HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019/10/21 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes
City council study session
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
Oct. 21, 2019
The meeting convened at 7:45 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Rachel Harris, Anne
Mavity, Thom Miller, and Margaret Rog.
Councilmembers absent: none.
Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Director of Operations & Recreation (Ms. Walsh),
Building & Energy Director (Mr. Hoffman), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Public Works
Superintendent (Mr. Hanson), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Pappas).
1. Prioritizing transit options through investments, engineering and operations decisions
Councilmember Rog began the discussion and pointed out she would support a levy increase if
it allowed for supporting year-round mobility for folks who use buses and public transportation.
She stated she sees a direct connection to the comprehensive plan and the cities strategic
priorities and prioritizing this would impact kids walking to school, year-round bikers and
wheelchair users who need sidewalks cleared in order to move safely. Councilmember Rog
stated she does not expect this to be accomplished in one year but added creating safe and
user-friendly trails and sidewalks is a matter of operationalizing and prioritizing.
Councilmember Miller agreed he is very much in favor of talking more about this and making it
happen, noting it is part of the city’s strategic priorities and prioritizes pedestrians and those
who use public transportation. He stated this is an equity issue and while the city takes pride in
how they take care of the streets, there seems to be a big miss on not assisting those who rely
on public transportation, and it seems worthwhile to investigate this.
Mayor Spano asked for clarification from the staff report on FTEs and costs. Mr. Hanson stated
the report is dated back to the mid-2000’s but noted $150,000-200,000 would be the
approximate costs of using part-time employment to cover snow costs.
Ms. Walsh noted this dollar figure was related to clearing snow from sidewalks but stated staff
struggles to get seasonal staff, and while it could be a good option, the costs are noted .
Mr. Harmening also pointed out the labor contracts would need to be re-negotiated if seasonal
part-time employees were hired.
Mr. Hanson noted if staff were to clear bus stops, they would first need to create hard surfaces
at the bus stops that don’t already have them in order to allow equipment to clear snow.
Councilmember Brausen asked if the costs include bu ying new equipment. Mr. Hanson stated it
would be using existing and purchasing some new equipment.
Ms. Walsh added the costs also do not include the paving hard surfaces that Mr. Hanson noted.
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Councilmember Rog stated she hopes staff does not look for reasons as to why this is not
possible, noting this fits into the city’s strategic plan.
Mr. Harmening stated staff will need to understand the outcome that council is looking for,
noting this could take time. He stated staff needs to understand council’s expectations before
moving forward.
Councilmember Harris asked if there are any service agreements in place with the bus stops.
Mr. Hoffman stated only within the special service districts.
Mr. Harmening stated last year with all the snow, the city did contact M etro Transit and they
did some bus stop cleaning; however, they will not do that on a consistent basis.
Councilmember Harris asked if something similar to the “adopt a hydrant” program might work
for bus stops. Mr. Harmening stated this would be difficult to have staffed and to ask residents
to do volunteer work like this.
Councilmember Harris asked if neighborhood groups could be asked to purchase snow clearing
services for bus stop areas. Mr. Harmening stated this goes back to what kind of outcome the
council wants to see and reliability of these services.
Councilmember Mavity stated this is confusing and feels like many issues vs. only bus stops . She
stated she does not want to review sidewalk shoveling again and does not support discussing
this topic again. She asked if this could be discussed with the city’s Met Council representative.
Mr. Harmening stated depending on what the council wants for outcomes, perhaps this could
be phased in and possibly clearing the highest ridership bus stop areas could be done.
Councilmember Rog stated this requires plow scheduling changes and reprioritizing. She stated
this is an important aspiration and the expectation should be based on resident input, such as
helping kids walk to school safely.
Ms. Walsh noted that snow removal from streets is also based on emergency services and
plowing on both main and neighborhood streets is a priority so emergency services can access
homes.
Councilmember Brausen stated in Ward 4 there are no alleys or sidewalks, b ut he does believe
walking and biking should be prioritized over driving. He stated this will be a shared community
cost, and if it is to be prioritized, the levy will be impacted and need to be increased .
Councilmember Hallfin stated he agrees in theory; however, not in practice. He stated the
council can continue to discuss ways to improve and focus on pedestrians and bikers, but there
is a problem with where to put the snow. He noted this will be adding about 1% to the levy,
adding that Councilmember Rog stated she is willing to do this, and yet she is not willing to
accept the levy currently in front of the council. He added he does not feel the city should clean
all sidewalks, and people should be responsible for their own.
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Councilmember Harris stated that residents should continue to clear their sidewalks, but she
wants greater clarity on what community sidewalks are, adding it seems to be confusing to
residents and also seems unfair. She stated this is a communication opportunity, and she is in
favor of continuing this conversation on year-round maintenance but would like to table the
conversation about sidewalks.
Councilmember Mavity added this is about accountability and stated even the owners of
affordable properties are accountable for clearing their sidewalks. She stated the problem is
enforcement, and the city should ticket and operationalize the policies already in place.
Mayor Spano stated he had frustrations last winter with the bus stop at Highway 7 and Texas
Avenue, and is interested in having more conversation on this in order to figure out our
responsibility. He agreed the council should discuss this with the new Met Council
representative and look again at the dollars needed to do this and get a breakdown of costs .
Mayor Spano added nothing will happen this winter, but the council has an opportunity to ask
folks that own properties if they will take care of snow plowing, although he is less interested in
a sidewalk discussion.
Councilmember Brausen added he would like to see a public listening session around this topic
as well as education.
Councilmember Mavity stated there are things that a homeowner needs to do to upkeep their
home, and the idea of having an ordinance and then when people don’t comply – the city does
it for them, and folks get a pass, is not acceptable. She added the city does provide a safety net
for folks who cannot take care of their own homes.
Mr. Harmening stated staff’s next step will be to reach out to Metro Transit and the bench
company and develop a plan for moving forward on this.
Mayor Spano asked staff to be sure the city’s Met Council representative is aware of this
conversation, so she is prepared to discuss in depth, when the council meets with her.
Communications/meeting check-in (verbal)
Mr. Harmening wanted the council to be aware of several recent drug overdoses within the
city. He noted there is a problem with folks using fentanyl, but believing it is oxycontin, when
they take it.
The meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.
______________________________________ ______________________________________
Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor
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