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11-28-2017 CCM HUTCHINSON CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 28, 2017 CITY CENTER – COUNCIL CHAMBERS (The City Council is provided background information for agenda items in advance by city staff, committees and boards. Many decisions regarding agenda items are based upon this information as well as: City policy and practices, input from constituents, and other questions or information that has not yet been presented or discussed regarding an agenda item.) 1.CALL MEETING TO ORDER – 5:30 P.M. Mayor Gary Forcier called the meeting to order. Members present were Mary Christensen, John Lofdahl, Steve Cook and Chad Czmowski. Others present were Matt Jaunich, City Administrator, Kent Exner, City Engineer and Marc Sebora, City Attorney (a)Approve the Council agenda and any agenda additions and/or corrections Matt Jaunich, City Administrator, noted he would like to add an additional item to the agenda for consideration. Under NEW BUSINESS, he would like to add Resolution No. 14811 – Resolution to Sell Surplus City Property to sell a 1990 Zamboni ice resurfacer to Becker Arena Products, in the amount of $11, 250. Motion by Christensen, second by Lofdahl, to approve the agenda as amended. Motion carried unanimously. 2.INVOCATION– Peace Lutheran Church 3.PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 4.RECOGNITION OF GIFTS, DONATIONS AND COMMUNITY SERVICE TO THE CITY (a)Resolution No. 14806 – Resolution Accepting Cash Donation from Elizabeth Corbid to Hutchinson Police Department for Law Enforcement Memorial Park Fund (b)Resolution No. 14807 – Resolution Accepting Cash Donation from Nu-Telecom for Hutchinson Police Department for Shop With a Cop Program Motion by Czmowski, second by Cook, to approve Resolution Nos. 14806 and 14807. Motion carried unanimously. Lofdahl thanked Red and Linda from the State Theater for donating the use of the theater for the second showing of Little Crow and Dakota War. 253 people attended and there has been a request to show the film for the third time. Forcier congratulated the Hutchinson High School girls swim team at state. PUBLIC COMMENTS (This is an opportunity for members of the public to address the City Council on items not on the current agenda. If you have a question, concern or comment, please ask to be recognized by the mayor – state your name and address for the record. Please keep comments under 5 minutes. Individuals wishing to speak for more than five minutes should ask to be included on the agenda in advance of the meeting. All comments are appreciated, but please refrain from personal or derogatory attacks on individuals.) 5. CITIZENS ADDRESSING THE CITY COUNCIL 6.APPROVAL OF MINUTES (a)Regular Meeting of November 14, 2017 (b)Special Workshop of November 14, 2017 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - NOVEMBER 28, 2017 Motion by Cook, second by Lofdahl, to approve minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. CONSENT AGENDA (The items listed for consideration will be enacted by one motion unless the Mayor, a member of the City Council or a city staff member requests an item to be removed. Traditionally items are not discussed.) 7. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA I (a)Consideration for Approval of Change Order No. 5 – Letting No. 6, Project No. 17-06 (Hotel Site Access Improvements) (b)Consideration for Approval of Agricultural Land Lease at Airport (c)Claims, Appropriations and Contract Payments – Register A Item 7(b) was pulled for separate discussion. Motion by Lofdahl, second by Christensen, to approve Consent Agenda I with the exception of the item noted above. Motion carried unanimously. Item 7(b). Per the request of Mayor Forcier, John Olson, Public Works Supervisor, presented before the Council. Olson explained there is roughly 110 acres of land that is owned by the airport. There are bids from different farmers to farm the land. The land represents 20% of income to the airport. Low growing crops and crops with low litter are planted as this field is close to the runway. This lease will be for six years as the farmer will be planting a hay crop. Rent has been reduced for this lease. The University of Minnesota Extension researches average rents for all of the counties in Minnesota. The airport watches and trends the rent in McLeod County. Motion by Cook, second by Forcier, to approve Item 7(b). Motion carried unanimously. 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA II (a)Claims, Appropriations and Contract Payments – Register B Motion by Czmowski, second by Christensen, with Forcier abstaining, to approve Consent Agenda II. Motion carried unanimously. PUBLIC HEARINGS 9. PUBLIC HEARING TO PROVIDE CITIZEN INPUT PRIOR TO SUBMITTING A MINNESOTA INVESTMENT FUND GRANT APPLICATION TO THE MINNESOTA 6:00 P.M. DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT – Miles Seppelt, Economic Development Director, presented before the Council. Mr. Seppelt explained a bit about the company, UPONOR, and the projects planned since the acquisition of the building. UPONOR will begin converting the building for production and create green space to differentiate their property from the existing neighboring buildings. This will be completed in 2018. Mr. Seppelt asked the Council to consider assisting UPONOR with establishing business operations in the City of Hutchinson through the application made to the 2 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - NOVEMBER 28, 2017 Minnesota Department of Employment & Economic Development for funding from the Minnesota Investment Fund. Before applying, it is required that a public hearing be held on the project. The purpose of the public hearing is to solicit public input on the project prior to staff submitting the completed Minnesota Investment Fund application. The City of Hutchinson would receive the grant and then borrow the money to UPONOR with the possibility of forgiving the loan. No public comments were received. Motion by Cook, second by Czmowski, to close public hearing. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Czmowski, second by Christensen, to approve Resolution No. 14803 – Resolution for Authorization to Apply to Minnesota Investment Fund on behalf of UPONOR. Motion Carried unanimously. 10. PUBLIC HEARING FOR ALLEY #17 IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT (LETTING NO. 15, 6:00 P.M. PROJECT NO. 17-15) – Kent Exner, City Engineer, presented before the Council. Mr. Exner explained that City staff administered a neighborhood meeting on Thursday, November 21, with property owners adjacent to the proposed alley project. Four property owners have identified this alley for improvements as the result of a petition. Mr. Exner also explained per the City’s Assessment Policy, the assessment rate and corresponding amounts may change based on the actual construction bid/costs and/or City Council approvals. Mr. Exner asked the City Council to approve Resolution 14809 – Resolution Ordering Improvement and Preparation of Plans and Specifications. Council Member Cook questioned the assessment fees, $83/linear foot for alleys as opposed to $80/linear foot for street improvements. Mr. Jaunich explained based on the City policy relating to alley improvement costs, the City prioritizes city streets over alleys and this is the reason for the cost difference. Mr. Exner agreed to move forward and look at blacktop options rather than concrete if the Council approves this resolution. This would allow the City to look at the assessment costs again. No public comments were received. Motion by Lofdahl, second by Cook, to close the public hearing. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Cook, second by Lofdahl, to approve Resolution No. 14809 – Resolution Ordering Improvement and Preparation of Plans and Specifications. Motion carried unanimously. 11. PUBLIC HEARING ON THE EXPENDITURE OF BOND-FINANCED PROJECT SALE 7:00 P.M. PROCEEDS – Berit Spores, representative of Ecumen, presented before the Council. Ms. Spores explained that Ecumen plans to sell a facility in Chisago City. The facility was financed in part by tax- 3 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - NOVEMBER 28, 2017 exempt bonds issued by another city. In order to preserve the tax-exempt status of those bonds, it is necessary for Ecumen to expend the proceeds of the sale within two years of the date of the sale on qualifying capital expenditures with respect to other facilities. Proceeds of the sale in the amount of approximately $750,000 are planned to be expended to make capital improvements to the The Oaks, located at 945 Century Avenue SW and The Pines, located at 1015 Century Avenue SW, primarily consisting of the enhancement of interior and exterior features including new siding, windows, shutters and carpet. No public comments were received. Motion by Lofdahl, second by Christensen, to close the public hearing. Motion carried unanimously. Motion by Lofdahl, second by Christensen, to approve Resolution No. 14808 – Resolution Consenting to and Approving the Expenditure of Sale Proceeds for Projects in Hutchinson. Motion carried unanimously. COMMUNICATIONS, REQUESTS AND PETITIONS (The purpose of this portion of the agenda is to provide the Council with information necessary to craft wise policy. Includes items like monthly or annual reports and communications from other entities.) 12. UPDATE BY HUTCHINSON ELKS ON INCLUSIVE PARK PROJECT th Tammy Lehn - 237 4 Avenue NE; Paul Ackland - 167 Elk Drive SE; Pat May - 645 Glen Street SW, all representatives of Elks Park, presented before the Council. Mr. Ackland gave an update of where the finances are for Phase 3 of the Inclusive Park Project. Mr. Ackland also expressed concern of the parking issue at the Inclusive Park. The Elks representatives presented a plan for off-street parking at the park. The Elks would like the City to consider approving the plan as well as financing the plan. The Council agreed that off-street parking is something that the Resource Allocation Committee should look at. City Engineer Kent Exner agreed to look at the plan and incorporate the project into the funding as well as look at a trail or sidewalk along Sherwood Street connecting to Century Avenue. Mr. May expressed how proud he is to be part of the community and thanked the City of Hutchinson for doing a lot to support the Inclusive Park Project. 13. TRUNK HIGHWAY 15 RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT DEVELOPMENT UPDATE PRESENTATION BY PROJECT CONSULTANT John Rodeberg, SEH Consulting, presented before the Council. Mr. Rodeberg provided a project development update and was available to address related questions or clarifications. 14. REVIEW OF THE CREATION OF A CITY SUSTAINABILITY COMMITTEE John Paulson, Environmental Specialist, presented before the Council. Mr. Paulson explained that the City of Hutchinson has a long history of implementing sustainable projects, programs and practices. The City’s leadership and involvement in programs like Tree City, Bicycle Friendly Communities, and GreenStep Cities are examples of the City’s continued commitment to being sustainable. Mr. Paulson continued by reminding the Council there are two City boards, Creekside Advisory and Tree Board, that have been meeting 3-4 times per year. City staff met with both boards in 2017 to solicit their input regarding the idea of creating a new City Sustainability Committee that would include topics that are covered by their respective boards. By expanding the scope of topics to include items like energy, 4 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - NOVEMBER 28, 2017 stormwater, natural resources, leaf collection, etc., the new committee would have regularly scheduled meetings that would encompass sustainability concepts across the City. Council Member Cook asked if there would be a representative from Hutchinson Utilities Commission. Per Mr. Paulson, Hutchinson Utilities Commission General Manager, Jeremy Carter, responded with interest. Mr. Paulson made mention of incorporating a student from Hutchinson High School. Mr. Jaunich advised the Council that Hutchinson High School is looking at the possibility of requiring internships and this could fit in that requirement. Mr. Jaunich informed the Council that committees and boards have been approved by ordinance in the past. This is just a communication item. If this moves forward, an ordinance will be created to disassemble and recreate the boards and brought before Council in December. 15. DISCUSSION ON POLICY RELATED TO ALLEY IMPROVEMENT COSTS Matt Jaunich, City Administrator, presented before the Council. Mr. Jaunich informed the Council that Council Member Cook has requested they have a discussion on the City’s policy related to alley improvement costs. Jaunich reminded the Council of the differences within the policy when it comes to petition driven improvements versus non-petition driven. The assessment policy differentiates between alleys and regular streets/roadways when it comes to how they are assessed. Kent Exner, City Engineer, stated alley improvements are very different as it is unknown what the drainage and piping will be once the project has started. The current policy has been very successful. The City is not looking for alleys to improve and will remain reactive with the Council and petitions and trusting the Resource Allocation Committee. John Olson, Public Works Manager, stated that alleys are at a different level of assessment as these properties receive services on both the front and back of the property. The City of Hutchinson has approximately 65 alleys. Andy Reid, Finance Director, stated if there is no storm water infrastructure being put in place, it is difficult to use storm water funds. Reid also agreed with the current process of estimating conservatively. Council Member Cook suggested to reduce the bonding dollars and be consistently fair with all of the projects or reduce all project fees. Council Member Lofdahl suggested establishing the fees at the public hearing by setting the engineer’s estimate. Exner agreed and stated it is best to have a conservative number to begin with and hopefully decrease all the fees in the end. Cook suggested added verbiage that the costs could change. Per Exner, when rates are set up front, and this is communicated to the resident, residents develop a comfort level of the project and projects are completed. Exner asked if the design could be created and then the final plan can be presented before Council and go out for bids, then the cost for property owners and City can be presented. Jaunich stated the City values the streets over alleys and this is why assessments are higher with the alleys. He also reminded the Council their role is to bring up polices set in place and review them to make sure what is in place is the best. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 16. APPROVE/DENY PROVIDING FUNDING TO MCLEOD COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY Matt Jaunich, City Administrator, presented before council. Mr. Jaunich reminded the Council this item was originally discussed at the September 12, 2017, meeting. The motion to provide funding at that time did not pass on a 2-2 vote. Council Members Cook and Christensen asked that this item be brought back to the Council for reconsideration. At the th September 12 meeting, there was a conversation on seeing what other cities are doing in regards to funding the Historical Society. Since that time, according to Lori Pickell-Stangel, MCHS Executive Director, the cities of Plato, Silver Lake, Stewart, Brownton, Lester Prairie and Biscay have all agreed to assist in the funding of the Museum for 2018. Glencoe has voted against it and Biscay and Winsted have not acted on it yet. Ms. Pickel-Stangel was available for the Council to answer questions. She reminded the