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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-01-27 CC WS & Council - Approve CITY OF CENTERVILLE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION & COUNCIL MEETING January 27, 2021 5:00 p.m. Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City of Centerville held their regularly scheduled City Council Meeting on January 27, 2021 via Zoom Videoconferencing at: https://zoom.us/j/478824301, Meeting ID: 478 824 301 with audio only available at: 312-626- 6799. The meeting was also live streamed by North Metro TV. WORK SESSION I.CALL TO ORDER Mayor Love called the meeting to order at 5:01 p.m. ROLL CALL* Approved PRESENT: Mayor D. Love Council Member Steve King Council Member Russ Koski Council Member Michelle Lakso Council Member Darrin Mosher ABSENT: None. STAFF: City Administrator Mark Statz City Attorney Kurt Glaser Public Works Director Paul Palzer d to mean that the noted individuals were visibly and audibly present on the videoconference call. Administrator Statz reminded Council and the audience that the meeting was taking place via zoom. Centerville Elementary School Presentation II.AGENDA ITEMS 1.Centerville Elementary School Expansion, Mr. Patrick Chaffey (Executive Director of Business Services, Centennial School District), Mr. Brian Deitz (Superintendent Nexus Solutions) Mr. Patrick Chaffey thanked the Council for the opportunity to present their upcoming expansion plans for the Centerville Elementary School. Mr. Chaffey also thanked the City for working closely with them regarding the plat process and deeds associated with their previous project that they undertook. He stated that again, the School District would be working with Nexus Solutions, Inc. to reroute the municipal sewer line that runs behind the school to the front of the school to allow for their upcoming expansion project if it meets grade requirements. He stated that they City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 intend on commencing their project as soon as June 9, 2021 when school ends for the year. He stated that the expansion calls for all new playground equipment as they received funding through both the PTA and PTO. He stated that they would be re-using some of the equipment, however minimal. He explained that they would be adding kindergarten space as 125-150 kids would be added to the school in the next few years. He also reviewed other areas that would be receiving work such as a storm shelter, relocations of rooms and the addition of break out spaces for students. He reviewed renderings of the project with Council. Mr. Deitz thanked Mr. Chaffey for the presentation and stated that it is believed that with the improvements, the Centerville Elementary School will be a great place to conduct learning and the District is very excited for the project. Council Member King questioned the costs of the project and asked it the District would be requesting to levy for the project. He also asked about the size of the storm shelter as it would not accommodate all students and staff. Mr Chaffey explained that the expansion was financially covered by the District as a levy recently came off and another one came on. He also stated that the storm shelter meets minimum requirements for size and materials. Building Official Palzer stated that plans have not been submitted for review to the State of Minnesota or the City. He stated that the State is responsible for the review. Mayor Love thanked the School District for their presentation and stated that they have been great partners in the community, he is excited for the growth and accommodation the school is making. He also stated that the existing landscaping was looking wonderful. 2. Targeted Picketing Ordinance Administrator Statz stated that brief discussion took place several months ago when the City of Hugo experienced unrest due to protesters where they gathered outside of a neighborhood which made residents intimidated, unsafe in their own homes and uncomfortable. Attorney Glaser stated that the draft ordinance is in response to the type of protest within a residential area. He stated that there were three (3) sections to the draft ordinance with two of the sections are from State Statute. He stated that the first two (2) are and the third section is not. He stated that the individual and family that were targeted in Hugo did not give permission to have st the protesters in front of their home. He explained that the 1 amendment right is important to protect in all aspects (protesters/individual being protested, etc.) He addressed the second section of the draft ordinance by stating that the ordinance assists the police department in assisting protesters in exercising their rights, they speak with people in the crowd in attempts to control the if their actions become out-of-hand and there are clear violations of the law, criminal charges will be initiated. He stated that many of the protesters have hired attorneys that understand the law. He also stated that the draft ordinance would allow the police ability to police a protest and only initiate charges/tickets if laws were broken while protecting residents that are not a part of the protest within their home, ability to enter/exit their private property, etc. Lengthy discussion by Council took place regarding a permitted process (event permit), appropriate place to protest, state statute, City of White Bear Lake Page 2 of 10 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 tions of the improper use of the proposed ordinance, limiting the number of individuals who can participate in an event could hinder some City events, whether it was legal in the State of MN or not, whether Centerville could enact, etc. 3.Televising Committee Meetings Administrator Statz stated that North Metro TV has offered to operate the cablecasting equipment to answer questions from time to time and have an opportunity to stay informed but this is a tool that the City could take advantage of and provide the public with all meetings via live stream, on the cable channel, etc. He stated that if the Clerk desired to continue to operate the equipment for Council he was fine with that. Council consensus was to provide the President/Chairs with Roberts Rules of Order, that transparency was good, that they would like input from Committee/Commission members, requesting that NMTV also cover Police and Fire meetings. 