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2017-04-18 CC Meeting MinutesMOUND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES APRIL 18, 2017 The City Council of the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met in special session on Wednesday, April 18, 2017, at 6:30 p.m. in the council chambers of the Centennial Building. Members present: Mayor Mark Wegscheid; Council Members Kelli Gillispie, Ray Salazar, Jeff Bergquist, and Jennifer Peterson Others present: City Manager/Public Works Director Eric Hoversten, Community Development Director Sarah Smith, Public Works Superintendent Ray Hanson, Liquor Store Manager John Colotti, Fire Chief Greg Pederson, Finance Director/Clerk/Treasurer Catherine Pausche, Orono Police Chief Correy Farniok. 1. Open meeting Mayor Wegscheid called the meeting to order at 6:34 p.m. 2. Approve the agenda Motion by Salazar, seconded by Gillispie to approve the agenda. All voted in favor. Motion carried. Council Member Bergquist arrived at 6:50 pm. 3. Department Head Annual Reports Annual reports were presented by Department Heads with discussion following. A. Orono Police Department — Police Chief Correy Farniok Police Chief Famiok highlighted programs offered by the OPD, including reserves, explorers, crime prevention consults/property security assessment and retail shoplifting prevention, and a newly initiated drug take back and home drug deactivation program to raise awareness. Farniok also said the Sheriffs Water Patrol office has a prescription drug drop off. Farniok said the statistics in the report reflect all four cities served and that the one homicide was for the prosecution of the seller of drugs to an individual that overdosed. Farniok said the average response time for emergencies is about 4 minutes and that it remains a priority. Farniok said there was once again a spike in theft from autos and he emphasized the need to lock doors and remove valuables. Farniok said the DARE Open is Friday, May 26th at Deer Run and that the annual fire/police charity softball game may be the Wednesday before the Spirit of the Lakes Festival. B. Liquor Store — Manager John Colotti Colotti described initiatives including a 6 bottle mesh bag promotion, the launch of the website, and the new point of sale system that went live in February of 2016. Colotti said that promotional events were the same but that they continue to learn how to improve, like not holding the End of Prohibition Sale the same night the Vikings play. Colotti said they also added to the Spirit of the Lakes offering with the "Meet the Maker" event that was well received. Colotti said the store passed $3M in sales for the first time. Hoversten said that the Sunday Sales is one of the challenges that will need to be addressed and that the guestimate is that adding staff hours could cost $12K in last half of 2017, translating to $25K annually. Wegscheid Mound City Council Minutes—April 18, 2017 asked if that would be added or shifted hours. Colotti said he was not in a strong enough position to evaluate the impacts and thought it might take a year to assess as it may be subject to the same seasonality as the industry currently experiences. Initially, Colotti thinks 2 clerks and 1 FT or keyholder for July and August and then cutting back after Labor Day. When asked what others are doing, Colotti said munis with multiple stores are not opening all of them on Sundays. C. Fire & Rescue/Emergency Response — Fire Chief Greg Pederson Chief Pederson noted the 588 medicals is the highest since 2011 and 10% higher than 2015, which means it was an active year. Pederson said the primary focus is on staff and recruitment and noted that 20 people have either retired or left in the last four years, although 3 retired and returned to service, and that the department has hired 17 to maintain a full complement of 40 volunteers. The department lost a combined 289 years of experience in the departures, with the new hires having 38 years at this point, although Pederson noted the youth and enthusiasm can help to overcome the experience gap. Pederson noted the City of Mound funds 53% of the budget, and new development in Minnetrista will move the figure closer to 50% eventually. Pederson said the closure of County Road 44 may necessitate some changes in coverage area and discussions are ongoing. Pederson said a small rig was moved to Island Park Hall, referred to as "Station 2", to help with response times during construction. Whereas it used to be a 1.4 mile journey to Al & Alma's it is now 3.5 miles with the detour, so logistics continue to be a priority and options like a shorter project area are being discussed. Pederson said the long-term strategic/financial plan for apparatus is ahead of schedule with the aerial ladder truck and rescue truck being put in service in the coming weeks, so the commission is considering moving up the timeline for remaining equipment, including a utility pick-up truck, SCBAs and radios. Other priorities include a new on-line training program and continuing to work on the shared services agreement. Bergquist asked if the department has any issues recruiting and Pederson said the department has been better than average, but the wait list numbers are down. Pederson noted 4 public works employees used to be in the Fire Dept. improving day time response times, but now there is only one. Salazar noted it was great they got 17 people. Pederson said they are working on a marketing plan for recruitment, noting their best success has been by word of mouth with fire fighters talking to neighbors or other family. D. Finance & Administration/Docks Administration — Finance Director/Clerk/Treasurer Catherine Pausche Pausche highlighted some of the contract renewals in 2016 and said the emphasis on flat rate, longer terms will help with the update of the Long -Term Financial Plan, which will be completed this year. Discussion ensued on performance contracts like solar farms and energy savings and Mayor Wegscheid suggested caution. Hoversten noted he has managed many such contracts in the past and knows to look for measurement and verification clauses as well as guaranteed savings, whether or not the company goes out of business. Hoversten suggested the City should not own the equipment as it is highly technical and prone to need for repairs. Gillispie asked about automating council packets, and Hoversten said that is a priority, with the focus on compiling the agenda packet paperlessly, and then on the distribution of the packet. Mound City Council Minutes—April 18, 2017 E. Community Development/Planning/Zoning/Building Inspections — Community Development Director Sarah Smith Smith said the 439 permits issued was the