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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-16CITY OF LAKEVILLE PARKS, RECREATION & NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES January 16, 2013 Chair Kelly called the meeting to order at 6 p.m. in the Council Chambers at City Hall. Members Present: Tom Goodwin, Judy Hayes, Scott Kelly, Howard Lovelace, Jeanne Peterson, Bob Swan, Jerry Zell Members Absent: Matt Dinslage Staff Present: Parks & Recreation Director Brett Altergott, Recording Secretary Patty Ruedy 2. Approval of January 2, 2013 minutes Minutes were approved as presented. 3. Citizen comments There were no citizen comments. 4. Staff report 13th Annual Ice Fishing Contest Feb. 2 at Valley Lake; please contact Recreation Dept. if you’d like to volunteer at the event. Cherryview rink is open again this year and being utilized. Neighbors are happy with the site; staff received a compliment from a neighbor praising the maintenance of the site. MN Hockey event at McGuire this weekend. Maintenance staff is rebuilding the ice after warm weather last week. New tables and chairs have been delivered to the Heritage Center. Tickets are still available for the Johnny Cash Tribute Concert on Feb. 2. 5. Commercial/Industrial park dedication Dan Licht from The Planning Company reviewed the reports distributed to committee members. There are three options included as noted in the report. City staff is recommending that the current park dedication fees for commercial and office/industrial uses not be changed for 2013 and that future changes would be reviewed as part of the annual budget process. Hayes inquired as to when park dedication fees would be reviewed going forward. Review of the fees is proposed to be reviewed annually during budget time beginning in April. Licht said that any change to the fees requires a public hearing to be held by the Planning Commission and action by the City Council. Goodwin inquired as to whether the same methodology was used as the residential park dedication fees and if keeping the fees the same now moves the fees away from the formula and short-funds the park dedication fee collected by the City. Licht replied that the park dedication fee is only one source of funds to develop the parks and trails system; bonding or taxes can (and will need to be) be utilized together with changes to planned park improvements as development of the system continues. He also stated that the analysis showed that Lakeville could justify an increase based on land values but that fees must be balanced with economic Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Committee Meeting Minutes, January 16, 2013 Page 2 development goals. Licht explained how this has been the City’s past practice of establishing park dedication fees for commercial and industrial uses at less than the maximum that would be allowed by statute. Swan stated that if the fee were raised to the maximum allowed (by statute) Lakeville would still be in the lower 50% of fees. Licht agreed that the statute says the City can increase the park dedication fees but that the City must also consider economic development goals. Licht explained that undeveloped commercial, office and industrial properties in Lakeville are highly desirable due to a number of factors but that the City is in a competitive situation. Zell said that there is an easier correlation to be made between park dedication fees and park usage for residential uses than commercial/industrial development. By increasing park dedication fees for this group, the City would possibly curtail the gains that come with increased fees. Goodwin inquired as to what criteria we would use for next year. Licht replied that the methodology used to determine the proposed fee would be the same as is being presented now but that the establishment of specific fees especially for commercial, office and industrial uses also involves a degree of policy making. Swan stated he is uncomfortable with standardizing the process for determining park dedication fees. Licht replied that park dedication is a means for the implementation of the Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan. Therefore, setting the fees should be a standardized process based on the statutory allowances, Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan and average fair market property values. If there are questions as to the extent and type of improvements that are to be developed as part of the system, those issues need to be addressed in developing updates to the system plan and are in fact to be considered as part of the upcoming community visioning process. Currently the City must utilize the 2006 Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan that was approved by City Council. The draft 2013 Parks, Trails and Open Space Plan may be adjusted based on the results of the visioning process. Goodwin recommended the City adopt the present rate for 2013 and raise the rate in subsequent years. The committee had a discussion on how it is their role to advocate for parks and recreation. Kelly responded that based on the information that they were given, there was no reason to believe that we need to increase fees. He added that Lakeville wants to encourage business and that we need to be careful on fees charged to develop the property and for our City to spur economic development. Less development equates to less park dedication fees. Goodwin believes that the Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Committee’s function is to advocate for the portion of the City that includes parks, trails and natural resources and that the fee should encourage development in order to adequately fund our parks in the future. Kelly added that the committee is working to advise the City Council on matters related to parks and trails for the citizens of Lakeville. Lovelace said that the City’s advisory committees may have differing opinions, but there should be common ground. Zell added that although we don’t Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources Committee Meeting Minutes, January 16, 2013 Page 3 want the highest fee, the City should maximize the revenue source while not discouraging development. Licht gave an example of how sometimes market factors influence the outcomes of City policies. Motion made by Zell, seconded by Peterson to recommend supporting option two as presented and recommended by staff. Ayes-3 Nays-4 Motion Failed Nays: Goodwin, Hayes, Lovelace and Swan because specific fee increases should be included in the recommendation, as presented by City staff in option three. Motion made by Hayes, seconded by Lovelace to recommend that the park dedication fee for commercial, office or industrial uses not be changed for 2013 with an increase in park dedication fees for these uses to be phased in over subsequent years stepping up from the current fees with an initial five (5) percent increase for 2014 if justified based on the current market value information and the recommended methodology for determining park dedication fees. Ayes-4 Nays-3 Motion Passed Nays: Kelly, Peterson and Zell because of their support of the previous motion to adopt the recommendation of City staff. 6. Other business The Lakeville Rotary has declined funding for the canoe/kayak rack. Staff will continue to discuss this issue and let the committee know. The City visioning process is moving forward. Council members are working on forming a task force. A community survey will be sent to all members of City committees in the near future. There will also be opportunities for public input as well as participation in focus groups. Hayes would like an update on the tree sale. Staff will let committee members know the details as they become available. 7. Announcements The next Parks, Recreation & Natural Resources meeting is scheduled for Feb.6. 8. Adjourn Meeting adjourned at 7:18 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Patty Ruedy, Recording Secretary