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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 04-08-2002 . ~ ~HILLS MEETING MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MIN='IESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MONDAY, APRIL 8,2002,7:00 P.M. CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 Mayor Probst caUed the special mccting to order at 5:55 p.m. in the COilllcil Chambcrs of City Hall. Prcscnt: City Council Members Lois Rem, Beverly Aplikowski, Gregg Larson, and David Grant. Also prescnt: City Administrator Joe Lynch, City Accountant Ten-y Post, and City Planner Aaron Parrish. Thc Mayor opcncd thc meeting by welcoming reprcsentatives from OPUS Corporation, and invited them to come fOf\vard with their prescntation for the TCAAP propelty. Tim Murnane OPUS Corporation Mr. Murnane introduced himself, and outlined the presentation. He highlighted, for thc City Council, the two projects that they felt most closcly resembled the TCAAP Property Development and Redevelopment. The projects wcre the Arbor Lakes Projcct in Maple Grove, Mimlesota, atld the Wild Meadows projcct in Medina, Minnesota. . David Newman President-Restoration Development Mr. l'Iewman introduccd himself, atld indicated that his company was a residcntial developer who works with Lundgren Brothers, of which single-family home development is their main product. He noted they are also associated with Bancor, who primarily develops land for residential use. Mark Anderson Lundgren Brothers Mr. Anderson introduced himself, and indicated that Lundgren Bwthers is a locally founded atld locally based company. He said their main products are detach cd townhomes, rowhouscs, and life-cycle housing. Steve Applebaum Mr. Applebaum introduced himsclf, and said although hc was not a partner or cmployee of Rcstoration Dcvclopment, he does work in conjunction with them regarding the protection of sites atld preservation of ecology in an cnvironnlent related to land us or reuse. Mr. Applebaum referenced the Fort Sheridan Stormwater Management and Landscape Revitalization Plan as a demonstration ofa project he had worked on. . Jerry Paquin VKO Enterprises Mr. Paquin indicated that there emphasis was the legal side of the restoration/dcvelopment team. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 2 Walter Rockenstein Fagrc and Benson Mr. Rockenstcin indicated he was a former Minneapolis City Council Member, and was familiar with comprehcnsive platUling and zoning; is thc attorney for Restoration and Development. He noted his linn's primary arca of expertise is in assistance with comprehensive planning and zoning, cnvironmental review process, and enviromnental permitting process. Mr. Murnane closed commenting that this collection of partners is prepared to step forw'ard and work with the City of AJ.-den Hills regarding the acquisition and developmcnt of TCAAP. Mayor Probst requested comments on how or what role "big-box" development would have in TCAAP. Mr. MUrnatle responded that there were many alternatives to major retail development. Mayor Probst inquired what will be the trigger mechanism for initiating development on a property; would it be retail, commercial or residential. Mr. Murnane responded retail would havc to be a pmt of the engine that drove development ticd directly to rcsidential. Mr. Ncwman responded that open space and park development nccd to be woven into the initial the development so that people had an opportunity to rccreate and enjoy open spacc. Mayor Probst inquired about the residential development and indicated it appeared to be high- end housing, and requcsted information on how the group pla.tmed to address li fe-cycle housing needs within the City. Mr. Murnane indicated that the partncrs that had been chosen can provide many different typcs of residential dcvelopment and they would work with the City to meet those needs and the desires of the Metropolitatl Council. Council Member Aplikowski referred back to the alternative storm water management plan that Mr. Applebaum talked about, and inquired how this would function in a retail area. Mr. Applebaum responded that the storm water is dcalt with mainly through infiltration, but where they are unable to obtain the necessary volumes, areas drained to replace and the water would drain off. 50-60% lcss run-off oecurs because of this infiltration. Councilmember Grant asked about the Joliet, Illinois property, and whether or not it involvcd an early transfer process. Mr. Murnane responded that every properly they had dealt with had not gonc thru an orderly transfer process; some points and steps had becn skipped; and, some not in the sequential order as indicated in any transfer chronology. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 3 Councilmember Grant also asked for atl explanation rcgarding the narrowing of roads and the lack of infrastructure for Stonnwater system. Mr. Applebaum responded that the storm water ponding and piping system is not necessarily applicable everywhere. They try to deal with Stormwater as a resource and not as a waste product, and in some locations thcy have been able to construct curbing that assists in protecting the road-bed. Council Member Grant asked if at the Arbor Lakes project, which projects came first - the large scale retail format or the smaller format behind. The group responded that this was fairly typical, but at Arbor Lakes, they had previously dcsigncd the smaller scalc retail as a part of the large scalc format. City Council Member Larson asked if largc scale retail