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HomeMy WebLinkAboutWK - February 17, 2010 I C I T Y o F 0 NDOVE 1685 CROSSTOWN BOULEVARD N.W. . ANDOVER, MINNESOTA 55304. (763) 755-5100 FAX (763) 755-8923 . WWW.CI.ANDOVER.MN.US City Council Workshop Wednesday, February 17,2010 Conference Rooms A & B 1. Call to Order - 6:00 p.m. 2. Consider Open Space Advisory Commission Recommendation 3. Wind Turbine Discussion 4. Hunting Regulation Discussion 5. Council Goal Discussion 0 6. 2010 General Fund Budget Progress 7. 2011 Budget Development Guideline Discussion 8. 2011-2015 Capital Improvement Plan Development Guideline Discussion 9. Other Discussion 10. Adjournrnent 0 0 Sl\NDbVE~ 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 - FEBRUARY 17,2010 MINUTES The Workshop Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Mike Gamache, February 17, 2010, 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 Councilmembers absent: None Also present: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson City Planner, Courtney Bednarz Associate Planner, Angie Perera APPROVE AGENDA 0 Agenda approved as submitted. CONSIDER OPEN SPACE ADVISORY COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Mr. Bednarz summarized the Anoka Independent Grain and Feed Inc. Site, White Pine Wilderness Site, and the Selmer/Kuiken Properties that the Open Space Commission recommended the City purchase for open space. Councilmember Jacobson asked if the Commission took into the consideration that if the property was not purchased, it probably would not be developed anyway. Deric Deuschle, Chairman ofthe Open Space Commission, stated the Commission had taken this into consideration and in some situations the City would have control of the access to the property and that is the reason for the recommendation. He noted the Commission ranked the Anoka Grain and Feed Site as the first priority. Councilmember Jacobson asked if the current property owners are still in the selling mode. Mr. Deuschle responded he believed the owners are still willing to sell. Chairman Deuschle stated the Anoka Grain and Feed site is adjacent to the Rum River and the access to the river was something that could not be duplicated in other areas. He noted this is a wet area 0 and prone to flooding and with the park along the easterly border of the site that would provide easy public access. Councilmember Trude asked if the park had been developed. Mr. Bednarz responded it had not. - -- 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-February 17,2010 Page 2 Councilmember Jacobson asked what the plans are for the southern parcels. A representative of Anoka Grain and Feed stated the land is still being farmed and eventually it would be developed, but it is still in agricultural preserve, so nothing could be done for eight years. Councilmember Trude asked if streets would be an issue. Mr. Bednarz responded there are roads to connect to. Councilmember Knight noted they would need some kind of a parking area. He asked how many cars would be able to park. Chairman DeuscWe responded if they had access to the entire area, there would likely just need to be some street parking. Councilmember Knight stated if people are spending money on the purchase, they would want access. Mayor Gamache noted there could be some off street parking off ofthe cul-de-sac by the park. He indicated it could be a gravel parking area. 0 Chairman DeuscWe stated White Pine Wilderness is a platted area. He noted this area provided an opportunity to work closely with a development. He indicated this would have good access as there are existing roads already. He noted the drawback is that a part of the area is already built out. Councilmember Jacobson noted an issue with this property is that there is no parking available. Larry Emmerich, White Pine Wilderness property owner, stated he would provide a trail to the property once the property is purchased so people would have immediate access to the property. He stated he was waiting to fill up White Pines Wilderness phase 1 before he continued with phase 2. He noted the street would go through right up to the property and end in a cul-de-sac. He stated the only real wet part is in the front part by 161 st A venue where there are two acres of cattails. He noted the rest of the site is grass and trees and could be walked and as far as he knew it only had water there twice in the 16 years he had owned the property. Chairman Deuschle stated the first site was more preservation along the river and this site is not for preservation, but it is in a developed area, may require some restoration, but had good access. He stated this site would be a nice tie into a trail along a busier area. He believed this is a different way oflooking at this site than the Anoka Grain and Feed site. He noted there are some advantages on this site that the other sites did not have. Councilmember Bukkila asked where this fit into the overall trail area. Mr. Emmerich responded he would continue the trail to the property if the property is purchased. He noted a trail is in the area 0 and it would not be difficult to connect the trail up. Councilmember Jacobson asked what year the tax figures are based on. Mr. Dickinson responded they were numbers used for the 2010 budget, the time stamp would be around September of2008. 