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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWS 02-22-2005 . ~ . ~~ILLS Approved: March 14, 2005 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2005, 4:50 P.M. CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 Call To Order Mayor Aplikowski called the meeting to order at 4:50 PM. Present: Mayor Aplikowski, Councilmembers: David Grant, Brenda Holden, Lois Rem Absent: Council Member Gregg Larson Staff present: City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Community Development Director, Scott Clark; Finance Director, Murtuza Siddiqui; Assistant to the City Administrator, Schawn Johnson Citv Council/City Staff Retreat Follow-up . City Administrator Michelle Wolfe stated that Mr. Jim Prosser (Ehlers & Associates) will be giving a brief presentation to the City Council at the February 28th meeting. Mr. Prosser will be providing a brief overview of the retreat and the draft 2005 Strategic Plan at this meeting. Included in this document is a draft action plan for the five projects that were considered priorities by the City Council at the January retreat. The action plans are a work in progress and will be redefined by City Council and City staff over the next year. City Administrator Wolfe asked the City Council if they had any questions or concerns regarding the draft copy of the Strategic Plan. Mayor Applikowski requested that a retreat follow-up meeting be scheduled for this summer to review the City's goals and objectives for 2005. Councilmember Grant believes that the gateway sign project should not be considered a priority goal for the City. In his opinion, the Lake Johanna Fjre Department cost sharing issue is more important and needs to be addressed by the City City Administrator Wolfe said that the action plan is a document that will change over time. The intention of the document is to keep City staff informed of the City Council's goals and objectives for the year. Enl!ineerinl! Discussion In 2004, the City Council authorized staff to begin the recruitment process for a Civil Engineer. . City staff conducted a recruitment process for this position. The recruitment resulted in only one applicant, who did not meet the minimum qualifications for the position. I . City Administrator Wolfe outlined the following three options for the City Council to consider: 1. Try another recruitment process . With no changes to the salary or job description . With changes to the salary and job description - Increased salary/title/ responsibilities Change to Engineering Technician position of some kind 2. Partner with a neighboring City for some engineering services 3. Explore a different model for our consulting engineering contract services City Administrator Wolfe noted that the City of Roseville has expressed some interest in a possible employee cost sharing program pertaining to engineering services. This option provides the City with a number of engineering resources and benefits. Arden Hills could possibly also have the opportunity to utilize the City of Rose vi lie's other engineering services as needed. City Administrator Wolfe mentioned that City of Rosemount is currently utilizing a form of Option 3, in which an engineering firm has an office at City Hall. The engineering company would have a staff member available at City Hall during regular business hours. Mayor Aplikowski believes that options 2 and 3 would meet the City's engineering needs at this time. Councilmember Holden supports option 2. Option 2 would provide the City with more . engineering skills. Option 3 would be more like status quo. Councilmember Grant recommends that City staff explore options I, 2, and 3. City Council Members asked the City Administrator which option she would prefer? City Administrator Wolfe recommends that the City pursue Option 2. City Council requested that City staff continue to research Options 2 at this time, with the possibility of Option 3, if necessary. Update on Assessment-Refuse Haulers Task Force Group Finance Director Murtuza Siddiqui provided a brief overview for the City Council regarding the purpose of the Assessment-Refuse Haulers Task Force Group. The task force has been asked to review the following areas: . Study the impact of heavy duty vehicles on city streets; . Review services provided by the various garbage haulers; . Review the reputation and pricing structure; . Consider contracting with a limited number of haulers to serve the entire city; . Draft a recommendation to the City Council, outlining its findings and a recommended course of action. . 2 . The Task Force has reviewed the garbage collection operations of a few communities that have adopted organized collection systems. The Task Force has reviewed the process that Falcon Heights followed while researching this issue. The Task Force reviewed the report that was created by the City of Falcon Heights concerning the pros and cons of organized garbage collection. The Task Force would like to have the City Council answer the following question, "Ifthe City desires to adopt an organized collection system, is the City willing to allocate staff time and other resources to this effort on an on-going basis?" If the response is no, the possibility of contracting with a limited number of refuse haulers should be eliminated as part of the purpose and scope of this committee. Councilmember Rem asked if the task force was aware of any garbage haulers that only serve commercial properties? Councilmember Grant was not aware of any garbage haulers in Arden Hills that work solely with commercial properties. At this time, Walters, BFI, ACE, and Waste Management are the only licensed garbage haulers in the City. It is very difficult for the City to implement and enforce garbage hauling licenses. City staff is not actively policing the garbage situation at this time. Councilmember Holden asked if there is a study that shows road wear and tear caused by garbage trucks? . Finance Director Murtuza Siddiqui said that there are general statistics that indicate garbage trucks can cause the equivalent wear and tear of up to 1500 cars. Councilmember Holden asked for the definition of an organized collection system. COlmcilmember Grant stated that an organized collection system would involve one hauler designated to a certain area or city wide. This scenario should minimize the wear and tear on City streets. Councilmember Holden asked if the City could tack on an additional fee to have a third party handle the billing and residential complaints. Councilmember Grant stated that most organized garbage collections result in a lower price for the residents, but the cost savings may not be that great. A drawback to organized collection is that the smaller garbage collectors may not be able to compete. Mayor Aplikowski stated that the intention of this group was not to adopt a one garbage hauler system, but to explore different options that could be utilized to minimize the number of haulers in the City. City Administrator Wolfe asked the City Council if the one hauler option should be eliminated . from consideration. 