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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-17-23-WS Approved: February 13, 2023 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION JANUARY 17, 2023 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 5:00 p.m. Present: Mayor David Grant, Councilmembers Brenda Holden, Emily Rousseau, Tena Monson and Tom Fabel Absent: None Also present: City Administrator Dave Perrault, Community Development Director Jessica Jagoe, Public Works Director/City Engineer David Swearingen, Assistant Public Works Director Lucas Miller, Deputy Clerk Jolene Trauba, Global One Commercial President Mark Globus, Global One Commercial Partner Brett Hildreth, Tushie Montgomery Architect Andy Krenik, Delkor Vice-President of Operations Kevin Weiss, HR Green Regional Director John Morast, HR Green Project Engineer Thomas Jantscher, and Resident Kerri Seemann Mayor Grant noted that he would be adding Public Comments as item 1A on future agendas. He also said roll call votes will be rotated as to who gives the first vote. The City Administrator will keep track of who gets the first vote. Councilmember Monson felt that adding public comment to a work session would be inefficient and inappropriate. Councilmember Fabel agreed. Councilmember Holden noted they didn’t have public comments during a work session before and they were criticized so she thought it would be a good idea. Councilmember Rousseau said she would be open to have public comment on issues that are on the work session agenda. Mayor Grant said that three members of the Council would like public comments and invited anyone wishing to address the Council to come forward with a limit of three minutes. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 2 Catherine Nelson, 3475 Siems Court, said she hoped the Council members could be respectful of each other and work together. She noted the previous five-hour meeting was exhausting for all. She discussed the roundabout that was approved on County Road E and the parking lot for the business there. She felt some councilmembers didn’t research the proposed project thoroughly before the vote. She hoped they would work for the best interests of all residents. Richard Wenzel, 1931 Noble Road, said if possible, he would like a copy of Ramsey County’s proposal for TCAAP. Mayor Grant clarified that any response would be made at the next Council meeting as is customary. 1. AGENDA ITEMS A. TCAAP/Rice Creek Commons Update City Administrator Perrault stated that Mayor Grant and Councilmember Fabel had each met separately with Bob Lux and other team members from Alatus along with Robert Thomas Homes to have a discussion regarding TCAAP. Mr. Lux provided market updates, noting that the office space market has weakened, the industrial market it still strong but they would like the Council to potentially consider other options for industrial sites along the west side of the Spine Road. Mr. Lux said they are seeing a significantly higher number of single-family homes being rental units versus owner occupied. There are some big box retailers still interested in the site. Lux encouraged the Council to work together and with Ramsey County to move forward with overall affordability, density, job goals, energy goals, and infrastructure costs. Councilmember Fabel noted that Mr. Lux hoped the Primer Tracer parcel north of TCAAP could be used as some sort of solar project. Mayor Grant said another thing that was talked about was the issue of 1,900 units. At the time, a presentation was given by the county to the four prospective bidders. The County presentation said residential density would be 1,500 or less. After bidding, Alatus was selected and 1,900 units was suggested by Alatus, to which they were told no, that they bid on 1,500, so the idea was dropped. Councilmember Holden mentioned that when the project first started builders were brought in to discuss townhouses, apartments, and single-family homes. She understood that Mr. Lux wants to build homes and housing units as that’s where he will make money, but she thought they should ask for other opinions on what would work now. The idea was people would live and work in the same area. She felt there was a need for industrial facilities. Councilmember Holden said Mr. Lux can bid on the Primer Tracer site but Xcel won’t work with him on the deal he wanted. She wondered what happened with the geothermal aspect of the development. Councilmember Fabel said he told Mr. Lux that he was anxious to get started discussing and negotiating with the County. He had reached out to the County to ask for a meeting in February. Mr. Lux suggested that staff start meeting, and he would like to see that also. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 3 Mayor Grant stated that if the JDA meets in February they will have a lot of business to figure out to reconstitute the group; structure, finance, hiring attorneys, insurance. He asked if the three new councilmembers had made plans to meet with Ehlers. Councilmember Fabel said he and Councilmember Monson had a meeting scheduled. Councilmember Holden asked what the purpose would be of City and County staff meeting. City Administrator Perrault thought they could lay a base work of what the County wanted to do to get the process moving forward, and start staff-to-staff relations. Councilmember Monson supported City staff starting a conversation with County staff. Mayor Grant suggested another item they could discuss is what needs to be done to reconstitute the JDA. Councilmember Holden felt one of the issues of the JDA was that the County was the administrator. B. Primer Tracer Concept Review Discussion Community Development Director Jagoe stated the Concept Plan Review was from Global One Commercial for the property owned by the Federal Government and commonly referred to as the Primer Tracer property. The request is for a review for potential