City Council Minutes 04-24-1978MONTICELLO CITY COUNCIL
REGULAR MEETING
April 24, 1978 -- 6:30 P.M.
Members present: Con Johnson, Gene Walters, Arve Grimsmo,
Dan Blonigen, Phil White.
1.� Consideration of Landsca in Plan and Sodding for Monticello CitZ Hall.
Mrs. Fran Fair reviewed a landscaping plan for the new Monticello City
Hall and in addition this covered the adjacent lot just west of the new
city hall. Estimated cost of the proposal presented by Mrs. Fair for
the existing city hall area would be $3,021, and for the landscaping of
the vacant lot would be $1200 for a grand total of $4,224-00.
.00.
After review, it was council consensus to implement plan as presented
with the exception of possibly working with Red's Mobile Station to
eliminate some of the Flowering Crabs along the west property line and
replace with Honeysuckles. According to Mrs. Fair, approximately six
of the Flowering Crab could be eliminated and replaced with approximately
55 Honeysuckle at approximately the same cost. This type of arrangement
could also possibly eliminate the need for the fence which was not in-
cluded in Mrs. Fair's quotation. City Administrator to contact Red
Michaelis about the possibility of working with the city in improving
the appearance of the empty lot and also the Mobile Station property.
A motion was made by G. Walters, seconded by A. Grimsmo and unanimously
carried to authorize the City Administrator to spend up to $8,000.00
for sod and landscaping for the city hall. It is estimated that sod would
run approximately $3500 including the extra fill necessary for the vacant
lot for the landscaping plan.
2. Public Hearin s - Consideration of a Side and Variance for Tom St. Hilaire,
Consideration of Grantinz a Variance to Allow a Drivew2Z to Extend to the
Pro ert Line for Frank May, and Consideration of GrantinZ a Variance to
Allow a Drivewa to Extend to the PM2ertZ Line for Gene Jensen.
Mr. Tom St. Hilaire is requesting a variance to allow to allow the setback
to be 9 feet on both sides of his property for lot 8, block 1 of Hoglund
Addition. Mr. Frank May is requesting that he be allowed to improve the
driveway at his newly purchased residence at 1001 West Broadway and this
would require a variance in order that he be allowed to improve the drive-
way with blacktopping right up to the property line. Mr. Gene Jenson is
requesting a variance to allow him to cover his present drive way at 711
East lith Street with blacktop. This would require a variance in that the
driveway is proposed to be right up to the abutting property line.
No testimony was given in opposition to the three items that were subject
of the public hearing. Mr. Frank May did indicate that in his particular
case he felt that there was justification for the variance in that it
would eliminate an erosion problem. Councilman Blonigen stated opposition
to the request of Mr. Tom St. Hilaire in that the property itself was
100 feet wide and he didn't feel there was justification for a variance
on that item. A motion was made by Phil White, seconded by Arve Grimsmo
to approve the three variance requests. Voting in favor: White, Grimsmo,
Walters, Johnson. Opposed: Blonigen.
3. Consideration of Rezoninz Harold Ruff
R-2. R-3 to Heavv Industrial I-2 .
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from Residential (R-1,
Mr. Harold Ruff is requesting that the city rezone an area of approximately
16 acres from R-1, R-21 R-3, to I-2. Reason for this request, as stated
by Ron Ruff who was present at the meeting is as follows: 1) According to
the city ordinance, Mr. Ron Ruff indicated, a salvage yard is a permitted
use within a heavy industrial zone and the desire for Ruff Auto Parts is
then to be in the proper zone according to Monticello Ordinances. 2) Would
like someday to possibly put up a building and felt that currently as
residential they would be a non -conforming use and this could be a problem
in the future.
Mayor Johnson indicated that his personal opinion was that the city did not
intend to amortize the salvage yard or any salvage yard out of business
regardless of the current status of zoning. However, he did indicate
that it could be likely that restrictions would be put on relative to
requiring salvage yards to be screened. Councilman White indicated his
feelings were somewhat the same, and stated reluctance to rezone the property
to "grandfather" the use in because he felt that the use was not objectionable
and felt compelled to implement the overall comprehensive plan which did not
have that area listed as industrial. A motion was made by Phil White, seconded
by Gene Walters, and unanimously carried to deny the rezoning request.
4. Conditional Use Permit for Pet Hospital - Mr. Sam Peraro Jr. for Dr. Joel
Erickson.
Mr. Sam Peraro is applying for a conditional use permit to remodel the
former Promart Building on the East side of Highway 25 for use as a Pet
Hospital. Currently the area is zoned B-3 and as such a conditional use
permit would be necessary for a pet hospital. This property is included
in a purchase agreement between Mr. Peraro and Dr. Joel Erickson pending
approval or denial of the conditional use permit. Dr. Erickson has chosen
to waive two previous conditional use permits because of their financial
aspects and decided to purchase a building of his own rather than lease
one. A motion was made by Arve Grimsmo, seconded by Dan Blonigen, and
unanimously carried to approve the conditional use permit based upon the
following conditions: 1) No pets or kennels outside; 2) Annual inspection
by the city health officer at the owner's expense; 3) All animals must be
leashed; 4) Treatment would be limited to small domesticated animals and
large animals would only be treated during the daytime. No boarding of
large animals would be allowed overnight. 5) Setback requirements for
sideyard would be 20 feet instead of 10 feet; 6) No outside storage of
carcasses would be allowed.
