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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2010/03/22 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session f/ St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA MARCH 22, 2010 The meeting convened at 6:36 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Phil Finkelstein, Anne Mavity, Paul Omodt, Julia Ross, Susan Sanger, and Sue Santa. Councilmembers absent: None. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Parks and Recreation Director (Ms. Walsh), Environmental Coordinator (Mr. Vaughan), Communications Coordinator (Mr. Zwilling), City Assessor (Mr. Bultema), Commercial Appraiser (Ms. Nathanson), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Hughes). 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—April 5 and April 12, 2010 Mr. Harmening presented the proposed special study session agenda for April 5 and April 12, 2010. Councilmember Finkelstein requested that staff provide Council with the 2009 monthly reports as part of the discussion on April 12 regarding charitable gambling. He asked if it would be helpful to have someone from the State Gaming Commission in attendance at that meeting. Councilmember Sanger stated she felt it would be prudent for Council to have this discussion first, without a representative from the State present. Councilmember Mavity stated at the last Council meeting the owner of Texa-Tonka Lanes indicated the difficulty with the current organization in determining gambling proceed donation amounts specific to St. Louis Park from his location. She requested that the Council be provided with an outline of this process. Mayor Jacobs stated that a significant amount of research on this issue has previously been completed by staff and can be reviewed again by Council as part of its discussion on April 12t. 2. 2010 Emerald Ash Borer Plan Ms. Walsh presented the staff report and stated this plan, represents a proactive approach to the impending problem when the Emerald Ash Borer (EAB) is found within the City She reported that the City received a grant from the Minnesota Department of Agriculture totaling $89,800 to remove boulevard trees that are in poor condition and to plant a diverse number of trees in an effort to soften the loss of ash trees. She stated that staff has recently completed a boulevard ash tree survey and found a total of 2,343 boulevard ash trees and approximately 450 ash trees in City parks. Staff has also rated the trees by condition on a rating scale of 1 to 5, with 1 being in the worst condition. She added this plan is an attempt to slow the spread of EAB to the point where it can be effectively managed and enhance reforestation. She pointed out that the EAB plan is not an attempt to treat the disease because the effectiveness of current treatment methodologies are still being researched. Study Session Minutes -2- March 22, 2010 Mr. Vaughan explained it is best to remove the trees when they are dormant, typically starting around October 1" and through the end of March. He stated that 148 trees were rated lowest, and these trees would be replanted either next spring or in the fall. He added the EAB has not yet been found in the City. Mayor Jacobs and Councilmember Sanger stated they were in agreement with the proposed plan. Councilmember Omodt stated he was also in agreement with the plan and requested that staff discuss how it will deal with public versus private trees. Mr. Vaughan stated that the City will kick off a campaign in the next month or so aimed at educating residents about the disease that will include information about how it is spread and options for treating it. He added the protocol will be similar to Dutch Elm Disease. If the City finds EAB on a private tree, the City will tag and remove the tree, with 100% of the cost borne by the property owner. He added that this cost can be paid by the property owner in payments. He stated that City staff will make house calls to residents at no charge to inspect their trees and provide an objective point of view regarding treatment options. He indicated if a tree is cut down, the wood cannot be moved out of the County, and it is recommended that the wood either be burned or Waste Management will pick it up for processing at its tree processing center. Councilmember Ross requested information about the cost sharing for removal of boulevard trees. Ms. Walsh stated that in 2003, the City revised its boulevard tree removal program to require cost sharing by the property owner at a rate of 50%. Residents are notified when they have a diseased boulevard tree and are billed for 50% of the removal cost. Councilmember Sanger expressed concern that residents will not water the replacement trees and felt the City should have a better system in place for requiring residents to water their boulevard trees or for the City to water newly planted trees. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to implement the Emerald Ash Borer Plan as presented. 3. 