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2024-06-11 CC Meeting MinutesMOUND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES June 11, 2024 The City Council of the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met in regular session on Tuesday, June 11, 2024 at 6:00 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, Sarah Smith, Community Development Director, Rita Trapp City Planner, City Clerk Kevin Kelly, City Engineer Matt Bauman, Jenny Bodurka, Michelle Wisegarver, Ben Wisegarver, Lindsay Van Dyke, Kevin Murray, Karl and Julie Weisenhorn, Bart Halling, and Sheri Wallace. 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 6:00 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Approve agenda Dickson said there is one item regarding the CarpFest event, Item 4D, which have secured parking at the Middle School and have an agreement in place. MOTION by Castellano, seconded by McEnaney, to approve the agenda. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 4. Consent agenda MOTION by McEnaney, seconded by Pugh, to approve the consent agenda. Upon roll call vote, all voted in favor. Motion carried. A. Approve payment of claims in the amount of $548,155.71. B. Approve minutes: 05-28-24 Regular Meeting C. Hennepin County Property Assessment Services — Joint Powers Agreement D. RESOLUTION 24-45: RESOLUTION APPROVING MUSICAL CONCERT PERMIT FOR HARRISONS BAY ASSOCIATION CARPFEST AT 5513 SHERWOOD DRIVE E. RESOLUTION 24-46: RESOLUTION APPROVING PERMITS FOR 2024 NO NONSENSE BEACH BRAWL WRESTLING SPECIAL EVENT Mound City Council Minutes F. RESOLUTION 24-47: RESOLUTION APPROVING THE TALLYING OF WRITE-IN CANDIDATES VOTES ONLY IF WRITE-IN VOTES ARE EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN A BALLOT CANDIDATES TOTAL VOTES G. Pay Request No. 5, and Final in the amount of $13,283.65, to New Look Contracting for the Downtown Paver Sidewalks Replacement Project - Phase 1 City Project No. PW-22-08 H. Pay Request No. 1, in the amount of $66,280.88, to Blackstone Contractors for the Surfside Park Playground Improvements Project City Project PW-24-10 5. Comments and suggestions from citizens present on any item not on the agenda Michelle Wisegarver, 4657 Manchester Road and owner of Vision Arcade and Skateboard Shop she said she opened the shop two years ago. Wisegarver said incidents at the Zero Gravity Skate Park have been brought to her attention recently. Wisegarver said she would like the cameras trained on the skate park to be turned back on and for there to be more of a police presence. Wisegarver said there are kids at the park who are not skating who are causing problems. Wisegarver said most of the skate boarding kids are not going to the park due to the problems occurring there. Wisegarver said she is looking for open discussion to help with the problems and to make the skate park a safer place for kids to be. Wisegarver said kids are dropped off and are left at the skate park all day. Wisegarver said her shop provides lessons, safety and park etiquette and she knows the skating kids in the community. Wisegarver said she doesn't have answers and would like to know how the City can help and what the City can do. Dickson said the camera at Zero Gravity had a hard drive failure and the City is looking at fixing the problem. McEnaney said there have been years in the past where there have been problems at the skate park and there was a greater police presence in the past. Lyndsey Van Dyke, 1706 Resthaven Lane, said she would like to make the skate park safer. Holt said the City should set up a meeting with Van Dyke to work on her suggestions to improve safety. 6. Orono Police Department Activity Report for May 2024 The Orono Police Department (OPD) was not present at the meeting. 7. Jenny Bodurka Assistant Director of Community Education Tour de Tonka presentation Jenny Bodurka, presented the annual update and 2024 Tour De Tonka event. Bodurka said she has given this presentation to the Mound City Council for the previous few years. Bodurka listed the following event statistics: 19t" Annual Event There are 51 legacy riders who have done the event every year 43,903 is the total number of riders since 2006 $103K in donations to the ICA food shelf 4294 miles of rides this year Mound City Council Minutes 44 is the number of at least one visitor from specific states 665 Century Riders in 2023 who registered for the 100-mile ride Bodurka added the following: • The event starts at 7:00 a.m. and is being held on August 3 d, 2024 • Many sponsors have taken part again this year • There is a new logo and new volunteer and rider shirts this year • There is a great need for volunteers to make the event happen • There are 13 Minnesota Counties without having a participant left • There are six states that haven't had a rider yet • Tim Litfin is retiring from Community Education as Executive Director on August 6tn • Tim Litfin will help out with planning the 2025 event • Bethel Church helps run the City rest stop 8. Steve McDonald Managing Partner of Abdo LLP, presenting the 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report Steve McDonald gave the 2023 City Financial Report and provided the Auditor's Opinion on the City's financial