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4.1 DRAFT MINUTES (3 SETS) 08-16-2021 JOINT MEETING MINUTES of the Sherburne County City of Elk River Board of Commissioners City Council st 6:00, July 21, Conference Room Sherburne County Government Center 13880 Business Center Drive Elk River, MN 55330 Attendance: Mayor John Dietz, Council Members: Mike Beyer, Matt Westaard, Garrett Christianson, and Jennifer Wagner, City Administrator Cal Portner, Commissioners Danielowski, Fobbe and Burandt, Commissioners Dolan and Schmiesing were present via WebEx Raeanne Danielowski, Barb Burandt, Lisa Fobbe, Commissioners Dolan and Schmiesing attended via WebEx. County Engineer Andrew Witter, Solid Waste Administrator David Lucas, Elk River Star Editor Jim Boyle, County Administrator Bruce Messelt, Assistant County Administrator Dan Weber, Elk River Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbi Rydberg, Elk River Public Engineer Justin Femrite, Parks & Recreation Member Dave Anderson, Elk River Economic Development Direct and County Board Clerk Keisha Erickson I. Welcome meeting called to order at 6:00pm by Chairperson Danielowski Hon. Raeanne Danielowski, Chair Sherburne County Board of Commissioners II. Moment of Silence & Pledge of Allegiance Hon. John Dietz, Mayor Elk River City Council III. Hon. Raeanne Danielowski, Chair Sherburne County Board of Commissioners IV. Hon. John Dietz, Mayor Elk River City Council V. Solid Waste Management a. Elk River Landfill Issues, CON/Expansion Mr. Dave Lucas, Sherburne County Mr. Lucas provided the group with a presentation on the Elk River Landfill and displayed a map to further explain the different areas of the landfill. Discussion was had the and future of the site, expansion, and how to better the usage in the future. Lucas also provided a recap of what lead to the closure of GRE which proceeded to the increase of Elk River Landfill. b. Elk River Composting Mr. Justin Femrite, P. E., Elk River Mr. Femrite spoke on Elk River Compost site and how they are doing this year. Highlighted topic was some recent rule changes that had been implemented, specifically commercial and residential usage of the site. Options on how to better regulate the usage of the site as far as partnerships and technology was also discussed. VI.Area Transportation Projects a. TH 10 & TH 169 Projects Mr. Justin Femrite, P. E., Elk River Mr. Femrite provided the group with a status update on the Highway 10 construction project and discussed the 169 Redefined Project. A construction map was displayed and updates and progress reports for current and future construction was provided. Mr. Fermite explained out they are actively working on communication and maps for the residents to keep them updated on the construction progress. b. CR 33 Turnback Mr. Andrew Witter, P.E., Sherburne County Mr. Witter started off by thanking Mayor Dietz and council for their continued support of the 169 project. Witter provided the group with a schedule for the US 169 and CSAH 4 road construction project, history of CSAH 33 turnback, current statistics, future opportunities and what will be coming with the turnback. Other discussion was had on how the CR33 and 169 road projects will intersect, schedule wise. VII. ARPA Funding Projects a. City of Elk River Priorities Mr. Cal Portner, City Administrator Mr. Portner provided an ARP Fund Use Options of $2.6 million handout to the group. Items covered based off of the handout were Infrastructure, Pay/COVID Revenue Operational Impacts, and Economic/Community Development. b. Broadband and Other County Priorities Mr. Dan Weber, Sherburne County Mr. Weber provided a map displaying the broadband expansion that qualify for ARP funds and reviewed the Preliminary Utilization Plan for the County. Weber will provide the Business Subsidy Plan to the city council. VIII.Other Topics/Open Discussion Cal Pornter new Economic Development Director for the City of Elk River. Mayor Dietz requested an update on the County Fair Grounds regarding the 10 year agreement and reevaluation at year 5. Commissioner Dolan suggested forming a joint task force between the county and the city, to include Economic Development staff. The group could then discuss economic development of land parcels within city limits but owned by the county, including the fair grounds. Both groups will independently discuss the formations of said joint task force and officially designate representatives from each organization. The City and County Administrator are tasked with this effort. Council member Jennifer Wagner brought up the movement of Together Elk River and its formation throughout the COVID pandemic. It was asked if whether the movement should continue, direction was provided by the group to move forward with the movement. IX.Adjourned Meeting at 7:44. Chair / Mayor _________________________________________ ____________________________________ Raeanne Danielowski, Board Chairperson Bruce Messelt, County Administrator _________________________________________ ____________________________________ Date Date _________________________________________ John Dietz, Mayor ___________________________________ _ Tina Allrd, Clerk _________________________________________ Date ___________________________________ _ Date Meeting of the Elk River City Council Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, July 26, 2021 Members Present: Mayor John Dietz, Councilmembers Mike Beyer, Matt Westgaard, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: Councilmember Garrett Christianson Staff Present: City Administrator Calvin Portner, Finance Director Lori Ziemer, Human Resource Manager Lauren Wipper, Planning Manager Zack Carlton, Community Development Director Suzanne Fischer, Building Official Bob Ruprecht, and Liquor Operations Manager Joe Audette 1. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River City Council was called to order at 4:30 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. 