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03-04-2019 CCMMeeting of the Elk River City Council Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, March 4, 2019 Members Present: Mayor John Dietz, Councilmembers Garrett Christianson, Nate Ovall, Matt Westgaard, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: None Staff Present: City Administrator Calvin Portner, Fire Chief Mark Dickinson, Human Resources Manager Lauren Wipper, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker, and Records Specialist 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 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Consider March 4, 2019 Agenda Mayor Dietz requested to add Item 10.3 to discuss the council -funded employee luncheon. Moved by Councilmember Ovall and seconded by Councilmember Westgaard to approve the March 4, 2019, agenda as amended. Motion carried 5-0. 4. Consider Consent Agenda Moved by Councilmember Ovall and seconded by Councilmember Westgaard to approve the following consent agenda: 4.1 February 19, 2019, Regular Meeting Minutes. 4.2 Check register, check numbers 9972-9974 and 109605-109769 as outlined in the staff report. 4.3 Master Labor Agreement (Contract) between the City of Elk River and Law Enforcement Labor Services (LELS) Local 231 for January 1, 2019 to December 31, 2020. 4.4 Adopt the 2019 Maintenance Agreement Resolution 19-08 between the City of Elk River and Wright County for routine maintenance work on the Parrish Avenue Bridge. 4.5 The 2019 Hometown Solar Grant Program Agreement with Minnesota Municipal Power Agency (MMPA). City Council Minutes March 4, 2019 Page 2 4.6 Jill Larson -Vito as the Planning Commission representative to the Administrative Hearing Board until February 28, 2022. 4.7 Hire Lizabeth Cameron for the position of communications coordinator effective March 18, 2019. 4.8 Accept the proposal from WSB and Associates, Inc. for the required Environmental Assessment Worksheet for the proposed Lake Orono Restoration and Enhancement (LORE) project. 4.9 Accept a Permanent Easement at Lot 3, Block 1, Prestigious Woodland Hills Second Addition. 4.10 Low bid and authorize the execution of a contract with ASTECH Corporation for the construction of the 2019 Street Improvement project. 4.11 Hiring of Gordon Myette for the position of Street Maintenance Operator II effective March 6, 2019. 4.12 Replacement of Streets Division truck 238, a 2007 Ford F-550 pickup with landscape box and snow plow. Motion carried 5-0. S. Open Forum No one appeared for Open Forum. 6.1 Proclaim September I, 2019, as Steve Dittbenner Day in the City of Elk River Fire Chief Dickinson presented the staff report. Mayor Dietz read the proclamation and presented a plaque to Steve Dittbenner in recognition of 40+ years of service in the Elk River Fire Department. 7. Public Hearings There were no public hearings. 8.1 Woodland Trails Regional Park Master Plan Change Mr. Hecker introduced Candace Amberg, Senior Professional Landscape Architect from WSB & Associates. Ms. Amberg presented the revised Woodland Trails Regional Park Master Plan. Based on the Park and Recreation Commission recommendation, the location for the Woodland Trails Regional Park has been altered. Ms. Amberg discussed ADA accessibility needs, the proposed location of a future nature center, and the potential nature playground features. She stated the project may go out to bid later this year or early 2020. ►o11aII er %IATU B y City Council Minutes March 4, 2019 Page 3 The steering committee thinks costs could be reduced if they receive donations of natural materials such as sand, trees, boulders, or other items used to construct the natural play area. Councilmember Ovall stated it was an interesting concept but he had questions about the ongoing expenses and maintenance. Would the proposed water feature be potentially expensive? What was the useful life of natural materials? Because it is an alternative playground, would there be greater liability or risk of injury? Mr. Hecker responded the liability may actually be less because the structures mimic nature and don't fall under the same standards of playground inspections. Elk River Park and Recreation has certified playground inspectors on staff and current playgrounds are inspected more extensively because of manufactured pieces. There are always risks, but there may be fewer risks than other playgrounds. Staff visited similar nature playgrounds in Minnesota and found some water feature items require less maintenance than others. Ms. Amberg added that natural products are subject to degrading. Councilmember Westgaard addressed the question of where funding would come from since the Park and Recreation Commission did not want to use the Park Improvement Funds for the additional costs accrued due to the change in location. What is the overall cost to implement this Master Plan? Mr. Hecker stated they were only dealing with ballpark price estimates currently. Councilmember Westgaard continued stating he wanted to know all of the costs associated with the Master Plan before supporting it. He didn't have an issue with moving