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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[04a] Minutes May 15, 2014 Page 1 of 7 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Thursday, May 1, 2014 at 6:10 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall, opening the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Rick Schultz, Councilors Renee Symanietz, Steve Frank, Dale Wick, Bob Loso, City Administrator Judy Weyrens City Representatives: City Engineer Randy Sabart, Finance Director Lori Bartlett, Chief Joel Klein, Public Works Director Terry Thene, Others Present: Deanna Hemmesch, Bud Reber, Irene Reber, Ollie Lesnick, Tim Borresch, Ron Eiynck, Rosanne Eiynck, Nancy Notch, Ellen Wahlstrom, Bob Wahlstrom, Mike McDonald, Mary Ann Graeve, Jim Graeve Public Comments nd Irene Reber, 18 – 2 Ave SE: Reber approached the Council stating that she was the one that went around with the petition to have the Government Center put on the referendum. She added that 997 people have signed the petition and she would like to keep the current building. th Ellen Wahlstrom, 409 – 8 Ave NE: Wahlstrom approached the stating that residents of St. Joseph are unclear as to how the Community Center ended up as a proposed plan for a new Government Center with a community room costing $4.5 million. The community outreach was minimal and informing the public was not done in an effective manner to where residents would feel comfortable with the current proposal. The second issue Wahlstrom had was regarding the petition. She had heard that an elected official mentioned that the petition does not mean anything. Almost 1,000 residents have signed the petition opposing the proposed government center and calling for it to be on the ballot. Wahlstrom is asking when would be an appropriate time to hand the petition signatures over to the City. th Mike McDonald, 213 – 13 Ave Se: McDonald approached the Council regarding the Government Center. McDonald stated that the Council has said time after time that the project can be stopped at any time. McDonald added that it would be a travesty if the bids are accepted. It appears that the current building does not meet the current or future needs. McDonald stated the use of the Sales Tax funds for the building is not right. He hopes that the Council turns town the project tonight. rd Tim Borresch, 11 – 3 Ave NW: Borresch stated that he signed the petition. He does not feel that the building has been thought through properly. Borresch believes the City does need more room, but there are alternate ways to go about that. Borresch added that he attended the last Council meeting and has not heard anything regarding parking over by Park Terrace. Borresch suggested that in the New Business portion of the meeting the Council should be addressing any issues that are brought up in the Public Comments portion. Borresch added that it is embarrassing to see the amount of trash around the rental properties in town. St. Joseph should be cleaned up before the Council looks at building new buildings. th Ron Eiynck, 13 – 4 Ave NW: Eiynck stated he did not plan on speaking at the meeting, but wanted to support Borresch’s comments regarding people voicing their opinions. Eiynck believes there are mixed messages being sent by the City as there is a gold shovel in the lobby area of the current City building. Schultz stated that the shovel was a gift to him which he gave to the city when the ground was broken at the new armory building. Mary Ann Graeve, MN St E: Graeve stated that the residents are interested in a community center, not just a community room. Graeve questioned if there are records on the number of hours spent on the project and of those hours, how many were volunteer hours. Additionally, she would like to know the benefit to the taxpayers for this new building. Schultz stated that the public comments portion is for the public to voice their concerns and those concerns will be addressed either later in the agenda or at a separate time. Loso added back and forth dialogue takes place at public hearings, not in the public comments. May 15, 2014 Page 2 of 7 With no one else wishing to speak, Schultz closed the public comments. Frank made a motion to approve the agenda pulling out item 4a for further Approval of the Agenda: discussion. The motion was seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. Wick made a motion to approve the consent agenda. The motion was seconded Consent Agenda: by Symanietz and passed unanimously. a. Minutes – Approved the minutes of May 1, 2014. b. Bills Payable – Approved check numbers 047667 – 047730; payroll EFT # 000909 – 000913 and accounts payable EFT # 001647 – 001648. c. Treasurer Report – Accepted the April 2014 Treasurer Report. d. Transfer – Transferred 2014 Park Terrace Improvement expenses from Debt Service to Construction Fund e. Root Foaming – Authorized Root Foaming of 8,553 feet of sewer line as proposed by the Public Works Director at a cost of $13,599. Discussion: Frank clarified the minutes of May 1, 