Loading...
City Council Minutes 03-26-1990MINUTES REGULAR MEETING - MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL Monday, March 26, 1990 - 7:00 p.m. Members Present: Ken Maus, Fran Fair, Warren Smith, Shirley Anderson, Dan Blonigen Members Absent: None 2. Approval of minutes. Motion was made by Shirley Anderson, seconded by Dan Blonigen, to approve the minutes of the regular meeting held March 12, 1990. Motion carried unanimously. 3. Citizens comments/petitions, requests, and complaints. Betty Held of "Opening Doors" was present to promote Disability Awareness Week. Mayor Maus read a proclamation proclaiming the week of April 22 to April 28 as Disability Awareness Week in Monticello. 4. Public hearing and consideration to affirm the modification of Redevelopment Plan #1, modification of TIF Redevelopment District Plan Nos. 1-1 through 1-8, and establishment of TIF Districts 1-9 and 1-11, and to affirm the approval and adoption of the TIF plans relating thereto. There being no comments from the public, the public hearing was closed. Motion was made by Fran Fair, seconded by Shirley Anderson, to of firm the approval and adoption of the TIF plans relating to Redevelopment Plan No. 1, modification of TIF Redevelopment District Plan No. 1-1 through 1-8, and establishment of TIF Districts 1-9 and 1-11. Motion carried unanimously. 5. Public hearing relating to the modification of Redevelopment Plan No. 1, modification of TIF Redevelopment Plan Nos. 1-1 through 1-9, and establishment of TIF District No. 1-10, and the approval and adoption of the TIF plan relating thereto. Motion was made by Warren Smith, seconded by Dan Blonigen, to continue the public hearing to the next meeting of the City Council. Motion carried unanimously. Page 1 Council Minutes - 3/26/90 6. Public hearing (continued) - Consideration of vacation of Fallon Avenue between Chelsea Road and I-94 and consideration of vacation of utility easements. Motion was made by Dan Blonigen, seconded by Warren Smith, to continue this item to the next meeting of the City Council. Motion carried unanimously. 7. Public hearing (continued) - Consideration of resolution approving development plan and TIF plan for TIF District No. 1-1 (The Lincoln Companies/K-Mart). After discussion, motion was made by Dan Blonigen and seconded by Shirley Anderson to adopt a resolution approving development program and TIF plan for City TIF District No. 1-1 (The Lincoln Companies/K-Mart). SEE RESOLUTION 90-11. 8. Consideration of adopting developer's agreement between the City of Monticello and The Lincoln Companies. Assistant Administrator O'Neill reviewed the developer agreement between the developers of the K -Mart project and the City of Monticello. In addition, Bob Dieke of Homes & Graven reviewed the document in some detail. Fran Fair noted that under this particular TIF program, the TIF revenue is being used to create a road alignment that is in the best interest of the City of Monticello. In addition, the revenue is not subsidizing any of the developers' direct expenses. After discussion, motion was made by Fran Fair, seconded by Warren Smith, to adopt the contract for private redevelopment by and between the City of Monticello and Monticello K.M. Limited Partnership subject to final review of project financing documentation. Motion carried unanimously. 9. Consideration of purchase of land necessary for the 7th Street alignment --Tom Holthaus property. After discussion, motion was made by Warren Smith, seconded by Shirley Anderson, to purchase the Holthaus property for the sum of $56,000. Motion carried unanimously. Page 2 Council Minutes - 3/26/90 10. Consideration of resolution accepting feasibility study, consider adopting developer agreement, and consider ordering plans andspecifications --Meadows and the Meadows 2nd Addition phase II. Assistant Administrator O'Neill reviewed the feasibility study and reviewed the proposed terms and agreements contained in the development agreement. O'Neill noted that the developer agreement proposes a combination of two strategies for increasing the security of the City's investment in this project. 1. For every lot that is sold, the developers will pay an amount equal to the assessment amount against two lots. The total assessment will be repaid at such time that 7 of the 14 lots are sold. 2. In the event that the annual assessment is unpaid, a letter of credit will be available for draw by the City. The letter of credit is in an amount equal to 1/3 of the total assessment amount. Tom Holthaus and Matt Holker were in attendance and noted that they support the development agreement. After discussion, motion was made by Dan Blonigen, seconded by Warren Smith, to adopt the resolution accepting the feasibility study, adopt the developer agreement, and order plans and specifications for the Meadows and Meadows 2nd Addition phase II. Motion carried unanimously. SEE RESOLUTION 90-12. 