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2024-01-23 CC Meeting MinutesMOUND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES January 23, 2024 The City Council of the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met in regular session on Tuesday, January 23, 2024 at 7:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers in the Centennial Building. Members present: Mayor Jason Holt, Council Members, Sherrie Pugh, Paula Larson, Kathy McEnaney and Kevin Castellano. Members absent: None Others present: City Manager Jesse Dickson, Deputy City Manager Maggie Reisdorf, City Attorney Scott Landsman, City Engineer Brian Simmons, Emma Carlson, Joe & Julie Bohmert (5842 Grandview Blvd) and Liz Vandam (5816 Grandview Blvd). Consent agenda: All items listed under the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine in nature by the Council. There will be no separate discussion on these items unless a Councilmember or citizen so requests, in which event it will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in normal sequence. 1. Open meeting Mayor Holt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Approve agenda Dickson asked the City Council to consider adding an item to the agenda regarding a discussion on changing city meeting times from 7:00 pm.to 6:00 pm. This item was added in as Item 7.1. MOTION by Councilmember Pugh, seconded by Councilmember McEnaney, to approve the amended agenda. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 4. Consent agenda MOTION by Councilmember Larson, seconded by Councilmember McEnaney, to approve the consent agenda. Upon roll call vote, all voted in favor. Motion carried. A. Approve payment of claims in the amount of $1,463,351.68. B. Approve minutes: January 9, 2024 Regular City Council Meeting C. Pay Equity Report 5. Comments and suggestions from citizens present on any item not on the agenda. Liz Vandam, resident at 5816 Grandview Blvd, stated that she following up from the previous meeting on her concerns about the public dock for Grandview Middle School that will be installed on Dutch Lake. She stated that she had received a polite response back from the city following up on some of her concerns. Vandam asked how the city would address parking concerns and ongoing maintenance concerns after the dock goes into the lake. She stated that she would like to see a plan put into place before the dock goes into the lake. Vandam asked Mound City Council Minutes why there wasn't a parking study done before approval of the dock access. She expressed concern about there being increased garbage and trash in the area with more use projected. Vandam said that by living by the boat access, they will see everything going on and will therefore be responsible for calling the police. She said that she moved to Mound for the small city feel. Vandam stated that the previous City Manager didn't tell the truth about dock project and that common curtesy was not followed as it relates to notifying nearby residents about the project. She thanked the current City Manager, Dickson, for calling her and hopes that he will push back on the project. Councilmember McEnaney asked if staff would be able to do additional research into Vandam's concerns and respond back with answers. Dickson stated that he would do this. Vandam asked if residents are allowed to go into the lake and clean garbage and debris out of the water. She expressed interest in doing so. Landsman stated that the city's jurisdiction ends at the high water level mark and that it would likely be more of a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) question, depending on where she is looking to do clean up. Mayor Holt stated that the City Manager could review this and respond back to Vandam. Vandam asked if the DNR is responsible for the cleanliness of Dutch Lake in Mound. Landsman responded that the DNR is responsible for the cleanliness of the lake. He said that the city manages up to the high water level and then at the high water level the lake is DNR jurisdiction. Landsman stated the lake is public waters and the public has the right to be in the water. He explained that similar to public parks, if someone sees garbage on the ground, they can pick it up and throw it away. 6. Westonka Student Senate presentation Emma Carlson, Junior at Westonka High School and current treasurer of the Westonka student senate presented Westonka District Report. Carlson mentioned what the student senate has been up to including a WeCAN fundraiser in December 2023, Prom planning 2024, SnoBall Dance: February 3, 2024. Theme Winter Wonderland, and the Rotary hosting a "Stick it to Hunger" event for the Westonka Food Shelf. Carlson provided an Eli Hart Foundation DECA Update in that Westonka students worked with the foundation on a fundraiser event called Winter Wonderland where parents were able to drop off their kids for winter fun events. She said there were about 30+ kids that attended. Carlson provided a winter sports update on basketball, hockey, dance, skiing (Nordic and Alpine), wrestling and gymnastics. Carlson stated that the school will be performing the following One -Act Play for Theatre: Kodachrome. She said the spring musical would be Footloose. Carlson stated that for Academics, the Westonka School District received the Triple A award 7. Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) Policy Mound City Council Minutes Reisdorf introduced this item to the City Council. She stated that effective January 1, 2024, a new state law, Minnesota's Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) Law, requires employers to provide earned sick and safe paid leave to employees who work in Minnesota. Reisdorf highlighted who the law covers and what ESST can be used for. Reisdorf explained that the City Council is being asked to consider the approval of a drafted Earned Sick and Safe Time — Leave Policy that was provided within the packet. She said that it was drafted with the help of the city's labor attorney. She said that the policy explains how the city will manage the requirements of the law and ensure compliance. Reisdorf said that full-time employees wouldn't see any difference as it relates to their sick leave. She said that ESST would be "cross designated" in with Sick Leave. She said that part-time employees would see a difference in that they would now be earning ESST where they haven't earned sick time in the past. Reisdorf informed that this is where the budget increase would be recognized. Reisdorf said that one area of the law that is causing confusion is its implementation with regards to the volunteer firefighter model. She explained that there has been a lot of confusion since the passage of the law as to how ESST would be managed administratively to fit within that model. Reisdorf said that staff has a plan in place to administer the law for the city's fire department, however she mentioned that during the next State Legislative session in February, the concerns will likely be presented to the legislature for clarification on implementation. Reisdorf recommended approval of the ESST policy with the understanding that some law changes could occur in February and that if that were to occur, an amendment of the policy would come back to the City Council to reflect those changes. Motion by Councilmember McEnaney to approve the City of Mound ESST Policy. Councilmember Larson seconded. Motion Passed 5-0. 7.1 Discussion on Changing City Meetings from 7:00 pm to 6:00 pm Councilmember Castellano said that he liked that meetings start at 7:00 pm., however that he is open to discuss changing the time to 6:00 pm. He said that if a change were to be made, that the city would have to communicate the change. Landsman explained the process of changing the official start time of city meetings. He said that it would include amending the City Code and official city calendar. Landsman stated that if the City Council did direct staff to move forward with the change, that staff would prepare the appropriate documentation and bring it back to the City Council for approval. Mayor Holt asked if the change is beneficial to city staff. Dickson said that either time works for staff. Landsman stated that the time change would work for his schedule. Councilmember Castellano said that if the meetings were changed to 6:00 pm, that he would still want to see workshop meetings held from time to time at 5:00 pm. The City Council was in agreement that workshop meetings would be posted ahead of time if deemed necessary to schedule instead of making workshops an official part of the city schedule before every regular meeting. Mound City Council Minutes MOTION by Councilmember Pugh to initiate the process of changing official city meetings from 7:00 pm to 6:00 pm, with the intention of having City workshops from time to time from 5 pm — 6 pm on designated days. Seconded by Councilmember McEnaney. All voted in favor. Motion passed. 8. 2024 City Council Goals & Priorities Mayor Holt referenced the City Council's discussion on city goals and priorities from their Special City Council Workshop Meeting on January 16, 2024. Mayor Holt asked the City Council to go through the noted goals and priorities to determine which items are action items that need to be reviewed further and which ones are ongoing or already being addressed. Mayor Holt wanted the City Council to decide which ones should go to workshop meetings for further discussion on implementation. Landman stated that workshops are great to help identify and discuss priority items more informally to create action plans for solving problems to get the desired end result. Councilmember Castellano referenced items that were already "in the works" such as the goal to eliminate the Sewer Utility Levy as part of the Long Term Financial Plan. Councilmember Castellano mentioned recent concerns that were being discussed by staff and the City Council as it pertains to companies parking at Surfside Park and using the dock on site. He stated that the city could look into the hiring of a Community Service Officer (CSO) to help monitor activity at the park the City Council has concerns with. Councilmember Larson stated that in the past, the City Council gave City Field Officer, Andy Drilling the authority to look into these concerns as the Police Department is stretched thin as far as staffing. Councilmember Castellano said that issues occur on the weekend too and that Drilling wouldn't be available during that time to look into concerns. He recommended looking into it a CSO as a potential option. CM McEnaney stated that she is concerned about the companies that have no accountability to the City of Mound. CM Castellano stated that we can't be the only city dealing with this issue. Mayor Holt stated that this topic would be brought to a Special Workshop meeting on February 13, 2024. Councilmember Pugh mentioned that Park Commissioner, Joanna Kahn, stated that she is interested in writing a grant for the parks that is due on March 6, 2024. She said that the grant is through the AARP and would be for a project that supports an aging population. Mayor Holt stated that she should get in touch with City Manager, Dickson, to discuss presenting it to the City Council in February for review. Mayor Holt went through the list of goals and priorities that were discussed at the City Council Work Session. Water Plant Funding Mound City Council Minutes Mayor Holt stated that this continues to be a priority and that there is continued discussion with local state representatives to solicit the remaining funds needed at the State level. Budget & Finances Mayor Holt said that the City Council is still focusing on its Long -Term Financial Planning and looking for ongoing financial health and savings. Communications Mayor Holt mentioned that the Communications Committee is still looking at improving overall communications including a potential website redesign. He mentioned that the City recently started a Facebook social media page that has been going well. Mayor Holt said eventually he would like to see the city start an