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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMinutes i� ��tJV� �ri°t � y � ............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... ���� �ri e ar�d PC�� t MINUTES COTTAGE GROVE CITY COUNCIL June 6, 2018 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 June 6, 2018, 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: Council Member Steve Dennis, Council Member Wayne Johnson, and Council Member La Rae Mills were present. Council Member Dave Thiede was not present. Also present were: Charlene Stevens, City Administrator; Korine Land, City Attorney- LeVander, Gillen & Miller, PA; Ryan BurFeind, Assistant City Engineer; Christine Costello, Director of Economic Development; Joe Fischbach/HR Manager/City Clerk; Jennifer Levitt, Community Development Director/City Engineer; Robin Roland, Finance Director; Pete Koerner, Director of Public Safety; Gary Orloff, Streets Foreman. 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. As no one wished to address the Council, Mayor Bailey closed the open forum. 5. ADOPTION OF AGENDA Motion by Council Member Mills to adopt the agenda, second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 4-0. 6. PRESENTATIONS 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 June 6, 2018 Page 2 A. Citizen Life-Saving Award Staff Recommendation: Present James Huber with a Citizen Life- Saving Award and recognize the life-saving effort he provided at the incident. Public Safety Director Pete Koerner stated it was a great honor for him to be present tonight for this award ceremony. The incident occurred on March 15, 2018 where Public Safety personnel were dispatched to a report of a vehicle being pinned on top of a woman, Lisa, who was unresponsive and not breathing. A neighbor, Jim Huber, stepped forward and took quick action by bringing his hydraulic jack to the scene; he was able to jack up the vehicle, and officers were able to pull her out from underneath the vehicle and CPR was begun. Without hesitation, Jim immediately went to the aid of the unconscious woman; his efforts played a significant part in assisting with the life-saving efforts for Lisa, prior to the arrival of the ambulance. Officer Liermann and other responders told Director Koerner about the incident, and Officer Liermann wanted to nominate Jim Huber for this award; all those who reviewed the nomination unanimously agreed the award should be bestowed upon Mr. Huber. Mayor Bailey stated often people are afraid to act in emergency situations or don't know what to do; the fact that Mr. Huber immediately took charge was absolutely amazing and by doing so, he helped save Lisa's life. On behalf of the Council Members he thanked Mr. Huber. Mayor Bailey then read the Citizen Life-Saving Award certificate aloud to Mr. Huber and congratulated him. B. Citizen Life-Saving Award Staff Recommendation: Present Eliazar Fonseca, Jr. with a Citizen Life- Saving Award and recognize the life-saving effort he provided at the incident. Mayor Bailey announced that Mr. Fonseca was not able to be present tonight. Administrator Charlene Stevens stated that he would receive his award in the near future, possibly at the next City Council meeting, or when he's available. C. Eagle Scout Award — David Mueller (Troop 286) Mayor Bailey stated we appreciate the Eagle Scouts in our community, who take on the role of leaders and complete amazing projects. Because we value them so highly, each Eagle Scout is presented with a plaque; also, at City Hall there is a wall that contains the names of all of the past recipients of the Eagle Scout Award and the Girl Scout Gold Award, who are from the City of Cottage Grove. He told David Mueller that his name will be displayed forever. Mayor Bailey read the plaque aloud to David and on behalf of the Council and the citizens of Cottage Grove, he congratulated him. David then stated that he built a GaGa City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 3 Ball arena in Hamlet Park for his Eagle Scout project. He went on to describe in more detail how the game is played. He also made the arena ADA accessible so it can be used by people in wheelchairs. Mayor Bailey stated he did not know what GaGa Ball was until he heard about David's project. He stated this was just another example of something new to make Cottage Grove a recreation destination, and thanked David for building this in Hamlet Park. D. Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for Year Ended 12-31-17 Staff Recommendation: Presentation of the Annual Financial Report for year ended 12-31-17 by Matt Mayer of BerganKDV. Finance Director Robin Roland stated tonight Matt Mayer with BerganKDV, the City's audit firm, would present the Annual Financial Report for the year ended December 31, 2017. She stated the Finance Department spends about five months each year working on this report. She introduced Matt and indicated he'd share a presentation. Mr. Mayer thanked the Council for allotting time for the presentation regarding the City's finances. He stated their role as auditors is easier than that of the staff; they spend a week at the City and give opinions on the work the Finance Department's been doing throughout the year. Mr. Mayer stated that the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report is an award-winning document; this is the 27th year that it's been recognized