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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009/04/15 CCM - WS1 ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS APRIL 15, 2009 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a regular work session of the Rosemount City Council was held on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 at 6:30 p.m. in the Conference Room at City Hall, 2875 145 Street West, Rosemount. Mayor Droste called the meeting to order with Council Members Bills, DeBettignies, Shoe Corrigan and Weisensel attending. Staff members present included Finance Director May, Community Development Director Lindquist, City Engineer Brotzler, GIS Coordinator Kasel, City Administrator Johnson, Director of Parks and Recreation Schultz and City Clerk Domeier. 2.A. City Hall Landscaping City Engineer Brotzler summarized the landscaping plan as proposed in the staff report and requested feedback for the final plan. The City Council supported the proposed plan and directed staff to purchase plants and landscaping materials from local businesses when possible. Council Member Shoe Corrigan also suggested using smaller container plants to save on the landscaping costs. 2.B. Document Retention Software City Clerk Domeier and GIS Coordinator Kasel provided a summary on the process and retrieval with using the current document retention Docuware software along with the improvement proposed with the Laserfishe software. Discussion was held regarding the decision to use the current system, sending out an RFP for services, obtaining additional quotes, server space, document storage and the operating costs. The City Council directed staff to obtain one more quote from another local Laserfishe vendor to ensure that the City would be using the lowest available vendor. Staff was also directed to bring the final quotes to City Council for consideration at a regular meeting. UPDATES 3.A. Safe Routes to School (SRTS) Update City Engineer Brotzler summarized the information provided within the staff report regarding the SRTS non infrastructure grant program. He added that if the City Council was interested staff would extend an invitation to the local principals to attend the next work session to discuss concerns. Council Member Bills expressed concerns about the middle school parking lot and the access to the school. Mr. Brotzler stated that changes would take solid involvement on the school's behalf because the area belongs to the school district. He added that the district would need to take part in finding a solution. Further discussion was held regarding the property that is part of the district and the streets that are maintained by the City. Staff was directed invite the school principals to the next work session. DISCUSSION 2.D. Discussion Regarding Former St. Joseph's Church and School Campus Director of Parks and Recreation Schultz stated staff wanted to discuss the future use of the campus including the church and school facilities. He provided a summary of the bid packages for the operating costs and proposed budgets along with the recommendations of 1 ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS APRIL 15, 2009 the St. Joseph Task Force. Community Development Director Lindquist provided options for the proposed site including the redevelopment opportunities of a civic building, office building, restaurant or senior housing. She added that the CDA is very interested in the site for a joint project. Mayor Droste suggested making improvements to the gym, gathering area and church. Mr. Schultz stated that while that was an option, restroom improvements would be necessary along with an accessible route. He explained the improvements would need to be made for use of the gym. Council Member Bills questioned how the project would be funded since the bond referendum failed. Council Member Shoe Corrigan stated that some funding would come from the SKB Trust Fund. City Administrator Johnson added that there was a $300,000 in the 2008 budget surplus to use towards the project. Stephanie Molstre -Kotz with the Rosemount Area Arts Council (RAAC) stated that their group was pursuing grants. She added that the RAAC would work with the City to obtain grants for the facilities. Mayor Droste started discussion about the amount of commercial space available in Rosemount and the Dakota County area and the types of amenities that are being provided based upon the amount of taxes paid. Council Member Shoe Corrigan questioned how the City would sell the improvements to the public since the referendum was voted down. Ms. Molstre -Kotz suggested making residents part of the RAAC events. Council Member DeBettignies suggested making the church and gathering space updates first. He stated that the rest of the project will fall into place. Discussion about the rental and usage of the rooms, auditorium and banquet room at the community center was held. Council Member Bills questioned how the project would be sold to the average resident. Discussion was held about the type of activities that would be held and the amount of people that would visit the Downtown area. Council Member Weisensel stated residents would be upset with using general fund monies on the project. He supported a senior housing project on the site. Mayor Droste stated that the City would not generate money from a senior community. Council Member DeBettignies suggested opening the church and to entertain to the private enterprises to develop the rest of the site. Council Member Weisensel stated that the City Council needed to articulate a