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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.f. Minutes of the February 9th, 2016 Special Work Session ProceedingsROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS FEBRUARY 9, 2016 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a Joint Meeting between the Rosemount City Council and the Planning Commission was held on Tuesday, February 9, 2016 beginning at 6:30 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, Demuth, and Weisensel. Planning Commissioners VanderWiel, Henrie, Kenninger, Freeman, Forester and Miller were also present. Commissioner Kurle was absent. Staff present included City Administrator Johnson, Recording Secretary Roudebush, Community Development Director Lindquist, Senior Planner Klatt, and Planner Nemcek. JOINT MEETING WITH PLANNING COMMISSION 2.a. Council Goals and Legislative Priorities Mayor Droste gave an overview of the City Council goals for 2016. The Mayor gave an update of happenings at Flint Hills; expansion and new management. He also mentioned updates on recreational facilities and Flint Hills Park. He also spoke of possible installation of a berm for screening from Flint Hills for homeowners near the refinery. Many of the goals carry over for the past few years. He also reviewed 2016-2017 goals that staff will be working on, including a dog park and possible reuse of water at splash pad Commissioner Forester inquired if there are any transit updates. Mayor stated no there are currently no plans. He stated that you have to prove that you can reduce emissions, which is hard to do in small communities. County is starting an East/West Plan for transit. UMore may sign a contract to sell a portion of their land for a business park Mayor Droste then spoke about the legislative priorities. 2.b. Commission Structure The Mayor gave a brief history of the Planning Commission. He noted that Council Members Demuth, DeBettignies and Weisensel along with himself have served on the Planning Commission. He noted the technical advisory role to the City Council based on what the Comprehensive Plan guides and the need to build citizen understanding by asking questions of the applicant and staff even if commissioners already know the answer. 2.c. Roles and Responsibilities Mayor Droste discussed the importance of attendance, and the need to give as much notice as possible. Need to show a level of professionalism. Give staff a heads up on questions so staff can be prepared to answer your questions. Commissioners are on display and need to be aware of the image they project; Droste gave the example of the citizen who stated that the pledge of allegiance was said too fast. Council Member DeBettignies had issues with people who show emotions, need to look at what is permitted and not. 6.f. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS FEBRUARY 9, 2016 2.d. Comprehensive Plan Update Community Development Director Lindquist gave a brief update on the Comprehensive Plan. She stated that commissioners should expect to meet twice a month going forward. She also stated that they are looking for three taskforces and have a representative from the Planning Commission on each. Mayor Droste gave an update on various projects across the city. Council Member Demuth thanked the Commissioners for their hard work. Lindquist stated that physically going to the site really helps vs. just looking at the pictures in the packets. Commissioner Henrie inquired if the Downtown revitalization document will be updated during the Comprehensive Plan update. Lindquist stated that is one of the small areas that will be looked at further and will be worked on this year. Commissioner Miller felt rebranding is needed so that all organizations throughout the city are the same. COUNCIL UPDATES 3.a. Council Chambers Renovation Community Development Director Lindquist gave an update on the renovations for the Council Chambers. Council Member Nelson inquired if the city asked for bids from other contractors. Lindquist stated that they did but the issue is that Alpha Video has already done the first phase of the project and another contractor would have to first identify what Alpha Video had done then proceed with the project. Nelson also wants to address public safety; he would like to see if Bluetooth cameras could be installed at the entrances to for council to see during meetings. He wants to avoid issues that have happened in other metro cities in the past year. He also wanted to know if the upgrades would allow those who don’t have Charter to view the Council Meeting. Council Member Demuth asked that staff look into sound issues in the back of the Council Chambers; what would it take to fix that. 3.b. Other Community Development Director Lindquist stated that we are still working on solar subscriptions, hopes to have an update by next council meeting. City Administrator Johnson stated there will be an upcoming meeting with UMore Representatives to discuss future development. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS FEBRUARY 9, 2016 Council Member Demuth inquired about the berm to block Flint Hills from residential. Lindquist stated they have agreed but nothing is in writing. It was mentioned the need to push for larger trees planted on the berm. Mayor Droste stated that developers are stating that they won’t buy land because the site line of the refinery. It’s a give and take; they want to expand so they will need to agree to build the berm. Council Member Weisensel gave a review of the report of a suburban coalition on Metropolitan Council governance reform that was recently released. The group is looking for show of support from cities by passing a resolution backing the proposal. Council Members discussed the pros and cons of supporting the proposal. City Administrator Johnson asked for clarification on the referendum on the Central Park expansion. Council members agreed that a unique addition to the park should be included in the cost of the referendum. Commissioner interviews will be Monday, February 29, starting at 5:00 pm at city hall. Council Members agreed that the task forces should be smaller groups. UPDATES Council Member Demuth spoke about the 15th annual road salt symposium. She would like to look at the effects of salt on wetlands. The best time to test is in the winter and wondered if this could be a volunteer event. Council Member Weisensel went over the Youth Commission Goals for 2016 and noted that they are looking to form a partnership with Rosemount High School groups to help sponsor events. 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 10:08 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Amy Roudebush, Recording Secretary