City Council Minutes 11-12-2013MINUTES
REGULAR MEETING — MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL
TUESDAY, November 12, 2013 — 7 p.m.
Mississippi Room, Monticello Community Center
Present: Clint Herbst, Lloyd Hilgart, Tom Perrault, Glen Posusta, Brian Stumpf
Absent: None
1. Call to Order and Pledge of Allegiance
Mayor Herbst called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. and declared a quorum present.
The Pledge of Allegiance was recited.
2. Approval of Minutes — October 28, 2013 Regular Meeting
TOM PERRAULT MOVED TO ACCEPT THE OCTOBER 28, 2013 MEETING
MINUTES WITH A CORRECTION. LLOYD HILGART SECONDED THE MOTION.
MOTION CARRIED 5 -0.
3. Consideration of adding items to the agenda
• VFW temporary liquor application (add as 5G)
• Yellow left turn arrows (Glen Posusta)
4. Citizen comments, public service announcements, and updates
a. Citizen Comments: Theresa Donnett (8260 NW 105th St, Annandale) presented
information about a new private high school that is being implemented in the
Monticello community and will include surrounding cities. The school name has
been incorporated as Holy Spirit Academy and it will open in fall of 2014. They
are in the process of hosting fundraising events to benefit the new school.
Theresa mentioned two events this weekend: a Harvest Banquet and speaker on
November 15th at MCC and speaker on November 16th in St. Michael. Glen
Posusta asked if they have a location in mind for the school. They are looking to
lease space in Monticello with a minimum of 2000 sq ft.
b. Public Service Announcements:
1) Snowmobile routes — Jeff O'Neill reminded the public that the city has a
snowmobile ordinance in place. Snowinobilers are allowed to travel
through the city on designated routes and those are posted on the city's
website or contact the city for a map. The Sheriff's Department does
enforce the laws pertaining to snowmobiles.
C. Updates:
City Council Minutes — November 12, 2013 Page 1
1) Minnesota Youth Soccer Association action — Jeff O'Neill summarized
the action by MYSA which resulted in a vote denying a move to a
proposed location at Bertram Chain of Lakes.
2) Kampa Circle status — Jeff O'Neill summarized the meeting that was held
with the owner of the West Cello apartments and city staff. The owner
was not aware that the tenants had been allowed to use garages for storage
rather than parking. He is in the process of working with the manager to
change that situation and renters must use the garages for parking. The
owner will also let tenants know they should not be parking on Kampa
Circle. Public Works also agreed to allow 5 -6 spaces at public works for
overflow parking on weekends, if needed.
3) West 7th Street status — Shibani Bisson gave an update on the West 7th
Street project. The first lift of pavement between Minnesota and Elm
street was completed and streetlights will be installed next week. It is
anticipated that the road will be opened up to traffic by Thanksgiving,
after the work is complete. Televising of the sanitary sewer needs to take
place yet. Shibani Bisson noted that they want to wait until the ground is
frozen before allowing traffic on the road, so that the moisture in the
subgrade does not pump up. The parking lane on the north side of the
road was striped along with the centerline.
5. Consent Agenda:
A. Consideration of approving payment of bills for November 12th.
Recommendation: Approve bill and purchase card registers for a total amount of
$625,148.11.
B. Consideration of approving new hires and departures for City departments.
Recommendation: Ratify new hires and terminations for MCC and Parks.
C. Consideration of adopting Ordinance #585 eliminating City Code Title 3, Chapter
8 — Bingo. Recommendation: Adopt Ordinance #585 amending Monticello City
Code to eliminate Title 3, Chapter 8 — Bingo.
D. Consideration of approving changes to the City of Monticello Personnel
Handbook and adopting Ordinance #586 amending City Code Title 1, Chapter 6 —
Personnel. THIS ITEM WAS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT
AGENDA.
E. Consideration of approving renewal of a pawn broker license for 2014 for
Michael Helm dba Monticello Pawn, Gun and Bargain Center at 1219 South
Highway 25. Recommendation: Approve the renewal of the 2014 pawn broker
license for Michael Helm DBA Monticello Pawn, Gun and Bargain Center
City Council Minutes — November 12, 2013 Page 2
located at 1219 Hwy 25, contingent on receiving signed application from the
Sheriff's Department with no adverse findings.