it, but stated the city has to live within the budget and timeline. He recommended structuring the bid so they can later pick and choose alternate and donated items to keep the project on budget. Councilmember Wagner added she also wondered where the funds would come from. She had heard the nature center addition is a very long way in the future, perhaps more than 10 years, so they may not need to factor it into their decision that evening. Mayor Dietz felt if the nature center addition was more than 10 years away there was time for the council to determine a way to fund it. Hopefully a better revenue source than liquor store funds could be discovered in the next 10 years. Councilmember Wagner added that perhaps additional grants could be sourced for items such as the elevator or other items. Mayor Dietz asked Mr. Portner if there was any other place the requested $19,000 could come from besides the Park Improvement Fund. IAY'EAfI er r ATURE City Council Minutes March 4, 2019 Page 4 Mr. Portner stated there were a couple options, but to keep in mind the numbers were estimates and the scope of the project can change. The point of the Master Plan is to know where you are going and items can be added or taken away at a later date. Mayor Dietz clarified that approving the item would not mean they had to decide on an alternate source of funding at this time. Councilmember Westgaard suggested to keep going toward bidding and research possible 2018 funds to use. He also suggested including alternates in the bidding process and to find a way to not spend the entire $19,000, either through a favorable bidding market, donations, or volunteers. Councilmember Wagner agreed the plan could be considered at a later day and items cut as needed to meet the budget. Moved by Councilmember Wagner and seconded by Councilmember Christianson to approve changes to the Woodland Trails Regional Park Master Plan as outlined in the staff report. Motion carried 5-0. 8.2 Discuss Work Session Items Mr. Portner presented the staff report. Councilmember Wagner wanted to look at the street improvement management system, fund balances, and options in light of the Street Improvement Project coming in below estimated projections. Mayor Dietz wanted to review the entire snowplow policy. 9. Council Liaison Updates Council provided updates on the activities of the various boards and commissions as also noted in the respective board's minutes. Energy City • Minnesota Municipal Power Association solar grant which will pay for a 5 kilowatt solar panel for public education. • 2019 delegation to Germany. ■ Conunission is seeking two additional members — one to represent the schools and another to represent energy related businesses. Heritage Preservation ■ No update library No update PANfAfA At Er1ATUR City Council Minutes March 4, 2019 Parks and Recreation Page 5 • Eagle Scouts gave presentations on their projects. ■ Pinewood Gold Course update. ■ Volunteer residents spoke about projects including a free library at Meadowvale Heights Park. Volunteer Wayne Becklin gave a presentation on the Elk River park archery hunt. ■ Changes to the Woodland Trails Master plan has also been an important part of the Commission discussion as well as park facility fees. Planning ■ Four proposed ordinance amendments. Utilities • Manual meter reading. ■ Reviewed financials and bids for electric cables. They also reviewed delinquent items that have met the statute of limitations. update ■ Update on the landfill gas plant. Other — Mayor Dietz was unable to attend the Region 7 meeting but City Engineer Justin Femtite stated the project for Twin Lakes Road is ranked the highest and will likely receive funding from the state. Staff will also attempt to get federal funding for the project. The project should be completed prior to the Highway 169 construction beginning. Councihnember Westgaard added he had visited Plaisted Companies during a recent Business Retention and Expansion (BR&E) visit and they brought up the topic of business disruption during the Highway 169 project. There may need to be alternative routes determined, especially for mining or ready mix companies, since their conditional use permits sometimes restrict what roads they can travel with a full or empty truck. Road restrictions may also be different during frost. Council recessed at 7:34 p.m. in order to go into work session. Council reconvened at 7:40 p.m. 10.1 Healthy for Life Wellness Incentive Program Ms. Wipper presented the staff report. She has conducted research on other city wellness policies as well as Elk River Municipal Utilities (ERMU). Mayor Dietz clarified the ERMU wellness plan is based on company statistics and not wellness based. Mayor Dietz asked if there were forms a doctor or dentist would sign to certify an appointment had been carried out. P 0 1 [ R I a a NATURE City Council Minutes Page 6 March 4, 2019 Ms. Wipper stated there would be forms and names would be collected for the health risk assessment but nothing else. Councilmember Ovall clarified a non-smoker could receive points for continuing to be a non-smoker. Councilmember