Loading...
08-25-2003 CC MIN - SPECIALMEETING OF THE ELK RIVER CITY COUNCIL HELD AT LIONS PARK CENTER MONDAY, AUGUST 25, 2003 Members Present: Members Absent: Mavor K_linzmg, Councilmembers Dietz, Kuester, Motin, and Tveite None Staff Present: City Administrator Pat Iadaers; Finance Director Lori Johnson; Director of Planning Michele McPherson; Police Chief Jeff Beahen; Fire Chief Bruce West; Ice Arena Manager Rich Czech; and Recording Secretary Jessica Miller Call MeetingTo Order , Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River City Council was called to order at 6:45 p.m. by Mayor Ia-flinzmg. Consider 8/25/2003 Agenda COUNCILMEMBER KUESTER MOVED TO APPROVE THE COUNCIL AGENDA AS PRESENTED. COUNCILMEMBER TVEITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Consider Consent Agenda COUNClLMEMBER MOTIN MOVED TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS FOLLOWS: 3.1. 3.2. 3.3. 8/18/03 COUNCIL MINUTES CHECK REGISTER PAY ESTIMATES CITY HALL · PUBLIC SAFETY · BOSTON/CONCORD STREET IMPROVEMENT PROJECT · 2003 PAVEMENT REHABILITATION PROJECT COUNCILMEMBER TVEITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Open N~ke Clifford Lundberg, 400 Jackson Avenue, stated that he believes most people want a downtown revitalization project but that they do not believe Jackson Square should be part of the project. Mr. Lundberg expressed concerns about the size of the proposed building to be constructed on the Jackson Square property and the loss of this historic downtown open space. Mr. Lundberg also stated that he has concerns about the city gaining clear fide to the Jackson Square property. City Council Nfinutes August 25, 2003 Page 2 Mr. Lundberg indicated that he does not believe that the public parking issue in downtown has been addressed. Mayor IQlinzing stated that the HtLA, City Council, and staff are all concerned about the parking and she feels that the public parking will be adequate with this project. Mayor Klinzing also stated that the lender would never lend to the developer on this project if a clear tide could not be obtained. Matt Westgaard, 19417 Baldwin Circle, questioned the status on the utility, correction on Baldwin Circle. He stated that he has left messages with City, Engineer Terry Maurer but has not received a response yet. Mayor I(3inzing asked Director of Planning Michele McPherson to address this issue. Ms. McPherson stated that this was the first she has heard about Mr. Westgaard's issues. Ms. McPherson stated that she knows that there is a letter of credit currendy outstanding for the developer. She stated that she will check with N[r. Maurer and her cont~tct at the developer's office and get back to Mr. Westgaard. Yern Hanson, MetroPlains, wished to clarify that the size of the proposed building to be constructed on the Jackson Square property is three stories. Mr. Hanson also stated that there will be adequate public parking in the downtown area once the project is completed. Chuck Christian, Owner 707 building and co-owner of the Cinema building, stated that he has concerns that there will not be adequate public parldng for the downtown businesses. NIX. Christian also stated that he believes the proposed project is too large for the size of the downtown area. Rob VanValkenburg, Sunshine Depot building owner, stated that he agrees with NIX. Lundberg's comments. Nix. VanValkenburg stated that customers ~vill not walk a block to visit the downtown businesses and so more up front parking is needed. Nix. VanValkenburg stated that parking is the key issue with the proposed project. Mayor Klinzing indicated that she believes a major part of the parking problem is due to employees parking in front of the businesses. Councilmember Dietz stated that if the Municipal Utilities building is removed and parking is created, that an area could be reserved for downtown employees, which would then free up closer parking spots for customers. 5.1. Accept Wal-mart Donations for Pohce and Fire Department Pete Reiner representing Wal-Mart presented Fire Chief Brace West and Police Chief Jeff Beahen with donations of $1,500 each. Mr. Reiner stated that he appreciated the support of both departments and the support of the city. These donations will be used to purchase a LCD projector for training. Chief Beahen thanked Wal-Mart for their great support of the community. Chief Beahen stated that he was on-site at a very intense and dangerous lumber yard fzre at Arrow Building Center on Sunday, August 24, 2003 and he feels Chief West and the Elk River Fire Department should be commended for their excellent work. He stated that Chief City Council Nfmutes August 25, 2003 Page 3 West coordinated the mutual aid assistance of surrounding communities and that multiple f'~refighters temporarily went down due to heat related injuries. 5.2. Public Safety, - City, Hall Construction Update Don Stutesman from ICraus-Anderson Construction provided an update on the Public Safety - City Hall construction project. Mr. Stutesman stated that there are onlv minor items that need to be completed at the Public Safety Facility,. NLr. Stutesmen indicated that the sod should be laid this week and once that is completed the final lift of blacktop will be put down. Mr. Stutesman stated that two-thirds of the old City, Hall roof has been replaced and a majority of the interior walls have been removed and new wails are beginning to be constructed. CounciLmember Dietz questioned the status of the EOC. Mr. Stutesman stated it looks as though all of the cabinets will need to be replaced. He stated that he h6ped to have the EOC completed by November 1. If final agreement can be reached next week to replace all the cabinets, then they can be ordered. The cabinets will take six weeks to be delivered and another one to two weeks to be installed. 