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes - February 17, 2010 Page 3 Councilmember Tmde asked if the preliminary plat would need to be redone. Mr. Emmerich responded the preliminary plat would need to be done again. He noted with the open space option, he is also changing the roads, but he would not do the preliminary plat to sell the property. Chairman Deuschle stated the Selmer/Kuiken properties are being looked at together since they were ecologically good and was mostly upland. He noted the Selmer property is landlocked and had no access, unless Kuiken granted an access to Hanson Boulevard. He noted Kuiken is waiting for an offer from the City for the purchase of the property. Councilmember Knight asked if the City received a DNR grant, would hunting have to be allowed. Mr. Bednarz responded hunting would have to be allowed in order to receive a DNR grant. Councilmember Trude stated she had somebody call her who lived on the east side of Crooked Lake and had offered to sell his property as two other properties are up for sale next to him. She noted the City might be able to get a grant for water quality and return the properties to a natural state. She stated this might be something to think about for the future. C Mayor Gamache noted open space money could not be used for returning property to open space and for redeveloping the property. Mr. Dickinson stated the City could meet the question, but would ask were they meeting the spirit of how the referendum was proposed. Mr. Dickinson asked for permission to proceed with the appraisals so they had a better idea ofthe costs. Councilmember Knight asked if the Rum River property would be looked on more favorably by the DNR since that property is a natural area. Chairman Deuschle responded he believed the DNR would look more favorably on this parcel. He stated it is the Commission's recommendation to look at the property along the Rum River first and apply for the grant on that property, but to start negotiating on White Pines Wilderness at the same time. Councilmember Knight recommended they look at the first two properties now. Chairman Deuschle stated the Commission is recommending exploring the value of the properties first. Councilmember Jacobson stated he believed they needed to apply for the grant and obtain an appraisal on the Anoka Independent Grain and Feed Inc. Site, but he is not sure ifhe supported the White Pines Wilderness site at this time. Council consensus was reached to apply for the grant and obtain an appraisal on the Anoka 0 Independent Grain and Feed Inc. site, and explore the purchase price for the White Pine Wilderness site. 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-February 17,2010 Page 4 WIND TURBINE DISCUSSION Ms. Perera stated she is checking as to whether the Council is still interested in regulating wind turbines and if so, what lot restrictions are the Council looking for. She stated she had spoken with the City Attorney and it was his recommendation that the Council either approve or restrict them in the City before somebody challenged the Ordinance. Councilmember Knight stated he would be in favor of a moratorium until there is an inquiry for a wind turbine. He asked if the windmills on the farms within the City would be affected. Mr. Dickinson responded for agricultural purposes windmills are allowed, as long as they are not generating electricity to be sold to the grid. He noted a moratorium was stating that the City was still in the process of looking at wind turbines. He did not believe a wind turbine would be requested within the next couple of months and with a moratorium there is a process that would need to be followed and the Council must have a conclusion at the end of the moratorium. Mr. Bednarz indicated a moratorium could be for 18 months and then it could be renewed for another 18 months. 0 Councilmember Trude expressed concern that somebody could come in and build whatever they wanted before the City had regulations. She believed there is a gap in the Ordinances regarding wind turbines. Councilmember Jacobson stated due to the density of the lots, in the southern part ofthe City wind turbines are not practical due to the topography. He noted in the northern part of the City on a 2.5 acre lot with restrictions, a lot of those lots are also not suitable. He indicated if this is a conditional use permit process, the cost would be around $1,000 for a CUP which would price most of the people out of entering an exploration of placing a turbine. He indicated he is not in favor of wind turbines as there is not enough wind around the City and a person would not recover their money by putting a wind turbine in. Mayor Gamache stated a moratorium set an expectation that something is going to be done. Mr. Dickinson recommended adopting what the Council currently had and if Council wanted to make it stricter they could do that in the future. He noted what the Council had before them is very strict. He stated a wind turbine needed a 12-15 mph average daily wind speed and Andover had an average daily wind speed of approximately 9 mph, so it would not be cost effective for a resident to put one in, one put in would be more of a personal statement. Councilmember Jacobson recommended staff separate the residential and business sections. 