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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2014 07-28 City Council Workshop PacketAGENDA MAPLEWOOD CITY COUNCIL MANAGER WORKSHOP 5:00 P.M. Monday, July 28, 2014 City Hall, Council Chambers A. CALL TO ORDER B. ROLL CALL C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA D. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None E. NEW BUSINESS 1. Economic Development Updates 2. Recreational Fires Ordinance Review 3. Discussion of Closest Unit Dispatching in Life Safety Emergency Cases 4. Discussion of Disposition of Firearms Through Public Sale F. ADJOURNMENT THIS PAGE IS INTENTIONALLY LEFT BLANK E1 MEMORANDUM TO: Mayor and City Council FROM: Melinda Coleman, Interim City Manager Michael Martin, AICP, Planner DATE: July 22, 2014 SUBJECT: Economic Development Updates Introduction At the council workshop on July 28, staff will provide an update on its efforts of promoting economic development within Maplewood. Below is a brief summary of the projects staff has currently been dedicating time to. Discussion Gladstone Neighborhood Staff has continued its work in supporting Sherman Associates as the developer seeks additional commitments for funding. Staff from the Environmental and Economic Development and Public W orks departments are working to develop and implement the public improvements within the neighborhood, partially using grants dollars the city secured from Metropolitan Council. Staff is also working with willing Gladstone property owners to utilize Ramsey County resources to conduct environmental studies on properties. These studies will assist in potential redevelopment throughout the neighborhood. Marketing of City-Owned Properties The city hired Mike Brass, a commercial real estate broker with Colliers International, through a request for proposal process. Mr. Brass is marketing two former fire station properties and a vacant lot on Castle Avenue and Van Dyke Street. The city council recently approved a purchase agreement to sell the fire station property on Century Avenue. The new owners of this site have applied for a conditional use permit which will be reviewed by the city in the upcoming weeks. Staff is planning for the marketing of the Logan property – former gas station at County Road B and Highway 61 – the gas tanks are being removed and in the interim the city has issued a short term lease for on-site vegetable sales. The city council also recently approved the final plat for the Maekloth Addition which is a city-owned parcel at Hazelwood Avenue and County Road D East. Staff is now working with an appraiser to establish an asking price for this site and will begin the push to market this property. Environmental Initiatives City staff is working on several initiatives to promote environmental stewardship within Maplewood business community. A few of the highlights of these efforts are below: Workshop Packet Page Number 1 of 13 E1 • The city of Maplewood is participating in the City Leadership Group on Commercial Energy Competitiveness (CLGCEC). Through our participation the city was eligible to apply for and was awarded a $5,000 small grant for the Green Building program. The program will assist commercial and industrial buildings in creating more energy efficient and sustainable buildings through education, outreach, and incentives to voluntarily adopt the city's Green Building Code for new construction and improvement projects. The grant funds are secured by the Joyce Foundation and are administered by the Great Plains Institute and Metro Clean Energy Resource Teams. A Memorandum of Understanding for the grant funds will be drafted and presented to the city for approval soon. • The city of Maplewood’s application to host a GreenCorp member was approved by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA). Maplewood’s member will focus on the implementation of the Green Building program and other energy and sustainability goals. The member begins full-time in September 2014 until September 2015. A host site agreement will be drafted and presented to the city for approval soon. • The city of Maplewood submitted a MPCA Environmental Assistance grant this week. The focus of the grant is City Sustainability Policy Development to assist the city in funding incentives for the Green Building program. The city’s application requested the full $20,000 in grant funds. There is a 25 percent match required which will be covered by the $5,000 small grant the city received from through our participation in the CLGCEC. A resolution of support for the MPCA Environmental Assistance grant submittal will presented to the city council for approval on July 28. Day-to-Day Efforts While the city has retained a broker to assist the city with marketing city-owned properties staff engages potential users about permitted uses regarding the for sale properties. In addition, staff reviews projects for development and redevelopment throughout the year. The city currently has three properties currently being or about to be redeveloped. These projects included updates to the old Hostess building (2146 White Bear Avenue), new redevelopment for a Holiday Station Store (1285 Cope Avenue) and new redevelopment of the old Mr. BBQ site (3094 White Bear Avenue) for a new retail building. Staff continues with regular planning functions of processing applications and speaking with property owners and potential developers to ensure and promote economic development as described by the city’s official controls. In addition to the review responsibilities described above, staff is has been proactive in recently meeting with St. John’s Hospital, Maplewood Mall and Century College about ways to assist one another, explore new hotel and other