F. Consideration of approving funding for development of a new website for
FiberNet. THIS ITEM WAS REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT
AGENDA.
G. Consideration of approving an application for a temporary on -sale liquor license
for the Monticello VFW for their lutefisk dinner. Recommendation: Approve
the application for a 1 -day temporary liquor license for the Monticello VFW on
December 7, 2013 at 713 Cedar Street.
BRIAN STUMPF MOVED TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA WITH THE
REMOVAL OF ITEMS D AND F AND ADDITION OF 5G. GLEN POSUSTA
SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0.
6. Consideration of items removed from the consent agenda for discussion
5D. Consideration of approving changes to the City of Monticello Personnel
Handbook and adopting Ordinance #586 amending City Code Title 1, Chapter 6 —
Personnel
Glen Posusta removed this item because he had found the legal holiday for Veteran's Day
is listed incorrectly. [This will be corrected with adoption of the new ordinance.] Tom
Perrault mentioned that Tracy Ergen handed out some changes which he had brought
forward and would like to see implemented. Tom Perrault also stated he would prefer
that the section on firearms restrictions should be left out of the personnel handbook.
Consensus of the other council members was to leave the section in the handbook.
Glen Posusta stated that he did not necessarily agree with Tom Perrault's suggestion for
an amendment on page 7 that would add grandchildren, nieces and nephews to those that
cannot directly supervise a relative or cannot work for a relative. Clint Herbst feels that
this has not been a problem. If someone really feels strongly, they could make motion for
an amendment if they want to change this.
Clint Herbst summarized that it appears the two areas in question are the section on guns
on premises and section on relatives in supervisory positions.
BRIAN STUMPF MOVED TO APPROVE CHANGES TO THE CITY OF
MONTICELLO HANDBOOK, INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING SUGGESTIONS,
AND ADOPT ORDINANCE #586 AMENDING CITY CODE TITLE I. CHAPTER 6 —
PERSONNEL. GLEN POSUSTA SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED
4 -1 WITH TOM PERRAULT VOTING IN OPPOSITION.
• Pg. 5: 6. (B) - delete comma after "deadline"
City Council Minutes — November 12, 2013 Page 3
• Pg. 13: Falsification of Records - change last sentence to read "Such acts will be
cause for immediate disciplinary action up to and including termination of
employment and possibly grounds for criminal prosecution. "
• Pg. 29: First full paragraph - spell out "USERRA" - Uniformed Services
Employment and Reemployment Rights Act
• Pg. 40: Payment or Reimbursement for Training - in first sentence, change
"substation of payment" to "substantiation of payment"
• Pg. 56: Cellular Telephone Policy - in first sentence, add "of" between the
words "level" and "coverage"
• Pg. 60: Resignations - Add the sentence "Exit interviews may be
conducted with part -time employees at the discretion of the Human
Resources Manager. "
• Pg. 61: Severance Pay - spell out "HCSP" — Healthcare Savings Plan
Clint Herbst thanked Tracy Ergen for the many hours that she put into the personnel
handbook.
SF. Consideration of approving funding for development of a new website for
FiberNet
Tom Perrault removed this item because he wanted an explanation on why the cost
estimate had changed from $4500 to $7000. Mark Pultusker explained that this item was
pulled from the last agenda because he had not completed reviewing the pricing and
anticipated that the price would change to accommodate the design plus some additional
features.
Clint Herbst asked if this new website would allow FiberNet to make their own changes,
which Mark Pultusker confirmed that and stated that there will be much more flexibility
to make changes, which he anticipates would result in significant savings over time.
Mark Pultusker mentioned some of the other new features that would be incorporated
into the new website, including customer alerts and facebook and twitter feeds.
