Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.c. Minutes of the August 26th Special Work Session ProceedingsROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS AUGUST 26 , 2014 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a special work session of the Rosemount City Council was held on Tuesday , August 26 , 2014 beginning at 6:3 3 p.m. in the Conference Room at City Hall, 2875 145 th Street West, Rosemount. Mayor Droste called the meeting to order with Council Members DeBettignies, Shoe -Corrigan, Weisensel and Demuth attending. Staff present included City Administrator Johnson, City Clerk Hadler , Finance Director May, Parks and Recreation Director Schultz, Public Works Director Brotzler, Chief of Police Scott, and Fire Chief Rick Schroeder . Guests in attendance included Emily Zimmer and Alba Nowlin. DISCUSSION 2.A . 2015 Budget City Administrator Johnson began discussion on the 2015 Budget. Health insurance premiums are decreasing for 2015. Johnson summarized earlier discussions about the Fire Department budget and discussed new options for decreasing the City contribution, inc reasing the benefit , and adding pay for training. With these changes, there would still be a decrease in the proposed levy over what was earlier proposed . Resulting levy increase is approximately $26 for a median value home, which is less than 3% over the 2013 levy . A p ub lic hearing is planned for December 2 nd . The Preliminary L ev y has to be s et by September 30 and must only stay the same or decrease between then and the final levy in December. Discussion ensued as to the various calculations and projections . Council m ember DeBettignies asked Fire Chief Schroeder about the future of joint powers agreements for fire services. Schroeder responded that this is a new concept that is being widely reviewed in the industry . Response times, funding, spending, and community pe rceptions are some of the factors that would influence the decision to go in that direction. DeBettignies inquired if the proposed levy was too low and that we would not be able to increase after submitted. Council member Weisensel and Demuth expressed d isappointment in the increase in the levy. Shoe -Corrigan is content w i th the small incr e ase. Council m embers pointed to amenities and programs that have been added despite very low increases in taxes. Council m embers inquired to Police Chief Scott about some of his future capital budget needs for the police department. The c amera server for the building and police department are not working consistently and need to be replaced. City Administrator Johnson stated the preliminary budget will be on t he Sept 2 nd agenda. 2.B . Update on Noise Ordinance enforcement Chief Scott gave a summary of the staff report. Complaints have been filed regularly against a downtown business, and the police department is working with the business to maintain compliance 6.c . ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS AUGUST 26 , 2014 with the ordinance. Complaints are numerous over a multi -year timeframe, but fewer since 2013. Most complaints are from the same source, though there have been other anonymous complaints. Discussion proceeded about how noise is measured (50 f oo t rule), how the ordinance is written, and whether it should be revised. Members Demuth and Shoe -Corrigan both stated they would like to see the ordinance updated. Mayor Dros te stated he would like the Police Department to weigh in on a ny ordinance update. 2.C . NLC Confere n ce Update – Jeff Weisensel Council Member Weisensel gave an update on his visit to the National League of Cities Leadership Summit in Santa Clara, Calif ornia. He presented a Powerpoint presentation from NLC Leadership Summit presenter, Patrick Ibarra and a summary of other presentations . S taff and council participated in activity including quiz “How innovative is my city?” Weisensel was pleased with the NLC Leadership S ummit overall. Members discussed innovation, creativity, technology , and challenges to implementing and driving innovation in government. Mayor Droste suggested the city should have a technology commission and would like to see more neighborhood meetings. Council member Weisensel would like to see the city increase its LinkedIn presence. Mayor Droste would like to see the Farmer’s Market make changes to meet needs of the community, describing an experience in Prior Lake. Mar kets can be incubators for small local businesses. Discussion ensued to about virtues of various markets in the metro and how to replicate the success of those. Council member Weisensel asked Council what sorts of directives they should be asking of st aff. Council member Dem uth stated we should look at our Facebook and Twitter presence and how positions are refilled. Weisensel stated job descriptions should be edited to reflect organizational values and individual qualities. Council member DeBettignies restated the importance of LinkedIn. Staff stated the reputation of Council and management also weighs heavily on recruitment. UPDATES Chief Scott stated he i s enjoying his position, and he plans to implement some positive changes in the police department. City Administrator Johnson and Parks & Recreation Director Schultz explained there will be letters to residents around Cla re Downs because of some significant encroachment issues along the trail. Parks & Recreation Director Schultz asked about preferences to a ribbon cutting for Flint Hills Soccer Fields. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS AUGUST 26 , 2014 City Administrator Johnson stated Prestwick Park and lighting plans will move along earlier than planned due to SKB funding. Council member DeBettignies stated Lighthouse Church will host military service person n el dinner on Saturday. Council members Shoe -Corrigan and Demuth stated they had participated in a community Ice Bucket challenge. Demuth stated she attended two Metro Water Supply Planning meetings, and has concerns about Flint Hills use of aquifer water instead of surface water. City Administrator Johnson stated Engineering is looking at gray water opportunities. Council member Weisensel stated they are looki ng at doing some innovative things with the Youth Commission. Weisensel asked Johnson what staff needs to shift more innovative thinking. Mayor Droste stated R esilient C ommunities kickoff meeting is Friday, Sept ember 19 th , at lunchtime, and would like t o see Council be engaged in some of those projects. Mayor Droste had met with a solar group, which is looking at a 300 acre solar development east of Highway 52. The development would create five or six high paying jobs when in production. ADJOURNM ENT There being no further business to come before the City Council and upon a motion by Droste, second by DeBettignies , the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 9:22 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Clarissa Hadler , City Clerk