Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout04-29-98 WSi CITY OF LAKEVILLE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES APRIL 29, 1998 The meeting was called to order by Mayor Zaun at 7:30 a.m. in the Park Maintenance Building conference room. Those present: Mayor Zaun, Councilmembers Holberg, Mulvihill, Ryan, Sindt; R. Erickson, City Administrator; D. Martens, Police Chief; D. Feller, Finance Director; S. Michaud, Parks & Recreation Director; C. Friedges, City Clerk; D. Barth, MIS Coordinator; J. Hennen, Administrative Assistant; J. Hubred, Lakeville Life & Times; J. Lloyd, Sun Current; L. Gustafson, Deputy City Clerk. ITEM NO. 1: Tour Park Maintenance Building. Mr. Michaud gave the City Council a tour of the Park Maintenance Building which previously housed the Utility Department. ITEM N0.2: Review April 1, 1998 City Council Work Session Minutes. Mayor Zaun asked Councilmembers to review the work session minutes and inform staff if any changes need to be made to the minutes prior to the next City Council meeting on May 4, 1998. • ITEM N0.3: Review Utilities Department Senior Discount Program. Mr. Feller stated that the current senior citizen discount program provides a 30% discount on the sewer and water portion of the utility bill for heads of households over 65 years of age or living on social security or a pension income. When the policy was developed more than twenty years ago, it was intended to provide financial relief to retired persons on fixed incomes. Mr. Feller presented a number of reasons why staff believes the policy should be amended which include that the discount is based on age, not on ability to pay, and that many of the senior citizen accounts are located in high income housing areas. Also, the program focuses on residential housing but does not include senior housing complexes or mobile homes. Many of the 255 accounts also have consumption levels of over 60,000 gallons per year which indicates that the discount may be helping maintain irrigation systems. Mr. Feller commented that Dakota County Social Services has many programs that could provide financial assistance to low and moderate income families. He reported that other Dakota County cities were surveyed as to whether they offer senior citizen discounts. Only four cities provide some form of a discount. • Mr. Feller stated staff is recommending that the existing 255 accounts be grandparented in and continue to receive the discount; however, no new accounts would be established. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES APRIL 29, 1998 PAGE 2 Mr. Erickson mentioned that a problem with the current program is that there currently is no follow-up or monitoring of the program (i.e. people who are on the list that don't live in the home). He stated that the Utility Billing Clerk has noticed that many low and moderate income families have problems paying their bills whereas many of the senior citizen don't appear to be under a hardship in meeting their obligations. Councilmembers discussed the changing population and the number of recent residential developments marketing to "empty nesters". Councilmember Holberg recommends discontinuing the program due to the fact that Dakota County offers financial assistance to individuals who have a limited household income. Councilmember Ryan opposes changing the program because seniors are on a fixed budget. Councilmember Sindt is in favor of staff s recommendation. Mayor Zaun suggested phasing out the program over a set time period while lowering the discount percentage. Councilmember Mulvihill stated that Dakota County has the resources available for those residents who need financial assistance. The City Council directed staff to review the current list of senior citizen accounts and check the eligibility of those accounts. They also directed staff to prepare a proposal which would lower the discount percentage along with phasing out the program. ITEM NO. 4: Review Fire Department By-Laws. Mr. Barth stated the Fire Department By-Laws are reviewed every five years due to changes in the laws or how the Fire Department does business. He reviewed several of the proposed changes in the by-laws, including deletion of the Constitution, addition of an organizational chart, numerous word changes and general house keeping items. Mayor Zaun suggested the by-laws indicate the City Codes that relate to the appointments of the Fire Chief, Assistant Fire Chief, and the two District Chiefs. Mr. Barth stated a cross reference to the City Codes could be noted in the by-laws document. The City .Council directed staff to place the proposed amended Fire Department By- laws on an upcoming Council agenda. ITEM NO. 5: Precinct Boundary and Polling Place Changes. Ms. Friedges proposed a change to the City's precinct boundaries which would create two new precincts in the north central area of the City, due to the large number of registered voters in certain precincts. Realigning the boundaries will alleviate some of the congestion that. currently exists and also prepare for future development in those areas. The two new precinct polling places would be located at Eastview Elementary School and at the Water Treatment Plant. She also recommended the polling place for Precinct 8 be moved from Fire Station No. 2 to North Trail Elementary School. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES .APRIL, 29, 1998 PAGE 3 All registered voters would be notified by mail of their precinct and/or polling place changes. Ms. Friedges noted that ISD #194 may have a levy referendum this fall. Councilmembers and staff discussed having polling places at churches and schools and future redistricting. The City Council directed staff to place this item on the May 4, 1998, Council agenda. ITEM NO. 7: Discuss Downtown Business Association Issues. 7a: Special Services Districts Councilmember Ryan stated the Downtown Lakeville Business Association (DLBA) is pursuing the creation of a Special Services District for property located along Holyoke Avenue from 202nd Street to 210th Street, west of Holt Avenue and east of Howland Avenue. They have obtained a petition with property owners representing 25% of the total tax capacity and 25% of the total property area as required to establish the Special Services District. The special assessment as proposed is for 10% of property taxes, with a minimum charge of $100 and a maximum charge of $6,000. Mr. Erickson reported that the signed petition enables the City Council to set a public hearing date. He mentioned that due to a miscalculation by staff of the DLBA their budget has been overstated by $10,000. In addition, the funding is further impacted by a reduction in property tax classification rates from 4 to 3.5% for values in excess of $150,000 for taxes payable in 1999. With the taxes being decreased due to the reclassification, Mr. Erickson commented that the business community may decide to take the tax dollars saved and apply it to the Special Services District fund. Mr. Erickson noted that the EDC recommended a petition with at least 50% participation of property owners and a revised assessment formula. He commented that the DLBA should prepare an ordinance which provides details of the program (i.e., how will the program be administered and by whom), so property owners will fully understand the program before the City Council calls a public hearing on the issue. Councilmember Ryan suggested the DLBA may want to expand. the district area to generate additional funds by including property owners on the fringes of downtown who would pay a lesser assessment. He stated the EDC tabled a request for a matching City grant to provide the City Council time to discuss the issue. Mr. Erickson said the business community may want to revisit their budget before the Council considers any action. Councilmember Holberg stated she hesitates approving any matching funds as the Council has not done this for any other business district in the city. She feels the DLBA • has to develop a consensus as a group, with more downtown property owners participating prior to any additional city assistance. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES APRIL 29, 1998 PAGE 4 i The City Council directed staff to inform the DLBA that additional business owner support is needed on the petition before the Council will hold a public hearing. They would welcome meeting with the DLBA to discuss the issues. 7b: Parking Study Councilmember Ryan reported that the Parking Audit Analysis conducted by the DLBA indicated that there is enough available parking to support additional downtown businesses. Mr. Erickson noted options for additional parking facilities in downtown Lakeville include: • Redevelopment of land for additional parking facilities • Joint ownership of parking lots by downtown businesses • Additional shared parking agreements among existing businesses • TIF District No. 8 funding for developing housing/commerciaUpublic parking • An amendment to the zoning ordinance parking standards for the Central Business District Commercial zone (CBD-C) Mr. Erickson stated that TIF District No. 8 meets its financial obligation in 1998, which would result in funds being available for the next twelve years. The key to these funds being used is that they have to be housing directed such as a combination of housing, parking and commercial usage. The Dakota County HRA is tentatively planning another senior housing complex in downtown Lakeville. As part of the project, additional parking could be included which would increase parking spaces for the downtown businesses. Mr. Erickson also mentioned Lifetime Fitness is looking at Enggrens Super Market building as a possible site for their facility. Mayor Zaun directed Councilmembers to provide any feedback on the issue to Councilmember Ryan or City Administrator Erickson. ITEM NO. 6: Rediscuss County Wide Tobacco Ordinance. Chief Martens updated the Council on the proposed Dakota County-wide uniform Tobacco Ordinance. A general consensus of those attending.. a recent meeting was that the effort to create acounty-wide uniform ordinance should continue. A decision was made to set minimum standards quite low, and then allow for individual jurisdictions to enhance them if they so desire. He mentioned that: both federal and state laws mandate either the City or County complete compliance checks (stings) at least once a year. Chief Martens asked for the Council's direction on the different provisions of the model tobacco ordinance. The Council went over the matrix supplied by the Chief and decided the following; • • Supported a concept of a uniform county ordinance • Supported a full ban on vending machines CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES APRIL 29, 1998 PAGE 5 • • State minimum for vendor administrative penalties • One (1) unannounced compliance check per year • Compliance checks done by Dakota County • Age of seller can be under the age of 18 • All tobacco located behind the counter The Council wanted some flexibility when fining clerks and/or the store. The Council expressed their appreciation for the cooperation the local merchants have exhibited regarding tobacco sales to minors. Ms. Friedges noted that with the County administering the ordinance, the City would give up all jurisdiction and the current ordinance would need to be repealed. Mr. Erickson also stated the City would no longer receive revenue as part of licensing. The City Council inquired about notifying area retailers regarding the minimum state standards which will be enforced, including mandated compliance checks of tobacco retailers. The City Clerk indicated that had already taken place. ITEM NO. 8: Review Central Area Plan - Ipava Avenue Corridor Study. Mr. Erickson stated the draft of the Central Area Plan/Ipava Avenue Corridor Study has been completed. He noted that the current City policy of having developers fund infrastructure. may not work for this area. Financing of infrastructure along Ipava Avenue may require a change in policy, but with three to five years before any development occurs, there is time for discussion concerning any policy changes. Mr. Erickson said staff is recommending sending the draft study to the property owners within the 800 acre area prior to the upcoming comprehensive plan update neighborhood meeting. Councilmember Sindt thought that because of the environmental uniqueness of the area, there is merit in looking into some type of change in City policy. Councilmember Ryan pointed out that certain areas within the 800 acres on the proposed plan do not denote a zoning classification. He recommends clarifying this on the plan. The Council directed staff to mail a copy of the proposed plan/study to property owners in advance of the neighborhood comprehensive plan meeting. ITEM NO. 9: Review Strategic Growth Management Task Force Applications. Mr. Erickson stated that the original Strategic Growth Management. Task Force had twenty-one members. Former .members and individuals representing entities who have agreed to serve again now number nineteen, leaving two openings. The Council has twelve applicants to select from to fill those vacancies. The City Council directed staff to draft a list of all former members who are committed to serve on the task force and a list of the remaining applicants. A letter should be sent . , CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES APRIL 29, 1998 PAGE 6 to those applicants informing them that the City Council has not made a final determination for the remaining two vacancies. The work session adjourned at 10:00 a.m. Respectfully submitted, ~__._ . ~~~~ es a Gustafson puty City Clerk •