vision for the project. Council Member Shoe Corrigan stated the need to upgrade the church and school. Discussion ensued between updating either the church or school or both with the basics. Council Member Weisensel stated before committing to those funds he wanted letters of intent from groups stating they will use the facility. He stated that from those letters the City Council could start talking about spending capital dollars and the potential revenue stream. Ms. Molstre -Kotz stated that RAAC was working on a service agreement with the City. The direction to staff was to receive the letters of intent; discuss minimal improvements to make the church and gathering space usable with the gym as an option on an upcoming ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS APRIL 15, 2009 regular agenda; and continue to apply for grants. Council Member Shoe Corrigan also wanted further discussion about the school in the next quarter of the year. 2.C. 2009 Budget Update /2010 Budget Discussion Finance Director May provided an update on the 2009 General Fund budget through the end of March. He stated it was difficult to have a true handle on all the revenues and expenditures because of the cyclical nature of many of the revenues coming in and the expenditures going out. City Administrator Johnson reviewed the proposed 2010 Budget Scenarios as provided in the packet and handed out an updated analysis at the meeting including the different changes to the tax rate, overall levy amount and taxes on a median home. Mr. May added that the numbers provided were conservative estimates. Discussion was held regarding the different budget scenarios provided by staff. Mayor Droste stated that residents are expecting cities to make cuts. He added that for Rosemount to do nothing would be wrong and that the City needs to figure out how to be more efficient. Council Member Shoe Corrigan stated there are many challenges in the community with taxes and that most taxes come from the residents. City Administrator Johnson talked about the salaries, benefits and insurance increases. Discussion was held regarding lower or possibly no salary increases. Mayor Droste suggested looking at different staffing and service options. Council Member Bills questioned the costs associated with St. Joseph's campus. Mr. May stated that the operating portion was $75,000 and an additional cost that will be part of the levy. He added that it was similar with the additional operating costs associated with the athletic fields at DCTC. Council Member Weisensel questioned the opportunity to move the City's rank in the County related to the tax rate. Discussion was held regarding the tax rates. Director of Parks and Recreation Schultz pointed out that cuts were made last year that eliminated three to four positions. Percentage wise it is similar to the Lakeville cuts this year. Mr. May provided information and history on staff planning and budgeting for the past 10 years along with union and non -union negotiations. Council Member Weisensel suggested lowering the tax rate by 3.5 Council Member Shoe Corrigan stated that while she agreed cuts could be made she could not support cutting a half million dollars from the budget. The City Council agreed to move forward with the proposed budget calendar. 1 ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS APRIL 15, 2009 UPDATES 3.B. Enhanced Crosswalk Pavement Markings Downtown Area City Engineer Brotzler stated that in response to City Council inquires regarding the use of in- pavement reflectors for crosswalks in the Downtown area, staff researched available products and costs. He also provided a summary of the information provided within the staff report. Discussion was held on high performance wet reflective tape and snowplowable reflective markers as possible alternatives for enhanced crosswalk applications along with ADA requirements for the concrete pedestrian ramps. The City Council favored using the reflective tape. Staff was directed to place the item on the April 21 consent agenda for consideration. 3.C. UMORE Athletic Fields Director of Parks and Recreation Schultz stated that staff recently met with UMORE Park representatives to further discuss the opportunities to develop athletic fields on approximately 20 acres south of the soccer fields on the DCTC property. He added that staff was working on developing a budget for the project and expected to have another update in May. 3.D. Discuss Metropolitan Council Comments regarding the 2030 Comprehensive Plan Community Development Director Lindquist provided draft responses to the comments received from the Metropolitan Council on the 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The City Council agreed with staff's recommendations related to the Ag Preserve areas and the municipal sewer connection concerns. 3.E. Updates by City Council /Staff City Engineer Brotzler stated City was required to establish a program to identify and eliminate illicit and non -storm water discharge entering the storm sewer system. He added that a draft illicit discharge ordinance will be on a future City Council agenda for consideration. Council Member Weisensel requested that the staff reports be changed so that the recommended action was the first part of the report. He suggested trying it for the next work session in May. ADJOURMENT There being no further business to come before the City Council, Mayor Droste moved to adjourn the meeting with a second from Weisensel the meeting adjourned at 10:46 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Amy Domeier, City Clerk