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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999 [09] Sep 02 Page 3605 September 2, 1999 I City of 5t. Joseph City Council Meeting 912199, 7:00 PM I 1. Call to Order. Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met on Thursday, September 2, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. in the St. Joseph City Hail. I Members Present: Mayor Kenneth J. Hiemenz, Bob Loso, Cory Ehlert, Ken Twit and Mary Niedenfuer, Clerk-Administrator Cari Schmidt, and Deputy Clerk Judy Weyrens. Others Present: David Wilke, Steve Streng, Julie Nelson, Kevin Blanchette 2. Approve Agenda: Loso made a motion to approve the agenda as presented with one addition that Public Comments be moved to 8:00 when Kevin Blanchette would be present to speak. The motion was seconded by Twit, and passed unanimously. Loso indicated that Mr. Blanchette had some concerns about the students first weekend back in town. Loso suggested to him that he share those concerns with the rest of the CounciL 3. Special Order of Business - Proclamation for Assisted Living Week- September 12-18 Mayor Hiemenz read the proclamation for assisted living week: "Whereas, our community has a long standing tradition of supporting its senior residences; and whereas in April, 1999, an important senior living altem81ive was made available in the opening of Arlington Place; and Whereas this opening of Arlington Place gives older citizens more flexibility in how they choose to live their fIVes in l81er years; and Whereas it is our desire to honor and show appreciation for the senior housing and healthcare alternative Arlington Place provides for those who wish to receive help with routine living activities while retaining their independence, privacy and dignity in a residential setting; and Whereas in the spirit of Assisted Living Week, a nationwide observance, and the hope that this observance will promote greater awareness of ~he brighter future th81 awaits each of us' as we seek to 'age with dignity' within our own community; Now and therefore, I Kenneth J. Hiemenz, Mayor of the City of St. Joseph, proclaim September 12th through the 1Sth, 1999 St. Joseph ASßisted Living Week and urge the community to take part in the fun and festivities and the free pie and. ice cream social on Sunday, September 1ih 81 Arlington Place from 1 to 5 PM at 30415 9151 Avenue in St. Joseph." Ehlert questioned why not recognize the other facilities in St. Joseph as well as Arlington Place. Hiemenz explained that Arlington Place is the only Assisted Living facility in St. Joseph. The otherfaCìlities are for independent living. Hiemenz stated that this proclamation follows a nationwide initi81ive. 4. 7:05 PM Delinquent Utility Hearing- No residents were present for the delinquent utility hearing. 5. Approve Consent Agenda- a. b. c. d. e. I f. Minnesota Mayor's Association Conference - September 24-25 - Authorize attendance and pay registration fees, Tree Inspector Re-certification Workshop- 9I22/99-A1exandria- Authorize registration for Mike Sworski - $35.00 Outdoor Uquor Permit for an event to be held on October 16-17 at the La Playetfe Denial of Reimbursement for Sewer Cleaning Fee - 103 Ash st. E. Certification of Ba/Iot Questions for November election Authorize staff to increase the purchase price ofthe First State Bank Building From $535,000 (see Article 2.b. of purchase agreement) to $545,000 to include fumishings currently located at said location. Hiemenz stated that on item (e) there are two ballot questions for consideration. They are before Page 3606 September 2, 1999 the Council tonight as the City needs to submit them to the County by September 14th. The Cny attorney and bond counsel have yet to review the language, but the substance should be the same. The flfSt deals with the Y. cent sales tax. It reads: I 'Shall the City of st. Joseph be authorized to create a sales and use tax of one half percent and an excise tax of $20 per retail sales of a motor vehicle and to issue general oblig81ion bonds for the acquisition and betterment of the Central Minnesota Events Center? Whenever revenues from the taxes described above are greater than the amount needed to meet obligations for the Central Minnesota Events Center project (including the bonds described above) then the revenues will be used for: 1. A community recreation center; 2. Parks and/or trails." Ehlert asked if we could also use this for libraries. Hiemenz stated that it must be used for a community type facility and or parksJtrails. The language of the bill specifies the exact uses th81 are allowed. Loso asked a question regarning the agreement with the other cities. Hiemenz explained th81 all of the language regarding the other participating communities is laid out in the Joint Powers Agreement which establishes how the money will be allocated. The issue tonight is just the language itself for the ballot question. Twit st81ed that he thought the City 81 one time talked about financing a new city hall with this question. Hiemenz stated th81 had to be