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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023/12/04 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular Official minutes City council meeting St. Louis Park, Minnesota Dec. 4, 2023 1. Call to order. Mayor Spano called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m. a. Pledge of allegiance b. Roll call Council members present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Sue Budd, Lynette Dumalag, Yolanda Farris, Nadia Mohamed, and Margaret Rog Council members absent: none. Staff present: City manager (Ms. Keller), city attorney (Mr. Mattick), finance director (Ms. Cruver), solid waste manager (Ms. Fisher) Guests: city residents 2. Approve agenda. It was moved by Council Member Mohamed, seconded by Council Member Dumalag, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed 7-0. 3. Presentations – none. 4. Minutes. a. Minutes of Nov. 13, 2023 special city council meeting Council Member Rog requested a revision to page 6 to state: “Council Member Rog asked what the Three Rivers tree philosophy or policy is in preserving trees.” Council Member Rog requested a revision to page 7 to state: “Council Member Rog added that Louisiana Avenue is currently not in the CIP.” It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member , to approve the Nov. 13, 2023 special city council meeting minutes as amended. The motion passed 7-0. b. Minutes of Nov. 13, 2023 study session and Nov 20, 2023 city council meeting DocuSign Envelope ID: D00CFB11-CFBA-4A9B-A934-D9E8E6377960 City council meeting -2- Dec. 4, 2023 It was moved by Council Member Rog, seconded by Council Member Farris, to approve the Nov. 13, 2023 study session and the Nov. 20, 2023 city council meeting minutes as presented. The motion passed 7-0. c. Minutes of Nov. 20, 2023 special study session Council Member Rog requested a revision to page 2 to state: “Council Member Rog said she was interested in learning more about Council Member Mohamed’s ideas on distance from schools.” It was moved by Council Member Rog, seconded by Council Member Farris, to approve the Nov. 20, 2023 special study session minutes as amended. The motion passed 7-0. 5. Consent items. a. Approve city disbursements b. Second reading and adopt Ordinance No. 2674-23 for 2024 utility and solid waste fees c. Resolution No. 23-155 awarding 2024 arts and culture grants d. Resolution No. 23-156 accepting funding from the Department of Natural Resources ReLeaf Community Forestry grant e. Resolution No. 23-157 accepting funding from the Department of Natural Resources shade tree bonding grant f. Resolution No. 23-158 supporting a grant application for the West End trail connection Mayor Spano requested that consent item 5b be moved to regular business as item 7a. It was moved by Council Member Mohamed, seconded by Council Member Dumalag, to approve the consent items as revised; waive reading of all resolutions and ordinances; and to move consent item 5b to regular business 7a. The motion passed 7-0. Council Member Brausen asked to comment on consent items 5d and 5e. He noted that these both refer to accepting funding from the Department of Natural Resources. One is a $371,100 grant to provide tree replacement and treatment for emerald ash borer funding, specifically for homes that make 80% area median income or less. He encouraged households that need funding for tree treatment to be aware of this program and to apply for funding for assistance in tree maintenance. Council Member Brausen added the city is also receiving a grant for $480,282 in a shade tree bonding grant to allow the city to replace ash trees affected by emerald ash borer. The grant will allow replacement of up to 474 of trees considered less significant in the next year. Council Member Brausen thanked staff for finding this funding to address these needs. DocuSign Envelope ID: D00CFB11-CFBA-4A9B-A934-D9E8E6377960 City council meeting -3- Dec. 4, 2023 Council Member Mohamed asked to comment on consent item 5c regarding arts and culture grants. She was excited to see who was awarded funds including the Thai Cultural Council of Minnesota and the Community Storytelling Forum, adding she was happy to see this investment in the city’s culture. 6. Public hearings. a. Truth in Taxation hearing Ms. Cruver presented the staff report. Mayor Spano opened the public hearing. Jake Werner, 2148 Glenhurst Ave., stated he is a 32-year resident of St. Louis Park and from 2018 to 2023 his property taxes increased by 37%. His pension over the same period increased 7.5%, adding this is not sustainable for him. He stated this would be more acceptable if he felt the city was benefiting from these hefty increases and if the city felt more livable, aesthetic and greener, more pedestrian and bike friendly, and if there was a highly state-rated public school system. He opined this is not the case and the city has changed so rapidly he hardly recognizes it any longer. Mr. Werner added city leaders excel at building multi-story apartment buildings and big box retailers and healthcare facilities, all of which bring in big traffic and big parking lots. All of this increased traffic and emissions have a detrimental impact on air quality. He added city leaders have excelled at bringing in density. He estimated the number of residents per square mile in St. Louis Park to be 2,295 in comparison to Edina at 1,507, and Golden Valley at 975. He opined that rental units have become the dominant residential housing type in St. Louis Park and expressed concern that big corporations were buying properties to be offered as rentals. He felt this is detrimental to the city and the fabric of the city is stronger when homes are owner- occupied. Mr. Werner stated the tree canopy is declining at a crucial time for the climate. He expressed concern that the livability index has declined, and residents are moving away. He concluded that city leaders need to stop large development projects and focus on a human scale development plan. Dale Anderson, 2700 Vernon Ave., noted that in the minutes of the Nov. 20 Economic