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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 [05] May 18 May 18, 2015 Page 1 of 6 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Monday, May 18, 2015 at 6:00 PM in the St. Joseph City Hall, opening the meeting with the Pledge of Allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Rick Schultz, Councilors: Dale Wick, Bob Loso, Matt Killam, Renee Symanietz. City Administrator Judy Weyrens Citv Representatives: City Engineer Randy Sabart, Police Chief Joel Klein, Finance Director Lori Bartlett, Public Works Director Terry Thene Others Present: Wayne Birkholz, Matt Vollbrecht, Tom Klein, Mary Nimmerfroh, Bernadette Powers, Logan Gruber, Brandon Novak Public Comments: No one present wished to speak. �proval of the Agenda: Loso made a motion to approve the agenda with the addition of 11 b, Movie in the Park Update.The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. Consent A,eq nda: Loso made a motion to approve the consent agenda.The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. a. Minutes—Approved the minutes of May 04, 2015 b. Bilis Payable—Approved check numbers 049222-049290, Payroll EFT#001063-00067 and Accounts Payable EFT#001691-001692. c. Police Officer Hire—Accepted the recommendation of the Personnel Committee hiring Eric Brutger as patrol officer, starting at Step 2 on the wage scale. d. Donations—Accepted the following donations: Anonymous—Disc Golf-$44.34; Archery Range $ 29.00; St. Joseph Jaycees-Saw$825.98; St. Joseph Jaycees-Grass FF bags $500.00; St. Joseph Lion's-FD Chairs/Tables$1,000.00. e. Treasurer's Report—Accepted the April 2015 treasurer's report as presented. f. Payment Application—Approved application for Payment No. 8 to Geislinger& Sons, Inc. in the amount of$39,150.45. g. Gambling Report—Accepted the 15'Quarter Gambling Report Symanietz welcomed Eric Brutger to the Police Department. Public Hearinq— Delinpuent Accounts Proposed Assessment: Weyrens stated MN Statute 429.101 allows governments to assess unpaid fees for special charges noted in the City Ordinance. Installments can be paid in one installment or up to 10 equal instailments. The City's policy has been one installment due to the relatively small balances that remain. A 14 day notice of the pending assessment was mailed to the affected property owners. The property owners are given until June 17, 2015 at 10:OOam to pay their delinquent invoices prior to sending the assessment to Stearns County for collection. The$45 assessment fee will be waived if the balance is paid in full before June 17, 2015 at 10:OOam. Mayor Schultz opened the public hearing and as no one wished to speak the public hearing was closed. Wick made a motion authorizing the Mayor and Administrator to execute Resolution 2015-019 Resolution Adopting the Final Assessment roll for outstanding invoices.The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Wayne Birkholz, Water Tower Lights: On April 6th, the City Council received a request from Wayne Birkholz to consider permanently turning off the lights on the water tower at which time the Council delayed action to solicit other public comment. Wayne Birkholz, 447 Elena Lane: Birkholz appreciated the opportunity to come back and speak on the lighting issue. Birkholz presented photos to the Council of areas throughout the City where lighting is a concern for him. Birckholtz stated the two issues he has with the lighting are conservation and light May 18, 2015 Page 2 of 6 pollution. Birkholz suggested the Council update the City's lighting ordinance. The images showed light coming into his home from his neighbor's garage and lights on the backside of his property coming from the Graceview Apartments. Birkholz asked if the lights on the water tower are necessary and requested the water tower fights be shut off. Schultz stated he has received nothing but overwhelming support to have the water tower light remain on, adding he would be open to exploring other areas throughout the City where lights may be shut off. Schultz stated that with all the responses received in favor of the lights, he would be unable to support the shutting off of the lights on the water tower. Schultz opened the floor for public comment. Bernadette Powers, 701-2"d Ave NE: Powers approached the Council asking how the lighting of the tower came to be. Weyrens stated when the skyline was put on the tower; people liked the look and suggested having lights shining up on the tower. Powers stated there are other ways to conserve energy and suggested shutting down or dimming the lights at 2am. Powers added that if the majority of people wanted the lights at the time they were put up, then that should be honored. Powers felt that residents should have the abifity to choose whether to have their lights on or not as the residents pay the electric bills. Living in a City with neighbors, someone is going to have their lights on. Powers added that if people do not like the lights, then they should not be living in a City. Powers is not comfortable turning off lights throughout the City and College and does not want people to be walking around in the dark. Powers added she would side with the majority by keeping the lights on. Mary Nimmerfroh, 1307 Dale St: Nimmerfroh approached the Council in support of keeping the lights on. Nimmerfroh added that she looked at all the links provided by Birkholz and was disappointed that Birkholz had not discussed the water tower specifically. Nimmerfroh believed that Birkholz did not present his case very well and did not explore the"why." Councilmember Loso stated he is fine with status quo and wants to keep the lights as is. Symanietz added she has safety concerns with the drones and helicopters flying around. Killam agreed and stated that when the issue was first