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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes i� ��tJV� �ri°t � y � ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ���� �ri e ar�d PC�� t MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL September 6, 2017 COUNCIL CHAMBER 12800 RAVINE PARKWAY SOUTH REGULAR MEETING - 7:00 P.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER The City Council of the City of Cottage Grove, Washington County, Minnesota, held a regular meeting on September 6, 2017, at Cottage Grove City Hall, 12800 Ravine Parkway. Mayor Bailey called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The audience, staff, Mayor, and City Council Members recited the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. ROLL CALL The following were present: Mayor Myron Bailey, Council Member Steve Dennis, Council Member Wayne Johnson, Council Member La Rae Mills, and Council Member Dave Thiede. Also present were: Charlene Stevens, City Administrator; Korine Land, City Attorney- LeVander, Gillen & Miller, PA; Les Burshten, Public Works Director; Christine Costello, Director of Economic Development; Zac Dockter, Parks and Recreation Director; Joe Fischbach/HR Manager/City Clerk; Jennifer Levitt, Community Development Director/City Engineer; Robin Roland, Finance Director; Craig Woolery, Director of Public Safety. 4. OPEN FORUM Mayor Bailey opened the open forum and asked if anyone in the audience wished to address the Council on any item that was not on the agenda. Lauren Erickson, 787 Monroe Street, Prescott, Wisconsin, stated she had provided the Council with information supporting her request. She was planning to purchase/build a home in Cottage Grove. She read a letter to the Council in which she stated she wished to obtain a variance from the City to have her pet pig, Bentley, in her new home in Cottage Grove. She's looking to find a home with adequate yard space and fencing. She gave information regarding why pigs make good pets and gave her history of her life with Bentley since June, 2013. She stated she and Bentley would like to become 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 City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 2 members of the Cottage Grove community. She asked if the Council had any questions. Council Member Thiede stated they had previously given a variance to someone with a therapy pig. Due to those conditions, they had approved the variance. Mayor Bailey stated the City staff would look at the information and contact her with an answer to her request for variance. Mayor Bailey stated they've previously had requests for variances for chickens, goats, and a miniature horse; those requests have been denied unless there would be a three-acre parcel for the animal. Romack Franklin, 3865 Big Timber Trail, Eagan, MN, with Republic Services, wanted to drop off some information for the Council Members regarding the limit of three licenses for residential trash haulers in the City of Cottage Grove. Tennis Sanitation currently has two of the three licenses and Waste Management has the third license. Mr. Franklin stated they were just asking that the third license be put out for bid so Republic Services could have an opportunity to be able to submit a bid. Mayor Bailey stated they'd take the information Mr. Franklin had provided to the Council under advisement. As no one else wished to address the Council, Mayor Bailey closed the open forum. 5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion by Council Member Thiede, second by Council Member Dennis, to adopt the agenda. Motion carried: 5-0. 6. PRESENTATIONS — None. 7. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve the August 9, 2017 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. B. Accept and place on file the minutes from the July 24, 2017, Planning Commission meeting. C. Adopt Resolution 2017-113 decertifying TIF district 1-8 (Cottages) as of 12-31-16 and returning excessive TIF to Washington County. D. Approve the 2017-2018 maps designating hunting areas to discharge archery and firearms within the city. E. Authorize the sale by public auction of a 2004 Ford Expedition fire services vehicle through Cranky Ape Auctions. F. 1. Appoint Tony Khambata to fill an unexpired term on the Planning Commission ending February 28, 2018. 2. Appoint Taylor Mills to fill an unexpired term on the Planning Commission ending February 29, 2020. City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 3 3. Appoint Evan Frazier to fill an unexpired term on the Planning Commission ending February 29, 2020. G. Adopt Resolution 2017-118 authorizing the preparation of a feasibility report for the 2018 Pavement Management Project for District C-3 and a portion of District F-3. H. Approve the permanent utility easement for the parcel identified as 06- 027-21-24-0001 per Washington County property records between Bailey Nurseries and the City of Cottage Grove. I. Adopt Resolution 2017-119 calling the outstanding balance of G.O. Improvement Bonds of 2009A. J. 1. Approve the Calarosa 1 st Addition development agreement with US Home Corporation. 2. Adopt Resolution 2017-121 approving the plans and specifications for Calarosa 1 st Addition. 3. Approve the Stormwater Management Agreement. 