residents. Councilmember McClung indicated there were a lot of folks that showed up to provide feedback for the City through the petition. He stated he supported the City moving forward with a shorter survey versus a comprehensive survey. Councilmember Scott explained he did not support the City having roosters. Councilmember Holmes agreed the City should not have roosters. She supported the City holding a zoom meeting along with a comprehensive online survey. She recommended the City advertise this information widely to the public in order to gain feedback from the community. Councilmember Holden suggested a postcard be sent to every resident to inform them of the online survey regarding chickens. Councilmember Scott believed the postcard would not be necessary and that information could be posted in an upcoming City newsletter to inform the public of the survey. Councilmember McClung commented he supported a postcard being sent to the public. He stated he has been reviewing chicken ordinances from neighboring communities and he noted his favorite ordinances have been from Shoreview and Bloomington. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 4 Mayor Grant indicated he supported the City sending a postcard along with posting a message within the City newsletter. He wanted to give residents every opportunity to take part in this dialogue. Councilmember Holmes supported the City sending a postcard. Councilmember Holden asked what the timeline was for this project moving forward. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla stated staff could have a mailing out in the next week. He suggested the public be allowed to have one month to complete the survey. Councilmember Holden questioned if the postcard would be labor intensive given the already heavy workload staff had at this time. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla commented after speaking more with staff it may take one to two weeks to get the postcard in the mail. He recommended the survey be posted online October 5th and run for at least one month. Councilmember Holden anticipated a zoom meeting could not be held until January given the holidays. Councilmember Holmes suggested the zoom meeting be held prior to Thanksgiving to keep the momentum on this topic moving forward. Councilmember McClung agreed a meeting could be held prior to Thanksgiving. Mayor Grant suggested staff be allowed to move forward with the postcard and online survey and that staff be allowed to report back at a future meeting. Council consensus was to direct staff to send a postcard to all residents in Arden Hills, along with posting a message in an upcoming City newsletter encouraging them to complete an online survey and that staff be allowed to report back to the Council regarding this matter at a future worksession meeting. C. County Road E/Snelling Avenue Roundabout Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom stated the City Council work session on July 20, 2020 included a discussion of an environmental field investigation for future improvements to Snelling Avenue North. As part of this discussion, the Council requested staff to place an item on a future work session to discuss potential improvements to the intersection of Snelling Avenue North and County Road E. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom reported on April 23, 2018, the City Council took two actions related to the intersection of Old Snelling Avenue and County Road E. First, the Council approved a Cooperative Agreement with Ramsey County for a traffic study of the intersection. This agreement stipulated that the City would hire a consultant to study potential intersection improvements. Second, the Council approved a professional services agreement with ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 5 WSB & Associates to prepare an Intersection Control Evaluation report for the intersection. WSB completed the Intersection Control Evaluation report for the intersection of Old Snelling Avenue and County Road E in November 2018. Staff commented further on the traffic study results with the Council noting there was a crash rate concern for this intersection. He discussed the options available for the Council and requested direction on how to proceed. Mayor Grant questioned where the County was with this project. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom stated Ramsey County has included this project as one of the projects in their capital transportation improvement plan. He reported the County still sees value in the project. Councilmember Holden commented the 2018 analysis is quite outdated. She stated there were so many crashes at this intersection due to road construction forcing more traffic to this area. She indicated the intersection was never properly striped either. She explained Bethel has reduced the number of people on campus. For this reason, she recommended the analysis be reconducted or the project be pushed off for a few years. Mayor Grant asked if Bethel’s PUD limited the number of students that could be on campus. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla explained Bethel had a CUP. He noted he was uncertain of a specific number had been set for the number of students. Mayor Grant recalled the number being 3,200 students. Councilmember Holden stated she believed this was the correct number. Mayor Grant agreed the analysis should be redone given the fact traffic patterns have changed due to COVID-19. Councilmember Holmes discussed Bethel University’s traffic study and noted this information was seven years old, which was quite out of date. She indicated traffic patterns can change dramatically in seven years. She supported the City waiting for the new normal to be established before moving forward with any changes at this intersection. She commented there may not be enough problems at this intersection for the City to move forward with a roundabout. She suggested the City consider pursue option 3 putting this item on hold indefinitely. Councilmember Scott indicated he was leaning towards option 2. He believed this intersection merited Council consideration given the level of traffic and severity of the crashes. He commented he supported the City moving forward with the roundabout. Mayor Grant supported the City looking at this intersection again. Councilmember McClung explained he supported a hybrid approach to this intersection. He understood traffic patterns have changed due to COVID and that a traffic study done now would not be helpful. He suggested the study be completed sometime next year. He recommended the City put the intersection improvement item on the shelf until sometime late next year. Mayor Grant questioned how much the traffic analysis study cost the City. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 6 Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom reported the study cost $35,000 to complete. The cooperative agreement indicates the City paid $9,000 and Ramsey County paid $26,000. Mayor Grant summarized the comments of the Council stating the consensus was to keep this project under consideration, but with updated traffic information in a post COVID world. Public Works Director/City Engineer Blomstrom commented he would bring the Snelling Avenue roadway improvement project feasibility study back to the Council and would have the County Road E/Snelling Avenue intersection improvements as a separate project. D. Winter Recreation Programming Recreation Programmer Vaughan stated the City Council Special Work Session on July 27, 2020 included a discussion of recreation programming and challenges associated with COVID-19. The Council directed staff to evaluate alternatives for winter recreation programs and place this information on a future work session for Council consideration. Staff has organized winter recreational activities into five categories. The Council may have questions or request additional information regarding these programs. Final direction from the City Council is needed by the October 19 work session if the Council wishes to publish the winter recreation guide during the last week in October. Staff provided further comment on the proposed winter programming opportunities and requested feedback from the Council on how to proceed. Councilmember Holden asked how the warming houses would be disinfected. Recreation Programmer Vaughan explained the rink attendants would clean the buildings frequently. He stated staff could draft a plan for the warming house maintenance. Councilmember Holden expressed concern with the size of the warming houses and how many people would be using them during the winter months. Councilmember McClung questioned what type of policy would have to be put in place to ensure social distancing would occur during the winter months on the ice rinks and within the warming houses. Recreation Programmer Vaughan commented staff would have to set a maximum occupancy limit within the warming houses. He indicated the warming house attendants would have to be coached on implementing and enforcing the occupancy limits. Mayor Grant inquired if the City should provide outdoor rinks for general skating this winter. Council consensus was to support the City providing outdoor rinks for general skating this winter. Mayor Grant asked if the City should provide warming houses and attendants this winter. Councilmember Scott did not support the City having its warming houses open this winter. Councilmember McClung agreed the City should not open the warming houses. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 7 Councilmember Holmes stated her concern would be how the attendant would keep the numbers within the warming house down. She commented if the warming houses were not open people would have to try and put their skates on in their car. She anticipated without the warming houses the ice rinks would not have much use. For this reason, she supported the City opening its warming houses this winter. Councilmember Holden stated she also supported the warming houses being opened this winter. She indicated her big concern would be how to keep the attendants safe. She recommended people in the warming house have a scarf or some other face covering on in order to enter. Mayor Grant explained he supported the warming houses being open as well. He commented people would have to wear masks or some other face covering when entering the warming houses. Councilmember Holden reported she would like to see staff writing up policies for the warming houses and recommended the Council review these policies. Councilmember Scott questioned if the warming houses could be available to the public without an attendant. Councilmember Holden stated she was against this due to graffiti and other concerns. Mayor Grant agreed stating it would be difficult to enforce mask usage and occupancy limits without an attendant onsite. Councilmember Scott reiterated that he did not support the City opening the warming houses due to the health risks this individual could be facing. Councilmember Holmes commented rink attendants were also responsible for clearing the rinks of snow and could be encouraged to spend time outdoors for health and safety purposes. Councilmember Holden questioned what the hours of operation were for the warming houses. Recreation Programmer Vaughan stated the warming houses were open Monday to Friday from 4:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., on Saturdays from 12:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and on Sundays from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. He noted the hours were different for holidays. Councilmember Holden suggested the hours be reduced if the City were to open the warming houses. Mayor Grant asked if anyone would be open to placing benches outside in order to allow people a place to put on their skates. He reported this would be a safer option for this winter. Councilmember Holden stated she could support this option. Councilmember Scott indicated he supported this option as well. Councilmember Holden questioned if the ice rink lights were on timers. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 8 Recreation Programmer Vaughan reported the lights were not on timers, but rather the rink attendants were responsible for turning the lights on and off, with the exception of Cummings Park. Mayor Grant stated picnic tables could be placed near the rinks in order to assist people in putting their skates on. He noted this would also provide residents with a place to put their belongings. Recreation Programmer Vaughan explained other communities were placing picnic tables near rinks for this winter. Councilmember Holden suggested the warming houses be used only by the attendant and that picnic tables be located outside the rinks for use by the visitors. Councilmember Scott and Councilmember McClung supported this recommendation. Councilmember Holmes stated she could support this option but feared attendance at the rinks would go down without the warming houses being open. Councilmember Holden requested staff still draft a cleaning policy for the warming houses. Councilmember Scott recommended the City be flexible with the warming house attendants given the fact a second wave of COVID was expected late this fall or early winter. Councilmember Holden questioned if the City would be on the hook for unemployment if the warming house attendants were hired and then hours were reduced or eliminated. Recreation Programmer Vaughan stated the number of hours per week would be too low for these employees to qualify for unemployment. Council consensus was to support ice skating rinks this winter, along with the opening of warming houses for the attendants only with picnic tables around the rinks for the visitors. Mayor Grant questioned how the Council wanted to proceed with skating lessons and clinics. Councilmember Holden asked if the number of people in the clinics would pay for the instructor. She stated she would only want four to six students in a class for safety purposes. Councilmember Holmes explained she supported both the ice skating lessons and clinics. She indicated there would be enough social distancing during these events. Councilmember McClung commented he would need more information regarding the number of attendees and how State guidelines would be met. Recreation Programmer Vaughan stated he could come back with more information on how the City would approach the skating lessons and clinics. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 9 Councilmember Scott reported he would be in favor of having outdoor sanctioned activities. Councilmember Holden suggested the lessons and clinics not be held at Hazelnut Park. Recreation Programmer Vaughan stated all of the City’s skating lessons and clinics are held at Cummings Park. Council consensus was to direct staff to report back to the Council with additional information on the number of attendees that would be expected at the skating clinics and lessons and how the programs would meet State guidelines. Mayor Grant questioned how the Council felt about before and after school programs. Councilmember Holden stated she did not support football, but could support pickleball. Councilmember Holmes indicated she could only support these programs if the school district were to open back up for blended onsite learning. Councilmember McClung agreed if the schools are not open, the programs should not be offered. He stated without knowing how COVID would impact the general public this may not be a good idea. Councilmember Scott asked if all of these programs were for the winter months and questioned if these programs were held indoors. Recreation Programmer Vaughan stated these programs were for the winter and springs months and would be held indoors. Councilmember Scott commented he would not support the before and after school programs because they were held indoors. Mayor Grant indicated it would be difficult to track what schools would do this winter and for this reason he recommended the before and after school programs not move forward. Council consensus was to not move forward with before and after school programs at this time. Mayor Grant requested further information from staff regarding online programming opportunities. Recreation Programmer Vaughan discussed the proposed online opportunities. He explained staff has reviewed the virtual programs being offered by the City of Roseville. He noted Roseville was working with private vendors who provide the instructors, curriculum and materials, while Roseville takes registration. He discussed the classes that are being offered at this time. Staff requested direction on how to proceed with virtual programming with private vendors. Councilmember Holden supported the City encouraging residents to sign up for virtual programming through the City of Roseville. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 10 Councilmember Holmes asked if Roseville charged a higher rate to non-residents. Recreation Programmer Vaughan stated he did look into this and for virtual classes a higher fee was not charged to non-residents. Council consensus was to direct staff to encourage residents to sign up for virtual programming through the City of Roseville. Recreation Programmer Vaughan discussed other special winter events that were being proposed for the coming months and questioned how staff should proceed. Councilmember Holden suggested the dance classes be held virtually. Recreation Programmer Vaughan stated he is speaking with Happy Feet to see if a virtual plan could be developed. Councilmember Scott suggested the letter from Santa event be held virtually this year. Recreation Programmer Vaughan reported this event would not require contact. Councilmember Scott stated he would be in favor of those activities that could be hosted virtually and he would be against all that would require in-person, indoor attendance. Councilmember McClung agreed all programming should be