HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-22-24-WS ,I
,--SIzEN HILLS
Approved: May 13, 2024
CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION
APRIL 22,2024
5:30 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 5:31 p.m.
Present: Mayor David Grant; Councilmembers Tom Fabel, Brenda Holden, Tena
Monson and Emily Rousseau
Absent: None
Also present: City Administrator Dave Perrault; Public Works Director/City Engineer
David Swearingen; Community Development Director Jessica Jagoe; Finance Director
Joua Yang and Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Julie Hanson
1. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL
Donna Wiemann, 1406 Arden View Drive, stated she would like an explanation or
understanding of why the traffic findings show that a discount retail superstore would not have an
adverse effect on traffic operations. She reported Costco would create 1,000,000 more cars per
year and she wanted to understand how this would impact traffic for the surrounding area.
2. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES
None.
3. AGENDA ITEMS
A. AUAR Update
Community Development Director Jagoe stated the City Council authorized Kimley Horn to
conduct the AUAR update, this meeting will provide Council the opportunity to provide any
feedback on the draft update prior to being disseminated for outside comments. It was noted the
draft update found does not include the appendices for the traffic report.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 2
Rachel Haase, Kimley Horn, provided the Council with a summary on the draft TCAAP AUAR.
She explained an AUAR was a hybrid of an environmental assessment worksheet and
environmental impact statement. She stated what makes an AUAR was that an AUAR evaluates
development scenarios versus a specific development proposal. She reported an AUAR was a
planning tool that could help the City understand how different developmental scenarios will
affect the environment of the community so the City can identify potential impacts and mitigation
strategies. She explained AUAR's must be completed every five years until all development in
the area has been approved. She provided an overview of the historical AUAR's which were
completed in 2014 and 2019. She noted the study covered five major intersections which included
Mounds View Boulevard and County Road H, CSAH 96 and US Highway 10, CSAH 96 and,
Northern Heights, County Road H and 1-35W SB ramp and County Road H & I-35W NB ramp.
She reported the AUAR evaluated a variation of the maximum development scenario with a
discount retail superstore.
Ms. Haase commented on the differences between the traffic analyses between the 2024 AUAR
and the County's traffic study. She explained different intersections were studied and the studies
had different horizon years (2030 versus 2040). She reported overall, the two traffic analyses'
findings were consistent. The tripgeneration results were reviewed with the Council.
Councilmember Holden asked if the trip generation numbers included the big box retail.
Jacob Rojer, Kimley Horn, stated this was included in a separate scenario and would bring the
maximum daily trips up to 50,000.
Ms. Haase and Mr. Rojer stated this information was not in the slide but it was included in the
report provided in the packet.
Ms. Haase reviewed the capacity analysis findings with the Council, noting for context that Level
E means that an intersection is operating at capacity. She reported Mounds View Boulevard and
County Road H would operate at Level E during the PM peak hour under both development
scenarios. She explained all other intersections that were evaluated would operate at Level C or
better under both development scenarios, including the maximum development scenario with the
discount retail superstore.
Mayor Grant asked if there was a concern with any of the turning movements that were rated an
F.
Mr. Rojer reported a couple of the turning movements were considered "minor movements" and
had a lower rating, but the overall intersection as a whole would operate properly. He stated with
only one movement at a Level F, he would not be proposing mitigation measures.
Councilmember Monson stated she remembered talking about one location and asked if it was
the Ramsey County traffic study presentation that cited that one left hand turn had an F rating.
She clarified that in some of the referenced intersections there may be one turn lane that hits an F
in the peak am or pm and that will be in the AUAR report. She wanted to confirm this
information would be included in order to help understand the full impact of the Level F
movement.
Mr. Rojer indicated this would be identified within the AUAR.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 3
Councilmember Holden questioned how many of the intersections were categorized at a Level
C. She was of the opinion the City should not be happy with a Level C when there were
opportunities to make things better with this new development.
