City Council

ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP MEETING – MARCH 26, 2019 MINUTES The Workshop Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Julie Trude, March 26, 2019 6:05 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Mike Knight, Jamie Barthel, Sheri Bukkila, and Valerie Holthus Councilmember absent: None Also present: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson Community Development Director, Joe Janish Director of Public Works/City Engineer, David Berkowitz Others DISCUSS SANITARY SEWER CONNECTION ALLOCATION FOR NE SECTION OF MUSA Mr. Berkowitz stated the Council had a discussion in January, specifically challenges and the current sewer connection allocations for the northeast corner of the MUSA. He stated developers are requesting additional connection units above the allocations identified in the previous sewer study. He advised that the allocations that could be changed have been identified in yellow on the map, noting that there was direction from the Council for staff to meet with Constance Free Church, as they currently have 55 connections allocated to their property. He stated a master plan for the church shows an expansion of the church along with another facility, such as a senior housing building. He noted the church expansion, which could include a school, would equate to 24 to 30 connections on its own and the full master plan would exceed 55 connections. He stated the church would like assurance that they could fulfill their master plan. Pastor Discher, Constance Free Church, stated the church is moving and took down one building in 2018 and redid the parking lot to support the master plan. He hoped the expansion would occur within the next two years. Mayor Trude referenced a development in the area where the developer is requesting additional units to support a desirable home product. Mr. Berkowitz stated City staff was able to allocate an additional five units, for a total of 48 connections on that development. He advised of another property where a developer would also like additional sewer units. Scott Wold stated the church owns 27 additional acres to the north and the thought was that perhaps that property would be developed as housing in the future to offset their debt. He stated Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – March 26, 2018 Page 2 that if the MUSA is not available, it is not available. Mr. Berkowitz stated that land to the north is outside of the MUSA. Councilmember Bukkila stated the reality is that other properties within the MUSA want to develop before the church property that is outside of the MUSA. Pastor Discher stated if their expansion only uses 24 to 30 connections of the 55 allocated, the church would like the option to use the additional units for the development of their property to the north in the future, acknowledging that a comprehensive plan amendment would need to be requested to expand the MUSA to that property. He stated when the church bought the land, Mr. Wold offered to develop the property free of charge in order to help the church pay off its debt. Mr. Berkowitz stated if there are 30 connections used for the expansion of the church, there would only be 25 connections left, which would not support a 55-unit senior housing product. He noted there would be other options, using the example of a villa product could be constructed. Mr. Dickinson provided additional details on how the connections could be used by the church in the future, indicating that a plan to use the units on the church property within the MUSA would help justify the unit reservation. Mayor Trude noted the resident along Ward Lake are only expecting property in that area to be developed similar to one home per 2.5 acres. Mr. Berkowitz asked if the Council would like the church to show a master plan that shows the 55 connections within the MUSA. He explained developers continue to come into the City and request additional connections for their proposed developments that are moving forward now. Councilmember Bukkila confirmed she would like the church to demonstrate that they would be able to use those connections within the MUSA. She explained the church should show that they can use those connections, otherwise the City is just holding those and if they are not used by the church, they could be used by other developers. Pastor Discher explained the church is different than a development and began in 1893. He stated it is different to ask a church to spend money on a two-year plan, whereas a developer could spend those funds. Mr. Dickinson explained they would simply be asking for a demonstration of use within the MUSA boundary. He noted that additional master plan development can be shown outside of the MUSA using septics. Mr. Berkowitz explained the plan would be similar to what was submitted in the past but concentrating the sewer use within the MUSA. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – March 26, 2018 Page 3 Mayor Trude stated perhaps rather than showing a drawing, the church could create a bullet list of the planned expansion uses and the estimated connections could be determined from the estimated square footage. She confirmed the consensus of the Council with holding the 55 connections for Constance Free Church. Mayor Trude briefly recessed the meeting. Mayor Trude reconvened the meeting. QCTV STRATEGIC PLANNING STAKEHOLDER INPUT DISCUSSION Mr. Dickinson presented the staff report and stated QCTV is currently undergoing the strategic planning process, noting that he and Councilmember Barthel are members of the Quad Cities Cable Communications Commission. He noted part of that process is to gather input from stakeholders, noting that the member City Councils are part of that stakeholder group, along with other groups and organizations, and residents. Mayor Trude stated the City survey included some questions that could be helpful in this process. Mr. Dickinson confirmed the QCTV questions from the last City survey can be shared with QCTV. He advised that he has additional questions to ask of the Council tonight, noting he and Councilmember Barthel have been instructed to listen tonight as they will voice their opinions during the QCTV planning sessions. He asked the different ways, as community leaders, that the Council communicates with residents about their work. Councilmember Holthus replied that information is shared through the City newsletter. She stated that she also communicates with residents when she attends community events and by talking with neighbors and coworkers in the community. She stated the Council meetings are also televised on QCTV for residents to watch, along with the News and Views program on QCTV. She noted social media is also a communication tool. Councilmember Bukkila stated she also uses phone calls and email. Councilmember Knight stated he tends to communicate in person in the neighborhood or when he is out in the community. Mayor Trude agrees that she communicates with people when she is shopping in the community. She noted she also has a personal website as the Mayor where she shares information. She stated people read about things in the newsletter or hear about something from a neighbor but then ask a Councilmember about it when they see them in the community or to use email or messaging. Mr. Dickinson asked what is the most effective method of communication. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – March 26, 2018 Page 4 It was the consensus of the Council that face-to-face communication continues to be the best method of communication. Mayor Trude stated her personal Mayor Facebook page tends to garner the most interaction. She stated short snippets of information on Twitter, Facebook or available via a newsfeed on a website are also effective and can link to a more in-depth article for those wanting more information. Mr. Dickinson asked how the Council has seen the communication wants and needs of the community change over time and what type of communication people want to see now. Councilmember Bukkila stated people want to see short messages. Councilmember Holthus stated the older residents make phone calls and younger residents communicate via email. Councilmember Barthel stated during his election he used Facebook, noting that he would receive comments and questions messaged through Facebook. Mayor Trude agreed that during elections people tend to message through Facebook. Mr. Dickinson asked if the Council receives written letters. The response was that perhaps one or two letters are received during the year and comments to an application request are sometimes submitted through written correspondence. Mr. Dickinson asked if the City has adapted well enough to the changing communication needs of the community. The consensus was that the City has not responded well enough. Councilmember Bukkila commented she does not believe that television is an effective communication method. Councilmember Holthus stated she receives most of her information online. Councilmember Bukkila stated perhaps short clips, using the example of News and Views but shorter, would be effective. She stated people will watch videos under two minutes long noting that the clips could be shared online and played on monitors at City Hall. Mr. Dickinson asked if residents watch meetings live or opt to go online and choose which portions of the meeting they want to watch online. Councilmember Knight stated most of his contact is with people that see him in the community when he is out and about. Councilmember Holthus stated it holds value to have the entire meeting broadcast live on Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – March 26, 2018 Page 5 television, but the option is also available for residents to go online and watch just a portion of the agenda. She agreed that short clips would be the best method. Councilmember Bukkila stated a short meeting summary could be helpful as that could provide a short explanation of the activity that occurred during a meeting. She commented that staff would perhaps be the best option to complete that short summary. Mayor Trude stated perhaps QCTV could make news real clips that city staff could use during meetings. She used the example of a project and noted that QCTV could take footage of the site that could be shown during the meeting presentation. Councilmember Bukkila stated she is scheduled for News and Views this week and the topics sent by QCTV staff are not the topics that she would suggest. Mr. Dickinson asked how the Council would like the City to communicate to the community in the future. Mayor Trude stated the News and Views program is stale, and she would not continue that program. Councilmember Bukkila stated there are different demographics and multimedia would be preferred. Mr. Dickinson asked what the Council would like to communicate to the community. Councilmember Holthus stated stories with a personal connection in the story tend to be more popular. Mayor Trude stated perhaps more information could be presented on the items that staff and the Council are receiving the most calls on. Mr. Dickinson stated people are pulling the plug on cable television, but there will always be a right-of-way connection and therefore funds will likely always be collected. He explained ultimately the Cable Commission will need to communicate with less money in the future. Councilmember Barthel stated he had a friend that worked for another municipality and his sole job was to create short video clips. He provided examples of different videos that were made and the amount of interaction that those short clips, under one minute in length, have garnered. Mayor Trude stated other communities are putting videos on their websites and asked if QCTV is creating those videos. Mr. Dickinson confirmed that QCTV is creating some of those videos and will do similar videos for the other communities. Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – March 26, 2018 Page 6 Mayor Trude stated a short teaser could be posted on Facebook with a link to a longer article, or video, with more information on a website. Mr. Dickinson asked what QCTV could do to support the communication of the organization. Councilmember Holthus replied more dynamic programing. She stated she would like to tape News and Views out of studio and in the community. Mr. Dickinson stated it seems the Council believes that QCTV is the conduit for providing more dynamic programming and could create snippets that could be used to lead to more information. Councilmember Barthel stated many of the people in his neighborhood are not aware of QCTV because they do not have cable television, and everything is done online. He stated he has been given the task of asking people what would drive them to watch QCTV. Mayor Trude stated that some residents will go on QCTV to watch youth sports programming. She stated she is aware that QCTV is also available on high definition channels, but she is not aware of the channel numbers. 2020 BUDGET DEVELOPMENT GUIDELINES DISCUSSION Mr. Dickinson presented the staff report and stated this is the start of the annual process. He stated at the beginning of the year, the baseline items are identified by the Council to direct staff as the budget is prepared. He reviewed the current guidelines and asked if the Council has different direction from the previous year. He noted if all the capital projects move forward, the tax rate will increase. Mayor Trude stated there are a lot of new homes being built and therefore there will be continued growth. She noted she would like to match expenses to growth. She stated if some projects are being done to support the increased growth in the future, she would not want to prepay for those items today. Mr. Dickinson continued to review the guidelines. He confirmed the consensus of the Council to not present a tax rate increase in the double digits. He continued to review the guidelines related to fund balance, debt levy, capital equipment, strategic planning, and Council policies and goals. He stated trails are still the CIP item that continues to have a negative balance, as there are more trails than available funding. He confirmed the priorities of the Council to be communications, trails and roads. Mayor Trude stated it would be nice to have a crosswalk at Veterans Memorial Boulevard for those trying to get to the Community Center from the adjacent neighborhood. DISCUSS STRATEGIC PLANNING AND COUNCIL POLICY DEVELOPMENT PROCESS Mr. Dickinson stated he has spoken with some strategic plan facilitators and there tends to be a higher cost for that service than anticipated. He noted once he shared the current vision, mission Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – March 26, 2018 Page 7 and goals with the facilitators, they stated that a lot of time does not need to be spent on that portion of the document and the discussion could focus more on policies and implementation tasks. Mayor Trude agreed the Council could spend time with a staff member to update the policies and different items. Mr. Dickinson stated he could send the information out to the Council via email to review and submit comments to staff. Mayor Trude stated perhaps some of the QCTV franchise fees marked for each of the member cities could be used to offset the communications costs of the City. Mr. Dickinson explained if the communications is used for delivering government information through conduits, that could possibly be tied back to the Federal guidance that allows the City to collect those funds. He noted there would be a focus on emergency response and communications on updates. He advised that he would update the waste hauler item as well. He also stated he will look into perhaps getting a facilitator for the policy discussion rather than whole document creation. 2019 BUDGET PROGRESS REPORT Councilmember Holthus referenced the General Fund Budget Mayor and Council and asked why 40 percent of the budget has been used already. Mr. Dickinson explained the annual membership fees were paid in January for different organizations. Mayor Trude stated she was surprised with the building permit revenue. Mr. Dickinson stated some of the developers are moving forward and others are preparing for early spring construction season. He stated overall there are no surprises on the budget report. He noted February and March were tough months for snow removal and plowing and therefore the next report will show different numbers. 2019 CITY INVESTMENTS REVIEW Mr. Dickinson provided a summary of the City investments report. OTHER BUSINESS Mr. Dickinson provided an update on recent County activity. ADJOURNMENT Andover City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes – March 26, 2018 Page 8 Motion by Bukkila, Seconded by Barthel, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:10 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Amanda Staple, Recording Secretary