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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 03-08-2004 . . . ~ ~HILLS Approved: March 29, 2004 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 8, 2004, 7:00 P.M. CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Beverly Aplikowski called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:05 p.m. Present: Mayor Beverly Aplikowski, Councilmembers Brenda Holden, David Grant, Gregg Larson and Lois Rem. Absent: None. Also present were City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Assistant City Administrator, Aaron Parrish; Director of Operations & Maintenance, Thomas Moore; Finance Director/Treasurer, Murtuza Siddiqui; City Engineer, Nick Landwer; and Recording Secretary, Kathleen Altman. 1. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as presented. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. February 17, 2004 Work Session B. February 23,2004 City Council Meeting Councilmember Holden requested the following changes: None Councilmember Grant requested the following changes: February 23, 2004 City Council Minutes, page 3, second to the last paragraph, last sentence should read: "He noted the school should have some involvement as well". Councilmember Rem requested the following changes: February 17, 2004 City Council Worksession, page 6, last paragraph, change 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. \ \Earth IAdmin\CouncillMinutes IRegular\2004 \03-08-04.doc ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 8, 2004 2 . Councilmember Larson requested the following changes: February 23, 2004 City Council Minutes, page 13, under his comments in the City Council Reports should read: "Councilmember Larson - Stated the Lake Johanna Fire Department Relief Association was meeting next week". Mayor Aplikowski requested the following changes: None. Ms. Wolfe requested the following changes: February 17, 2004 City Council Worksession, page 3, first full paragraph, third sentence should read: "Beyond that, both the City of New Brighton and the sheriffs office have a field training program that orients that officer to the Department's approach to policing". MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to approve the February 17, 2004 Work Session and February 23, 2004 City Council Meeting Minutes as amended. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 3. CONSENT CALENDAR e A. B. Claims and Payroll Ingredients - On Sale Wine License MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar and to authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 4. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL None. 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. MSCA MS4 PERMIT PUBLIC HEARING Mr. Landwer stated as of March 10, 2004, the Milmesota Pollution Control Agency required all cities within the seven county metro region to apply for a General Storm Water Permit as part of Federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System requirements. In order to comply with the new federal regulations, municipalities were required to develop a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan, which focuses on ways the municipality will reduce the amount of sediment and pollution entering the surrounding water bodies. . Mr. Landwer reviewed the six minimum control measures. Mayor Aplikowski opened the public hearing at 7:21 p.m. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 8, 2004 3 There were no comments made. Mayor Aplikowski closed the public hearing at 7:22 p.m. Ms. Wolfe noted all they were doing was bolding a public hearing tonight and there was no action rcquired by Council at this time. Mr. Landwer noted this was a required annual public bearing. 6. COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT A. Ordinance 349: Creating an Economic Development Commission Mr. Parrish stated this Ordinance would create an Economic Development Commission. He noted Council has discussed tbis in the past. Mayor Aplikowski asked if there was any interest of the Council in increasing the members from seven to nine. It was the Council's consensus to leave the membership to seven members. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve Ordinance 349: Creating an Economic Development Commission. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 7. OPERATIONS & MAINTENANCE A. Receive Feasibility Report and Order Preparation of Plans for County Road E Pedestrian Improvements Mr. Landwer stated staff was recommending a possible series of neighborhood meetings in order to receive input and finalize the scope of the proposal. Councilmember Larson asked if the other options presented in the feasibility study would be held until they had the neighborhood meetings. Mr. Landwer replied that was correct. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to accept the March, 2004 feasibility study report for County Road E Pedestrian Improvements, select bridge option B as the preferred course of action, and to authorize staff to hold two neighborhood meetings to solicit neighborhood input. Councilmember Rem asked various questions regarding the boulevard, the bridge, and the sidewalk on the bridge. Mr. Moore replied that was going to be one of the purposes of the ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 8, 2004 4 . neighborhood meetings and once the results of the neighborhood meeting were determined; tbis would then be presented to Council. Councilmember Larson stated the properties along County Road E were very short and he believed the people along there were going to be very sensitive to an 8-foot sidewalk. He requested they be as creative as they could to minimize the impact to those residents. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). B. Authorize Specifications for Street Sign Replacement Mr. Landwer stated the 2004 CIP had included $50,000 for the replacement of every street comer sign in the City of Arden Hills. He indicated that with input from tbe Council, staff and the City Engineer, specifications were developed. He noted the total estimated cost for this project was $70,000 which includes design, installation and construction administration costs. Tbe City Engineer requests that the Council approve the specifications for replacement of all City street signs and order advertisement for bids for this project. Councilmember Holden asked how tbe cost of this project increased from $50,000 to $70,000. Mr. Landwer replied that the $70,000 is the total for construction and administration costs and includes installation and removal of the existing signs. . Councilmember Holden asked when the gauge of the poles got increased. Mr. Landwer noted they based this on 14 gauge poles and he did not know Council had wanted to reduce the gauge, but this was possible with an increase cost of approximately $4-5 per pole. Mayor Aplikowski asked if City staff could dismantle the existing signs. Mr. Landwer replied that was a possibility, but they did not want to pull them out too soon and leave streets umnarked. Mr. Moore noted that if Council wanted this done in-house, everything would have to be stopped with no special projects being done, to put all available maintenance staff on the removal of signs. Councilmember Grant asked if the bulk of the cost was for the installation and removal of the signs and the signs themselves, with the poles being the least cost. Mr. Landwer replied that was correct. Councilmember Larson stated he would like to see the City logo on every sign in the City, including County Roads. Councilmember Holden stated she wanted a reduced gauge on the sign poles. . Mayor Aplikowski asked Mr. Moore how many sign poles had been replaced in recent years. Mr. Moore replied no poles had been replaced since he has been with the City. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 8, 2004 5 Councilmember Grant stated for a reduced gauge for the poles, this would increase the cost by approximately $1,800 and he would support 12 gauge poles. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to authorize specifications for street sign replacement and to reduce 14 gauge poles to 12 gauge poles. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 8. FINANCE None. 9. ADMINISTRATION A. 2005 Law Enforcement Services Ms. Wolfe stated Arden Hills has been presented a proposal from the City of New Brighton for law enforcement services. Since the initial proposal was presented by the City of New Brighton in November, tbe City Council bad received a great deal of information regarding both proposals. Most recently, at tbe February 23 City Council meeting, the public provided input regarding police services. The City Council outlined a timetable that included putting this topic on the agenda for the March 9 City Council meeting for final action. Councilmember Larson expressed appreciation to both the Sheriffs Office and the New Brighton Police Department. He stated he was going to vote for keeping tbe Ramsey County Sheriff for the following reasons. This came up because the New Brighton Police Department had approached the City; the City has been satisfied with the police service they currently had. The City had a fairly low crime rate and the Sheriffs Department had done a good job in keeping that crime rate down. The New Brighton proposal was more expensive by approximately $50,000 annually. A police department would finally be located within the City, and he could not understand why they would change now when they had a police presence in the City. He stated if they changed this now, he believed this could impact the City's cooperation with the Ramsey County. He stated he did not believe most of the community wanted to switch at this time. The Sheriffs Department had more diversity than the City of New Brighton. Lastly, the Sheriffs Department had established good working relationships with other organizations within the community, such as the Fire Department. Councilmember Rem stated she was going to support the New Brighton Police Department. She stated she lived near the High School and she believed most of the residents in that area felt it was more difficult to have assistance by the Sheriffs Department in that area during school events. She noted the New Brighton Police Department, while located in another city was still a "stones throwaway" and she believed that department would do a good job in policing the City. She expressed concern that the Sheriffs Department was extended too thinly throughout the County. She stated the difference in cost should not determine which Department they should go with. ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 8, 2004 6 . Councilmember Grant stated both departments had good policing units. He stated while there were some people who wanted this changed, he believed there were more people who did not want this changed. He stated he believed in the theory "ifit is not broke, it does not need fixing". He believed it was a positive change that the Sheriffs Department would now be located within the City and he believed the response time would go down. He stated the New Brighton proposal was also more expensive and he did not believe they should be spending more tax dollars at this time when the service they were currently receiving was adequate. He noted New Brighton had approached them and they had not approached New Brighton. He stated he would vote for the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department. Councilmember Holden stated the business community liked the Sheriffs Department and she was surprised they had only received approximately 50 comments from the public. She expressed concern about the identity issues if they went with the City of New Brighton Police Department. She stated the City was at fault in some instances with respect to issues with the Sheriffs Department because there was a monthly contract Sheriffs meeting that the City had not been attending until Ms. Wolfe started, but now with Ms. Wolfe attending these meetings, she believed the door of communication with the Sheriffs Department would be more open. She stated she would be voting for the Sheriffs Department. . Mayor Aplikowski indicated she had previously stated she would not vote on this issue, unless it was necessary. She noted the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department had 3 votes, so she would not be voting. She thanked both Departments for their time. She stated this was a difficult choice because both Departments were equal in so many areas. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to authorize staff to notify the Ramsey County Sheriffs Department of the City's decision to continue receiving policing service through calendar year 2005. In addition, to thank the City of New Brighton for the time and effort spent preparing the proposal and subsequent infonnation for the City of Arden Hills. The motion carried (3-1-1) (Councilmembers Grant, Larson, and Holden Aye. Councilmember Rem - Nay. Mayor Aplikowski - Abstain). B. Human Rights Discussion Ms. Wolfe stated some incidents at Mounds View High School have spurred discussion regarding possible response(s) by the City of Arden Hills to address potential human rights issues in the community, including possibly re-activating its Human Rights Commission. The City Council has been very vocal in stating a desire to partner with the school district and the neighboring communities to address potential problems. . Councilmember Holden asked bow some of the efforts would be completed if there were no commission or task force in place. Ms. Wolfe replied that some of the options could be handled at the stafflevel, but some of them would potentially need a commission or task force. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 8, 2004 7 Councilmember Larson stated there was a list of possible Council actions regarding racism and human rights that he had asked be placed in the Council packet for the Council's consideration. He stated he did not believe they specifically need a Human Rights Commission to deal with this issue. He noted the School District has not done a lot to address this issue, but the students had done some things about the issue. He handed out materials related to integration districts and other materials addressing this type of issue to the Council. He stated it was important to inform people that the City was not going to tolerate racism. He stated he was supportive in passing the Proclamation, but he did not agree with the third whereas clause in the Proclamation. He stated he did not believe the School District had taken positive or quick steps to address this issue. Councilmember Holden asked what percentage of Arden Hills students attend the Mounds View School District. Councilmember Grant replied approximately 17 percent of the overall student population. Councilmember Holden stated she understood that there were also issues in the neighborhoods and she believed they needed to be more proactive than putting up posters at City Hall or making literature available to residents. Mayor Aplikowski stated she generally agreed with Councilmember Larson's suggestions. Jeff Rothes, a Director of the League of Minnesota Human Rights Commission, stated when he was first appointed to the Isanti County Human Rights Commission he did not believe Isanti County had an issue with human rights. However, he quickly realized that they did. He noted the Human Rights Commission dealt with issues other than racism, such as women's rights, handicapped issues, etc. He stated they were seeing more hate crimes these days and these hate crimes needed action. He noted the way to fight hate crimes was through education. He indicated the League of Minnesota Human Rights Commission was putting together a presentation that the justice system could refer people to who were convicted of hate crimes. He stated they were in the process of putting together a two-day event at the Shoreview Community Center. The event is sponsored by the YWCA and is for training of facilitators in human rights. He noted all interested people could attend this session and there was no age limit. He indicated posters and literature were fine, but they did not solve the problem. He stated the Commission would like to work with everyone who was having a problem with human rights. He noted there was a lot of prejudice and misunderstanding in the communities. He stated the Council was welcome at any of their meetings and they also welcomed anyone's participation. Councilmember Grant agreed that the School District had not done as much as they could. He expressed concern that this Resolution made it seem as if everything occurred at Mounds View High School, and he noted the events also occurred at Irondale High School and not just Mounds View High School He requested the Resolution be revised to include the scbool district as a whole. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 8, 2004 8 Mayor Aplikowski indicated that perhaps a separate City of Arden Hills Resolution could prepare to state the City's position on this issue. She asked Councilmember Larson ifhe would be willing to prepare a draft resolution for Council review and consideration. Councilmember Larson agreed a lot of his proposals were passive, but he believed it would let the community know the City was sensitive to these types of actions. He noted the City alone could not resolve this problem. He indicated tbe community was looking for some type of a response from the City. He stated his suggestions were not intended to solve the problem, but it would let the community know where tbe City stood. He indicated tbat Councilmembers were leaders in the community and it was time to take a leadership role. Mayor Aplikowski stated she did not want to establish a Human Rights Commission and she did not want to join the Sboreview Human Rigbts Commission at this time. She stated sbe would rather see a task force be establisbed and work with the Sheriffs Department to determine what was going on in eacb neighborhood, and once it was determined whetber or not there was an issue, tben come back to tbe Council with suggestions. She also suggested establishing some type ofY outh Council. She noted it was up to the youtb to make a change. Councilmember Grant stated he did not believe the City taking a passive role was necessarily a bad thing. He believed everyone shared in this issue. He stated he was not in favor of a Human Rights Commission or joining tbe Shoreview Human Right Commission. He stated he would not object to the establishment ofa Youth Council. Mayor Aplikowski noted the Mounds View High Scbool Student Council was very active in issues such as this and she hoped they could use some of that leadership if a Youth Council was established. She noted tbe City could use tbe City's newsletter to address this issue also. She asked Council wbat they wanted to do. Councilmember Rem stated sbe would like to contact the State Human Rigbts Commission for suggestions and infonnation. Mayor Aplikowski asked if they wanted to establish a task force. Councilmember Larson replied he did not want to establisb a task force because it would cause too much of a delay and he believed they needed to take some action now, even it if was passive action. He stated a task force could be established at sometime in the future. Councilmember Holden stated she was glad they were going to come up with some solution to tbis at this meeting and asked what on Councilmember Larson's list was not being done at this time. Ms. Wolfe summarized what the City had done, or was in the process of doing. She stated tbe items on Cowlcilmember Larson's list were not difficult for the staff to do and they could accomplisb these items fairly quickly, while keeping the communications open to otber ideas and suggestions. Councilmember Grant stated he was not sure adding a diversity element to the City core values was appropriate and requested this be added to the next Council worksession for discussion. e e e ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES MARCH 8, 2004 9 Councilmember Larson asked if staff could draft a Resolution listing all of the actions to be taken for the Council's review at the March 15 worksession. Ms. Wolfe replied she would put something togetber for the next Council worksession. CITY COUNCIL REPORTS Ms. Wolfe - None. Councilmember Holden - None. Councilmember Grant - Stated the Assessment Policy Task Force had their first meeting on March 4 and the work of that task force would focus on bow assessments should be apportioned and how assessments sbould be funded. Councilmember Rem - Stated tbat on Wednesday night tbe North Heigbts neighborhood work group would be meeting again at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall and she believed this would be tbe last meeting before the Planning Commission meeting in April. Councilmember Larson - Stated tomorrow evening at the State Legislature there was a first bearing on a Bill that would put tbe Fire Chiefs under the Public Employee's Retirement Act (PERA). Mayor Aplikowski - Stated she had tbe opportunity last week to finally see the 50'h Anniversary first draft video. Sbe noted tbey were working on condensing it down. Mayor Aplikowski adjourned the regular City Council meeting at 9: 13 p.m. ~ . ~1 J->.. ! ~ J 7 ~ (, 2, z ~<,h' r Ice.luff- C(fJ~ liko ski Michelle Wolfe '-"" City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS Tbe next Council Meeting will be held Monday, March 29, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. in tbe Arden Hills Council Chambers.