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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.21.11 Council Minutes 7CL COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR March 21, 2011 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Larson at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Troop 119 and Pack 117 led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present: Members Absent: Also Present: Audience: Larson, Bartholomay, May, Fogarty (arrived 7:28 p.m.) Donnelly Joel Jamnik, City Attorney; Peter Herlofsky, City Administrator; Teresa Walters, Finance Director; Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director; Todd Reiten, Municipal Services Director; Brenda Wendlandt, Human Resources Director; Tina Hansmeier, Economic Development Specialist; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant Mary Scheide, John Colby, Tammy Brollier, Grant Hoffmeister, Carter Brollier, Jacob Thelen, Morgan Robinson, Jaycob Fritz, Jackson Karye, Alex Hoffmeister, Mary Yakibchuk, Lacelle Cordes, Ben Welter, Russ Howe, Dale Running, Blair Simonsen, Grant Barber, Paul Harrington, Curt Rudoph, Joe Mihe, John Meier, Aaron Sauter 4. APPROVE AGENDA Councilmember Bartholomay pulled item 7d) February 2011 Financial Report for comment. Councilmember May pulled items 7b) Curbside Cleanup Day Agreement and 7d) February 2011 Financial Report for separate vote. City Administrator Herlofsky added item 7i) EDA Transfer. Mayor Larson pulled item 14a) Executive Session for April 18. MOTION by Bartholomay, second by May to approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS a) Introduce Promoted Employee - Municipal Services Municipal Services Director Reiten introduced Randy Bock. Randy has been working in the Parks Department and will now be working in Streets and Utilities. b) Acknowledge Retirement - Rosemary Swedin City Administrator Herlofsky and Mayor Larson acknowledged the retirement of Rosemary Swedin. She was the second employee hired in the City in 1967 and worked here for 43 years. Her last day will be March 25, 2011. 8 Council Minutes (Regular) March 21,2011 Page 2 6. CITIZEN COMMENTS Ms. Mary Scheide, Manager of Dakota County Farmington Library, provided Council with copies ofthe Library's Spring Program Guide. The library has several new services to offer residents. Ms. Scheide also gave highlights of upcoming programs. 7. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Bartholomay, second by May to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: a) Approved Council Minutes (3/7/11 Regular) (3110/11 Workshop) c) Approved Liquor License Suspension - City Attorney e) Adopted RESOLUTION R18-11 Accepting Donation from Rotary Club to Youth Scholarship Program - Parks and Recreation t) Adopted RESOLUTION R19-11 Approving Joint Powers Agreement with the State ofMinnesota/Bureau of Criminal Apprehension - Police Department g) Approved Appointment Recommendation - Fire Department h) Approved Bills i) Approved EDA Transfer - Finance APIF, MOTION CARRIED. b) Approve Curbside Cleanup Day Agreement Councilmember May noted the recommendation was to eliminate the scrap metal collection and asked if there were insufficient funds to do that. Municipal Services Director Reiten explained last year the budget was $155,000 and we came in $1,000 under that. The amount of scrap metal has decreased each year. To send two men around and a truck to collect scrap metal it would cost between $5,000 - $7,000. If it was disposed ofin the garbage, it would cost $350. It is not cost effective to collect it separately. Most ofthe scrap metal put out is picked up by scavengers. The City plans to have a household hazardous waste cleanup and the extra money would be put towards that event. Residents can either put their scrap metal out or take it to the Recycling Zone where residents would be paid for it. Staff would prefer that residents not put out scrap metal. MOTION by Bartholomay, second by May to approve the Agreement with Certified Appliance Recycling LLC for recycling appliances and electronics for curbside cleanup days 2011. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. d) February 2011 Financial Report - Finance Councilmember May asked that this item be placed under Petitions, Requests and Communications in the future. Regarding the Rambling River Center operations, as a result of the transfer, revenues exceeded expenditures. Councilmember May asked why not just transfer what we need. Finance Director Walters explained we could do that, but the Rambling River Center has a negative fund balance so for them to exceed expenditures, that will offset the fund balance. Technically, they need more than what they are getting. Regarding the Rambling River Center renovations, the revenues exceeded expenditures. Councilmember May asked if that was due to donations. Parks and Recreation Director Distad explained the project is closed out as far as expenses. 