Development Authority meeting, Mayor Spano commented on TIF being a successful tool where forgoing monies now is an investment in future returns. Mr. Anderson expressed concerns regarding his understanding that property owners pay no TIF for up to 25 years and current taxpayers pay more than developers to fund projects and services. He stated he does not see how this keeps costs down for homeowners and felt Mayor Spano should have addressed this in his previous comments. Mr. Anderson opined that TIF is a tax tool with no benefit and while affordable housing is a worthy goal, there are not good tax tools to help achieve that goal. He stated high tax rates place a burden on low-income households exacerbating income inequality and reducing DocuSign Envelope ID: D00CFB11-CFBA-4A9B-A934-D9E8E6377960 City council meeting -4- Dec. 4, 2023 affordability. He noted there is general support for TIF on this council, however, he asked if council is so supportive of TIF, why council does not also address the possible consequences of using it. Mr. Anderson noted his property tax statement does not mention TIF and questioned what the benefit is to the city and the taxpayer. Mayor Spano closed the public hearing. There is no action to be taken by the council this evening. 7. Regular business. a. Second reading and adopt Ordinance 2674-23 for 2024 utility and solid waste fees Ms. Cruver and Ms. Fisher presented the staff report. Mayor Spano stated he received emails and calls about this item. He noted this is the first solid waste contract negotiated since the pandemic, and cost increases are continuing, along with scarcity of resources and staff. He recalled that when bids went out for new solid waste service providers this year, council asked staff to repeat the bid process for yard waste providers. While the new service providers are more expensive than the council prefers, the second round of new bids were better, and the costs will be spread out over time. Mayor Spano noted there is not a perfect answer to this issue, but the council tried to find a good balance. He supported this plan while realizing that it will be harder to afford solid waste services this year. He added that while working to be good stewards of the public’s money, the city does negotiate on the city’s behalf, and he felt this was a responsible solution. Council Member Brausen stated he appreciated the mayor’s comments and added this is the reality for all that live in this community, including council members. He stated he is in favor of this plan and will support it. Council Member Rog referenced a chart prepared by staff and encouraged folks to refer to it. She pointed out that costs will be paid over time, and the overall utility bill is increasing by 15%, not 45%, as was noted in the Sun Sailor. Council Member Dumalag added staff has been working on this issue since last year and 12 requests for proposals were sent out. She noted this process has involved months of discussion and staff went back to get more bids during the process. Costs would have continued to increase incrementally over time, and council wanted to do a larger cost increase up front and then reduced cost increases over time. Council Member Budd observed this action more clearly reflects what is happening in the market, so making the adjustment now and increasing over time is a 6% savings in the year over year costs, adding this is the optimal choice. DocuSign Envelope ID: D00CFB11-CFBA-4A9B-A934-D9E8E6377960 City council meeting -5- Dec. 4, 2023 Colleen Kruit, 2925 Louisiana Ave., asked if there is any way to opt out of these fees and if it saves much money. Mayor Spano responded that she could discuss her options with Ms. Fisher after the meeting. Ms. Kruit asked about the 45% increase, stating she did not understand that in the Sun Sailor. Ms. Cruver clarified that water, storm sewer, solid waste and sanitary are all included in utility services. The 45% increase only refers to the solid waste services portion. The other services are only increasing by about 6%. The overall increase for all utilities is 15% for the median residential user. Council Member Rog added there is no cost savings in residents opting out of recycling or organics collection, noting those services are included in all solid waste collection. Ms. Fisher added the city is required by state statute to ensure that residents who choose to recycle are not charged more than residents who choose not to. Chris Saley, Stanlen Road, stated there was an excellent program before with incentives for organics collection and asked if it was still available. Ms. Fisher stated the incentive program was available as an introductory subsidy when the city had a separate charge for organics collection. Later, council adjusted all solid waste rates to include the cost of organics collection so residents would have fewer barriers to participation. It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Rog, to approve second reading and adopt Ordinance 2674-23, 2024 utility and solid waste fees. The motion passed 7-0. 8. Communications and announcements. a. Planning commission meeting minutes of August 16, 2023 b. Planning commission study session minutes of August 16, 2023 c. Planning commission study session minutes of September 9, 2023 d. Planning commission study session minutes of November 1, 2023 Ms. Keller noted next Monday, the Holiday Train will come through town at 6 p.m. with musical entertainment, viewable from the West side of the train tracks. Council will meet on Tues., Dec. 12 for a study session. Mayor Spano added the Holiday Train is a fundraiser for STEP with Canadian Pacific Railroad and from donations from residents as well. Council Member Mohamed noted Friday, Dec. 8, is the first day of Hanukkah and she wished all Jewish residents in St. Louis Park and across the state a happy holiday. 9. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 7:35 p.m. DocuSign Envelope ID: D00CFB11-CFBA-4A9B-A934-D9E8E6377960 City council meeting -6- Dec. 4, 2023 ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: D00CFB11-CFBA-4A9B-A934-D9E8E6377960