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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.15.04 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR March 15,2004 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Acting Mayor Cordes at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Acting Mayor Cordes led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present: Members Absent: Also Present: Cordes, Fitch, Fogarty, Soderberg Ristow Joel Jamnik, City Attorney; David Urbia, City Administrator; Robin Roland, Finance Director; Kevin Carroll, Community Development Director; Dan Siebenaler, Police Chief; Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director; Lee Mann, Director of Public Works/City Engineer; Lisa Shadick, Administrative Services Director; Tim Gross, Assistant City Engineer; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant Audience: 4. APPROVE AGENDA Councilmember Soderberg stated there was discussion about moving items 1 Oa)-c) to the Consent Agenda. Council agreed. MOTION by Soderberg, second by Fitch to approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS a) Proclaim Earth Day April 22, 2004 MOTION by Fogarty, second by Soderberg proclaiming April 22, 2004 as Earth Day. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 6. CITIZEN COMMENTS 7. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Soderberg, second by Fitch to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: a) Approved Council Minutes (3/1/04 Regular) b) Received Information Parks and Recreation Commission Minutes - Parks and Recreation c) Approved Chamber of Commerce Fee Waiver Request - Administration d) Approved CEEF Donation - Administration e) Scheduled Council Workshop April 6, 2004 - Administration Council Minutes (Regular) March 15, 2004 Page 2 f) Adopted RESOLUTION R23-04 Approving Gambling Event Permit - Administration g) Approved 195th Street Trail Akin Road Elementary School - Engineering h) Approved Bills 10. a) Received Information February 2004 Financial Report - Finance b) Adopted RESOLUTION R24-04 Approving East Farmington 8th Addition Development Contract - Engineering c) Approved Agreement with Community Season for On-Line Registration Program - Parks and Recreation APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT 10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS d) Adopt Resolution - Minnesota Zoo Bonding Bill Request - Administration The Executive Director of the Chamber of Commerce asked Council to consider supporting this bonding bill request. Councilmember Fogarty stated she did not have an opportunity to talk to anyone at the Chamber to find out why they are supporting this. She checked the zoo's website and spoke to people at the zoo and found some of the information is not accurate. They have opened two major exhibits since 2000, the information states they have not. The website states Governor Pawlenty is supporting the zoo with some money, but not fully funding them. Councilmember Fogarty stated she does support the zoo. She was concerned as to what the Governor would have to give up in funding in order to support this bill. Statistics can be easily changed. Staff will look into the issue further. Councilmember Fitch also was concerned about what would not be funded. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Soderberg to table this item. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 12. NEW BUSINESS 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Councilmember Fogarty: She attended a Day at the Capital and Partners in Progress. Farmington was recognized for the grant received from the Met Council. Council Minutes (Regular) March 15, 2004 Page 3 The divers and swimmers competed at State and she congratulated R.J. Rappe who won the State Title and his father, as the Coach. She stated all Councilmembers are on boards, committees and task forces and at the end of the year an attendance list is received for other Boards and Commissions used for re- appointing. She proposed the same thing be done for Councilmembers. She requested staffto compile this for the end of the year. Councilmember Soderberg: At the last Council Meeting he wore a colorful shirt and received a lot of comments on it. Tonight he was wearing a tie which was special to him because it has yellow ribbons and American flags for our service men and women that are defending our country. He was happy to report his daughter-in-law was home and has been discharged. His son has the potential of going. There are still others in the city, state and country that are overseas. This is in their honor and thanked them. Councilmember Fitch: There has been some discussion on the detox issue. He wrote a letter to Commissioner Harris and received a response. Commissioner Harris indicated that the Chiefs of Police have been notified and are working with the County Administrator and the Sheriff on the issue. He stated they have also been meeting with the City Administrators all along, explaining what will happen. Commissioner Harris's explanation was they are paying $205/day for 18 beds/day. Detox wants to raise the amount of money to $300/day/patient. The County at one time talked about raising the amount to $250, but this was not enough. This is their reasoning for closing detox. Councilmember Fitch asked if staff had any other information. He understood they had budget constraints like the city does. The contract was extended for only 6 months in the last negotiation. He spoke to Mayor Ristow about the MUSA Review Committee meeting and he will not be able to attend tomorrow night. When the Mayor returns, Council will discuss the item from the last meeting about boards and commissions. Police Chief Siebenaler stated the State mandates that Counties provide detox services. This can be through contracted services. The service has