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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09-20-10-WSARp ENHILLs Approved: October 25, 2010 CITY OF ARDEN HILLS, MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MEETING SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 5:00 P.M. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDERJROLL CALL Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, Mayor Stan Harpstead called to order the City Council Work Session meeting at 5:07 p.m. Present: Mayor Stan Harpstead; Council Members David Grant, Brenda Holden, Fran Holmes, and David McClung. Absent: None. Also present: City Administrator, Patrick Klaers; Public Works Director, Terry Maurer; City Planner, Meagan Beekman; Parks and Recreation Manager, Michelle Olson; Civil Engineer, Kristine Giga; Deputy Clerk, Rebecca Brazys. APPROVAL OF AGENDA MOTION: Councilmember Holden moved and Councilmember McClung seconded a motion to approve the meeting agenda. The motion carried unanimously 5- !at 1. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Councilmember Holden stated that the Celebrating Arden Hills celebration went well; people seemed to enjoy the event and Michelle Olson did a good job planning and organizing the event. Councilmember Grant and Mayor Harpstead agreed. 2. AGENDA ITEMS A. Mounds View School District Bond Levy Presentation Representing Mounds View Schools for this discussion were: Greg Madsen, Mounds View School Board member; Jon Tynjala, Mounds View School Board Chair; and Dan Hoverman, Superintendent. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 2 Greg Madsen explained that the school district wanted to advise the Council that they will be seeking renewal of a no -tax increase levy. He then reviewed several facts about the success of the Mounds View school district: high performing, residents care deeply about the quality of the schools, above average ACT scores for Mounds View students, Irondale and Mounds View have been named by Newsweek in the top 5% of the schools in the nation, and district students perform one to three grade levels above national norms on standardized tests. Mr. Madsen further stated that a community survey was conducted in the spring and 83% of the community residents believe the quality of Mounds View Schools education is excellent l good; 85% believe they receive a good value from their investment; 80% would be proud to recommend the Mounds View schools to others. Mr. Madsen stated the $6 million expiring levy was approved in 2003 and makes up 5% of the total operating budget. He reviewed the decline in state funding to schools pointing out that in 2007 Minnesota spent 1.3% less than the national average per pupil. In 1995, Minnesota ranked 15 in school spending. In 2007, Minnesota had dropped to 42 in the nation. Mr. Tynjala referred to the community survey and explained that 87% of residents believe the budget problems are likely to get worse in the next few years. The school district has made the following reductions since the 2003 levy: closed two schools, cut 160 teachers at a savings of $7.1 million, and cut 33 staff members at a savings of $3.1 million. Additional cost saving measures include: the refund of long -term debt for interest savings of $4.5 million, $800,000 savings in energy expenses, and an increase in user fees such as facility rentals and bus fees. Mr. Tynjala reviewed additional costs containing measures such as budget reductions, controlling administrative costs, and settling labor contracts in mid market. He explained the 2003 levy will expire in 2011 at which time the schools will stop receiving about $6 million a year. The school board decided to ask voters to renew this levy with no increase in taxes. The impact of the 2003 levy was $76 for every $100,000 of taxable market value annually and in 2010 it will be $70 for every $100,000 of taxable market valuable annually. He stated that 90% of the school districts in the state have voter approved levies and rely on those levies for crucial funding. He explained that a successful levy will maintain class sizes and programs, does not provide extras, and will not prevent future reductions as funding conditions are unpredictable. Councilmember Grant commented that he does hear negative comments from residents regarding the bus fees. Superintendent Hoverman explained that the bus fees do not cover the entire transportation cost. Councilmember Holden questioned what percentage of their budget is for salaries. Superintendent Hoverman replied that 80% goes to salaries. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 3 Councilmember Holden asked what's being planned for raises. Superintendent Hoverman explained that most of their staff members are on two -year contracts and that their raise will depend on where that staff member is in the contract period. The school district's goal is to stay competitive with wages so they can retain quality staff members. Councilmember Holden questioned if they are granting raises, what are they planning to cut to stay in a maintenance position with their budget. Councilmember Grant commented he hoped that when considering any possible future repurposing of schools that Valentine Hills Elementary would remain open as it is an asset to our City. Mr. Tynjala explained that the district is currently at capacity and does not have any immediate plans for additional down sizing. Mayor Harpstead encouraged the district to look at joint agreements as a cost saving measure; such as exploring mechanisms at staff level regarding program fees. After some discussion, the Council suggested the school board come to a regular Council meeting and make a brief presentation regarding the levy so that residents will have an opportunity to see the information on a televised meeting. 2.B Trinity Lutheran Church Hazelnut Park Land Purchase Request City Administrator Klaers explained that the Council discussed the proposal from Trinity Lutheran Church and their appraisal at their July 19 worksession. At that time, Council directed Staff to continue discussions with the Church on the possible sale of the property, but indicated that they felt the appraisal value was too high given the assumption regarding the highest and best use for the property and the fact that the configuration of the property posed a significant challenge to subdividing it. The Council directed Staff to make a counter offer to the Church for $174,000. City Administrator Klaers explained that Staff met with representatives of Trinity Lutheran Church and provided them with the Council's position. The purpose of this worksession discussion is to give Milly Bruss and Patricia Nygaard, representatives from the Church, an opportunity to present the Church's goals and position and to give Staff direction on the next course of action. Patricia Nygaard, member of the Trinity Lutheran outreach committee, reviewed the history of this topic stating that the Church owns 4 3/4 acres at this site with the back portion of the property having been preserved for a school. The Church has now decided not to build a school and would like to sell the excess property to the City. They did involve the neighborhood residents in this proposal by hosting a neighborhood meeting. The Church believes that a park is the highest and best use for the additional property. They hired Seve Hasch to determine what is ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 4 consideration, the congregation has decided they are not interested in selling Parcel C the parking lot. They would like the City to determine what specific area they are interested in buying. Councilmember Holmes commented that the appraisal was based on a residential value but Meagan Beekman's memo states it would be difficult to develop the property as residential. Ms. Nygaard suggested the City have its own appraisal done for the park area. She went on to say that sharing the park area with the City has worked well. She indicated that Ramsey County does have a formula for determining the value of park land. Councilmember Grant questioned how the City would use Parcel A. Administrator Klaers explained that is where the sign is located and is the entrance to the park. Mayor Harpstead pointed out that Parcel A also allows access to the road. Councilmember Holmes suggested there be a closed meeting where details would be discussed as far as the value of the land in question and the amount the City would like to offer. The Council consensus was in favor of holding a closed meeting. Councilmember Holden stated she is still concerned about the parking lot agreement and access. City Planner Beekman explained the purchase price could include an access easement across the parking lot, shared maintenance of the parking lot, and the green space. Mayor Harpstead adjourned the worksession at 6:03 p.m. to go into a special meeting to discuss the Arden Hills library Mayor Harpstead resumed the worksession at 6:16 p.m. 2.0 Residential Curbside Recycling Eureka Contract Extension City Planner Beekman explained that the current contract will expire in March 2011. There are two contract renewal options; 2 one year renewals, or an amendment to the contract for a three year extension. Eureka is interested in renewing the contract and is open to the three year extension. Staff is recommending the Council approve two one -year renewals but would support an amendment of the contract to extend three years. City Planner Beekman further explained that the current cost per household is $3.06, but that with revenue sharing this has averaged to $2.41 through July of this year. She explained that Roseville has indicated, based on a recent request for proposals that rates and fuel charges have been increasing. Staff believed the current Eureka contract price is favorable and that customer ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 5 service has been excellent. The Eureka staff is knowledgeable and the City has received positive comments from residents. Councilmember Holden stated that Eureka recycles items that other companies do not. She believed we should compare the level of service