City Council

Blaine City Hall City of Blaine 10801 Town Sq Dr NE Blaine MN 55449 Anoka County, Minnesota Minutes City Council The council chambers will have limited seating, with audience chairs being set up at least six feet apart. There will be an overflow area where the meeting can be watched in the Cloverleaf Farms Room, also with chairs set up at least six feet apart. Monday, November 15, 2021 7:30 PM Council Chambers 1. CALL TO ORDER BY THE MAYOR The meeting was called to order at 7:30PM by Mayor Sanders followed by the Pledge of Allegiance and the Roll Call. 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. ROLL CALL PRESENT: Mayor Tim Sanders, Councilmembers Julie Jeppson, Chris Massoglia, Richard Paul, Jess Robertson and Jason Smith. ABSENT: Councilmember Wes Hovland. Quorum Present. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Michelle Wolfe; Community Development Director Erik Thorvig; Public Works Director Jon Haukaas; Deputy Police Chief Dan Szykulski; Finance Director Joe Huss; City Engineer Dan Schluender; Director of Administration Cassandra Tabor; Deputy Human Resources Director Sheri Chesness; Economic Development Specialist Ruth Tucker; Deputy Finance Director Ali Bong; Community Development Specialist Elizabeth Showalter; City Attorney Chris Nelson; Communications Manager Ben Hayle; Senior Parks and Recreation Manager Jerome Krieger; and City Clerk Catherine Sorensen. Present: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders Absent: 1 - Councilmember Hovland 4. AWARDS - PRESENTATIONS - ORGANIZATIONAL BUSINESS None. City of Blaine Page 1 City Council Minutes November 15, 2021 5. COMMUNICATIONS None. 6. OPEN FORUM Mayor Sanders opened the Open Forum at 7:32PM. Richard Perry, 11045 Polk St, stated there were three new housing developments totaling 1754 homes and over 300 people in his neighborhood. He recommended the council consider providing more access and opportunity to the Blaine trail system. He discussed the city’s current trail system near Polk Street and recommended a new access be considered from Polk Street to Sand Creek. He estimated the cost for the trail and culvert to be $35,000. He suggested the city consider planting trees, flowers and tall grasses along 109th Avenue to create a nice trail. He discussed how successful the Minnesota Arboretum was and recommended the city work in coordination with this organization. He requested the council have the park board consider this further and that a path be approved along Coon Creek before this area develops. Chris Page, 1785 132nd Lane, stated he was the owner and operator of PJ’s Grilled Food Truck. He explained he has lived in Blaine for the past 20 years and has been a food truck operator for the past five years. He spoke to the proposed ordinance and stated he was excited to see the city of Blaine striking the right balance with the food truck industry. He explained he was excited that he would now be able to service his hometown. He discussed how food trucks enhance the communities in which they operate and encourage people to visit. He thanked Councilmember Massoglia, Mr. Thorvig and all other staff members who helped contribute to this ordinance. He stated he was proud to be a resident of Blaine and was happy with the efforts that have been made on this ordinance. Elmer Stevenson, 12565 Zest Street, stated it was his understanding Anoka County purchased the property adjacent to his home and questioned if the zoning had been changed to high density. Community Development Director Thorvig stated he observed a social media post over the weekend stating the County had purchased the northwest and southwest corner of Main Street and Lexington Avenue. He reported he believed this was false information because the County’s GIS map shows the properties are still owned by the County. Richard Ingalls, 13149 Kenyon Street, stated he has been a resident of City of Blaine Page 2 City Council Minutes November 15, 2021 Blaine for the past 30 years. He explained he was concerned with the safety of traffic at the intersection of 131st Avenue NE and the Highway 65 service road. He noted people often ran the stop sign or pulled out in front of someone which was dangerous due to the speed of traffic. He requested the police department take a look at this. He suggested traffic not be allowed to turn northbound onto Highway 65. There being no additional input, Mayor Sanders closed the Open Forum at 7:42PM. 7. ADOPTION OF AGENDA The agenda was adopted as presented. 8. APPROVAL OF CONSENT AGENDA: Moved by Councilmember Robertson, seconded by Councilmember Jeppson, that the following be approved: Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 8.