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Home My WebLink About2015-06-03 MINUTES (SPECIAL MEETING) MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL COUNCIL CHAMBER 12800 RAVINE PARKWAY JUNE 3, 2015 SPECIAL MEETING – 6:00 P.M. CALL TO ORDER – Mayor The City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, held a special meeting on June 3, 2015, at the Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Parkway. Mayor Bailey called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL – City Clerk The following were present: Mayor Myron Bailey, Council Member Steve Dennis, Council Member Justin Olsen, Council Member Jen Peterson, and Council Member Dave Thiede. Also present were: Craig Woolery, Interim City Administrator; Korine Land, City Attorney- LeVander, Gillen & Miller, PA; Jennifer Levitt, Community Development Director/City Engineer; Danette Parr, Economic Development Director; Les Burshten, Public Works Director; Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City Clerk, Emily Schmitz, Code Enforcement Officer. Mayor Bailey presided over the meeting. A. 6:00 Sign Ordinance Workshop Director Levitt said the City identified four options: 1) Prohibit all of the signs, which is what is currently happening, and selectively enforcing Monday through Wednesday. 2) Permit all signs to occur in the right of way and that might result in messy intersections and some business areas might become more cluttered. 3) Allow for off-premise signs Thursday through Sunday; on Monday through Wednesday the City would pick up whatever was left out (the option that staff was gravitating toward). Director Levitt cautioned about sign posts driven into the ground because of local utilities, and public and private irrigation systems. 4) Create a registration for the signs and track and manage them (too labor intensive from a staff management perspective). CITY OF COTTAGE GROVE 12800 Ravine Parkway Cottage Grove, Minnesota 55016  www.cottage-grove.org 651-458-2800 Fax 651-458-2897 Equal Opportunity Employer  June 3, 2015 Cottage Grove City Council Page 2 Director Levitt said they looked at allowing non-profit organization signs at the fire stations, along with postings on the ice arena reader board and the technical problems associated with that, along with restricting the types of advertising allowed. She noted that Council had been provided with information from other communities’ off-premise sign ordinances and said they are looking for guidance as to specific option they’d like to pursue further to actually bring a policy or an ordinance amendment to the Council. Council Members questioned why in the sign ordinance comparison no commercial off- premises advertising is allowed in any city and civic signage is allowed, yet we cannot differentiate between the two. Mayor Bailey voiced concern over the expense of upgrading the ice arena sign and also allowing signage at the fire stations and asked about the City of Burnsville’s ordinance allowing a timeframe of so many days of advertising. Council Member Olsen said he liked the Burnsville language regarding a conditional use permit for placing a sign in the right of way. Mayor Bailey said he preferred a standard that would allow for civic organizations and asked whether the City should leave the ordinance as-is and request civic organizations to advertise so many days before and promptly remove signs after an event. Director Levitt asked if it could be a policy rather than an ordinance. Attorney Land thought that maybe it should just be a policy as realistically the City would not cite someone criminally for violating it. Mayor Bailey reiterated that he would like to see what the City could do to support civic organizations. Council Member Thiede suggested that the fire station option would limit the issue to those areas. Director Burshten spoke about the issues signs cause with mowing. Council Member Peterson asked if signage was more commonly prohibited in right of way. Attorney Land confirmed it was. Director Burshten expressed issues with identifying the right of way for placement of signs, and the problems of removing and replacing signs for mowing if they are allowed. Council Member Thiede thought the focus should be on how to get organizations to manage their own signs. Mayor Bailey felt penalizing because somebody that forgot to pick up a sign would be over- complicating it. Mayor Bailey thought the policy should limit the number of signs. Director Levitt said they would draft a policy and bring it back before the Council. June 3, 2015 Cottage Grove City Council Page 3 B. Budget Workshop Director Roland stated the two-year budget currently has 2016 balanced. Most of the assumptions for 2016 have held steady. The City doesn’t anticipate more than a 12%-to-15% increase in health insurance. Salaries and benefits are in accordance with settled contracts. She gave an overview of the impacts to the Ice Arena and the Golf Course, adding that there is nothing in the 2016 budget to address those situations, which the auditor expressed concerns over. The 2014-2015 Pavement Management Bonds add about $300,000 to the levy starting in 2016, and the City is currently in congruence with its debt policy at under 10% of the total levy. Taxable market value will be a very modest increase at about a 3.3% increase. Director Roland felt that number would increase significantly for 2017 due to large commercial development in the business park. Out of the 35 communities, Cottage Grove’s city tax rate is below average by about 1%—the average is 42.64% with Cottage Grove at 41.59% for 2015. Director Roland asked the Council if there were any variances to the instructions that had been given to the City Departments. She noted there would be some impact to the 2015 budget due to the change in City Administrator, which would need to be addressed at the end of the year. Council Member Olsen thought it would be wise to have some conversation around the EAB (Emerald Ash Borer) because he didn’t know where the City stood right now. Council Member Thiede expressed concern with the levy outpacing the market value increase. Director Roland stated it was a valid concern but that the City has gone several years at a flat rate, and because of that is playing catch up. She added that this year might be better than next for a levy increase in light of a potential school district referendum. Council Member Thiede wanted to know what things were considered “catch up.” Director Roland stated that any and all capital outlay that was currently prescribed for 2016 was considered catch up. Director Roland advised they would be refinancing the Ice Arena bonds in 2016, which is eligible as of February 1, so the City would be looking toward a lower interest rate on that debt. Director Roland stated that another issue is the $1.2 million loan from the EDA Trust Fund to the Golf Course, which under accounting principles and guidelines, the auditor is not going to let that go another year as he did not believe it was a recoverable loan. Council Member Olsen asked if the Finance Department could bring the Council all of the funds that fall under the auspices of the City of Cottage Grove and their current fund balances. Director Roland stated they would. June 3, 2015 Cottage Grove City Council Page 4 Council Member Thiede said that while some capital equipment purchases had been pushed off they still needed to be justified. Council Member Thiede asked about the Golf Course fund. Director Roland replied it was a special revenue fund like the Ice Arena. He questioned whether the Golf Course should fall under the Parks Department now. Director Roland thought that was a discussion that the Council should have. HR Manager/City Clerk Fischbach thought either the Council could pick how they would want that set up or hire the new City Administrator and have him/her look at the whole organization and make recommendations. ADJOURNMENT The special meeting adjourned at 6:58 p.m. Minutes prepared by: Judy Graf; Reviewed by Deputy City Clerk Neil Belscamper