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2020-09-22 CC Meeting MinutesMOUND CITY COUNCIL MINUTES September 22, 2020 The City Council of the City of Mound, Hennepin County, Minnesota, met in regular session on Tuesday, September 22, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. in the Westonka Schools Performing Arts Center in Minnetrista. Members present: Mayor Ray Salazar; Council members Phil Velsor, Paula Larson, and Sherrie Pugh Members absent: Jeff Bergquist Others present: City Manager Eric Hoversten, Fin Dir/Clerk/Treasurer Catherine Pausche, City Engineer Brian Simmons, Community Development Director Sarah Smith, Jan Callison, Nicole Spiess, Rolf Markstrom, Scott Qualle 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 Salazar called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 2. Pledge of Allegiance 3. Approve agenda MOTION by Velsor, seconded by Larson, to approve the agenda. All voted in favor. Motion carried. 4. Consent agenda MOTION by Pugh, seconded by Velsor, to approve the consent agenda. Upon roll call vote, all voted in favor. Motion carried. A. Approve payment of claims in the amount of $349,868.78 B. Approve minutes: 09-08-20 regular meeting. C. RESOLUTION NO. 20-87: RESOLUTION OF SPONSORSHIP AS RELATED TO THE SOUTHWEST TRAILS SNOWMOBILE ASSOCIATION D. RESOLUTION NO. 20-88: RESOLUTION APPROVING AN AGREEMENT WITH HENNEPIN COUNTY TO PROVIDE PROPERTY ASSESSMENT SERVICES (A20XXXX) E. RESOLUTION NO. 20-89: RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING AMENDMENT TO RESIDENTIAL RECYCLING GRANT AGREEMENT WITH HENNEPIN COUNTY (A166414) Mound City Council Minutes — September 22, 2020 F. RESOLUTION NO. 20-90: RESOLUTION ORDERING THE ABATEMENT OF A HAZARDOUS BUILDING LOCATED AT 4848 LANARK ROAD IN THE CITY OF MOUND G. RESOLUTION NO. 20-91: RESOLUTION APPROVING VARIANCE FOR PROPERTY AT 5234 LYNWOOD BOULEVARD PLANNING CASE NO. 20-17 H. Approve a 1-4 Day On -Sale Temporary Liquor License for Northwest Tonka Lion's WeCAN Winefest Fundraiser —October 3, 2020 I. RESOLUTION NO. 20-92: RESOLUTION APPOINTING ELECTION JUDGES AS RECOMMENDED FOR THE GENERAL ELECTION ON NOVEMBER 3, 2020 5. Comments and suggestions from citizens present on any item not on the agenda. None were offered. 6. Hennepin County Commissioner Jan Callison addressing the Mound City Council Jan Callison, commissioner for District 6, presented updates on COVID19, Homelessness, Minneapolis recovery efforts, elections, and the 2021 budget. Callison said Hennepin County has been disproportionately affected by COVID-19, with 47% of the total cases in Minnesota resulting in death and disparities by race with black residents making up 13% of the population and 28.7% of the cases and white residents 72% of the population and 41% of the cases. Callison stated Mound has 76 confirmed cases but less than 5 known deaths. Callison said the CARES Act funding allocation includes $27.4M for the small business relief fund, $16.9M in rental and housing assistance, $10M for homelessness, $4M for education, and $3.5M for voting. Callison noted three Mound businesses received $24,600 in relief funds. Callison said the allocation for homeless services and housing stability spent $2.5M per month on hotels to decompress the demand compared to $200K per month pre -pandemic. Callison said the Minneapolis recovery includes rebuilding the East Lake Library, South Human Services Center, and North Satellite, noting key buildings have been fortified to prevent further damage caused by rioting. Callison noted 2 out of 3 voters voted absentee in the August 11th primary elections and highlighted key dates for the November 3 general election. Callison noted the budget will be set next Tuesday with the Administration recommending no property tax levy increase which will require a $40M cut and also noted major unknowns for 2021. Callison noted the anticipated shift from commercial to residential due to many vacant/underutilized commercial properties asking for reassessments. Callison noted County Administration recommended delaying capital projects including the Westonka Library but noted the discussion on traffic challenges will continue. 7. Orono Police Sergeant Tim Sonnek presenting the Mound activity report for August 2020 Mound City Council Minutes — September 22, 2020 Salazar noted the full report was included in packet as Police Sergeant Sonnek was not present. 8. City Manager Eric Hoversten requesting action on a Resolution authorizing allocation of Coronavirus Relief Funds to Westonka School District Hoversten noted that quickly after learning the constraints on cities to utilize the CARES Act funds, the city decided to look for local relief alternatives before reverting the remaining funds as of November 15th to Hennepin County Medical Center, per statute. Hoversten said the council appointed Pugh and Salazar to serve on an advisory committee with Christopher Anderson, Executive Director of WeCAN, and business leaders Collin Charleson and Kelli Gillespie -Coen serving as the community at large members. Hoversten said the city is tracking eligible expenses including response and preparedness initiatives. Hoversten said the advisory commission agreed on the need to identify community partners, including WeCAN and the Westonka School District. Hoversten said the advisory committee agreed the focus should be on emergency assistance for individuals recognizing county, state, and federal programs were sufficient for business subsidies. Hoversten said the business members heavily endorsed assistance to the school district in support of safely reopening schools to allow employees to fully return to their jobs, many of which are local, which resulted in the following