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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019 [12] Dec 02 December 2, 2019 Page 1 of 3 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the City Council for the City of St. Joseph met in regular session on Monday, December 2, 2019 at 6:00 PM at the St. Joseph Government Center, opening with the pledge of allegiance. Members Present: Mayor Rick Schultz. Mayor Rick Schultz, Councilors Anne Buckvold, Brian Theisen, Bob Loso, Troy Goracke. City Administrator Kris Ambuehl City Representatives Present: City Engineer Randy Sabart, Police Chief Dwight Pfannenstein, Finance Director Lori Bartlett, Public Works Director Terry Thene, Community Development Director Therese Haffner, Deputy Clerk Kayla Klein Others Present: Mark Thompson, Jane DeAustin Public Comments: NA Approve Agenda: Theisen made a motion to approve the agenda; seconded by Buckvold and passed unanimously. Consent Agenda: Loso made a motion to approve the consent agenda items, pulling item 4g, Sergeant Job Description and 4l, Sustainable Farming Association Raffle Request for discussion; seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. a. Minutes – Approved the minutes of November 18, 2019. b. Bills Payable – Approved check numbers 055397-055442 and Payroll EFT #111767-111780 and accounts payable EFT #001903-001905. c. Annual Licenses – Issued malt liquor, cigarette, and amusement licenses based on the presented list for the license period January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020. d. Transfers – Approved the operating transfers as presented. e. Pay Application No. 3 – Approved application for payment no. 3 in the amount of $723,355.12 to R. L. Larson for the 2019 Industrial Park East Improvements. f. Pay Application No. 2 – Approved application for payment no. 2 in the amount of $613,907.68 to Knife River Corporation for the 2019 Street Improvements. h. Pay Application No. 7 – Approved application for payment no. 7 in the amount of $20,763.49 to R. L. Larson for the MN Street Trial Project. i. Donations – Accepted the donations and contributions as presented. j. Early Voting Agreement – Authorized the Administrator to execute the Early Voting Agreement with Stearns County for the 2020 Elections. k. Final Assessment Roll, Industrial Park Improvements – Authorized the Mayor and Administrator to execute Resolution 2019-067 Adopting Final Assessment Roll. 4g, Sergeant Job Description: Loso discussed wanting the Sergeant to be the supervisor for the night shift. Chief Pfannenstein noted the Sergeant position would need to be flexible in the hours worked and that there would need to be some overlap with the hours the Chief worked as the Sergeant would need to handle administrative tasks that need to be completed during the day. The Council was comfortable with having Administrator Ambuehl and Chief Pfannenstein in charge of the schedule for the Sergeant. The position would be filled from within as one of the requirements was to have at least five years of experience in working for the St. Joseph Police Department. Goracke moved to approve the Sergeant job description as presented, allowing the same to be filled. The motion was seconded by Buckvold and passed unanimously. 4l, Sustainable Farming Association Raffle Request: Schultz questioned why the fee is being waived. Ambuehl said the request is under the threshold that required the applicants to submit to the state and that the City currently has no form for this type of request. Schultz did not want to set a precedent of waiving fees. Schultz made a motion denying the request to waive the $40 fee submitted by the Sustainable Farming Association. The motion was seconded by Theisen and passed unanimously. Truth in Taxation Hearing: Schultz opened the public hearing. Finance Director Bartlett went through the timeline of meetings and discussions had regarding the 2020 budget leading up to final budget approval. Most residents saw their market value increase about 9% which is down December 2, 2019 Page 2 of 3 from the 12% that was presented when the preliminary numbers were received from Stearns County. The taxes for the school district and county decreased while the City portion increased by 1.74%. Residents will still see an increase in their tax bill if their market value increased. As no one present wished to speak, Schultz closed the public hearing. Loso asked why residents’ taxes still increased by significant amounts. Bartlett responded that the market value increases resulted in the tax increase. If market values would have stayed the same, residents would have seen a decrease in their taxes. th Loso suggested waiting until the December 16 meeting to approve the final budget from 2020. Council th consensus was to postpone budget approval until December 16. 2020 Fee Schedule Public Hearing: Schultz opened the public hearing for the proposed 2020 fee schedule. Bartlett presented the fee schedule highlighting the changes made from 2019. Planning and zoning fees were consolidated to follow ordinances and cover costs. There was a reduction in development fees in order to be competitive with area cities. The water, sewer, storm water, street light and refuse rates would increase overall by 3.60%. Jane DeAustin, Central MN Builder’s Association: DeAustin approached the Council regarding the proposed fee schedule. DeAustin thanked staff for their help in interpreting the fee changes as well as reducing the development fees in order to encourage further development in the City. As no one else present wished to speak, Schultz closed the public hearing. Loso made a motion adopting Ordinance 2019-02 An Ordinance Amending City Fee Schedule. The motion was seconded by Buckvold and passed unanimously. Loso made a motion adopting Summary Ordinance 2019-02 and approving its publication. The motion was seconded by Buckvold and passed unanimously. District 742 Space Request, Adult Basic Education: District 742 has requested space at the community center to hold their adult basic education classes. There would be 2-3 classes per week and teachers would be working with adult students from the St. Joseph area. The request is to use room 129 which is 299 square feet at no charge. Schultz and Loso agreed that the City should charge for use of the space in order to be consistent as the city charges other groups for using spaces in the community center. Loso requested that a representative from District 742 be present at the next Council meeting to further discuss the request. Engineer Reports, Agreement for Professional Services – MN Streetscape Study: Sabart presented a professional services agreement for the Minnesota Street Streetscape Study in the amount of $16,350.00. SEH will prepare up to three options for the streetscape for the council to determine which will be the best to move forward with. Loso made a motion authorizing the Mayor to execute the Professional Services Agreement for the Minnesota Street Streetscape Study not to exceed $16,350.00. The motion was seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. th Mayor Reports: Schultz made note of the Winterwalk that will take place downtown on December 6. Additionally Schultz will be holding Meet the Mayor hours on Saturday morning at the Local Blend. Closed Meeting: Goracke made a motion to move into closed session at 7:37 PM pursuant to MN Statute 13D.05, Subd 3(c) and 13D.03 to discuss a real estate transaction and to review union proposals. The motion was seconded by Schultz and passed unanimously. December 2, 2019 Page 3 of 3 The council came out of closed session at 9:11 PM Adjourn: Loso made a motion to adjourn at 9:11 PM; seconded by Theisen and passed unanimously. Kris Ambuehl City Administrator