HomeMy WebLinkAbout[06a] Minutes
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Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session
on Thursday, November 7, 2013 at 7:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall, opening the meeting with the
Pledge of Allegiance.
Members Present: Mayor Rick Schultz, Councilors Dale Wick, Renee Symanietz, Bob Loso, Steve Frank,
City Administrator Judy Weyrens
City Representatives: City Engineer Randy Sabart, Finance Director Lori Bartlett, Chief Joel Klein
Others Present: Tom Klein, Elizabeth Wefel
Wick made a motion to approve the agenda with the addition of item 7(c)
Approval of the Agenda:
APO Update. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously.
Loso made a motion to approve the consent agenda as follows; seconded by
Consent Agenda:
Wick and passed unanimously.
a. Minutes – Approved the minutes of August and October 2013.
b. Bills Payable – Approved check numbers 047064 – 047192; payroll EFT # 000854 –
000867 and accounts payable EFT# 001631-001636.
c. Application for payment –Authorized the Mayor to execute pay application #2 for the
2013 Bituminous Overlay Project and authorize payment to Knife River in the amount of $
18,354.48.
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d. Financial Report & Transfers – Accepted the 3 Quarter Financial Report and annual
transfers as presented.
Public Comments: No one present wishing to speak.
Public Hearing – Delinquent Accounts: Mayor Schultz called the hearing to order and stated the purpose
of the hearing is to consider adoption of the final assessment for outstanding financial obligations to the
City. Weyrens stated that twice a year the City Council conducts a public hearing to certify outstanding
fees/invoices owed to the City. The final assessment roll is forwarded to the Stearns County Auditor for
attachment to the real estate taxes in 2014. The final assessment will be collectible in one payment, 0%
interest with an administrative fee of $45.00.
As no one was wishing to speak, the public hearing was closed at 7:05 PM.
Symanietz made a motion authorizing the May and Administrator to execute resolution 2013-041,
adopting the final assessment roll for the outstanding fees/invoices, certifying the same to the
Stearns County Auditor for attachment to the 2014 real estate taxes. The motion was seconded by
Wick and passed unanimously.
Coalition of Greater MN Cities: Elizabeth Wefel, senior attorney for the Coalition of Greater MN Cities
approached the Council to provide a review of the 2013 legislative session and a preview for the 2014
session. The following is a summary of her presentation:
Wefel stated that the CGMC’s Focus areas are LGA/Property Taxes, Economic Development,
Annexation and Land Use, Environmental Regulation, and Transportation.
The biggest issue of the past year was the LGA. In January, the Governor came out with his
budget where there was an $80 million increase in LGA. Of that, Greater MN only received 10%
with the rest going to metro areas. Because of that CGMC and other city groups got together and
proposed a new formula where the share of the LGA was split 50/50. The new formula is similar
to the existing formula, but comes with more stability and predictability. The one thing that was
not included in the formula was an inflation increase for future years. Wefel added that the
inflation increase is not something the CGMC will let the Legislature forget about. The plan for
2014 is to get the inflationary index apart of the formula.
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Wefel reported that for economic development, two of their initiatives were passed into law; the
internship tax credit, and the sales tax exemption for business expansion. The Economic
Development group is receiving great media exposure and people from different regions are
attending the meetings.
2014 will bring a higher focus on transportation issues. There is a need for a comprehensive,
statewide investment in Minnesota’s transportation infrastructure. CGMC will be involved in the
efforts to ensure transportation investments address the needs of Greater MN. CGMC will also be
involved in striving for more funds for Parks and Trails in Greater MN. Right now the funds are
being split 40/40/20 with 40% going to the DNR, 40% going to Metro Cities, and 20% going
towards Greater MN. Wefel believes the split is fair and is much better than what had been
allocated in the past.
Mayor Schultz is co-chair of the annexation committee which was able to defeat a late session
push from townships to weaken annexation by ordinance and change orderly annexation rules.
Wefel thanked Schultz for his leadership on the committee and opened up the floor for any
questions.
Schultz stated that the City has a large percentage of tax exempt property in the City and he would like to
see a change in the LGA formula to help level the disparity. Wefel stated that St. Paul is similar to St.
