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HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-26-12 WSCITY OF LAKEVILLE COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES November 26, 2012 Mayor Bellows called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. in the Marion Conference Room of City Hall. Members Present: Council Members Laurie Rieb, Kerrin Swecker, Matt Little, Colleen LaBeau, and Mayor Mark Bellows Staff Present: Steve Mielke, City Administrator; Dennis Feller, Finance Director; David Olson, Community & Economic Development Director; Chris Petree, Public Works Director; Allyn Kuennen, Associate Planner; Judi Hawkins, Deputy Clerk 2. Citizen comments There were no citizen comments. 3. Private Fire Hydrant Testing and Hydrant Use Policy Public Works Director Chris Petree explained that in the interest of public health and safety it is necessary to formalize a policy to ensure that private fire hydrant owners are in compliance with the State Fire Code. Section 508 of the State Fire Code requires inspection and maintenance of all fire hydrant systems. Owners of private hydrants are required to conduct periodic tests and maintain hydrants in an operational condition at all times. The owner can utilize a contractor or request the City's Utilities Division perform this annual inspection. The City does not charge the hydrant owner for the inspection; however, costs for any repairs are the responsibility of the owner. The over 500 private hydrants connected to the City's water system are located at schools, churches, homeowner associations, large industrial businesses, etc. Council Member Swecker asked if resources are available for added expenses of City - provided inspections. Petree stated that approximately 80 staff hours would be utilized annually for inspections, which staff believes is well worth the time and expense for the added safety of functioning hydrants. In the last two years structure fires in neighboring communities have incurred additional damage due to non - functioning hydrants at the site. This policy will ensure annual inspections and maintenance in compliance with the State Fire Code. Council directed staff to proceed with adding the Fire Hydrant Use and Maintenance Policy Amendment to a future Council agenda for consideration. 4. 2012 -2013 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program Community and Economic Development Director David Olson provided an overview of the CDBG program. The Dakota County CDA receives an annual appropriation based on the HUD budget approved by Congress each year. Dakota County cities are the sub - recipients of the funds and for the past five to six City Council Work Session Minutes: November 26, 2012 Page 2 years the City of Lakeville has received approximately $115,000. Funding can only be used for certain eligible activities and at least half needs to be spent on projects that benefit low to moderate income households. In the last several years a portion of the funds has been used for residential rehab loans through the Home Improvement Loan Program, administered by Dakota County. A decrease in these loans has contributed to $293,921 of unspent program activity funds. Sale of the former senior center will generate $119,000 of additional program income. HUD requires that funding be spent in a timely manner and the CDA is requesting that a plan be developed to spend down the total $412,921 by May 2013. Projects being proposed for eligible CDBG funding both before and after May 2013 include ADA analysis and accessibility improvements at City -owned buildings, additional residential rehab loans, acquisition and cleanup of distressed properties, Visioning Process, and senior transportation. Following the Council adoption of program areas and an initial budget, some flexibility is available for how much is spent on each of these identified programs. Council Member Swecker asked if any of the funds can be put toward the Heritage Center. Olson stated that low to moderate income verifications would not be realistic at the Heritage Center. Senior transportation could be available to anyone who is 62 and older, or disabled, without income guidelines. Mayor Bellows is concerned about setting a precedent with the transportation program and not being able to continue funding it if CDBG funds are not available. Swecker agreed that alternative funding sources need to be identified in the event the CDBG funding is no longer available. Olson stated that the CDBG has been active for over 30 years and he doesn't anticipate the funds being eliminated. Council has the opportunity to continue ongoing funding for this program with approval of annual CDBG applications. Council Member Little asked whether the funds needed to be spent in -house or if a partnership of some kind could be formed. Mielke stated that the senior population is spread throughout the city, not just in the downtown, and some kind of a partnership could be beneficial to all of the senior population. Little stated that in his discussions with seniors he learned that a main concern of theirs is lack of affordable transportation to medical appointments. A discussion was held regarding the flexibility of the funds and definition of terms. Mielke invited Council to submit programming ideas for low to moderate income households or age 62 and above. An analysis will also be conducted to further identify possible areas for funding and estimate of costs. Staff will request Council consideration of this item on December 17. 