4. Approve the Retaining Wall Maintenance Agreement. K. Authorize issuance of temporary intoxicating and temporary 3.2 percent malt liquor licenses to the Cottage Grove Lions at Zywiec's Garden Center, 10900 East Point Douglas Road, in conjunction with that business's Haunting Experience events in October. L. Adopt Resolution 2017-120 declaring the costs to be assessed and Adopt Resolution 2017-122 calling for a public hearing to be held October 4, 2017. Council Member Dennis wished to pull Item F for comment and/or further discussion. Council Member Dennis stated there were three vacant seats on the Planning Commission so Planning Commission Chair, Ken Brittain, and he had completed a number of interviews of individuals who wanted to volunteer and serve the community. Three individuals were chosen for the Planning Commission: Tony Khambata, Taylor Mills, and Evan Frasier. He asked for the Council's support to appoint these qualified individuals tonight. Motion by Council Member Mills to approve the Consent Agenda, second by Council Member Johnson. Motion carried: 5-0. 8. APPROVE DISBURSEMENTS A. Approve payments for the period of 8/9/2017-9/7/2017 in the amount of $3,379,007.05. Motion to approve disbursements by Council Member Dennis, second by Council Member Thiede. Motion carried: 5-0. 9. PUBLIC HEARINGS — None. 10. BID AWARDS City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 4 A. Cayden Glen Final Streets Improvements Project Staff Recommendation: Adopt Resolution 2017-115 awarding the bid for the Cayden Glen Final Street Improvements Project to McNamara Contracting, Inc. in the amount of$167,500. City Engineer Jennifer Levitt stated the Cayden Glen Final Streets Improvements Project was 100% developer funded; there were three completive bids for the projects, and those were significantly lower than the engineer's estimate of$221,600. The low bid was $167,500. Therefore, they're recommending the bid be awarded to McNamara Contracting. Motion by Council Member Thiede to approve awarding the bid to McNamara Contracting, second by Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 5-0. B. Well No. 12 Drilling and Well Development Project Staff Recommendation: Adopt Resolution 2017-116 awarding the bid for the Well No. 12 Drilling and Well Development Project to Trout Companies in the amount of$303,085. Engineer Levitt stated this was the first step to bring Well No. 12 online; the first element is to drill the Well. To expedite the process, they've broken out the contract between the actual Well drilling contract and the building contract. The bids for drilling the Well came in very favorably; the engineer's estimate for this project was $330,000, and the low bidder was Trout Companies with a bid of$303,085. Staff is recommending the bid be awarded to them. Also, there will be a resident meeting tomorrow evening at City Hall for those in the vicinity of the Well if they'd like more information. Mayor Bailey stated they'd already done some testing, and he asked Engineer Levitt to speak about that. She stated there was extensive testing done and believed this location will be able to have a Well drilled and provide water that is well below the health-based value for PFC concentrations. It will also provide the City with an additional water supply to bridge any gaps with the water system in the future. Council Member Johnson asked if the resident meeting tomorrow evening could affect the outcome of the bid they're going to be voting on tonight. Engineer Levitt stated tomorrow's meeting was only to provide information to the residents regarding the hours of operation, equipment they'd see in the area, as well as the duration of the drilling. This Well is consistent with the Master Plan of Sunnyhill Park, which is consistent with the documentation provided to residents throughout the Pine Cliff Development. They'll be providing photos of what the Well will look like, landscaping, etc. Council Member Johnson asked because there's been so much digging going on right now, if when the testing of the ground was done if the testing area was so wide that any of the disturbed ground and digging could have disturbed things that could go down into City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 5 the Well. Engineer Levitt stated the Well is hundreds of feet below the ground so the strata from which they're pulling the water has not been disturbed by recent construction projects, etc. The well casing provides security and that goes down hundreds of feet to ensure that the water is not affected. Motion by Council Member Mills to approve Well No. 12 drilling and Well Development Project, second by Council Member Johnson. Motion carried: 5-0. C. Central Fire Station Emergency Vehicle Hybrid Beacon Project-Bid Award Staff Recommendation: Adopt Resolution 2017-117 awarding the Central Fire Station Emergency Vehicle Hybrid Beacon Project to Neo Electric Solutions in the amount of$135,000. Engineer Levitt stated the flashing beacon system will be installed on 80th Street to ensure safe maneuvers for EMS and Fire personnel leaving the new Central Fire Station. She stated they received five very competitive bids, which ranged from $135,000 to $168,000. The engineer's estimate was $115,000; the low bidder, Neo Electric Solutions, was the most responsible bidder and they don't see any recommendations of changes to the bid documents to help lower that price. There will be a lengthy timeframe to perform the work. They're recommending award to Neo Electric. Motion by Council Member Johnson to approve the Hybrid Beacon Project bid award, second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 5-0. 