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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024/08/19 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - RegularOfficial minutes City council meeting St. Louis Park, Minnesota Aug. 19, 2024 1. Call to order. Mayor Mohamed called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. a. Pledge of allegiance b. Roll call Council members present: Mayor Nadia Mohamed, Paul Baudhuin, Tim Brausen, Sue Budd, Yolanda Farris Council members absent: Council Members Dumalag and Rog Staff present: City manager (Ms. Keller), city attorney (Mr. Mattick), deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), sustainability manager (Ms. Ziring), park and recreation director (Mr. West), planning manager (Mr. Walther), economic development manager (Mr. Hunt), building & energy director (Mr. Hoffman), Police Chief Kruelle, Deputy Police Chief Nadem, deputy city clerk (Ms. Scott- Lerdal), nature center manager (Mr. Oestreich), engineering director (Ms. Heiser), natural resources manager (Mr. Bahe), naturalist (Mr. Fleck), naturalist programmer, (Ms. Turnbull), Jr. Naturalist coordinator (Mr. Casey-Fix), communication manager (Mr. Sandell), recreation supervisor (Ms. Friederich), associate planner (Ms. Champoux) Guests: St. Louis Park Parktacular Ambassador Director Marla Destache; Ian Thomas and Rick Gravrock, Monterey Cohousing Community; Officer Luke Ellanson and family; Evan Jacobsen, Tushie Montgomery Architects; Rick McKelvey, Hempel Real Estate 2. Approve agenda. It was moved by Council Member Budd, seconded by Council Member Brausen, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed 5-0 (Council Members Dumalag and Rog absent). 3. Presentations. a. Westwood Hills Nature Center junior naturalist recognition Forty youth volunteers served in the junior naturalist program during the summer of 2024. Collectively, they volunteered over 1,400 hours. The junior naturalists received special recognition and a letter of recommendation in celebration of their service. b. St. Louis Park Parktacular Ambassador program recognition Ms. Destache discussed the ambassador program and the role of ambassadors in the community. She introduced and recognized current Parktacular Ambassadors including: Docusign Envelope ID: 42C43123-7006-40CB-8A76-CA6C29EE0B23 City council meeting -2- Aug. 19, 2024 Mare Saffe and Joanne Hed, St. Louis Park Parktacular Senior Ambassadors; Abigail Oppegaard, Catherine "Catie" Miller, Estella Hughes and Sidney Bradley, St. Louis Park Parktacular Ambassadors; Lily Berggren, Ebba Berggren and Fiona Penna, St. Louis Park Parktacular Junior Ambassadors. c. Retirement recognition for Officer Luke Ellanson Mayor Mohamed read the resolution and presented a plaque to Officer Ellanson for his service of over 20 years with the City of St. Louis Park. Police Chief Kruelle congratulated Officer Ellanson for his years of service and his passion for policing in the city. He thanked Officer Ellanson for his dedicated service. Officer Ellanson stated he will miss the community, and it has been an honor to work here. He will miss all his partners in public safety and thanked the council for their support. Council Member Farris stated she remembered Officer Ellanson when she participated in the Citizens Academy Program and when working with him in the community. She fondly recalled doing cook-offs together. Council Member Brausen thanked Officer Ellanson for his service, and his family for their support over the years. He wished him good luck and hoped Officer Ellanson would enjoy his retirement. d. Proclamation observing Aug. 25, 2024, as the Centennial Celebration of the Star of Bethlehem Home, residence of Monterey Cohousing Community – Ward 1 Mayor Mohamed read the proclamation observing the 100th anniversary of the historical location of the Monterey Cohousing Community. The home was built in 1924 and originally known as the “Star of Bethlehem Home.” Mr. Thomas and Mr. Gravrock of the Monterey Cohousing Community accepted the proclamation, thanked the council and city staff for their assistance in the recognition, and explained the upcoming celebration program to be held on Sun., Aug. 25, 2024. Council Member Brausen thanked the recipients and stated the building is beautiful. He added that the historic location has been repurposed wonderfully; it is a model for the community. Council Member Baudhuin added he is looking forward to attending the upcoming event and looks forward to learning more. He stated the building is in Council Member Rog’s ward and he is happy to read the proclamation on her