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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes i� ��tJV� �ri°t � y � ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ���� �ri e ar�d PC�� t MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL November 15, 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 November 15, 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; 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. Jacob Schoenecker, 9370 Hallmark Avenue, stated he was representing Citizens to Preserve Residential Communities (CPRC); a nonprofit entity formed by concerned citizens. The new owner of the farmland along the east side of County Road 75, bordering St. Paul Park and Grey Cloud Island, has plans to turn the farmland into a central terminal and shipping site for automotive vehicles. This plan will run several hundred auto transport trailers per day down residential streets between the southern end of the site and Highway 61. The site itself will be industrial storage for hundreds of automobiles; it's active 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, loading and unloading from rail cars to storage and from storage to auto transport trailers. This facility is different from 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 November 15, 2017 Page 2 the Cottage Grove facility, which is in an industrial park and is not directly placed inside a residential neighborhood. As neighboring citizens, they're concerned about radical changes to these areas due to bright lighting, loud noises from the pavement, environmental concerns, etc. They feel a full environmental impact assessment is necessary. Increased traffic, especially at 70th Street, accessing Highway 61, will cause further congestion and noise, as well as safety risks by auto transport trailers that are meant for highway use. Similar situations in other communities have led to a reduction in taxable and market values of homes. A petition already has nearly 1,000 signatures from the collective communities of St. Paul Park, Grey Cloud Island, and Cottage Grove. He felt together they can mount a significant force to protect our interests as a community. A law firm has been contacted; they've developed a plan to amend or eliminate the proposed development. The approximated cost of a court battle is $100,000 to $250,000. That cost is beyond the scope of CPRC, which is one of the reasons they're here. They consider it the Council's responsibility, as our representatives, to protect their mutual interests. Mr. Schoenecker welcomed all citizens to become involved and participate in CPRC. He thanked Mayor Bailey for the letter that he had previously written and stated he'd take questions from the Council. Council Member Thiede stated unfortunately the decision was in the hands of St. Paul Park, but they'd stand behind CPRC. Mayor Bailey stated Cottage Grove had requested a full environmental assessment, as initially the plan for that land was housing. Also, 70th Street and Highway 61 cannot handle the additional traffic that's being proposed. He stated there'd been no recent updates received. Mr. Schoenecker asked Mayor Bailey if he had a working relationship with Mayor Dingle of St. Paul Park; Mayor Bailey stated he did. He asked Mr. Schoenecker if he'd spoken to her yet; he stated they had, but her "on the fence" approach has not changed. As no one else wished to address the Council, Mayor Bailey closed the open forum. 5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion by Council Member Thiede to adopt the agenda; second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 5-0. 6. PRESENTATIONS — None. 7. CONSENT AGENDA A. Authorize staff to enter into a two-year agreement commencing on January 1, 2018, with Jimmy's Johnny's, Inc. for portable restroom service for the City of Cottage Grove. City Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2017 Page 3 B. Pass Ordinance 987 amending City Code Title 10-4-3 to provide specific dollar values for minimum park dedication cash fees in lieu of park land for residential, commercial, and industrial uses. C. Approve the Quit Claim Deed with the South Washington County Watershed District for acquisition of land to allow for construction of Ravine Parkway. D. Adopt Resolution 2017-152 approving the site plan review and conditional use permit to allow approximately 237,778 square feet of storage condominiums to be located at 7552 West Point Douglas Road South and variances to City Code Title 11-6-5, Landscaping Requirements; Title 11- 6-13, Architecture; and Title 11-10D-7, Self-Storage Facilities, based on the findings of fact and subject to conditions in the resolution. E. Approve Change Order No. 1 in the amount of$249.54 and extend the completion date for the Water Meter Replacement Project to December 20, 2017 with final payment for the 2017 work submitted by January 31, 2018. F. Adopt Resolution 2017-153 approving a variance to front yard setback requirements to allow a front porch to be 21 feet from the front property line when 30 feet is required at 8920 83rd Street Court South. G. Approve Change Order No. 1 for the 65th Street, Geneva Avenue, and New Oltman Middle School Project in the amount of$399,313. H. Appoint Billy