2010 Urban Forestation Planting Plan Ms. Walsh presented the staff report and stated staff is proposing to spend $25,000 from the Land Sale Proceeds to plant additional trees in 2010 on public property. Councilmember Sanger stated she was in agreement with the plan. She added that the City used to subsidize the cost of injections for Dutch Elm Disease (DED) and indicated that some residents have told her that they cannot afford to inject their trees and are simply letting the trees die. She suggested that the City allocate monies to reinstate the DED subsidy program in some fashion in order to provide an incentive to residents to maintain their mature trees. Study Session Minutes -3- March 22, 2010 Ms. Walsh indicated that Rainbow Treecare has agreed to provide St. Louis Park residents with a 10% discount if they continue to inject their elm trees for DED. Councilmember Sanger suggested the City supplement that discount as an incentive to save some of the bigger trees. Mr. Harmening stated it is up to the City Council how it wishes to prioritize the use of the Land Sale Proceeds and whether to amend its current policy to include subsidies for tree injections. Discussion ensued regarding the effectiveness of tree injections and diversification of tree planting It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to provide the Council with further information regarding possible reinstitution of the subsidy program to treat elm trees. 4. Turf Feasibility Report— High School Football Field Ms. Walsh presented the staff report and feasibility study prepared pursuant to Council's request. She noted that the City does not incur any cost for maintaining the current field and the School District spends approximately $20,000 per year to maintain the field. Councilmember Ross requested further information regarding potential users of an artificial turf field and frequency of use by others outside of school activities. She stated she is struggling with how this benefits the City as a whole. Ms. Walsh explained that use of the turf would be worked out as part of an agreement with the School District. She stated she felt there would be ample opportunities for others to use the turf, particularly during the summer months. Councilmember Sanger asked if the City has ever received an indication from the School District as to what it wants the City to do as it relates to the turf issue. She stated she felt the City has spent too much money working on this and recommended that the City stop any further work on the project. She stated this represents an outrageous cost particularly given the difficult economy and in the face of laying off employees and cutting services, and is not willing to spend any more time on this. She indicated that the City is accommodating current recreational needs in all the City parks and expressed concern that this could lead to a desire to have artificial turf in all City parks Councilmember Omodt respectfully disagreed with Councilmember Sanger and stated if the Council is looking at this only as a means to save money, it is the wrong argument. He urged the Council to determine if the turf would provide a benefit in terms of educational or environmental stewardship and not just in terms of saving money. He stated there will never be a perfect time to do anything, but this is probably the best time to undergo civic projects because labor is cheap and the City has the ability to bond for projects such as this. He added he felt the City should look at this to see if there is a community need beyond just the youth associations and asked if staff can quantify what other uses might be and what fees could be generated from other uses. Study Session Minutes -4- March 22, 2010 Councilmember Sanger agreed that the overall community needs should be addressed as well as a community center, which entails more than looking at just turf. She added that she did not view this as merely one way of saving money but rather as an issue of Council priorities. She also stated that through the St. Louis Park Vision process, there was a stated demand for more gathering places specifically within St. Louis Park that had indoor amenities and indoor facilities and that there was no stated demand at that time for artificial turf. Councilmember Mavity stated she did not feel this should be a city versus school issue, as each entity is involved in the other's success. She stated the City does not currently have a facility like the Maple Grove Community Center, and a community center like Maple Grove's would get much more use. Councilmember Finkelstein stated he felt the Council should continue to look at this, but as part of an overall community center. He stated the reason Council is studying this now is because the City was told there would be great cost savings and that does not appear to be the case He added there does not appear to be any immediacy to doing this right now and felt it made sense to look at this in the context of a community center. He also stated the City needs to receive a specific proposal from the School District in terms of what are they interested in and what they are willing to contribute. Councilmember Santa expressed concern that there is little available parking on this site. Mayor Jacobs stated there appears to be a consensus with some dissent to study this issue further, including obtaining information from the School District about their expectations and willingness to pay for turf. He stated he would also like to know what other types of uses the turf would have. He indicated he felt the City should study this site as part of an overall community center that is phased in over time. Councilmember Sanger stated she felt the City should first address the community recreational needs of the City, and then determine to what extent that translates into one or more gathering places and what