10-13-15 CM Minutes Council/Manager Meeting Minutes
October 13, 2015
Present: Mayor Harris and Council Members, Clausen, Fonnest, Schmidgall and Snope,
City Manager Tim Cruikshank, Assistant City Manager Chantell Knauss; Finance Director
Sue Virnig; Police Chief Stacy Carlson; Physical Development Director Marc Nevinski;
Director of Parks and Recreation Rick Birno; City Engineer Jeff Oliver; Planning Manager
Jason Zimmerman; Public Works Maintenance Manager Bert Tracy; Parks Supervisor AI
Lundstrom, Associate Planner/Grant Writer Emily Goellner; Planning Intern Melissa
Sonneck, and Administrative Assistant Judy Nally.
The meeting began at 6:58 pm in the Council Conference Room.
METRO Blue Line Extension: Environmental Update and Position Statements
Representatives from the METR� Blue Line Extension project office reviewed a
PowerPoint presentation outlining the Golden Valley Road Consent Site Plan, parking at
the Golden Valley Road Station, plans for the October 28 Community Open House, FEIS
and Municipal consent process, project milestones, and continued design coordination.
Planning Manager Jason Zimmerman reviewed the proposed position statement that will
be presented at the November 12, 2015, Corridor Management Committee meeting.
The Council consensus was to include the positions outlined in the resolution affirming the
City's position regarding the Metro Blue Line Extension, which will be considered at the
November 4, 2015 City Council meeting.
Undergrounding Ordinance Modifications
Marc Nevinski stated the Council approved on first consideration modifications to the City
Code right-of-way section allowing for the placement of overhead facilities on existing
lines. CenturyLink stated they could not proceed with a majority of their project under the
proposed amendment and is requesting further amendments.
The Council consensus was to place the ordinance amendment on a future Council
meeting agenda for second consideration.
Continued Item - Reconsideration of Winter Parking Ban
Police Chief Stacy Carlson, Physical Development Director Marc Nevinski, and Public
Works Manager Bert Tracy reviewed the history of the 2014 winter parking ban.
After Council discussion, the Council decided to retain the winter parking ban for the 2015-
2016 season. Staff was requested to place the item on a Council/Manager meeting
agenda in May-June, 2016. Staff will track the calls, emails and comments received on
both sides of the issue.
Remote Meeting Attendance by Elected Officials and Board/Commission Members
Assistant City Manager Chantell Knauss reviewed the requirements for remotely attending
televised and non-televised meetings held by the Council and Board/Commissions.
Knauss stated the council conference room could be easily configured and estimated the
cost to equip the council conference room at approximately $2,000. The council chambers
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October 13, 2015 — Page 2
would be more difficult to retrofit and cost estimates would need to be provided by outside
vendors. The Council could choose to equip one room but not the other depending upon
the costs.
The Council consensus was to request staff get cost estimates for configuring the Council
Chambers and Council Conference Room to conduct remote meetings, televised and non-
televised, for Council and/or Board/Commission meetings and report back to the Council.
If the Council determines they would like to proceed by allowing remote attendance the
would request staff to draft a policy.
Change Council Meeting Public Hearing Start Time
City Manager Cruikshank reviewed the current order of the agenda and the proposal to
conduct public hearings following approval of the consent agenda instead of waiting until 7
pm.
The Council expressed concern that if there is no set time for public hearings the may not
happen until 9 pm. They suggested that if an item is removed from the consent agenda it
be moved to the new business section of the meeting. Consent agenda approval should
only take a few minutes and if the consent agenda is taking longer the item should be
considered under new business, or public hearings could be conducted prior to the
consent agenda.
The Council acknowledged that the resolution establishing the order of business should
also be corrected as it has changed since previously adopted in 2008.
The Council consensus was to bring the item back to a future Council/Manager meeting
after the election as there may be new members serving on the Council.
Proposed Ordinance Amendment - City Code Section 4.32:Tree and Landscape
Requirements
Associate Planner/Grant Writer Emily Goellner and Parks Supervisor AI Lundstrom
reviewed the proposed amendments to the Code outlining changes such as reducing the
allowable tree removal, prioritizing mitigation options and the introduction of minimum
landscape standards.
The Council consensus was to proceed with the City Code amendments and if significant
changes are made after discussion at the Environmental and Planning Commissions the
amendments should be brought back to a future Council/Manager meeting.
Schaper Park Challenge Course Grant Partnership Proposal
Parks and Recreation Director Rick Birno reviewed the proposal to partner with the Three
Rivers Park District, The Loppet Foundation and Minnesota /Wisconsin Playground to
apply for a Hennepin Council Youth Sports Grant to add a Challenge Course at Schaper
Park. Open Space and Recreation Commission Chair Bob Mattison stated the item will be
discussed at the next Commission meeting. Birno and Mattison outlined some of the
changes such as moving the play structure to another location in the park, adding a water
station, park benches, and bike corral.
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October 13, 2015 — Page 3
The Council asked questions about financing, parking, play equipment locations, and
maintenance responsibilities.
The consensus of the Council was to proceed and consider the Submittal of Application for
Hennepin Youth Sports Program Grants at the October 20, 2015, City Council meeting.
2016-2020 Capital Improvement Program
Sue Virnig stated that the Capital Improvement Program (CIP) will be reviewed by the
Planning Commission in October. Virnig reviewed the following sections: Vehicles and
Equipment, Building, Park, Streets, and Financing. The Council had questions regarding
the CIP but had no changes. The CIP will be reviewed again at the November
Council/Manager meeting and will be presented for adoption at the December 1 City
Council meeting.
2016-2017 Proposed General Fund Budget, Other Fund Budgets and 2015 Tax Levy
Due to the lateness of the hour this item was continued to the next Council/Manager
meeting.
The meeting adjourned at 10:20 pm.
Judy Nally
Administrative Assistant