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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07.06.15 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR July 6, 2015 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Larson at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OFALLEGL4NCE Mayor Larson led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present: Larson, Bartholomay, Bonar, Pitcher Members Absent: Donnelly Also Present: Joel Jamnik, City Attorney;David McKnight, City Administrator; Robin Hanson,Finance Director;Adam Kienberger, Community Development Director;Randy Distad,Parks and Recreation Director;Kevin Schorzman, City Engineer;Brenda Wendlandt, Human Resources Director;Cynthia Muller,Executive Assistant; Danielle Cahlander, Communications Specialist Audience: Jake Cordes,Melissa Sauser,Lacelle Cordes,Jim and Toby Bell, David McMillen,Mark and Amy Pellicci,Kielas family,Carland family,Tim Carey,Dave Steinke,Mark Ford,Tim and Darla Donnelly,Kathy and Lauren Ellis,Christina Kuckes 4. APPROVE AGENDA Parks and Recreation Director Distad postponed item 5a)Accept Donation Louis Schmitz Foundation to the July 20,2015,Council meeting. MOTION by Bartholomay second by Pitcher to approve the Agenda. APIF,MOTION CARRIED. 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS 6. CITIZEN COMMENTS 7. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Pitcher to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: a) Approved Council Minutes (6/15/15 Regular)-Administration b) Adopted RESOLUTION R24-15 Approving Gambling Event Permit Farmington Fire Fighters Auxiliary-Administration c) Adopted RESOLUTION R25-15 Approving Gambling Event Permit Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation-Administration d) Amended ORDINANCE 015-698 Pertaining to Police Regulations- Administration e) Approved Appointment Recommendation Fire Department—Human Resources f j Approved Appointment Recommendation Fire Department—Human Resources Council Minutes(Regular) July 6,2015 Page 2 g) Approved Adjustment in Hours for Two Positions in the Police Department— Human Resources h) Adopted RESOLUTION R26-15 Accepting Donations Rambling River Center— Parks and Recreation i) Adopted RESOLUTION R27-15 Accepting Donations 2015 Dew Run—Parks and Recreation j) Approved Request to Purchase Fire Department Radios—Fire Department k) Adopted RESOLUTION R28-15 Accepting Donation to the Fire Department— Fire Department 1) Adopted RESOLUTION R29-15 Approving 195th Street Project Bond Proceeds Reimbursement-Finance m) Approved Bills-Finance APIF,MOTION CARRIED. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS a) Approve Therapeutic Massage License for Ellen Keske-Administration Ms. Ellen Keske has applied for a therapeutic massage license to practice at Family Chiropractic Center,20700 Chippendale Avenue, Suite 7. MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Bonar to close the public hearing. APIF,MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Bonar to approve a therapeutic massage license for Ellen Keske at Family Chiropractic Center,20700 Chippendale Avenue, Suite 7. APIF,MOTION CARRIED. 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT a) Approve Reliance Communications,LLC—CivicLive License Agreement— Human Resources Staff submitted requests for proposals for the redesign and update of the city's website. The city received 14 proposals and selected CivicLive. They were chosen for their content management system and additional features for future use. Residents can sign up for notifications, fillable forms will be available for online submission and the new website will provide a consistent look on all devices. Employees in each department will be able to update their pages on the website. The cost for redesign,development and implementation is$28,900. There is an additional option for an annual Software-as-a-Service fee for website hosting,maintenance, and support for an annual fee of$5,800. The first year is free and at the end of four years this SaaS fee includes a design refresh of the website. Funding is provided through local government aid funds. The maintenance fee will come from the budget. The content management system is easy to use and will provide efficiencies in productivity. Council noted in the recent survey the website services were exceptional,but asked for improvement in social media. Information published to the website can automatically go to our social media sites. Residents will be able to share social media information. Each department will be able to update their pages which is a very important feature. Council asked if there are other resources that are currently used that can be eliminated to Council Minutes(Regular) July 6,2015 Page 3 make the maintenance fee budget neutral. Staff will be looking at the SeeClickFix feature we currently have as CivicLive has a similar program. Council noted the notifications will be an excellent way to get residents the information they want. MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Bonar to approve the license agreement and annual Software-as-a-Services fee with Reliance Communications,LLC—CivicLive. APIF,MOTION CARRIED. 10. PETITIONS,REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS a) Approve Change Order#1 and Final Pay Request 2014 Pond Dredging Project-Engineering The change order for the above project is a reduction of$7,519 due to having to remove less material from the pond than anticipated. The total project cost is $45,941. MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Bonar to approve change order #1 and the final pay request for the 2014 pond dredging project. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. b) 2015 Communications Guide—Human Resources Staff prepared a Communications Guide to be used by City Council and staff to effectively communicate with the public. It outlines communication goals, strategies and channels of communication. It standardizes communication components such as style,writing consistency and branding. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a) Street Light Installation Upper 183rd Street West-Engineering At the June 16,2015,Council meeting, Council directed staff to install a street light at Upper 183rd Street West and Everest Path. The total cost would be $4,789. There would also be a monthly charge for operations. Staff noted solar lighting may not provide enough light in that area and cost would be similar. Due to budget constraints,Council decided to continue to monitor this issue. 12. NEW BUSINESS a) Future Plans for Outdoor Pool-Administration Council and staff have discussed the pool situation for the past couple years. It was decided during the 2015 budget discussions to close the pool at the end of the 2015 season for two reasons. One is due to the budget. The city subsidy for the pool is$40,000 to$70,000 per year. The bigger issue is the mechanical and structural lifespan which are about to end. It is unknown how long the equipment will last. In 2014 a feasibility study was done for an aquatic facility. There were five options from that study: 1. Do nothing and let the pool die. 2. Repair the existing pool at a cost of$560,000 to$640,000 to add three to five years to the life of the pool. The operating subsidy would be$69,500. 3. Renovate and expand the existing pool at a cost of$1.1 million to$1.2 million to provide a life expectancy of three to five years. Council Minutes(Regular) July 6,2015 Page 4 4. Replace the current pool with a splash pad at a cost of$580,000 to $670,000 for a life span of 18 to 20 years. 5. Construct a new aquatic facility at a cost of$7.2 million to$9.4 million with a life span of 30 years. The committee recommended option five. Council and staff have been working on a 20-year financial plan and the 2016 budget. The city cannot afford the splash pad or the aquatic facility at this time. The 20-year financial plan currently does not include any costs for pool replacement. Attendance at the pool over the last ten years has declined from 14,000+swimmers in 2006 to 8,032 attendees in 2014. There is also a significant reduction in participants for swimming lessons. Lacelle Cordes, 1405 Lower Heritage Way,the city has very few recreational amenities. To take the pool away would be a shame. Let it run its course and keep it open until it dies. There is$45,000 in the budget to demolish it. Keep it open with that money, maybe we can get another three to five years. The economy could change and we could get more homes built. Until then,give the kids something to do in the summer. Jim Bell, 201 Maple Street, former Parks and Recreation Director, sent a letter to Council with his thoughts. Over 15 years ago there were plans to build ballfields, soccer fields,camping sites and a major recreational complex in the middle area of Farmington. There was an agreement on the land purchase and Council was in agreement until the final step for the referendum and the Council pulled it. The reason was the city did not have any money. That was 20 years ago and we still don't have that complex. By closing the pool without a plan in place with dates, times, etc. in 20 years we still won't have a pool. That is the way it works. There is always something more important than recreational facilities. A police chief told him once we need more recreational facilities to keep kids busy or they become his problem. That is something we need to think about. The kids need something to do. Weather has a major impact on pool income and also the hours. When the pool started 30 years ago,we were open from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Now the hours are getting less and less so the revenues will go down. Patti Sullivan, 1008 2nd Street,has lived in Farmington for over 40 years and has used the pool. Her aunt and uncle are original home owners in Sunnyside and were part of the committee that funded the start of the pool before it was turned over to the city. Her mother worked on the committee to get a pool in the middle school so she comes from people that value pools for children, families and the elderly. Pools are something you can do for a lifetime and it does keep the kids out of trouble. It keeps families happy. She spoke with a lady whose husband was in Afghanistan and said if it wasn't for the pool, she didn't know.what she would do with her children. It serves a lot of purposes. Over the years,many of the kids who have worked at the pool have gone on to be pillars of the Council Minutes(Regular) July 6,2015 Page 5 community,teach in the schools,have become coaches and have joined the military. Part of that training came from their working at the pool. There are not enough things for kids to do. The pool gives the kids something healthy to do. Some cannot afford to be in sports. For some families,the pool is it. The idea of that area being a grassy knoll does not give her a happy picture. A splash pad does not teach kids to swim. The hours of the pool get shorter each year and they are open less and less. Consequently,you are not going to be making the money. It is hard to compete with the Apple Valley pool, but that is$9 for a single person. People cannot afford to go there everyday. Not everything in town has to pay its own way. We have this austere building which is beautiful, and lavish and for the future. It doesn't serve the public much,but it looks nice and we do that for the future. Lets invest a little into the pool for the future. Once it's gone,it's gone. Most likely we will not have an aquatic facility so lets keep what we have for as long as we can with the money we have. Part of the reason it has gotten to be in this condition is years and years of the Council choosing not to invest in it. Lets invest in the town. We invest in a lot of stupid things, so lets invest in this, our children and our families. Tim Carey, 1320 Fairview Lane,as a sixth grader he was one of the first kids to swim in the pool. He bought a house in that area so his kids could go to the pool. Now with the city's plans,his grandkids will not have a