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HomeMy WebLinkAbout12-12-16CITY OF LAKEVILLE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES December 12, 2016 1. Mayor Little called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. in the Lake Marion Conference Room. Members present: Mayor Little, Council Members Anderson, Davis, LaBeau Council Members -Elect Hellier and Wheeler Members absent: Swecker Staff present: Justin Miller, City Administrator; Allyn Kuennen, Assistant City Administrator; Jerilyn Erickson, Finance Director; John Hennen, Parks & Recreation Director; Tamara Wallace, Deputy City Clerk 2. Staff Presentation - Park Dedication Fees, Policies, and Goals At the December 5, 2016 City Council meeting, Mayor Little called a special meeting to discuss the policies and goals of Residential Park Dedication Fees after some council members expressed hesitation in the proposed fee increases. Staff provided a brief overview on the history, use restrictions, and collection guidelines of park dedication fees, and their recommendation to increase the fees based on a survey of 13 comparable cities in the metro area. Staff also answered questions on estimated costs and plans for upcoming projects such as the expansion of Antlers Park, Avonlea, and East Community Park, and presented the projected five year breakdown of what the fund balance would be under both the current and proposed park dedication fees. Council members clarified when the last park referendum was put forth and what those funds could be used for, as well as how much developable land is left within Lakeville. Mayor Little opened the meeting to citizen comments before further Council discussion. 3. Citizen Comments Dave Tobias, Commissioner of Lakeville Baseball Association 17325 Halifax Path Lakeville Baseball Association has taken on a substantial cost of the King Park lighting project in an effort to support the furthering of greenspace, park areas, and trails. Mr. Tobias feels these expansions directly contribute to the quality of life residents seek when they choose to move to Lakeville, and ultimately why it is one of the fastest growing cities in the metro. He also feels the park dedication fee does not deter developers or residents from coming to the city; and feels the city should take advantage of these good times to encourage the improvement of amenities. City Council Work Session Minutes, December 12, 2016 Jim McCarty 17477 Goodland Path Page 2 Mr. McCarty understands the need for greenspace, but does not feel there is a need to increase this fee now when the fund currently has an adequate balance. Instead he would like to see more information on the costs and/ or needs for the proposed amenities and greenspace before any final decisions to increase the fund are made. Jim Storms, Member of the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Committee 17125 Franchise Way Mr. Storms clarified that the proposed increase to the park dedication fees reflect a re -adjustment of 5.9% now that home values have increased, as they were previously decreased by 25% during tough economic time. Park dedication fees save the taxpayers a lot of money, while allowing for the growth of greenspace and amenities in the areas that need it. Josh Kutzler, Director of Lakeville North Youth Football/ Tournament Director of Basketball 19016 Ireton Way Has been able to travel around to other neighboring cities and use their facilities and fields, and in comparison there is a wrong assumption that Lakeville has great facilities, enough amenities, or suitable field conditions. The addition of another high school doubled the number of teams that use these facilities causing a discrepancy in available practice space, and the growing need for a community center or dome. The parks and recreation offerings do not match the demographic, and there is a need for more outdoor fields for all sports. Robert Swan, Chairman of the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Committee 16675 Lakeview Court Mr. Swan expressed concerns in 2012 when the park dedication fee was decreased as he felt it was a disservice to the community to have less monies available to fund future park development; but understood per the formula adopted, as the value of homes go down as did the fee. Given this formula, the increase in home value, and substantial development, he feels a 5.9% increase is fair, and the Council should take this opportunity to advance and enhance the park system. Bob Hayes, Lakeville South Football Association 21254 Inspiration Path From a youth association standpoint Mr. Hayes is very frustrated to be having this conversation, when he feels the focus should instead be on finding more dollars to improve the conditions of the parks and fields. He feels in comparison to other communities there is a large discrepancy in offerings, and that if Lakeville chooses to pull back now, its amenities will never catch-up. Andrew Antson, President of Lakeville LaCrosse 19179 Ittabena Way City Council Work Session Minutes, December 12, 2016 Page 3 As one of the youngest sports associations in the city they do not have as many field options available for games or practice areas, and the current conditions and size of the fields are not conducive to the practice needs of the teams. He feels there needs to be new greenspace designated for all sports, specifically Lacrosse, to get in line with other communities in the metro. Judy Hayes, Member of