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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010 [11] Nov 18November 18, 2010 Page 1 of 6 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the St. Joseph City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Thursday, November 18, 2010 at TOOPM in the St. Joseph City Hall, opening the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Al Rassier, Councilors Dale Wick, Renee Symanietz, Steve Frank, Bob Loso and City Administrator Judy Weyrens City Representatives Present: City Engineer Randy Sabart, Finance Director Lori Bartlett, and Public Works Director Terry Thene Others Present: Tim Borresch, Margy Hughes, Thomasette Scheeler, Emily Grunke, Herman Gangl, Tom Gustafson, Dick Taufen, Mayor Rassier thanked Councilor Wick for acting on his behalf during the last council meeting PUBLIC COMMENTS Mangy Hughes, 128 Able Ct E, approached the Council to invite them as we as the public to an event to be held downtown beginning on Friday December 3 on the corner patio. The event is called "Something's Up Downtown ". Tim Borresch, 11 3'd Avenue NW, advised the Council that he has some concerns regarding his utility bills. His concern is that of the line charges as he is being charged four line charges for each of the apartments in his home. With house values declining and property taxes rising, he asked for some relief. Approval of the Agenda: Frank made a motion to approve the agenda with the following additions /deletions: Delete 2.1 Special Recognition Award Add 6b Park Terrace Update The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Consent Agenda: Wick made a motion to approve the consent agenda as follows: a. Minutes — Approve the City Council minutes of November 4, 2010. b. Bills Payable — Approve check numbers 043452 -043522 and EFT numbers 000467- 000475, 000521 - 000522. c. Donations — Accept the donation for the disc golf in the amount of $21.50. d. Treasurer Report — Accept the October 2010 Treasurer Report and Cash Position. e. Interim Use Permit — Authorize the Mayor and Administrator to execute the Findings of Fact accepting the recommendation of the Planning Commission issuing a conditional Interim Use Permit to allow the issuance of a rental license to Cory Ehlert for 29 MN Street E. f. Gambling Report — Accept the 3`d Quarter Gambling Report as presented. g. Proclamation — Proclamation declaring November 26, 2010 as Loso's Store Day. The motion was seconded by Symanietz. Discussion: Loso questioned whether or not 29 MN Street E requires the property to be half business, half rental. Weyrens stated that the current Ordinance does not have that provision so it does not have to have a retail component. The motion passed unanimously. Public Hearing — 2011 Fee Schedule: Lori Bartlett, Finance Director for the City approached the Council to give a brief presentation of the proposed fee schedule for 2011. Based on Borresch's comments, Weyrens advised the Council that the line charge is based on the number of single- family equivalent units. Bartlett added that the purpose of the line charge is for everyone to pay an equal amount of the November 18, 2010 Page 2 of 6 fixed costs to include treatment, buildings, personnel, etc. She stated that the line charge was implemented about five years ago. Weyrens reminded the Council that, previously, there was a minimum charge and people used more water because they paid for it. Now, by paying for what they use, residents tend to use less water. The City needs to meet certain conservation rates so we need to promote conservation. Bartlett stated that staff began reviewing the fees this summer along with the budget process. There are proposed increases to the Park/Fire Hall Rentals, Land Use /Development Fees, Compost Permit Fees and Utility Fees. Park/Fire Hall Rental Fees: Bartlett suggested that these fees be increased to cover increased costs related to maintenance staff time and new equipment in the parks. She provided the Council with information on how St. Joseph compares to the area cities. The proposed increases are as follows: Current Proposed Resident $75 [+ tax] $80 [+ tax] Non - Profit $75 [+ tax] $80 [+ tax] Profit/Non- Resident $100/$75 [+ tax] $105 [+ tax] Damage Deposit $100 [Parks] /$200 [Fire Hall] No Change • Land use /Development Fees: Bartlett advised the Council that the proposed changes include: Current Proposed Annexation Fee $300 $400 Joint. Planning Application n/a $200 Lot Split Fee $300 $400 Water Access Fee $4,200 $4,300 Bartlett stated that the Annexation and Lot Split fees are proposed to increase to cover administration costs associated with the hearings. The Joint Planning Application fee is a new fee for 2011 due to the creation of the Joint Planning Board. This is board consists of members from the City of St. Joseph, St. Joseph Township and Stearns County who review planning matters in the annexation areas in the Township. Bartlett explained that the Water Access Fee [WAC] is proposed to increase by $100 as was originally intended to help cover the water filtration debt. The proposed increase is due to a set increase of $100 annually to a max of $5,000. • Compost Permit Fees: According to Bartlett, there are a few concerns regarding the compost site. The current compost space is encroaching on the area neighbors and disc golf. Staff is also concerned about the introduction of Ash Bore in the wooded area. She also addressed some needs for the compost to include purchasing future land or modification of current operations or possibly a joint