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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03.01.10 Council Minutes COUNCIL MINUTES REGULAR March 1,2010 1. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Larson at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Larson led the audience and Council in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL Members Present: Members Absent: Also Present: Audience: Larson, Donnelly, Fogarty, May, Wilson None Joel Jamnik, City Attorney; Peter Herlofsky, City Administrator; Randy Distad, Parks and Recreation Director; Lisa Shadick, Administrative Services Director; Lee Smick, City Planner; Tony Wippler, Assistant City Planner; Jen Dullum, Natural Resources Specialist; Randy Petrofske, Liquor Store Manager; Cynthia Muller, Executive Assistant Sherri Buss, TKDA 4. APPROVEAGENDA Councilmember May wanted to comment on item 7p) Bills. City Administrator Herlofsky added supplemental items 7q) Appointment Recommendation - Fire Department, 7r) Approve Temporary On-Sale Liquor Licenses St. Michaels Church, and 7s) Approve Temporary On-Sale Liquor License Farmington Eagles Club. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to approve the Agenda. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 5. ANNOUNCEMENTS 6. CITIZEN COMMENTS Ms. Annette Kuyper, Warrior to Citizen Campaign, informed Council that a Veteran's dinner is being held tonight. The campaign is offering free monthly dinners to all veterans on the first Monday of every month at area churches. Tuesday night is the second annual Military Family Night at the Police Department. The second annual Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser will be on Sunday at the American Legion. There is an RSVP on their website for the second annual Military Mother/Grandmother luncheon on May 8, 2010, at St. Michael's Church. 7. CONSENT AGENDA MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to approve the Consent Agenda as follows: a) Approved Council Minutes (2/16/10 Regular) b) Amended ORDINANCE 010-619 Off-Premises Directional Signs - Planning Council Minutes (Regular) March 1,2010 Page 2 c) Adopted RESOLUTION R14-10 Accepting Donation to the Youth Scholarship Program from the Rotary Club of Farmington - Parks and Recreation Councilmember Fogarty thanked the Rotary Club for their donation. They have done a great job for the City and in the last six years over $12,000 have been donated from the Rotary Club for scholarships to help kids participate in Parks and Recreation programs. Councilmember May noted they have been working with Parks and Recreation Director Distad since they started in 2003 and it has been very successful. d) Approved Agreement Portable Toilet Services - Parks and Recreation e) Received Information City Administrator Evaluation Summary - City Attorney f) Adopted ORDINANCE 010-620 Amending Regulation of Taxicabs - Administration g) Approved Appointment Recommendation Fire - Human Resources h) Approved Appointment Recommendation Fire - Human Resources i) Approved Appointment Recommendation Fire - Human Resources j) Approved Appointment Recommendation Fire - Human Resources k) Approved Appointment Recommendation Fire - Human Resources 1) Acknowledged Retirement Fire - Human Resources m) Acknowledged Retirement Fire - Human Resources n) Approved School and Conference - Fire Department 0) Approved Department of Natural Resources Mutual Aid Contract - Fire Department p) Approved Bills Councilmember May highlighted questions and answers she received on various bills. q) Approved Appointment Recommendation Fire - Human Resources r) Approved Temporary On-Sale Liquor Licenses St. Michaels Church - Administration s) Approved Temporary On-Sale Liquor License Farmington Eagles Club- Administration APIF, MOTION CARRIED. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS a) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Phase II Annual Report- Natural Resources Farmington is required to follow the NPDES rules because we have a population of over 10,000. The permit received allows the City to discharge storm water runoff to surface water bodies such as ponds, streams, and rivers. The City developed a Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan to regulate the water runoff. There are six minimum control measures that Farmington follows. There are 60 best management practices under these control measures. Natural Resources Specialist Dullum highlighted public service announcements and programs held by the City. Councilmember Wilson asked if we follow best management practices with clean up of salt from the roads. Staff stated there are training sessions on salt Council Minutes (Regular) March 1,2010 Page 3 application. Staff has not heard of any concerns of salt disposal as the salt is put down after the snow is removed. Councilmember May asked about the population number. Staff explained that is the reason we have to follow the NPDES permit. Larger cities have a different permit. Councilmember May asked who receives calls from residents on this issue. Natural Resource Specialist Dullum responds to the calls or directs them to the proper department. Councilmember May asked if all the streets are swept and how often. Staff replied there is the private development sweeping where there is ongoing, active construction. Those are cleaned by the City on a case by case basis. As far as sweeping sand and leaves, that is done in the Spring and Fall and each street is cleaned twice. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to close the public hearing. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by Wilson, second by Fogarty to accept the report. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. b) Amend 2010 Fee Schedule Interim Use Permits - Planning Staff recommended adding a fee for Interim Use Permits to the 2010 Fee Schedule. The fee of $200 plus a $46 recorders fee, would be the same as a Conditional Use Permit. Interim Use Permits would be used for off-premises directional signs such as those used by churches or developers. The length of time allowed by the interim use permit will be on a case by case basis. Conditional Use Permits run with the land. Interim Use Permits would be approved through a public hearing at the Planning Commission. Councilmember Wilson had a concern with the high amount of the fee. MOTION by Fogarty, second by May to close the public hearing. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. MOTION by Fogarty, second by May to adopt ORDINANCE 010-621 amending the 2010 Fee Schedule to include a fee for Interim Use Permits. Voting for: Larson, Donnelly, Fogarty, May. Voting against: Wilson. MOTION CARRIED. 9. AWARD OF CONTRACT 10. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS a) Liquor Store 2009 Annual Report - Liquor Operations Liquor Operations Manager Petrofske gave an overview of 2009 sales. For the fourth quarter, sales were 6.2% down from 2008 at the downtown store, and 7.1 % down for the Pilot Knob store. Year end 2009 there was an increase of 0.5% for the downtown store and a 4.4% decrease for the Pilot Knob store. Councilmember Wilson noted the Pilot Knob store is subsidizing the downtown store in terms of revenue and expenditures. The downtown store is $70,000 more in expenses over revenues. He asked if there was a plan for 2010 to bring Council Minutes (Regular) March 1,2010 Page 4 revenues and expenses closer together. Staff noted they will be doing more with sales and to get people to purchase more in the community, but sales are down in the whole area. Councilmember May suggested using the charts to plan special sales. She noted there are more issues with the Pilot Knob store with regard to a decrease in revenue. Councilmember Fogarty noted the ads are great for promoting that money spent at the liquor stores stays in the community. b) Natural Resources Inventory - Planning In 2009 the City received a grant for $7500 from the Dakota County CDA to do a natural resources inventory. The inventory involves land cover and natural resources we have within the City. Ms. Sherri Buss, TKDA, presented the findings of the inventory. The project identified important green connections throughout the City. The key natural areas within Farmington include: - Prairie areas north of the downtown along the railroad tracks - Creeks - Wetland by North Creek - Wetlands in the central part of the community - Along the Vermillion River There are unique connections that connect high quality areas such as the Akin Oaks Greenway. This is the area of Savannah Oaks along the east side of Akin Road. To protect the system, the City should: - Adopt the inventory and the map - Use it to shape land use, the park structure, and other infrastructure - Use the map to shape development and park dedication - Update the tree and subdivision ordinances - Maintain existing resources and restore resources - Seek grant funds for acquisition and restoration Councilmember Wilson asked if staff has discussed developing an action plan to work with the Parks and Recreation Commission and the Planning Commission. Staffhas done this and will also include the EDA. This has been started through the Comprehensive Plan. MOTION by Wilson, second by Fogarty to adopt RESOLUTION R15-10 approving the Natural Resources Inventory report and recommendations. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Council Minutes (Regular) March 1, 2010 Page 5 c) Approve Community Survey Agreement - Parks and Recreation Staff has received four proposals for this survey and is recommending ETC Institute/Leisure Vision. They will be able to differentiate between residential and non-residential responses. The quote will be valid for 120 days. Staff will be compiling questions for the survey and also contacting the school district to include them in the process. The draft survey will be brought back to Council at the April 12, 2010, workshop with the Parks and Recreation Commission. The cost of the survey is $13,950, and will be paid for through the Park Improvement Fund. Councilmember May understood it was up to the residents to decide, that is why she likes the survey, but felt the primary purpose is to determine if we should move forward with a referendum. She would like to look at doing this survey next year and see how 2010 works out with unemployment and foreclosure rates. She asked about the shelf life of the survey. Staff stated if we are going to use the information for master planning or strategic planning or determining customer satisfaction, the shelf life is 2-3 years. If we are looking to the survey as a way to measure voter support for a referendum, the survey would be valid for up to one year. The company suggested not calling it a survey, but a needs assessment. You are asking the community what they want or need as far as parks and recreation facilities, trails, and park improvements. Councilmember May stated it is whether it is a good economic time to take this a step further. She was in favor of waiting another year. Councilmember Wilson was comfortable with doing the survey this year, but felt Council needs to determine whether we would be open as a group to putting something on the ballot for 2010. If the survey shows the residents are willing to spend $14,000, does Council want to take the next step to put