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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2011/02/22 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session AT St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA FEBRUARY 22, 2011 The meeting convened at 6:35 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Phil Finkelstein, Julia Ross, Susan Sanger, and Sue Santa. Councilmembers absent: Anne Mavity and Paul Omodt. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), City Attorney (Mr. Scott), City Clerk (Ms. Stroth), Police Chief(Mr. Luse), Fire Chief(Mr. Stemmer), Communications Coordinator (Mr. Zwilling), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes). 1. Update on Voluntary Parking Restrictions Mr. Harmemng presented the staff report. Mr. Stemmer reported that staff has been actively driving around the neighborhoods and has seen 85-90% compliance from residents on the voluntary parking restrictions. He stated that the City streets are narrower now than before the recent thaw due to the weekend snowstorm. Councilmember Ross expressed concern regarding Nevada Avenue and it does not appear that residents are complying with the voluntary parking restrictions in that area. She stated that she felt there are various areas where the City should consider posting no parking signs. Mr. Stemmer indicated that one of the issues with Nevada Avenue is that the apartment buildings do not have adequate parking. Councilmember Sanger expressed concern regarding Ottowa Avenue and asked if the City could ask the residents in that area to park in the City's side lot. Mr. Harmening indicated that the City's side lot is half-owned by the City and half-owned by the commercial property owner. He agreed to inquire about allowing residents to park in this lot. Mr. Luse discussed the City's strategy with the voluntary parking restrictions and agreed to look into the concerns expressed regarding Nevada Avenue. He stated that the Police Department's CSOs and Reserve Officers are reporting high compliance with the program. Councilmember Ross requested that the CSOs check in with residents at apartment buildings so the residents understand the parking restrictions. Councilmember Sanger asked if businesses and/or churches are being asked to help publicize the parking restrictions. Mr. Harmening advised that staff will continue to monitor the voluntary parking restrictions program with the understanding that there may be some streets where no parking signs will need to be posted. Special Study Session Minutes -2- February 22, 2011 Councilmember Sanger encouraged staff to post no parking signs if staff feels that traffic cannot flow or emergency vehicles cannot get through. She added that she would rather have an angry resident than nsk having an emergency vehicle not be able to get through in an emergency. She asked that the City make it clear where parking is banned if it needs to post no parking signs. Mr. Harmening stated that the City will notify residents along a particular street where parking is going to be restricted. Councilmember Finkelstein requested that the City Council receive an update at a future meeting regarding the potential for spring flooding. Mr. Harmening advised that Mr. Stemmer and staff recently met to review the Minnehaha Creek Watershed District flood predictions and projections. He indicated the City currently looks like it will be okay but the situation needs to be reassessed and monitored over the coming months. He stated that the City is considering sending a letter to property owners along Minnehaha Creek to keep them updated on the flood predictions and to provide resources on where they can obtain further information. Councilmember Finkelstein suggested that the City immediately post information on its website regarding flood insurance because any flood insurance needs to be in place for thirty days. He also suggested that the City send a letter to the County and to Mn/DOT asking about their plans for flood control on the City's County and State roads. Councilmember Sanger stated that the City will need to have alternative plans in place if any of the City's major roads become impassible due to flooding. Mr. Stemmer indicated that the City has recently done a lot of mitigation work with respect to water issues in areas around the City. Councilmember Ross asked if the City has sandbags available for residents. Mr. Stemmer replied that the City has sandbags and sand available and volunteers would be needed to help with filling. He added that the City has ordered additional sandbags this year. Mr. Zwilling indicated that the City has a good network in place among neighborhood leaders and civic groups, as well as the City's various media tools and people are generally very responsive to calls for assistance. He added that the City also has relationships through the Red Cross and Salvation Army that would provide assistance with organizing volunteers. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to use its discretion in determining whether to post no parking signs on the City's streets if it is determined that traffic is inhibited, especially as it relates to public safety services. 2. City Council Records/Minutes Mr. Hannening presented the staff report. He stated that staff has received comments from Councilmembers about the minutes not being thorough enough and there appear to be a significant amount of corrections being made to the minutes. Special Study Session Minutes -3- February 22,2011 Mr. Scott reviewed the statutory requirements for meeting minutes and indicated that the statute requires only that official actions be recorded and the decision regarding how extensive the minutes should be is left to the governing body's discretion. He stated that the tape recordings of City Council meetings become the official record if the City should get into a Court proceeding. Councilmember Finkelstein stated that he felt staff does an excellent job on the Council minutes. Councilmember Sanger stated that she did not feel it was a problem that Councilmembers make amendments to the minutes and felt that for the most part, the minutes are fine. She requested that the minutes be presented to Council for approval on a more timely basis. She also requested that the minutes as well as staff reports be more thoroughly reviewed by staff in terms of grammar and spelling. It was the consensus of the City Council not to change the approach for how meeting minutes are written for study sessions or regular City Council meetings. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 3. Highway 7/Louisiana Avenue Interchange Project Update The meeting adjourned at 7:14 p.m. )4L766:17 Nancy Stroth, tY Clerk Jeff Ja 61) or