taken out as we were the only community requesting this usage and it was holding up the bill. Twit .. suggested that we amend the question with the attorney's help to let us use the money for . anything allowed by the legislation. Hiernenz stated th81 he would be get1ing the formal language at a meeting the following day, but is requesting th81 the Council approve the language in spirit. Niedenfuer suggested th81 the Council revisit the issue 81 the special meeting on September 10. Loso made a motion to accept the language in spirit with the idea that it would be revisited at the next meeting of the CouncIl NiedenfiJer seconded the motion and it passed lUIanimoasly. The second ballot question is regarding the City manager question. Hiemenz explained that he wanted to make sure the Council had the option of adding this to the ballot in November, even though they hadn't discussed it at length yet. The ballot question would read: 'Shall optional Plan B. providing for the Council-manager form of City government, be adopted for the government of this City?" Niedenfuer asked whether the question had to be stated this way, as she is concerned about the citizens understanding wh81 the question me-ans. Schmidt explained that the language is set by st81ute. HOWever, if the Council wants this question on the ballot, we can launch a public education campaign beforehand, so they know whet the issue is. Twit sta1ed that the main difference between the Administrator and Manager positions is the hiring and firing capability. The Manager holds all of the hiring and firing authority for City employees. The Council only has that authority over the manager and the Cny Attorney. Ehlert steted that we can accomplish many of the same goals by staying with Plan A and not adopting Plan B. NiedenfiJer made a motion to cany the question over until next Friday so that the Co,t/fIC/7 would have more time to review the issue. Loso seconded the issue and it passed lUIanimously. I Twit questioned the date and time for item (c). Outdoor Liquor Permit for the La Playette. The application states October 16-17, which is a Saturday and Sunday. The application should state October 15-16, Friday and Sa1urday. The times are from 6:00 PM to 1:00 AM. Weyrens st81ed that Mr. Zirnmer mentioned that there is nothing going on Thursday night. Twit pointed out that the application needs to be signed by the Police Chief yet. Ehlert questioned item d, as to whether the City is sure that the obstruction was in the service line, as the City has a policy whereby the property owner is responsible flor the priv81e service line. This was confirmed. Hiemenz explained that on item f., increasing the purchase price of the bank from $535,000 to $545,000 was for the furniture located in the bank. He and the City Administrator looked 81 the furniture with ML Reinhart and determined whet nerns would stay with the City, and which the bank would take with them. Loso stated that he is uncomfortable agreeing to this when he hasn't seen a list of the furniture to be included. Ehlert agreed. Schmidt st81ed th81 she was very comfortable with the price and that the City is getting more than $10,000 worth of furniture. Ehlert I Page 3607, September 2, 1999 I stated that he would still like to see the list. Hiemenz stated that although we don't have a list now, a list would be attached as an addendum to the contract. Twit made a motion to approve the consent agenda, sl>conded by Loso. The motion passed unanimously. 6. Approve Minutes- Loso made a motion to approve al1 three sets of minutes. Hiemenz seconded the motion, with a few typographical corrections. The motion passed unanimously. 7. Bills Payable and Overtime Weyrens indicated that another charge would be added to the Bills Payable as we had a mainline sewer back up this week that did some damage to resident basements. Our insurance deductible is $500. Loso said th81 as long as we were talking about sewer back ups, why hasn't the 5th Avenue sewer, line been cleaned yet. Hiemenz stated that the manhole is on plivate property and the City can't I gain access to it. Loso said that there must be some legal recourse that the City can take to clean our own sewer line. Hiemenz stated that the City attorney looked into this already. Schmidt st81ed that she would look into the issue and report back to the Council with her findings. Weyrens detailed some of the bills. She indicated that the City had all of its subdivision maps larnihated which accounts for the substantial Kinkos bill. Twit made a motion to approve the bills payable, seconded by Loso. The motion passed unanimously. I On the call out list, Twit asked whether or not Officers Young and Meyer were at the same meeting, where one claimed one hour and the other claimed two. Ehlert also asked if their presence was required at the meeting. Hiemenz stated that it was the same meeting and the time difference is due to a shift change, and also that the Chief requested their presence at the meeting. Hiemenz also explained that the increased part time hours for Daluge and Schley are due to vacation schedules and the shortage of staff. Loso made a motion to approve the cal1outs, seconded by Twit. The motion passed unanimously. 