2022 Budget Ms. Ziemer presented the 2022 budget. Various staff presented their departmental budgets as outlined in the report. Items to note include the following: Human Resources Council asked staff to reach out to ISD 728 to inquire about a firefighter education and recruitment program for high school students. Ms. Ziemer stated that was a possibility. Information Technology Council asked about installing cameras at parks. Mr. Calvin explained that there are cameras at Lion John Weicht Park as well as Orono Park. He is working on solutions for Woodland Trails Park and Rivers Edge Commons Park as there is currently no internet at these parks. City Council Minutes Page 2 July 26, 2021 ----------------------------- Planning/Code Enforcement Councilmember Westgaard mentioned the code enforcement vehicle wrap may be a good expense to complete in 2021 if there are excess funds in the budget by year- end. Community Development Councilmember Wagner mentioned putting information about the Volunteer Pre- Application Meetings with developers in the weekly Chamber of Commerce newsletter. Councilmember Beyer mentioned a safety training resources he has used that is based on buying credits to be used for classes. Mayor Dietz asked if there is any way for developers to give feedback on the process when the project is completed. Ms. Fischer stated they did a survey in the past and received two positive responses. A link to the survey is included with every permit as well as posted on the Building Safety web page, however, it has very little activity. Liquor Councilmember Westgaard asked about disruption to business because of construction on Highway 169. Mr. Audette stated the construction would affect sales and the 2023 budget would reflect this. Mayor Dietz asked about replacing a full-time staff member should one retire or quit. Mr. Audette stated that the norm is to have one full-time staff member for every $1 million gross profit and in 2020 the liquor stores had over $8 million. Council asked Mr. Audette to inquire with other cities that have municipal liquor to find out how much money they keep in their liquor store fund versus transferring to the city general fund. They would like to evaluate the amount of money transferred to the general fund at a future council meeting. City Council/Communications/Administrative Services/Elections Councilmember Westgaard discussed the potential of building a public restroom and memorial bench in downtown Elk River and asked about funding. Mayor Dietz stated he believed it should be a Council led project. City Council Minutes Page 3 July 26, 2021 ----------------------------- Councilmember Wagner discussed allocating a budget of $10,000-15,000 toward downtown beautification where the Council would have approval of spending. Council discussed the proposal to move the part-time Multimedia Specialist, Micaela Strand, from part-time to full-time. With savings from the vacant Communications Coordinator position, the cost would be $7,000 to implement in 2021. Finance/Legal Mr. Portner stated that IT could examine whether as many VPN lines were necessary now that staff are back in the office. Council asked Ms. Ziemer to find out the percentage the city pays for credit card fees. The standard is 3%. 4. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 7:18 p.m. Minutes prepared by Katie Porath. ___________________ John J. Dietz, Mayor ___________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk Meeting of the Elk River City Council Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, August 2, 2021 Members Present: Mayor John Dietz, Councilmembers Garrett Christianson, Mike Beyer, Matt Westgaard, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: None Staff Present: City Administrator Calvin Portner, Parks and Recreation Director Michael Hecker, Recreation Coordinator Karen Wingard, and Deputy Clerk Jessica Miller 1. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River City Council was called to order at 6:37 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Consider Agenda Mayor Dietz asked for a moment of silence in honor of John Barth who recently passed away. Moved by Councilmember Westgard and seconded by Councilmember Wagner to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. 4. Consent Agenda Moved by Councilmember Wagner and seconded by Councilmember Beyer to approve: 4.1 July 19, 2021, minutes. 4.2 Check register as outlined in the staff report. 4.3 Update to Advisory Board Policy as outlined in the staff report. 4.4 Multimedia specialists position descriptions and assignments as outlined in the staff report. 4.5 Resolution 21-55 authorizing transfer from Government Building Fund to 2020A and 2020B Bonds Debt Service Funds. 4.6 Addendum to Purchase Agreement 2021-16 with First Step Preschool. 4.7 Appoint Dennis Booth to the Planning Commission for a term to begin immediately and expire February 28, 2023. Motion carried 5-0. City Council Minutes Page 2 August 2, 2021 ----------------------------- 5. Open Forum No one appeared for Open Forum. Andrew Hulse, 18862 Concord St NW, expressed concern about the lack of a trail th from Upland to Meadowvale connecting to Elk Lake Road at 194 Avenue. He stated the trail is identified on the Trail Master Plan and he is wondering if it’s possible to accelerate the trail due to safety concerns. He explained people trying to get from some of the nearby developments to where the current trail begins frequently have to be on a portion of road with no shoulder and a blind curve. He also suggested some form of marked pedestrian crossing at Nordic Hills. Mayor Dietz stated the proposed trail is actually on County Road 44 and under the county’s jurisdiction. He added he doesn’t believe the city has proper right-of-way to put in the trail along the road so the city would be required to acquire right-of-way and it could be quite costly. He indicated he recalls last time the county paved County Road 44 the city wanted to discuss trail options, but the project happened so quickly there was no chance for a conversation. He understands this is a safety issue but also understands property acquisition is a huge issue. He asked Mr. Portner to check and see if the county is interested in cost participation. Councilmember Wagner indicated the Parks and Recreation Commission has discussed this trail and it is a priority for them, but the biggest roadblock is the property acquisition along a county road. She would also like staff to discuss with the county and see if anything can be done. 6. Presentations, Awards, and Recognition There were no presentations, awards, or recognition. 