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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1993/01/19 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular 4b 1111 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL MEETING ' ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA January 19, 1993 1 . Call to order The meeting was called to order by Mayor Pro Tem Keith Meland at 7:30 p.m. 2. Roll call • The following Councilmembers were in attendance: Jeff Jacobs, Allen Friedman, Larry Mitchell , Gail Dorfman and Keith Meland. 3. Presentations - None 4. Approval of minutes It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Mitchell , to approve the minutes of the January 4, 1993 meeting. The motion passed 5-0. ill 5. Approval of agenda It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Mitchell , to approve the consent agenda for Jan. 19, 1993. The motion passed 5-0. It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs to approve the agenda for Jan. 19 , 1993 with the following addition: lla. Lead and copper sampling of water. The motion passed 5-0. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. PETITIONS, REQUESTS, COMMUNICATIONS None. RESOLUTIONS AND ORDINANCES 8a. Execution of City documents First reading of ordinance It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, IIIto approve first reading, set second for Feb. 1 , 1993 and authorize summary publication. The motion passed 5-0. 5. City Council meeting minutes Jan. 19, 1993 REPORTS FROM OFFICERS, BOARDS, COMMITTEES 9a. Park Hill neighborhood stop signs Councilmember Friedman said a number of people from the neighborhood has expressed an interest in this item, but he didn't see anyone present to speak to it. It was moved by Councilmember Friedman, seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to defer the item to February 1 , 1993. The motion passed 5-0. 9b. Request from Cable TV Advisory Commission Retention of attorney for FCC representation Mr. Pires briefly commented on the Cable Commission's request. Councilmember Friedman asked if it was normal to have one person make a presentation. Or should a number of attorneys been asked to make presenta- tions. Mr. Pires said the attorney in attendance did make a presentation to the commission at the latter' s request. He said other attorneys had been utilized in the past for various cable tv matters. He saw no reason why other attorneys with expertise in cable matters could not be contacted. Councilmember Friedman was not clear on what was happening. Meland Mayor Pro Tem/wondered if the Southwest Cable Commission was still function- ing. It seemed if it were, it might be an opportunity for a number of communities to join together and have single representation. He suggested a report to that effect come back on Feb. 1 to see whether there is interest on the part of other communities. Councilmember Dorfman would be interested in knowing what coalition of cities would be involved and noted the attorney was present. Susan Miles, attorney who had addressed the cable commission, spoke. Her expertise is in the field of utility regulation. She said there was a time constraint as the initial round of comments is due at the FCC on Jan. 27* She said the Southwest Cable Commission, an organization of cities operating under a Joint Powers Agreement, has been conducting business for a long time. She did not know what the intentions of the Southwest Cable Commission were. The proposal she had presented to the Cable Commission was for a one-time only project to file comments on their behalf and the other cities participating in the coalition she represents with the FCC on the subject of rate regulation. Councilmember Mitchell 's concern was that the timeframe was so tight. He felt it would be embarrassing not to have provided comments on the part of City residents in terms of how the FCC ought to proceed. He felt it appropriate to hire Ms. Miles. *with the second round of =rents 6, due by Feb. 11. City Council meeting minutes Jan. 19, 1993 Councilmember Jacobs felt it important for Council to have a chance to review what the Cable Commission would be sending to the FCC. Councilmember Friedman asked when this subject was first talked about by the commission. Mr. Larson said on Dec. 1 , 1992, the Cable Commission communicated to the City Council its intent to address this matter. Councilmember Friedman felt the communications process had broken down and that was cause for concern. He was not questioning the competency of Ms. Miles. Councilmember Dorfman said she had heard from a Cable Commissioner who had just heard the item was on the agenda and she had other plans. She agreed there was a communication problem going both ways. Councilmember Mitchell said that although the whole matter could have been handled in a better fashion, it was important for comments to get to the FCC. It was moved by Councilmember Mitchell , seconded by Councilmember Friedman, to engage Hessian, McCasy & Soderberg to perform this service on behalf of the City per the terms in staff's memo. Mayor Pro Tem Meland asked if Council would see what would be going to the FCC. Ms. Miles said she was prepared to circulate an outline to the participating cities and will have a draft of the comments prepared by the end of the week. Councilmember Mitchell reiterated his frustration with the communications breakdown as well as the unusually tight timeframe to comply. Mayor Pro Tem Meland suggested staff contact Congressman Sabo, telling him of the deadlines the City is facing to see if there might be an extension of the rule-making process at the FCC if Council wished to comment