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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08-13-12 WSMinutes Lakeville City Council Work Session August 13, 2012 Marion Conference Room In attendance: Mayor Mark Bellows Council Member Laurie Rieb Council Member Kerrin Swecker Council Member Matt Little Council Member Colleen LaBeau Staff. Steve Mielke, City Administrator Dennis Feller, Finance Director Tom Vonhof, Police Chief Chris Petree, Public Works Director John Hennen, Interim Parks and Recreation Director Julie Werner, Senior Accountant Tom Nesseth, Senior Accountant Dave Lang, Senior Accountant Judi Hawkins, Deputy City Clerk The meeting was called to order at 5:00 p.m. by Mayor Bellows. 1. Continue 2013 -2013 Budget Discussions. City staff responded to questions raised by Council at the July 30, 2012 work session: o Professional Development: The budget proposes an increase in the HR budget to fund schools and conferences for employees to enhance both technical and leadership skills. o Building Permit Activity: The primary increase in single - family building permit activity is attributable to Donnelly Farm, Spirit of Brandtjen Farm, Quail Ridge, Stone Borough, and Chadwick Farm developments. o Engineering interns: Staff obtained information from other cities and from the U of M engineering program which found that virtually all Engineering interns are paid in the range of $12 -15 per hour. Offering paid internships allows the City of Lakeville to remain competitive with other cities and private engineering firms. o Meeting Room improvements: Proposed improvements and upgrades at the Water Treatment Facility meeting room would be made in three phases and would include tables, chairs, carpeting, technology, lighting, smart board, etc. Staff recommends these non - budgeted improvements be funded through the Communications Fund. Chris Petree provided information regarding use of the room by outside groups including the school district, FAA, etc., for training and large group meetings. Currently, the room is only available during WTF business hours; any evening use needs to be City- sponsored. The possibility of charging a fee for outside groups has been discussed and a building attendant would need to be on duty if the room is City Council Work Session Minutes August 13, 2012 Page 2- available after hours. LaBeau believes that local businesses would take advantage of the room if it was made available. Swecker suggested that all of the improvements should be completed in 2013. Little believes it is important for the improvements to be done as an asset to the City, and not for the purpose of rental income. • Fire Fighters: The Fire Chief provided a breakdown of reasons for the number of firefighters who have separated from the department in the past three years. • Code Enforcement Position: This position was eliminated in 2008 and the duties redistributed. Staff will provide a further evaluation at a future work session. • Canoe rack rental: Staff will solicit donations from civic organizations for possibly more than one canoe rack. • Boulevard mowing: Staff has contacted the County with a proposal for the City to resume mowing of boulevards adjacent to county roads. The county would be open to sharing the cost by possibly turning that portion of their mowing budget over to the City. Staff will work with the county on an agreement. • Dodd Blvd. trail: The City has budgeted for construction of a trail along Dodd Blvd. from CSAH 50 to 208 Street, however, it is not in the County's CIP. The county will discuss their participation in the project and respond to the City's application. • Calendar: ISD 194 was approached about a collaborative calendar with the City. This might not be suitable due to their calendar being based on a school year. Also, sufficient space is likely not available to meet the City's needs. The school district is considering replacing their printed calendar with an electronic version soon. The proposal will not be pursued. • Showmobile: John Hennen reported that the showmobile is utilized for an average of eight events per year, total cost for the year including labor, maintenance and insurance is $3,890. If the showmobile is eliminated the user groups would need to rent from a vendor individually. Bellows asked what would happen to the current unit. Hennen stated that because the unit is owned jointly with the City of Farmington, they might wish to take over exclusive ownership. Council requested this item be removed from the budget. • Debt: The City's Finance Committee has reviewed the CIP financing plan and per capita debt. Council asked why the City doesn't issue more short -term debt, since current interest rates are so favorable. Feller stated that additional risk is assumed with variable interest rate debt. Cities must follow State guidelines for issuing and repaying debt. Per State Statute a public improvement hearing needs to be held to notify property owners of upcoming assessments; bonds cannot be issued for a project until that project is ordered. In addition, liquidity agreements need to be put in place to prevent the bonds from being called for payment, causing spikes in interest rates and the tax levy. The