the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Committee 17326 Idlewood Way She finds it very interesting that the formula adopted, using fair market value, was acceptable to decrease the fees, but to increase the fees there is now hesitance. The precedence was set to follow this formula, and now the Council is not doing so because the fee would increase. Jen Pitman, President of Lakeville Soccer 16518 Horizon Avenue Ms. Pitman expressed that Lakeville Soccer is desperate for space with approximately 1800 children on teams, requiring the association to pay out massive amounts of fees to neighboring communities to utilize their indoor space. Members complain about the absence of a sports facility in a city this size, and in an attempt to address the concern, Lakeville Soccer has approached the City on several occasions, even offering to assist with funding. Jeanne Peterson, Member of the Parks, Recreation, and Natural Resources Committee 6851 161" Street West As a parent who has children in District 196, Ms. Peterson echoed the amount of money her children's teams are paying out to rent the dome space in Rosemount, Burnsville, and Dundas for example. She would love to see other teams and neighboring cities coming to Lakeville to use a facility here, mentioning the positive financial impact this has to local businesses. 4. Council Discussion — Park Dedication Fees, Policies, and Goals Council member -elect Wheeler asked the various associations about how much money they paid out in rental fees to other neighboring communities, concluding that he heard approximately $200,000 - $250,000 spent every year between all the organizations. He also felt there was a need to bring in a sports facility or community center, pointing out that the park dedication fund monies would be expended quickly to bring in these larger projects. Council member -elect Hellier was asked about a taskforce of Independent School District 194 he serves on that is currently reviewing their long-term facilities. The demographer that was hired is re-evaluating her report to address projected enrollment data based on when students are entering Lakeville's school system. Council member Davis clarified he felt the formula for determining the fee was very fair. His reservation is with how much money is sitting in this fund without a concrete plan of how those City Council Work Session Minutes, December 12, 2016 Page 4 dollars would and should be used, considering the future of the larger projects have not been fully defined. Mr. Davis does agree there is a definite need for new fields, facilities, and practice areas for the youth sports in this community, but feels there is additional information needed to determine how much money is the right amount to sit in that account, and further discussion on how to satisfy the park maintenance needs these facilities require. Council member Anderson reiterated that the park dedication fee is not being reduced, and that he is supportive of finding partnerships and creative funding ways to afford the amenities that are needed in the community. He also acknowledged all the field improvement needs to address the poor condition of the fields. Given the current health of the fund, he would like to put a plan in place for how those funds are best used and spent, and determine if a park referendum, for example, is a possibility to address some of the long-term financial needs. Heading into next year he would like to see how the next year or two plays out, what the costs are for these larger amenities to develop out, and to conduct the financial and feasibility studies already budgeted, prior to increasing the park dedication fee. Council member LaBeau stated while she does hear from the community that there are lots of parks and trails in the city, she does understand the need for other amenities as voiced by those that showed up. Her concern is with the overall amount of fees that incoming homeowners have to pay due to the city alone when considering park dedication fees, and both city and school levies for example. She also expressed concerns with the long-term maintenance of adding in more amenities, parks, and playgrounds that cost millions of dollars to upkeep and no plan in place to pay for them; and reiterated the park dedication fee is not decreasing and does not affect the levy. Mayor Little clarified the park dedication fee as a one-time cost accessed to a new homeowner versus a tax, and its primary function is to allow new residents the opportunity to have the same and adequate amenities to support the service levels of residents. His intention in calling the meeting was to allow stakeholders an opportunity to voice their opinion, adding that the reason for the formula was to put a set of guidelines in place that was not political or arbitrary. Mayor Little also stated that while $4,000,000 may seem like a lot of money to have in this fund, the upcoming large projects will consume most of those dollars quickly. He feels that there is a need for an increase, and that as one of the fastest growing cities in the metro, a 5.9% increase is fair. All Council members thanked the organizations, associations, and residents for attending the meeting and expressing their concerns and thoughts on the increase of park dedication fees; the Council will review this item again in 2017. 5. Adjourn The meeting adjourned at 7:12 p.m. City Council Work Session Minutes, December 12, 2016 Respectfully r4bmitted, Tamara Walla e, dpu�fCity Clerk Matt Little, Mayor Page 5