City Council Meetings and Work Sessions

City of Excelsior Council Strategy Session Meeting MINUTES Saturday, February 29, 2020 9:00 A.M. 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Mayor Carlson called the strategy session to order at 9:00 a.m. Present: Councilmembers Caron, Dierking, Kurschner and Miller, and Mayor Carlson Also Present: City Manager Luger, Public Works Superintendent Amundsen, Planning Director Becker and City Clerk Peterson 3. VISION AND GOALS 2020 AND BEYOND Manager Luger presented the vision and goals for 2020 and beyond. The Council agreed “Consider Options for City Hall” is a priority. Staff was directed to look at previous studies and information regarding the remodeling of City Hall. The Council would like to explore the option of angled parking on Water Street. They would also like a list of options to maintain, resurface/restripe and resurface/restripe with islands including the impact on the number of parking spots for the East/West Parking Lots. The Council discussed the vision for the City of Excelsior and the Comp Plan for 10-20 years and beyond. They would like to explore the option of hiring a consultant to help with community engagement of the plan to move Excelsior in a positive direction. The following goals were identified for 2020: 1) City Hall; 2) East/West Parking Lots; 3) Path for future visioning for Comp Plan; 4) Parking meters; and 5) Responsible Business Development. The Council discussed holding Strategy Sessions for three to four hours once a quarter. HOW TO BEST USE THE RESOURCES OF THE COUNCIL AND THE COMMISSIONS The Council discussed empowering the Parks and Recreation Commission, Historic Preservation Commission and the Planning Commission by clear communication on expectations and asking them what they would like to be working on as a Commission. Staff representatives will work on summarizing direction for Commissions for clear expectations/direction from the Council. Minutes City Council Strategy Session February 29, 2020 Page 2 Staff will research how other cities have structured their Parks and Recreation Commission and work on re-envisioning the Commission. The Council discussed term limits on the Commissions and the possibility of implementing a Business Development Commission. REVIEW STAFFING LEVELS AND DETERMINE HOW TO MORE EFFECTIVELY REDUCE EMPLOYEE TURNOVER AND INCREASE RECUITMENT The Council agreed with the recommendation to hire a part-time employee with a background in accounting for City Hall. The Council discussed having the refuse contractor bill residents directly for garbage/recycling pickup. This will be looked at when the garbage contract expires. The Council would like to get through the visioning and comp plan study for the City and then move forward with a staffing study proposed by Craig Waldron focusing on the talent we have available and what we need to grow successfully together. The Council discussed the cemetery and having a volunteer take an inventory of available plots then the City marketing the plots. The Council discussed hiring a Historic Preservation Commission consultant to work with the Historic Preservation Commission and guide them so Planning Director Becker doesn’t need to attend all the meetings. They also discussed hiring an architect to oversee the Resident Review Board. The Council discussed reducing turnover and increasing recruitment. City Manager Luger mentioned if the City Hall remodel gets put on hold, the Council will need to invest significant money into the current workspace to make the current environment more conducive for employees. The Council discussed Requests for Proposals (RFPs) for City Engineering and Construction Management for the Met Council Project. The Council discussed ways to grow positive relationships with residents. They will be exploring bagging groceries at Kowalski’s on a day/evening that works for everyone. Minutes City Council Strategy Session February 29, 2020 Page 3 The Council Work Session adjourned at 1:15 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Lynette R. Peterson City Clerk