behalf, as she will be unable to attend. e. Recognition of donations Mayor Mohamed recognized and thanked the following people for their donations to the city, on behalf of the council: Docusign Envelope ID: 42C43123-7006-40CB-8A76-CA6C29EE0B23 City council meeting -3- Aug. 19, 2024 • Pamela Gruber $2,800 for memorial park benches, including concrete pads, honoring Josh Gruber and to be placed in Bass Lake Park • Kimberly Wick $2,800 for memorial park benches, including concrete pads, to be placed in Bass Lake Park • Jack Stack $2,200 for memorial park benches, including concrete pads, honoring Jack Stack and to be placed in Twin Lakes Park 4. Minutes. a. Minutes of Aug. 8, 2024 city council meeting It was moved by Council Member Budd, seconded by Council Member Brausen, to approve the Aug. 8, 2024 city council meeting minutes as presented. The motion passed 5-0 (Council Members Dumalag and Rog absent). 5. Consent items. a. Resolution No. 24-090 recognizing the retirement of Officer Luke Ellanson b. Resolution No. 24-091 accepting donations for memorial park benches c. Resolution awarding the sale of General Obligation Bonds, Series 2024B (This item was removed from the consent agenda and set as 7c in the agenda) d. Resolution No. 24-092 authorizing city depositories e. Approve annual financial report for the year ended December 31, 2023 f. Second reading and adoption of Ordinance 24-2679 relating to 2025 fees g. Second reading and adoption of Ordinance 24-2680 amending Ch. 22 of the city code regarding bulk material storage h. Resolutions No. 24-093, 24-094, 24-095 approving grant agreements with MnDOT for Cedar Lake Road/ Louisiana Avenue Improvements projects - Ward 4 i. Resolution No. 24-096 removing parking restrictions at 3601 Lynn Avenue (Traffic Study No. 792) - Ward 2 j. Resolution No. 24-097 authorizing final payment for 2023 Pavement Management project (4023-1000) - Wards 3 and 4 k. Approve replacement of asphalt paver and tandem dump truck l. Resolution No. 24-098 authorizing special assessment for sewer service line repair at 3350 Brunswick Avenue South - Ward 3 m. Resolution No. 24-099 authorizing special assessment for sewer line repair at 3309 Zarthan Avenue South - Ward 1 n. Resolution No. 24-100 accepting a donation from Discover St. Louis Park for Jason West to attend the US Sports Congress Council Member Brausen commented that item 5h pertains to the ongoing project in Ward 4, scheduled for construction over the next two years. He thanked the State of Minnesota for assisting the city through grants totaling $5 million to accomplish this substantial regional project. He also thanked staff for seeking out additional sources of revenue, so the residents of St. Louis Park do not carry the entire financial burden. Docusign Envelope ID: 42C43123-7006-40CB-8A76-CA6C29EE0B23 City council meeting -4- Aug. 19, 2024 Council Member Brausen also commented on item 5k regarding capital expenditures. He noted the asphalt paver and dump truck the city is acquiring will replace vehicles put in service in 2001. City staff maintained this machinery to help save money, for which he thanked them. However, he noted it is time to replace both vehicles. Mayor Mohamed noted item 5n, a donation from Discover St. Louis Park for Jason West to attend the US Sports Congress. Collaboration with Discover St. Louis Park is always a great opportunity, and she thanked them for partnering with the city. It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Baudhuin, to move consent item 5c to regular business as item 7a and to approve the consent items as revised; and to waive reading of all resolutions and ordinances. The motion passed 5-0 (Council Members Dumalag and Rog absent). 6. Public hearings. a. Approve on-sale intoxicating liquor license with Sunday sales for Marcus West End, LLC – Ward 4 Ms. Scott-Lerdal presented the staff report. Mayor Mohamed opened the public hearing. No speakers were present. Mayor Mohamed closed the public hearing. Council Member Brausen noted this is the former ICON Theater, whose ownership had maintained a liquor license in the past. He commented the theater is an amenity for the community and he is happy to support the new ownership’s license approval. It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Baudhuin, to approve the on-sale intoxicating liquor license with Sunday sales for Marcus West End, LLC – Ward 4. The motion passed 5-0 (Council Members Dumalag and Rog absent). 