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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-23-15 WSCITY OF LAKEVILLE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES March 23, 2015 Mayor Little called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. in the City Hall Marion Conference Room. Members Present: Council Members Anderson and Davis, and Mayor Little. Council Member LaBeau joined via phone conference. Absent: Council Member Swecker Staff Present: Justin Miller, City Administrator; Allyn Kuennen, Assistant City Administrator; Chris Petree, Public Works Director; Julie Werner, Interim Finance Director; Dave Olson, Community and Economic Development Director; Mike Meyer, Fire Chief; Daryl Morey, Planning Director; and Judi Hawkins, Deputy City Clerk 2. Citizen Comments There were no citizen comments. 3. 2015-19 Utilities CIP Interim Finance Director Julie Werner stated that there have been some changes to the Utility portion of the CIP since October when the Council reviewed it. The 190th Street well collection pipe from Dodd Blvd. to Holyoke Ave. was initially scheduled to take place in 2014 however it was delayed until 2015. Staff is recommends including the project in the 2015-19 CIP. Council directed staff to include the well collection pipe project in the 2015-19 Utilities CIP. 4. County Road 50 Economic Development Update Public Works Director Chris Petree provided an update on the CR 50 economic development study. Negotiations and listening sessions with both residential and commercial property owners along the corridor are continuing and subsequent meetings are being scheduled. The preferred option of the business owners seems to be the backage road concept which they believe would maximize the uses for their properties. Appraisals are being done on properties that would need to be acquired to complete the backage road. Staff will continue to meet with the business owners with the goal of presenting a preferred design plan at either the April 27 or May 11 work sessions. Mayor Little stated that he has had conversations with at least one of the business owners, who spoke very highly of the process. Council Member Anderson would like to encourage the exploration of all economic development options. Dave Olson stated that once the concept has been chosen and the project can proceed, the finance and design concepts can begin. City Council Work Session March 23, 2015 Page -2- 5. Proposed 210`e Street Sidewalk Project Dave Olson stated that the Dakota County CDA requested City staff consider utilizing aging CDBG funds to install sidewalks on 210" Street north of the CDA's Country Lane Townhomes development at Cedar Avenue and Lakeville Boulevard. This is existing work -force housing which was built several years ago. A new development across the street will consist of a combination of single family and townhomes and will include sidewalks. Staff is proposing the transfer of $35,000 from three current activities: Senior Transportation -2010; Spot Acquisition and clearance -2013 and Senior Transportation -2013. CDBG funds are eligible for sidewalk expenses in this case due to the benefit to a low or moderate income neighborhood. This is also an opportunity to complete a section of missing public sidewalk in this area and to prepare for future commercial development along the 210`1 Street corridor. Anderson suggested a future conversation to discuss the city policy of whether to install sidewalks on both sides of local streets. Davis asked if the funds could be used in the CR 50 redevelopment area. Olson believes it is not likely that that area would fit into the low/ moderate criteria. Council members directed staff to proceed with reallocations of CDBG funds. 6. Fire Engine #1 and #2 Purchase Chief Mike Meyer stated that the approved Fire CIP includes replacement of two engines, one in 2015 and one in 2016. A truck committee was formed to review the overall fleet and efficiencies that could be realized if both engines were ordered at the same time. A savings of approximately $30,000 would come from a one-time chassis design rather than two. Other benefits are that the trucks would have consistent features which could reduce training hours. One engine would be delivered in 2015 and one in 2016. These two engines would replace three vehicles, reducing total Fire Dept. vehicles by one. Chassis costs could be covered with this year's budget and the remainder could be funded with 2016 funds. The vendor is willing to take the replacement vehicles on a trade-in for $10,000 each, which the Chief believes is most efficient. Engine #4 has been advertised for sale but there have not been any offers. Chief Meyer described the Green Star system which has been installed on the new Ladder 4 and is included in the specifications for the new engines. The system reduces the amount of diesel fuel used when idling and reduces the frequency of filter replacement, saving $10,000 every five to seven years. The cost of the system is $14,000 per vehicle. Meyer added that the two vehicles that are being replaced have lasted over 20 years, which is the goal of the department. City Council Work Session March 23, 2015 Page -3- Petree stated that the new fleet supervisor will be using benchmark software that will provide tools to track data on the City's entire fleet including public works, police and fire. This information will be valuable for future budgeting. Meyer stated that benchmarks established by Dakota County fleet services are also used by the Fire Department to determine actual costs and recommended vehicle replacements. Anderson stated that newer vehicles are built better than they were 20 years ago so standards might not be comparable. Council supported saving dollars by ordering both fire engines and directed staff to proceed. 