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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.04.24 Council MinutesCity of Farmington Regular Council Meeting Minutes Monday, March 4, 2024 The City Council met in regular session on Monday, March 4, 2024, at Farmington City Hall, 430 3rd Street, Farmington, Minnesota. 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hoyt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Hoyt led everyone in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present: Mayor Joshua Hoyt Councilmembers Holly Bernatz, Nick Lien, Katie Porter, and Steve Wilson Members Absent: None Staff Present: Lynn Gorski, City Administrator Julie Flaten, Asst City Administrator/HR Director Leah Koch, City Attorney Deanna Kuennen, Community & Economic Development Director Kim Sommerland, Finance Director Kellee Omlid, Parks & Recreation Director Gary Rutherford, Police Chief John Powell, Public Works Director Shirley Buecksler, City Clerk 4. APPROVE AGENDA Motion was made by Councilmember Bernatz and seconded by Councilmember Wilson to approve the agenda, as presented. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS / COMMENDATIONS None. 6. CITIZENS COMMENTS / RESPONSES TO COMMENTS None. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of March 4, 2024 Page 1 of 6 7. CONSENT AGENDA 7.1 Resolution 2024-26 Appointing Additional Election Judges for the March 5, 2024 Presidential Nomination Primary, the August 13, 2024 State Primary, and the November 5, 2024 General Election 7.2 Gambling Event Permit Application from Northfield Golf Ducks Unlimited Chapter #0113 7.3 Minutes of the February 5, 2024 City Council Work Session 7.4 Minutes of the February 5, 2024 Regular City Council Meeting 7.5 Minutes of the February 20, 2024 Regular City Council Meeting 7.6 Addendum to Professional Services Agreement for Electrical Services 7.7 Development Contract — Meadowview Preserve 7.8 Termination of Professional Services Agreement for Inspection of Electrical Installations Between the City of Farmington and Michael Hawke, SP 7.9 Payment of Claims 7.10 Staff Changes and Recommendations, Including: • Appointment of Taylor Rondo as a Seasonal Tennis Supervisor 7.11 Agreement with The Foot Nurse for Footcare Services 7.12 Resolution 2024-24 Accepting a Donation of $167.80 from Happy Harry's Furniture to the Rambling River Center 7.13 Award of Contract for the Well 5 Retaining Wall Repair Project to VADA Contracting, LLC for the Bid Amount of $93,413.00 7.14 Award of Contract for the Winter 2024 Ash Removal Project to Sorenson Tree Service for the Quoted Amount of $83,978.24 Motion was made by Councilmember Porter and seconded by Councilmember Lien to approve the Consent Agenda, as presented. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT None. 10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS None. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of March 4, 2024 Page 2 of 6 12. NEW BUSINESS 12.1 Appointment to the Rambling River Center Advisory Board Motion was made by Councilmember Wilson and seconded by Councilmember Bernatz to appoint Jeff Spillman to the Rambling River Center Advisory Board for a term effective March 4, 2024 and ending January 31, 2027. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays. 13.CITY COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE City Attorney Koch: Reminder that there are two judicial vacancies on the Supreme Court coming up with the retirement of Justice G. Barry Anderson and Justice Margaret Chutich. In the coming year, we will be hearing about two new Supreme Court Justices. Councilmember Lien: To our Police and Fire Departments, thank you for your coverage of Burnsville over the last couple of weeks. I know it's been chaotic, but I certainly appreciate it. Councilmember Bernatz: I had a great time at the employee celebration Thursday and the opportunity to gather. Also, a huge shout -out to the Farmington High School students that performed in Cabaret this past weekend. We have an amazingly talented group of kids, and they did three shows at Boeckman Middle School, and they did a fantastic job. Councilmember Porter: Thank you to everyone who put together the employee appreciation event and for keeping it light and fun. That time of collaboration and seeing one another outside the work world is very important. Congratulations to Jim Murphy on his retirement. He has been an amazing addition and mentor to our Farmington Police Department. We are so thankful for his time on the force, as well as Cassie Redmond -Palo whose last day was today. We are super fortunate to have had her for the last 18 plus years and we are going to miss her, but we wish her well in all her future endeavors. Councilmember Wilson: Thank you to everyone involved in the employee appreciation lunch. There was a lot of enthusiasm and clearly the employees appreciated it, so thanks to all of you for coordinating that. We have added three more election judges, so thank you to those in the community that have stepped up to serve in that way. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of March 4, 2024 Page 3 of 6 The Farmington Girls High School Bowling Team won State over the weekend. This comes after the mixed Boy -Girl Team won State in the fall. It's really amazing. There is one girl on the team that will be bowling in college. For those that aspire or are good at the sport, there can be an exciting future with that. Shout -out to Coaches Bob Hessler and Chris Hallaway. Congratulations to all of them for the huge accomplishment. And last, but not least, I am honored to have my sister, Sandy, here who flew 1,700 miles from Seattle to grace us tonight. Administrator Gorski: Thank you to City Council for showing up to the employee recognition event. It's great to see you there and support Staff as you always do. Thank you to Julie and Terri for organizing the event. It was greatly appreciated. Thank you. Clerk Buecksler: Election Day is tomorrow. Polls will be open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Director Flaten: All of our parks maintenance staff positions are already filled for the summer. We have a number of returning folks which is super great. We also have a number of positions in the recreation area where we need applicants for summer. Director Kuennen: Our own Stephanie Aman, who is our Economic Development Coordinator, was named as the Minnesota Economic Development Association's 2023 Emerging Professional of the Year. This is a huge honor, and she is one of our own and deserves it. At the upcoming EDA meeting, we will be able to share with you the video that was produced as part of the award and let her share the award and what it means to her. It definitely is an honor and speaks to the level of talent we have working with the City. Director Powell: Thank you for awarding the contract for the Well 5 Retaining Wall repair. A lot of people drive by that wall and I'm very pleased we will be able to get that cleaned up and replaced. Also, with the warmer weather, Public Works crews took out about 150 ash trees. As they weren't doing snow and ice removal, they were able to focus on the EAB (Emerald Ash Borer) management plan we have in place, so we are making progress. Director Omlid: I want to welcome Jeff Spillman to the Rambling River Center Advisory Board. He is going to be a great addition, and we are looking forward to him being at our meeting next Monday. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of March 4, 2024 Page 4 of 6 Its Dew Run season and not too early to start training for the Dew Run. Registration is available online at farmingtommn.gov. We have a one mile, a four mile, and a half mile junior jog on Saturday, June 22. Join us for the Dew Run. Chief Rutherford: I would like to acknowledge the retirement of Detective Sergeant Jim Murphy after 28 years with Farmington. For those of you that don't know him well, he is the kind of cop that we should all aspire to be, as well as the human we should all be aspiring to be. He is a stellar guy, and it's going to be hard to imagine what our Department is going to be like without him. Today was also Officer Cassie Redmond-Palo's last day with us. After 19 years, I remember when we hired her as a CSO and to see her leaving us now to take a promotion with the Sheriff's Office, it's a little bittersweet. It's super exciting for her and her family but it is most genuinely a loss for the Farmington Police Department. She is just a fantastic cop and a fantastic person. She has done a lot for us over the years, and we are going to miss her. Lastly, to everybody who reached out with either emails or phone calls or text messages over the last two weeks to me or anybody else at the Police Department or the Fire Department, a very heartfelt thank you. Mayor Hoyt: Cassie's promotion to the County and Jim's retirement are huge losses for the community. It's great for both of them, but it is also bittersweet. A huge thank you to the entire team for the employee recognition event. It was outstanding to see so many of our teammates show up, let loose and have fun, and relax in a non -work environment. To see the departments crossing and people intermixing, it was fun to see the positive culture that we continue to build and work on. There is legislation sitting at the state right now between the Senate and the House. I typically don't like to get involved in this, but one of our pillars is community engagement and transparency, and I think it's imperative that people know what's happening right now. There is a situation that may reduce the City's ability to have that level of engagement if some of these bills are passed. This regards HF4009 and SF3964. These are bills that are now being heard in St. Paul that would bring lasting and significant consequences to every homeowner and taxpayer in cities across Minnesota. They eliminate the City authority to oversee local planning and zoning of our residential neighborhoods in exchange for a one size fits all approach. The verbiage specifically prohibits public engagement. As we go through new opportunities as they come up, one of the things that we, as the Council and our team, push for is community involvement. But this piece of legislation, as written in its current form, specifically prohibits public engagement. Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of March 4, 2024 Page 5 of 6 While that law gives the developer the full protection of statute to do that, it also strips each and every one of us of our right to a public hearing or to voice support or opposition of new developments. Compounding the problems with this legislation, the unplanned for density would sit on top of existing infrastructure and streets, irrespective of the ability to meet the demand. Our residents need to be aware of that. And that we, as a Council, have said that community engagement and transparency are imperative in the process. This is something that, with the proposed legislation, our residents would be deprived of and strictly forbidden, as is written in its current form. I encourage you to do some research, reach out and talk to your legislators, and ask questions. 14.ADJOURNMENT Motion was made by Councilmember Wilson and seconded by Councilmember Lien to adjourn the meeting at 7:13 p.m. Motion carried: 5 ayes / 0 nays. spectfully submitted, Sh ey R c sler City Clerk Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of March 4, 2024 Page 6 of 6