City Council

REGULAR ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING – JUNE 20, 2023 MINUTES The Regular Bi-Monthly Meeting of the Andover City Council was called to order by Mayor Bukkila, June 20, 2023, 7:00 p.m., at the Andover City Hall, 1685 Crosstown Boulevard NW, Andover, Minnesota. Councilmembers present: Jamie Barthel, Ted Butler, Rick Engelhardt, and Randy Nelson Councilmember absent: None Also present: City Administrator, Jim Dickinson Community Development Director, Joe Janish Director of Public Works/City Engineer, David Berkowitz Others PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – REP. NISKA & REP. SCOTT State Representatives Peggy Scott and Harry Niska came forward to give a legislative update. They discussed and gave an update on the Red Oaks Neighborhood. They discussed the legalization of adult-use cannabis and the new bill passed. They also highlighted the increase in sales tax, in which ¼ of a cent will go towards housing and the other ¾ of a cent will go towards transportation. They mentioned the vehicle registration tax is also going up, as high as 50% depending on the model year of the vehicle. They noted changes in electronic pull tabs in the charitable gambling space and the new regulations which make gambling less attractive. They discussed the $0.50 delivery charge that will apply to any order that is delivered to a home over $100. They noted the driver’s license fee is increasing by $6. They added they are expecting a $.05 per gallon gas tax increase over the next four years. They stated there was a 40% increase in the State’s budget this year. They noted the increase in motor vehicle sales tax from 6.5% to 6.875%. They encouraged residents to reach out to them or their offices with any concerns or questions. Councilmember Nelson thanked Representative Niska and Representative Scott for fighting for the Red Oaks Neighborhood. He shared he wishes they would have accepted Representative Niska’s request which was for $9 million and the request that was approved was only for $6.1 million. Representative Niska stated he hopes this amount will get the job done and if not they will have to work for more money. Councilmember Nelson thanked the representatives for their guidance when it comes to the legalization of adult-use cannabis. Representative Scott added each person can have 2 ounces of Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 20, 2023 Page 2 marijuana in their possession at any given time and 2 pounds in their home. Mayor Bukkila asked if someone could be openly smoking marijuana walking down the street if it is under 2 ounces. Representative Scott stated once it is legalized it can be smoked walking down the street. RESIDENT FORUM No one came forward to address the Council. AGENDA APPROVAL Motion by Butler, Seconded by Nelson, to approve the Agenda as presented. Motion carried unanimously. APPROVAL OF MINUTES May 23, 2023, Workshop Meeting May 25, 2023, Special Meeting June 6, 2023, Regular Meeting June 8, 2023, Special Meeting Motion by Barthel, Seconded by Nelson, to approve the above sets of meeting minutes as presented. Motion carried unanimously. CONSENT ITEMS Item 2 Approve Payment of Claims Item 3 Receive May 2023 City Investment Reports Item 4 Receive May 2023 General Fund Budget Progress Reports Item 5 Approve On-Sale Intoxicating Liquor License Item 6 Approve Park Exclusive Use Permit Item 7 Approve Appointment/Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor Item 8 Approve Quote for Public Works Water Quality Treatment Structure/21-42 Item 9 Approve Massage Therapist License Motion by Engelhardt, Seconded by Barthel, to approve of the Consent Agenda as read. Motion carried unanimously. ANOKA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MONTHLY REPORT Commander Paul Lenzmeier provided a monthly report for the month of May. He noted there were 1,284 calls for service, which is an increase over last year. He highlighted the focus for traffic enforcement and safety and shared there were 299 traffic stops for the month. He added they are Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 20, 2023 Page 3 currently at 1,359 traffic stops year to date with 279 traffic arrests. He noted that felony and gross misdemeanor arrests are up this year which is a result of proactive enforcement. He stated there were 9 DWIs for the month, which is also up for the year. He explained part of the increase in 911 calls is due to hang ups and open line calls. He noted the weather typically leads to an increase in domestic calls and DWIs. He shared over the past decade the Sheriff's office has participated in the Polar Plunge at Crooked Lake Beach, and that in 2024 the event will move to The Lakes in Blaine due to a larger space needed. Councilmember Butler shared his appreciation for the extra traffic enforcement and all of the work that the deputies are doing. He asked if the deputies are seeing any trends with the types of traffic stops they are seeing. Commander Lenzmeier stated the concerns are speeding and cell phone usage. Mayor