been provided by Dakota County Receiving Center in Hastings for many years. This year the rates went up. The communication to the City Administrators came 10 days ago at the City Administrators meeting. It came second hand to the Chiefs that day, and directly to the Chiefs five days ago for the first time. The Committee of the Whole will be meeting to discuss this for a recommendation tomorrow. Chief Siebenaler will be attending that meeting. The budgeted amount for detox services in the County will be $1.3 million. That will buy 15 beds/day. Under the current arrangement there is no minimum or maximum number of beds being used, which is a benefit to the County. On a typical week night there may be as few as four clients in detox. On a Friday - Sunday that number jumps to an average of 35. The 15 beds that the County is proposing to contract for at Regions Hospital in St. Paul will mean that on a weekend there could be 20 intoxicated people with no where to put them. The County proposal is under funded in that respect. There is no transportation element to the proposal. When the City has an individual that has to go to Council Minutes (Regular) March 15,2004 Page 4 detox without choice, that means an officer from the City will drive to Regions Hospital in St. Paul and admit the client into detox. It is not easy to admit someone there. He estimated the time required to take someone from Farmington to Regions and then come back will take two hours. There are already staffing considerations with the Police Department in Farmington and every other city has those same considerations. To take someone off the street would be irresponsible. It would leave someone working alone. It would be necessary to call someone in on overtime. The cost savings would be $45/day for the County. The cost for a Police Officer to transport a client to Ramsey County would be three times that amount in overtime. While the County is saving $45/day, the local cities can expect to spend three times that amount in transport costs for the first time. When someone is arrested and is required by law to go to jail, but has an alcohol concentration in excess of .20, that person is at medical risk and must be placed in detox until they come down to a reasonable level. Another transport would then have to go back to St. Paul, pick them up, take them to Hastings where they will be placed in jail. Now the city has spent five or six times the amount the County is saving. Last week at a meeting ofthe Dakota County Chiefs of Police, he sat in a room with in excess of300 years of police experience. When presented with this problem, it was the first time he saw this group hang their heads, unable to come up with a solution. Another problem, on a weekend when there is no bed available for an intoxicated person, they cannot be released because they are a threat to themselves or someone else or they need to go to jail. They cannot be hospitalized because the rules for emergency rooms are different than jails and intoxication is not a medical emergency to be admitted to a hospital. If it were, the city would pay the hospital bill. They cannot be placed in a health and welfare hold because the laws in the State say that if a person is a danger to themselves or someone else and is intoxicated, they have to sober up before they can be placed in a health and welfare hold. That leaves one option. That is holding them at our own facility until they are sober or have reduced the alcohol concentration to a point where they can go to jail. We are going to return in that case to something this city has not seen since 1950. That is the Mayberry RFD scenario of Otis, sleeping it off in the jail cell. The County is being short sided in not funding the extra dollars. Staffing levels at detox are at minimums, there is no one to cut. This is a mandate for all counties. The Dakota County detox serves an area 90 miles in radius. They go down as far as Rochester, west as far as Hutchinson, and north of the Metro area. Staff does not know where the Board of Commissioners would get the funding they need. Staff views this as unwise. This is a mandate. This is public health and safety that is involved. It is an ongoing issue and has been in existence for a long time. Ifthis goes through, it will cost the City $10,000 - $15,000/year in overtime costs. The city cannot afford to add more. This is a County mandate and they need to step up to the plate and address it. Councilmember Fitch stated it is always interesting to get two different sides. He said Commissioner Harris stated senior programs and other things have been cut, and it is time for this to get cut too. City Administrator Urbia: Coffee with the Council will be held Thursday, at 7:30 a.m. The topic will be the Main Street closure issue. Council Minutes (Regular) March 15,2004 Page 5 Community Development Director Carroll: He also met R.J. Rappe. He was selected Student ofthe Month by the Rotary. Not only is he an exceptional athlete, but he is an excellent student, a leader, and volunteer. He was one ofthe leaders at the High School that generated the record amount of money that went to Toys for Town. He congratulated R.J. on his diving victory and on being such an exemplary student. Parks and Recreation Director Distad: At the last Park and Rec Commission meeting, Mr. Kurt Chatfield from Dakota County made a presentation on the Regional Park. Staff would like to invite him to the April 5 Council Meeting to make a presentation to Council and ask Council to consider a resolution supporting the Regional Park. It is 3 miles east of downtown Farmington. Empire Township has also approved a resolution supporting the park. 14. ADJOURN MOTION by Soderberg, second by Fogarty to adjourn at 7:24 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, ~ /??de1L Cynthia Muller Executive Assistant