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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009 [06] Jun 18June 18, 2009 Page 1 of 6 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Thursday, June 18, 2009 at 7:00 PM in the City Joseph City Hall, opening the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor AI Rassier, Councilors Renee Symanietz, Dale Wick, Bob Loso, Steve Frank, City Administrator Judy Weyrens City Representatives Present: Finance Director Lori Bartlett, Police Chief Pete Jansky, Public Works Director Terry Thene, City Engineer Randy Sabart Others Present: Sr. Kara Hennes, Bob & Ellen Wahlstrom, Sue Palmer Public Comments: No one present wished to speak. A enda: Symanietz made a motion to approve the agenda with the following addition: Add 8b Seal Coat/Crack Seal The motion was seconded by Wick. Discussion: Frank questioned the bills payable with respect to bills for weed spraying as the City spent thousands of dollars on weed spraying to an outside company. Thene stated that the City used an outside company to do this work as it requires certain certifications to handle and spray the chemicals. Frank also questioned whether or not the City could consider not spraying as much to which Thene stated that staff must obey the same ordinances for noxious weeds as residents. Frank agreed that the City cannot ask property owners to control their weeds if the City does not do the same. The motion passed unanimously. Consent A eq nda: Frank made a motion to approve the consent agenda as follows: a. Minutes -Approve the minutes of June 4, 2009. b. Bills Payable -Approve check numbers 041684-041737 and EFT numbers 000284- 000288,000457-000459. c. Gambling Permit -Accept the Gambling Application of the St. Joseph Lions for an event to be held on September 12, 2009 at the St. Joseph Meat Market. d. Acceptance of Gifts -Accept the donations and their purposes as presented. The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. Public Hearing, MS4 Storm Water Permit: Weyrens stated that the purpose of the hearing is to review its Storm Water Pollution Prevention Program (SWPPP) for 2008. The Public Meeting will comply with the City's Phase II Storm Water Permit and be held at the City Hall in conjunction with the regular City Council Meeting. City Staff will make a short presentation on the past year's accomplishments. Public Works Director Terry Thene reported that one of the most important items is education. He added that the City is involved with the Central Minnesota Water Education Alliance. This group is very active and by use of billboards, City Packets, Websites, etc, the City has educated approximately 152,400 people over the past year alone. The City sweeps the City Streets to sweep up the sand prior to it entering the storm sewers. Thene added that the City is also very active in pond burning as well as removing garbage and brush from those areas. The City has been working with SEH to refine our scheduled Storm Water Pond Maintenance Schedule. Thene also stated that the City sprays for noxious weeds in those areas as we11. Rassier opened the Public Hearing and there was no one present wishing to speak June 18, 2009 Page 2 of 6 Symanietz made a motion to close the Public Hearing; seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. Frank questioned Thene as to what else the City would do if there were more funds available. Thene advised the Council that this is an unfunded mandate and the City has no choice as to whether or not they want to follow the plan. The City is required to document everything. Saban stated that the permit requires a certain frequency for activities. He added that the City could perform those activities more frequently or do more public outreach if there were additional funds available. Loso made a motion to authorize submission of the 2008 MS4 Storm Water Report, meeting the reporting criteria. The motion was seconded by Frank and passed unanimously. Treasurer's Report: Bartlett stated that the May Report is similar to those that they have seen in the past. She advised the Council that the City will be receiving 70% of the Tax Settlement. According to Bartlett, we are on target for hitting the projected revenues for this time of year. The LGA cuts did come out recently. In 2009, the City will lose approximately $88,000 and $204,000 in 2010. Loso asked if there was a way to get a report showing what portion of the GO Debt is linked to WAC/SAC. The following is a list of the cuts so far: • Removed the 2008/2009 CIP Budget $190,000 for 2009 • Not replacing administrative staff $40,000 for the rest of 2009 • Not hiring seasonal workers $15,000 for 2009 • Reduction of membership fees $10,000 for 2009 Those cuts resulted in a total of $255,000 for 2009. This is well under the $88,000 that has been un- allotted for 2009. Bartlett stated that we will monitor the budget over the rest of the year to see where we are at. It was stated that the City may need to look at removing some of the CIP items in the