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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 03-10-1997 . MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING MARCH 10, 1997 7:30 P.M. - NEW BRIGHTON COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDERlROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Dennis Probst called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:30 p.m. Present: Mayor Dennis Probst, Councilmembers Beverly Aplikowski, Dale Hicks, Susan Keirn, and Paul Malone. Absent: None. Also present were City Administrator, Brian Fritsinger; City Accountant, Terry Post; Community Development Director, Kevin Ringwald; Public Works Superintendent, Dwayne Stafford; Administrative Secretary, Sheila Stowell; and Recording Secretary, Cindy Schneider. ADOPT AGENDA . MOTION: Aplikowski moved and Malone seconded a motion to adopt the agenda for the March 10, 1997, Regular City Council meeting as presented. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. February 24, 1997, Regular Council Meeting Councilmember Malone requested the following changes: Page 5, paragraph I: "Councilmember Malone stated the City had received some complaints..." Page 9, paragraph 2: Change "MNDOT" to "Metropolitan Council". Brian Fritsinger, City Administrator, requested the following change: Page 3, paragraph 2: "Ms. Rem indicated she would sUlo'"lo'"est that this chanlie be made." MOTION: Malone moved and Aplikowski seconded a motion to approve the February 24, 1997, Regular Council Meeting minutes as amended. The motion carried . unanimously (5-0). . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 2 CONSENT CALENDAR A. Claims and Payroll B. IRS Mileage Reimbursement MOTION: Malone moved and Keirn seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as submitted and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). PUBLIC COMMENTS Mayor Probst invited the audience to address the Council on any issue not already on the agenda. There were no public comments. UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS B. Resolution #97-12, Designating "No Parking" Restrictions on Both Sides of Trunk Highway 96 Within the City of Arden Hills Dwayne Stafford, Public Works Superintendent, reviewed for Council that all of Highway 96 within the City of Arden Hills is scheduled for re-construction, the first segment to be completed in 1998 and the remaining segment in the year 2000. This reconstruction will include four traffic lanes, plus turning lanes. Although paved shoulders will be available along portions of the road for emergency stopping, the high volume of traffic, the speeds and the narrower shoulders (approximately 10 feet in width) will prohibit safe parking. The Ramsey County Project Engineer for the Highway 96 reconstruction has asked each City along the Highway 96 corridor to adopt a resolution banning parking on either side of the highway at any time. Mr. Stafford requested that the City Council adopt the attached resolution. Councilmember Malone inquired if Ramsey County would be financially responsible for signage announcing the parking ban. Mr. Stafford stated he believed this to be the case. Mayor Probst inquired if there have been parking issues along Highway 96 in the past. Brian Fritsinger, City Administrator, stated occasionally a semi truck will park overnight, but this has not been a major concern. There is also occasional spillover parking from the Orthodox Church, but this also has not created any major problems. MOTION: Malone moved and Aplikowski seconded a motion that the City Council adopt Resolution #97-12, Designating "No Parking" Restrictions on both sides of Trunk Highway 96 within the City of Arden Hills. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 3 . Councilmember Aplikowski requested clarification that Highway 96 within Arden Hills was not scheduled to be completed until the year 2000. Mr. Stafford replied the section from Highway 10 to Lexington A venue is scheduled for completion in 2000. The portion from Old Highway 8 to Highway 10 is scheduled for completion in 1998. Mayor Probst indicated the City had asked for this reconstruction work to be moved forward on the schedule, and stated his preference to continue doing so. Mayor Probst further inquired if there would be an overlay from Highway 10 to Lexington Avenue. Mr. Stafford stated that would be the case. A. Decision Resources Presentation of Community Survey Rcsults Mr. Bill Morris of Decision Resources, Ltd., gave a presentation of the recent Arden Hills Community Survey, which his company recently completed for the City. This study contains the results of a telephone survey of 403 randomly selected residents of the City of Arden Hills. The survey responses were gathered between January 9 - 23, 1997. The average interview took 26 minutes, and there was a refusal rate of 3%. In general, random samples such as this yield results projectable to the entire universe of Arden Hills residents within a :!:.5.0 percentage points in 95 out of 100 cases. Mr. Morris presented the results of the following questions/responses: . Quality of Life Ninety-seven percent rated the quality of life in Arden Hills as either excellent or good. This is higher than the suburban norm and places Arden Hills among the strongest ratings within the Metropolitan Area. Most Liked Thing about Community Location was rated the highest at 38%. Also scoring high in this category were high quality schools, available housing, open spaces, and well-run community. Lcast Liked Thing about Community Fourteen percent disliked nothing about the City. This group is known as "Boosters", and, while the level of this group has dropped since the last survey, it is still approximately twice as high as the suburban norm. Other things mentioned in this category were Unsure (22%), Lack of City Services (15%), High Taxes (10%) and Traffic Congestion (10%). Sense of Community Fifty-nine percent reported an excellent or good rating in this category, which is an exceptional number for the Metropolitan Area. . Value of City Services in Relation to Taxes Eighty-three percent rated this issue as excellent or good, which exceeds the suburban norm for this category. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 4 Property Tax Increase When asked if a property tax increase would be favored to maintain services at their current level, 48% were in favor and 38% were opposed. Ratings of Current Services Residents rated Police (85%), Fire (82%) and Park Maintenance (86%) as either excellent or good, which is an increase from the previous survey. Residents also rated Snow Plowing (80%) and City Street Repair (68%) as excellent or good, however this is a decrease from the last survey. Mayor & City Council Forty-three percent ofthe residents have a good/fair knowledge of the actions of the Mayor and City Council. The Mayor and City Council enjoy an approval rating of 66%, which is among the top in the Metropolitan Area for the last two years. City Staff Thirty-eight percent of residents reported either some or a lot of contact with City Staff. Of those, 78% gave the City Staff an excellent/good rating, which is among the top ratings in the Metropolitan Area. Crime in Community Only 16% of residents indicated that crime was a major concern in Arden Hills. Contact with City Hall Fifty percent of residents surveyed reported some sort of contact with City Hall in the last year. Over 75% of these residents approved of the quality of service they received, especially from the Information Desk, which received a 90% approval rating. Development Policies Fifty-eight percent of residents could be considered pro-development, while 51 % approve of some financial incentives to encourage development. Residents strongly favored development of parks and open space, a quality sit-down restaurant, and senior citizen housing. Residents strongly opposed development of mobile home parks and apartment buildings. TCAAP Plans Eighty percent of residents are aware of the current plans for the TCAAP property, and 69% approve of those plans. Funding Responsibility Fifty-six percent of residents believe sidewalk and trail improvements should be paid for from City funds, but City funding of street reconstruction was favored by only 45%. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 5 Communications The City's Newsletter, Arden Hills Notes, are received and read by 77% ofthe residents surveyed. The discontinued Town Crier, however, had an almost universal accessibility rating, which placed it among the highest in the Metro Area in this category. Summary In summary, it was found that Arden Hills residents are somewhat benign regarding tax issues at the current time, and are in favor of judicious expansion/development. The biggest difference of opinion between residents was regarding the role of government, with opinion split between the residents that have lived in Arden Hills more than 25 years and the relatively new residents of less than IS years. Mayor Probst requested clarification of the "newcomers" and "long-term" residents' opinions and feelings. Mr. Morris replied these are two distinct groups with two very distinct and different philosophies. He explained the long-term residents moved to Arden Hills mainly from St. Paul, in part to escape the high taxes, and therefore favor less government services. The newcomers to the community have moved mainly from other suburbs or out of state, and are willing to pay more taxes for more government services. Councilmember Malone inquired if a shift in attitude could be anticipated as this group of relative newcomers become long-term residents. Mr. Morris replied this was not something he was able to predict with any degree of certainty. Councilmember Malone inquired how many calls were made in total, and commented on the low rate of refusals for this survey. Mr. Morris replied there were 416 calls made all total, and added that quality of life surveys generally are received more favorably by recipients than other types of surveying or telemarketing. Mayor Probst noted the response regarding a new City Hall was about the same as the last survey. Mr. Morris replied residents reported a need for meeting space within the City, but want to make sure the project is cost-effective. Mayor Probst inquired regarding the residents' knowledge ofTCAAP activities. Mr. Morris replied the residents are very well-informed and have well-developed feelings on this issue. C. Committeeffask Force Appointments Mayor Probst reported on his evaluation of the activities of the current Economic Development Committee. He proposed the creation of two separate groups - a Business Relations Committee, which would be redefined from the existing one, and a Business Development Task Force. Mayor Probst further stated he believes a need exists for the creation of a Highway 96 Task Force. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 6 Councilmember Aplikowski noted that the proposed activities of the Business Relations Committee seem to be the same as the present committee. She inquired if the need truly exists for two groups, and expressed concern regarding additional Staff time. Mayor Probst replied that with the existence of a committee and a task force, more people from the community could be involved in making sure the City is moving in the right direction. He agreed there would be a need for additional Staff time at the outset, but believes the committee and task force would be able to handle their own work in the future. Councilmember Malone remarked on the large work load involved in the proposed activities of the committee and task force. Councilmember Aplikowski suggested that both these groups should be committees, instead of one being named a task force. She also remarked it is not known at this time if all of the present committee members will be able to return to the committee this year. Mayor Probst agreed he has not been able to confirm the availability of all members at the present time. He also agreed the Business Development Task Force could instead be called a Committee. Councilmember Hicks agreed that the Business Development Task Force should be known as a Committee, because of the broad agenda it covers. Mr. Fritsinger distributed a bench handout from an individual who is interested in being on the Business Development Committee beginning in April. MOTION: Malone moved and Hicks seconded a motion to approve Mayor Probst's appointments to the Business Relations Committee and Business Development Committee. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). Mayor Probst reiterated his proposal for the creation of a Highway 96 Task Force, made up of members from the following groups: City Staff; City Council; Planning Commission; Business Development Committee; Public Safety Commission; National Guard; Alliant Tech; 2-3 residents along Highway 96, and a church on Highway 96. It is his desire that this group meet 3- 6 times over the next 2-3 months to discuss issues and make recommendations, specifically on drainage issues and aesthetics. It is the Mayor's opinion that, while Arden Hills should not necessarily match exactly what has been done along Highway 96 in Shoreview, the Task Force needs to look at what has been done in that city. The Mayor stated since the portion between Highway 10 and Old Highway 8 is scheduled for completion next year, it is his desire to give Ramsey County the City's recommendations and proposals before this work is started, not after it is completed. Councilmember Aplikowski requested clarification that the residents on this Task Force would be Arden Hills residents. Mayor Probst replied that would be the case. . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 7 Councilmember Aplikowski requested clarification regarding the activities of this task force, that it would be mainly collecting information and reporting to the City Council. Mayor Probst agreed with this assessment, and stated he wants to make sure the City has a final say in this project before the work is completed. MOTION: Aplikowski moved and Keirn seconded a motion to establish the creation of a Highway 96 Task Force, with the names for the committee to be proposed within the next 8-10 days. The motion carried unanimously (5-0). Mr. Fritsinger reported a possible conflict has arisen regarding the Arden Hills Human Rights liaison to the State of Minnesota's Human Rights Commission. He stated that, since Arden Hills has not re-appointed their own Human Rights Commission, the City may not be allowed to appoint a liaison to the State. He will be following this development and will report on the final outcome. Mr. Fritsinger inquired if there had been any contact with Mayor Martin of Shoreview regarding the Youth Commission. Mayor Probst replied he has been in contact with Mayor Martin, and, although there is interest from both Cities in a joint youth committee, he has not followed up on this as of yet. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that she has no strong feelings either way in regard to ajoint committee, but these committees in general seem to target parents more than children. She stated kids are already involved in church groups, Scout groups and other activities, and inquired where the City would find enough kids for this venture. Mr. Fritsinger inquired if the activities of this youth committee were to be geared toward keeping youth out oftrouble, or if it was for getting youth more involved in the City. Mayor Probst replied he does not have great expectations for this joint committee, at least not at the present time. He stated Shoreview has been actively trying to recruit prospects for this group without much luck. He stated he envisions an informal forum for youth to discuss an issue of interest to them, such as the City's plans for the TCAAP property. He stated they would not need to meet often, once a month or once per quarter would be sufficient. Councilmember Aplikowski suggested recruiting not just high school youth, but junior high youth as well. In her experience, high school youth tend to be busier, as they usually have part- time jobs and a fuller social life. Mayor Probst stated he hopes to begin this process in the next 4-6 weeks. Councilmember Aplikowski suggested trying to make use of groups that are already formed, such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or the Sheriff's Patrol Youth Group. She agreed that a joint venture with Shoreview would probably be more effective. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 8 . D. Committee Structure/Role Review Mr. Fritsinger reviewed for Council that, after appointments to most of its committees and commissions were made at the February 10, 1997 meeting, a discussion was held regarding a variety of committee-related issues. The City Council at that time expressed a desire to resolve these issues, which included role of staff, role of Council Liaison, role of committee, number of unexcused absences, number of members, and service on multiple committees. At this meeting, the City Council also directed staff to outline each of these issues and provide the information for review and direction. Mr. Fritsinger referred to his memo dated March 4, 1997, and asked for a discussion of the issues contained therein. Mayor Probst observed with reference to minutes, some committees and commissions take their own, sometimes Council members perform this duty, and sometimes staff secretaries take minutes. Councilmember Aplikowski commented that no committee she has been associated with has ever refused to do their own minutes. She further commented with regard to the unexcused absences issue, that she would prefer not to have a valuable member of a committee dropped simply for thi s reason. . Mr. Fritsinger stated Staff is requesting clarification on the unexcused absences issue, and that the preference is to have as many committee members present and involved as possible. Councilmember Aplikowski suggested some type of a system be put in place to track attendance. Mayor Probst commented that the word "unexcused" could probably be dropped from the language. He stated this had been an issue with the Planning Commission in the past, and that it has now been resolved. Councilmember Malone suggested a formal document be prepared stating these policies and given to each member of each committee and commission. Councilmember Malone further suggested that the City Council formally approve the contents of Mr. Fritsinger's memo and advise that the recommendations be put into practice immediately. Councilmember Aplikowski suggested that Committee chairs be required to provide agendas and any information that Staff needs. Mr. Fritsinger stated this would best be handled between the Committee chair and the Councilor Staff liaison. Mayor Probst noted that a formal motion was probably not needed for City Council to endorse these policies. . . . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 9 Councilmember Hicks suggested the phrase "unexcused absences" be changed to "committee attendance", and that all committee members should be asked to notifY Staff when they are unable to attend a scheduled meeting. Councilmember Keirn requested a minutes template be distributed to all committees, to assure consistency in the appearance of the minutes. ADMINISTRATOR COMMENTS There were no Administrator comments. COUNCIL COMMENTS Councilmember Hicks observed there are a large number of potholes in the City, and inquired if these were scheduled to be repaired within the next four weeks. Mayor Probst inquired if the majority of potholes were on older streets or on the newly reconstructed ones. Mr. Stafford replied that County Road F is showing a few cracks that will have to be sealed over the summer, but basically the reconstructed streets are holding up well. Councilmember Malone noted that the pedestrian bridge in Mounds View has been deleted from their agenda. He suggested that it may be appropriate for Arden Hills to pursue this funding for a pedestrian trail on Highway 96 over Highway 10. Councilmember Malone urged the City to pay close attention to the new lighting on Highway 96, as he has seen new lighting recently in the area that he feels to be unsafe. Councilmember Aplikowski reported she will be attending the Ramsey County Sheriffs tour on Wednesday, March 12, 1997. Councilmember Aplikowski asked if the City will continue to receive an issue of Governing magazine. Mr. Fritsinger stated the City would continue to receive this publication. Councilmember Aplikowski commented she has recently spoken with the Ramsey County Engineer regarding the Highway 96 project as it impacts Arden Manor. Ramsey County is still attempting to save as many homes as possible. Councilmember Keirn advised she may be late to the Council Worksession scheduled for Monday, March 17,1997. Councilmember Keirn asked Mr. Stafford to consider salting and sanding a portion of Stowe A venue that is iced over and has many ruts, as she considers it a dangerous section of street. Mr. Stafford indicated he would be viewing this street the next day. A discussion ensued regarding the general condition of the streets and County Roads in Arden Hills. · B ~ nan ntslllger City Administrator . . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - MARCH 10. 1997 10 Mayor Probst noted the Suburban Chamber of Commerce has two upcoming meetings scheduled with Legislators, on March 14 and April 11, 1997. He stated these would be worthwhile for Council members to attend, if possible. Mayor Probst reported The Quad City Ice Arena will formally present their first public proposal on March 11, 1997, at 6:00 p.m. Mayor Probst noted Alliant Techsystems will brief the Army on their activities this week. Although the City has not been invited to this briefing, the Mayor is hopeful the City will be asked to participate in the next level of discussions. Mayor Probst stated the National Guard seems optimistic regarding the transfer and continues to be willing to work with the City. Mayor Probst complimented Staff with regard to the City survey. He feels it is good news for the community, and feels this positive survey shows the City is on the right track. ADJOURN MOTION: Malone moved and Hicks seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 9:00 p.m. /;j'he mo 'on carried unanimously (5-0). f NOTICE OF MEETINGS The next regular City Council meeting will be held March 31, 1997, at 7:30 p.m. at the New Brighton Council Chambers.