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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015/01/26 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session JIf St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA JANUARY 26, 2015 The meeting convened at 6:30 p m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Gregg Lindberg, Anne Mavity, Susan Sanger, and Jake Spano. Councilmembers absent: None. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmemng), Deputy City Manager/Director of Human Resources (Ms. Deno), City Clerk (Ms. Stroth), Director of Operations & Recreation (Ms Walsh), Planning/Zoning Supervisor (Ms. McMonigal), Economic Development Coordinator (Mr. Hunt), Planning & Economic Development Assistant (Ms Grove), Communications & Marketing Coordinator (Mr Zwilling), Rec Center Manager (Mr. Eiso1d), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes). Guests: Mr. John Basill and Mr. Joe Arko (St. Louis Park Hockey Association), Mr. Steve Morelli (RSP Architects), and Mr. Bob Murphy (Japs-Olson). 1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—February 2 and 9, 2015 Mr. Harmening presented the proposed special study session agenda for February 2nd and the proposed study session agenda for February 9th . Councilmember Sanger requested that Council allot more time to discuss the McGarvey site purchase and whether to consider delaying the purchase until the City has a better idea about whether the Xenwood underpass is going to be built. Councilmember Spano stated he was in favor of purchasing the property now even if the Beltline LRCI does not happen. Councilmember Mavity spoke in favor of purchasing the property and felt the value of this site is much greater to the City than to a pnvate developer and it would be important for the City to control the land in order to have a coherent vision for the entire area It was the consensus of the majority of the City Council to proceed with the purchase of the McGarvey site. 2. Outdoor Refrigerated Ice Update Ms. Walsh presented the staff report. Mr. Eisold distnbuted a sample of the roofing material to be used on the facility. Councilmember Sanger asked if this type of roof complied with the City's Zoning Code Ms. McMonigal explained that an outdoor ice nnk is not defined as a building in the City Code and there does not appear to be any restnctions on using this type of roofing material. Study Session Minutes -2- January 26, 2015 Mr. Basill reiterated the Hockey Association's commitment to this project and its ongoing desire to help with the facility. Mr. Arko stated that he asked several lacrosse board members if they would be interested in using this facility and their answer was an emphatic "yes." He stated the soccer and baseball associations also expressed an interest in using the facility and they all indicated they would be willing to pay for using the facility. He stated the additional $50,000 commitment referenced in the SLPHA letter of intent is intended to accommodate non-hockey uses. Ms. Walsh stated that staff would like to complete this project in conjunction with the refrigeration system replacement because of the cost savings of approximately $400,000. Councilmember Spano supported moving forward with design development. Councilmember Mavity supported moving forward with design development, adding she felt this was a great project but continued to be concerned about gender equity in terms of how the City is investing its resources. Councilmember Sanger stated she continued to have mixed feelings about the project. She commended the Hockey Association for its commitment and willingness to partner with the City, but was troubled that the City would commit millions of dollars on another facility aimed at youth athletics when a Community Center project that would serve all ages has been put on hold She acknowledged the demand for the outdoor ice rink but was not comfortable putting more money into a youth sports facility when the City is not currently willing to put money into facilities being demanded by other segments of the population Councilmember Brausen supported moving forward with design development and was happy to see the project being built as a public/pnvate partnership. Councilmember Lindberg expressed appreciation to the Hockey Association for its donation He indicated he was on the fence about the project and questioned how much access to the facility would be available to the average, non-organized youth sports family and he would like to be able to quantify that. He agreed the Community Center project should be put on hold but was apprehensive about supporting this project without first having a discussion about how this facility would serve the greater community. Councilmember Hallfin supported moving forward with design development. He asked about the hourly rates charged for the outdoor ice and suggested increasing the rate. Mayor Jacobs supported moving forward with design development and thanked the Hockey Association for their contnbutions to the project. 