2011-05-25 CC WS Minutes - Approved

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City Council 2011-05-25 7:20 p.m. Minutes of Work Session Present were Mayor Tom Wilharber, Council members Jeff Paar, Steve King, D Love, and Ben Fehrenbacher. Also present were Mark Statz of Bonestroo & Assoc., City Attorney Kurt Glaser, Finance Director Mike Jeziorski and Public Works Director Paul Palzer. Budget Update . Dallas Larson indicated that staff has been working to refine a plan for long-term street maintenance, but needs council feedback before putting the expense in the 2012 budget. Public Works Director Paul Palzer presented a revised plan for street maintenance. His plan assumes that each street would receive a 1-2 inch overlay about every 12-18 years, depending upon the condition and traffic volumes. The cost would be about $24 per lineal foot of street and would require about $150,000 per year to be allocated to the program. The council discussed whether or not a modest special assessment should be levied to supplement the amount that would be included in the general tax levy. Consensus was that staff should fine tune the plan and present the financial impacts with and without the special assessment option. The council briefly discussed replacement of city vehicles. If vehicle replacement is to be included in the budget, staff must provide clear documentation justifying it. Council discussed the issue repairing curb stops that are located in driveways. Consensus was that the city would. Repair the portion of the driveway that is removed but not have responsibility if the material colors do not match the balance of the driveway. Staff would have authority to work with the property owner to square off the repairs at existing joints if that makes sense. Council Goals. Dallas Larson requested that Council discuss its goals related to economic development. Larson reviewed a program of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development called “Shovel Ready Sites.” The program provides a certification process to determine that a commercial or industrial building site is ready to build upon. It was proposed to enroll the city property on the north side of Commerce Drive. The process requires that an application be submitted together with documentation showing the sites utilities, soil conditions, and ownership-title condition. The cost to the city would be the application fee of about $3000, together with doing a Phase 1 environmental study and having a title insurance commitment done on the property. Total costs would be $5000-$6000, but Connexus has a grant program to pay for the application fee. The benefit to the city is having the outside review and certification that the site is ready for building. Consensus was that staff should present a formal proposal with costs for the program.