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HomeMy WebLinkAboutItem 06.c CITY OF LAKEVILLE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES October 26, 2020 1. Mayor Anderson called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. Members present: Mayor Anderson, Council Members Hellier, Lee, Wheeler and Volk Staff present: Justin Miller, City Administrator; Allyn Kuennen, Assistant City Administrator; Jerilyn Erickson, Finance Director; Kati Bachmayer, Economic Development Specialist 2. Citizen Comments 3. CARES Funding Allocations/Grant Program Amendments Erickson began with an update of the current status of the CARES funding allocations and explained how any money not specifically allocated would be applied to the public safety category, which has enough expenses to exhaust all of the $4.8 million received. Bachmayer reviewed the changes to the grant program guidelines, which included the addition of Part B to allow for non-profits to be funded with CARES funding. The council then reviewed request by the following non-profits: • Lakeville Chamber of Commerce/Convention and Visitors Bureau o Requested $143,000, approved for $143,000 • 360 Communities o Requested $50,000, approved $50,000 • YMCA/Early Childhood Center o Requested $50,000, approved $10,000 (consistent with other daycare facilities funded through Part A of the program) • Fairview Ridges Hospital o Requested $105,911, approved $105,911 • ISD 194 o Requested $50,880, approved $25,000 (to reflect costs incurred in their current fiscal year) • Lakeville Arenas o Agreed to fund roughly $28,000 in eligible expenses City Council Work Session Minutes, October 26, 2020 Page 2 4. Third Quarter 2020 Financial Report Erickson provided a recap of the city’s third quarter financial report, including a status report of property tax collections from Dakota County, which are in line with expectations. She also elaborated on how CARES funds would be accounted for in fund balance calculations. 5. Utility and Liquor Fund Budgets Erickson started by explaining that the proposed liquor budget is consistent with the versions shown during discussions earlier this year on the fourth liquor store projections. There may be some small changes related to personnel and the timing of hiring an assistant director. The utilities budget was presented, and council asked questions about staff’s recommended rate increases, the impact on the fund’s financial status and debt issuance, and how the tiers were calculated for water rates. There was also a desire expressed to move towards monthly bills so that customers could make usage adjustments more frequently. Susan Landberg, 16576 Flagstaff Avenue Stated her understanding that there were financial needs related to utility rates, but also encouraged the council to take quality of life concerns into consideration. Council set forth several ideas relating to rates, including setting different rate increases for each tier, looking a proposed capital projects, better encouraging conservation, and looking at sanitary sewer rate comparisons for our peer cities. Staff indicated that this will be brought back for further consideration at the November work session with formal action being taken on December 7th. Break 8:50 pm – 8:55 pm 6. 2021A Tax Abatement Bonds Erickson invited Tammy Omdal from Northland Securities to review the proposed bond structure for the Apex energy improvements at Lakeville Arenas. Omdal reviewed the process for issuing tax abatement bonds, including common questions that arise at the required public hearings. She reiterated the low interest rate environment at the time and reviewed current bond issues. The council agreed with proceeding as planned. 7. Fee Schedule Erickson reviewed the major changes in the proposed 2021 fee schedule and noted that only changes to the schedule were being presented (all other fees remaining the same if not identified). Council did not have any recommended changes and staff will bring this to the December 7th meeting for a public hearing and approval. City Council Work Session Minutes, October 26, 2020 Page 3 8. Dakota County Recycling Ordinance Kuennen provided background for this ordinance, stating that Dakota County is requiring all cities to adopt, by reference, their Ordinance 110. The county, and by default all cities, are required to meet at 75% recycling goal and this ordinance will provide a framework to meet this goal. Council asked about how it will be implemented, ramifications if the city were not to enforce it, and if there was any funding being provided to administer it. Kuennen stated that there may be some funding available, and that it is required that the city adopt this by the end of the year. While there were still some concerns among council, they agreed to consider it at an upcoming council meeting. Council also suggested including this topic as a legislative priority for 2021. 9. Credit River Township Incorporation Support Chris Kostik, Credit River Township Board Chair, called in to provide background on why they were seeking to incorporate as a city and why they were asking for Lakeville’s support. He stated that other neighboring cities have already provided their support. The council was in favor of the resolution and Miller said it will be on the November 2nd council meeting for approval. 10. Items for Future Discussion • Setting date of January council retreat • Number of polling places in future elections 11. Committee/ City Administrator Updates Lee provided an update on the Envision Lakeville Community Conversations on Race. Wheeler updated the council on the new Liquor Operations Director and Arenas Manager hiring processes. Hellier updated the council on recent DBB meetings and issues related to the C-Net. Mayor Anderson reported on recent Regional Council of Mayors meetings, including discussions with DEED Commissioner Steve Grove. 12. The meeting adjourned at 10:04 p.m. Respectfully submitted, __________________________________ __________________________________ Justin Miller, City Administrator Douglas P. Anderson, Mayor