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04-23-2019 Special CCMSpecial Meeting of the Elk River City Council Held''•at the Elk River Public Safety Facility Tuesday, April 23, 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, City Clerk Tina Allard, Community Development Director Suzanne Fischer, Chief of Police Ron Nierenhausen, Planning Manager Zack Carlton, Finance Director Lori Ziemer, Economic Development Director Amanda Othoudt, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer Justin Femrite, and Deputy Clerk Jessica Miller 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 1:03 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Council/Staff Annual Retreat Review Values, Vision, and Mission Statement Mr. Portner reviewed the value, vision, and mission statements and asked Council how they feel about the statements two years after they were created. The Council felt the statements were good. 2018 Goals Review/Update Mr. Portner reviewed short-term, mid-term, and long-term goals. Building Resilient Communities, Chuck Marohn (ICMA Video) Council and staff watched a video of a presentation on Building Resilient Communities presented at the ICMA National Conference by Chuck Marohn. Council and staff discussed the video and how it relates to Elk River. The following comments were made: 0 ■ Franchise fee in good shape to handle new development. City Council Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 2 • City can work out agreement with property owners for future development rather than owning property. • Small businesses hold communities together by supporting local and youth events. ■ City should create and continue showcasing Elk River's amenities. • Downtown core should be expanded. Larger stores help small businesses by bringing traffic. City does best to get people downtown by holding concerts, farmer's market, and Elk RiverFest. * Accessibility drives business and will change with Highway 169 interchange. ■ Can fill in gaps with increased density rather than developing outlying areas. Housing/Code Enforcement/Redevelopment Housing Mr. Carlton presented information on housing in Elk River. He indicated Elk River continues to see growth in single-family construction. He stated the price point for new construction in Elk River is $300,000 or above. Mr. Carlton explained Elk River is starting to see a gap in the housing lifecycle for starter homes. Builders are saying cities are not allowing them to build new, affordable housing because of regulations, etc. He added without affordable starter homes we risk losing young or aging residents. Councilmember Westgaard questioned what we are doing as a city to increase the builder cost for new construction. Mr. Carlton explained he believes it may be more of a cultural issue with people wanting to move in to a home with amenities including granite countertops and larger garages driving the price up. He stated Elk River's permit fees are less than other communities so he doesn't believe it to be a hold up. He noted there are infrastructure costs associated with new construction. Mr. Carlton indicated Elk River has affordable homes in this price range but they are not what people are looking for as they are older homes that are starting to look outdated and may not be well maintained. He noted economic development has a program to assist homeowners in the urban service district with financing improvements which can help with keeping these homes looking nice. He added proactive code enforcement and point of sale inspections are additional ways to help keep properties looking nice and maintaining housing stock. Proactive Code Enforcement Council and staff discussed proactive versus complaint driven. Councilmember Ovall questioned if there would be an expense for additional employees with proactive enforcement. He indicated he sees value in proactive enforcement but questioned if it is a core value to be added to the budget. He noted major sports stadiums have technology options for people to text in complaints and wondered if that is something the city could implement. rI orISEI arATURE City Council Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 3 Ms. Fischer indicated residents can submit code enforcement complaints via the city's website. She stated she didn't believe additional staff would be required for proactive enforcement. Councilmember Christianson believes a public education/awareness campaign may be beneficial as many residents may not know what violates city ordinance. Councilmember Wagner indicated she doesn't love the idea of proactive code enforcement and questioned at what point does it become not welcoming. Chief Nierenhausen explained the Police Department can assist with reporting code enforcement issues as they are out and about. He believes being proactive has a lot of value and believes most people take notice if they drive through a community that is well -kept. Mayor Dietz indicated he believes some residents fail to submit complaints because they get frustrated with the amount of time it takes to clear it up. He believes a majority of residents would appreciate the city putting more effort in to code enforcement. Councilmember Ovall questioned if the enforcement process can be accelerated. He also questioned our timelines compared to other cities. Mr. Carlton explained the process is set by ordinance or policy and can be changed if the Council sees fit. He noted he has not researched timelines of other cities. Councilmember Westgaard explained the city should follow the rules it requires residents to follow. He believes the city has been lax on some mowing and leaving grass clippings behind. He