statements. McDonald said Abdo is giving the City a qualified opinion and this is due to pension standards which the City is not taking part in due to the burden they impose. McDonald added this does not compromise the operations of the City. McDonald found Mound complies with State Statutes regarding City investments, bonds and bidding. McDonald added Abdo found: • No Internal Control Findings • No Legal Compliance Findings General Fund — the City minimum fund balance target is a 20% reserve. The actual fund balance at the end of 2023 was 51 % of the 2024 budget which is adequate for active capital Activities in General Fund • Revenue was $1.2Million in excess of budget • $200K came from investment activity • $412K from one time public safety aid • Taxes and License and permit activity ($174K) were in excess of budget • Revenue in 2023 was $713K over 2022 • Expenditures increased $445K over budget Special revenue Funds Fire Service $542K decrease due to transfers out • Debt service funds, one has matured with two maturing in 2024 $11 Million in bonds outstanding though with favorable interest rates Capital Funds • Capital Improvements Fund is the largest with $2Million at end of 2023 with a total of $4.6Million in all Capital funds combined Enterprise funds Liquor Fund gross profit is at 28.5% which is consistent with previous years Mound City Council Minutes Operating income is 10% of revenue is favorable to statewide averages Revenue allowed for Transfers out of $300K to other funds Water Fund • Has $4.4 Million in interfund borrowing to pay back the debt in the water fund • Charges for service allow for operations to be about even and close to debt payments Sewer Fund • On the positive side with revenue above expenses Recycling fund • Holds a $200K cash balance which has been consistently maintained Storm Water Fund • Operating revenue not sufficient to cover debt payments and the long-term plan is in place to repay interfund loans Cash and Investments • The City has invested $11 AMillion • Taxes - Key Performance Indicators (KPI) • Tax rate decrease from 38.7% to 31 % • Tax per capita comparable to other HC cities • Debt per capita has gone down the last 3 or 4 years • Expense as a total of expenditures is also trending down • Current capital expenditures are lower than peer cities • Maintain GF reserve and pay attention to interfund loans is important Castellano asked if the bond interest funds are unrestricted. McDonald said once the bonds are paid off those funds would be unrestricted. Castellano asked if there was anything such as debt per capita and the 5-year plan which would raise your eyebrows. McDonald said the City needs to have a plan to respond to debt and there is a plan in place. Holt asked if the 51 % General Fund balance was excessive. McDonald said the State Auditor recommends a 35-50% fund balance as this keeps cash on hand for expenses. 9. Harrison's Bay Association Rain Barrel Event & Rain Gardens Presentation Sheri Wallace, Chair of the Harrison Bay Association (HBA), 2135 Overland Lane, provided an update on HBA water quality projects. Wallace said the HBA rain barrel distribution event sold 74 rain barrels to Mound residents and sold 180 rain barrels in total. Wallace said each barrel saves 1300 gallons of water from entering the lake which at 146 barrels sold in Mound would be 189,000 gallons of water. Wallace said as the summer commences the water quality degrades and asked if the City would like to continue the partnership for rain barrel subsidies in 2025. Wallace said the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD) has a Committee which is working on Painters Creek which is being evaluated in 2024 and 2025 to identify the location where pollutants are entering the Harrisons Bay from the Creek. Mound City Council Minutes MOTION by Pugh seconded by McEnaney for the City to financially support the HBA Rain Barrel Event in 2025 with the donation to be no higher than for 100 barrels. All voted in favor. Motion carried. Julie Weisenhorn, is an educator with the University of Minnesota extension service and an HBA Board member, 1733 Bluebird Lane, said she has a background in landscape design and sustainable planting. Weisenhorn said HBA has leveraged $25K in funds from Hennepin County (HC) to implement two or three rain gardens or shoreline buffer projects on the shoreline. Weisenhorn said the HBA would like to team with the City to implement pre-treatment solutions to be completed by March of 2025. The other goals of the HBA rain garden projects are to engage residents, on -site signage and planting workshops. Weisenhorn said the Apple Lane rain garden was placed on city owned land with native plants which are great for pollinators and are drought and disease resistant. Weisenhorn said the Apple Lane site drains 11,000 SF and that the proposed Cardinal Lane project drains 88,000 SF. Weisenhorn said Cardinal Lane also encompasses City owned property. Weisenhorn said the Cardinal Lane property is in a much worse state than the Apple Lane site. Weisenhorn said the HBA held a community education and planting event on May 18', 2024 with 12 community members working the site and each ook home six native plants. Weisenhorn listed