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HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.05.23 Work Session MinutesCity of Farmington City Council Work Session Minutes Monday, June 5, 2023 The Farmington City Council met in a work session on Monday, June 5, 2023, at 5:00 pm. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 430 V Street, Farmington, Minnesota. I - CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hoyt called the work session to order at 5:00 p.m. Members Present: Mayor Joshua Hoyt Councilmembers Holly Bernatz, Nick Lien, Katie Porter, and Steve Wilson Members Absent: None Also Present: Lynn Gorski, City Administrator Julie Flaten, Asst City Administrator/HR Director Kellee Omlid, Parks & Recreation Director Gary Rutherford, Police Chief John Powell, Public Works Director Shirley Buecksler, City Clerk Ben Blomgren, President, JTN Communications 0 - gwl!u Motion was made by Councilmember Wilson and seconded by Councilmemb Bernatz to approve the agenda, as presented. I Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays. 3. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3.1 Pliie-jllo' Fee Sc'j.edtj1e-fbuRttPII Atte-t-uz list,9-Ilatiorw, Director Powell presented. Earlier this year, the City was notified by Sprint / T-Mobile that they are terminating their antenna lease on the Daisy Knoll tower, The 2020 revenue to the City from this one lease was over $47,000; they have recently initiated the physical decommissioning of this installation. Allowing for a negotiated lease rate for smaller installations could help replace at least some of this lost revenue. JTN Communication, a company based here in Farmington, provided some information on what may be involved with a smaller antenna installation. Images showing the typical antenna size, mounting examples, and ground cabinet space needs were provided for Council. Based on a review of this and other information, Staff finds that this type of smaller installation would be much less City Council Work Session Minutes June 5,2023 Page 2 of 8 intrusive to the maintenance and operation of water storage facilities and justifies a reduced lease rate. Director Powell reached out to the City Attorney on how to differentiate a small antenna installation versus larger and came up with the following criteria to qualify for a negotiated antenna lease rate: 1. A ground lease area no greater than 30 feet 2. No alteration of the tank exterior coating for antenna mounting Discussion: With a smaller size attachment, Mayor Hoyt said he assumes that whatever verbiage we use, we don't find ourselves on another side of this with the larger carriers. Director Powell said the others have agreements already and we are not opening the door for renegotiations. Councilmember Bernatz asked for an explanation of the tank coating, Director Powell said this refers to paint. With water tanks, the interior and exterior coatings are critical and that all connections are restored property. We inspect our tanks every five years, sometimes three years, both inside and outside. It's a constant process to preserve the lifespan of the tank. Antenna lease agreements are annual licenses. Councilmember Porter asked if Sprint / T-Mobile told us why they terminated the lease, Director Powell said we don't ask, but they have some redundant installations due to their merger and, therefore, are eliminating that cost. Councilmember Lien asked if they are looking to put antennas on both towers. Ben Blomgren said we understand Daisy Knolls was going to be decommissioned at some point, Director Powell said we haven't gotten to the point of making that final decision on decommissioning Daisy Knolls. With the visioning and land use comp plan that we are going through now, we need to determine if that alters any assumptions we've made, as far as storage, elevated tanks or ground storage tanks, supply, and interim watermain. Once we get the land use and evaluate that impact on the system, we may come to a decision on whether it's one larger tank or what we need to balance the system. Councilmember Lien asked if you get a lot of overlap or if they're close together. Director Powell said there is potential for multiple installations in the future as we grow, as we did have a tank plan and a site identified but, because of the assumptions and making sure we're not getting ahead of ourselves, we want to be sure that's the final decision on where that storage is going. Based on the cost to recoat tank exteriors, we are looking at ground storage to trade off energy costs for tank coating costs. Based on the costs of painting and repainting the tank, it's about 25% of the costs for building one new. City Council Work Session Minutes June 5, 2023 Page 3 of 8 Councilmember Wilson asked if we are going to establish a new base rate on the 2023 Fee Schedule or will it be negotiable? Director Powell said it will be negotiable to allow for small installations with no base rate. Councilmember Wilson added the fact that Sprint / T-Mobile is decommissioning, that this part is a follow-up to our earlier discussion. Director Powell agreed and said we heard from Sprint back in November. Councilmember Wilson said the fact that we have a new provider opportunity, that, by itself, adds a nice component. It doesn't have the same revenue part of it, but it brings a nice new opportunity for a local vendor, Mayor Hoyt asked Mr. Blomgren about previous discussions, in that they have some antenna locations or are looking at the possibility of some antennas — is that still some that are ground -placed antennas that you put stuff on, or is that not cost feasible? Mayor Hoyt clarified that our fee schedule states, 'water tower communication devices.' To be sure we don't have redundancies going forward, yours can be affixed on not just water towers? Mr. Blomgren agreed. Mayor Hoyt asked if there is verbiage that we add that would include privately owned antennas and if that falls into franchise agreements. Director Powell didn't think we would get involved in that. It's between the property owner and the carrier. We could put in language such that we're not limiting ourselves to a water tower, if the City for some reason has a monopole or convert something for antennas. Mayor Hoyt said our tornado sirens are all on poles. If there is something to be used to benefit other businesses and create other opportunities for service, in either unserved or underserved areas, do we change the verbiage so that it's not something else that comes up after the fact. Not necessarily for now, but perhaps in the future. Director Powell said we can make this not specific to a water tower but to any city facility. Council approved and directed Staff to move forward. 