Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC 10-28-1996 . . MINUTES CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA .. REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 28, 1996 7:30 P.M. - NEW BRIGHTON COUNCIL CHAMBERS . . CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL . Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Dennis Probst called to order the regular City Council meeting at 7:31 p,m, . Present: Mayor Dennis Probst, Counci1members 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; Parks and Recreation Director, Cindy Walsh; Administrative Secretary, .. Sheila Stowell; and Recording Secretary, Carla Wirth, . ADOPT AGENDA MOTION: Hicks moved and Aplikowski seconded a motion to adopt the agenda for the . October 28, 1996, Regular City Council meeting as presented. The motion carried unanimously (5-0), I APPROVAL OF MINUTES I October 15, 1996, Regular Council Meeting No Corrections. . October 21, 1996, Council Worksession Meeting . No Corrections. MOTION: Aplikowski moved and Keirn seconded a motion to approve the October 15, 1996, . Regular Council Meeting minutes and the October 21,1996, Council Worksession Meeting minutes as presented. The motion carried unanimously (5- .. 0), . I I ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 28. 1996 2 .. CONSENT CALENDAR I A. Claims and Payroll B, Resolution #96-65, Designating Election Results Canvassing Meeting C. Resolution #96-61, Vacating Sanitary Sewer Easement, Gateway Business District I D. Award New Plow Truck Accessories Bid Mayor Probst advised he will be out of town on November 6, 1996, and asked if a quorum will I be present at the Election Results Canvassing Meeting, Councilmember Hicks stated he will also be out of town. Councilmember Keirn advised she will be at a convention but will attend the I meeting, Brian Fritsinger, City Administrator, noted it is expected to be a short 15-minute meeting. It was determined that a quorum will be present, I Mr. Fritsinger recommended that Resolution #96-61 be revised to include an additional "WHEREAS" section indicating the City has found no public purpose to keep the sanitary sewer easement. I MOTION: Malone moved and Keirn seconded a motion to approve the Consent Calendar as presented and authorize execution of all necessary documents contained therein I. with a revision to Resolution #96-61 to include an additional WHEREAS, as recommended, The motion carried unanimously (5-0). PUBLIC COMMENTS I Mayor Probst invited the audience to address the Council on any issue not already on the agenda, I There were no public comments, UNFINISHED AND NEW BUSINESS I A. Reconsideration of Planning Case #95-23, Homes by James I Kevin Ringwald, Community Development Director, advised the new property owner has asked the Council to reconsider one of the conditions of Planning Case #95-23, Beutow RLS I Subdivision, because they would like to change the driveway location from the southwesterly side of 1417 Forest Lane, He explained the property owner hired a protessional forester to review the site and develop a different plan since following the conditions of approval results in I the removal of nine trees and a driveway with an 18 percent slope, which is relatively steep and possibly a safety hazard, Mr. Ringwald advised the forester prepared two plans, one with a "Z" driveway configuration starting at the southeast corner resulting with nine trees removed and a I 10% driveway slope, The second plan shows the driveway on the easterly side and the removal of nine trees and a 12% driveway slope, Mr. Ringwald noted that the forester is of the opinion that two of the trees to be removed in the last option have a high potential to die due to current .. cracking. Staff is comfortable with the requested modification and talked with the adjacent property owner (Dorothy Pederson, 1409 Forest Lane) who indicated she is also comfortable as I I I ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 28. 1996 3 .. long as the proposal does not result in the removal of any more trees and protects the mature trees. Staff recommends an additional slight modification to address silt fence issues across the I front of the property and in two other locations. With that modification, staff recommends approval to the modifications ofthe Beutow plat. I Councilmember Hicks asked if the floor plan will be reversed and the garage moved from the western to eastern side ofthe house. Mr. Ringwald stated this is correct. Councilmember Hicks questioned the rationale for the original driveway location restriction, Mr. Ringwald explained I that due to the large nwnber of mature trees on the site, the Beutow's were required to submit a plan which indicated how they would preserve the maximwn nwnher of trees. Councilmember Hicks noted the requested modification results in a similar loss of trees but provides a better I driveway slope. I The applicant indicated he had nothing to add to staffs presentation. MOTION: Malone moved and Hicks seconded a motion to