virtual. The Council was in agreement that staff should pursue only special event programs that can be conducted virtually. Councilmember Holden suggested the breakfast with Santa event be changed to a virtual event. She indicated this would allow parents to sign up for a time slot for their child to have a virtual visit from Santa. Recreation Programmer Vaughan discussed the adult programs that were offered by the City during the winter months. He noted all AARP classes have been canceled through December of 2020. He questioned if any adult classes should be offered. Mayor Grant reported the adult AARP class could be completed online. He recommended staff make the public aware of this opportunity. Councilmember McClung did not support the City sponsoring high risk classes at City Hall. Councilmember Scott stated he would support the City offering virtual classes but could not support the City hosting any classes that required in-person, indoor attendance. Councilmember Holmes explained another option would be to encourage residents to pursue adult programing options in Roseville, Shoreview and New Brighton. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 11 Councilmember Holden recommended the City offer some type of one-on-one foot care for seniors. She indicated this was a better option for seniors than having to go to the doctor. Mayor Grant commented on the importance of foot care and stated this was a good idea. Councilmember Scott stated he could support a foot care option for seniors if it can be done safely. Councilmember McClung and Councilmember Holmes agreed. Council consensus was to support a foot care program moving forward if it can be done safely. Recreation Programmer Vaughan questioned if the Council wanted staff to publish a winter program guide if all programs would be offered virtually or should staff post the information on the City’s website. Councilmember Holden suggested a two page brochure be printed for the public. Mayor Grant stated he understood other communities were printing a shortened guide for residents. Councilmember Holmes agreed it would benefit the public to have a brochure printed to make them aware of the changes. Councilmember McClung agreed. E. NYFS Funding City Administrator Perrault stated during its August budget discussion, the City Council requested staff bring back additional information regarding the North East Youth and Family Services (NYFS) budget request and how the services are provided to the residents of Arden Hills. One other item for Council consideration was whether or not the City would like to make a portion of its CARES funding available to NYFS to help offset additional costs they are incurring due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Councilmember McClung commented he could be supportive if some of the additional funding would be directed towards mental health. Councilmember Holden asked if Arden Hills’ residents would not be served if the City did not pay. City Administrator Perrault stated he did not have an answer to this question. Mayor Grant stated NYFS was a valuable service to the community. He discussed how NYFS would be impacted if all cities were to bail on them. He indicated he supported the City funding NYFS going forward, even with the proposed increase. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 12 Councilmember Holden questioned what other non-profits the City should be funding if they do good works in the community. Mayor Grant explained Arden Hills was instrumental in starting NYFS and was a founding charter member. He indicated the City was not a founding charter member of any other non-profit in the community. Councilmember Holden stated she was upset because the City has never received a simple apology for the way their board has treated Arden Hills. Regardless of meeting with the new executive director, the board remains the same. She feared the board was not able to take on the mental health issues occurring in Arden Hills, given the fact it could not apologize for misbehavior. She stated she was against funding NYFS or proposed that NYFS be funded at only 50%. Councilmember Holmes commented she had no confidence in the NYFS board. She feared that a similar situation could occur again in the future due to the leadership on the NYFS board. She stated she agreed with Councilmember Holden. She questioned why the City was funding a non- profit. She explained there were a lot of mental health options available to residents these days. She indicated there were no other non-profits in Arden Hills that were receiving funding from the City. She recommended the City stop funding NYFS. Councilmember Scott stated he wanted to avoid getting into the political dispute. He did not believe now was the time to cut off the feet of a non-profit organization in the community that was providing critical services to Arden Hills residents. He supported funding NYFS with the increase. He suggested CARES Act funding be used for the increase. Councilmember McClung indicated he has some reservations regarding NYFS, but he understood the services they were providing were important. He reported he would not be supportive of cutting all ties. He stated he could support paying a portion with CARES Act dollars and paying the remaining amount after the first of the year. Councilmember Holden recommended more CARES Act dollars be used if NYFS were funded. She suggested 50% of the fee be paid for by CARES Act funds as this would reduce the impact on Arden Hills taxpayers. City Administrator Perrault stated CARES Act dollars could not be used to front expenses in 2021 but rather had to be used for expenses in 2020. Further discussion ensued regarding the City’s CARES Act funding. Mayor Grant questioned how many applications the City has received for CARES Act grants. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla reported the City has received 18 grant applications and noted 11 payments have been issued at this time. Mayor Grant asked if the Council could support the City offering $5,000 in CARES Act funding to NYFS and then reducing the amount funded to NYFS in 2021 by $5,000. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 13 Councilmember McClung stated he could support this option. City Administrator Perrault recommended he and the Mayor hold a conversation after this meeting and that this item be brought back to the City Council. F. JDA Chair Discussion City Administrator Perrault stated per the bylaws of the Joint Development Authority (JDA) that oversees the TCAAP redevelopment project, the City of Arden Hills is responsible for appointing a non-elected member as Chair of the JDA; while Ramsey County appoints the Vice Chair. The current Chair is Brian Holmes, and his term expires at the end of this year. The City Council should discuss if it would like to go through a formal recruitment process to fill the upcoming two-year term, or re-appoint Mr. Holmes. Should Council want to reapprove Mr. Holmes, he has indicated he is willing to remain on as Chair. Should Council prefer to hold a recruitment, Staff will bring back a formal plan in October for Council consideration. Mayor Grant stated he supported Brian Holmes continuing as the JDA Chair. The Council was in agreement. G. COVID-19 Operations and Staffing Update City Administrator Perrault provided the Council with an update on how the City was responding to COVID-19. He reported City Hall remains closed to the public. He commented City meetings were still being held remotely. He indicated the public works crew was still operating under the split shift model. He reviewed the governor’s updated guidance, commented on potential CARES Act purchases, and requested feedback from the Council on how to address public safety costs. Councilmember Holden stated she asked staff to look into the air handler improvements at City Hall to improve employee health and safety. She recommended Microban products be considered at City Hall. Councilmember Holmes feared a barrier with a microphone would appear very unfriendly at the front counter. City Administrator Perrault commented the barrier would span the entire front portion of the front desk and noted the middle portion could be swapped out after the threat of COVID-19 lessens. He recommended for the time being that the area be sealed. He indicated it would be difficult for people to hear through the plexiglass for this reason a microphone was being recommended. Mayor Grant questioned if City Hall would be opened if the barrier and microphone were put in place. City Administrator Perrault stated this would be up to City Council. Councilmember Holden indicated she has received no complaints that City Hall has been closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 14 Councilmember McClung explained he has not heard any negative comments either. Councilmember Holden recommended City Hall remain closed in order to protect City staff. Councilmember Scott stated he supported the City installing the barrier and microphone for safety purposes at City Hall. Councilmember Holmes questioned what the purpose was of having the permanent barrier in place if City Hall remains closed. City Administrator Perrault stated the front desk staff members have had little to no contact with anyone at this time. He reported this would change if the City were to begin hosting foot care clinics. Councilmember Holmes asked if staff was aware of any other City Halls that have a full barrier with a microphone. Deputy Clerk Trauba explained she was not aware of any other cities that have a microphone. She stated the problem with the City’s opening was that it was quite large and for this reason, the contractor recommended a microphone be installed. Councilmember Scott stated he supported the permanent barrier and microphone. Councilmember Holden recommended that if the barrier was installed that the middle portion be removable. City Administrator Perrault commented on the different options and noted the middle portion could be sliding versus permanent. Councilmember Holden recommended the barrier be installed with a sliding option to avoid future expenses. Mayor Grant agreed it made sense to install a sliding barrier at this time given the fact CARES Act funding could be used. He noted this barrier would have to be installed prior to November 15th. He asked how the Council wanted to proceed. Councilmember McClung supported the barrier being installed with a sliding middle portion. Councilmember Holmes agreed. Councilmember Scott supported the barrier installation as well. Mayor Grant asked if the Council supported the air purifier being installed at City Hall. The Council supported this installation. Council directed staff to keep City Hall closed for the time being and to be allowed to spend up to $3,000 on Microban products within the City Hall ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 15 kitchen area. In addition, the Council supported the funding expenses for the Lake Johanna Fire Department through Tier 3 and Ramsey County Sheriff’s Department expenditures. H. Garbage Cans and Street Ordinance Update Associate Planner Hartmann stated staff has recently received complaints regarding the placement of waste containers within the right-of-way. Upon investigation of the complaint, staff determined that containers were encroaching into the right-of-way. City code addresses waste container storage on non-collection days. City Code Section 660.05 Subd. 1, (A) states, “Containers shall be stored within an enclosed building, or in the side or rear yard adjacent to a structure. Containers shall not be stored in the front yard forward of the principal structure.” This code section does not address how waste containers are allowed to be stored outside on trash day for collection. City Code Section 660.05, Subdivision 8 states that, “Refuse and recycling containers from single-family dwellings shall be placed at their assigned collection location the night before, or the day of