future. Frank stated that the entire staff took a pay freeze for 2009 which Bartlett stated was approximately $80,000. Loso questioned Bartlett about the City's reserve balance. Bartlett stated that typically the City works with a three month reserve and we will be at that again once we receive the tax settlement. Weyrens advised the Council that the City uses its budget reserve for cash flow. That reserve will not change unless something dramatic was to happen. According to Frank, the City Council needs to begin discussing the use of the Sales Tax Funds. He stated that there are some park needs and, in his opinion, he does not see a community center in the near future. He suggested that the Council and staff look into fixing the bridge at Millstream. Wick made a motion to accept the May 2009 Treasurer's Report as presented. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. PLANNING MATTERS Benedict Plat: Weyrens stated that the Planning Commission recently considered a plat entitled Benedict The purpose of the plat was to plat the property and clear up legal descriptions for the St. Benedict Monastery, College of St. Benedict and Church of St. Joseph. The lots containing no buildings were labeled as outlots and all those with a building are identified by a lot and block. Loso made a motion to approve the Preliminary Plat and authorize the Mayor and Administrator to execute the Final Plat entitled Benedict. Discussion: Weyrens advised the Council that this plat will be approved by both the City and Township as some of the property is outside the City limits. The motion passed unanimously. June 18, 2009 Page 3 of 6 During the platting process, an error was found relating to the assessments for a small portion of land which is part of the Benedict Plat and a piece of property in Foxmore Hollow. In order to fix the error, the City needs to transfer the assessment to the correct parcel. In order to transfer the assessment, it must first be paid or abated. Although the City will not receive the delinquent interest; they will receive the full assessments within the original terms. Frank made a motion to abate the assessments as they are currently recorded and re-assess the amount payable to the correct parcel. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. St. Joseph Professional Plat: Weyrens stated that this plat is located across from the new Centra Care Clinic and was to be developed for a Dental Clinic. They submitted all of the required paperwork as well as completed all of the engineering and then decided to withdraw their application. Loso made a motion to accept the Planning Commission's denial of the plat entitled St. Joseph Professional Plat based on the withdrawal. The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. CITY ENGINEER/PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR REPORTS Storm Water Software: Thene stated that he and Weyrens viewed a software program for tracking the MS4 Permit requirements. SEH has developed software that matches the reporting requirements for the MPCA. The Software is uploaded with the information contained in the MS4 Permit. Throughout the year staff would update the software with the permitted activities so that when the year ends, the permit can be printed. Without the software, City staff manually keeps track of the data and compiles the information for the permit once a year. Currently, there are enough funds available to pay for this software. Weyrens advised the Council that the software is accessed online through a portal rather than on our server. Frank questioned whether there are any other programs out there. Weyrens stated that they have looked at others and this is the best. Sabart that the software program will allow staff to input the data throughout the year and, at the end of the year, they will be able to print out the annual MS4 Permit for submission. There is no more need to store the data or keep hard copies as it will all be online. The City currently uses Data View which is another web interfaced that the City uses through SEH. Frank questioned whether or not the City could save money by committing to more years which Sabart replied that pricing is based on population. Wick questioned how long they have had this software available. Sabart replied that they have close to 200 clients and have had the software up and running for over three years. In the contract, it states that it will be automatically renewed after 12 months. Wick stated that he would like the Council to have a discussion after the 12 months prior to renewal. Frank made a motion to authorize the purchase of the Permit Track Software for $995 and approve the contract for annual support at a cost of $600. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Seal CoatJCrack Seal: Thene reported that the City has adopted a street maintenance plan which includes an inventory of streets with anticipated repair needs. The plan includes an annual schedule of repairs and maintenance. Due to budget shortfalls, the City did not complete the scheduled maintenance in 2008. Thene stated that he is requesting authorization to complete the schedule for both 2008 and 2009. The engineer's estimate is approximately $70,000 to cover 2008 and 2009. By seating the cracks, it will help eliminate water getting into the cracks. Thene added that there is $44,000 currently in the budget for this type of project and staff has been asked to look for additional funding. Sabart stated that they are not proposing any seal coating or overlay projects, just crack filling. When questioned if 16`h Avenue SE would be included in the project, Sabart responded that 16`h Avenue is beyond seal coating. In those neighborhoods, they will be filling the pot holes until the City is able to fund a reconstruction project. June 18, 2009 Page 4 of 6 Weyrens stated that the City is now aware of the LGA cuts. She added that the City has about $170,000 in reserve that the City will hold on to, but she stated that they would like to use $70,000 to complete the crack sealing. Loso suggested funding the project using the funds that were recently found due to an error in TIF reporting. According to Wick, if the roads are not fixed, they will need replacement. Sabart explained that there are several cracks, but they do not have an exact number of cracks or their exact measurements. They have assumed that they will need approximately 35,000 pounds of material to fill the cracks; however, they may fall short or be able to do a little more. The Council agreed that the funds will come from the General Fund. Wick made a motion to approve the expenditure of $70,000 for crack sealing. The motion was seconded by Frank and passed unanimously. POLICE CHIEF REPORTS Surplus Property: Chief Jansky approached the Council and stated that they have four vehicles that they would like to sell as surplus property. These vehicles were forfeited due to traffic arrests anywhere from felonies to DWIs. Once the Council declares these vehicles as surplus equipment, they can finish putting them up for sale. The Police Department will accept sealed bids for up to 30 days and will then be awarded to the highest bidder. They have looked at the vehicles and marked down what they believe is wrong with the vehicles and they will be sold as is. Loso made a motion to declare the 1995 Cadillac Eldorado, 1997 Dodge Intrepid, 1995 Eagle Talon and 1994 Grand Prix as surplus property, authorizing the public sale of the same. The motion was seconded by Wick. Discussion: Symanietz questioned what the City does with the money that is received from the sale of these vehicles. Jansky replied that it is used for alcohol and drug enforcement and education. The motion passed unanimously. Safe & Sober: Jansky advised the Council that the City of St. Joseph has been a part of the Safe & Sober Program since it began in 1999. In recent years, they have worked with Stearns County, Sauk Rapids and Sartell. This year; however, all of entities in and around St. Cloud as well as Stearns and Benton Counties and the MN State Patrol will be participating. The new name for the program is C.R.A.S.H. and the City of St. Cloud will be the fiscal agent. They will be responsible for keeping track of funds and expenses as well as taking care of any necessary paperwork. The money received is based on the number of officers participating. The money is received from a Federal program that will be sent to the State and then passed on to the local departments. They will be enforcing DWI, Seatbelt use and Speed and will be working different areas of the County. Jansky stated that he recommends that the Council pass the Resolution and become a member of project C.R.A. S.H. Wick made a motion authorizing the execution of Resolution 2009-016 approving participation in project C.R.A.S.H. during the period of October 1, 2009 through September 30, 2010. The motion was seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. New Seatbelt Law: Symanietz asked Jansky to clarify the new regulations for seatbelts. In short, Jansky stated that all passengers must be buckled up and if not, a passenger can be cited as well as the driver. There are also some new requirements for toddlers as to how long they need to be in a booster seat based on age, weight and height. The fine is $25, but can quickly add up to $100. With the new law, it is now a primary offense which a person can be pulled over for. Jansky stated that they have done surveys within the City along County Road 2 and County Road 75 and approximately 80% are wearing their seatbelts. Additional information regarding the new seatbelt regulations will be included in the next newsletter. MAYOR REPORTS - No Report June 18, 2009 Page 5 of 6 FRANK COUNCIL REPORTS Coborns: Frank questioned why Coborns is being charged the 2007 WAC/SAC rates rather than the current rates. Weyrens stated that the property was platted in 2007 and when the developer agreement was drafted, they agreed to pay the 2007 rates if it is developed prior to June 2010. This was used as a tool to