Loading...
03-13-2012 CCMNo Workshop MINUTES REGULAR MEETING — HUTCHINSON CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, MARCH 13, 2012 1. CALL TO ORDER — 5:30 P.M. Mayor Steve Cook called the meeting to order. Members present were Mary Christensen, Bill Arndt, Chad Czmowski and Eric Yost. Others present were Jeremy carter, City Administrator, Kent Exner, City Engineer, and Marc Sebora, City Attorney. 2. INVOCATION — Due to the absence of a pastor, the invocation was dispensed. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4. RECOGNITION OF GIFTS DONATIONS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE TO THE CITY The CounciT—recognized the Hutchinson Girls Basketball Team for playing in the State Tournament. The Council also recognized Hutchinson Police Services, Hutchinson Fire Department and the Red Cross on their efforts with the California St. apartment fire. 5. PUBLIC COMMENTS 6. MINUTES (a) REGULAR MEETING OF FEBRUARY 28, 2012 Mayor Cook noted to change Commissioner Frank to Commissioner Frans in the last paragraph under Miscellaneous. Motion by Arndt, second by Yost to approve the minutes with the change noted. Motion carried unanimously. 7. CONSENT AGENDA (Purpose: only for items requiring Council approval by external entities that would otherwise have been delegated to the City Administrator. Traditionally, items are not discussed.) (a) RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES 1. RESOLUTION NO. 13974 — RESOLUTION TO SELL AT AUCTION UNCLAIMED PROPERTY (BICYCLES) 2. RESOLUTION NO. 13975 — RESOLUTION TO SELL AT AUCTION SURPLUS POLICE DEPARTMENT PROPERTY (METAL EXTENDO BED FOR PICKUP TRUCK) 3. RESOLUTION NO. 13976 — RESOLUTION TO SELL AT AUCTION FORFEITED AND ABANDONED VEHICLES 4. RESOLUTION NO. 13979 - RESOLUTION RESTRICTING PARKING ON SOUTH SIDE OF FIFTH AVENUE NW — LETTING NO. 1, PROJECT NO. 12 -01 (b) REAPPOINTMENT OF STACEY NASS AND ROGER VACEK TO HUTCHINSON LIBRARY BOARD TO APRIL 2015 (c) CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF ITEMS FOR TRUNK HWY 15 RETAINING WALL RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT — LETTING NO. 5, PROJECT NO. 12 -06 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 13, 2012 (d) CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF 2012 LIQUOR LICENSE RENEWALS (e) CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF ISSUING ANNUAL CATERER'S PERMIT TO NATHAN BUSKA OF ONE EYED WILLY' S LLC (f) CLAIMS, APPROPRIATIONS AND CONTRACT PAYMENTS Item 7 (c) was pulled for separate discussion. Motion by Czmowski, second by Christensen to approve consent agenda with the exception of Item 7 (c). Motion carried unanimously. Item 7 (c) had further discussion. Kent Exner, City Engineer, presented correction of dates for Letting No. 5, Project No. 12 -06. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS — 6:00 P.M. (a) CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF AMENDING ON -SALE INTOXICATING LIQUOR LICENSE FOR ZELLAS LLC TO INCLUDE AN OUTDOOR PATIO LOCATED AT 14 MAIN STREET SOUTH Marc Sebora, City Attorney, presented before the Council. The City was approached by Tiffany Haag and Blake Barnard, the owners of Zella's, to construct an outdoor patio at the rear entrance of their existing location. The owner's met with Dan Hatten, Chief of Police; Marc Sebora, City Attorney; and Dan Jochum, Planning Director; to share the concept they are wanting. Sebora shared the blueprints that were presented at the initial meeting. The concept is to construct a pergola covered patio to seat 20 -25 people. Vines will be grown to cover the pergola and to absorb some noise. The owner's stated that they will be investing in fans and heaters to extend the patio season. Sebora stated the no smoking ordinances still apply on the outdoor patio. Per Jochum, there are no setbacks or zoning concerns for this property. Haag mentioned May 2012 as the target date to have the patio complete and open. Zella's liquor license application will be presented at the next council meeting. The council expressed the concept is very tasteful and overall a welcome to their facility. Motion by Arndt, second by Czmowski to close the public hearing. Motion carried unanimously (b) CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF ORDINANCE NO. 12 -0686 - AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY OF HUTCHINSON, MINNESOTA, REESTABLISHING THE BOUNDARIES OF ELECTION PRECINCTS Marc Sebora, City Attorney, presented before the Council. Legislative districts have been reestablished causing Hutchinson to be split into 2 legislative districts. This legislative district line caused our existing Precinct 2 be located in two different legislative districts. This is prohibited by state law. Therefore, it is proposed that the Precinct 2 boundary be moved to the west of Highway 15 /Main Street so that it is fully contained in one legislative district. Additionally, the boundaries of Precinct 2 and Precinct 3 have been adjusted to better balance the population between the precincts. The city will be adopting new precinct lines for the redistricting by city ordinance. Tonight's public hearing and first reading of the ordinance will then be followed up by adoption of the ordinance at the Council meeting on March 27. Following the adoption of the ordinance, the ordinance and a new precinct map will be published in the Hutchinson Leader. In addition, the ordinance and precinct map will be posted in City Center for 60 days. All affected voters will receive notice from the McLeod County Auditor's Office notifying them of their voting precinct. The City of Hutchinson will then follow up with all registered voters in the city by mail informing them/reminding them of their voting precinct just prior to the upcoming 2012 election. Regardless of voting precinct, all voters in the City of Hutchinson will continue to vote at the Hutchinson Recreation Center located at 900 Harrington St S.W. The county is aware of our plans. Maps have been submitted. The county will follow the plan that the city adopts. Motion by Arndt, second by Yost to close public hearing. Motion carried unanimously. 2 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 13, 2012 Motion by Arndt, second by Christensen to set second reading and adoption of Ordinance No. 12 -0686 to March 27, 2012. Motion carried unanimously. 9. COMMUNICATIONS, REQUESTS AND PETITIONS (Purpose: to provide Council with information necessary to craft wise policy. Always looking toward the future, not monitoring past) (a) UPDATE ON 800 MHZ PROJECT — Dan Hatten, Chief of Police, presented before the Council. The update for both City of Hutchinson and McLeod County is going very well. The Law Enforcement Technology Group (LETG) is a county wide computer aided dispatching software system. Police Department staff will be training on this the week of March 19, 2012. The "go- live" target date is June 1, 2012 or before. This update will be a virtual consolidation for Hutchinson and all of McLeod County. Efficiency will be very noticeable and it will show significant financial savings. The equipment will be here on time and will be installed by the vendor just prior to the "p- live" date. The Auxiliary Radio Tower will go on the water tower by Ridgewater College. A small building will need to go by the site to house the equipment. The Sheriffs office is working on purchasing a small building in Silver Lake for this. The "go- live" date for the 800 MHZ is July 2012. The advantage for the upgrade is smoother communications for not just Hutchinson, but for McLeod County and the State of Minnesota. If there was a serious emergency, such as a tornado, we would be able to communicate with other departments across the state. This includes all emergency personnel. The department must be live by January 1, 2013. With the "go- live" date of July 2012, this will give the department a 6 month buffer to work out any problems. (c) DISCUSSION OF CITY 2011 ENERGY CONSUMPTION DATA AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY EFFORTS — John Paulson, Environmental Specialist, presented before the Council. The city established a goal in 2007 and now has 6 years of service to establish a baseline. The City has made progress based on the numbers. The data collected is entered into the software program and assists in grant programs. Mayor Cook suggested having trends for the entire year. Paulson confirmed he has all of the data readily available. Yost questioned why Parks Department is the only one that has increased. Paulson responded that parks department has the most meters than any other department in the city. It also has the biggest foot print, these are large facilities. Paulson also mentioned the city has not made any major capital expenditures on the heating systems throughout. Benefits have been seen in the improvement of the Police Department's system. Mayor Cook asked if the City was tracking vehicle fuel usage. Paulson confirmed he has all of the data it just needs to be used to make it a benefit to the City. Carter commented that the Fleet Committee has been directed to look into sharing a fill station 10. UNFINISHED BUSINESS (a) CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN HISTORIC HUTCHINSON AND CITY OF HUTCHINSON Jeremy Carter, City Administrator, presented before the Council. The Council requested a more detailed agreement between the City of Hutchinson and Historic Hutchinson. The agreement now details the expectations of the City and Historic Hutchinson. This agreement applies to both the church and the Harrington- Merrill House. Stairs have been constructed at the church and asbestos has been removed. A usable bathroom is still required in the event of a public attendance. Historic Hutchinson has agreed to put their best foot forward to make this a benefit for the City of Hutchinson. Carter has been in conversation with Dolf Moon, Parks Director, in regards to marketing and putting together rental packages with the Event Center. A wedding has already taken place and play is scheduled for this spring. Yost commended Carter on getting this agreement put together, in writing. Cook commented that Historic Hutchinson and City of Hutchinson has been a good relationship. Arndt suggested that the veterans' clubs and other organizations should be contacted that this is available. Carter said a marketing campaign and word of mouth will help get the word out. Motion by Yost, second by Christensen to approve Memorandum of Understanding. Motion carried unanimously. 11. NEW BUSINESS (a) CONSIDERATION FOR APPROVAL OF CREEKSIDE ORGANIC PROCESSING AGREEMENT WITH CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 13, 2012 THE CITY OF ST. CLOUD Jeremy Carter, City Administrator, presented before the council. Last year, in 2011, St. Cloud asked City of Hutchinson's Creekside to come clean up their facility and assist them in running an efficient composting business. St. Cloud asked for Creekside to come process the 3000 tons of leaves and grass they collect to help keep that sight clean and keep this as a benefit to the citizens of St. Cloud. St. Cloud has agreed to pay a $19 /ton tipping fee to Creekside for the raw leaves & grass delivered to the site. Creekside has a need for the end materials. Carter believes that this will expand and present other opportunities with other sites. Christensen inquired if this would result in more man hours. Carter confirmed that the tipping fee would cover this. Motion by Arndt, second by Cook to approve Creekside Organic Processing Agreement with the City of St. Cloud. Motion carried unanimously. 12. GOVERNANCE (Purpose: to assess past organizational performance, develop policy that guides the organization and Council and manage the logistics of the Council. May include monitoring reports, policy development and governance process items) (a) FIRE DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT FOR FEBRUARY 2012 (b) HUTCHINSON UTILITIES COMMISSION MINUTES FROM JANUARY 25, 2012 (c) HUTCHINSON PUBLIC LIBRARY BOARD MINUTES FROM JANUARY 23, 2012 (d) REPORT ON PIONEERLAND LIBRARY STEM BOARD MEETING OF JANUARY 19, 2012 (e) PLANNING, ZONING, BUILDING DEPARTMENT MONTHLY REPORT FROM FEBRUARY 2012 13. MISCELLANEOUS Doreen Smithers, 526 Adams St SE, presented before council. Smithers expressed concern that there has been a bed bug infestation in a Jefferson Street apartment building. The building is across the alley from her home. Smithers stated that items removed from the building have been piled just across the alley from her garage and she fears that with the warm weather the bugs could migrate to her property. Smithers was unhappy with what she felt was a slow response from Hutchinson Police Department. Police Chief Dan Hatten responded the department has been attempting to contact the landlord to confirm the infestation, whether or not the building has been fumigated and how long the garbage will remain outside. Cook inquired if there should be language added to the city's nuisance ordinance regarding health hazard. Sebora commented that if something affects health — it does not warrant getting together to change the nuisance ordinance. Carter assured that the city would expedite this situation. Dan Hatten, Police Chief, informed the council of the happenings regarding the apartment complex fire on California St. On Monday, March 12, 2012 at 8:15 a.m. Hatten and Fire Chief, Brad Emans arrived before the fire trucks, the south side of the building was engulfed in flames. One tenant jumped from a second story window with police officers breaking the fall. That individual was transported to the hospital. Fire department was doing best to contain the fire and search the apartment to be sure that everyone had gotten out. One tenant was missing and took a while to confirm that she had left the scene. Two police officers had minor injuries. Hatten commended Trail Blazer as one phone call was made and they had two busses on the scene in a matter of minutes. The busses stayed the entire time for the tenants to have a warm place. This apartment building had 6 units, it was very fortunate everyone got out without serious injury. Unfortunately two pets were lost in the fire. Christ the King Church opened as an emergency shelter through Red Cross. Hatten reminded citizens that residents, renters and homeowners need to take an active role in making sure that carbon monoxide detectors and smoke detectors are in working order for their own safety. Mary Christensen — Ms. Christensen received phone calls regarding a recycling business on Michigan Street. The callers were questioning why this place of business does not require a fence. Carter noted that staff was notified and the city will be addressing in a proper manner. Bill Arndt — Mr. Arndt wished the Hutchinson Girls Basketball team good luck at the state tournament. Eric Yost— Mr. Yost mentioned the last council meeting of 2012 is scheduled for Tuesday, December 25 11 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MARCH 13, 2012 The meeting will be scheduled on a different date Jeremy Carter— Mr. Carter advised everyone that Andy Reid, Controller, has sent the budget book out to the Council, it is available on the city website as well. The finance department is heavily involved in the audit. April 16 is scheduled as a field work day for the auditors. Budgets for 2013 will be going out to directors within the next week. The City has existing debt on 2006 and 2008 bonds, for a total of 4 bonds. The City could refinance and save over $300,000. There would be a cost in setting up an escrow; these costs are factored in the savings. Kent Exner— Mr. Exner shared that 5th Ave neighborhood meetings have been scheduled. The project is on schedule to finalize plans and have the first bid hearing in May. Exner mentioned editorial in an edition of the leader regarding what the city is doing with bike lanes. Exner shared the city's approach goes back many years regarding bike lanes vs. trails. Exner and Cook attended MNDOT Bicycle Plan. Funding is the goal, keeping cost way from counties and cities. MNDOT should be taking the ownership. Street sweeping started early and patching has started. 2012 Local Traffic Flow and Safety Questionnaire is now available on the city website, at city center and was sent in utility billing. A meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 21, 2012 5:30 — 7:30 p.m. Motion by Arndt, second by Sebora to set meeting Public Open House meeting for Wednesday, March 21, 2012 5:30 — 7:30 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Steve Cook — Mr. Cook was made aware of a program that the City could bond for energy improvement on private property and assess back to property owners. This applies to commercial and industrial. The Council should have a workshop on River Planning and invite interested groups for long range solutions for the river. Cook would like to set a workshop and include all council members, county commissioners and the DNR. Cook also mentioned another workshop is needed. The council needs to talk about budget goals. 14. ADJOURN Motion by Arndt, second by cook to adjourn at 7:40 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. ATTEST: Steven W. Cook Jeremy J. Carter Mayor City Administrator