Thao to the Arts Commission. I. Authorize staff to send a comment letter to Washington County regarding their draft Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) 2018-2022. The Draft CIP can be accessed at the following link: https://www.co.washington.mn.us/documentcenter/view/18638. Council Member Mills wished to pull Item H for further comment and/or discussion. She stated she highly recommended Billy Thao be appointed to the Arts Commission by the Council tonight. Motion by Council Member Thiede to approve the consent agenda, second by Council Member Johnson. Motion carried: 5-0. Ryan Stanton, Mendota Heights, Minnesota, asked if he could address the Council regarding Item B on the Consent Agenda; he was advised it had already been approved by Council. He stated he was working on development projects in Cottage Grove and also with the Wolterstorff family; the landowner wanted some discussion on the Park Dedication Fee Amendment. Mr. Stanton asked if he could read a letter; City Administrator Charlene Stevens stated all of the Council Members and staff had received a copy of said letter. Mr. Stanton read a letter, regarding Ordinance 987, from David Wolterstorff, who owns land along Jamaica Avenue, between Military and 70th Street, which is currently being developed. Mayor Bailey stated the changes to the ordinance mostly dealt with multifamily housing, which he confirmed with staff. They'd City Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2017 Page 4 also met with some members of the Wolterstorff family. Mike Wolterstorff stated they understood the ordinance, but they're looking at the possibility of different wording. Mayor Bailey asked City Attorney Korine Land to speak on this topic; she stated this is statutory language, that fee is based on the tax assessed value. She clarified the intent of this ordinance is not to, in any way, determine somebody's sale price of their property; it is solely limited to the amount that we value for park dedication fees. We'll use the number in the City chart if someone wants to make a cash contribution instead of the land dedication; that will either be the greater of the amount in the chart or the fair market value of the land. If the fair market value is less than our chart, we'll use our chart. If the fair market value is more, we'll use that value instead. It is not intended in any way to affect the sale of the property; it's solely to determine what the cash contribution amount is going to be based on. We'll base it on the fair market value of the land and then compare that to our chart. Mr. Stanton stated the fair market value of the land can be the assessment by Washington County versus the standard appraisal process in real estate, which is the highest and best use. Attorney Land stated that's a statutory definition so the City couldn't change that even if we wanted to. 8. APPROVE DISBURSEMENTS A. Approve payments for the period of 11/1/2017 through 11/16/2017 in the amount of$3,438,225.20. Motion by Council Member Mills to approve disbursements; second by Council Member Thiede. Motion carried: 5-0. 9. PUBLIC HEARINGS — None. 10. BID AWARDS — None. 11. REGULAR AGENDA— None. 12. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Council Member Dennis stated he wished to recognize people or groups who make a difference in Cottage Grove. The Arts Commission is comprised of nice, friendly, positive, and creative people. Their purview is to bring art-related events and awareness to our community in ways that benefit all people and enhance our lives through appreciation and application of all forms of art and culture. He gave some examples of their work: Artist of the Month program, the Path to Poetry contest, the Strawberry Fest talent show, the Films in 5 Festival, and other specialty events, such as the recent Paint `N Sip party at River Oaks. With those, people are drawn to Cottage Grove, which also benefits our local economy. Council Member Dennis stated he'd City Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2017 Page 5 invited Justin Atkinson, Chairperson of the Arts Commission, to speak about the Arts Commission. Chairperson Atkinson thanked Council Member Dennis and the City of Cottage Grove for their support. The Arts Commission was formed in 2013 and has grown substantially, providing different ideas and events; they're looking forward to a new summer concert series for 2018. Council Member Dennis stated he'd make a personal donation of$500 to the Arts Commission, as they do not currently have a funding source. He challenged his fellow Cottage Grove business owners and the community to consider the Arts Commission as a very worthy recipient of any donations. He thanked the Arts Commission members for all of the goodness they bring to Cottage Grove. Council Member Dennis stated all of the Council Members invest a lot of time with the community, along with their spouses and family members. So, he wanted to wish his wife a Happy 32nd Anniversary. Council Member Johnson stated there will be a blood drive on November 21, at City Hall, during the day. Blood is always needed so he encouraged everyone to donate. Council Member Thiede stated they'll need a theme for Strawberry Fest 2018. He encouraged people to