9 Council Minutes (Regular) March 21, 2011 Page 3 So any revenues received for that fund will exceed expenditures because we no longer have expenses. Councilmember May commended everyone involved with that project. The community has been very generous with donations. Councilmember May stated the explanation for the swimming pool did not make sense where efforts by staff have lead to an increase in the fund balance. Finance Director Walters stated there is a positive fund balance in the pool. The pool receives revenues from fees and a transfer. They budget for revenues to equal expenditures, but because expenditures have been kept down, the actual fund balance has grown. The fund balance will be utilized in 2011 instead of having a larger transfer from the liquor store. City Administrator Herlofsky stated the warmer weather this year generated more revenue. Regarding transfers, Councilmember May felt if we do not need the transfer to cover a particular month, ifwe wait for the transfers until the end of the year, perhaps one area would need it more than another after we see how it performs throughout the year. She asked if it would be advantageous for us to not have the transfers already made. City Administrator Herlofsky explained doing the transfers monthly gives a more accurate picture ofthe fund. Finance Director Walters explained the transfers are part of the revenue source because those funds cannot support themselves. Councilmember May understood the need for the transfer, but was concerned with the timing. Staff explained at the end of the year Council can make a budget adjustment if transfers are needed more in another area. Under the liquor stores, Councilmember May noted expenses exceeded revenues. Is that after the transfer? Finance Director Walters stated it is after transfers to the general fund. We do not do the transfers to the pool on an ongoing basis. Those transfers are done when the pool is open. Councilmember May stated for February liquor store expenses did not exceed the revenues; is that correct? Staff stated it did after the transfers. Councilmember May had concerns with the liquor store running at a loss. Looking at the budget summary, we are about $50,000 less in revenues compared to 2010 and $20,000 over on expenditures compared to 2010. Finance Director Walters noted last year we received an ALF payment and this year we do not. That is the reason for the difference in revenues. Councilmember May noted we are not doing well in investment income. We had $46,000 in January/February 2010 and we are at $15,000 this year. Staff stated last year we transferred per budget so we took the budgeted amount and divided by 12. That is the amount put in for interest. That was the previous practice and at the end ofthe year it was adjusted to what it really was. The numbers in January and February from 2010 are not true numbers. That was adjusted mid-year to reflect actual numbers. We now use actual numbers. 10 Council Minutes (Regular) March 21, 2011 Page 4 Councilmember May stated another area to watch is comparing permits in 2010 we had $70,000 and this year we have about $30,000. Staff stated there are two big projects corning in this year. Councilmember Bartholomay asked ifwe will exceed the budget for snow removal. As far as salt, staff stated we will exceed budget. It also depends on November and December this year. Councilrnember Bartholomay stated that will bring up another topic later regarding comp time. He asked if there were no fmes in January. Staff confIrmed this. Councilrnember May stated this area has under performed for the budget that was set. MOTION by Bartholomay, second by May to approve the February 2011 Financial Report. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS a) Approve Spending Plan for Downtown Redevelopment Project Tax Increment Financing District - Economic Development There are existing TIF funds that can be utilized for private development that will create or retain jobs. In order to use these funds the Council needs to approve a spending plan and resolution that gives the authority to provide these funds to a qualifIed project. The City has the ability to provide up to $65,000 that starts construction before July 1, 2011. Otherwise, the funds must be returned to Dakota County and a portion (37%) would be returned to the City. The EDA has received an offer to purchase the McVicker lot. The developer requested assistance to make the project feasible. The fmancial consultant has determined this assistance is warranted. Approval of the sale contract will be brought to the April EDA meeting. MOTION by Fogarty, second by May to close the public hearing. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Bartholomay to adopt RESOLUTION R20-11 approving the Spending Plan for Downtown Redevelopment Project Tax Increment Financing District. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT a) Approve Agreement Janitorial Cleaning Services - Parks and Recreation Parks and Recreation Director Distad sent out an RFP for cleaning services for five City buildings. Staff received eight proposals. McFarland Hanson submitted the lowest proposal, however they had a calculation error and withdrew their bid. The next lowest bidder was Coverall for $165,173.76 for a three-year period or $55,057 annually. Currently the City pays ROC $86,000/year to clean the five buildings. This would result in a savings of$31,000/year on cleaning services. Councilrnember Bartholomay noted Parks and Recreation Director Distad took this over on January 1. He thanked him for doing the RFP and getting this savings. Councilrnember Bartholomay asked why this was not done sooner. City Administrator Herlofsky stated last year there were not that many people 11 Council Minutes (Regular) March 21,2011 Page 5 interested or Parks and Recreation Director Distad did a better job. Councilmember Bartholomay asked ifthere were any other areas we need to look at for RFP's. City Administrator Herlofsky stated we are looking at a variety of agreements, some have to do with leases of facilities. The same staff person is also doing that. The contract with Coverall will start on May 1, 2011, and end on April 30, 2014. The agreement with ROC requires 30 days notice. Councilmember May considered tabling this item. She appreciated the substantial savings, but Council had discussed moving staff to one floor or not having the building cleaned every day. She did not see anything in the contract that would allow us to change anything. She asked if staff could discuss with the company whether the amount of area to be cleaned or the frequency would change the amount. Parks and Recreation Director Distad noted the RFP does state we can change the amount of area and the frequency. The contract talks about Exhibit A which is the specifications for the RFP. CounciImember Fogarty noted this is a three year contract which protects the City's pricing, but we can also dissolve the contract within 30 days. Councilmember May asked City Attorney Jamnik ifhe was comfortable with the contract language. The City Attorney stated the contract says the contractor shall provide services in accordance with the plans and specs in Exhibit A. Staffwill forward a copy of the RFP to Council. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Bartholomay to approve the three-year agreement with Coverall of the Twin Cities to provide janitorial cleaning services in the amount of$165,173.76. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS a) Request to Reduce Ballfield Rental Fees Farmington Adult Fastpitch Organization - Parks and Recreation Staff received a request from the Farmington Men's Adult Fastpitch Softball Organization to keep their fees at the current rate that was based on a five-year agreement. That agreement expired at the end ofthe 2010 season. The current fee was $300 for the regular season. The key points were: - The Agreement was valid through the 2010 season after which time the Organization would begin paying the regular rental fee that is charged in 2011. - The ballfield rental fee charged to the Organization for using the Rambling River Park's Feely Fields would be capped at $300/year through the 2010 season. - The Organization would not receive any reduction in the tournament fees when using the ballfield and would pay the tournament fee that is approved by the City Council. - The City was also acknowledging the past volunteer work and money raised by the Organization resulting in the improvements being made to the ballfields at Rambling River Park's Feely Fields. - Identified each party's responsibility for maintenance and operations of the fields. 12 Council Minutes (Regular) March 21, 2011 Page 6 Representatives attended the February Parks and Recreation Commission meeting to request a reduction in the ballfield rental fee for 2011. They requested to continue paying the $300 rental fee for the entire season from the previous agreement. Mr. Paul Harrington had stated at that meeting based on the 26 nights the organization uses the field at the current fee of$40/night it would cost them $1,100 to play the full league schedule. The Commission discussed options of continuing to charge the organization $300 or the current amount of$I,100, or a fee in between the two amounts. The Commission recommended the organization be charged $700 during the 2011 season and then charge the full fee at the beginning of the 2012 season. Mr. Paul Harrington, fastpitch league spokesman, stated based on their history and contributions, the league has provided a lot of service to the community. Therefore, he felt there could be a compromise. With the increase in fees, it told the league that anything done in the past 52 years means nothing. Mr. Harrington gave a history ofthe league and the ballfields. The league felt the proposal was too high. The high rates will put an end to the league. Mayor Larson stated men's fastpitch softball has been a tradition. Back then, doing it yourself was how things were done. This could be treated like an economic development tool as it brings people into town. He asked Mr. Harrington what they would be willing to pay. Mr. Harrington would like to keep it at $300 for the