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HomeMy Public PortalAbout03-04-2020_minutesMedina City Council Meeting Minutes 1 March 4, 2020 MEDINA CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF MARCH 4, 2020 The City Council of Medina, Minnesota met in regular session on March 4, 2020 at 7:00 p.m. in the City Hall Chambers. Mayor Martin presided. I. ROLL CALL Members present: Albers, Anderson, DesLauriers, Martin, and Pederson. Members absent: None. Also present: City Administrator Scott Johnson, City Attorney Ron Batty, Finance Director Erin Barnhart, City Engineer Jim Stremel, City Planning Director Dusty Finke, Police Sergeant Jason Nelson, and Chief of Police Ed Belland. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE (7:00 p.m.) III. ADDITIONS TO THE AGENDA (7:00 p.m.) Johnson requested to add an Item C, Contributions to Retirement Recognitions, under New Business. Moved by Anderson, seconded by DesLauriers, to the agenda as amended. Motion passed unanimously. IV. APPROVAL OF MINUTES (7:01 p.m.) A. Approval of the February 18, 2020 Regular City Council Meeting Minutes Martin noted the written comments submitted by herself and Anderson to be incorporated into the minutes. Moved by Anderson, seconded by Pederson, to approve the February 18, 2020 regular City Council meeting minutes as amended. Motion passed unanimously. V. CONSENT AGENDA (7:01 p.m.) A. Approve Renewal of Consumption and Display Permit for American Legion Post 394 at 75 Hamel Road B. Appoint Officer Kevin Boecker to Police Sergeant C. Resolution Accepting Donation from the Hamel Athletic Club D. Approve Scoreboard Purchase with Kaufman Sign Company E. Approve Fence Installation Services Agreement with D’Fence F. Ordinance No. 653 Amending Fee Schedule for Clean-Up Day Fees G. Resolution No. 2020-10 Authorizing Publication of Ordinance No. 653 Amending Fee Schedule by Title and Summary Johnson noted a request to pull Items C, D, and E from the Consent Agenda. Moved by Pederson, seconded by Anderson, to approve the consent agenda. Motion passed unanimously. C. Resolution No. 2020-11 Accepting Donation from the Hamel Athletic Club D. Approve Scoreboard Purchase with Kaufman Sign Company Medina City Council Meeting Minutes 2 March 4, 2020 E. Approve Fence Installation Services Agreement with D’Fence DesLauriers stated that the proposal will raise the fence on quad four, which he supports. He stated that the association would also like to bring four t-ball fields between the old fence and new fence. He stated that will bring additional four and five- year olds near the parking lot and therefore DesLauriers was concerned with safety. He stated that perhaps the Park Commission should review the CIP plan to consider adding additional parking. He noted that his intent was simply to have this conversation. Martin stated that she is not a baseball aficianado and therefore does not have that expertise. She recognized that one of the little league fields would have great proximity to the parking lot. She asked if the concern would be alleviated if one of the fields was removed. Finke stated that he was present at the Park Commission meeting and this was discussed. He explained that the intent is to make modifications the next year to bring in that fence, which provides the opportunity to move these four fields into that space. He stated that might open up the opportunity for this area closest to the parking lot to be used for other uses next year. Albers asked why the association does not start with quad three this year. Andy Servi, President of Hamel Little League, replied that work is needed on the infield for quad three before the fence can be moved in and that work is scheduled for 2021. Martin asked if there would be a danger with balls going over the fence and hitting little leaguers from quad four. Andy Servi replied that in the five years he has been involved with the association he has never seen a homerun hit. He stated that this field would mainly be used for nine and ten-year olds, who are not hitting the ball that far. Mike Mohs, previous President of Hamel Little League, commented that he has seen one homerun in his time and that was at Golden Valley. He explained that the fields for the four and five-year olds are completely portable, therefore they can try it out and if there are safety concerns, they can instantaneously move the field location. He stated that they are simply attempting to maximize the space because of the high enrollment numbers. Pederson commented that if they can gain more parking at a future date, he believes that would be a good idea. Servi replied that would be great in the future and commented that it would be great to have the support of the City on quad three in the future. Martin commended the association for the great work it continues to do with the youth in the community. Pederson thanked the association for the donations it contributes to the City. Moved by Pederson, seconded by DesLauriers, to approve