HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011-05-25 CC WS Minutes - Approved
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.
Code Compliance
. Council discussed the enforcement of nuisance complaints.
When complaints come in, staff would visit the location and take pictures to
document the problem. Then a letter is mailed to the owner asking for the problem to
be corrected.
A recent complaint was received relating to the property at 7121 Centerville Road.
The neighbor complains that the property harbors skunks, opossum and rodents.
Pictures of the property were supplied by the neighbor that show significant debris
and other items that might violate the code. There was general agreement that the
problems with vermin should be resolved and if the process indicates that other code
violations are occurring, then those should also be remedied as well.
The meeting was adjourned at approximately 9:15 p.m.
Dallas Larson, Administrator