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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWK - February 28, 2012ANLb Y o f 6 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W.. ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304 • (763) 755 -5100 FAX (763) 755 -8923 • WWW.ANDOVERMN.GOV City Council Workshop Tuesday, February 28, 2012 Conference Rooms A & B 1. Call to Order— 6:00 p.m. 2. Joint Meeting with Open Space Commission - Planning 3. Municipal Water System Update/Rate Structure — Engineering 4. Discuss Proposed Assessment/11- 47/174th Ave. NW/Heather St. NW /173`d Ln. NW —Engineering 5. Discuss South Coon Creek Drive NW Reconstruction/) 1 -10 /- Engineering 10 6. Discuss Potential Trails Along County Roads - Engineering 7. Discuss Redistricting and City Precincts - Administration 8. Discuss 2013 Budget Development Guidelines — Administration 9. Pre -Audit Year End 2011 General Fund Budget Report -Administration 10. January 2012 General Fund Budget Progress Report - Administration 11. January 2012 Investments Report - Administration 12. Other Topics 13. Adjournment X S 0 ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING — FEBRUARY 28, 2012 MINUTES The Workshop Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Mike Gamache, February 28, 2012, 6:03 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Sheri Bukkila, Mike Knight, Julie Trude, and Tony Howard Councilmember absent: None Open Space Commissioner present: Kim Kovich, Jim Olson, Drago Flores, Bruce Perry, and Aaron Jarson Also present: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson City Engineer/Director of Public Works, David Berkowitz City Planner, Courtney Bednarz Others JOINT MEETING WITH OPEN SPACE COMMISSION Open Space Commissioner Jim Olson outlined the 2006 Bond Referendum that was approved by the residents and the general powers and responsibilities of the Open Space Advisory Commission. He reviewed the goals and accomplishments of the Commission including the acquisition of Martin's Meadows and North Woods Preserve, and the open space evaluation criteria used to determine if a property is worth pursuing. He stated the Commission has reviewed 65 properties for possible acquisition and held neighborhood meetings to explain the Open Space Program. Open Space Commissioner Kovich explained the evaluation criteria used and the same people do the evaluation for every property to maintain consistency in applying this evaluation tool. He also explained the people who evaluate the property are not on the Commission and this maintains an unbiased opinion by the Commission. Councilmember Trude stated the Council has been getting feedback that residents want accessible open spaces and they also express a desire for some parcels to be purchased in the southern or urban area. Councilmember Knight asked if there was a minimum acreage the Commission looked at. Open Space Commissioner Kovich explained the size of an available space is considered in the evaluation criteria and they typically look at property sizes of 5 -acres or more but they do look at smaller properties if they may fit into the open space system. C I T Y OP DOVE arKSr Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 2 Open Space Commissioner Olson stated the Commission had brought two (2) properties to the Council for consideration that would be considered to be in the urban areas. These were a property by the Andover High School and the other is along Round Lake Boulevard and South Coon Creek. The Council could reconsider these properties if they are interested in looking at smaller urban open spaces. Councilmember Bukkila asked if the City did not purchase these properties if they would likely be sold to a developer. Councilmember Trude stated there had been development proposals for these properties at one time but they did not go through. Open Space Commissioner Kovich stated the Commission only looks at those properties that have willing sellers. Councilmember Trude agreed with the Commission that any parcels along the Rum River were desirable so it was unfortunate there were no interested sellers at this time. Councilmember Knight pointed out two (2) Indian battle sites that have historical significance to the City and suggested the Commission look at these properties. Open Space Commissioner Olson showed a map of parcels the Commission has looked at and most of the parcels were in the north area of the City. Open Space Commissioner Kovich stated the access and trails at Martin's Meadows are improving. The Commission is constantly looking for new properties. The Commission had considered the Selmer /Kuiken properties several times. The biggest problem with this area is access. The Commission also considered the Aasness property but it did not work out. He stated the Council had directed the Commission to look at the Selmer property again in June 2011. He stated there is no access to the open space to the north of the property but there is interest from the adjacent property to sell some of that property. This would provide access to the rest of the property off Hanson Boulevard and the farm road could be used for parking and this would make it a good open space candidate. The adjacent property owner would be interested in selling an additional 15 -17 acres in the northern portion of their property as part of the deal to assure access. Councilmember Trude asked what the