3. Small Business Assistance Program Update Mr. Hunt presented the staff report and advised that Ms. Grove's role has been expanded to serve as Small Business Liaison and she will be the pnmary point person for all small business inquiries. He stated the City has also contracted with Donna Sanders with JBS Business Solutions and Ms. Sanders can provide assistance to businesses that want help with the regulatory process or other matters and the City will pay for the first two hours of Ms. Sanders' consultation Study Session Minutes -3- January 26, 2015 Ms. Grove advised that the City is marketing a new program called Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) through a Joint Powers Agreement with the St. Paul Port Authority at no cost to the City and several property owners have expressed interest in this program. She advised that a Business Retention and Expansion program was recently launched and staff has prepared a survey to obtain feedback from business owners. She stated staff is also working on a link on the City's website to enable businesses to easily locate properties for sale or lease in the City. She advised that staff is continually working on outreach to the small business community and has prepared a marketing brochure that highlights available programs. Mr. Hunt stated the City consistently receives inquiries about financing programs and staff has been considering whether to partner with Central Minnesota Development Company (CMDC), a nonprofit company that provides financing in conjunction with local lenders. He explained that the City could establish a revolving loan fund within the Development Fund that could include a public/private match, adding that this potential loan program would require further research and discussion with Council. Councilmember Spano stated he was interested in learning more about a potential partnership with CMDC and a revolving loan program. Councilmember Mavity stated she was always willing to consider ways to assist small businesses but was not sure if a revolving loan program was the right tool. Councilmember Sanger stated she was willing to consider a revolving loan program but was concerned about how much staff time would be involved in this type of program. Councilmember Brausen stated he was willing to consider a revolving loan program if the program is targeted to specific types of businesses that the City is interested in attracting. Councilmember Lindberg stated he would like to learn more about a revolving loan program, including the City's investment in the program and how the City can target the program to the types of development the community wants to see. Councilmember Hallfin was supportive of anything the City could do to help small businesses, particularly for St. Louis Park residents who own small businesses Mayor Jacobs questioned whether this type of program was outside the City's area of expertise and was not sure this was something the City should be taking on. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to provide Council with further information regarding potential loan programs, including the City's risk associated with any type of loan program. Other Small Business Programs Councilmember Mavity felt there were specific places in the community for big box businesses and for small businesses and she wanted to make sure the City was using all available tools to support small businesses, e.g., using zoning tools to limit square footage in certain areas She referenced the form based zoning project and how to use form based zoning to incent small businesses. Study Session Minutes -4- January 26, 2015 Councilmember Sanger supported the City's efforts to buy local but felt it was important to figure out how to break down some of the contracts into smaller packages so that small businesses can bid on those smaller packages. She felt the City needed to do more outreach to women- and minority-owned businesses and to consider how the City can be more helpful in that regard. Councilmember Spano felt it would be helpful to talk to some of the City's finance businesses and get their feedback about a possible revolving loan program. He stated that the Federal government might have some opportunities available for small business and suggested speaking with a representative of the Department of Commerce. Mr. Harmening advised that a presentation would be given to the St. Louis Park Business Council in Apnl about the small business programs. 4. Municipal Boundary Change with the City of Hopkins/Japs-Olson Building Expansion Mr. Harmening introduced Mr. Bob Murphy from Japs-Olson. Ms. McMonigal presented the staff report and a map depicting the proposed adjustment to the boundary between Hopkins and St. Louis Park. She advised that each city must pass a resolution that is filed with the chief administrative law judge and the process would take 30-60 days. It was the consensus of the City Council to direct staff to pursue a boundary change to allow for a significant addition to the Japs-Olson building. 5. Boards and Commissions Appointment Process Ms. Deno presented the staff report and stated if Council wanted to interview all commissioners up for reappointment in 2015, Council would have 17 Commission seats held by incumbents up for reappointment and would need additional interviews. If the positions are open, Council would also need to interview those who apply for these seats. She stated that for commission openings since October 2014, Council has conducted 12 interviews Councilmember Mavity stated that when someone is appointed to a commission, they are basically appointed for life if they choose to be reappointed and it is difficult for new candidates to get on a commission when commissioners are continually reappointed. She stated that in Eden Praine, when a commissioner's term ends, the city advertises it and notes if there is an incumbent and often times the incumbent gets reappointed, but others have an opportunity to apply and sometimes Eden Prairie chooses to interview candidates. She stated if someone wants to be reappointed for a third time in Eden Prairie, it has to be unanimous and there is no fourth term. She stated that Hopkins has term limits and commissioners can only be reappointed twice She stated she was not sure she wanted term limits but felt there needed to be more accountability and the City does not currently have a way to choose the best people for a commission. Councilmember Sanger stated the purpose of the City's boards and commissions is to provide advice, input, and recommendations to Council and she liked having people on the commissions who have been there awhile and developed valuable expertise, adding she had no interest