11. Consideration of an ordinance amendment --public nuisances. Administrator Wolfsteller reviewed the proposed amendment to the public nuisance ordinance. Wolfsteller noted that the amendment further defined cars, trucks, and station wagons, along with other vehicles, as to when they would be considered a public nuisance. He noted that another provision allows a property owner who has a vehicle stored for more than 30 days to petition the City Council for an extension of the time limit due to extenuating circumstances. Under the proposed ordinance, the vehicle would be considered a public nuisance if • 1) it is not currently licensed and it is not running; 2) it is currently licensed but not running if stored outside for more than 30 days; Page 3 Council Minutes - 3/26/90 3 ) it is not licensed but running if stored outside for more than 30 days. Dan Blonigen noted his concerns regarding the enforcement of this ordinance. It was his concern that the language is vague and that there is a potential that the City might force it in an arbitrary manner and that the law will not be applied equally throughout the city. Blonigen also noted that there are already too many ordinances and that Monticello is clean. Ken Maus stated that it is his view that the ordinance is necessary and that abandoned vehicles is a problem in the community. Shirley Anderson asked how this legislation impacts recreation vehicles. Rick Wolfsteller noted that if they are licensed and running, recreation vehicles would not be affected by the ordinance; however, recreation vehicles that are unlicensed and not running would not be allowed to be stored outside. Rhonda Thielen was in attendance. Thielen noted that the public nuisance related problems are city wide and not specific to only certain neighborhoods. Warren Smith noted that the ordinance is relatively restrictive and may create some problems. At the same time, he also realizes the greater goal of the ordinance, which is to clean up a public nuisance problem. After discussion, motion was made by Shirley Anderson, seconded by Fran Fair, to approve the ordinance amendment as proposed. Motion carried unanimously. SEE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT NO. 184. 12. Consideration of ordinance to regulate cigarette vending machines. Administrator Wolfsteller noted that the state legislature is considering legislation that would affect the operation of cigarette vending machines in the state of Minnesota; therefore, it may make sense at this time to continue this matter until the legislative session has ended. After discussion, motion was made by Shirley Anderson, seconded by Fran Fair, to table this matter until after the legislative session. Motion carried unanimously. Page 4 13. 14. 15. Council Minutes - 3/26/90 Consideration of change order #1 for Project 90-1, booster pump refurbishment at the water reservoir on Chelsea Road. After discussion, motion was made by Fran Fair, seconded by Shirley Anderson, to approve change order #1 from E.H. Renner & Sons in a credit amount of $10,000, which is a 28.3% savings on the overall project. Motion carried unanimously. Consideration of refurbishment of well #2. After discussion, motion was made by Shirley Anderson, seconded by Dan Blonigen, to have E.H. Renner & Sons complete the remaining pump refurbishment at a cost of $3,284 and have Olson Electric & Sons change out the motor control center for a 100 hp capability and include a 100 hp soft start wire to operate a 75 hp motor at a cost of $9,568. Motion carried unanimously. Consideration of providing safety switching for variable speed pump drive at the wastewater treatment plant. John Simola explained that after the installation of a variable speed drive, the City personnel operating the wastewater treatment plant thought it would be beneficial to have the variable speed drive capable of being switched to another 15 hp pump in case of failure of the first pump; therefore, they went ahead and made what they thought were appropriate wiring changes at the wastewater treatment plant. Unfortunately, what they built into the system at that time was an electrical safety problem. The switching from one pump to another required a systematic throwing of switches and adjusting of motor starters. If the starters were thrown in the wrong sequence or one switch wasn't locked out, the variable speed drive would be fed backwards with 480 volts. This occurred the second week of February. Luckily, no one was injured; but the variable speed drive or variable frequency drive, as it is often referred to, was essentially destroyed. In response to this problem, Simola recommended that the City pick up the $2,600 rewiring cost. He noted that had we been aware that this hazard existed, we would have rectified it immediately. In addition, it was Simola's view that this would be an opportune time to purchase a unit capable of running 25 hp pumps. As flow to the plant increases, we may find it necessary to drive one of the larger pumps. Page 5 16. Council Minutes - 3/26/90 Warren Smith asked if it is necessary to buy the equipment capable of running larger pumps at this time. What sort of increased demand would bring about the need for use of the larger pumps? Simola explained that the development of a single large industrial user of water or the development of the Kjellberg Evergreens development would create