2014 indicate the he stated he was afraid to drive thru the new intersection and he meant that at times there are times when he is afraid. Central MN Housing Partnership – Grant Application: Deanna Hemmesch, representative from the Central MN Housing Partnership approached the Council seeking support for a grant application for the possible purchase of the Cloverdale Townhomes. The complex serves low to moderate income families and is in need of upgrades. Funding is available through DEED whereby CMHP could purchase, upgrade and own the property; however, the grants are very competitive. Hemmesch stated that grants are scored on an establish rubric, awarding points for municipal contribution. The proposed resolution indicates that 75% of the building permit fees will be waived and the City will also reduce the rental license fee 50% for the first three years and 25% for the next two years. Loso make a motion authorizing the Mayor and Administrator to execute Resolution 2014-019 supporting the tax credit application for the proposed Cloverdale Townhome purchase. The motion was seconded by Frank and passed unanimously. Discussion: Frank asked why the owners would want to sell the building if they have a 97% occupancy rate. Hemmesch added that the owners are no longer interested in maintaining rental properties there. Frank asked if the CMHP does background checks for renters. Hemmesch stated that they do background checks. A rental housing history form is completed by the tenant and a credit, rental, and criminal check is completed. If the applicant is denied, there is an appeal process they may go through. Bruetger Properties would be managing the properties on behalf of CMHP. Government Center Bids: Loso stated that the Council has done their due diligence as far as alternates to a new government center. All the costs and numbers were looked at and the common sense approach was to tear the current building down. Decisions were made at public hearings and council meetings. Loso mentioned that at the first public hearing there was no public presence. Loso acknowledge the current petition that is out there and added that it would be illegal to have they type of question on the ballot. He believes this is a the government center is a good project. Loso made a motion to reject the bidding of the 2014 Government Center, shelving the project, to move into a more acceptable concept to meet the needs of the residents of the City. The motion was seconded by Frank. Discussion: Schultz created a presentation recapping the government center project timeline. On March th 26, an open house was held to review the final agreed upon plan. The concerns were listened to and addressed. Since then a town hall meeting was held and he has met with many residents. Out of all the meetings Schultz came up with the following options: May 15, 2014 Page 3 of 7 Do nothing 1. : Repair the roof and HVAC. This is the least costly, current plans would be shelved, the police, council chamber, and admin building still need work, but would be revisited at a later date. Move forward with the current plan 2. : The residents and business concerns are not addressed, the bid is $300,000 under the budget, and over 1/3 of the sub-contractors are within the City. Revise plan, redesign 3. : Take feedback from meetings with residents to develop new plans. The costs will likely go up and credibility might be lost with contractors. Out of all the options and meetings Schultz’s perception is to keep the current structure and add on. The existing granite exterior can be used with some additional changes to make it appear more welcoming. Parking needs to be accounted for if necessary. There will be no community room as 90% of the residents he spoke to do not want a community room. Additionally better communication is needed regarding the current Community Center to gain more feedback. Schultz presented a list of projects that are still on the table: Potential uses of old city hall and existing garage space, historical society expansion needs, food shelf needs, Fire Hall meeting room upgrades, Wobegon Building uses, and streetscape and city entrances. Schultz believes the Council and architects need to meet to discuss the current situation. More meetings will need to be held to inform the public on what the Council is doing and the decisions that are being made. Schultz took census data from 1930 to 2010 and tried to estimate potential growth. As a low estimate in 2040, the population will be over 10,000. The building needs to be sized for safety, and protection as the City grows. Loso posed the question as to if the architects will continue to work with the City in the future if the bids are rejected. Murray Mack, representative from HMA Architects, approached the Council stating that the process has been difficult, but that they will continue to help the City in any way they need. He added that there is confusion within the City as to what needs to happen with the project. Mack believes that if those opposing the project knew the amount