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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-11-09 Council MinutesIT CITY OF CORCORAN City Council Meeting Minutes November 9, 2017 - 7:00pm The Corcoran City Council met on November 9, 2017 at City Hall in Corcoran, Minnesota. Present were Mayor Thomas, Councilor Bottema, Councilor Keefe, and Councilor LaFave. Excused was Councilor Dejewski. Also present were City Administrator Martens, City Clerk /Administrative Services Coordinator Beise, Public Works Director Mattson, and Director of Public Safety Gottschalk. 1. Call to Order/ Roll Call Mayor Thomas called the meeting to order at 7:00 pm. 2. Pledge of Allegiance Mayor Thomas invited all in attendance to rise and join in the Pledge of Allegiance. 3. Agenda Approval City Administrator Martens noted the addition of three items; 10a. Willow Drive /Larkin Road Discussion, 11 e. PERA Resolution, and 11 f. Origin and Destination Study. Council discussed adding the PERA Resolution to the consent agenda as Item 6c. and renumbering Item 11 f. to 11 e. Council discussed the adding of items to the Council agenda. MOTION: made by Keefe, seconded by Bottema to approve the agenda as amended. Voting Aye: Thomas, Bottema, Keefe, and LaFave (Motion carried 4 :0) Mayor Thomas noted Planning Commissioner Jacobs was in attendance and invited him to speak on items related to the Commission. City Administrator Martens noted Parks and Trails Commissioner Regan was unable to attend. 4. Open Forum No persons were present for open forum. 5. Presentations No presentations were heard. 6. Consent Agenda a. Draft Minutes of October 26, 2017 Council Meeting b. Tort Liability Waiver c. Resolution 2017 -76 — Police Officer Declaration of PERA Contributions MOTION: made by Keefe, seconded by Bottema to approve the consent agenda as presented. Voting Aye: Thomas, Bottema, Keefe, and LaFave (Motion carried 4:0) 7. Claims as Presented a. Escrow Claims (Fund #500) MOTION: made by Bottema, seconded by Keefe to approve escrow claims as presented. Voting Aye: Thomas, Bottema, Keefe, and LaFave (Motion carried 4:0) b. All Other Financial Claims MOTION: made by LaFave, seconded by Keefe to approve all other claims as presented. Voting Aye: Thomas, Bottema, Keefe, and LaFave (Motion carried 4:0) 8. Staff Reports/ Memos /Commissions a. Commissioner Representatives; report received. b. Public Works Director Three Month Report Public Works Director Mattson presented the report outlining that in two of the three months the City has exceeded its initial goals related to billable hours. Council thanked Public Works Director Mattson and encouraged him to continue his efforts. c. Sub-watershed Assessment Meeting City Administrator Martens presented the report noting the public participation engagement strategy. Council discussed grant opportunities for residents and the process working with the watershed and residents. City Administrator Martens noted that the sub-watershed assessment was a City initiated project to get a more accurate picture of the watershed in Corcoran. Council inquired about the Elm Creek Watershed Commissioner. City Administrator Martens noted Elm Creek Watershed Commissioner Sharon Meister would be in attendance and she recommended inviting the Parks and Trails Commission. Council discussed timing and communications. City Administrator Martens noted the reason for the urgency of the meeting was to engage stakeholders as soon as possible and that individuals in the sub-watershed would each be sent letters. Public Works Director Mattson noted the meeting would be to provide general information and individual meetings with property owners would be scheduled separately. 9. Planning Business No planning business was presented. 10. Unfinished Business a. Willow Drive/Larkin Road Discussion Councilor Bottema provided a report of his research related to road width and speeds. Council discussed learning more about ways to reduce speed. City Administrator Martens noted that Public Works Director Mattson will be setting up a meeting with the Minnesota Department of Transportation Municipal State Aid Road group to discuss local control. City Administrator Martens noted the next steps in the project include mailing the notices, holding the hearing, and deciding whether or not to order plans and specifications, in which the design elements would be key to reducing speed. Council discussed local control and how to impact speed. Director of Public Safety Gottschalk noted the time for considering speed is during the design and the City will want to take into consideration the planning aspect of collector roads. Council discussed cost savings and road width. 