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City Council Minutes 02-10-1997MINUTES REGULAR, MEETING - MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL Monday, February 10, 1997 - 7 p.m. Members Present: Bill Fair, Clint Herbst, Brian Stumpf, Bruce Thielen, Roger Carlson Members Absent: None 2. Approval of minutes of the regular meeting held January 27, 1997 Minutes for the regular meeting held January 27, 1997, will be reviewed and approved at the February 24 Council meeting. 3. Consideration of adding items to the agenda. A. Councilmember Herbst requested that discussion regarding vacation of a portion of Locust Street be added at the end of the agenda. B. City Administrator Wolfsteller requested that an update on the proposed NSP tax legislation be added at the end of the agenda. 4. Citizens comments/petitions, requests; and complaints. A. 011ie Koropchak, Monticello Rotary President, introduced exchange student Estea Human from Bethlehem, South Africa. Ms. Human noted that she is the Council representative for her high school in Bethlehem and thanked Koropchak and Council for the opportunity to attend the Council meeting. B. Mayor Fair read a letter from city resident Iris Peter regarding a recent letter to the editor written by Cheryl Olson. Peter's letter indicated that Monticello should do everything it can to help find housing for Olson's handicapped daughter. Mayor Fair noted that when a building permit moratorium was placed on a portion of the city, the HRA negotiated a resolution to the matter by purchasing a lot owned by Dan Reed for $30,000 on which Reed had planned to build a home for Olson's daughter. Economic Development Director 011ie Koropchak added that she provided Reed with a list of homes valued under $60,000, and Reed agreed to check with the owners regarding possible sale of the home. She noted that numerous calls have been made to Reed since the letter to the editor was published, but the calls have not been returned. Page 1 Council Minutes - 2/10/97 Mayor Fair noted that it should be clarified that the City and HRA acted reasonably to resolve the situation. 5. Consent agenda. A. Consideration of granting renewal of seasonal 3.2 beer license to the Monticello Softball Association. Recommendation: Grant a 3.2 beer license to the Monticello Softball Association contingent upon receipt of necessary insurance documents and appropriate fees. B. Consideration of HRA appointment. Recommendation: Approve the appointment of Bob Murray to the HRA, effective April 1, 1997, with a term expiration of December 2001. C. Consideration of Police Commission appointment. Recommendation: Approve the appointment of Brad Fyle to the Police Advisory Commission, with the term expiring December 1998. D. Consideration of final payment on Eastwood Knoll Improvement Project No. 94-02C - Breitbach Construction. Recommendation: Authorize final payment to Breitbach Construction in the amount of $14,963.65 upon receipt of all final lien waivers for Project 94-02C. E. Consideration of an ordinance amendment which would include mortuaries as a permitted use in a B-4 zone. Recommendation: Adopt an ordinance amendment which includes mortuaries as a permitted use in the B-4 zone. SEE ORDINANCE AMENDMENT NO. 286. A MOTION WAS MADE BY BRIAN STUMPF AND SECONDED BY BRUCE THIELEN TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS RECOMMENDED. Motion carried unanimously. 6. Consideration of items removed from the consent agenda for discussion. None. 7. Consideration of a request for preliminarylu at approval of Klein Farms III residential subdivision Applicant, Tony Emmerich/E & K Development (TABLED BY APPLICANT ON 217/97) Because the applicant requested that this item be tabled, there was no Council discussion. Page 2 Council Minutes - 2/10/97 8. Consideration of amendments to subdivision design standards reducing street and cul-de-sac width, and consideration of authorizing City staff to prepare development fee survey. Assistant Administrator Jeff O'Neill reported that, in conjunction with the River Mill development in 1994, City staff and the City Engineer surveyed other communities and checked planning and engineering journals regarding street width standards. The research generally confirmed that Monticello's street width design standards were greater than the norm. Council maintained the existing standard in 1994 but directed staff to be more liberal in identifying marginal access streets, which resulted in construction of a number of streets at 32 ft. Council was asked to consider amending road width design standards by reducing the marginal access street width requirement from 32 ft to 28 ft and by reducing the minor street width requirement from 