7. Regular business. a. First reading of ordinance rescinding Ordinance No 2576-19 Efficient Building Benchmarking Ms. Ziring presented the staff report. Council Member Budd asked about the timeline from adoption to effective date, should the ordinance be adopted. Ms. Ziring stated the ordinance would go into effect Jan. 1, then the data collection window is opened, and then closed again on June 1. Council Member Budd asked when this data collection report would go to the city and the state. Docusign Envelope ID: 42C43123-7006-40CB-8A76-CA6C29EE0B23 City council meeting -5- Aug. 19, 2024 Ms. Ziring stated data would be submitted to St. Louis Park through 2025 and then turned over to the state beginning in 2026, assuming the city program continues for one year. The city would opt into the state program in 2026 for all buildings. Council Member Brausen stated he was a proponent of this program’s end being moved out a year, even with the $30,000 cost. However, given the turn of events on the city’s budget for 2025, he asked if the $30,000 savings would be significant should the city wait to rescind the ordinance until the following year. Ms. Keller stated staff takes fiscal responsibility seriously and because the council wants to remain at 8% or below the tax levy increase, the $30,000 savings would assist with that goal. Council Member Brausen added 1% of a levy increase is about $400,000. Ms. Keller clarified that 1% of an increase is closer to $500,000. Council Member Baudhuin asked if the city rescinds the ordinance in 2025, how the savings might be used. Ms. Keller stated staff has not discussed that, but noted Ms. Ziring may have thoughts on reallocating staff time. Ms. Keller added that the $30,000 is budgeted for contracted work, and that expenditure would simply be avoided. Council Member Brausen asked how long the city has been benchmarking. Ms. Ziring responded that it has been in place for five years. Council Member Brausen asked if the city has been successful in recruiting building owners to make changes in energy efficiency. Ms. Ziring stated it is difficult to determine correlation versus causation. While building owners have access to energy data, and we know some properties have acted based on information found in report cards, overall energy improvement results are inconclusive. She added there is no specific trend line showing energy use has gone down since enactment. Council Member Brausen stated the hope was to develop incentive programs for energy efficiency and those have been enacted. Ms. Ziring agreed and said these programs will continue with or without benchmark reporting. Council Member Baudhuin asked if the benchmarking ordinance were to sunset in 2025, what procedural requirements would be required. He also questioned whether the council should be aware of any rule of procedure with two council members absent from this evening’s meeting. Mr. Mattick said the process for sunsetting the ordinance would be to change its effective date in the motion, requiring a minimum of four votes. Mayor Mohamed stated given the conversations about the 2025 budget, the recommendation seems like an effective way to save $30,000 for this year. Council Member Brausen shared that Council Member Rog was not in favor of a proposed levy increase and he assumed she would support this recommendation as savings. He would support rescinding the benchmarking ordinance as well. Council Member Budd stated she will not support the recommendation as the benchmarking ordinance was hard-fought to put in place. The past five years were difficult with the pandemic, and data was difficult to collect and gauge. She pointed out that participation was 80% and Docusign Envelope ID: 42C43123-7006-40CB-8A76-CA6C29EE0B23 City council meeting -6- Aug. 19, 2024 above from building owners, and that is a good sign, so she would hate to see this progress end. She also observed that $30,000 is one-sixth of a percent of our city’s budget and is a small piece that represents our climate action plan, so she will vote not to rescind the benchmarking ordinance sooner than 2026. Council Member Baudhuin added that the amount of money is a minuscule savings to the city. He stated the results were ambiguous and owners said the energy improvements have nothing to do with benchmarking and that they would have performed the improvements regardless of city ordinance. He stated rescinding the ordinance saves $26,000 this year. Climate change actions are slow, and he does not see how this would make an impact. If the city chooses to sunset the ordinance, it is better to do it sooner rather than later to save money. He added he is in favor of saving every penny. Council Member Farris stated that she agreed with Council Member