Glen Posusta asked Mark Pultusker to comment on the status of the communications
tower. Mark Pultusker noted that they have come to an agreement with Verizon but still
need to obtain signatures. Mark Pultusker discussed a problem which was recently
discovered. In the Phase II study that was done, high levels of barium were discovered in
the water table, which needs to be taken into consideration with the tower construction.
The problem that they are dealing with is the high water table at the proposed site which
may require dewatering and disposing of the contaminated water. Another option might
be to increase the size of the base to 30 ft by 30 ft, so that it does not have to go as deep
into the ground as the planned footprint at 10 ft by 10 ft. If a larger base is needed, Mark
Pultusker is not sure if additional CUP or other zoning issues might be created by
expanding the size of the base. If they can proceed with the larger base, they can move
ahead with the bidding process and hopefully set a bid date. The sooner they can lay
concrete, the better it would be.
City Council Minutes — November 12, 2013 Page 4
Mark Pultusker anticipates they can meet a January 31St completion date, which would be
well ahead of Verizon's required final date of April 30th.
GLEN POSUSTA MOVED FOR ALTERNATIVE #1 APPROVING UP TO $71000 IN
FUNDING FOR ICBITS TO DEVELOP A NEW WEBSITE FOR FIBERNET. LLOYD
HILGART SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0.
7. Consideration of adopting Resolution #2013 -096 approving the sale of G. O.
Wastewater Treatment Bonds, Series 2013B
Wayne Oberg gave a presentation on bond issuance and rates for the Wastewater
Treatment bonds, which relates to the bids that were received for the G.O. Bond Series
2013B. Wayne Oberg noted that the city was approved to use the state's Aa2 bond rating
for this bond series, which appears to save the city up to $250,000 for the life of the bond.
The city's bond rating is A2, which is fairly good; however, the city could realize
significant savings by improving the city's bond rating for future bond issues. The
winning bidder for the Wastewater Treatment Bonds was UMB Bank, N.A. of Kansas
City, Missouri with an interest rate of 2.6813098 %. Wayne thanked Tammy Omdahl
from Northland Securities for her assistance with the process.
Wayne Oberg commented that, in the future, the city should focus on updating their
financial plan to improve their bonding. Wayne Oberg discussed five points that make
up a good Financial Plan: a budget that clearly articulates program goals, tailors policies
and projects to those goals, and indentifies funding sources out to five years; a five -year
capital improvement plan that identifies funding sources and is updated annually; an
investment management policy emphasizing principal preservation, liquidity and
diversification; a debt management policy setting limits on amount and structure of debt
that can be issued; and a reserve policy requiring general fund reserves to be maintained
at 35 to 50 percent of expenditures. This would prove to be useful for upcoming bond
issues anticipated in the next few years, and Northland Securities could assist the finance
department in developing such a Financial Plan.
Lloyd Hilgart asked what made it possible to get the state rating and whether it is
available for any other uses. Tammy Omdahl spoke in regard to this question and
explained that the city had to file an application for the credit enhancement to utilize the
state's rating. This was a special application for sewer treatment improvements. This
type of credit enhancement would not be available for bonding in 2014. Tammy spoke
further in favor of working on the city's financial plan and getting their financial policies
into a comprehensive written format. Moody's rating agency found the city to be in a
good financial position, and this was one of their recommendations to possibly improve
their bond rating.
LLOYD HILGART MOVED FOR ALTERNATIVE #1 TO ADOPT RESOLUTION
#2013 -096 APPROVING THE SALE OF $3,000,000 G.O. WASTEWATER
TREATMENT BONDS, SERIES 2013B. TOM PERRAULT SECONDED THE
MOTION. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0.
City Council Minutes — November 12, 2013 Page 5
8. Consideration of approving the Fourth Addendum to the Memorandum of
Understanding between Wright County, City of Monticello, and YMCA of
Minneapolis including ground lease and operating agreement exhibits
Angela Schumann presented this item to Council asking for approval of the Fourth
Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and approving, as exhibits, a
ground lease and operating agreement. Angela Schumann provided a slide show of the
Phase IV approvals, noting that this included the purchase of parcels 9, 10 and 12 through
state grants and a county and city match. Each acquisition at the regional park requires a
new addendum to the MOU. She itemized the 4th Addendum approval which enables the
YMCA Camp to shift their site to a more central location, establishes understanding for
public use of Camp Manitou facilities, and allows the city and county to utilize grant
funds for the purchase of an additional 160 land acres (Phases V and VI).