venture with the City of Waite Park. The compost fee is proposed to increase as follows: Current Proposed City Residents $15 $25 SJ Township Residents $15 [ +250 SJT Subsidy] $25 [ +$250 SJT Subsidy] She provided the Council with a comparison of the area cities as well. Along with the $10 increase, staff is recommending that St. Wendel Township Residents no longer have the option of using the site to minimize the use. • Utility Rates — Water, Sewer, Stormwater and Refuse: Bartlett advised the Council that the refuse rates are not proposed to increase as the City remains locked into a three year contract with Allied Waste. The proposed utility rate increases are as follows: Water Use Water Line Charge Sewer Use Sewer Line Charge Storm Water [SF Residential] Current $2.40/1,000 gallons $10.30 /bill $2.40/1,000 gallons $11.50 /bill $7.50 /bill November 18, 2010 Page 3 of 6 Proposed $2.70/1,000 gallons $11.00 /bill $2.70/1,000 gallons $12.50 /bill $9.50 /bill Bartlett stated that the Water & Sewer Rates are proposed to increase due to the following: • Cover current debt costs • Cover operational costs necessary to treat water to MN Dept of Health Standards • Cover depreciation to replace infrastructure • Cover proposed capital equipment purchases She stated that the proposed sewer rates were based on the following: • Cover current debt costs — City of St. Cloud • Rehabilitation /upgrades to treatment plant • Interceptor repairs • Tri -City Lift Station rehabilitation /upgrade • Operational supplied increased to slow down rapid deterioration of St. Cloud interceptors • Cover depreciation to replace infrastructure • Cover proposed capital equipment purchase According to Bartlett, ideally, the City would like to cover 100% of the depreciation. The City is trying to get that close to 50 %. She added that the interceptor repairs were not included into the previous rates. She advised the Council that the Storm Water Fees are proposed to increase due to the following: • MPCA reporting requirements /protect waters • Cover proposed capital purchases • Cover operational costs to maintain system — including depreciation ■ Ponds, curb /gutter, mains Bartlett stated that the percentage increase in the Storm Water Fee for single - family residences is similar to the percentage for other users. Frank made a motion to open the public hearing at 7:30; seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. Tim Borresch approached the Council for a second time questioning why the City of St. Joseph has the highest percentage spike and why we are the highest paying place in the surrounding area. He expressed his concern about the compost permit and stated that the compost was there prior to the disc golf course and he does not feel that the pile has grown over the past five years. In his opinion, things are getting out of hand. Herman Gangl, 7t' Avenue SE, approached the Council and questioned Bartlett as to what the proposed percentage increase is per utility bill to which Bartlett replied 13 %. Thomasetfe Scheeler approached the Council as well to ask them to provide the residents with some education on how to conserve water minimizing the increase in rates. Margy Hughes appeared before the Council and questioned if the biggest culprit is the water filtration plant and the fact that the City did not receive the homes as projected. Rassier stated that those are two factors; however, the sewer repairs were another big expense. He added that the Lift Station repairs were unexpected. Hughes also questioned whether or not the Industrial Park has City services to which Rassier replied that the Industrial Park located behind Coborns does. November 18, 2010 Page 4 of 6 Jane DeAustin approached the Council to speak on behalf of the CMBA. She urged the Council to carefully consider the fees for development and building. According to DeAustin, the number of residential buildings has declined over the past few years. She reported that from January through October, 2005, there were 100 residential building permits pulled compared to 9 last year and 7 this year. She added that the good news is that the numbers are stabilizing. The decreased number of new homes is due to the fact that a comparable home is much less expensive for the buyer. DeAustin asked the Council to consider freezing the WAC fees or, do what other cities are doing, which is to defer the WAC /SAC until the Certificate of Occupancy is released or until the time of service. She added that this is being done in other cities and it seems to be working. Symanietz made a motion to close the public hearing; seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. Loso advised DeAustin that the City has already deferred the WAC /SAC fees as requested by a developer. Frank stated that he would like to see that as a standard for the City rather than done on a case by case basis. Frank stated that it is the assumption that St. Joseph is the highest. The Council needs to look at what it takes to operate and look at the current charges, budget and go from there. He questioned whether or not we are the highest. He stated that the City cannot change the fact that the St. Cloud updates needed to take place. Assuming that those were repairs were necessary, he questioned how the City compares and what is meant by covering capital expenditures and capital depreciation. Bartlett stated that it is hard to compare one City to another because each City has a different way of charging fees and each City has a different agreement with St. Cloud based on their needs. If refuse