0 Mr. Dickinson asked ifthey should all be conditional use permits. Council agreed they should all be CUP's. 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes-February 17,2010 Page 5 HUNTING REGULATION DISCUSSION Mr. Bednarz believed there is somewhat of a band-aid approach being taken, after further discussion amongst staff, staff would like the opportunity to look at this further. Tony Howard stated he is looking at this for safety issues. He noted he is an avid hunter and he had seen things while hunting in the fields that needed to be addressed. He did not believe compromising public safety is worth the risk. He stated he chose to bow hunt rather than using a shotgun as he believed this was a safer approach to deer hunting in Andover. He believed the City had to take a look at this and tighten up the firearms hunting restrictions. Councilmember Knight agreed with Mr. Howard and noted there are too many houses in the City to not have strict regulations. He noted the only exception would be the vegetable farmers who shot geese to keep them out of their gardens. He stated when a deer is hit with a bow it could run into people's yard which may make the residents upset. He asked how the City would deal with that. 0 Mr. Dickinson concurred that was a potential issue. Councilmember Bukkila believed residents would have an issue with the changes. Mr. Dickinson believed another public hearing should be held as this is a very different proposal than the original proposal. Councilmember Jacobson stated he agreed something needed to be done, but he wanted it to go through the process. Councilmember Knight stated an issue would be if someone was on 40 acres, but shot beyond the 40 acre line then the 40 acres did not mean anything at that point. Mr. Howard believed all hunters should apply for permits, even if they were not charged for the permit. Mayor Gamache noted a person had to have a license to hunt from the State and the City should be able to get that information if it is needed. Councilmember Knight asked if the City could restrict shooting to within 300 feet of a boundary. Councilmember Bukkila asked what information from the DNR could be accessed regarding this issue. Mr. Dickinson responded staff had reviewed the DNR basic hunting regulations and the licensing requirements. 0 Mr. Bednarz stated the DNR regulations left it to the cities as to where in the City hunting was allowed as well as the setbacks. Mayor Gamache asked what benefits a City license would have. Mr. Howard responded the City would know who was hunting on various properties. ------------- 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes - February 17, 2010 Page 6 Councilmember Jacobson stated right now the hunters needed the landowner's permission in order to hunt. He asked if the existing ordinance should be changed and if it did, then the Planning and Zoning Commission should look at this and make a recommendation to the Council. Councilmember Trude stated the City allowed for a resident to apply for a code change and have it go through the Planning and Zoning process. Councilmember Bukkila stated she understood what Mr. Howard was saying, but if someone knew about illegal hunting, then that person should call 911 as an ordinance would not stop a hunter who was not following the rules. Mayor Gamache stated there would need to be clarification in the map as to what areas they are talking about also. Councilmember Trude asked if the City should expand the bow hunting areas. Mayor Gamache stated if the City is looking to control the deer in the residential areas, there are organizations that had professional bow hunters who could take care of the problem. 