5. MUSA Policy Associate Planner Allyn Kuennen provided background and an overview of the MUSA staging areas. In 2004 the City completed a review to determine when the 2005 MUSA should be opened up. At that time Council concluded that the City Council Work Session Minutes: November 26, 2012 Page 3 residentially zoned land in the 2005 MUSA staging area did not need to be opened for development until November 2005. A similar process in 2010 determined that due to the surplus of available land, the rate of development, and the state of the economy, the 2010 MUSA would not be opened for development. Council further directed staff to update the analysis in 2012 to determine the needs at that time. Kuennen stated that the number of available lots has not changed significantly due to a combination of increased new construction and new approved plats. Developers have requested additional land be brought into the 2010 MUSA to provide additional residential lots. Several of the areas that are being discussed would have challenges with providing service, such as the need for extensions or lift stations. Staff studied what areas could be serviced with water and sewer at this time, what could be served with extensions of one - quarter mile or less, and what could be served with extensions of one - quarter mile or more. Dividing the properties into these three areas of serviceability will provide an orderly pattern of development; capitalize on existing infrastructure in a fiscally responsible manner to avoid premature investment in additional utilities and services; and provide guidelines for City Council, Planning Commission and staff to evaluate development requests. Council is being asked to consider a policy encompassing several criteria to be considered when bringing additional properties into the MUSA. Mielke stated that this plan was a method of controlling and avoiding leapfrog development and growth. Creating guidelines for bringing properties into the MUSA in an orderly way will open up possibilities for development and encourage growth, with improvements being done at the expense of the developers. Staff will put the guidelines outlined in the memo into a policy and bring it forward for Council consideration at a December meeting. 6. Administrative Citation Process Allyn Kuennen stated that a City has the authority to establish an administrative citation process as an alternative waY to enforce certain ordinances. An administrative citation is considered a non - criminal violation issued to individuals who are not in compliance with city ordinances, i.e., zoning, illegal parking, tall grass, exterior storage, junk cars, watering restrictions, animal violations, etc. An administrative citation is a civil citation, not punishable by jail, and does not appear on an individual's criminal record. The process is conducted entirely by the City and does not involve court proceedings. Additional legal actions can be initiated for failure to pay a fine or to correct a situation. Several metro area cities are using this method, with high success rates. Council Member Swecker commended City Administrator Mielke for being instrumental in bringing the administrative citation process to the High Performance Partnership (HiPP). Implementing a City of Lakeville administrative citation program would include preparing appropriate standards and processes City Council Work Session Minutes: November 26, 2012 Page 4 that meet State Statute, and creating and adopting an ordinance reflecting those standards. Council can also choose which categories they wish to pursue with the process. Mielke added that the proposed fire inspections at liquor licensed establishments brought this issue to the forefront. If enough cities or townships choose to do this there may be an opportunity to have specific dates at county service centers to conduct the citation process. Violators can also choose to have their case heard by a judge. Council directed staff to proceed with development of the administrative citation process. 7. Continue 2013 -2014 Budget Discussions Finance Director Dennis Feller provided three additional handouts to Council: information regarding irrigation systems at the Heritage Center and the Lakeville Area Arts Center; information on the Administrative position; and responses to previous questions posed by Council. In their packets, Council received Truth in Taxation information. Tax statements were received by residents in the last two weeks. Feller stated that median value for residential properties in Lakeville has dropped approximately 6.6 %. In general, values of commercial /industrial properties did not significantly change. Because of the decrease in residential values and stability of C/I values, the overall tax burden has decreased for residential and increased for commercial properties. Feller stated that only two calls have been received from residents, both of whom asked for clarification. Council discussed budget adjustments. Due to EPA regulations no longer being deferred, stand -by generators at the WTF and CMF need to be updated. The stand -by generators are used to reduce energy costs and the savings