nationally for its completeness and its transparency. He thanked Director Roland and Assistant Director Mohr for all of their hard work. Mr. Mayer stated he wanted to give some perspective on the City's finances. The General Fund is evaluated in the context of the budget; at the end of the year there will be a surplus in the General Fund of approximately $549,000. There was more revenue, approximately $660,000, than anticipated in 2017. Spending was below budget by about $314,000; he credited the Department Heads for staying within parameters that had been established. As a result, some of those excess funds were transferred to Capital Funds. There's also a fund balance for a rainy day, and that fund balance has grown with the budget over time. The 2017 budget was executed extremely well so the General Fund was a very successful operation for 2017. He reviewed the three Enterprise Funds, which are more business driven and are based on fee for service; those include the Streetlight Fund, Water Fund, and Sewer Fund. Though expenses have actually exceeded revenue over each of the last five years in the Streetlight Fund, the financial health in this fund is still very strong. The Water Fund also had expenses exceeding revenue over the last several years; the revenue has been relatively flat in this fund. There was also the water emergency, which dropped usage; when usage drops, revenues drop, so, there was about a $200,000 drop in revenue as a result of that issue. Many water meters were replaced in 2017, which also increased expenses. Revenues in the Sewer Fund have been flat for the last three-or- four years, but expenses have increased, as charges from the Metropolitan Council City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 4 have increased. For the first time, there was a loss in this fund for 2017; he would attribute that to the increasing expenses and the rate structure being relatively flat. Mr. Mayer stated Cottage Grove is still in a development phase so it's not unusual to see the City spending more per capita; on the debt service side, the City is almost paying cash for most of the things that are taking place. The debt service for Cottage Grove is half of a typical City of the same size. Council Member Johnson stated one of the most comforting things is to have an auditor come in and say the numbers are true, as that instills trust; he thanked Director Roland and the entire Finance Department staff for their great work. Mayor Bailey concurred with that and thanked Mr. Mayer for his presentation. Motion by Council Member Johnson to accept the Comprehensive Annual Financial Report for the year ending 12-31-17, second by Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 4-0. E. Northern Lights Communication Awards Staff Recommendation: Cottage Grove's "City Faces"and "My Cottage Grove"video series received awards in the annual Northern Lights Awards contest, which recognizes outstanding work in Minnesota's government communications. Council will receive the award. Justin Atkinson, with the South Washington County Telecommunications Commission (SWCTC), and Communications Coordinator Sharon Madsen handled this presentation. Coordinator Madsen stated there were two awards that the City of Cottage Grove received on their communications projects; both were awards for video series that they'd done. She stated there were many talented communicators in the Twin Cities, and there were about 200 entries this year; of those 200 entries, less than 100 received an award. There were 20 categories, 10 of which were video categories; Cottage Grove received a bronze, third place, award for the "My Cottage Grove" video series. That series showcased people in our community. Judging was done by an independent sister group in Texas, and we received very positive feedback on creativity, technical aspects, and people chosen to be highlighted. Cottage Grove received a first place Northern Lights award for the "City Faces" series; that focused on highlighting staff throughout the City. One of the best compliments they received was, "This was a great series; we're going to steal your idea." Coordinator Madsen stated Justin Atkinson was present because they have such a strong relationship with SWCTC; without his story telling and collaborating with staff, they would not have received these awards. Mr. Atkinson stated when he heard about Coordinator Madsen's idea and her vision for the "City Faces" and "My Cottage Grove" series, he was very excited. One of their core values at SWCTC is story telling; it can be used effectively to communicate information but also to generate empathy for people that they don't know, including City staff and residents. He stated he was able to "work City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 5 his magic" on telling the stories. The video series are available on the City of Cottage Grove's YouTube channel, as well as on the SWCTC website at �r�r�r...