36 ft to 32 ft with sidewalks. The current request to re-examine the standards was brought about by additional requests from developers and was supported by the Parks Commission because roadway width affects sidewalk/pathway development and shade tree program design. O'Neill went on to review the advantages and disadvantages of wide and narrow streets, noting that at this time there was not a staff consensus on this issue; however, the Planning Commission and Parks Commission were in favor of approving the request to reduce the street width requirements as proposed. O'Neill suggested that Council might want to consider tabling the issue for further discussion. He suggested that perhaps a range of street widths could be established which would allow staff to discuss street widths on a case-by-case basis. Reviewing the road width design standards now would give the City an opportunity to make changes before pending developments are platted. Public Works Director John Simola reviewed various costs to the City and developers, noting that the City's cost would increase if additional sidewalks were installed with narrower streets. In addition, Simola stated that plowing narrow streets would be more difficult and time consuming. Planning Commission Chair Dick Frie stated that the Planning Commission was in favor of reducing street widths in new subdivisions but was not in favor of defining street width requirements for new streets on a case-by-case basis, as decisions could be construed as arbitrary and capricous. In addition, the Planning Commission favored 32 -ft streets only if the design included sidewalks. Page 3 Council Minutes - 2/10/97 City Engineer Bret Weiss noted that he was not opposed to reviewing the street width standards and was not opposed to 32 -ft streets with sidewalks; however, he was opposed to 28 -ft streets. He noted that older areas such as Shakopee and Bloomington do have 28 -ft streets but did not have extreme development issues such as Monticello has been experiencing. Weiss suggested that staff discuss the issue further and establish options for Council review. Planning Commission member Jon Bogart stated that he would prefer to see the cul-de-sac circle radius remain unchanged, as it is important to accommodate fire equipment; however, the road width leading to the circle could be reduced. He suggested that a workshop be scheduled to discuss the issue and that the group should include a representative from the Council, Planning Commission, and Parks Commission, the City Planner, the City Engineer, and City staff. Councilmembers Thielen and Carlson volunteered to attend the meeting on behalf of the Council. Mayor Fair stated that staff and commissions can select a representative for the workshop and that the item is to return to Council no later than. March 10. 9. Consideration of authorizing the purchase of three internet computer workstations for the library through matching grant program of Great River Regional Library. City Administrator Rick Wolfsteller reported that the Great River Regional Library (GRRL) has offered to assist the local branch in bringing public access to the internet. The GRRL has set aside funds of $1,800 per computer workstation if the local library provides $1,400 in matching funds toward the estimated $3,200 cost per internet computer. Wolfsteller noted that as part of the 1996 budget, the Council earmarked $29,000 for various improvements at the library. It was proposed that Council authorize the purchase of three internet computers for the library, with the City paying $1,800 per computer for a total of $5,400. AFTER DISCUSSION, A MOTION WAS MADE BY CLINT HERBST AND SECONDED BY BRIAN STUMPF TO APPROVE A CONTRIBUTION OF $1,800 PER COMPUTER WORKSTATION FOR THREE COMPUTER SYSTEMS, TOTALING $5,400, CONTINGENT UPON THE GRRL CONTRIBUTING $4,200 FOR THE WORKSTATIONS. Motion carried unanimously. Page 4 Council Minutes - 2/10/97 10. Consideration of reviewing year-end liquor store financial report. Hi -Way Liquor Store Manager Joe Hartman reported that the 1996 financial report showed an all-time high sales of $1.8 million, with a gross profit of $450,000. The operating expenditures were $7,000 lower than 1995, which resulted in a total operating income of $243,000. Hartman also reported that cigar sales have been more aggressive than anticipated and requested that Council consider authorizing the purchase of a larger humidor. The current humidor has not been able to accommodate enough cigars to meet demand. The profit from cigar sales would be used to purchase the proposed humidor. It was the consensus of Council to authorize Hartman to purchase a humidor for cigar storage as proposed. Hartman also reported that Mike Fischbach now holds the position of Clerk/Cashier; however, it was Hartman's view that he has performed beyond his normal duties and should be compensated accordingly. Mayor Fair suggested that Hartman review the job description and return to Council with a recommendation. 