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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-11-08August 11, 2008 Page 1 of 5 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in special session on Monday, August 11, 2008 at 7:00 PM at the St. Joseph City Hall. Members Present: Mayor Alan Rassier, Councilors Renee Symanietz, Dale Wck, Rick Schultz and Steve Frank, City Administrator Judy Weyrens Citv Representatives Present: Finance Director Lori Bartlett, Public Works Director Terry Thene, Police Chief Pete Jansky, City Engineer Randy Sabart Others Present: Mike McDonald PUBLIC COMMENTS TO THE AGENDA Mike McDonald, 213 13th Avenue SE, approached the Councilors and stated that he attended the Council budget workshop and found it to be very informative and requested that the Council consider televising the same. McDonald stated that much of the information presented at the workshop is the basis for the decisions that are made at the Council meetings. Approve Agenda: Symanietr made a motion to approve the agenda as presented. The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. Consent Agenda: Wick made a motion to approve the consent agenda as follows: a. Change Order -Approve change order No. 1 for the 2007 Jade Road Improvements. b. Bills Payable -Approve check numbers 040532-040632 and EFT numbers 000189-000198 & 000439. c. Election Judge Appointment -Appoint election judges for the September 9, 2008 Primary Election. The motion was seconded by Frank. Discussion: Symanietz questioned whether the election judges receive some sort of training. Weyrens advised the Council that they are required to attend a two hour training session conducted by the Stearns Auditor. Frank stated that the media has reported on national trends relating to election judges. Some of the issues regarding election judges include: Aging of judges; Pay has not increased over the years; Very little training; Higher percentage of voting. Weyrens stated that St. Joseph has been fortunate and we actually have residents volunteering when spaces become available. Wick questioned whether the same judges will serve for the primary and the general elections. According to Weyrens, the list of judges will be the same; however, they must be approved separately prior to each election. The motion passed unanimously. CITY ENGINEER REPORTS Water Treatment Plant Update: Sabart reported that he received the correspondence regarding the structural analysis of the beams at the Water Treatment Plant. The analysis has been submitted by the engineer for Timberweld, the vendor supplying the beams. The report verifies that in their opinion, the beams are not overloaded and the checking occurring in the glue laminated beams is normal. The report did identify that there are three connections to the supporting columns that need to be reinforced. Previously, the Council suggested hiring an independent firm to provide the City with another engineering opinion regarding the checking in the beams. Sabart stated that the estimated cost for such an opinion would be somewhere between $1,000 and $2,000. Sabart provided the Councilors with some pictures of a building in St. Paul where similar cracking is occurring. He stated that some cracking is natural. August 11, 2008 Page 2 of 5 Frank made a motion to approve the expenditure of up to $2,000 to hire an independent engineer to review the beams at the Water Treatment Plant. The motion was seconded by Wick. Discussion: Schultz questioned whether cracking will still occur if the supports are put in place and whether they were missed during the construction. According to Sabart, they were not required in the original construction. The addition of the support beams is a different situation. The motion passed unanimously. Graceview Issues: Frank questioned whether Sabart was looking into the ingress/egress issues relating to the proposed Graceview development. Sabart replied that the concern was that of additional traffic. Given the nature of the proposed development, they have completed traffic calculations based on the average number of trips per day. Symanietz questioned whether 4th Avenue is wide enough for this type of traffic. Rassier advised the Councilors that this issue is still being discussed by the Planning Commission and it is not yet ready for Council discussion. POLICE CHIEF REPORTS Joint Powers Agreement - 2008 Republican National_Convention: Jansky advised the Council that the St. Paul Police Department is requesting aid from other Minnesota Cities for the 2008 Republican National Convention. Due to the size of the venue, additional officers are needed to assist for the four days of the convention. They are requesting 6,000 extra police officers. Jansky stated that the City of St. Paul has received federal funding to offset the cost of the convention. The funds will be used in part to cover overtime costs for additional security. Jansky stated that three officers have requested to participate in providing security for the RNC. Jansky stated that he will be attending as well as he would like to see how a large event handled for security. Cities providing