8.1 Appoint Two Councilmembers to the County-owned Property Task Force Mr. Portner presented the staff report. Moved by Councilmember Wagner and seconded by Councilmember Westgaard to appoint Mayor Dietz and Councilmember Christianson to the Sherburne County County-owned Property Task Force. Motion carried 5-0. 8.2 Discuss Work Session Items Mr. Portner presented the staff report. Mayor Dietz questioned if a joint meeting with the School Board is still on. Mr. Portner indicated possibly once school begins and things hopefully settle down for the district. City Council Minutes Page 3 August 2, 2021 ----------------------------- 9. Council Liaison Updates Councilmembers provided updates from the respective advisory boards as outlined in the board/commission minutes. 10.1 Elk RiverFest Update Ms. Wingard provided a recap of this year’s Elk RiverFest as well as some options for changes for 2022. Mayor Dietz questioned why there were no police or fire vehicles at the event. Ms. Wingard explained the event had to be planned COVID friendly and from all the information she gathered, having kids in and out of vehicles wasn’t a good fit as it is very difficult to keep the crowd small and to disinfect the vehicles after every person. She added this is also why the event was more spread out this year and why there were two separate food areas. Councilmember Westgaard questioned attendance. Ms. Wingard indicated it was difficult to tell because the events were more spread out than before, but she believes it was comparable to previous years. She added it doesn’t appear people stayed all day like they did in 2019 noting people may still be hesitant to get out and do activities. Ms. Wingard explained staff does not believe the fireworks and festival are co- dependent. She indicated having the event and fireworks on the same day has proved challenging for police and fire to be available for event wrap up downtown and firework set up across town. Ms. Wingard outlined staff and the Parks and Recreation Commission recommendations for 2022 as follows:  Consider moving the event to last Saturday in July (Saturday, July 30, 2022.)  Orono Park daytime family activities  Evening event downtown street dance 21+  Fireworks on July 4 Mayor Dietz questioned if we would be competing with neighboring events if we move the date. Ms. Wingard indicated we would not. Council discussed the changes and overall felt moving the event away from the holiday weekend and having fireworks on Independence Day would be positive. The Council discussed separating the daytime activities to Orono Park and having a street dance type event for adults in the evening. There was some concern about shifting and splitting locations, but Council felt that Orono Park would be an amazing location and would allow for expansion of the kids and family portion of City Council Minutes Page 4 August 2, 2021 ----------------------------- the event. The Council also discussed whether to hold the daytime and evening events on the same day. Ms. Wingard indicated some other ideas for Orono Park include more of a weekend event including things like a kick ball tournament, water ski show, or skateboard event. She indicated she understand shifting locations can be negative but would like to see the event grow which may be difficult in downtown. Councilmember Christianson expressed concern over introducing too much change at once which may deter people from coming. He suggested exploring the possibility of separating the events first to see what happens. Mayor Dietz questioned what other events would be held downtown at night under this proposal. Ms. Wingard explained one suggestion was to close Main Street blocking it off for liquor and food and have a battle of the bands type event rather than a concert. She indicated she would discuss further with Liquor Operations Manager Joe Audette. She noted it should result in a cost savings for less of a road closure and for the band. Councilmember Wagner indicated based on feedback received from downtown businesses, they appreciate the traffic the event brings downtown, and some may be unhappy to see the event changed. Ms. Wingard explained staff can find alternate opportunities for downtown businesses that are involved in Elk RiverFest to be involved. She added there are some fun events in the works. Concerns were raised over transportation issues with having the large event at Orono during the day. Mayor Dietz stated he believes the daytime traffic at Orono Park would be manageable, but he is not interested in moving the fireworks. Ms. Wingard asked for Council thoughts on moving the Riverside Market normally held during Elk RiverFest to either Orono Park or the Furniture and Things Community Event Center. She indicated moving the event to the Furniture and Things Event Center would remove the market from Elk RiverFest and vendors would be encouraged to sign up for either the Spring or Fall shows at the Furniture and Things Event Center. Council liked the idea of having the Riverside Market at the Furniture and Things Community Event Center on a different day than Elk RiverFest. Council consensus was to change the date of Elk RiverFest to the last Saturday in June and to have fireworks on July 4. 11. Adjournment There being no further business, Mayor Dietz adjourned the meeting of the Elk River City Council at 7:41 p.m. City Council Minutes Page 5 August 2, 2021 ----------------------------- Minutes prepared by Jessica Miller. ___________________ John J. Dietz, Mayor ___________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk