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Home My WebLink About10-22-18CITY OF LAKEVILLE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES October 22, 2018 1. Mayor Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:01 p.m. in the Lake Marion Conference Room. Members present: Mayor Anderson, Council Members Davis, Hellier, LaBeau, and Wheeler Members absent: None Envision Lakeville Taskforce Members: Brian Knapp, Patti McDonald, Lynette Mulvihill, and Steven Porter Staff present: Justin Miller, City Administrator; Allyn Kuennen, Assistant City Administrator; Zach Johnson, City Engineer; Neil Normandin, Assistant City Administrator; Emily Ball, City Forester; Mike Meyer, Fire Chief; Jerilyn Erickson, Finance Director; Tamara Wallace, Deputy Clerk 2. Citizen Comments: There were no citizen comments. 3. Envision Lakeville Update The City contracted Craig Rapp, LLC to provide a five-year update to the 2013 Envision Lakeville Report, and brought in the Envision Lakeville Taskforce to assist with the update as well. The process included review of the 2018 Community Survey and assessing the list of current community values and strategic priorities to ensure it aligned with the vision of the community. The draft plan offered the following recommendations: no change to the current vision statement/ community values/ strategic priorities, inclusion of revised initiates based on accomplishments, additional initiatives and ideas from the Taskforce/ community feedback, identify an owner/ subject matter expert (SME's) for each strategic priority, and create an accountability system to monitor implementation. The Council reviewed the draft document and talked extensively about the development of a public dashboard that would work to keep the public informed of City business, volunteer opportunities, other events within the City, and serve as a platform to ask questions. The Council thanked Craig Rapp, LLC and the Envision Lakeville Taskforce members for their contributions in updating the Envision Lakeville plan. 4. Transportation Update Mr. Normandin provided the transportation update which included the following construction projects: Final paving for County Road 50 which is estimated to open at the end of October, final City Council Work Session Minutes, October 22, 2018 Page 2 punch list items for Kenyon Avenue, 2018 Miscellaneous and roadway projects, County Road 50 reconstruction from Holyoke to Cedar Avenue, Dodd & Flagstaff round -about, 2019 Street Reconstruction, Hamburg Avenue Reconstruction, County Road 70 Reconstruction, Kenrick Avenue extension, and the 2018 Street Reconstruction project. 5. Shade Tree Ordinance At the February work session meeting staff brought forward a proposed management plan and City ordinance to address the current Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) infestation within the community. Subsequently the Council directed staff to implement the management plan on City property but expressed concern over the enforcement policy of the EAB ordinance on private property - specifically potential costs to the homeowner as well as a softer enforcement approach. Ms. Ball presented the revised ordinance which has been reviewed by the City Attorney, and eliminates the verbiage suggesting a property owner could get a misdemeanor for failure to adhere to the ordinance (as this is covered in Code under Nuisance 4-1-1). Under the proposed ordinance, staff would be able to address any tree on private property that the city forester (or representative) identified as potentially hazardous to public property, health, or safety. Residents would be notified by mailed notice that tree inspections are scheduled to take place. The Council reviewed the revised ordinance and discussed reservations about City staff going on private homeowner property, as well as the potential for the homeowner to not receive the notification of tree inspection due to the home being tenant -occupied or travels in the winter months. The Council ultimately felt comfortable moving forward with the ordinance to inspect private property trees with the following changes: the homeowner must provide affirmative consent to go on their property, additional clarification on the assessment process, and the threshold for an assessment process would be changed from $5,000 to $3,000. Staff will work on drafting the ordinance to bring forward to the November 19 City Council meeting for approval. Break from 8:03 - 8:10 p.m. 6. Fire Pension Benefit The Fire Relief Board outlined the various challenges they encounter trying to recruit volunteer firefighters to the Lakeville Fire Department. Firefighters are paid a nominal fee for each fire call but are also eligible for a lump sum pension benefit based on their vesting and years of service. The Fire Relief Board is seeking an increase in the pension benefit to provide the best benefits and value to prospective firefighters. The proposed increase would see benefit increases of $800 for years 2019 and 2020. City Council Work Session Minutes, October 22, 20I8 Page 3 The Council directed staff to move forward with the proposed 2019 pension increase of $800; they will discuss the 2020 pension proposal at the January retreat or work session meeting. 7. 2019 Utility Funds Budget Ms. Erickson provided an overview of the proposed 2019 Utility Fund and Liquor Fund budgets, and proposed utility rates. The Utility Fund budget considers the City's cost to operate the water system, sanitary sewer system, street lights, environmental resources, and personnel additions. Earlier this year, Staff worked with Northland Securities Inc. to perform a utility rate study to determine the level of rates to fund operations/ replacement of infrastructure. Following the completion of the study, Staff used the new model suggested by Northland Securities, Inc. to calculate projections for the 2019 - 2028 utility rate. The changes would mean a household increase of approximately $4.15 monthly and $49.88 annually for City water, sewer, street lights, and environmental resource services. The Council reviewed the Utility Fund charts which outlined the expenses, revenues, cash position, and projected rate changes for each of the funds. The Council thanked staff for their work and transparency in preparing the item. 8. 2019 Fee Schedule Ms. Erickson outlined the 2019 recommended fee schedule as part of the annual budget review process, which included the proposed fee schedule changes and explanations. The Council went through each section of the fee schedule and clarified specific line items. The November 26 work session meeting will be the final preview discussion on the budget. As required by State statute, a public hearing will be held on December 3, 2018 which will allow the community to provide feedback and input about the proposed fee schedule. All feedback provided by the public and Council on December 3, 2018 will be integrated into the proposed 2019 changes and will be incorporated into the City Code with an effective date of January 1, 2019 unless otherwise noted. 9. 3rd Quarter Financial Report Ms. Erickson provided an overview of the third quarter financial report which included revenue and expenditure highlights on the General, Communications, Liquor, and Utility Operating Funds as compared to the 2017 year. 10. Committee/ City Administrator Updates Mr. Miller passed around an informational insert that will be mailed to all residents with their utility bills to illustrate changes in the 2019 tax levy. City Council Work Session Minutes, October 22, 2018 Page 4 Mayor Anderson recently attended a meeting with a representative from Transportation of America which works to find dollars to fix roads. He also attended the monthly Mayor/ Manager meeting, and toured an Artspace apartment project in Hastings, which is a rental space available to artists to live and sell their artwork. Council Member Wheeler informed the Council of a show he watched called "Sold Out" that talked about community housing diversity. Council Member Davis attended the Fire Relief Board where they discussed tonight's pension benefit item. Council Member Hellier indicated the City has recently retained a firm to recruit for the open Public Works Director position. 11. The meeting adjourned at 9:57 p.m. allace, Deputy City Clerk