Joseph and she understands the concerns. Schultz also stated that the City has some concerns on MN
Statute 429 and requested Weyrens clarify the issue. Weyrens stated that if the City proposed to bond
for street improvements and does not assess 20% they only way to finance the improvements are
through street maintenance bonds and that type of financing allows for reverse referendum. Wefel stated
that she would contact Weyrens to get additional information.
When questioned on the Coalitions position on improvements to I94, Wefel stated that the Coalition does
not advocate on specific corridors, rather, the Coalition lobbies to get the funding to Greater MN which
could be used in those specific projects.
City Engineer Reports
Storm Water Pollution Plan Update (SWPP): Sabart reported that the MPCA had reissued the MS4 permit
of which the City of St. Joseph are required to adhere to. He stated that one of the requirements of the
MS4 permits is that the Cities are going to have to update their permit to comply with the MS4 which
includes: updating the Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP); develop written enforcement
response procedures; comply with new mapping, inventorying and documentation; update regulatory
mechanisms for illicit discharges; regulate post construction treatment; development maintenance
agreements between private developers and the City; develop pond assessment procedures; conduct
inspections and provide training. The City will be required to comply with the new regualtions in 2014. T
The first step in the process is to review the City’s SWPPP against the new permit and to submit the MS4
SWPPP Application for reauthorization by December 2, 2103. Sabart stated that the estimated cost to
assist the City in this venture is $ 8,000.
Schultz made a motion authorizing execution of a professional service agreement between the
City of St. Joseph and SEH to assist with the SWPPP update at an estimated cost of $ 8,000. The
motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously.
Discussion: Wick asked whether the $8K was for the complete process or just for the review.
Sabart stated that it is just for the initial review and that the total line item is around $47-48K.
Enterprise Budget: Weyrens presented the Council with the Enterprise Budget to include the water,
sewer, refuse, storm water, and street lighting funds. Similar to the general fund budget, the budget
includes the summary of expenditures broken down by salary/benefit, repair/maintenance, capital and
debt service, detail of expenditures/revenue/summary/capital improvement plans. Finance Director Lori
Bartlett presented the Council with the financial impact for utility customers based on the draft enterprise
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fund budget. To help offset the increases needed for the water and sewer funds, she is proposing to
reduce the refuse and storm sewer fund as they have a residual fund that could help offset the budget.
Based on projections she estimates that the impact for an average residential user would be $5.41 per
billing cycle and $27.38 on average for a business consumer.
Frank stated that the way the City does recycling will probably need to change. He added that rear-
loading trucks are going to disappear and that the City may have to look at alternatives down the road.
Weyrens stated that the Council is not being asked to approve the budget at this time; rather provide
feedback to the staff so that a revised budget could be prepared and presented to the Council at the next
meeting. The Council provided the following feedback:
Loso suggested adding previous years into the chart in order to get a bigger picture of the
increases in rates.
Schultz would like to see an inventory of what has been done and how much has been spent on
the Sewer Televising/Root Foaming portion of the Enterprise CIP. Sabart displayed a map
showing where there is still clay piping in the City for the Council’s review. There is a little over 4
miles of clay piping throughout the City.
Loso asked if there is any way to improve the chlorinated water coming out of the taps. He has
talked to people that have had to filter their water to get better quality water. Sabart stated that he
is not aware of the plant over-chlorinating the water. He added that the distance travel could have
an impact on the chlorine content with those on the west side having stronger concentrations as
the water has less piping to travel through. Sabart stated he would check on the chlorine issue
with the operator and if the staff might have test data already available.
APO Update: Sabart reported that the APO Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) met and discussed
funding opportunities for the calendar year 2018. Sabart stated that the only project that St. Joseph could
qualify for is phase three of trail that would extend from new County Road 2 to County Road 51. The
application deadline is November 15, 2013 and the project cost for phase three is $ 550,000. At this time
the City would only have to submit a letter of intent.
Schultz questioned whether or not this section of trail is included in the Stearns County Park and Trail
Plan to which Sabart responded that he is uncertain. Schultz stated that he would contact the Stearns
County Parks Director.