Baudhuin’s comments. It was moved by Mayor Mohamed, seconded by Council Member Baudhuin, to amend Ordinance No. 2576-19 to be rescinded effective Jan. 1, 2025, instead of Jan. 1, 2026. The motion passed 4-1 (Council Members Dumalag and Rog absent, Council Member Budd opposed). It was moved by Council Member Baudhuin, seconded by Council Member Brausen, to approve the first reading of Ordinance No. 2576-19, as amended, and set the second reading for Sept. 9, 2024. The motion passed 5-0 (Council Members Dumalag and Rog absent). b. First reading of an ordinance amending city code chapters 34 and 36 regarding tree preservation Ms. Champoux presented the staff report. Council Member Farris asked why the credit was limited to 50%. Ms. Champoux clarified that the limit was set based on best practices observed in other cities; staff can monitor over time and adjust as needed. Council Member Brausen asked about additional resources for the forestry division to monitor this issue. Mr. Walther stated that additional staff is proposed in the 2025 budget. Council Member Budd asked for clarification on what a subdivision is. Ms. Champoux stated it is a property that is divided into other properties or being developed into additional lots. Council Member Budd asked if the proposed amendment would apply to school properties. Mr. Walther stated these rules are assigned to private trees only. The public tree counts will remain the same, which is a one-for-one replacement of any significant tree. Docusign Envelope ID: 42C43123-7006-40CB-8A76-CA6C29EE0B23 City council meeting -7- Aug. 19, 2024 Council Member Baudhuin thanked staff and stated he appreciates their work and the tree canopy preservation, adding the canopy contributes to why people choose to buy homes in St. Louis Park. Council Member Brausen thanked staff and stated he will support the proposed ordinance. He was an advocate for applying the policy to private property and single-family residential properties, as tree loss is substantial in the city. Other communities have adopted similar ordinances and require everyone to obtain a permit to remove a tree. He believes the city should look at this type of requirement in the future as it is an urgent issue. Council Member Budd added tree canopies are important to heat islands, and she will support the proposed ordinance. She is glad the city will adopt this as policy. It was moved by Council Member Baudhuin, seconded by Council Member Brausen, to approve the first reading of ordinance amending city code chapters 34 and 36 regarding tree preservation and set the second reading for Sept. 9, 2024. The motion passed 5-0 (Council Members Dumalag and Rog absent). c. Resolution No. 24-101 awarding the sale of General Obligation Bonds, Series 2024B Ms. Keller presented the staff report. She noted the final bond sale amounts. Instead of $6,165,000, the city was able to prepay and only bond for $5,750,000, placing the city in a stronger financial position long-term. Council Member Brausen stated this bonding item is significant; the presentation is being made publicly and transparently. The city does borrow funds, and, over time, future residents will pay those costs. He stated the city’s AAA bond rating again resulted in favorable terms in the bond sale. The bond rating reflects that the city is well-managed fiscally by an outstanding staff and he noted the interest borrowing rate is 3.254507%. He observed that bonding is inexpensive borrowing as a reflection of the city’s strong fiscal management, and he is supportive of this item. It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Budd, to adopt Resolution No. 24-101, awarding the sale of General Obligation Bonds, Series 2024B, as presented at $5,750,000. The motion passed 5-0 (Council Members Dumalag and Rog absent). 8. Communications and announcements. • Ms. Keller stated the city pool closes Sun., Aug. 25. • There are no council meetings scheduled for two weeks. The next meeting is Sept. 9, 2024. • Mayor Mohamed noted the Minnesota State Fair opens later this week. Docusign Envelope ID: 42C43123-7006-40CB-8A76-CA6C29EE0B23 City council meeting -8- Aug. 19, 2024 • Council Member Baudhuin noted the St. Louis Park Little League baseball team went to the Midwest Little League Regional, and while they did not win, they won a few games. Sioux Falls, SD, won and will represent the region. He congratulated the St. Louis Park team. 9. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 7:46 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Nadia Mohamed, mayor Docusign Envelope ID: 42C43123-7006-40CB-8A76-CA6C29EE0B23