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02-17-09 Council February 17, 2009 A regular meeting of the Scandia City Council was held on the above date. Mayor Seefeldt called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. The following council members were present: Council members Connie Amos, Pete Crum, John Lindell, Dolores Peterson and Mayor Dennis Seefeldt. Staff present: Administrator Anne Hurlburt, City Attorney Dave Hebert, Building/Code Enforcement Official Steve Thorp, Treasurer Colleen Firkus, Deputy Clerk Brenda Eklund. PUBLIC FORUM There were no public comments. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Peterson, seconded by Crum, moved to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed unanimously. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA The following consent agenda was presented: a) Minutes 1) January 20, 2009 Special Meeting 2) January 20, 2009 Regular Meeting 3) February 3, 2009 Meeting with Planning Commission b) Treasurer’s Report Beginning Balance 01/01/09 $1,427,732.77 Receipts + 74,502.12 Expenditures $93,601.79 Payroll 50,453.83 - 144,055.62 Ending Balance 01/31/09 $1,358,179.27 c) Payment of Vouchers d) Renewal of Consumption and Display Permit, Scandia Senior Community Center e) Application for Excluded or Exempt Lawful Gambling Permit, Scandia Women’s Softball f) Abatement of Special Assessment, 18509 Langly Ave. N. (Resolution No. 02-17-09-01) Crum, seconded by Amos, moved to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. The motion passed unanimously. PARK AND RECREATION COMMITTEE At their February meeting, the Committee appointed Alex Bildeaux as Chair and Karen Schik as Vice Chair for 2009 for a term of one year. Crum, seconded by Peterson, moved to approve the Committee’s recommendation for Chairperson (Alex Bildeaux) and Vice Chairperson (Karen Schik) for 2009. The motion passed unanimously. Mayor Seefeldt extended a thank you to the Park and Recreation Committee for their hard work th to make the “Vinterfest” event held on February 7 a success. February 17, 2009 Scandia City Council Page 2 of 4 POLICE DEPARTMENT Deputy Chris Majeski reported on the past month’s police activity. There has been an increase in the discarding of garbage along roadways within Scandia. FIRE DEPARTMENT Fire Chief Steve Spence reported that the radio switchover to the 800 MHz system is on track for implementation to begin in March. As this was Chief Spence’s last official meeting before the council, he thanked the council and Scandia citizens for their support over the years. Chief Spence has been a member of the department for 26 years, with 20 years serving as Fire Chief. On behalf of the council, Mayor Seefeldt extended his appreciation to Chief Spence for his many years of service, and announced that a formal recognition ceremony is planned for May, as th Spence will officially retire from the department effective April 30. BUILDING/CODE ENFORCEMENT Building/Code Enforcement Official Steve Thorp reported on his completion of water operator certification. Thorp is developing an inspection program to monitor the CUP and AOP conditions for the mining operations. CITY ADMINISTRATOR 2009 Budget City Administrator Anne Hurlburt reported on the how the state budget cuts will affect the City’s funds. The loss of Market Value Homestead Credits will not be known until the next month or two, but is proposed to be a loss of $50,000 to $90,000. Hurlburt outlined several areas within the 2009 budget where spending should be delayed or limited (i.e. capital purchases, equipment replacement, contractual road maintenance). Council plans to conduct a budget workshop to address the effects on the 2009 budget as figures from the state are confirmed. Park Shelter Reservation Policies The Parks Committee has identified a need for a reservation/park permit system for use of the Warming House (outside of the skating season) and the Hay Lake Picnic Shelter. Administrator Hurlburt presented a draft reservation policy which establishes rental fees for use of the facilities. Council suggested a $50 rental fee for use of the warming house by residents, and $100 for non- residents. The Parks Committee will review the draft policy and bring it before the Council for adoption at a future meeting. Spring Newsletter The spring edition of the city’s newsletter is scheduled to be mailed out approximately April 1. It was discussed with the Country Messenger that they may be able to provide the newsletter as an insert to their newspapers, but due to concerns that residents may not identify it in this manner, the city will continue to mail newsletters to all residents. The Country Messenger will provide the printing service for the newsletter. A draft of the newsletter will be reviewed at the March 17 council meeting. February 17, 2009 Scandia City Council Page 3 of 4 VOLUNTEER FIRE CHIEF A draft position description for the Volunteer Fire Chief was presented to the council at the February 3 meeting. Several edits and formatting