presented, it was to turn off the lights for Earth Day, which he was in favor of. Now that the request has been expanded to having the lights off permanently, Killam is not in favor. Wick asked if lighting in other areas of the City has been looked at. Sabart stated other areas have been looked at, but the payback would have not been worth it. Additionally, the wattage needed would be a large capital cost up front, presenting a challenge to the City on how to fund it. Schultz stated that by consensus, the water tower lights will remain on. Ne would like staff to update the City's light ordinance to coincide with the State's guidelines and regulations. EAW Initiation, Wesfinrood: Weyrens stated City staff has been working with a developer to locate a distribution center in St. Joseph. The Center is proposed on approximatefy 98.92 acres of primarily agricultural land, proposing a total gross building area of 745,000 square feet. Due to the size of the project, an EAW is required. Westwood Professional Services is working on behalf of the developer and has submitted a draft EAW for review and distribution by the City. The City is responsible for distributing the EAW to offices listed on the Environmental Quality Board distribution list as well as several libraries May 18, 2015 Page 3 of 6 that serve as repositories for environmental reports, publishing the notice in the official newspaper, and having a copy available for the public to view. Matt Vollbrecht, Westwood Professional Services: Volibrecht approached the Council to describe the EAW process. The original EAW was completed in 2007. However, since the project is larger, the EAW was re-drafted. They are now looking for approval to distribute the EAW to the required distribution list, issue the press release, and publish the notice. Loso made a motion authorizing the Administrator to distribute the EAW to the required distribution list, issue the press release; and publish the notice in the Environmental Quatity Board.The motion was seconded by Wick and passed unanimously. Public Hearing—Outdoor Event, Sal's Bar: Weyrens stated that the City has received a request from Sal's bar has applied for an outdoor event on June 27, 2015 from 7:00 PM to 10:30 PM. The Ordinance requires that events extending beyond 9:30 PM are required to go through a public hearing process to allow adjoining property owners to have input. The application has been reviewed by the Police Chief with the following recommendations: double fencing covering the parking area; hiring of 2 full time officers, alley to be barricaded; music will bend by 10 PM and the grounds to be cleaned no later than 8:00 AM on June 28. Kyle Schneider, Sal's: Schneider approached the Council stating the event is for St. Ben's alumni weekend. Schultz opened the public hearing and as no one present wished to speak, Schultz closed the public hearing. Wick made a motion authorizing the Mayor and Administrator to execute the Outdoor Permit with the conditions identified by the Police Chief for an event to be held on June 27t".The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Noise Violation. 117 MN St E: Weyrens stated that the Police Department issued a noise violation to property located at 117 MN St E. The property owner has accepted responsibility for the violation and is not requesting a hearing; therefore, the action of the Council is twofold: 1) acknowledge the violation and 2) consider the disposition. Loso made a motion acknowledging the noise violation did occur at 117 MN St E on April 24, 2015. The motion was seconded by Symanietr and passed unanimously. Chief Klein stated that prior to the officers arriving, there were two contacts made by the neighbors. When that was not successful, the pplice were called and a warning was issued. After the warning was not addressed, the cops were called a second time and the citation was issued. Brandon Novak, property owner. Novak stated the tenants admitted to the violation. The tenants and friends were watching the Minnesota Wild hockey playoff game. During the game, goals were scored and the noise level increased. Wick made a motion to impose the fine of$250.00 to property owner Brandon Novak for the noise violation at 117 MN St E. The motion was seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. Schultz asked the age of the students. Novak stated the tenants were seniors. May 18, 2015 Page4of6 City Engineer Reports Request for Intersection Control: Weyrens stated the City received a request to put in an intersection control at the intersection of 12 Avenue and Baker St E. Sabart presented images of the intersection for review. Sabart stated there is not an easy answer as there are guidelines to be followed regarding stop signs. In the request, the resident was concerned with the amount of speed at that intersection. In order for further intersection controls, certain warrants need to be met regarding traffic volumes. Traditionally, the increase in presence of patrol officers is used, but can be a temporary fix. Another option would be the presence of a speed monitor trailer at the intersection. Klein stated that numerous complaints have been received on the intersection. Klein added he does have access to a speed trailer and could put it at the intersection immediately. It is a bad intersection, however there have not been enough crashes to meet the minimum warrants. Sabart stated it is a situation where the City does not want to be insensitive to the issue. Sabart recommended adding a deterrent relative to the speed and see what follows. Loso stated that he would like to see the speed sign at that intersection. Wick stated that the sign can be put outside of his house as he is right up on the hill and it could prevent people from speeding down the hill. Klein agreed and noted he