City Council Workshop

WORKSHOP OAKDALE CITY COUNCIL March 10, 2020 ATTENDANCE The City Council met on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at 5 PM at the Discovery Center, 4444 Hadley Avenue North, Oakdale, Minnesota, for the “If I Were Mayor” contest reception. The City Council held a workshop on Tuesday, March 10, 2020, at Oakdale City Hall, 1584 Hadley Avenue North, Oakdale, Minnesota. The meeting began at 6:05 PM. Present: Mayor Paul Reinke Council Members: Jake Ingebrigtson Susan Olson Colleen Swedberg Kevin Zabel Also Present: Susan Barry, City Clerk Craig Dawson, Interim City Administrator COUNCIL DISCUSSION The City Council asked staff to report back on whether trash cans were available in the dog park and if a bulletin board could be added to the park for posting information and “lost pet” flyers. The City Council discussed potential courses of action, including declaring a local emergency, when City operations are affected by the coronavirus outbreak. Interim City Administrator Dawson noted that staff was working on several components and that materials would be presented at the regular council meeting. Council Member Swedberg suggested that reminders by posted on social media on how to properly navigate roundabouts and recounted several issues she experienced at the new Hadley and 36 roundabouts. Council Member Zabel indicated that, in response to comments from several residents, the City’s traffic speed trailer would be placed on Hadley Avenue leading to the overpass in that area. Mayor Reinke announced that Washington County was planning to seek local sales tax approval for road and bridge improvements. Council Member Ingebrigtson noted that having the County’s request on the same ballot as the City’s local sales tax question could be detrimental for Oakdale. Council Member Olson asked about reconsidering some planned expenditures, both small and large, due to the economic downturn resulting from the virus outbreak or to use equipment and vehicles for longer periods. Council Member Zabel noted that staff does well holding off on making purchases and also on the benefit of having mechanics on staff. He further noted that the City Council needs to inquire about any expenditures approved as part of the budget but where the purchase price is a notably increase over that approved. WORKSHOP March 10, 2020 Page Two Council Member Swedberg suggested a policy that approved expenditures that increase above a certain percentage come back to the City Council. Council Member Ingebrigtson advised that in some circumstances, replacing vehicles can be more cost effective than continuing to pay maintenance costs. Mayor Reinke indicated that the City does not follow the “use or lose it” approach for budgets as is used by some other companies. Council Member Zabel added that when the Police Department expansion offers indoor parking it should help extend vehicle life. He also questioned whether some of the items currently purchased with equipment certificates, like computer equipment, should be funded in another manner. Council Member Zabel also expressed a desire to learn more about all that is included in the Metro-Inet agreement as far as equipment and telephones. Interim City Administrator Dawson noted that the City owns its telephone system. METRO-INET Interim City Administrator Dawson provided an overview of a proposal to transition from the City of Roseville’s Metro-Inet consortium to the newly formed Metro-Inet IT service company and the reasons for the requested change. He stated that Oakdale represents the third largest user in the consortium. Interim City Administrator Dawson commented on estimated salary costs if the City were to hire additional IT staff as well as service disruptions that could occur if the City were to switch to a different company. He further commented that Oakdale staff, staff of the member cities, and the League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust have been quite pleased with the service provided by Metro-Inet. Interim City Administrator Dawson reviewed services currently being provided by Metro-Inet, some of which are not utilized by Oakdale, and noted that Metro-Inet would be able to also offer ala carte support, such as police body cams, for instance. Council Member Ingebrigtson asked staff to obtain a proposal from LOGIS as well. Interim City Administrator Dawson noted that the cities of White Bear Lake and Woodbury contract with LOGIS. Council Member Swedberg asked staff to obtain a proposal from Mind Shift. Council Member Zabel asked that input be provided from communities that utilize private sector IT providers, the criteria they used in making the selection, and their satisfaction with the company. Interim City Administrator Dawson provided information on communities in the area that are part of the Metro-Inet consortium. Mayor Reinke noted that the Metro-Inet proposal would also need to factor in costs for a new facility as they are currently housed at Roseville City Hall. Council Member Olson expressed a security concern with having a single entity having oversight of data from a number of communities. WORKSHOP March 10, 2020 Page Three In response to a comment, Interim City Administrator Dawson explained that the police department is served by Metro-Inet and also pays Washington County for its records management system. Interim City Administrator Dawson indicated that Metro-Inet was looking for a general sense from member cities on whether they would remain with their services. Mayor Reinke confirmed that the general sense is to remain but that the City Council would also be reviewing proposals from LOGIS and Mind Shift. Council Member Zabel expressed concern with impacts