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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011/01/10 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session JfiSt. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK,MINNESOTA JANUARY 10,2011 The meeting convened at 6:32 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Phil Finkelstein (arrived at 6:45 p.m.), Anne Mavity, Julia Ross (arrived at 6:40 p.m.), and Sue Santa. Councilmembers absent: Paul Omodt and Susan Sanger. Staff present: City Manager(Mr. Harmening), Deputy City Manager/Human Resources Director (Ms. Gohman), City Clerk (Ms. Stroth), Director of Inspections (Mr. Hoffman), Director of Public Works (Mr. Rardin), Utilities Superintendent (Mr. Anderson), Engineering Program Coordinator (Ms. Adler), Environmental Coordinator (Mr. Vaughan), Communications Coordinator(Mr. Zwilling), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes). Guests: Doug Franzen and Vic Moore (Franzen & Associates), Emily Tranter (Lockridge, Grindal, and Nauen), Gail Dorfinan (Hennepin County Commissioner), Representative Steve Simon, Representative Ryan Winkler, and Senator Ron Latz. 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—January 24,2011 Mr. Harmening presented the proposed study session agenda for January 24t. 2. 2011 Annual Legislative Update Mr. Harmening presented the staff report and introduced Doug Franzen, Vic Moore, Emily Tranter, Rep. Ryan Winkler, and Rep. Steve Simon. He advised that the City has been aggressive in all the engineering work for the Highway 7/Louisiana Avenue project based on the assumption that funding will be made available, noting that $10 million is currently available out of the $22 million needed for the project. He stated that if the project is not underway by 2012, the City could lose almost $8 million in Federal funds. He also discussed the reassignment of bonding bill proceeds and stated that $700,000 was approved in 2006 for the Glencoe project but the City has been unable to pull together the rest of the funding for this $4 million project. Mr. Moore advised that the current law requires that once bonding is authorized by the legislature, if the funding is not issued within five years, the Department of Management and Budget has to submit a cancellation of the project to the legislature on January. He indicated the need for asking the legislature to reauthorize the Glencoe project or substitute it for another project that benefits the City. He also indicated that gaining approval for a reauthorization or substitution was not likely. Councilmember Mavity expressed concern that recent drawings show Highway 100 emptying out onto Minnetonka Boulevard and reconnecting to Highway 7. Mr. Rardin advised that Mn/DOT is in the process of rating various design alternatives for the project. He stated that staff will attend a meeting this week with Mn/DOT officials and the County to look at the matrix of all the rating criteria to see which one is the strongest and to see how the alternatives affect the City's local system as well as light rail and light rail station planning. He added that the bridges are all scheduled to be replaced. Study Session Minutes -2- January 10, 2011 It was the consensus of the City Council to request that Senator Latz and/or Representatives Winkler and Simon meet with the Governor and/or the Governor's policy lead for transportation regarding the Highway 100 project. Discussion took place regarding other various representatives to be invited. Councilmember Finkelstein expressed concerns with respect to the fiscal disparities pool and stated that the City has been successful in its economic development efforts but is punished for its efforts because its share of the fiscal disparities pool continues to increase requiring the City to levy additional amounts to taxpayers. Mr. Franzen stated that fiscal disparities as well as LGA and MVHC will likely be discussed at the legislature. Councilmember Mavity requested further information regarding the proposed legislation to de- regulate pawn shops. Mr. Harmening stated that no specific legislation has been introduced. He indicated that Chief Luse is concerned about any legislation to de-regulate pawn shops and stated that the City has a successful track record with the use of the Automated Pawn System. He added that Excel Pawn has been a very good partner with the City in reporting suspected stolen merchandise. Councilmember Ross requested further information regarding right of entry for inspections on private properties that are rental properties. Mr. Hoffman advised that the City has the right to enter a rental property with the property owner who has a right of entry. He stated that staff is unaware of any pending legislation to change the current laws. Representative Simon asked if the final configuration of Highway 7 and Louisiana had been selected and whether the City would be seeking bonding dollars for the project. Mr. Rardin stated that the