Mr. Rojer stated building appropriate infrastructure would be the key to supporting this
development. He said that Level C is considered standard. He indicated expanding Highway 96 to
six or eight lanes would assist with improving traffic flow, but this was not reasonable. He
explained Level C would require a 30 to 45 second delay at traffic signals. He stated this was not
anything he was concerned about.
Councilmember Holden inquired how many of the intersections were at Level C and how many
were better.
Ms. Haase stated there was a mixture between AM and PM peaks. She explained County Road H
and I 35-W southbound and northbound ramps were anticipated at Level A in both the AM and
PM peaks under both scenarios. She indicated the CSAH 96 and the Northern Heights access
point would be Level C. She stated the CSAH 96 and Highway 10 southbound ramp would be
Level C and for the maximum development scenario would be Level D for the AM peak and
Level C for the PM peak.
Councilmember Holden reported Ramsey County owns the traffic signals. She asked if this had
been taken into consideration.
Mr. Rojer stated he had coordinated with Ramsey County and they provided the initial signal
timing. He noted they have had additional coordination since then.
Councilmember Monson pointed out the information for the intersection grading was on Page
13 of the packet. She appreciated the Kimley Horn staff speaking to the realities that if you want
everything to be a Level A, you're talking about mass spending and big roads. She said so to keep
an A and hold an A, there is a trade-off.
Mr. Rojer commented that with roadways and developments, it is a grading scale but not like the
scale in school where everybody wants an A. He said it was all about right sizing for
developments and so D and E are what are considered to be the right size for a roadway.
Mayor Grant reported back in 2014 when a roundabout was being proposed, he recalled an ADT
of 29,000 was discussed and CSAH 96/Northern Heights would support 9,700 ADT. He
questioned if the roundabout would support a greater ADT than 29,000.
Mr. Rojer stated this was evaluated and commented on how traffic would be spread out
throughout the day. He indicated he was not seeing anything in his updated analysis that shows
the roundabout would be over capacity throughout the day.
Mayor Grant asked what the turn signal at CSAH 96/Parkway would support.
Mr. Rojer anticipated 23,000 cars per day would be added and noted this intersection would
operate effectively. He stated the development would have 46,000 trips per day and with the
general distribution, half would use the north entrance and half would use the south entrance.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 4
Councilmember Fabel inquired if the analysis had considered the cultural change of decreased
commuting because more people were working from home.
Mr. Rojer reported the AM and PM peak were analyzed pre-COVID and since then, daily traffic
volumes have returned to normal. He explained the AM and PM peaks were not as significant
because commuters were allowed to have more flexible hours.
Councilmember Fabel asked if judgements were made about people cutting back on trips in 10
years or so.
Mr. Rojer indicated he did make some assumptions, based on Ramsey County's 2040 plan. He
then commented further on the assumptions that were made for the development scenario that
included the retail superstore.
Councilmember Monson stated Costco is one of the potential users and they produce 1,000,000
car trips per year. She asked if this number was used within the AUAR.
Mr. Rojer described how the AUAR was calculated in trips per day and not per year. He
indicated 1,000,000 trips per year equates to 3,000 additional trips per day.
Ms. Haase reported there were no new mitigation measures that were identified for cover types,
land use, water resources, contamination/hazardous materials and visual. She stated additional
mitigation measures were recommended by the DNR for sensitive ecological resources. In
addition, new mitigation measures were recommended for transportation which required the
intersection of Mounds View Boulevard/County Road H to be monitored and for the southbound
lanes of CSAH 96 &Northern Heights to be restriped. She reviewed the next steps for the AUAR
along with the anticipated timeline for adoption.
Councilmember Monson asked when the building heights within Campus Commercial and
Town Center changed from seven stories to 15 and 10 stories, respectably. She reported to date,
the City had only discussed seven stories.
City Administrator Perrault stated the seven stories was what Alatus had presented previously,
but the maximum the developer could build to was 10 and 15 stories, which was part of an
amendment that was approved in 2016.
