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Home My WebLink About1997/02/10 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session , I CITY OF Minutes ST. LOUIS City Council Study Session J' PARK St. Louis Park, Minnesota February 10, 1997 The meeting convened at 7:17 p.m. The following Councilmembers were present: Jeff Jacobs, Beverly Flanagan, Sue Sanger, Ron Latz, Robert Young, Jim Brimeyer and Mayor Gail Dorfman. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Meyer); Deputy City Manager(Ms. Kutzler); Director of Community Development(Mr. Harmening); Director of Parks& Recreation (Mr. Gears); Superintendent of Engineering (Mr. Moore); Economic Development Coordinator(Mr. Anderson) and Housing Coordinator(Ms. Quarfot). 1. Meeting with State Legislators Senator Steve Kelley, Representative Jim Rhodes and Representative Betty Folliard were present to discuss various issues of concern to the City of St. Louis Park. The following topics were discussed: a. Impact of TIF laws Mr. Meyer expressed concerns about any retroactive effective dates. Ms. Folliard indicated the need for open communication on this issue and intends to keep an eye on any bills or amendments introduced. Mr. Kelley pointed out that Minneapolis will need TIF for the stadium so the Chair of House Tax will be interested. b. Town Center/Park Nicollet bridge funding Mr. Meyer outlined the need for a State/County/City consortium to redevelop the Town Center/Park Nicollet bridge. Funding will be needed in approximately 2 years. c. Reilly Tar& Chemical Mr. Meyer pointed out that the City is bearing full remediation costs through residents' water bills. Since 1984/86 costs total $10 million. The City needs financial assistance since annual costs ($250,000-$500,000) to monitor, treat, pump, test etc. will continue into the foreseeable future. Mr. Kelley inquired about the State's role as laid out in the written settlement agreement. He indicated he will look for legislative opportunities but the City needs to define what it wants since it can only be used once as leverage for State Aid in one form or another. 1 Mr. Brimeyer indicated the MPCA was calling the shots in the past so the State should pay. The possibility of seeking modifications to MPCA requirements was discussed. Ms. Folliard indicated interest in helping since the ongoing requirements imposed by MPCA was not realistically foreseen by the City. Mr. Meyer directed staff to prepare and provide to the Council and the Legislators : 1) a list of standards/requirements imposed by the State; and 2) a breakdown of costs. d. Tax Reform Mr. Meyer pointed out the City didn't raise taxes for 5 years and expressed concern about being penalized in tax reform proposals. Mr. Kelley indicated that the"price of government" concept is a useful tool. He recognizes the need for flexibility but also the need for goals to take less money out of taxpayers' pockets. He hears people don't want to pay any more property taxes. Mr. Jacobs pointed out that the challenge is not really cost but whether government should be doing what it is doing. The focus should be on cutting what it is doing, not on the tax side. e. Snow Removal Mr. Meyer indicated that the City could overspend its snow removal budget. Mr. Kelley indicated he could see if some State funds can be funneled. f. Welfare Reform Impact Mayor Dorfman raised concerns about the needs of legal immigrants in the City (e.g., Shalom Homes). Ms. Sanger inquired about any proposed welfare reform shifts of responsibility to municipalities. Mr. Kelley expects responsibility to stay with the County. Mr. Rhodes pointed out that the time is right for State appropriations under welfare reform or otherwise for housing rehab programs for first time homeowners. He indicated the Housing Committee has scheduled a tour for February 12 at Louisiana Court/Perspectives. Mr. Kelley indicated he has committee jurisdiction over housing and feels something can be done. g. Railroad Issue Mayor Dorfinan indicated additional information on the railroad issue will be provided to the Legislators next week. 2 The City Council expressed its sincere appreciation and thanks to the Legislators for their support, attendance and assistance. 2. Excelsior Blvd. west of Hwy. 100 - Pedestrian safety Several neighborhood representatives were in attendance (Kathy Wecker, Brookside; Randy Manthey, Brooklawns; and Widdy Shreves, Creekside). Mike Rardin summarized the accident/fatality history in the area between Methodist Hospital and Hwy. 100. Excelsior Blvd. is the highest accident area in the County. Ms. Shreves outlined 17 alternatives for addressing the problem as contained in staff's report and indicated that redesign is the most important avenue to improve safety. Her proposed redesign goals would be to slow traffic and make it pedestrian friendly. Mayor Dorfman pointed out the example of the Hopkins Master Redesign Plan and inquired about the impact of changing Excelsior Blvd's classification (e.g., rerouting to Hwy 7). Mr. Harmening indicated that some construction could possibly occur in late 1998 and that some short-term projects could be done earlier. Mr. Meyer pointed out issues of 1) how to tie the improvement to the budget; 2) alternative funding for a bridge; and 3) cycling of County funding. Kathy Wecker identified the following issues: 1) snow and ice removal practices preclude pedestrian crossing; 2) Hwy. 100 left turn lane backs up traffic; and 3) Yosemite No Left Turn needed during rush traffic. Randy Manthey indicated that the County needs the City to ask for assistance before they'll get started on options. It was Council consensus to proceed with the proposed short and long-term actions. 3 Public Art at Recreation Center Mr. Brimeyer summarized progress to date on the public art project. Council consensus was to proceed with the planning and put this item on next Tuesday's agenda with proposed Council actions for 1) supporting the project for unveiling at the Recreation Center opening; and 2) commission the work with funding from the Recreation Center contingency with future reimbursements from the fund-raising efforts. 4. Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program 3 Mr. Harmening and Ms. Quarfot outlined proposed changes to the 1997 CDBG program. The following concerns and suggestions were raised by Councilmembers: - concerned about difficulty in measuring proposed soft costs; - need for creating incentives for matching commitments since being"up to code"doesn't mean property doesn't need improvement; - City funding emphasis should be on public amenities improvements, not building improvements; - preference for using a carrot(e.g., low-interest loan) rather than a stick(e.g., strict,picky code enforcement); - preference for tightly focused soft cost uses (e.g., day care); - concerned about soft education costs being limited to only those getting rehab funds; can be patronizing to require training; - concerned about subsidizing landlords when should simply enforce codes; - look at possibly building on crime free multi-housing programs with soft costs (e.g., landlord matches with internal security, lighting, etc.); - look at appropriate trade offs(e.g., to receive public funds, landlord must go beyond code with parking, lighting, security, etc.); - look at restricting landlord from raising rents. Council consensus was to proceed with the general purposes/direction and staff was directed to continue to inform prior CDBG recipients of planned use of 1997 funds. 5. Commercial Rehabilitation Loan Fund Mr. Harmening and Mr. Anderson summarized the proposed policy and guidelines. Council supported its further refinement and proceeding with the small business retention plan. The following summarizes various Councilmembers' concerns and suggestions: - need to build in proposed policy that it is not intended to create/support competition for existing businesses; and - build in weighting factors like TIF policy regarding HUBE, small business and possibly living wage. 4 6. Use of Public Land . Mr. Moore summarized the proposed policy for four types of uses of public land. Council indicated support for finalizing for Council adoption. It was pointed out that the title needs clarification to that the policy does not govern such things as public parades and free speech related uses. Written Reports -Deer Management Methodology Council discussed needs(when and how) for notification to residents prior to Council actions and the need for neighborhood meetings on neighborhood issues. Council indicated that staff proceed but only if safe, with the consent of owners, and with no confrontations. Staff will continue to keep Council informed of status. The meeting adjourned at 10:37 p.m. ed Gail orfman, Mayor J•;;� - u A e :>ecording Secretary 5