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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03-04-1996 CMW COUNCIL/MANAGER WORKSHOP OF THE CITY OF MAPLEWOOD 5:00 p.m., Monday, March 4, 1996 Maplewood Room, City Hall MINUTES A. CALL TO ORDER The meeting was called to order by Mayor Bastian at 5:02 p.m. B. ROLL CALL Mayor Gary Bastian Present Councilmember Sherry Allenspach Present Councilmember Dale'Carlson Absent Councilmember Marvin Koppen Present Councilmember George Rossbach Present Others Present: City Manager Michael McGuire Assistant City Manager Craig Dawson. City Attorney Patrick Kelly City Clerk Lucille Aurelius Community Development Director Melinda Coleman Finance Director Dan Faust Public Safety Director Ken Collins C. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Councilmember Allenspach asked that the following items be added: Jl. Status of AT&T Cellular Telephone Tower J2. Organized Collection J3. Highway 36/Hazelwood Street Crossing Councilmember Rossbach asked that the following items be added: J4. Handicap Access/Deputy Registrar Counter J5. Ramsey County Beam Avenue Compost Site Mayor Bastian asked that the following item be added: J6. Maplewood Historical Commission Mazch 4, 1996, Council/Manager Workshop Minutes Page Two City Manager McGuire asked that the following items be added: J7. Pazking Restrictions, Hwy. 61/County Road C Pazk-n-Ride Lot J8. Vending Machines in City Hall Lobby J9. Stationery--Notecazds Mayor Bastian moved approval of the agenda as amended. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Rossbach and approved. Ayes: All D. PROGRESS ON 1995 BUDGET OBJECTIVES McGuire presented the report on progress toward the. budget objectives contained in the 1995 budget, the first City budget in which objectives were listed. He highlighted results among the 177 objectives in the budget. After councilmembers asked questions and made comments about individual objectives, McGuire asked what improvements councilmembers might like to see. Bastian asked if other performance guidelines were more appropriate. For example, the City has no control over how many permits it must process during the yeaz. However, the City can control how well it performs on the permits--e.g., processing them within 24 hours. There may also be good benchmarks against which the City could measure its performance.. Developing performance objectives for the 1997 budget is one of the topics scheduled for the Council/Staff retreat on April 18-19. There were several ideas about what to prepare for: (a) look at models for formulating objectives, and what features should be in them; (b) focus on a particular department or two in developing objectives for 1997; (c) have staff develop issues for their particulaz departments for the Council to respond to; (d) have Council identify general organization-wide objectives, standards, or expectations that would guide staff in developing departmental objectives. councilmembers requested that performance on 1995 budget objectives be communicated in Maplewood in Motion. E. NUISANCE ORDINANCE - Council reviewed existing ordinance related to junk/pazked/abandoned vehicles, weeds/tall grass, and accessory buildings in October 1995, and delayed further consideration to a Workshop. Coleman reviewed these issues and explained the City's process for addressing complaints. The vehicle nuisances are addressed fairly well for purposes of practical enforcement; processing them is problematic and borders on perceptions of constitutional rights. Staff recommended no changes to provisions related to weeds/tall grass (as there are few complaints from residents,) or to accessory structures (as there are no difficulties in enforcement presently). Council and staff discussed the desirability of having a City administrative process for sanctions and fines for violations instead of needing to rely on the court system to process them. March 4, 1996, Council/Manager Workshop Minutes Page Three F. COMMERCIAL PROPERTY STUDY After some discussion, councilmembers decided to schedule a special meeting for which review of this study would be the sole item on the agenda. Council requested that staff prepare a list which showed the permitted uses within each of the zoning districts covered in the study. The date for this special meeting would be scheduled during the March 11, 1996 Council meeting. G. ON-SALE LIQUOR FEE AMENDMENTS Maplewood currently has 22 on-sale liquor licenses issued plus 2 club licenses. In late 1995, the Council increased the annual license fee to $5,750, and retained the $200 fee for aSunday-sale license. Collins reviewed some very preliminary and generalized data about the calls for service at licensed on-sale establishments during 1995. Maplewood police responded to 526. calls for service in 1995. Kelly related the methods used by some cities to determine their costs for licensing and enforcement of on-sale establishments. As there were several pieces of legislation now under consideration which could limit the City's discretion in setting license fees, the Council wished to delay action on considering any changes in the approach the City may take in setting on-sale liquor license fees. Councilmember Rossbach moved to continue this item to a Workshop after the 1996 session of the Legislature is adjourned. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Koppen and approved. Ayes: All H. UPDATE ON SAINT PAUL WATER UTILITY DISCUSSIONS McGuire reviewed the proposals that the staffs of the City and the Water Utility had agreed should be presented to their governing boards for conceptual approval and direction for additional revisions. Essentially, the Maplewood system would become part of the Saint Paul Water Utility. Maplewood would need to make some improvements before the Utility would accept the system. By paying for these improvements through water rates, Maplewood customers would be able to pay the same rate for water service as Saint Paul customers in 2003. The Council directed that staff continue discussions based on the framework that has been developed. Mayor Bastian moved that this matter be placed on the agenda of the March 11 1996 Council meeting. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Koppen and approved. Ayes: All L UPDATE ON FIRE DEPARTMENT CONSOLIDATION WORKSHOP McGuire related that this workshop had been confirmed for March 19, 1996. After some discussion, Councilmembers decided that none of them should attend it. March 4, 1996, Council/Manager Workshop Minutes Page Four J. OTHER BUSINESS 1. Status of AT&T Cellular Telephone Tower: Allenspach mentioned that some residents in the neighborhood believed that AT&T was going to propose to place its tower at a location different than the one the Council had approved. Coleman indicated that there had been no changes made, and that progress on the tower was now in AT&T's hands. AT&T has disagreed with the City's proposed $5,000 license fee. 2. Organized Collection: Allenspach shazed some correspondence she had received regarding the Council's decision to consider the possibility of organized collection of residential solid waste. 3. Highway 36/Hazelwood Street Crossing: Allenspach noted MnDOT's letter to legislators regazding Maplewood's request for a signalized intersection or bridge at this location. MnDOT had denied the request and suggested that the City had requested several years ago that such improvements be deleted from MnDOT's capital improvement plan. Bastian noted that the City had never made such a request. Allenspach said she would bring add this item to the March 11, 1996 Council meeting agenda. 4. Handicap Accessibility Improvements/Deputy Registrar Counter: Rossbach related that revisions he had been working on would raise the estimated cost for these improvements from $5,500 to $8,100. Consideration of these revisions would be placed on the agenda of a future Council meeting. 5. Ramsey County Beam Avenue Compost Site: Rossbach had several questions about how Ramsey County gained the ability to use this site and how well it is managing it. He believed the compost operation began in 1984 with the City leasing the property from KSTP and subleasing it to the County. He was concerned about drainage and off- - site public health effects. He requested staff to review the history of complaints at other compost sites near Maplewood. 6. Maplewood Historical Commission: Bastian inquired about the status of creating this commission. The Commission cannot be formed until the Council adopts an enabling ordinance. Rossbach said that the Historical Study Committee has reviewed an ordinance drafted by the City Attorney and has returned comments to that Office. The ordinance should be forwazded to the Council by its first meeting in April. 7. Park-n-Ride Lot, Highway 61 and County Road C: McGuire reported he had received several complaints since the Council ordered no-pazking signs around this lot last month. Several alternatives were briefly discussed. This item will be scheduled for the March 25, 1996 Council meeting. 8. Vending Machines in City Hall Lobby: McGuire related some recent requests to place vending machines in the City Hall lobby. Councilmembers did not indicate strong preferences to place them there or keep them away. March 4, 1996, Council/Manager Workshop Minutes Page Five Mayor Bastian left at 6:58 p.m. 9. Stationery--Notecards: McGuire asked the Council for feedback on the advisability of purchasing notecards and envelopes with the City's logo and letterhead on them. Councilmembers indicated he should proceed with the purchase. K. FUTURE TOPICS These items were continued to a future workshop. L. ADJOURNMENT Acting Mayor Allenspach moved that the meeting be adjourned at 7:08 p.m. The motion was seconded by Councilmember Rossbach and approved. Ayes: All