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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 02-14-1994 I I I- I I I I I I I. I I I I I I I ~ I MDroTES CITY OF ARDEN BILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING February 14, 1994 7:30 P.M. - New Brighton City Hall CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Sather called to order the City Council meeting at 7:32 p.m. Present: Councilmembers Beverly Aplikowski, Dale Hicks, Paul Malone, and Dennis Probst. Also present were: Community Planning Coordinator, Brian Fritsinger; Public Works Superintendent, Dan Winkel; City Administrator, Dorothy Person; and Recording Secretary, Renee Kaulfuss. ADOPT AGENDA MOTION: Hicks moved, seconded by Malone, to adopt the February 14, 1994 agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously (5-0). APPROVAL OF COUNCIL MDroTES Councilmember Probst referred to the Council minutes from the regular Council meeting of January 31, 1994 and asked that the motion passed on Page 5 with regard to the change in the zoning ordinance be discussed separately, since it was not his intention to agree to the motion as drafted. Following the Council meeting of January 31, 1994, he discussed this with staff who in turn discussed this with the City Attorney, which resulted in staff drafting an amendment which clarified the motion. Probst suggested that Council consider an amendment to this motion. Council concurred to discuss this matter later in the meeting. Councilmernber Malone noted that on Page 4, at the paragraph starting with "Councilmember Probst", the reference to the R-4 district should be amended to read R-1 district; and on Page 10, the first paragraph referring to the excess liability, to strike the last sentence in this paragraph as the meaning is not understandable. Probst moved, seconded by Aplikowski, to approve the minutes of the January 20, 1994 Worksession Meeting, and the January 31, 1994 Regular Council Meeting as corrected. Motion carried unanimously (5-0). I I t' I I I I I I Ie I I I I I I I f' I Arden Hills Council 2 February 14, 1994 CONSENT CALENDAR MOTION I Malone moved, seconded by Hicks, to approve the Consent Calendar and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. Motion carried unanimously (5-0). a. Appoint Diane Akilli to the Human Rights Commission. b. Approve Resolution #94-18, proclaiming March 6-13, 1994, "Volunteer of America Week". c. Approve Arden Hills/Shoreview/TCAAP Sanitary Sewer Connection agreement. d. Approve List of Claims/Payroll. PUBLIC COMMENTS There were no public comments. ONFINISBED AND NEW BUSINESS REOUEST FROM THE CITY OF RED WING TO SUPPORT NSP STORAGE AT PRAIRIE ISLAND Councilmember Probst stated he had difficulty with the Council taking any action on this request. This request did not seem like an appropriate issue for the City of Arden Hills' Council to take action on. councilmember Probst suggested that no action be taken by the Council on this request. Councilmember Malone commented that in reference to the packet information, the State in general benefits from the use of nuclear power by NSP in that the people want inexpensive electrical power and this is one way to do it. This issue gets into an area of expertise that is typically beyond what he believes local governments should be involved. Malone further stated that this is not a local government problem, except to the extent that Red Wing could lose revenues from the loss of the plant. He agreed however, that local governments do have a responsibility regarding the topics of energy and energy production. Councilmember Malone further stated he does not personally have sufficient background to determine whether or not the plan by NSP to do the storage on-site is, in fact, the best plan. Councilmember Aplikowski stated prairie Island is the forerunner and seems responsible in their actions, and she would have no problem supporting the proposed resolution. I I .. I I I I I I Ie I I I I I I I t' I Arden Hills Council 3 February 14, 1994 Councilmember Hicks stated the legislature is dealing with the issue, and believed there is not enough information to determine if this is the right alternative. Hicks further commented that whatever the Council would decide wouldn't playa major factor in the whole decision. Mayor Sather suggested that based on the information available, the City of Arden Hills should support the request from Red Wing as, one day, the City of Arden Hills in turn may request support from local municipalities regarding our issues, for instance, the arsenal property. MOTJ:ON: Aplikowski moved, seconded by Hicks to accept the request from the City of Red Wing and issue our support to them. Councilmember Probst stated he sees this issue as somewhat different than the arsenal property issue and will vote against the motion before the bench. It is not a political issue, and a matter that should be dealt