issues occurring on the Cardinal Lane site which included failing ash trees, shoreline erosion and significant street sediment with little opportunity for runoff infiltration on land. Wallace said the HBA has $12K left to donate to the City to do work at the Cardinal Lane site which has significant shoreline erosion. Wallace said she is asking to meet with City Engineers to brainstorm solutions to Cardinal Lane and to enter into a partnership with the City to fix problems created by previous work on the right of way. Holt said the City should coordinate a meeting with the City Engineers to create a solution. Holt added the price tag was too high last October when the HBA made the same ask of the City Council. Wallace said the MCWD also has funds to partner with cities on reducing runoff. MOTION by Pugh seconded by Castellano to have City Engineers meet with HBA members to come up with solutions to the Cardinal Lane runoff issue. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 10. Authorization for Bid for the Downtown Paver Sidewalks Replacement — Group 2 City Project No. PW-24-08 Matt Bauman, City Engineer, presented the overview of the authorization to bid for the next phase for downtown paver sidewalks. Bauman said this is the third phase of the replacement of downtown paver sidewalks. Bauman said this phase will include the construction of pedestrian ramps and important crossing pieces. Bauman said there was an area near to the parking facility that needs replacement pavers but that it is on hold for a future project due to storm water infrastructure. Bauman said the pavers near the transit center will be bid in the fall and built out in 2025. Dickson said the Council can address construction timelines at the long term financial planning special City Council workshop on June 18t". Bauman said Hennepin County (HC) is paying for a portion of the downtown sidewalks with the City taking on the rest of the sidewalks construction and design. Bauman said the City will fund $346K to the project with HC taking on $359K dependent on how the bids come in. Holt suggested the parking facility be done this fall. Motion by Castellano, seconded by Pugh Resolution for authorization for bids of the Downtown Paver Sidewalks Replacement — Group 2, City Project No. PW-24-08. All voted in favor. Motion carried. Mound City Council Minutes 11. Comments/Reports from Council Members: Council Member Pugh — Pugh said she has visited Surfside Park recently and again this weekend and the new playground and that the park look nice. Holt noted that at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday there will be the opening event for the playground by the Eli Hart family. Pugh said she has an idea that would include looking at City assets and comparing Mound with other small cities in order to make Mound a family friendly tourist destination. Holt asked about the new harbor park naming by the Parks Commission (POSC). Pugh said the naming of the park is on the next POSC agenda. Council Member Larson — Larson said she ate at the new Mi Pueblo restaurant which was real nice and offered an invitation to a ribbon cutting ceremony. Holt said the owners did do a ribbon cutting for the restaurant opening with their family. Larson said the Dakota Trail crossing on Commerce is very dangerous. Bauman noted that crossing improvements would be completed this fall. Holt said it is not an actual crosswalk and that it is biker responsibility on the Dakota Trail to cross safely. Dickson said the City is continuing to present the dangers of the Dakota Trail crossing roads in the City with the Three Rivers Park District (TRPD). Holt asked Dickson to restart a discussion with the TRPD about the Dakota Trail crossing at Commerce Blvd. Bauman said HC has put out the bid for the Dakota Trail Crossing of Shoreline Drive. Council Member McEnaney - Nothing Council Member Castellano — Castellano asked about an update on RPG Restaurant progress. Dickson said there is an issue with the sewer access charge (SAC) charges from the Metropolitan Council. Castellano said there have been meetings with the Finance Committee on the City long term financial plan. Castellano said there has been fine tuning of the long-term financial plan and that things will look better for 2025. Mayor Holt — Holt said the Surfside Park opening with the family of Eli Hart will be present on Thursday this week. Holt added that State Senator Kelly Morrison is going to run for the Third US Congressional District resulting in a new state senator for Mound to be elected. Holt said the Fire Commission meeting is coming up with partner cities to further discuss reorganization options. 12. Information/Miscellaneous A. Comments/reports from Council members/City Manager: Dickson said the Lead Line Service Survey is out to residents who are being asked to send the surveys back to City Hall. Bauman said residents need to take a photo of the water line where the line enters their home. B. Reports: Liquor — May Finance — April 2024 C. Minutes: May 7, 2024 — Planning Commission D. Correspondence: 13. Adjourn ACTION by Castellano, seconded by Pugh, to adjourn at 7:57 p.m. All voted in favor. Motion carried. Mayor Jason R. Holt l Attest: vin Kelly, C er