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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.07.22 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR March 7, 2022 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Hoyt at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Hoyt led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present: Hoyt, Bernhjelm, Lien, Porter, Wilson Members Absent: None Also Present: Leah Koch, City Attorney; David McKnight, City Administrator; Lynn Gorski, Assistant City Administrator; Chris Regis, Finance Director; Gary Rutherford, Police Chief;Jim Constantineau, Deputy Police Chief;Justin Elvestad, Fire Chief; Samantha DiMaggio, Community Development Director; Kellee Omlid, Parks and Recreation Director; Cynthia Muller, Administrative Assistant Audience: Holly Shearer, Holly Bernatz, Terry Donnelly, McKenzie Quinon 4. APPROVE AGENDA MOTION by Wilson, second by Lien,to approve the agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. S. ANNOUNCEMENTS 6. CITIZEN COMMENTS Ms. Holly Shearer and Ms. Holly Bernatz, of the Dew Days committee, stated they have an additional 20 volunteers as a result of the Community Expo. There is a sign-up genius available for more volunteers. Dew Days will be held June 23-26. Ms. McKenzie Quinon invited residents to attend the Muddy Bunny 5K on April 16 at Bethel's Rock Church and support the Farmington Yellow Ribbon Network. There will also be a new% mile kids obstacle race. They are partnering with the Fire Department to hold this event in conjunction with the Easter Egg Hunt at the same location and date. 7. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Wilson, second by Lien to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: a) Approved February 22, 2022, City Council Work Session and Meeting Minutes- Administration b) Adopted RESOLUTION R17-22 Approving Gambling Event Permit for N.E.W. Ducks Unlimited Chapter#290—Administration C) Approved Separation Agreement—Administration d) Approved a Joint Powers Agreement with Dakota County for the Wetland Health Evaluation Program—Public Works e) Approved a Contract for Professional Engineering Services for MS4 Program Implementation and Support—Public Works Council Minutes(Regular) March 7,2022 Page 2 f) Approved Purchase of NeoGov-HR Software Suite — IT g) Approved Out of State Training—Police h) Approved Addition of Full Time Position in Liquor Operations - Liquor i) Approved Bills- Finance APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT 10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 12. NEW BUSINESS a) Adopt Resolution Approving Polling Locations for 2022 Elections Redistricting is complete and cities need to re-establish precinct boundaries and polling locations. Farmington remains in legislative district 58 and congressional district 2, therefore, no changes are needed to precinct boundaries or polling locations. Polling locations for the 2022 State Primary and General Elections will remain the same as follows: Precinct 1—Rambling River Center, 325 Oak Street Precinct 2—Church of St. Michael, 22120 Denmark Avenue Precinct 3—Farmington Maintenance Facility, 19650 Municipal Drive Precinct 4—Farmington Lutheran Church, 20600 Akin Road Precinct 5—Bible Baptist Church, 19700 Akin Road Precinct 6—Farmington City Hall, 430 Third Street MOTION by Porter, second by Wilson to adopt RESOLUTION R18-22 designating these precincts and polling locations for the 2022 State Primary and General Elections. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. b) Recognition of Service of David McKnight, City Administrator City Administrator David McKnight has resigned from his position effective March 11, 2022. He has served the City of Farmington for just over 10 years. Mayor Hoyt stated he has worked with City Administrator McKnight for three years. His legacy in the community will stay long after he's gone. He has given us 10+years. It has been an honor to know him. Administrator McKnight has gone through tremendous growth personally and professionally. We are better because of him. Mayor Hoyt wished him the best of luck. Councilmember Lien stated he has been serving on the City Council for six weeks and Administrator McKnight has been nothing but helpful. He has learned a lot from him and wished him the best of luck. Council Minutes(Regular) March 7,2022 Page 3 Councilmember Bernhjelm stated our loss is the county's gain. Administrator McKnight has been a fantastic mentor. He was the deciding factor for her to run for council in 2018 and why she is sitting on the council now. Administrator McKnight has made this very easy. Councilmember Porter stated Administrator McKnight has been a steady in the storm. He will be sorely missed. He has left a huge