8. Public Comments on the Agenda- Kevin Blanchette, 113 East Minnesota Street, addressed the Council regarding the activities of the students during their first week back in town. On Monday evening, he was awakened by foot traffic in front of his house that lasted until 2:30 AM. At 1 :20 AM there was a group of students congregating in his front yard trampling his hedge. The students fled when he turned on the porch light. He spoke with the Police Chief and understands there were a number of calls that night. This made him question whether or not the City is employing enough officers. He also stated that it's important to remember th81 the events of last May during graduation week were not a single event. Every weekend is an issue. This was merely one more weekend in a series of problem81ic days. He stressed that by starting classes on Wednesday, students arrive too early and have nothing to do. This only invites the unruly behavior to start earlier. He asked the City to encourage the school to modify its calendar and start classes at the beginning of a week. In the attemative, there should be more programming for those students in those days before classes start. He also expressed the hope that the local police officers are documenting the number of contacts they have with residents, as opposed to the number of contacts with students. He stated that he hoped things quiet down once classes begin, as he is losing sleep. I Hiemenz thanked Mr. Blanchette for his comments and informed him that there is a joint meeting of the C01lege campuses and the City on Friday, September 10, to address this very topic. Niedenfuer also thanked him for his comments and agreed that our response has to start eartier and that we need to take a preventative and proactive stance to this issues. David Wilke, 1006 East Dale and Julie Nelson, 1005 Dale St., addressed the Council regarding the dirt and debris on their street. They stated that they understood the building inspector was going to require them to put up a silt fence, but this hasn't been done. They are frustrated with the dirt being tracked on to their driveways and into their homes. Hiemenz stated that the problem isn't just one contractor, in fact there is more than one. In addition, Page 3608 September 2, 1999 there are delivery vehicles that drive in and out tracking the dirt down the street. Loso agreed that we aren't just talking about Heid and Herges. There are <I number of subcontractors involved as well. Loso stated that the City should dean the area and charge it back to the contractors. Niedenfuer agreed stating that this is not the homeowners responsibility when it's the contractors mess. Ehlert suggested pulling the building permits until the problem is solved. Weyrens indicated that each building permit comes with a memo regarding this issue. The contractors should be aware of what their responsibilities are. Loso made a motion to puff the building permits until the problem is solved, and to give the contractors a half day to clean up the mess or the City would clean it for them and charge it back to the contractor. Ehlert seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. I 9. 7:30 PM - Authorization of the Bond Sale - Monte Eastvold- Juran & Moody Eastvold presented updates for the Council for the General Obligation Improvement Bonds for Joseph Street, the Business Park and Northland Drive. Sewer trunk charges are now estim81ed to total only 216,000. He also reported that the interest rates on assessments is 6.00%. With a City cash contribution of $100,000, the issuance amount is $1,340,000. Eastvold reported that tonights requested actions are to pass two resolutións: one which sets when and where the bond sale will occur and the second is to accept the financial services agreement with Juran and Moody. The resolution states that the bonds will be offered for sale on sealed proposals on September 30,1999. The proposals will be opened at a special meeting on that date at 4:30 PM at St. Joseph City Hall. Eastvold also indicated that the City still reserves the right, after the bids are opened and priorto award, to increase or reduce the principal amount of the bonds. Hiemel1z asked if the City waits until February because the Northland bids come in too high, can we still do this. Eastvold stated that yes, the City could reissue or cancel the entire sale. The City has three years to spend the proceeds. I Loso made a motion to accept the financial seNices agreement, seconded by Ehlert. The motion passed unanimously. Twit made a motion to accept the resolution setting the time and place for the sale of the bonds. The motion was seconded by Ehlert and passed unanimously. 