Loading...
4.1. DRAFT MINUTES (2 SETS) 12-17-2018 VA City of Elk Meeting of the Elk River City Council River Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, December 3, 2018 Members Present: Mayor John Dietz, Councilmembers Jerry Olsen,Nate Ovall,Matt Westgaard, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: None Staff Present: City Administrator Calvin Portner, Finance Director Lori Ziemer, Deputy Fire Chief and Deputy Director of Emergency Management Aaron Surratt,Human Resources Manager Lauren Wipper, Senior Planner Chris Leeseberg, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer Justin Femrite, Police Chief Ron Nierenhausen, Fire Chief Mark Dickinson and Records Specialist Katie Porath I. Call Meeting to Order C' 'X Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River City Council was called to order at 6:29 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Consider December 3, 2018 A& a Moved by Councilmember Wagner and seconded by Councilmember Ovall to approve the December 3, 2018, agenda. Motion carried 5-0. 4. Consider Consent Agenda Moved by Councilmember Westgaard and seconded by Councilmember Olsen to approve the following consent agenda: 4.1 November 14, 2018, Canvass Minutes November 19, 2018, Regular Minutes 4.2 Check register, check numbers 9963-9964 and 108521-108679 as outlined in the staff report. 4.3 Termination of the employment of Communications Coordinator RaeAnn Gardner effective December 3, 2018. 4.4 Acknowledge the recount for Councilmember Ward 1 was completed with no changes in the official certification of the results approved by the Council on November 14, 2018. 4.5 Adopt Ordinance 18-16 amending Chapter 74, Parking. Motion carried 5-0. City Council Minutes Page 2 December 3,2018 ----------------------------- S. Open Forum RaeAnn Gardner, 633 Main St#314, outlined her work as a former employee of the City of Elk River. 6.1 Oath of Office: Fire Chief Mayor Dietz administered the oath of office to Fire Chief Mark Dickinson. 7.1 2019 Budget and Tax Levy Ms. Ziemer presented the staff report. Mayor Dietz opened the public hearing. There being no one to speak to this issue, Mayor Dietz closed the public hearing. Moved by Councilmember Olsen and seconded by Councilmember Westgaard to adopt Resolution 18-68 to authorize the Proposed Property Tax Levy for Collection in 2019. Motion carried 5-0. Moved by Councilmember Wagner and seconded by Councilmember Olsen to approve the 2019 General, Special Revenue, and Enterprise Fund budgets. Motion carried 5-0. 8.1 Summary of City Administrator's Performance Evaluation Mayor Dietz read a statement regarding the city administrator's performance evaluation as outlined in the staff report. 8.2 2019-2023 Capital Improvement Plan Ms. Ziemer presented the staff report. Moved by Councilmember Westgaard and seconded by Councilmember Olsen to adopt the 2019-2023 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP). Motion carried 5-0. 8.3 Discuss Work Session Items Mr. Portner reviewed the work session items. 9.1 Council Liaison Updates Council provided updates on the activities of the various boards and commissions. p0wIRIO 0 NATUREI City Council Minutes Page 3 December 3,2018 ----------------------------- Energy City—Councilmember Olsen stated the Commission met on November 28, 2018. They welcomed Aaron Brixius. Great River Energy's plan to shut down their Resource Recovery center in Elk River was discussed. They also reviewed the Energy City Commission's 10-year Action Plan and will be sharing it with the council at a future date. Heritage Preservation—Councilmember Wagner there has been no scheduled meetings of the Heritage Preservation Commission since the last report. Library—Councilmember Ovall said the Library Commission met on November 27, 2018. The Council had challenged the Library Commission to re-envision their direction this year and they aspire to work on their vision and share it with the Council. Parks and Recreation—Councilmember Olsen updated the council on the Parks and Recreation Commission meeting which included discussion of the Phase 2 Riverwalk Apartments. There was also a recent open house for Bailey Point. Planning—Councilmember Wagner stated the Planning Commission had met on November 27, 2018. There will be several planning related items coming to the Council at the December 17, 2018 Council Meeting. Utilities—Councilmember Westgaard said the Utilities Commission met on November 13, 2018. They introduced two new Elk River Municipal Utility employees and reviewed financial information.They also discussed possible transfer of ownership of the Jackson Street water tower and are working on legality and future maintenance questions. ------------------------------ Council recessed at 7:12 p.m. in order to go into work session. Council reconvened at 7:17 p.m. 10.1 ERX Motorpark Platting Fees Mr. Leeseberg presented the staff report. Todd Plaisted and Heidi Goodin of ERX Motorpark spoke to the Council regarding their concerns on the cost of Surface Water Management Impact fees. They felt these fees were designed for large industrial areas with impervious surfaces,whereas their facility makes an effort to retain their own water runoff and wetlands haven't increased. They had no concerns with the park dedication fee. Mayor Dietz explained the state mandates surface water management,but provided no funding,therefore,the city has been charging these fees since the original ordinance was adopted in 1994. UREJ City Council Minutes Page 4 December 3,2018 ----------------------------- Mr. Femrite explained that the fees are established for when the properties are platted. Mayor Dietz asked if there were different fees for residential versus commercial properties. Mr. Leeseberg stated fees were different dependent on property type. Councilmember Westgaard confirmed with Mr. Femrite that,when platting a property,you create impervious surface which contributes to stormwater concerns. The fees are a mechanism to handle maintenance in the future. Justin confirmed ERX is currently containing their stormwater on site. Councilmember Ovall agreed the cost seemed disproportionate when comparing a large industrial building to the motor park property. Councilmember Westgaard agreed that Mr. Plaisted made a point about impervious surfaces versus developed land; however,he wasn't sure how it should be handled. He cautioned against going outside the ordinance for one or two instances. It would be a better idea to look at the wording of the ordinance and adjust it if necessary. He questioned if it would it be an option to postpone the fee payment until industrial development was made to the property. Mayor Dietz stated if industry came in later they wouldn't be able to collect surface water management fees. Councilmember Wagner wondered if the fee could be delayed or lessened. If ERX sells the property,the Surface Water Management Fees have already been paid and do not need to be paid a second time. Most situations are unique and ERX has a special zoning,however, she expressed concern about setting precedence. Mr. Plaisted stated he does not know the end use of the property and they are continuously developing and planning. Ms. Goodin asked why ERX had to pay to plat the property when it was a dirt track with no structures. Mr. Leeseberg responded that platting must occur when there are any improvements to the property. These improvements could include the grandstands, small outbuildings, or any structure "permanently attached to the ground." Mayor Dietz requested staff look at the ordinance but that ERX would still have to pay something. Their platting has already been approved and accepted by the council, so they would have to ask the city attorney how to proceed. He agreed he did not want to set precedence. UREJ City Council Minutes Page 5 December 3,2018 ----------------------------- 10.2 Twin Lakes Road Corridor Study Mr. Femrite introduced Pete Lemke and Maddie Peck, representatives from Bolton and Menk,who gave a presentation on the Twin Lakes Road Corridor Study. Mr. Lemke explained there had been several focus group meetings on this project. Ms. Peck reviewed the purpose of the study. Representatives from groups along the corridor attended open houses and the data they collected gave Bolton and Menk an idea of recommendations to present. Mr. Lemke reviewed the corridor improvement recommendations. Comments from residents included speed limits, concerns about traffic from side streets, and illegal passing on the shoulder when cars are waiting to turn left across traffic. Mayor Dietz asked how the 169 Redefine project improvements might affect traffic volume on this corridor. Mr. Femrite stated it is hard to say right now,but the goal of the recommendations was to focus on improved safety rather than planning for traffic fluctuations. Mayor Dietz clarified the areas the county would be paying for versus what the city would be responsible for financing. Mr. Lemke commented the information are recommendations and when further decisions are considered, certain areas would need to be highlighted and the affected residents would need to be engaged in the planning process. Councilmember Olsen asked if Bolton and Menk would be presenting their information to the county. A presentation to the county has been planned. Councilmember Ovall asked about the process of replacing or upgrading a roundabout if there is too much traffic. Is the next step converting it to a stoplight? Mr. Femrite explained there are ways to increase the capacity of a roundabout, including studying the traffic patterns, adding turn lanes, and making it a double lane roundabout. However,he doesn't anticipate the roundabouts would be unable to handle the traffic volumes. Mr. Lemke said an important consideration was approach speeds,particularly of large trucks that need to move through the area to support local industry. Councilmember Wagner asked if truck traffic would go back to Highway 169 and avoid Twin Lakes Road once Highway 169 no longer has stoplights. UREJ City Council Minutes Page 6 December 3,2018 ----------------------------- Councilmember Olsen said the Parks and Recreation Department had created a trail map. It would be beneficial if they were involved in future planning. Mr. Lemke reiterated the recommendations were less capacity driven and more safety driven. Many of the comments they received from residents are in regards to high speeds throughout the study area. Ms. Peck added the Corridor of Commerce-funded process is a big piece of the conversation. What is the function of the roadway?The goal is to establish a long- term vision that will create a functioning roadway past 2023. Mr. Femrite stated the end goal for staff and Sherburne County was to take a comprehensive look at potential safety improvements on the corridor with this study so grant money could be sought. 10.3 City of Ramsey TH 10/169 Corridor Study Mr. Femrite presented the staff report. Planned improvements in Anoka are expected to negatively affect the City of Elk River if the City of Ramsey also makes improvements to Trunk Highway (TH) 10. He reviewed the use of a Restricted Cross U-Turn (R-CUT), a reduced conflict intersection,which would eliminate signals and be beneficial for small, side-street traffic. Three locations for the R-CUT are being proposed including Jarvis St NW, Adams St NW, and Alpine Dr. Councilmember Wagner asked if it was better to have the R-CUT closer to Elk River than to Ramsey. Mr. Femrite stated city and county staff support the R-CUT proposed for Jarvis St over Alpine Dr. or Adams St. Councilmember Westgaard asked if the R-CUT design could accommodate a "53 foot tractor trailer" trying to turn around. Are the medians big enough to support the R-CUT design? Mr. Femrite was unsure if the medians were wide enough in the proposed areas but may be closer to Elk River. 10.4 Twin Lakes Road Extension Concept Mr. Femrite is preparing a grant application through Region 7W to solicit federal funding for a portion of cost sharing. This improvement would allow these roads to be used as local arteries during the constructions of Highway 169. The grant money would be awarded out of 2022 or 2023 appropriations. Mayor Dietz asked about the estimate. UREJ City Council Minutes Page 7 December 3,2018 ----------------------------- Mr. Femrite stated the current estimate was at$6.5 million. Councilmember Westgaard asked if this amount included property acquisition. Mr. Femrite said the estimated cost includes some property acquisition. Councilmember Wagner clarified the total cost could be $500,000 in assessments if grants and other federal funding were awarded. Mr. Femrite confirmed that was the tentative outlook on total cost. ------------------------------ Mayor Dietz stated the City Council is going in to a closed meeting pursuant to MN Statute §13D.05, subd. 3(b) to discuss Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) 231 labor negotiations. II. Adjournment There being no further business,Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 8:47 p.m. Minutes prepared by Katie Porath. John J. Dietz,Mayor Tina Allard, City Clerk UREJ VA City of Elk Closed Meeting of the Elk River City Council River Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, December 3, 2018 Members Present: Mayor John Dietz, Councilmembers Jerry Olsen,Nate Ovall,Matt Westgaard, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: None Staff Present: City Administrator Calvin Portner, Human Resources Manager Lauren Wipper, Police Chief Ron Nierenhausen, Finance Director Lori Ziemer, and Records Speci *st Katie Porath I. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof,the meeting of the Elk River City Council was called to order at 8:49 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Closed Meeting— MN Statute Section 13D.03, subd. I(b) The purpose of the meeting was to_discuss Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) 231 labor negotiations. 3. Adjournmen There being further�business,Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 9:43 p.m. Minutes prepared by Katie Porath. John J. Dietz,Mayor Tina Allard, City Cler