HomeMy WebLinkAbout04.08.19 Work Session Minutes CITY OF FARMINGTON
CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
WORK SESSION AND JOINT WORK SESSION OF THE
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND PLANNING COMMISSION
APRIL 8, 2019
Mayor Larson called the work session to order at 6:00 p.m.
Roll Call
Present—Larson, Donnelly, Craig and Hoyt
Absent—Bernhjelm
Also Present—Community Development Director Kienberger [Acting Administrator], Public
Works Director Gehler,Assistant City Engineer Decur, Police Chief Rutherford, Finance Director
Malecha, and Planning Manager Wippler.
Agenda
Motion by Donnelly, second by Craig,to approve the agenda. APIF, motion carried.
Encroachment Discussion Update
Acting Administrator Kienberger updated the City Council on the process for continuing the
encroachments discussion and provided detail on an upcoming neighborhood meeting to
receive input from the residents of the Mystic Meadows neighborhood. A neighborhood
meeting will be held on April 23, 2019 from 6:30 p.m.—7:30 p.m. at Akin Road Elementary
School.
The intent of this meeting will be to provide the neighborhood with information on the outlots
within Mystic Meadows and to solicit input on how to best balance resident use of these
outlots with the city's stormwater pond maintenance obligations.
Acting Administrator Kienberger reviewed the following logistics with the City Council:
• As this will be a neighborhood meeting, city staff will lead the meeting beginning with
introductions and a brief presentation.
• Ground rules will be established for public comment and discussion so that all may
contribute and be heard in a respectful manner.
• Since a quorum of the City Council may be present, the meeting will be publicly noticed.
• City Council members are encouraged to interact with residents during small group
discussion, but not with each other in accordance with open meeting law and the stated
intent of this meeting.
• Staff will facilitate small group discussion,take notes, and solicit written comments that
will be summarized for a future City Council work session on this topic.
• Staff will establish a method for providing residents with updates on the process and
any future meetings regarding this topic.
Councilmember Donnelly asked why this format was preferred versus a discussion at a regular
City Council meeting.Acting Administrator Kienberger noted that a neighborhood meeting
allows for dialog in small group settings and for input to be recorded from both verbal and
written comments. It also will allow staff to gather neighborhood input from those who may
not be comfortable speaking in a large group setting. Input will be collected via several methods
and presented to the City Council at a future work session for discussion.
Mayor Larson added that neighbors will be notified of future meetings on this topic and are
encouraged to attend the neighborhood meeting on April 23.
Audience members clarified that no decisions are being made by the City Council at this time
and look forward to participating in the process.
Mayor Larson thanked residents for attending and staying engaged in the process.
ADA Transition Plan
Assistant City Engineer Decur reviewed the ADA transition plan and detailed the methodology
for identifying and categorizing the materials.
The U.S. Depart of Justice Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires public agencies to
conduct a self-evaluation of facilities within public rights of way for compliance and to develop
a transition plan.The plan must detail how the agency will ensure that all its facilities are
accessible to all individuals.
City staff inventoried pedestrian curb ramps on city sidewalks and trails and has developed a
draft transition plan based on MNDOT templates. Data collected was evaluated and facilities
were categorized into three tiers.
As required by law, staff will hold an open house (tentatively scheduled for April 30, 2019)to
introduce the public to the draft ADA Transition Plan and to allow residents to offer insight into
accessibility issues they encounter in the city. Results from the open house will be incorporated
into the final ADA Transition Plan, which will be presented to the City Council for approval in
May of 2019.
Councilmember Donnelly asked if this had been done before. Assistant City Engineer Decur
stated that this was the first time.
2018 Interfund Transfers Review and Expenditures Discussion
Finance Director Malecha reviewed the 2018 interfund transfers and expenditures memo.
Transfers of money between funds occur for various reasons. The following were some
provided examples.
Sometimes transfers are made as part of a long-term funding strategy often in
conjunction with a capital improvement plan (CIP). Some specific city examples would
be transfers made to the sealcoating, building maintenance, and trail maintenance.
The city may want to save money over several years for a larger purchase (such as the
fire engine) or recurring replacement purchases (for example, items replaced on
rotation schedules, such as police and fire equipment).
Transfers are made when the city invests its liquor stores community improvement
funds.