pool. He is ashamed of the Council. He was trying to determine how little money$60,000 is in the city. We have$60,000 worth of trucks in the parking lot today that probably weren't used. A perfect example was tonight—you close the pool you can buy six more street lights. Ann Kielas, 1106 Oak Street,has two kids who use the pool. They live in the downtown area where more kids use the pool than other areas of the city. It is an important thing for a town to have. It is a place for the kids who are not wealthy, whose families cannot afford hockey and baseball. Without it you will have more trouble with kids hanging around. It is important for a bedroom community like Farmington to have park and rec support to bring families in and more housing. It is important for kids to have a place to swim, get together and recreate where it is $5 to get in and not$9 where you have to put the whole family in the car and drive somewhere. When this is gone,that money coming in now is all going out of town. While you're in Apple Valley you will go to other stores and not come into Farmington and shop at local stores. Shannon Nielsen, 24513 Chippendale Avenue,will be a new business owner downtown with Town Sports. She has three little kids that love the pool. They are also in hockey,baseball, etc.,but still live at the pool. She was devastated when it was discussed that it would close. She was a stay at home mom and because of the pool she could go to the pool with her kids and be able to work while there. We are trying to get people into town and tell them we have a grocery store,a bakery, a McDonalds, etc. No one is coming here because we do not advertise the swim lessons. Everyone off Pilot Knob has no idea what is Council Minutes(Regular) July 6,2015 Page 6 available here. Lets advertise it with our fancy new website. We need the city's help to advertise what we have and lets put some of the money into it and keep our community along Highway 3 as well. Dave Steinke, 1412 Lower Heritage Way, his daughter has taken swimming lessons at the pool along with his neighbors and continue to do so. He was suspicious the talk of aquatic centers and splash pads is a pipe dream. A little bit of a keep up with the Jones's and Apple Valley. It doesn't fit the Farmington community at this time. It is out of reach. He found it disturbing that the pool was built as part of a community effort. Businesses and citizens came together to get that done. You are seeing the beginning of an effort here to rescue the pool and preserve it for a period of time. He would like to see more investigation into that area. If there is something the community can do in terms of fundraising, donated materials or labor, etc.to try to preserve the pool and extend its life. That would be worth some effort. Mayor Larson thanked the residents for their comments. He noted no decision will be made tonight and a discussion will be held at the budget meeting. Bonnie Oberg, 3435 225th Street W, asked about the green space. Is it the plan to tear the pool out, fill it in,tear the buildings down and put grass in? Council explained the demolition of the buildings as not been determined,but it does mean grass will be put down. Councilmember Bonar stated we have taken input and should give it some thought. Lacelle Cordes noted budget discussions take place on an off meeting night. She asked that the public be notified when that will occur so they can listen to the discussion. She would be interested to hear about the input from tonight. City Administrator McKnight stated the next budget work session is July 20, 2015, at 5:00 p.m. Ms.Cordes noted that is a difficult time for the public to come. The public deserves to hear what the Council is thinking about the pool. If you cannot do that tonight, she would like to see it discussed at a meeting other than the budget meeting where more people can attend or at least televised. Council agreed to hold their discussion now. Mayor Larson stated when they made the decision to close the pool it was with the understanding to build a splash pad. When work began on the 2016 budget and building permits will be down, fiscal disparities will be down and the cost for 195th Street will be up,we realized we would not have the money for a splash pad and that changed his mind. He agreed with the residents to let the pool die on its own. Councilmember Pitcher appreciated the comments from the residents. It was a tough decision last year, but does not mean we cannot keep it open longer. It is a low cost option and it is important to keep our kids busy and healthy. There are thousands of memories made at the pool which is very important. If you have an Council Minutes(Regular) July 6,2015 Page 7 old car and something may go wrong, it doesn't mean you have to get rid of it today. He was in favor of keeping the pool open as long as possible without a major failure that would deem it inoperable. Councilmember Bonar understood it is the wishes of the residents to die a natural death and that is a possibility. He would like to spend some time reflecting on the information received. He is not one to rush to judgement. Once he has had time to think about it,he will speak to it. Councilmember Bartholomay stated when we talked about closing the pool it sounded like we would have to spend a large amount of money in a very short time to keep it operational. Now he is hearing that is not the case. We would not need to go over the$70,000 we currently subsidize to keep it open. Parks and Recreation Director Distad reviewed the subsidy amounts from previous years. In 2012 it was$50,139, and there were 19 days of over 90 degree weather. Weather drives attendance at the pool. Counter to that in 2014 we had$62,000 in subsidy and we had two days of 90 degree weather. That was the lowest attendance in the last ten years. The$70,000 is something we budget, but in the last three years it has been less than that because we held expenses down. Some of that goes back to scheduling and how long the pool is open. We close the pool if minimum