with by people who are equipped to make sound, rational judgements as to the safety of this type of storage. Councilmember Malone stated he would vote nay to this motion. He further offered a possible motion if the motion before the bench would fail. He empathized with the situation before the City of Red Wing. He urges regulatory bodies and the legislature to take the politics out of this, and deal with the facts and best engineering practices that can be determined, resisting extreme political pressures from both sides. He urges all involved to try as much as possible to ignore the voices of the special interest groups and deal with the facts with the best engineering practices available. Motion failed (1-4). Aplikowski voted aye. MOTJ:ON: Malone moved, seconded by Hicks, that the City empathizes with the difficult situation that the City of Red Wing is currently in with the potential closure of the NSP plant within their jurisdiction, and urges the regulatory bodies and the legislature to try as much as possible to take the politics out of this and work with the facts of the issue, reaching a reasonable conclusion with regard to the storage of the spent fuel (drycast) based on best engineering practices available without concerns for the politics of the subject. I I ~ I I I I I I Ie I I I I I I I , I Arden Hills Council 4 February 14, 1994 Motion carried unanimously (5-0). ADMmJ:STRATOR COMMENTS: Administrator Person stated the City has received notification from the Union negotiation group that the Union is requesting arbitration proceedings. The Council agreed to a closed meeting on February 28, 1994 to discuss further this request and other negotiation items, either at 5:30 pm or 6:00 pm. MOTION: Malone moved, seconded by Hicks that the Council schedule a special and closed meeting of the City Council on Monday, February 28, 1994 at 6:00 pm for the purpose of discussing labor negotiations. Motion carried unanimously (5-0). Administrator Person noted for public record that Jim Brimeyer, who will be facilitating the meeting with the environmental groups regarding TCAAP, has requested to meet informally with the City Council. This would allow all parties to become reacquainted, and if any issues need to be addressed before the meeting, this would be an opportune time to address any issues. Person also referred to a draft copy of a letter in the packet to Fort McCoy regarding the retrocession issue. Person is asking the Council for their feedback. The City recently received a request from the Governor's office for an update. Councilmember Malone stated staff could direct a letter that states that the City will agree to retrocession if we can agree to a fair trade-off such as use of the facility for Park & Recreation programs and an election polling location. Secondly, a dollar amount should be reached to project the cost for fire and police protection. A fair comparison may be to determine a similar sized square footage, value the square footage based on an office warehouse, calculate the tax capacity, and approximately one half of this figure should be a reasonable assumption of the cost to provide these services to the Army Reserve each year. Council concurred. Councilmember Malone asked staff if the Army Reserve is being charged a standby fee. A fee for service could be charged to the Army Reserve on a "utility" type billing. Staff will review and respond back to the Council whether the Army Reserve is charged a standby fee. I I ~ I I I I I I ~ I I I I I I I ~ I Arden Hills council 5 February 14, 1994 Person also noted that the second issue regarding retrocession was the request for a contract between the City and the Army Reserve. In past discussion, the City was told that the Army Reserve cannot enter into written agreements. Person recently received a copy of an agreement between the Department of TCAAP and the Spring Lake Park Fire Department. She will forward this agreement to Fort McCoy for their review. Council indicated a willingness to agree to conditions, at least to begin with, through a Letter of Understanding. Person asked if the Council would like to set a date for an informal strategic planning meeting. Council concurred to direct the Administrator to set a date for sometime in March. COUNCIL COMMENTS: Councilmember Hicks noted he will be unable to attend the March Planning Commission meeting. Councilmember Probst stated he would attend the meeting and update the Planning Commission members on the TCAAP issue. Councilmember Malone asked if staff would be responding to the request from the resident to erect a street sign at Edgewater and Prior Avenue. Mr. Winkel stated the Public Works/Safety Committee is working on a policy to address this issue. Staff will notify the resident and the Council of the recommendation for the policy. Council indicated that the policy should guide the Public Works Superintendent in his decision