were removed, St. Joseph is in the ballpark. Bartlett added that other cities have different revenue streams as well. She explained that the capital expenditures are determined by looking at the Engineer's CIP and the Public Works CIP since capital projects are slotted in different years. Bartlett advised the Council that the water tower is in need of repair and the wastewater plant is scheduled for rehabilitation in 2012. These projects are included in the fee schedule. Weyrens suggested that they re -look at the rates to see if they can be reduced. This would be brought back again at the December 2 meeting. Frank questioned the status of the sewer use agreement with St. Ben's. Loso advised the Council that they are back in negotiations with them. Bartlett stated that the proposed fee schedule includes the revenue stream based on estimated usage for CSB; however, Rassier stated that we cannot make decisions based on their usage because we do not have actual numbers. Rassier expressed frustration with the lack of an agreement with St. Benedict regarding their sewer use and stated it has gone on too long and it is hard to stay positive. CITY ENGINEER/PUBLIC WORKS REPORTS Update on 16'h Avenue SE: Sabart stated that, at the last council meeting, they were advised that this project is in the winding down stage. The contractor will be back tomorrow help clean up the street and remove the stormwater protection items. He advised the Council that there is a small amount of turf that has not yet been placed due to weather as well as the fact that some trees have yet to be transplanted. That process has been delayed until next spring. Sabart also addressed the drainage issues along the Vogel and Pueringer properties. He stated that it is feasible to extend a storm drain behind those two properties; however, he is not sure how this would affect the buried utilities in that area. Both Vogel and Pueringer have been accessing the back side of their properties through Outlot A. According to Sabart, they have not yet solicited any pricing nor have they discussed costs with the property owners. Loso questioned Sabart as to whether or not the Liberty Point Development is the cause for the drainage to which Sabart replied that it is reasonable to say that as the drainage is ending at the bottom of the hill. Sabart advised the Council that he estimates the construction costs to be between $10 and 15,000. He suggested that they use a concrete pipe rather than November 18, 2010 Page 5 of 6 plastic as vehicles will continue to use this alley and it is not paved. Frank questioned who would be responsible for this to which Sabart stated that is the question and added that it needs to be fair and equitable. Loso expressed his desire to see the drainage issues in the spring. Rassier and Frank both stated that they would like to see some preliminary cost figures. With respect to the 16th Avenue SE assessments, Weyrens stated that the City recently sent out notices of a re- assessment and there has been some contention. The current assessment is a legal assessment and the Council is being asked to keep it as is. The Homeowner's Association is the legal owner and they have been advised that if they can get all of the affected property owners to sign an agreement to pay, the assessment could be re- allocated. Loso made a motion to rescind the hearing for the re- assessment of the 16th Avenue SE Assessments. The motion was second by Frank and passed unanimously. Loso stepped down from his chair. Park Terrace Update: Sabart stated that, last week, an informal neighborhood meeting was held with the residents of Park Terrace and there were about a dozen residents who participated. They discussed concerns relating to access issues, utilities, etc. He sees this as a good starting point to solicit feedback from the property owners. When looking into this, Sabart stated that there was not a lot of record information available. As part of the Feasibility Study, he stated that they would like to do a topographic survey to identify all the manholes and corresponding depths. The anticipated survey cost is $ 1,200 and can be completed before the end of 2010. Frank made a motion authorizing the expenditure of $ 1,200 to complete the survey as requested; seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Loso resumed his chair. ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS Upcoming Meetings: Weyrens stated that there will be a budget meeting on November 22 at 5:3013M. The Intergovernmental meeting will be held on November 30 at which the agenda item is legislative priorities.. MAYOR REPORTS St. Augusta: Rassier stated that the City received a letter from St. Augusta thanking the Public Works staff for helping them with their sewer system jetting. He stated that we need to work with other communities as, in the future; they may be able to help us out. APO Executive Meeting: Rassier reported that he attended the APO Executive meeting. He advised the Council that a lot of changes are coming and a lot of projects are being re- looked at. They have no clue what will be happening until the new elected officials take office. COUNCIL REPORTS SYMAN I ETZ Upcoming Meetings: Symanietz reported that the APO will not have a meeting in November or December. She also advised the Council of the Park Board meeting on Monday, November 22. WICK — No Report LOSO — No Report FRANK — No Report November 18, 2010 Page 6 of 6 Adjourn: Loso made a motion to adjourn at 8:40PM; seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. ke�y s° 7 A tor