cited an example on 193rd Avenue between Dodge Avenue and Twin Lakes Road. He indicated the city only allows certain size garages and some residents cannot fit their vehicles and trailers inside. He questioned if the City can be flexible on the size requirements. Mr. Carlton noted vehicles and trailers can be parked outside in driveways for as long as they want as long as they are properly licensed and on an approved surface. Councilmember Westgaard added the city has two major right-of-ways not controlled by the city that have become littered. He stated it might be an opportunity to work with a volunteer group to keep it clean. Point of Sale Inspections Council and staff discussed the pros and cons of point of sale inspections. Mr. Carlton stated he would like Council. feedback. Councilmember Ovall indicated his experience with point of sale inspections is it slows down house sales and upsets current and new owners in the process. Councilmember Wagner indicated she doesn't believe the city's role is to provide point of sale inspections. P 0 V E R E E O T ATURE City Council Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 4 Staff was directed to research cost, realtor feedback, city liability, and how many cities have the point of sale inspections. Personality Profile — PACE Palette Review Mr. Portner reviewed the PACE Palette Personality Profiles. Staff and Council discussed the differences and how to interact and communicate with each other based on each person's prominent assessed color. Development/Business Survey Mr. Portner questioned Council about the Chamber's survey. It was noted there were many issues with the survey to make it difficult to determine the accuracy of the data. Mayor Dietz stated he would like to have more details about any issues. He questioned the level of assistance certain applicants may need, such as a developer versus a resident or small business owner. He noted each city is different with their rules and some applicants aren't going to like to follow or be happy with any rules placed on them. He stated one comment he's heard is an applicant feels like they get passed around to multiple staff. Councilmember Ovall questioned if there is a way to give staff more decision- making capabilities. Councilmember Westgaard stated he has heard of fewer complaints over the last two years. He stated most complaints were difficult to confirm. Councilmember Wagner stated there are critical issues and there is anger in the public but the people are afraid to come forward for fear of retaliation. She stated they always feel they are not getting good customer service. Councilmember Ovall concurred as he has gotten the same complaints. He stated more empathy is needed. Councilmember Westgaard questioned when and where fear of retribution has come forward. He stated if no one is willing to come forward it can be difficult to fix issues or explain what happened. Councilmember Wagner stated the city needs to accept that these are real feelings and people are not receiving exceptional customer service. Councilmember Westgaard stated the city can't formulate a plan to improve when it doesn't know where the improvements are needed. t 0 1 E A E 1 1 1 NATUREI City Council Minutes April 23, 2019 Page 5 ` Ms. Othoudt noted she does many business retention visits throughout the year and they have been very positive so she has difficulty understanding where there may be issues. Mr. Portner noted this is a good start to the discussion and the city could utilize Councilmember Wagner to bring the issues forward for review. Mayor Dietz stated the planning department does a good job and he hopes if people are having issues, they will come forward. Goal Setting Short-term (2019-20) ■ Commercial Development 13 HRA Main/Gates project El Ebert Joplin/Business Avenue project 13 Market EDA Highway10 property 13 Monitor downtown development ■ Great River Energy Revenue Replacement 13 Monitor GRE property marketing ■ Budget and Sinking Fund for Building Repair 13 Move public safety building bond to general levy 13 Transition public works facility bond to general levy 13 Move GRE fund balance to building fund ■ Update Salary Schedule/Compensation Plan CI Complete ■ Garbage situation (RDF host fee/landfill closure) Cl Monitor ■ Parks & Recreation Capital Plan — Funding Lost -funded projects 13 Parking lot repair/replacement funded through Pavement Management Program 13 Field/facility user fees shift ■ Activity Center facility future ■ Zoning & acquisition of "challenged" properties policy discussion Mid-term (2023) ■ CRT Vision 13 Will discuss during Comprehensive Plan Update ■ Budget Plan — Post Waste Management ■ Transportation Development Funding 13 Highway169 complete (Corridors of Commerce) Highway 10 study in partnership with county, Metro/D3 MnDOT ■ Acquire Business Park Land CI Assist developers with private acquisition as needed. ■ Develop Means for Park Capital Needs 13 Local Option Sales Tax -funded projects 0 f E R E 0 B Y ATURE rF, E City Council Minutes April 23, 2019 Parking lot repair/replacement funded through Pavement Management Program 13 Field/facility user fees shift Commercial Development HRA Main/Gates Project 13 Ebert Joplin/Business Avenue Project 13 Market EDA Highway 10 Property Monitor downtown development Public Safety build -out 2019 architectural services/project scope 2020 planned bidding 2020 project(s) Long-term (2028) ■ Urban Service Area expansion Comprehensive Plan update ■ C/I development • Public Safety build out Moved to Mid-term (April 2019) 4. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 6:10 p.m. J f n J. )ietz, qayor Tina Allard, City Clerk Page 6 p011aE1 I NATUREJ