of time and work that was put into the planning of the center, their opinions might be different. Mack stated that the comments Schultz made in his presentation are true whereas costs for construction will be going up. Mack stated whichever the direction the City wants to go with, then they are ready to jump in and help in any ways they can. Schultz added that no matter what option is chosen, the goal is to have the building last 40-50 years. Mack added that the City needs to look at the budget and decide whether they would like to cut the budget to make it better for the taxpayers. He added that it is very hard to get people to come to meetings and he often sees where residents will show up towards the end when the project is up for final approval. Frank mentioned that he has been consistent with the questions he has raised regarding the Government Center. Frank appreciates the work that the Facility Committee has done, but has a different opinion on the project. Frank stated that he is concerned with the amount of money being spent pursuing the new government building whether it is newly constructed, or a remodel. Frank is also concerned about the limited parking space. He would like to use the sales tax money for a real community center, a place where there is not only a room, but additional courts and other activities. Mack addressed the question posed by a resident regarding the benefits the building will bring to the community. He stated that about 40% of the building is the police department. The building would provide a safer environment for the community. Mack posed the question if the current building is the picture of what the residents want the city to be. Mack stated that he would like to invite residents concerned about the project involved in moving forward either with this project or with an alternate project going forward. Wick stated he was part of the Facilities Committee and were responsible for providing direction to the Council. Wick added that the project was brought to the Council 27 times throughout the process. There were multiple alternates brought up and discussed at prior meetings. He added that quite a few local businesses were bidders and that is something that is not seen often. May 15, 2014 Page 4 of 7 Symanietz stated that the committee looked at all the alternatives. She added it would cost more to have the building remodeled because it is old and there is a lot that would need to be done. Symanietz added she is concerned with the amount the new project will cost in the future because costs continue to rise. Frank stated that the city has a lot of seniors in the community and the city has the additional burden with 45% of the taxable market value tax exempt. Frank added that he does not feel the city is financially capable of funding the project. There are multiple projects going on and there are miles of sewer in the City that need to be redone and he does not feel it is financially feasible. Wick stated that all the projects were accounted for when going through the Government Center financially. At the time the Council voted on a budget, it was a unanimous vote to set the budget at $4.5 million. Ayes: Schultz, Frank, Loso, Symanietz Nays: Wick Motion Carried: 4:1:0 Ordinance Amendments Ordinance 42, Sewer Use: City Engineer, Randy Sabart, stated that the City of St. Cloud has made some changes to their sewer pre-treatment local limits and all cities contracting for service are required to update the local ordinance to reflect the new limits. There were four changes to the concentration or strength to the wastewater that the City should abide by. Sabart stated it has little to no effect on the City. Frank made a motion authorizing the Mayor and City Administrator to execute the amendment to Ordinance 42, updating the local limits as required by the City of St. Cloud. The motion was seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. Ordinance 56, Fence: Weyrens stated the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on the Fence Ordinance and requested a number of changes. Rather than listing materials that you can have, they included a list of materials excluded portion to the ordinance. The Planning Commission has recommended adoption of the revised Ordinance as presented. Loso made a motion authorizing the Mayor and City Administrator to execute Resolution 2014- 020, amending Ordinance 56 regarding Fencing. The motion was seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. Loso made a motion authorizing the Mayor and City Administrator to execute Resolution 2014-021 authorizing summary publication for Ordinance 56. The motion was seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. City Engineer Reports Sabart reported that staff met with the contractors for the Water Tower Improvements. The tower work will begin shortly after Memorial Day. Sabart added they are in the process of meeting with Kuechle Underground regarding Park Terrace. A Project Update was sent to all the residents. Frank stated that the newsletter was very