the Resolution No. 2020-11 accepting donation from Hamel Athletic Association, approve scoreboard purchase with Medina City Council Meeting Minutes 3 March 4, 2020 Kaufman Sign Company, and approve fence installation services agreement with D’Fence. Motion passed unanimously. VI. COMMENTS (7:12 p.m.) A. Comments from Citizens on Items not on the Agenda There were none. B. Park Commission Finke reported that the Park Commission met the previous month to discuss the Hamel Athletic Club requests and also discussed the Diamond Lake Regional Trail and its master planning process. He explained that the goal is to select a route for that corridor this summer, noting that public input will be gathered throughout the process. C. Planning Commission Finke reported that the Planning Commission will meet the following week to hold a public hearing for the Adam’s Pest Control updated Site Plan and Preliminary Plat. He explained that the change to the request is related to access. He explained that the applicant was unable to obtain right-of-way from the adjacent property owner and therefore the amended access would be solely from Highway 55, with left and right turn lanes added. VII. PRESENTATIONS A. 2019 Fire Department Annual Reports (7:16 p.m.) Martin expressed appreciation to the fire departments and their members that provide service to the residents of Medina. She also thanked those that provided assistance to the recent house fire in Medina and to the recent fire event in Becker. Chief Ruchti, Hamel Fire, provided a brief summary of his report including the number of calls responded to, including the number of calls within Medina and the number of mutual aid assistance calls responded to. He reviewed the breakdown of hours for the department including calls for service, training, and other staffing duties for a total of slightly over 6,000 hours during the past year. He explained that the duty officer vehicle allows the department to achieve a better response time. He reported that the department was able to hire six new members this past year and now has six registered EMT’s. He stated that they continue their efforts to minimize the effect of carcinogens on its members. He stated that the department was able to complete its Blue Card certification this past year and updated 20 additional policies. DesLauriers asked the net number of members with the new hires and retirees. Ruchti replied that they had two retirees this past year. Chief Van Eyll, Long Lake Fire, stated that Medina has four great fire departments that do a great job servicing the community. He provided details on the service his department provided to the Becker fire on February 18th and 19th. He noted that those in the department that provided assistance helped in Becker from midnight to 6:00 a.m. and then went to their full-time jobs. He reported that his department received five new recruits during the past year, which includes two daytime responders. He reported that the department has one additional recruit that will be presented to the Long Lake City Medina City Council Meeting Minutes 4 March 4, 2020 Council at its next meeting and could be a daytime responder as well. He recognized one retirement and other years of service recognitions that occurred during 2019. He reported 16 calls at just under 200 hours for 2019 in Medina. Anderson thanked the Long Lake department for its service. Van Eyll reported that the pancake breakfast will be on April 26th and highlighted the dates of the other upcoming events including the department’s 5k, fire prevention open house, and toy and food drive. Assistant Chief Tim Ryan, Loretto Fire, provided a brief summary of his report including the total number of calls for service and the number of calls responded to within Medina. He reported a total number of 442 staff hours to calls within Medina and reviewed the remaining number of hours including calls to other member cities and other service duties. He commented that 11 new members were added in the past year, six will be reserves and five will be full officers. He stated that the officer leadership program continues, highlighted new gear that was purchased with grant funds, and noted that their pancake breakfast will take place on April 19th. Assistant Chief Rick Altendorf, Loretto Fire, commented that one of the 11 hires in the past year was actually a retired member that missed providing service. VIII. NEW BUSINESS A. Fire Study Grant and Professional Consulting Services Agreement with Matrix Consulting Group (7:36 p.m.) Johnson stated that on January 30th the City was notified that it was awarded a grant for $25,000 to use towards a fire services study. He stated that the City went through the RFP process and conducted interviews, and the interview panel of Mayor Martin, Council Member Anderson and staff recommended Matrix Consulting Group with a cost of $42,000. He stated that staff was able to find the remaining $17,000 from remaining 2019 fire funds and other reserves. Martin clarified that the $42,000 is a “not to exceed” amount. Johnson stated that Matrix was open to being paid partially in 2020 and the remainder in 2021. Anderson commented that there were qualified groups of consultants, but it was clear to him that Matrix was the best choice. Martin agreed that Matrix seemed to bring the most qualified staff to the study. Pederson asked if there are other expenses or whether the $42,000 would be the total amount. Johnson confirmed that $42,000 would be a “not to exceed” amount. Pederson asked when the timeline would start. Johnson stated that he would contact Matrix that night if approved. Medina City Council Meeting Minutes 5 March 4, 2020 Martin commented that Matrix is aware that the City would like to fast track this process. Pederson asked for details on the fire districting discussions. Martin noted that while the topics are related, they are separate. She provided additional details on the fire districting discussions that will occur. Van Eyll provided details on the proposed date and time for the fire districting meeting. Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Pederson, to accept the $25,000 State Fire Marshal’s Grant and approve the agreement with Matrix Consulting Group to conduct a fire services study for $42,000. Motion passed unanimously. B. Ordinance No. 654 Amending Regulations Pertaining to Residential Parking; Amending Chapter 8 of the City Code (7:44 p.m.) Finke stated that the primary change to the ordinance as proposed would reduce the minimum size required for garages in townhomes from 440 to 400 square feet. He stated that some smaller changes were also included in the staff report including changes to how minimum parking requirements in residential districts are calculated to become consistent. He stated that multifamily dwellings would also require attached or tuck under garages. He explained that the proposal developed after staff reviewed a request from a national townhome developer that did not have a floorplan that would meet the 440 square foot requirement for garages. He stated that staff reviewed other municipalities and found that 440 square feet is not common for townhomes in other communities. He provided background information on how the requirement evolved as one piece of a larger change to residential parking requirements. He explained that a wider garage tends to equate to lesser living space and more garage frontage, or larger building and a higher cost. He believed that the discussion in 2011 centered along the desire to provide additional storage space in the garage rather than additional parking space. He noted that the additional changes proposed to the ordinance would gather the parking requirements and apply a standard per use. He noted that standardizing the requirements could result in some existing structures becoming nonconforming. He noted that an exception was built in for substandard lots and provided additional details. He noted that the change requiring multifamily buildings to have tuck under or attached garages would prevent the situation where there is an apartment building with a separate line of garages. He stated that the topic was thoroughly discussed by the Planning Commission with a vote of 4-3 in favor of the ordinance. He noted that the main discussion was related to the change in square footage for townhome garages, with four members supporting the change to 400 square feet while the remaining three Commissioners supported leaving the minimum at 440 square feet. Martin asked if there is a requirement for refuse containers to be stored inside a garage. Finke replied that the requirement within those districts that could develop with townhomes required refuse containers to be stored in the garage or fully screened. Anderson asked if a townhome resident can park outside of the garage. Finke replied that there is not a City ordinance that requires vehicles to be parked inside, but there are potentially HOA requirements that vehicles be parked inside the garage in Medina City Council Meeting Minutes 6 March 4, 2020 some developments. He explained that the City requires a capacity for two vehicles within a garage. Anderson asked how the Council feels about reducing the size of the garage. Martin stated that initially she was opposed to reducing the minimum size requirements but then reviewed the building façade and believes that the smaller garages made the overall dwelling unit more attractive. She commented that the reduced square footage still allows vehicle storage and space for a refuse container with some additional room. DesLauriers commented that initially be believed that to be a large reduction but then after reviewing the even smaller sizes in the Enclave townhomes, noting that even those smaller sizes seem to work. Finke explained that the Enclave was constructed before the larger requirements were enacted. Albers stated that he is still struggling with the change. He noted that when he lived in