contribute possible themes; you can send ideas to Council Member Thiede or to cottagegrovestrawberryfest.com. Mayor Bailey encouraged residents to go on the City's Facebook page to read the "Mayor's Moment," which is a list of things going on in Cottage Grove between now and the end of the year, including holiday events. He encouraged residents to participate and to try to shop local and donate time whenever possible throughout the holidays. Mayor Bailey confirmed with staff that one of the Council Meetings in December would not be live; Administrator Stevens stated the first meeting, on December 6, will be live, but the meeting on December 20 will not be live; it will be held in the training room and they'll not be able to do a live feed for that because they'll be upgrading the technology in the Council chambers. Also, any Boards or Commission meetings after December 6 will hold their meetings in the training room; they will be taped and then rebroadcast. 13. WORKSHOPS — OPEN TO PUBLIC — CONFERENCE ROOM A. Public Safety Director Recruitment Staff Recommendation: Discuss Public Safety Director Recruitment. Human Resources Manager Joe Fischbach stated they received nine applications from various applicants throughout the country. They felt there were three viable candidates worthy of interviews; since they're not finalists, their information is not public data so they'll be referred to as Candidates 1, 2, and 3. There is not a consensus on which direction the Council wants to go; Manager Fischbach requested direction from the Council for staff on what the next steps should be. City Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2017 Page 6 Mayor Bailey stated his personal recommendation was they just interview two of the three candidates; part of that process would require putting both of them through management assessments so they'd be on equal footing. Council Member Mills and Council Member Thiede stated they agreed with Mayor Bailey's recommendation. Council Member Dennis agreed with two candidates; however, he felt both of the candidates would make an excellent Chief. Candidate 1 has worked for the City for 25 years; Candidate 2 has worked for the City for 24 years. He reviewed their various positions during their tenure with the City. Their last management assessments were done approximately eight-to-ten years ago. Council Member Dennis stated he'd asked Manager Fischbach what the cost would be to do this; the cost is approximately $1,000, per candidate. He felt if these were unknown candidates, he'd agree with doing the assessments; since they've worked for the City for such a long time, he didn't know that they should spend $2,000 on that process. Mayor Bailey stated they were unable to find Candidate 2's assessment; Council Member Dennis stated he was not aware of that. Council Member Johnson stated they'd previously talked about keeping everything even, so everyone would do the management assessment. He asked if Candidate 3 would get the management assessment or if we'd remove Candidate 3 and only go with the first two. Administrator Stevens stated they were looking for direction from the Council if they wanted to interview all three candidates or only Candidate 1 and Candidate 2; those chosen would need to go through a management assessment. Council Member Johnson stated they'd not yet met Candidate 3 so he was a bit concerned if they were really being open to other candidates. He wanted to know why Candidate 3 was being removed from the equation and did not deserve an interview. Mayor Bailey stated he'd looked at Candidate 3, and looked at the size of the City and the size of the department Candidate 3 was with now, and the criteria they put out there, trying to determine if they'd fit. He felt Candidate 1 and Candidate 2 were more advanced than Candidate 3. He stated if there were already reservations about the candidate throughout the application process he'd be concerned they'd actually be leading somebody along with no intention of actually hiring that person. Council Member Dennis commented as a Council we've made a Strategic Plan to improve our workplace culture to become an employer of choice; if we have good people within the system, we probably want to provide opportunity for an upward promotion in the organization. He felt that will motivate our staff by showing we do promote good people from within. Council Member Johnson stated he agreed with Council Member Dennis; however, he just wanted to make sure we have legitimate reasons to eliminate Candidate 3 and not City Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2017 Page 7 just personal feelings so there wouldn't be future problems with people saying we just chose internal candidates. With what Mayor Bailey had said about Candidate 3 being so far behind Candidates 1 and 2, regarding qualifications, he felt either one would be a good fit. Mayor Bailey stated he felt that's why the assessment process was going to be so important because both of them were such good candidates. Administrator Stevens stated they'd proceed forward with the Council's direction. B. 2018 Budget and Capital Equipment Acquisition Staff Recommendation: Review final recommended 2018 Tax Levy, 2018 budgeted funds, and all capital