Loading...
City Council Minutes 05-23-1988MINUTES REGULAR MEETING - MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL Monday, May 23, 1988 - 7:30 p.m. Members Present: Arve Grimsmo, Fran Fair, Warren Smith, Dan Blonigen, Bill Fair Members Absent: None 2. Approval of Minutes. Motion made by Bill Fair, seconded by Dan Blonigen, to approve the minutes of the regular meeting of the Monticello City Council for the meeting held Monday, May 9, 1988. 3. Citizens Comments/Petitions, Requests and Complaints. Don Veit of the Monticello Jaycees requested that Council consider approving the Monticello Jaycees plans for a street dance in July 1988. After discussion, Council approved the Monticello Jaycees plans for a street dance. Council did request that the Jaycees remove litter and debris that might result from the street dance. 4. Consideration of Accepting or Rejecting Bids on Streetscape Improvement Project and Authorization to Rebid the Project. Staff informed Council that Tuesday, May 17, bids for the Streetscape Project were opened and that only one bid was received from Veit Construction Company with a base bid of $219,969.13. This was 26 percent more than the estimate of $173,596 for the base bid. Council was also informed that the landscaping portion was within the estimate prepared by Dahlgren and Associates, but the main problem exists in that only one bid was received on the general construction and it was 26 percent over the estimate. Mayor Grimsmo asked Geoff Martin if the City was likely to receive more than one bid if the project readvertised for bids. Martin responded that he had contacted a number of contractors and learned that it is likely that the City will receive three or more bids if the project is rebid. Fran Fair noted that the project must stay within budget, or the City should not do the project. Motion was made by Bill Fair, seconded by Fran Fair, to reject the bid submitted by Veit Construction, because the bid amount is over estimated project cost. Voting in favor Arve Grimsmo, Fran Fair, William Fair, Warren Smith. Opposed: Dan Blonigen. Motion carried. Motion made by Bill Fair, seconded by Fran Fair, to authorize the rebidding of the Streetscape Project. Voting in favor: Bill Fair, Fran Fair, Arve Grimsmo, Warren Smith. Opposed: Dan Blonigen. An attorney representing Veit Construction, asked for a clarification on why the Veit bid was being rejected. Council reiterated the fact that the rejection is due to the bid amount being well over the estimated cost of the project. 1 Council Minutes - 5/23/88 At this point in the meeting, Jerry Shannon of Springsted Inc. discussed the implications of bonding for the Streetscape Project prior to ordering the project. He noted that the City has three years to spend the bond proceeds for other projects that qualify under Chapter 429. If the funds are not spent within three years, Federal Arbitrage Laws require that the unspent bond proceeds be invested in a fund earning a restricted yield. Bill Fair noted that with or without Streetscape, there is still significant work that needs to be done on the downtown area in terms of sidewalks, curb and gutter, etc. At this point in the meeting, Council discussed whether or not to open the bids for the tree grates, the lighting system, and the refurbishing of the bridge railing. After discussion, Council decided to open the bid for the Streetscape lighting and tree grate components of the project. The bids were opened and found to be within the estimated project cost. Public Works Director Simola noted that only two bids for the bridge railing had been received and that because of the expected wide range of cost estimates for this work, it appears prudent to rebid the bridge railing refurbishing portion of the project. After discussion, motion by Bill Fair, seconded by Fran Fair, to rebid the portion of the Streetscape Project pertaining to the refurbishing of the bridge railing. Voting in favor, Arve Grimsmo, Fran Fair, William Fair, Warren Smith. Opposed: Dan Blonigen. Motion carried. See Resolution 88-14. 5. Consideration of Resolution Awarding the Sale of $1,625,000 in G.O. Improvement Bonds. Jerry Shannon of Springsted was present to discuss the bids the City received and recommended that the City award the sale of $1,625,000 in General Obligation Improvement Bonds to Clayton Brown and Associates, Inc. Shannon noted that Clayton Brown and Associates, Inc., provided the lowest interest rate and the lowest net cost to the City for the bond proceeds. Shannon went on to say that the bids received are comparable to other bond sales in the area. After discussion, motion by Fran Fair, seconded by Warren Smith, to award the sale of $1,625,000 in General Obligation Improvement Bonds to Clayton Brown and Associates, Inc. Dan Blonigen noted that he is not in .favor of this sale because Streetscape will be financed by this bond sale. Voting in favor: Fran Fair, Warren Smith, Bill Fair, Arve Grimsmo. Opposed: Dan Blonigen. See Resolution 88-15. 6. A Variance Request to Allow Construction of an Attached Garage Within the Front Yard Setback Requirement. Applicant, Todd Theisen. Council acted to approve the variance. It was Council's view that in certain portions of town where lot sizes and configuration restrict development of structures associated with the demands of present lifestyles, special consideration must be given when discussing variance requests. In addition, it was noted that under circumstances where a variance is needed appropriate in order for a homeowner to fully utilize 2 Council Minutes - 5/23/88 his property, such a variance should include a requirement that the homeowner getting the variance design his structure in a manner compatible with the existing structures on the property and compatible with the surrounding environment. Motion by Fran Fair, seconded by Warren Smith, to grant the variance as requested. Motion carried unanimously. 