Councilmember Holden indicated this property was a superfund site due to the water and she
believed this should be stated within the AUAR. She reported the Met Council had a problem
with modeling used within the last AUAR model. She questioned how the modeling was fixed.
Ms. Haase stated she did not recall this comment from 2019. She indicated the traffic analysis
was not changed in 2019 from the 2014 AUAR. She explained if the Met Council made
comments in 2014, she had no recollection but this was something she could look into.
Councilmember Holden reported Maplewood was getting over 1.5 million trips to their Costco
per year. She questioned if this should be the number used within the AUAR.
Mr. Rojer explained with the adjustments made to retail, he anticipated the ATD was closer to
1.5 million total.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 5
Mayor Grant thanked the representatives from Kimley Horn for the detailed presentation.
B. Park Habitat Management with Great River Greening
Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated at the April 24, 2023 Work Session,
this topic was first presented to the City Council. Direction was received to partner with Great
River Greening to apply for state funding to go towards buckthorn and general habitat
management projects at selected parks in Arden Hills. Some of the parks discussed were Hazelnut
Park, Chatham Open Space, Floral Park and Perry Park. Since then, Great River Greening has
been successful at attaining available funds for the City of Arden Hills through the Outdoor
Heritage Fund grant program. On April 16, 2024, the PTRC discussed the project proposals from
Great River Greening. The PTRC voted to approve the projects as proposed and move it to the
City Council for discussion and further direction. A presentation will be given by members of the
PTRC and Great River Greening. It is the understanding of Public Works that there is a minimum
10-year maintenance requirement through the Outdoor Heritage Fund Grant program. Staff
commented on the Invasive Species and Noxious Plant Management Protocols guide provided by
Great River Greening. What is required for long-term maintenance of these specific spaces (26.03
acres) is beyond the Public Works Department's current standard procedures. If the project is
approved to move forward, City staff will need to determine supplemental resources and create
new maintenance programs.
Becca Tucker, Great River Greening, introduced herself to the Council and noted she has been
working with the PTRC for the last year on several different park projects. She commented on the
habitat restoration work her organization does all throughout the State. She stated this work
includes the removal of invasive species and the reestablishment of native species.
Mayor Grant stated he understood Arden Hills had $270,000 available for parks projects. He
asked how this funding could be utilized by Great River Greening.
Ms. Tucker discussed the grants that were available to the City and noted she was proposing to
do work at Hazelnut Park and Chatham Park. She explained if given approval by the Council, she
had grant funding in place for these two parks and could move forward with these projects. She
stated the project would provide habitat enhancement at Hazelnut Park which would include
removal of invasive species and the reestablishment of native species. In July, similar work would
be completed in Floral Park.
Mayor Grant questioned what the City's obligation would be financially and long-term for these
projects.
Ms. Tucker outlined what the Outdoor Heritage funding would cover. She explained the financial
request to the City would balance or provide for a cash match for the labor budget.
Councilmember Holden stated when this was originally presented to the Council, the City could
use volunteer hours to offset the labor costs.
Ms. Tucker commented she could provide a more definitive answer on this as she works through
the cooperative agreement. She indicated there was an in-kind match that could assist with this
project, but this does not balance their labor funds.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 6
Mayor Grant asked what the cash contribution would be for the proposed projects.
Ms. Tucker stated the current request for Hazelnut Park and Chatham Park would be $12,000
over three years or $4,000 per year with $54,000 being brought to the City from State grant funds.
She indicated the larger project at Floral Park had a request of$26,000 over five years to balance
the $215,000 from the State.
Mayor Grant clarified that the request before the City was for $38,000.
Ms.Tucker reported this would be the City contribution over the life of the proposed projects.
Councilmember Rousseau asked if the ICWC work crew could be used as in-kind labor for this
work.
Ms. Tucker explained this would be allowed as the in-kind match.
Councilmember Rousseau inquired what the long-term maintenance commitment would be for
these projects.
