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HomeMy WebLinkAbout09.19.05 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES PRE-MEETING September 19,2005 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, McKnight, Pritzlaff, Wilson None Andrea Poehler, City Attorney; Robin Roland, Acting City Administrator/Finance Director; Kevin Carroll, Community Development Director; Dan Siebenaler, Police Chief; Lee Mann, Director of Public Works/City Engineer; Lisa Shadick, Administrative Services Director; Brenda Wendlandt, Human Resources Director; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant 2. APPROVE AGENDA MOTION by Wilson, second by McKnight to approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 3. CITIZEN COMMENTS 4. COUNCIL REVIEW OF AGENDA Councilmember McKnight asked about the Fire Department re-organization and if there was any cost going from a fraternal organization to a City department. Finance Director Roland replied no cost in the sense of because it is a fraternal organization, we dealt with the budgetary issues in the 2006 budget which come out of this activity. There are some new positions outlined that have already been accounted for. Councilmember McKnight then asked about the park and trail dedication requirements. Finance Director Roland explained there is a supplemental item changing one word in the ordinance. Councilmember McKnight noted storm ponds are now considered developable acres and asked why. Staff replied this is consistent with other cities. Developers already get credit for the storm ponds. They do not need to receive double credit. This ordinance makes these standards consistent with other development standards in the City. Councilmember McKnight asked if any of the regular developers were involved in this or if they know this is happening. Finance Director Roland will check with Parks and Recreation Director Distad. Councilmember McKnight then asked about the cost-sharing with Empire Township and why the boundary road analysis went back to 2001. Community Development Director Carroll replied that was the year some property was annexed in the eastern part of Farmington. Some of the roads are in the vicinity of the annexed parcels. The townships payment of some of the expenses for the boundary roads goes back further than 200 I, but Council Minutes (Pre-Meeting) September 19, 2005 Page 2 they chose not to go back any earlier than 2001. Councilmember Fogarty stated the township met with City staffto determine the amount. Councilmember Fogarty asked about the boardwalk in Middle Creek Park and if this boardwalk and the Charleswood boardwalk would both be constructed this winter. Finance Director Roland felt that was the intention. Councilmember Fogarty stated she has also had many residents tell her that at Everest Paththere is an uncontrolled intersection where kids like to walk to school. It is a sidewalk to a trail. She asked if they should request crossing guards there or put in a sidewalk. Police Chief Siebenaler stated one does not preclude another. If there will be a trail crossing as an access to the school he suggested they put crossing guards there. Staff has reviewed a number ofthese requests and some make sense. This is crossing 19Sth Street from Everest Path to the trail that leads to Meadowview. City Engineer Mann noted they have talked to the county about this issue and they have said that crossing guards would make sense and it is their policy to not stripe a crosswalk at an uncontrolled intersection. Police Chief Siebenaler recalled a study was done last school year which came up with that recommendation. Councilmember Pritzlaff asked about the Fire Department re-organization and why it needs to be done. Human Resources Director Wendlandt replied this was discussed with the Fire Chief and they agreed Farmington is no longer a small town and they need to move the Fire Department forward. She made a recommendation to the City Administrator and the Fire Chief about restructuring the organization. There are some practices that needed to be updated because they were outdated. A committee was formed and they worked over the past year to make these changes. This has the Fire Department's full support. Finance Director Roland stated these guidelines are consistent with what the League of Minnesota Cities recommends. There are legal issues from the past that these changes will address. Councilmember Pritzlaffthen asked about the Ash Street change order and if that was the county's portion or does the City pay. City Engineer Mann replied there are various items where the City pays, some the county pays and some are shared. He listed the various items and who pays for them. Mayor Soderberg asked about the sign at the pedestrian crossing on Everhill Avenue and what color it will be. He has seen the typical yellow yield signs and the safety yellow/green signs. Some signs have a secondary sign below stating state law requires vehicles to yield to pedestrians in crosswalk. Staff felt the safety yellow was a MnDOT standard. Staffwill check on the secondary sign. Police Chief Siebenaler stated we have a movable sign at the crosswalk by Farmington Middle School West on 20Sth Street. It is very effective. Councilmember Pritzlaff stated regarding snowmobiles when you are crossing a road going from trail to trail he suggested a stop sign on the trail to make the people on the trail stop so they also look for traffic. Police Chief Siebenaler stated those stop signs have been installed on trails in some locations. City Engineer Mann stated in those cases there is not a crosswalk. Where there is a crosswalk, state law comes into effect. Council Minutes (Pre-Meeting) September 19, 2005 Page 3 s. STAFF COMMENTS 6. ADJOURN MOTION by Fogarty, second by McKnight to adjourn at 6:51 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, ~?r?