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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2009-06-11 - Council MinutesCITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 11, 2009 1. CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL The Corcoran City Council met on June 11, 2009, at city hall in Corcoran, Minnesota. Present were Councilor Gmach, Councilor Hudok, Councilor Milbrandt and Acting Mayor Thomas. Also present were City Administrator Donahue, City Engineers Vander Top and Torve, Police Chief Gormley, Cpl Hamilton, and Public Works Superintendent Meister. Excused Absence: Mayor Guenthner. Acting Mayor Thomas called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. AGENDA APPROVAL MOTION made by Gmach, seconded by Hudok, to approve the agenda as presented. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 4. CLAIMS AS PRESENTED 4A. Escrow Claims (Fund #500) 4B. Building Inspection Claims 4C. All other Claims as Presented MOTION made by Gmach, seconded by Milbrandt, to approve all claims as presented. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 5. CONSENT AGENDA 5A. 5/04/2009 Draft Minutes 5C. Police Mutual Aid 5E. Approval of Fireworks Display on June 20, 2009 at Lions Park MOTION made by Gmach, seconded by Milbrandt, to approve Items 5A, 5C & 5E of the Consent Agenda. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 5B. 05/13/2009 Draft Minutes MOTION made by Hudok, seconded by Milbrandt, to approve the 05/13/2009 Draft minutes with the following changes: Call to Order Roll Call Pledge of Allegiance Agenda Approval Claims as Presented Consent Agenda: 05/04/09 Minutes Police Mutual Aid Approval of Fireworks Display 05/13/09 Draft Minutes Page -1- CITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 11, 2009 Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 5D. 5/28/2009 Draft Minutes MOTION made by Gmach, seconded by Hudok, to approve the 5/28/2009 Draft Minutes with the following changes: *Page 2, 5/14/2009 draft minute changes — correct spelling of "Kohen" to "Kohnen" *Page 4, last paragraph — change "preserving the City" to "preserving the landscape" *Page 5, last paragraph — correct spelling of "Tiblury" to "Tilbury" Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 6. OPEN FORUM Rachel Tessmer, 23825 Tessmer Road, asked the council to consider changing the one and five ordinance to allow larger landowners and farmers to stay in the community longer and to stop some of the clustering. 7. PRESENTATIONS None 8. UNFINISHED BUSINESS 8A. Ordinance 2009 -246 — Amendment to the text of Chapter 81 and section 1030 of the Corcoran City Code (Animal Ordinance) A summary of the recent history of changes and comments made during the Public Hearing was presented. It was suggested that staff and council really familiarize themselves with this Ordinance to help when residents call with questions. MOTION made by Gmach, seconded by Hudok, to adopt Ordinance No. 2009 -246, An Ordinance Amending the Text of Chapter 81 and Section 1030 of the Corcoran City Code. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 8B. Shannon Lane Project i) Feasibility Report and Presentation City Engineer Torve presented the Engineers Report and the 429 process for assessments on Shannon Lane Bridge Replacement. He also presented a 05/28/2009 Draft Minutes Open Forum Presentations: Unfinished Business: Ordinance 2009 -246 Shannon Lane Project Page -2- CITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 11, 2009 memorandum that gives three options for culvert replacements along with a breakdown of the 2009 costs to date. An analysis of concrete vs. steel options was also presented. Engineer Vander Top discussed the resident input that was given at the May 28, 2009 meeting. There was discussion about the cost increases and the additional expenses that have come up that weren't foreseen in 2007 when the budget was drafted for this project. Engineer Vander Top noted that the culvert is beyond repair and it needs to be replaced. He explained in more detail what the difference in costs if the city were to use a metal culvert vs. the concrete culvert. There wouldn't be much of a savings if the city were to replace the culvert with a metal instead of a concrete culver. A question was asked what the difference in life span would be between a metal culvert and a concrete culvert. Engineer Vander Top answered that the metal culverts last about thirty -five years and the concrete culverts last about forty to fifty years. A question was asked if the concrete culverts are painted with asphalt. Engineer Vander Top answered that the culverts are no longer treated unless there is a corrosive situation. The Feasibility Report shows that the total estimated project cost for the Culvert is $223,883.30. MnDOT's share will be $108,114.00 and the total City Estimate would be $115,769.30. The total assessed to each property would be $8,269.24. Schedule shows that approval of plans, specs and authorization of bids would happen in July. Bid opening would be held August 4th and reviewing of bids and issuance of notice of award would be done August 13. Construction would start August 31. The Assessment Hearing would be held in September and complete construction and restoration would be done in the fall. Record assessments with the County for 2010 would also be done in the fall. Engineer Vander