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01-02-07 Council January 2, 2007 Following the swearing-in of newly elected mayor and city councilmembers by Judge Albertson, the first City of Scandia Council meeting was held. Mayor Dennis Seefeldt called the meeting to order at 8:00 p.m. The following councilmembers were present: Mayor Dennis Seefeldt, Pete Crum, Michael Harnetty, Dolores Peterson, Donnette Yehle; City Administrator Anne Hurlburt. ORDINANCE NO. 91 – ESTABLISHING RULES FOR THE ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SCANDIA The first order of business was to adopt rules for the organization and procedure of the City Council through an ordinance, as recommended by the MN League of Cities. A draft ordinance was reviewed. The practice of holding a City Council meeting along with the Planning Commission on the first Tuesday of the month will continue. Councilmember Yehle suggested staff reports be moved up on the agenda to better accommodate the use of the police and fire chief’s time. Mayor Seefeldt felt that the agenda may be flexible to allow for addressing reports earlier in the meeting if necessary. As Public Hearings will be posted to begin at 7:00 p.m., it was decided to have the hearings scheduled at the front of the agenda. It will be the practice of the council to approve the agenda at the beginning of the meeting so that any additions can be noted at that time and will be acted upon at the appropriate place in the meeting. A separate meeting will no longer be held prior to the start of the business meeting for the payment of vouchers. The councilmembers will receive a list of all claims to be paid prior to the meeting. This will allow the business meeting to begin at 7:00 p.m. and eliminate the handling of bills and checks at the Council table. Dolores Peterson made a motion to adopt Ordinance 91 Establishing Rules for the Organization and Procedure of the City Council of the City of Scandia. Pete Crum seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. RESOLUTION 01-02-07-01 – APPOINTMENT OF AN ACTING MAYOR AND OTHER CITY OFFICIALS AND REPRESENTATIVES Councilmember Peterson nominated Michael Harnetty to serve as Acting Mayor for 2007 in the absence of Mayor Seefeldt. No other nominations were made. Donnette Yehle made a motion to appoint Michael Harnetty as Acting Mayor. Pete Crum seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. Resolution 01-02-07-01 includes the appointments of additional city staff and representatives. Michael Harnetty made a motion to adopt Resolution 01-02-07-01 Appointing an Acting Mayor and Other City Officials and Representatives. Donnette Yehle seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. RESOLUTION 01-02-07-02 – DESIGNATING OFFICIAL DEPOSITORIES FOR 2007 Councilmembers reviewed the recommendations for depositories for banking and investment purposes. Michael Harnetty made a motion to adopt Resolution 01-02-07-02 Designating Official Depositories for 2007. Dennis Seefeldt seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. RESOLUTION 01-02-07-03 – RATIFYING SURETY AND BLANKET BONDS FOR CITY EMPLOYEES FOR 2007 State Statutes require the City to provide surety and blanket bonds to ensure the faithful performance of various employees. Dolores Peterson made a motion to adopt Resolution 01-02-07-03 Ratifying Surety and Blanket Bonds for City Employees for 2007. Donnette Yehle seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. January 2, 2007 Scandia City Council Page 2 DESIGNATION OF AN OFFICIAL NEWSPAPER FOR 2007 Attorney Hebert reviewed the state law qualifications a paper needs to meet to be designated as an official newspaper. For a city the size of Scandia, the paper must have at least 500 copies delivered to local residents and have an office located within the county. As the Country Messenger, the designated legal paper for 2006, has a circulation of 359 and an office outside of Washington County, it does not meet the legal qualifications. The Forest Lake Times also submitted a bid. The Times delivers to 965 households in the 55073 zip code and does meet the qualifications. The Council discussed that although the Messenger is the local paper, legally it does not qualify. The councilmembers agreed that the designated legal paper needs to reach as many readers as possible. Carter Johnson, editor of the Country Messenger, was present and asked the council if the decision could be reconsidered at a future time. Mr. Johnson was told that if he could supply supporting conditions of meeting legal requirements, the Council could take the matter up at another time within the year. Donnette Yehle made a motion to designate the Forest Lake Times as the official newspaper for the City of Scandia in 2007. Michael Harnetty seconded the motion. Voting as follows: Crum – yes; Peterson – yes; Seefeldt – yes; Harnetty – yes; Yehle – yes. Motion adopted. RESCHEDULING THE JANUARY PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING Due to an error on the part of the Country Messenger, required legal notices for public hearings that were scheduled for January 9, 2007 were not published. A new date of January 23, 2007 was selected to hold the City Council and Planning Commission meetings. Publication and mailing deadlines can be met for this date. Michael Harnetty made a motion to reschedule the January 9, 2007 City Council and Planning Commission meetings to January 23, 2007. Donnette Yehle seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. BOARD OF APPEALS AND EQUALIZATION MEETINGS Washington County needs to include meeting dates for the Board of Appeals and Equalization for the City of Scandia in notices to taxpayers. The County has tentatively set the date for April 9, 2007 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. A reconvened meeting needs to occur within 20 days. Dolores Peterson made a motion to approve the dates of April 9, 2007 from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. with a reconvened meeting on April 17, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. for the Board of Appeals and Equalization meetings. Michael Harnetty seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULE FOR 2007 The Council reviewed the meeting schedule for 2007. The practice of holding its regular meeting on the third Tuesday of the month and a meeting with the Planning Commission on the first Tuesday of the month, as the Town Board