as well as cost. Mayor Harpstead agreed that the City receives a high level of service and that Eureka recycles more materials than other companies. He added that he would like to see them recycle plastic bags. Chris Goodwin, Eureka Recycling, explained that they can't take plastic bags at this time because once they're wet it takes a long time for them to dry and they can't be recycled while wet. Mayor Harpstead asked about any composting plans for the future. Chris Goodwin explained that the PCA is looking for comments from cities regarding organic materials. Currently if a company wants to begin handling organic materials, they must go through the very extensive landfill approval process. There is only one organic processing center in the state at this time. Councilmember McClung stated he would be in favor of the 2 one -year extensions or the contract amendment to extend the contract for three years but he would like to review cost comparisons. Chris Goodwin stated that Ramsey County has a source for cost comparisons for cities. Councilmember Holden suggested it would be helpful to educate residents about recycling and she suggested that Eureka add info on a regular basis to the City's newsletter. There was a unanimous Council consensus to direct staff to explore extending the contract with Eureka while providing cost comparisons and composting information. 2.D MnIDOT I -694 Improvement Project follow up from public hearing Public Works Director Maurer explained that the City has until October 25 to act on the matter of Municipal Consent. He further explained that the Transportation Commission can ignore a city's denial of municipal consent and move forward. He suggested a better scenario would be for the city to deny the consent with conditions. He further explained that he and Civil Engineer Kris Giga had met with Mn/DOT, Ramsey County, and Shoreview. A letter from Mn/DOT was included in the Council packet. Mayor Harpstead asked if Shoreview has concerns about any of the proposed changes. Public Works Director Terry Maurer stated that Shoreview is relying on Ramsey County to make sure appropriate improvements are made so there is no adverse impact to Shoreview ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 6 residents from congestion on the County road system. He added that it is his impression that the County is OK with the current proposal. Mayor Harpstead pointed out that a recent admin update referred to the Sheriff's concern about losing access to I694 and asked if that concern has been shared. Public Works Director Terry Maurer responded that issue was not raised by the county at the meeting. Councilmember Holden asked about pedestrian movement. Public Works Director Terry Maurer explained that Chris Chromy suggested a task force be created to look at the pedestrian traffic issue. If the Council chooses to deny Mn/DOT's proposal with conditions, the task force could be one of those conditions. Mayor Harpstead referred to the pedestrian movement comment in Mn/DOT's letter which states they're allowing additional width for that. Councilmember Holmes asked if the State had ever explained why they can't keep the Hamline exit open. Mayor Harpstead responded that the State proposal would require two loops for Hwy 10 and 1694 and that would impact the current Hamline ramps. He then commented that in Mn/DOT's 2030 Plan they talked about closing County Road H and taking some access away at Hwy 96 and Hwy 10. That would result in the loss of access to neighborhoods north of Hwy 96. Public Works Director Terry Maurer stated that if the City simply denies the municipal consent they would be on record as denying a project that is being proposed to address safety and congestion concerns. Councilmember Holden stated the Council had previously passed two resolutions regarding this issue. Councilmember McClung stated that he sees three basic issues: access for residents north of 1694; noise abatement throughout the corridor; and pedestrian movement. Councilmember Holden stated the resolutions included those issues. Councilmember Grant stated he doesn't think costs should come back to the City. But the City will have to have some investment in the pedestrian movement areas. He isn't comfortable with the City having to widen roads to accommodate changes in traffic resulting from the Mn/DOT project. Public Works Director Maurer stated Mn/DOT will follow current policy for the noise wall. They follow a very specific calculation to determine how much of the cost they will absorb. He ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 7 then requested each Councilmember submit a list of conditions they would like to see included in a denial with conditions. Mayor Harpstead commented that it is not in the City's best interest to simply deny municipal consent. He asked Terry to formulate six questions for the Council to review and he asked each Councilmember to respond to Terry on those six questions. Terry and Kris will also review the previously approved resolutions as a starting point. 