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HomeMy WebLinkAbout[04a-1] Minutes - December 4, 2014 December 4, 2014 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, December 04, 2014 at 6:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall, opening the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Rick Schultz, Councilors Renee Symanietz, Dale Wick, Bob Loso, Steve Frank. City Administrator Judy Weyrens City Representatives: City Engineer Randy Sabart, Public Works Director Terry Thene, Police Chief Joel Klein, Finance Director Lori Bartlett Others Present: Tom Klein, Dean Wick, Brian Austin, Cindy Austin, Bruce Austin, Mike McDonald, Council Elect Matt Killam, Bob Lyon. Public Comments Loso made a motion to approve deleting agenda item 4(a) Minutes. The Approval of the Agenda: motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously by those present. Symanietz made a motion to approve the consent agenda. The motion was Consent Agenda: seconded by Wick and passed unanimously by those present. a. Deleted b. Bills Payable – Approved check numbers 048615 – 049663, Payroll EFT # 001003- 001007 c. Application for Payment – Authorized execution of application #4 for the 2015 Main Pump Station and Collection System Improvements and payment to Geislinger & Sons Inc, in the amount of $307,949.40. d. Application for Payment – Authorized the execution of application #5 for the 2014 Park Terrace Improvement and payment to Kuechle Underground, Inc in the amount of $37,324.80. e. Liquor License – Issued Malt liquor, cigarette, and amusement licenses based on the attached list for the license period January 1, 2015 through December 31, 2015. 2015 Budget Hearing: Mayor Schultz opened the public hearing to consider the proposed 2015 General Fund Budget and Tax Levy. Weyrens stated that when the Stearns County Auditor’s Office printed the tax statements for the hearing, the inadvertently printed the hearing would be at 7:00 PM; therefore, the hearing should be suspended until 7:00 PM. Schultz questioned those present if any anyone wished to speak at this time; with no one wishing to speak, the hearing was suspended until 7:00 PM. Little Saints PUD Request: Weyrens stated that the Planning Commission conducted a public hearing on December 1, 2014 to consider the rezoning and PUD request of Little Saints. Little Saints is a music th based childcare center that has purchased the former Metro Plumbing and Heating facility adjacent to 8 Ave NE. The property owner is requesting a PUD to allow for a development that will consist of childcare, commercial kitchen and storage. Weyrens stated that the Planning Commission received one written objection to the rezoning stating that the adjacent uses of industrial and childcare may not be compatible. th During the public hearing others testified that the traffic on 8 Ave NE is not in conflict with a daycare. Dean Wick, Outsource Architecture spoke on behalf of Little Saints. Wick stated that some of the concerns raised by the Planning Commission were the drop off location and parking. Wick added that due to the age of the children, there will need to be sufficient parking for parents to park in order to bring their children inside. Frank stated his main concern is safety and asked Chief Klein if he had any safety concerns with the location. Chief Klein stated there is traffic on the road, but not to where it would cause a th concern. Weyrens added that since CR133 had been rerouted to 8 Avenue, traffic has reduced significantly. Weyrens clarified that before a building permit is issued for the project, the owner or owner representative must submit a complete set of plans and enter into a Development Agreement. Since the project required rezoning the petitioner submitted concept plans to avoid a large outlay if the rezoning were not approved. December 4, 2014 Page 2 of 4 A developer’s agreement will need to be created for this project. The Planning Commission recommended approval with following contingencies; the draining would have to be reviewed and approved by the City Engineer, if the storage building is changed from the current use, the property owner must seek an amendment to the PUD Agreement and the parking and pedestrian ways need to be reviewed for safety. Frank made a motion to approve the rezoning from I, Industrial to B2, Highway Business and to approve the PUD application allowing for a commercial development to include childcare, commercial kitchen, and cold storage contingent upon items a-d which follow for Little Saints Academy. The motion was seconded by Loso and passed unanimously. a. Final Plans are submitted and compliant with the B2 Zoning District b. Relief of curb and gutter only if drainage meets the requirements of the City Engineer c. The storage area is limited to use by Little Saints and a change to the use would require an amendment to the PUD. d. Execution of a development agreement e. Review the parking lot