5.3. Consider Holding City, Council Meetings at the Little Theatre City Administrator Pat Klaers stated that he and Director of Planning Michele McPherson visited the Little Theatre and the facility is coming along nicely and would be able to accommodate the City Council meetings. Councilrnember Kuester stated that she has checked the availability of the theatre and it is available for Monday evening meetings sometime in mid-October. Councilmember Kuester questioned if the current equipment we are using would need to be moved. Ms. McPherson stated that the school does have portable microphones that the city could use for meetings. COUNCILMEMBER KUESTER MOVED'TO BEGIN HOLDING THE CITY COUNCIL MEETINGS AT THE LITTLE THEATRE ON OR ABOUT OCTOBER'20, 2003. COUNCILMEMBER DIETZ SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-0. It was noted that the HtLA and EDA meetings will also be held at the Little Theatre. School Superintendent Dr. Alan Jensen indicated he is pleased that the city will be utilizing the Little Theatre facility. 6.1. Request by ISD 728 for Temporary. Classrooms Case No. CU 03-20, Public Hearing Director of Planning Michele McPherson stated that ISD#728 has requested an interim use permit to allow six temporary classrooms until June 2005 in order to relocate ninth grade students to the senior high school. The temporary classrooms will be located in the faculty parking lot north of the high school. Ms. McPherson stated that the Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend approval with the condition that the school comply with the requirements in Fire Chief West's memo of August 14, 2003. City Council Nhnutes August 25, 2003 Page 4 Councilmember Dietz questioned why the school district is spending taxpayer money to add temporary classrooms to house the ninth graders when there is adequate room for them at Vandenberg and Salk. Superintendent Dr. Alan Jensen stated that the school board passed a resolution a few years ago to have the Elk River Senior High be a 9-12 high school. Dr. Jensen stated that the portables may not be needed next year because the high school should be back down to its normal capacity, with some students attending the Rogers and Zimmerman High Schools. Councilmember Dietz questioned the need for sprinklers in the temporary classrooms. Fire Chief Bruce West stated that he would have preferred the classrooms be equipped with sprinklers but he consulted wid~ the State Fire Marshall's office and code does not require the classrooms be sprinkled. COUNCILMEMBER MOTIN MOVED TO APPROVE THE ISD#728 REQUEST FOR AN INTERIM USE PERMIT TO ALLOW SIX TEMPORARY CLASSROOMS UNTIL JUNE 2005 WITH THE CONDITION THAT THE APPLICANT COMPLY WITH THE CONDITIONS OUTLINED IN CHIEF WEST'S MEMO DATED AUGUST 14, 2003. COUNCILMEMBER TYEITE SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 4-0-1. Councilmember Dietz abstained. 7. Budget Worksession Capital Improvement Plan City Administrator Pat I~aers stated that he would like the Council to discuss and consider some of the Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) items but the entire five-year CIP will be reviewed and updated at a later date. YMCA Discussion took place regarding the possibility of the city helping to fund a YMCA in Elk River. Mr. Klaers stated that there is no money in the CIP budget for a YMCA or a community center and that the YMCA is looking for Cikrificadon of the city's financial support. Mayor K1/nzing introduced YMCA Founder's Committee Chair Bill Hell/well. Mr. Helliwell indicated that the Founder's Committee is working on a Founder's campaign for operating expenses for 2-3 years and then would be looking to begin a building capital campaign. Mayor I(2inzing indicated that in her conversation with the YMCA of Minneapolis staff, it was indicated that they would be looking for a contribution of upwards to $3 rmllion from the city to be paid over a period of dme. Discussion took place on how the city could contribute and where the funds would come from. Support for the YMC_A was expressed by the City Council but concern over funding of the building was also expressed by the Council. The Council indicated support for a public referendum vote to help fund the building project. Mr. I~aers recommended that the YMCA be discussed again when the Council considers the entire CIP budget and that he will contact YMCA representatives about the referendum concept. Fire Truck Mr. IZdaers asked the Council to note that a new fire truck is in the CIP budget for 2005 costing approxSrnately $375,000. Fire Chief Bruce West noted that the truck that will be replaced is from 1980. City Council Nlinutes August 25, 2003 Page 5 Councilmember Tveite questioned if the truck could be purchased in components. Chief West stated that it possible that the chassis could be purchased in 2004 and paid for in 2005 when the rest of the truck is ordered. Mr. West noted that purchasing the truck this way could save the city $8,000-$9,000. Interest rates for equipment certificates were discussed. The Council expressed support for funding this purchase over two years, using a small amount of equipment reserves for the truck, and funding the balance by using equipment certificates. Ice Arena Barn Floor Mr. Klaers stated that the replacement of the Barn floor is in the CIP for 2005 but it is unknown how to fund the project and if the floor will last until then. Councilmember Tveite noted that it was the recommendation of the Ice Arena Commission at their August 19, 2003 meeting for the Council to allocate funds to replace the floor as soon as possible. Mr. Klaers noted that the Commission also recommended that the City Council allow up to $20,000 of arena equipment reserves to be used to begin preliminary plhns and design work on the floor. Arena Manager Rich Czech stated that some soil boring work needs to be done before the skating season if the project is to take place next year. It was the consensus of the Council to allocate funds to begin preliminary work on the barn floor now and to budget for replacement of the floor in 2004 when the CIP is updated later this year. Funding options for the floor replacement project were briefly reviewed. Pavement Rehabilitation Program (PRP) City Council discussion took place on the pavement rehabilitation program. City Administrator Pat I~aers and Finance Director Lori Johnson reviewed different funding options for the program with the Council. 