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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 [01] Jan 06 (b)January 6, 2011 Page 1 of 4 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Thursday, January 6, 2011 at 7:OOPM in the St. Joseph City Hall. Members Present Mayor Rick Schultz, 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, Public Works Director Terry Thene and Police Chief Pete Jansky Others Present Tom Klein, Katherine Kraft, Herman Gangl, Margaret Hughes, Tom Gustafson Oath of Office Weyrens administered the Oath of Office to the following: • Mayor — Rick Schultz • Councilors — Dale Wick & Steve Frank PUBLIC COMMENTS Mike McDonald, 213 13 Avenue SE, approached the Council and stated that he was hoping to address his concerns prior to the past Council acting on the consent agenda. He stated that he is concerned about the openness of the City Council with respect to the Police contract as there was no open discussion. The Council approved a contract with a 2% increase in 2011, 3% in 2012 and 3% in 2013. According to McDonald, this opens the door for the AFSCME union as they will expect at least the same. He stated that all discussions took place behind closed doors and he thought the Council should explain their thought and logic to the residents as this is the biggest line item in the budget. While the contract has some positive changes, overall, he does not see a reduction in benefits. _Approval of the Agenda Wick made a motion to approve the agenda with the following additions: Add Council Reports Add 8(d) Elected Officials Handbook The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. 2011 Fee Schedule Bartlett advised the Council that this is the most recent update of the fee schedule. She stated that a public hearing was held on November 18 and the Council chose not to adopt the fee schedule at that time as they wanted more time to consider the increases. She explained that she reviewed the fees again and is now proposing a slight reduction in sanitary sewer and storm water rates; however, the water rates will need to increase to cover the operational costs and debt costs associated with the fund. The sewer and storm water funds have a reserve which will allow for a slight decrease; however, by reducing the reserves, depreciation will not be covered. Ideally, the City would like to cover depreciation 100 %, but has been trying to reach the 50% mark. Bartlett stated that other changes since the public hearing include: • Joint Planning Board — This fee was reduced due to the fact that the County will be in charge of the hearing process, saving the City money. • Compost Site — St. Wendel will no longer be able to use the compost site. • Bulk Water Sales — This charge was increased to coincide with the increased water rates. Frank stated that, in the past, he has brought up the possibility of charging more for bad behavior and questioned the status of his request. Jansky stated that the bail fees are in line with the rest of the fees being charged county -wide. Weyrens and Jansky added that if the fees are raised too high, it will be up to the court system to determine if the fee is reasonable. According to Frank, some feel that our rates are on the high side, but he stated that it is hard to compare apples to oranges and feels that we are comparable to other cities. Weyrens stated that St. Joseph is right in the mix, on the low side. Bartlett and Weyrens agreed and stated that each City calculates its fees differently. January 6, 2011 Page 2 of 4 Wick stated that, previously, he asked for some documentation for the bond fund for the Water Plant to show the need for an increase. He also questioned the balance shown for the enterprise fund. Bartlett explained that depreciation had not yet been booked and she added that the water fund is on a full accrual basis. Wick replied that the reports are misleading. Loso made a motion to adopt the 2011 Fee Schedule as presented. The motion was seconded by Frank and passed unanimously. Wick added that he would like staff to keep track of bond funds that are affected by revenue and include the summary as part of the monthly report. [03 11 ed:42 N 1:1 44ZA0 10731 Wellhead Protection Plan Sabart stated that the MN Dept of Health approved Part 1 of the Wellhead Protection Plan that was submitted. He added that they will begin working on Part 2 and thus a public hearing will be scheduled. Loso questioned the laws on domestic wells. Sabart replied that it is common practice for Cities to discourage wells when treated water and sewer services are available. As a general rule, wells are not permitted for domestic consumption. MAYOR REPORTS Mayor Appointments Mayor Schultz stated that there have been a few changes to the proposed appointments. He stated that John Anderson will replace Cory Ehlert on the Park Board and Brian Orcutt has asked