��r���....c�r.c�. Mayor Bailey thanked Coordinator Madsen and Mr. Atkinson for their great work. 7. CONSENT AGENDA A. Approve the May 2, 2018 City Council Special Meeting Minutes. B. Approve the May 2, 2018 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. C. Approve the May 16, 2018 City Council Special Meeting Minutes. D. Approve the May 16, 2018 City Council Regular Meeting Minutes. E. Authorize issuance of a single-occasion gambling permit to Basic Needs, Inc. of South Washington County DBA Stone Soup Thrift Shop to conduct bingo at Strawberry Fest, June 16, 2018, Kingston Park. F. Authorize issuance of a single-occasion gambling permit to conduct a raffle, bingo, pull-tabs and tip boards, along with a temporary on-sale intoxicating liquor license to the Church of St. Rita for their Fall Festival on September 15 and 16, 2018. G. Adopt Resolution 2018-081 accepting a donation from LSP Cottage Grove, L.P. for the Economic Development Trust Fund. H. Adopt Resolution 2018-082 approving the interim conditional use permit allowing TNT Fireworks to sell fireworks from a temporary tent in the south-central area of the parking lot at Walmart, 9300 East Point Douglas Road South. I. Approve Change Order No. 2 for the Central Fire Station Project in the amount of$3,021.21. J. Accept and place on file the minutes of the April 23, 2018 Planning Commission Meeting. K. Adopt Resolution 2018-083 approving the preliminary plat and final plat for Glengrove Industrial Park 7th Addition, which would create one industrial lot and two outlots located between 97th Street and 100th Street, east of Hemingway Avenue. L. Approve the Easement Encroachment Agreement for 7218 Jonathan Avenue South. M. 1) Approve the purchase agreement for the purchase of property by the Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority from WAG Farms Trust and Glendenning Farms, L.P. for development purposes. 2) Approve the purchase agreement for the sale of property from Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority to Renewal by Andersen LLC for development purposes. 3) Accept the EDA Resolution approving the sale of property to Renewal by Andersen, LLC, for development purposes. N. 1) Accept the EDA Resolution approving the sale of property to 9800 Hemingway LLC for development purposes. 2) Approve the Business Subsidy Agreement between the Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority and 9800 Hemingway, LLC. 3) Authorize the Contract for City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 6 Private Development by and between the Cottage Grove Economic Development Authority and 9800 Hemingway, LLC. 4) Accept the EDA Resolution authorizing an Interfund Loan for advance of certain costs in connection with Tax Increment Financing District No. 1-18 (Modern Automotive). 5) Approve the drainage and utility easements over a portion of Lot 3, Block 1, Glengrove Industrial Park 3rd Addition. O. 1) Approve the Purchase Agreement with MWF Properties for the purchase of the EDA-owned parcels of land located in the Langdon Village area. 2) Approve a letter of support to Minnesota Housing Finance Agency for the Deferred Funding and Housing Tax Credit applications. 3) Adopt Resolution 2018-084 supporting a tax credit application for 174 units of workforce housing to be known as Langdon Flats to Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. P. Appoint City Administrator Stevens as the City of Cottage Grove representative and Community Development Director Levitt as alternate on the Government and 3M Working Group established by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as part of the 2018 Agreement and Order with 3M Company. Ryan Burfeind, Assistant City Engineer, will be the City's technical representative to the Drinking Water subgroup. Q. Approve the issuance of rental licenses to the properties listed in the attached table. As no Council Members wished to pull any Items for further comment and/or discussion, Mayor Bailey stated he'd look for a motion to approve the Consent Agenda. Motion by Council Member Dennis to approve the Consent Agenda, second by Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 4-0. 8. APPROVE DISBURSEMENTS A. Approve payments for the period of 5/16/2018 through 6/7/2018 for the amount of$2,172,877.00. Motion by Council Member Johnson to approve disbursements; second by Council Member Dennis. Motion carried: 4-0. 9. PUBLIC HEARINGS — None. 10. BID AWARDS A. Ravine Parkway Project Bid Award Staff Recommendation: 1) Adopt Resolution 2018-085 awarding the Ravine Parkway Project to S.M. Hentges & Sons, Inc. for the Base Bid amount of$9,253,322.11, plus Bid Alternate #1 in the amount of City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 7 $324,606.17, for a total of$9,577,928.28. 2) Adopt Resolution 2018-086 awarding the Ravine Parkway pedestrian bridge quote to Anderson Bridges in the amount of$54,000. Assistant City Engineer Ryan Burfeind stated he'd review the bids received, review funding for the project, and give some updates on concurrent developments in that area. He stated it's a two-year project; in 2018, work will occur from Jamaica Avenue to Keats Avenue, and in 2019, it will be from Hinton Avenue to Innsdale Avenue. There were two alternates on this project; Alternate #1 was related to the portion of Ravine Parkway immediately adjacent to Keats Avenue. This is the portion that overlaps with the DNR easement. This was heard yesterday at the Legislative-Citizens Commission for Minnesota Resources (LCCMR), who approved release of the .33 acres of the easement to the City for construction of Ravine Parkway. They will work with the DNR to finalize the release of that easement to the City. Therefore, they're recommending award of Bid Alternate #1 tonight. Alternate #2 was related to Watershed District work; it is base bid work for