Ms. Tucker reported Outdoor Heritage funds came with a 10-year maintenance commitment for
the benefiting landowners. She discussed the guidelines that were in place with respect to invasive
species noting the City would have to maintain the work that has been done for 10 years.
Councilmember Fabel asked if the long-term maintenance would be done by the City in good
faith.
Ms. Tucker stated the maintenance work would be outlined in the documentation that would be
provided to the City. She noted an estimate for the maintenance work would be included in the
documentation. She commented her goal with all projects would be to leave a park in a more
maintainable state than the upfront work.
Councilmember Holden expressed concern that the cost to maintain the park after the up-front
work would be too significant for the City. She questioned how much the City spent to maintain
the prairie grass at City Hall on an annual basis.
Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen reported the City spent $1,400 last year to
maintain the half acre of City Hall property.
Councilmember Holden commented she was uncertain what species would have to be
maintained long term, noting this maintenance could become quite costly for the City. She
reported the City did not have anyone on staff that was an expert in this field.
Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated it would be his recommendation that
a consultant be brought in to assist the City with this work going forward.
Councilmember Holden questioned when the City had to determine what species would be
eradicated and maintained.
Councilmember Monson inquired when the City would see a maintenance agreement.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 7
Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen stated the timing for this may have to be
with the grant funding. He questioned if an amendment could be considered for the cooperative
agreement. He explained the Council wanted to see the maintenance agreement prior to fully
committing to the project.
Ms. Tucker explained she would have to consult with her staff and could get back to the City
Council and staff.
Councilmember Monson stated she fully supported the proposed projects, noting the City would
be making a great investment in its parks. She appreciated the State grant funding that would
assist the City in making these projects possible. While she understood there would be a long-
term maintenance cost, she supported the City taking advantage of the grant funding.
Councilmember Rousseau questioned what timeline was to approve this project in order to
secure grant funding.
Ms. Tucker stated the opportunity for grant funding was not time sensitive. She indicated the
City had time to further discuss the maintenance costs prior to approving the projects.
Councilmember Rousseau requested Ms. Tucker provide the Council with an example of a plan
that was utilized in another community.
Ms. Tucker reported she had a number of natural resource management plans that could be
provided to the Council that would provide cost estimates for maintenance as well as the type of
information that would be provided at the start of the project.
Councilmember Rousseau stated this would be beneficial information for the Council.
Councilmember Holden indicated she really needed to know how much the maintenance cost
would be for the City for the next 10 years. While she supported these projects moving forward,
she also understood the City had other parks that needed maintenance as well.
Councilmember Fabel stated these projects made a lot of sense. He appreciated the fact the City
could make some great improvements to its parks through the assistance of professionals and
State grant funding. He believed it would be in the City's best interest to properly maintain these
parks once the initial work was done.
Councilmember Rousseau commented the entire PTRC recommended the City Council move
forward with these projects.
Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen explained he would work with staff from
Great River Greening and provide Council with documentation on the long-term maintenance
estimates.
Mayor Grant recessed the worksession at 6:54 p.m.
Mayor Grant reconvened the worksession 8:00 p.m.
C. Recycling Discussion
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 8
City Administrator Perrault stated the City Council entered into a recycling contract with
Republic Services in 2015, and since then the City has elected to exercise its right to renew the
contract with the final renewal being exercised last year. The current contract is set to expire in
April 2025. City Staff has engaged with Foth Infrastructure and Environment LLC to assist the
City in its renewal process. Foth has a contract with Ramsey County to provide technical
assistance to cities when it comes to garbage and recycling services. Foth is preparing a memo for
the City Council to review regarding its options, the memo will be made available at the meeting.
Following review of the memo, he noted Council would need to decide on a course of action
regarding its recycling contract.
Councilmember Holden asked how the City utilized the SCORE Grant.
City Administrator Perrault reported these funds were used to offset administrative fees, fund
clean up days and provide capital for recycling bins.
Councilmember Holden stated it was not important to her who provided the recycling service,
but rather how much of the material gathered was recycled. She asked if the City was receiving
complaints regarding Republic.