Bukkila stated she can hear loud mufflers and drag racing at night from her home. Commander Lenzmeier stated the mufflers today are louder than they have been in the past and that they receive these noise complaints quite frequently. Councilmember Nelson thanked Commander Lenzmeier for participating in the Strategic Planning for the City. HOLD PUBLIC HEARING: VACATING A PORTION OF 175TH AVENUE NW The City Council is requested to hold a public hearing on the proposed vacation of a portion of 175th Avenue NW. The applicants are seeking to vacate a segment of 175th Avenue roadway that was never built in the northwesterly portion of Andover south and west of the Rum River, east of Navajo Street and north of 173rd Avenue NW. The applicants properties are abutting this area and are requesting a vacation and the transfer of the halves of the roadway to the two adjacent properties. Community Development Director Janish reviewed the information with the Council and shared that this vacation meets the criteria necessary to be considered. He noted if progress has not been made within the first 12 months of the approval of the vacation the approval will become null and void. He stated part of this item is contingent upon the next agenda item. He added there was a supplemental item received which was an email showing support. Motion by Nelson, Seconded by Engelhardt, to open the public hearing at 7:31 p.m. Motion carried unanimously. Mr. Janish read aloud the email received today in support of the applicant from Helen and Philip Spaulding, 4605 175th Avenue NW. The letter showed support for the vacation of the unimprovement remnant of the roadway noting that they see no reason for this small area of roadway that leads nowhere. Motion by Barthel, Seconded by Nelson, to close the public hearing at 7:33 p.m. Motion carried Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 20, 2023 Page 4 unanimously. Motion by Butler, Seconded by Nelson, to adopt R049-23, a resolution granting the vacation of a remnant section of 175th Avenue roadway. Motion carried unanimously. CONSIDER LAND TRANSFER FOR REMNANTS FROM VACATION OF 175TH AVENUE NW In conjunction with the previous agenda item, the applicants at 4519 175th Avenue NW and 17365 Navajo Street NW are requesting a vacation of the segment of roadway that was deeded but never built and the request that the halves of the land be transferred to the applicants and combined with their existing properties. Mr. Janish reviewed the information with the Council and the request to transfer the land, whose vacation was approved in the last item, to the two applicants. He noted there is a driveway that would cross on the north side for the south side property and shared the request that the driveway be relocated or there be an easement provided to the property owner. He also shared the request for Council to provide staff direction to prepare deeds to have the remnants of 175th Avenue NW to be deeded over to the applicants and authorizing the Mayor or City Administrator to sign the deeds on behalf of the City. Motion by Nelson, Seconded by Butler, to adopt R050-23, a resolution approving a land transfer between the City and the properties adjacent to a vacated portion of 175th Avenue NW, located between 4519 175th Avenue NW and 17365 Navajo Street NW, and to direct Staff to prepare the deeds to have the remnants combined with the adjacent properties, and to authorize the Mayor or City Administrator to sign the deeds on behalf of the City. Councilmember Barthel asked if the property owners would talk about how the driveway access goes and they will decide if the property to the south will need to move their driveway. Mr Janish explained the two property owners will have to come to an agreement to either relocate the driveway or provide an easement. He added the property owners are responsible for any costs that the City would incur through this process. Motion carried unanimously. DISCUSS 2023 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND GOAL SETTING/CONSIDER APPROVAL OF CITY OF ANDOVER STRATEGIC PLAN (VISION - VALUES - GOALS) On May 25, 2023 and June 8, 2023, the Council and Staff Leadership Team convened work sessions with Facilitator Phil Kern for the purpose of updating the City’s long-term visions, organizational values, external values, and short-term goals. The City Council is requested to review the 2023 Strategic Planning and Goal Setting report and the City of Andover Strategic Plan. City Administrator Dickinson reviewed and presented the information to the Council. He reviewed Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 20, 2023 Page 5 the discussions and changes made to the community slogan and vision statement. He discussed the long-term organizational values, with excellence and quality in the delivery of service, fiscal responsibility, and ethics and integrity as the top items. He noted they added items to prioritize people and maintain organizational flexibility and adaptability. He reviewed the organizational values of establishing and maintaining