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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1999/08/23 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session CITY OF ffSATR.KLOWSOFFICIAL MINUTES CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION August 23, 1999 The meeting convened at 7 10 p m Present at the meeting were Councilmembers Susan Santa, Robert Young, Chris Nelson, Ron Latz, Jim Brimeyer and Mayor Jeff Jacobs Staff present Deputy City Manager(Mr Pires), Director of Community Development (Mr Harmening), Director of Inspections (Mr Hoffman), Interim Finance Director (Mr Brooks), Economic Development Coordinator(Mr Anderson), Housing Supervisor(Ms Schnitker), and City Clerk (Ms Larsen) 1. Project for Pride in Living Proposal for Louisiana Court Staff met with council to discuss the progress make in planning a renovation/rehabilitation project at Louisiana Court apartments, including proposed financing and acquisition issues Barb McCormick, Director of Housing and Development for Project for Pnde in Living (PPL) and Lisa Kugler, a development consultant working with PPL were in attendance at the meeting Also in attendance was Mark Ruff, of Ehlers and Associates Mr Harmening gave a brief background of the issue to be discussed and informed Council of the city's prominent role as lender if the project were to move forward as presented Ms McCormick stated that as the social, aesthetic and maintenance problems were discussed, it became apparent that the entire Louisiana Court development be considered for the program She stated that 11 of the 16 buildings would be owned by one property owner which would reduce problems with management of buildings currently with several owners Councilmember Brimeyer asked if the city's commitment was this large with the original plan and also asked for a pro forma on the project Mr Harmening stated that it was not, but that he agreed there were several factors pointing to the logic of expanding the project to include all of the buildings He also said that more detailed financial information would be presented at a later time Councilmembers expressed concern and asked questions regarding the project's financial aspects Mr Ruff explained options for funding, how bonding for the project would be accomplished, pay back time on the bonds and what protections were in place for the city should the manager of the project experience financial difficulty in the future Councilmember Santa asked what funding was available for social programming Ms McCormick explained that social programs were funded separately and not provided directly by PPL. PPL would utilize existing social service agencies to meet the needs of residents at Louisiana Courts Study Session Minutes -2- August 23, 1999 Mr Harmening explained that by moving forward, the city would reap many benefits, including Resolution of management issues, improved buildings and grounds, both structurally and aesthetically, the retention of affordable housing in the neighborhood, and felt that the project would serve as a catalyst for dealing with social service issues Councilmember Nelson pointed out that statistically, crime was already down in the neighborhood He did feel that if the cost and risk are negligible to the city, then the city should proceed with the plan Councilmember Young asked if the city could maximize the number of Holman Units so that the City's portion of contribution to the project could be reduced Ms Kugler explained that the city must contribute 50% to qualify for the bond sale She also explained that proceeds from Holman Units could not be used to service the debt Councilmember Brimeyer suggested that the city establish a fund to do similar kinds of projects in other areas of the city He asked to see more specific financial details at a future meeting Councilmember Latz felt that it would be better to do one project at a time and keep costs down as much as possible He stated that rehabilitation at this location would positively affect surrounding properties Mr Harmening asked for council direction as to whether to move forward If council wished to continue, staff would come back with additional financial information Councilmember Young felt that the city should move forward, but that he is opposed to the condemnation of any of these properties Mr Harmening informed council that he would need to bring to them a resolution of support for PPL to forward to the Metropolitan Council for the City's Livable Communities Grant funds 2. Philosophy of Code Enforcement Mr Hoffman met with council to discuss various methods and effects of performing city code inspections, leading to development of a unified policy for implementation by the Inspections Department Past council direction had left staff confused and had led to selective and inconsistent enforcement of city codes Mr Hoffman pointed out that enforcement by complaint tends to frustrate community members He suggested that the city adopt a more systematic approach which would include three components education, programs to assist residents and businesses, and then enforcement He stated that the city's goal should be to achieve compliance and that by providing education and guidance to residents and businesses, the city could more easily achieve that goal Study Session Minutes -3- August 23, 1999 Mayor Jacobs, Councilmember Nelson, Councilmember Brimeyer and Councilmember Santa all agreed that a systematic and consistent approach would be beneficial to the city Councilmember Young also agreed and approved of taking a pro-active stance He also wanted staff to be aggressive with known violators He suggested that council take an active role in informing staff when violations occur Councilmember Santa suggested that Inspections staff work with neighborhoods to education residents about city codes and what citizens can do to maintain the appearance and quality of our community Mr Hoffman explained that the City Attorney was currently working with the Hennepin Court system to close loopholes, making it easier for the city to enforce their ordinances and achieve compliance Councilmember Latz was concerned that the city not appear too aggressive in prosecuting violators and also agreed that a systematic and consistent approach which included an education component was best when dealing with the public Mr Hoffman informed council that he would be developing a set of parameters to bring back to a future council meeting and following that would prepare a policy document with clear and specific guidelines for enforcement of the city's codes 3. Proposed 2000 Budget Mr Pires and Mr Brooks presented the revised 1999 and proposed 2000 budgets for council consideration and invited them to ask questions Council questions focused on inclusion in the budget for Y2K compliance, a proposed Texa Tonka study, the Employee benefit fund, equipment replacement fund, funding for the arts, amphitheater funding, and park development at Oak Park Village Councilmember Brimeyer asked for clarification on several areas including specific expenditures and departmental policy direction 5. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 9 20 p m 7. a �--� _ C C. y Clerk Myo