~ v Cynthia Muller Executive Assistant COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR September 19, 2005 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Soderberg at 7:00 p.m. Mayor Soderberg called for a moment of silence for Joshua Lund who was killed on his way to Camp Ripley. 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, McKnight, Pritzlaff, Wilson None Andrea Poehler, City Attorney; Robin Roland, Acting City Administrator/Finance Director; Kevin Carroll, Community Development Director; Dan Siebenaler, Police Chief; Lee Mann, Director of Public Works/City Engineer; Lisa Shadick, Administrative Services Director; Brenda Wendlandt, Human Resources Director; Lee Smick, City Planner; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant Dan Schmitt, Adam Schmitt, Bill Toninato, Kim Friedrich, Hal Edwards 4. APPROVE AGENDA Councilmember Fogarty pulled item 7a) Regular and Special Council Minutes. MOTION by Wilson, second by Pritzlaffto approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS 6. CITIZEN COMMENTS Mr. Bill Toninato, 18586 Elgin Avenue, asked the Council if they would be willing to state if they have children, if they are under 18 years of age, and if they attend Farmington schools. Mayor Soderberg replied he has four children all over the age of 18 and all four graduated from Farmington schools. Councilmember McKnight stated he has no children. Councilmember Fogarty stated she has three children all under the age of 18, all school age and currently attending catholic school, but in one year will attend Farmington public schools a year before the scheduled opening of the new high school. Councilmember Wilson stated he has two children, the oldest is in kindergarten at the Kindergarten Center. Councilmember Pritzlaff stated he has no children. Council Minutes (Regular) September 19,2005 Page 2 Mr. Toninato stated at the last meeting Council talked about communication and that they were going to improve that. He found out after that meeting that if you want a video of the Council meeting, it would cost $35. He thought that was an exorbitant fee to communicate to the citizens of this City what is going on. He thought there was a better way of doing it. It could be put on DVD and checked out at the library. Right now the policy is that you have to go to City Hall and view it there by appointment which limits the hours which you could view the meetings. Councilmember Pritzlaff asked if we have the times when the meetings are replayed. He knew it was Mondays and Fridays at 7:00 p.m. Finance Director Roland stated the schedule can be made available to anyone who asks and that is the first suggestion we make. Councilmember Fogarty stated the schedule is also on the web site. Mr. Toninato stated if people do not have cable, then what. Councilmember Wilson suggested depending on the number oftapes available and the demand maybe we could look at something for those who do not have cable. Administrative Services Director Shadick stated the City has one copy for a VHS machine. This copy is intended for staff use at City Hall and Council use. She has had residents and the media ask to view a tape because they do not have cable. There is a VCR where residents can view the tapes. The reason we charge for the tapes is it is in our fee ordinance and it takes staff time and materials to create the tape. The tape has to run the length of the meeting. The City is in the process of converting to digital. The cable schedule is on the website or they can call City Hall for the schedule. Meeting minutes are available on the web site. Mr. Toninato stated the problem with the tapes is most people have DVD. It would be better to take the past meeting videos and burn them to a DVD. The cost is insignificant. Letting residents check them out would be a nice convenience. He can go to a video store and buy movies cheaper than he can get minutes of the Farmington Council meetings. Mayor Soderberg stated we are moving toward digital because it is inexpensive. Mr. Toninato stated you could put multiple meetings on DVD and past meetings could be checked out by the community. The cable replays are fine for two weeks, but then they are no longer broadcast. 7. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Pritzlaff, second by McKnight to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: b) Approved School and Conference - Parks and Recreation c) Received Information Capital Outlay - Parks and Recreation d) Received Information August 2005 Financial Report - Finance e) Accepted Resignation Heritage Preservation Commission - Administration f) Adopted RESOLUTION R110-0S Administrative Matters -Administration g) Adopted ORDINANCE 005-543 Fire Department Re-organization - Human Resources h) Received Information Pedestrian Crossing Everhill Avenue - Engineering i) Approved Change Order - Ash Street - Engineering j) Approved School and Conference - Community Development k) Adopted ORDINANCE 005-544 Approving Text Amendment Park and Trail Dedication Requirements - Parks and Recreation I) Adopted RESOLUTION Rll1-0S Approving Grant Agreement Safe and Sober - Police Council Minutes (Regular) September 19,2005 Page 3 m) Approved Cost Sharing Arrangement for City/Township Roads - Community Development n) Approved Bills APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Councilmember Fogarty pulled 7a) Regular Council Minutes to eliminate a paragraph. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Pritzlaffto approve 9/6/05 Regular Council Minutes with the change. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Councilmember Fogarty pulled 7a) Special Council Minutes to abstain from voting. MOTION by McKnight, second by Wilson to approve 9/13/05 Special Council Minutes. Voting for: Soderberg, McKnight, Pritzlaff, Wilson. Abstain: Fogarty. MOTION CARRIED. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS a) 2005 Seal Coat Project Assessment Hearing - Engineering The 2005 Seal Coat project is complete. The total project cost is $123,420. The assessment amount is $61.95 per residential equivalent unit. According to policy 50% of the cost of the project is assessed. The total amount to be assessed is $61,710. The City's portion is funded through the road and bridge fund. MOTION by Wilson, second by Pritzlaffto close the public hearing. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by Pritzlaff, second by McKnight to adopt RESOLUTION R112-0S adopting the assessment roll for the 2005 Seal Coat project. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT 10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS a) Adopt Resolution - Approve Hometown Development Final Plat and Development Contract - Community Development 209th Street runs along the north side of the property, north of that is Tamarack Development, the Corinthian Lodge Cemetery runs the entire length to the east, to the south is the former Marshall Bus Lines property, and businesses to the west. The preliminary plat showed a looped street, but during the June 16,2005 Council Meeting it was suggested to have a looped street instead of the cul-de-sacs. They are proposing 27 single family lots. A contingency is for the developer to obtain an easement from Corinthian Lodge Cemetery to install a storm water pipe from the property to the Prairie Waterway. The developer is close to obtaining this. There is a trail that will eventually lead to the Prairie Waterway. The lots range from 6,000 to 7,650 sq. ft. The water and sanitary sewer are located on the east side. The Park and Rec Commission has agreed to the trail and sidewalk locations. They are getting cash in lieu for park dedication because the development is small and Tamarack Park is just to the north. Council Minutes (Regular) September 19,2005 Page 4 The final plat and development contract are contingent upon the following: - The developer obtains an easement from the property owner to the east in order to construct a storm pipe to the Prairie Waterway. - The satisfaction of any engineering requirements. - The development contract is contingent on the developer entering into the agreement, provide the necessary security, and record the plat with the County Recorder within 6 months after City Council approval ofthe final plat. Mayor Soderberg thanked the Planning Commission, Community Development, and especially the developer for making this work. He noted there is a potential future street to connect to the south. City Planner Smick stated the potential connections are on the southern corners of the plat. Councilmembers thanked the developer for their patience and for taking the time to work things out. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Pritzlaff adopting RESOLUTIONS Rl13-0S and R1l4-0S approving the final plat and the development contract for Hometown Addition. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Mayor Soderberg stated at Coffee with Council it was suggested that staff do exit interviews with first-time or small developers looking for ways to improve the process. b) Adopt Resolution - Dakota County 2006-2010 CIP - Engineering Dakota County is in the process of preparing their 2006-2010 Capital Improvement Program. Staff has recommended several projects to the county which include: CR 64 (195th Street) from Autumn Glen to TH3 - 2006 CSAH 31, CSAH 50 to CSAH 74 - 2007 CSAH 74, Denmark to CSAH 31 - 2007 CSAH 50, Division Street to TH3 - 200S CR 64 (195th Street), Flagstaffto Cedar - 2009 Traffic signals along Pilot Knob Road 20Sth Street - cost participation The County's draft CIP is showing the following projects: CSAH 50, from Division to TH 3 with the cost split between 2006, 2007 and 200S. CR 64 from Autumn Glen to TH3 with funding in 2006,2007, 200S and 2009. CSAH 64 (195th Street) from Flagstaffto Cedar for 2009 Council and staff discussed timing and funding ofthe projects. MOTION by McKnight, second by Wilson to adopt RESOLUTION RllS-OS requesting the Council Minutes (Regular) September 19, 2005 Page 5 inclusion of construction projects in the Dakota County 2006-2010 CIP. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 12. NEW BUSINESS 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Councilmember McKnight: Sent the Council's get well wishes to firefighter Ron Lindstrom who was injured in a fire last week. He attended the Homecoming football game on Friday and it was the largest crowd he has ever seen. He thanked everyone for coming and showing their support for the team. Councilmember Wilson: He and Councilmember McKnight serve on the City Facilities Group and they meet again on Wednesday. This should produce a good sense of the facilities inventory and where we need to go with facilities. City Attorney Poehler: Today the City was served with a lawsuit by the school district related to the school site decisions. She encouraged Council not to discuss this at this time. It will be forwarded to the City's insurance carrier and they will assign an attorney on behalf of the City. Once that has been done, she will work with that attorney to have them attend a Council Meeting to give Council an update. Finance Director Roland: Will be out of the office the rest ofthe week. In her absence, the Acting City Administrator will be Police Chief Siebenaler. Police Chief Siebenaler: He commended Parks and Recreation Director Distad and his staff for the Pollution Prevention Day that was held at the park on Friday. 