-1 Schedule of Bills Paid Attachments: October 29, 2021 Bills Paid October 29, 2021 Subset of Bills Paid November 5, 2021 Bills Paid November 5, 2021 Subset of Bills Paid October 2021 P/R Checks and Wire Transfers Approved 8.-2 Approval of Minutes Attachments: 10-29 and 10-30-21 Workshop Council Retreat 11-01-21 Workshop Minutes 11-01-21 Council Minutes 11-08-21 Closed Workshop - Pending Litigation Discussion Approved 8.-3 Releasing Lot 1 Block 1, Outlot A, Outlot B, Lexington Meadows 5th Addition from Recorded Development Agreement (Case File No. 21-0078/SLK) Attachments: Attachments Adopted City of Blaine Page 3 City Council Minutes November 15, 2021 9. 7:30 P.M. - PUBLIC HEARING AND ITEMS PUBLISHED FOR A CERTAIN TIME 9.-1 Approve Renewal of Currency Exchange Licenses Attachments: Blaine-Al$ Check Cashing Blaine-SJB License Renewal City Clerk Sorensen stated staff has received correspondence regarding currency exchange license renewals from the Minnesota Department of Commerce for Al’$ Check Cashing at 1434 - 93rd Lane NE and SJB Enterprises Inc., d/b/a Your Exchange at 10553 University Avenue NE. State Statute requires cities to hold a public hearing to solicit testimony from interested persons regarding any currency exchange license renewal. Notice of the public hearing was published on November 5, 2021. The Police Department has also reviewed their files regarding both locations and has no concerns regarding the renewals. City approval must be received within 60 days otherwise concurrence is presumed. The deadline for response is December 10, 2021. Staff commented further on the request and recommended the council hold a public hearing and approve the license renewals. Mayor Sanders opened the public hearing at 7:43PM. There being no additional public input, Mayor Sanders closed the public hearing at 7:44PM. Moved by Councilmember Robertson, seconded by Councilmember Paul, that Resolution No. 21-165, “Approve Renewal of Currency Exchange Licenses,” be approved. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 10. DEVELOPMENT BUSINESS None. 11. ADMINISTRATION 11.-1 Accept Quote from WSB & Associates for Professional Engineering and Design Services for a Pavilion and Restrooms at the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary in the amount of $110,500. Attachments: BWS Pavilion Restroom - WSB Proposal Senior Parks and Recreation Manager Krieger stated the City Council discussed the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary Pavilion and Restrooms Project City of Blaine Page 4 City Council Minutes November 15, 2021 at the May 3, 2021 Council Workshop. Staff presented three options and Council consensus was to move forward with a Pavilion with Restrooms. Staff and Council also agreed that this Pavilion would be a rentable shelter like Aquatore Park, Tom Ryan Park, and Lakeside Commons Park. Staff has determined that extending water and sanitary sewer connections from Lexington Athletic Complex would be the most beneficial way to obtain utilities for the site. The fee of $110,500 not only includes the feasibility planning, but also the additional work needed by the architect and design team to complete the project to get it ready for bid. This project has been identified in the Blaine Wetland Sanctuary Master Plan and is budgeted in the Open Space CIP. Mr. Krieger reported the size of the shelter will accommodate 100 to 115 people. It was noted the city’s other rentable shelters, such as Aquatore, Tom Ryan and Lakeside Commons Park, can accommodate 150 to 200 people. Some of our larger groups will be school groups who will be dropped off by bus. The parking lot was originally designed for school bus drop off and pick - up. There is ample space for the bus to drop off, circle around and exit back onto Lexington Avenue. For public rentals of the shelter, we anticipate the total number of people at 100 or less, due to the number of parking spaces. We will work with the design team to see if we can add some additional spaces without having a huge impact on the park. After review of the quotes, staff recommends the selection of WSB & Associates for professional engineering and design services for the project. In addition, staff is asking for a 10% contingency to bring the total project budget to $121,550. Councilmember Robertson commented the original request was approximately $50,000 but understood the expense has since risen. She explained she would support the shelter but questioned how many students would typically be attending classes at the BWS. Mr. Krieger stated