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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-03-24 CC & Closed WS Minutes - Approved Approved CITY OF CENTERVILLE CITY COUNCIL MEETING & CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION March 24, 2021 6:30 p.m. Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City of Centerville held their regularly scheduled City Council Meeting & Closed Executive Session on March 24, 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. COUNCIL MEETING I. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Love called the meeting to order at 6:32 p.m. ROLL CALL* 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 *Note that “present” is construed to mean that 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. City Administrator Statz asked to add Check #33642. 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. None. V. PUBLIC HEARINGS City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes March 24, 2021 1. None. VI. APPROVAL OF THE MINUTES 1. December 9, 2020 City Council Work Session, Council & Closed Executive Session Meeting Minutes Mayor Love offered an opportunity for the Council to add edits or annotation. Motion made by Council Member Lakso, seconded by Council Member King to Approve the December 9, 2020 City Council Work Session, Council & Closed Executive Session Meeting Minutes as Presented. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso voted in favor & Mosher abstained. Motion carried (4/0/1). VII. CONSENT AGENDA 1. City of Centerville Claims through March 24, 2021 (Check #33616-33641) & 1668E-1673E) & (Check #33642) 2. Centennial Lake Police Department Claims through March 18, 2021 (Check #13701-13727) & (E2021011-E2021012) 3. Centennial Fire District Claims through March 23, 2021 (Check #9020-9046) & Payroll (Check #9029-9033) 4. Portable Restroom Contract Administrator Statz stated that Check #33642 was for the Blue Logo Sign Program. He explained that this program is an EDA program to subsidize participation by restaurants and gas stations in the blue logo signs on the freeway. This was done as part of the response to COVID to help the businesses out a bit. Last year there was a decision made that the Council would actually pay this expense because it would be reimbursed through CARES Act funds which was a tricky accounting move to get it to the EDA. He stated that he would like to continue doing this because we know there is money again from more recent Federal funds. If the Council chose not to fund this type of thing at a future date, the EDA can write the City a check, which is easier than the reverse. He stated that this is an EDA commitment and they do have the budget to cover it, if the American Rescue Plan funds will not cover it. Mayor Love provided an opportunity for Council to add or remove any item(s) to/from the consent agenda. Council Member Koski asked to pull item #1 in order to have additional discussion regarding Check #33642. Motion by Council Member King, seconded by Council Member Lakso to Approve Consent Agenda Items #2, #3, and #4 as Presented. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso & Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. Council Member Koski asked for an explanation of whether this check amount will cover all annual expenses, and asked if it was an expense that would be incurred every year. Page 2 of 9 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes March 24, 2021 Administrator Statz Mark stated that the program is set to reimburse anyone who qualifies up to 75% of costs, such as restaurants and gas stations. The check will cover 75% of their costs for the initial set up and one years’ worth of time, which will begin when the sign goes up which will be in May. The EDA will be considering the question of whether this will continue in the upcoming year. Council Member Koski asked if the EDA could check with the participating businesses to track how much business was actually generated from the signage. Administrator Statz stated that question can be asked and noted that he believes the businesses will also be interested in this information because they are covering 25% of the costs. Council Member Koski stated he is in favor of the program and appreciates the EDA for looking into it and for the businesses that are participating. He noted that personally, he thinks those signs are effective because he uses them frequently when he is traveling. Administrator Statz agreed and states that he feels it kind of puts the City on the map and have some of the ‘arrows’ on the signs pointing to Centerville. Mayor Love asked if this expenditure would come from the 2020 budget or from the 2021 budget. Administrator Statz explained that the reimbursement is coming in 2021 so it would be the 2021 budget. Mayor Love stated that the City gave the EDA a specific budgeted amount and asked if this amount was in addition to that amount. Administrator Statz explained that what was done last year and will continue this year was to put blinders on and pretend as if there is no bail-out package and continue to earmark these dollars as part of the budget. He explained that even though the City Council will pay this, in his presentation to the EDA, he will mark off the dollars as if they have been spent and when the reimbursement comes from the American Rescue Plan, then they will be able to ‘count their chickens’ but not before they are hatched. He noted that he had asked the EDA to be conservative with their spending as if those dollars will not be coming through. Motion by Council Member Koski, seconded by Council Member Mosher, to Approve Consent Agenda Item #1 as Presented. