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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWS 03-15-2004 ~ . ~~HILLS Approved: March 29, 2004 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA COUNCIL WORK SESSION MONDAY, MARCH 15, 2004, 4:45 P.M. CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 1245 WEST HIGHWAY 96 1. Call To Order Mayor Aplikowski called the meeting to order at 4:45 p.m. Present: Councilmembers David Grant, Brenda Holden, Gregg Larson, and Lois Rem. Staff present: Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; Operations & Maintenance Director, Thomas J. Moore; PlaImer, Peter Hellegers; and Finance Director, Murtuza Siddiqui. 2.A. Arden Hills Armv Traininl! Site Update LTC (P) Richard Weaver and MAl Scott St. Sauver of the AHATS group made the presentation to the Council. LTC Weaver provided an overview of the AI-lATS vision and their short term goals. LTC Weaver indicated that the current site is the premier inactive duty site and at a given . time the location is a training site for up to six thousand personnel. MAJ St. Sauver provided the Council with an overview of their operations. He indicated that currently there is no usage of live fire. He also mentioned that the AI-lATS site is used by MNDOT, DNR, and Law Enforcement agencies for various training purposes. LTC Weaver talked about the fencing on the western boundary. A question was asked about the type of fencing and the response was that they will check on the regulatory requirements. They will also look at options to buffer the nOIse. MAJ St. Sauver mentioned that they want to be proactive rather than reactive to the concerns of the Council. MAJ St. Sauver indicated that they need to know the City's desire for fencing so that they can take it under consideration. It was also mentioned that Arden Hills will see more military traffic coming through Hamline A venue in the near future. Mr. Marty Skoglund gave an overview of the environmental program. LTC Weaver indicated that they plan on being at the current site for a "long time" and mentioned that it is a crucial site for "training readiness". MAJ St. Sauver said that most of the buildings on the site will be demolished over the next ten years. MAJ St. Sauver and LTC Weaver both expressed a strong interest in the joint recreational facility. . I lEarth\AdminlCouncillMinutesl W orksession \2004103-15-04.doc ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION MARCH 15,2004 2 . 2.B. TCAAP Phase III Plan nine: Ms. Wolfe mentioned that the goal is to proceed with the Phase III planning. She mentioned that in order to proceed, it is necessary to amend the scope of the services and the corresponding budget would have to be amended by $26,535. Mr. Larson indicated that the Council needs to be more involved in the planning process in the front end and also added that DSU needs to check with the Council more frequently. Mr. Grant concurred and added that the Council needs to check into the process all along the way. There was also a general consensus that John Shardlow needs to come in for an update and briefing on Phase III and that the Council needs to understand his thoughts and vision. 2.C. Emplovee Recoe:nition Policv Ms. Wolfe presented the Revised Employee Recoguition Policy. Mr. Larson suggested that with regards to Years of Service, the recoguition start after five years of service. There was a general consensus to make that change and also that the first sentence of the policy be modified to state "The City Council of Arden Hills encourages and supports recognizing employees." e Ms. Holden said that an idea or suggestion brought forward by an employee becomes the property of the City. She also suggested that the policy should be reviewed every two years, and that any gift certificates be service free. There was a general consensus that under the retirement section, the first sentence be deleted and reads "The retiring employee shall be presented with a Mayoral Proclamation, a plaque recognizing their years of service, and a gift certificate in an amount to be determined by the City Council." 2.D. Civil Ene:ineer Position Ms. Wolfe mentioned that the position has been previously discussed. She stated that staff recommends that the position report directly to the Administrator. The Administrator will have an opportunity to assess the workflow ofthe position. In addition, Ms. Wolfe stated that this will not be a department head position. Ms. Wolfe asked the Council's permission to move forward with the position description and recruitment. The Council was comfortable proceeding. 2.E. Human Rie:hts Discussion A number of ChaIlges were suggested to the draft document. There was a consensus to delete "Martin Luther King Day" from the proclamation and other areas of the document. The Council agreed to retain the broader Human Rights Day. It was also decided that the Council would send . a letter to residents announcing the resolution and the position the Council is taking regarding ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION MARCH 15,2004 3 . Human Rights. It was suggested that an insert be included in the City Newsletter rather than the utility billings in order to expedite the transmission of information to the residents. 2.F. Administrative Issues Ms. Wolfe suggested that in order to better manage the Council agenda, individual departments not be listed and instead include an "Unfinished and New Business" section. She also mentioned that items that are anticipated to have higher levels of public interest or outside parties attending be placed on the agenda first to maximize their time. There was a general consensus to have two separate categories. One category for "Unfinished Business" and another category for "New Business". Ms. Wolfe also discussed obtaining services of Time Savers to record minutes at the Work Sessions. Council suggested that staff continue to take minutes and there will be an assessment done in two months. 3.F. Council Reports Council Member Holden: No report Councilmember Larson: It was reported that the Legislative Commission on Public Employee . Pension recommends approval to include Lake Johanna's full-time employees into the PERA plan. Councilmember Rem: It was reported that the Northwest Youth Services will have a retreat this week. The NRC meeting is on March 31, 2004. Councilmember Grant: It was requested that the city events calendar should have the Assessment Policy Task Force meeting included. He also expressed concern about the electrical post being located very close to the curb on County Road E2 and asked if it could be moved. He also expressed concern about the bus trips to Irondale School with regards to the wear and tear on the streets. Mr. Grant also state he would like the Sheriffs to be more visible and encouraged them to drive in areas they don't normally go. Mayor Aplikowski: Asked that a section from the Council be included in the employee newsletter and that the Council bc included in the staff events. The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Murtuza Siddiqui - FinaIlce Director k~f,~ ~~. ever y liko t, . Michelle Wolfe, ADMINISTRAT R