approve the change in driveway I location to the easterly side at 1417 Forest Lane with the modification to include the silt fence as recommended by staff, The motion carried unanimously (5-0). I. B. Creation of Building Inspector Position Mr. Fritsinger advised the Council is asked to consider the creation of a pennanent full-time I Building Inspector position and reviewed the proposed job description as drafted by staff. It was noted the creation of this position was first considered as part of the preliminary 1997 Budget and again at the October 21, 1996, Council Worksession. He advised the rationale for this I consideration is to provide better customer service and cost savings, Mr. Fritsinger explained consideration is recommended at this time due to the requirement to provide a 60-day notice to I David Kriesel, Inc., and to allow adequate transition time for the new employee, Mr. Fritsinger reviewed the suggested areas of responsibility as contained in the proposed job I description and recommended Council authorize the creation of the full-time Building Inspector position and to provide the consultant with a 60-day notice. I Councilmember Malone stated while it should be more cost effective to out-source this type of work, he understands that in this instance, it is not the case, He noted the advantage of providing increased customer service and availability, Councilmember Malone emphasized that this I consideration has nothing to do with the performance of the consultants who have provided an excellent service to the City of Arden Hills but, rather, is a financial and customer service consideration. I Councilmember Aplikowski concurred and noted a length oftime will be needed to build up the level of expertise with the new hiree, .. I I I ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 28. 1996 4 Ie Mayor Probst agreed and commented on the need to address this type of consideration (use of consultant versus employee) on a case-by-case basis, I MOTION: Hicks moved and Aplikowski seconded a motion to authorize the creation of a full-time Building Inspector position and direct staff to advertise such position I immediately and give the current affected service providers (David W, Kriesel, Inc. and Gene Pakoy) a 60-day notice that the City will be terminating its relationship with them and relay to them the rationale is cost savings and to I provide better customer service to residents, COlmcilmember Keirn questioned who will assume responsibility should this position not be I filled within 60 days, Mr. Fritsinger stated he does not believe this will present a problem but will address it with the consultant. I Councilmember Hicks asked staff to prepare comparative cost data on out -sourcing inspection services versus hiring an employee and the cost savings which would have been realized if an I employee had been hired in past years. He requested that this information be available at the upcoming truth-in-taxation meetings and commented it will help to address questions on the increase to staff level, should it be raised, I. Councilmember Aplikowski inquired whether any duties have been added to the current job description, Mr. Ringwald noted the mention regarding knowledge of computers so they are able I to track permit applications, The motion carried unanimously (5-0), I c. Review Chapters 1 and 2 - Arden Hills City Code I Mr. Fritsinger requested the Council provide input on Chapters I and 2 of the Arden Hills City Code. He noted that Chapter 1 has been reorganized and the only two significant additions or I changes have been to add Section 120.05, Issuances of Summonses, and to change the language in Section 120.03 to address fines, I With regard to Chapter 2, Mr. Fritsinger advised there are six issues to address: Section 210,02, Salaries, reflecting the salary changes made several years ago; Section 210.03, Council Meetings, incorporating new language; Section 220.03, Human Rights Commission, deleting based on I previous Council action; Section 220.05, Fire Department, adding new language as recommended by the LMC; Section 230, Civil Defense, appointing Ramsey County as the responsible agency; and, Section 240, which will be deleted and replaced by a personnel policy. I Mr. Fritsinger advised that with regard to Section 2.10,03, Council meeting dates, the City Attorney has advised that the Council is not required to hold a meeting right after the first of the .. year and those appointment issues can be handled at the first regular meeting of the month, I ----- r ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 28. 