Wick made a motion authorizing the City Engineer to submit a letter of intent requesting funding
for phase three of the north west trail extension. The motion was seconded by Symanietz.
Aye: Wick, Symanietz, Loso, Schultz
Nay: Frank Motion Carried: 4:1:0
County Road 2 – Signal Update: Sabart stated that the County is going out for bids on the CO Rd 2, 75
and 3 signal in December. The contractors are scheduled to start in Spring 2014.
Committee/Board Updates
EDA: Wick reported that the EDA hosted a real estate round table earlier in the month. The discussions
will be brought back to the next EDA meeting to which he will bring to the Council. Symanietz and Frank
added they both felt the real estate round table was a great meeting. Frank added that many of the
attendees had a misperception of the costs of the foreclosed lots available in the City. He felt the City
should have an inventory of all its procedures to look at what needs to be changed/updated. The round
table also discussed schools and the possibility of having a high school or charter school in the City.
Symanietz stated that the housing market in St. Joseph is impacted by the inability for residents in St.
Joseph to utilize the Rural Loan Down payment Assistance Program.
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Park Board: Loso reported that the Park Board met on the 26 of October. General business was
discussed along with pre-planning of Joe Town activity in February.
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Facility Committee: Symanietz reported that the facility committee recently met and are still working on
the final plans. The original cost projections exceed the budget so the plans have been revised.
Weyrens stated that the proposed plan came in at $5.4 million and the amount set by the Council was
$4.4 - $4.7 million. Loso stated that he is steering away from the idea of completely demolishing the
current building due to costs. Schultz added that there will be more discussion down the line.
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Fire Board: Loso reported that the Fire Board met on the November 6 and discussed the following:
approved the financial report; authorized the repairs for tanker #1 replacing the valve at a cost of $ 2,400;
and authorized the starting of the hiring process to fill two positions that are a result of resignations. The
Fire Board also approved the appointment of Justin Honer as Assistant Fire Chief, Mark Winter and Ken
Jacobson as 2-year Fire Captains, and Dan Muyres as 1-year Fire Captain. The Fire Board recommends
approval of the new officers as presented.
Loso made a motion to accept the recommendation of the Fire Board and appoint the officers as
presented. The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously.
Administrator Reports
Chamber Update: Weyrens reported that she and EDA Director Cynthia Smith-Strack met with
representatives of the Chamber to discuss options for using city space for an office one day a week.
Weyrens suggested that the Chamber consider using the Wobegon Facility as their office since they
raised the funds and constructed the facility. The facility would need to be upgraded with heating and air
conditioning. If the improvements were added the City could rent the facility year round, similar to the fire
hall. The Chamber would provide the dates they need the facility and the remaining time it could be
rented. Since the Wobegon is a regional facility, sales tax funds could be used. Based on quotes
received by the Public Works Director, the improvements would not exceed $ 20,000.
Schultz made a motion to upgrade the Wobegon facility with a cost not to exceed $ 20,000. The
motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously.
Performance Measures: Weyrens stated that the City has to determine if they again will participate in the
performance measure program managed by the Office of State Auditor. Cities that participate in the
program receive a per capita reimbursement, which for St. Joseph is $ 914.76. The League of MN Cities
will again conduct the survey on behalf of the City at no charge. Weyrens stated that in researching the
surveys of surrounding communities, they used the sample survey, taking advantage of the services of
the League. Frank stated he had concerns regarding city building inspectors in general, not specific to St.
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Joseph, but looking for assurance that St. Joseph is ahead of other cities in quality of services.
made a motion to conduct the survey on performance measures as requested using the model
questions and services of the League of MN Cities. The motion was seconded by Schultz and
passed unanimously.
Donations: Weyrens reported that there were numerous donations. She specifically address the
donations in labor made by Concrete Plus, Inc to Cloverdale Park. The total amount donated to the
Cloverdale project by Concrete Plus, Inc is $10,849.74. St. Joseph Plumbing donated $500.00 in labor
for the sprinkler installation at Cloverdale. Other donations included the miscellaneous donations to disc
Symanietz made a motion to accept the donations and their
golf, archery range, and camping.
purposes. The motion was seconded by Frank and passed unanimously.