industrial use of the approximate 62 acres. Two high level industrial scenarios have been submitted for discussion by the Applicant as part of their due diligence as they decide whether or not to bid on the property. Option A is for five multi-tenant buildings, Option B is for two different multi-tenant buildings. The subject property is located within a 233 acre site. The property was previously used as a manufacturing facility for the production of component primers and tracing compounds associated with small caliber ammunition production. GSA Auctions will be selling the property “as is”; there are approximately 50 structures on the subject property. In 2015 the site was considered by Ramsey County in partnership with Xcel Energy to be developed into an emergency management center on 20 acres, with 40 acres built as a solar array. Xcel Energy determined the site wasn’t feasible. Community Development Director Jagoe said the applicant would intend to seek rezoning to I- 2, General Industrial District. The GSA listing includes information that environmental remediation has been completed to industrial development levels. Based on preliminary analysis the land use requests would include the subdivision of land, comprehensive plan amendment, rezoning of the property and a potential conditional use permit(s). Mayor Grant noted that GSA would be in control of the auction. Mr. Globus stated they would call the development “Arden Hills Business Commons” and presented two options for the site. Option A would have five buildings and a self-storage facility. The buildings would be multitenant manufacturing and technology buildings. Option B would have two large buildings with industrial space. One building is envisioned to be a fulfillment center and the other distribution center. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 4 Councilmember Fabel asked if the plan would incorporate any current buildings. Mr. Globus said everything would be demolished. Mr. Hildreth added there have been approximately 20 environmental studies done on the site. They are expecting to find some lead paint and potentially some asbestos. Councilmember Rousseau asked if Building C on Option A would be used as a small corporate campus. Mr. Globus said they would go out to the marketplace and see what the users would want, but they think it would be a good location for an industrial corporate headquarters. He personally felt that people will be going back to offices to work. Mr. Krenick stated they are trying to be flexible with the type of tenant that may be attracted to the space. They are seeing a lot of medical device companies with high tech manufacturing components. A distribution center with 1/3 office and 2/3 warehouse suits Option A. Councilmember Holden asked if they felt there would be issues with semi-trucks and the roundabouts on County Road I. Mr. Krenick responded that there isn’t much access going northbound but they haven’t yet investigated maneuvering at this high level of design. Councilmember Holden asked how high the ceiling heights would be. Mr. Globus responded they would be 35-45 feet maximum. Mayor Grant preferred Option A but didn’t care for the storage facility, he would rather see another building there instead. He liked the multibuilding concept because it implies multiple companies and diversification of businesses. Councilmember Monson asked about the easement and access to the property. Community Development Director Jagoe responded that the purchaser would be granted an easement to the site from the Seller, any additional review would be a part of the subdivision making it a standalone parcel. The easement may be partially given from the Ramsey County park property and also from the Federal property. Councilmember Holden said with the potential number of employees in the area she would expect some kind of recreational area for them. Mr. Krenick said they will have ponds and trails placed throughout the property. He said they hope to internalize truck traffic so it’s more concentrated and won’t have to mix between truck traffic and employee parking areas. The three-story storage building is an interesting aspect to set back the industrial use and act as a buffer. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 5 Councilmember Rousseau asked if changing the zoning on the property could have an impact on military readiness. Mayor Grant doubted the Army would surplus property if that were the case. Councilmember Monson asked if they had considered installing solar facilities on the roofs of the buildings and possibly tie that into the TCAAP development. Mr. Globus said that would be very smart and they could look into it. Councilmember Holden thought it would be nice to have something built on the property. Councilmember Monson said she had no negative thoughts about the proposals. Councilmember Rousseau stated she liked Option A and thought medical device companies would be a great industry for the area. Mayor Grant said he had no qualms with what they presented. He preferred Option A but if they came back with great business for Option B he would be fine with that as well. He agreed there would be a lot of roof top to consider solar panel installation. Councilmember Fabel felt it would be nice to have a symbiotic relationship with the TCAAP property. Mr. Globus said they would be willing to work with Alatus to coordinate the projects, but wouldn’t want to hold up one for the other. He appreciated the Council’s time and said they planned to be the winning bidder on the parcel. C. Delkor Systems Concept Plan Review Discussion – Sign Standard Adjustment Community Development Director Jagoe stated the Concept Plan Review was for a sign standard adjustment at two Delkor locations at 4300 Round Lake West and 1987 Gateway Boulevard. They are seeking flexibility for all signage. Both properties fall under Sign District 7 that allows wall signage with a