preferred alternative is moving through the preliminary design phase and environmental analysis with expectations that Mn/DOT will approve and sign-off on the project in February. Mr. Harmening stated that the City's most recent funding application to Mn/DOT was not approved. He indicated that the City has spent approximately $500,000 on design work to keep this project on track and if funding is not secured, the City will lose its investment in the project. He added that the City has the ability to apply for an extension to 2013, but must show continued progress on the project, requiring the City to expend more money to bring the project to the final design point without knowing if additional funding will be available. Representative Simon stated that a bonding bill request for this project is highly unlikely to be successful in the upcoming legislative session. Commissioner Dorfman questioned whether the City could apply for funding dollars if the City were to change the bus connections and had bus connections to light rail. Councilmember Finkelstein asked if it would make sense to schedule a meeting with Representative Ellison's staff. Study Session Minutes -3- January 10, 2011 Ms. Tranter agreed that a meeting with Representative Ellison would be helpful and noted that Representative Ellison is very aware of and supportive of this project but funding is limited. Mr. Harmening indicated that this topic will be on the Council's agenda for discussion in February or March. Commissioner Dorfman stated that the TwinWest and Minneapolis Chambers of Commerce have come forward and asked what they can do to help with respect to light rail and to make sure that no moratorium is put in place on planning for light rail. She stated that the legislature approved $5 million in 2009 for light rail; there is currently approximately $30 million on the table for SWLRT, which will take the project through the first year and a half of preliminary engineering and the continuing environmental impact process. She added that she hopes to see $13.6 million from the State for this project. Mr. Moore stated that a meeting has been scheduled with the chairs of the House and Senate Bonding Committees on Wednesday. He asked if the City should ask them to introduce legislation on the reauthorization of the bonding bill proceeds. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct Mr. Moore to inquire if legislation regarding reauthorization of the bonding bill proceeds would be worthwhile. Mayor Jacobs expressed the City Council's thanks to Mr. Franzen, Mr. Moore, and Ms. Tranter, along with Senator Latz, Representative Simon, Representative Winkler, and Commissioner Dorfman for their efforts on behalf of the City. Mayor Jacobs recessed the study session at 7:41 p.m. Mayor Jacobs reconvened the study session at 7:45 p.m. 3. Storm Water/Surface Water Management Ms. Gohman presented the staff report. Mr. Anderson presented an overview of the City's storm water system and presented a depiction of the City's current storm water system and subdistricts where the water drains. He indicated that the current system was put together in a piecemeal fashion, which creates difficulties for the City. He advised that staff recently completed an inventory and rating of the City's catch basins, and that the City currently performs approximately 65 total rebuilds of catch basins per year. He stated that the storm water capital improvement plan is coordinated with the pavement management program. Ms. Adler discussed water quantity, including flooding and storm water definitions of ten year and 100 year events. She also discussed flood plains and FEMA, stating that a flood plain is determined and delineated by FEMA and is associated with a larger body of water, either a lake, stream, or river and is based on 100 year events or larger. She stated the City has approximately 10% flood plain area,mostly around Minnehaha Creek. Councilmember Finkelstein requested that staff provide Council with a flood plain map of the City. Study Session Minutes -4- January 10, 2011 Mr. Anderson stated that the City is anticipating more street flooding due to the heavy snow fall and staff has been working to identify known low areas. Ms. Adler discussed the City's flood proofing grant program that was funded by the DNR to assist homeowners in floodproofing their homes. Mr. Vaughan presented an overview of the various organizations involved in handling storm water, including the Met Council, MPCA, Minnehaha Creek Watershed District (MCWD), and Bassett Creek Watershed Management Commission (BCWMC). He stated that MCWD and BCWMC act as the Local Government Unit responsible for administering the Wetland Conservation Act, which includes a requirement to achieve no net loss of Minnesota's existing wetlands. He discussed the requirements of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System, and Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan (SWPPP). He stated that the City has completed