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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1988/10/24 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session MINUTES 4111 CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA October 24, 1988 1. Call to order Mayor Lyle Hanks called the meeting to order at 7:10 p.m. ' 2. Roll Call The following members were present at roll call : Tom Duffy, Keith Meland, David Strand, Lyle Hanks. Larry Mitchell arrived at 7:40 p.m. Also present were the City Manager, Assistant City Manager and Assistant to the City Manager. The Mayor stated that Council had received a status report on long-range planning issues and suggested that the Council go through them individually for review. 1 . Neighborhood case study/Study relationship between crime and rental housing — The City Manager stated that everything under the accomplished section is up to date with the exception that City staff received a report from Steve Sarkosy, City Manager of Geneva, New York, regarding the housing rental 41 program. The Mayor suggested that staff move forward with a neighborhood case study. The Assistant City Manager stated that it is difficult to respond to a case study similar to that of the -Louisiana Ave. homes. The Mayor asked whether or not a public hearing would need to be held. Council- member Strand responded that that would make sense. Councilmember Meland stated that prior to a public hearing, the Council needs to have a better plan developed. The Mayor said he agreed and re-emphasized that the goal is to keep single family homes. Councilmember Strand suggested that staff develop a generic program and approach and target the Blackstone neighborhood as a pilot program. Councilmember Duffy stated that the program could be similar to that in place at 36th and Dakota. Councilmember Strand suggested that staff develop ideas and come back to Council . It was the consensus of the Council that staff search for programs in other communities and highlight the positive and negative parts of each program for Council and develop program ideas and report back to Council . 2. Pay equity legislation - The Mayor stated that this would be handled under the legislative liaison program. Councilmember Strand recommended that this item be removed from the long-range planning agenda. Councilmember Meland suggested that it not be removed at this time since a report should be received regarding a draft policy in approximately one month. 3. Drug program - The Mayor updated the Council as to the status of this JP item and stated that Juvenile Court Judge Allen Oliesky has accepted the appointment as chair of the committee and the committee will be hosting a brainstorming session to develop goals and objectives for the program. He reminded the City Council that state funds will become available to offset costs in this joint school/city effort. 2._ 4. SARA Act - The City Manager stated that movement has been made in developing the elements of the plan based on the model plan received from the City of Edina. 5. Domestic abuse - The City Council recommended that staff respond to the League of Women Voters report on domestic abuse by informing the League of the $10,000 allocation in 1989 to Hennepin-West Intervention Project for victims of domestic abuse. It was further suggested that the League be informed that if they wanted more done they should make a presentation before the City Council . 6. Financial contingency plan - The City Manager stated that he reviewed the report prepared in 1983 and indicated that it would give staff a good starting point to develop a contingency plan for City revenue sources. 7. Water/sewer/refuse billing - The City Manager stated that the Finance Director's report provided a good analysis of monthly water/sewer/refuse billing and concluded that it would be very expensive to implement based on the fact that there would be additional mailings, additional human resources required and no additional revenues. The Assistant City Manager stated that a number of cities have requested LOGIS to look into monthly billings which may have an impact on the expenditure end. Councilmember Strand stated that he would like to see the Finance Director's report and also inquired as to the status of a "budget plan" for citizens. Councilmember Meland recommended that staff look into estimating the billing every other time, thereby reducing 11 the readings per year. 8. Street reconstruction program - The Mayor stated that this would return to the City Council in the form of the 1989 CIP. 9. City beautification: a. Weed abatement - Staff findings to date on this matter were acknowledged. Staff was encouraged to remain vigilant for relevant programs. b. Signage program for City parks - The Mayor stated that this is moving forward and is scheduled for completion in five years. c. Image enhancement at Hwy. 7/Minnetonka Blvd. - Staff was directed to proceed with its discussions on landscaping, plantings and entrance signage and perhaps incorporate it into the Highway 7 redevelopment plan. d. Signage program for entrance points - The Mayor that the signage program would be expanded to other key entrance points of the City. 10. Customer service program - Councilmember Mitchell stated that the citizen grievance procedure in his mind is a higher priority than providing computer terminals in the lobby area. He stated that currently there is not a good tracking system for complaints. Councilmember Duffy said it was his recollection that this was addressed six years ago and at that time, the goal was to establish a process. In cases where the Council member is involved, any procedure to be developed would provide a mechanism for notifying the Council- member. 3. 4111 The Mayor suggested that the Council review the first long-range planning item of housing in terms of the impact of I-394. The consensus of the Council was to work with the Department of Public Works and for staff to present proposals to the City Council at its November 14 study session. Further, it was suggested that the review should not be restricted to the Louisiana Ave. area but rather through the entire corridor system. Miscellaneous items Joint meeting with Planning Commission - The Mayor reminded Council of the joint meeting with the Planning Commission scheduled for November 2 beginning at 6:00 p.m. to discuss an overview of the new zoning ordinance. He emphasized that Council should be considering the process and perhaps the establishment of a joint task force composed of members from the Planning Commission, City Council and the community. Block Two: Oakmont - Councilmember Strand stated that he was contacted by Steve Cox regarding the development of Block 2 in Oak Park Village. He stated that Mr. Cox is having a difficult time getting his project underway. He informed Council that Mr. Cox has talked with his bond counsel about transferring bonds to another site in the City. Mr. Cox brought up the Burlington Northern site adjacent to Lake Forest. Mr. Cox felt that the site offered an opportunity for development and an opportunity for him to recoup some of his costs provided he is able to build something else. Staff was directed to explore the following 4111 information: 1 . Size of property 2. Zoning of the property 3. Identify the City-owned property 4. Identify number of units 5. Identify how the City acquired the property 5. Identify whether the property is platted 7. The process/timetable for implementation Cable TV: The Assistant City Manager outlined the proposed process in the cable tv franchise renewal : November 7, public hearing; November 21 , first reading of ordinance; December 5, second reading of ordinance approving refranchise. The Mayor inquired as to what the final deadline would be in approving the refranchising agreement. The Assistant City Manager stated that the Council granted a six-month extension on August 19 which would expire on February 19, 1989. The Assistant City Manager highlighted the three major aspects of the franchise ordinance as: 1. System rebuild - The new system would be reconstructed and fully operational by Dec. 31 , 1990 with operation of the existing system throughout construction. The new cable system will have 60 channels. 2. Upgrade - The proposed franchise ordinance provides for an upgrade plan to be developed in year 8 of the franchise. An upgrade to 75 channels must ill be completed in year 10. 3. Franchise term - The proposed franchise ordinance has a term of 15 years. Provided the upgrade is completed in year 10, the franchise will automatically 4. be extended an additional 5 years. IP 4. Renegotiation period - The franchise ordinance establishes years 5, 8, 11 and 15 as renegotiation periods for specific sections in the ordinance. The City Council raised concerns regarding a number of franchise-related matters. It was the consensus of the Council to direct staff to address these concerns by seeking another attorney who would review the agreement based on the concerns raised by the City Council . Adjournment: The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m.