4.Council Retreat Topics Administrator Statz stated that he has been br such as (transparency, downtown development, Council Members brought up broad goals, logo, development, the Master Plan, the Comprehensive Plan, deviation from plans, impacts of neighborin public safety, the technology corridor, the future of the Fire District, succession planning, etc. Mayor Love requested that Administrator Statz forw III.ADJOURNMENT The Mayor closed the Work Session at 6:25 p.m. COUNCIL MEETING I.CALL TO ORDER Mayor Love called the meeting to order at 6:31 p.m. ROLL CALL* Approved PRESENT: Mayor D. Love Council Member Steve King Council Member Russ Koski Council Member Michelle Lakso Council Member Darrin Mosher Page 3 of 10 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 ABSENT: None. STAFF: City Administrator Mark Statz City Attorney Kurt Glaser Public Works Director Paul Palzer the noted individuals were visibly and audibly present on the videoconference call. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE III. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mayor Love provided an opportunity for others to add or delete any items. Administrator Statz added chCompanies; Sun Life; and AFLAC. He explained that the Sun Life check was just a timing issue and the AFLAC issue was sent to the wrong address and was cashed by a wrong recipient, and have no issues a new check and a refund check is on its way from the wrongful recipient. Motion by Council Member Koski, seconded by Council Member King, to Approve the Agenda as Amended. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso & Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. IV. APPOINTMENTS/PRESENTATIONS 1. Appointing Planning & Zoning Commissioners Administrator Statz explained that here were three candidates that interviewed in front of the Planning and Zoning Commission. After much discussion, the Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended the appointment of David Kubat and Les Kuiper. He shared some background information and experience about the candidates and explained that the hope is to have the new Commissioners seated for next The Council expressed their opinion that these are two excellent candidates that will do a good job serving on the Planning and Zoning Commission. They expressed their appreciation for the interest from all three of the candidates. They noted that Pat Branch has been an extremely valuable member of the community in the past and expressed their hopes that he would continue to be a valuable member of the community, even though he was not selected to serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Motion by Council Member Koski, seconded by Council Member Mosher, to appoint David Kubat and Les Kuiper to the Planning & Zoning Commission. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso, and Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. Page 4 of 10 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 2. Appointing EDA Commissioner Administrator Statz explained that there were two interested candidates in the one open position on the EDA. After deliberation, the EDA recommended appointment of Mark Remillard to the EDA. recommendation and agreed that Mr. Remillard seemed like a good fit. Mayor Love noted that the various communications efforts that the City is using including, e-mail blasts, Twitter, Facebook, reader Minutes, seem to be working and information is getting out to people that want to be involved in the City. Motion by Council Member King, seconded by Council Member Mosher, to appoint Mark Remillard to serve on the EDA. A roll call vote was taken. Mayor Love, and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso and Mosher voted in favor Motion carried. V. PUBLIC HEARINGS 1. None VI. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES 1. None VII. CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Love reminded the Council that the Consent Agenda will include the three checks (#33523- 33525) added by Administrator Statz at the beginning of the meeting. 1. City of Centerville Claims through January 27, 2021 (Check #33483-33519, 33523-33525), 1640E-1644E) &Voided Check #33483, 33520-33522) 2. Centennial Lake Police Department Claims through January 21, 2021 (Check #13600-13623), (E2021003-2021004) & Payroll (Check #13598-13599) 3. Centennial Fire District Claims through January 26, 2021 (Check #8979-8994) & (E2021001) Mayor Love provided an opportunity for Council to add or remove any item(s) to/from the consent agenda. Motion by Council Member Lakso, seconded by Council Member Koski, to Approve Consent Agenda Items #1, #2, #3, and #4 as amended. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso & Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. VIII.OLD BUSINESS Page 5 of 10 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 1. None IX. NEW BUSINESS 1. on of Contract for City Assessor Administrator Statz explained that Ken Tolzmann who has served as the City Assessor for the past 12 years is retiring and has let the City know that he would like his contract with the City to expire at the end of February. After putting out feelers, the City received two competitive proposals from the County and from Mary Wells and her organization. Finance Director DeJong noted that Ms. Wells has made herself and her staff available for after- hours meetings, when necessary, in order to connect with homeowners who may have a hard time getting away during the day. He stated that he thinks this is something that is very advantageous to the City. Mary Wells introduced herself and her team members Chris Larson, and Eric Skoguist. She reviewed their experience in Anoka County and they all shared some of their background experience in this field. Council Member Lakso stated that the City had received proposals from Ms. Wells as well as from the County. She noted that the City had used the County prior to contracting with Mr. Tolzmann and questioned if that was just the default or if there was some other reason. Administrator Statz stated that he believes the change from the County to Mr. Tolzmann was at first a cost saving measure, but also to give a bit more local control. He stated that he believes this is why about 50% of the cities within the County choose to use a private consultant rather than the County. Mayor Love asked how the cost for the new proposed Administrator Statz stated that he believes it is a bit higher, but noted that Mr. Tolzmann had a three-year contract, so if he would have submitted a new proposal, his rates probably would have also increased. Finance Director DeJong stated that the new proposed contract is about $1,600 higher than what the City expected from Mr. Tolzmann. He noted that he thinks this proposal is very fair considering all the leg work that Ms. Wells and her staff will be doing while they are getting to know the town and building their own files and history. Mayor Love thanked staff for going out and doing this work to get these proposals for the Council to consider. Motion by Council Member Koski, seconded by Council Member King, to Adopt Resolution #21-003 - Authorizing Execution of Contract for City Assessor . A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso & Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. Page 6 of 10 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 Mayor Love welcomed Ms. Wells, Mr. Larson, and Mr. Skogquist to the City. 2. ty Revolving Loan and Grant Program Administrator Statz gave some background information on the low interest loan and grant program that originally began through the EDA. He noted that the funds were initially set up when the City built Chauncy Barett, however the City has not utilized the funds for quite some time. He explained that it was been determined the HRA requires the grantee to the be the City. Staff is recommending that this program be established as a City program, with recommendations for the awards to come from the EDA. He noted that Councilmember King had contacted him with some questions and he was able to get answers from the County. There is currently a balance of $327,000 in the HRA account as of the beginning of 2020, and noted that about $50,000 is put in from the levy. He noted that these are 2020 figures because the 2021 numbers are not yet ready. He stated that the County feels very comfortable that there is enough operating income and cushion to the capital fund to allow the City to spend some of that money on this Revolving Loan and Grant program for the initial $25,000 to seed the loan and grant pool. He clarified that there is no connection between these funds and the CDGB funds. Finance Director DeJong noted that the City has an applicant who has completed a project and is awaiting funding. Mayor Love asked for an explanation of how Chauncey Barrett is connected to these funds and asked if there are any potential buildings in the future that could be attached to these funds. Administrator Statz stated that a number of years ago the City decided jointly with the County that they wanted to use the HRA funds to create a building for affordable senior housing. The Council invested the money to provide an amenity to the City that would allow life cycle housing. He noted that there is an agreement with the County on some joint bonds and until those bonds are paid off, the City is obligated to continue to keep this place operational and prop it up, if necessary. As far as any future building, it would be the that there is a need because Chauncey Barett is full and has a waiting list, so perhaps the Council may want to use the money to build another 20 units. Council Member Mosher asked if any other businesses had used this fund. Administrator Statz explained that a grant was awarded to the Southern Rail for the construction of an accessory building, but the work has not yet been completed, so they would be considered a pending application, but noted that the timeframe may have technically run out. Council Member King noted that he had spoken with Administrator Statz earlier today to ask some questions including the possibility of getting Chauncey Barrett off of this account, so the full amount of money could be utilized. He stated that his concern is for planning purposes, because there is no way to know how much Chauncey Barrett may draw out of these funds. He stated that he thinks the City should check more often, such as monthly or quarterly, to see what Chauncey Barrett will do in order to track that more accurately. Page 7 of 10 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 Administrator Statz stated that the Joint Powers Agreement with the County is tied specifically to the bonds that were issued. The bond requires that they keep, at minimum, whatever the last levy amount was, however the County has always recommended keeping twice that amount, so they are recommending it not dip below $100,000. He stated the City can control the amount and number of grants that they give so they have control over how much is spent. He stated that he had spoken with Karen Skepper from the County about this issue and she offered to attend a future Council meeting to give a