the Watershed, by Keats Avenue, with some embankment improvements of Keats Avenue in the area of the DNR easement. This will also manage storm water runoff from the City of Woodbury. Alternate #2 is for construction of the remainder of that basin. The Watershed District held a Board Meeting on Monday night, June 4, and they accepted the base bid results; they chose to not accept Alternate #2. With all of the development occurring in the area, the Watershed District felt they could excavate that basin and have that material used for developments at a much lower cost in the next few years. There were four bids received for the project; the low bidder was S.M. Hentges & Sons, Inc. All four bids were over the engineer's estimate. S.M. Hentges & Sons for the base bid was over by about $1.1 million dollars; Alternate #1 was about $124,000 over, and Alternate #2, which was the watershed work, was about $50,000 over. They looked into the bids, especially the low bid, very carefully, especially with such a large cost overrun. The most expensive items were the concrete storm sewer pipe and manholes. There are two suppliers in the cities for this material; they've typically given 30% to 40% credits on those materials, as there's been very limited construction work occurring. Very recently, they removed those credits; it's really due to the increase in construction, the demand, and the backlog on those materials. Bituminous pavement was higher in cost than anticipated. It's actually related to the Superior Oil Refinery fire, as they're a major producer of asphalt for the pavement. With that plant down, it took some time for that to hit, as there were supplies that were diminished; that fire accounted for the recent spike in the bituminous prices. Oil prices have been on the rise in general, and that's a direct correlation as that's what is used to produce the asphalt pavement. City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 8 Another item that had an increased cost was the Watershed District work on Keats Avenue. The Watershed, with their own engineer, asked for two specific topsoil and granular materials, which were very expensive. We looked at this and worked with the Watershed, and we believe we'll be able to sub out some on-site materials that will be suitable, which will greatly reduce the costs for what is planned. Engineer Burfeind reviewed project funding and stated the funds have seen a healthy increase due to increased development, so the funding is available to take on the additional costs incurred as part of the bid. The City received a $600,000 grant from MnDOT, which will be used to offset the additional costs for the roadway. Therefore, the funding is available to complete this project. There are currently two active developments in the East Ravine; Kingston Fields and Grayson Meadows. He reviewed details of those developments and how they'll use Ravine Parkway. He also reviewed future developments in the area of the Ravine Parkway. The pedestrian trail bridge is quite long, so they got quotes early on in the project so it could be ordered and be here on time for the contractor to put it in place; by doing so, they will also avoid contractor markups. As we are a tax-exempt City, we can also eliminate some of those taxes to save on costs. He displayed an image of what the bridge will actually look like upon completion. Engineer Burfeind stated he'd take questions. Council Member Johnson stated this project surprised him because of the significant cost difference from the engineer's estimate. He asked when the engineer originally calculated his cost; Engineer Burfeind stated the final estimate was completed approximately two months ago. They reached out to other communities who had similar types of projects, and their costs also came in about 10-to-15% over the engineer's estimate. In speaking with contractors, it's really a change in the market condition. Right now, there's probably more work than there are crews available, so we feel that's one of the driving factors. Council Member Johnson confirmed when we originally decided that this project would move forward, we were looking at lower costs; now it's coming back to us with a cost of $1,000,000 more. He asked if there was a possibility that the cost would decrease later on, possibly next year; as he had a problem with the huge increase in cost. Engineer Burfeind stated the concrete prices alone were about $500,000 more; they don't see that changing short of another recession. However, there are certain things that we can do during the project to try to reduce some costs. Mayor Bailey stated he's heard from staff and developers that this road is essential to continue with development of this area; some of the costs have to do with the uniqueness of this road, including the pedestrian bridge, etc. He spoke of the changes coming to Military Road with it becoming a trail, complete with historical markers. City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 9 Council Member Dennis felt this was a special opportunity. There is a cost-reduction option with cutting back on the monument currently planned. He felt there's an opportunity to create something very special and unique that will mark that area and something that will tie in the theme with Military Road and Ravine Parkway. Perhaps some metal signage could take the place of the larger monument piece and not be