11. Consideration of returning snow blower purchased for cat loader. Public Works Director John Simola reported that the City purchased a new 150 hp snow blower to be used on the Cat loader in December of 1996. Although the blower ran quite well, problems were experienced with the portion of the blower that directs the snow and the shear pin system that prevents damage to the machine when it encounters ice chunks or foreign objects. Problems with the shear pins were overcome by using stronger materials for the pins; however, after repeated service calls from the equipment supplier, the problems with the snow directional system were never solved. In late January, the directional system became almost inoperable. Simola went on to note that some of the problems being experienced are design problems that other users of the machine are also experiencing. The Model WK -800 is a down -sized redesign of the larger MP31) snow blower. The MP31) has existed for quite some time, and its design has been tested and proven over the years. With only 80 hours on the WK -800 machine, Simola was concerned about the overall life of the machine. Page 5 Council Minutes - 2/10/97 Simola discussed the situation with the dealer, MacQueen Equipment, and reported that one option for the City would be to trade up to the larger MP31) Model, which would cost the City an additional $18,396, plus sales tax. The additional payment would be made out of the 1998 budget, and the full purchase price and trade-in would apply to the new larger unit. A second option would be to return the WK -800 blower and pay MacQueen Equipment $100 per hour for rent of the machine and depreciation. Under this option, the City would lose the $5,000 trade-in value of the old snow blower and would still owe MacQueen approximately $3,000. If the blower was used the rest of the winter, the City would likely owe about $12,000, less the trade would leave a balance due of about $7,000. The last option would be to return the machine to MacQueen now and let MacQueen keep the $5,000 trade-in value; however, this would leave the public works department without a blower to use during March. Simola also suggested that if the Council chose to trade up to the MP31), a few hundred dollars should be added to the $18,396 for a heavy-duty lower auger. AFTER DISCUSSION, A MOTION WAS MADE BY BRUCE THIELEN AND SECONDED BY BRIAN STUMPF TO AUTHORIZE TRADING UP TO THE LARGER SNO GO SNOW BLOWER MODEL MP31) AT A COST OF $18,396 PLUS SALES TAX, TO BE BUDGETED IN 1998, AND TO AUTHORIZE ADDING A HEAVY- DUTY LOWER AUGER. Motion carried unanimously. 12. Consideration of expanding the hours of the part-time city hall rete tionisL and consideration of re 1p acing the telephone system. Office Manager Karen Doty reported that City staff would like to improve the level of customer service and increase the efficiency of staff at city hall by expanding the hours of the part-time receptionist position. In addition, Council was asked to consider replacing current telephones with a voice and digital telephone communications system, which would include voice mail access and would enable computer integration. PART-TIME RECEPTIONIST Doty reported that in 1994, the City Council authorized hiring a part-time receptionist for city hall. During the past year, it has become increasingly difficult for the remaining clerical staff to take on those duties every afternoon in the absence of the receptionist. After reviewing the current level of clerical support staff, it was determined that an additional five hours should be added to the receptionist position. It was proposed that two part- time employees job -share the position because it would allow the position to be covered more easily during vacations or absences. Page 6 Council Minutes - 2/10/97 AFTER DISCUSSION, A MOTION WAS MADE BY BRIAN STUMPF AND SECONDED BY ROGER CARLSON TO AUTHORIZE INCREASING THE HOURS FOR THE RECEPTIONIST POSITION AT CITY HALL AS A JOB -SHARE POSITION. Motion carried unanimously. VOICE MAIL/REPLACEMENT OF TELEPHONE SYSTEM Chief Building Official Fred Patch reported that the telephone system purchased in 1989 for city hall is obsolete, as it uses mechanical technology from the early 1980's. Numerous problems have developed with the current phone system, and staff proposed that Council authorize purchase of a digitized system that would include voice mail and would allow development of a computer network. Because