Instagram page. He stated that the newsletter was recently renamed and will now include four more pages. Mayor Holt said eventually he would like the E-Newsletter option to be expanded. Parks Mayor Holt mentioned that the City Council would be starting to discuss the final plans and goals for the construction of Harbor Park as the adjacent Artessa Project wraps up this summer. The City Council discussed other park related items such as the renaming of Harbor Park, Auditors Road, the crosswalk installation project, and trail signage. Councilmember Pugh said she would like to see the City discuss the installation of wayfinding signs along the Dakota Trail so that people using the trail knows what is in town. Councilmember Castellano asked that applicable Park Commission items be sent to the Park Commission first for review with then a recommendation coming to the City Council. Public Works Director Mayor Holt stated that the City has the City Engineer, Bolton and Menk filling in temporarily as the city discusses how to move forward with the hiring of a new Public Works Director. Currently temporary. Councilmember Pugh recommended giving Dickson flexibility in determining when and how to hire a Public Works Director as it would be his staff member. She stated that it would be the City Council's place to support that decision. Dickson mentioned that he were to decide significant staff restructuring or significant changes would be best, that he would be glad to include the City Council in on that discussion. Councilmember Castellano agreed with Councilmember Pugh. Dickson stated that staff would be starting to put a lot of effort into this topic soon and that any decisions would be presented to the City Council. Code Enforcement/Code Updates Mayor Holt asked the City Attorney about Code Enforcement options that the city could pursue to help assist with getting the city into compliance with blight and other problem areas. Landsman explained that code enforcement is a tough topic for a lot of cities. He explained that the process generally starts with staff first taking steps to document any issues and communicating those issues with property owners. He said if that doesn't work, then the City Council must decide whether to Mound City Council Minutes take steps toward prosecution. Landsman explained that currently the City's code seems appropriate and doesn't recommend any additional changes. He referenced changes that the city made in 2023 as it pertains to Code Enforcement processes and that it is still a work in progress. Mayor Holt said that the City operates as a complaint based community. Landsman informed that most cities operate on a complaint based approach. He added that some cities do dedicate staff to drive around and look for items and follow up on problems, but many cities do not have that capacity. Councilmember Castellano recommended having additional discussion on this topic moving forward to further evaluate and consider resources for code enforcement in order to get where the City Council wants to be as far as enforcement. Councilmember Pugh asked about a rumor that someone was interested in opening a Cannabis Dispensary on Commerce. Landsman stated that the State of Minnesota's Model Ordinances for Cannabis sales is still in draft format and the opening a dispensary is currently now allowed until January 1, 2025. He said that the City still has to determine how it will zone for dispensaries for land use. He said that more information is pending from the State of Minnesota. Mound Citizen of the Year Mayor Holt stated that he would like to do a Mound Citizen of the Year recognition program again. Councilmember Pugh explained that she sees this as a public relations item and therefore should be discussed by the City Council as to how to establish goals and parameters. Councilmember McEnaney agreed it should be City Council driven. Mayor Holt offered to draft a document and bring it back to the City Council for more discussion. He established a goal to get it ready for May 2024. Tree Lighting Events & Other Community Events Mayor Holt mentioned the continuation of the tree lighting event and a walk through light display. He also mentioned doing a contest for best holiday lights display. Councilmember McEnaney agreed to take the holiday lights display contest on. . Customer Service Mayor Holt expressed concern about the glass window shield at City Hall. He stated that he felt it was unwelcoming. He asked that staff work on getting all City staff email signatures the same and consistent across the organization. Councilmember Castellano said that it should be a staff decision on whether to take down the glass shield or not. He said he sees no problem with it. Councilmember McEnaney felt it was unwelcoming. Mayor Holt said the glass shows a reflection on it that makes it distracting when trying to do business Mound City Council Minutes State of Water Update Mayor Holt stated that an update would be provided in a few months as to what the City is doing and where we are at with funding projects. Mayor Holt said his goal would be to provide an update on progress in every newsletter so that people know what is going on. Open for Business: Shop Local Neighborhood — Paint Storm Water Drain Councilmember Pugh said that this program would be a great opportunity to bring neighbors together. Community Events Mayor Holt asked about City Councilmembers attending community events such as National Night Out, Spirits of the Lakes and more. He discussed having a promotional tent at events, being in the parade, etc. Police Contract Mayor Holt mentioned that at the City Council workshop meeting that there was a mention of call concerns related to the current police department. CM Larson stated that she acknowledges that is would be hard to get our own police department back as it would be a big undertaking, but that she would at least like to reach out to the Minnetrista Police Department to see if there is any interest in becoming the City of Mound's police services provider. She explained