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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12.03.07 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES PRE-MEETING DECEMBER 3, 2007 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Soderberg at 6:30 p.m. Members Present: Members Absent: Also Present: Soderberg, Fogarty, Pritzlaff, Wilson McKnight Joel Jamnik, City Attorney; Peter Herlofsky, City Administrator; Robin Roland, Finance Director; Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director; Lee Mann, Director of Public Works/City Engineer; Brenda Wendlandt, Human Resources Director; Todd Reiten, Assistant Public Works Director; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant 2. APPROVE AGENDA MOTION by Fogarty, second by Pritzlaffto approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS 4. COUNCIL REVIEW OF AGENDA Councilmember Fogarty pulled the Council Minutes to abstain. In the 2008 fee schedule, she realized the fees for the ice arena would be increased. She asked that the increase be delayed until mid-year as the budget for hockey goes from July 1, parents have paid their fees and their budget is set for the year. City Administrator Herlofsky preferred the increase start January I. With the current rate being at $170 the budget could be close to breaking even. Councilmember Fogarty asked if the fee could be approved to increase mid-year and have a secondary date for January 1 next year. Staff has told the hockey association the fees would increase. Staffhad suggested $200 starting January 1,2008. If the increase would be delayed until July, City Administrator Herlofsky suggested a fee higher than $200. Councilmember Wilson felt the request to delay the increase was not unreasonable, but Farmington's ice rate is still lower than surrounding rates. Currently the rate is $170 for prime time and $155 for non-prime time. The hockey season ends in April. Councilmember Wilson suggested going to $185 January 1 and then $200 mid- year. Councilmember Pritzlaff stated everyone anticipates an increase January 1 in everything. Councilmember Fogarty asked about the timeline change on the Flagstaffproject and how it would affect the overall timeline. City Engineer Mann replied the overall timeline would not be affected. Council Minutes (Pre-Meeting) December 3,2007 Page 2 Councilmember Fogarty noted the date for Boards and Commission interviews was set for January 5 and she is not available then and asked Council ifthe date could be changed. Councilmember Wilson noted he is also not available on January 5. Councilmember Fogarty suggested January 14, the regular workshop date, or Saturday, January 19. Councilmember Pritzlaffnoted a Saturday is easier for people to come as they are not working. Council decided to hold the interviews on January 19,2008. Councilmember Wilson asked about the CDBG grant and asked ifthe City has the ability to apply based on our population. City Administrator Herlofsky noted that is how it is divided by Dakota County. Councilmember Wilson noted he will have to abstain from items 71-70, regarding health insurance documents, as that is his employer. Councilmember Pritzlaffasked about the antenna for T-Mobile and if the City or Water Board receives money for this. City Engineer Mann replied the money is put in the water fund. This item has to do with adding a small piece of equipment to an area already leased in the water tower. Councilmember Pritzlaff asked how the CDBG money last year was used. City Administrator Herlofsky replied half goes to rehabilitate housing in Farmington and the rest was used to demolish the Riste building. Staff does have a list of grants and their use, and will also obtain a map from the CDA showing the area of use. Mayor Soderberg stated the HRA created a revolving fund so residents could access the money through a no-interest loan for housing rehabilitation. The fund will continue to grow as time goes. He asked City Administrator Herlofsky for a report on that fund. Councilmember Wilson asked if the CDA could be invited to a Council meeting for an update on their activities and the impact on Farmington. Regarding snow plowing, Councilmember Pritzlaff stated residents had difficulty getting out of the side streets along Pilot Knob Road, because the county had plowed Pilot Knob Road, but the City had not plowed yet because of the sleet. City Engineer Mann stated staff can note what the county is doing and check if there are any problems at intersections. Councilmember Fogarty asked Parks and Recreation Director Distad to explain the leak at the ice arena during roundtable. She asked about the payment to Farmington Youth Hockey Association. Parks and Recreation Director Distad explained the popcorn machine at the pool broke down so staff switched with the machine at the arena which is owned by Farmington Youth Hockey Association, so the City is reimbursing them. Councilmember Wilson asked about payment to EnviroTech. Staff explained that is for the Riste building. 