footprint and legacy. She wished him all the best. Councilmember Wilson stated he had been living in Farmington for six months when he started serving on the city council. At that time, Administrator McKnight was also serving on the city council and Councilmember Wilson looked up to him as a mentor. It has been an honor working with Administrator McKnight. Councilmember Wilson was excited for him and his new position. Congratulations. Former Councilmember Terry Donnelly thanked Administrator McKnight for his exemplary service. He transformed Farmington into a great place to live. Before Administrator McKnight, the city was hiring a city administrator every two years. There was no respect for the highest official by other cities. Administrator McKnight changed that. During the interview process, Administrator McKnight easily rose to the top among the candidates. Hiring Administrator McKnight was the easiest and most important decision as a councilmember. Administrator McKnight has a passion for Farmington. He brought civility, professionalism and respect. This council will hire the next city administrator. The city has unbounded potential. Take your time. Administrator McKnight has set the bar high and will be a tough act to follow. 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Lien: Congratulations and best of luck to Administrator McKnight. He attended the Community Expo on Saturday and it was fun to see Farmington be Farmington again. Bernhjelm: Residents have received a Dick's Sanitation bill for the second quarter. The city already paid the first quarter. Porter: The Expo is always fun. Seeing the businesses was great. It provides a great opportunity for conversation. Farmington is special and we need volunteers to celebrate our legacy at Dew Days. Wilson: He appreciated McKenzie coming to promote the Muddy Bunny Fun Run and Holly Shearer and Holly Bernatz coming to promote Dew Days. The ladies bowling team sent seven members to state. Koch: There are judicial vacancies across the state. Residents should encourage attorneys to apply. Council Minutes(Regular) March 7,2022 Page 4 Gorski: The USDA buildout is on round two and when the plans are final, we will bring them to council. Regis: He is working on year end reports and the Spruce Street project financing. DiMaggio: There is a link on the city's website for potential buyers to view available parcels and buildings. Omlid: We are accepting registrations for spring recreation programs. The Jim Bell Park committee will be meeting again in March. This Friday is the last Coffee Cafe at the Rambling River Center. Rutherford: Over three years ago, Administrator McKnight took a chance and recommended him for police chief. He thanked Administrator McKnight for taking a chance on him. Constantineau: Thanked Administrator McKnight for taking a chance on Police Chief Rutherford, so the police chief could take a chance on him. Hoyt: Friday coffee at the Rambling River Center is always a blast. Last year today it was 62 degrees. There are a lot of things coming this year in the city. We will miss Administrator McKnight. We would meet once a week or more. Mayor Hoyt will be forever indebted to Administrator McKnight and he has taught him a ton. Thank you for your impact to the community. McKnight: He stated this is his final meeting as City Administrator. Much has changed during his tenure. He is most proud of his work on the financial health of the city. We currently have the most professional fire department in our 150-year history. We have upgraded the fire fleet and make sure you don't go backwards. There has been significantly improved relations between the fire department, city council and city administrator. With a lot of hard work, the liquor stores have never been more profitable. The police department is the largest and most expensive department. He isn't worried about our police department and has confidence in them. There has been stability in the last 10+years. It is time for parks and recreation to get funding. Administrator McKnight stated his time here has not always been a smooth ride. He thanked the 2011 city council for allowing him to serve his hometown. Residents may not have liked every decision, but they were made with the city's best interest in mind. Administrator McKnight thanked his family for their support. He especially thanked friends for their questions when he was not working. He stated his work here is done, but yours will continue. Answer to the people above you, and take care of those below you. Council Minutes(Regular) March 7,2022 Page 5 14. ADJOURN MOTION by Bernhjelm, second by Porter to adjourn at 7:47 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, Cynthia JWuller Cynthia Muller Administrative Assistant