as costly. He wasn't sure how we could fit some options into the motions being made tonight. Mayor Bailey felt that the monument was part of the total bid package, but he was assuming they'd not be working on that right away as it's technically part of the 2019 project. Administrator Stevens stated she felt the best option would be for the Council to award it and include this; we could then pursue a deduction with the contractor for this portion. That would give you some options, allow us to explore some alternatives, but the price would still be left in place. Then, we could possibly do a deduction when a decision was made on the other option. Council Member Dennis felt that would be more than reasonable as long as that protection was built in. He also felt community engagement would be important with this design decision. Engineer Burfeind stated the monument was a single line item on a base bid so it would be a very easy thing to adjust or deduct. Council Member Johnson stated that we're not taking the increase in price lightly, but it highlights the fact that sometimes you lose by not acting on something. There are many things dependent on what's going on right now, and there's already been a delay of two months. He'd rather not spend the money today, but we'd probably pay twice as much later. We need to look at the long term consequences. Motion by Council Member Dennis to Adopt Resolution 2018-085, awarding the Ravine Parkway Project to S.M. Hentges & Sons, Inc. in the amount of$9,253,322.11, plus Bid Alternate #1 in the amount of$324,606.17 for a total of$9,577,928.28; second by Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 4-0. Motion by Council Member Mills to Adopt Resolution 2018-086 awarding the Ravine Parkway Project pedestrian bridge quote to Anderson Bridges in the amount of$54,000; second by Council Member Johnson. Motion carried: 4-0. 11. REGULAR AGENDA A. Consider Sale of$7,620,000 General Obligation Improvement Bonds of 2018A Staff Recommendation:Adopt Resolution 2018-087 approving the sale of $7,620,000 General Obligation Improvement Bonds of 2018A with the proceeds to fund construction of Hadley North of 65th Street and Ravine Parkway Projects. Director Roland stated this morning our financial advisors, Ehlers & Associates, with our representative, Shelly Eldridge, took bids for the sale of$7,620,000 in General Obligation Improvement Bonds, Series 2018A. These bonds will pay for the cost of City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 10 construction for both Hadley Avenue, north of 65th Street, and also the Ravine Parkway Project, for both 2018 and 2019. Director Roland stated she's very excited, as we were able to retain our AA+ rating from Standard & Poor's with a stable outlook. She asked Ms. Eldridge to let everyone know the results of the sale. Ms. Eldridge stated they took bids this morning and received six bids. The winning bid was 2.8860% for 15 years. The high bid was 3.1147%. The top five bids were very close; the winning bidder was Stifel Nicolaus out of Birmingham, Alabama. That bid was .4 less than what we had estimated a month ago. She stated the bond market has actually been dropping off a little bit, but we still came in better, so we're right on track. We had $118,000 to work with, with the premium bid, and after receiving the bids tonight on the construction, we were advised to keep that and put it into the construction fund; so, that $118,000 is available to offset some of the additional costs that need to be paid. The assessments are based on the true interest cost (TIC); the City's policy has been to add 1.5% to the TIC. We had estimated 4.78 for the Special Assessments for those citizens who are going to be putting that on their tax roles; that's now down to 4.4, so we're able to pass some of that savings onto the residents who will be affected by the Special Assessments. The levy dropped a little bit; so, all in all, it's a great result. There is national interest in Cottage Grove, as bids were received from several states outside of Minnesota. The City has a wonderful bond rating; the City's strong budgetary performance was confirmed by the auditor this evening. Standard & Poor's also looks at those things. She complimented the staff for doing such a wonderful job. One of the category's ratings actually improved from weak to adequate, and that was the City's debt and contingent liabilities. Because the City is doing shorter debt, that's reflected in that category's rating. Ms. Eldridge stated once all of the housing developments are completed, she's hoping the City will finally obtain a rating of AAA from Standard & Poor's, which is the City's goal. Mayor Bailey congratulated the Finance Department staff, as the bids were better than anticipated. He's happy that this will save the taxpayers in Cottage Grove money; we're fiscally responsible, which benefits all of us. Motion by Council Member Johnson to Adopt Resolution 2018-087 approving the sale of$7,620,000 General Obligation Improvement Bonds of 2018A, with the proceeds to fund construction of Hadley North of 65th Street and Ravine Parkway projects; second by Council Member Mills. Motion carried: 4-0. 