7. Consideration of Requiring Donations from Charitable Gambling Licenses. Staff reported that the City has the option of requesting that charitable organizations licensed by the City donate at least 10 percent of their net proceeds to organizations local to Monticello. Council discussed the matter and agreed that since the organizations conducting charitable gambling in Monticello are generally distributing the majority money locally, there is no need for the City to get involved in regulating where 10 percent of the proceeds should be spent. It was determined, however, that prior to the issuance of any license renewal, the organization requesting the renewal must submit to the City a financial statement which outlines where the charitable gambling proceeds are spent. Motion by Dan Blonigen, seconded by Bill Fair, to require that organizations requesting charitable gambling license renewals present financial statements showing gambling proceeds collected and also showing where proceeds are spent. No license will be approved without the submission of this report. Motion carried unanimously. 8. Consideration of Gambling License Renewals - Legion Club and Monticello Jaycees. Motion by Bill Fair, seconded by Dan Blonigen, to approve the renewal of the gambling license for the Legion Club and Monticello Jaycees. Motion passed unanimously. 9. Consideration of Establishing a Junk Amnesty Day. John Simola and Jeff O'Neill reviewed the program. Staff requested that the collection day be established for June 11 and also suggested that the Council limit the number of white goods permitted to be dropped off at the collection site to three white goods per household. After discussion, motion was made by Warren Smith, seconded by Fran Fair, to direct staff to conduct a junk amnesty day and to limit the number of white goods deposited at the drop-off center to three articles per household. 10. Consideration of Appointment to Position of Water/Wastewater Collection System Operator. Public Works Director Simola noted that staff has not been able to conduct the interviews necessary to establish a recommendation for 3 Council Minutes - 5/23/88 appointment. Simola requested that the Council establish a special meeting at such time that a recommendation is available. Council agreed by consensus to establish a special meeting at such time that a recommendation is forthcoming regarding the appointment to position of Water/Wastewater Collection System Operator. 11. Consideration of Purchasing a Pickup/Trailer/Mower for Streets and Parks Department. John Simola reviewed the need for the proposed purchase. He noted that City staff is quite often short a vehicle. It was Simola's recommendation to purchase the equipment because of the decreased wear and tear on mowing equipment and because the equipment will allow the City to conduct mowing operations more efficiently. Administrator Wolfsteller was asked by council if there is money available in the Public Works budget for this purchase. Wolfsteller replied that the money is available. Motion by Warren Smith, seconded by Fran Fair, to approve the purchase of a pickup truck, trailer, and mower. Motion carried unanimously. 12. Consideration of Resolution Approving Plans and Specifications and Advertising for Bids on Well #4 and Interconnecting Piping. Warren Smith noted that the manganese levels keep increasing on the reports that he has regarding well #4. John Simola noted that the manganese is likely to drop off with the completed well, as this is the pattern shown with other well installations and that well water produced by well #4 contains a level of manganese that is treatable. John Simola also noted that Minnesota Valley labs found a significant level of lead in well #4. However, the lead found is very likely to be the result of short term contamination of the water created during installation of the well structure. Motion by Fran Fair, seconded by Bill Fair, to approve the resolution approving plans and specifications and advertising for bids on well #4 and interconnecting piping. See Resolution 88-16. 13. Consideration of Setting a Special Meeting Workshop to Discuss the Water Tower Project. A special meeting to discuss the water tower project was established for Monday, June 13, at 2:00 p.m. 14. Consideration of Bills for the Month of May. Councilmember Smith asked about the wide fluctuation in Fire Department expenses associated with a recent conference. Administrator Wolfsteller said that he reviewed all expense reimbursement requests and found no problems. 4 Council Minutes - 5/23/88 Motion by Fran Fair to approve payment of bills for the month of May. Motion seconded by Warren Smith. Motion carried unanimously. At this point in the meeting, John Simola informed Council that he has been unable to get proper certificate of insurance from the contractor responsible for installing the roof on the concession building. Simola noted that attempts have been made to obtain the proper certification from contractor, Doyle Veches, but to no avail. Council agreed to award the contract to the second lowest bidder if Dayle Veches does not provide the proper insurance certification by Wednesday, May 25. There being no further discussion, the meeting was adjourned. Respectfully submitted, O'Neill Assistant Administrator 5