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HomeMy WebLinkAbout20151109 CCM WSROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 9, 2015 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a work session of the Rosemount City Council was held on Monday, November 9, 2015, 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 Weisensel, DeBettignies, Demuth, and Nelson in attendance. Staff members in attendance included City Administrator Johnson, Director of Public Works Wrase, Assistant City Engineer Hatcher, Fire Chief Schroeder, Chief of Police Scott, Parks and Recreation Director Schultz, Finance Director May and City Clerk Hadler. Guests included Craig Nelson (RAHA), Jeff Bartlett, Bruce Rydeen (Cerron Properties) and Warren Israelson. Mayor Droste invited Craig Nelson to speak regarding updated registration numbers. Mr. Nelson stated the estimated Junior Gold registrations are 630 (13.5% increase). These estimates are higher than what their earlier models were predicting for 2018. Overall 16.3% increase overall. Mr. Nelson discussed increases in various groups. Mayor Droste inquired about how many of the registrations are Rosemount residents. Mr. Nelson stated he did not have that information at this time. Mr. Nelson also stated that there were some improvements in the existing facilities that are under way that are being funded by the boosters club, RAHA and the High School. 2.A. Steeple Center Lighting Project Community Development Director Lindquist introduced the topic. Ms. Lindquist and Parks and Recreation Director Schultz discussed the possible lighting project, including the views of the steeple from various distances. Mr. Bartlett, the lighting designer, was on hand for questions and to explain the design drawings that were presented in the Council packet. Council member Nelson inquired if this set of specs is the one Council is set on. Mayor Droste explained that the smaller packages didn’t light the front of the Steeple Center. Council member DeBettignies inquired about the cost of the controller. Mr. Bartlett explained the need for a sophisticated controller. Mr. DeBettignies inquired if the controller would be able to be used for the stage, as well. Mr. Bartlett stated this might be a possibility. Council member Nelson expressed concerns about snow accumulation because the LED lights don’t give off heat. Mr. Bartlett explained his efforts that would keep snow off of the fixtures. 2.F. Discussion Of Multi-Family Housing At Rosewood Commons Community Development Director Lindquist introduced the issue; a proposed multi-family housing project just east of downtown, behind the El Dorado facility off of 145th Street. The facility would consist of 8 residential buildings, with 180 units, as well as a clubhouse. The facility is proposed as affordable housing project and the property would need to be rezoned. Mayor Droste asked for 6.a. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 9, 2015 clarification on definition of “affordable housing”. Ms. Lindquist explained that it would be a family of four that earns 60% of the household median income; or roughly $63,000. Ms. Lindquist asked if the council would entertain a medium-density project on this site. Council member Weisensel stated the area was guided Business Park a long time ago, and that it shouldn’t have been changed to housing because of the railroad proximity, but the proposed use makes sense at this point. Council member DeBettignies expressed concern that the railroad might remove the silent zone if there is housing there. Council member Demuth stated she liked the look of the other developments the builder had done. Council member Nelson expressed concerns about the noise and shaking caused by the trains and inquired if there was something the city could do with the zoning code. Ms. Lindquist stated the city should be cautious because there is quite a bit of land to be developed east of downtown. She agreed that staff would discuss the issue with the developer so that they might make appropriate upgrades. Council members expressed support for the project. Mayor Droste asked if the guests, Bruce Rydeen, Broker with Cerron Properties, and Warren Israelson, property owner, had questions or comments. Mr. Rydeen stated he would take this information to the potential developer and try and keep them interested. 2.B. 2016 Budget And Capital Improvement Plan City Administrator Johnson introduced the topic. Mr. Johnson discussed options for the Budget using some savings from the debt levy. Mr. Johnson stated one option was to purchase open data software, another was a visioning process for the Comprehensive Plan. Council member Weisensel asked for clarification on the $50,000 savings from the Sales Tax Exemption. Finance Director May explained the process to estimate the sales tax exemption savings. Council member Weisensel asked if there is an estimate of what the budget will be at the end of the current year for a surplus. Mr. May stated he could speculate, but not officially state an estimate. Mr. Johnson stated that staff recommends that any surplus go to the Capital Equipment Plan. Council member Weisensel inquired about the Capital Improvement Plan and the water treatment plant. Mr. Johnson discussed factors that might influence that investment and the responses to the city survey. Council member Demuth expressed concerns with the level of manganese in the city’s water supply and that she would be in favor of a water treatment plant being built in 2018. Council member Weisensel supports it in 2019. Mayor Droste suggested we leave it in 2019 for now and Council and staff can look into the topic further. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 9, 2015 Mr. Johnson moved on to discuss how to show the investments in indoor recreation. Staff proposes setting aside $500,000 in 2016 and $750,000 in 2017. Council member Weisensel inquired about “phase 2” type projects that are still unfinished. Mr. Johnson stated that many of those larger projects would be put off for a few years. Many of the earlier listed projects were park and recreation oriented projects, which would compete with the indoor recreation concepts. Mr. Johnson addressed MSA (Minnesota State Aid) funds, 3 years of which will be taken up by the upcoming County Road 42 / State Highway 52 interchange project. There are other projects for which funding might otherwise come from the MSA funds which will now have to be funded another way. MSA funds can be borrowed up to $4 million ahead. There are 3 projects that would need approximately $2 million total. Mr. Johnson addressed the Equipment CIP and recommended that any surplus be committed to that fund. A number of items have been deferred for a few years and the result will be a number of items needing to be purchased all at once. Council member Weisensel expressed hope that equipment usage might be maximized even further. Members discussed the scoring system for equipment replacement. Council member Nelson expressed concern with the body camera and the expense of data storage and retrieval. Chief Scott explained that staff is waiting for the legislature to make decisions about public access to video data. Mayor Droste invited Council members to comment. Mr. May explained how the items can and will be shifted as time goes by as items are reevaluated. 2.C. Letter Of Intent For Dakota Fieldhouse City Administrator Johnson discussed the item. Mr. Dan Corley, developer of the proposed Dakota Fieldhouse, is looking for the City’s commitment to support his project. The Letter of Intent is not legally binding, but would express the city’s interest in the project. Mr. Johnson explained that one way to financially support the project would be with Tax Abatement. Mayor Droste stated that Parks and Recreation Director Schultz has been working on this type of project for around 4 years. Mr. Johnson stated that around $1 million in financial support could leverage $10 - $15 million in private investment. Council member Demuth asked how the $1 million would be invested. Mr. May explained they would want the money up front for land acquisition. 2.D. Dakota Broadband Agreement City Administrator Johnson introduced the topic. The broadband agreement would be an attempt to coordinate with neighboring cities and Dakota County to connect broadband lines that are ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 9, 2015 currently separate. A closed system would create redundancies that would provide more reliable service to all. The project is also expected to be an economic development tool. The JPA would be developed in 2 phases. Council member Weisensel asked about how the City would back out of a system as is proposed and how the system would work. Mr. Johnson provided details on the project, exit strategy, and risks. 2.E. Solar Subscription At Empire WWTP Community Development Director Lindquist introduced the item. The Met Council is looking at installing solar panels at the Empire Waste Water Treatment Plant. The city could subscribe and obtain about 6% of the production. The subscription is for 25 years. There may be some risk that if utility rates decrease substantially, the city may be worse off than it was originally, but this is unlikely. 2.G. Water Efficiency Grant Program Public Works Director Wrase introduced the proposed grant program. Staff would like to apply for a grant from the Met Council, which would allow the city to give grants to residents for water efficiency efforts. Mr. Wrase has made some projections in staff time necessary to administer the grant program and the potential water savings. Council members expressed support for the grant program. UPDATES City Administrator Johnson gave an update of a conversation with Jane Berenz, superintendent, regarding potential elementary school sites. Staff had provided the school district with a map of proposed sites. Council member Nelson expressed concern that the city maintain communication with the school district and keep them up-to-date on potential development and remind them about the need for a new school in Rosemount. Mayor Droste stated that he and staff are in communication with them on a regular basis and that the School Board will most likely utilize data to support their decision. Council member Weisensel noted the Regional LMC conference on November 18th. He noted that STAR was having a webinar with follow-up steps and encouraged staff to watch. He discussed ESRI and that there might be potential GIS solutions that we are not fully utilizing. Also the NLC Congress of Cities is taking early bird registrations. Council member Demuth discussed her experience at the NLC conference last week. She stated she learned more about the “vaping” issues. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS NOVEMBER 9, 2015 Mayor Droste discussed a book of history of Rottweil, which is where a group of exchange students came from. Also, he discussed upcoming Chamber events and The Rosemount senior housing facility opening. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the City Council and upon a motion by Droste, second by Demuth, the meeting was unanimously adjourned at 9:25 p.m. Respectfully Submitted, Clarissa Hadler, City Clerk