Officers must execute a Joint Powers Agreement with the City of St. Paul. The Joint Powers Agreement has been drafted with the assistance of the League of Minnesota Cities. Jansky stated that he and Sergeant Pfannenstein have reviewed the Joint Powers Agreement and they do not see any concerns. As a result, Jansky is recommending approval of the agreement as he feels this would be a good opportunity for the officers. Symanietr made a motion authorizing the Mayor and Administrator to execute the Joint Powers Agreement between the City of St. Paul and the City of St. Joseph for public safety related to the 2008 Republican National Convention. The motion was seconded by Schultr. Discussion: Schultz questioned whether other area cities will be providing officers, to which Jansky stated that he is aware that the City of Avon will be providing two officers. He added that other agencies throughout the State will be participating as well. Schultz then questioned whether St. Joseph has enough coverage in the event that there is an emergency in town. Jansky stated that if there is an emergency that requires more coverage, the officers will be sent back to St. Joseph. Rassier clarified that the officers that have volunteered to go to St. Paul are not scheduled to work in St. Joseph as they are on their days off. The motion passed unanimously. SUV Purchase: Jansky stated that the Council previously authorized the Police Department to purchase an SUV provided the vehicle and equipment did not exceed $ 35,000. Jansky reported that the City recently purchased a 2007 GMC Yukon from Miller Auto Plaza for $ 23,000. The vehicle was a lease vehicle from the State of Washington. The Yukon will be sent in for painting and graphics over the next week. He stated that this is a good addition to their fleet. August 11, 2008 Page 3 of 5 PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR REPORTS Sewer Line Evaluations: Public Works Director Terry Thene approached the Council to discuss the evaluation of sewer lines. Thene stated that the staff is currently working on jetting the sewer lines and have encountered many areas where roots have slowed the process To help determine if the lines are root grown or in need of repair, Thene is recommending the Council televise the lines in areas where staff has encountered difficulty. He further stated it is his understanding that the sewer fund budget includes a line item for sewer lining and suggested the funds could be better used for televising to determine where lining or repair is needed. Thene presented the Council with a map of an area he would like to have televised. Based on the map presented, Rassier questioned Sabart as to the area from College Avenue N east to 3`~ Avenue NE (in alley). Rassier stated that it is his recollection that the 2002 Street Improvement project initially included sewer replacement/repairhut it was determined that sewer lining was as affective as sewer replacement. Before funds are expended Rassier stated that he would like Thene to verify the completed street project. Thene stated that he is unfamiliar with previous projects in the City and he would like to see the shape of the pipe to make sure that lining is required. Sabart stated that, he too, is unfamiliar with this project, but he assumes that they may have done some televising at that time. Schultz clarified that the purpose of the televising is to prioritize which areas need to be lined first. Thene stated that with the funds available, they will be able to complete the proposed root killing and televising. Thene added that there are some areas in town where there is unfavorable access to the sewer lines due to sheds, bushes, fences, etc. Wick made a motion to re-allocate the funds for sewer lining and proceed with the root killing and televising of the proposed areas after checking for previous decisions related to the 2002 project. The motion was seconded by Symanietr. Discussion: Frank questioned the televising that was done 5-6 years ago and the relevance of that data. Thene stated it would be a good comparison to see those pictures and the current condition of the pipes. The motion passed unanimously. Backhoe/Loader Purchase: Thene advised the Council that the City's Capital Improvement Plan allows for the purchase of a front-end loader. He; however, is recommending that the City purchase a tractoNbackhoe rather than afront-end loader. The Maintenance Department would like to purchase that piece of equipment this year and have the current loader equipped with a plow and wing to be used for snow plowing. Thene stated that they have been demoing machines from different vendors. He stated that by purchasing a backhoe, the Maintenance Department will be able to operate more self-sufficiently. Wick made a motion to approve the re-allocation of funds to allow the Maintenance Department to purchase the requested backhoe. The motion was seconded by Schultr and passed unanimously. Other Matters: Thene commented that staff has been doing a great job and he has seen improvements at the parks, especially Millstream. MAYOR REPORTS 2009 Budget: Rassier reported that the City has