distance would be from the access to the open space. Open Space Commissioner Olson stated it is approximately % of a mile. Open Space Commissioner Drago stated the Commission has walked this area and it provides feeling of nature and open space, which is one of the main directives of open space. City Planner Bednarz stated the City has talked with the Highway Department and they would © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 3 allow access off Hanson Boulevard. Mayor Gamache stated the Selmer property is one of the properties the Council has been interested in for a long time. He liked the access the adjacent property would provide. He asked if the City would be able to acquire these properties with the funds available. Open Space Commissioner Kovich stated the economy has worked in the City's favor and the City would be able to acquire these properties with the remaining funds. City Planner Bednarz stated the adjacent property owner would rather sell the larger portion of the property they are offering and easement for the access so that they would still be able to continue farming the section along the access. Open Space Commissioner Kovich stated the Commission would bring a proposal for this property to the Council when there is an agreement reached. Councilmember Trade stated having access to an open space is key for residents to be able to utilize it. She stated she would like to see additional funds available for purchases in the urban area. Mayor Gamache stated this open space property would give the City approximately 40 -acres that would potentially be located in the middle of a future development. This would provide a section of land the City could preserve for the residents forever as open space. Councilmember Trade stated she would like to see the City pursue the Selmer property instead of the Aasness property at this time. She asked if a road could be put in the larger section of property offered by the adjacent property owner. This would provide a shorter distance for residents to walk to access the Selmer open space property. City Planner Bednarz stated the County will allow access off Hanson Boulevard but the City will need to determine what property the adjacent property owner is willing to offer the City. The City would need to evaluate the other area of the property to determine the feasibility of a road in that location. A road in this location could not be paid for with Open Space referendum funds. Mayor Gamache suggested the Open Space Commission continue working on this property. Councilmember Trade stated she would support pursuing the Selmer property if access can be included but she would not support the purchase of the Aasness property at this time. City Planner Bednarz stated this acquisition would come close to utilizing the remaining funds in the Open Space fund. The Open Space Commission would need authorization to continue talking with the property owners and to discuss potential prices. Councilmember Trade stated she is supportive contingent of access. She suggested the © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 4 Commission start with the access property and work towards the Selmer property. Access for the Selmer property can not be assumed to happen in the future so the City should take steps at this time to obtain access. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct the Open Space Commission to continue working with Mr. Selmer for property that can be used as open space for the residents of Andover and to pursue access with the adjacent property owner. Councilmember Knight asked if the City should consider running a new bond referendum for additional open space purchases. Councilmember Howard suggested the City allow residents to experience those properties that are already in place prior to requesting a new referendum. Mayor Gamache stated the current bond expires in 2022. This will allow residents time to experience and appreciate the open space. MUNICIPAL WATER SYSTEM UPDATEIRATE STRUCTURE City Engineer Berkowitz stated the current rate structure is a 7 -tier system. As part of the Capital Improvement Planning process staff is recommending evaluating a 4 -tier system. Benefits to this would include simplifying the billing process, which would reduce billing costs and have high end users pay a rate that is more in line with their use. The DNR recommends a 4 -tier structure to promote water conservation. Councilmember Bukkila asked what would be considered a high end user. City Engineer Berkowitz stated usage over 100,000 gallons in a residential area. The high end users are the ones that also dictate the City's water system design. The intent of this program is not to impact the average users. Staff would like to run an analysis on a 4 -tier system versus the current 7 -tier system to determine if it would be beneficial for the City. City Administrator Dickinson stated the City would expect to collect the same amount of money but the high end users would be paying a greater portion than those that use less. Councilmember Knight asked how many residents would be affected. City Administrator Dickinson stated approximately 10% to 15% of rate payers would be considered high end users. Councilmember Howard stated he would be interested in how much the change would impact residents. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 5 Councilmember Trade asked if low volume users would be paying less with a 4 -tier system. City Administrator Dickinson stated this may be possible and it would be something that would be determined in the study. City Engineer Berkowitz stated staff would bring the results of the study to the Council. Any fee changes would not go into effect until the approval of the fee schedule in December. It was the consensus of the Council to direct staff to conduct an analysis on a 4 -tier rate system. DISCUSS PROPOSED ASSESSMENTIII- 471174THAVENUE NWIHEATHER STREET NW 1173RD LANE NW City Engineer Berkowitz stated the City Council is requested to discuss the proposed assessment rate for the potential reconstruction of 174th Avenue NW, Heather Street NW, and 173`d Lane NW. The City Council received and accepted a petition from the property owners to pave the existing gravel roads in this neighborhood. Staff has been working on a preliminary feasibility if report to provide information to the residents. In evaluating the project and estimated assessment for this project there is a potential to use reclaimed material from 2012 street reconstruction projects. This would lower the cost of each assessment by about $600 per lot. With this reduction the estimated assessment rate per lot would be $8,700. The City Council is asked to discuss if they would like to participate in a 50% cost share. Councilmember Bukkila stated the current assessment policy states that a neighborhood petition needs to be signed by all the property owners abutting the existing gravel road. This petition was signed by eleven (11) of the sixteen (16) properties. She stated she would like to know more information on the properties that did not sign the petition, such as if they are bank owned or rental properties. Councilmember Trade stated the assessment policy also states the City Council could propose the improvements. Councilmember Howard asked why the property at 17303 is not included in the assessment. City Engineer Berkowitz stated this property does not have an address on 173`d Lane and based on current policy is not part of the project area. He also explained there are no ditches in the neighborhood for drainage so concrete curb and gutter would need to be installed. This would be less expensive than having ditches installed. Currently the water drains into some of the front yards and it does create a problem for the property located at 3054 174d` Avenue. He clarified © one of the eleven (11) signatures on the petition does not count because they are not part of the project area. He stated the Council could direct staff that they are willing to contribute 50% of the project costs but the project may not be approved. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 6 Councilmember Trude stated at this time the neighborhood is looking for more information from the City such as an estimated assessment and if the City is willing to contribute 50% to the project. City Engineer Berkowitz stated this was correct and this information would be provided at a neighborhood meeting. At that time the residents would be informed of the estimated assessment amount. He stated this may be too high of an assessment for this neighborhood at this time. Councilmember Trude stated she would support the City contributing 50% of the project costs and the use of the reclaimed materials from other reconstruction projects to lower the assessments. She stated she would also consider extending the length of the assessment payments if needed. City Engineer Berkowitz stated the City has not done an assessment payment schedule over 10 years. City Engineer Berkowitz stated he would not recommend this for the neighborhood meeting because the residents that will be assessed for the project improvements will want to know why © others at the meeting will not be assessed. Councilmember Bukkila stated the City needed to be consistent in applying the assessments for improvements to existing gravel roads. If the assessment policy states a petition needs to be signed by all property owners in the project area then that is what the Council should expect. City Engineer Berkowitz stated the reclaimed material from the other reconstruction projects is material that the City uses for other maintenance projects. City Administrator Dickinson stated it would be difficult to say if the City would recoup their costs for this project. He did not see a benefit to the entire community because this was a section of road driven just by the residents of this neighborhood. Councilmember Trude stated a paved road may increase the value of the homes in this neighborhood and it may make it easier to sell those homes that are banked owned in this area as well. Councilmember Bukkila asked how many of the homes in this neighborhood are banked owned. City Engineer Berkowitz stated he is not sure at this time but would check into this. © Councilmember Bukkila asked if there is an alternative solution for the drainage problems on the one property rather than paving the entire road and installing curbs and gutters. City Engineer Berkowitz stated the previous owners had not complained to the City. Currently the City goes out and builds up the portion of the property that has water problems. He stated the City would not recommend putting in a drainage pipe to push this water to a catch basin. The © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —February 28, 2012 Page 7 sand from the