Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutWK - June 29, 2010 0 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W. . ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304. (763) 755-5100 FAX (763) 755-8923 . WWW.CI.ANDOVER.MN.US ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING - JUNE 29,2010 MINUTES The Workshop Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Mike Gamache, June 29, 2010, 6:05 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: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson City Engineer, Todd Haas Parks and Recreation Commission Chair, Ted Butler RECEIVE PRESENTATION BY GREAT RIVER ENERGY 0 Councilmember Jacobson stated he did not have a conflict of interest in this specific matter and would be listening to the presentation. Charles Lukkarila and Mark Strohfus, Great River Energy, presented the project for the installation of a 115-kV overhead electrical line to add capacity to its regional transmission area. A portion of the route may be located in Andover. Councilmember Trude inquired about the acquisition ofland. Mr. Strohfus responded Great River Energy would be working with the property owners for an easement, but if they could not negotiate with a property owner, they could be looking at the eminent domain process. Councilmember Trude inquired about additional substations being put in. Mr. Lukkarila responded there is the possibility to share the substation located ill Anoka, but this was still being analyzed. Councilmember Knight asked if the V A Medical Center went in at Ramsey how that would affect this. Mr. Lukkarila responded that the V A and other projects potential would be major considerations for the project. Council consensus was reached for Great River Energy to proceed forward with the public input part of the project and encouraged to follow the local CUP process rather than through the Public Utilities Commission. 0 RECEIVE PRESENTATION BY ANDOVER YMCA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-June 29,2010 Page 2 LaChelle Williams, Andover YMCA Executive Director, introduced herself and presented various statistics of the Andover YMCA. She presented some future partnership opportunities to the City Council such as a Teen Center, which would be ran by the YMCA. She stated a Teen Center would be for the entire community, and not just members. She indicated there would be no charge for the use of the Teen Center. She noted the Andover YMCA with respect to membership was in the number two spot of the YMCA of Minneapolis YMCAs, but very close to being in the number one spot. She indicated she has a meeting for the expansion in July with YMCA representatives. Councilmember Bukkila stated it is important that the services serve a large number of kids if a Teen Center is put in. The lobby area by the ice arena was suggested as a location. Mr. Dickinson stated he would be concerned using the lobby area as the Teen Center, the hockey rink usage dernands need to be fulfilled first. He indicated it might be possible to have some type of a share time. Councilmember Trude suggested an article regarding the YMCA's statistics be placed in the next newsletter. 0 RECEIVE / DISCUSS INFORMATION ON ITEMS REGULATED BY ACREAGE IN THE CITY CODE Mr. Dickinson provided a summary of items regulated. by acreage in the City Code. He indicated staffis looking for areas the Council wanted staff to explore and bring to a public hearing. . Councilmember Jacobson asked what the perceived concern i.s of the audience members in . attendance. Jeffrey Johnson, 16729 Crocus Street, stated each resident he spoke to was surprised they were in the green area on the map, which indicates less than 2.5 acres and according to a 1987 survey his property was 2.5 acres as well as the other residents in the green area. Most audience members in attendance are located in the green area. Councilmember Jacobson stated the Council was attempting to preserve the original intent of residence's 2.5 acres, even though some of the lots might be slightly less than 2.5 acres due to road acquisitions, etc. Councilmember Knight noted in some of the cases, the surveys could be off depending on what .0 decimal place you round to. Mr. Dickinson stated staff had talked to other cities and asked how they dealt with the 2.5 acre as a restriction and the comments received was that those cities generally do not specifically put a lot size 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes - June 29, 2010 Page 3 in the code, but rather the zoning district. He noted the size of the lot came into play when there was building and drainage issues, but uses generally went to zoning. He indicated there are some complications on how this would work in Andover due to the different size lots within zones. He indicated the City could probably come up with something through zoning and not lot size. Councilmember Jacobson stated the reason there were different size lots in zones was because that some property was acquired from the City of Ramsey and were approved during the Grow Township days. Mr. Dickinson asked how broad the Council wanted the 2.5 acre original intention applied. Councilmember Jacobson stated his idea was that ifthe lots were slightly less than a 2.5 acre lot, nothing needed to be done. He noted things should remain the same for the residents who believed they had 2.5 acre lots. He indicated if a person bought a 2.5 acre lot, they should have a 2.5 acre lot. Mayor Gamache stated the issue was the people in the area believed they had 2.5 acres and the City believed those residents had 2.5 acres since the start. 0 Councilmember Knight stated those lots were also purchased based on the surveys done at the time. Mr. Dickinson asked if Council wanted this applied broadly - put it in a different section of the code or put it in a different title. Mayor Gamache stated intended 2.5 acres was 2.5 acres and the City should look at it that way. Mr. Dickinson asked at what level this should be brought back to Council. Mayor Gamache noted nothing will actually change, so he believed it should come back to a Council meeting. John Feyo, 3045 l67tl1 Lane, noted square footage can be different than lot acreage. Mr. Johnson noted he was short five feet on one side of his lot. Shannen Schmieg, 2731 l6ih Lane asked if going forward the Council was going to propose that regardless of whether a home was built or just purchased, or was the Council going to allow everyone m. She did not believe the people who purchased their homes recently should be grandfathered in as they did not do their due diligence and are not paying taxes on the 2.5 acres, while the people who built their homes years ago, should be grandfathered in as they have been paying taxes on 2.5 acres. 