City Council Minutes 06-10-1985MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING - MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL
June 10, 1985 - 7:30 P.M.
Members Present: Arve A. Grimsmo, Fran Fair, Bill Fair, Jack
Maxwell, Dan Blonigen.
1. Call to Order.
2. Approval of Minutes.
Motion was made by Bill Fair, seconded by Blonigen, and unanimously
carried to approve the minutes of the regular meeting held May 28,
and the special meeting held June 3, 1985.
4. Consideration of Accepting 1984 Annual Audit Report.
Mr. Rick Borden and Mr. Kim Lillehaug, of Gruys Johnson & Associates,
the City's auditing firm, reviewed with the Council the recently
completed 1984 Annual Audit Report.
After a brief presentation was made by Rick Borden highlighting some
financial data included in the report, motion was made by Maxwell,
seconded by Blonigen, and unanimously carried to accept the audit
report as presented.
5. Consideration of Adopting a Joint Powers Agreement for the SWC4.
Initially, the City of Monticello entered into a Joint Powers
Agreement with ten other communities to form the Sherburne/Wright
County Cable Communications Commission for the purpose of preparing
a request for proposals and reviewing bids and awarding a franchise
for cable. Now that this process has been completed with the
franchise being awarded to Rite Cable Company and installation
proceeding on schedule, it is now essential to create a new Joint
Powers Agreement with Commission members charged with the
responsibility of administering the cable franchise on behalf of
the ten cities.
The Joint Powers Agreement would be virtually identical to the first
one in terms of responsibilities and obligations of each city and
their delegates; however, the intent of the Commission would now
be to daily operations administration rather than for the purpose
of franchising. A resolution has been prepared by the Cable
Commission's legal advisor amending the original agreement and
appointing the actual delegates from each community.
Motion was made by Fran Fair, seconded by Maxwell, and unanimously
carried to adopt Resolution 1985#10 amending the Joint Powers
Agreement of the SWC4 Cable Commission appointing Tom Eidem as the
City's Commission member, with Rick Wolfsteller as alternate.
Council Minutes - 6/10/85
6. Consideration of Providing Direction to City Staff for the Ongoing
Preparation of the Revised Zoning Ordinance - Discussion Item.
The purpose of this item was to receive input and direction from
the Council to the City staff in regards to the proposed zoning
ordinance map revisions that were recently part of a public
informational meeting held by the City staff on June 3, 1985.
At the informational public hearing, a majority of those in
attendance overwhelmingly opposed PZ -R Zoning District on East
River Street that would allow flexibility in the residential
area for multiple structures along the river. Additional input
received from residents about other potential rezonings in other
areas of the City have been reviewed, and it is felt by the staff
that adjustments can easily be made to accommodate the types of
concerns expressed by these property owners without jeopardizing
the proposed established zones.
Of primary concern to the City staff was whether or not the proposed
PZ -R Zoning District along East River Street should remain for future
public hearings. Mr. John Sandberg, property owner within the
proposed PZ -R Zone, spoke briefly to the Council and provided general
information supporting the proposed PZ -R Zoning District. Mr.
Sandberg felt that if this zoning district existed, a well-planned
condominium unit may provide higher property valuations for neighboring
properties rather than hurt market values in the area; and he felt
that multiple structures will be the trend in the future and that
the City should consider a zoning district that would allow for this
type of development with proper controls.
Council members in general agreed that the River Street property
along the river may see changes in the future with the large homes
deteriorating or possibly becoming too cost effective to maintain
as single family residences and that the City should provide proper
planning and controls to handle the forthcoming changes that could
occur. The general consensus was that the City should be aware
of the long-term needs of its residents and what would be proper
and good for City planning over the long haul, and felt this type
of district should be researched further. Although a final decision
on this type of zoning would not be made until future public hearings
are held by the Planning Commission and the City Council, some
Council members hope that additional citizens would come forth
at future public hearings in favor of this type of housing alternative.
After a brief discussion by all Council members, the general consensus
of the Council was to direct the staff to continue research on the
PZ -R Zoning District proposed and to leave the proposed district in
for future public hearings that will be held.
7. Information Item - Update on Negotiations for the Relocation of the
Senior Citizen Center.
The City Administrator updated the Council on a discussion he had
had with the Pastor of the Assembly of God Church, which had
previously been discussed as a possible location for the Senior
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Council Minutes - 6/10/85
Citizens Center relocation. Mr. Eidem noted that the Church's asking
price was $200,000.00, which was substantially higher than an appraisal
figure supplied by Councilmember Jack Maxwell. In addition to the
$200,000.00 cost, the City would have to expend additional monies
for remodeling and alterations that would be necessary to convert
the facility for Senior Citizens use.
The general Council consensus was that at this cost plus alteration
cost, the price would be too high for the City to consider and that
a new building could possibly be designed specifically for a Senior
Citizen Center at a similar or lesser cost.
A representative of the Church noted that their asking price is only
half of a new building cost and that the City shouldn't abandon the
idea of purchasing it without further negotiations. Again it was
noted by Councilman Maxwell that the asking price may be reasonable
if the building was to be continued to be used as a church facility;
but with the remodeling cost that would be necessary to make it
suitable for City use, the price seemed prohibitive. It was
suggested by the Council that before this item is discussed again
in the future, appraisals should be obtained by the City and also
by the Church that could be reviewed. In addition, cost comparatives
on remodeling the Church for City use, along with the cost of a new
structure at other locations, should be available so that a decision
could be made whether future negotiations are realistic. No action
was taken other than general discussion and directives to the staff
to prepare some cost comparatives.
Rick Wolfstell
Assistant Administrator
IL
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