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9.3. SR 12-16-2019 E04y1� ,.,�� Request for Action River To Item Number Mayor and City Council 9.3 Agenda Section Meeting Date Prepared by Work Session December 16, 2019 Cal Portner, City Administrator Item Description Reviewed by Advisory Board Review Reviewed by Action Requested Discuss and provide staff direction to: 1) Eliminate one or more advisory boards/commissions; and/or 2) combine mission/functions with other commissions; and/or 3) outline or update new mission statements and/or responsibilities; and 4) direct staff to prepare ordinance amendment reflecting Council consensus. Background/Discussion On November 18, 2019, the Council discussed three advisory bodies which have been challenged to meet meeting quorum,have work agendas, and/or maintain membership. Members of each of the commissions were invited to attend the Council work session. Financial Impact Staff time to prepare for and attend meetings. Attachments ■ Heritage Preservation Commission Purpose/Powers and Duties (ordinance) ■ Library Board Purpose/Responsibilities (bylaws) ■ Ice Arena Commission Purpose/Powers and Duties (ordinance) The Elk River Vision A PehoMing community 2a itb revolutionary and spirited resourcefulness, exceptional POWERED By service, and community engagement that encourages and inspires prosperity INAMIRE1 Heritage Preservation Commission Sec. 2-213. - Purpose. The heritage preservation commission is established to review and make recommendations to the city council on issues pertaining to the historical, archaeological, engineering, and cultural heritage of the city. The commission shall participate in the preservation and acquisition of the city's heritage and historical sites. (Code 1982, § 215.02) Sec. 2-214. - Powers and duties. The heritage preservation commission shall prepare, hold hearings on, and recommend to the city council such plans, programs, and policies as it deems necessary to carry out the purposes of this division. Such powers shall include, but are not limited to, the study of and recommendation to the city council on the following: (1) Work for the continuing education of the citizens of the city with respect to the historic and architectural heritage of the city. It shall keep current and public a register of designated heritage preservation sites and areas. (2) Conduct a continuing survey of all areas, places, buildings, structures, or similar objects in the city which the commission, on the basis of information available or presented to it, has reason to believe are, or will be, eligible for designation as heritage preservation sites. (3) Solicit gifts and contributions to be made to the city and assist in the preparation of applications for grant funds to be made to the city for the purpose of heritage preservation. (4) Recommend accepting the services on a permanent or part-time basis of technical experts and other such persons as may be required to perform its duties. (5) Make recommendation that an area, building, district or object be designated a heritage preservation site. (6) Review and make recommendations relative to requests for heritage preservation site alteration permits. (7) Recommend making application to the National Register or the Minnesota Historical Society for the designation of a historic site or district. (8) Make recommendations on the acquisition of sites eligible for designation as a heritage preservation site by gift, negotiation, or eminent domain as provided for in Minn. Stats. ch. 117. (Code 1982, § 215.06) Library Board Article III Purpose The purpose of the Elk River Public Library Board is to oversee the physical facility and grounds housing the Elk River Public Library, and to promote the best possible use of all library resources. Article IV Responsibilities The Elk River Public Library Board will be responsible for: ■ Monitoring,reviewing and analyzing monthly expenditures of the Elk River Library. ■ Seeing that an adequate physical facility and furnishings are provided. ■ Ensuring that heat,light,water and other utilities are provided (excluding telephone). ■ Overseeing the physical maintenance of the facility and grounds,including janitorial services and repairs. ■ Development and interpretation of policies pertaining to community room use. ■ Encouraging local special programming. ■ Reviewing and approving the Elk River Library budget before it is presented to City Council. Member(s) of the Library Board may attend the City Council meeting when the Library Services Coordinator presents the proposed budget. Excerpt from Library Board Bylaws Page 1of1 Ice Arena Commission Sec. 2-253. - Purpose. The ice arena commission is established to make recommendations to the city council on the development and management of the city ice arena complex. The scope of the commission's responsibilities shall consist of advising the city council regarding matters relevant to the development and operation of the ice arena complex. (Code 1982, § 217.02) Sec. 2-254. - Powers and duties. The ice arena commission shall have those responsibilities assigned to it by this division, including: (1) Making recommendations to the city council with respect to: a. Operation of the ice arena complex. b. Rules and requirements for conduct within the ice arena complex. c. Capital improvements to the ice arena complex. d. Annual operating budgets and revenue sources. (2) Assisting in the promotion of the ice arena complex. (3) Submitting an annual report to the city council which shall include the commission's recommendations with respect to the items listed in subsections (1) and (2)of this section. (4) Listening to community input and comments on the operation of the ice arena complex. (5) Such other responsibilities as the city council shall assign from time to time. (Code 1982, § 217.06) Miller, Jessica From: d.morten@yahoo.com Sent: Saturday, December 07, 2019 12:19 AM To: Miller, Jessica Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Invitation to the December 16 Council Work Session Hi Jessica thank you for sending me this email. I find this News very distressing. I love being on the City Of Elk River's Heritage Preservation Commission and feel it is a very important Commission for the city. As the current chair of the Commission I have made Sure that we have been meeting regularly. We did not meet in October as I had two days of training For my job, which coincided with the Thursday for our commission meeting, so Zac was going to reschedule it for November Had I known when Zac sent out the request to not meet in November and to meet in January that this would occur I never would've agreed to not have a meeting in November, to make up for the October one. But I thought with the holidays it kind of made sense to wait for January. I also feel it's very ineffective to only meet four times a year, the one meeting I missed years ago in October, the commissioners all voted to go from monthly meetings to meeting four times a year, and then three of them quit. You can't get anything done when you only meet four times a year. I would like to see the Commission meet every two months. I will be attending the December 16th Council work meeting. Is it possible for me to speak? What time will it be held? Thank You Again, Debra Mortensen Current Chair City of Elk River's Heritage Preservation Commission Sent from my iPhone On Dec 6, 2019, at 8:59 AM, Miller, Jessica <JMiller elkrivermn.gov> wrote: Good morning, The Elk River City Council dearly appreciates the time and effort you, as volunteer members of boards and commissions, provide to make our community special. They also wish to be respectful for your personal time. Changes to our community and civic operations has resulted in concerns whether the mission of some of our boards and commissions are compatible with current needs. Further, frequent volunteer turnover, few agenda topics, and lack of meeting quorum has led the council to discuss the future of three particular commissions, The Heritage Preservation Commission, Ice Arena Commission, and Library Board. Miller, Jessica From: DeAnn Givens <deanngivens@msn.com> —Afeno. Sent: Monday, December 16, 2019 3:22 PM To: Miller, Jessica Subject: [EXTERNAL] RE: Invitation to the December 16 Council Work Session Hi, Jessica! I was hoping I would be able to make it, but it's our busiest time of year and we're swamped. The Arena Commission does not meet frequently. However, I think it's good to have the user groups represented when decisions are being made. Should the Arena Commission be dismantled, my concern would be that the group to oversee the Community Center would include representatives of all the user groups. It's hard to make decisions when you're not familiar with how arenas are operated and how the various user organizations function. Figure Skating is very different from Hockey, but we all share the same facility. Thank you! DeAnn From: Miller, Jessica [mailto:JMiller@ElkRiverMN.Pov] Sent: Friday, December 6, 2019 9:00 AM To: Miller, Jessica <JM!Iler(�)ElkRiverMN.eov> Subject: Invitation to the December 16 Council Work Session Good morning, The Elk River City Council dearly appreciates the time and effort you, as volunteer members of boards and commissions, provide to make out community special. They also wish to be respectful for your personal time. Changes to our community and civic operations has resulted in concerns whether the mission of some of our boards and commissions are compatible with current needs. Further, frequent volunteer turnover, few agenda topics, and lack of meeting quorum has led the council to discuss the future of three particular commissions, The Heritage Preservation Commission, Ice Arena Commission, and Library Board. On December 16, the council will discuss the roles of these commissions along with their connections to other existing commissions. The council would like to invite you to the meeting. If you are unable to attend, they welcome any thoughts you may have regarding your commission/board's role, effectiveness, scope of responsibility, etc. You may reply to this email or call me directly if you have any thoughts you'd like to share. The work session will follow the regular meeting at City Hall and be held in the Upper Town Conference Room. Thank you for all of your good works for the City of Elk River! Enjoy your weekend! Jessica Jessica Miller City of Elk River — Deputy Clerk A-er& Miller, Jessica From: Brian Balabon <bbalabon@yahoo.com> Sent: Monday, December 16, 2019 4:28 PM To: Miller, Jessica Subject: [EXTERNAL] Re: Invitation to the December 16 Council Work Session I will try my best to attend the work session, but I will be late or unable to attend due to a youth hockey game. Here are my thoughts about the Arena Commission: None of the items mentioned (frequent turnover, few agenda topics, or lack of quorum) have been an issue with the Ice Arena Board. Obviously, with all of the issues we have had with the arena over the past several years, we have had plenty of things to discuss and plenty of interested parties that have consistently shared their input as to the direction of the ER Arena and I have no doubt that will continue after the new arena is finished. With the addition of the the Recreation Facility, it stands to reason that other youth organizations will want to have input into this new facility similar to what ERYHA and ERFSC have with the Ice Arena. I believe that before we change or alter the mission of the Arena Commission, we need to first complete the current arena project and establish a new baseline for operations for our new arena and recreation facility. Once this baseline for operations has been established, we can discuss what role and any changes or alterations this commision may have going forward. If there are any questions or concerns, please let me know. Thank you, Brian Balabon On Friday, December 6, 2019, 08:59:42 AM CST, Miller, Jessica <imiller elkrivermn.gov> wrote: Good morning, The Elk River City Council dearly appreciates the time and effort you, as volunteer members of boards and commissions, provide to make our community special. They also wish to be respectful for your personal time. Changes to our community and civic operations has resulted in concerns whether the mission of some of our boards and commissions are compatible with current needs. Further, frequent volunteer turnover, few agenda topics, and lack of meeting quorum has led the council to discuss the future of three particular commissions, The Heritage Preservation Commission, Ice Arena Commission, and Library Board.