0 Council's consensus was reached to take this through the Planning and Zoning process with no recommendations from the Council. The Council recessed at 7:45 p.m. The Council reconvened at 7:55 p.m. COUNCIL GOAL DISCUSSION Mr. Dickinson asked how the Council wanted their goal process to be done this year. Councilmember Jacobson suggested working at reducing the number of Ordinances by five percent. Mr. Dickinson responded now that there is technology in-house to research the Ordinances. Councilmember Bukkila suggested a citywide garage sale, even if it is not sponsored by the City. She indicated this would serve the purpose of getting people into the City for a day. Councilmember Trude stated the City should also look into having a City art fair. Councilmember Jacobson recommended staff look into these suggestions further for any 0 ramifications and bring this back to Council. Councilmember Jacobson asked for a direct link on the City's website to the Andover section on QCTV so people could find the Council meetings easily. Mr. Dickinson stated he would like to work with staff on the challenges, opportunities, and goals ----------- -- 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes - February 17,2010 Page 7 prepared by Northland Strategies in May, 2009, in particular on improving the City's image with the business community. Councilmember Knight asked ifthe City could get a post office. Mr. Dickinson indicated the post office is actually looking at reducing their current numbers. Councilmember Knight asked what the item #38 under challenges "definitive no not apparent" meant. Mr. Dickinson commented that it is likely an observation that the Council does not say no to residents when the City Code indicates that no is the answer. Mayor Gamache believed improving the image with the business community was an important goal. Mr. Dickinson stated if there are certain things the Council wanted targeted, to send him an email, but he will work to address items raised in the May 2009 Council retreat report. 2010 GENERAL FUND BUDGET PROGRESS 0 Mr. Dickinson updated the Council how the budget year 2009 ended and how that would impact the 20 I 0 budget. He noted the City ended 2009 with a net increase in fund balance of close to $152,000. Council thanked staff for their hard work in keeping the budget in line for 2009. Mr. Dickinson stated there is available fund balance to help with 2011. The City maintained emergency fund balances for snow, public safety, and facilities, which total approximately $260,000.00. He stated the Council needed to look at where the City is going with total market values for next year. After talking to others, he believed there would be a total market value decrease of IOta 11 percent. He summarized the potential State impacts that were not currently addressed including police state aid, fire aid, and special levy exemptions removal. He asked what Council's target is for the end of the year. Mayor Gamache stated he would like to look at a zero levy increase. However, this could mean a cut in services somewhere. Councilmember Jacobson stated he would be willing to look at a one percent levy increase to give a bit of a cushion. Mr. Dickinson asked if the Council is looking at a significant general fund expenditure or tax levy decrease. He noted the Council had to remember the Sheriff contract is coming up which he believed would be an increase of approximately 2.5 percent, he also discussed the costs associated 0 with City staff salary step increases, COLA, staffing increases or decreases, and retirements. Council consensus was reached to not do a drastic cut in service, but to maintain services as best as we can and to not look at furlough reduction until after the 2010 legislative session is concluded. 0 Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes -February 17,2010 Page 8 2011 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINE DISCUSSION Mr. Dickinson stated this is for Council's review and he did not anticipate this would come before the Council for approval until April, but encouraged the Council to think about the guidelines over the next few months. 2011-2015 CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT PLAN DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINE DISCUSSION Mr. Dickinson asked if there is anything the Council wanted to be done that is not on the list presented. Councilmember Knight asked if they could reduce the ladder truck cost. Mr. Dickinson responded the current truck is coming up for replacement and ifthe City wanted to get any money out of the existing ladder truck, now is the optimal time to do the replacement. Councilmember Knight asked if the purchase of the ladder truck could be put off until the City could afford it. He asked if there is any way to spread some of the larger costs out so 2010 and 2011 are not hit so hard. 0 Mayor Gamache noted the Council had already pushed a lot of the costs out to 2011 and that is the reason the 2011 budget is looking the way it is. He indicated the Council could not keep pushing costs out year to year without eventually suffering some consequences. Mr. Dickinson reviewed the 2010 CIP progress report and indicated staff is waiting on a decision regarding the rink boards at Hawkridge Park. Council consensus was reached to do the rink boards at Hawkridge Park using parks maintenance funds, which will likely delay some playground equipment replacements. OTHER DISCUSSION None. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Jacobson, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 9:42 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 0 Kathy Altman, Recording Secretary