collection. Containers shall be removed no more than twelve (12) hours after the scheduled collection day.” Yet, this code section does not address the location in which the containers may be placed on trash day, only the duration in which they can be left outside of their assigned collection location. Staff requested direction from the Council on how to define “assigned collection location”. Mayor Grant commented some residents are putting garage cans in parking areas rather than at the edge of their driveway. Councilmember Scott stated he was fine with the modified language in City Code. He questioned if this new language would be enforceable on County right-of-way. Associate Planner Hartmann reported this language would be enforceable on County right-of- way. Councilmember Scott indicated he supported the language as modified. Councilmember McClung stated he supported the language. Councilmember Holmes explained she supported the language but anticipated this would be a difficult matter for the City to enforce. Councilmember Holden commented she had a problem with the proposed language. She stated she was uncertain as to how the City defined “curbside”. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla suggested the word “curbside” be eliminated and that residents be encouraged to place their garbage cans at the end or adjacent to the driveway. Councilmember McClung suggested the phrase, “but not in the street” be added to this language. Mayor Grant stated this would make the language more clear. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 16 Council consensus was to direct staff to bring the revised language back to the Council at a future City Council meeting. I. Livable Communities Act Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla stated since 1995, the City has opted to participate in the Metropolitan Livable Community Act (LCA) programs. Participating in this program is voluntary; however, it provides the City with the opportunity to compete for grants and loans to support activities that help the City meet housing goals, remediate environmental contaminated sites, and support projects that link jobs, housing, and transit. The Livable Communities Program is based on cooperation and incentives to achieve both regional and local goals. Through this program, the City received $200,000 in 2006 to remediate contamination at the Traverse Business Center property, and $75,000 for the Twin Cities Army Ammunition Plant (TCAAP) property reuse planning in 2002. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla explained all cities that participate in the LCA program are required to establish affordable and life-cycle housing goals for the next decade (2021 through 2030). As part of the 2040 Comprehensive Plan approval process, the City already acknowledged that the City’s share of the future regional affordable housing need was 373 new affordable housing units. This number was calculated by the Metropolitan Council and was based on information such as available land, access to jobs, and access to transit. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla commented in recognition of many city’s limited resources to create new affordable housing, the Metropolitan Council has shifted from one target affordable housing number to a target range for affordable housing. The new target range of affordable housing units in Arden Hills is 205 to 373 new units over ten years. He commented further on the importance of the community having life-cycle housing. It was noted the life-cycle housing target range for Arden Hills in the 2030 Comprehensive plan was 285 to 800 new units. The life-cycle housing target range for Arden Hills is 860 new units. Community Development Manager/City Planner Mrosla explained both affordable and life- cycle housing are consistent with the City’s 2040 Comprehensive Plan and zoning regulations, provided the TCAAP property redevelops in accordance with the 2040 Comprehensive Plan. If a city is not able to meet the affordable housing goals by 2030, there are no repercussions. However, if a city does not participate in the program, the city is not eligible for certain grant programs, including the Livable Communities Demonstration Account (LCDA), Local Housing Incentive Account (LHIA), and Tax Base Revitalization Account (TBRA). The LCDA and TBRA grants in particular could be useful for redevelopment projects and TCAAP. Councilmember Holden stated she supported this program Mayor Grant agreed. Council consensus was to direct staff to continue with the Livable Communities program. J. Council Tracker After discussion there were no changes to the Council Tracker. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – SEPTEMBER 21, 2020 17 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holmes requested staff investigate training options for the new Planning Commission members. Councilmember Scott stated he would be interested in receiving this training as well given the fact he serves at the Council Liaison. Councilmember Scott welcomed home the 34th ECAB (Expeditionary Combat Air Brigade) that was part of the Arden Hills National Guard. Councilmember McClung commented on a recent house fire that occurred in the City and thanked New Brighton and Roseville for their mutual aid. He encouraged residents to check the batteries in their smoke detectors this fall. Councilmember Holmes stated she has received numerous emails from members of the North Suburban Youth Coalition. She explained the City Council would be discussing this item at the November work session meeting. She suggested a statement be placed on the City’s website regarding this fact. Councilmember Holden commented the Arden Hills/Shoreview Rotary Club has painted the hockey boards at Freeway Park. He thanked all who volunteered for this project. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session meeting at 8:05 p.m. __________________________ __________________________ Jolene Trauba David Grant Deputy City Clerk Mayor