equipment to be acquired in 2018. Finance Director Robin Roland stated they weren't going to make any changes to the proposed levy; the budget is based upon a 3% levy increase. The General Fund budget is balanced. She asked if Council had any questions; they'd bring the levy and the budget to the December 6 meeting, as well as the equipment purchases. Should there be any concerns, those items would be on separate Resolutions. Once the budget is adopted, unless something varies greatly and comes in higher than the budgeted amount, it's basically authorization to proceed, including the capital outlay, without bringing it back to Council. Director Roland stated any concerns about capital outlay should be addressed tonight, as slight changes to the budget could still be made. She also mentioned that they could discuss the online permitting software; Mayor Bailey confirmed that the cost of that was not included in the budget. Administrator Stevens stated that there might be funding available to do that in 2018; if not, they'd bring it back as part of the 2018-2019 budget process. Permitting Software: Director Roland stated we are currently $485,000 above our budgeted revenue and $220,000 under our budgeted expenses. So, we're about $700,000 to the good, in excess of what we anticipated for year end. The majority of the excess revenue is in the area of building permits and community development and would support a designation at year end, which they're asking Council to do, as a certain amount of excess revenue as a carry forward to support the purchase of the permitting software. Working the annual costs into the budget is not a concern, as it's slightly above what we're currently spending on Permit Works and what we'd need to spend in the future to enhance that. Director Roland stated all of the Building staff and Community Development staff had the opportunity to see this product. It increases staff efficiency because it integrates with our financial software. Mayor Bailey asked what benefit the customer would see. Administrator Stevens stated from a customer standpoint, we currently don't have an online permit system so it's necessary for contractors to physically come into City Hall. Once it's online, the contractors can get their permits offsite, which will save them time and money. Community Development Director/City Engineer Jennifer Levitt stated this City Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2017 Page 8 software also includes rental licenses, dog licenses, inspections, etc., which will benefit residents and City customers alike. The convenience factor is huge. Council Member Thiede stated he's not against the software, but we'd previously talked about an IT Strategy Plan that's apparently not yet been done. His biggest concern is we put in spurious software that doesn't interact with anything and it's not part of an overall plan; therefore, the software doesn't work well together. There should be some justification for the new software, just as there would be on a piece of equipment. The software should provide a benefit, and it should be able to document that benefit in some way. $212,000 will be the cost in the first year; he asked what the payback would be on that and when we'd actually see the benefit come through, either financially or through intangibles, such as happy residents or contractors. Director Roland stated as far as justification goes, we looked at three different systems. She reviewed those and the associated costs, including the licenses needed. Council Member Thiede stated we should look at how this will integrate with software in other departments; for example, with Public Safety. As a responsible entity, by spending money on this software, we need to know how long it will take to get payback. Council Member Thiede asked how this software tied into the IT Strategy Plan. Administrator Stevens stated standalone systems in other departments have now been integrated so this is the same type of thing, taking a standalone system and integrating it with our financial software. Public Safety Director Craig Woolery stated this technology will save officers' time; it would allow them to have access to animal license data in their squads as opposed to needing to return to the Police Department to look up that information. Council Member Thiede stated it could potentially increase our permits and increase our revenue; those things would be strong justifications for the software. Council Member Johnson stated he'd been asked to be involved with this permitting, as he's a contractor who uses permitting. We need electronic permitting; the only way he's found information on this was by stopping in and talking to Brian Bluhm. He said he'd be willing to get involved with this, and is upset by hearing that the City's now ready to move forward with a product. There were no conversations with him as a contractor; he knows what contractors like in this software, he knew what he hated about pulling a permit in Cottage Grove, and why he preferred to pull a permit in other cities. He stated he'd never seen this software so he's upset that the City administration had decided to ignore a resource, one who had shown enthusiasm to partake in this decision. Council