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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCWS 11-17-1997 MINUTES . CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA WORKSESSION MONDAY, NOVEMBER 17,1997 4:45 P.M. - ARMY RESERVE CENTER, 4655 LEXINGTON A VENUE NORTH CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Dennis Probst called to order the City Council Worksession at 4:55 p.m. Present were Councilmembers Dale Hicks, Beverly Aplikowski, and Paul Malone; City Administrator, Brian Fritsinger; Community Development Director, Kevin Ringwald; City Accountant, Terrance Post; Public Works Superintendent, Dwayne Stafford; Parks and Recreation Director, Cindy Walsh; and Administrative Secretary, Sheila Stowell. Councilmember Susan Keim was not present. APPROVAL OF MEETING AGENDA MOTION: Aplikowski moved and Hicks seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda for the November 17, 1997 Worksession. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). CITY ISSUES - SHORT TERM . a. Committee Review Mr. Fritsinger reviewed the status of the City's existing committees, commissions and task forces as a follow up to the Council's initiation of structural revisions implemented in 1997. Mr. Fritsinger summarized comparisons of each group's Mission Statement, goals, membership list and accomplishments to-date, and sought direction from the City Council as to 1998 plans, confirmation of interest by current members, and advertisement for vacancies. Discussion ineluded the reorganization of existing volunteer groups, and the identification of possible additional task forces including; Youth Commission, City Facilities Task Force and City Communications Task Force. Mayor Probst informed Coullcilmembers and staff that the joint Youth Commission for the Cities of Arden Hills and Shoreview was planning their initial meeting in December, 1997. Further discussion included the need to re-energize several existing committees, ways to express and define Council expectations, communication responsibilities between Council Liaisons and committee volunteers, and how to make the citizen groups more productive overall. It was the consensus of the City Council that broader community involvement should be the main goal of any committee structure. . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION - NOVEMBER 17. 1997 2 . Council Liaisons were requested to seek input from existing committee, commission and task force members at their December meetings regarding, I) whether individual members wished to continue serving in 1998; 2) what specific projects committee members thought were timely; and 3) how the committee sees itself and its purpose in the overall local city government process. Staff was directed to develop a list of specific projects to be distributed at the Town Hall meeting, and seek interested applications from those in attendance. Mayor Probst requested that additional discussions take place following connnittee input and the Town Hall meeting applications. Councilmembers briefly reviewed a proposed letter of appreciation for this year's committee volunteers. b. Town Hall Meeting:. Preliminary Planning Mr. Fritsinger outlined preliminary preparations for the 1998 Town Hall meeting scheduled for Saturday, January 10, 1998 at Bethel College. . Discussion included how best to handle the "Question and Answer" portion of the meeting to accommodate the greatest number of requests; inclusion of civic organizations; highlighting pending City Hall construction; and advertising and promotion of the event. It was the consensus of the City Council that the pending City Hall construction be used as a cornerstone for the meeting. Staff was directed to proceed as outlined similar to last year's meeting. CITY ISSUES - LONG TERM a. Councilmember Malone - Review City LogoIDiscuss History & Future Councilmember Malone reviewed the history and development of the City's existing logo and various issues related to the usage of this symbol. Mr. Malone addressed various areas to be considered ifthe Council were to pursue a revised logo, including; definition of the City's identification and recognition; the message and image the City wants to communicate; consistency and continuity; implications in conjunction with proposed signage for a reconstructed Hwy. 96; and important qualifications to look for in potential designers. Staff was directed to pursue proposals from several designers for a potential revised logo . lor the City. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION - NOVEMBER 17. 1997 3 . b. Personnel 1. Personnel Policy Manual Review Mr. Fritsinger reviewed the draft Personnel Policy Manual as prepared by staff and Labor Relations Associates, and compared it's content with that of Chapter 19 of the City's existing Municipal Code. Mr. Fritsinger stated that the City Council had elected to remove the Personnel Policy for City employees from the Municipal Code as part of the codification process. Following further discussion, staff was directed to pursue revisions to the City's current vacation and sick leave benefits, provision oflong-term disability insurance, severance package revisions, and various employee incentive programs as generally discussed, for final Council review and consideration. 2. Employee Service Reco!!nition Pro~ram Mr. Fritsinger reviewed various options regarding the City's benefit package and employee service recognition and how the City, as an employer, fit into the broader market. Mr. Fritsinger stated the City Council may wish to consider . differing levels of recognition for different departments and responsibility levels, and not just consider longevity issues. Mr. Fritsinger also reviewed employees' requests for recognition of the importance of balancing their job with their personal lives. Councilmembers and staff again reviewed those items addressed during discussion ofthe City's Personnel Policy revisions. Staff was directed to draft a proposed incentive program to Council for review and consideration. MISCELLANEOUS ITEMS Truth-In-Taxation Bench Handout Mr. Fritsinger distributed a bench handout from Ramsey County for Council review, which Mr. Post will be incorporating into the Truth-In-Taxation public hearing scheduled for Thursday, December 5, 1997. December, 1997/Januarv, 1998 City Council Meeting Schedule Mr. Fritsinger reviewed various Council meeting dates, and requested direction from Council regarding the December meetings due to the holidays and the January, 1998 organizational meeting and pending Council meetings. . ---- ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORKSESSION - NOVEMBER 17. 1997 4 . Staff was directed to revise the meeting schedule as follows: December 29, 1997 Regular Council Meeting Cancel January 2, 1998 Organizational Meeting Cancel · January 5, 1998 .Council Organizational and Regular Meeting Schedule January 12, 1998 Regular Council Meeting Cancel Zoninl! Ordinance Revisions Councilmember Malone requested clarification of apparent amendments made to the City's Zoning Ordinance brought to his attention by a citizen, regarding the storage of recreational vehicles in residential areas. Staff was directed to review the history of this amendment and forward this information . to the City Council for further discussion. Community Bond Rating Mayor Probst addressed the favorable "A+" bond rating received by the community, and commended staff on their work in providing the necessary information to the rating agency, Standard and Poors. ADJOURN MOTION: Hicks moved and Aplikowski seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:50 p.m. The motion carried unanimously (4-0). .