this could be 100 to 150 students. Councilmember Robertson reported the city would have to consider extra parking to accommodate this many people because she wanted people to be able to have access to the BWS. Mr. Krieger indicated staff had discussed this matter with the consultant. Councilmember Massoglia explained he would not be supporting this project. He believed this was an interesting concept but perhaps the city should have pursued partnerships with the school district if classes and students were going to be using the shelter. He noted the request was double the original amount and for this reason would not be supporting the BWS shelter. Moved by Councilmember Jeppson, seconded by Councilmember Smith, that Motion 21-166, “Accept Quote from WSB & Associates for Professional Engineering and Design Services for a Pavilion and Restrooms at the Blaine City of Blaine Page 5 City Council Minutes November 15, 2021 Wetland Sanctuary in the amount of $110,500,” be approved. Motion adopted 5-1 (Councilmember Massoglia opposed). Aye: 5 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders Nay: 1 - Councilmember Massoglia 11.-2 Certify 2021 Delinquent Utility Accounts and Invoices to Anoka County Attachments: 2021.11.05 Utilities Certification Final List Finance Director Huss stated notice has been sent to all affected property owners regarding their respective delinquent bills. If payment is not received before the deadline for remittance to the county, the resolution authorizes staff to certify the amount due to the Anoka County Auditor for collection with 2022 property taxes. The amount to be certified for collection is $423,871.22; $416,589.56 is for delinquent utilities and $7,281.66 is for other invoices. The certifications represent 668 properties, 654 with utility certifications, five of which also have delinquent invoices other than utility bills, and 14 properties with delinquent invoices only. The amount to be certified is about $15,000 more than the $408,738.75 that was initially authorized in 2020. The amount to be certified reflects less than 3% of the total revenues of the City’s utility funds. Revenues include billings, interest earned, various grants, where billings make up the vast majority of revenues. Moved by Councilmember Massoglia, seconded by Councilmember Smith, that Resolution No. 21-214, “Certify 2021 Delinquent Utility Accounts and Invoices to Anoka County,” be approved. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 11.-3 Adopt 2022 Sanitation Fund Budget Attachments: Sanitation Fund Narrative 2022 Budget Mr. Huss stated council reviewed the proposed 2022 Sanitation Utility Fund Budget at the November 1, 2021 Workshop. At the workshop, council provided direction to bring forward for adoption the budget as presented on that date. The Sanitation Fund accounts for the city’s refuse and recycling program. Walters Recycling and Refuse, Inc. provides refuse collection and recycling services for all Blaine residents. The current contract term, which was extended in 2019, is from January 1, 2016 through June 30, 2024. Councilmember Paul questioned how the public would be notified of the City of Blaine Page 6 City Council Minutes November 15, 2021 upcoming rate increase. Mr. Huss explained the city would be sending notice through utility bills and information would be posted on the city’s website that rates would be increasing January 1. Moved by Councilmember Smith, seconded by Councilmember Jeppson, that Resolution No. 21-215, “Adopt 2022 Sanitation Fund Budget,” be approved. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 11.-4 Resolution Submitting a List of Eligible Nominees to Anoka County for the Open Manager Position on Rice Creek Watershed District Board of Managers Attachments: Circle Pines Resolution Lino Lakes Resolution City Manager Wolfe stated current RCWD Board Member Steve Wagamon’s term expires on January 17, 2022. The deadline for submitting a list of nominees to the County Board is November 18, 2021. Two RCWD managers are appointed from Anoka County, two from Ramsey, and one from Washington County. The board has five managers. Currently, two are from Columbus, one is from White Bear Township, one is from Hugo, and one is from Mounds View. The two current Anoka County managers are from Columbus; no other Anoka County city has a representative. The process requires the County Board to appoint from a list of three persons submitted jointly or severally by the cities and municipalities within the district. A nominee must reside within the district, be eligible to vote in the district, and not be a public officer