highest since 2011 and land use/planning commission cases increased to 44 from 26 in 2015. Both are a reflection of the larger development projects, including IKM/Aeon, Serenity Hill, and Trident, all of which had at least 3 public hearings. Smith said code enforcement continues to be a priority and that of the 236 cases, 70% were resolved in-house and 2 were prosecuted. Smith said the nuisance ordinance was updated and staff will track violations to see if other changes should be considered. Smith said departmental goals include packet automation and possible electronic applications. Special event permitting is active with 12 events approved thus far in 2017. Smith noted the code amendments approved in 2016 and said the comp plan update has a public input process using "Pin Point" on the City's website. Smith said 31 surveys have been completed that take an average of 11 minutes to complete. Peterson asked if there have been any surprises with the feedback and Smith said not really, mostly noting improvement areas. Smith said focus is on the linear district (downtown to Surfside), buffering major corridors, and the gateways which can build on the lakefronts. Smith said the goal is to have a draft by the end of the year or early 2018 to allow for the 6 month review and meeting the 12-31-18 deadline. F. Public Works (Parks) Operations & City Projects - Public Works Superintendent Ray Hanson and City Manager/PWD Eric Hoversten Hanson noted multiple construction projects are in process or just starting, including a new material and equipment shed. Hanson also noted success using GovDeals to auction used equipment. Hoversten noted this as a process improvement over the past practice of not optimizing the free market. Hanson noted pot hole calls were down this year, but that the City was ready with the new asphalt hot box. Hoversten said the transitional freeze thaw cycle was really short at less than two weeks. Hanson said it was also a reflection of all the new roads. Hanson said the mixer in the Chateau water tower helped to reduce flushing time significantly and that Evergreen would benefit from a mixer as well, with the plan to move the mixer from the standpipe when it is decommissioned. Wegscheid asked what will happen to the stand pipe? Hoversten said removal has been pushed out because of cost, but that it will eventually be taken care of, and the City is just not sure what we will elect to do as part of MCES projects. Hanson noted the stand pipe has antennas on it for the SCADA system. Gillispie asked if the mixer could produce cost savings. Hoversten said mixers have a high return on investment when it comes to improving the aesthetics of water clarity and reduce exposure to time and oxygen that create rust. Hanson also noted mixers prevent ice caps from forming. Hoversten said they incorporated best management practices to configure the system/flushing to get sludge out vs. just moving it around. Hanson noted the City invests in a high level of maintenance on the water system. Hoversten said the City is currently in the "fat part of the bell curve" with regard to Met Council projects and that the Bradford and Dakota Trail projects will address the majority of system capacity and coordination issues from 2014, although it won't completely eliminate the I&I surcharges. Hoversten noted Met Council paid for 1/3 of the water main and 1/2 of the street repair on Wilshire Blvd. Mound City Council Minutes—April 18, 2017 Hoversten said the new storage facility will bring many benefits, including salt storage that will result in less cost and less run-off as well as clean up the appearance. Hoversten said the Mobile 311 will automate work schedule tracking, give the lead workers more autonomy, and interface with county and Bolton & Menk GIS. In addition, there will be opportunities with regard to code enforcement and dock inspections by having inspectors convey needs they observe in field to public works. Hoversten noted the many projects and said complexity of traffic rerouting will increase in the short term. Hoversten noted County Rd 44 will be closed from Westedge to Country Rd 7 during 2018 and 2019 so that Met Council can install two 24 inch force mains. Hoversten said the Parks and Open Spaces Commission is generating a lot of ideas, including developing an improvement plan for Surfside Park & Beach that may provide guidance on what to do with the rest of the parks, the challenge being how to pay for any improvements and developing a long- range plan. Peterson asked if parks can be sold and Hoversten said there is a very defined process for disposal, but that it was one of the reasons the City renamed certain sites. Hoversten pointed out the last three pages of the packet are his vision and goals, including creating a collaborative, cooperative and conversational environment. Wegscheid asked how many licenses require classes. Hoversten noted that 7 utility workers are fully licensed with both water and sewer and all have a Class B drivers license or better. Hoversten noted there is one vacancy and that of the 9 applications, 6 have deep previous experience. Salazar asked about the "edible park" idea. Hoversten said Parks Lead Worker Gavin Ball initiated the idea of having apple trees, berry vines and raised garden beds in Three Points park where residents can pick and eat with interpretive signage to help educate. Salazar said he wants to caution the Council and Staff on what changes to make with City property. Salazar said parks and vacant land foster the small town atmosphere and that too much development may lead to more traffic congestion. Gillispie asked if the City's Met Council Rep is involved in the project discussions. Hoversten said he works primarily with professional staff and has experienced rich cooperation in these challenging projects. Chief Peterson said the fish fry proceeds were used to donate $23K to the operating budget and everyone should attend on June 3rd. Mayor Wegscheid thanked each Staff member individually, including Pausche for the vision for IKM, Smith for the amount and level of detail necessary to move projects forward, Colotti for his personal dedication to the customers, Hanson for "getting it done" and reducing the number of complaints, Chief Pederson for running a great department and motivating his volunteers into producing a winning team, and to Hoversten for providing the leadership and vision. Wegscheid said he is proud to serve on such a good Council who can productively differ in opinions and still get things done. 4. Adjourn MOTION by Peterson, seconded by Gillispie, to adjourn at 8:47 p.m. All voted in favor. Motion carried. Ug� Mayor Mark Wegscheid Attest: Catherine Pausche, Clerk