copy area of up to 45 square feet. The applicant is proposing one wall sign up to 60 square feet of copy area on the western elevations on each building. The sign would be internally illuminated. The applicant was recently approved for the same sign at a third location at 4200 Round Lake Road, which is on 3 elevations of that Gateway building under Sign District standards in District 6. The proposed signage would be consistent with the project at 4200 Round Lake Road. Community Development Director Jagoe explained the Council could allow flexibility for sign standards through the site plan review process, or to amend the sign code to reclassify the Gateway Business Zoning District from Sign District 7 to Sign District 6, or amend the sign code to increase the total sign copy area allowed for wall signs in Sign District 7 from 45 square feet to 60 square feet. She noted that two of the parcels in the Gateway Business District have signage that is over the current 45 square foot maximum (they are legal nonconforming) and two properties have been issued flexibility as part of a PUD. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 6 Mr. Weiss stated that they are trying to have consistent signage on all of their buildings and would like guidance on what they can do relative to the city code. Councilmember Monson said she generally supported allowing for flexibility of having a larger sign on a bigger building directly by the highway. Councilmember Holden had no issue with increasing the sign size but wasn’t sure she would support amending the sign code. Councilmember Fabel asked what signage was currently on the buildings. Mr. Weiss said there is a smaller sign with different colors on one of the buildings. Mayor Grant had no problem with giving a variance but didn’t want to change the sign district. Councilmember Fabel stated that in fairness to Delkor and having granted them a variance before we should do it again. Councilmember Rousseau said a variance seemed good to her. D. Arden Manor and Floral Park Improvements Survey Results Mr. Morast stated that he was the Director for Transportation for HR Green and had been managing the Arden Manor and Floral Park projects. Mr. Jantscher introduced himself as a Project Engineer working with Mr. Morast and City staff. Mr. Morast said Arden Manor Park was the recipient of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) for reconstruction of the playground, sport court and shade structure. There are also drainage issues that need to be addressed but are not part of the grant. Councilmember Holden noted that Rice Creek Watershed is working with the City on drainage issues. Mr. Morast said Floral Park will have combined hard court, play structure and shelter improvements combined with trail improvements. Both projects have had public input and involvement. He explained the public involvement process which included surveys. Mr. Jantscher reviewed the survey results, noting that in general the public would like to see benches, monkey bars, swings, slides, climbers, toddler areas, multi-age equipment, along with tennis, pickleball and basketball courts. Mr. Morast discussed repaving and restriping of basketball and tennis courts, updating fencing and ADA access. He reviewed equipment types and varying costs. Arden Manor Park is approximately 4,500 square feet in size and Floral Park is approximately 2,650 feet. Both parks have limited area for equipment, accessibility, toddler areas, etc. Seven vendors have been contacted and several have already asked questions. There is lag time in equipment procurement. Next steps included holding an open house, making design decisions, bidding and construction. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 7 Councilmember Holden asked if staff would be OK with playground equipment not matching what is in other parks. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the most recent vendor is included in the pool and they are aware there are other vendors that will bid on the project. Mr. Morast stated that the latest equipment is more durable than in the past for weather, vandalism, fires, etc. Councilmember Fabel asked if they knew the number of residents being served in each park area. He wondered if residents would wonder why they are spending so much more on Floral Park than Arden Manor Park. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen responded that it was budgeted based off of past projects. A large portion of the money is budgeted to reconstruct the hard courts at Floral Park. Play structure numbers were similar at both parks. City Administrator Perrault asked if they were potentially pushing the playground equipment at Arden Manor to next year. Mr. Morast said it will still be bid on in late spring/early summer but installation will depend on the procurement process for the equipment. Councilmember Rousseau wondered if the part of the funding is to help mitigate flooding issues. Mr. Morast said it will be addressed in conjunction with Rice Creek Watershed, the flooding and stormwater is an issue. Councilmember Monson felt strongly that all swing sets should have a baby swing and other swings should have a longer radius, she supported pickleball lines, a variety of equipment for all ages. She thought porta-potties would be a nice asset. She thought a future skate park might be a good addition somewhere in the city. Councilmember Holden said that approximately 40% of the people in Arden Manor are adults and seniors. She would like to see equipment for adults and teens, bike and car parking, and basketball courts. She thought there should be a gaga ball pit in every park. Mayor Grant agreed that there are older adults in Arden Manor and they did need something for them. PTRC could look at the projects also. Councilmember Holden said that was a good idea but they are on a time schedule. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said there would be a PTRC meeting the next week and it would be brought up for discussion. There is also an open house that PTRC members and the general public could attend. Councilmember Holden commented that if they put a grill somewhere they also need a coal container. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 8 Mr. Morast said one of the suggestions by the Rice Creek Watershed District was to have an interpretive trail possibly with fitness equipment. Councilmember Rousseau said they bypass Cummings Park to go to Floral Park because the swings at Cummings are too low for her daughter and other equipment is too high. She would like to see new slides and larger swings at Floral Park. Mr. Morast stated trails to the hardcourts from the existing trail have been discussed. Councilmember Monson would like to see dog waste receptacles and bags at all parks and options for a dog park at Floral Park. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said a dog park at Floral Park would be outside of the scope of the current project. Councilmember Monson thought Arden Manor might be a good place for a community garden. Councilmember Holden said the Rotary wanted to put a community garden in Arden Manor but there wasn’t much positive interest. She also wanted the tennis courts to be built to last. E. Home Occupations Ordinance Amendment Discussion Community Development Director Jagoe said this Concept Plan Review was submitted by Kerri Seemann with a request for an ordinance amendment to the City Code for a Class I or Class II Home Occupations which would allow exterior evidence of the home-based business being conducted on the residential property. The applicant’s home-based business would be a landscaping nursery that would include deliveries and/or customers visiting the premise. An application for a Class II Home Occupation application was submitted in December. Staff identified that the CUP submission was incomplete due to the proposed home occupation being primarily exterior of the dwelling with plantings, a retail component, outdoor pickup space for customer orders and an outdoor sales area. City Code requires a home occupation to be conducted entirely within the dwelling and there shall be no exterior evidence of the home occupation. Community Development Director Jagoe stated Ms. Seeman would like the Council to consider a text amendment that would allow home occupations to be conducted outside of the dwelling in an accessory building and/or on the exterior of the dwelling. There were two proposed code amendments provided in the staff report. Ms. Seemann said she had been growing her own plants and would like the opportunity to sell some of them. She wanted to sell the plants online or through email, deliver them or have the customer pick them up. She explained the changes to City Code she would like to see. She said her property is almost completely surrounded by hedges, so neighbors wouldn’t be able to see what was happening except during the winter when they would be able to see the growing benches. She preferred to grow plants on the benches and not in the ground due to the risk of contamination. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 9 Councilmember Holden asked if they approved something would the home occupation stay with the property. Community Development Director Jagoe said that was correct. A conditional use permit would run with the property. The permit could have conditions so that any future user would have to have the same occupation that was approved. Councilmember Holden said she could see someone moving into the property and selling auto parts or anything else. Community Development Director Jagoe said rewriting the ordinance could allow for a spectrum of uses, so the language may need to be restrictive or provide some prohibited uses. Councilmember Holden asked if they could they do a Conditional Use Permit without changing the ordinance? Community Development Director Jagoe said they could, if the business was conducted within the dwelling, in a house or attached garage. Current code doesn’t allow for an occupation in a detached building or exterior of the dwelling. Councilmember Fabel said he would be delighted to have a business like this in his neighborhood. He felt if there was something in the ordinance that was stopping it from happening then they were being too rigid. He wondered what they would have to do to the ordinance to make it possible to grant a variance for this business. Community Development Director Jagoe thought they would need to change something in the ordinance language that would allow a pathway to seek a Conditional Use Permit, they wouldn’t be able to approve a variance now because the City cannot issue a variance for a use. Councilmember Fabel said he would like to see that happen. Community Development Director Jagoe said they would need to issue a Conditional Use Permit and make a text amendment to the Class II with wording geared toward what they would be permitting for this use. Mayor Grant asked what kind of plants would be grown. Ms. Seeman said it would be native plants such as flowers, sedges, and grasses. Councilmember Monson agreed with Councilmember Fabel’s comments, she thought it was important that they create a pathway for people to start small businesses with the right restrictions and let people use their property the way they need to. Councilmember Holden asked if in the CUP there would be a provision that it has to be kept up? Community Development Director Jagoe said they could limit the hours of operation, number of customers at a time, or other conditions that any new property owner would have to operate under. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 10 Mayor Grant directed staff to come back with appropriate language. F. Assisted Hearing Equipment and Council Chambers Councilmember Fabel said he had been made aware of new technology that works with certain types of hearing aids that could direct sound from microphones directly to the hearing aids. He noted he had provided a company name to the Mayor. He then excused himself from the rest of the discussion. Mayor Grant stated the new technology would be a coil that would run around the perimeter of the Council chambers and the entire room could be used by anyone that had a hearing aid that was T-coil capable. City Administrator Perrault said there is a system in the chambers today that transmits wirelessly to a pack that works with hearing aids. The new solution would require the carpet to be lifted and a copper wire would be installed around the chamber. Anyone wearing a hearing aid within that loop could change their setting so anyone speaking into a microphone would be transmitted directly to the hearing aid. Some microphone adjustments would also need to be made. Approximate cost of the system would be $25,000. The Cable Fund is currently has a deficit that should be addressed as part of the 2024 budget cycle, but as it stands today the money would probably need to come from the General Fund. He further explained items the Cable Fund is used for. Councilmember Holden asked if someone needed to speak directly into the microphone for the small speaker currently in use. City Administrator Perrault replied they would. Councilmember Holden asked what the annual software updates would be each year. City Administrator Perrault said he wasn’t aware of what that fee would be but he would get the information. Mayor Grant noted that there was someone at the last meeting that stated they were having trouble hearing. He thought there were council chambers in the area that had T-coil and he thought they should move forward. Councilmember Rousseau asked what was the life expectancy of the technology. City Administrator Perrault ballparked the life expectancy to be ten years, potentially up to 15 years. Councilmember Monson said she would also like to know the ongoing costs and wondered if there may be better technology on the market, but if most people are able to access this on their hearing aid then she supported this. City Administrator Perrault said there are other options but T-coil was the recommendation of NineNorth and their consultant. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 11 Councilmember Rousseau asked if they knew if hearing aids that came without a prescription could also work with the T-Coil. Councilmember Holden thought a less expensive hearing aid would probably not have T-coil compatibility. Mayor Grant asked if they will be able to have both technologies; the current and new. City Administrator Perrault thought they would be able to, but would confirm with NineNorth. Mayor Grant directed staff to move forward but find out what the annual upgrade cost would be and make Council aware of it in case there are objections. G. Pavement Condition Update and 2023 Street and Trail Maintenance Plan Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reviewed the IMS automated survey, Pavement Condition Index (PCI) including pavement preservation and rehabilitation, the proposed 20-year Pavement Management Plan (PMP) projects, the proposed street maintenance plan for 2023 and the projected PCI through 2027. He explained the JPA process with Coon Rapids for street maintenance activities and the financial benefit of the JPA along with work that can be done in-house. Councilmember Monson asked if staff could obtain a map of what Ramsey County is planning to work on. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated he could and that he considers County projects when he plans for work in the city. Councilmember Holden asked if he could also find information on culverts. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said he could look into that. Mayor Grant felt they Council would want to give approval to submit the maintenance plan to the JPA to get the economy of scale pricing due to the large number of cities involved. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reviewed the newly developed six-year street maintenance cycle and noted that some streets aren’t highlighted because of PMPs. H. Parkshore Exercise Station Trail Loop – Official Name Discussion Mayor Grant said they need to pick a name for the new park at Round Lake Senior Living, and the names recommended by the PTRC were Fitness Park and Trail, or Round Lake Fitness Park and Trail. Councilmember Holden mentioned the equipment is for people over 55 years old and if Round Lake were in the name people wouldn’t find it because it’s on Parkshore Drive. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 12 Councilmember Monson suggested Parkshore Exercise Trail Loop. Councilmember Fabel asked if the city had looked into finding someone to contribute to have their name put on a park. Mayor Grant stated this park was built and paid for by the senior living facility. There have been contributors to the park such as the pavilion at Cummings Park that was built by Boston Scientific. The park dedication fees on land goes into the fund to help maintain parks. Councilmember Rousseau asked if this was the same process that was used to name other parks? City Administrator Perrault said the same naming convention would have been followed. Mayor Grant preferred a name that contained Parkshore. Councilmember Holden added that she would like to see plenty of benches at the park. Councilmember Monson thought the name should come from the PTRC. Councilmember Holden wanted to have something in the name about the park being for seniors. Councilmember Rousseau said as the new PTRC liaison she would like to discuss the name with the committee. After further discussion it was agreed to have the Council Liaison take it back to the PTRC again, noting the Council would prefer to use Parkshore instead of Round Lake in the name. I. Council Liaison Appointments After discussion, appointments suggested for approval were: EDC - ad-hoc group with no liaison Karth Lake District – ad-hoc group with the Public Works Director as liaison unless there were budgeting issues that would affect the City Ramsey County Local League – Mayor, with all other Councilmembers as alternates Cable Commission – Steve Scott Point of order was called at 8:28 p.m. with a vote to extend the meeting for ½ hour. J. Public Inquiries Language Mayor Grant noted that the Public Inquiry portion of the agenda was written by the City Attorney and they may want to add input to revise and/or shorten the wording. Councilmember Rousseau thought three minutes per person was appropriate for a limit on comments. Councilmember Fabel said he liked the statement that Shoreview uses. He also didn’t like the prohibition on matters of litigation. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 13 Mayor Grant said it was from the advice of the City Attorney. Councilmember Monson also liked the Shoreview version, but would also include something about not allowing residents to speak about an item that was on a public hearing. Councilmember Holden said the Shoreview version said if something was NOT on the regular agenda residents couldn’t comment. Councilmember Monson would like people to speak about anything, unless it was on a public hearing. Mayor Grant said he specifically instructs the audience to wait for a public hearing if that is the topic they’d like to comment on. He is looking for feedback and he will work with staff and the City Attorney to rewrite the section. Councilmember Holden thought some people want input back from the public discussion that same evening. If someone has a question it won’t be answered or discussed that evening? Mayor Grant said even city councils that don’t put that statement in typically don’t respond unless it’s something very basic. Councilmember Rousseau again stated she would like to limit comments to three minutes and possibly have a disclaimer to remind orderly conduct, and to request comments at work sessions are specific to that night’s discussion. Councilmember Fabel read a statement regarding the nature of a statutory city he would like to be included at the next meeting and that may or may not be necessary at subsequent meetings. Mayor Grant felt the citizens of Arden Hills didn’t need to be read legal jargon, three out of five is a majority and no one is questioning that, and they didn’t need lecture the constituents. City Administrator Perrault said the current direction from Council was to limit statements to three minutes, disorderly conduct reminder and limiting the work session comments to items on the agenda. Councilmember Holden wasn’t sure how they were going to make it clear that they can comment on some things at some meetings and not at others, she felt they should either take public comment or not. Councilmember Monson thought they could try limiting comments at work session to items on the agenda and if it doesn’t work they change it again. She felt they could always give leeway and not be extremely strict about it. Mayor Grant said he would work with staff to put language together. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 14 K. Council Retreat Mayor Grant asked if the Council would want to have a retreat. City Administrator Perrault said there were different versions in the past, they could do two Fridays, a Friday-Saturday, or possibly a Thursday-Friday. Mayor Grant felt if they have one it should be later to give the new Council time to get their feet planted. Councilmember Monson supported a retreat because the public is telling them to work together, she thought staff needed direction on how to handle some things, and she has questions about short, medium and long-term goals of staff and how to fold them into what staff is already doing. She would prefer March or April but not wait until the second half of the year. Mayor Grant said he was good with April but wanted to get a few meetings and work sessions in first as a new group. Councilmember Rousseau agreed with April. City Administrator Perrault asked if there was anything they did or didn’t want included. He explained the DISC personality profile. Councilmember Holden felt they should decide how much time they want to take as that would determine how many topics they set. Councilmember Monson would like to see options and discuss again at the next work session. L. Council Tracker Not discussed. 2. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES Councilmember Holden said she attended the Welcome Back to Lexington event and there were a lot of Arden Hills businesses there. Councilmember Rousseau thanked staff for their work. Mayor Grant said he was also at the Lexington Avenue event along with Community Development Director Jagoe and Communications Coordinator Grace Arel. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said he had been in touch with the Ramsey County Public Works Director regarding the incident at Hwy 96 and Highway 10, they should have more information in a couple of weeks. Mayor Grant mentioned that the “thumb” section of TCAAP has a trail someone had complained about not being plowed. Staff has determined is the City’s responsibility to plow. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION – JANUARY 17, 2023 15 Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said there were two agreements, the first said it was the County’s responsibility, there was also a second agreement that said it was the City’s responsibility. The trail has since been plowed by City staff. City Administrator Perrault stated the microphones were still not working that well. He would need to talk with NineNorth and possibly get additional microphones for the tables. ADJOURN Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session at 9:00 p.m. _____________________________ __________________________ Jolene Trauba David Grant Deputy City Clerk Mayor