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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCC - December 1, 2015C I T Y o f ND OVEN • 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W. • ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304 • (763) 755 -5100 FAX (763) 755 -8923 • WWW.ANDOVERMN.GOV Regular City Council Meeting— Tuesday, December 1, 2015 Call to Order — 7:00 p.m. Pledge of Allegiance Resident Forum Agenda Approval 1. Approval of Minutes (11/17/15 Regular; 11/17/15 Closed) Consent Items 2. Approve Payment of Claims — Finance 3. Accept Feasibility Report/Order Public Hearing/16-2/2016 Street Reconstruction— Engineering 4. Approve 2016 Tobacco Licenses — Administration 5. Approve 2016 Liquor Licenses — Administration 6. Approve 2016 Used Vehicle Sales Business License — Administration 7. Approve 2016 Massage Therapist /Establishment License — Administration 8. Approve Funds Transfer - Trail & Transportation Capital Projects Fund - Finance 9. Declare Surplus Property - Finance 10. Approve 2015 City Administrator Review - Administration • Discussion Items 11. Public Hearing - 2016 Proposed Budget and Tax Levy — Administration 12. Review / Adopt 2016 Debt Service Levy Changes — Administration Staff Items 13. Schedule December EDA Meeting- Administration 14. Schedule January FDA Meeting— Administration 15. Schedule January HRA Meeting— Administration 16. Administrator's Report — Administration Mayor /Council Input Adjournment • -� t-ALMOVEN' REGULAR ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING — DECEMBER 1, 2015 MINUTES The Regular Bi- Monthly Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Julie Trude, December 1, 2015, 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Mike Knight, Sheri Bukkila, Valerie Holthus and James Goodrich Councilmember absent: None Also present: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson City Attorney, Scott Baumgartner Others PLEDGE OFALLEGIANCE RESIDENT FORUM Mr. Wes Volkenant, 1482 158' Lane NW thanked the Mayor for the opportunity to address the Council. He expressed his appreciation for the work that the Council has done throughout the year on the budget, as well as Mr. Dickinson. Mr. Volkenant wanted to remind the Council about the upcoming special election for Senate District 35 because of the resignation of Senator Branden Petersen. The primary is scheduled for January 12, 2016, and the election is scheduled for February 9, 2016. He indicated that he would personallybe running for the House District 35B seat next year, currently held by Peggy Scott. Mr. Jim Abeler of Anoka stated he is seeking election to the State Senate District 35B to fill the vacancy left by Senator Petersen's resignation. Having previously served 16 years in the Minnesota House of Representatives, he would look forward to serving the City of Andover as its senator. Mr. Abeler stressed the importance of the special election and wished the Council well on their budget deliberations. He also congratulated the Council on the good work being done in the City. AGENDA APPROVAL Staff submitted an additional agenda item 12a, resolution for Special Election Polling Location, as supplemental information. • Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Holthus, to approve the Agenda as amended above. Motion carried unanimously. • Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – December 1, 2015 —. Page 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES November 17, 2015, Regular Meeting: Correct as amended. Mayor Trude requested a correction on page five, line 38 to replace "a week" with "weak." to addition, she requested a correction in the motion on page seven, line 35, to replace "conservation easement to potentially cross no more than" with "conservation easement to potentially be located across no more than." Motion by Knight, Seconded by Goodrich, to approve the minutes as indicated above. Motion carried unanimously. November 17, 2015, Closed Meeting: Correct as written. Motion by Knight, Seconded by Bukkila, to approve the minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. CONSENT ITEMS • Item 2 Approve Payment of Claims Item 3 Accept Feasibility Report/Order Public Hearing/l6- 2/2016 Street Reconstruction (See Resolution R100 -15) Item 4 Approve 2016 Tobacco Licenses Item 5 Approve 2016 Liquor Licenses Item 6 Approve 2016 Used Vehicle Sales Business License Item 7 Approve 2016 Massage Therapist/Establishment License Item 8 Approve Funds Transfer – Trail & Transportation Capital Projects Fund Item 9 Declare Surplus Property Item 10 Approve 2015 City Administrator Review Mayor Trade noted that the City Administrator's Review included mostly above average and excellent comments. Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Knight, to approve the Consent Agenda as read. Motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC HEARING– 2016 PROPOSED BUDGET AND TAX LEVY Mr. Dickinson presented the 2016 Proposed Levy and Budget, including detailed review of the • General Fund Budget that is primarily supported by the proposed 2016 Tax Levy. Mr. Dickinson stated that a Preliminary 2016 Budget was adopted at the September 1, 2015 regular Council meeting with a total property tax levy of $11,593,925. $8,037,528 (69.33 %) operational Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes — December 1, 2015 Page 3— -. _— - -- levy, $2,100,413 (18.12 %) debt service levy, and $1,455,984 (12.56 %) capital/watershed levy. The 2016 proposed property tax levy provides additional tax revenue through growth identified in the City's tax base, a 4.04% increase in the gross tax levy. The Council mayreduce or keep constant the proposed levy until the final certification date ofDecember 28, 2015. Staff recommends adoption of the 2016 Proposed City Budget and Tax Levy as presented. Mayor Trude asked how many households are on public utilities. Mr. Dickinson stated about 60% of the city's homes are on sewer and water. Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Knight, to open the public hearing at 7:44 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Wes Volkenant of 1482 1586 Lane NW, expressed his appreciation for the efforts that Mr. Dickinson has made in preparing the budget and the resulting meeting presentation and encouraged the Council to stand with the City Administrator's recommendation and approve the budget and levy. He indicated that he was struck by some of the comments that Mr. Berkowitz has said in previous meetings about the city streets and upcoming projects. Mr. Volkenant noted that neighborhoods going south along Hanson Boulevard, which have been around about 20 years, will be facing road • projects coming up, with an anticipated life of 25 -30 years for roads. Mr. Volkenam believes that this will present a challenge for determining future capital budgets. He endorsed the budget as presented, saying that it is one the residents can be both proud of and is very acceptable to the public. Mayor Trade stated that the City has several thousand homes built in the late 1990s and early in the 2000s. The City was fortunate that it did not get some of the bad pavement that other cities did, like Woodbury, but in the Woodland Estates development some of the pavement has suffered. Mayor Trade expressed that the City is looking at new approaches for road repairs and has set aside funds for making those repairs with hopes to keep assessments low. The City is heavily subsidizing in some areas in order to lower individual bills where a resident has a lot of street for their home, for example in more rural areas. Mayor Trade reiterated that the City budget has grown very slow and that this year's growth in the budget is mostly attributed to parks maintenance, public safety and roads. No new programing is being added. Mayor Trade continued by stating she wished that more could be spent on trails. Mayor Trade said, "the Council wanted to be conscious about holding the line and not getting too far ahead of the public." She indicated that there seemed to be support for the budget due to the fact that there was not a big crowd at the meeting wanting to express their concerns and stated that the Council really wants to listen to the public. The resident survey guided the Council about what residents like and what they want preserved and there are thoughts about having a survey every other year for this reason. The Council accepts mails from residents and they are appreciated. Councilmembers acknowledged that they had not had any inquiries about the budget. It was also noted that there had not been any calls from residents to staffregarding property . tax statements. Motion by Holthus, Seconded by Knight, to close the public hearing at 7:50 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes —December], 2015 Page 4 - _ Mayor Trude noted that there were no questions presented byresidents in attendance at the meeting. In addition, it was confirmed that none of the Councilmembers had received any communications from residents regarding the budget. There were also no questions from the audience on taxes or the 2016 budget and no one indicated concern by the raising of their hand. Councilmenber Goodrich stated that the budget is one of the most important matters that the Council handles as well as expressing his appreciation for all ofthe work on the budget over the last months. He was a little disappointed that the Council was not able to keep the tax rate the same and that there was a small resulting tax rate increase out of the City's control, due to the fiscal disparities money coming in lower than expected, which then also reduced the amount of money to be transferred into trails. Councilmember Goodrich confirmed his belief in the City's sustainability philosophy to not overextend or go into debt and not adding new things that the City cannot afford to maintain. The emergency planning budget is in good order and this good work reflects in the bond rating, which gets the City better interest rates for borrowing. He thanked Mr. Dickinson and the staff for their hard work over the summer on the budget. Mr. Dickinson confirmed that the City's bond rating is AA +. Three grades are given out for financial management, good, fair and strong. The City has been elevated to a strong financial • management score. Councilmember Knight congratulated Mr. Dickinson on the management of the budget and stated that it was a job well done. Councilmember Holthus stated she felt that there were not many questions on the budget because it had been reviewed many times before the actual public hearing where it is presented. She also expressed her thanks to Mr. Dickinson and to the Finance Department. Mr. Dickinson acknowledged the Finance Department staff and department heads who assisted in the preparation of the City's 2016 budget and thanked Councilmembers for their positive comments. Councilmember Bukkila reiterated that the final budget is the culmination of work "week in and week out " She also noted that property valuations are showing positive signs of improvement and as the City takes in more taxes from growth it is able to expand its services. She expressed that the decisions that the Council makes on these matters affects not only the public, but the individual Councilmembers themselves, so they are mindful of these matters and how increases in taxes and valuations affect homeowners. Mayor Trude thanked the Councilmembers for their respectfulness during the budget deliberations and said that a City staff member had called this to her attention. She stated that even though there may not always be unanimity on all line items discussed, Councilmembers as a whole are all solidly behind those decisions each step along the way as the budget is built. Mayor Trude commented that the Council understands its representative role and respects the democracy that they are part of and expressed her pleasure working this last year with the • Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes — December 1, 2015 Pages -- Council and staff. Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Knight, to approve the 2016 Proposed Budget and Tax Levy. Mayor Tmde stated for the record that with no outstanding questions there is no need for a continuation hearing. The Council concurred. Motion carried unanimously. (See Resolution R101 -15) REVIEW /ADOPT 2016 DEBT SERVICE LEVY CHANGES Mr. Dickinson presented a resolution for updating Certified Bond Indebtedness for 2016. The Anoka County Property Records and Taxation Division annually requires such a resolution updating bonded indebtedness levies that would have been certified to Anoka County as part of prior year bond sales. Mr. Dickinson reviewed the information with the Council noting the City and County records are aligned. Staff recommends adoption of the resolution as presented. • Motion by Knight, Seconded by Goodrich, to approve Resolution No. R102 -15 adopting the City of Andover 2016 Budget and 2016 Property Tax Levy to be certified to the County Auditor. Motion carried unanimously. SPECIAL ELECTIONPOLLINGLOCATION Mr. Dickinson stated that state law requires that the City Council designate the polling locations by resolution for the Special Elections on January 12, 2016 and February 9, 2016. New polling locations for this special election for precincts 7 and 8 will be City Hall and the Senior Center, rather than the Community Center which has previous commitments to groups who have rented the facility. Mayor Trade stated that this resolution allows for a mailing to registered voters in those areas. Those residents turning age 18 by January 12, 2016 can register at the polls that day. She requested that information be available at the next Council meeting regarding absentee voting for the special election. Motion by Goodrich, Seconded by Knight, to approve Resolution No. R103 -15 establishing polling locations for precincts 7 and 8 for the 2016 Special Election. Motion carried unanimously. . SCHEDULE DECEMBER EDA MEETING Mr. Dickinson requested the Council schedule a December EDA Meeting to discuss topics as Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes —December 1, 2015 Page detailed in the staff report. The Council discussed the draft agenda and available dates. Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Knight, to schedule an EDA Meeting on December 15, 2015, at 6:00 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. SCHEDULE JANUARY EDA MEETING Mr. Dickinson requested the Council schedule a January EDA Meeting to discuss topics as detailed in the staff report. The Council discussed the draft agenda and available dates. Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Knight, to schedule an EDA Meeting on January 5, 2016, at 6:00 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. SCHEDULE JANUARY HRA MEETING • Mr. Dickinson requested the Council schedule a January HRA Meeting to discuss topics as detailed in the staff report. The Council discussed the draft agenda and available dates. Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Knight, to schedule an HRA Meeting on January 5, 2016, at 6:01 p.m. or immediately following the EDA Meeting. Motion carried unanimously. ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT City Staff updated the Council on the administration and city department activities, updates on development/CIP projects, and meeting reminders. Mayor Trade applauded staff for their fine work related to the Minnesota State Patrol surprise visit at the city maintenance garage and for the good report. MAYOR/COUNCIL INPUT (Kelsey Round Lake Master Plan) - Mayor Trude stated that she has been hearing some concerns about the Kelsey Round lake Master Plan. She inquired if a plan had been adopted at a recent Park . and Recreation Commission meeting and asked if it would be coming back to the Council, as there is some confusion about the process and some residents have concerns. Mr. Dickinson stated that it is not a final plan until the Council says it is the final plan. The Park and Recreation Commission is making their recommendations and staff will be looking at that plan to put together estimates on the Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes —December 1, 2015 options so that the Park and Recreation Commission and Council can make decisions based on dollar amounts attached to specific items. Mayor Trade stated that there are three concerns: 1) There is an isolated parking lot behind a couple of back yards that is not used for recreation, but is used for gathering; 2) As for trails people want to see loops, but they do not want trails within about 50 feet of a private residence. Mayor Trade stated that the Council wants to make sure that they have the details so that there is not something overlooked in the decision making process so that they can be aware of any privacy issues; 3) There are concerns that the Park and Recreation Commissioners were not all there at the information meeting, which made residents wonder how their concerns would be heard. As a result Mayor Trade requested assistance with accurate reporting back to the Council and that concerns and input by residents be quantified by indicating how many people were concerned about a particular topic or issue. She stated that the summary does not let the Council know how many people are impacted. She suggested that public comment sheets could potentially be utilized. Mayor Trade stated that it is important that everyone is heard and that is what is desired so that residents do not get tired of coming to meetings. Councilmember Knight stated that there have been comments about am campus plan here and . that comments were always welcomed. Councilmember Bukkila expressed that it is hard to measure an opinion Mayor Trade stated she had heard that a resident did not get to speak at the meeting because someone else had already talked about the same issue earlier in the meeting and that she wants those residents to feel heard. So the quantification is really wanting everyone to be heard and not being summarized as one viewpoint. Councilmember Bukkila stated the importance of remembering that this is a very long -term project and that a master plan is about what the City is doing in 20-30 years. There is currently no money for this project and there is still plenty of time for discussion as it is a visionary effort. Mr. Dickinson stated that the goal is to have something on this topic ready for the Council in January and that cost estimates are currently in the works. At the end of January there will likely be a joint meeting with the Park and Recreation Commission and the Council. (Newsletter) Mayor Trade confirmed that the city newsletter can be viewed on the City's website. (Commission Vacancies) Mayor Tmde indicated there are Commission vacancies and if • residents are interested they should call City Hall and connect with staff to find out more. The applications can be found on the city website and the deadline for applications is December 11, 2015. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes — December 1, 2015 (Name the Pond) Mayor Trade stated the name the pond contest is going on through the end of the year. Submitted names will be reviewed by the Economic Development Authority, this is the pond located in Andover Station by Target. (Nextdoor.com) Mayor Trude said that many neighborhoods are utilizing Nextdoor.com. Citizens provide their real name and address and the site can be used for crime alerts, but is also used to find babysitters or someone to mow the lawn in the neighborhood. Mayor Trade visited with the Mayor of New Hope who said it has been so successful that their staff is actually helping to start the neighborhood groups. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Holthus, Seconded by Goodrich, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Marlene White, Recording Secretary 0 Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes — December 1, 2015 Page 9 REGULAR ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES — DECEMBER 1, 2015 TABLE OF CONTENTS PLEDGEOF ALLEGIANCE .......................................................................... ............................... 1 RESIDENTFORUM ....................................................................................... ............................... 1 AGENDAAPPROVAL ................................................................................... ............................... 1 APPROVALOF MINUTES ............................................................................. ..............................2 CONSENTITEMS .......................................................................................... ............................... 2 Item 2 Approve Payment of Cl aims .......................................................... ............................... 2 Item 3 Accept Feasibility Report/Order Public Hearing/16- 2/2016 Street Reconstruction (R 100 -15) ............................................................................................. ............................... 2 Item 4 Approve 2016 Tobacco Licenses ................................................... ............................... 2 Item 5 Approve 2016 Liquor Licenses ...................................................... ............................... 2 Item 6 Approve 2016 Used Vehicle Sales Business License .................... ............................... 2 Item 7 Approve 2016 Massage Therapist/Establishment License ............ ............................... 2 Item 8 Approve Funds Transfer — Trail & Transportation Capital Projects Fund ................... 2 Item 9 Declare Surplus Property ............................................................... ............................... 2 Item 10 Approve 2015 City Administrator Review .................................... ............................... 2 PUBLIC HEARING — 2016 PROPOSED BUDGET AND TAX LEVY (R101- 15) ..................... 2 REVIEW /ADOPT 2016 DEBT SERVICE LEVY CHANGES ( 8102- 15) ..... ............................... 5 SPECIAL ELECTION POLLING LOCATION (R103 -15) ............................ ............................... 5 SCHEDULE DECEMBER EDA MEETING .................................................. ............................... 5 SCHEDULE JANUARY EDA MEETING ..................................................... ............................... 6 SCHEDULE JANUARY HRA MEETING ..................................................... ............................... 6 ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT ..................................................................... ............................... 6 MAYOR/COUNCIL INPUT ........................................................................... ............................... 6 (Kelsey Round Lake Master Plan) ............................................................... ............................... 6 ( Newsletter) .................................................................................................. ............................... 7 (Commission Vacancies) .............................................................................. ..............................7 (Name the Pond) .......................................................................................... ............................... 8 (Next door. com) ............................................................................................ ............................... 8 ADJOURNMENT............................................................................................ ............................... 8 9