will pay for the generators in one year. The funding sources will be the water operating fund and the building fund. In addition, there are two irrigation systems in the budget. $14,000 is proposed for the irrigation system at the Lakeville Area Arts Center however, with two additional bids expected, the current low bid is $16,000. The proposed financing source is the liquor fund. There was $9,000 proposed in the budget for the irrigation system at the Heritage Center, however, the low bid to date is $13,500, or $4,500 over budget. Financing source for this project was proposed to be the building fund. Mayor Bellows stated that it might not be practical to install an irrigation system if there is to be a fountain built on the property. John Hennen stated that he is not aware of a fountain being built. Steve Mielke informed the Council that in a conversation with Bob Erickson, Mr. Erickson stated that the Friends of the Arts are interested in raising the necessary funds for a fountain project in the general area where the Historical Society building has been removed. Mr. Mielke stated that the idea would need to be presented to the Arts Board and the City Council for approval before it is considered a project. City Council Work Session Minutes: November 26, 2012 Page 5 Swecker stated that she feels the irrigation systems are not needed at this time and would like to wait for a recommendation from the new Parks and Recreation Director. LaBeau stated that she has received comments from citizens that the irrigation is not needed. Bellows stated he believes the irrigation system at the Heritage Center should be included in the construction costs. Mielke stated that the Arts Center is currently hand - watered by staff. The Heritage Center is much too large to water by hand and the new sod will not survive if it does not get adequate water. Little suggested budgeting for the systems then waiting until the two additional bids come in before making a decision. Mielke added that if the Council decides not to install the systems the funds can be re- appropriated. After further discussion Council decided to add the Arts Center irrigation system to the budget at this time but suggested taking a deciding vote prior to any contract being awarded. Funding source would be the building fund, not the liquor fund. For the Heritage Center, Council supported the irrigation system with the funding source as the contingency construction fund. Budget adjustments include a combination of expenditure and revenue factors: personnel savings in the Parks and Engineering departments, addition of Cherry View skating rink, possible adjustments in employee health insurance costs, reduction in overall operating and maintenance costs due to the sale of the senior center; projected increase in property taxes; and improved building permits, which have steadily increased due to economic trends. Mielke stated that the overall 2014 levy is actually lower than what the Council preliminarily authorized in September, but because 2013 was significantly lowered, the increases seem disproportionate. Council has the option of levying more in 2013 to be spent in 2014, which would keep the levy more consistent from year to year. Feller expects that the tax burden will shift back to residential in the coming years. There are currently several favorable economic indicators in the region at this time including low unemployment and growth in new housing construction. The Personnel Committee has discussed options for the additional position being requested in the Administration Department and is recommending that the position be an Administrative Services Manager rather than an Assistant City Administrator. This would be a supervisory position but at the manager level rather than a director level position whose duties would assist with ongoing projects. Swecker added that the Personnel Committee believed that this compromise between the position request and the budget would best meet the current needs. The budget reflects the costs for this position. Further discussion was held on the 190 Street/ Holyoke Highview Avenues project. If the Council is not interested in pursuing this project at this time, the funds can carry over to a later date when the project is constructed. City Council Work Session Minutes: November 26, 2012 Page 6 The budget with adjustments as discussed tonight will be presented at the Truth in Taxation public hearing on December 3, 2012. Feller provided a narrative regarding the long and short term strategic plan and its relationship to the budget. The components include the mission statement, goals and performance. Council appreciated receiving the information and believed it would also be an asset for the visioning process. Swecker suggested it be posted on the website. Council believes budget discussions are completed and there is no need for a work session on December 10. A work session will be scheduled for January 7, 2013, immediately following the regular meeting, to discuss the appointment to the Council vacancy and what attributes Council members wish to have candidates possess. Appointments to Council committees and boards will also be discussed. 8. Adjourn Meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m. Respectfully submitted, n.oJ Ju Hawkins, Deputy City Clerk 41(ld- I Mark Bellows, Mayor