City Council Workshop

Blaine City Hall City of Blaine 10801 Town Sq Dr NE Blaine MN 55449 Anoka County, Minnesota Minutes City Council Workshop Monday, September 9, 2019 6:00 PM Cloverleaf Farm Room A NOTICE OF WORKSHOP MEETING 1 Call to Order The meeting was called to order by Mayor Ryan at 6:05 p.m. 2 Roll Call Quorum Present. ALSO PRESENT: Acting City Manager Joe Huss; Community Development Director Erik Thorvig; Police Chief/Safety Services Manager Brian Podany; Public Services Manager/Assistant City Manager Bob Therres; City Engineer Dan Schluender; Communications Technician Roark Haver; Communications Coordinator Ben Hayle; Budget/Fiscal Analyst Ward Brown; and City Clerk Catherine Sorensen. Present: 5 - Councilmember Jeppson, Mayor Ryan, Councilmember Swanson, Councilmember Robertson, and Councilmember Hovland Absent: 2 - Councilmember Garvais, and Councilmember Paul 3 New Business 3-1 PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDMENT - SPECIAL EVENTS EXCEPTIONS Attachments: ARTICLE III. CIRCUSES AND CARNIVALS Police Chief/Safety Services Manager Podany stated as follow-up from the recent 3M Open, staff is recommending a code amendment that would remove the exception of both the 3M golf event and the Blaine Festival, thereby requiring both organizations to obtain a special event license from the City. Both organizations work extremely well with police and staff already and including them in the special event licensing process will help continue that partnership. Since both events are unique in size and community impact, it is important to ensure all event aspects are thoroughly reviewed and processed through Emergency Management rather than administratively. City of Blaine Page 1 City Council Workshop Minutes September 9, 2019 Mayor Ryan reported the Police Department had a heavy presence at the St. Timothy’s Carnival, Blaine Festival and the 3M Open. Councilmember Robertson asked if the Blaine Festival and the 3M Open were aware of the proposed change. Police Chief Podany explained both organizations were aware fees were charged for special event permits but noted these fees have been waived in the past. Councilmember Swanson questioned if all of the preplanning expenses were passed along to license holders. Police Chief Podany reported the City works to estimate costs and noted this code amendment would be an attempt to recoup some of those preplanning costs. Mayor Ryan inquired if the City is reimbursed for the KTIS event at the National Sports Center. Police Chief Podany commented the City is reimbursed for police services for that concert event. Councilmember Jeppson asked if the proposed fee was adequate. City Clerk Sorensen reported non-profits were charged $100 and for profit organizations were charged $200. Police Chief Podany commented on how staff was working to adjust the rates in order to reflect inflation. He explained the Police Department has a planning fee that is charged for special events on top of the administrative fee. He noted this fee was based upon the projected attendance at special events. Council consensus was to direct staff to move forward with the proposed ordinance amendment for the Special Events Exceptions. 3-2 EXPENDITURE OF UP TO $100,000 IN MATCHING FUNDS FOR VETERANS PARK FROM THE CITY’S STRATEGIC PRIORITIES FUND Acting City Manager Huss stated on April 1, 2019 the City Council accepted a check from the North Suburban Hospital District of $2,648,000. The check represents Blaine’s share of funds remaining after the dissolution of the hospital district. At the May 6, 2019 Workshop, the Council consensus regarding these funds was to (1) set aside or earmark $100,000 of the proceeds to be used as a matching grant to assist in funding for the new Veterans Park and (2) place the remainder of the funds in a separate fund to be used pursuant to Council priorities as established at a later date. At this time, staff is seeking Council direction on establishing parameters and targets for the park developer to reach before releasing the $100,000 in matching funds. Mayor Ryan discussed the history of this project with the Council. He stated he supported the City setting aside $100,000 in matching funds for the Veterans Park. He explained he had requested a donation from the PGA and had not heard back City of Blaine Page 2 City Council Workshop Minutes September 9, 2019 from this organization. Councilmember Hovland believed it would be important for the City to get the word out in order to assist in gaining donations for the park. Further discussion ensued regarding the amount of funds that had been raised to date. Councilmember Jeppson suggested a hard deadline be set for the matching funds. Mr. Huss stated this may be beneficial. He commented further on the importance of getting the park finished. Councilmember Robertson recommended a presentation be given at an upcoming Blaine Business Council to spur interest from local business owners. Councilmember Swanson suggested a presentation also be made at an upcoming Council meeting. It was noted the City had printed an article in the most recent issue of the Blaine City newsletter to inform the public of the fundraising efforts that were underway. Council consensus was to direct staff to draft a resolution. 3-3 2020 PRELIMINARY TAX LEVY & GENERAL FUND BUDGET Mr. Huss stated following up budget discussions to this point, staff will update the City Council on the status of the Preliminary 2020 tax levy and General Fund Budget. These items will come before Council for consideration at the September 16 Council Meeting. The discussion reflected direction provided by the City Council in tax levy and budget discussions up to this point. As a reminder to Council, the preliminary 2020 tax levy adopted by the Council on September 16 cannot be increased. Mr. Huss discussed the SBM Fire Budget with the Council. The Council requested this budget be further discussed with Fire Chief Smith at a future meeting. Councilmember Swanson recommended LGA funds not be placed into the budget but that these funds be used for one-time expenses, given the fact these funds fluctuated from year to year. Community Development Director Thorvig commented on a recent report from the Housing Affordability Institute regarding claims that cities are overcharging building permit fees which drive up the costs of new homes. Council consensus was to support the preliminary tax levy as presented by staff. City of Blaine Page 3 City Council Workshop Minutes September 9, 2019 OTHER BUSINESS Councilmember Robertson supported the City speaking with Anoka County regarding their signal participation policy. Mayor Ryan reported the County would be holding a meeting regarding this topic at an upcoming local government officials meeting. Councilmember Robertson explained she was working to create a coalition of other elected officials in order to address the County regarding this matter. City Engineer Schluender reported staff had reached out to other counties and learned that all were 50/50 except for Anoka County and Hennepin County, which were 75/25. Mr. Thorvig provided the Council with an update on the property at 10130 Sunset Boulevard and the current condition of the building and said he would be working with the Chief Building Official and City Attorney on the best way to address the site as several complaints had been received regarding this property. Mr. Huss reported the new City Manager would be starting on Monday, September 16. Mr. Thorvig provided the Council with an update on the townhouses on University Avenue and the request for proposals for solar panels at the National Sports Center. Discussed. ADJOURN The Workshop was adjourned at 7:12 p.m. Adjourned. City of Blaine Page 4