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso & Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. VIII. OLD BUSINESS 1. Centra Homes - Block 7 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) Administrator Statz stated that Mr. Pattberg & Ms. Dunham were present but asked City Attorney Glaser to first give the Council a brief overview of an MOU and noted that he thinks of an MOU as a bit more formal than a hand shake and a bit less formal than a purchase agreement. Page 3 of 9 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes March 24, 2021 City Attorney Glaser explained that for this MOU, they took the proposal from Centra and put it a format that says, in good faith, the City is accepting this proposal and the expectations are that they will move towards that with the idea that once a few more things are done they will be entering into a purchase agreement. Administrator Statz noted that the proposal spoke of a specific number of townhomes and in the MOU they kept it a bit more vague because they are exploring several options that may have a different amount. He noted that would be brought back before the Planning Commission and the Council for a final blessing at a later date, but noted that the general concept is for a high-density townhome project. Mr. Pattberg stated that they have pulled together some really rough brainstorm ideas and started having conversations with staff and they think this is the next step to moving forward. Ms. Dunham stated that she feels this has been a really great collaborative process thus far and looks forward to continuing that. Council Member Koski asked if everything was going as expected at this stage in the game. Mr. Pattberg stated that they have not spent much money yet but if this agreement is in place, they can begin more substantially starting tomorrow. Council Member King stated that he realizes this is still in the preliminary stage but asked Administrator Statz about the offsite costs not exceeding $100,000. He asked if there was any idea of what those costs would actually be. Administrator Statz stated that the offsite costs are the streetscaping along Centerville Road and the estimate was around $180,000 so some decisions will need to be made, but the City has the ability to scale the work up or down in order to control costs. He stated that he thinks all the parties feel it is important to have an urban style boulevard. Mayor Love asked how soon the City can expect to see dirt moving. Mr. Pattberg explained that they would love to have dirt moving at the end of the fall season in 2021. Motion by Council Member Koski, seconded by Council Member Lakso, to Approve Block 7 Memorandum of Understanding between the City of Centerville and Centra Homes, for the construction of a townhome style development on the City-owned Block 7 property, as Presented. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso & Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. IX. NEW BUSINESS 1. Peltier Estates a. Preliminary Plat Page 4 of 9 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes March 24, 2021 b. Preliminary Conditional Use Permit for a Planned Unit Development Administrator Statz stated that this project is back in front of the Council after three years. Previously, the Council had approved the plat and rezoning and that plan is what is once again being proposed. He noted that they did not record the plat or approve/record a Developer’s Agreement, PUD, or CUP. He explained that those items have essentially started over because they become invalidated after one year. There was a public hearing held at the Planning and Zoning Commission earlier this month where this was unanimously approved. The plans are for 24 detached townhomes that are slab on grade, with public road and public right of way as well as a PUD that allows variances to setbacks and lot dimensions in exchange for a development that adds value and is properly positioned to take advantage of the usable land while protecting the natural resources. He noted that the idea of using a PUD in this case is to realize a better use of land that would otherwise be difficult to develop. He stated that there is a proposed trail connection to Brian Drive as well with portions paved and portions as a boardwalk that go over th the wetland area. They are also proposing a southbound right turn lane on 20Avenue. Council Member Lakso stated that she thinks this sounds like it will be the best use of the land. She stated that without basements she would expect there will be no water issues and feels this may provide a good mix of things for the City. Council Member Koski asked how they figured out where the trail access would go. Administrator Statz gave an overview of the proposed trail connection and noted that the boardwalk will be maintained by the HOA and be a public trail, not private. Council Member Mosher stated that he thought from a previous Planning and Zoning discussion that there was a different number of homes. Administrator Statz noted that there was a concept that showed 18 homes early on in the process. Council Member King stated that he had tried to watch most of the Planning and Zoning meeting. He asked about the drainage and utility easements and asked how vehicles will be able to get access to these easements because everything looks so close. Administrator Statz stated that he had neglected to include the grading plan in the Council packet. He stated that this was discussed the last time around and there were some revisions made to the original application and layout for this purpose. He explained that it can be accessed between Lots 16 and 17. He stated that this area was widened enough that they can get a truck or backhoe in there Council Member King confirmed that it is just wetland to west. Administrator Statz stated that is standing water and has a DNR number, but noted that there is also additional wetland around it. The Council discussed drainage, the holding pond, the drainage and utility easement locations. Page 5 of 9 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes March 24, 2021 Administrator Statz noted that the whole idea of a PUD is that the City can do things a bit differently than they normally would in order to make it a viable development. He reiterated that there has been no change to the plans and there is enough room for everything. Mayor Love stated that he is very happy that this project is back before the Council and thinks development is a positive. He asked if the cul-de-sac is large enough for plow trucks to turn around. Administrator Statz explained that it is the standard sized street and cul-de-sac. Mayor Love asked if there had been any thought given to putting a pond underneath the bridge/walkway and take some credits to a certain property that would be a bit south and east of there. Administrator Statz explained that opening up water in a wetland does not necessarily get credit and is sometimes viewed as degradation rather than enhancement. Motion by Council Member Koski, seconded by Council Member King, to Approve the Preliminary Plat, Preliminary Planned Unit Development, and the Associated Findings of Fact, as Presented. A roll-call vote was taken. Mayor Love and Council Members King, Koski, Lakso & Mosher voted in favor. Motion carried. X. COUNCIL/ADMINISTRATOR ANNOUNCEMENTS 1. Administrator’s Report Administrator