Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 09-13-2004 . e . ~ ~~HILLS MEETING MINUTES Approved: September 27, 2004 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING SEPTEMBER 13, 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 7:08 p.m. Present: Mayor Beverly Aplikowski, Councilmembers David Grant, Gregg Larson, Lois Rem, and Brenda Holden. Absent: None. Also present were City Administrator, Michelle Wolfe; City Attorney, Jerry Filla; Director of Operations & Maintenance, Thomas Moore; Finance Director/Treasurer, Murtuza Siddiqui; Community Development Director, Scott Clark; City Engineer, Greg Brown; City Planner, Peter Rellegers; and Recording Secretary, Kathleen Altman. 1. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA Councilmember Holden added Diseased Tree Update as Item 7B. Ms. Wolfe stated the second half of Item 6E had been removed from the agenda. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda as amended. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. August 9, 2004 Council Minutes B. August 9, 2004 Budget Work Session Minutes C. August 23,2004 Council Work Session Minutes Councilmember Holden requested the following changes: August 9, 2004 City Council meeting, page 4, under her comments change newspaper to newsletter. August 23, 2004 City Council Work Session Page 2, after the first paragraph add: That the amount the City could withdraw in a single year would be five percent. \ lEarthlAdminlCouncillM inutes IRegular\2004\09-13-04.doc . e . ARDEN HilLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 2 Councilmember Grant requested the following changes: None. Counci1member Rem requested the following changes: August 9, City Council meeting, page 3, second paragraph, last sentence, delete that sentence and replace it with: The $15,000 will come from the 2003 General Fund balance. Page 3, motion at the bottom of the page, change proceeds to "funding". Councilmember Larson requested the following changes: None. Mayor Aplikowski requested the following changes: None. Ms. Wolfe requested the following changes: August 23, Worksession, page 4, sixth paragraph, should read: Tom Moore, O&M Director, noted that the current signs state "No Parking 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM during the school year". August 9, 2004 Worksession, third paragraph after bullets, first sentence change has to "have" a full... MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to approve the August 9, 2004 City Council Meeting Minutes as amended, the August 9, 2004 Budget Work Session Minutes as presented, and the August 23, Council Work Session Minutes as amended. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 3. CONSENT CALENDAR a. Claims and Payroll b. Approve Payment #1 MC Builders Inc. for Perry Park Pavilion c. Approve Payment #2 - Arnt Construction d. Bonding RefundinglPre-Sale Report e. Approve Appointments to Economic Development Commission f. Mohn Variance Extension g. Approve Payment #1 - Krause Anderson for Cummings Park Drive Watermain MOTION: Councilmember Grant 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 INOUlRIES/INFORMATIONAL A. 2004 Nei!!:hborhood Meetin!!: Information Ms. Wolf swnmarized for the Council where the neighborhood precinct meetings were located this fall. Howard Kern, 1400 West County Road E, stated he had a concern that a decision had already been made regarding a trail system on County Road E without further neighborhood input. He ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 3 . understood from the previous neighborhood meeting that the trail system was going to be put on hold for future neighborhood meetings. He indicated he had a concern that the trail would be a sidewalk instead. He asked if the decision had been made and when the trail system would be considered by the Council. He stated he was opposed to both a trail and/or a sidewalk along County Road E. He noted he was concerned that if a sidewalk was put in, he would be responsible for snow removal. He believed there were better areas to put a trail system. Mr. Moore stated a notice had not been sent out to the residents for another neighborhood meeting yet. He stated no decisions had been made and the City would seek input from the residents and businesses in the area before any decisions were made. Mayor Aplikowski stated the City was planning on doing some work to the bridge and there had been some discussion as to how wide the sidewalk should be and the type oflook it should have. However, she noted it had not been decided if a sidewalk would even be put in and nothing would be decided until there was another meeting with the neighborhood. Mr. Moore stated it was called a sidewalk for funding purposes and it would be the City's responsibility for all maintenance, including snow removal. 5. PUBLIC HEARINGS e None. 6. NEW BUSINESS A. Operatin!! Levy Certification Mr. Siddiqui stated by September 15, 2004, the City was required to adopt and certi1)r to Ramsey County a preliminary levy and Truth in Taxation dates. At the August 9, 2004 Budget Work Session, the Council decided to certify a 4% increase in levy to the County for a proposed amount of $2,426,670. This was a preliminary levy and a final certification would be made in December, 2004. He indicated the dates of the Truth in Taxation hearings were Monday, December 6 and Monday, December 13. It was anticipated the Council would adopt the final payable 2005 levy and the 2005 budget on December 13, 2004. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve Resolution 04-46: A resolution setting the preliminary levy for taxes payable in 2005 and Resolution 04-47: A resolution adopting Truth in Taxation hearing dates for proposed taxes payable in 2005. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). . B. Karth Lake: Amend By-Laws and Financin!! Mr. Siddiqui stated at the July 25, 2004 Council meeting, the Council appointed seven members to the Karth Lake District Board. On August 18, 2004, the Board had their first meeting. The first action item for the Board was to recommend to the Council an amendment to . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 4 the By-Laws to reflect seven members on the Board of Directors. The second action item was to establish and recommend to the Council the terms of various board members. Finally, the Board appointed Richard Klick to be their chair, Linda Hansohn as vice chair, and Janet Stodola as their secretary. He noted the City needed to certify the levy to the County at tonight's meeting in order to have the levy payable in 2005. He stated the total amount of the levy was $41,348, which was lower than the City informed the residents. Letters would be sent to the residents of this district, re-infonning them about this levy, including the final amount. Staff recommended Council amend the Karth Lake District's By-Laws to appoint seven members to the Board of Directors and to reflect appointment of individual board members' expiration terms. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Rem seconded a motion to approve amending the By-Laws to appoint seven members to the Karth Lake District Board of Directors and to amend the By-Laws to reflect appointment of individual board members' terms as outlined in staffs September 13, 2004 report. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to approving Resolution No. 04-51, a resolution setting the preliminary special levy for the Karth Lake Improvement District payable in 2005. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). C. Approve No Left Hand Turn sil!n at the Intersection of Crvstal Avenue and Lake Valentine Road Mr. Moore indicated residents in the neighborhood near Mounds View High School expressed concerns about the cut-through traffic created by students using Crystal A venue to avoid the stop sign back-up on Lake Valentine and Fairview. In order to address this problem with the least amount of inconvenience to the neighbors, the consensus was to install a sign at the intersection of Lake Valentine and Crystal to restrict left turns from 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. on school days. Staff recommended approving a no left hand turn sign at the intersection of Crystal A venue and Lake Valentine Road. Mayor Aplikowski asked if the Sheriff would be present the first couple of days to monitor this new situation. Mr. Moore stated the Sheriffs office would be notified of this change. Councilmember Rem stated there were some neighbors who felt they could not make a left turn during the hours of 7:00 a.m. - 8:00 a.m. She suggested not only contacting the Sheriff before putting in the sign, but also contact the school principal of this change so the school could publish this in their newsletter. She also suggested putting orange flags on the signs to catch the drivers' attention to this change. ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 13,2004 5 . MOTION: Counci1member Larson moved and Councilmember Holden seconded a motion to approve Resolution 04-50: A resolution approving a "No Left Turn" sign location on the north side of Lake Valentine Road at the intersection of Crystal Avenue and Lake Valentine Road. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). D. Budeet Amendment-Operating Expenditures for the new Ramsey County Maiutenance Facility . Mr. Siddiqui noted the City's Operations and Maintenance department would be moving to the new Ramsey County Public Works Facility on October 3, 2004. The City would occupy about 7.7% of the total space and share the total operating expenses accordingly based on this percentage. He stated when the City entered into an agreement with Ramsey County, it was not anticipated that the facility would be completed until late December, 2004. In anticipation of the move in late December, no specific funds were budgeted for the operating expenses of this new facility. Since the facility would be completed by the end of September and ready for occupancy by early October, operating charges will be incurred from this date forward. Based on the percentage of space occupied, the City would be charged $24,084 for the balance of this year. Internally, these charges are allocated 2/3 to the enterprise fund (sewer and water) and 1/3 to the general fund - Government Building. The source of funding for these expenditures would be the carry-over funds from prior years. Staff recommended the Council amend its 2004 budget by $24,084 to pay Ramsey County for the operating expenses for the Public Works facility. The source of funding for these expenditures would be the carry-over funds from prior years and charges would be allocated between the general and enterprise funds. MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to approve amending the 2004 budget by $24,084 to pay Ramsey County for the operating expenses for the Public Works Facility. The source of funding for these expenditures to be carry-over funds from prior year and charges will be allocated between the general and enterprise funds. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 6. Pavement Manaeement Proeram: 2005 - Authorize URS to Prepare a Feasibility Report for the 2005 Pavement Manaeement Plan proiect. Red Fox/Grey Fox Area . Mr. Moore stated the current 5-year CIP included the Red Fox Grey Fox neighborhood for reconstruction and overlay in 2005. As discussed on August 13, 2004, the City should begin preparation of the feasibility report and notification of area businesses of the planned improvements soon to ensure the project could be designed early in 2005. Although there are no private residences in this project area, they would need to coordinate with several businesses and the project includes the use of state aid funds which require additional review by MnDOT prior to bid. For these reasons and the desire to open bids before April, 2005, staff should begin the feasibility report in September. Staff proposed contacting businesses immediately to let them know of the project and either meet individually with property managers/owners or schedule a public meeting as appropriate based upon their contacts. Staff was requesting the Council . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 6 authorize URS to begin the preparation of a feasibility report and being contacting area businesses. MOTION: Councilmember Larson moved and Councilmember Grant seconded a motion to authorize staff and URS to gather information, contact businesses and prepare the feasibility report for the 2005 PMP Red Fox Grey Fox Commercial area. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). 7. UNFINISHED BUSINESS A. Approval of Assessment Policv Mr. Siddiqui stated at the February 9, 2004 Council meeting, the Council appointed members to the Assessment Policy Task Force to review and update the existing Assessment Policy. The Task Force consisted of individuals who were residents of the City. The Task Force met five times between March 4,2004 and April 29, 2004. He noted the Task Force looked at a number of assessment policies from different cities. The focus of the Task Force was to draft a policy that was simple, clear, and easy to understand the implement. Mr. Siddiqui summarized the main points of the Assessment Policy and stated staff and the 2004 Assessment Policy Task Force recommended the approval ofthe revised 2004 Assessment Policy. Councilmember Holden thanked the Task Force and staff for this policy. She stated this was a much better po licy and easier to understand than the City currently had. Major Aplikowski agreed and noted this had been a long process and she was glad it had finally been addressed. Councilmember Rem also thanked the Task Force for incorporating her suggestions. Councilmember Grant thanked the Task Force and stated this document was much easier to understand. MOTION: Councilmember Grant moved and Councilmember Larson seconded a motion to approve the revised 2004 Assessment Policy. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). B. Diseased Tree Update Councilmember Holden asked for an update on the diseased tree status. She asked how the diseased tree removal on City property was progressing and asked if notices could go out to the residents who had complained they were forced to remove their trees while the City wasn't taking any action with the City's diseased trees. . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 7 Mr. Moore stated the trees had been removed from City property. He stated he did not have a list ofthe residents who had complained that the City had not removed its trees, but he could get the list to her. He indicated he had informed many residents that the City trees had been removed. Councilmember Holden asked if the County was also removing trees on their land. Mr. Moore replied the County was removing their trees, but it was a slower process than what the City undertook. He stated he did not know how long it would take the County to remove their trees. Mayor Aplikowski stated she had spoken with a County Commissioner who indicated the County was removing trees, but not very fast. However, the County was concerned at this time with the trees on the golf courses. Mr. Moore stated the County's priorities were the golf courses, the parks and then the open space. He indicated, unfortunately, the City had County open space and therefore it would take them awhile to remove the trees. Councilmember Rem suggested staff contact Friends of the Park to have disease-free trees available for purchase next spring. Mr. Moore stated staff was working with Friends of the Park on this issue. CITY COUNCIL REPORTS Ms. Wolfe - None. Councilmember Holdeu - Thanked Jackie for her hard work on the election. She stated September 19 was the newsletter deadline. She asked how the street sign installation was progressing. Mr. Moore replied installation was proceeding ahead of schedule, but they were suffering with a bad batch of sign posts, and they were waiting for the delivery of new sign posts. He estimated the posts should be delivered sometime this week. He hoped the signs would be completely installed by the end of the month. Councilmember Grant - Stated there was an I-35W Task Force meeting recently where a lot of preliminary plans were reviewed. He stated it was the intent of that Task Force to have a monthly meeting. He requested staff forward any concerns with Highway 10, I-35W, Highway 96, etc. to Councilmember Larson and himself. Couucilmember Rem - Asked staff for further information regarding the proposed Highway 10 reconstruction project meeting scheduled for September 30, at the City of Mounds View be sent to her. CouuclImember Larson - Stated the Fire Board would be meeting this Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. at the Shoreview City Hall. He stated North Heights had withdrawn their application. He believed the outcome was a good one and commended the Planning Commission and neighborhood for all of their work on this. He stated he was concerned about how the medians along Highway 96 would look compared to the City of Shoreview. Mr. Brown stated the Council had decided to plant prairie grass and trees in the medians. He indicated if Council . . . ARDEN HILLS REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 13, 2004 8 wanted anything changed, they needed to make a decision soon as the landscaping would be completed next spring. Councilmember Larson stated he believed it would be worthwhile to revisit this issue. Councilmember Rem stated she believed Council had a previous concern about the cost of irrigating the medians. Mr. Brown stated irrigation could still be added, but it would cost more. He pointed out the median were large, but he believed Council should look at the landscape plan again. Mayor Aplikowski - Thanked the Council and staff for sharing their time and talents. She indicated on October 30, 2004 the Ramsey County League of Local Government was having a meeting on diversity and housing at the New Brighton Family Service Center at 6:00 p.m. She stated she believed this would be a good meeting for Councilmembers to attend. Mayor Aplikowski adjourned the Regular City Council Meeting at 8: 15 p.m. ~clo~/~ Mayor \;\;t ~ \ YtLtl{}fr Michelle Wolfe City Administrator NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next Council Meeting will be held Monday, September 27, 2004 at 7:00 p.m. in the Arden Hills Council Chambers.