next 3-5 years, but is open to a compromise. Councilmember Bartholomay asked ifthere were any time demands for the field. Staff has worked to open the fields up more for the slow pitch program. Councilmember Bartholomay asked if the league would agree to $300 or $700. Mr. Harrington stated $500 would be fair. Councilmember Bartholomay asked about historical increases. Staff explained this was a special fee for this group because of their past work. Prior to 2005 there was no fee. Councilmember Bartholomay felt we need to show that we reward volunteerism. Councilmember May asked how Council would answer to other clubs. This is not the first organization that has asked to have fees reduced. She understood the background and all the hard work, but they also received a reduced fee in the past in exchange for some of that work. Things change and there are increased costs. Ifwe grant a reduction here, everyone has a story. How do we single out one group over others? Look at the Rambling River Center and all the volunteer hours they put into that facility. What if they say we should not be charged a fee to use the center because of all the work we did. She would not approve changing the fee. Councilmember Fogarty stated we are talking about work that was done 21 years ago and appreciated volunteerism. The teams are paying $35-$60/person for a 13 Council Minutes (Regular) March 21,2011 Page 7 season. Looking at what other organizations are paying, this could be increased. She would be in favor of$500/year for five years with an understanding there be another increase. She is not looking for a fee of $1,100 as that would put them out of business. Mayor Larson agreed. Parks and Recreation Director Distad suggested bringing back a five year agreement so Council has an actual contract to approve and everything is in writing. City Attorney Jamnik asked if Council wanted to see an automatic inflator at the end of five years to $750, or just have it come back in five years. Councilmember Fogarty asked for language that there will be an increase to be determined by the current Council. Ms. Lacelle Cordes, stated if those fields were constructed in today's dollars, we would be well over $1 million, if not $2 million. The contribution this group provided to the community should be recognized. The group is not afraid to pay the money, but to have a 150% increase is ridiculous. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Larson to have staff prepare a contract for $500/year for five years with the understanding there will be an increase for the Council and Fastpitch Organization at that time to come to a new understanding. Voting for: Larson, Bartholomay, Fogarty. Voting against: May. MOTION CARRIED. b) 2010 Annual Report - Municipal Services Municipal Services Director Reiten presented the 2010 Municipal Services Annual Report. c) 2010 Annual Report - Parks and Recreation Parks and Recreation Director Distad presented the 2010 Parks and Recreation Annual Report. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 12. NEW BUSINESS 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Councilmember Bartholomay: Warrior to Citizen will be hosting a veteran's dinner on April 4, at New Heights Christian Church. There will be a GROW Farmington event on March 30. The meetings have been focusing on promoting Farmington, uniting north and south, and branding Farmington. They have been discussing signage, flower pots, etc. The meetings are open to all residents and business owners. 14 Council Minutes (Regular) March 21, 2011 Page 8 Councilmember Bartholomay asked about any flooding concerns. Staff has no concerns, but residents should call the City with any problems. Councilmember May: She apologized to City Administrator HerIofsky for delaying his performance review as she will be absent from the next meeting. Council agreed to conduct the review on April 18, whether all are present or not. She is a member ofthe Farmington Rotary and there are 20-30 members. Under the Consent Agenda, it was noted the Rotary Scholarships for the Park and Rec programs served 256 individuals for over $10,000 in the last five years. They have also donated ten benches. There are a lot of people in the community that support the club and that money is given directly back to the community. City Administrator Herlo/sky: Acknowledged the Municipal Services department for the excellent job they did with handling all the snow this winter. He was very proud of the employees. Finance Director Walters: Thanked Rosemary Swedin for her dedication of 43 years of service. Mayor Larson: Thanked Rosemary Swedin for her years of service. If there are any announcements regarding flooding, he urged residents to sign up for NixIe and Twitter. Warrior to Citizen events are listed on the City's website and he encouraged residents to attend. He asked residents to support local businesses. 14. ADJOURN MOTION by Fogarty, second by Bartholomay to adjourn at 9:14 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, Cynthia Muller Executive Assistant 15