begun the budget process for 2009. The Council has received a rough draft of the budget and it will be available on the website for public review. He urged those with input to address the proposal with either staff or members of the Council. August 11, 2008 Page 4 of 5 FRANK COUNCIL REPORTS Budget: Based on comments made by McDonald, Frank stated that, he too, agrees that the budget workshops should be televised. He liked the suggestion. Graceview Issues: With respect to comments made by residents at the Public Hearing on the proposed development in Graceview Estates, Frank stated the following: • The City needs to better identify zoning areas on the maps. • There needs to be more effective ways of letting residents know of changes such as zoning. Intergovernmental Meeting: Frank stated that the City of Sartell is in the process of replacing some of their holding ponds with rain gardens. He suggested that we wait and see what they have learned through the process. Ordinance Chances: Frank questioned when Ordinance changes are considered. Rassier replied that it is an ongoing process. They are first reviewed by staff and then forwarded to the related boards for approval. He then questioned how the City can change the length of terms for the various boards. Rassier stated that he believes the matter would need to be placed on the ballot before change can occur. With regard to advisory boards, the matter can be handled through an Ordinance Amendment. SCHULTZ Televising of Meetings: Schultz stated that he agrees with Frank and McDonald that meetings, such as those dealing with the budget, should be televised. He was advised that, in order to televise those meetings, the Council would be required to change the policy. Fire Board: Schultz advised the Council that the Fire Board recently reviewed the preliminary budget and information will be provided to the Council at the next Budget meeting. He added that there are some payroll issues that are being addressed and that the Council may be seeing some additional changes in the department's Personnel Policy. WICK - No Report SYMANIETZ Intergovernmental Meeting: Symanietz reported that she attended the Intergovernmental Meeting as well. She stated that they discussed a sustainability plan as well as various ways to preserve the history of the City. St. Cloud Regional Library: Symanietz advised the Council that the grand opening for the St. Cloud Regional Library is scheduled for September 20, 2008. Legislative Session: Symanietz stated that she received a copy of the latest legislative report and that copies have been given to Weyrens. ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS Building Assessment: Weyrens stated that she has asked SEH to provide a budget for completing a space needs study as it relates to the potential use of Kennedy School. SEH has submitted a cost of $ 5,000 which includes a peripheral view of the mechanics. August 11, 2008 Page S of 5 Frank made a motion to approve the expenditure of up to $5,000 to complete aspace/needs assessment for the City. The motion was seconded by Symanietr. Discussion: According to Sabart, it is best for the City to first look at the City's needs before doing an assessment of the Kennedy building. Wick was under the understanding that the 1St phase of the assessment included a mechanical evaluation. Sabart stated that it did not; rather the 15t phase included only a needs assessment for the City. According to Rassier, the City needs to assess its future needs. Sabart advised the Council that they can do more; however, they understand the need to minimize up-front costs. Schultz clarified that the different locations will be assessed after the needs study is completed. Frank made a motion to table the approval of the space/needs assessment until further information is received to clarify what the $5,000 proposal includes. The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. Agreement Release - 128 7th Avenue NW: Weyrens stated that has received a request to release an agreement that has been recorded on the property located at 128 - 7th Avenue NW. The agreement required connection to the municipal sewer system including an understanding of the cost sharing. Weyrens stated that this property has already connected to the municipal sewer system. A title company working on behalf of the property owner is requesting release of the agreement if the terms have been satisfied. Weyrens stated that at this time there is no reason to not release the agreement. Wick made a motion to release the sewer agreement filled and the property is connected to the municipal sewer system. The motion was seconded by Frank and passed unanimously. Field Street: Weyrens updated the Council on a recent meeting regarding Field Street. Citystated that, at the previous meeting regarding Field Street, they discussed the two alternatives. The alternative that extended over the interstate was changed due to various changes with other roadways. There is only one alternative left and that will be brought back at a future meeting. Adjourn: Wick made a motion to adjourn; seconded by Symanietr and passed unanimously.