area expansion possibilities. Andy Welti Andy Welti has been interning with the city this summer and assisting staff in several areas. Mr. Welti previously served in the Minnesota Legislature and is currently pursuing a graduate degree from Metropolitan State University. Thus far, Mr. Welti has been assisting staff by working on: • Outlining the potential processes for rezoning and re-guiding city properties for sale Workshop Packet Page Number 2 of 13 E1 • Contacted nearby and like cities to assist with developing a business retention program • Working with HEDC subcommittee to develop revolving loan fund guidelines • Surveying other cities’ codes to compare to Maplewood’s development standards • Updating staff’s database of vacant and available commercial/properties which will lead to an updated map on the city’s website Budget Impact None. Recommendation No action required. Attachments None. Workshop Packet Page Number 3 of 13 MEMORANDUM TO: Melinda Coleman, Interim City Manager FROM: Andy Welti, Intern Michael Martin, AICP, Planner DATE: July 24, 2014 SUBJECT: Recreational Fires Ordinance Review Introduction In recent weeks council members have fielded some complaints from residents regarding nuisance recreational fires. Because of this, staff wanted to provide a brief overview of how the city regulates recreational fires and provide some informational comparisons from other cities. Discussion In Maplewood, typically the police department handles recreational fire complaints. If dispatch determines it is necessary, the fire department will be sent to deal with the issue. Last year, the police department received five complaints about recreational fires from May 15, 2013 to October 15, 2013. The standard procedure for the police or fire department responding to a recreational fire complaint is to educate the residents about the recreational fire rules and issue a warning; a citation may be issued depending upon the circumstances. If the fire department is called out a second time, the property owner's fire is put out and the property owner is told that he or she can no longer have a recreational fire for the rest of the year; a citation will most likely be issued. If police or fire is called out for a third time, the fire is put out and a citation is issued. Staff contacted staff from the cities of Woodbury, Roseville and Oakdale to review requirements for recreational fires. None of the cities surveyed issue permits or charges residents a fee to have a recreational fire. Most of the cities required residents to obtain a recreational fire permit in the past, but no city currently requires a resident to obtain a permit. Most of the staff surveyed from other cities indicated that if a complaint is lodged, staff then performs a site visit, speaks with the property owners, informs them of the complaint and educates them about recreational fire rules. The majority of city staff indicated that they try to provide a written copy of the recreational fire rules when responding to a complaint. All of the cities reported the majority of issues are resolved through education. Each city indicated that issuing citations for recreational fires is rare and typically only a couple citations are issued annually. In addition to educating residents while responding to complaints, the city provides information regarding recreational fires on the city’s website and through the use of handouts. Budget Impact None. E2 Workshop Packet Page Number 4 of 13 Recommendation No action required. Attachments 1. Sec. 20-38 – Recreational Fires E2 Workshop Packet Page Number 5 of 13 Sec. 20-38. Permits required for outdoor fires. (a) No person shall kindle, ignite, set or start any outdoor fire in the city, not contained in a city-approved incinerator, at any time, unless authorized by the issuance of a permit as provided for by the department of natural resources for, "open burning." (b) City authorization for camp/recreational fire. Campfires and so-called "recreational" fires are defined by Minn. Stats. § 88.171, as those that are no larger than three feet in diameter and three feet in height and used for pleasure, religious, ceremonial, cooking, warmth, or similar purposes and are specifically authorized under this article subject to the rules and restrictions as hereinafter written. Recreational fires should not be lit or maintained if the smoke therefrom unreasonably causes discomfort or a negative impact to neighboring properties. If a complaint is lodged and verified by a peace officer or firefighter and in their opinion is creating a nuisance situation, the operator may be called upon to extinguish the fire immediately until conditions change or improve. No permit is required for recreational fires. A copy of the recreational fire code section (§ 20-38) is available online at www.ci.maplewood.mn.us or you can obtain a paper copy at the Maplewood City Hall information desk. The following are the minimum requirements for camp/recreational fires as defined above: (1) A recreational fire shall be limited to one location per property parcel/address at a time. (2) Recreational fires must be at least 25 feet from all buildings or combustible materials. Combustible materials include, but are not limited to: wood, paper and plastics (MFSC (07) Section 307.4.2). (3) Conditions which could cause a fire to spread within 25 feet of a structure shall be eliminated prior to ignition (MSFC (07) Section 307.4.2). (4) Recreational fires must be constantly attended by an adult until the fire burns out completely or is extinguished (MSFC (07) Section 307.5). (5) A minimum of one portable fire extinguisher complying with MSFC (07) Section 906, with a minimum 4-A rating, or other approved on-site fire extinguishing equipment such as dirt/sand (available for use as an extinguishing agent), or charged garden hose; such extinguishing Attachment 1E2, Attachment 1 Workshop Packet Page Number 6 of 13 equipment shall be readily available at all times until the fire is extinguished. (6) The only materials permitted in a recreational fire are wood from trees, small branches or charcoal. (7) No person shall conduct, cause, or permit burning of rubber, plastics, chemically-treated materials, or other materials which produce excessive or noxious smoke, including, but not limited to, tires, railroad ties, composite shingles, tar paper, insulation, composition board, sheetrock, wiring, paint, paint filters, construction debris, garbage, waste materials, and vegetation of any sort, e.g., leaves and grass. (8) Recreational fires must be immediately extinguished if they pose a fire safety risk, if they are not in compliance with the above, or when directed to do so by a police officer, firefighter, fire warden, or DNR officer (MSFC (07) Section 307.3). (9) Recreational fires are only allowed from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. with winds less than 15 mph unless written permission for an exception is received from the fire chief or fire marshal. (c) The owner of any property upon which a fire is started or originally ignited, in violation of this section, shall be responsible therefore and shall be subject to penalties provided in this chapter, unless such owner can adduce proof that such fire was started by a stranger or trespasser. (Ord. No. 897, 1-25-2010) Attachment 1E2, Attachment 1 Workshop Packet Page Number 7 of 13 E3 MEMORANDUM TO: Melinda Coleman, Interim City Manager FROM: Paul P. Schnell, Police Chief Steve Lukin, Fire Chief DATE: July 18, 2014 SUBJECT: Discussion of Closest Unit Dispatching in Life Safety Emergency Cases Introduction Closest unit dispatching across jurisdictional boundaries is a relatively new public safety option now available due to the advancement of technology and systems. Maplewood Police and Fire/EMS leaders share the belief that closest unit public safety resource deployment is both viable and beneficial to both the people of Maplewood and residents of neighboring Ramsey County-based jurisdictions. Background The Ramsey County Emergency Communications Center will implement new computer-aided dispatch (CAD) and mobile computing systems in January 2015. The new system offers an array of improved technical capabilities over the current system. One key system improvement is the ability of a dispatcher to know exactly where a given public safety resource (police, fire, EMS) is located. Because of the application of this global positioning technology, a dispatcher handling an incoming incident where the life safety of a person is believed to be in immediate danger, they could deploy the closest available, qualified resource–even across jurisdictional boundaries. At present, the City Maplewood has mutual aid agreements with all other Ramsey County municipalities and the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office. While these agreements are routinely utilized, they require mutual aid resources to be requested. In life safety emergencies, time is often of the essence and the deployment of a closer available resource demonstrates intergovernmental cooperation and the moral standard of applying an immediate resource to an immediate need. Closest unit dispatching is not without challenges. In addition to clearly defining and establishing the circumstances constituting a life safety emergency, we must plan for and address the communication, economic, and liability issues that may arise. Budget Impact None. Workshop Packet Page Number 8 of 13 E3 Recommendation It is recommended that the Maplewood City Council resolves support for a defined cross- jurisdictional dispatching policy of deploying the closest, available, and qualified public safety resource in certain emergency situations where it is believed the life safety of a person is in immediate danger. Attachments 1. Resolution draft. Workshop Packet Page Number 9 of 13 E3, Attachment 1 A Resolution in Support of Public Safety Closest Unit Dispatching in Life Safety Emergency Cases Whereas, the City of Maplewood is a political subdivision of the State of Minnesota, located within Ramsey County; and Whereas, the City of Maplewood, like all governmental bodies, has as one of its essential functions the provision of public safety services to protect and preserve the life and property of the people within its jurisdictional boundaries; and Whereas, it is the responsibility of the government of the City of Maplewood to provide reasonable levels of public safety resources to respond to and meet the core needs of its residents and those within its jurisdictional boundaries; and Whereas, advances in technology and a shared public safety dispatch center makes it possible to know the location of a given public safety resource (police, fire, emergency medical service) relative to the location of a reported life safety emergency; and Whereas, a life safety emergency is any event where, based upon reported circumstances and uniformly established and agreed-upon protocols, the life safety of a person(s) is believed to be in immediate danger; and Whereas, the geographic boundaries of a given political subdivision typically determines legal responsibility for a life safety emergency response, the moral, reasonable, and publically expected responsibility is to provide those whose life may be in immediate jeopardy with the closest available and qualified public safety resource; and Whereas, the City of Maplewood has a desire to provide its citizens and those within its boundaries experiencing a life safety emergency with the closest