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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11.02.87 Council Minutes MINUTES COUNCIL MEETING REGULAR NOVEMBER 2, 1987 1. Mayor Akin called the meeting to order at 7:00 P.M. Members Present: Akin, Kelly, Mayer, Sprute, Uhl. Members Absent: None. Also Present: Administrator Thompson, Attorney Grannis. 2. Motion changes: 1. 2. by Sprute, second by Akin to approve the agenda with the following 3. 4. Delete discussion of the City Hall furnace. Add discussion of the EDC's recommendation relating to the EDC agreement. Discuss Halloween activities. Remove the capital outlay request - Fire Department - from the consent agenda for general discussion. Remove the Auditor's letter of intent from the consent agenda for general discussion. 5. APIF, motion carried. 3. Motion by Akin, second by Kelly to approve the minutes of October 19, 1987 with the addition of Council member Sprute's questions regarding the Whispering River Pond in paragraph 5d. APIF, motion carried. 4. Motion by Mayer, second by Sprute to set a public hearing for November 16, 1987 at 7:15 P.M. to consider the 1988 Liquor Licenses and to direct the City Attorney to determine how many licenses the City has available. APIF, motion carried. 5. Mayor Akin reopened a public hearing to consider various zoning amendments. The Council considered the recommendation of the Planning Commission which would allow accessory structures to 1,000 square feet in R-1 zones and 800 square feet in R-2 and R-4 zones, but in no instance could it exceed the size of the principal structure. Mayor Akin stated that he felt the recommendation did not consider potential large lots in R-1 zones, and that Council member Mayer's recommendation to allow garages exceeding 800 square feet as a conditional should be given further consideration. It was the consensus of the Council to redirect the ordinance to the Planning Commission for further consideration. Motion by Kelly, second by Akin to continue the hearing until the first regular meeting in December. APIF, motion carried. 6. The Council next considered the pond in Whispering River Development. Administrator Thompson stated that upon further review of the matter, it was his recommendation that the matter be referred to the Planning Commission before Council action, since the plat was approved based on a Conditional Use Permit granted by the Planning Commission. Administrator Thompson added that the matter may be moot because the developer had withdrawn the request to eliminate the pond. Council member Mayer stated that this project had been carefully scrutinized during several public hearings and the pond was considered as being integral to the watershed plan. Therefore, he would be opposed to eliminating the pond. Council member Sprute stated that the pond had been discussed at length and that it would be wrong to change the plan now that the development was almost complete. Mayor Akin stated that the homeowners should be afforded the opportunity to follow the process of having the plan changed by starting with the Planning Commission. Council member Sprute stated that he did not want to give the homeowners false hopes of having the change approved. because at least two councilmembers were opposed to any change. Warren Sifferath stated that if the pond is not serving a functional purpose, it should be eliminated, even if the project is almost completed. Council member Sprute asked why, if the pond was not functioning properly, it was not caught by the engineer sooner. Glenn Cook stated that he did not believe it was his role to inspect on an on-going basis, but only to review plans prepared by the developer, and once the improve- ments had been installed, inspect the improvements and recommend to the Council before final acceptance. Council member Sprute stated that he had requested certain aspects of the project reviewed. Mayor Akin stated that he was not for or against filling in the pond at this time, but felt the request should follow the review process. Motion by Sprute, second by Akin to direct the Consulting Engineer and City Engineer to review the existing improvements, with emphasis on the pond and to report back to the Council. APIF, motion carried. 7. Mayor Akin opened a public hearing at 7:30 P.M. to consider the reassessment of Terra Second. Attorney Grannis recommended that, because the City had not received the arbitration award on the utility contract, the hearing should be continued until the next regular meeting. Motion by Sprute, second by Kelly to continue the hearing until November 16, 1987 at 7:30 P.M. APIF, motion carried. 8. The Council next considered the proposed park ordinance relating to the control of pets in the park and operation of motor vehicles on trails. Concern was expressed regarding the enforcement of the animal control portion and allowing snowmobiles limited access through the park. It was the consensus that a problem existed, and that the ordinance may be a good way of beginning to solve the problem. The Council also suggested placing signs warning people of the ordinance. Motion by Akin, second by Kelly to adopt Ordinance No. 087-193 amending Title 6 of the City Code relating to animal control and motor vehicles on park trails. APIF, motion carried. 9. Motion by Mayer, second by Uhl to adopt Resolution NO. R73-87 approving a snow removal agreement with MnDOT. APIF, motion carried. 10. Motion by Kelly, second by Sprute to approve the consent agenda as follows: 1. Adopt Resolution No. R74-87 accepting a donation to the Senior Center. 2. Adopt Resolution No. R75-87 accepting a donation to Park and Rec. 3. Approve payment of the bills as submitted. APIF, motion carried. 11. The Council next considered the 1987 audit proposal by Pannell, Kerr, Forster. Mayor Akin stated that the City had used the same firm for several years, and maybe the City should consider a new firm to gain a new look at the audit. Also, concern was expressed regarding no "cost not to exceed" provision. It was the consensus of the Council that it was too late in the year to look for a new auditor, and that staff should obtain audits from surrounding cities for review. Motion by Sprute, second by Uhl to approve the 1987 audit proposal by Pannell, Kerr, Forster. ~PIF, motion carried. 12. The Council next considered a capital outlay request and budget adjustment request by the Fire Department to purchase an exhaust fan. Mayor Akin expressed concern regarding the use of equipment and building maintenance funds after the budget discussions regarding the poor condition of the pagers and erosion project which used contingency funds. Discussion followed regarding the budget adjustment form used by the City. It was the consensus that the form be changed to more accurately reflect the unencumbered fund balance. Motion by Akin, second by Sprute to approve the capital outlay request and budget adjustment as presented. APIF, motion carried. 13. Council member Mayer informed the Council that the EDC had recommended the following amendments to the joint powers agreement relating to cost allocations: HRA City School Dist. Chamber 77~% H% H% H% The EDC had also recommended that, if dues are not paid, the member lose voting status. It was the consensus of the Council that it agreed with the recommendation of the EDC and to forgive any payment of dues in arrears as of December 31, 1987. 14. The Council directed the Mayor and Administrator to draft a letter to the editor on behalf of the City Council thanking the persons involved with the Halloween party. 15. Motion by Akin, second by Kelly to close the City Hall offices on November 11, 1987. APIF, motion carried. 16. The Council directed the Administrator to send a letter of gratitude to the Soo Line Railroad for improving the crossings on Elm and Spruce Streets. 17. Motion by Sprute, second by Akin to adjourn at 9:00 P.M. APIF, motion carried. Respectfully submitted, ~m~ City Administrator (]or~ U/;(p/Y7