use is not part of the development of TCAPP, is OPUS still interested in this project. Mr. Murnane said they would still look at the TCAAP project, and bring in their mam development type, which is office and commercial development. Hc also said they would not "kid themselves" as to what the City wanted. Council Member Larson asked, if thc development is primarily residential, is success still possible. Mr. Newman responded by saying he bclieved that redevelopment can be supported primarily by residential development. Council Member Rem asked about the timc frame and what is realistic. The group responded that a Woodbury project rcquired a 24-month delay, but they anticipate preliminary plat approval by August/Scptember 2002, and arc patient regarding this [TCAAP] project as we]]. Council Member Larson asked how they would get around a landlord that wants to release the property with a clean-up level only to industrial standards. The group responded that there are funds available [at the Congrcssional level] to assist in cleaning up a site to a higher standard, atld they could look to Senator Dayton for assistance. Mr. Rockenstein pointed out that there is a gap in land value; the Anny cannot market the property as commercial!residential standards, which would ultimately impact the valued that is determined for the property. Mayor Probst indicated that they would like to find someone to partner with the City, and use the developer's money for investigation and planning. He inquired if OPUS was comfortable with that scenario. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR .:v!EETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 4 The group responded that to thc cxtcnt the timeline is defined, and the money that is requcsted specific to the dcvelopment, they would enter into an cxclusive development contract with the City. Thc prcsentation by thc group ended, and the meeting procecdcd to the regularly scheduled City Council segment. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due calJ and notice thereof: Mayor Dennis Probst called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7: I 8 p.m. Present: Mayor Dennis Probst, Council members Beverly Aplikowski, David Grant, Gregg Larson, and Lois Rem. Absent: None. Also prcscnt wcrc City Administrator, Joe Lynch; City Accountant, Terrance Post; City PlatUler, Aaron PatTish; Parks and Recreation Director, Tom Moore; City Attorney, Jerry Filla; and Recording Secretary, Kathleen Altman. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Mr. Lynch stated there should be an Executive Session at the end of the regular meeting to disCllss union negotiations. Councilmembcr Grant stated there should bc an additional item for thc Exccutive Session discussion regarding a performance revicws. These were scheduled as items 8.a and 8.b, respectively, on the agenda. Councilmcmber Larson addcd to the Unfinished Business as itcm 6.b a continued discussion regarding the stafr reorganization plan. MOTION: Councihnember Aplikowski moved and COll11cilmember Rcm seconded a motion to adopt the agcnda, as amended, for the April 8, 2002, regular City Council meeting as amended. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. March 25, 2002 Regular City Council Meeting Councilmembcr Rem requested the folJowing changes: Heading on page onc should read 7:00 p.m.; Page 9, 5th paragraph from the bottom to read, "they were supposeQ to be looking at thc Ramsey County site, and while it would be nice to considcr other options, that was not what Council had agrced to". Page 8, 1st paragraph, delete "Councilmember Rem stated this had already been done". . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 5 COllncilmember Larson requested the rollowing changes: Page 10, first motion, 2nd line, delete the words "approval of'. MOTION: Councilmember Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the March 25, 2002 Regular City Council Meeting minutes as amcndcd. The motion calTied unanimously (5-0). COl'\SENT CALENDAR A. Claims and Payroll. B. Resolution 02-18 Designating 2002 Polling Locations Mr. Lynch noted a change on the resolution adding a third WHEREAS clause to read: "WHEREAS, MilUlesota Statutes 204B.14, Subd. C requires precinct boundaries be established within 60 days or redistricting". Councilmember Aplikowski asked if this meant thcy had to change their precinct boundaries because she had told residents that this would not be done. Mr. Lynch replied they did not have to change their precinct boundaries because ofredistricting. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion canied unanimously (5-0). PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Probst invited those present to come rorward and address the Council on any items not alrcady on the agenda. No public comments were made. t:NFTNISHED Al'ID NEW BUSINESS A. 2001 Operating Surplus Mr. Post statcd the preliminary unaudited General Fund No. 101 operating rcsults for the year ended December 31,2001; indicate a projcctcd surplus ofapproximatcly $190,000. Mr. Post explained that whife an operating surplus could be used ror any legal purpose, prior Council actions ror the disposition of surpluses were to use them for one-time expenditures, not for operating needs. For the year ended December 31, 2000, the Council approved a $150,000 transfer to Municipal Land Building's Capital Fund No. 408. Mr. Post reviewed the general fund balances and prcsented the following options for Council consideration: 1. Municipal Land & Building Fund No. 408. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 6 . 