5.a 2 Draft minutes of the 4-4-18 Work Session
April 4, 2018
The City Council conducted a Work Session on the above date. Mayor Maefsky called the
meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. The following were present: Council members Bob Hegland, Steve
Kronmiller, Jim Schneider and Mayor Christine Maefsky. Council member Chris Ness arrived
at 6:45 p.m. Staff members present: City Administrator Neil Soltis, Fire Chief Mike Hinz, and
Deputy Clerk Brenda Eklund.
APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
Kronmiller, seconded by Schneider, moved to approve the agenda as presented. The
motion carried unanimously by those present.
DISCUSSION ON SCANDIA WELCOMING COMMITTEE
Sarah Porubcansky and Phyllis Martinez were present to explain the goals and process of their
efforts for outreach to new Scandia residents. They are preparing packets of business
information and promotions, along with info on local community groups, for newcomers to make
connections in the area. They asked for permission to include a tab on the city’s website with
this welcoming information which could be picked up at the city office. They also plan to make
personal contact with the new residents. Porubcansky asked if the city could contribute any
funds for their expenses to prepare the welcoming packets.
Council members were in favor of their efforts; Mayor Maefsky stated that this is a way of
building community spirit to those new to the area.
Hegland, seconded by Kronmiller, moved to support the Welcoming Committee’s efforts
and to look at the EDA for a level of funding to be used for their expenses. The motion
carried unanimously by those present.
DISCUSSION ON ASSESSOR PROPOSALS
Following a request from Assessor Peloquin to increase his annual rate for services, the Council
voted to seek proposals through an RFP process. Administrator Soltis presented the proposals
received:
Base Additional / New
Construction
Peloquin $24,970 $10.00
Poshek $20,400 n/a
Keefe $24,000 Varies per
schedule submitted
Washington County $28,319 $31.19
Council member Schneider said that he has worked with Patrick Poshek, a Chisago County
Assessor and also Assessor for May Township and finds him well qualified.
Schneider, seconded by Hegland, moved to accept the proposal for Assessing Services from
Patrick Poshek. The motion carried unanimously by those present.
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DISCUSSION ON FIRE SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH MAY TOWNSHIP
At the January work session May Township requested a change to the calculation for fire
protection services to be used in the agreement that replaced the expired agreement. The
Township is seeking to use a formula from a model agreement factors in population, assessed
value of property, and number of runs based on a 3-year rolling average was proposed.
May Township’s Planner provided the information to calculate a charge using the 3-part formula
based on the County property tax records; however, there is continuing discussion on the number
population and number of households in May Township that are served under the agreement.
Hegland, seconded by Kronmiller, moved to utilize the 3-part formula in drafting a new
agreement for fire protection services with May Township. The motion carried 5-0.
Council member Kronmiller stated that it’s important to use the same data set provided by the
County. Administrator Soltis agreed that language will be explicit as to the source of the data
and will be included in the agreement that will be brought to the Council for approval.
DISCUSSION ON AGREEMENT WITH FOREST LAKE CABLE COMMISSION TO
PROVIDE ACCOUNTING SERVICES
Administrator Soltis explained that the Forest Lake Cable Commission has requested that
Scandia continue to provide accounting services upon the City’s withdrawal from the
Commission effective June 30, 2018. Treasurer Firkus provides this work, estimated to be 100
hours each year. The Commission pays $3,600 a year to Scandia for this service.
Soltis presented a draft agreement for the Council’s review, which would remain at $300/month
as it adequately covers the City’s expenses.
Hegland, seconded by Kronmiller, moved to approve the agreement between the City of
Scandia and the FL Cable Commission for accounting services as presented. The motion
carried 5-0.
DISCUSSION ON PROPOSAL FROM LAKES AREA TELEVISION TO PROVIDE
PRODUCTION SERVICES
Currently Lakes Area TV provides coverage of city meetings and community events on the
public access station under the terms of the joint powers agreement of the FL Cable Commission.
Effective June 30, 2018, the City will be withdrawing from the Cable Commission and retaining
100% of the franchise fees and PEG fees paid to the City. Administrator Soltis presented a
proposal from LATV for the continued production and airing of city meetings and events. City
meetings would be covered at an annual rate of $5,520, with 6 community events and 4 special
interest stories produced at an additional cost of $9,000. It was noted that the City could choose
what it wants to be filmed, described as “a la carte” off the proposal.
Soltis explained that $13,736 was collected in 2017 from franchise fees, and the 2018 budget
established a special revenue fund to account for the franchise and PEG fees. Soltis said there is
sufficient funding to cover the cost of producing and airing city meetings. The PEG fees will be
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tracked to ensure that the fees are used for equipment associated with filming and broadcasting
City meetings and events.