priorities: (1) City expenses, (2) WeCAN administration of emergency assistance to individuals, and (3) Westonka School District Hoversten highlighted the supplemental newsletter that was sent out to residents to provide a guide to COVID-19 relief resources and encouraging new participants in need to reach out. Hoversten noted until feedback is received from the newsletter, it is an unknown quantity, but one would assume it still won't amount to the amounts allocated to us. Hoversten said cities can't use the dollars for revenue replacement, which is one of the larger impacts and it also doesn't provide for shovel ready projects, whereas relief for schools has much different criterion, including a presumptive $500 per student to facilitate distance learning. Hoversten said that greatly reduces the red tape for justifying use of the funds. Hoversten said the resolution will approve $500K of the $704K allocation to the Westonka School District (WSD), a fellow taxing authority which will allow us to retain a local benefit, adding that prior to the 15th of November, a final determination will be made to see if any additional unused fund should also go to the school district. Pugh complemented the staff and WeCAN in the prep of the resource guide. Salazar said the pandemic has been catastrophic and we are fortunate for the CARES allocation and this is an opportunity to extend help to our local citizens, students and families. Salazar thanked all involved, including Pugh, business and non-profit leaders and city staff in handling the discussion in a very professional and expedient way. Salazar invited Superintendent Kevin Borg to address the Council. Borg thanked staff for the extra effort to make this work, noting they have been very collaborative. Borg thanked Mayor Salazar for responding to Borg's initial outreach noting Salazar not only brought it to Mound City Council but also reached out to the other Westonka cities. Borg noted in 2012 Mound was Mound City Council Minutes — September 22, 2020 named Best Place to Raise Kids and it is acts like this that make this true. Borg said he has been here 24 years and he is grateful for the partnership among the cities and WSD. Borg said they will have revenue loss from reduced fees and a dip in enrollment. Borg said he believes in school choice by deferring Kindergarten, Post -Secondary Enrollment Option for high school students and/or home school. Borg noted on the expense side, significant resources were invested regardless if there was a funding source, and this allocation will go a far way to offset the deficits. Borg thanked the City Council from the school district staff and student population. Borg said a bit of luck and organization by the staff have resulted in a successful start to the school year that hopefully can be sustained. Borg said this is a proud moment for him as a citizen to see such great community partnerships. MOTION by Pugh, seconded by Velsor, to adopt the following resolution. All voted in favor. Motion carried. RESOLUTION NO. 20-93: RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING ALLOCATION OF CORONAVIRUS RELIEF FUNDS TO WESTONKA SCHOOL DISTRICT 9. Catherine Pausche Director of Finance and Administration requesting action on a Resolution authorizing website redesign outside of budget Pausche said the www.cityofmound.com is currently on the GOVOFFICE platform and Staff is requesting the Council approve the resolution authorizing a website redesign outside of budget. Pausche said the $12,000 year -one expense is eligible for reimbursement from CARES Act funding, noting that since March when City Hall was closed to the public, it became clear that our existing website does not maintain the functionality needed to accomplish critical administrative citizen -service tasks that are crucial in the current ongoing COVID-19 response. Pausche said one of the biggest enhancements will be access to the historical agenda packets and minutes. Pausche noted the proposed vendor, CivicPlus, specializes in governmental websites and is a leading provider for many cities in Minnesota. Salazar noted the importance of adapting to the needs of our residents who are still at home and sheltering in place. MOTION by Larson, seconded by Velsor, to adopt the following resolution. All voted in favor. Motion carried. RESOLUTION NO. 20-94: RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING WEBSITE REDESIGN OUTSIDE OF BUDGET 10. Catherine Pausche Director of Finance and Administration requesting discussion on the polling places for the November 3, 2020 General Election Pausche said the State of Minnesota gave cities the chance to reevaluate the suitability of existing polling places in light of COVID-19 and in May the Council approved moving from 4 to 2 to facilitate better social distancing, one-way traffic and in recognition that many of the experienced election judges had to step down due to their individual risk factors. Pausche noted the packet contained updated justifications including anticipated absentee voting levels and statements by the two head judges. Pausche noted that when no -excuse absentee voting was enacted in 2014, she took a wait and see position on making changes to the number of Mound City Council Minutes — September 22, 2020 polling places, primarily because Mound is required to have an even number of polling locations due to being represented by two Hennepin County Commissioners. Pausche noted she would recommend Mound not be split during the next redistricting. Pausche said the county and state have devoted significant resources to safe and fair elections and she is proud to be part of it. Pausche noted the Centennial Building is an ideal location now that City Hall is no longer there. Pausche noted that no action is being requested because we can't make a change at this point, but just wanted to open up the discussion and reaffirm the decision in light of a resident's request for the Council to do so. Salazar said the overlying reason for this is COVID-19 and the lack of experienced judges and it is only meant to be a temporary thing. Pausche said that the early no excuse absentee voting in 2014 has shifted the allocation of resources to the 45 days prior compared to election day and that Staff will reassess and make their best recommendation for the 2022 election. Salazar said he remembers 6 polling places and the key is to make voting easily available. Velsor noted the two head judge statements should weigh heavily into opinion in addition to the high number of absentee votes during the primary. 