10. Resolution Approving Preliminary Budget for Year 2000- Weyrens presented the resolution approving the preliminary budget for the year 2000. She also asked the Council to set the Truth in Taxation Hearing date. The Council set the d81e of Wednesday December 1 at 7:00 for the Truth in Taxation Hearing and December 16 at 7:00 forthe follow-up meeting. Loso made a motion to accept the resolution approving the preliminary budget for the year 2000 and setting the Truth in Taxation Hearing for December 1, 1999. Ehlert seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. 11. Mayors Report- Hiemenz reported th81 he and Administretor Schmidt attended the Northstar corridor Western Extension steering committee meeting. The steering committee was formed to meet a legislative mandate. Its charge is to study the feasibility of a light rail extension to SI. .Joseph from St. Cloud with the help of a consulting firm. The first step will be to gather public input at a workshop on October 6, 1999. Hiemenz also reported that he, Chief Lindgren and the Administrator attended a pre meeting of St Bens/St. Johns officials to discuss the form of an agenda for the joint meeting on September 10th. It was a productive meeting, as should the meeting on the 10th be as well. Hiemenz also informed the Council that he provided a letter to Greg Reinhart regarding the light at CSAH 75 and 4th Avenue NE. The Council actually approved this already, but it was not reflected in the minutes of the May 6th meeting at which it was disr..ussed. The letter reads "The purpose of this letter is to express the support of the $I. Joseph City Council for the 10c81ion of a four way lighted stop at the intersection of CSAH 75 and 4th Avenue NE, when the traffic warrants are met. The City recognizes that a controlled intersection 81 this I Page 3609 September 2, 1999 I location may become an issue with the bank as traffic volumes grow in the area." Loso made a motion to have the Counc/7 support reflected in the minutes. Niedenfuer seconded the motion and it passed unanimously. Hiemenz álso reported th81 the City sent a Jetter to the City of Cold of Spring expressing interest in their wastewater expansion project. Loso asked if we are in fleed of space now. Hiemenz stated that the City is currently at half its capacity but that we should consider all of our options so we are better positioned than Sartell has been. 12. Council Reports - Loso had no report. Niedenfuer reported th81 she would like to ask John Hammertink, a specialist in E-commerce to attend a council meeting. He specializes in using e-commerce to save small business in rural communities. He is an independent contractor and is not affiliated with any company. The Council agreed to invite him to a meeting. Ehlert reported that he met with the youth that attended the last Council meeting regarding the potential for a skateboard park in st. Joseph. The Park Board has asked that the Lions hold off on resurfacing in the park until this issue has been discussed. The youth win provide inforrn81ion on what they would like and the specifications for the project. They will be presenting the inform81ion at a future Park Board meeting. Ehlert also reported that the Joint Planning Board met on Wednesday. Brenny Transportation is interested in purchasing the Dave Braun home. It is currently zoned agricultural. The Township is interested in rezoning it light industrial. The Township has similar setback requirements to the City. Niedenfuer asked if the Council could see the site plan ahead of time. Ehlert said that he could provide it to the council. I Ehlert also reported that he is hoping to invite Chris Hagelie to the second meeting in September to talk about CASTS. Twit reported that the Personnel Committee received a sample tuition reimbursement policy and form from the Administrator. He indicated that it looks good and should be placed in the next regular Council meeting packet. He also indicated that he received a sample flex policy but that he hadn't had time to review it as of yet. The finance committee will also be meeting in the near future. Twit also questioned the SEH bill included in the packet regarding the Joseph street Improvements. The number seems higher than what was presented eartier. Schmidt indicated that she would check into the matter and report back to Council member Twit. 13. Clerk/Administrator Report - Schmidt reported that it had been a busy week. One of the highlights was a tour of st. Benedict's campus by Sister Miriam Ardolf. 14. Miscellaneous and Announcement Items Niedenfuer asked what is the situ81ion with all of the vehicles parked by the property near Scherer Trucking. There are a number of vehicles parked on the property that take away from the appearance of the entrance to st. Joseph. Hiemenz indicated th81 it was an issue at one time when there was garbage and unlicensed vehicles parked on the property. He indicated that it looks better than it once did but that it could still stand to be improved. Schmidt stated that she would look into the matter and report back to the City Council. I 15. Adjourn - 9:30 P.M. Loso made a motion to adjourn, seconded by Ehlert. The motion passed unanimously. Page 3610 September 2, 1999 Respectfully Submitted, ~S~ I Cari Schmidt Clerk/Administrator City of St. Joseph I I