temperatures are not met and send the staff home to save money. Councilmember Bartholomay asked if the $70,000 is automatic each year or if that is what is needed. City Administrator McKnight stated that is what is needed. Councilmember Bartholomay asked if the$70,000 provides enough for small maintenance work. Parks and Recreation Director Distad noted the overall budget is$125,000 for expenses and we bring in$60,000 to $65,000 in revenue. So the subsidy is $60,000 to $70,000. We make up 50%of our expenses through fees and charges the rest is subsidized from the taxpayers. Councilmember Bartholomay would like to think about the comments received. Councilmember Pitcher would like to talk about the future. One option he would like to propose is to have Community Development Director Kienberger contact private companies to see if they would like to build a waterpark in Farmington. This would allow people who are in favor of a pool to have a pool, but it also releases the tax burden from the taxpayers that don't want to pay for it with higher property taxes. Jim Bell asked who did the study on the pool. Staff noted it was US Aquatics. Our former engineering firm, Bonestroo did not participate in the study. Mr.Bell noted when he was working at the City, less than 20 years ago they put in new gutter system, all new piping, all new filtration,new chlorination,upgraded the bathhouse to handicap accessibility all through our engineering firm. For someone to say it is on the verge of breaking down,he has a hard time buying that. Council Minutes(Regular) July 6,2015 Page 8 Councilmember Bartholomay noted the residents talked about a history of not putting money towards parks and recreation and that is a valid concern. During his tenure on the Council, he has heard we were supposed to be putting money away to upgrade the ice arena and it was not happening. The same thing occurred with the pool. A pool is a very important amenity to the community and it has been a staple of the community for a long time. Whatever we decide after the next couple years he hoped we could put it out for a vote to complete the Jim Bell Park and Preserve and hopefully have a pool in that location. It is important that we don't stop discussing this. b) Economic Development Authority Structure-Administration The structure of the EDA has been discussed recently. The current structure includes two Councilmembers and three residents. EDA's are required to have three, five or seven members. The EDA has been discussing increasing the number of members to seven with potential membership from the school district or others as determined by the Council. Councilmember Bonar stated the EDA has discussed broadening the representation of the group may be in their best interest. The city meets regularly with the school district and we both have a shared interest in the success of the community. The EDA has suggested opening up EDA membership to a school board member who is a resident of the city. The EDA has also discussed having a planning commission member on the EDA. Mayor Larson stated the school district has as much stake in the health of the city as the EDA. The EDA discussed increasing the board and invite a school board member to join so they know the efforts we are putting in to attract businesses and the struggles we go through and to have another mind at the table. Whether they would be a voting member or not,would be determined. Councilmember Bartholomay agreed with the suggestion. It would enhance our relationship with the school district. Councilmember Pitcher also agreed with the suggestion as it is important to keep our community growing. This topic will be placed on the agenda for the joint City Council/School Board meeting on July 20,2015. 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Councilmember Bartholomay: The 195th Street project is looking good and moving forward. Council Minutes(Regular) July 6,2015 Page 9 Councilmember Pitcher: Dew Days was fantastic. He encouraged residents to attend the event next year. He encouraged residents to go to the pool as much as possible this year. City Administrator McKnight: Upcoming meetings include a work session on July 13,2015,to discuss the Highway 3 project. On July 20, 2015,there is a budget work session at 5:00 p.m.and the joint meeting with the school district at 7:00 p.m.which will be televised. City Engineer Schorzman: MnDOT will be attending the July 13,2015,work session. A follow-up to that will be a public open house at City Hall on Tuesday, July 21,2015, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.to receive input from the public on the 2016 highway 3 project. Dakota County as part of their routine maintenance program will be putting an overlay on Denmark and Ash Street from Denmark to the railroad tracks towards the end of July. There will be notification prior to the work. Community Development Director Kienberger: Four proposals were received for the Downtown Redevelopment Plan. The committee will review them and bring a fmal proposal to Council at the last meeting in August for approval. Mayor Larson: Thanked the residents for their comments regarding the pool. He encouraged everyone to shop local. Money spent in Farmington stays in Farmington. 14. EXECUTIVE SESSION MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Bonar to recess into executive session at 8:18 p.m. APIF,MOTION CARRIED. The executive session began at 8:20 p.m. Those in attendance included Mayor Larson, Councilmembers Bartholomay,Bonar and Donnelly. Also present were Joel Jamnik, City Attorney;David McKnight,City Administrator; Brenda Wendlandt, Human Resources Director. a) AFSCME/LELS Union Negotiations-Administration Council will receive an update from staff on labor negotiations past,present and future with AFSCME and LELS. No action will be taken. Mayor Larson moved the meeting into open session at 8:52 p.m. 15. ADJOURN MOTION by Bartholomay, second by Bonar to adjourn at 8:52 p.m. APIF,MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, Cynthia Muller