Top presented the "Replacement in Kind" analysis. It shows that: • Replacing the culvert with CMP requires longer length for increased safety • Replacing the short culvert "as -is" was not considered an option back in 2007, nor is it an option at this time • Guard rails will not substantially change the project, however will increase cost Page -3- CITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 11, 2009 • The side -by -side CMP vs. concrete comparison shows costs is similar. CMP would have resulted in a lower cost of $18,036 • This cost can be justified given the additional design life of concrete A question was asked if the bridge were on a private road would the replacement have to follow MnDOT standards. Engineer Vander Top answered that this happens when there is a development being started. The association and their engineer would have to present the plans to the City for approval. The City Engineer would review the plans and would look into safety issues, fire access etc. The project engineer could tweak the slopes a little bit, but final approval would be done by the city. It was noted that if it was a private road it wouldn't be allowed MnDOT funding. There was some discussion about whether the city was obligated to bring the bridge up to today's standards. Engineer Vander Top answered that yes the city is obligated to require minimum design. Tom Cossette, 9200 Shannon Lane, presented to staff and council an analysis of the neighborhood handling the project independently instead of the city doing the project. He suggested that the project be handled independently, and the City and residents of the neighborhood split the costs of the replacement 50/50. He discussed some of the expenses that are currently being added to the resident assessments that shouldn't be assessed to the residents. It was noted that for the project to be done independently the road would need to be changed to a private road, but would still have to meet some of the City standards. This led into a discussion about the City's reasons and purpose for the standards, and the City's share of the costs and extent of input in the project. MOTION made by Gmach, seconded by Hudok to accept the Engineers Feasibility Report. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) Councilor Gmach rescinded his motion as City Administrator Donahue noted that there is a resolution that the council can approve that accepts the Feasibility Report and sets the Public Hearing. MOTION made by Gmach, seconded by Hudok, to approve Resolution No. 2009 -23, A Resolution Accepting the Feasibility Report for the Shannon Lane Bridge Replacement Project and Ordering a Public Hearing, on July 23, 2009 to consider the project. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) Page -4- CITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 11, 2009 8C. Geothermal Project Update City Administrator Donahue reported that the CDBG grant request was denied due to technical issues of City Hall being attached to the Civic Center and the Police Department. The council asked staff to continue pursuing alternative funding sources. 9. PLANNING BUSINESS None 10. NEW BUSINESS 10A. Liquor & Tobacco Licenses, Resolution 2009 -21 City Administrator explained to the council that he received the paperwork and $3,000 of the $4500 fee from the Stanchion Bar. He is recommending that Council approve the liquor license for Stanchion bar pending the $1500 is paid before June 30, 2009. If not all fees are received, July 1, 2009 they will have no license to operate and sell liquor. MOTION made by Hudok, seconded by Gmach, to approve Resolution 2009, A Resolution Approving Tobacco, Beer, and Liquor Licenses in the City of Corcoran with an amendment that Council can retract the approval of Stanchion Bar's license if all fees are not received by June 30, 2009. It was noted that the signature needs to be changed to Daniel Donahue, City Administrator on the last page of the Resolution. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 10B. Contract for Assessing Services City Administrator Donahue explained that Ann Risch presented a proposal that included assessing services, performance requirements and the work plan for the next year. The proposal does have a 3% increase in fees than the previous year. In comparison to the County Assessor's office they cannot give the city an actual amount they would charge due to a number of factors. It does appear that they would charge a little more than the contract with Ms. Risch's firm. The city is currently getting good service and response from Ann Risch. Recommendation is that the city continues their contract with Aim Risch and her firm. MOTION made by Gmach, seconded by Hudok , to accept the Contract for Assessing Services between the City and The Greater Northwest Office of Real Estate Assessment. Geothermal Project Planning Business New Business: Liquor & Tobacco Licenses Contract for Assessing Services Page -5- CITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 11, 2009 Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 10C. City Newsletter Discussion City Administrator Donahue explained that he is looking for input from the Council regarding the City Newsletter. The cost to get out the newsletter to the residents through the mail is very high plus staff time and expenses are high. An idea is to do a web