City Administrator Perrault indicated by and large residents have been happy with Republic.
Councilmember Holden requested staff provide the Council with more information on the
percentage of recycling that was actually recycled by Republic.
City Administrator Perrault stated he would have to look into this further and would report
back to the Council.
Councilmember Monson commented on how the waste site in Ramsey County was working to
sort out metals, plastics and glass from the trash. She stated she would be interested in getting
economic information from across the City to see if there were cost disparities from providers to
see if it was worth the Council's time to explore having a single hauler.
Councilmember Fabel asked why the City would not do an RFP.
City Administrator Perrault stated Foth indicated Republic was providing very reasonable rates
without going out for RFPs.
Mayor Grant commented he did not have a problem renegotiating with Republic.
Councilmember Rousseau reported if the City were to negotiate with Republic and they came
back with a rate of$10, would the City have enough time to go out for an RFP.
City Administrator Perrault discussed the proposed timeline and stated negotiations would
have to begin fairly quickly.
Councilmember Rousseau indicated she supported staff pursuing negotiations with Republic.
Councilmember Holden explained most of the time RFPs were a matter of public record and
Republic would be able to see what other people were bidding.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 9
City Administrator Perrault questioned if the Council wanted to consider offering curbside
bulky item pickup or having Republic hosting a cleanup day. He noted these items could be
included as an addendum to the contract. He anticipated the curbside pickup would be quite
expensive,but anticipated a cleanup day would be more palatable.
Mayor Grant stated he has heard comments from residents about how the City manages its clean
up day. He anticipated residents would appreciate having a clean up day in the community.
Councilmember Fabel reported it was expensive to have items picked up at the curb.
Councilmember Holden supported the City asking Republic for an addendum for a clean up day
in Arden Hills.
Councilmember Monson agreed.
Mayor Grant suggested staff get a number for both options and report back to the Council at a
future worksession meeting. He noted Mounds View was going through the single hauler process
right now. He suggested the City see what can be learned from this process.
Councilmember Holden commented on the horrible experience St. Paul had with moving to a
single trash hauler. She reported if the City were to consider going with a single hauler, she
recommended a communication person be brought on board to assist with the process.
Councilmember Monson supported staff speaking with Mounds View to learn more about the
process they have undergone with respect to having a single hauler.
Councilmember Fabel questioned how the City was proceeding with the recycling matter. He
stated he supported the City pursuing an RFP.
Mayor Grant commented the consensus of the Council was to direct staff to renegotiate with
Republic.
D. Rice Creek Commons/TCAAP Discussion
City Administrator Perrault stated this was an opportunity for the Council to comment on any
TCAAP related items.
Mayor Grant stated this item was discussed at length during the City Council meeting.
E. Strategic Goals
City Administrator Perrault stated at the April 15 Special Worksession, Council decided to
submit its individual goals to staff for future discussion. Council was supposed to submit the
goals by April 19, pending submission of goals, staff will compile them and provide them at this
meeting for further discussion.
Councilmember Holden requested resident communication be added to the list.
Councilmember Fabel supported the City's housing provisions being revisited.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 10
Mayor Grant asked if staff could revisit the goals from each Councilmember to see where there
was alignment. He noted the list could then be brought back to the Council in a revised manner
for the Council to talk through the commonalities.
Councilmember Rousseau stated she would still like to use an outside consultant to help guide
the Council through this process.
Councilmember Holden indicated she did not object to that, but she thought the first process was
to create a list and choose top priorities to move forward. She stated this was what was previously
discussed by the Council.
Councilmember Monson appreciated looking at each of the Councilmembers' priorities. She
indicated there was not a lot of alignment, but there were some areas that overlapped. She
commented on how each Councilmember approached this assignment in a different manner,
which would make it difficult for the Council to work through this. She stated her main focus
was on sustainability and clean energy. She wanted the City to approach all tasks with a
sustainable eye. She noted her other main priority was the development of TCAAP. Given how
different each of the Council's priorities were, it may be difficult for the Council to work through
this process without bringing in a third party consultant.