11. REGULAR AGENDA A. Preliminary 2018 Property Tax Levy & Budget Staff Recommendation:Adopt Resolution 2017-114 certifying the 2018 Preliminary Property Tax Levy. Finance Director Robin Roland stated they'd been going through the budget process for several months. By State Statute, they're required to present to the City Council the 2018 Preliminary Levy, as well as the preliminary budget; if Council chooses to pass the Resolution tonight that is only for the Preliminary Levy. The levy cannot be raised after it is adopted, but it could be lowered. They'd discussed about a 3% levy increase over 2017. The levy for 2018 is approximately $15.235 million; of that, $1.535 million is debt service, bills required to be paid regarding our bonds. The other$13.7 million is the General Levy, which goes towards the EDA, towards the Interfund Loan, and towards the General Fund. The property tax base has grown overall from 2017 to 2018 by 8.6%. Since 2013, the tax base has grown significantly, about 40%. That's due to new residential construction. When the tax base grows, the tax levy grows by a lesser amount; the levy for 2018 is increasing by about 3%, but the tax base has grown over 8% overall. That means that City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 6 the property tax rate will actually drop for 2018, from about 42.5% to about 40.5%. That is usually good news, as when the tax rate drops it means if your property stays the same in value, your taxes will decrease by the differential in the tax rate. However, if your property increases in value and Washington County says most residential properties did so in 2018, with the average home up about 5.8%, then you'll see a slight increase in the tax rate. The budget relies heavily on the property taxes to provide revenues to the City to pay for operations. Almost 80% of the 2018 budget relies on property taxes; licenses and permits contribute about 8%; intergovernmental revenue contributes about 3% of the budget; charges and fees contribute about 4%, and then there are other miscellaneous items, such as fines, interest, and transfers in from other funds. The City provides services and there are also personnel costs. Over 69% of the City's General Fund budget is paid for personnel services, including salaries and benefits, health insurance, life insurance, worker's compensation insurance, and required contributions for pension and Federal FICA and Medicare. Director Roland reviewed other costs in the General Fund budget this year, which total 31%. Right now, the total budget for the City of Cottage Grove for 2018 is about $16.9 million; it's expected that will be slightly less by the time we get to December because there are a couple items in the budget that are still being estimated. Director Roland reviewed each Department's budget: Public Safety stayed the same, between 46-47% of the budget; Public Works increased by about 3%; Parks & Recreation decreased by 2% because of the shift of the Forestry Department from the Parks & Recreation Department to the Public Works Department; General Government and Community Development (Building Department, Planning Department, Engineering Department, and City Hall facilities) stayed about the same although the transfers increased by 1% so that would be out of General Government, for one-time expenses in 2017 that would not occur in 2018. We will be adding a full-time Building Inspector at no cost because the fees in permits and revenue increased enough to cover the cost of the salary of that individual. After tonight's meeting, there will be Truth in Taxation Notices that will be sent to all residential taxpayers in the City of Cottage Grove in November. Those statements compare 2017 taxes with 2018 proposed taxes, not only for the City but also Washington County, the School District, and some other taxing districts. If there are questions, comments, or concerns, the information on how to contact the different taxing venues is provided on those notices. The Council will be discussing the final tax levy and the 2018 final budget on December 6, 2017, at 7:00 p.m.; that is not a hearing, but there will be a period of time for residents to express any concerns that evening. Council will then consider adoption of the final tax levy and the final budget at that meeting. Director Roland asked the Council to Adopt the Resolution for the Preliminary 2018 Property Tax Levy. City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 7 Mayor Bailey asked if any Council Members had questions. Council Member Dennis requested a budget addition regarding assisting with Cottage Grove's Fourth of July fireworks display. The Cottage Grove Lions Club has been involved in assisting with the Fourth of July fireworks program for a number of years, since they took over for the Jaycees. In that time, costs for the fireworks have gone up about 33%, which has caused the display to become shorter over the past couple years. This year's program was quite short compared to previous years, and many residents contacted Council Member Dennis regarding that and also posted comments on social media. Council Member Dennis stated he decided to contact staff regarding this issue and see what would need to be done in order to add that item in, if the Council was willing. It was recommended that he mention this tonight; the amount would be $2,500 which, when dealing with an approximately $16 million budget, isn't that much. It's something that could make a big difference in helping to extend the fireworks show in Cottage Grove. He felt the residents would be happy about that and felt that it would go a long way towards increasing community pride. Council Member Dennis stated he'd been communicating the Lions Club leadership, and they'd be very appreciative of any financial support that we might give. He hoped the Council would be supportive. Many questions and comments were made amongst the Council Members and staff, including: • The Council already contributes $5,000 to the fireworks; • If the contribution is increased by $2,500, it would be contingent upon the Lions Club making their current