2. 3. 4. 5. TCAAP Plmming Fund No. 229. Park Fund No. 227. City Hall Facility - Backup Emergency Power Generator City Hall Electronic Record Rctcntion System Mr. Post stated these options are not intended to be inclusive and asked the Council to provide direction. Councilmembcr Larson asked for an approximate dollar amount for the Record Retention System. Mr. Post replied the expenditures would be for software, hardwarc, and manual input fOT scanning the records. He stated he did not have a specific cost analysis, but it could bc $25,000 - $50,000.00 given the number of records they needed to get on the electronic database. Councilmember Larson asked if they were still in the residential inspection business. Mr. Post replied they were. Mayor Probst stated he was interested in looking at the first two alternatives. Mr. Post stated Fund No. 229 had approximately a S220,000.00 fund balance at present, and Fund 1\0.408 was essentially empty, but would be replenished by 2001 taxes payable in 2002 in an amount of $183,750.00. . Councilmember Rem stated given the size of balance, she requested some money be set aside for the Record Retention System. Shc stated an emergency portable gcnerator was also an issuc they needed to look at. Mr. Post replied a portable generator would cost approximatcly $32,300.00. Councilmember Rem asked if thc gcnerator should be on a list of priorities. Mr. Post rcplied from an cmergency standpoint there were options available to rent the generators from other suppliers. However, the generators could be in short supply if there was a large area-wide power outage, Councilmcmber Grant asked how l1lany generators they currently had. Mr. Moore replied they currently had two. He stated of the two thcy had, the large generator could plug into City Hall, but the small one could not. Hc stated currently the emergcncy plan was that the gcnerators would run the sewer lift stations and water booster station. He indicated they would be able to bring one of the generators over to City Hall in the event of an emergcncy for a short period of time (anything under 3 days), but if the power outage lasted longer than tln'ee days, they would need another generator. Mayor Probst statcd they should still look at the gcncrator issue, and he would support them getting software for the Record Retention System, but they should wait on the rest of the requcsts at this time. . MOTION: Councilmember Aplikowski moved and Councilmember Larson secondcd a motion to authorize staff to purchase a mobile generator for City Hall use in an amount not to exceed $35,000.00. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 7 Councilmember Grant asked if the remainder of the balance would go into Fund No. 408. Councilmember Larson asked if they purchased a new generator, where would they put it. Mr. Post [epli ed the generator would be a portable generator, and not a pennancnt one as was previously discussed. He asked if Councilmcmber Aplikowski's motion also included a trailer for thc gcnerator. Mayor Probst asked if they had a place to store thc generator. Mr. Moore replicd it would be stored in the existing maintenance building. Mr. Post replied the estimate they recei ved also included the trailer. He stated the price last was $32,302.00. He stated $35,000.00 would be in the ballpark to purchasc the generator and trailer. Councilmember Larson asked if it was more efficient to purchase the equipment, or should they share resources with another City considering the generator wOLtJd be sitting most of the time unused. Mr. Post rcplicd they could rent a generator. He stated there was a maintenance component to a generator in that they had to use it on a rcgular basis. Councilmcmber Larson asked if thcy had checked with other cities to have access to a generator. Mayor Probst stated this was atl idea worth pursuing. Mayor Probst statcd hc agreed with the spirit of Aplikowski 's motion, but suggested they put all of the money into Fund No. 408 with the understanding that once they had considercd all of the options for the generator, the moncy for the generator would still be available. Councilmember Aplikowski withdrew her motion far further infonnation. Councilmember Larson withdrew his second. Mayor Probst dircctcd staff to research the possibility of sharing a generator with another City. Mr. Lynch stated the City docs belong to a consortium of cities that provides mutual aid in emergency situations. However, nobody had a 200w gcnerator, and if they did, it was not a mobile generator. He also stated even if they could locate a generator, it might not be available at the time it was needed. Councilmember Larson expressed concem about not going forward \vith the Record Retention System. He stated if they did not go Janvard, it would keep getting pushed on the back bumer. Councihnember Aplikowski asked what type of cquipment was needed for thc Record Retention System. Mr. Parrish rcplied they needed to digitize the plans. Hc stated it was State law that the building platlS be saved indefinitely. He indicated thcy were currently off-site and it was difficult to locate them when they wcrc needed. He stated to digitize the plans would cost approximately $8,000.00. He indicated if they went with a one-station concept, which could range from 55,000.00 to $10,000.00 and to scan large fonnat documents, they would nccd a large fOlmat document scanner, which was $7,000.00. He stated if they purchased this cquipment, they would ARDEN HILLS CITY COLl\CIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 8 . not need to purchase the service of scanning becausc it could be done in house; they would just need to find someone to do it. He stated thcre would be a hierarchy of needs, but digitizing the plans would be a top priority. Councilmember Gratlt stated they needed to ability to use the software and purchasing the software without the remainder of the equipment, was not a good value. He asked how much was ncedcd to gct this process started. Mr. PalTish replied they had some of the hardware already, but a large fonnat scanner would be a necessity. On a minimal level, it would be approximately $20,000.00, but this would not include data input. Mr. Parrish statcd this was something they had been looking at later this summcr and it be part of an overall teclmology plan for the City. .