in getting rid of a commissioner just because they had been on a commission for a long time. She Study Session Minutes -5- January 26, 2015 stated Council needed to have a clearer, more proactive process for identifying and addressing issues related to a commissioner who might be disruptive or who is not showing up for meetings, but she did not think Council needed to change the interview process. Councilmember Lindberg stated that commissioners serve an important advisory role and he wanted to feel comfortable that Council was selecting the right commissioners and was accountable for its decisions. He felt that Council needed more structure in its process and would like to discuss how to make sure the City's various commissioners are meeting expectations and not creating problems for staff Councilmember Brausen spoke in favor of term limits and felt it was important to have turnover to provide opportunities for others to serve and bring fresh energy to the process and thought that three terms should be the limit and he was fine with someone coming back on a commission after they have gone off. He also felt that Council should limit the number of times it conducts interviews throughout the year so that the process is not so cumbersome. Councilmember Spano thought that Council could interview incumbents and judge their ments in the same way Council judges the ments of new candidates, adding he was okay with interviewing incumbents when their term is up. He also felt that Council should interview all candidates for a commission opening on the same night. He felt that the board/commission member application form should include questions specific to the commission being applied for and also include a question that is topical or germane to the work of the commission Councilmember Hallfin stated he did not have an issue with the current interview process and did not think the current system was broken. He stated he was okay with term limits and he did not want to interview commissioners seeking reappointment, adding he felt the people serving on the commissions have been providing good advice and he was willing to accept that advice unless Council felt it needed to revisit a particular reappointment. Councilmember Mavity stated that Council used a ranking process for the recent CAC and BAC appointments that worked well and thought that was an efficient way of making appointments Councilmember Sanger stated she was not in favor of interviewing all incumbents unless there was a specific reason, adding she did not feel the current 15-minute interviews were effective and Council needs to work on the way it conducts these interviews. Councilmember Lindberg felt that ranking applicants was a fairly subjective process and it would be important to have some sort of tool to add objectivity to the process Council continued its discussion regarding the reappointment process. Councilmember Mavity spoke in favor of limiting appointments to two consecutive terms as a way to open up the process for more residents. Council determined that they would like more structure in the interview process. Some are interested in developing a process to interview all, including incumbents who reapply when their term is up. Mr. Harmening stated that staff would provide Council with further information on this issue at a future study session. Study Session Minutes -6- January 26, 2015 Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal) Mr. Harmening advised the School District has offered a seat on the School District's Strategic Planning Committee, which will hold four all day meetings in April, May, and June. It was the consensus of the City Council to select Councilmember Lindberg to serve on the School District's Strategic Planning Committee. Mr. Zwilling reported that staff is currently working on an update to the City's brand. He presented a copy of the City of Bloomington's newsletter and advised the City is considering using this style of newsletter that will allow for more content and the mailing cost will be the same. He stated the City has received inquiries about whether residents can receive these publications electronically and advised that it is still much cheaper for the City to mail these publications, however, as part of the City's meter replacement program, staff intends to obtain email addresses from as many residents as possible and will continue to research whether it is economical to send City publications via email. Mr. Harmening advised that he would be meeting with Scott Neal and a representative from the City of Minneapolis on Wednesday to discuss the 40`h and France Avenue property. Mr. Harmening stated that Mr. Zwilling's last day is Wednesday, January 28th, and everyone is welcome to attend Mr. Zwilling's going away party at Park Tavern from 4:00-6:00 p.m. Mr. Zwilling thanked Mr. Harmening and Ms. Deno for their excellent leadership and stated he has enjoyed working at the City and has appreciated all the support from Council. Councilmember Mavity reported that she attended the Southwest LRT Executive Change Control Board meeting and the Board voted on LRCIs that would be eligible for funding if money is available. She advised that all of the City's LRCIs with the exception of the localized portion of the CSAH 25 improvements were voted as eligible for funding if money is available Mayor Jacobs adjourned the meeting at 8:48 p.m. Written reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 6. Southwest LRT Update 7. December 2014 Monthly Financial Report 8. Fourth Quarter Investment Report(October—December 2014) 9. Zoning Text Amendment—Outside Storage in the Industrial Park District 10. Proposed Acquisition Terms of 5725 Hwy 7 (former McGarvey Coffee property) 11. Health in the Park Update 12. Rezoning of Meadowbrook Golf Course 7 ----) L �\ . 43.70Fe7t, a ,n Nancy Strothh,City Clerk Jeff Jabs,ya or