11. _City Engineer Brian Simmons presenting discussion and requesting action to approve Resolution to Approve Plans and Specs and Advertise for Bids for the 2020 Retaining Wall project — Sulgrove Rd. PW -20-02 Simmons said the packet included the set of plans and specifications that will allow the project to go out to bid. Simmons noted the Sulgrove and Tuxedo retaining wall has a number of large trees that are assumed to be holding up the existing timber wall so it is recommended to change to a large block retaining wall that will minimize the impact to private property and will keep the wall in the right-of-way. MOTION by Velsor, seconded by Pugh, to adopt the following resolution. All voted in favor. Motion carried. RESOLUTION NO. 20-95: RESOLUTION APPROVING PLANS AND SPECIFICATIONS ORDERING ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS FOR THE 2020 RETAINING WALL IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 12. City Manager and Director of Public Works Eric Hoversten presenting general concepts for replacement/upgrade of east communitV entrance monument Hoversten showed pictures of the current east entrance Mound sign and Tonka Bay signage that stimulated the discussion. Hoversten showed newer Mound monuments/signage in the transit center and Harbor District and some other design themes in the downtown area, including larger river stone set in grout with a large cement block in the middle. Hoversten showed a conceptual sketch of a potential entry monument. Hoversten said there are six ways into town and there is really only sufficient real estate for an entrance monument with approximately 15 feet of available space. Hoversten showed a sketch with a larger Welcome to Mound sign with our community partner signs behind. Hoversten outlined the next steps, including whether the Council wants to proceed with a more professional rendering by a landscape architect, which Bolton and Menk has on staff who will create a site plan rendering and cost estimate followed by a request for bids and construction. Mound City Council Minutes — September 22, 2020 Salazar asked if the sign would be placed where the existing sign is placed and the community partners would be farther west and Hoversten affirmed. Salazar asked if the company who manufactured the transit center sign still exists and Hoversten affirmed. Salazar said the tree should be evaluated. Hoversten said because of its proximity to the power lines, Xcel Energy will begin to notch or top it off. Hoversten said it would require complete removal. Velsor said a new footing for the sign would probably impact the roots anyway. Hoversten said it would likely call for taking the tree out and replacing it with a more size appropriate tree. Salazar said he would like the option to light the signs up. Salazar said he had the idea from 2018 after multiple trips though Tonka Bay. Velsor asked if the river stone is cast in or cultured stone. Hoversten said he thought the transit is grouted with actual stones whereas the bridge is precast (stamped concrete). Velsor said he would prefer a cultured stone. Hoversten said multiple options can be bid. Salazar said he wants the most stable. Hoversten said cultured veneer would be better than stacked stones that are subject to moisture and wear. Pugh said she is fine with a new monument but wants accompanying landscape to be consistent with downtown in order to preserve the tone. Larson said she agrees that a new sign is needed. Larson noted some churches and the City of Delano have a digital display element that crawl across to advertise community events but then she thought it may be a distraction. Velsor noted Delano's is by a stop light. Larson thought any electronic element may need to be closer to downtown. Simmons thought Hennepin County would not allow it in this location as rules are based on size of lettering and traffic speed. Salazar suggested letting staff give direction to BMI to proceed with the landscape architect design and all agreed. 13. Information/Miscellaneous A. Comments/reports from Council members/City Manager: Hoversten said City Hall is now open for absentee voting. Hoversten thanked the partners that allow us to meet at the PAC through November 10tH Hoversten noted the rescheduled Nite to Unite was cancelled — although Hoversten encouraged neighbors to reach out to each other safely and be sure everyone is prepared for winter. Velsor asked if a fall clean up would happen and Pausche said not likely but noted Hennepin County drop off centers have reopened. B. Reports: Fire Department — August 2020 C. Minutes: POSC: 03-12-20 D. Correspondence: WeCAN Winefest 2020 Flyer — October 3, 2020 14. Adjourn MOTION by Pugh, seconded by Larson, seconded by Velsor, to adjourn at 8:30 p.m. All voted in favor. Motion carried. sr%le- _ Attest: Catherine Pausche, Clerk Mayor Raymond J. Salazar