Member Johnson asked if anybody in the state used this software; he was informed the City of North Mankato and others currently use this. Administrator Stevens stated they're looking for a system that will integrate with the financial software. Council Member Johnson was advised that no contractors had been invited to look at the software to see if it's something that they think would be useful to them. Council City Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2017 Page 9 Member Johnson asked if none had seen the software, how they could be sure it would work well for them. Director Roland responded that they'd heard what he'd said; they had been given examples of systems that he liked and utilized, and we'd tried to find a similar product to purchase with online availability, ease of use, using a credit card online to make a payment, and scheduling ability. So, they took direction from him but hadn't invited him to come in and look at the software. They demonstrated the software at City Hall to see how it would work for staff. Council Member Johnson stated if homeowners are going to be using this software they should be sure it won't be a headache for homeowners to have to use it. He felt input should have been obtained from users before a decision was made. He thought they missed some steps by ignoring resources to help make the decision whether or not it would work for the contractors and the residents. He stated he was not ready to move forward with any of it until he had an opportunity to look at it to see if it would even be beneficial. Director Roland stated she would need to speak with Brian Bluhm and the Community Development staff. They'd figure out a process to bring this forward to get the analysis done that Council Member Thiede wanted and some of the input that Council Member Johnson wanted from contractors; they'd plan to take a look at the software, and to bring it back to Council after we've done a little bit more research. Council Member Dennis supported Council Member Johnson and thought we should give him a chance to provide some input that could be helpful to the City. Council Member Thiede had questions regarding equipment. Regarding Public Works Director Burshten's vehicle, the Ford Escape, he felt the vehicle is only seven years old and felt he hadn't been convinced that it needed to be replaced. Regarding the Ford Expedition for the Fire Department, Council Member Thiede stated he had a hard time understanding why a new vehicle was needed. Director Woolery stated the view of the Public Safety Department is that they saved money by not buying a grass rig and used a police SUV and moved it over to save $38,000 for the grass rig. We dropped a squad car from the fleet because we were down officers last year. We're adding an unmarked car. He stated he'd talked to Fire Chief Redenius about the SUV; it was purchased new under former Chief Byerly. It's working, but it needs a new seat and some updated graphics. He asked Chief Redenius if they could hold their breath on this one; it's just a vehicle and we do really well on reselling those SUVs. The police sold an older one and got $5,000 for it; the cost of a new vehicle would be $45,000. The current vehicle could always run another year, if necessary. Director Burshten stated the Public Works van will need a new transmission, with a cost of$3,000-$4,000. That van is used for doing maintenance on the buildings; it carries a lot of tools and is not used for towing. All the vans bought in 2004 have had issues with transmissions. They prioritized their list, but they're willing to take whatever the Council would like to do. We can hang onto the Escape for another year, although he's worried City Council Meeting Minutes November 15, 2017 Page 10 about the batteries in it; those batteries cost thousands of dollars. Director Woolery stated they all try to maintain their vehicles to keep costs down. Many vehicles have been pushed off the list and now we're here; now we've got vehicles that are out of service and those are vehicles that are needed. Director Roland stated the Prius was bought in 2009; they said it was a seven-year battery. It's right in the ballpark for needing a new battery so we'll need to do something with that next year. Council Member Thiede stated if the Directors really felt the vehicles needed to be replaced, he'd be okay with that. Council Member Johnson asked about the eight-year-old ambulance with 143,000 miles on it, which needs to be replaced; he asked where most of those miles come from. Director Woolery stated the ambulances' miles come from the transports to the various hospitals; that could be close, Woodwinds Hospital, or it could be far, Fairview Riverside or HCMC or Regions Hospital. We also back up Hastings and Woodbury for medical calls so they're just high-mileage vehicles. Director Roland stated both ambulances will need to be replaced within the next three months. 14. WORKSHOPS — CLOSED TO PUBLIC — None. 15. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Council Member Dennis, second by Council Member Thiede, to adjourn the meeting at 8:41 p.m. Motion carried: 5-0. Minutes prepared by Judy Graf and reviewed by Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City Clerk.