contribution to help make the show 30 minutes, as it had previously been; • It was confirmed a financial match had been done with the Lions in the past, so the City's contribution would just be increasing; • Procedures in other cities were discussed; • Social media comments were negative following this year's fireworks, with people commenting other neighboring cities having longer programs than Cottage Grove; • Since fireworks are illegal in Minnesota, perhaps there should be more emphasis on enforcing illegal activities of residents that are taking place in August and September; • Increasing the City's contribution would not affect the budget and the levy; • The City had previously done the fireworks show, using gambling proceeds, but when those proceeds dropped the City turned to the Cottage Grove Lions and other local groups to bridge the gap; • The City is very appreciative of the Lions and all the work they do in the community; • Previously, there was a company that did the fireworks for both the Strawberry Fest and the Fourth of July, so perhaps that option could be investigated. City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 8 Mayor Bailey thanked Director Roland and the staff for getting us a balanced budget with a levy increase of approximately 3%. He stated we're going to be on the low tax end compared to our surrounding neighbors, which is nice, and he attributed that to a lot of community development. We've always wanted to keep our residents' taxes as low as possible and to continue to grow our business community. He also thanked staff for the Facebook Live event; he felt it was fun and something different to do to get the message out to residents about how our budget works in the City. Motion by Council Member Thiede to Adopt Resolution 2017-114, certifying the 2018 Preliminary Property Tax Levy, second by Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 5-0. 12. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Council Member Mills stated Fare For All will take place on September 14, at All Saints Church, in Cottage Grove. Produce and meat packs are available at discounted prices. Council Member Mills stated there will be a Paint `n Sip, sponsored by the Arts Commission, on Wednesday, September 27, at the River Oaks Golf Course. You get to paint three beautiful autumn trees, and they had a full house last time. She encouraged everyone to participate; you can register on the City's web page. Find the Arts Commission and there you'll see a link to register. Preregistration is preferred. Council Member Mills stated regarding the Films in 5 Festival in October, the entry deadline has been extended to September 22. If you were thinking of putting a film together that's five minutes or less, there's still time to do so. That's also found on the City's web site, on the Arts Commission page. You can certainly come and view the films on October 7 at 1:00 p.m. at Park High School. She invited her fellow Council Members and any residents who'd like to attend. Mayor Bailey added it's a fun event. Council Member Dennis stated Cottage Grove has recently been getting hit with many overnight vehicle break-ins. He asked Public Safety Director Craig Woolery to step up and share some of his thoughts on what we can do as a community to protect our properties and homes, while these things are taking place. Director Woolery stated every year, when the school year ends and the week when children return to school, we see an uptick in thefts from autos. It's really a crime of opportunity. Just lock your cars, keep your valuables out of sight, and report any suspicious activity. Last week, a couple was arrested in a stolen vehicle out of Columbia Heights; they had come to Cottage Grove, looking at cars with items inside, just waiting to be stolen. One resident called in and that's probably the best thing you can do. If you see suspicious activity with kids tampering with vehicles or hanging around a car, late at night, call. An officer got the license plate and so those three individuals were arrested at Walgreens later that morning. It's a simple thing, just lock your car. City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 9 Council Member Dennis stated we all appreciate the great work that the men and women in our Public Safety Department do to help protect our City. He felt it was very important that we talk to our neighbors and look out for one another. If you see suspicious activity, again don't hesitate to call 9-1-1 and get help out as soon as possible. There's never a wrong moment to do the right thing. Council Member Dennis stated in just over a month, City Administrator Charlene Stevens will be celebrating her second anniversary with the City. He wanted to make a motion that Administrator Stevens' performance appraisal be done in a timely fashion. He felt we should just have a second for that motion. When looking at the calendar, there are quite a number of items on the next Council agenda, so it should be pushed back to the first meeting in October; that will be on October 4. He asked Mayor Bailey to ask for a second on that motion. Mayor Bailey asked for a second to that motion, and Council Member Thiede made that motion. Motion carried: 5-0. Council Member Johnson stated there will be a Public Works open house on September 21, in the afternoon hours. He encouraged everyone to attend, as it's always fun to look at the equipment Public Works uses. Council Member Johnson also encouraged residents to watch out for their neighbors, as Council Member Dennis had suggested. If they mistakenly leave their garage door open at night and you see that, give them a phone call to help protect your