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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWK- June 23, 2009 LN T Y O F D0VE 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W. • ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304 (763) 755 -5100 FAX (763) 755 -8923 • WWW.CI.ANDOVER.MN.US City Council Workshop Tuesday, June 23, 2009 Conference Rooms A & B 1. Call to Order — 6:00 p.m. 2. Strategic Planning Session Follow Up 3. Discuss Pool Fence Requirements and Alternatives 4. Discuss Shed Encroachment (14771 Crane Street NW) 5. Discuss Roofing Inspection (1455 - 148 Lane NW) 6. Discuss Resident Storm Water Drainage Issues 7. Update on Implementing Single Family Rental Licensing Program 8. Discuss Kelsey Round Lake Park Mitigation Options 9. Speed Limit Signing in Rural Areas 10. Review Revised Lease Agreement for Athletic Associations 11.2010 -2014 Capital Improvement Plan Development Progress Report 12. 2010 Budget Discussion Progress Report 13. Other Discussion 14. Adjournment 4 ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP — JUNE 23, 2009 MINUTES The Andover City Council Workshop was called to order by Mayor Mike Gamache, June 23, 2009, 6:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Sheri Bukkila, Don Jacobson, Mike Knight Julie Trude Councilmember absent: None Also present: Director of Public Works /City Engineer, Dave Berkowitz City Administrator, Jim Dickinson Community Development Director /Will Neumeister Others STRATEGIC PLANNING SESSION FOLLOW UP Mr. Dickinson stated on April 25, 2009 a strategic planning session was held. At that session a tone for establishing a longer term vision beyond just setting annual goals and tasks was set. He is looking to the Council to set a longer term vision. Rusty Fifield, Northland Strategies, presented his observations from the strategic planning session. He grouped these observations into 3 groups: 1) A vision for Andover, to have qualities and characteristics that describe Andover. 2) High level goals, large items that need staff and Council attention. 3) A list of items that came out of the session discussion to keep in mind and to refer back to. Councilmember Jacobson asked where do we want the City to be in 10 years, what can we offer our community so people want to live in Andover. Mr. Fifield stated with the slow down in growth within the economy you need to focus on retaining the population you have now and bringing new residents to the community. Councilmember Trude feels Andover offers an abundance of regional parks and trails, both urban and rural areas, YMCA Community Center and volunteer run sports associations. Mr. Fifield stated these are items that you need to maintain to keep residents in Andover; this would be part of the vision. Growth and density for the City's future was discussed. Mayor Gamache indicated the City is not located on a highway where high density usually occurs. © Andover City Council Workshop Minutes —June 23, 2009 Page 2 Councilmember Trude stated in the last ten years the City has focused on cleaning the City up and creating a positive image. Councilmember Jacobson indicated in the near future the City will be faced with aging infrastructures. Sewer and water lines will need to be replaced. Roads are already being replaced. Mr. Fifield indicated as the City ages, the growth will decrease. The City can not count on growth to financially bail out the City. The City will have to concisely plan for the fiscal development of the community. Mr. Dickinson stated residential development has been focused on; the City needs to blend residential with the business community. Mr. Fifield asked what kind of businesses the City would like to attract to the community. Councilmember Trude stated it has been mostly retail businesses. Councilmember Knight indicated the request from the residents has been for more restaurants and service businesses. Mr.. Fifield suggested collaborating with other entities such as the YMCA, schools, Anoka County Sheriff's Office to share in the vision. Mr. Dickinson stated Council has information from tonight to create a sense of vision. The focal point should go beyond a year or two. Mr. Fifield made two suggestions, one drafting a vision statement and two, what are the big items to focus on and prioritize them. Councilmember Trude indicated Councilmember Jacobson and herself would be willing to put together a draft vision statement and bring it to the Council for editing. DISCUSS POOL FENCE REQUIREMENTS AND ALTERNATIVES Mr. Neumeister stated Mr. Torrey Kjelstad would like to explain his position in regard to having a pool cover on his pool in lieu of a fence. This item has been before - Council two other times. Councilmember Trude believed this issue had been decided at a meeting last fall. Mr. Dickinson pointed out in the minutes from the September 23, 2008 meeting "the Council felt a temporary fence would work until a final decision was made ". Mr. Neumeister stated Mr. Kjelstad has removed the temporary fence; he is in violation of the City Code and City Administration has requested this violation be turned over