Councilmember Rousseau stated she generally saw this process as being tied back into pillars,
the City's mission, vision statement or core values to ensure there is alignment.
Councilmember Monson reported staff could line the goals up or the Council could give priority
to the listed goals.
Councilmember Rousseau stated it wasn't uncommon that there be a theme and then you fold
down into those areas. She expressed concerns about the discussion process.
Councilmember Holden commented her list was for goals she wanted to be achieved. She stated
one way to approach this task would be to create five large groups with smaller subsections. She
commented on how I&I fell into the priority of protecting the City's natural resources.
Councilmember Monson inquired if the Council could circle around major themes or should this
task be completed by staff.
Councilmember Holden supported the Council doing this now.
Further discussion ensued regarding how the Council would define its themes and sub themes.
The major themes the Council agreed upon were as follows:
• Natural Resources
• Organized Collection
• Sustainability
• Rice Creek Commons
• Public Safety
• Development
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 11
• Housing
• Quality of Life
• Communication
City Administrator Perrault explained he would revise the strategic goals into the proposed
themes and would pass this information along to the City Council.
F. Agenda Planning
City Administrator Perrault stated Council passed a process for setting agendas at its April 8th
City Council meeting. At that meeting, it called for Council to review upcoming agenda items and
decide if items should be added, removed, or pushed for future discussion. The intent is to give
Council control of its agenda and priorities. Below are topics Staff has planned for the May 13th
Worksession and the May 28th Worksession(note: items are tentative):
May 13th Worksession
• Compensation Study Update
• Capital Funding Follow Up
• Tobacco Moratorium Update
• Rain Garden Discussion
• RCC/TCAAP Discussion
• Agenda Planning
May 28th Worksession
• TH Highway 10 and Highway 96 Maintenance
• Old Highway 10 Trail Design Discussion
• Encroachment Discussion Update
• RCC/TCAAP Discussion
• Agenda Planning
City Administrator Perrault reviewed a list of topics that have yet to be discussed by Council, it
reflects the removal of items that have recently been discussed or are ongoing, such as, strategic
goal setting, proclamation policy and the encroachment discussion. Council may want to discuss
if any items need to be added to this list for future discussion or assign a future meeting for some
of these items. This would need to be done by a majority consensus of Council.
Councilmember Holden stated she would like to have Committees discussed at a future
worksession.
City Administrator Perrault stated he would be adding Role of the Committee/Commission
liaisons and Proclamations to a future worksession agenda.
Councilmember Holden asked how items could be added to a worksession agenda.
City Administrator Perrault explained per the consensus of the Council this would be
determined at the end of a worksession.
Councilmember Rousseau questioned if the May 13 worksession would begin at 5:00 p.m.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 12
City Administrator Perrault reported the May 13 meeting would begin at 5:30 p.m. He stated
the June, July and August meetings be special worksessions and begin at 5:00 p.m.
Mayor Grant suggested the Twin Cities Gateway funding be discussed on either May 13 or May
28.
Councilmember Rousseau asked if the Council would be available to hold a special worksession
on May 20 to discuss some of these items.
Councilmember Monson recalled that the four Councilmembers provided staff with direction to
leave proclamations as is.
Councilmember Rousseau agreed.
Councilmember Holden questioned what this meant. She asked if there was then no policy when
it came to proclamations.
Mayor Grant requested staff draw up a policy regarding proclamations for the Council to review
at an upcoming worksession.
Councilmember Monson stated she would like to leave the practice as is.
Mayor Grant stated this may well be the case but noted there was not a written policy in place at
this time.
Councilmember Monson commented she did not believe this was important enough to use staff
time on. She recommended the number that was approved come forward, along with the fair
housing proclamation. She suggested if there was a lull, staff could draft up a policy for how to
address proclamations and it could be discussed at a future worksession meeting if there was a
light agenda.
