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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWK - November 24, 2020D� 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W. • ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304 • (763) 755-5100 FAX (763) 755-8923 • WWW.ANDOVERMN.GOV City Council Workshop Tuesday, November 24, 2020 Senior Center 1. Call to Order — 6:00 p.m. 2. Density/Concept Discussion - Planning 3. Land Development Requirements Discussion — Planning 4. Discuss Draft 2021 Park Dedication Study - Engineering 5. Discuss Veterans Memorial Boulevard NW —Engineering QA. Pedestrian Crossing Discussion at Nightingale Street NW B. Digital Speed Limit Sign Request 6. Discuss Street Lights Along Crosstown Boulevard NW -Engineering 7. 2021 Budget Development Progress / 2021 Proposed Property Tax Levy Review — Administration Closed Session 8. City Administrator Performance Appraisal 9. Adjournment All members of the Andover City Council will participate in the November 24, 2020 Special City Council meeting by telephone or video conference rather than by being personally present at the City Council's regular meeting place at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, MN 55304. City Staff will be present at City Hall for the meeting. Members of the public can physically attend, although there is very limited seating in the Andover Senior Center as appropriate social distancing will be done by the City Staff and © visitors. 0 ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING — NOVEMBER 24, 2020 MINUTES The Workshop Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Julie Trade, November 24, 2020 at 6:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall Senior Center, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present remotely: Sheri Bukkila, Valerie Holthus, Jamie Barthel, and Ted Butler Councilmember absent: None Also present: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson City Engineer/Public Works Director, David Berkowitz Assistant City Engineer, Todd Haas Community Development Director, Joe Janish Others © APPROVAL OFAGENDA The Council agreed with the request of Mr. Dickinson to add Item 7a. Mike Knight Room Naming to the agenda. DENSITY/CONCEPT DISCUSSION Mr. Janish stated the Council is asked to discuss density at the northeast corner of 7'h Avenue and Bunker Lake Boulevard. Participating remotely, he introduced Della Kolpin and Kyle Didier, Partners at NextNest, LLC and Blaine Waters with Quest Development who stated he is the master developer of the Sonsteby property. Mr. Waters explained that Ms. Kolpin and Mr. Didier are prospective builders of a multi -family building on the north parcel. Mr. Waters stated they would like feedback and find out the City's vision in reaching the Met Council's density goals on these parcels. Mr. Didier gave background information on NextNest, LLC and stated their goal is to address the need for quality market rate multi -family housing. Ms. Kolpin displayed the site plan for the northeast corner of the intersection of Bunker Lake Boulevard and 71h Avenue. She said the site is 14 acres, 6 being commercial and 8 being residential. She stated they are proposing a three-story, 115-unit apartment building on 3.75 acres with below grade parking. She said the density for the apartment building will be 30 units per acre. Ms. Kolpin stated 44 row townhomes are planned. She said when you look at the overall plan, the density is in the 12-20 units per acre range. Mayor Trade asked for a description of the row townhomes. Mr. Waters replied they will all have © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — November 24, 2020 Page 2 their own entrances and would be constructed by a national builder. He said more specific information will be presented at later time. Mayor Trude stated it was smart of the builder to think about orientation to the sun and wind when laying out the site plan. Councilmember Barthel asked if the row townhomes sell well if they are next to an apartment building and asked how large the apartment units will be. Mr. Waters replied the row townhomes will sell quickly. He stated the row townhomes are a big picture concept and he would like to focus on the apartment building as the builders for that product are present now. Ms. Kolpin stated the 115 units will consist of studio, one bedroom, one bedroom with den, and two bedroom units. She said amenities will include a fitness center, lobby with coffee bar, a business center, storage, and will be a pet -friendly building. Councilmember Holthus asked about traffic and access to Bunker Lake Boulevard and 7a` Avenue. Mr. Waters explained the access points and stated the proposed points are conceptual and will need to be approved by Anoka County and have the support of City staff and Council. Councilmember Bukkila commented she expected the apartment building to front Bunker Lake © Boulevard and does not think it is ideal that the row townhomes border Bunker Lake Boulevard. She said she felt the commercial zone would conflict with the residential area. Mr. Waters replied this is a high-level concept plan and can easily be changed. He stated he would like to focus on how the Council feels about the density and variety of product. Councilmember Bukkila asked to review the proposed density on the project. Ms. Kolpin replied the residential portion consists of 8 acres. The apartment building will sit on 3.75 acres with a density of 30 units per acre. She said the remaining acreage is for the row townhomes which will be 10 units per acre. Ms. Kolpin state the average density of the project is 19-20 units per acre. Mr. Janish stated if this area has a higher density, there is potential to have lower density on the south side of Bunker and other areas of the community. Councilmember Bukkila stated she would not consider compromising on increasing units per acre on this design to offset another parcel. Mr. Waters stated the site design is not set in stone and is one concept of many. He explained it is difficult to hit 12 units per acre without an apartment building. He stated they would like to focus on the interest of a three-story apartment building on the proposed site with the understanding this is the best possible way to get to the desired density. Councilmember Bukkila stated she is open to a three-story apartment building with underground © parking, but the concept falls below her expectations. She said she would like to see a better layout with safety placed first. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —November 24, 2020 Page 3 Ms. Kolpin asked Council if they are acceptable of the proposed mix of multi -family and row townhomes to reach the needed density. Councilmember Holthus replied she is okay with the density and would like to see the apartment building turned and moved to the south, so the parking lot is facing Bunker Lake Boulevard. She suggested moving the row townhomes to the north. Councilmember Holthus said she supports an apartment building and likes having market rate housing near the high school. Councilmember Butler stated he is comfortable with an apartment building and proposed density. He said he has a concern with the layout and would like to see it arranged better when they come back with a proposal. Councilmember Barthel stated he is not a fan of apartment buildings. He said the site plan is not laid out well and would like to see a better layout. Councilmember Barthel stated he would like to see the row townhomes owner occupied. He stated he is concerned the apartments will rent below market rate. Councilmember Barthel indicated he would like to see more row townhomes and fewer apartment units. Mayor Trude reminded Council the corner of Bunker Lake Boulevard and 7t' Avenue is designated © high density in the Comprehensive Plan. She stated the Council is receiving push back from neighborhoods around new developments building on smaller lots as a result of taking density away from the Bunker/Crosstown Drive redevelopment area. Mayor Trude stated the current density of this property is less than what was proposed 10 years ago. She asked the Council to be open-minded and realize that this is what is guided by the Comprehensive Plan as the Council agreed to after prolong discussions of how to shift density to keep the plan approved by the Met Council. Mr. Waters said every builder they have talked to about the townhomes has supported owner - occupied. Mr. Didier explained the apartment building is a market rate proposal with the goal of serving teachers, nurses, and firefighters making $50,000480,000 per year. Ms. Kolpin displayed photos of past projects to provide the Council a visualization of their product. She said when they come into a community, they do not have a set standard. She explained they look at the environment in the community and create an exterior architecture that fits its surroundings. Ms. Kolpin showed photos of examples of interior finishes. Mr. Didier stated he is part of a property management company with a focus on high quality maintenance and safety. He explained they do background checks, criminal and financial, to find the right renters for their buildings. © Mayor Trude asked if Mr. Didier was the builder and management company. He replied they are the developer, owner, and operator of the apartment building and they will work with a builder to construct it. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — November 24, 2020 Page 4 Mayor Trade stated that is a point to highlight to the public as the project moves forward. She said NextNest is in this for the long haul and has the desire to preserve their asset and investment in the community. Mr. Waters stated the developer has every motivation to build a quality product and maintain their investment. Mayor Trade commented that several Councilmembers toured a project in Coon Rapids, with four stories that had been proposed for this site and she feels this is a better product for the City of Andover. Mr. Didier stated many builders have moved away from building high quality housing to provide entertainment centers which cost a lot of money to live at. He said they strive to find a balance between amenities and quality housing to keep the rent structure attractive. He stated they target people making $50,000-$80,000 that are left out of the typical rental market. Mayor Trade asked Mr. Waters and staff if they have received appropriate direction from Council. Mr. Waters confirmed he had the information he needed. Mr. Janish stated staff will follow up with the developers and come up with a strategy to determine if the project can move forward. Mayor Trade asked if they would need to go through a Comprehensive Plan Amendment. Mr. © Janish replied the density is within the Comprehensive Plan requirements and an amendment is not necessary based on the site plan shown. Mayor Trade thanked the presenters for attending. LAND DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENTS DISCUSSION Mr. Janish stated staff is looking for direction on the current standard of 110-foot lot buildability requirement in the MUSA based on input from developers. Mr. Janish identified the City Code that requires the 110-foot lot depth. Mr. Janish gave the history on and reasons why the City Code was established. He presented surveys of neighboring communities and how they handle the buildable lot depth. He explained that other cities do not have the same standards as Andover. Mayor Trade referred to the Catchers Creek development in which there were trees buried in back yards. She said City Code required the developer to excavate back yards so they had buildable space. Mr. Janish stated he had heard of situations in Blaine where homeowners woke up to their backyard sloughing off several feet because of the soils. Mr. Berkowitz explained the issues the City was running into prior to establishing the 110-foot buildability requirement. He explained the depth includes the housing pad, driveways, utilities and 10 feet behind the house. He stated there were situations where the driveway and utilities would settle, and homeowners would come to the City and ask why they didn't require the developer to Qmake soil corrections. He said staff ran into situations where people would want to build a deck off the back of their house and found out there was a pond easement that went directly up to the housing structure. He explained staff would bring variances and encroachments to the Council on a © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — November 24, 2020 Page 5 regular basis to allow for the building of a deck. He stated extending the buildability footage to 110 feet eliminated the need for that. Mr. Berkowitz showed properties with retaining walls settling into a pond and a property where the deck footings are sloughing into a pond. He explained there cannot be an easement within the 110- foot area. He said it allowed a little bit of extra space in the backyard. Mr. Berkowitz gave an example where the developer ensured there were stable soils in the 110-foot requirement but then the developer excavated the sand further back than that and filled it with less desirable soil to a depth of 20 feet. Mr. Berkowitz stated the City required the developer to notify buyers that this occurred. Mr. Berkowitz stated staff feels it is a good practice to provide 110 feet of quality soil where structures can be built. Mayor Trude asked if City staff were getting pressure to change the depth. Mr. Berkowitz replied one developer has challenged and approached another developer who also questioned the buildability requirement stating most cities don't require it. Mr. Berkowitz stated the City required it to protect homeowners from problems when driveways and utilities settled. Mayor Trude stated she could see a need for an exception when villas are built because their HOA © would not allow them to build anything in the backyard. Mr. Berkowitz replied those exceptions have been made through the PUD process. He stated it is important to take the preliminary plat with a grading plan, along with the style of housing, to determine the appropriate lot depth. He said the worst -case scenario is to have a homeowner request to put a structure on a space they thought was buildable only to tell them it's not feasible. Mr. Berkowitz stated they don't run into this a lot, but they want to make sure they protect Andover residents. Mayor Trude asked why staff was bringing this up for discussion. Mr. Berkowitz replied it has been a standard for years that has recently been questioned by a few developers. He stated staff is asking Council if they want to stay with the 110-foot buildable lot depth with the understanding Council can adjust it through a PUD. Councilmember Butler stated Andover is doing well by their residents and asked why other cities are not adopting the same standard. Mr. Berkowitz replied he did not know why other cities don't have this standard. He stated the answer he received is that it is the homeowners' responsibility, and the cities do not want to get involved at all. Councilmember Butler asked how this is monitored and enforced. Mr. Berkowitz replied the developer is required to certify through their geo-technical engineer that it meets City standards. Councilmember Butler asked if homeowners have the ability for recourse if the soils were not corrected. Mr. Berkowitz stated that is a legal question and if he were to put his name on something, he would want to ensure it was correct. Councilmember Butler asked if the City was © providing value to the homeowners by having this ordinance. Mr. Berkowitz said the City is absolutely providing value because they are ensuring space to build structures. ® Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —November 24, 2020 Page 6 Councilmember Bukkila asked how this relates to the rural area. Mr. Berkowitz replied it does not apply to the rural area because they have more land to move things around. Mr. Janish stated there are other locations on the larger lots to put things and you can avoid poor soils. Mayor Trade asked what the cost was of adding 10 feet when 85% of homes may not be benefiting from it. Mr. Berkowitz replied he does not know the exact cost and has not had challenges from developers until now. Mayor Trade replied most of Andover is sand and the soil is mostly stable in Andover. Mr. Berkowitz referred to a development where 100% of the soil was unsuitable. He said the less than desirable developable land in Andover is now being developed and if they change the rules now, there could be problems moving forward. Mayor Trade stated Council understands the Code better now and will support staff. Mr. Berkowitz again reminded the Council they have flexibility when PUDs come forward. Councilmember Holthus stated she does not think Council should change the ordinance because it solves problems before they happen. Councilmember Barthel stated the only change he would make is making the lot depth longer than 110 feet. © Councilmember Bukkila stated she would rather protect the homeowner's ability to place pools, patios and other structures in their back yard than do away with it. DISCUSS2021 PARK DEDICA TION STUD Y Mr. Haas stated the Park and Recreation Commission has worked on the 2021 Park Dedication Study and would like Council's input. Mr. Haas stated the addition of pickleball courts and the reduction of projected households has had an impact on the Park Dedication Fund. Mr. Haas stated the Park and Recreation Commission reviewed the study at their last meeting and recommended the Park Dedication Fee be set at $4,400 per lot and re-evaluate each park to see what future park improvements should be removed or reduced. Councilmember Butler stated it is a disappointment to have the reduction in proposed households and agrees $4,400 per lot is acceptable. He stated he would like to see the Park and Recreation Commission review improvements to all parks line by line to see where they can pull back on improvements. Mr. Haas reported the Park and Recreation Commission reduced a future 10-acre park to 5 acres. Mayor Trade replied that is surprising to her because with a 200-acre development, it is not difficult to set aside a few acres for a park. Councilmember Butler stated there is a false assumption that when the City is built out, the park system will be complete as well. He stated residents will continue to request park improvements and new amenities. He stated the Park Dedication Fee keeps the burden off the property taxes. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —November 24, 2020 Page 7 Councilmember Bukkila stated she is okay with the $4,400 per lot. She said she thinks the City needs to look long-term and take maintenance and replacement costs into account. She said if the City builds every park amenity they want, they are going to regret it in the long-term because it will take up a disproportionate amount of tax revenue needed for public safety and core infrastructure. She said it is important to find a balance and determine the financial impact of the improvements. Councilmember Butler asked the Park and Recreation Commission to review classifications of different types of improvements and identify the replacement cost and cycles to help prioritize items that can be removed. He recommended establishing a tier system. Mr. Haas stated the parks staff does that now with playground equipment. Mr. Dickinson stated they will consider ongoing maintenance and replacement costs. He stated tier 1 could be a passive park, tier 2 can be limited maintenance, and tier 3 could be structures that need to be built, maintained, and replaced. Councilmember Bukkila asked to take it a step further and that every time something is added to the park system, it is not added to the City budget. She gave the example that the City had a plan to replace two playgrounds per year, but they were only budgeting for one. She stated they are at a point where three playgrounds need to be replaced each year, but the budget only allows for two. © She stated the budget is not keeping up with the improvements needed. She said the budget needs to be correlated with park improvements and replacements. Mayor Trade stated she would like the Park and Recreation Commission to pare down the Park Master Plan. She said the nature center can be pulled off. She said they can focus on the park by the Community Center and stated that people love passive parks. Mr. Haas stated the Park and Recreation Commission is having a neighborhood information meeting for two parks at their next meeting. He reported there was little participation from the neighborhoods in returning surveys and providing suggestions. Councilmember Holthus asked how large of an area the City sent surveys to for the Hawk Ridge Park. He replied the Council adopted a policy to notify residents within 900 feet of a park. Councilmember Holthus replied 900 feet within the park in the rural area is not going to get a good number of residents. Mayor Trade asked Councilmembers to send suggestions for items to be removed to Mr. Haas by email. She said most people want to use the trails, passive parks, playgrounds at schools, and private recreational opportunities. Mayor Trade stated the Community Center meets a lot of the needs of the community. DISCUSS VETERANS MEMORIAL BOULEVARD NW A. Pedestrian Crossing Discussion at Nightingale Street NW © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — November 24, 2020 Page 8 Mr. Berkowitz reviewed past discussions on pedestrian crossings on Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Nightingale Street. He stated staff changed consultants during the process and have provided new recommendations. Mr. Berkowitz reported there are improvements the City can make now, or it can be reevaluated after traffic and pedestrian traffic returns to normal. Mayor Trade asked Mr. Berkowitz to review the grades the intersection received from the consultant. Mr. Berkowitz explained LOS means Level of Service and wherever the grade is an F, it is not a good place to cross. Mr. Berkowitz stated the City falls below the counts to justify the installation of a HAWK device. Mayor Trade stated it makes sense to do something to change the intersection from an F to a B. She said the study is based off of 2018 numbers and the consultant is telling the City the intersection is not a concern. Mayor Trade stated she has heard concerns from many about the safety of that intersection. Mr. Berkowitz replied it is a concern, but there are requirements the consultant follows, and it does not meet the standards for them to make that recommendation. Mayor Trade stated if they had more cars and pedestrians while they were doing their count, the intersection could meet it. Mayor Trade stated there are many people who cross at that location and more people would use it if it were safe. 40 Councilmember Butler stated when he door knocked in the area, it was a comment he heard often. He said people are taking extra vehicle trips instead of walking and crossing at the intersection. He said he is perplexed that it gets an F for crossing but does not meet standards to install a device to make it safer. He said he does not find that an acceptable answer. Mr. Berkowitz stated there are recommendations to improve the intersection including lighting, installing a median, improving pedestrian ramps, and convert Nightingale Street from a rural to an urban section which requires curb and gutter. He stated the final recommendation was to reevaluate the counts when pedestrian and vehicle counts are back to normal. Councilmember Butler asked if the City would stripe a crosswalk. Mr. Berkowitz replied the medians would be installed without a crosswalk as a crosswalk is not recommended. Mayor Trade referred to the Safe Routes to School report that identified a lack of safe crossing at the intersection and recommended a crosswalk. She stated the goal is to make the intersection safer and she would like to move ahead with the project. Councilmember Holthus stated the City should do something more significant than the bulleted options on the report. She stated she would support the HAWK system. Councilmember Holthus stated she has witnessed many kids trying to across the street and said the City needs to do something. Councilmember Barthel stated he is nervous about the HAWK system and a crossing at that location. He said there is an incline on Nightingale Street approaching Veterans Memorial Boulevard and it makes it difficult to see. Councilmember Barthel stated his opinion is to look at Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —November 24, 2020 Page 9 the intersection long-term, putting in a median, and reducing the speed. Mr. Berkowitz said the City conducted a speed study and the speed limit was set at 50 miles per hour. Mayor Trude replied the City did not separate out the speed study for the residential part of the road. Mr. Berkowitz replied the City conducted the study per MNDOT standards. Councilmember Bukkila stated she sees a phased approach where the City would begin with smaller steps of putting in a median and adding lighting. She said the City is not in a situation to budget for the HAWK system at this point. Mayor Trude replied the HAWK system is in the adopted budget. Mr. Dickinson stated there is a budget for pedestrian crossing in the Capital Improvement Program. Councilmember Bukkila stated having the HAWK system is a good thing to do but the funding for it can be used on other projects until the City gets the traffic volume back. Mayor Trude asked Mr. Dickinson to address the financial part of the intersection. Mr. Dickinson stated the item is in the Capital Improvement Plan and funding sources are identified. He stated they have not ordered the project yet. He stated he understands the disappointment that the intersection is not meeting engineering standards. Mr. Dickinson said if the City is going to go down the path of something that is not warranted, he would recommend they should make sure it provides additional protection. He said he would go as far as installing a controlled intersection. Mr. © Dickinson said a project could come forward to the Council for approval in early 2021. Councilmember Butler thought the City was going to receive the recommended location of the HAWK system and driver notification signs from the intersection study. He said his biggest concern is waiting for another study. Councilmember Butler expressed that he has heard from so many residents and feels it is a significant issue. He stated he would place a crosswalk at the intersection as a high priority. Mayor Trude replied she thought the study said the site lines were appropriate but there were not enough pedestrians crossing to warrant the device. She said she feels the City needs to respond to the concerned neighbors. Councilmember Bukkila stated she has heard from residents and she has explained where the City is at in the process. Mayor Trude stated it is in the proposed budget, which will be presented before the public next week. She said this project has been planned for years and is scheduled for 2021. Mr. Dickinson stated the Capital Improvement Plan has already been approved. He said the process is to complete the analysis and bring it to Council for approval to proceed forward. Councilmember Bukkila stated she would like to see the cost difference for intermediate proposals to get the City partway on a bigger project. Mr. Berkowitz stated the City would have to come up with a plan, either a HAWK or controlled intersection, and decide how to implement it incrementally. He said the City would not want to build something and throw it away in a couple years. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —November 24, 2020 Page 10 Councilmember Barthel said he is disappointed there aren't any warning signs. He said his concern is the speed of the road and he said there needs to be a controlled stop or a speed reduction. He said he is concerned about the safety at the intersection. Mayor Trude stated there are three Councilmembers in support of it now, however there will be a different Council next year and it may not have enough support. She stated she hopes it does not take a tragic accident to make the crosswalk happen. Mayor Trude said all of Andover's schools are on busy roads and the County and State do not serve Andover youth well. She said cars take precedence over pedestrians. Mayor Trude stated a lot of money is spent on roads and not enough on pedestrian safety. She said she has heard a lot about it, it is in the CIP, and the project should move forward. Mayor Trude recessed the City Council Workshop for a 10-minute break. B. Digital Speed Limit Sign Request Mr. Berkowitz stated Willy and Wendy Velarde submitted a petition at the November 4, 2020 Council Meeting requesting additional speed limit signs along Veterans Memorial Boulevard west of Nightingale Street. Mr. Berkowitz stated staff talked to the Velardes and met with Commander © Lenzmeier. Mr. Berkowitz reported Commander Lenzmeier stated speed was not an issue on that road. Mr. Berkowitz explained to the Velardes that the City does not install permanent digital signs and suggested the Velardes raise funds to purchase and maintain the sign. Mayor Trude asked how much the City spends on signs. Mr. Berkowitz replied the average sign is around $120 and the sign that is requested would be about $5,000. Mr. Berkowitz explained the information provided in the staff report and stated staff is looking for direction from Council. Mr. Berkowitz said staff does not recommend installing a sign, but if Council decided to install a sign, it should be wired rather than battery or solar powered. Mr. Berkowitz presented options for signs and the cost of each. Councilmember Barthel said the cost will be $10,000 because it needs to go on both sides of the road. He said the City will be setting a precedent and everyone will want one in their neighborhood. Councilmember Barthel said 30 miles per hour looks faster when you are standing still than when you are driving in a car. He said he would like to leave it up to law enforcement to enforce speed limits rather than the City adding more signs. Councilmember Holthus said the last time Council looked at the neighborhood, there were not many speed limit signs along Veterans Memorial Boulevard. She said a sign will work for a while and people will get used to it and return to their prior behavior. Councilmember Holthus stated there needs to be a consequence for driving too fast. She said since there are so few signs on © Veterans Memorial Boulevard, she recommends adding a standard sign and stepping up enforcement. © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —November 24, 2020 Page 11 Councilmember Butler said there are the flashing signs at the Community Center. He said the average vehicle is compliant, and there are a few outliers who go extremely fast. He stated the City can request additional enforcement and does not support putting up a permanent digital sign. Councilmember Bukkila said she is not in favor of the signs because it cannot be done across the City. She said speeding is a top complaint stated by residents. She said she would support a speed campaign to send a uniform message that the City has received complaints and will be stepping up enforcement. Mayor Trade suggested the City make a policy on where digital signs could be used. She said the most common speeding complaint is on long collector roads. Mayor Trade said a good way to deal with it is to collect license plate numbers and have the Sheriff's Crime Prevention Office send out a letter. Council reached consensus on not approving a digital speed limit sign. Mr. Berkowitz stated staff will take the comments and work with law enforcement. Mr. Berkowitz said regarding the flashing signs by the Community Center, there were concerns from the YMCA and Community Center staff with internal roadways in the parking lot area. He said the City © installed the digital signs as a reminder to slow down and it appears to be working. DISCUSS STREET LIGHTS ALONG CROSSTO WN BOULEVARD NW Mr. Berkowitz stated the Council directed staff to look at installing additional lights on the west side of Crosstown Boulevard from Nightingale Street to South Coon Creek Drive. He said the existing poles belong to Great River Energy and Connexus cannot install lights on their property. Mr. Berkowitz stated it was more feasible to add lighting from Nightingale Street to Andover Boulevard. Mr. Berkowitz suggested the Council set a dollar amount and staff will work within that to determine the project scope. He asked Council for direction. Mayor Trade suggested $50,000 and focusing it near the high school. Mr. Berkowitz said they can put the lights in strategic locations and add more lights at a later time. Mr. Berkowitz reviewed the lighting proposal and explained they can reduce the number of lights to lower the cost. He asked for Council to set a budget guideline. Councilmember Holthus stated she is concerned about lighting on the trail closer to Sunshine Park and skateboard area. Mayor Trade said it is a dark stretch of trail near the high school and it impacts people leaving school events at night. Councilmember Bukkila said it is terribly dark along that stretch. She said the southern portion would be a good starting point. She asked staff to come back with a radius of lighting with different Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —November 24, 2020 Page 12 wattages. She said she would like to keep working on the project and look at other options. Councilmember Butler stated he would like to keep working on it to establish a good plan instead of doing it half -way. He said he would focus on the section along Sunshine Park down to the high school. He said the darkest spots he has seen are along the high school area but there is not crossing at that location. Councilmember Barthel agreed that it is dark, and lighting is needed. He said it does not need to be as extensive as the proposal, but lighting is important. He said would like to know the lumens per light. Mayor Trude said it would be nice to have a light at each street or driveway access point. Mr. Berkowitz stated he will take the feedback and return with a proposal showing fewer lights and a smaller budget. 2021 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS1202I PROPOSED PROPERTY TAX LEVY REVIEW ® Mr. Dickinson stated the City was able to drop the proposed levy by $33,000 by evaluating debt service funds. He said the proposed tax rate declined by .58% and set the proposed gross levy at a 3% increase. Mr. Dickinson reported the Council's budget guidelines are being met. He stated there may be some funds for the Council to transfer out of the General Fund. Mayor Trude asked if Council raised taxes too much last year. Mr. Dickinson replied housing development was much higher than the City estimated last year. Mr. Dickinson stated he is not estimating 150 new homes for 2021. Mayor Trude asked if the City should reduce the tax levy this year. Mr. Dickinson replied the lot inventory is pretty low and everything going through right now is just a sketch plan. Mr. Dickinson stated he would not adjust the budget based on the current lot inventory situation. Mr. Dickinson updated the Council on new positions stating they are putting off the Assistant Community Center Director position until 2021 and will be moving forward with the other positions recommended. Mr. Dickinson updated the Council on the COLA increase and health insurance costs. Mr. Dickinson briefly reviewed the contractual departments, Council memberships and contributions, capital projects, and debt levy. Mayor Trude pointed out the Taxable Market Value is approaching $4 billion. She said the value in Andover is higher because of the higher value homes. She stated having a higher value housing community is not a bad thing. Mr. Dickinson replied if you get good housing that retains value, it does almost as good as commercial © Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes — November 24, 2020 Page 13 Mr. Dickinson reviewed the expenditure and revenue summary. He stated expenditures are over revenue, however he is optimistic development and smart spending can make up the difference. He stated property taxes are the biggest income stream and the biggest expenditures are public works and public safety. Mr. Dickinson said adjustments have been made to the budget for the final salary increases and health insurance. Mr. Dickinson asked Council if there was anything they would like him to focus on for the public hearing. Mayor Trude stated charts and graphs are easier to understand. She said it is always good to break down what the average homeowner pays and what they get for their money. Mr. Dickinson asked Council to let him know if there is something specific they want him to discuss at the public hearing . MIKE KNIGHT ROOMNAMING Mayor Trude said the Council has discussed doing something for Mike Knight when he retired and suggested naming the new mail floor meeting room with the large windows and patio access, as the Knight Room. Mayor Trude asked for Council feedback. Councilmember Holthus stated it is a great idea to name a room after him. She said Mike Knight Qhas supported the Community Center from day one. Councilmember Barthel stated he supports naming a room after him and suggested calling it the Mike Knight room instead of the Knight Room. Councilmember Holthus concurred. Councilmember Butler stated he is supporting the naming of the room and suggested the room be called the Mike Knight Community Room and he recommended a plaque explaining the significance of it. Councilmember Bukkila said she supports it as well and would like to see a plaque installed. She said he deserves some accolades for what he has done in the community. Councilmember Bukkila suggested additional naming of parts of the Community Center to tie it to the community. Mayor Trude stated the room will be called the Mike Knight Community Room and staff will look at installing a plaque. ADDITIONAL ITEMS Mayor Trude said she read online that there are going to be fees for library lockers. She stated she asked a County Commissioner if it was going to impact the lockers at the Community Center. She said she will report back when she receives an answer. 10 Mr. Dickinson said the City is looking at approving liquor licenses for next year. He said there is a proposal in some cities to reduce the liquor license by 50% because the bars and restaurants can only operate at 50%. He asked Council if they supported the reduction stating it would cost around Q Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes —November 24, 2020 Page 14 $20,000 in revenue. Council indicated support for reducing the fee by 50%. Councilmember Butler asked if the City could post restaurant takeout hours on the website. Mr. Dickinson said it is a work in progress and restaurants are trying to figure out their hours. CLOSED SESSION: CITYADMINISTRA TOR PERFORMANCEAPPRAISAL Mayor Trude recessed the meeting to a Closed Session for the City Administrator Performance Appraisal. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Barthel, Seconded by Butler, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Shari Kunza, Recording Secretary Timesaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. H l J