to the City Attorney. Council needs to make a final decision on this matter. © Andover City Council Workshop Minutes — June 23, 2009 Page 3 Mr. Kjelstad explained an incident that occurred with his granddaughter and the pool cover. Councilmember Trude indicated the City's job is to protect the general public and the resident is responsible for whoever is on their property. Councilmember Jacobson stated 99% of the metro communities require pool fences. Motion by Jacobson, Seconded by Bukkila, to not change the City Code regarding the pool fence requirements. Above ground pools were discussed. Councilmember Jacobson suggested putting an article in the City newsletter regarding pool fencing requirements. Motion carried 4 ayes, 1 nay ( Gamache) © Mayor Gamache thought that other options could continue to be explored. DISCUSS SHED ENCROACHMENT (14771 CRANE STREET N99 Mr. Neumeister indicated Cary Mihalow of 14771 Crane Street NW built a shed in a drainage and utility easement in the rear of his home. Mr. Mihalow is requesting a variance or amending the guidelines. Councilmember Jacobson stated Mr. Mihalow can request a vacation of easement or prove a hardship. He sees no hardship. Councilmember Jacobson suggested moving the shed the five feet which would move the shed out of the easement. Mr. Berkowitz explained the drainage and utility easements are standard practice for all lots. Mr. Mihalow indicated he misunderstood the guidelines regarding the building of a shed. He placed the shed in that area as to not waste space in his back yard. Councilmember Jacobson suggested having Mr. Berkowitz take a look at the property to determine if the shed would inhibit anything staying in the easement. Mr. Neumeister would prefer a vacation of easement over a variance. A vacation would require a survey. Mayor Gamache suggested changing the wording of the current handout. Mr. Dickinson indicated an encroachment agreement would be the least expensive solution, the Council concurred. Staff will bring an encroachment agreement to the next Council Meeting. Andover City Council Workshop Minutes —June 23, 2009 Page 4 DISCUSS ROOFING INSPECTION (1455 -148 LANE N99 Mr. Dickinson indicted Mary Rabideaux of 1455 -148 Lane is not in attendance. Information has been submitted to the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust regarding Ms. Rabideaux's concerns about her roof that had been replaced. Don Olson, Building Official explained a roof permit was pulled in 2006 by the homeowner. An inspection was not called in to be scheduled. When time permitted Mr. Olson went out to inspect the roof. He indicated the flashing was done and the roof vents were on. Due to liability issues the Building Inspectors do not get on the roof. Ice and water pictures were not submitted for 1455 -148' Lane NW. The requiring of ice and water pictures was discussed. No other action was taken. © Agenda item number 8 was moved up to item number 6. DISCUSS KELSEY RO UND LAKE PARK MITIGATION OPTIONS Mr. Berkowitz gave the history on the Kelsey Round Lake Park mitigation. In 2001 Andover Boulevard extension south of Andover High School was constructed. Part of that project was a wetland that was unavoidable, so the City had to mitigate. At that time the discussion was to take the mitigation to Kelsey Round Lake Park. In 2005 through a review done by Deric Deuschle, Biologist with SEH there was upland vegetation growing within the wetland, since then the water elevation has lowered. The Technical Evaluation Panel (TEP), which is part of the LRRWMO, indicated something needs to be done with the site since a wetland is not establishing. There are three options that are available. 1) Request an extension from the LRRWMO to establish the wetland. 2) Purchase wetland credit. 3) Excavate the mitigation site to try and establish the mitigation site. Mr. Deuschle indicated the water table is down. Asking for an extension for a couple years is really not enough time for that area to establish. It could be another five years of watching this area and hoping the water table comes back up, but it may not. Mr. Berkowitz stated the process for requesting an extension has been started. Mr. Deuschle explained the prices of the wetland credits. He noted the price is significantly lower ® Andover City Council Workshop Minutes — June 23, 2009 Page 5 than in previous years. Mr. Dickinson suggested purchasing wetland credit and holding them for investments and requesting the extension, so if in a few years the wetland does not establish the City could use the credits. Councilmember Trude asked where the money comes from. Mr. Dickinson stated the money comes from the State Aid Fund, which is the Road and Bridge Fund. The Council concurred with pursuing the extension and pursuing wetland credits to establish a City wetland bank for future use. DISCUSS RESIDENT STORM WATER DRAINAGE ISSUES Mr. Berkowitz indicated he is looking for direction on a couple storm water issues City Staff have been dealing with. The first issue is a resident whose backyard floods and in February asked for the City's help because his basement