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HomeMy WebLinkAbout6.b. Minutes of the March 5, 2019 Work Session Proceedings ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS MARCH 5, 2019 CALL TO ORDER Pursuant to due call and notice thereof a work session of the Rosemount City Council was held on Tuesday, March 5, 2019, at 5:00 p.m. in the Conference Room at City Hall, 2875 145th Street West, Rosemount. Mayor Droste called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m. with Council member Freske, Weisensel, Block and Essler attending. Staff present included the following: • City Administrator Martin • Interim Police Chief Dahlstrom • Parks & Rec Director Schultz • Community Development Director Lindquist • Director of Public Works Erickson Several members of the audience were in attendance for the RHS Green Team Climate Initiative; including RHS instructor Veda Kanitz, ESTF members, and local residents. DISCUSSION 2.a. RHS Green Team Climate Initiative Director Schultz introduced the item by stating Parks and Recreation staff was contacted by Rosemount High School’s Ms. Kanitz, to see if students could present information regarding climate change in hopes the City of Rosemount will adopt a resolution recognizing the challenges posed by climate change. Unfortunately, the RHS students were unable to attend the work session. Mr. Schultz mentioned how other cities have handled similar requests and referred to the packet which included sample resolutions and/or letters from City of Redwing, Hastings, Duluth and Prior Lake. Mr. Schultz stated the Parks & Rec Commission was more in favor of what City of Hastings did with their resolution. Council members questioned what sort of action the students were expecting from the city. Ms. Kanitz expressed the students are in hope to gain support at a local level as the students ultimately want action at all levels of the government. Ms. Kanitz provided detail of how some of the students are engaged with the process. Council members highlighted several of the items the city currently does to support the cause; reduce the amount the city mows, city building updates, energy action plan, etc. Council members suggested the council starts with a letter versus a resolution highlighting the council’s support and that as a city we hear the student’s concern and also highlight what the city has done and will continue to do to address the cause. Administrator Martin will draft a letter and present the letter to council prior to submittal for approval. 2.b. Infrastructure and Utility Project Forecasting City Administrator Martin and staff want to take the opportunity to discuss future infrastructure needs within the city. Staff is present to review and discuss the projects as well as get feedback regarding some of the policy questions, assessments, timelines, etc. about various infrastructure projects It was noted that any regional infrastructure is paid for by the City through the Water, Sewer, or Stormwater Core funds. Unlike many other cities, the City’s CIP is used largely for improvement projects; meaning the city does not always have to bond for projects as the city is able to fund improvement projects internally. However, there is not a “core fund” for road construction and therefore road construction costs for larger regional (i.e. Biscayne Avenue, Bonaire Path) roads are paid for by the City through various means, including assessments. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS MARCH 5, 2019 Community Development Director Lindquist initiated the project overview with discussing the upcoming Biscayne Avenue Extension project. The question is whether the City will assist in paying for a portion of the collector road; it was noted that the University of MN had been put on notice that they would be paying one-half of the upgrade costs. It was noted that the amount told to the University is less than the anticipated costs due to the amount of time that has transpired between the first cost estimate the and estimate based upon actual plans. Rosemount uses Municipal State Aid (MSA) funds for potential financing sources and Biscayne Avenue would be MSA eligible. Staff stated the city currently has a balance of MSA funds at the start of 2019 that the city could consider some MSA funds for the Biscayne Avenue Project. Council questioned whether a stop light would be put in with this improvement and staff stated the County will not put a light in until the roadway meets warrants and that will not likely occur in 2020. Mayor Droste wants to ensure that when possible the County is reevaluating this area for a potential stoplight. Council discussed potentially providing partial funding for the project and stated council would like a better overall picture of what other projects could utilize MSA funds in order to better prioritize funding for these projects.. Staff highlighted the CIP is a reference for funding of public projects, including MSA funds. Council member Freske questioned what was driving the city to get Biscayne Avenue done; i.e. immediate need, convenience, etc. Ms. Lindquist followed up with stating Biscayne is currently a gravel road in this area and there has been an increase in traffic in the area. Biscayne Avenue also requires additional maintenance; several developers are looking to develop in the area and are unsure of doing so as the sites don’t have public utilities. Biscayne could also serve as a reliever for State Highway 3. Council agreed staff needs further clarification from the University and are supportive of funding some of the project and assessing land owners. Staff intends to follow up with additional information to assist with making a decision regarding the funding and priority of this project. Next, Ms. Lindquist discussed the Connemara Trail extension project. Staff has suggested a deferred assessment for the commercial development side of the extension. Council agreed this extension is critical if the city wants to get any retail in this area. The potential recreation center could go on the east side of Akron Avenue. The sanitary sewer extension through Flint Hills Resources (FHR) to OPUS utility project was discussed next by Ms. Lindquist. The extension would service more to the south of County Road 42.. Staff will need to have discussions with FHR, Vicks Cranes and Rechtzigel regarding easements. An additional discussion with FHR will need to take place regarding FHR’s impact on provision of utilities in the community and the amount of land that does not contribute to regional area charges. Ms. Lindquist intends to set up a meeting to discuss these items with the land owners. Staff will continue to move forward on this project as development is dependent on this extension. ROSEMOUNT CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION PROCEEDINGS MARCH 5, 2019 The water main upgrade project is needed for any eastside development. The extension would be of the 16” water main. The question regarding the eastside sewer and water projects are when is the right time? Staff suggests these project need to start being designed as staff knows where the sewer and water need to go and staff anticipates needing the capacity and an additional well due to the future development. The project will take several years and staff wants to ensure this project continues to move forward with the planning due to the length of time the project may take. Chair of Utility Commission Demuth was present and thanked staff for their continued support with applying for grants; i.e. MDH Smart Well. Ms. Demuth also mentioned Coates shouldn’t do their own well due to nitrates in the area and mentioned it doesn’t always make sense to dig deeper as the city may face water quality challenges. ADJOURNMENT The meeting was adjourned at 6:53 PM to the regular City Council meeting located in the council chambers with a motion from Droste and second by Freske. CALL BACK TO ORDER Mayor Droste called the work session back to order at 7:30 p.m.in the Conference Room at City Hall, 2875 145th Street West, Rosemount. 2.c. 2019 – 2022 Goals Discussion Administrator Martin and Council continued finalizing their discussion regarding the City’s 2019 goals and 5-year strategic plan. Based on tonight’s discussion, staff will finalize the goals and plan to present the final documents to council along with the department heads at the April work session. ADJOURNMENT There being no further business to come before the City Council, with a motion from Droste, second by Essler. The meeting was adjourned at 10:00 PM Respectfully submitted, Erin Fasbender City Clerk