further. Councilmember Jacobs asked if staff had checked out if the Southwest Cable Commission was submitting comments and whether their comments would be consistent with the comments the City would be making. Mr. Larson said Mr. Tom Creighton apparently was trying to get a coalition of cities together to respond. It was his understanding Southwest Cable Commission was trying to put some comments together for filing purposes. Mayor Pro Tem noted Ms. Miles had said a second round of comments was due to the FCC on Feb. 11 . He felt this provided an opportunity for the Cable Commission to react to the comments to be prepared by Ms. Miles.and the Council an opportunity to review the Commission's advice to it on Feb. 1 . There was some discussion of whether or not the City was a member of the Southwest Cable Commission. Mayor Pro Tem Meland remembered the City was once a part of the Joint Powers Agreement. Councilmember Friedman felt it worthwhile to check this out and see if the City could not rejoin 7. City Council meeting minutes Jan. 19, 1993 that organization for purposes of commenting to the FCC. He was concerned that all of the affected communities are getting fragmented. He was not sure III what the FCC was looking for, what the City is doing, what is being asked for. He couldn't vote in good conscience at this point; what he could vote for was to find out what everybody else was doing about this and getting back to us. Councilmember Mitchell said Council had spoken about rate regulation in the past and now an opportunity presents itself for comment and here was the Council without its act together. This is the time to be doing something and he hoped some kind of comment on the City's behalf can be ready to go prior to Feb. 11 . Councilmember Dorfman did not see the importance of which coalition of cities St. Louis Park was a part of. She felt it crucial to comment on the FCC regulations and nothing prevents the City from proceeding individually. Councilmember Friedman felt it of interest to know what other cities are saying so the FCC doesn't think there are numerous communities each with a different idea. Also, conserving funds -- if a group responds with one legal firm representing all , a stronger voice is heard. Councilmember Mitchell asked if Council could get a report back as soon as possible on how to proceed, what is required, the legal requirements, to what extent can we proceed on our own, and so forth. He put the foregoing III in the form of a motion which Councilmember Friedman seconded. Councilmember Meland asked that staff provide Council with a copy of the Federal Register with request for comments so it would be known what Council is being asked to deal with. Ms. Miles said she didn't believe it appeared in the Federal Register because of its length, but she would provide Council with a summary she has prepared of the key issues. The motion passed 5-0. Councilmember Friedman expressed his appreciation to Ms. Miles for attending the meeting and her comments. 9c. Cedar Lake Rd. open house synopsis It was moved by Councilmember Mitchell , seconded by Councilmember Jacobs, to receive the report for filing. The motion passed 5-0. Councilmember Mitchell thanks staff for the excellent job it is doing relative to this project. 9d. Cable TV Advisory Commission minutes Jan. 7, 1993 9e. Housing Authority minutes December 8, 1992 Items 9d and 9e ordered filed by consent. III UNFINISHED BUSINESS 10a. Boards and commissions Mayor Pro Tem asked that 8. City Council meeting minutes January 19, 1993 It was moved by Councilmember Jacobs, seconded by Councilmember Dorfman, to appoint Jerome Alch to the Community Education Advisory Council . The motion passed 5-0. NEW BUSINESS lla. Lead/copper in water Councilmember Mitchell said he had read the article in the Star Tribune about lead/copper in the water. He asked for comment from staff. Mr. Grube provided information about the sites within the City which have begun providing staff with water samples. These sites have either lead or copper service lines. Staff is interested in determining the water quality at the tap. Out of the 60 samples, 8 showed lead levels above established thresholds of 15 parts per billion. All samples from copper pipes proved negative. Because of the incidence of lead, the City is required to do a second round of sampling as well as analysis of water being pumped into the system from the treatment plant as well as providing a flyer to residents explaining the issue of lead providing information on proper flushing of taps before drawing first water of the day. He noted this was a Federal requirement. MISCELLANEOUS 12a. Damage claims - None 12b. Communications from the Mayor Pro Tem The information requested by the Council redistricting committee was now available so the committee can now meet in order to act by April 1 . 12c. Communications from Interim City Manager Mr. Pires said he had a request from the Community Improvement Program, sponsors of shared housing programs to make affordable independent housing opportunities with mental illness. They were seeking a letter of support from the City. It was the consensus to place this on the Feb. 1 agenda. Mr. Pires referenced an article in the Star Tribune relative to City Councilmembers and Mayor salaries. He noted there had not been an increase in St. Louis Park since 1985. CLAIMS, APPROPRIATIONS, CONTRACT PAYMENTS 13a. Verified claims By consent, the list of verified claims was approved in the following amounts: Vendor claims: $291 ,903.84 and payroll claims $20,847.22 14. Adjournment The m eking adjourned at 8: 15 p.m. i fr ecor.ing Secretar 9 Mayor Pro Tem