5. Conditional Use Permit Renewal Request for a Four Unit FamiIX Dwelling -
J. W. Miller.
Mr. J. W. Miller is requesting a conditional use permit renewal for a
permit previously granted him for a proposed four -plea on the northwest
corner of 4th and Minnesota Streets (Lot 5 Block 27), and a variance
permit for an $' sideyard setback. Variances and conditional use permits
lapse after one year and this is the reason for the renewal request. Mr.
Miller indicated he was asking for renewal of a previously granted permit
and that the building plans had remained the same. He stated the city
planner did recommend spotting multiple family units throughout the city
and in addition in terms of the variance request he felt it was not unreason-
able in light of the fact that it would be on the corner of the property
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which faces Minnesota Street which has 100 foot right-of-way where most
right-of-ways normally are only 80 feet. Councilman Blonigen indicated
that he felt the lot size was too small and indicated that the conditional
use permit section of our ordinances require that all the requirements of
an IL-3 area should be adhered to for a request of this nature. Motion was
made by Dan Blonigen, seconded by Phil White to deny the request for the
variance and the conditional use permit. Voting in favor: Dan Blonigen,
Phil White. Opposed: Con Johnson, Arve Grimsmo, Gene Walters. Another
motion was made by Con Johnson, seconded by Arve Grimsmo to approve con-
ditional use permit and variance request. Voting in favor: Con Johnson,
Arve Grimsmo and Gene Walters. Opposed: Phil White, Dan Blonigen.
Monticello city ordinances do require a 4/5 vote for all conditional use
permits and variances and as a result the conditional use permit and variance
was denied.
6. Consideration of Prelimina Plat - Balboul Estates.
Mr. Elie Balboul is proposing a 16.6 acre plat just west of Anders Wilhelm
Estates. Proposed platting is for 31 residential lots ranging in size
from 12,100 sq. ft. to 21,100 sq. ft. The proposed use would conform to
the present and future zoning and the comprehensive plan for this area.
Additionally, an area of approximately 3.1 acres is proposed for park
land, which more than meets the city's requirement that 109 of the land
be dedicated for park or an equivalent cash contribution be made to the
city's park fund in lieu thereof.
There had been some concern by our engineering firm about the area desig-
nated for park, however, a revised grading plan presented by Mr. Bob
Rohlin indicated that the area north of the proposed Hedman Lane could
serve as a detention pond in the spring or during heavy periods of rain
fall but otherwise could be used for a play area. The proposed park
dedication south of Hedman LarE could essentially be used year round. Mr.
John Badalich indicated he did review the revised grading plan and also
reviewed the revised plan in light of his comments previously to Mr. Rohlin
relative to the plat and recommended approval of the plat. Motion was made
by Gene Walters, seconded by Dan Blonigen and unanimously carried to approve
of the park dedication as presented and also of the preliminary plat. It
was pointed out that the city is reviewing its current assessment policy
and this particular plat would be subject to any change in assessment policy
should city improvements be sent out to the area.
7. Consideration of Increasing Monthly Maintenance Allocation for the Library
and Additional Shelving.
The School District of Monticello is proposing a monthly maintenance
allocation to the City of Monticello of $117.00 per month for the mainte-
nance of the present space used for the library plus the additional space
being made available by the school district. A motion was made by Phil
White, seconded by Gene Walters and unanimously carried to approve of the
increase in the monthly maintenance allocation to $1.7.00 per month.
Additionally, the item of shelving was discussed with the librarian,
Phyllis Burbank, and Mr. Walters, after reviewing the area proposed for
shelving previously, indicated that the cost could run approximately
$1896 and it was his feeling that probably the city could not afford this
amount at this time in light of its budget in that it was not budgeted for
1978. Additionally, Mr. Walters felt that any shelving put in should be not
permanently attached to the structure since the proposed shelving would go
in the new space which is still owned by the school district. Council
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consensus was to defer action until the next meeting when it could review
both a short term and long term program for providing shelving for the
library.
8. Consideration of Awarding Contract on 1977-3 Street Improvement Project.
9.
Bids were received April 20, 197$ relative to the 1977-3 Improvement Pro-
ject and six bids were received. Bids were received on a total base bid
which was for the full depth bituminous (42 inches of bituminous) and also
on an alternate bid basis which was for an aggregate base of class 5 and
bituminous. Additionally, bids were separated into section I and section
II with section II being strictly those streets that have been designated
as county state aid roads.
Mr. Badalich recommended that the city accept the low bid of Arcon Con-
struction of Mora, Minnesota which was $2,4957253-50. Arcon Construction
was also low on the alternate bid with the bid of $2, 458, 471.00. Mr.