Wagner felt it seemed too easy to get to the 400 stated points. She also wonders what the incentive amount would be for budgeting this item in the future. Ms. Wipper explained a proposed dollar amount based on the average of 1.5% of gross salaries divided by the number of eligible employees could be as much as $1,166 per person. Mayor Dietz clarified that, if the amount was determined by percentage, employees would receive different amounts. Mayor Dietz added he was concerned so many items were "on your honor" and had no way of tracking the details. The Police Wellness Incentive Program (WIP) has more checks and balances. Councilmember Ovall had concerns of how tedious the program seemed to be to administer. Ms. Wipper stated that was the reason some items were mandatory and required verification and some were "on your honor." If staff did check on everything, it would be tedious. She noted in some other cities the use of a health risk assessment over time causes people to see the value and take it more seriously. Mayor Dietz wondered if there were too many options for people to earn points. Ms. Wipper stated she reviewed what other cities have done and, comparatively, the amount of options is about average. The goal is to provide well-rounded opportunities for people to succeed. Councilmember Christianson shared that at his employer, they have a wellness program that requires online journal entries and logs. Councilmember Westgaard clarified the intent was to promote a healthy lifestyle beyond just medical stuff. Was there a way to set biometric screening standards? Could the amount of money come off of their health plan deduction or insurance instead of being paid in cash? Councilmember Wagner spoke about the pay restructuring that took place in 2018. She wants to know what to tell tax payers when she talks with them about an increase in staff costs for "taking a Zmnba class or reading a book." She feels earEete er INATUREJ City Council Minutes March 4, 2019 Page 7 wellness programs are important, but asks why there continue to be staff benefit improvement items brought to the council. Mayor Dietz stated he is more concerned about having healthy employees that show up for work. Mr. Portner agreed the health of employees drives health care costs. Mayor Dietz asked if health information would go to the insurance company and help with insurance rates. Ms. Wipper stated rates are affected by claims. Councilmember Westgaard wondered if health plans could be modified to promote participation. Ms. Wipper explained there are currently different health plan options. Mayor Dietz wondered if there could be a specific dollar amount for each health marker based on medical categories. Ms. Wipper talked about a health and wellness person on staff for their insurance broker. According to this person, health programs are moving away from biometrics and focusing on "full life health." Biometric screening numbers aren't perfect and it is expensive for companies to hire an outside source to perform them. Mayor Dietz asked if there was a way to more closely mirror the Police WIP. Ms. Wipper said some areas are similar. The Police WIP currently awards points for Physical Fitness, Wellness, Education, Community Service, and Skills. Mayor Dietz likes the Police WIP because it seems simpler. Councilmember Westgaard added there will probably always be people looking for ways to "skirt the system" without actually doing any of the activities. Because it seems cumbersome from an administrative standpoint, eventually the city may stop capturing the data and it would become a given instead of promoting health and wellness. Mayor Dietz asked how it would affect Union employees since their contract has not yet been signed. Mr. Portner explained it would depend on the timeline and an addendum to the Union contract could be made. Mayor Dietz recommended staff come back at another work session with revisions. POIlf oil B1 NATURE City Council Minutes March 4, 2019 10.2 Health Rewards Program Ms. Wipper presented the staff report. Councilmember Westgaard clarified all previous incentives were purchased by ERMU. Ms. Wipper explained incentives were previously purchased by ERMU or other financial sources that we no longer belong to and the goal was to allow the committee to again purchase incentives. Page 8 Council agreed the policy could be changed to allow the Health Rewards Committee to purchase incentives. 10.3 Employee Luncheon Mayor Dietz checked with various catering places and came up with an option for the council funded employee luncheon. Councilmember Wagner suggested having it outside in the spring instead of in March and she could help Mayor Dietz with planning it. Mayor Dietz asked that employees RSVP for the event to prevent purchasing too much food. Mayor Dietz asked Mr. Portner if the public purpose expenditure policy could be adjusted to allow council to purchase two shirts to wear at public events such as the upcoming Annual Board and Commission Appreciation Dinner. 11. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 8:22 p.m. Tina Allard, City Clerk p0NEAEI IY NAT"'