making process. Councilmember Malone commented that on the Fire Department's annual report it was noted that the City'S fire losses in 1993 were approximately $340,000. The fire on 14th Street was noted four (4) times. Mr. Winkel stated that there are four different apartments within this building and the contents from each of those apartments were taken into account. Councilmember Malone commented that the budget document was excellent. It is readable and clear to the public. This work was greatly appreciated. Councilmember Malone noticed that a request for grant funding from the DNR had been made by Cindy Severtson for redevelopment of Perry Park. Malone noted that the Council should be aware of any request of a grant prior to any actual submission. Person stated this is in a very preliminary state, and the City has the option to turn the grant down at the time of any offer. I I it I I I I I I Ie I I I I I I I t' I Arden Hills Council 6 February 14, 1994 Councilmember Malone stated that the grant response from the State Committee for Cooperation and Innovation regarding TCAAP was one of the least informative documents he has seen. This was supposed to give reasons why the grant was denied and the document was very unclear to the reasons for denial. Councilmember Malone brought to the Council's attention the cost of using recycled paper for the City's stationary and envelopes. The Council believed the cost differential to non recycled paper was minimal and did not outweigh the recycling effort. The Council supported the recycling efforts. Councilmember Probst commented that he supported staff's initiative in looking for grant application opportunities. Councilmember Probst noted he attended the RCLLG meeting for newly elected councilmembers and found it very worthwhile. Councilmember Probst referred to his suggestion made earlier in the meeting regarding the motion previously passed pertaining to Ryder Student Transportation. MOTION: Councilmember Probst moved, seconded by Malone to reconsider the motion that was passed regarding modification of the zoning ordinance as related to Ryder Student Transportation (Planning Case #93-15). Motion carried unanimously (5-0). MOTION: Councilmember Probst moved, seconded by Malone to amend and clarify the motion adopted on January 31, 1994 in regards to the request from Ryder Student Transportation, Planning Case #93-15 to read as follows: 1. Amend the Land Use Plan as part of the Comprehensive Plan to reflect a "low density residential" rather than "industrial" use at 1901 West County Road F. 2. Direct staff to prepare a proposed ordinance for review by the Planning Commission which would amend the following objectives: A. The Land Use Chart be amended to create a new use of Bus Terminal and that under an R-1 district bus terminals be allowed by Special Use Permit. I I fj I I I I I I Ie I I I I I I I ,. I Arden Hills Council 7 February 14, 1994 B. Section II, D of the zoning ordinance be amended to define a bus terminal; "A bus terminal shall be defined as a building or space engaged in the transportation and activities associated with the transportation of students within the local school district." C. Section X, Special provisions be amended to add the following H. Bus Terminals: . A bus terminal site must be located within three hundred (300) feet of an existing school. · Any terminal located in Arden Hills must have a contract for service with Mounds View School District #621. . A bus terminal site must be located adjacent to both an arterial and collector road and have direct access to at least one of these roads. 3. Eliminate the contingency clause which made the original motion (of January 31, 1994) subject to all parties reaching agreement on the conditions for the Special Use Permit. MOTION: Motion carried unanimously (5-0). Hicks moved, seconded by Malone to deny the rezoning request for Ryder Student Transportation, Planning Case #93-15 from the R-1 to the B-2 zoning district. Motion carried unanimously (5-0). Councilmember Probst noted that the Administrator had tracked down the history of how annexations took place in the City of Arden Hills. The TCAAP property was included as part of the original establishment of the community in 1951. Mayor Sather noted that he spoke with Commissioner Wedell. Commissioner Wedell had been in contact with Judge Coleman who was concerned about the lack of progress in the anticipated use of TCAAP property. The Ramsey County Judges are eager to begin construction of a Court's facilities for the northern Ramsey County area. Councilmember Probst will contact Commissioner Wedell in the near future. I I rI I I I I I I Ie I I I I I I I Ie I Arden Hills Council 8 ADJOURN: MOTION: Hicks moved, seconded by the meeting at 8:28 p.m. unanimously (5-0). February 14, 1994 Aplikowski, to adjourn Motion carried Thomas R. Sather, Mayor Dorothy A. Person, City Administrator