of the county, state, or federal government. The City Attorney has confirmed that a city councilmember can be appointed and Councilmember Jess Robertson has expressed interest. Ms. Wolfe explained it has proven to be an ongoing challenge for cities to identify three persons interested in being nominated. Thus, the cities have proposed submitting a joint list. The cities of Lino Lakes and Circle Pines have identified nominees - and the cities have asked that Blaine submit a name. It is hoped that by using this process someone from the joint list will be nominated from one of the other cities in the district. This is truly a difficult role to fill. Staff and Councilmembers have reached out to residents and have been unable to find anyone interested in and able to serve on the Board. Councilmember Paul thanked Councilmember Robertson for being willing to serve in this capacity. Moved by Councilmember Massoglia, seconded by Councilmember Smith, that Resolution No. 21-216, “Resolution Submitting a List of Eligible Nominees to City of Blaine Page 7 City Council Minutes November 15, 2021 Anoka County for the Open Manager Position on Rice Creek Watershed District Board of Managers,” be approved. Motion adopted 5-0-1 (Councilmember Robertson abstained). Aye: 5 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders Abstain: 1 - Councilmember Robertson 11.-5 First Reading Article VI. - Boards and Commissions, Amending Sec. 2-241. - Special Board of Review Ms. Sorensen stated City Charter directs that council establish a board of equalization to equalize assessments for property taxes, which historically has been accomplished through the City’s Special Board of Review outlined in Sec. 2-241 of city code. As you recall, in 2019 it was discovered that board members no longer met the training requirement per statute and therefore the city had to relinquish local board duties to the County Assessor for the years 2020 and 2021. At the fall retreat staff reviewed reasons for council to consider continuing with Anoka County for local board duties. Staff commented on these reasons in further detail with the council and recommended the council support the city using Anoka County for local board duties. Declared by Mayor Sanders that Ordinance No. 21-2486, “Article VI. -Boards and Commissions, Amending Sec. 2-241. –Special Board of Review,” be introduced and placed on file for second reading at the December 6, 2021 Council meeting. 11.-6 Second Reading Establishing Chapter 22, Article XII, Mobile Food Trucks Regulations; Amending Chapter 22, Article VI, Section 22-273 - Exceptions to Definitions; and Amending Chapter 70, Article II, Section 70-44 - Exceptions Mr. Thorvig stated based on feedback from the city council at the April 19 and June 14, 2021 workshops, amendments are proposed to allow food trucks with certain regulations in the city of Blaine. First reading was held on November 1, 2021 with no proposed changes by council. Staff discussed the proposed changes in further detail with the council and recommended approval of the ordinance. Councilmember Massoglia thanked staff for all of their efforts on this ordinance. Moved by Councilmember Massoglia, seconded by Councilmember Smith, that Ordinance No. 21-2485, “Establishing Chapter 22, Article XII, Mobile Food City of Blaine Page 8 City Council Minutes November 15, 2021 Trucks Regulations; Amending Chapter 22, Article VI, Section 22-273 – Exceptions to Definitions; and Amending Chapter 70, Article II, Section 70-44 – Exceptions,” be approved. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 11.-7 Summary Publication - Establishing Chapter 22, Article XII, Mobile Food Trucks Regulations; Amending Chapter 22, Article VI, Section 22-273 - Exceptions to Definitions; and Amending Chapter 70, Article II, Section 70-44 - Exceptions Mr. Thorvig requested the council approve a summary publication of Ordinance No. 21-2485. Moved by Councilmember Massoglia, seconded by Councilmember Jeppson, that Resolution No. 21-213, “Summary Publication – Establishing Chapter 22, Article XII, Mobile Food Trucks Regulations; Amending Chapter 22, Article VI, Section 22-273 – Exceptions to Definitions; and Amending Chapter 70, Article II, Section 70-44 – Exceptions,” be approved. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders 12. OTHER BUSINESS None. 13. ADJOURNMENT Moved by Councilmember Jeppson, seconded by Councilmember Robertson, to adjourn the meeting at 8:16PM. Motion adopted unanimously. Aye: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, Councilmember Massoglia, Councilmember Smith and Mayor Sanders City of Blaine Page 9