flooded. The resident has been dealing with this issue since he moved into the residence in 1999. Staff investigated and determined the grading plan is inconclusive on where the water is suppose to drain. The second issue is another resident whose basement flooded in February, where the City went out and pumped out the basement. The resident hired a surveyor and it was determined all the storm water drains into his property. These are two very extreme cases. Councilmember Jacobson stated issues like this should be addressed by the City when it occurs repeatedly. Mr. Dickinson indicated the dollar amount is substantial on these issues; even just participating in one could be $10,000. Mr. Berkowitz would like to see the City assist the homeowners with fixing the drainage issues. This item will be brought to Council for approval to use storm water utility funds to assist in these drainage issues. The Council recessed at 8:30 p.m. The Council reconvened at 8:35 p.m. UPDATE ON IMPLEMENTING SINGLE FAMILYRENTAL LICENSING PROGRAM Mr. Neumeister indicated he is looking for any changes to the newsletter article pertaining to the © Single Family Rental Licensing Program. Mayor Gamache made some changes to the article for the newsletter. The Council concurred with the changes. Councilmember Trude submitted a rewrite of Mr. Neumeister's letter that would go out to property Andover City Council Workshop Minutes —June 23, 2009 Page 6 owners. The Council supported Councilmember Trude's letter. SPEED LIMIT SIGNING INRURAL AREAS Mr. Berkowitz stated August 1, 2009 the speed limit change within rural residential areas goes into affect. At this time staff is working in zone 4 putting in the posts for the signs. Signs only need to be posted at the entrance of a development. The goal for this year is to get all of zone 4 updated with signs. Councilmember Trude would like the area around the school and parks posted this year. These areas have a number of children walking to these destinations and for safety reasons she would like these areas expedited with the speed limit change. Mr. Berkowitz indicated the change will take place in zones 3, 4, 5 and 6. To complete the project will take up to 5 years. There are 250 speed limit signs to install. Mr. Berkowitz explained the budget for sign materials. Mayor Gamache suggested moving zone 5 up in the schedule. Mr. Berkowitz indicated staff can work some of zone 5 and around the school areas in with zone 4 this year to accommodate the Councils requests. REVIEW REVISED LEASE AGREEMENT FOR A THLETIC ASSOCIA TIONS Mr. Dickinson indicated staff is recommending a revised lease agreement for the athletic associations who store their equipment in city owned buildings. The new issue is the damage deposit. Mr. Berkowitz stated staff would like feed back from Council regarding the dollar amount for the damage deposit. He explained the reason for the damage deposit. He indicated the building at Sunshine Park can be a mess, the carpet is in need of replacement and there are broken tables. Staff does not want the Andover Station North Building to end up the same way. Mr. Berkowitz explained if damage occurs the association will be billed for the cost of repairs if after notification the association fails to respond. If the association fails to pay for the damage the damage deposit provided by the association will be used to fix the issue. © The damage deposit amount was discussed. Councilmember Trude suggested letting the associations know how much will be spent on certain repairs. Mr. Berkowitz indicated that would be difficult since the cost is determined on a case by case basis. Andover City Council Workshop Minutes — June 23, 2009 Page 7 Mayor Gamache indicated some changes on the lease agreement relative to the partnership language and defining premises. Motion by Jacobson, Seconded by Trude, to approve a $500.00 damage deposit for Athletic Associations with discussed language changes to the lease agreement. Motion carried 4 ayes, 1 nay ( Gamache) Mr. Berkowitz stated the lease agreement will be brought to a future Council Meeting for formal approval. 2 010-2 014 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS REPORT Mr. Dickinson stated Staff would like to provide the Council with the "to -date draft" 2010 -2014 CIP Project listing and review with the Council the Road and Bridge Funding forecasts based on projected needs. One item to keep in mind is the Road and Bridge Tax Levy for 2009 and 2010. There is a significant decline in 2010. The formula for calculating the road and bridge money has to do with capturing growth and when there is negative growth the formula is indicating reduction. Mr. Berkowitz indicated Staff has identified in the Capital Improvement Plan out to 2014 what the needs are when it comes to crack fill, sealcoat and street reconstruction projects. In 2010 the crack fill and sealcoat projects will be done with what has been collected in the developer sealcoat fund. Mr. Berkowitz stated this program is going to have to drastically change for the short term. Staff will focus on basic items that need attention. Mr. Dickinson indicated other items on the CIP will be brought back individually by department and funding source to the Council for future discussion. The State Aid Fund was discussed relative to how the City secures the funds from the State. 