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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011 [10] Oct 17 October 17, 2011 Page 1 of 3 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph me in special session on Monday, October 17, 2011 at 6:00 PM at the St. Joseph City Hall. Members Present: Mayor Rick Schultz. Councilors Dale Wick, Renee Symanietz, Bob Loso, Steve Frank. Administrator Judy Weyrens. City Representatives Present: Police Chief Pete Jansky, Public Works Director Terry Thene, Finance Director Lori Bartlett, City Engineer Randy Sabart. Others Present: Michael McDonald Schultz stated the purpose of the meeting is to continue ongoing discussion on various topics to foster continued discussion. The following is a summary of discussion items. Facilities: Wick and Symanietz updated the City Council on the facilities committee and stated that they have met twice and requested additional direction from the City Council. The Committee indicated that if the goal was to create a community campus to include a community center, the current City Hall site would not be sufficient. If the goal was to create a community center that would be a separate facility, then additional land would need to be purchased. The Committee looked at the location of rental units in the downtown area to identify possible locations, but before further discussion requested clarification. Loso stated that the St. Joseph Church is considering constructing a community center and questioned if space would be available for community use. Wick stated that space the parish is looking at is relatively small, and would have a different purpose. The Council discussed the possibility of adding on to the current facility, utilizing additional space at the fire hall, and the existing space occupied by the Historical Society and Food Shelf. Schultz stated that the City needs to look to the future and determine the footprint for the City. The City has been collecting the one -cent sales tax funds and a community center is a voter approved project. If the City does not have a plan in place, they why should we continue to collect the sales tax? Symanietz stated that the sales tax revenue can be used for more than just a community center. In fact, the City has already utilized funding for park projects. Wick and Symanietz stated that the committee reviewed the downtown area and potential areas for redevelopment to include the El Paso site and groupings of rental homes. The Council agreed that taking property of the tax rolls is not the first choice, but a community center could add revenue to the City. Loso expressed concern with the operation cost of operating a community center. Schultz reiterated that the Council needs to plan for the future and ask ourselves, where do we want to be in three to five years. Frank stated that the Council needs to first determine if the goal of the City is have a downtown presence, and if the answer is yes, then it becomes a matter of looking at available options. Frank stated that he does believe that the City Hall should be included in the downtown landscape. Schultz stated that as the City grows, there could be an advantage to locating in a growth area. Liberty Point: Weyrens stated that the City has been approached by representatives of Liberty Point to consider accepting Jefferson Lane and utility infrastructure as public improvements. The request is a result of the City accepting the improvements in Graceview Estates. City Engineer Randy Sabart stated that Jefferson lane has a paved width of 24 feet with a ROW of 30 feet. This narrow width of the road will cause greater impediments in the future when improvements are needed. Loso stated that he is not opposed to working with the Liberty Point Homeowners Association provided they pay for the services they consume such as legal and engineering. The Council discussed the impediments for future repair and additional liability and the difficulties related to the narrow streets. The City would not be able to use a snow plow truck for removal and would be limited to using a pickup truck with a blade. Parking is also difficult on Jefferson Lane; however they have been operating for a number October 17, 2011 Page 2 of 3 of years without issues. The Council concurred that staff should work with representatives of Liberty Point to see if an agreement to accept the improvements can be reached. Park Terrace: Schultz stated that the Council needs to continue the discussion on the proposed improvements for the Park Terrace area. The project came to a climax and the Council voted to not move the project forward; however, the utilities are still in need of repair. Schultz stated the City has to determine how to move forward, what is the long term /short term impact of not moving forward and what happens if the utility lines collapse. He further stated that as a group the Council needs to come to consensus as to what happens next. To gain clarity Schultz stated that he asked staff to question the City Attorney what happens if the sewer or water infrastructure fails. The City Attorney contacted the independent appraiser hired for the assessment benefit analysis and questioned the ability to assess the cost to repair the sewer or water in case of failure. The Attorney indicated that in the event of failure, the City will have the ability to assess a portion of the costs as now the property does not have working water or sewer. However, that would still not result in a higher street assessment, it would only relate to the utility that is failing. Schultz stated that the one inch water lines are also an issue and they should be upgraded to standard water lines to provide adequate fire protection and volume. Loso stated that the City has varied from the assessment policy in the past as the residents along Hill Street should have paid 100 percent of the improvement cost and were only charged 60 percent. Loso further stated it is his opinion that the information provided by the City that stated the residents are only be assessed for 10 percent of the cost was misleading. The feasibility report illustrated an assessment of $ 17,000 and the City covering the cost of the service line replacement. When the benefit analysis was prepared, the new assessment was calculated with the resident paying the service line replacement. Therefore the resident is being financially impacted by more than $ 4,500, closer to $ 10,000. Symanietz responded that the cost of the service line has always been the responsibility of the property owner. Frank stated that while residents have objected to the residents being assessed less than 60 percent, the City cannot assess for what is not allowed by MN Statute. The climate for assessments has changed and the City needs to be aware of what can be charged and find a way to finance the balance. He further stated that the City only received one assessor's opinion and could secure a second opinion, although the results may be the same, but he would be willing to entertain that idea. If the City waits two or three years the housing market may change, or the regulations may change that support a different assessment approach. Loso questioned if the services were improved, the City could extend services to the area near the interstate creating shovel ready commercial lots. City Engineer Randy Sabart stated that the City had envisioned a different long term approach to extending utilities. Extending the sewer through Park Terrace would be a short term fix. Schultz reiterated that infrastructure issues in Park Terrace will not go away and the City will continue to place the project in the Capital Improvement Plan. However, he stated that if it is the intent for the City to do nothing, then the project should be removed from the CIP. By consensus the Council agreed to consider soliciting a second opinion on the benefit analysis for the proposed Park Terrace Improvement. Website: Schultz discussed the need to enhance and change the existing website. Consumers today are looking to websites and internet to complete tasks such as licensing and reservations. He stated that he recently attended the APA Conference in St. Cloud and had the opportunity to see what the City of Minnetonka has done to enhance their communication via their website. The City should be looking at such items as electronic payments and a better way to communicate with the residents. Frank stated that he would like to see the website enhanced as well and would eventually like to see live streaming of meetings. Frank stated that the Stearns County website is another example to consider for design. October 17, 2011 Page 3 of 3 Wick made a motion to close the City Council meeting pursuant to Minnesota Statute 13D.03 subd. 1(d), 2 to discuss labor negotiation strategy and the potential purchase of the property located at 35 College Avenue North. The motion was seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. Adjourn: The meeting was adjourned by consensus at 8:30 PM. Judy ey ns Admi istrator 1 THIS PAGE INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK 1