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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.21.22 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR November 21, 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: Joel Jamnik, City Attorney; Lynn Gorski, City Administrator;Julie Flaten,Assistant City Administrator/HR Director; Chris Regis, Finance Director; Deanna Kuennen, Community Development Director;John Powell; Public Works Director; Kellee Omlid, Parks and Recreation Director; Gary Rutherford, Police Chief;Justin Elvestad, Fire Chief; Cynthia Muller,Administrative Assistant Audience: Commissioner Mike Slavik, Holly Bernatz 4. APPROVE AGENDA MOTION by Lien, second by Wilson to approve the agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS a) Dakota County Commissioner Slavik Commissioner Mike Slavik gave an update on county activities. Property tax statements were recently sent out and the increase included 1.9%of the preliminary levy set by the county. Valuations of residential properties went up 17%and 2/3 of the tax increase is a valuation increase. The increase will be closer to 6% in 2024 and residents will not be impacted as hard. The county is quadrupling the greenway system which is going through cities and rural areas. Part of the trail system in cities that is included in the greenway might be taken over by the county as far as ownership and maintenance. Part of the greenway system will include building a big bridge over the creek in Farmington. The county will be conducting a pilot program only at the Farmington Library. The county wants residents to be able to check out books, have meeting spaces and use of equipment after hours. Starting the first quarter of 2023, when the library closes at 8 pm, residents over 18 years of age will be able to go inside after hours. Regarding transportation items, in 2023 a left turn lane will be installed on Pilot Knob Road at 206th Street. The bridge on Denmark Avenue will be reconstructed. The plans for CR50 and Flagstaff Avenue are 90%completed. The county is working with the school district to figure out the bus schedules and Council Minutes(Regular) November 21,2022 Page 2 the right-of-way project is closer to completion. The county is also working on the drainage issue. This project will go out for bid in the spring and construction will take place only in the summer. CDA townhomes—The CDA can't say enough about the Farmington staff. They are top notch. The project for these townhomes will go out for bid and a contract awarded in the spring. Councilmember Wilson stated Commissioner Slavik is super visible in the community and appreciated the county's collaboration with the city. He noted the trails taken over by the county will only be Met Council approved greenways. Quadrupling the amount of money put into trails every year is great. Councilmember Wilson asked if the county does a solo bid or partners with cities on trail maintenance. Parks and Rec Director Omlid stated the city plows all trails within the city and county trails are done after that. We work with other cities on trail maintenance such as sealcoating. Councilmember Bernhjelm thanked Commissioner Slavik for his work at the county and collaborating with the city. Councilmember Porter thanked Commissioner Slavik for being an advocate for the city. Councilmember Lien was happy to hear about the left turn lane at 206th Street. Commissioner Slavik added a stop light will be installed at 179th Street and Pilot Knob in the spring and even though it is in Lakeville, it will affect Farmington residents. Mayor Hoyt stated Commissioner Slavik is an ambassador for our community. A sincere thank you for what you do on behalf of our residents. Commissioner Slavik wished everyone a happy holiday season. b) Welcome Public Works Director John Powell, Parks Maintenance Worker John Carpenter and Community Development Director Deanna Kuennen City Administrator Gorski introduced new employees. John Powell is the Public Works Director and started October 31. He brings great experience with other cities. Deanna Kuennen started today as the new Community Development Director and we are excited to have her here. She recently worked for the city of Faribault and for the county. John Carpenter started last Monday and has experience working in other cities. He appreciated the opportunity to work for Farmington. Public Works Director Powell stated he is in the process of talking one-on-one with staff. Community Development Director Kuennen stated it feels good to be here and she is excited about what we can do together. Councilmember Bernhjelm welcomed all three new employees and added they are in good hands with City Administrator Gorski. Councilmembers welcomed everyone. Mayor Hoyt noted each employee has a significant role with dedication to the city. 6. CITIZEN COMMENTS Council Minutes(Regular) November 21,2022 Page 3 7. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Bernhjelm, second by Porter to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: a) Approved November 7, 2022, City Council Work Session and Meeting Minutes— Administration b) Approved November 14, 2022, City Council Work Session and Special Meeting Minutes—Administration C) Adopted RESOLUTION R79-22 Approving Gambling Premise Permits— Farmington Youth Hockey Association—Administration d) Approved Community Waste Abatement Grant Application —Administration e) Approved Estoppel Certificate &SNDA Signature for Farmington Mall Liquor Store Location—Administration f) Approved Renewal of Electrical Inspector Contract—Community Development g) Approved Bills—Finance h) Approved Staff Changes and Recommendations—Human Resources i) Approved Contract for iCompass, an Agenda Management Solution —IT j) Adopted RESOLUTION R80-22 Accepting Donation from Nancy Bohn to the Rambling River Center—Parks and Recreation APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT a) Award Contract for 2022 Tree Removal Services—Public Works Staff obtained quotes for trimming and hazardous tree removal in city boulevards. The contract will be utilized to supplement city work crews who are generally busy completing street, utility and other projects and are not able to focus solely on tree work. Staff solicited quotes from three contractors, but only Aspenwall Tree Services Inc. responded. Based on a review of references, competitive rates and skill level, staff recommends awarding the contract to Aspenwall Tree Services Inc. As funds budgeted for 2022 are being used for the tree removal services, and as the work needs to be completed by year end, we are proceeding only with tree removal services at this time (not trimming or stump removal). The agreement will be revised to reflect a completion date for tree removal of December 31, 2022. Funding will be from the Natural Resources budget, available due to unpaid full-time salaries. Tree removal services shall not exceed $21,000. Councilmember Bernhjelm noted the bid was for$12,000. Staff decided to focus on increased tree removal for 2022. In 2023 council will see the bid for stump grinding. Councilmember Lien asked about emerald ash borer trees. Public Works Director Powell noted some trees being removed are ash trees. Work will begin within one to two weeks and be completed in December. We will notify residents in advance. Prices are competitive with other companies. Councilmember Wilson stressed the need to make sure residents have enough Council Minutes(Regular) November 21,2022 Page 4 advance notice. Mayor Hoyt recalled in the past most of the trees were identified by residents that needed trimming or removal. He asked if we have a backlog and where does this get us to? Staff replied this puts a dent in the list of about 5%. MOTION by Porter, second by Lien to award the contract for 2022 tree services to Aspenwall Tree Services Inc. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. b) Accept Bids and Award a Contract for the Boiler Replacement Project—Parks and Recreation There are two Fulton Pulse boilers at City Hall and they haven't been reliable, are constantly breaking down and have led to costly repairs. Staff hired Design Tree Services for design and construction management for the boiler replacement. Seven bids were received. The low bid of$188,571 was received from Major Mechanical. It has not been determined yet which boiler manufacturer to use. Construction start date is April 30, 2023, to be completed in August 2023. Parks and Rec Director Omlid explained the warranties on the various parts and more specifics will be known with the exact type of boiler. ARPA funds will be used to cover the cost. Councilmember Wilson appreciated the thorough approach. Councilmember Porter asked if staff anticipates a substantial cost this winter to maintain what we have. Staff noted technicians have been here a couple times this month. Mayor Hoyt noted there is a lot of volatility in the market. We need to make sure we do not run into a situation in February where the cost is$20,000 higher. We shouldn't be on the hook because of not receiving a proper bid. MOTION by Bernhjelm, second by Lien to accept the bid and award a contract for the City Hall boiler replacement project to Major Mechanical in the amount of$188,571 and authorize the Mayor and City Administrator to execute the same. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 12. NEW BUSINESS 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE Lien: Thank you to the volunteers for organizing Patriotic Day at the high school. Happy Thanksgiving. Porter. Farmington has great community support at local events. Wilson: Huge congratulations to the high school ladies' cross-country team. We have so much amazing talent with the staff we have here. Jamnik: Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving. Council Minutes(Regular) November 21,2022 Page 5 Gorski. Welcomed John, Deanna and John. The city is accepting applications for our boards and commissions, and they are due December 5, 2022. Flaten: We are hiring for two seasonal positions and retooling the communication specialist position. We have narrowed the pool for the police officer position. Kuennen: Looked forward to coming back with new ideas. Powell: Street construction season is wrapping up. Had to use some snow and ice control already. He will be bringing some items to the December work session with new ways of doing things. Omlid: Trains and Treats is this Saturday at the Rambling River Center. Regis: Looking at new capital improvement plan software. Elvestad: Thank you to businesses for turkey bingo donations and to the Firefighters Auxiliary. Rutherford: Toys for Town is underway. As of Friday, we had 50 families and 150 kids registered to receive gifts. We are halfway to our fundraising goal. Wrapping will be Saturday, December 17, 2022. Hoyt: Mother Nature wins the battle along with Father Time. Make the most of the holidays as time flies fast. Slow down when driving and be aware of kids. There are a lot of great things happening in our community. Without people doing the work, events can't happen. 14. ADJOURN MOTION by Bernhjelm, second by Lien to adjourn at 7:47 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, Cynthia .'Muller Cynthia Muller Administrative Assistant