those locations should be. Councilmember Mavity stated the City cannot build a community center without community involvement and it will be important to have a process that creates guidance and involvement from residents. Councilmember Sanger concurred and stated at one time, there were several people willing to serve on a limited task force regarding this issue and the City may want to resurrect that idea. She added that the School District previously received input from residents regarding their willingness to support a referendum for artificial turf and the School District received a resounding "no" from residents. Discussion ensued regarding a community center and spending priorities vis-a-vis artificial turf. Study Session Minutes -5- March 22, 2010 Mr. Harmening stated it appears the Council would like to address the turf issue in terms of an overall recreational needs perspective and to talk to the School District regarding its financial commitment. He stated the bigger community needs assessment will require further study and resources. Mayor Jacobs stated he would like to conduct an overall community needs assessment, but that would be a separate, broader discussion. He added he would like to have the Council take a tour of other community centers as part of this, but does not want to slow down the turf discussion at this time. It was the consensus of the majority of the City Council to direct staff to continue its efforts on partnering with the School District with respect to artificial turf, including obtaining specific information from the School District regarding its financial commitment as well as usage. The City Council also directed staff to provide the City Council with further information regarding recreational needs and demand for turf in the City. It was also the consensus of the City Council that the artificial turf issue would not be discussed at the joint meeting with the School Board on April 19th without first obtaining the information sought by the City Council with respect to the School District's financial commitment. Councilmember Omodt left the meeting at 8:06 p.m. 5. 2010 Valuation Report Mr. Bultema presented the staff report and an overview of the property tax system, the assessment process, and the valuation picture for the City as of January 2, 2010. He reviewed the assessing process undertaken by staff and presented a summary of the City's 2010 assessment roll. He reported the total valuation of the City reflects a 3.4% decline in total value versus 2009 and pointed out that residential uses comprise 69.6% of total value, apartment uses comprise 9.3% of total value, and commercial/industrial comprise 21.2% of total value. He also reviewed residential sales in 2009 and historical median sales prices with comparative information for neighboring communities. He pointed out that the City is in the bottom fifth of lender mediated transactions based on other cities, and noted that both Golden Valley and Edina are seeing foreclosures that all pulling down their markets. He then presented single family home neighborhood by neighborhood changes, and stated that more foreclosures are being seen in the condominium/townhome market. Mr. Bultema discussed historical data regarding the City's commercial and industrial properties and stated the City's commercial-industrial value increased for both the 2009 and 2010 assessment periods, which is largely attributable to the West End development project. He then reviewed with the Council the appeal process and the Council's role as the Local Board of Appeal and Equalization; the Local Board will convene on April 26th with a likely reconvene date of May 10`h. Mr. Zwilling stated that information will be posted on the City's website reminding residents to review their valuation notices. He added that it may be useful to also include information on the website regarding how St. Louis Park stacks up against other cities in terms of valuations. Study Session Minutes -6- March 22, 2010 6. Communications (Verbal) Mr. Harmening reported that the closing on the STEP building located at 6812 Lake Street occurred today, and that STEP is currently awaiting building permit approval for the remodeling. Mr. Harmening advised the Council regarding police activity over the weekend. He reported that two people were arrested Sunday near 29th and Quebec following an altercation where someone was hit over the head with a liquor bottle. He stated another incident occurred at Meadowbrook where a resident was robbed at gunpoint; two people have been arrested following this robbery. Mr. Harmening stated that he received a call from Bill MacMillan of the American Legion regarding their charitable gambling operation. He indicated that Mr. MacMillan advised him that the Legion is currently using Community Charities to operate their pull tab operation and the Legion is considering a change in their pull tab operation. He stated this is similar to the Texa Tonka issue discussed by the Council last week and Mr. MacMillan may attend the Council's study session on April 12th to hear its discussion regarding charitable gambling. Mr. Harmening stated he will be out of town next week and Ms. Gohman will be available if needed. The meeting adjourned at 8:55 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only 7. February, 2010 Monthly Financial Report 8. GreenStep Cities Demonstration Project , Nancy Stroth, i tyClerk Jeff Ja , bs, Mayor