Discussion: Frank added he would like to see something given to those that donated to the City.
Weyrens stated that she would create a letter to be signed by the Mayor.
Sign Moratorium: Weyrens stated that the Council has previously discussed digital signs and the need for
the City to review the current Ordinances to study the impact. So that a study can be completed, a
resolution for moratorium on signs was prepared, authorizing the Planning Commission to review the
current regulations and market needs and changing technology. The completed report should then be
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forwarded to the City Council. Weyrens clarified that the proposed moratorium would not impact any
current sign application. Loso suggested waiting until the current applications are complete before
Wick made a motion authorizing the Mayor and Administrator to execute an
placing a restriction.
Interim Ordinance providing for a moratorium on granting approval for the construction or
alternation of any sign which is illuminated, contains digital lighting, contains electric lighting
and/or contains dynamic features within the City of St. Joseph. The motion was seconded by
Symanietz.
Aye: Schultz, Wick, Symanietz, Frank
Nay Loso Motion Carried 4:1:0
Wick made a motion authorizing summary publication of the Interim Ordinance placing a
moratorium on electronic signs. The motion was seconded by Symanietz.
Aye: Schultz, Wick, Symanietz, Frank
Nay: Loso Motion Carried 4:1:0
Mayor Report
Planning Commission: Schultz reported that the Planning Commission has met twice since the last
Council report. The first meeting was regarding the McDonald’s sign requesting to go 30ft. The request
was sent back to them asking for a design plan. Now McDonalds has come back with a request to go
40ft. Discussions also took place regarding Ordinance updates and the re-facing of the digital sign to
which Schultz stated the Planning Commission recommended approval. The billboard issue will be
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coming before the council on November 21.
Community Center: Schultz reported that the Community Center Group met and the group would like to
spend time with the architects which would need Council approval. The group would like advice on
whether they are headed in the right direction. The Council concurred that it was premature to expend
funds on architectural services.
APO: The APO Executive Committee met last month where updates on Legislature were provided. The
committee sent a letter supporting the I-94 corridor updates starting with Rogers to St. Michael. The
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APO Full Board met on October 24 where the new MTC director was introduced and the new meeting
schedule was approved. The executive committee will meet monthly and the full board will meet three
times per year.
kkSchultz attended an interim meeting with the Senate and House talking about annexation issues. He
felt the discussions taken place were similar to what the City of St. Joseph and the St. Joseph Township
are going through but on a larger scale.
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Senate Investment Committee: On the 29 Schultz met with the Senate Capital Investment Committee
about bonding and presented the proposal for the community center where he asked for $3.3 million.
Intergovernmental Meeting: Schultz added that he attended the Area Cities meeting. The ½ cent sales
tax was discussed and the need is there to collaborate with the St. Cloud Regional Development
Corporation on a survey for the region to obtain feedback.
Mayor Town Meeting:u There was a Mayor Town Hall where he was informed of signs missing from
Klinefelter. A resident brought up the concern regarding party houses. There were concerns regarding the
cost of Park Terrace. The downtown tree and paving block was brought up and Schultz suggested
sending out a publication updating the residents on the progress.
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Coalition Policy Board Meeting: Schultz attended a Policy Board meeting on November 4 where the
annexation policy group got together. Once the new policies are approved and finalized, Schultz will bring
those to the Council.
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Stearns County Parks: Schultz reported that he met with Pete Theisman of the Stearns County Parks
Office to discuss construction plans of the County as it relates to St. Joseph.
District 742: The ISD Core Planning Team, which Schultz is a member of, will be meeting from Nov 14-
16 regarding things that are going on in the district.
City Council Reports
Symanietz: Symanietz reported that the Joint Powers Board for the Regional Human Rights Office met
and the meetings will be conducted at the Great River Regional Library. The open positions for the
Human Rights Commission have been filed and the Commission will be focusing on bullying in the
schools. Frank stated the St. Cloud office has a full-time investigator which is familiar with the area.
Motion made by Loso to adjourn at 9:00 PM; seconded by Wick and passed unanimously.
Adjourn:
Judy Weyrens
Administrator