available and qualified public safety resource, including an available and qualified response resource from a neighboring political subdivision. Similarly, the City of Maplewood pledges to make its public safety resources available to another political subdivision when that resource is determined able to provide immediate services in a life safety emergency; and Whereas, it is acknowledged that response to such a life safety emergency should be limited to addressing immediate life safety needs until such time as a public safety resource from the political division of incident occurrence and responsibility is able to assume control of the incident and/or event. Now, therefore, the City Council of the City of Maplewood in recognition of its civic, legal, and moral obligation resolves support for a defined cross-jurisdictional dispatching policy of closest, available, qualified public safety resource deployment in certain emergency situations where it is believed the life safety of a person is in immediate jeopardy; and Further, it is recommended, that public safety leaders serving the various political subdivisions within Ramsey County convene to discuss establishment of a reasonable, limited, and defensible closest unit dispatching policy to effectively serve the immediate life safety needs of those who live, work, or visit our respective jurisdictions; and Workshop Packet Page Number 10 of 13 E3, Attachment 1 Further, it is acknowledged that this recommendation is not without a range of legal, communication, economic, and liability implications that must be addressed. It is also understood that such a policy does not reduce or mitigate the responsibility of this or any political subdivision to provide adequate resources to meet the emergency needs of people within their political subdivision; and Finally, be it known that the City of Maplewood has only the highest regard for our neighboring political subdivisions and that these recommendations are made for the mutual benefit of our peoples. Adopted this 28th day of July, 2014, _______________________________ Nora Slawik, Mayor Attest: _____________________ Karen Guilfoile, City Clerk Workshop Packet Page Number 11 of 13 E4 MEMORANDUM TO: Melinda Coleman, Interim City Manager FROM: Paul P. Schnell, Police Chief DATE: July 21, 2014 SUBJECT: Discussion of Disposition of Firearms Through Public Sale Introduction In recent history, it has been the practice of the Maplewood Police Department, along with many local law enforcement agencies, to destroy seized and/or surrendered firearms. Lawfully seized and/or surrendered firearms represent a real and viable economic value to this or any community who bear the cost of criminal investigation and evidence management. The department is intending a change of practice and protocol for the disposition of certain firearms through a specified process of public sale. The department brings this matter forward for Council review, input, and feedback. Background The Maplewood Police Department has in its possession nearly 400 firearms that have been seized and/or surrendered since 1989. Most of these guns (both long guns and handguns) were surrendered by various individuals, while others remain unclaimed or were seized pursuant to a criminal case. For the past month, Maplewood Police Department property and evidence technicians have been reviewing cases to determine the exact status of these guns. Following the internal case status review, staff will run clear checks on each firearm through the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (ATF). It is anticipated that full and final clearance of weapons will be completed before the end of 2014. Unless otherwise directed and upon final clearance of the weapons, it is the department’s plan to offer the weapons for sale by sealed bid auction to federally licensed firearms dealers. It is important to note that weapons without serial numbers, those obviously damaged, and those utilized in suicides will be destroyed by incineration. In addition, weapons used in the commission of a homicide are maintained on a permanent basis. The plan is to acquire the assistance of a federally licensed firearms dealer to serve as the City’s representative and aid in the sale and the transfer of ownership. The weapons cleared for sale would be broken into smaller bid lots. The lots would be made available for inspection and sealed bids from federally licensed firearms dealers only. Each respective weapons lot will be sold to the highest bidder. The federally licensed firearms dealer assisting in the sale and transfer of ownership will not be allowed to bid on the weapons being sold. The department will retain the option of offering certain weapons of high value (i.e., antique, collector, etc.) as a single-item lot for the purpose of maximizing sale benefit. Workshop Packet Page Number 12 of 13 E4 In summary, sales of weapons will only occur after full and final ATF clearance has been obtained. The auction will be publicized and open to any federally licensed firearms dealer. Private party bids/purchases will not be allowed. Budget Impact Sale of weapons could yield revenues of more than $20,000, with proceeds dependent upon final clearance of firearms eligible to be sold by auction, less fees payable to the federally licensed dealer representing the City. With the exception of court-ordered criminal forfeitures, net funds collected through the sale of these weapons are applied to the City’s General Fund. Recommendation The Maplewood Police Department plans to implement a new practice and protocol for the disposition of certain firearms. The department brings this matter forward for Council review, input, and feedback. Attachments None Workshop Packet Page Number 13 of 13