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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010-09-15 MINUTES (SPECIAL MEETING) COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL City of Cottage Grove, Minnesota Special Meeting September 15, 2010 CALL TO ORDER The City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, held a th Special Meeting on September 15, 2010 at the Cottage Grove City Hall, 7516 80 Street South. Mayor Myron Bailey called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL The following were present: Mayor Myron Bailey, Council Member Pat Rice, Council Member Jen Peterson, and Council Member Justin Olsen. The following were absent: Council Member Mark Grossklaus. Also present were: Ryan Schroeder, City Administrator; Caron Stransky, City Clerk; Robin Roland, Finance Director; Howard Blin, Community Development Director; Jennifer Levitt, City Engineer; Craig Woolery, Public Safety Director; and Les Burshten, Public Works Director. Environmental Commission Members Present: Patrick M. Lynch, Barbara Gibson, and Matthew Porett. WELCOME AND INTRODUCTION Mayor Bailey welcomed the Commission members in attendance. He stated that every year, the City Council likes to meet with each Commission to review the City Council’s goals. REVIEW COUNCIL GOALS Mayor Bailey stated that in January 2010 the City Council met to review the vision statement and prepared the goals for the year. Governance In 2007, the City completed a citywide survey and received feedback. He stated that the City Council scheduled another survey for 2011, but had to remove it due to budget constraints. The City’s EDA and the YMCA may sponsor a community survey to determine the need for a community center in Cottage Grove. Cottage Grove City Council 2 September 15, 2010 Special Meeting Council Member Olsen explained that the ‘Third Thursday’ is an event held each month to bring Staff together. He stated that the next Third Thursday would be hosted by the Public Works Department and held at the Cottage Grove Regional Park. Mayor Bailey stated that the City participates in the annual Strawberry Fest, the Fourth of July Fireworks Display, the Night to Unite, and various department open houses. Mayor Bailey stated that there were no mechanism in place for performance measurements and none directly related to the City Council Goals, so the Council put together some performance management processes and created the position of Human Resources Coordinator. Mayor Bailey stated that the City Council conducted a survey from City Staff to get an understanding on issues related to health insurance and medical benefits. Commissioner Lynch commented that there are residential groups that feel they need to fight 3M, the environment, and construction of the new Public Safety/City Hall building. He asked the City Council what their thoughts are on how to prevent these groups from continuing to fight every issue before the City Council. Mayor Bailey responded that communication is key, noting that the City Council and Staff will try to do a better job of communicating with the constituents as they move forward. Council Member Olsen stated that the City now utilizes social media, such as Face book and the City website. Commercial and Industrial Development Mayor Bailey stated they attended the International Shopping Center Convention in Las Vegas. He stated that as a result, the City has received many great leads and some of those leads visited the City. In October, they will be attending a Medical Device Conference in Minneapolis. Housing Development Mayor Bailey stated that the federally-funded Neighborhood Stabilization program ceased as of July 2010 and the City Staff will continue to monitor the number of homes that are vacant and deal with nuisance issues. Mayor Bailey stated that the City Council and Red Rock Corridor Commission are working on providing a commuter rail station in the City, but not high-speed rail. Cottage Grove City Council 3 September 15, 2010 Special Meeting Fiscal Stability Mayor Bailey stated that the City is very fiscally sound and noted that in 2003, the City tax on an average home in City of Cottage Grove was $673. Due to some State governmental issues, in 2004 that tax amount increased to $851, and for the 2011 Budget, the tax is $711. Transportation and Transit Mayor Bailey read aloud goals and stated that under the Pavement Management Program, the City will rehabilitate or reconstruct the City’s roads. The City Engineer and Public Works employees have done a good job making sure the City Council knows what roads need to be repaired and/or replaced, when, and the City Council tries to keep up with that schedule. th Mayor Bailey stated that the County is currently reclaiming 65 Street South because the road was in very bad shape. In the future, the County will reconstruct the road with turn lanes. Public Facilities Mayor Bailey highlighted some of the public facilities that the City has been or will be working on: (a) Pursue an opportunity to proceed with a public/private partnership with the YMCA; (b) Installed a second sheet of ice at the Ice Arena, additional locker rooms for the new high school with a mezzanine and heat; (c) Refurbished the Pine Tree Valley Park building and will be refurbishing the Hamlet Park building; (d) Repainting a Water Tower in 2011; and (e) Install a boat launch or access to the Mississippi River. DISCUSSION Community Development Director Blin stated that the Environmental Commission has been discussing applying for ‘Green Step’ City Designation through the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. He stated it would be something they can include in the marketing materials, but the real intent is that someday there could be money available for energy improvements for Green Step communities. Commissioner Porett stated that this meeting was very informative and valuable to the Commission. He asked if there were funds available to advertise vacancies on the Commission, or something they are working on. Mayor Bailey stated that staff could Cottage Grove City Council 4 September 15, 2010 Special Meeting advertise Commission vacancies in the monthly newsletter, on the City’s website, and on Face book. ADJOURNMENT The special meeting adjourned at 7:01 p.m. Prepared by, Caron M. Stransky City Clerk