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9.f City Admin Report for 05 16 23 City Council Meeting1 Staff Report Date of Meeting: May 16, 2023, City Council Meeting To: Mayor and City Council From: Kyle Morell, City Administrator Re: City Administrator Report Group Home at 22640 Meadowbrook Ave. N. There is nothing new to report on this matter since Council was updated at the May 3 work session by Mayor Maefsky. Parks Plan Update The Parks and Recreation Committee (PRC) reviewed the latest draft of the plan at their May 1, 2023 meeting. The Committee suggested changes that were relayed to MSA. The Plan will be presented to Council at their July 5 Work Session, and the Planning Commission will hold a public hearing for the Plan at their July 11 meeting. 2023 Legislative Session –Lobbying Efforts Lobbyist Bill Strusinski reported the following update on the three bills being discussed at the Legislature. This update is as of Wednesday, May 10, 2023. The legislature is working hard to complete its work by May 18th. This means a bonding bill will have to be agreed upon by Monday, May 15th, or so. All major state government funding bills are in conference committees. The hang-up to session closure is the Capital Investment GO bonding bill. The Senate Republicans have yet to indicate they will put up enough votes for a bonding bill to pass. A 2/3rds vote is required for passage under our State Constitution. The Democrats, who are in the majority, still need several Republican votes to pass this bill. Suffice it to say there is a significant amount of “horse trading” behind the scenes to get the necessary votes for passage. 2 The legislature is almost two years behind schedule in passing a bonding bill. This is problematic because an enormous backlog of capital projects is now waiting in the Que for action. The legislature has been discussing a $1B GO bonding bill, but they are making decisions on more than $5B in requests. The backlog will continue no matter what. In addition, all legislative negotiations are being done behind closed doors, making it more challenging to determine which projects will be in the final bill and which will be candidates for the next bonding bill in 2024. There will also be a second capital bill that will be all cash. I expect this bill to be in the range of $500 to $800M. This bill will only require a simple majority to pass. This gives the Democrats total control over the projects because they are in the majority. Negotiations on which projects will be included in this bill are not open to the public, making it difficult to gain information. However, we have testified and lobbied all legislators involved in the behind-the-scenes discussions, so we feel confident our projects will get consideration. Senator Housley and Representative Hill are our chief authors and have been working tirelessly to fund the City of Scandia’s projects. Status of three bills: 1) Gateway Trail - $2.7M for Scandia is contained in the Environment Bill under the LCCMR section. The House and Senate Conferees have agreed to this provision, and the bill will pass by the end of the session. 2) Bliss Addition Wastewater Project – This Scandia bill has been heard in both the House and Senate. Unfortunately, we must wait until the final 2023 Bonding bill is rolled out to determine whether we are in. 3) Scandia Heritage Regional Arts and Cultural Center aka (Water Tower Barn Restoration and amphitheater) - This Scandia bill has been heard in both the House and Senate. Unfortunately, we must wait until the final 2023 Bonding bill is rolled out to determine whether we are in. Washington County Scandia City Center Study Washington County Public Works will launch a project identified in their 2023 County CIP - a "Scandia City Center Study.” This study is meant to bring together three agencies - the County, Scandia, and MnDOT to explore options and recommend improvements related to bicycle, pedestrian, and vehicle traffic in the city (see the attached excerpt from the County CIP). 3 Staff met with Washington County on April 24. The project requires a local contribution of $50,000, which was included in the 2023 CIP. This item will be on the June 7 work session for discussion. Rustic Roots Winery Issues City staff has been working with the owners of Rustic Roots Winery on a plan to resolve issues with their Conditional Use Permit and building permits, along with issues concerning the watershed district and MnDOT/access to Highway 95. The owner has submitted a revised CUP amendment application, which City Planner TJ Hofer reviewed and advanced to the Planning Commission. A public hearing will be scheduled for the June 6 Planning Commission meeting. If progress is being made, staff will recommend that the Council consider an agreement with the owner to allow permits and inspections of the new building as soon as possible. However, the Building Official has found that an architect must sign off on the plans for the building, so it is still being determined how soon this agreement could be brought to the Council. Trash and Recycling Services At the May 3 meeting, the Council extended the 60-day exclusive negotiation period with Waste Management (WM) by 30 days (to June 8, 2023.) We received a revised contract from Waste Management on Tuesday, May 9, 2023. The negotiating team is reviewing the contract. There is no date or time for the next negotiation meeting, but we plan to meet before the June 6 work session and the extension of the June 8 expiration of the exclusive negotiation period. Pedestrian Easement to Goose Lake Council approved Resolution 05-03-23-01, setting the public hearing date for this Easement petition as July 18, 2023. Brenda sent the notice to the DNR on Thursday, May 4. We expect their response before the public hearing. Liquor License Inquiry The owner of the Redeemed Farm rural event center at 12680 Scandia Trail has inquired about applying for an on-sales liquor license. The establishment must qualify as a “restaurant” by the city code and state law definitions to be issued a license. Redeemed Farm is in a zoning district (AG-C) that does not permit restaurants. Changes to the city’s ordinances, a rezoning and Comprehensive Plan amendment, and possibly an amendment to their CUP would be needed. There may also issue with licensing a food and beverage establishment in Washington County. The city’s liquor regulations (Ordinance 93, Chapter 110 of the current code) were adopted on January 2, 2007, shortly after the city was incorporated. The only amendment since then was to increase the number of licenses allowed from four (the number existing at that time) to whatever is allowed by statute. Updates to the ordinance are probably needed due to changes in state law over the last 15 years. 4 After talking with the State’s Alcohol and Gambling division, it is clear that Redeemed Farms must have a food license to apply for an On-Sale license as a “restaurant.” The owners are looking into whether this is practical for them. However, they know that the zoning district where they are located does not permit restaurants. More discussion with the owners is needed.