changes were made. Peterson, seconded by Amos, moved to approve the Volunteer Fire Chief Position Description. The motion passed unanimously. An informal interview with Assistant Fire Chief Jim Finnegan was conducted prior to the start of the regular meeting regarding his appointment to Fire Chief. Mayor Seefeldt reported that an excellent discussion was held with Mr. Finnegan concerning the operations of the fire department. Peterson, seconded by Amos, moved to appoint Jim Finnegan as Volunteer Fire Chief for a term through December 31, 2012. The motion passed unanimously. RECYCLING SERVICES Extension of the Recycling Agreement with SRC, Inc. Rick Prahl, SRC Inc., presented a report on the successful transition to a one-sort recycling system to residents of Scandia. Based on collection weights, significant increases in recyclable materials were evident in 2008. SRC has agreed to continue the contract for collecting recyclable materials that has been in effect since 2001 at a price of $2,320.50 per month. Grant revenue from Washington County helps offset a portion of this expense. Lindell, seconded by Peterson, moved to approve an extension of the Recycling Agreement with SRC, Incorporated to December 31, 2009. The motion passed unanimously. Spring Heavy Metal Day Council discussed the scheduling of a Heavy Metal Day to be held this spring. A date of April 25, 2009 will be reserved with SRC to provide collection services for this event. The consensus of the council was to designate this as an “annual” event, and to discontinue sponsoring a fall collection. ANIMAL CONTROL SERVICES At the January 20 meeting, council directed staff to develop agreements with Sherrill Reid for animal control services and with Hillcrest Animal Hospital for impounding services for stray dogs. Both agreements have been drafted to be consistent with Ordinance No. 75. City Attorney Hebert has reviewed the agreements and finds them to be in order. Peterson, seconded by Crum, moved to approve the agreement with Sherrill Reid to provide animal control services for stray dogs within the City of Scandia. The motion passed unanimously. Crum, seconded by Amos, moved to approve the agreement with Hillcrest Animal Hospital to provide impound services for stray dogs. The motion passed unanimously. CONTRACT WITH LAKES AREA YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU FOR 2009 In previous years, the City has signed agreements with the Youth Service Bureau to provide health, social and recreational services to the residents of Scandia in return for a lump sum payment. The YSB has requested an amount of $5,500.00 for the 2009 contract. Councilmember Peterson stated that the program is a wonderful resource for Scandia families. Crum, seconded by Seefeldt, moved to approve the 2009 contract with the Youth Service Bureau at an amount of $5,500.00. The motion passed unanimously. February 17, 2009 Scandia City Council Page 4 of 4 COMMITTEE AND COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS Planning Commission The term of Planning Commissioner Peter Schwarz expired effective February 1. Schwarz has submitted an application for re-appointment to the Commission. One other application was received. Mayor Seefeldt spoke of the outstanding job Schwarz has done in writing ordinance subject matter and his skills will be needed during implementation of the new Comprehensive Plan. Crum, seconded by Peterson, moved to appoint Peter Schwarz to an additional term on the Planning Commission to serve through February 1, 2014. The motion passed unanimously. Park and Recreation Committee There are two openings on the Park and Recreation Committee. Dan Skupien’s term expired effective February 1 and Tom Triplett has indicated that he will resign from the committee when a replacement has been appointed. Skupien has submitted an application for re-appointment. One other application was received from Sally Swanson. Peterson, seconded by Amos, moved to appoint Sally Swanson to the Park and Recreation Committee for a term to expire on February 1, 2014 and Dan Skupien to fill Tom Triplett’s term which expires February 1, 2010. The motion passed unanimously. Design Standards Committee An ad-hoc committee has been organized which will work on design standards for commercial buildings, which is an implementation task identified in the new Comprehensive Plan. Planning Commissioner Susan Rodsjo will chair the committee and has recruited the following members: Scott Westphal, Margie Dreher, Dan Sandager, Dave Hume and Wayne Brannum (Sala Architects). Councilmember Amos will serve as council representative. Additional members may be added to the committee before their first meeting in March. Seefeldt, seconded by Peterson, moved to appoint the ad-hoc Design Standards Committee to serve for the duration of the project. The motion passed unanimously. Peterson, seconded by Lindell, moved to adjourn the meeting. The meeting adjourned at 8:12 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Eklund Deputy Clerk