budget proposes a gradual, steady levy for repaying debt in order to keep the tax levy as stable as possible. The Finance Committee will assist with preparation of the budget summary statement. Since the July 30 budget discussion, the following issues have developed. o Approximately 1,000 feet of watermain will be included in the Dodd Blvd. project to accommodate future development south of Dodd ($145,000). City Council Work Session Minutes August 13, 2012 Page -3- o Scott County will be constructing a pedestrian trail as part of the improvements to Co.Rd.8 west of Dakota Co.Rd.70. Dakota County is recommending the trail be extended from the Scott County border east to connect to the trail at Keswick Loop. Lakeville's cost share would be $1 12,500. Council members asked if the amount of pedestrian and bike traffic would warrant the expenditure. Feller compared it to Cedar Avenue where the wide shoulders make it a popular biking route. Mielke will discuss this further with the county and return to Council with additional information. o Council reviewed options for Highview Avenue: turn lanes, bypass lanes, or a widened intersection area at 190th Street. Earlier this year SRF had evaluated the current traffic conditions and found the intersections are operating at an acceptable level. LaBeau expressed concerns with excessive speed around the curves and gravel getting onto the blacktop. She believes additional Crescent Ridge traffic will add to the problem and result in more dangerous intersections. SRF recommended the City consider left -turn bypass lanes to accommodate future additional traffic. Council believed that a combination of north -bound and south -bound left -turn bypass lanes and right turn lanes would be the most practical and cost-effective. Approximate cost is $192,000. Funding could come from the 2011 unencumbered fund balance. Staff will discuss cost share options with the adjoining property owner. • CSAH 50 Traffic Study: A neighborhood meeting was held with property owners adjacent to the Co. Rds. 50/60 project which includes lane widening and installation of a multi -lane roundabout. The county also held an informational meeting for the general public. School officials and residents have expressed concern about access to Co. Rd. 50 at Kenwood Trail Middle School and Jaguar Avenue. The County's initial evaluation indicated that the roundabout will not have a negative impact on the CSAH 50 corridor; however, the County is open to additional discussions and further study. City staff believes the study should include the future east /west corridor and anticipated connections which will increase traffic on CSAH 50. The City's cost share of the study will be approximately $45,000. • Community Visioning Process: Only one bid was received for the project and that was contingent on staff supplementing a great deal of time for project research and follow-up. The consultants who chose not to bid indicated that the $30,000 budget is insufficient for the scope of work. Staff has now been informed that approximately $39,000 of available CDBG funding is eligible. Staff will inform potential consultants of an increased budget and solicit bids again. • Ice Arena debt: Council was informed that arena operations have paid the entire lease obligation for ice arena dehumidification equipment. The debt service fund for 2012 -2014 will be adjusted accordingly. The Finance Director summarized the proposed tax levy. An increase of 2.5% is being proposed for 2013 and an increase of 3.0% is being proposed for 2014. Amounts shown reflect removing a new showmobile from the budget and adding the extended CSAH 50 study as well as turn lanes and bypass lanes for the Highview/ 190 Street. The General Fund is slightly less than last year. City Council Work Session Minutes August 13, 2012 Page -4- Bellows stated that he would like to work with department directors to continue to look for ways to trim the budget and wants to feel like staff is coming to Council with ideas. It was noted that much of the budget increase is for street improvements and increased operational costs. Bellows would like to know the impact of the increases on individual homeowners. Council Member Swecker stated that she will not be available for the September 24 work session and suggested moving it to September 10. Other Council members indicated that they would be available on September 10 Steve Mielke would like to make that an additional work session, rather than a rescheduled meeting. Bellows would like to continue to work with staff on possible budget reductions at the September work sessions. CommerciaVindustrial park dedication rates will be discussed at the second work session in August, or at a September work session. The Lakeville Area Chamber of Commerce has requested use of the Council Chambers to conduct several forums for mayor, city council, and school board candidates. Council members asked if a charge is imposed for the Chamber's use of the facility for non -City - related events. They are not charged. The Chamber- sponsored budget open house is tentatively scheduled for October 2 or 3. 2. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, 4uty Hawkins Clerk Mark Bellows Mayor