gravel road would create problems. Mayor Gamache suggested staff schedule a neighborhood meeting and let the residents know the City would support a 50% cost share and the estimated assessment would be $8,700 per unit. Councilmember Bukkila stated she did not feel the level of support from the neighborhood was enough for the City to contribute 50% of the cost. She stated she would like additional information for those properties that did not support the petition before making a final decision. There are other streets in the City that need reconstruction and there is only a problem with one property at this time. City Administrator Dickinson stated in order for the Council to initiate the project there would need to be 4/5 vote in favor of the project. He recommended staff continue forward with a neighborhood meeting at this time. The Council concurred. DISCUSS SOUTH COON CREEK DRIVE NW RECONSTRUCTION /ll -10 6 City Engineer Berkowitz stated the public hearing for the South Coon Creek Drive reconstruction project would be on March 6h. There had been several concerns and complaints brought up to the City. One of the biggest complaints is the residents do not want the road widened. The design of the road was done to minimize impacts on the trees. The extra 2.5 -feet on each side will be used to create a pedestrian shoulder on both sides of the road. This will not be designated as a bike lane but rather a pedestrian shoulder. Councilmember Trude asked why the City was not constructing an off -road trail. City Engineer Berkowitz explained an off -road trail would have more impacts on the trees and neighborhood. The road width would need to be increased an additional 12 -feet on one side of the road rather than 2.5 -feet on both sides. With a trail on one side of the road the road would have stayed at 32 -feet wide and a trail would need to be 3 -feet off the road and the trail itself would be 8 -feet wide. The current proposal is to have the road widened to 37 -feet. This allows for the 12 -foot drive lanes that are currently there and a shoulder width of approximately 5 -feet. Mayor Gamache asked if the shoulder would be marked as a bike trail. City Engineer Berkowitz stated the shoulder would be a pedestrian shoulder and would not be marked as a bike trail. If it is marked as a bike trail then it is for bike use only. He also explained the City is paying 100% of the cost for the extra width of the street and then 75% of © the street reconstruction. City Administrator Dickinson stated the City would provide colored graphs for the public hearing outlining the City costs and the portion being assessed. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 8 City Engineer Berkowitz stated the City is using State Aid funds for this reconstruction project. Councilmember Trade stated if the shoulder is not designated as a bike trail then the City would not be able to include it on the regional trail maps and it could not be used for grant applications. The City's Transportation Plan includes a regional connection in this location. Councilmember Bukkila stated she would not be interested in looking at an off road trail. Councilmember Howard stated he is not interested in an off -road trail either. City Engineer Berkowitz stated the trail segment could be included on trail maps and this type of trail was the City's compromise between the residents wanting a trail but also wanting to minimize the impact on the neighborhood. Mayor Gamache asked if Mr. Posterick's concerns had been resolved. City Engineer Berkowitz explained the road in front of Mr. Posterick's property is very close and this creates a nonconforming lot for his property. The City explained to him that if he needed to © get a building permit for his property he would be able to do so within 180 days of the situation that creates the need, but he would not be able to expand the size of the structure. Councilmember Knight asked if the City had looked into the assessment for the small 1 -acre lot that is included in this project. City Engineer Berkowitz stated the City had sent extensive responses to the owner of this property. At this time he is considered a unit in the project area and is being assessed the same as other units in the project area. Councilmember Trade stated the City could look at amending its assessment policy for those properties that do not meet the minimum standard for lot size in the designated area. The City can consider assessing at the urban lot rate rather than the rural lot rate for this particular situation. Councilmember Bukkila stated she would like to know how many other properties in the community would be affected by the suggested policy change. The City will have to pick up the difference in cost between the rural assessment and what the other residents in the neighborhood are being assessed. Mayor Gamache stated he would be supportive of looking at the assessment rate for this particular property given the difference in size. Councilmember Trade asked if the City should contact this homeowner prior to the meeting to let him know the Council is looking at alternatives to the assessment for his property. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 9 City Engineer Berkowitz stated this is something that should be addressed at the public hearing. He stated the difference in assessments would be approximately $7,800 for a rural lot and $2,700 for an urban lot. Councilmember Bukkila stated the City should consider if there are other 1 -acre lots in the project area that will request similar adjustments to their assessment rate. Also there may be other similar situations in future road projects and the City may be setting precedence. City Administrator Dickinson suggested assessing this property as two (2) urban lots or approximately $5,400, because that is likely the number of lots that would be able to be created if platted. Councilmember Trude stated the current assessment policy does not allow the City to "wing it" with assessments. If the City is going to make an exception then it should be part of the assessment policy. City Administrator Dickinson suggested as an alternative the property owner can appeal the assessment. City Engineer Berkowitz pointed out the property had 165 -feet of frontage and there are other properties in the project area that have less frontage but more acreage. Councilmember Bukkila stated this property is twice the size of the standard urban lot. The Council recessed at 8:00 p.m. The Council reconvened at 8:07 p.m. Councilmember Bukkila suggested splitting the difference between the rural assessment and then adding the assessment for an urban property. Councilmember Trude suggested adding the urban and rural assessments and then splitting it. Mayor Gamache asked staff to prepare a breakout of different assessment options for the City to consider in regard to this particular property. City Engineer Berkowitz stated Johnson's Oakmount Terrace reconstruction project would also be considered at the March 6`h Council meeting. He stated the residents in this project area were sent an e-mail notifying them of the meeting. Councilmember Bukkila stated there had been an article in regard to the City of Ramsey. The City does not have money for their portion of the repair costs and they are looking at potentially doing a franchise fee of about $25 per month for 30 -years on top of an assessment for residents. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 10 Councilmember Trude asked if the City should consider having a Community Service Officer at the March 6`I' Council meeting. Councilmember Bukkila and City Administrator Dickinson indicated they didn't think that would be necessary. DISCUSS POTENTIAL TRAILS ALONG COUNTY ROADS City Engineer Berkowitz stated at the January workshop the Council suggested looking into the possibility of designing, bidding and constructing trail segments on the north side of 161" Avenue from Crane Street to Wintergreen Street and along the south side of Andover Boulevard from Bluebird Street to Vale Street as part of the Anoka County's 2012 overlay program. The County is advertising their project at the beginning of March, which would not allow us enough time to prepare plans and specifications. They also suggested that the City would not get good pricing because the County project is mostly paving and not dirt work which would be required for the trail construction. Due to workload at this time the project design would be consulted out which typically is done in -house and not charged to the Trail Fund. The Andover Boulevard IN project has great potential and reviewing this site it appears that the trail could be placed just south of the power poles. The 161St Avenue section is much more challenging due to the DNR wetlands. Staff recommends that these projects be included in the City's 2013 -2017 Capital Improvement Plan and if the project is feasible staff would be able to provide proper evaluation and design. Councilmember Trude asked if the trail could be constructed on the south side of 161St Avenue because the north side is not feasible with the wetlands. City Engineer Berkowitz stated there are wetlands along the south side as well and it would be difficult to construct a trail there. Councilmember Knight asked if it would be possible to construct a boardwalk. City Administrator Dickinson stated it would be very expensive to construct a boardwalk over the wetlands, but possible. City Engineer Berkowitz stated the trail segment along Andover Boulevard would be feasible but it may be more costly if the City attempts to lump this in with the County's overlay project. He recommended the City include this item in the 2013 -2017 CIP and the City can look at the trail segment in the future. j Mayor Gamache stated the Andover Boulevard trail segment is important and is included in the City's Transportation Plan. Councilmember Howard asked if the City could look at stock piling supplies, such as class 5, for this project and get the base ready and put the paving into the CIP. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 11 City Engineer Berkowitz stated staging the project would be feasible but there would be concerns about erosion with a gravel trail. Once there is material in place and the trail is prepared the City should move forward and have it paved. It would be possible for the City to store excess material from other projects to be used in a trail project. Councilmember Bukkila stated she would prefer to put the trail project into the CIP and look at it in the future since it will not be feasible to include with the County's overlay project at this time. Mayor Gamache stated he would prefer to see the City work on the Andover Boulevard trail segment. Councilmember Trude asked if the City would be looking at changing the trail stop signs to the new 18 -inch size or if they would be removing them. City Engineer Berkowitz explained all the trails have stop signs at street intersections. At this time the signs are 12- inches but this is no longer the acceptable size per the WTCD manual and in order to remain compliant the City would have to either change them to an 18 -inch size or remove them. Staff is recommending the stop signs be removed but during previous discussions the Council had indicated they would like to keep the signs. Councilmember Bukkila suggested the 12 -inch signs be taken down and not replace them. City Administrator Dickinson stated staff would recommend removing the signs at the crosswalks and installing the larger signs in areas where there is not a crosswalk. Councilmember Trude stated there are places in the City where a trail crosses a City street some distance before an intersection, for example along Bunker Lake Boulevard. She suggested trails have stop signs at this type of location. Councilmember Trude stated there are areas where having a stop sign along the trail would make sense but she does not believe the City should have trail stop signs at every driveway and intersection. She suggested the Council discuss this again at another workshop. Mayor Gamache suggested the City remove the trail stop signs in location where there is a crosswalk and add the larger 18 -inch trail stop sign. Councilmember Bukkila stated the City would not be able to sign for every scenario and it cannot prevent people with poor driving habits from encroaching into the trail crossing at intersections. © Councilmember Trude stated bikers are supposed to stop before crossing streets and they do not always do this. She clarified staff would not be changing the signs until the Council can review them further. City Engineer Berkowitz stated the signs would cost approximately $33.50 for the raw materials. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 12 DISCUSS REDISTRICTING AND CITY PRECINCTS City Administrator Dickinson stated the deadline for the City to complete setting the voting precincts is April 3rd. Staff will have a resolution for the Council to consider at the March 20, 2012 Council meeting. He outlined the proposed precincts and voting locations in each precinct. The precincts were designed to run along the major County roads. Councilmember Trude stated Meadow Creek Church would be a better location for voting because of the access and parking. She clarified that all the voting locations should have access, adequate parking and ability to handle large groups of people so voters are not discouraged from voting. City Administrator Dickinson stated each precinct has a primary location and a secondary location identified that meets the standards. He stated the Community Center would be able to accommodate two (2) precincts with no problems. There will be staff available to meet people at the entrances to direct them to the correct voting locations along with signage. He also pointed out Precinct 1 and Precinct 6 will need to be sure they give voters the correct ballots since two school districts are included in the precincts. Councilmember Bukkila stated she would like to see the boundary for Precinct 3 follow Crosstown Boulevard down rather than include the small neighborhood section. This will eliminate problems the City currently has with neighborhoods being divided. Councilmember Trude requested staff review the voting locations so ensure there is adequate parking close to the facility. The schools do not have parking close to the doors for those residents that are not able to walk long distances. City Administrator Dickinson stated staff is reviewing the voting locations because these will need to be in place for 10 years. He also stated that the precincts will be impacting what areas are represented by County Commissioners and the school district boundaries. It was the consensus of the Council to have the boundary line for Precinct 3 to run south on Crosstown Boulevard. DISCUSS 2013 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES City Administrator Dickinson stated City Administration is starting to focus on the 2013 Annual Operating Budget Development process and is looking to the City Council to establish the Q Council's guidelines for the preparation of the 2013 Annual Operating Budget. He provided some suggestions for the Council to consider including continuing with the current procurement and financial plan to appropriately expend the bond proceeds generated from the successful 2006 Open Space Referendum, a fiscal goal that works toward establishing a General Fund balance for working capital at no less than 45% of planned 2013 General Fund expenditures, and a Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —February 28, 2012 Page 13 commitment to limit the 2012 debt levy to no more than 20% of the gross tax levy and a commitment to a detailed city debt analysis to take advantage of alternative financing. Councilmember Bukkila suggested looking at the City's tax rate for 2013. City Administrator Dickinson stated this is something staff could look into and bring information back to the Council to review. He stated staffing would be one area that should be looked at because there are needs in the Public Works Department. Councilmember Trude asked what the housing market is expected to be. City Administrator Dickinson stated housing development is looking good for Andover. There are three developers that are likely moving forward with the next phase of development. He also stated that the City will decertify one TIF District this year. Councilmember Knight suggested staff look into what surrounding communities would be doing. He also thanked staff for their hard work. Councilmember Bukkila requested staff prepare another forecast for the Council to review showing the impacts of the TIF District being decertified. PRE AUDIT YEAR END 2011 GENERAL FUND BUDGET REPORT City Administrator Dickinson stated the City Administration directives and departmental expectations for 2011 would carry forward to 2012. He reviewed the Pre -Audit Year End 2011 General Fund Budget Progress report. Councilmember Trude stated she would like to see funding for staff training increased. City Administrator Dickinson stated the technical areas and Planning Commission were areas that needed training. Councilmember Howard stated staff should have a list of maintenance projects that need to be completed and look at potentially putting these items together for a larger project that could be bid. City Administrator Dickinson stated the City has done larger projects that are bid out but if there are immediate needs then the City will not bid it out and do the necessary maintenance. Councilmember Howard asked if Target would be doing improvements this year. City Administrator Dickinson stated Target has not yet been approved for a building permit. The City had discussed with Target what they would need to do to comply with the covenants that are in place for this area. The covenants will be in place for 30 years and all development and improvements would need to comply with these. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 14 Councilmember Knight asked if these covenants would be a problem for other developments in this area. City Administrator Dickinson stated the covenants that apply to Target do not apply to some other potential developments in other areas. JANUARY 2012 GENERAL FUND BUDGET PROGRESS REPORT City Administrator Dickinson reviewed the General Fund Expenditure Budget Summary for 2012 through January including total revenues and total expenditures. He noted all items appear to be in line. JANUARY 2012 INVESTMENTS REPORT City Administrator Dickinson reviewed the Investment Maturities Summary for January 2012 and the most recent Standard & Poor's Bond rating that references the deemed importance of reviewing investments monthly. He explained the only thing the City was being penalized for was paying down debt aggressively. He stated Andover's economic indicators are favorable. Councilmember Trude stated the report should be included in the next newsletter and put on the website. Councilmember Knight suggested City Administrator Dickinson write an article for the newsletter in regard to the report. He asked where the City was in regard to cooperating with neighboring communities. City Administrator Dickinson stated there would be an article in the newsletter and the report would be on the City's website. He stated one of the negative things that have come from communities trying to work together is that some communities have put off purchasing equipment because there is an expectation that other communities will purchase the equipment. He stated this is making cooperation difficult between cities for equipment sharing. The sharing of IT items is the number one demand that cities are seeing. As far as the schools district goes the City is expecting to see some things happen in the future relative to cooperation. City Administrator Dickinson stated the City has been monitoring the banks and at this time there are two (2) local banks, First Regents Bank and Village Bank, on the list of the top five (5) riskiest banks. The City has been working to reduce the city impacts at First Regents Bank and © Village Bank holds the letter of credit for Woodland Development's Woodland Crossings. The City is working with Woodland Development in regard to other options so they would not be required to be double leveraged for some improvements but still protect the City. City staff would like to try a pilot program this year where the City would not collect all the water and sewer charges upfront but rather collect it at the building counter when there is a building permit Andover City Council Workshop Meeting c' Minutes — February 28, 2012 Page 15 applied for. OTHER TOPICS (Metro Cities Board) City Administrator Dickinson stated Councilmember Knight is interested in applying to the Metro Cities Board. He asked all the Councilmembers to sign a letter of recommendation. (Yellow Ribbon Program) City Administrator Dickinson stated there would be a neighborhood community meeting in regard to the Yellow Ribbon Program. Staff will bring information back to the Council. (Board of Review) City Administrator Dickinson noted Councilmember Trude's training certificate had expired and since no one had recently attended training classes the Council needed to appoint him to the Board of Review to meet State requirements. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Councilmember Bukkila, Seconded by Councilmember Knight, to Adjourn the February 28, 2012 City Council Workshop. The motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:39 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Tina Borg, Recording Secretary r�l