7. City -owned Land Behind Police Department In the late 1990's the City acquired 60 acres of land on the west side of Dodd Blvd. Of that property 25.24 acres was sold to Lifetime Fitness and 7.5 acres was used for the Police Station site. The remaining land consists of 8.59 acres in greenway/wetland and 19 acres that are developable. The Planning Department has received inquiries from developers and investors as to what the City plans are for the property. The adjoining Rose Creek plat included a ghost plat showing approximately 39 lots. Staff is asking for direction from City Council regarding the future use or sale of the property for development. Options include retaining the property, preparing an RFP for development proposals, listing and selling the property, or installing public improvements and selling the lots. If the property is sold the funds could be earmarked for community park playfield being proposed by the City in the area of the Mattamy development. The park dedication fees which will be required from Mattamy will not be adequate for the park and funds from the sale of this property could help offset the City's cost of the park. LaBeau suggested soliciting bids to determine what a buyer would be willing to pay prior to obtaining a formal appraisal; however, she is concerned about the market being flooded with lots. Morey agreed that requesting bids on the property might determine what the market can support. He stated that the demand for lots in Lakeville remains very strong, although some of the major developers are tied up with other parcels. Morey added that another city -owned property that has the potential to be sold for lots is the area near the Dakota Heights water tower. LaBeau asked if the City could act as the developer or if that has ever been done. Miller stated that the process is the same as a developer; however this is probably not the preferred option. The city would not be required to choose the highest bid but could consider the quality of the proposed product or terms of the agreement. Council members supported requesting RFPs to determine the interest in and value of these two and possibly other city -owned properties. City Council Work Session March 23, 2015 Page -4- 8. Hookah Lounge Ordinance Morey stated that the City of Burnsville recently made some ordinance changes relating to the licensing and sale of tobacco products to address the potential negative effects of hookah lounges. Sale of tobacco products is generally not considered a primary function, but an accessory use. The Hookah Lounge in Burnsville is a nightclub and sale of the product is the primary use as opposed to a secondary component. Without licensing there are no regulations or restrictions in the City Code that address hours and other potential issues. Burnsville's ordinance now requires licensing and addresses hours, noise, ventilation, seating, and maximum square feet. Other communities are also being proactive in preparing a city code. Mr. Morey was not aware of any complaints at the one existing hookah business in Lakeville. Anderson agrees it is important to be proactive with the ordinance; Little also believes that for public safety some regulations need to be in place. Morey will speak with other communities to see what ordinances have been adopted. Kuennen stated that correspondence has been received from the Association of Non-smokers Minnesota who has requested cities consider ordinances that would treat e -cigarettes the same as regular tobacco. These two issues could be combined in the same ordinances if Council wishes to address both. Council directed staff to move forward with a city code to regulate hookah lounges in the City of Lakeville and defer discussions regarding e -cigarettes to a future meeting. 