150 fourth grade students from North Trail Elementary school participated. A number of Police Department staff attended and most other divisions of the City. It was a wonderful event. City Engineer Mann: He agreed staff did an excellent job with Pollution Prevention Day. These types of events fulfill requirements for the NPDES storm water pollution prevention plan permit from the MPCA. This particular program is a model for other cities. Regarding the Ash Street project, the assessment hearing has been scheduled for October 3,2005 and notices have been sent out. Due to the complex nature of this project and some of the assessments, deferred assessments, and hook-ups to lots that may split, etc. staff has decided to schedule an information meeting for September 27,2005 between 5 - 7 p.m. It will be an open house format. Invitations will be sent. If residents have questions prior to the hearing this would be a good opportunity. Staffwill also provide Council with a copy of the notice. Council Minutes (Regular) September 19,2005 Page 6 Mayor Soderberg: He had the privilege to attend Pollution Prevention Day and address the kids. Staff did a great job - Lena Larson, Kellee Omlid, J en Collova and Missie Kohlbeck took the lead on putting this together. This is a quietly celebrated cooperative between the school district and the City. He understood the McVicker lot issue with the deed is resolved. They should begin to see some activity. The City has clear title and there is development interest. Dakota Communications Center - as of September 12, 2005, 11 cities in Dakota County have approved the agreement. The first formal meeting ofthe Executive Committee will be this Friday, and the Board of Directors meeting which will be attended by Mayor Soderberg will have their first meeting September 29,2005,3-5 p.m. at the Western Service Center in Apple Valley. They will be discussing a training facility and at the Mayor'slManagers meeting there was discussion about partnering with Minnesota State Colleges. There have been different activities with regard to hurricane Katrina. At the Mayor'slManagers meeting there was a speaker who coordinated the relief efforts in Louisiana. It was spell-binding to hear the things they did. If anyone knows of any individuals that have relocated to Dakota County or Farmington, it is important they register with FEMA. They may be eligible for assistance. If anyone wishes to contribute to relief efforts, make sure you contribute to a reputable agency. Mayors should continue to take inventory of their housing stock for any displaced individuals. The state is discouraging the recruitment of families to provide shelter in their own homes. Farmington Lions and Rotary are hosting a Fun Shoot and he will be participating. He asked Council to consider a workshop with just Council. We need to talk about working as a team and the direction we are going. The Acting Administrator should also attend. Councilmembers supported this idea. It was decided to add this to the budget workshop on September 28,2005. The budget would be discussed from 6:00-7:30 p.m. and the communications discussion could begin at 7:45 p.m. Councilmember Pritzlaff noted they ran short of time at the last workshop because they added something onto the end and suggested this issue should be by itself. Mayor Soderberg noted there are no other meetings after the workshop so the length would not be a problem. Mayor Soderberg gave an update on the City Administrator process. After he and Councilmember McKnight spoke with three candidates, the chamber, among themselves, and other people there was a recurring theme and that was continuity ofleadership with an Interim City Administrator. It is their recommendation rather than to appoint an Interim City Administrator to engage in advertising the position and do it in-house, with Human Resources Director Wendlandt taking the lead and having Council involved in the process. It would be great to have Council involved in the process to a degree where they end up with ownership of it. Councilmember McKnight stated we listened a lot over the last week to come up with this change of plans. They wanted the opinion of the rest of Council. They received a profile and job description from Human Resources and Mayor Council Minutes (Regular) September 19,2005 Page 7 Soderberg asked Council to review it and be prepared to make any changes at the September 28, 2005 workshop. Councilmember Fogarty asked what Band E means. Human Resources Director Wendlandt replied it is the compensation evaluation system. Band F is Council, Band E is the level below Council, and then there is a D, C, B, and A. Mayor Soderberg wanted the whole Council to be involved in this. Finance Director Roland proposed that once Council gives their comments on September 28, staff would formulate the position paperwork, list the places to be advertised and bring this to Council on October 3,2005. Councilmember Wilson liked the fact that they listened and they are reacting to what they heard. Council is being informed in a way that helps them make the best decision for the City and the Council. He felt there was a lot of things lumped together in the City Administrator profile. He would want the language modernized. 14. ADJOURN MOTION by Fogarty, second by McKnight to adjourn at 8:11 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, ~~P7~ Cynthia Muller Executive Assistant