City Council Workshop

Blaine City Hall City of Blaine 10801 Town Sq Dr NE Blaine MN 55449 Anoka County, Minnesota Minutes City Council Workshop Thursday, March 21, 2019 6:30 PM Cloverleaf Farm Room A NOTICE OF WORKSHOP MEETING 1 Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Mayor Ryan at 6:30 p.m. 2 Roll Call Quorum Present. ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Clark Arneson; Planning and Community Development Director Bryan Schafer; Public Works Director Jon Haukaas; Police Captain Mark Boerboom; Public Services Manager/Assistant City Manager Bob Therres; City Engineer Dan Schluender; City Attorney Andy Pratt; and Senior Engineering Technician Jason Sundeen. Present: 6 - Councilmember Jeppson, Mayor Ryan, Councilmember Swanson, Councilmember Robertson, Councilmember Paul, and Councilmember Hovland Absent: 1 - Councilmember Garvais 3 New Business 3-1 OVERNIGHT PARKING ORDINANCE Attachments: PowerPoint Police Captain Boerboom reported current City Code prohibits overnight parking between the hours of 2AM and 7AM between November 1 and April 1 on any highway, street, or alley within the city without an emergency parking permit. Staff presented an overview of the ordinance and various options for consideration. This is an initial discussion on a section of the traffic code. There will be additional sections presented for review in the future. Staff requested the Council retain the ordinance as written but amend violations to a petty misdemeanor from a misdemeanor. Councilmember Hovland asked if any compensations could be made during inclement weather. Police Captain Boerboom commented on the City of Blaine Page 1 City Council Workshop Minutes March 21, 2019 compensations his officers make during the winter months and for holidays. Councilmember Hovland recommended this policy go into effect after the first snowfall each year instead of November 1. Mayor Ryan supported the City’s police officers having some discretion in enforcement of this ordinance. Councilmember Robertson commented she supported the timeline as proposed by the Police Department. Councilmember Paul questioned if this ordinance would apply to private streets. Police Captain Boerboom reported this ordinance would only apply to public roadways and City streets. Councilmember Paul asked what the cost was for a parking ticket. Police Captain Boerboom discussed the $50 fine that is currently charged for parking citations and explained the City does not tow cars but only issues tickets. Councilmember Robertson explained she supported the Ordinance as presented. Council consensus was to direct staff to proceed with the Ordinance amendment. Other Business Public Works Director Haukaas explained bills had been proposed in both the House and the Senate that would allow cities to create street improvement districts. He discussed how this would impact assessments on residents and commented further on how this would impact future street improvement projects and the financing of these projects. Councilmember Hovland commented this program was similar to the City’s Pavement Management Program and while he did not oppose the program he asked how many districts the City could create. Mr. Haukaas indicated the City may still need to bond for projects but indicated one district could be created for the entire City. Councilmember Jeppson questioned how residents in the 2019 Street Improvement Project would be impacted by this legislation. She inquired if there would be a gap and they would still be assessed. Mr. Haukaas commented this would be a decision that would have to be made by the City Council. He did not recommend the City Council cancel all of the proposed assessments. He anticipated it would take the City a year or more to establish a new program and City of Blaine Page 2 City Council Workshop Minutes March 21, 2019 indicated assessments may still be necessary. Councilmember Swanson stated staff was asking if the Council supported the proposed legislature and was not requesting action at this time. Councilmember Robertson indicated she was not in agreement with all the recommended house files from the League of Minnesota Cities and was concerned the State would be taking over more control than was necessary for local governments. Mayor Ryan commented the original intent was for the State to assist local governments with creating a way to fund street improvement projects. Councilmember Jeppson explained she could support the City having another option to fund street improvements. Councilmember Swanson stated the City could support the middle option from the League of Minnesota Cities. Councilmember Hovland indicated he could support this option as well as it would provide the City with another option for funding its streets. Councilmember Paul stated he also supported the street funding option as proposed by the League of Minnesota Cities. Council consensus was to support the League of Minnesota Cities efforts. City Manager Arneson commented on how City Attorney attendance may be impacted by the Council moving its meetings to Monday nights. Discussed. ADJOURN The Workshop was adjourned at 7:06 p.m. Adjourned City of Blaine Page 3