9. City Hall Projects Assistant City Administrator Allyn Kuennen stated that since the original section of City Hall was completed in 1989 no significant improvements have been done to that portion of the building. Frequent comments from the public and employees indicate that the building is not as efficient as it could be nor does it offer the best customer experience. Several departments that work in conjunction with each other are inconveniently separated in the building. Wold Architects completed a City Hall Space Needs Study to determine if there might be a more efficient design that could improve use by both the public and staff. The study points out several areas where lack of proximity creates challenges and inefficiency. A customer service window and counter is recommended for the Finance/Utility billing area to improve privacy for the public and safety for staff. Several of Wold's recommendations have been included in the 2014/2015 budget. Part of the work that is being done is a result of the reorganization of the Public Works and Engineering Departments, with the main goal to bring department staff together. Carpets are being replaced in the north wing of the building as well as the Council Chambers. Anderson agrees that departments that work together should be in closer proximity and likes the concept of the conference room near the front entrance; however, he would like to learn more and find a way to measure the efficiency that would be achieved. Council Member Davis City Council Work Session March 23, 2015 Page -5- stated that in addition to greater productivity some of the maintenance and updates such as the flooring definitely needs to be done; however priorities need to be discussed before he would support the project. Kuennen stated that this is a long-term plan and could be completed in phases, partly by staff. Staff will look into this and provide additional information to Council. Council members asked about the status of the floor repair on the west wing. Petree stated that the floor will be part of the west wing phase to be done at the time the customer service window is being installed. Soil borings will be conducted to determine the cause of the floor sinking and find a solution. The soil borings, floor repair, and customer service window in Finance are included in the budget, but not new carpet. Kuennen stated that the floor sinking damage is more significant than anticipated and will be monitored before soil borings are done. LaBeau asked if there was an overall review of the exterior to make sure there isn't further maintenance that is needed. Petree stated that the City Hall has been re -roofed and skylights have been refurbished in the last several years, roof units have been replaced and the general maintenance has been conducted. 10. Building Inspections Staffing Gene Abbott, Building Official joined via cell phone connection. Dave Olson stated that based on new proposed developments and the current work load an additional Building Inspections employee is needed. A request was made for a senior plan examiner during 2015 budget discussions and at that time the consensus of Council was to delay making a decision until building permit activity in 2015 was determined. A typical annual inspection total for each inspector is 3,300 to 3,500, and this year is anticipated to be 3,900. There is concern that the quality of inspections could be at risk with the ever-growing workload. Council Member Anderson asked if there are options to hiring an additional fulltime employee, such as a contract employee. Mr. Olson stated that contract employees can be good for short-term repetitive inspections but having to retrain a new employee every year is not efficient. The type of employee that is being requested has a higher level of skill and could do commercial building permit plan review and inspections. Higher quality personnel would be seeking a stable, permanent work environment with some employee benefits. Other duties of this position might include closing out aging permits and refunding escrows following completion of homes. Anderson agrees that there is an immediate need for additional resources and suggested a temporary contract employee in the short-term while looking for the right fulltime employee. Anderson suggested checking with recent retirees to see if they are willing to work on a part- time basis. LaBeau understands the current need in the commercial area and believes it is important not to get behind on inspections, but what happens in a year or two if commercial building is not so strong? Is there an opportunity to move a current employee into a more advanced position and fill a lower paying position? Mr. Abbott is hoping to hire a senior plan City Council Work Session March 23, 2015 Page -6- reviewer and move the inside person into inspections in the field. The inside person also needs to be knowledgeable in many areas in order to answer questions in the office. Davis concurs that there is an urgent need but would like to start by exploring other options while conducting a search for a permanent full time employee. He suggested advertising for the position now and bringing someone in for the interim. Davis asked if there is a risk of the employee being under-utilized. Kuennen stated that the position would be monitored if the work load drops. LaBeau stated that her goal is to be as efficient as possible with taxpayer funds and be committed to removing employees if the industry changes or if any employee is no longer needed. Council members supported the addition of this fulltime employee and directed staff to begin the search. 11. Advisory Appreciation Dinner Introductions Council Members discussed who would introduce the individual committees at the dinner and decided to duplicate last year's roles. 12. Adjourn Mayor Little adjourned the meeting at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, J di awkins, Deputy Clerk Matt Little, Mayor