Statz stated that his report was contained in the packet and that he would be happy to answer any questions that Council may have. He noted that there have been some loosening of restrictions from Governor Walz and additional resources for vaccines and noted that there is more information available on the City website. The Main Street Mark is still looking for farm vendors and noted that today they secured one or two more. He encouraged people that may be selling honey, maple syrup, or cottage food items such as jams or jellies to contact the City. He reminded everyone that there is no fee involved in being part of the farmer’s market, but noted that they do ask for a deposit and if they are present for all 6 weeks of the market, they will get the deposit back. Mayor Love stated that he loved reading the Administrator Report and noted that he feels it is well done and does a great job of keeping members of the public informed. Administrator Statz pointed out that there is a very important Planning and Zoning meeting coming up on April 6, 2021, where they will be considering three potential projects within one development. He noted that there are links on the City website to be able to join the Zoom meeting. Council Reports a. Lakso - Page 6 of 9 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes March 24, 2021 i. Anoka County Fire Protection Council – Meeting will be held April 29, 2021 ii. Parks and Recreation Committee – No update given b. Koski – Asked how the e-mail list for Council meetings is being received. Administrator Statz stated that he has not heard any negative feedback and stated that they have just continued to encourage people to sign up for the e-mail as well as follow them on social media. i. Fire Steering Committee – Meeting will be held April 15, 2021 ii. Planning & Zoning Commission – Meeting will be held April 6, 2021 c. King – i. Economic Development Authority – Council Member King stated that they had discussed Christmas/holiday lights. He noted that he thought one of the logos they were considering with a canoe would be perfect for the City and suggested that the mountains be changed to pine trees. He stated that they discussed promoting Running Aces in the City. Mayor Love stated that recently there was a logo committee and noted that he would definitely like a logo like with Council Member King is suggesting to be vetted and discussed more broadly. He stated that there are already some diversity and inclusion issues with having a trapper included especially considering that there is a Native American burial ground located in the City. He stated that there may be some opposition but he thinks the logo looks great. Council Member King stated that history has shown that many of the trappers were very friendly with Native Americans. Administrator Statz noted that this topic came up during their logo discussions around whether or not they could honor both heritages with a logo, which can be difficult without becoming too complex. He suggested that the decision be made on whether the City is going to rebrand before a decision is made about a logo. He suggested that it be brought back for a workshop discussion. The banners being discussed are bran neutral. Council Member King stated that he feels this logo is kind of a story of Centerville and same premise of French architecture that is desired for downtown. d. Mosher – i. Economic Development Authority – Council Member Mosher explained that they had gone over the events calendar which is broken down in different topics and events. He stated that the group is going to attempt to split them up and each attend one or two of the events. He stated that they also talked about banners and noted that some of the designs are pretty cool even though he was somewhat skeptical. Page 7 of 9 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes March 24, 2021 ii. Police Governing Board – Meeting will be held May 10, 2021 e. Love – He asked if the Council would have a topic on the next work session to discuss whether or not they will have a float in parade. He encouraged anyone in the City who wants to get involved to volunteer to assist in planning Fete des Lacs to contact Administrator Status or City Clerk Bender. He stated that if there is anyone interested in announcing the parade, they are looking for that as well and noted that it would be a great opportunity for a teenager or a college student who has an interest in broadcasting. i. Police Governing Board – Meeting will be held May 10, 2021 ii. Economic Development Authority – iii. Other Mayoral Reports – Mayor Love stated that he attended the North Metro Cable meeting last week and noted that they are offering services to residents to transfer their video tapes to DVD or digital files for free and also transfers tapes, in most film formats, photos, slides, for a fee. They also noted that coverage of high school sports is moving into tournament play and are able to cover more than one game at a time. All games are streamed live over Roku, Apple TV, Facebook and YouTube, but only one game can be played on the cable channel at a time. They are working on a plan to introduce closed captioning. The FCC filed a motion for abeyance requesting that the Sixth Circuit Court put the FCC 621 Cable franchising order on hold so that the FCC can have time to reconsider its position. He noted that the 621 order has the potential to reduce franchises fees to cities if the appeal is not successful. XI. RECESS TO CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION (Pursuant to MN Statute Section 13D.05, Subdivision 3(b) Mayor Love recessed the regular Council meeting at 7:35 p.m. Discussion and examination of legal opinion and strategy regarding the properties 2050 and 2070 Main Street. Absolute confidentiality is required for a full and candid discussion with Legal Counsel and such discussion could not occur in a public setting without jeopardizing the City’s legal position. I. CALL TO ORDER 1. Roll Call II. ITEMS OF DISCUSSION 1. 2050 & 2070 Main Street City Staff discussed that Council direct staff to continue to work with the property owner regarding marketing of the property. Page 8 of 9 City of Centerville Council Meeting Minutes March 24, 2021 III. ADJOURNMENT (from Closed Executive Session & Resume Regular Council Meeting) XII. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Council Member , seconded by Council Member to Adjourn the Regularly Scheduled Council meeting at 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 9 of 9