based newsletter and mail out a copy to anyone that may request the newsletter. There was some discussion about the importance of the newsletter and it was suggested that a newsletter go out quarterly. It was suggested to ask for volunteers to help with the newsletter. That will help get the community involved plus could help lower the cost to the city. This lead into a discussion about what types of things should be included in the newsletter. It was suggested to get input from the residents on what they would like to see in the newsletter. It was also noted that having a web -based newsletter is great, but it also is important for some residents to receive the newsletter via postal mail because they don't have internet access. Consensus was that the city needs to work on getting a newsletter out as soon as possible. A suggestion was made that a page of the newsletter include coupons from local businesses and the businesses could help in the expense of the newsletter. 10D. Discussion on Establishing Council Workshop -Dates & Times City Administrator Donahue discussed the idea of having a regular council workshop scheduled or at least get something on the calendar for the rest of the year. It was suggested that there be a workshop scheduled before the regular council meeting, or schedule a workshop during the week there isn't a meeting scheduled. Consensus was there is a need for workshops, and that scheduling the workshops before the Regular Council Meeting works best. The first workshop meeting will be held on June 25, starting at 5:30. City Newsletter Discussion Discussion on Establishing Council Workshops Page -6- CITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 11, 2009 10E. Discussion on Cancelling July 9 Regular Council Meeting City Administrator Donahue explained that many cities cancel the first regular council meeting in July. The main reason being because council, staff, consultants, and residents are not around during this week. Consensus was to not take action and to discuss again at the next council meeting when Mayor Guenthner is present. 11. STAFF REPORTS/MEMOS 11A. Administrative citation update Police Chief Gormley presented that the police department began using Administrative Citation for selected offenses February of 2007. Recently the State of Mn looked at Administrative Offenses and the Legislature decided it was important to put their fingerprint on this program. Chief Gormley summarized how this change impacts the City. After discussion with neighboring cities and the officers, maintaining the Administrative Citations, even with the limitations put upon the State of MN, is still a valuable tool for the officers and community. 1113. Loretto Police Contract Police Chief Gormley reported that the Police Department received a letter from Loretto. The city is seeking a bid for contracted police services 1/1/2010 thru 12/31/2014. The City appreciates the close working relationship with the City of Loretto and the City of Medina, however at this time Corcoran Police Department will not be submitting a contract bid to the City of Loretto. MOTION made by Gmach, second by Milbrandt to approve the letter of response to the City of Loretto. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) 11C. Transfer of Engineering Information from Bonestroo to City City Administrator Donahue gave an update of the progress of getting the files from Bonestroo to the City. There currently have been some problems in getting the files and council maybe asked for assistance. There was some discussion about the city being able to use any of the information in those files or being able to access the information due to software differences. Discussion on Cancelling July 9 Council Meeting Staff Reports /Memos: Administrative Citation Update Loretto Police Contract Transfer of Engineering Information from Bonestroo to City Page -7- CITY OF CORCORAN CITY COUNCIL MEETING JUNE 11, 2009 11D. June 25, 2009 City Council Agenda June 25, 2009 Council Agenda City Administrator Donahue presented the Council with some items that will be discussed at the June 25, 2009 meeting. 11E. Community Growth Options Event, June 18th A representative from Community Growth Options presented a summary of what Community Growth Options is and what the event entails. A suggestion was made that staff contact other commissioners to see if anyone would be interested in attending this event and then contacting Community Growth Options with an amount of people attending the event. City Administrator Donahue added that the Comprehensive Plan Update Open house that was scheduled for June 15 has been cancelled. He noted that they met with Community Growth Options, and it was suggested that the City have a booth during Corcoran Days to present the Comprehensive Plan Update information there for residents to view. An overview of the last Planning Commission Meeting was presented. The major discussion being the Corcoran Lions PUD application. This led into a discussion about the issues the Planning Commission has with the application request. 12. UNSCHEDULED ITEMS 13. ADJOURNMENT MOTION made by Milbrandt, seconded by Hudok, to adjourn at 9:10 pm. Voting Aye: Gmach, Hudok, Milbrandt and Thomas (Motion Carried 4:0) Dan Donahue, City Administrator Community Growth Options Event Unscheduled Items: Adjournment Approved on: a 7. O 9. O 9 Page -8-