staff felt it was important for the City to maintain personal contact with customers, incoming calls would be answered by the receptionist rather than calls being answered directly by a voice mail system. Patch went on to explain that staff has been working with a vendor to define system specifications and was in the process of obtaining at least three proposals. Council was asked to consider approving the purchase of a voice and digital communications system at a cost not to exceed $24,000. Although specific funding was not included in the 1997 budget, it was proposed that the expenditure be taken from the city hall expansion/remodeling reserve budget. Mayor Fair asked if the system could be moved in the event city hall moves in the future, and Patch replied that it could. AFTER DISCUSSION, A MOTION WAS MADE BY BRUCE THIELEN AND SECONDED BY CLINT HERBST TO AUTHORIZE THE PURCHASE OF A VOICE AND DIGITAL TELEPHONE COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM FOR CITY HALL AT A COST NOT TO EXCEED $24,000. Motion carried unanimously. 13. Consideration of setting a quarterly meeting schedule for City Council work sessions. Mayor Bill Fair requested that Council set a quarterly meeting schedule for Council work sessions. Due to the number of evening meetings that are attended, Fair suggested that the work sessions be held on Saturday mornings. After discussion, the quarterly work sessions were scheduled for the third Saturday of March, June, September, and December. Page 7 Council Minutes - 2/10/97 The first quarterly work session was scheduled for Saturday, March 15, 1997, from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., at city hall. 14. Consideration of a Hoisington Koegler proposal for additional services and consideration of approving a shared payment between the HRA and the City. Council was asked to consider a proposal from Hoisington Koegler for additional services to explore the configuration, uses, and financing of a National Guard Training Center/multi-use facility in the core downtown area. The proposal called for the City and the HRA to share the $2,600 cost plus expenses. AFTER DISCUSSION, A MOTION WAS MADE BY BRIAN STUMPF AND SECONDED BY CLINT HERBST TO APPROVE THE HOISINGTON KOEGLER PROPOSAL FOR ADDITIONAL SERVICES AND TO APPROVE AN EXPENDITURE OF $1,300 PLUS HALF OF THE EXPENSES AS PROPOSED. Motion carried unanimously. 15. Other matters. A. Consideration of vacating a portion of Locust Street. Councilmember Herbst suggested that the City consider vacating a portion of Locust Street between the fire hall and the proposed mortuary site on 6th Street, which would allow the City to deed a portion of the vacated property to the fire hall site and a portion to the mortuary, which would then allow on -street parking on Walnut Street without a variance. Assistant Administrator O'Neill noted that the variance was approved at a recent Planning Commission meeting and would stand approved unless appealed by a Council member. In addition, a public hearing would need to be scheduled for vacating Locust Street. AFTER DISCUSSION, A MOTION WAS MADE BY CLINT HERBST AND SECONDED BY BRIAN STUMPF TO SET A PUBLIC HEARING DATE OF MARCH 10 FOR CONSIDERATION OF VACATING LOCUST STREET. Voting in favor: Bill Fair, Clint Herbst, Brian Stumpf, Bruce Thielen. Abstaining: Roger Carlson. Motion carried. City Administrator Rick Wolfsteller reported that he received a copy of the proposed legislation by NSP attempting to eliminate taxation of personal property for electric utilities. The proposed legislation would Page 8 Council Minutes - 2/10/97 freeze NSP's payment to the City at the 1997 amount, which could be detrimental to Monticello due to the recent $14 million wastewater treatment plant expansion debt. A number of communities such as Red Wing, Becker, Fergus Falls, and Monticello have met and discussed forming a coalition to protect the cities' interests. He noted that Council may be asked in the future for a funding commitment to join the coalition. C. Mayor Bill Fair reported that he received a letter from Al Larson stating that he is resigning from the HRA and EDA. Mayor Fair expressed his gratitude to Al for the time and personal sacrifices made for the community. Councilmember Herbst noted that Al's experience is an asset to the city and suggested that Council ask him to stay one more year due to the number of projects currently in progress. Mayor Fair stated that he will meet with Al and ask him to reconsider his resignation at this time and report back to Council. THERE BEING NO FURTHER BUSINESS, A MOTION WAS MADE BY BRIAN STUMPF AND SECONDED BY BRUCE THIELEN TO ADJOURN THE MEETING. Motion carried unanimously. Daren Doty Office Manager Page 9