and circulation to provide for pedestrian safety Public Hearing, Community Block Grant – Housing Rehab: Mayor Schultz opened the public hearing to which Weyrens stated the representative from the Central MN Housing Partnership was unable to attend the meeting due to illness. The purpose of the hearing is to give the community a brief update on the Housing Grant the City received for housing rehab. The city had received a block grant in the amount of strd $ 600,000 to rehab homes between 1 and 3 Ave. So far there have been 16 applications and 12 projects being completed. There are 2 that are construction ready and 3 that are awaiting bids. Weyrens stated that the number of applications has dropped and she has reached out to see if the area could be expanded to allow for more applicants. No action is required by the Council. Frank suggested having publications showing what has been done to already complete properties to gain interest from other residents. Schultz asked if there is a deadline. Weyrens stated the grant will end in June 2015. th Mike McDonald 213 – 13 Ave SE questioned the administrative expenses illustrated in the financial report. Weyrens stated that Central MN Housing Partnership receives the administrative funding as they administer the grant. As no one else present wished to speak, Schultz closed the public hearing. Public Hearing, Proposed 2015 Fee Schedule: Schultz opened the public hearing for the proposed 2015 Fee Schedule at 6:15 PM. Weyrens stated that the proposed fee schedule has few changes with the majority of the increase in the enterprise funds, utility rates. The utility rate studies indicate the proposed fees are necessary to fund the operation and debt schedules. The water and sewer funds are dependent upon connection fees in new developments along with the transfers or levies from other funds to operate. The increased fees over the next few years will help these funds be less dependent on new development, reserves, and levies. Councilmember Wick suggested the Coalition dues and website fees could be moved from the Refuse fund to the General fund. In doing this, the refuse rates could remain unchanged for 2015 and 2016 with an increase in 2017. Bartlett stated if the Council were to move forward with the suggestion made by Councilmember Wick, then the residential annual utility bill would be decreased by $6.00. Bartlett stated that staff is proposing increases in sewer and water fees that would go into the enterprise fund. Ideally, the funds coming in should be covering the operational costs, depreciation, and debts. However, the City has not quite been covering the depreciation and debt. The goal is to get to 100%. The sewer fund has debts with the City of St. Cloud. In order to keep making payments, the rates will need to increase. Bartlett stated there are very few other changes in the Fee Schedule. Frank asked if the City would be increasing the street light utility fee. Bartlett stated that the City will be decreasing the fee $.20 every two December 4, 2014 Page 3 of 4 months throughout the year. Frank asked if any part of the fee schedule eludes to inspections of bars. Weyrens stated that the inspection fees for the liquor license holders are part of the license fee charged. Bartlett added that the rates were adjusted about three years ago. Wick noticed the water line charge increased by $3.00 and the sewer line charge increased by $11.50. Bartlett stated that the City has taken on another three debts to cover some of the issues that have occurred. The reserves that have been set aside will only last through part of 2015. The area cities have had to increase their rates as well due to the issues. Symanietz stated the solicitor/peddler rate has nearly doubled and wondered if area cities have around the same fee. Bartlett stated it is similar to other area cities. th Mike McDonald, 213 – 13 Ave SE: McDonald approached the Council regarding the street lighting, refuse, water, and sewer fees. McDonald suggested putting street lights out on Elm Street behind McDonalds as there is little to no light back there. McDonalds stated that the line charge for the sewer line has more than doubled since 2012. He disagrees with the fact that everyone should pay the same as people use it differently. McDonald thanked Councilmember Wick for pursuing his suggestion to take out some of the non-operational costs form the refuse fund. McDonalds stated that the refuse fund is different than other funds in that it has no employees, no equipment and should be easy to budget for. The garbage contract shows a decrease of over $2.00 while the fee schedule shows an increase. When looking at the expenditure budget, there is $42,155.00 in salaries and benefit costs being expended to the refuse fund. McDonald asked where that money is going to and is unsure why it is so high. McDonald stated that when people look at the refuse expenditure, they will find expenses that have nothing