report on this as well as answer Council questions. He noted that at the end of the bond, the City will have the choice to continue the relationship with the County in keeping this facility up and running or make the choice to sell it to the private market. Council Member Koski noted that he has more questions for both Administrator Statz and Finance Director DeJong that he would like to have a deeper conversation about because he did not realize bonding was involved in this issue. He asked if he was understanding it correctly that these are City funds that are shared with the County, but the County executes what happens with the funds. Administrator Statz gave a brief overview of the HRA levy and the JPA with the County for Chauncey Barrett. He stated that the JPA has the County managing the facility which is why the City has not been particular engaged in how the money is being spent. He stated that he agrees that the City probably should have been more engaged in that process and feels it may have been ned that his goal is to be more engaged in the future. Council Member Koski suggested that this program be something that is discussed at the Council retreat. Mayor Love stated that he would like the County to come to a future meeting and discuss details of this program. Motion by Council Member Lakso, seconded by Council Member Koski, to approve Resolution #21-004 Establishing a Revolving Loan and Grant program. A roll call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso, and Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. X. COUNCIL/ADMINISTRATOR ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Administrator Statz stated that there is a lot of progress being made on City Hall. He explained that there will be a walk-through tomorrow with the contractor with the hopes of having the finished product ready for a soft opening on February 1, 2021. The City Hall will be open to the public with the lobby and front desk for transactions with at least one staff member present during regular business hours. He stated that the Anoka County Historical Society has agreed to curate the history niche, so there will be a very professional looking, museum quality display. He stated that he thinks this area looks great and expressed his appreciation to the architects for their vision for this area. If anyone else around town has historical items that they would like to donate to the City, he would encourage them to discuss it with him. He explained that the plan is to rotate the Page 8 of 10 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 display every six months or so and display photos, artifacts, as well as some narrative to give it context. Mayor Love stated that he apprbeing distributed in the e-mail blast. Council Member Koski asked if there was any information that could be shared about the potential trucking company. Administrator Statz stated that there is no official information but noted that he had had a few conversations with realtors about a company looking for a parcel of land in the industrial district for a cross dock trucking facility. He stated that this would be subject to the restrictions that were recently put on this type of facility. Administrator Statz noted that he had neglected to remind the Council that on February 2, 2021 at 6:30 p.m., via Zoom, there will be a meeting of the Council, EDA and Planning and Zoning Commission to hear two proposals regarding Block 7. Attorney Glaser noted that he thinks the City will be very pleased with their new assessors. He explained that Eric Skogquist is a sitting County Member for the City of Anoka. Council Reports a. Lakso: None given. Council Member Lakso stated that the Council meeting the following day. b. Koski : i. Planning & Zoning Co Council Member Koski stated that the meeting was to appoint new members. ii. Centennial Fire District Steering Committee - Council Member Koski reported that the Committee met on January 21 to discuss policy changes regarding zero alcohol consumption within 8 hours of a fire call; Recruiting for duty crews is interest contact co-chiefs. He expressed his appreciation for the solid efforts the department has done through COVID. He reminded people to keep their mailboxes and hydrants clear. Mayor Love noted that Council Member Koski is once again chairing the Centennial Fire District Steering Committee for 2021. He stated Lexington, Blaine, Spring Lake Park, and Mounds View. He stated that the City also has two new firefighters so there is a total of four. c. King: Page 9 of 10 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes January 27, 2021 i. Economic Development Authority - Discussion on recognizing businesses, Cougar Cash and some things to discuss and credit/debit card, as well as the two candidates for the EDA. d. Mosher: Discussion of the two EDA, expansion of the grant program for Anoka County to home business with 2 or more employees, future monuments and funding. e. Love: Report given by Council Member Koski. Mayor Love stated that the meeting would take place next month. He thanked everyone who has expressed an interest in serving the City. He noted that he and Administrator Statz held a development meeting last week to discuss possibilities for th the corner of Main and 20 and 21st. He is hopeful that there will be a few proposals coming in soon. He stated that the City received great news from the State that there will be some positive budget outcomes and there is some hope that the LGA funding will still take place. XI. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Council Member Koski, seconded by Council Member Lakso, to Adjourn the Regularly Scheduled Council meeting at 7:53 p.m. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members Koski, Lakso, Mosher & King voted in favor. Motion carried. Respectfully submitted by City Clerk, Teresa Bender. Page 10 of 10