Administrative transfers provide for the reimbursement of human resource and
administrative costs incurred in one fund for the benefit of another fund.Another type
of administrative transfer would be more house-keeping in nature, for example
completing closing entries for accounts that are no longer needed.
Finally, no matter how comprehensive and well thought out the city's budget or current
year plan may be new, unanticipated opportunities often present themselves.
It is anticipated that there is roughly$900,000 ($600,000 from 2018 and $300,000 from
2017) above the 40%General Fund balance for year-ended 2018.The City Council provided
direction to maintain $300,000 in the fund balance and to allocate $600,000 to the vehicle CIP
with additional evaluation to be done during the 2020 budget process.
Finance Director Malecha noted the city's recent S&P bond rating upgrade to AA+and how this
is an indication of sound financial planning by the city.
Councilmember Donnelly asked what contributed to the bond rating upgrade.
Finance Director Malecha cited the city's long term financial plan, and work of the City Council
and staff to plan responsibly for the future.
City Council recessed briefly prior to the joint work session topics.
JOINT WORK SESSION OF THE CITY COUNCIL, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND
PLANNING COMMISSION (7:00 P.M.)
Present—City Council—Larson, Donnelly, Craig and Hoyt
Present—Economic Development Authority—Jolley, Wilson, Simmons
Present—Planning Commission—Rotty,Tesky, Windschitl
Highway 3 Corridor Plan Update
Acting Administrator Kienberger provided a synopsis of the work done to date and introduced
Eric Maass with WSB.
Mr. Maass facilitated a discussion of the City Council, EDA, and Planning Commission on the
following:
Vision Statement, Goals, and Strategies
Massing Studies for Identified Redevelopment Sites
Land Use and Zoning Recommendations
The group felt that the provided materials accurately reflected both community input received
on the project and discussions held by the City Council, EDA, and Planning Commission at their
earlier meetings.
Planning Commission Chair Rotty suggested changing the word "city" to "community"within
the proposed vision statement.
The group discussed a variety of strategies that aligned with the proposed goals and expressed
support for short-term, mid-term, and long-term strategies.
Additional discussion was had on emphasizing communication between the three bodies so
that funding and implementation expectations could be aligned.
EDA Chair Simmons expressed a need for balancing funding for the EDA with suggested
outcomes of this plan.
The group continued discussion on existing challenges related to traffic, safety, and land use
compatibility.The group agreed that this type of plan will assist in guiding redevelopment
opportunities and design consistency for properties along the corridor.
Mr. Maass outlined next steps in the process including recommending design guidelines,
market feasibility, and financing tools and programs to aid in future redevelopment.The plan is
scheduled to be completed by mid-June for potential inclusion in the city's 2040 Comp Plan
update.
The group expressed support for the goals, strategies and recommendations included in the
packet.
2040 Comprehensive Plan Update
Planning Manger Wippler reviewed the status of the city's 2040 Comprehensive Plan and
outlined the next steps upon adoption.
Refinements to the plan are currently underway to ensure a complete submittal to the Met
Council by June 30, 2019. These refinements will likely include components from the TH 3
Corridor Plan.
The Met Council will then have 120 days to review, provide comment, or approve the city's
update. If approved by the Met Council, the city will have to officially adopt the 2040
Comprehensive Plan by City Council resolution.
Once the plan is adopted by the City Council the city will have nine months to update and
submit to the Met Council any ordinances and official controls intended to help implement the
2040 update. This will include revising the zoning code and zoning map as needed to be in
compliance with the 2040 update.
Planning Manager Wippler noted that if the Highway 3 plan is completed prior to final submittal
of the 2040 Comp Plan, it would make sense to integrate the recommendations into the
document.
Planning Commission Chair Rotty asked about the ability to update the plan after it was
approved, and expressed apprehension about possibly rushing the Highway 3 Corridor Plan to
include it in the Comp Plan update.The group noted a preference to complete the work
efficiently, but to not rush it for the sake of including the recommendations in the 2040 Comp
Plan update.
City Administrator Update
No additional updates or discussion.
Adjourn
Motion by Hoyt, second by Donnelly, to adjourn the meeting at 8:38 p.m. APIF, motion carried.
Respectfully submitted,
Adam Kienberger,Acting City Administrator