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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1996/05/28 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session MINUTES STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK CITY COUNCIL May 28, 1996 Councilmember Jacobs called the meeting to order at 7 00 p m. Present were Councilmembers Sue Sanger, Robert Young, Jim Brimeyer, Ron Latz Also present were the City Manager(Mr Meyer); Deputy City Manager(Ms. Kutzler); Director of Community Development (Mr Harmening); Director of Public Works (Mr Rardin); Economic Development Coordinator(Mr Anderson); Planning Coordinator(Ms Erickson), Director of Inspections (Mr. Petersen). 1 Scanlin property. Monterey and Excelsior Blvd (east of 38th St ) Mr. Anderson gave this report The owner of the property had contacted the City to determine City/EDA interest in buying the properties prior to actively marketing to other buyers In answer to a question as to why Mr Scanlin had contacted the City, Mr. Anderson said he had heard about the Town Center plans There was a comment as to the condition of the soil and that the smaller parcel would lend itself to a parking ramp It was Council consensus that staff continue to explore this with the owner. 2 Lake Forest fence and neighborhood sign Lynn Carper, Lake Forest Neighborhood Association, was present to discuss this item. The crux of their concern was a white plank fence which was removed from in front of the Keefe property during construction and never reinstalled Mr Keefe does not wish for the fence to be reinstalled Mr Carper considers the fence to be a signature of the neighborhood Some of the materials are in the possession of the association; others appear to have disappeared. The developer said he placed them on the site for removal by the association. Clouding the issue is the fact the fence was partially located within City right-of-way and partially within County nght-of-way The issues before Council concern rights/responsibilities of adjacent property owners, the association, the City and the County, and is there a basis for filing criminal charges against the developer for removing the fence and possibly the taking of materials Councilmember Sanger said it appeared the City had rebuffed neighborhood efforts to get the fence reinstalled. She noted the neighborhood has maintained the fence for 20+years Mr Meyer said the City would prefer to avoid litigation and not have this turned into a criminal matter Minutes - Study session May 28, 1996 Councilmember Sanger asked if this were not rightfully a matter for prosecution rather than an administrative decision Councilmember Young felt the City Manager must make a decision before it goes to the prosecutor and that he needs Council direction on whether or not it is a matter for prosecution Councilmember Brimeyer felt if the City wanted to have a fence in place, go ahead and do it and avoid prosecution. Mr Carper said the association was willing to compromise on a 3 section fence instead of the previous footage Councilmember Latz suggested the Keefes be contacted and attempt to negotiate replacement of the fence, at least in part as Mr Carper suggested. He felt some emphasis on the fact the fence has always identified the neighborhood could be made Mr Meyer said the City will try to find out where the missing pieces of the fence are He, Mayor Dorfman and Councilmember Sanger will get together to try to sort out this problem. 3 Livable Communities - Future steps Ms. Erickson explained staff sought Council input on the next step in the Livable Communities process, namely the preparation for an upcoming public design charrette which is proposed for September She briefly outlined the purpose of the charrette. Councilmember Sanger suggested the addition of neighborhood leaders to the list of individuals/businesses that will be contacted throughout the pre-charrette process Staff was directed to move forward as outlined in staff's report 4. Commercial and recreational vehicles and trailers Ms Erickson explained that when all the discussion about commercial vehicles, recreational vehicles, trailers, etc started, the goal was to create an enforceable ordinance which protects neighborhoods from commercial intrusions and unsightliness and meets the intent of the Comprehensive Plan Staff now was seeking input from the Council relative to trailers not being regulated in the same way as motor vehicles The problem arose that open utility trailers holding anything from snowmobiles to junk, could be stored indefinitely in a front yard if treated the same as motor vehicles Minutes - Study session May 28, 1996 After lengthy discussion, it was the consensus of Council that one commercial vehicle or trailer or recreational vehicle could be parked in a driveway as long as the vehicle met all the height, weight, length provisions Staff will continue working on language for the ordinance clarifying the trailer portion and return to an upcoming Council meeting 5 1997 budget outlook, policies& guidelines Ms McBride presented this report. A number of ideas were brought up. creation of a modest levy increase and exploration of a limited franchise fee, view any expenditures closely and from a conservative stance including traffic studies, park development, equipment purchases, etc. Ms. McBride said the bottom line for 1997 and beyond shows an ever-growing deficit assuming current programs/services remain at current levels with no increase in revenue and no further tax increases. Staff was instructed to research and develop all of the options presented including expenditure reductions 6. City Attorney search The Council had a lengthy discussion of this subject. It appeared there were three options at this point (1) hire a core attorney at a flat fee and farm special cases out to firms with necessary expertise, (2) hire a core attorney to also do some aspects of litigation, (3) hire a core attorney to provide full service to the City Ms. Kutzler was asked to research a number of questions brought up by Council to assist in their interviewing of the 4 firms She will be setting up interview appointments for Tuesday, June 18 The study session concluded at 9 40 p m. Ivitñ ecording Secretary