5. STAFF COMMENTS Parks and Recreation Director Distad noted staff did not plow the sidewalk and trail along the Spruce Street extension as it does not lead anywhere except to a gravel road and asked if Council wanted staff to continue that practice. Mayor Soderberg noted the barricades are still at the end of the road. Council left it up to staff. Council Minutes (Pre-Meeting) December 3,2007 Page 3 6. ADJOURN MOTION by Fogarty, second by Pritzlaffto adjourn at 6:53 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, ~~.)Y7~V ~thia Muller Executive Assistant COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR DECEMBER 3, 2007 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Soderberg at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Soderberg led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present: Members Absent: Also Present: Audience: Soderberg, Fogarty, Pritzlaff, Wilson McKnight Joel Jamnik, City Attorney; Peter Herlofsky, City Administrator; Robin Roland, Finance Director; Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director; Lee Mann, Director of Public Works/City Engineer; Brenda Wendlandt, Human Resources Director; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant Tim Pietsch, Ruthe Batulis, Mark Kragness, Ed Zeinet, Scott & Mitch Haugen, Jeff Zakoski, Carter Daigle, Kegan Markwardt, Kyle Mason, Jesse Cardinal, Derek Anderson, Chris Blake, Marty Glira, Patrick Shea, Josh Storms, Chris Ulrich, Chuck Dsiylt, Rob Blake, Paul Markwardt, Jim Storms, Kelley Gliva, Rick Cardinal, Anthony & Eva Benedetto 4. APPROVE AGENDA Councilmember Fogarty pulled item 7a) Council Minutes to abstain. Councilmember Wilson pulled items 71) - 70) health insurance documents to abstain. MOTION by Pritzlaff, second by Wilson to approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS a) Acknowledge Retirement - Bill Sauber Fire Chief Pietsch noted Bill Sauber has retired from the Fire Department. He has been instrumental in developing relationships between Council, the Relief Association, and staff. He worked very hard at this for many years. The Fire Department is better off for the work he has done. Mayor Soderberg presented Bill Sauber with a plaque recognizing him for 24 years of service. b) Acknowledge Parks Maintenance - Parks and Recreation The City has experienced a substantial amount of graffiti in parks painted on equipment, trails and artwork. There have been attempts to burn down playground equipment and equipment has been broken intentionally. There has been 141 hours of staff time spent on repairing the damage and removing the graffiti at a cost of $3500. $4300 has been spent on materials and parts. Some of the vandals have been caught. Parks and Recreation Director Distad thanked the Police Department for working with Parks Maintenance staff in apprehending the vandals. Parks Maintenance staff comprised of Don Hayes, Ted Novak, Tim Council Minutes (Regular) December 3, 2007 Page 2 Larson, Dan Thielbar and Jake Grimm have done an exceptional job in cleaning up the damage. Council asked if anything can be done to improve security in the parks. Staff noted in the future, parks will be designed to avoid hiding spaces and make facilities visible from the road. If residents notice anything suspicious they should contact the police. 6. CITIZEN COMMENTS Mr. Ed Zimet, scout leader of Troop 119, was in attendance at the meeting along with 12 scouts working on their badge for citizenship in the community. One oftheir requirements was to attend a Council Meeting. Parks and Recreation Director Distad attended one of their scout meetings to show them plans for future parks. Ms. Ruthe Batulis, President of Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce, presented a flyer that appeared in the Pioneer Press with Farmington on the front page. This went to 60,000 subscribers. Mr. Mark Kragness, Chair ofthe Farmington Area Business Council, brought an Executive Summary from the November 27,2007 Business Council meeting. In that agenda, charter members for the Economic Growth Committee were appointed. There was also discussion on the need for additional membership in the areas of land ownership, land development and township representation. The resolution of support was adopted in 2005. The EGC will be staffed and funded by the Dakota County Regional Chamber of Commerce. Their first meeting will be held in December, where the EGC will create a business plan and will assist with the best possible outcome for development in Farmington. They will select a chair and co-chair to move the EGC forward. They will also prioritize a list of initiatives consistent with those of the Council and EDA relating to areas of transportation, downtown, commercial/industrial and retail development. The EGC identified their role in economic development as an advisory board to the Council. This will be accomplished by working with the City Administrator and staffto receive input and provide recommendations, act as a sounding board for development and redevelopment projects, assist in strategic planning and marketing for the City, serve as a convener of committees to accomplish goals and objectives, and take the pulse of the community with regards to image and retention of businesses. 7. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Pritzlaff, second by Wilson to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: b) Approved Recycling Contract Extension - Public Works c) Approved Rescue Squad Membership - Fire Department d) Adopted RESOLUTION R86-07 Accepting Donation - Fire Department e) Approved Currency Exchange Business - Administration f) Approved Change Order Flagstaff Avenue - Engineering g) Approved DNR Permit Flagstaff Avenue - Engineering h) Approved T-Mobile Antenna Agreement - Engineering i) Adopted RESOLUTION R87-07 Approving CDBG Application - Economic Development j) Adopted RESOLUTION R88-07 Approving Clerical, Technical, Professional Contract - Human Resources Council Minutes (Regular) December 3, 2007 Page 3 k) Adopted RESOLUTION R89-07 Approving Maintenance Contract - Human Resources 0) Approved Bills APIF, MOTION CARRIED. a) MOTION by Pritzlaff, second by Wilson to approve Council Minutes (11/19/07 Regular). Voting for: Soderberg, Pritzlaff, Wilson. Abstain Fogarty. MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by Pritzlaff, second by Fogarty to approve the following: I) Approved Health Reimbursement Account Funding Agreement - Human Resources m) Approved Flexible Spending Account Funding Agreement - Human Resources n) Approved VEBA Trust Account - Human Resources 0) Approved Business Associates Agreement - Human Resources Voting for: Soderberg, Fogarty, Pritzlaff. Abstain: Wilson. MOTION CARRIED. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS a) Truth-in- Taxation Hearing - Finance The purpose of this hearing was to receive input regarding the proposed budget and tax levy. The 2008 proposed preliminary levy is $8,869,919 which is lI.9% over 2007. The City's tax base reflects an increase of8.6% over 2007. General fund revenues are estimated at $9,062,609 with 77% coming from property taxes. Expenditures are proposed to increase by 6.4% over 2007. Budget increases are due to salary and benefit contractual obligations, PERA increases, new positions, IT charges and capital outlay. Capital Outlay for 2008 totals $284,812. Additional staffing includes a new investigator, administrative support shared by Fire and Human Resources and two position upgrades. Permit revenue has been reduced from $906,000 to $532,000. The proposed tax levy results in a tax rate for 2008 of 43.7% compared to 41.8% in 2007. MOTION by Pritzlaff, second by Wilson to close the public hearing. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT 10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS a) City Hall Budget Update - Administration Council received an updated budget for the new City Hall. Representatives from Wold Architects will be at the December 17, 2007 Council meeting. b) Various Projects Update - Engineering City Engineer Mann gave an update on the following projects: Elm Street - There are a few minor punchlist items remaining. The banner poles will arrive mid-December. Lighting should be turned on in a couple days. Flagstaff Avenue - The sewer south ofhwy 50 is installed, the gravel has been placed and castings have been installed on the manholes. There is minor work being done along the ditches and the sides of the road. Some touchup work will need to be done in the spring. The road is paved from south of 195th Street to the Council Minutes (Regular) December 3,2007 Page 4 northerly border. There is ongoing work in that section in the ditches, on the accesses and some ofthe utilities. Sanitary sewer has been installed to 1500 ft north ofhwy 50. They are 1200 ft. short ofthe southerly high school entrance. They have 400 ft of sewer installed north of 200th Street. Because of the weather staff will need to decide how much longer construction can continue. Hunter Lift Station Replacement - The control panel was placed last Friday. The contractor is working with Xcel Energy to get it connected. Once the power is connected, the lift station will be operational. Fairhills Slope Stabilization - The north section of the vegetated reinforced slope stabilization area is continuing this week. The rip rap has been placed and the various lifts of materials are ready to be installed. City Hall- The water main and storm sewer work for this year has been completed and will continue next spring through the parking lot. The class 5 has been placed in the alley to restore the area where the bituminous was removed. The electrical work in the building continues this week and the gas company will be connecting the gas line as welL Work will continue through the winter. 15t Street Garage - The parking lot has been constructed with class 5. Xcel Energy is installing the power lines underground today. Tomorrow the pre-cast wall panel work will start. Staff is working with the neighbor to clarify the property line. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a) Authorize Final Design TH3/CR64 Roundabout - Engineering The final design ofthe layout has been determined. The final design needs to begin as soon as possible in order to complete construction in 2008. This needs to be completed in 2008 because of commercial development in the township. Final design plans should be submitted by February 1, 2008. The project would be awarded on July 14, 2008. The construction should take eight weeks. The estimated cost of the roundabout is $2.3 million. The cost sharing is as follows: MnDOT Dakota County Empire Township Newland Farmington $550,000 $400,000 $380,000 $310,000 $660,000 The City's portion could come from the City's state aid account. The engineering costs to date are $165,000. By the end of the project engineering costs could be $570,000. These costs are high because of the process required with MnDOT. The extension of 195th Street will be started in 2008 and completed in 2009. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Pritzlaffto authorize the preparation ofthe plans (final design) for the roundabout at TH3/CR 64. MOTION CARRIED. 12. NEWBUSINESS Council Minutes (Regular) December 3, 2007 Page 5 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Councilmember Fogarty: Encouraged people to donate to toys for town. Councilmember Pritzlaff: Recognized the tree lighting on Saturday and appreciated the business community for sponsoring it. Parks and Recreation Director Distad: There was a leak at the ice arena, but it has sealed itself. There is some discoloration on the ice because of the oil from the refrigerant. This does not cause any safety problems. When the ice is removed, that portion of the concrete floor will be removed to repair the leak. Mayor Soderberg: Toys for town donations are needed and volunteers on Saturday, December 15,2007. The Downtown Business Association put up a Christmas tree in the McVicker lot and it was lit on Saturday night. There were 100 people in attendance. The Family Vision Center is having an open house on Saturday. Council received a note regarding a regional broadband task force. The Farmington community blood drive is Saturday, December 10, at St. Michael's Church. The Rotary will be hosting a party for senior citizens at St. Michael's Church. 14. ADJOURN MOTION by Fogarty, second by Pritzlaffto adjourn at 8:18 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, r~7'-7~ Cynthia Muller Executive Assistant