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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1997/08/25 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CITY OF City Council Study Session August 25, 1997 JJ]pSTLOLIIS A 7:00 p.m. The meeting convened at 7:00 p.m. Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Beverly Flanagan, Ron Latz, Jim Brimeyer, Robert Young, Sue Sanger, and Mayor Gail Dorfman. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Meyer); Deputy City Manager(Ms. Kutzler); Director of Community Development(Mr. Harmening); Public Works Director(Mr. Rardin); Superintendent of Engineering (Mr. Moore); Economic Development Coordinator(Mr. Anderson); Finance Director(Ms. McBride); Street Superintendent (Mr. Knutsen); Licensing ' Customer Service Representative (Bridgette Boche); and City Clerk(Cindy Larsen). 1. Volunteer Recognition Mayor Dorfman introduced Elizabeth Edmond, an intern who has been working with the Mayor for the summer, regarding volunteer recognition in St. Louis Park and the need to provide for more frequent and better planned opportunities to thank our valuable volunteers. Ms. Edmond has been researching the recognition practices of other municipalities and has met with City and School District staff regarding current practices and desired improvements. - Councilmembers agreed with the concepts presented and offered their suggestions and support. It was agreed upon that for the time being our recognition efforts should be concentrated on volunteers working within the City system and that to expand to all volunteer groups working in the community would be too major an undertaking at this time. Mr. Meyer indicated that the City and School District are working together toward a joint volunteer office and that discussions are taking place to determine volunteer needs,necessary resources, training and development of staff, etc. These discussions are preliminary in nature and Council will be kept informed of progress made. 2. Bike Trails Councilmember Sanger raised the question of whether there will be an opportunity for bike trail design in the upcoming Comprehensive Plan process. Mr. Meyer indicated that bike trail planning would indeed be part of that process as would planning for pedestrian trails and sidewalks. Council briefly discussed plans for a"rail trail" in St. Louis Park and were informed that due to efforts of Hennepin Parks, an appropriation for the acquisition and development of a trail was made at the legislative level. 1 3. EDA Legal Counsel The City Council/EDA met with Steve Bubul and Bob Lindahl of the firm of Kennedy and Graven which is the law firm recommended by the interview panel to provide legal services to the St. Louis Park Economic Development Authority. The representatives of Kennedy and Graven briefly introduced themselves and outlined the qualifications of the firm. A question and answer period followed. Mayor Dorfman stated that she felt an issue to be focused on is to maximize the use of counsel while minimizing the amount of public dollars spent. Councilmember Sanger asked what access City Council members would have to EDA counsel and Mr. Bubul assured her that each Councilmember would have complete access and should feel free to call whenever they felt it necessary. Mr. Meyer said that it had been very clear in the interviews conducted that the firm of Kennedy and Graven clearly stood out as the superior choice for both EDA and environmental issues. Councilmember Sanger asked how and when the transition to new EDA Counsel would take place. Mr. Harmening responded that it would be immediate,however there may be one or two issues where continuation of existing counsel would be advantageous. Also discussed was the need for attendance of EDA counsel at various City meetings. City Councilmembers expressed unanimous support for the selection of Kennedy and Graven as 111 EDA and Environmental Counsel. 4. Budget Presentation Finance Director Kathleen McBride presented an overview of the 1998 Proposed Budget to Council and briefly discussed its preparation. Following the presentation Councilmember Sanger asked how we handle extraordinary expenditures. Ms. McBride responded that there is currently no plan in place. Councilmember Brimeyer suggested we consider purchasing the electric utility to generate future revenue. Councilmembers asked many specific questions regarding individual line items and expenditures. 5. Public Works Programs and Services Mike Rardin presented an explanation of Public Works programs and services and answered questions associated with five Public Works budgets: Streets Maintenance; Snow and Ice Control; Lighting and Traffic Control; Municipal Service Center; and Equipment Replacement. Mr. Rardin briefly explained how the budget was prepared and asked Council for their input 2 regarding services or programs they felt we should be providing that we are not and services or programs we are providing that we should discontinue. A focus of the discussion was the aging streets in our City. Mr. Rardin urged Council to consider the ramifications of different approaches to maintenance and replacement as the entire City infrastructure ages. Councilmember Jacobs indicated that he felt we needed a comprehensive plan for street replacement put into place. Consideration was given to the special assessment policy and whether changes should be made in the future. Mike Rardin outlined some existing programs meant to address the issue. Councilmember Sanger asked what impact developments have on City streets and asked what charges we impose to counter balance maintenance and replacement costs. Councilmember Latz asked what kinds of cost-saving measures are put into place, for example; are we using energy efficient bulbs in traffic signals? Mr. Rardin replied that Public Works staff is continually investigating possible savings as a result of new technologies. Councilmember Sanger asked that a discussion of optional services be placed on an agenda in the near future. Councilmember Jacobs endorsed that plan and requested that we look at optional services with a focus on"charge-backs". Mr. Meyer stated that the essential purpose of this discussion is for Council to get a sense of 111 what we are doing as a City so that when future policy discussions occur, Council is up to speed. Mr. Rardin informed Council that he will be returning to a future study session to present facts regarding other facets of Public Works operations. 6. Refuse Services-Rates and Ordinance Paula Graff and Joanne Kutzler presented a summary of proposed changes to the City's Garbage Collection ordinance, including refuse rates. All Councilmembers expressed concern about possible changes in service levels and asked what provisions were included in the contract to prevent potential problems. Ms. Kutzler indicated that a performance bond, termination clause, penalties for missed pick-ups and special services for disabled clause had been included in the new contract. Council will be considering adoption of the proposed ordinance at the next City Council meeting. 7. Licensing Changes After very brief discussion, Council unanimously endorsed the proposed changes to the licensing ordinance eliminating 13 license and permit categories from the City Code. 8. Executive Session to discuss potential litigation related to the Cedar Lake Road Phase I - C.S. McCrossan Claim and pending litigation related to Helen Miller v. City of St. Louis Park in Hennepin County District Court. 3 Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Jeff Jacobs,Jim Brimeyer, Beverly Flanagan, Susan Sanger, Robert Young and Ron Latz. Due to scheduling conflicts Mayor Gail Dorfman111 excused herself from the proceedings. Also present were City Manager (Charlie Meyer); Deputy City Manager (Ms. Kutzler); City Attorney (Mr. Scott); City Clerk(Ms. Larsen); Public Works Director(Mr. Rardin); Superintendent of Engineering(Mr. Moore); and Director of Inspections (Mr. Petersen). The meeting adjourned at 9:30 p.m. 1 /04:e 4 "34iK(/'''''' —.„. Gail Dorfman,Mayor Recording Secretary I I • r, 4