something on the ballot. He suggested discussing this at the strategic planning session and bringing it back to the April 5, 2010, Council meeting. Councilmember Donnelly recalled a discussion with the Parks and Recreation Commission last fall and Council felt the survey was a good idea. Staff stated at that time the direction was to ask Council to authorize the RFP and bring it back to discuss the survey further. We have not done a survey that asked just Park and Recreation questions about how the community feels about the trail system; is it a priority we should focus on; do we need to continue to make improvements to the parks; are we offering the right recreation programs and are they meeting the needs of all people in the community. There is value beyond the referendum. We are looking to do an assessment of what direction the community wants us to go for the next 5-10 years which could include a referendum. Councilmember Donnelly stated if you broaden the focus it has more use. This year may not be a good year for a referendum question. As the economy improves, residents could change their minds. Council Minutes (Regular) March 1,2010 Page 6 Councilmember Fogarty recalled with the last survey we had great response, but we had more than the minimum number of responses. If we get 800 responses do we have to pay more? Staff stated the company will guarantee at least 600 responses. If we get more, they will process the extra responses at no cost. The last survey had the highest response rate ever. Councilmember Fogarty noted they have three options. The margin of error is not significantly different between 400 and 600 households. If we receive a response like last time, why would we pay for a guarantee of 600 rather than 400? Staff stated it is a matter of preference on the number of samples you want to receive from the community. Councilmember Fogarty confirmed Council would receive a copy of the survey before it is sent out and that staff would reach out to the school district to determine if there are questions they would like to add to it. Staff will contact the school. There are approximately 22-28 questions on the survey. Councilmember Fogarty did not disagree with Councilmember May about determining if people are interested in a levy question this fall. The decision is to do it this year or in two years, because we would want to put it to a vote during a General Election. City Administrator Herlofsky will provide Council with a copy of the last survey. Parks and Recreation Director Distad noted the last survey was very heavily loaded towards a community center. There were a few general Parks and Recreation questions. Mayor Larson agreed with doing option I, sending out 400 surveys, and also agreed to discuss it at the Strategic Planning workshop. He was at a hockey tournament and for two hours heard from residents about how Farmington has parks, has not updated parks, we are running out of space, playing on uneven ground, and when is Farmington going to step up like other communities and start improving parks and fields. Mayor Larson felt this was long overdue. The soccer, baseball, softball fields were the key items. Parks and Recreation Director Distad noted we have upgraded parks with shelters, etc., but we do not have a youth sports complex. Councilmember Fogarty felt the residents are asking for an opportunity to vote on it. Councilmember Fogarty agreed with discussing this at the Strategic Planning workshop, but was concerned with the timeframe as Council would not have the opportunity to vote on it until April. Councilmember Wilson felt Council needs to say yes or no to a referendum. We do not want to spend another $5,000 - $10,000 a year from now to evaluate the possibility for 2012. He would rather do it all at one time. If Council as a whole says they are willing to put it out there for 2010 even with the economy, that is fine. At least we know where that part stands for this year. Councilmember Fogarty stated the final product would be done on June 10,2010, if we push this back to July that would still give plenty of opportunity. Staff noted Council does not have to make that decision until they have the results of the survey, but if Council is not interested in a referendum then we will not have that on the survey. Council Minutes (Regular) March 1,2010 Page 7 City Attorney Jamnik noted to get a question on the ballot, there is a deadline which may be August 1. The time line is tight, but may be doable with the June date. Councilmember Fogarty asked if the Parks and Recreation Commission will be ready shortly after the survey results with a recommendation for Council. If we are waiting for survey results for the commission to begin making decisions, then we might be in trouble. Parks and Recreation Distad stated the commission has previously brought ideas to Council with what they want in a referendum. They want to take the survey to the community and ask those questions against the items they have identified for a referendum to see if the community supports it. Councilmember Wilson asked if we can discuss this at the March 8, 2010, workshop. City Attorney Jamnik suggested not tabling it to a specific date to work within the timeline. MOTION by Wilson, second by Fogarty to table the item and direct staff to work with Council on discussions on the topic and bring it back to Council at a later time. Voting for: Larson, Donnelly, Fogarty, Wilson. Voting against: May. MOTION CARRIED. 11. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a) Approve Plans and Specifications, Authorize Ad for Bids for Schmitz-Maid Arena Improvement Project - Parks and Recreation Bonestroo has completed the plans and specifications and staff has met with them as to what should be included in the project and what should be bid as an alternate. Staff provided a timeline that shows construction starting April 19, 2010. Staff had proj ected starting construction April 5. The cost for the proj ect will be known after the bids are received. Councilmember May felt the whole process is completely flawed. We are approving plans and specs that are not completed and there is still no discussion on financing. Are we going to have financing proposed prior to April 57 City Administrator Herlofsky stated staff received a report today from the financial consultants outlining what we would have to do. Staff is still contacting engineering firms regarding building a second sheet of ice at the current location. Council has also been provided with a list of activities taking place with the Colby Group. The project can be paid for through lease revenue bonds. Council does not have to make that decision until the contract is awarded. Staff is proceeding as directed by Council to make sure the ice is operational for next fall. Councilmember May asked if there are any discussions with the Youth Hockey Association. With the senior center project, we asked them to come up with volunteer money and time. She agrees that the floor needs to be repaired. Beyond that she is struggling with the equipment, etc. and it seems the decision has already been made. City Administrator Herlofsky noted they are continuing discussions with the school district. The Hockey Association was included in the task force. Once action is taken tonight, staff is in a better position to go to the Hockey Association and ask them what they can do. Councilmember Fogarty noted the Hockey Association has said publicly several times that they are Council Minutes (Regular) March 1,2010 Page 8 comfortable with the dollar amount of $30,000/year. She did not feel they would change their mind. They are planning for it in their board discussions. Councilmember May noted the last thing she heard was that they had money and now they don't. Mayor Larson noted the gambling revenues are down, but they are willing to do fundraising. City Administrator Herlofsky stated if we proceed, then we can give them something in order to do the fundraising. Councilmember May felt we have not looked enough at the ability to use the old equipment. She thought we were on track and now it sounds like we are two weeks behind. Parks and Recreation Director Distad stated we are two weeks behind what we had worked out with Bonestroo which was to start as soon as the ice was out, but we can still get the project done before fall. MOTION by Fogarty, second by Larson to adopt RESOLUTION R16-10 approving the plans and specifications and authorizing the advertisement for bids for the Schmitz-Maki Arena Improvement Project. Voting for: Larson, Donnelly, Fogarty, Wilson. Voting against: May. MOTION CARRIED. 12. NEW BUSINESS 13. COUNCIL ROUNDTABLE City Administrator Herlo/sky: The Council agenda packets were sent out electronically and also a paper copy. The packet has also been placed on the website. Staff is proposing to send the packets out to Council electronically on Thursdays and place the packet on the web site at noon on Mondays. Weare trying to eliminate the use of paper. We have mentioned purchasing laptops for Council and taking them back when they are no longer on the Council. Councilmember May asked if it can go on the website sooner than Monday. City Administrator Herlofsky wanted to make sure Council has time to review it prior to the public receiving it. Councilmember Wilson: Asked if Council would not have paper copies of the packet delivered to them. City Administrator Herlofsky replied for the next two meetings we will still provide paper copies to Council. Once we are sure everything is working properly then we ask Council what they want. The electronic copies will save space at home from keeping Council packets. Councilmember Wilson was tom as he felt taxpayers should not be paying for Council to have laptops even though it would be returned to the City. He will need a paper copy. Ifit is not printed at City Hall, he will have to print it. City Administrator Herlofsky stated we will make adjustments, but department heads will no longer be receiving paper copies, it will be electronic. A lot of paper use will be eliminated. If the newspaper wants a copy of the packet, they can get it from the website; we will no longer make copies for them. If we only have to make five copies of the packets, that will be a substantial savings. Councilmember Fogarty was willing to give the electronic copy a try next time. Councilmember Donnelly noted his printer at home cannot handle 150 pages. Council member Wilson stated there is the cost Council Minutes (Regular) March 1,2010 Page 9 of having the Police Department deliver the packets, the cost to produce the packets, so it may be beneficial to do it electronically. Mayor Larson: Urged residents to support the local businesses. If we want more businesses to corne to Farmington we have to support the ones we have. Agenda packets are now available on the website. The Warrior to Citizen schedule of activities is available on the City website. Tuesday they are hosting a Military Family night at the Police Department. Congratulations to the Farmington U10 Orange Hockey team for taking the championship at Breezy Point this weekend. 14. ADJOURN MOTION by Fogarty, second by Wilson to adjourn at 9:04 p.m. APIF, MOTION CARRIED. Respectfully submitted, C '7"-7/~' ",1'//7_ -<....-_~._~ /~-7~ c;:/,/< Cynthia Muller Executive Assistant