2004 General Fund Budget Overview City Administrator Pat I<laers stated that the two major issues that the city has had to deal with in putting together the 2004 budget are the local government aid (LGA) cuts of $644,138 and the levy limits. Mr. I~aers stated that in 2004, 60% of the LGA cuts can be made up by way of a tax increase. Mr. Klaers stated that in order to make the budget work, the 60% has been added into the revenues. He also stated that a $100,000 levy for the street replacement project has been placed outside of the levy limits. Prior to 2004, the city tax levy for this program was within the limited levy. The Council discussed using the street reserves for the city share of the 2003 project and bonding for the taxes part and the special assessment part of the project. Expenditures Mr. I<laers stated that based on the June 2003 amended budget, the expenditures for 2004 are up 7.1% or $516,100. He stated that the expenditures in the proposed 2004 draft budget are $7,764,950. City Administrator Pat K. laers indicated that there are no reductions in hours or lay offs proposed for employees in the 2004 budget and the 3% cost of living increase, normal pay plan step increases, and an increase of $10 per month for insurance is also included in the budget. Council discussion took place as to having the city's pay plan evaluated. It was the consensus of the Council to have staff begin evaluating this issue within the next six months. City Council 5/[mutes August 25, 2003 Page 6 Mr. Klaers stated that the 2004 budget calls for the following four positions to be filled or added: buildings and grounds maintenance, police officer to replace the vacancy left when Chief Zerwas retired, street/park maintenance I position to replace Gary Lore, and a information technology employee. Discussion took place on the benefits and urgency of each position. It was discussed ~at a job share between a cable a~i~tant and an information technology person be explored. Councilmember Dietz expressed support for another cable TV employee. Mr. I~aers briefly reviewed the supplies and other services/charges and capital outlay expenditure categories with the Council. Mr. Klaers reviewed some of the highlights of the budget with the Council. M_r. I~aers stated that he has reduced some of the departmental budgets and asked the City Council to let him know if they would like the full amount of the requests reinstated. Revenues City Administrator Pat I~aers reviewed with the City Council a preliminary levy sample. ND. Klaers stated that the city could approve the maxirnurn levy allowed by the state plus the noted special levies and then the levy could be lowered at a later date. It was noted that the growth in the city net tax capacity amount is not known at this time. Mayor Kkinzing stated that She would like to see something put together for the public that explains the budget, the tax levies, transfers in and transfers out, etc. so they can be easily understood. Finance Director Lori Johnson stated that she could put something together. Mr. Klaers indicated that there are no host fees included in the 2004 budget. He stated that 90% of the actual 2002 amount would total $290,000 and it is up to the Council to decide if they want some or all of that amount added to the budget. It was the consensus of the Council to further review the budget before making a decision on the host fees. Councilmember Tveite stated that he believed the city needed a Park and Recreation Director sooner rather than later due to the growth in these services and programs in the city. The Council discussed the cost for a director position and the possibility of starting a position at mid-year 2004. Finance Director LoriJohnson noted that th-e tax levy resolution needs to be certified to the county by September 15, 2003 so the Council needs to certify the levy at their September 8, 2003 meeting. Ms. Johnson stated that she will be working with Bond Counsel in the next few weeks and should have a better idea of the financial options for the street pavement program by the September 8 meeting. COUNCILMEMBER TVEITE MOVED TO APPROVE THE FOLLOWING: · USE OF EQUIPMENT RESERVES TO PURCHASE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT MODEMS ($11,000) · USE OF EQUIPMENT RESERVES TO PURCHASE TWO COMPUTERS FOR THE FINANCE DEPARTMENT ($3,000) · USE OF ICE ARENA EQUIPMENT RESERVES TO BEGIN PRELIMINARY WORK ON THE BARN FLOOR (UP TO $20,000) · USE OF COUNCIL CONTINGENCY FUNDS TO PURCHASE THE REQUEST PARTNERS SOFTWARE ($6,000). City, Council ~v[mutes August 25, 2003 Page 7 COUNCILMEMBER MOTIN SECONDED THE MOTION. THE MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 8. Other Business There was no Other Business. 9. Staff Updates There were no Staff Updates. 10. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Fdinzing adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 10:27 p.m. Jessica Miller Recording Secretary