\10TlO1\: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Grand seconded a motion to approve moving SI30,000.00 of the operating surplus into Fund 1\0. 408, "Land and Buildings Fund", and leave the remaining $35,000.00 in the General Fund for purchase of a generator. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). B. Continued Discussion Regarding Staff Reorganization Plan . Couneilmember Larson stated sincc the time the original organization chart had been prepared, the chart had already changed. He requested discussion of this issue to see where the Council was, and if they could not come to a conclusion tonight, then they needed to infonn staffto move forward with a proposal that the majority of the Council wanted to see adopted. Mr. L)~1Ch presented the "Impact of Rcorganization on Budgeted Salaries 2001 and 2002", and "City Reorganization Chart" bench handouts. Mr. Lynch stated there were still two positions that needed to be f1J1ed. The other positions had been filled. He noted the reason for the minor changes was to bring forward a change to the City that allowed thc City Administrator and staff to function in areas that seemcd to make sense in tenns of the service they were providing to the general public, and also to bring forth a change that wOLlld have the least impact in terms of numbers and dollars. . Councilmember Aplikowski expressed concern about the dollar amount. She stated she had a problem that the two positions were not equal in ternlS of pay and rcsponsibility, and stated the two new positions should bc more equal. She expressed frustration that she was still looking for the absolute need for a second person at $60,000.00. She was hoping to be able to explore it with City Administrator beforc it was brought back to a public meeting. She stated hcr main concern was that those two positions were not equal in tenns of pay. She indicated this was a money issue. Mr. Lynch replied the cost for the Director of Administration was an estimated amount, and it did not mean they would bring someone in at that amount. He stated they did not have to bring someone in for $60,000.00. He stated they were waiting for a study to compare to what the market was with respect to salaries. He indicated they could always adjust the salary at some time to make thcm more equal. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 9 Councilmember Aplikowski stated this was an issue rcgarding money and job responsibility between these two positions. Mr. Lynch pointed out that the education, expcricnce and skills for both of these two positions were thc satDe. Councilmember Aplikowski stated the bottom line was that they had 23 people on staff with nine in the Operations and Maintenance category. Shc stated almost half of thcm reported to one person and the rest reported to anothcr person. She asked how the City functioned now; how often they met with staff, etc. Mr. Lyl1Ch replied currcntly they met on Tuesdays with Mr. Moore, Mr. Post, Mr. Scherbel, Mr. Pan-ish, and occasionally the Recreation Program Supervisor one-office support personnel, and thc Deputy Clerk. He stated thcy also had a management meeting on the Tuesday following the Council work session including himself, Mr. Post, Mr. Moore, and the Deputy Clerk. Councilmember Aplikowski asked if that would continue with the new structure. Mr. Lynch replied he would continue to meet with the Directors on the Tuesdays after the Work session and he did not see any change to the meetings they had after the Council Mectings. He stated this was a good time for each person to discuss general City issues among other members of the staff instead of just dcaling with their own department. He statcd the biggest change would be in the functional area. Councilmember Grant indicated neither of the two organization charts focused on Councilmember Aplikowski's concerns. He statcd he was fine with a Dircctor of Maintenance and Operations; however, on the Dircctors of Administration side as a goal to reduce the numbcr of staff that reported to thc City Adl1linistTator, he was not surc he supp0l1ed that. Hc stated he understood the City Administrator wanted to have pcople in place when TCAAP was ready, but he indicated this could take possibly two years, so the hiring of a person for that position was premature. He indicated this was one of his initial concerns, and that was why he did not vote in favor of it when it was originally presented last year. He stated he would support the creation of that position if TCAAP was going to bc a reality in the near future, and while he would like to see that, realistically that was not going to happen anytime soon. Mayor Probst stated on one level he thought there seemed to be a lumping together the communications