Council member Kronmiller stated that the City should have a long-term communication strategy
in mind once the City leaves the Commission, and recommended tabling a decision until he can
gather more information on how the meetings and events will be made available to the public. It
was agreed to continue the discussion at the May 1st Work Session.
DISCUSSION ON CLOSING WIND IN THE PINES PARKING LOT
At the March 20th Council meeting, staff was directed to provide a report on closing the parking
lot at Wind in the Pines Park to address the trespassing and illegal activities that are occurring
there. John Haus, adjacent property owner, and Deputy Yetter joined the discussion.
Mr. Haus stated that the trespassing has been occurring for years but has gotten considerably
worse. Last November he made contact with 14 trespassers on his property in less than 2 hours
during deer hunting. He said they ignore the posted signs and cut down fencing in their trek to
the river. Deputy Yetter agreed that numerous trespassing violations have resulted in drug and
alcohol citations, bonfires, and criminal damage to property. Both asked that the parking lot be
closed as a solution to at least slow down the problems. Yetter explained that citizens can still
access the park trails from the adjacent DNR Falls Creek SNA.
Administrator Soltis described the signage and barriers the City has posted within the park to
deter trespassers, at a considerable amount of staff time. No response was received from the City
Attorney on the liability question raised at the last meeting.
Council member Schneider said that action needs to be done to keep people out, as the violators
are not local residents and he does not want drug and alcohol use in the park. He doesn’t want to
stop the locals from using the park, and they will still have an alternate access.
The Council discussed using a park or parking pass, similar to what is used in the County parks.
This would enable the vehicle to be ticketed if the pass was not displayed instead of locating and
citing the trespasser. Deputy Yetter said this could be patrolled, but he would prefer to make
contact with the users. Council member Kronmiller said it makes sense to ticket the vehicle, but
it may not solve the problem of illegal activity from occurring.
Schneider, seconded by Hegland, moved to close the parking lot. The motion failed 2-3,
with Kronmiller, Ness and Maefsky opposed.
Council member Ness said he is not ready for that action, as there may be other solutions.
Mayor Maefsky noted the questions that should be asked of legal counsel before a decision is
made to close the parking lot:
• Who is liable if someone gets hurt in the park?
• Is it feasible to offer parking permits to residents?
• Is it the responsibility of the City to keep trespassers off the Haus property?
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Questions will be directed to the City Attorney with continued discussion at a future meeting.
DISCUSSION ON DRAFT OF RIGHT-OF-WAY ORDINANCE
For the past few months, staff has been preparing an ordinance to manage the City’s rights-of-
way and incorporate new legislation for the placement of small cell wireless facilities on public
property. Administrator Soltis presented the draft ordinance which reflected the City Engineer’s
comments made last month and consolidates a number of current ordinances and policies,
including regulation of parking, seasonal weight limits, snowplowing, engineering standards and
road right-of-way maintenance.
Council agreed that the ordinance was streamlined and offered no changes to the draft. Costs for
the installation of small cell wireless were part of the fee ordinance adopted on March 20, 2018.
Adoption of the ordinance will be on the April 17, 2018 Council meeting agenda.
DISCUSSION ON FIRE CHIEF POSITION FROM VOLUNTEER TO PART-TIME
The 2018 budget provided for the transition of the Fire Chief from Volunteer to a Part-Time
position, funded at approximately $33,000. Chief Hinz explained his proposal that would
provide for him to work at the station 23 hours a week. He listed the goals and tasks that the
increased hours would allow for and noted that reporting standards are becoming increasingly
more time consuming for the department and that this would be a transition to having a full-time
Fire Chief position..
Council member Kronmiller said he supports the proposal, as Scandia needs the things that the
Chief’s position will do especially going into the future.
Council member Schneider asked what tradeoffs or savings could be accounted for with the
increased hours. Hinz explained that there are grant opportunities which are currently being
missed – there would be time to research and apply for this type of funding. Many of the duties
expected of the department are not getting done at an adequate level due to lack of time.
Mayor Maefsky said that she would like to see a clear job description with measurable
performance criteria to give a better understanding of the revised position.
Maefsky, seconded by Kronmiller, moved to direct staff to provide a job description for the
Part-Time Fire Chief position to reflect measurable performance criteria and
organizational duties. The motion carried 4-1, with Schneider opposed.
Discussion will continue at a future work session.
FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS
The revised Fire Chief position will be discussed at the May 1st Work Session. The Wind in the
Pines issue will be on the April 17th regular Council meeting agenda.
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ADJOURNMENT
Ness, seconded by Schneider, moved to adjourn the meeting. The motion carried 5-0.
The meeting adjourned at 8:25 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Brenda Eklund
Deputy Clerk