that the Minnetrista Police Department is closer to the City of Mound than the City of Orono and felt that may be a better fit for the community. She said she wants to look into it as she has recently been concerned about the Orono Police Department relying more and more on mutual aid from Minnestrista Police Department. Councilmember Pugh asked how many mutual aids calls there have been recently. Councilmember Pugh stated that she is ok looking into it and that is should be within the budget related items. Councilmember Pugh asked Councilmember Larson for clarification on whether she is looking to form a Mound Police Department again or establish a new contract with Minnestrista Police Department. Mayor Holt said it is too expensive to create a new Mound Police Department. He said he is ok looking at contracting with another police department, but has no issues with Orono Police Department. He said they do a great job. Mayor Holt stated that he is on the Police Committee and Budget Committee and agreed that we need to look at contracts closely. Councilmember Larson brought up doing a referendum ballot vote to let residents decided who their police department should be. She said she is not against the Orono Police Department, but would at least like to look into it. Councilmember Castellano said he was fine looking into it when the contract was getting closer to ending. Councilmember McEnaney agreed to look into another contract for cost comparisons. Mayor Holt mentioned community social workers and the need for support to handle homelessness concerns in the community. Mound City Council Minutes Councilmember Pugh stated that it is a big issue as there are no public shelters in sixth district. She said that some of the homeless in Mound are Mound residents and that there needs to be services for these people as they have nowhere else to go. Mayor Holt stated that the City Council needs to keep talking to our local State representatives to stress the need for support on this. Contributions to Organizations Councilmember Larson asked if the City could create guidelines or a policy on how to navigate city contributions to community organizations. Councilmember Pugh provided an example of the city setting aside $25,000 in which groups could apply to the city and request funds per specific guidelines. Councilmember Larson stated that the City needs to be prudent with taxpayer money. Mayor Holt directed staff do look into policies and determine how other cities navigate this item. Changing City Structure Councilmember McEnaney stated that she would like to understand the pros and cons of changing the city's current structure. Mayor Holt directed this to the City Attorney. Landsman said that it isn't so much that differences in city structure have pros and cons and that it more related to what path to changing structures means as far as what one structure us allowed to do versus the other. The City Council asked the City Attorney to put a list of differences together. Starting meetings at 6 pm versus 7 pm City Stop Sign Petition Mayor Holt stated that a petition by residents of the city was received by the City Council regarding a stop sign located at Tuxedo and Brighton. He said that the petition was provided to the City Manager and that the City Manager would reach out to the petitioners to discuss their concerns regarding the installation of the stop sign. Mayor Holt said that he was received emails since the stop sign went in in which residents state that they are happy and appreciative of the current stop sign. Councilmember Larson stated that she voted against the installation of that stop sign. Mayor Holt said there are two sides to every story. Councilmember Training Councilmember Pugh asked the City Council about their through on councilmember training. She informed that she has been interested in attending some events recently, specifically those offered by the League of Minnesota Cities. She mentioned a specific event titled "Day on the Hill, where city representatives can go to the State Capitol and experience of how other cities are pursuing city related items, can meet with and listen to legislators. Mound City Council Minutes Mayor Holt said he is in support of these trainings and support going. He stated that he will be attending. Councilmember Pugh stated that a lot can be learned. She mentioned in the past, the League of Minnesota Cities also hosts education events for newly elected officials. 9. Comments/ Reports from Council members Council Member Pugh — Stated that she attended the Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser that benefits the Gillespie Center and the Island Park Village Hall renovation project. Council Member Larson — None. Council Member McEnaney — Reminded the City Council of the Polar Plunge event on January 27, 2024. She said that some City staff jumping. She said that the event has exceeded its enrollment jumpers compared to prior years. Council Member Castellano — None. Mayor Holt — None. 11. Information/Miscellaneous A. Comments/reports from staff/City Manager: Dickson stated that he has a meeting with the Hennepin County Library that day and that they will be at the February 13, 2024 City Council meeting to present the initial construction plan for the new Mound Library. He said the staff of the library will be doing public engagements on the project with the hopes of starting to build in December 2024 and completing the project in spring 2026. Dickson said that Artessa is still planning to be done with construction in August 2024. Dickson said that there is an upcoming Park Commission meeting on February 8, 2024 that will review Harbor Park plans. Fire Commission Meeting: January 25, 2024 Polar Plunge: Staff Meeting on location: January 24, 2024. B. Reports: Finance — December 2023 (preliminary) C. Minutes: D. Correspondence: 12. Adjourn MOTION by Councilmember Castellano, seconded by Councilmember McEnaney, to adjourn at 9:24 p.m. All voted in favor. Motion carried 5-0. Mayor Jason R. Holt Attest: Kervin Kelly, lerk