Councilmember Rousseau stated she was not interested in having a written policy for
proclamations. She would rather leave it as is and not tie other people's hands in the future, noting
this has only come up once in the 15 months.
Mayor Grant stated that the Council can always change the policy.
Councilmember Holden said she heard that anyone can bring u an policy and Councilmember
Y g p Yp Y
Rousseau doesn't want anyone's hands tied and she also heard just the ones we have plus Fair
Housing. She stated this is why she is confused.
Councilmember Fabel concurred.
Councilmember Holden stated with no policy in place, this meant any proclamation could come
before the City Council.
Councilmember Monson asked if each of the items on the May 13 agenda were time sensitive.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 13
City Administrator Perrault stated the tobacco moratorium item could be pushed to a future
worksession agenda.
Councilmember Rousseau indicated the rain garden item would be a high-level discussion and
should not take a great deal of time.
Councilmember Monson suggested in the future each Councilmember should come with ideas
of what items should be added to a worksession and the Council could then discuss these ideas.
She noted she did support the Council discussing the Gateway funding at the May 13 meeting.
She also supported the Council speaking with Mounds View City Council about organized trash.
Mayor Grant requested staff speak with the Mounds View City Council to see if they were
available to meet with the Council in June.
Councilmember Rousseau recommended strategic planning be added to the agenda to allow the
Council to continue discussing this topic.
Councilmember Monson and Mayor Grant supported this recommendation.
Councilmember Monson noted the items that she had written down for the upcoming
worksession's topics.
Councilmember Holden expressed concern with the amount of time that was being spent on
planning future agenda topics. She questioned how items were added to a future agenda, because
it appeared there were restrictions. She asked that staff provide the Council with a policy.
Mayor Grant stated this was going to be an interesting process because the Council was going to
take a half hour to discuss what they are going to discuss.
City Administrator Perrault indicated staff provided the Council with the policy last week.
Councilmember Monson stated this was the first time this was being done. She suggested next
time the Council come with ideas on what topics need to be discussed in order to move the
process along.
City Administrator Perrault commented at this time the Commission Liaison Role would not be
brought back to the May 13 meeting nor would the Code of Conduct.
Mayor Grant stated he would like the Council to discuss the Code of Conduct.
Councilmember Holden again questioned how proclamations could be added to the list for
future consideration by the Council. She asked if a requested item is to be voted on, could you put
any items on the list or what the policy is. She asked that staff mark items with dates for future
worksessions so the Council understood which items were time sensitive.
City Administrator Perrault stated that the Council as a majority said that they were not going
to bring proclamations back next time.
Councilmember Holden indicated she didn't say that but rather she wanted it on the list.
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—APRIL 22, 2024 14
City Administrator Perrault said it is to add it to the list as well.
Councilmember Holden said she was just told she could bring it up later and now she's not
allowed to add things to the list?
City Administrator stated that the reason this is being done this way is because there is the issue
of single Councilmembers bringing issues up that they want addressed. He noted the process
Council had agreed to follow was that if they want an item addressed now or in the future, they
can add the item to the agenda discussion. He indicated that Council consensus was that they did
not want to bring proclamations back again. He noted a Councilmember can bring any item
forward during the agenda planning discussion that they want brought forward, for Council
discussion. He noted he distributed the policy to the Council last week.
Councilmember Monson asked if there was something specific that Councilmember Holden
wanted added to the list.
Councilmember Holden stated yes, she wanted to add Committee Liaison roles and a
proclamation policy but whether or not it gets talked about is different.
Councilmember Monson explained she could support this item being added to the list of future
items to be considered, but noted this item would not be addressed on May 13 or May 28. She
stated future items to consider included code of conduct, proclamation policy, Mounds View
Trash, encroachments, strategic goals (on-going), commission/committee liaison role.
4. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND STAFF UPDATES
None.
ADJOURN
Mayor Grant adjourned the City Council Work Session at 9:15 p.m.
Ju e Hanson David Grant
Ci Clerk Mayor