well written and very informative. Sabart informed the Council that a th preconstruction meeting is set up for May 29 on the Main Pump Station. Sabart stated that the list of contractors he gave in the newsletter was done intentionally to include only excavators. This was to simplify the process for the residents so they would not have to contact both a directional driller and an excavator if absolutely necessary. Feedback was received from excavators that they will only contact directional drillers if they need to be involved. Sabart responded to Mr. Borresch’s questions regarding additional parking while the Park Terrace Project is under construction. He stated additional stalls added, but would like direction from the Council. Loso stated he would like some additional information as to what the costs would be. Sabart added that it is not too late to add it to the project and the cost to the homeowner would not be affected. May 15, 2014 Page 5 of 7 Frank stated he would like to have the Park Board’s thoughts on the parking. The general consensus was to have the City Engineer calculate the estimated costs and bring back to the Council. Frank added that for the water tower project, there will be minimal disruption to residents. Sabart added that the project is estimated for 10 weeks given the weather cooperates. Committee Updates Planning Commission: Weyrens reported that the Planning Commission reviewed the final sign draft ordinance and staff will be sending it to various sign companies for feedback. The companies will be invited to discuss at the next Planning Commission meeting. Weyrens added that there will be a public hearing for the re-zoning of the properties recently annexed from the township. Any land that is developable is proposed to be re-zoned as B-3 which is consistent with the Comprehensive Plan. The open area will remain as agricultural. The park and ride will be left as public. Wick asked why the property is going directly from agricultural to B3. Weyrens stated that there is a property that is zoned commercial that is applying for building permits. Park Board: Loso reported the Park Board met at Centennial Park where Loso updated the board on the th Park Terrace Project. Tree planting is planned for May 19. Case Day was discussed. Weyrens added that staff met with the college and the students were supposed to clean up the next day, but due to the weather they did not. The students came out on Saturday to clean up everything and from the PD side, cleanup will be enforced further. Frank asked if overflow garbage cans were included in the cleanup. Wick stated that there is an ordinance regulating that. Chief Joel Klein stated that is a separate issue from Case Day that the PD is addressing. Klein added that he has built goals up for the department. The ordinance states that residents can have the cans out for 24 hours before and 24 hours after pickup. Overflow garbage that is not picked up by the garbage company, will be addressed by the PD. Loso added that Sharon Young reported on the summer rec program where 163 participants are already signed up. Signage for the Wobegon Trail was also discussed and could potentially be one of the Eagle Scout Projects. The Park Board also discussed the Adopt a Park Program. Loso stated it is in the infancy stage and further discussions will be had. Frank mentioned it would be a good idea to get feeback from St. Cloud who already has a program like that. Fire Board: Loso reported that the Fire Board approved a 50/50 grant for new equipment from the DNR. Approval was also given for the purchase of a new drop tank. Additionally two new Fire Department members were selected. There were 8 applicants. Two applicants, Joseph Orcutt and Andrew Kremer, were approved as the new members. Once the background checks come through, the approval of the hiring will be brought to the Council for approval. Administrator Reports Kegs: The Council has previously requested to review the Keg Permit Ordinance Provision. Currently the Ordinance requires a permit for all kegs. Both CSB and SJU support the keg permits and will be forwarding a letter to the Council. Schultz stated that in the beginning discussions, the size of the kegs were discussed. He would like to obtain the opinion of the Chief as far as recommendations on if Ordinance changes are needed. Klein stated that he is getting mixed reviews regarding the Ordinance. He added that he has had discussions with the St. Cloud City Attorney. The biggest advantages of having keg permits is being aware of where the parties are going to be and to curb underage alcohol consumption. Klein added that some landlords May 15, 2014 Page 6 of 7 like to know which tenants and when the parties are happening at his properties. Other landlords are not as concerned. After talking to local businesses, keg sales are down. Klein stated that at this point he can’t really tell if it is effective. There have been a few violations, but not many. Klein added that because St. Joseph is smaller, the police department is able