2.E Staff Updates: Emergency Management Discussion, Community Development Director Search, and Police Contracted Services Annual Performance Review Emergency Management Discussion City Administrator Klaers stated previously the Public Works Director was responsible for the Emergency Management Program. Since the City has such a small staff and since he is not an expert in emergency management, he decided to investigate how other cities handle this issue. He learned that some municipalities hire a contracted employee or consultant to oversee this program. He then interviewed three individuals and has selected the person he believes would be the best fit. He asked the Council to authorize him to request a proposal from Lance Ross, Emergency Preparedness Resource Group LLC. He pointed out there is $1 0,000 in the 2011 budget for contracted services. Councilmember Holden explained that she has this type of responsibility in her full time position and that it would take a great deal of City Staff time to manage the program. She supported the idea of hiring a contractor. The consensus of the Council was to move forward with obtaining a proposal from Lance Ross. Community Development Director Search City Administrator Klaers stated the Staff committee involved in the interviews unanimously recommends one candidate. He asked if the Council would like to meet with her prior to the next regular meeting. Mayor Harpstead commented that director level positions bring direction and ideas to the table and that it would be a good idea for the Council to meet with her. City Administrator Klaers explained that this candidate would be taking a cut in wages and benefits but she is very interested in this opportunity from a professional standpoint. She is concerned about the fact that the City has had four Community Development Directors in the past nine years and she is concerned about her job security. To address that concern, Mr. Klaers has added a severance clause to the employment contract that would allow for six month's severance if she is terminated without cause in the first two years; three month's severance if she is terminated without cause in two to four years; and no severance after four years. Mayor Harpstead pointed out that the City hasn't dismissed anyone without cause. ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 8 Councilmember McClung commented that the Community Development Directors who left in the last nine years did not leave due to Council action. He was concerned about setting a precedent when the City doesn't have a record of early releases. Councilmember Holden stated that some of the reasons the other directors left was because of Council action. She added that we are a small city and this is a very qualified candidate. She didn't think it's a big deal to have the severance clause. She also trusted the Staffs judgment and believed this candidate will be a good fit. Councilmember Grant stated he didn't think a precedent would be set. He further stated that having the right person in the position is more important than the severance clause. Public Works Director Maurer commented that as a staff peer, he is not concerned about this employee's wages or benefits but is much more concerned about having the right person in the position. The consensus of the Council was to move forward with this candidate and to have each Council member meet with her one -on -one prior to the next regular meeting. Police Contracted Services Annual Performance Review City Administrator Klaers presented the Ramsey County Sheriff's department review from last year and the form for this year. Councilmember McClung stated the Council hadn't gotten any follow -up from comments previously presented. Councilmember Holmes stated she would like to see the Sheriffs deputies have more interaction with residents. Mayor Harpstead agreed that the deputies should attend various events at City parks and interact with the residents. Councilmember Holden stated that she believes there have been improvements, such as less school issues and less graffiti. But she would like to see better communications with City neighborhoods regarding safety and crime concerns. Councilmember McClung stated that he has received complaints that parking on City streets is not being enforced. Other Council comments offered: Improvements made: Increased visibility, experienced staff, good representation at Night to Unite and Celebrating Arden Hills Suggestions: Bike or ATV squads in neighborhoods and on trails, regular patrolling of neighborhoods ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION SEPTEMBER 20, 2010 9 City Administrator Klaers will send Councilmembers the list of six questions for additional input. Councilmember Holden asked the City Administrator if he would mention at the next Sheriff s meeting that the deputies are starting the sirens early and loud on Hamline Avenue, which is something they had previously agreed not to do. ADJOURN Mayor Harpstead adjourned the City Council Work S- .lion meeting at 7:51 p.m. a4e,;( Patrick Klaers S'an Ha e ead City Administrator Mayor