a common community identity, providing services that are accessible and lead to a healthy community, continue to be a desirable place to live, enhance communication with the public and support engagement processes, continue to look towards the capital improvement plan for updating, find ways to broaden and preserve the City tax base, balance and prioritize services with resources and to respect the environment. He discussed the short-term goals of developing and implementing succession plans, identifying and establishing appropriate depth within each department and mentoring employees to gain organizational capacity. He noted another top item is evaluating staffing and level of service for Fire, EMS and the Sheriff's Office, as well as updating the streets capital improvement plan. He added another primary goal is to be committed to timely replacement of equipment and continued maintenance to the facilities. The other top priorities are to explore, identify gaps, and strengthen critical infrastructure, develop and implement additional youth activity programming at the Andover Community Center, and to continue to enter into collaborative agreements and partnerships when mutually beneficial. He concluded his presentation by reviewing the opportunity goals of developing community activities to help strengthen a common community identity, accomplishing the development of the Master Campus Plan, supporting activities to encourage business growth, encouraging local resident entrepreneurship, and evaluating the process of extending water within the MUSA. Motion by Barthel, Seconded by Nelson, to approve the City of Andover Strategic Plan (Vision - Values - Goals). Motion carried unanimously. Mayor Bukkila thanked everyone who participated in this process. RESCHEDULE AUGUST 1ST COUNCIL MEETING August 1, 2023 is scheduled to be the Night to Unite as well as the City Council meeting. The Council is requested to reschedule the City Council meeting. Mayor Bukkila reviewed the suggested rescheduling dates of Monday July 31, 2023 or Wednesday, August 2, 2023. Councilmember Barthel stated he will not be available on August 2nd. Councilmember Butler stated he will not be available on July 31st. Motion by Nelson, Seconded by Barthel, to reschedule the City Council Meeting from Tuesday, August 1, 2023 to Monday, July 31, 2023. Motion carried unanimously. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 20, 2023 Page 6 ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT City Staff updated the Council on the administration and city department activities, legislative updates, updates on development/CIP projects, and meeting reminders/community events. (Administrative Staff Report) Mr. Dickinson shared in regard to the Red Oaks Neighborhood, they have been meeting with the MPCA to get ready for when the dollars are available. He explained these funds are on a reimbursement basis so the plans have to be approved and then they will receive a grant, do the work, and then get reimbursed. He stated a lot of this project is determining the most effective way to deliver the services in this area. He noted the complicated part of this project will be connecting all of the homes. He shared that they have a good working relationship with the MPCA on this project. He stated he will have a meeting with the North Metro Mayor’s operating committee to start talking about their budget. He noted this organization has lowered dues for the last six years. He stated the city budget is now a top priority and all of the department submission information will need to be in by July 1st and will start work and discussion on this in July. He added there may be a request in July or August for the Council to meet early to discuss a few points in the budget. He explained the Community Center is busy with camps. (Public Works/Engineering Department Report) Mr. Berkowitz stated the City Council workshop meeting scheduled for June 27th will be a joint meeting with the Park and Recreation Commission as they have been doing a lot of background work to figure out what improvements through the CIP to recommend. He explained they are working on over 16 miles of roads this summer and all projects are in progress. He noted the reclaim project started last month and is moving along and the mill and overlay project started this week. He added they are also doing a lot of pothole patching work and routine maintenance. He emphasized odd-even sprinkling for irrigation due to the dry season and encouraged the conservation of water. (Community Development Department Report) Mr. Janish noted the Andover Home Improvement Program and shared they are looking for applicants for this and that residents can contact the Planning Department or himself to determine the valuation of their home to see if they qualify for this program. Mayor Bukkila stated there are odd-even and no water times; however, she asked if there was a time that would help offset the peak demand for water. Mr. Berkowitz stated at 3:30 a.m. the water in the towers already starts to decline. He noted most irrigation systems start at this time. He stated the only time he can think of would be around 6:00 a.m. as they recover water fairly quickly at that time. He understood watering lawns in the evening, you could run into mold issues. Councilmember Nelson asked what timeline the Red Oaks residents can expect. Mr. Berkowitz shared the design will take several months. He explained the goal is to have the plan done at the end of the year so the project can be bid early, and they would start construction as soon as possible, likely April or May of 2024 with the project completed by the end of August 2024. He shared there will be a lot of challenges going into making the connections into these homes. Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 20, 2023 Page 7 Councilmember Nelson asked if the $6.1 million that was approved for this project will be enough. Mr. Berkowitz said yes and explained they had originally looked at a larger area for the improvements and that the MPCA came up with a mitigation area which is what the funds are for. Councilmember Nelson asked if there are more contaminated wells in the future if they will have to go through this whole process again. Mr. Dickinson stated it will vary by situation and what type of contaminant is present. He stated this money is not a bond so the dollars are more flexible. MAYOR/COUNCIL INPUT None. RECESS Mayor Bukkila recessed the regular City Council meeting at 8:03 p.m. to a Closed Session of the City Council to discuss union negotiation updates. RECONVENE The City Council reconvened at 8:22 p.m. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Butler, Seconded by Engelhardt, to adjourn. Motion carried unanimously. The meeting adjourned at 8:23 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Ava Rokosz, Recording Secretary Regular Andover City Council Meeting Minutes – June 20, 2023 Page 8 REGULAR ANDOVER CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES – JUNE 20, 2023 TABLE OF CONTENTS TOC \h \u \z \t "Heading 1,1,Heading 2,2,Heading 3,3," LEGISLATIVE UPDATE – REP. NISKA & REP. SCOTT ..................................................... 1 RESIDENT FORUM ..................................................................................................................2 AGENDA APPROVAL ............................................................................................................. 2 APPROVAL OF MINUTES ...................................................................................................... 2 CONSENT ITEMS .....................................................................................................................2 Item 2 Approve Payment of Claims .....................................................................................2 Item 3 Receive May 2023 City Investment Reports ............................................................ 2 Item 4 Receive May 2023 General Fund Budget Progress Reports .................................... 2 Item 5 Approve On-Sale Intoxicating Liquor License .........................................................2 Item 6 Approve Park Exclusive Use Permit ........................................................................ 2 Item 7 Approve Appointment/Vehicle Maintenance Supervisor .........................................2 Item 8 Approve Quote for Public Works Water Quality Treatment Structure/21-42 ..........2 Item 9 Approve Massage Therapist License ........................................................................2 ANOKA COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE MONTHLY REPORT ............................................2 HOLD PUBLIC HEARING: VACATING A PORTION OF 175TH AVENUE NW (R049-23) ...................................................................................................................................... 3 CONSIDER LAND TRANSFER FOR REMNANTS FROM VACATION OF 175TH AVENUE NW (R050-23) ...................................................................................................4 DISCUSS 2023 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND GOAL SETTING/CONSIDER APPROVAL OF CITY OF ANDOVER STRATEGIC PLAN (VISION - VALUES - GOALS) ..............................................................................................................................4 RESCHEDULE AUGUST 1ST COUNCIL MEETING ............................................................5 ADMINISTRATOR’S REPORT ............................................................................................... 6 MAYOR/COUNCIL INPUT ......................................................................................................7 RECESS ......................................................................................................................................7 RECONVENE ............................................................................................................................ 7 ADJOURNMENT ...................................................................................................................... 7