and supcrvision needs, and they were different. He stated that given the size of the staff, it did not seem to him to be reasonab Ie to have 8 director reports out of 22 people, and because of TCAAP this was exactly the reason they needed to proceed on this. He stated in the course of the last seven working days, he had spent 12 hours in mcctings on TCAAP. He stated this would require a lot of time in the near future, and he expected that at some of the high level meetings, the City Administrator would bc the City representative. Hc indicated this made sense to him at this time. He noted they were on the vergc of a lot of things starting to happen, and unless Council was going to have somcone else take a lead role, thcre was going to be a huge time commitment for the City Administrator. He stated hc strongly believed it made sense to go down this path at this time and he would continue to support this. Councilmember Rem stated she had spoken with the City Administrator last week, and from her perspective, shc did not see why the Director of Administration was needed at this time. She indicated she was not convinced that they needed that position. She stated she would support the ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 10 . position of Director of Maintenance and Operations. She stated that they had discusscd about gctting consultants doing some of the TCAAP work, and while it would take somc organization, it was not expected that staff would take alJ of the rcsponsibility. She statcd she did not see there was a need to hire someone. Council member Larson statcd hc was in favor of going forward with the Plan. He indicated it was his belief that TCAAP was taking off and the planning work was beginning. He stated this platUling would involve a whole fange of activities. He pointed out that Guidanl was also coming up. He stated there was a whole range of things thc City had put on the back bumer because they did not have the capabilities and expertise. He stated the largc part of the Director of Administration position was working on TCAAP and economic development and not just administfative supervision. He statcd there were all kinds of things that staff could not do because they did not have sufficient people. He stated someone was going to devote a lot of time to TCAAP at some point in the future. He indicated this made sense to bring on atl additional person at this time. Councilmcmber Aplikowski stated she might agree to hire a Director of Administration if she believed 11l0re wholly that TCAAP was going to happen in the next 6 - 10 months, but she did not have that feeling, and again she stated they hired the Administrator to nm thc City and she would rather see him do that. She slated she would be much happier if the City Administrator stayed as is, and they bifed a specialist when they needed onc. She stated she was not convinced they needed someone at this time. She stated she wantcd the City Administrator to run the City. . Mayor Probst indicated he understood Councilmember Aplikowski's view, and he too wanted the City Administrator to fun the City and he believed Mr. Lynch was doing a very good job of doing that. However, he indicated, after having participated in all of the meetings in the last two weeks, he was convinced they were on the brink of making TCAAP happen. He slated thcre would be huge implications with this in terms of contracts and monitoring everything. He stated the City's senior executivc should be the person to take care of this. He indicated he did not want a "hired gun" to represent the City's intcrest. He believed the City Administrator should be the representative for the City. He indicated the City Administrator would be directly responsible to the CounciL He stated it was not possible that the Council members cover evcrything. Mayor Probst stated there were mechanisms in place now that might move things along very quickly. He stated thefe would bc countless hours involved in planning meetings and attending meetings. He stated thc rest of Arden Hills would not be abandonedjust to move TCAAP along, but his personal experience was that this was going to take an incredible amount of time, and reducing the City Administrator's supervisory responsibilities would aJ10w him to dedicate more time to the issues coming up. . Councilmembcr Aplikowski stated she did understand how much time this was going to take. She asked, however, if they should hire someone who was just responsible for TCAAP. She suggested they not makc any decision tonight and to put this issue on the next City Council's agcnda to give her the opportunity to have her discussion wilh the City Administrator. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 11 Councilmember Grant stated, relative to TCAAP, they did not know if they could see the light at the end of the tUllilel or if this was going to be a "long tUlmel" or a "short tunnel" at this point. However, he stated they did not know if this was the right time to hire someone. Councilmembcr Aplikowski stated if she could bc assured that there was a more equitable division of responsibility atld compensation shc might change her mind. ADMII\TSTRATOR COMMENTS Mr. Lynch stated they were investigating the cost of blinds for the City Hall. He statcd when that was put togcther; he would bring it back to the City Council for review. Mr. Lynch stated Nestle Purina Pet Carc had sent the City a lettcr indicating they wcre closing their Arden Hills facility, effcctive July, 2002. This decision will affect all 24 cmployees at the facility. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Grant stated the Maintenancc Facility Task Forcc had met and they had a pretty good idea of the facility size and what they would be willing to share with the County. He stated the future focus would bc looking at financing options and a design/huild scenario and how thc City could take part in that. He stated as hc received more information he would prcsent it to Council. Councilmember Larson asked if they werc going to do anything with the sign age prior to the Open House. He suggested they gct rid of the temporary sign for this event. Councilmember Larson requested staff preparc a memorandum that grouped the major TCAAP proposals and their respective tea.t11 mcmbers. Councilmembcr Larson stated he had sent a Resolution regarding Charlie Peck, \vho was a long serving mail delivery man in the City and who passed away last week. He indicated it would be nice to memorialize his servicc to the City as well as scnd a copy to his family and co-workers. Councilmember Larson stated they had a recent Parks, Trails & Recreation mceting, and had requested them to prioritizc the capital improvements. Councilmember Aplikowski stated thc events committee was meeting this week and she thanked Pam Sweeney and Michellc Olson for all of their hard work. She stated the "Day in the Park" planning was coming along. She requested staff look into the possibility of pi acing some type of backing on the Council nameplatcs so they can be read bettcr. Councilmember Rem suggested they send TCAAP partics a grid to be filled out so the infomlation Council reccived would be consistent. She asked for research on looking at othcr formats for the Perfomlance Review process. She stated she would be willing to gct some information together for a review proccss with the City Administrator's assistancc. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETTl'\G MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 12 Mayor Probst updated Council on various correspondence received since the last COll1lcil meeting. Mayor Probst stated, as a Council, they had never attempted to offer advice to the School Board, but askcd if the other Council members had opinions regarding some of the proposed cuts as offered by the School Board. He stated he was not sure he wanted to support this proposal. Councilmember Rem suggested having a joint meeting with the School Board to discuss these typcs of issues. She stated it would make sensc to have some fonn of communication with them. Mayor Probst suggested to they meet with the School Board at the next Council Meeting at 6:00 or 6: 15 p.m. Councilmember Aplikowski suggested thcy draft a letter to the Superintendcnt expressing the Council's nonsupport of the busing proposal due to safety issues. Councilmcmber Grant stated the City did not have sidewalks, which would force children into the streets, which wcrc not safe. He pointed out they had many busy County Roads, that placed the City at a disadvantage. He also pointed out that there wcrc many open areas in the City and this was a safety issue as well because some of thosc open areas were remote. He agrccd they should take a strong position regarding this issue and send a letter to the School Board, as well as have a joint mceting. Councilmember Larson stated he was agreeablc to meeting with them, but he did not bclieve they would be responsive. Mayor Probst updated Council on TCAAP meetings he had attended. He statcd there was clearly a perception about not inviting the public into talk to Council about the arsenal. He suggested the Design Center at the University of Mimlesota get involvcd and conduct public meetings so they had more than just a developer team's views. He stated they may also need to engagc a firm that would help the City with thc lobbying efforts as well as the political process, and asked if Council would be willing to have staff explore these possibilitics, as well as the cost regarding both of these proposals. Councilmember Grant agreed they needed to take input from thc public. He stated this would be the appropriate time to start this process. Councilmember Aplikowski requested they contain the public mccting part to the sunounding cities only, but to certainly invite the local busincss community. She stated transportation was going to be onc of thc issues and she asked if they wanted to invite MnDOT also. Councilmcmber Larson stated both idcas wcrc good, but they might be better idcas after they have a clearer sense as to what the consultants could offer. Councilmember Gratlt stated there were a lot of new residents since the 1996 Vento Plan was creatcd and this could be an educational proccss for the public by presenting the Vento Plan and taking input. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES APRIL 8, 2002 13 Mayor Probst suggested talking with the Design Center to find out what type of cost they were talking about, bul to realize they were not ready to make any decisions at this time. ADJOURI\ MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved atld Councilmember Aplikowski seconded a motion to recess the regular meeting at 9: 15 p.m. and go into executive session to discuss the labor negotiations. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). Executive Scssion convencd at 9:20 p.m. and adjoumed at 10: 15 p.m. Denni Mayor IJ"WJJZv ~ rr'--f'- -/ ~e Lynch City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETII\GS The ncxt Council :\1eeting will be held Monday, April 29, 2002 at 7:00 p.m. at the Arden Hills Council Chambers.