1996 5 - Councilmember Hicks noted if this reference is removed, the Council could still schedule a special meeting after the first of the year so he supports removing it since the Council can maintain that flexibility. However, Councilmember Hicks indicated support for holding the first meeting of the year just after January 1 st to allow new Councilmembers to get involved immediately instead of having to wait for two weeks. I Mayor Probst stated he does not support adding things to the Code if it is not required. He asked if the meeting dates (first and last Monday) need to be specified in the Code or could simply indicate "twice a month". . Mr. Fritsinger noted the Council has reviewed Section 2.40 which deals with personnel issues and discussed removing it from the Code and adopting a personnel policy by resolution. Mayor Probst reviewed the definition of "terms" as indicated in Chapter 1, Pages 1-9, and suggested the examples used be pertinent to the Code. He also supported the use of the word "administrator". Mr. Fritsinger explained under the Code it can be called "city administrator", "city clerk", or "clerk administrator" just as long as it is consistent. Mayor Probst stated if there are no objections he would suggest using the term "administrator" consistently, Councilmember Malone provided some background by explaining that in an Optional A city (such as Arden Hills), the chief position is a "clerk administrator" and according to State law, there is no "administrator" it is "clerk administrator". He suggested the Code conform with the State's use of terminology. Councilmember Malone stated he believes the City of Arden Hills outgrew the status of Optional A some time ago and believes Optional B is a better classification for the City. However, such a change must be done at a general election. Councilmember Malone explained that with an Optional B classification, the term would be "city manager", Mayor Probst suggested that, perhaps, this is a good time to work towards a change in classification to Optional B, a Councilmember Aplikowski asked how many Code changes would be needed if Arden Hills becomes an Optional B city, Mr. Fritsinger explained this chapter and the personnel policy 1ll would be impacted; however, with this codification the City will have the documents on computer disk and be better able to make a change. 'rc Councilmember Hicks stated it may be wordy to use "clerk administrator" and suggested a better ^ term for the lead employee is "administrator", Councilmember Aplikowski concurred and added that the term "clerk" brings to mind a different sort of responsibility. Councilmember Malone stated he has no objection to the use ofthe term "administrator", ----- , , . ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - OCTOBER 28. 1996 8 - COUNCIL COMMENTS ... Councilmember Hicks inquired regarding park dedication for a connecting trail for the Katie Lane area, Mr. Fritsinger explained it was platted as an outlot, not dedicated to City, and the ~ actual transfer of the property has never taken place. He advised that Ms. Walsh and Mr, Ringwald are currently working with City Attorney and the property owner on how that property can be transferred to the City. Councilmember Hicks advised of a resident's (NorthTown Home Association) comment that they were happy in their work with Ms, Walsh and how the trail is working out. He extended his appreciation to Ms. Walsh for her work with these residents, Councilmember Malone reported the Fire Association's meeting is upcoming and advised of issues he will address with them, Councilmember Aplikowski commented on the narrow road width proposed for Highway 96 in North Oaks and asked if the Arden Hills segment cannot be designed similarly, Mr, Fritsinger commented on the need to correct traffic issues and asked if the County and City would be satisfied to "live with" additional traffic on existing intersections, Mayor Probst added that there are also no left turn lanes within that segment. Mr. Fritsinger M noted that the trail will be built through North Oaks, which would not be possible with Councilmember Aplikowski's suggestion. Councilmember Aplikowski reported on the Businessman's Luncheon which was attended by 17 and that a primary concern was with signage, She advised that several attenders volunteered to serve on a task force to provide input and expressed their desire for signage to identify the business location. Councilmember Aplikowski requested that the Businessman's membership Iv receive a copy of the City newsletter. Councilmember Aplikowski stated her understanding that Cottage Villas is a senior complex and I{ advised it is currently renting to those under 50 years of age. Mr. Fritsinger explained that a certain number of units can be rented to those under 50 years of age. Councilmember .- Aplikowski noted that all of the Cottage Villa promotional materials identify it as senior housing, 1 ~S( Councilmember Keirn asked when the County Road D project will be completed. Dwayne Stafford, Public Works Superintendent, stated he is unsure but will check and advise the Council. The Council requested staff call the county to encourage expedient completion, Mayor Probst stated he likes the department head reports and asked Mr. Stafford about the Public Works Committee which is meeting every other month, Mr. Stafford explained that in October, the Committee toured City facilities but only one member attended,