2010 BUDGET DISCUSSION PROGRESS REPORT Mr. Dickinson went over the staff report. He needs to gauge the Council's appetite for a gross City Tax Levy increase. Councilmember Trude indicated when programs or services get cut or changed the Council should be informed. Mr. Dickinson indicated it is not easy to reduce budgets when most of the budgets are salary. In the Fund Balance Forecast Update we are holding a 38.6% fund balance. In 2008 the first unallotment by the State to the City was able to be absorbed in the 2008 budget, that amount was $196,150. The $200,000 that was set a side for 2008 was then carried over to the 2009 budget. The unallotment for 2009 is $350,938. The $200,000 is not enough to cover the 2009 unallotment. The 2010 unallotment will be $490,186. Andover City Council Workshop Minutes — June 23, 2009 Page 8 Councilmember Knight asked how the unallotment cuts are determined. Mr. Dickinson stated the unallotment is based on 3.31 percent of each City's levy plus aid for 2009, and 7.64 percent for 2010. Mr. Dickinson stated the Emergency Fund reserves will be held. The amount in reserves would provide for a natural disaster and emergency operational issues. Councilmember Jacobson questioned getting an insurance policy for a natural disaster that may occur. Mr. Dickinson indicated getting an insurance policy for a natural disaster is expensive and not recommended. All City structures are covered by insurance polices, the reserves are generally used to clean up right of way. Mr. Dickinson explained the 2009 budget and revenue shortfalls. Mr. Dickinson indicated the City did not take advantage of the 2009 levy limit exemptions. However, in 2010 we will propose to take advantage of the Public Safety exemption. Mr. Dickinson stated a proposal to the Council will be a wage freeze for Staff, no step increases and no cost of living increases for 2010. Based on revenue projections for 2009 it has become apparent that fee for service revenues are coming in well under projection. Mr. Dickinson indicated he is looking for authorization from the Council to execute a staff reduction plan in these areas. Also authorization to pursue all staff for some hour reductions and to negotiate some early retirement plans for those in their last two years of service. Mr. Dickinson explained the revenue shortfalls and how some of the shortfalls will be covered. The long term shortfall total is $239,385, which is what has to be dealt with in 2009 and will carry into 2010. The proposal for that amount is staffing reductions. The reduced hours for other staff will pay for the 2009 staff reduction plan. Mr. Dickinson indicated the tax levy would be going down due to debt falling off if the City just does an Implicit Price Deflator Levy. For one time only the City can recapture the unallotment of market value of homestead credit which includes 2008, 2009 and 2010. Councilmember Jacobson stated if the City decides to recapture all the loss of market value homestead credit, we are then looking at a tax increase of 12 %. Mr. Dickinson indicated that is correct. Gross levy tax increases was discussed. Mr. Dickinson stated lay offs will focus on positions tied to revenue streams or positions that can be back filled by other departments. Councilmember Jacobson asked how many staff members would be laid off. Mr. Dickinson indicated he is looking at 3.5 to 4 staff members, but that could change based on the hours reduction plan. Andover City Council Workshop Minutes —June 23, 2009 Page 9 Mr. Dickinson indicated a mandatory All Staff Meeting will take place on June 24"'. He will describe the analysis of what we have today. He has always told Staff he will keep them in the loop. He will be looking for suggestions on cutting costs such as staff members volunteering to cut their hours to 32 hours a week, closing City Hall at noon on Fridays, offering early retirement for those with two years of service left. These are ideas that will be presented at the staff meeting. He will also be asking for ideas from the Staff. The Personnel Policy requires a 60 day notice for lay off notifications. Councilmember Trude stated she would prefer hour reductions rather than layoffs. Council direction was to keep Council in the loop when Administration makes decisions, but thought Mr. Dickinson should use his best judgment. Mayor Gamache would like Mr. Dickinson to put together a break down showing the gross levy increase of taxes for 3 %, 4% and 5% based on market value of homes. Mr. Dickinson indicated we need to commit to maintenance programs or it will cost us more later. Mr. Dickinson will email the Council the household impact with various tax levy percentage increases. Motion by Knight, Seconded by Bukkila, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 10:40 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 1 0 Michelle Hartner, Recording Secretary