12. COUNCIL COMMENTS AND REQUESTS Council Member Mills stated the Art Commission is working on a concert series for the summer, and the first concert will be on June 21, at the amphitheater at City Hall; it will start at 6:00 with Joe Filipovich doing a blues harmonica for kids. There will be a food City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 11 truck coming a bit earlier; she encouraged people to attend, enjoy the evening, and there will be a concert band also playing, beginning at 6:30. There is no cost, and it's a great family event. Council Member Mills stated Strawberry Fest will be starting on June 14; the theme this year is Berry Luau. Mayor Bailey interjected that the kickoff dinner will be on Sunday night, June 10, at River Oaks. There are many events, including a variety of music; the entire schedule can be found on the Strawberry Fest website at ���v..�����.q�c�rc�v���r��v��rryf���e�c�r�. Mayor Bailey stated there will be food vendors, and he read the schedule of the many events for the four-day event, including fireworks on Saturday evening. Pre-sale tickets are still available online until noon on Friday, June 15. Mayor Bailey stated the Cottage Grove Lions will be handling the July 4 fireworks event at Kingston Park; various local businesses are helping support this year's fireworks, and $20,000 has already been received. Those businesses include Hy-Vee, Tennis Sanitation, Werner Electric, 3M, and Dennis Brothers Liquors, who have already contributed, and the Lions have received additional donations. It will be a 25-minute program of constant fireworks with a two-minute grand finale. Once again, it would not be happening if it weren't for the support from our local businesses and our volunteer groups. He thanked all of the contributors for their support. Council Member Dennis stated there's a national softball tournament coming to town on July 26 through July 29. Normally, he'd bring that to the attention of the Economic Development Authority but since that meeting won't take place for over a month, he was hoping to get some Council attention and thoughts from staff. Yesterday, he had met with Jennifer, the Chamber of Commerce Executive Director; they discussed the potential for a simple phone app to be created that could be used to promote all of the businesses in our community. It would include maps and provide basic information, as there will be approximately 80 teams that will be coming to Cottage Grove. Council Member Dennis felt that's something we could do, as once people get into town there will be hundreds of people, and we'd like to do everything possible to keep as much of their spending money here in Cottage Grove to help our local economy. He hoped there were local people who could help us create that app; he felt maybe that was something the Economic Development Authority could take some potential action on or we could fund it through them. Council Member Johnson stated he agreed with Council Member Dennis and if you've attended one of these tournaments, when all the teams arrive, it overwhelms the City. They all take lunch breaks at the same time, and there are people scrambling to find out where they can eat in a very short period of time. If we had the time to develop something like that, it would really help with Cottage Grove sponsoring something similar in the future; there are multiple youth sports tournaments and Cottage Grove could really benefit and get onto a bigger stage if we can be known as a City that can City Council Meeting Minutes June 6, 2018 Page 12 handle this. He felt we should do anything we can to make the attendees' lives easier for them while they're here in Cottage Grove. Council Member Dennis felt we should also let our businesses know about it, too, so they can be prepared and ready to give good service. Council Member Johnson stated Ravine Park is going to reopen on June 22 through June 24. There is no vehicle permit required through June 30, so it's a great opportunity to check it out. Council Member Johnson also stated it will be an early and very busy election season so there will be many people running throughout the neighborhoods, going door to door, handing out literature. He wanted citizens to be aware that those people do not require a solicitation permit. He did not know if campaign signs would be posted earlier this year or not due to the primary elections. City Clerk Joe Fischbach stated those campaign signs do not fall under the City's sign ordinance, but State Statute states those signs can be posted on a certain date; he'd find out what that date is. Council Member Johnson stated the first primaries are on August 14, so odds are everyone will be getting out there early. He just wanted to inform everyone that it's starting early and it's allowed. Mayor Bailey stated regarding the signs, you can't put any campaign signs on public property, and candidates and/or their volunteers should be asking for permission from the homeowner or the business to place a sign on their property. Clerk Fischbach added if it's on public property or public right of way, it will be removed. If it's City right of way, the sign will be brought to the Public Works building. Washington County and the State of Minnesota will also remove them from public property. 13. WORKSHOPS — OPEN TO PUBLIC — None. 14. WORKSHOPS — CLOSED TO PUBLIC — None. 15. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Council Member Mills, second by Council Member Dennis, to adjourn the meeting at 8:25 p.m. Motion carried: 4-0. Minutes prepared by Judy Graf and reviewed by Joe Fischbach, HR Manager/City Clerk.