3 . Mayor Aplikowski said that she is not interested in adding more staff to monitor the garbage hauling program. Councilmember Rem asked if the City would become more involved in the billing process? Should the City become the billing agent for garbage collection and utility billing? Mayor Aplikowski stated that the City would have to sign a two or three year agreement for organized garbage collection. The City would become responsible for this program. This would result in additional staff costs for utility billing services. If the City is going to penalize garbage trucks are we going to monitor the number of buses, semi-trucks, and delivery trucks in the City? Councilmember Rem asked if the City should consider adopting a one or two hauler approach for the TCAAP residential areas when they are developed. Councilmember Grant said that the committee has discussed this option. Mayor Aplikowski asked the City Council if they are willing to allocate staff time and other resources towards garbage collection on an on-going basis? Finance Director Murtuza Siddiqui reiterated to the City Council that City staff and resources would have to be allocated for garbage collection services if the City is going to pursue organized collection. . Mayor Aplikowski asked if it was the intention of the Refuse Committee to recommend a one hauler system for the City. Councilmember Grant said that the Falcon Heights City Council recently denied a proposal to adopt a one hauler system. The Falcon Heights committee spent over one year researching this proj ect. Councilmember Rem noted that the Public Works and Finance Committees reached a compromise a few years back to have garbage collections only on Monday's and Tuesday's. The goal was to reduce the number of haulers and minimize the wear and tear on the streets. She would have to be convinced that the organized collection proposal for the City is a positive. She is also concerned about the additional cost for staff time that would be needed to operate a one- hauler garbage system. Councilmembers Grant and Holden indicated that at this time they desired to see the task force continue to explore options. Councilmember Rem agreed with that approach. Mayor Aplikowski suggested that a public vote or a residential survey be conducted before the City adopts an organized garbage collection system. Trees-Dutch Elm Disease RFP . The Assistant to the City Administrator has been working on a Request for Proposal regarding the removal of trees that have been infected with Dutch elm disease. The RFP will be reviewed 4 . by the City Administrator and Operations and Maintenance Director before it is sent out to the local vendors. Sewer and Water Maps City Council requested that maps of sewer and water lines of the City be provided to them. City Administrator Wolfe will contact URS to request that maps be given to the City Council Members. TCAAP-EDC Policv Presentation On February 15, 2005, the Economic Development Commission (ED C) completed its document review and unanimously agreed by resolution to submit a report to the City Council entitled, "TCAAP Public Financing Policy Recommendations." EDC Chair Bruce Kunkel presented to the City Council an overview of the report. Bruce Kunkel, EDC Chairperson, thanked the other EDC members for serving on the committee. It was a daunting task with a large learning curve for the members. The EDC Committee met with representatives from St. Anthony and Burnsville to discuss the process and procedures involved in their large redevelopment projects. Mr. Kunkel noted that the TCAAP site is the most polluted area in the State of Minnesota. The TCAAP site hurts the image and reputation of Arden Hills. It would be wise for the City to clean-up and redevelop this site if it does not have a negative impact on the Arden Hills . taxpayers. Members of the City Council and EDC committee members reviewed the draft document, including the executive summary. After a lengthy discussion, the changes that were recommended by the City Council and the EDC were incorporated into the TCAAP Public Financing Policy Recommendation report. For the record, please find attached a copy of the revised report with the changes identified using strike outs and bold lettering. *Councilmember Rem left at approximately 8:00 PM PCI Ratings City Administrator Wolfe asked the City Council if they would like to have an independent contractor complete the PCI ratings on local streets. Members of the City Council agreed that an independent contractor should be hired to complete PCI ratings of the local streets. Communication Committee A TCAAP newsletter is being created by City staff for the March newsletter. The newsletter will be inserted into the March edition of the Arden Hills Notes. . 5 ~~- , . Council Reports Brenda Holden . Councilmember Holden asked why a city truck is being spotted regularly at the fire station on New Brighton Road . Councilmember Holden armounced that the Communication Committee needs more volunteers. The committee is currently down to three members. Lois Rem . Not present David Grant . Councilmember Grant witnessed a garage fire in South St. Paul. He was amazed at how quickly the fire fighters were able to put out the fire. Gregg Larson . Not Present Beverly Aplikowski . Mayor Aplikowski stated that she received a letter from East Side Beverage Company stating their concerns with the proposed vacating ofthe TH 51 Frontage Road. . Mayor Aplikowski announced that there is a vacancy on the Plarming Commission. The . commission and committee opening will be announced in the local newspaper and on the local access cable charmel. Applications for the Planning Commission may be picked-up at City Hall. . Mayor Applikowski requested that copies of letters that are sent to the public (PMP Updates and Public Meeting Announcements) be placed in the weekly administrative report. The meeting adjourned at 8:50 PM Respectfully submitted by Schawn P. Johnson - 1L~dfi~ISTRATOR . 6