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4.1 DRAFT MINUTES (2 SETS) 05-15-2023 Meeting of the Elk River City Council Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, May 1, 2023 Members Present: Mayor John Dietz, Councilmembers Cory Grupa, Mike Beyer, Matt Westgaard, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: None Staff Present: City Administrator Calvin Portner, Business Services Director/Assistant City Administrator Joe Stremcha, Senior Communications Coordinator Starr Sorheim, Deputy City Clerk Jolene Richter 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 6:31 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Pledge of Allegiance: Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Consider Agenda Moved by Councilmember Westgaard and seconded by Councilmember Beyer to approve the agenda. Motion carried 5-0. 4. Consent Agenda Moved by Councilmember Beyer and seconded by Councilmember Westgaard to approve: 4.1 April 17, 2023, Board of Appeal Reconvene Meeting Minutes. April 17, 2023, Regular Meeting Minutes. 4.2 Check register as outlined in the staff report. 4.3 Adopt Ordinance 23-07 amending Chapter 38 regarding the hearing process for license suspensions and revocations. 4.4 Great Northern Trail Memorandum of Understanding Revision as outlined in the staff report. 4.5 Rescheduling the Monday, June 19, 2023, Council meeting to Tuesday, June 20, 20223, 6:00 p.m. 4.6 Renewal of the Consumption and Display Permit for Baer Necessities, LLC DBA Pinewood Golf Club effective April 1, 2023, through March 31, 2024. Motion carried 5-0. 5. Open Forum st Teresa Lentz, 10468 172nd Ln NW, observed a walker along Ulysses St NW and 171 Ave NW to Highway 10 during the high snowfall. Ms. Lentz expressed concern that there is no sidewalk in this location. City Council Minutes Page 2 May 1, 2023 ----------------------------- Ms. Lentz stated she saw the walker climb a large snow hill to stay off the road at this intersection and she is st concerned about safety. Ms. Lentz also stated the crosswalk button at 171 and Highway 10 is out of reach for pedestrians to be able to push the button when snow is piled up high. Council suggested she contact the Engineering Department regarding the sidewalk concerns and the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) regarding the crosswalk button. 6. Presentations, Awards, and Recognition Ms. Sorheim presented the staff report. Ashley Aragon, League of Minnesota Cities Honorable Mention Essay Winner, read her essay. Mayor Dietz presented her with a certificate. 7. Public Hearings There were no public hearings. 8.1 Discuss Work Session Items There were no additions. 9. Council Liaison Updates Councilmembers provided updates as outlined in the respective advisory board’s minutes. 10. Adjourn Regular Meeting Moved by Councilmember Westgaard and seconded by Councilmember Wagner to adjourn the regular meeting of the City Council. Motion carried 5-0. The regular meeting adjourned at 6:59 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jolene Richter. ___________________ John J. Dietz, Mayor ___________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk Meeting of the Elk River City Council Held at the Elk River Emergency Operations Center Monday, May 8, 2023 Members Present: Mayor John Dietz, Councilmembers Cory Grupa, Mike Beyer, Matt Westgaard, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: None Staff Present: City Administrator Calvin Portner, Police Chief Ron Nierenhausen, Business Services Director/Assistant City Administrator Joe Stremcha, City Clerk Tina Allard, Public Works Director/Chief Engineer Justin Femrite, Community Development Director Zack Carlton, Environmental Services and Special Projects Director Suzanne Fischer, Economic Development Director Brent O’Neil, Fire Chief Mark Dickinson, and Records Specialist Katie Porath 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 1:02 p.m. by Mayor Dietz. 2. Council/Staff Retreat Leadership Assessment Mr. Portner reviewed leadership evaluations for directors and councilmembers. Review Values, Vision & Mission Statement 2023 Goals The Council had no changes to the value, vision, or mission statement. Mr. Portner reviewed the goals set in 2022. Mayor Dietz asked for an update on the landfill moving to Livonia Township. Ms. Fischer responded that Livonia Township and the City of Zimmerman are discussing options. Mayor Dietz asked where garbage would go once the landfill is full. Mr. Portner responded the trash haulers would have to make that decision. Mayor Dietz asked Mr. O’Neil if Placer.ai could be used to map the west park of Elk River to figure out ways to appeal to businesses. Mayor Dietz asked about getting a hotel in Elk River. Staff SWOT Review Mr. Portner reviewed the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats received from staff. The Council recessed at 3:25 p.m. The meeting was reconvened at 3:41 p.m. City Council Minutes Page 2 May 8, 2023 ----------------------------- Downtown Vision Discussion  Mississippi Connection Mr. Carlton showed maps of downtown area plans and asked the Council what they wanted downtown to look like so that the city can begin creating phases for development and find funding.  