Council that lawn care at the McLeod County Historical Museum used to done by the City of Hutchinson. The City of Hutchinson discontinued that service a few years ago, but has provided $1500 yearly to help 5 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - NOVEMBER 28, 2017 the museum contract for the service. However, Ms. Pickel-Stangel was informed that payment will be discontinued after this year. Matt Jaunich informed the Council that this is being done because the Council never approved the payment. Ms. Pickel-Stangel also informed the Council that she is working on a grant-assisted project for new windows and HVAC system. Council Member Czmowski asked what the Historical Society has available for additional operating reserves. Ms. Pickel-Stangel replied there is no additional operating reserve. Czmowski referenced the $659.00 income from admissions at an average of $2.00 per person which is 340 people (county-wide) that saw the value to pay the admissions fee. Pickel- Stangel informed the Council this is what was collected, there may have been donations in the donation box. Students and members get in for free and general admission fees are not enforced. Ms. Pickel-Stangel advised the Council if they gave $.50/resident it would be $6,944.00, $.65/resident would be $9027.20, and $.60/resident would be $8332.00. Jaunich reminded the Council of Minnesota Statute 471.93 which indicates that money can be given for a specific project. Minnesota State Statute 138.053 allows the City to donate from the general fund. Motion by Cook, second by Christensen to approve providing funding to McLeod County Historical Society in the amount of $7,500.00/annually from the general fund under Minnesota Statute 138.053. Roll call vote was taken: Christensen – aye; Lofdahl – aye; Cook – aye; Czmowski – nay; Forcier – nay. Motion carried 3-2. NEW BUSINESS 17.APPROVE/DENY CENTURY AVENUE SE FEDERAL AID PROJECT MEMORANDUM SUBMITTAL Kent Exner, City Engineer, presented before Council and provided an overview on the federal aid project delivery requirements and the project memorandum for the Century Avenue SE reconstruction project. Motion by Cook, second by Lofdahl, to approve Century Avenue SE Federal Aid Project Memorandum Submittal. Motion carried unanimously. 17.5. APPROVE/DENY RESOLUTION NO. 14811 – RESOLUTION TO SELL SURPLUS CITY PROPERTY Motion by Czmowski, second by Christensen, to approve Resolution No. 14811. Motion carried unanimously. GOVERNANCE (The purpose of this portion of the agenda is to deal with organizational development issues, including policies, performances, and other matters that manage the logistics of the organization. May include monitoring reports, policy development and governance process items.) 18. MINUTES FROM COMMITTEES, BOARDS OR COMMISSIONS (a)City of Hutchinson Financial Report and Investment Report for October 2017 (b)Hutchinson Housing & Redevelopment Authority Board Minutes from October 16, 2017 6 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES - NOVEMBER 28, 2017 MISCELLANEOUS 19.STAFF UPDATES Kent Exner – City Engineer Exner reminded the Council that the Second Ave Bridge documents are posted and the bid opening is scheduled for Thursday December 21, 2017. Marc Sebora – Mr. Sebora noted that a Charter Commission meeting is scheduled for Thursday, November 30, 2017, at 5:30 pm. Three new members have been appointed by the Chief Judge of the district and will be sworn in at the meeting. Matt Jaunich – Mr. Jaunich reminded the Council of the Truth and Taxation hearing Tuesday, December 5, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. Forcier, Cook and Jaunich have met with Hutchinson Health administration during their transition regarding the net present value of the City’s lease with the hospital. This will be ongoing for the next couple of months. 20. COUNCIL/MAYOR UPDATE Steve Cook – Council Member Cook noted that there has seen miscellaneous leaf piles at the curb. Kent Exner stated that he is aware of this and has communicated with property owners that the leaf vacuum service has been completed. Staff will make one more round and pick up the leaves and account for the costs. Residents were informed of the possibility of extra fees. Cook also made comments about the benefits of the wider sidewalk with the Highway 15 project. Cook asked about changing the date of the last Council meeting in December. The Council agreed to leave the meeting as originally scheduled on Tuesday, December 26, 2017. John Lofdahl – Council Member Lofdahl handed out a copy of a Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities policy change as well as a draft of a Resolution in Support of a Welcoming and Inclusive Community. He noted that Legislative Action Day is March 14, 2018 in St. Paul for the Coalition. Gary Forcier – Mayor Forcier noted that Elvin Homan was formally awarded the Knight of Legion of Honor medal from French Consul General Guillaume Lacroix. This is the highest ranking distinction that exists in France. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Czmowski, second by Lofdahl, to adjourn at 8:30 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. ATTEST: ________________________________ __________________________________ Gary T. Forcier Matthew Jaunich Mayor City Administrator 7