had met, will be continued. Notice of any special meetings will be posted at the Community Center. Pete Crum made a motion to adopt the City Council meeting schedule for 2007. Donnette Yehle seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. CITY COUNCIL AND ADVISORY COMMITTEES The Council reviewed the status of current committees. Both the Planning Commission and the Park and Recreation Committee each have one vacancy. The Incorporation Committee will be abolished. The Road Committee, formed to provide input on paving projects, evaluate road repair issues and advise on capital improvement for equipment, will be disbanded as it was felt that these issues would better fit with the Capital Improvement Committee. A Public Works Supervisor will evaluate and monitor pavement conditions and report to the Administrator. The addition of a Comprehensive Plan Committee will be January 2, 2007 Scandia City Council Page 3 necessary for the update of the Comp Plan as needed by the end of 2008. The need for a Commercial and Retail Development Committee was also agreed upon. Additional discussion continued on the structure of the Rural Landscape Preservation Committee, perhaps expanding the scope and emphasizing “Rural Character Preservation” as its mission. Councilmember Harnetty felt that the Park and Recreation Committee may be devoting too much time on environmental elements rather than programs and facilities and that there may be a need for an environmental committee. Councilmembers Harnetty and Crum were appointed to review the current standing committees and report on recommendations at a future meeting. Donnette Yehle made a motion to proceed with advertising a notice for filling appointments to the Planning Commission, Park and Recreation Committee, Comprehensive Plan Committee and a Commercial and Retail Development Committee. Dolores Peterson seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. February 15, 2007 was selected as a deadline for applications to the Planning Commission, so that an appointment can be made by the March meeting. ORDINANCE 92 – REGULATING THE SALE AND USE OF TOBACCO PRODUCTS WITHIN THE CITY OF SCANDIA Washington County has renewed all current tobacco licenses for 2007. No new licenses may be approved until the city adopts its own ordinance. Dolores Peterson made a motion to adopt Ordinance 92 Regulating the Sale and Use of Tobacco Products within the City of Scandia. Dennis Seefeldt seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. RESOLUTION 01-02-07-04 – SETTING TOBACCO LICENSE FEES The proposed license fees are the same as that charged by Washington County for 2007. Donnette Yehle Made a motion to approve Resolution 01-02-07-04 Setting Tobacco License Fees. Dolores Peterson seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. ORDINANCE 93 – ADOPTING LIQUOR REGULATIONS FOR THE CITY OF SCANDIA Current liquor licenses issued by Washington County will expire on March 31, 2007. The city must adopt a liquor ordinance, followed by a public hearing to set fees after a 30 day written notice to license holders. Pete Crum made a motion to adopt Ordinance 93 Adopting Liquor Regulations for the City of Scandia. Michael Harnetty seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. The public hearing to set fees will be scheduled for February 20, 2007. ORDINANCE 94 – SETTING SALARIES OF MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL Councilmembers Peterson and Yehle worked with Administrator Hurlburt to draft an ordinance setting salaries for the council. A salary of $3,700 per year for Mayor and $3,000 per year for Councilmember was presented. There would be no additional compensation to members that serve on special committees. The total compensation for 2007 would equal $15,700. The amount budgeted for 2007 was $16,000. This amount falls slightly below the average compensation level for a city between 4,000 to 6,000 in population as calculated by the League of MN Cities. Donnette Yehle made a motion to adopt Ordinance 94 Establishing Compensation for the Mayor and City Council of the City of Scandia. Dolores Peterson seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. January 2, 2007 Scandia City Council Page 4 REIMBURSEMENT POLICY Councilmembers reviewed an expense reimbursement policy as drafted by Administrator Hurlburt. Compensation for Planning Commission and committee members would be changed from a per meeting or per hour rate to a flat dollar amount, to be paid quarterly. Members would need to attend a majority of the official meetings during that quarter to receive their payment. Compensation for Planning Commission and Park and Recreation Committee are addressed in the policy as follows: Planning Commission member : $250 per quarter Planning Commission chair : $300 per quarter Park and Rec Committee : $60 per quarter Compensation for any other advisory committee members shall be set by the City Council when the appointment is made. Dolores Peterson made a motion to approve the Expense Reimbursement Policy for the City of Scandia. Michael Harnetty seconded the motion and motion adopted unanimously. CITY COUNCIL TRAINING AND ORIENTATION NEEDS A Workshop Meeting of the Council will be scheduled for January 30, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. to review the city’s budget and finances. An Open Meeting Law video from the League of MN Cities will also be viewed. Prior to the Board of Appeals, the council must have at least one member receive training on this process. Michael Harnetty has previously attended the training. Donnette Yehle and possibly Pete Crum will attend the January 18, 2007 Board of Appeals training. The League of MN Cities is offering training to councilmembers at a conference scheduled for January 26 and 27, 2007. Michael Harnetty and Donnette Yehle indicated that they would attend this conference. Councilmember Harnetty indicated a need for a communications point person designated to issue a press release of the official version of city business as decided by the council. A need for quarterly newsletters was also discussed. Councilmember Harnetty and Administrator Hurlburt will discuss this topic and provide a position statement at a future meeting. Dolores Peterson made a motion to adjourn. Dennis Seefeldt seconded the motion and meeting adjourned at 10:00 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Brenda Eklund City of Scandia Deputy Clerk