0 Councilmember Jacobson stated ifit was originally platted and intended to be 2.5 acre lots, but due to road construction it might be smaller than 2.5 acres it should be grandfathered in. Mr. Dickinson stated at this point they are putting together something for Council to approve at a 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes -June 29,2010 Page 4 future meeting and if it was the original intent of the subdivision to be 2.5 acres, then all those lots would be considered 2.5 acres. Council consensus was to broadly apply the 95% policy, bring this back to the Council as a public hearing, and obtain the City Attomey's input. Mr. Dickinson stated this issue would be brought to the first Council meeting in August. Mr. Feyo asked what type oflifestyle changes the residents would need to make. Mr. Dickinson responded ifthere was an active complaint, the City would continue to enforce, but new complaints will wait for this process to be completed. Councilmember Trude stated 99 percent of the residents in this area did not have anything to worry about. Councilmember Bukkila stated the residents could proceed as they always have at this time. 0 Mayor Gamache noted ifthere are any new complaints filed between now and the Council meeting in August, those complaints would be held until after that meeting. The Council recessed at 7:26 p.m. The Council reconvened at 7:54 p.m. DISCUSS SKATE PARK IMPROVEMENTS / SUNSHINE PARK Ted Butler, Park and Recreation Chair, presented the Park and Recreation Commission's recommendation to move forward with the skate park in 2010 since park funds are available. Councilmember Bukkila clarified the Commission vote was for the entire CIP, and not this particular individual project. Mr. Butler stated he felt during the Commissions discussion ofthis there was unanimous support for the skate park. Councilmember Jacobson asked how many people used the skate park. 0 Mr. Haas responded there could be anywhere from 3 to 20 kids daily. Charlie, a local skateboarder stated when it is crowded there is up to 20 people there and on a slow day there can be 2-3 people. He believed with a nicer skate park, it would be used more. 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes -June 29, 2010 Page 5 An audience member noted he worked for an indoor skate park in Golden Valley and that park can have an average of2,000 people per week. Mr. Butler noted the reason a concrete surface was recommended was due to the lower maintenance, it would be more durable, and if for some reason the skate park had to be taken out, the concrete could be used for other things as well, such as a basketball court or parking lot. Mr. Haas stated the skate equipment the City currently has is in poor shape. He indicated the skaters like the half pipe. He believed the equipment was too weak to keep moving. He stated the goal would be to start replacing the equipment. He indicated staff would work with the kids to make sure the right pieces are purchased. Councilmember Trude expressed concem the hockey kids had been abandoned because the City did not have funds for further rinks. Mayor Gamache noted the City provided the land and the driveway and the Hockey Association was suppose to provide the boards, etc. for the rinks. 0 Councilmember Trude asked if the City was being fair to the hockey kids. Mr. Butler noted the Commission was not approached by the Hockey Association requesting funding. He indicated they were talking about hockey which already has facilities available for it in the City, but what they were talking about with a skate park was to add a new amenity to the park system which he believed was missing and appealed to a different group of kids. Councilmember Bukkila stated she was having a hard time with not too long ago the' City had no . money to do anything and now it was like a "kid with a parent's checkbook that was full" and where would the money be spent first. She stated if the City was more conservative and saved some of the funds, it might be possible to do larger projects in the future. She noted $70,000 was not something they had six months ago. Mr. Butler cautioned the implication that the City was spending all of the money they had as it was following the proposed CIP. Councilmember Bukkila expressed concem that the City was starting a new park again and not updating or finishing off the existing parks. She stated she would rather put the money toward existing park features. Councilmember Knight stated one ofthe discussions the Council previously had was to not invest money in tot lots, but to put an investment into more regional equipment that would be used by all age groups. 0 Mr. Dickinson stated one thing staff has tried to accomplish over the past 5 years was to adjust practice that the Park Improvement Fund was for new parks and enhancement of the parks, once the parks were built then it was the responsibility of the Operations Budget for the maintenance and 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes -June 29,2010 Page 6 replacement. He asked how the Council wanted to utilize the funds. Councilmember Jacobson noted basically there was $60,000 coming in from the tax levy and there would be no other income. Mr. Dickinson noted some funds will ultimately be coming in from the licensing of wireless towers in the parks. Mayor Gamache believed if the City was going to do something with the Park Improvement Fund money, it should be for something new. He noted there are a lot of parks being underutilized. Mr. Butler believed if the City put in a quality skate park it would be heavily used. He noted he was not guaranteeing the City would not have to purchase new equipment in the future, but a lot of the current equipment would be used. He indicated over time, the Commission would probably want to replace equipment. Councilmember Knight asked if there are any concems regarding insurance. 