to do with the operation of the refuse fund. McDonald stated ideally, the costs of refuse should decrease to reflect the decrease in the refuse contract. McDonald added that in the past he has seen Councilmembers snicker as they have used refuse funds to pay for other items. McDonald suggested cleaning up the refuse fund by putting all non-operational expenditures in the general fund. As no one else present wished to speak, Schultz closed the public hearing. Frank stated that all the Councilmembers take their position seriously and does not remember any of them snickering. Loso made a motion to adopt the 2015 Fee Schedule with the following change; transferring of the Coalition dues and website fees from the refuse fund to the general fund resulting in unchanged refuse fees to residents in 2015 and 2016. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Committee Update Planning Commission: Schultz reported the Planning Commission held a public hearing regarding Little Saints and their recommendation to the Council was discussed earlier. Joint Planning: Weyrens stated that two developments are up for consideration. One is the Notch property and the City is working with the developer to further discuss ghost platting and how the north/east corridor fit into the plan. There is still a question regarding the size of the lots, but staff will continue to work with the developers. Additionally, access to the lots will require further discussion as the developers prepare additional layouts. Mayor Reports APO: Schultz stated he has asked the APO to add the northern corridor back into the transportation plan to include possible layout of access points into the City. The cost would be $12,000 to pursue further. th Town Hall: Schultz will be housing a town hall at the Fire Hall on Friday, December 12 from 5:00-6:00 PM. New Business December 4, 2014 Page 4 of 4 Aquatic Facility: Weyrens reported the committee met and are looking for additional responses for the survey and will be kept live until Monday, December 08, 2014. School District: Weyrens stated staff met with the school to come up with a solution to traffic that occurs at drop off time. The issue will need to be resolved prior to a building permit being issued. District 742 is scheduling a meeting with the parents to get feedback on ways to eliminate the issue. Klein stated the problem is the tiered bussing system and they need to make it work. Finance Director: Frank thanked Bartlett for her years of service with the City and appreciates her answering any questions he has brought to her attention. The Council wished her well on her new endeavor. Public Hearing, 2015 Proposed Budget; Mayor Schultz re-opened the public hearing for the proposed 2015 budget. Bartlett stated the preliminary budget and levy was established in September. Since then, the Council has discussed alternatives that would reduce the financial impact to the tax payer. With the adjustment the Council made in November, the difference in the tax rate between what was mailed to the residents and what is being presented at this meeting is an increase of .05%. The effect on a $200,000 home is a $.89 increase. Bartlett stated that many people have probably noticed an increase in their taxes overall. The main reason for that is the St. Cloud School District. Their levy is set based on state law and the increase will be 4.21%. The effect on a $200,000 home will be an increase of $76.12. Bartlett stated that the large decrease in Sauk Rapids was due to a TIF district rolling off their levy. With the adjustment approved tonight regarding moving the coalition dues and website expenses to the general fund, there will be about a $10.00 increase to a $200,000 home. Bartlett stated that due to the recession LGA funds have gone up and down substantially over the past few years. Bartlett stated the City uses the 5-year plan to keep levy fluctuations to a minimum by putting funds aside each year to fund equipment. The City tries to tier out the projects to avoid spikes in debt issues and leveling out the debt levy. Schultz opened the hearing for public comments. McDonald questioned why the Council does not make the added expenses included in the general levy right away rather than having to pay on it at a later time. As no one else present wished to speak, Schultz closed the public hearing. Wick stated that the Certificate of Indebtedness is regarding the equipment certificates. Weyrens stated that typically the City does not hold on to bond levies and the HVAC system is an exception. Wick made a motion authorizing the Mayor and Administrator to adopt resolution 2014-036 Adopting the Final 2014 Tax Levy, Collectible in 2015 as presented plus the transfer $17,095 from the refuse fund to the general levy. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Wick made a motion to adjourn at 7:10 PM. The motion was seconded by Loso and Adjourn: passed unanimously. Judy Weyrens Administrator