neighbors. Knowing your neighbors is important. Mayor Bailey stated in October, because the Central Fire Station is under construction, there will be two Fire Station open houses; one will be a sensory friendly Fire Station open house at Woodridge Park at the Inclusive Playground, which is not yet open, but he will assume it will be by October 7. Then, on October 14, there will be another at Kingston Park. Mayor Bailey stated they had the House Bonding Tour come through Cottage Grove; Cottage Grove is working with Woodbury and other municipalities to open the Hero Center, a training facility in Cottage Grove, which will consist of police hands-on training, deescalation, so a lot of things you're hearing about in the nation and the world right now. This particular facility will be beneficial to anyone who needs to handle serious situations. There will also be multiple lanes of gun ranges, which will be used by our Police Department but will also be available to our local surrounding communities. Woodbury and Cottage Grove are working together on this project, and it will be built right next to City Hall. Representative Jurgens and Representative Franke actually sit on the Bonding Committee on the House side, and Senator Schoen was also here to represent the Senate. Mayor Bailey stated it seemed that visit went very well. We are looking for a match from the State of Minnesota to help with the funding of the Hero Center. Since it's a 50-50 match, they do tours around the state because everyone's looking for funding, and we have already received some seed money for the design. If the State chooses to give us some bonding money next year, we expect to City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 10 start construction next year. Representative Jurgens stated they're probably going to have approximately $4 billion worth of requests, statewide. If they fund 25% of them, that will be a big bonding year; there's never a shortage of requests so he can't guarantee anything for the Hero Center. However, the reception was good; he felt people definitely saw the need and felt favorably about our request. He felt it didn't hurt that both Representative Franke and himself are both on the Capital Investment Committee in the House, as well as Senator Schoen being on the Capital Investment Committee in the Senate. All three of them will be pulling for Cottage Grove, for this area, but you're competing with overall dollars for every campus in the State of Minnesota. We've seen most of them and there are some atrocious learning environments in Rochester; so, that's what you're competing against. It just depends on how big the bonding bill is and where we end up with that. Representative Jurgens wanted the Council to know that they're going to be fighting for the Hero Center in Cottage Grove. Mayor Bailey thanked him for speaking and also for his support. Mayor Bailey stated in the last two days he'd received many text messages and emails and phone calls about school being back in session. There are many concerns about cars speeding through many school zones. He stated unfortunately police officers can't be everywhere all the time; there are officers who are patrolling around the schools, especially at the beginning and end of the school day. Mayor Bailey reminded everyone when driving, there are children outside, walking and riding bikes; he wanted to remind everyone to watch for children, as you never know when a child will run out into the street, so he encouraged everyone to slow down. If there's a concern about a particular area in the City, please call the Washington County Dispatch non-emergency phone number, 651-439-9381, and share that information with the Public Safety staff. Speed trailers will be out, and there will also be extra patrol. If you see someone speeding, get their license plate and/or tell them to slow down. Mayor Bailey asked residents to talk to their children, especially teenagers, on how to keep safe. Director Woolery stated every officer has adopted a school, so every child should know their school officer. They patrol the perimeter and that officer's primary duty in the morning and after school is to be around that school. There is a School Resource Officer assigned fulltime at Park High School, and there's a part-time School Resource Officer at Cottage Grove Middle School. They know our children and want to keep them safe, so we work very diligently with the school staff and the bus companies, and also do traffic enforcement and use speed trailers. It has to be somewhat complaint driven so don't hesitate to call Washington County Dispatch; don't worry if you don't have all of the information. If you can just describe the vehicle and where it's traveling, it's important to call. The more information we get, the betterjob we can do to help you. We want to make sure children are safe, especially with the days getting shorter, too. 13. WORKSHOPS — OPEN TO PUBLIC — None. City Council Meeting Minutes September 6, 2017 Page 11 14. WORKSHOPS — CLOSED TO PUBLIC — CONFERENCE ROOM A. Municipal Pool Site Discussion Motion by Council Member Dennis to close the meeting pursuant to MN Statute 13D.05, Subdivision 3 (c) to discuss the municipal pool site. Second by Council Member Thiede. Motion carried 5-0. Motion by Council Member Thiede to end the closed session and reopen the public meeting. Second by Council Member Johnson. Motion carried 5-0. 15. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Council Member Thiede, second by Council Member Mills, to adjourn the meeting at 8:30 p.m. Motion carried: 5-0. Minutes prepared by Judy Graf and reviewed by Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City Clerk.