to locate the parties easier as there is a smaller area to cover. The keg permits are another tool being used and is torn on whether to keep them or not. Frank stated that Social Host Ordinances works. He added that there are misconceptions regarding whether the City is wanting to make money off the permits, which is not the case. Frank asked if the size of the keg should make a difference as to whether a permit is required. Schultz stated that during prior discussions, it was determined that a keg is a keg regardless of size. Loso stated he would like to know how many kegs were sold in St. Joseph, compared to the number of keg permits issued. Schultz stated it would be hard to capture the number of kegs that were bought in St. Joseph, from residents of St. Joseph to be used in the City. People from other cities could buy keg permits in St. Joseph and residents of St. Joseph could purchase kegs from other cities. Klein stated he can speak with local businesses to see if they can provide numbers. Mayor Reports Golf Carts: Schultz reported that the Stearns County passed a golf cart ordinance similar to that of St. Joseph. Schultz added that due to this, each person that has a golf cart in St. Joseph would have to pay two fees and have two permits, one for the county and one for the city. He would like staff to work with the County. Chamber of Commerce: Coalition has been formed to get a splash pad in the City. Schultz feels the Council should give them as much support as they need going forward with the project. Their goal is to raise $200,000 prior to bringing it to the Council. Coalition of Greater MN Cities: Schultz reported that the board met to discuss bonding. About 65% of the current bonding bill is earmarked for the Twin Cities and surrounding suburbs and the remaining 35% for the rest of the state. New Business Government Center: Answering the question posed by resident Wahlstrom during public comments, Weyrens stated that the petition with the signatures for the government center can be submitted at any time. McDonald approached the Council stating that the Government Center should be put on the November ballot. They are not calling for a special election. Weyrens stated per a Minnesota State Statute, even if the questions were to be put on the general ballot, it would still be considered a special election. ½ cent sales tax: Schultz stated that the Council should be making sure they are following some process or procedure so that sales tax usage can be easily tracked. Loso suggested presenting to the residents again the types of projects that the sales tax can be used for in order to provide additional clarification to the projects it can be used for. Jim Graeve, 619 MN St E: Graeve approached the Council stated that the council should take consideration to making the current building for just Administration and to put the police department in connection with the Fire Hall. Symanietz stated that there might not be enough land to add on to the existing Fire Hall. Speed Limit, MN Street West: Frank stated that he had a concerned resident contact him regarding speed on former CR 2, now MN Street. Sabart stated that the road is a county road and the process to change the speed limit would be a time consuming one. A speed study would need to be conducted through MnDOT that can take up to a year. An additional year could be taken to actually get the speed reduced. May 15, 2014 Page 7 of 7 Union Negotiations: Frank added that he and Wick are on the negotiations committee. AFSCME and LELS are the two unions. A second mediation session was held with LELS and the third is scheduled in June. AFSCME has not gone to mediation and continued discussions will be held. Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation: Schultz reported that the Greater St. Cloud Development Corporation is working with job retention and are working with the community college connecting them with local businesses. Central MN Federal Credit Union is already partnering with Alexandria Technical College on a curriculum. Additional Public Comments: Wahlstrom approached the Council asking what the responsibility would be of the a strip mall cleaning up garbage. She added the first individual she approached stating it is the city’s responsibility and the other stated that the garbage cans would be taken if they were placed out. Wahlstrom stated they are very unreceptive to cleaning up the garbage. Klein stated he would set up some time to meet and discuss the issue with her at a later date. Schultz stated that the Council should continue the process of addressing questions in the public comments at the next scheduled Council meeting rather than in the same meeting under new business. Schultz stated that the Council will get together to discuss the next steps in the government center project. At this point there are no plans and any meetings will be posted. Motion made by Frank to adjourn at 8:23 PM; seconded by Loso and passed Adjourn: unanimously. Judy Weyrens Administrator This page intentionally left blank