11. New Business a. Solicitors, Peddlers, and Transient Merchants Ordinance Component Review City Clerk/Administrative Services Coordinator Beise presented the report noting the four areas in which additional feedback was requested. Council discussed regulating food trucks and did not want it be part of the ordinance. Council discussed regulating food stands and farmers markets and did have consensus to exempt these as part of the ordinance. Council discussed waiving the fee for Corcoran based businesses had consensus to draft the ordinance with an exemption of fees for Corcoran based businesses. Council discussed 'no solicitation' signs. Per consensus, Council directed staff to proceed with steps toward ordinance creation. b. Draft 2018 Water and Sewer Budgets City Administrator Martens presented the report noting the proposed changes including sewer usage change. Council discussed rates. City Administrator Martens noted the proposed rate increase was 3%. Council discussed rates for different types of properties. City Administrator Martens noted in the future rate structures could change. c. Emergency Communication Systems Fee Ordinance Director of Public Safety Gottschalk presented the report noting with increased development the need for additional emergency communication systems and an ordinance provides a funding mechanism. Council discussed the needs for additional sirens. Director of Public Safety Gottschalk noted that coverage is currently sufficient but a need could arise with additional development in the north. Council discussed who's responsible for sirens. Director of Public Safety Gottschalk noted the City is responsible for the sirens. Council discussed sirens and the possibility of cell phone weather notifications. Director of Public Safety Gottschalk noted that the sirens are regionalized and Hennepin County is working on a new weather system. Director of Public Safety Gottschalk noted that the ordinance is broad and should emergency communication systems change be adaptable. Council inquired if a new siren is needed before the fund would be fully funded. Director of Public Safety Gottschalk noted there might be a need but the City would likely have time to budget for changes. Per consensus, Council directed staff to proceed with steps toward ordinance adoption as drafted. d. Public Works Maintenance Operator Recruitment City Administrator Martens presented the report outlining the timeline for hiring. Council inquired about exit interviews and timing of the hiring. City Administrator Martens noted an exit interview has been completed. City Administrator Martens noted delaying hiring was not recommended as it would ensure assistance with snow plowing and allow time for the candidate to achieve the required licenses. MOTION: made by Keefe, seconded by Bottema to authorize the City Administrator to begin the recruitment process for the position of Maintenance Operator. Voting Aye: Thomas, Bottema, Keefe, and LaFave (Motion carried 4:0) e. Origin and Destination Study City Administrator Martens noted that the study would assist the City in understanding how traffic flows through the community mainly on County Roads. City Administrator Martens noted the cost was anticipated at $9,000.00 and would be split between the City and County. Council inquired about who would complete the study. Public Works Director Mattson noted that Wenck would do the study working with Hennepin County. Council discussed obtaining information from local residents. Public Works Director Mattson noted there would be meetings to gather input for the study. Council discussed concerns with cost sharing with Hennepin County. Council inquired about the process. City Administrator Martens outlined the five -step process. Council inquired about the timing of the study. City Administrator Martens noted that holidays and weather events would be avoided if possible. Council discussed the study, the reason for the study, and the cost. MOTION: made by LaFave, seconded by Keefe to authorize staff to spend up to $4,500.00 to complete the origin and destination study. Voting Aye: Thomas, Keefe, and LaFave Abstain: Bottema (Motion carried 3:0) 12. 2017 Council Schedule City Administrator Martens reviewed the upcoming schedule mentioning the next meeting is on Monday instead of Thursday due to the holiday. City Administrator Martens informed the Council of the passing of former Corcoran Administrator Dan Donahue and the upcoming funeral. 13. Council Liaison Calendar The council liaison calendar was not reviewed, but was available in the Council packet. 14. Adjournment MOTION: made by LaFave, seconded by Keefe to adjourn. Voting Aye: Thomas, Bottema, Keefe, and LaFave (Motion carried 4:0) Meeting adjourned at 8:03pm. Josica Beise —City Clerk/Administrative Services Coordinator