get Coborns to build sooner. Frank stated that in their proposal, they stated that this would be a "green development'. He asked how the City can have this spelled out to make sure that they follow that plan. Saban advised Frank that they are proposing to put 6 rain gardens in the parking lot in addition to the ponds. Frank then suggested that they use some venting for lighting. He added that he is seeing more and more commercial projects using LED lighting which lasts longer and uses a fraction of the electricity as normal lighting. Frank suggested asking them for a summary of their green initiatives. They will be trying a new natural lighting technology for the heating of the building. Sales Tax: With respect to the Sales Tax funds that the City has been collecting, Frank stated that the Council needs to have some discussion on how to use those funds. Loso questioned the balance of those funds to which Bartlett stated is approximately a quarter million. Weyrens clarified that the City has approximately $ 750,000 in the sales tax fund. The funds will be collected for an additional eleven Byars and it was anticipated that the City would receive 3 million at the end of the taxing period. Frank stated that many states tax food and clothing, although Minnesota does not. Coborns will bring in sales tax on some items and the City will see some increase from that. Weyrens stated that she will be meeting with the Sales Tax Committee to begin looking at the use(s) of those funds. According to Rassier, it would not be unreasonable to use some of those funds to repair the bridge at Millstream. Weyrens advised the Council that these funds must be used for capital and cannot be used for maintenance. LOSO Alleys: Loso stated that he recently received a call from a senior resident who is asking that the alleys be checked for dust and possibly sprayed with some Calcium Chloride. Thene will take a look at the alleys and check for dust. WICK - No Report SYMANIETZ - No Report ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS Liquor licenses: Weyrens reported that the MN Alcohol Enforcement and Gambling (AEG) conducted training for municipalities regarding the regulation of liquor licenses. The AEG identified the responsibilities of the issuing agency, the City. The City is now responsible for those with the Sunday License to have the appropriate License, checking trade names as well as corporation names. She added that there are some issues with the Sunday Licenses at Loso's and the LaPlayette as they must have a full food license in order to serve liquor on Sundays. In the past, having a pizza oven qualified; however, that has changed. All of the Liquor License holders have submitted their paperwork and paid the appropriate fees. Rassier stated that the license for the College should be for the Gorecki center rather than the Haehn and the rest would be covered under their caterer's license. Weyrens stated that the Local Blend would like permission to sell strong beer; which can be allowed based on City approval. Wick made a motion to authorize the Mayor and Administrator to execute the On/Off Sale Intoxicating Licenses, Wine Licenses and Club Licenses as requested by the License holders. The motion was seconded by Loso. Discussion: Frank questioned the status of checking for fire codes and the reader machines. Weyrens stated that the bar owners have agreed to use the reader machines and a proposal will be brought back to the Council for review at the 2"d meeting in July. They have also agreed to June 18, 2009 Page 6 of 6 add an amendment with regards to garbage clean-up. That will be discussed at the next meeting as well. The motion passed unanimously. Intergovernmental Meeting: Weyrens stated that the Intergovernmental meeting will be held at Wilson Park in St. Cloud on Tuesday, June 30. The will address the following items: • Cooperative Ventures -Weyrens reported that the area Administrators met to continue discussions regarding various cooperative ventures. They have created a formal structure in a document form showing what has been done in past. • SCAWAC -Weyrens stated that the SCAWAC met and the sewer treatment expansion seems to be moving forward. There will be a presentation regarding the new developments. She added that, due to bid pricing, they believe there will be some huge reductions. Recycle Bank: Frank stated that in some cities, there are multiple haulers for refuse; however, both Waite Park and Sartell have switched to the recycle bank program for recycling. They have asked Allied Waste to come and give a brief report on the program. Rassier stated that there have been some problems with residents receiving their activation cards. He added that he and Weyrens are working on this. Frank advised residents that they will need to input their address during the activation processor they will need to call Recycle Bank for assistance. Adjourn: Frank made a motion to adjourn at 8:10 PM; seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. ~ ~~ J ey ns mi istrator