sufficient need for the use of the larger pumps . Warren Smith noted that both parties appear to be somewhat at fault with regard to this problem and that both should share in the expense associated with repairing the damaged circuitry. After discussion, motion was made by Warren Smith, seconded by Shirley Anderson, to authorize the City to pay for the $2,600 electrical wiring and authorize PSG to install the 25 hp ABB unit with PSG picking up $2,600 and the City picking up $1,200. Motion carried unanimously. Consideration of shelter for Ellison Park. After discussion, motion was made by Shirley Anderson, seconded by Warren Smith, to schedule a special meeting of the City Council for 6:30 p.m., April 9, 1990, to discuss the designs of a potential shelter for Ellison Park. Motion carried unanimously. 17. Consideration of adopting personnel policy and procedural manual. A general discussion of the manual ensued. Major portions of the document were reviewed. Three changes were made to the proposed personnel policy. Ken Maus suggested that the 20 - minute coffee break be reduced to a 15 -minute break. It was also suggested that the retirement age be changed from 70 years of age to 65 years of age, and the vacation time of 24 days for 20+ years of service be deleted. After discussion, motion was made by Dan Blonigen, seconded by Fran Fair, to modify the personnel policy as proposed and resubmit the document for further review. Motion carried unanimously. 18. Consideration of hiring full-time municipal construction inspector. Motion was made by Shirley Anderson, seconded by Fran Fair, to continue this item until the next meeting of the City Council, as staff is not ready at this time to make a recommendation regarding which candidate to hire for the position. Motion carried unanimously. Council Minutes - 3/26/90 Council was informed that Tony Strande has resigned and taken a position with the City of Becker. After discussion, motion was made by Warren Smith, seconded by Fran Fair, to authorize City staff to seek applicants for this position. Motion carried unanimously. At this point in the meeting, citizens residing within Balboul Estates, Anders Wilhelm Estates, and the Meadows development reviewed public nuisance related problems within their neighborhoods. Vicki Schluender showed a video which revealed evidence of the junk cars, debris, and other nuisance items. Ken Maus noted that this is an ongoing problem that the City has worked hard to resolve. He noted that some of the violators have received numerous letters and have been subject to court action, yet the problem with these individuals continues. Citizens in the neighborhood noted their frustration that despite City efforts, the problem does not appear to be resolved. Maus also noted that the new ordinance will provide a 10 -day notice rather than a 14 -day notice of a violation and that after 10 days if the problem is not corrected, the violator will receive a ticket. A first offense is a petty misdemeanor, and a second offense is a misdemeanor. Fran Fair stated that the City is tightening the ordinance in a manner that will hopefully streamline the enforcement procedure and correct problems more quickly. She noted that the citizens concerned should write letters to the County Attorney and to district judges emphasizing the problem in the area. Doing so would encourage timely completion of the enforcement process. Ken Maus reiterated that the City will attempt to do everything it legally can to solve the problem; but he went on to note that the City does not have all the answers and that to a large extent, the problem in the area is a people problem that the City may have limited capability to resolve. After discussion, Ken Maus suggested that the neighborhood group reconvene in a week to discuss this matter in detail. Assistant Administrator O'Neill noted that he would invite leaders of various organizations that might be part of a solution to the problems noted. A meeting was scheduled for 6:30 p.m., April 2, 1990. Page 7 Council Minutes - 3/26/90 19. Consideration of authorizing establishment of City Management/Planning Intern position. 20. Assistant Administrator O'Neill outlined his current list of projects and requested that Council consider establishment of a City Management/Planning Intern position. Shirley Anderson noted that she would prefer to see some of the activities on the list removed rather than hire an intern. Dan Blonigen concurred with this view. Ken Maus suggested that a detailed intern work plan be prepared for his review. Warren Smith noted that hiring an intern is an inexpensive way to get certain jobs done. After discussion, motion was made by Fran Fair, seconded by Warren Smith, to explore establishment of a City Management/ Planning Intern position with Ken Maus reviewing work plan prior to hiring of intern. Voting in favor: Warren Smith, Fran Fair, Ken Maus. Opposed: Dan Blonigen, Shirley Anderson. Consideration of bills for the month of March. Motion was made by Warren Smith, seconded by Dan Blonigen, to approve the bills as submitted. Motion carried unanimously. a j Jeff O'Neill Assistant Administrator Page 8