Badalich strongly recommended the full depth bituminous surfacing in that
this has its advantages over the aggregate base in terms of the expediency
of contruction and the durability. Mr. Badalich further recommended that
the city make the award of the contract contingent upon final Minnesota
Department of Transportation approval of section II plans and specifications
for the state aid road. A motion was made by Phil White, seconded by
Gene Walters to accept the low base bid of Arcon Construction for $2,195,253.50
contingent upon state aid approval of the plans and specifications for section
II which comprise the county state aid roads. Voting in favor: Phil White,
Gene Walters, Con Johnson, Arve Grimsmo; Abstain: Dan Blonigen. Mr. Badalich
indicated that as part of the contract documents the contractor would have
to furnish a. time table and also indicated that an informational meeting
could be set up before the estimated construction start of May 10, 1978.
(See agenda supplement 4-24-78 #1 for complete list of bids.)
Consideration of Authorization for City Officials to Attend the Annual
League o�nnesota Cities Conference June 7through 9, 1978 - Minne
A motion was made by Con Johnson, seconded by Phil White and unanimously
carried to authorize any council member, mayor and city administrator to
attend the above conference. Estimated cost per person would be approxi-
mately $130.
10.1 Consideration of City's Participation in Joint Recreation Program.
is.
Recently the Independent School District of Monticello, at a Board Meeting,
decided to redirect their summer school efforts and place less emphasis on
the recreational program and more emphasis on the educational developmental
program. As a result, programs such as T -ball, pewee youth baseball, which
were in the most part funded by the school district, may have to be reduced
or find a new source of funding. In the past the City of Monticello con-
tributed towards the funding of the Joint Recreational Program during the
summer months. For example, in 1977 the city contributed $2200 towards the
school district for the summer school joint recreation program and for 1978
budgeted $2125.
Mr. Duane Gates, Community Education Director for the Monticello School
District, reviewed a proposed summer recreational budget with the City
Council of Monticello. This budget included such activities as T -ball,
baseball, tennis, basketball, soccer, arts and crafts, special activities,
etc., and amounted to $7360. This budget did not include swimming lessons,
Red Cross Instructions. Mr. Gates indicated that the city's contribution
historically, has gone towards they swimming programs and the city's con-
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tribution has picked up about half of that cost. In effect, then, the
total proposed budget would be approximately $7360 for the summer rec-
reation program budget as presented by Duane Gates, and approximately
another $5,000 for the swimming program. Mr. Gates indicated that the
proposal would be that if the city would consider funding fifty percent
of these programs or a total of approximately $6,000. Mayor Johnson
and Councilman White indicated they felt the more proper tax base for
financing the summer recreation program was more properly the school district.
Mr. Duane Gates indicated the original concept for the summer recreation
program was that when it was initiated it would be on a fifty-fifty basis.
Mr. Sheldon Johnson, school superintendent, indicated that the school district
is in effect, covering more than fifty percent of the cost even if this
proposal were accepted in that they pick up 100 percent of the Community
Educational funds. Councilman Grimsmo inquired as what would be the
future of the program if the city did not consider increasing its alloca—
tion and Mr. Sheldon Johnson indicated that the school would have to con—
sider another method of funding the program or funding it entirely through
the school district. A motion was made by Gene Walters, seconded by Arve
Grimsmo and unanimously carried to deny any increase over the proposed
budget level of $2425 as the city's share of its allocation towards the
joint recreation program. Council member Walters indicated that he would
be willing to consider an increase for the budget year of 1979 but did feel
that the school district and the city should get together and discuss the
program prior to that time.
11. Approval of Bills.
A motion was made by Phil White, seconded by Arve Grimsmo and unanimously
carried to approve the April bills as presented.
12. Approval of Minutes — April 10, 1M.
There being no objections, the minutes stand approved as presented.
13. Assessment Polices
Initially, Springsted Inc. was to present a draft copy of the assessment
policy to the City Council at the April 24, 1978 meeting, however, because
of an illness they could not be present. It was the consensus however, of
the council, to have the assessment policy presented as soon as possible,
and also have the feasibility reports for any new improvements be prepared
on the consensus that the council came to at their last meeting of April 10,
1978 in reviewing the assessment policy,. This would allow OSM to begin
work on the feasibility reports which do present proposed assessment figures.
It was indicated that if this policy was to change somewhat, it could be
presented at the time of the hearing on the feasibility report.
14. Setting Hearing for Comprehensive Plan.
By council consensus, the hearing for the comprehensive plan was set for
May 8, 1978 at the next regular meeting of the council.
17. Sewer and Water Improvement to Thomas Industrial Park.
John Badalich presented an estimated construction cost which was approved
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by Arcon Construction for a change order #2 to the 1977-1 Improvement
Project for $45,971-45 to extend sewer and water and improvements to
Thomas Industrial Park. Council discussed this improvement and also the
cost of the improvement in light of the recent assessment policy change
and it was consensus to present the cost of the project to the developer
to determine if he was receptive to putting in the project but indication
of the actual assessments or even the proposed assessments could not be
made at this time.
There being no further business, the meeting was adjourned.
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City Administrator
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