Glen Posusta pointed out the immense value of the grants that were obtained from the
state, with the city and county each paying $1 for every $8 of grant money. He also
thanked Angela and Marc Mattice from Wright County for their work on obtaining the
grants.
Angela Schumann reviewed the partnership that is evolving with the YMCA, which
centers around a 99 year lease for the YMCA at Bertram Chain of Lakes. Negotiations of
the MOU, ground lease, and operating agreement took place over the past ten months and
included representatives from the city, county, and YMCA.
Angela Schumann reviewed the details of the 01 Addendum to the MOU: reaffirms total
purchase price of $20.5 million, exclusive purchase rights by the city /county, terms of
acquisition extended to end of 2014, and plan for future purchases. Angela Schumann
next went through the ground lease of 12.42 acres to the YMCA for the day camp and its
physical improvements with a term of 99 years. Following that, Angela Schumann
discussed the operating agreement which specifies the day -to -day management structure
between the city, county, and YMCA. The operating agreement also includes a formal
process for future modifications desired by the YMCA. The ground lease and operating
agreement will require formal approval along with execution of Phase V acquisition of
Parcels 7B and 5A by the city and county.
Angela Schumann displayed an illustration of the future layout of the Bertram Chain of
Lakes Park and Camp Manitou and pointed out some of the benefits from these
agreements.
Recommendations for approval come from city and county staff, the negotiations team,
the Bertram Chain of Lakes Advisory Council, and legal counsel. The Wright County
Board of Commissioners approved the 4t' Addendum today with a 5 -0 vote.
City Council Minutes — November 12, 2013 Page 6
Clint Herbst thanked Brian Kirk of the YMCA for being present and for his work on the
negotiations team. Glen Posusta mentioned that the lease agreement with the YMCA is
set at a price of $1.
Torn Perrault asked what would happen to the old Camp Manitou site. Angela Schumann
explained that some of the existing facility will be integrated into the park, some older
buildings may be removed, and uses for some structures have not yet been determined.
GLEN POSUSTA MOVED FOR ALTERNATIVE #1 TO APPROVE THE FOURTH
ADDENDUM TO THE MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING BETWEEN
WRIGHT COUNTY, CITY OF MONTICELLO, AND YMCA OF GREATER TWIN
CITIES, INCLUDING EXHIBIT A — GROUND LEASE AND EXHIBIT B —
OPERATING AGREEMENT. BRIAN STUMPF SECONDED THE MOTION.
MOTION CARRIED 4 -1 WITH TOM PERRAULT VOTING IN OPPOSITION.
9. Added items
• Yellow left turn arrows — Glen Posusta asked Shibani Bisson to comment on the
progress toward converting stoplights to yellow flashing left turn arrows. Shibani
Bisson stated that they have been evaluating which intersections to place these at,
primarily on TH 25 and CSAH 18. Discussions have taken place with MnDOT and
the County on the costs and funding. WSB is preparing an analysis on possible
intersections that could be converted which will be presented to the Transportation
Advisory Committee for recommendations on which ones to consider. Their
recommendations would be brought back to Council for consideration. Shibani has
talked to MnDOT and they are open to consider some funding. Wright County has
not budgeted for stoplight conversions. If they have funds at the end of the year and
it would be considered a safety improvement, they would consider some funding as
they have done in the past. Shibani noted, with the improvements at the Hwy
25 /Broadway intersection in 2015, the flashing yellow arrows could be included with
that project.
10. Adiournment
BRIAN STUMPF MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:09 P.M. TOM
PERRAULT SECONDED THE MOTION. MOTION CARRIED 5 -0.
Recorder: Catherine M. Shuman 6
Approved: November 25, 2013
Attest:
C' inis rator
City Council Minutes — November 12, 2013 Page 7