0 Mr. Dickinson stated the Commission is proposing to put in Tier 1 equipment, which did not require additional insurance. Mr. Haas noted other cities had asked the people who used the equipment help raise funds for the equipment and the City would pay for half of it. Mr. Dickinson noted other cities have installed parks because it was safer for the kids to be at a skate park rather than on the roads, trails, or places of business. The Council discussed the possible use of the new hockey rinks just west of the Water Treatment Plant for a skate park. Councilmember Bukkila recommended staff talk to the 'hockey association and see what their opinion was. An audience member noted rollerblading and skateboarders could use the same facility. Mr. Dickinson stated the hockey association was not adverse to this type of a proposal. Council consensus was reached for staff to discuss with the hockey association the possibility of co- locating a skate park in the hockey rinks with estimates for both asphalt and concrete surfaces and 0 report back to the Council at a future meeting. 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-June 29,2010 Page 7 SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL MARKET VALUEPRESER VA TION PROGRAM UPDATE Mr. Dickinson updated the Council on the Single Family Residential Market Value Preservation Program. He asked the Council if the City should continue the program with or without modifications, to continue/discontinue tracking and code enforcement on advertised rental properties, and to continue/discontinue tracking and code enforcement on non-homestead properties. Councilmember Knight asked how much this program cost the City. Mr. Dickinson stated the City is not making money on the program, so yes the program has increased expenses. Mr. Dickinson stated the program is being administered by existing staff. He noted many neighborhoods had been cleaned up because ofthe program. He believed the program has value. Council consensus was reached to continue with the Single Family Market Value Preservation Program, tracking and code enforcement on advertised rental properties and on non-homestead 0 properties. DISCUSS / COMMUNITY EDUCATION PARTNERSHIP (CONTINUED) Mr. Dickinson reviewed that the 2010 budgeted contribution to the Anoka-Hennepin School District specifically for Community Education is $45,200. The 2008 and 2009 budgeted contribution was also $45,200. He presented a memorandum from Reid Mortensen the Community Education Supervisor. Mayor Gamache suggested taking the $45,200, give the money to the YMCA for a Teen Center. He recommended pulling out ofthe program. Mr. Dickinson noted there was a six-month notice requirement, which would be one more half- payment if the Council chose to not support the program. He stated he would put together a notification letter leaving an opening for continued negotiations. Councilmember Trude stated she did not support this as she wanted to have input from the Parent/Teacher Organizations and she was not in support of cutting services from children. She believed there would be a backlash. She believed the City should suppOli this program at least until after the 2011 school year. 0 Mr. Dickinson proposed if this was taken through the next school year, the budgeted amount for 2011 would be cut in half. Councilmember Bukkila suggested the City give notice that they are intending to stop funding in six [I 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-June 29,2010 Page 8 months, keeping it open for continued discussions, as Mr. Dickinson suggested. Council consensus was reached to not continue to support the program and have Mr. Dickinson prepare a notice letter to stop funding in six months, but keeping the discussions open. 2011-2015 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT UPDATE Mr. Dickinson updated the Council on the 2011-2015 Capital Improvement plan (CIP), indicating that utilities would be discussed extensively at the July Workshop and that some equipment purchases may need to be pushed out to provide flexibility to the operating budget. 2010 BUDGET IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS REPORT Mr. Dickinson presented the year-end 2009 audit summary, discussed the budget versus actual for 2010 and the May 2010 investment report. It was noted the 2010 expenditures were lower than 2009 primarily due to the furlough program. 0 2011 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT PROGRESS DISCUSSION Mr. Dickinson updated the Council on the 2011 Budget Development progress. Councilmember Jacobson asked if taxes would go up if there was no increase in the levy amount.' Mr. Dickinson explained how the tax levy and home valuations interacted. Council discussed the 2011 budget and the impact of a zero percent gross tax levy increase. Mr. Dickinson stated he believed he could present a zero percent increase without a furlough. He indicated he would provide a report to the Council on the Mediation Services at their next meeting. Mr. Dickinson was directed to complete the Sheriff contract negotiations. OTHER TOPICS Councilmember Trude asked if a letter had been sent out to the businesses regarding striping their parking lots. She did not believe the City should enforce the striping due to the tough economic times. She recommended the City hold off a year on the enforcement. Mr. Dickinson stated what staff had challenges with was that some businesses had done the striping and some had not. He indicated staff would receive complaints. 0 Councilmember Jacobson stated if there was an ordinance on the books, it should be uniformly enforced. 'I 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes - June 29, 2010 Page 9 It was Council's consensus to continue to enforce the ordinance. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Jacobson to adjoum. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjoumed at 10:12 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Kathy Altman, Recording Secretary 0 0