a townhome, the smaller garage size was tight. He agreed that the narrow garage elevation is more appealing from a façade standpoint but noted that one foot around the perimeter does make a difference. Anderson asked if anyone has experience with electric cars and the space needed for the charging unit. Martin stated that the Tesla unit is installed on the wall and sticks out maybe four inches with an extendable hose that connects to the vehicle. Albers stated that he would assume that the tradeoff from a developer standpoint would be that the smaller garage requirement would equate to additional living space. Finke stated that it would depend upon the townhome development and provided different examples. Albers stated that he could support the ordinance change. Anderson commented that even at 400 square feet, Medina would remain higher than other metro communities. Albers asked what the builders are doing in the communities that do not have minimum requirements. Finke commented that he did not look into that but commented that the Enclave was built before the City had a minimum requirement and those garages were built at 370 to 380 square feet. He explained that the market would dictate having a functional garage. Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Albers, to adopt ordinance no. 654 amending regulations pertaining to residential parking, amending Chapter 8 of the City Code. Motion passed unanimously. Medina City Council Meeting Minutes 7 March 4, 2020 1. Resolution No. 2020-12 Authorizing Publication of Ordinance No. 654 by Title and Summary Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Albers, to adopt resolution no. 2020-12 authorizing publication of the ordinance by title and summary. Motion passed unanimously. C. Contributions to Retirement Recognitions (8:09 p.m.) DesLauriers stated that he asked staff to add this item to the agenda as he was approached by a few staff members related to an upcoming retirement party. He commented that it is very challenging to have a party for the budgeted amount with the number of people expected to attend. He stated that he reviewed the City policy and at a minimum would like to see a bullet added for over 20 years of service which would allow up to $1,000 for the budget. Anderson asked when the $500 policy was first adopted. Johnson reported that was created in 2005. Anderson agreed that the increase should be made. Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Anderson, to amend the Employee Recognition Policy to add a bullet which would state that a retirement for over 20 years of service or more be allowed a budget up to $1,000. Motion passed unanimously. IX. CITY ADMINISTRATOR REPORT (8:12 p.m.) Johnson highlighted the excellent work done by Gallup and the other staff members during the Presidential Primary election. He noted that the spring business tour is typically held in late April with a business forum. He stated that there is not a major project to highlight during a forum and suggested skipping that element. Martin commented that while the forum is popular, it does not have to be an annual event and would agree to skip that element this year. Johnson asked if the Council is still interested in holding three business tours this spring. Martin commented that if the tours will be repeats of businesses already visited, she would tend to skip those. She stated that she would like to hear more about some of the newer businesses in town and provided some suggestions. Johnson stated that he will work with staff to setup the business tours and noted that the tours could be postponed to May to allow better weather. X. MAYOR & CITY COUNCIL REPORTS (8:15 p.m.) Pederson reported that he and Martin met with two stakeholders the previous day related to attempting to make Uptown Hamel more vibrant. He highlighted some of the ideas that could bring more people into the area. Martin stated that they also checked in with staff on the progress of the container restaurant project. DesLauriers reported that he attended a few fire department meetings and participated in the interview process for the new Sergeant position. Medina City Council Meeting Minutes 8 March 4, 2020 Martin noted that she also attended a few fire department meetings. She commented that she also worked with staff to meet with OSI related to its development agreement. She noted the draft agreement will most likely come forward to a future Council meeting for review. XI. APPROVAL TO PAY THE BILLS (8:19 p.m.) Moved by DesLauriers, seconded by Anderson, to approve the bills, EFT 005417E- 005427E for $45,305.01, order check numbers 049942-049985 for $219,776.45, and payroll EFT 0510044-0510073 for $53,742.19. Motion passed unanimously. XII. ADJOURN Moved by Anderson, seconded by Albers, to adjourn the meeting at 8:19 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. __________________________________ Kathleen Martin, Mayor Attest: ____________________________________ Jodi M. Gallup, City Clerk