not to be reappointed to the Planning Commission. Wick made a motion to accept the 2011 Mayor Appointments as presented. The motion was seconded by Frank. Discussion: Frank raised some questions about whom the Emergency Director is and who it should be. Jansky stated that he does see some issues with him being the Emergency Director and that will be discussed later. Symanietz stated that she was advised that she is the Alternate for the APO Executive Board, but did not see it listed. Weyrens responded that she will add that to the appointments. The motion passed unanimously. Symanietz asked that, if someone is unable to make their committee meeting, they call the alternate. Selection of Acting Mayor Frank made a motion to nominate Wick as the Acting Mayor. The motion was seconded by Symanietz. Ayes: Schultz, Symanaietz, Frank, Loso Nays: None Abstain: Wick Motion Carried 4:0:1 ADMINISTRATOR REPORTS Pay Equity Report Weyrens reported that the City is required to submit a pay equity report every three years. The Pay Equity report is a method of eliminating discrimination against women who are paid less than men for jobs requiring comparable levels of expertise. Weyrens stated that staff is asking for permission to submit the report. Frank made a motion to accept the report as presented, authorizing the Acting Mayor to execute the Pay Equity Certificate. The motion was seconded by Loso. January 6, 2011 Page 3 of 4 Discussion: Frank commented that there are other protected classes, not just women. Wick questioned the cost to which Bartlett replied that the software is available online at no charge, but it does take about a half days work. The motion passed unanimously. Designation of Official Representative Weyrens stated that the City owns shares of stock which is, at times, used as a revenue stream for the City to fund part of the budget. In order for the City to convert that principal stock into cash, the company needs an executed resolution authorizing an official representative that can act on behalf of the City. Wick made a motion to authorize execution of Resolution 2011 -002, designating an official representative for financial matters. The motion was seconded by Loso. Discussion: Wick questioned whether this will be cashed out completely to which Weyrens responded that it is not being cashed out at this time, but she will monitor the stock. She added that it took a significant increase since summer. The motion passed unanimously. Workshop Dates Weyrens stated that she is looking to schedule an evening session in late January. That date has been set for Tuesday, January 25 at 5:OO1 The Council will discuss the Cable Commission as well as other items of concern. She added that she would like to schedule an all day workshop as well and she will advise them of when that date is set. Elected Officials Handbook Weyrens presented the Council with an Elected Officials Handbook which contains documents that would be helpful for members of the City Council. It contains general information about the City, the Mayor's Handbook from the League or MN Cities, some key Ordinances, information on counting votes, the value statements and Code of Conduct Ordinance, Travel Policy as well as payroll information and a meeting calendar for 2011. She added that additional information will be added to this handbook over time. Frank stated that the Mayor's Handbook addresses minutes. Based on email discussions he has had with McDonald, Frank stated that he would like to address the issue of minutes and how detailed the minutes of closed meetings should be. He feels that we need to be more open and comprehensive. Schultz suggested adding this to the list of items discussed at the Council Workshop. COUNCIL REPORTS WICK — No Report SYMANIETZ — No Report LOSO — No Report FRANK City Services Frank questioned whether or not there are some services that the City is providing that they should not and whether there are some that we are not providing that we should be. With respect to the Police Department, Jansky stated that it all depends on call load and case load. Staff has been discussing this at their monthly meetings. Funding Opportunities Frank stated that some Cities are tapping into some State of MN Legacy Grants to purchase items such as solar panels to light their ice rinks, etc. He suggested that if the money is there, perhaps St. Joseph should be tapping in as well. Website Frank stated that, recently, he has been having troubles when accessing the website. Weyrens stated that the City has a limited number of users and viewers may experience issues when Council January 6, 2011 Page 4 of 4 Packets are available. She stated that the City has 10 licenses, but she will look into the cost of adding more. Adjourn Loso made a motion to adjourn at 8:OOPM; seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Judy We rens �, inistrator