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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.15.20 Council Minutes CITY OF FARMINGTON CITY COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR MEETING JUNE 15, 2020 1. Call to Order Mayor Larson called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. 1a. Closed Session A motion was made by Bernhjelm, second by Hoyt, to go into closed session for preliminary consideration of proposed termination pursuant to M.S. 130.05, Subd. 2(b). APIF, motion carried. Present in the closed session were all city councilmembers except Councilmember Craig, Administrator McKnight, Fire Chief Elvestad, Deputy Fire Chief Price Price, Assistant Fire Chief Schmitz, Human Resources Director Gabbard, Firefighter Lester and Attorney Jamnik. Motion by Hoyt, second by Bernhjelm, to adjourn out of closed session and into regular session at 6:40 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Larson led those in attendance in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Roll Call Present-Larson, Bernhjelm, Craig, Donnelly and Hoyt Absent-None Staff Present-Administrator McKnight, Community Development Director Kienberger, Parks and Recreation Director Distad and Attorney Jamnik. 4. Agenda Motion by Hoyt, second by Bernhjelm,to approve the agenda as presented. APIF, motion carried. S. Announcements/Commendations a) Proclaim Friday,June 19, 2020 as Farmington Tigers Girls Basketball Day in Farmington June 15, 2020 Minutes - 1- Mayor Larson proclaimed Friday,June 19, 2020 as Farmington Tigers Girls Basketball day in Farmington in honor of the girls basketball team earning a co-state championship during the 2019/2020 season. 6. Citizen Comments None. 7. Consent Agenda Motion by Craig, second by Hoyt,to approve the consent agenda: a) Approve Minutes of the June 1, 2020 City Council Meeting-Administration b) Approve COVID-19 Preparedness Plan-Administration c) Approve Seasonal Hiring-Human Resources d) Approve Bills-Finance APIF, motion carried. S. Public Hearings None 9. Award of Contract None 10. Petitions, Requests and Communications None 11. Unfinished Business None 12. New Business a) COVID-19 Response Update Administrator McKnight updated the city council on the COVID-19 response. The updated included: ✓ The Schmitz-Maki Arena reopened today with appropriate safeguards put in place. The city has developed a preparedness plan for the arena that has been implemented. Each of the user groups is also required to submit a preparedness plan for review and June 15, 2020 Minutes -2- approval by city staff as well. The city is following guidelines put in place by the state in terms of plan review, number of skaters allowed on the ice, etc. ✓ Staff is working towards a reopening date as early as July 7, 2020 for the Rambling River Center. This opening will have caps on the number of people in the building, restrictions on the programs offered, safety measures implemented and more. ✓ The liquor stores are moving into solid ground with hours of operation and the amount of sales. The last two weeks have been the two highest selling weeks since the pandemic started with sales of$122,000 and $117,000 respectively. We continue our recruitment efforts to get hour store hours back to 100%. Implemented safety measures are likely here to stay in our stores. ✓ We continue to monitor the state legislature as they discuss approval of the CARES act funding to local governments. The city council received an estimated number last week but it is important to point out the potential items that will be eligible for reimbursements. ✓ City hall operations are now in week three and everything seems to be operating successfully. Parks and Recreation Director Distad updated the city council on department preparations for restarting. Distad reviewed plans for the arena, Rambling River Center and the status of a number of programs. Councilmember Bernhjelm asked if the city was eligible for participation in the PPP program. Attorney Jamnik stated that we are not eligible. Councilmember Donnelly thanked staff for their continued work and like to see us moving towards some form of normalcy. Councilmember Hoyt thanked staff and shared he has heard from a number of longtime residents who are discovering our parks and trail system. Mayor Larson asked if other communities are opening their senior centers. Distad stated some are planning to reopen soon and others have decided to wait until fall. b) Liquor Store Profits Administrator McKnight brought up the issue of liquor store profits. Earlier this year, the city council rejected bids for a project at the arena that was going to be paid for with liquor store profits that had been previously set aside. McKnight brought up the issue of using some of those dollars to reinvest into the area for other projects. City staff and FYHA both have ideas about how to invest potential dollars back into the arena. June 15, 2020 Minutes -3- Councilmembers liked the idea of investing in the arena but wanted to see more information. They would like to see potential projects from city staff and from FYHA. 13. City Council Roundtable Bernhjelm-Asked city staff to include more reasoning on the absentee voting issue with residents in our social media posts, specifically the reasons shared with the city council to move to two precinct like election judge issues and cost savings. Donnelly-Reminded residents that Flagstaff Avenue is closed. Craig-Encouraged residents to review the absentee voting information that arrived in the mail over the weekend. Hoyt-Really liked to see the city returning to some sort of normalcy. McKnight-Asked the city council to schedule a special city council meeting on Monday,June 29, 2020 to consider a development agreement with Holiday. Larson-Encourages residents to shop local. Adjourn Motion by Bernhjelm, second by Craig, to adjourn the meeting at 7:28 p.m. APIF, motion carried. Respectfully Submitted 590ra g. "C'lt:;V ' David McKnight, City Administrator June 15, 2020 Minutes -4-