3.2 Cardboard Recycling Bins Director Powell presented. The City currently has seven bins open to the public near the Maintenance Facility for disposal of cardboard. Despite being emptied daily during the week, by Monday morning they are frequently overfilled with cardboard debris placed outside of the bins. DSI indicates they are not able to empty the bins over the weekend, Public Works Staff routinely must pick up debris outside of the bins, including many items which have blown into nearby boulevards and ponds. Images documenting the overfilling of the recycling bins over the past several weeks were provided for Council review. The City has taken steps to reduce the overfilling of these bins, including: City Council Work Session Minutes June 5, 2023 Page 4 of 8 • An additional bin was placed at this site a couple of months ago bringing the total number of bins to seven. • Considered options for providing additional capacity such as the installation of a compactor, but this was not pursued for safety reasons. • Using addresses taken off debris laying outside of the bins, Code Enforcement has contacted residents and other property owners. About 40% of the addresses contacted were located outside of the City of Farmington. • News items pertaining to Cardboard Dumpster Usage Reminders and Business Recycling Reminders have been placed on the City website. Via communication with Violet Penman, the City's Solid Waste & Recycling Coordinator, she indicates that Hastings is the only other nearby City that she is aware of that offers cardboard dumpsters for free public disposal. She also indicates that Farmington residents also have other options for cardboard disposal: Curbside recycling is weekly throughout Farmington, and cardboard is accepted in curbside bins. Excess cardboard can be neatly bundled and placed next to the bin for pickup with no extra charge. • Recycle Minnesota in Lakeville accepts cardboard for free. • Alpha Services in Rosemount accepts cardboard for free. • The Recycling Zone in Eagan accepts cardboard for free. She further offered the following background: Dakota County requires that all businesses have recycling service, with an option to self -haul recycling to a recycling facility. Thus, businesses should have a recycling cart or dumpster as part of their recycling service that they can use for proper disposal of cardboard. The cardboard dumpsters are not a recycling facility and, thus, businesses cannot argue that they "self -haul recycling to a recycling facility." Dakota County Ordinance 110, Section 16.02, A4 also states that all businesses must "Ensure that the collection schedule and container capacity are sufficient to contain all the recyclables collected..." and Section 16,05, A2 states: "Property owners, managers, and event sponsors shall... Provide a collection schedule and containers adequate to meet the requirements of this ordinance." Residents and businesses have multiple options for disposing of any excess cardboard. We also need to consider that vehicles parked at the recycling bins will interfere with City Staff traffic in this area that will be generated due to the new fueling facility. We also do not want to provide vehicles a reason for parking for extended periods near the fueling facility. We have found that even during City Council Work Session Minutes June S, 2023 Page S of 8 snow removal operations, vehicles have been parked at the recycling bins for drop off which has interfered with snow removal efforts. Discussion: • The fact that 40% of recycling is from out of town is a waste of our time and tax dollars. • Communication will be necessary to our residents on the removal. There must be a positive budget impact somewhere. • DSI provides the bins to us at no cost. • We should ask that DSI communicate and be reachable to our residents. In the agreement, it calls for an annual report. We just received it and will look at it. There is also a meeting to discuss their service. • Save these photos and include them in the communication to residents that explains why and give them as much information as we can. • Another component is how much does DSI pick up when it's bundled next to a homeowner's dumpster? What is the limitation? Now much does it cost if it's included in their residential service? What is considered neatly bundled? Also include other services that may be available; don't leave any ambiguity. • Was this in the Farmington Currents? Most recently, it was on the City's website, but there is general information in the Currents for recycling. • Also, any opportunities we have on social media or direct mail. We may be able to add information to the bottom of their utility bill. • Is there due diligence for alternatives, a card or identification to enter the area? Any other place residents can go that provide this service? The challenge is finding space. They would be expensive options for staffing, as well as adding security. Other communities now have Staff ensuring that only residents are using it and dropping off acceptable material. • Do we know if it's businesses that are bringing home their business boxes? • When we contracted with DSI, it was for us to get out of trash service with DSI. They were going to handle all of it, then COVID hit, and everyone has been buying online. Walking by this three times a week, it has been getting progressively worse. This is not our problem. People abuse this, we take it away. All of our surrounding communities