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Home My WebLink About20150112 CCM WSROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS JANUARY 12, 2015 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a work session of the Rosemount City Council was held on Monday, January 12, 2015 beginning at 6:32 p.m. in the Conference Room at City Hall, 2875 145th Street West, Rosemount. Mayor Droste called the meeting to order with Council Members DeBettignies, Nelson, Weisensel and Demuth in attendance. Staff present included Community Development Director Lindquist, City Clerk Hadler, City Engineer Olson, Parks and Recreation Director Schultz, Public Works Director Brotzler, Public Works Coordinator Watson, Assistant City Administrator Foster. City Administrator Johnson arrived at approximately 7:30 pm. Guests included Mike MacDonald and Joe Richter of the Department of Natural Resources, Leslee Storlie of WSB, and Dave Hume. STAFF UPDATE Dan Schultz provided a short update on the garden plot program and asked for input from Council regarding how these plots are assigned. The suggestion from staff is that it be a lottery of some kind. The program currently uses a “grandfathering" type system of assignments, making it difficult for anyone new to gain access to the program. Some residents have complained about this. Staff is looking at expanding from 49 plots to 55 plots and adding plots to Biscayne Park for a total of 60 plots. Last year there were 19 people on the waiting list with Rosemount residents given priority over non-residents. Mayor Droste stated the grandfathering is discriminatory and he would support a system that allows newcomers into the process. Council recommended that non-residents not be given a plot at all if there is a chance that residents will call after the deadline. DISCUSSION 2.A. Well 16 Update, City Project 416 Public Works Director Brotzler thanked Mike McDonald and Joe Richter, of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, for attending the meeting to answer questions about some DNR processes. Joe Richter gave an overview of the water appropriation permit program. Changing something on the permit requires an amendment of the existing permit. The current permit has been in existence since 1976. Mr. Richter explained the process of the Well Construction Preliminary Assessment. Rosemount received a "medium risk" well construction preliminary assessment letter. Rosemount has a Water Supply Plan that was approved by the DNR in 2009, that outlines a number of commitments including water level monitoring, timely calibration, increased metering, odd/even and time of day sprinkling bans, and public education. Similar requirements are required by all cities over a population of 1,000 statewide. Mayor Droste inquired whether the DNR looks at per capita measurements to determine how much conservation needs to take place in any particular city. Mr. Richter explained they look somewhat at per capita (ignoring business usage), but they look more at what the city has promised to do in their Water Supply Plan vs. what they have actually done. Council member DeBettignies inquired about the fact the DNR will allow you to drill a well, but that doesn't necessarily guarantee issuance of a permit. Mr. MacDonald explained that they would not fail to issue the permit so long as the issues they might be concerned about are mitigated appropriately. 6.c. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS JANUARY 12, 2015 Mr. MacDonald presented information about water usage priorities and well interference gauging. One of the concerns the DNR has about proposed Well 16 is that there are a number of verified domestic well locations around the proposed well that may be impacted by Well 16. As part of the Permit Amendment Request, the City will need to conduct well assessment for wells within 1.5 miles of Well 16 and provide this information to the DNR, as well as develop a plan to deal with any interference complaints. Lakeville currently has a similar plan in place. Mr. Brotzler inquired about the necessity for 1.5 mile assessments, as the DNR had waived this requirement when Well 14 was built. Mr. Richter responded that there have been more interference complaints in recent years. Mr. Brotzler provided information about the existing system and some issues that need to be addressed in creating a policy going forward. Mr. Brotzler stated if Council is comfortable with this information, the next step will be that the Well 16 plan will be on an upcoming Consent agenda. 2.B. Flint Hills Environmental Assessment Worksheets (EAWs) Community Development Director Lindquist gave an overview of the plans for Flint Hills to build a private power plant, as well as a fertilizer plant. She stated that staff is currently looking for information on similar projects, but it appears that there may be a need for an amendment of the zoning ordinance. Staff is looking for Council input on the draft comment letters or whether there was any strong opposition to the building of the power plant. Council members and staff discussed drawbacks and ways to mitigate these drawbacks. 2.C. Pavement Management Update City Engineer Phil Olson gave an update on the pavement management plans for 2015. Mr. Olson explained that bringing back some of the street sweeping practices should mitigate the issues of rock on the streets and in the gutters. Mayor Droste stated he's been hearing complaints for about rocks 4 - 5 years. Council discussed various options for pavement surfacing. Council recommends moving forward with sealcoat except for the two Prestwick neighborhoods, which they recommend the alternative microsurfacing/slurry seal. 2.D. 2015 Proposed Public Works Equipment Purchases Public Works Director Brotzler stated staff recommends the 6 items listed on the Executive Summary to be replaced in 2015. Replacements are based on scoring achieved on the Public Works Fleet Evaluation Matrix. Equipment with a condition score of 30 or greater is recommended to be considered for replacement. The list includes 4 trucks and 2 large mowers. Two of the trucks will be downsized from a 1-ton to a 1/2-ton. Mr. Brotzler gave a short background on some of the equipment being replaced. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS JANUARY 12, 2015 Christine Watson explained that the hourly cost of the equipment is figured by a number of factors, including; fuel, maintenance, overhead, licensing, and depreciation. Formal Council authorization will take place at an upcoming City Council meeting. 2.E. 2015 Legislative Agenda City Administrator Johnson introduced the draft Legislative Agenda. Some priorities are carried over from 2014. New items include support for funding for Mississippi River Regional Trail and support to study the potential for intercity passenger rail service from St. Paul and Minneapolis to South Central Minnesota. Mr. Johnson asked for Council's input on any other topics. Mayor asked that we add the item to next Council Meeting under New Business so that maybe the public will hear more about it. UPDATES Council member Shaun Nelson stated that RAHA (Rosemount Area Hockey Association) is interested in visiting with Council at the February Work Session. Council members expressed the importance of increasing communication with a number of the sports leagues and the potential for a Saturday meeting with these groups. Mayor Droste gave info on the Irish for a Day Soiree. Mayor Droste also stated there RAAC is seeking a grant and would like the City to partner with them on a project. Council member Demuth stated she has been speaking with John Loch and some various ideas for art in the community. She also had received word that Maureen Bouchard will no longer be participating in Leprechaun Days. Public Works Director Brotzler gave an update on a letter to the Met Council from the groundwater working group. City Administrator Johnson stated there is an opening on the Port Authority. Council Member DeBettignies will be taking his seat on the Port Authority. Council Member Demuth suggested she would release her seat to give the opportunity for a more residents to sit on the Port Authority. That will allow for two seats. ADJOURNMENT 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 10:16 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Clarissa Hadler, City Clerk