its SWPPP five year plan document available online consisting of 6 minimum control measures including education/ public outreach and pollution prevention/good housekeeping measures. He discussed Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL), noting that a TMDL is the sum of the individual waste loads from point sources, non-point sources, and natural background which determines the capacity of the impaired water body to assimilate pollutant loadings and still meet water quality standards. He indicated the impaired waters in St. Louis Park include Twin Lakes, Bass Lake, Cobblecrest Lake, and Minnehaha Creek. Ms. Adler stated that the City currently meets all regulatory requirements of all the various agencies and staff continues to monitor its policies and practices to reflect current requirements, including water quality monitoring, additional public education on storm water bodies, vegetation management, shoreline management, and aesthetics of storm water ponds. Councilmember Mavity stated that it will be important for the City to remain proactive in its use of rain gardens and other types of storm water management to try to mimic nature as closely as possible and to keep the water in place versus trying to move water away as quickly as possible. Ms. Adler discussed several water quality projects undertaken by the City, including storm sewer maintenance and replacement as well as street sweeping. She stated that additional projects include the Westdale pond project with the BCWMC, Lamplighter Pond, fish stocking of the lakes, rain gardens, and the Minnehaha Creek remeander. Councilmember Mavity stated that the vegetation management at Bass Lake has been raised in the past. She requested further information regarding the City's decision-making process as it relates to silt removal, vegetation removal, and/or stocking of fish. Mr. Anderson advised that the City is in the process of performing an inventory of all ponds in the City and studying the function of the ponds to determine if they are working as designed. The study also identifies and prioritizes activities to improve the functions of the ponds. Councilmember Finkelstein stated that concerns have been raised by residents regarding the general condition of some of the ponds, including the pond scum and resulting smell. Councilmember Ross requested an update regarding Victoria Ponds. Study Session Minutes -5- January 10, 2011 Ms. Adler stated that the Victoria Ponds development has four small ponds and each pond drains out to one pipe that goes across Virginia Avenue and into Lake Victoria. She explained that the slopes on the sides of the ponds are sloughing in and the property owners are working to determine how to stabilize the slopes, including some regrading. She pointed out that the ponds are owned by the townhome association and are not maintained by the City. It was the consensus of the City Council to schedule a further discussion regarding the water quality associated with the water bodies in the City's neighborhoods and parks, from a functional perspective, including treatment options and costs associated with treatment. Councilmember Ross requested that this discussion include a prioritization of projects. Councilmember Santa requested that this discussion also include the City's wetlands. 4. Communications/Meeting Check-in (Verbal) Mr. Harmening stated that Mr. Brimeyer would be applying for a position on the Met Council and has requested letters of support from the Council. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to prepare a letter of support for Mr. Brimeyer to be signed by Mayor Jacobs on behalf of the entire City Council. Mr. Harmening stated that a brief survey will be sent to the Council in preparation for the Council Workshop in March; the survey will be discussed by Council on January 24`x'. Councilmember Mavity reported that she would like to serve as the EDA representative on the West Metro Workforce Investment Board and requested that the Council provide her with a letter of recommendation. Mr. Harmening agreed to prepare a letter of recommendation for Councilmember Mavity and to have Councilmember Finkelstein, as President of the Economic Development Authority, sign the letter on behalf of the entire EDA. Councilmember Ross expressed her appreciation to City staff for their fantastic job of plowing snow. She stated she was recently traveling on the 66th and Portland roundabout in Richfield and expressed concern about the difficulty in maneuvering through the roundabout because of the high snow banks. She requested that the City keep this in mind when planning for the roundabouts on Highway 7 and Louisiana Avenue. The meeting adjourned at 9:07 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 5. Business Terms for Development Contract between the EDA and CKJ Properties, LLC—3540 Dakota Ave. South (former B. •m .ters Building) 6. Highway 7/Louisiana Avenue Interchang Proj i i date Nancy Stroth, Citq Clerk Jeff J. s, , ayor