no longer provide this service. • Share these photos and state that this service is ending as of a certain date. If there are any questions, contact your trash service provider. Add "Cardboard Recycling" to the website, linked to the ending date and what residents can do with their recycling. It also needs to be communicated at the site of the bins. • This problem exists because residents are not held accountable, and DSI cannot handle it. • State Statute requires that residents have both trash and recycling services. • DSI needs to lead this as a notification of discontinuation of service. It's incumbent on DSI to work with their customers. City Council Work Session Minutes June 5, 2023 Page 6 of 8 X#T "Marelf -am IMS1 • Remove all bins on Friday, June 161h, as the last day. Take away all bins in one day. • Communicate clearly to residents — communication is key: newspaper, website, social media, etc. The link on our website takes them directly to DSI's site with their rules. • This is a DSI-to-customer conversation. DSI has text messaging and other communication capabilities. • Be neighborly and work together as a neighborhood. If you have room in your bin, share the space with your neighbor. 4. COUNCIL COMMITTEE UPDATE Councilmember Wilson: The ALF Ambulance Board went from four meetings to one per year. The tragedy a week ago was one of the topics. For all First Responders the most devastating and challenging. Some calls that are frustrating and draining are minor situations that take away from someone who generally needs care. I was on the City Council when this converted from ALF to Allina and could not be prouder of how this is working. Allina does a good job taking care of their wellness with internal resources and critical incident debriefing, Fire Relief has their 150th Celebration in July and multiple different fundraising events. They are looking to make a sizable jump of $1,000 in their pension, from $8,500 to $9,500. The goal is to get to $10,000, based on financials. Administrator Gorski stated that Jeff Allbee will be coming to a future Council meeting for discussion. Councilmember Porter said there were neighbors there for Madden's incident. Police Officers came to his memorial, and I couldn't be prouder. Our people show up when it's needed and when it's meant the most. Councilmember Lien said the Dakota 911 Board of Directors approved a 9.3% increase in their budget. They had a debate between increasing salaries or hiring more staff. Salary was more important, in order to remain competitive. They have had a 20% turnover rate. They are now looking to be in the top ten of the state for pay. The County is still trying to take over and control. Empire uses the Sheriffs Office for the foreseeable future. Councilmember Bernatz attended a meeting with the Airlake Airports Advisory Commission in March. They talked about history and flight patterns and have only had one noise complaint for the area. On Thursday, we will tour and learn more about the airport. Very interesting; I didn't realize there are a lot of private owners in the area. Mayor Hoyt said the Dakota Broadband Board voted to approve the dissolution plan and dissolution of the Board. We will tidy up all the loose ends and will potentially have something that arises from the county between now and the end of July. City Council Work Session Minutes June 5, 2023 Page 7 of 8 The CEEF (Castle Rock, Empire, Eureka, Farmington) Board had some changes in members. They have not signed by-laws since 2009 and have submitted no tax returns since 2019. We are going to clean this up. 5. CITY ADMINISTRATOR UPDATE a) Administrator Gorski said the Juneteenth holiday is on the Council's regular agenda for approval, along with Memorandums of Understanding with the unions. City Hall will be closed on Monday, June 19. In the Council's by-laws, the Regular Council meeting scheduled for June 19t" should move to Tuesday, June 20th. However, the Ambassador Coronation is also scheduled for that evening, starting at 6:30 p.m. Looking to move the EDA meeting to June 20th at 3:30 p.m. and the Council Meeting to 5:00 p.m. Councilmember Bernatz said the Ambassador Coronation may not seem like a big deal, but these young people go all around the state of Minnesota, all year long, on behalf of Farmington. Doing what we can to be sure we have good representation there is important. It's a lot of work for them, and it's important to show up and support them. Council discussed and agreed to move the Regular City Council meeting to June 20th starting at 4:30 or 5:00 p.m., depending on items on the agenda, and to move the EDA meeting to June 26th starting at 3:30 p.m. or 4:00 p.m. If there is nothing with action on June 20th, items would go to the July 17thagenda. A special meeting could be added on June 26th , if needed. Administrator Gorski informed Council that benches, trash and recyclinif containers have been brought in and will be installed before Dew Days. c) Administrator Gorski said Staff is working on an ordinance amendment in regard to peddlers and solicitors, which will come back to Council for review. Some solicitors were knocking on doors as late at 10:00 pm., but there are no time limits currently in the City Code d) Last night at 10:50 p.m., Administrator Gorski said the Union Pacific train sounded its horn for two minutes straight. The train was sitting idling. A Police report was drawn up; the Conductor said someone was pointing a laser pointer at him. Councilmember Bernatz said it has been relatively quiet but that this woke them last night. Then it stopped and he pulled the horn for another 38 seconds, for a total of two minutes and 38 seconds. Council discussion: • Do we have the ability to implement an ordinance? What is the enforcement? Administrator Gorski said there has been discussion of a noise ordinance, but this hasn't happened to this magnitude before. City Council Work Session Minutes June S, 2023 Page 8 of 8 6.ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Councilmember Wilson and seconded by Councilmember Porter to adjourn the meeting at 6:40 p.m.