Oakdale could face should one of the other larger communities leave the consortium at some point and the impact on contract rates. Interim City Administrator Dawson indicated that staff would compile additional information. Council Members Ingebrigtson and Zabel stated that they would not be ready to enter into any type of agreement with Metro-Inet on the 24th but could offer a soft commitment during the time when all factors are being reviewed. Interim City Administrator Dawson clarified that the action would be simply to move the effort along. He added that Metro-Inet was planning a transition to allow time to eventually move into a new facility. Following additional discussion, staff was directed to obtain other cost information for other providers of IT service, including from LOGIS and Mind Shift. The work session recessed at 6:50 PM The work session reconvened at 7:40 PM. Present: Mayor Paul Reinke Council Members: Jake Ingebrigtson Susan Olson Colleen Swedberg Kevin Zabel Also Present: Brian Bachmeier, Public Works Director/City Engineer Susan Barry, City Clerk Craig Dawson, Interim City Administrator Monica Stiglich, Oakdale Representative: Drinking Water Settlement Committee DRINKING WATER SETTLEMENT UPDATE Interim City Administrator Dawson provided an overview of recent committee meetings relating to evaluating many public water supply options for the east metro and noted that many reference materials were available for viewing on the MPCA web site. He added that the preferred scenario would be for cities to keep the systems that are in place. Interim City Administrator Dawson added that discussions also included surface and ground water sources that would extend Saint Paul water or Obtain water from the Mississippi or the Saint Croix rivers, or a hybrid. He further added that serving a portion of water to Lake Elmo was discussed but would likely not be an option. WORKSHOP March 10, 2020 Page Four Interim City Administrator Dawson noted that the discussion also included different water treatment media. Monica Stiglich, Drinking Water Settlement Committee – Oakdale Representative, provided an overview of her service on the Drinking Water Settlement Committee over the past two years and the work of the committee. She noted that Oakdale is ahead of curve of many of the other impacted communities due to the infrastructure that is in place and the low number of property owners on private wells. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier commented on listening sessions with the public hosted by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier provided an overview of Oakdale’s nine wells and identified those that have been affected by contamination, those with lower thresholds, and those not affected. He noted how a centralized system would allow for wholesale treatment of contaminants in all wells. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier reviewed various regional scenarios for a centralized water treatment plant, including along the Mississippi and Saint Croix rivers. Our locally preferred alternative is the centralized plant at the existing Public Works campus once Public Works operations relocate. He added that the existing water treatment facility at the Public Works campus would remain operational with the local treatment options. The group discussed a newer water treatment option in the pilot stage: ion exchange. Ms. Stiglich stated that in her research, no other states have yet approved the ion exchange system for drinking water. In continuing to review regional scenarios, Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier indicated that the regional options exceed the $720,000,000 settlement from 3M. In response to questions from Council Member Ingebrigtson, Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier explained that the City’s current water infrastructure would remain in place, with wells being used only for emergencies and that the City’s water towers would continue to be utilized. He further added that water filtration would take place at the various treatment plants. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier noted that the City of Woodbury was considering resubmitting their 2040 Comprehensive Plan to reflect increases in drinking water demands. Council Member Zabel inquired whether the interest accumulating on the settlement amount could be used or if it was protected. Ms. Stiglich said that she would look into the matter. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier provided an overview of the option of treating at the existing wells sites and cost estimates. He noted that the structures would be designed to fit into or near residential areas. In response to a question from Council Member Ingebrigtson, Interim City Administrator Dawson noted that final decisions were anticipated to be made in the summer. There was some discussion relating to testing private wells that exceed numbers and providing a localized filtration system. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier identified their locations. WORKSHOP March 10, 2020 Page Five Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier provided an overview of the operation of the City’s wells, including when a contaminated well would need to be put back into service. Council Member Zabel asked whether the settlement allowed for maintenance costs for the next two decades. Ms. Stiglich replied that maintenance funds would be discussed by the committee. The group talked about importance of keeping the public informed and commented on the wide variety of materials available on the City’s web page. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:40 PM. Respectfully submitted, Susan Barry, City Clerk