could get the trailer out soon. Schultz stated there are high volumes of traffic at that street and asked why the stop signs were put on 12th Avenue rather than on Dale St E. Additionaliy, Schultz inquired about possible assistance from the APO. Sabart stated he is unsure about the traffic signs. Additionally, in order for the APO to consider, then studies would need to be done regarding traffic counts. Symanietz suggested having flags put on the stop signs for people to see easier. Sabart stated that the issue is from traffic in the opposite direction that does not have stop signs. Loso suggested a roundabout at that intersection as it would be the perfect piace for one, while Thene suggested putting stop bars out on 12'"Ave as a speed deterrent. The Council agreed to start with placing a speed trailer at the intersection and increase patrol presence and will evaluate at a later date. Proposed Field Street(east of CR 121): Weyrens stated the Council had talked about the extension of Field Street from CR 121 East using MSA funds. Staff has discussed the project as it qualifies for the use of MSA funding and if the Council desires to move this project forward, a decision has to be made as to how far Field Street should be extended. Sabart stated the transportation plan shows an extension to 12'h Avenue and then from 12th Avenue to 16�h Avenue. Sabart added that prior to going forward, staff is looking for feedback from the Council on how to move forward. Funding with state aid dollars would limit the extension to 7'h Avenue. Schultz stated that because state aid dollars would fund only the extension to 7th Avenue, it creates a hindrance for further possible expansion to 12th Avenue due to costs. It is not a regional road at this time. Sabart stated that as the population grows and as the size of the City expands outwards, changes in road designations can be made to account for traffic volumes. The changes could potentially qualify road extensions for additional state aid. Sabart added the other option would be to build it with local funds. Weyrens stated that the plan is to start construction next year, taking this year to navigate through the processes. May 18, 2015 Page 5 of 6 Loso stated he is in favor of extending Field Street to 12th Avenue as it would be cheaper to do the construction all at one time rather than in phases. Schultz stated he is hesitant with the extension as there is no current development out there and a connecting street from the north would need to extend south to the field street extension. Sabart stated he will provide numbers on the extension of Field Street to 12th Avenue and will explore further options for using the monies for off-road improvements in Northland. Proiect Updates: Sabart stated the seeding in Park Terrace and Main Lift Station areas have experienced areas of washout. The main lift station is operational. Sabart added only one home in Park Terrace needs to connect to the sanitary sewer system. That connection will take place sometime in June. Replacement trees have been planted and sod is being placed. The final layer of blacktop will be in July. Administrator Reports Equipment Certificate: Weyrens stated the City Council has been discussing over the past couple of meetings the amount of the equipment certificate. It has increased by the cost of a maintenance truck. Weyrens added that items would need to be cut in order to keep the levy at$150,000. Wick stated that he does not see any reason to raise taxes to purchase items and would want to keep the equipment certificate at no more than $150,000. Thene stated that not having the extra truck makes it hard for staff to complete tasks. Thene added that this week was a prime example of not having enough transportation with hydrant flushing and the gator breaking down. Weyrens stated that taking out the computer upgrades would drop the amount of the equipment certificate down to $164,000. From there Thene and Klein would need to look at additional cuts get the certificate value down to $150,000. Loso stated that he would want to approve the prior equipment certificate request which excludes the new truck. Thene questioned how staff is to replace the broken down truck. Thene suggested taking out the Wing Mower and fixing it as needed to further reduce the amount of the certificate. Schultz stated he does not want to eliminate computer upgrades as the City needs to stay current with technology. Schultz added that he would like to keep the equipment certificate as close to that$150,000 as possible. Klein stated that the Yukon still works but he is able to get more for it now then he would three years from now. Klein added the other items listed on the equipment certificate are needed. Loso suggested that staff go back and work through the equipment certificate, bringing back a final proposal at the meeting on May 215`. Movie in the Park: Weyrens stated that the Movie in the Park will be taking place again this year. The first date is June 24 and the movie showing is Boxtrolls. Additionally, a contest will be held for children where they can build cars out of cardboard boxes much like a drive in movie. There will be 2 age brackets 2-8 and 9-12. Mayor Reports New Business: Schultz reported that the met with the CSB cabinet. Members from the cabinet will be attending an upcoming Council meeting to discuss public relations and other activities that the College participates in. May 18, 2015 Page 6 of 6 Schultz stated that he, Wick, and Jen Warnert from the Aquatic Committee were on WJON discussing the water amenity. New Business: Symanietz stated she will be attending the League of MN Cities Annual Conference in Duluth on June 24-26tn Ad'�ourn: Wick made a motion to adjourn at 7:15 PM; seconded by Symanietz and passed unanimously. �� � J dy We�s dmi istrator