Downtown Streets/Traffic/Parking Mr. Femrite discussed replacement of sidewalk pavers, sewer network, parking lots maintenance, and increasing parking spaces in the downtown area. Mr. Femrite stated that the current downtown sidewalk pavers are difficult to maintain in the winter and do not hold up well to chemicals, freezing, and thawing. Mayor Dietz asked about one-way streets downtown. Mr. Femrite stated his preference would be to see traffic going in both directions. Traffic patterns should change once Highway 169 is completed. Councilmember Wagner stated there was an opportunity to tie Main Street from Gates Avenue to Highway 169 to the downtown area with unifying streetlights, hanging baskets, and décor.  Main Street Vision Mr. O’Neil stated the former Elk River Meats site will have grass and picnic tables added as well as a pet refuse stand. He showed some options for using the area as a parking lot, a plaza, restroom area, or stores. Mayor Dietz was against reducing parking in the downtown area. Mayor Dietz felt it was a good time to redo the entire parking lot and try to add more spaces. He recommended approaching the First Bank Elk River about purchasing their parking spots and securing the deed from other entities so that the city owned the entire lot. Councilmember Wagner asked if there could be an arrangement to use the Bank of Elk River parking lot during evenings and weekends. The Council discussed building a standalone restroom vs adding a restroom to an existing building such as the Cinema building or Avalon Salon. Mr. O’Neil stated there are different options for who will pay for public restrooms. The Council discussed the location of the trash enclosure and space for delivery vehicles. Mr. Femrite updated the council on improvements to the restrooms at Lion John Weicht Park. The discussion of who would share in the cost will come to a future work session. Mr. Femrite discussed parking options for the “upper lot” including making it a one way and designating areas for delivery vehicles. The Council asked if Placer.ai could be used to determine what direction most people travel through the downtown area. City Council Minutes Page 3 May 8, 2023 ----------------------------- The Council recessed at 5:20 p.m. for dinner. The meeting was reconvened at 5:49 p.m. Councilmember Wagner commented that Granite Shores apartments is opposed to no overnight parking but supports 3-hour parking restrictions during the day. Ms. Fischer left at 5:55 p.m. Budget Kickoff Mr. Portner gave an overview of the budget. Mayor Dietz requested information on Northbound Liquor sales by the June/July budget meetings. ARPA Funds Mr. Portner reviewed a list of items that have been identified as potential uses of ARPA funds. If the federal government decides to recoup unspent ARPA funds, the Council may need to call a special meeting to designate where to spend the funds before June 1. Otherwise, funding must be spent by December 2024. The Council agreed that the Zamboni should be purchased using the Multipurpose Facility budget. Mr. Portner discussed moving all security cameras out of individual budgets into the IT budget. Mayor Dietz was in favor of using remaining ARPA funds to pay toward the fire ladder truck that will be delivered in a few years. Mr. Portner will consult with the city attorney if this expenditure is legal. Goal Setting Mr. Portner asked if the Council had any additional goals to add and finalized the list. Short-term (2022-23)  Commercial Development  Budget and sinking fund for building repair. o Transition PW Facility bond to general levy o Move GRE Fund Balance to Building Fund  Zoning & Acquisition of “challenged” properties policy discussion.  Improve Broadband Connectivity  Downtown asset evaluation and rejuvenation plan  Review Crosswalk policy  Furniture and Things Community Event Center fully staffed and financially self- sustaining Mid-term (2027)  Budget Plan – Post Waste Management  Acquire business park land. o Assist developers with private acquisition as needed City Council Minutes Page 4 May 8, 2023 -----------------------------  Commercial development o HRA Main/Gates Project o Market EDA TH10 Property o CRT Zoning district  (Short or mid) understand obligations for landfill once it is capped  Oak Knoll/Hale’s Field improvement  Parks and Rec app – directions, ads, amenities, park features  Improve Broadband Connectivity  Communitywide Strategic Planning Long-term (2032)  Urban Service Area expansion  C/I development  Analysis of what to do with garbage once Elk River Landfill closes in 2028  Development of Specht property in eastern Elk River  Trail connections  Pedestrian Trail Connection downtown over the railroad and Highway 10  More retail development in western Elk River  Riverwalk from Orono Park to City of Ramsey th  Highway 10 safety and mobility improvements 165 Ave to Jarvis St Mr. Portner will bring the goals back on a future agenda for review and acceptance. 3. Motion to Adjourn Moved by Councilmember Grupa and seconded by Councilmember Westgaard to adjourn the meeting of City Council. Motion carried 5-0. The meeting adjourned at 7:21 p.m. Minutes prepared by Katie Porath. ___________________ John J. Dietz, Mayor ___________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk