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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWK March 26, 1998 CITY of ANDOVER 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD NW. . ANDOVER. MINNESOTA 55304. (612) 755-5100 SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP - THURSDAY, MARCH 26,1998 Casual Attire Welcome Call to Order - 7:00 p.m. 1. Overview of Mission Statement 2. Council Meetings: · Streamlining Meetings · Use of CommitteeslWorkshops · Council Expectations of Staff (Presentations, Recommendations) · Council Roles · Questions/Comments Prior to Meetings · Decision Making · Well Defined Directivesl3-2 Votes 3. Development · Staging · Economic Development · Environment · Transportation · Safety · Public Spaces 4. Budl?:etinl?: Goals: · Budget by ObjectiveslPriorities · Staff/Council/Public Process · Limits and New Legislation Adiournment I c..&l..\.L'C.t: !lD w-i....t.Ch¡ , ! l.\ - Î-Cjg CITY of ANDOVER SPECIAL ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP - MARCH 26, 1998 MINUTES A Special Workshop of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Jack McKelvey on March 26, 1998, 7:28 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Mike KlÚght, Ken Orttel, John Kunza Councilmember absent: Bonnie Dehn Also present: City Building Official, Dave Almgren City Engineer, Scott Erickson Finance Director, Jean McGann Public Works Superintendent, Frank Stone Fire Chief, Dan Winkler City Clerk, Vicki Volk CommulÚty Development Director, Dave Carlberg City Administrator, Richard Fursman OVERVIEW OF MISSION STATEMENT Mr. Fursman noted the Mission Statement was established in 1995 with six themes. He suggested the Statement be updated and asked the Council to discuss Council meetings and development COUNCIL MEETINGS: - Mr. Fursman summarized an article ITom a magazine which discussed research on running effective Council meetings. One ofthe goals of the Council has always been that Council meetings would end at a decent hour. He took the ten habits of a highly effective Council and narrowed them to six areas that he felt were most pertinent for Andover. 1) Set clear rules and procedures for Council meetings. 2) Get a valid assessment of public concerns. 3) Allocate Council time and energy appropriately. -. . . . - .. ,I _. - Special Andover City Council Workshop Minutes - March 26, 1998 Page 2 (Council Meetings, Continued) The Council generally agreed with those three habits, noting some other cities have meetings prior to the scheduled meetings to discuss items, gather further information, etc., so they have all the facts prior to making their decision at the regular meeting. Those meetings are open to the public but they are not televised. That must be balanced, however, with the public's right to know what goes into the decision making process. Historically, Andover's Council has been very open to public input such that there is a public hearing on each issue. Mr. Fursman suggested a Councilmember may introduce a motion to bring an issue to a vote, but it is not necessary to support that motion at the vote. It was then agreed that over the next three months the Council will look at the characteristics of the issues that take up an excessive amount of time at the meetings. Then consideration can be givèn to discussing those issues at a meeting prior to the regular meetings. 4) Understand and demonstrate elements of teams and teamwork, Mr. Fursman felt the Council does - use the strengths of the individual Councilmembers on the various issues. 5) Establish and abide bya Council-Staff partnership. Councilmember Orttel noted the City is stìll evolving ITom a small City where the Council was much more hands-on than it is now. Many of the residents still assume the Council is micro-managing the City, and it is difficult to leave that role. It means the Council should be more results oriented, and it should have more faith in the Staff to use good business practices or government practices to accomplish the tasks on a day-to-day basis. For the most part, he sees the City functiolÚng that way, but it is still small enough that the Councilmembers are contacted directly by the residents. Mr. Fursman stated it means the criticat role of the Council is to define the needs to be met and the outcomes to be achieved. 6) Practice continuous personal learning and development as a leader, Mr. Fursman firmly belie~ed in exposing Councilmembers to traìlÚng sessions and workshops. The Council asked that the agenda for the League of Minnesota conferences be placed on the Agenda for discussion. Council expectations of Staff - Mr. Fursman stated in the future Staff will provide professional recommendations for the Council, and the Council wìll either support or reject those recommendations on each item. _. Questions/Comments prior to meetings - Mr. Fursman encouraged the Council to contact Staff prior to the meetings with any questions or comments on a particular agenda item. He will then provide his response to all of the Councilmembers so everyone has the benefit of having the same information. Councilmember Knight asked Staff to anticipate if there is going to be an issue and inform the Council so they are not ignorant when they receive calls ITom the residents. Mr. Carlberg stated he wìll sènd a copies of the PlanlÚng and Zoning Commission Agendas to the Councilmembers along with a paragraph explailÚng the item so the Council is aware offorthcoming items before they are put on a Council agenda. -- ------ ------.. -" ~- -.__..~~ . -, . ~. I[ - Special Andover City Council Workshop Minutes - March 26, 1998 Page 3 (Council Meetings, Continued) Well-defined directives/3-2 votes - Mr. Fursman stated it is uncomfortable for Staff when there are 3-2 or 4-1 votes on an issue. Staffis obligated to carry out the majority vote, but it is uncomfortable knowing someone was opposed to it. The Council generally agreed that Staff is obligated to carry out the wishes of the majority of the Council. They also pointed out the Council has never carried its disagreement on one issue over to other issues or to other meetings. It is healthy to have some disagreements. Very few things are either black and white; and once a policy is in place, there is always room for interpretation within reasonable limits. The Council should be doing the general things and not interfering with Staff on a day-to-day basis. The Council recessed at this time, 8:28; reconvened at 8:40 p.m. . DEVELOPMENT Mr. Fursman noted the suggested changes to the Mission Statement. That Statement was originally drafted more as a work plan. The proposed alternatives change the focus of the document ITam a work plan to more of a policy. The Council discussed development in the areas of residential, commercial/industrial, environmental, transportation, safety, and public spaces. The following adjectives were suggested: residential - plan, control, regulate commercial/industrial - aggressive, plan, promote, control environmental - regulate to protect, aggressive, promote protection, plan Transportation - internal infrastructure; county - aggressive; public transportation Councilmember Orttel suggested the overall goal should be to promote the plan that the Council adopts along with regulation. Transportation is perceived as one of the biggest problems in the City. He felt the City needs to react aggressively, but the problem cannot be resolved without working in conjunction with the county. The City needs to protect what is in place plus expand arterial passageways. Mr. Erickson stated as a result ofthe meeting with the county, the county has applied - for and received grants for road improvements. Mayor McKelvey stated he is encouraging the county to build Hanson Boulevard as four lanes from Bunker Lake Boulevard to Highway 242. Councilmember KlÚght also felt that Coon Creek Boulevard south of Bunker Lake Boulevard should be updated as it is the direct pipeline ITom the commercial area to Highway 10. Mr. Fursman asked how aggressively will the City pursue the construction ofMSA routes. The Council noted the issue ofMSA routes has always been a political problem. Councilmember KlÚght questioned how much value there is to an east-west route, as it is not as important as going north and south. Chief Winkel noted east-west routes are needed for public safety--the fire department, fire, police and ambulances. Councilmember Orttel felt the east-west county roads should be improved --...--.. ---. ~- ,-~,,-~ ,.. -~. ..- I Special Andover City Council Workshop Minutes - March 26, 1998 Page 4 - (Development, Continued) to get to Highway 65. He also noted there is no good area in which to build MSA roads in the· City now. He suggested the MSA funds be used to improve county roads, as that may be the only way to improve the major thoroughfares in the City. Use of Committees - Mr. Fursman stated at this time, the Council does not make effective use of the committees such as the Personnel Committee and Road Committee. After some discussion, the Council felt that the committees should be used to do research and to report back and make a recommendation to the Council. The committees should also be given specific directives. MISSION STATEMENT Trailways and pedestrian sidewalks - Mr. Fursman noted the proposed change in language in the Mission Statement regarding tails and walkways. The Council felt the residents generally do not want sidewalks but they do want trails and walkways. They felt those trails should be along the county or MSA roads. The residents also are more receptive to blacktop trails rather than cement sidewalks. It was also acknowledged that the trails will require a lot of maintenance. - P UDs - Mr. Fursman noted the proposed alternate language to this paragraph in the Mission Statement. He stated the City may not be getting all it should ITom the PUD developments. Mr. Carlberg noted the wetlands are protected by the WetIands Conservation Act. The City should be looking at getting higher land for open spaces in a PUD. He felt the City needs to start looking at the PUD plan differently. Councilmember Orttel felt that selÚor housing should be encouraged. Councilmember KIDght felt that sooner or later the City will have to deal with the low-income housing issue. Mayor McKelvey understood the City meets those livable standards goals and will continue to do so for a number of years. Councilmember Orttel understood those standards don't have to be met because there is no mass transit in Andover. Tree preservation - The Council and Staff discussed the problems and benefits of custom grading in the plats. Overall custom grading has been positive. Overall the Council agreed with the proposal to formulate the Mission Statement as a policy and 'with the proposed alternate language. BUDGETING GOALS _. Mr. Fursman stated he will try to get Council input on objectives and priorities as to when money is available, where it will be spent. By the time the budget gets to a public hearing, it appears to be a done deal without much public input. The budget will also be impacted by legislative action in the next two months. The Council noted when the economy is good as it is now, the public isn't really interested in the budget. Councilmember Orttel noted the county sets a percentage amount for the _. . ___..__ ._. .a. ., I Special Andover City Council Workshop Minutes - March 26, 1998 Page 5 (Budgeting Goals, Continued) increase in spending. Possibly the City could consider something similar. No specific direction was given on this issue. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, \~~C Marcella A. Peach Recording Secretary .. . ---~.-, ---- --- ---- ------ ---... --. -h. ~ . _>_. ~. ..