City Council Workshop

WORKSHOP OAKDALE CITY COUNCIL March 24, 2020 ATTENDANCE The City Council held a workshop on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, at Oakdale City Hall, 1584 Hadley Avenue North, Oakdale, Minnesota. The meeting began at 5 PM. Present: Mayor Paul Reinke Council Members: Jake Ingebrigtson (participated electronically) Susan Olson Colleen Swedberg Kevin Zabel Also Present: Susan Barry, City Clerk Brian Bachmeier, Public Works Director/City Engineer Craig Dawson, Interim City Administrator Alyssa MacLeod, Communications Specialist Chelsea Petersen, Administrative Services Director Jim Thomson, City Attorney COVID-19 RESPONSE UPDATE Interim City Administrator Dawson provided an overview of the COVID-19 “Stay at Home” policy and Federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act. In response to a concern expressed by Council Member Swedberg, Interim City Administrator Dawson explained that the city administrator would not have sole authority to enact a Stay at Home policy for City staff and added that should the governor put a policy in place, the City could institute it a few days sooner. City Attorney Thomson added that the city administrator would have the ability to manage the work environment. Mayor Reinke added that the City Council would be notified. In response to a question from Council Member Zabel, Interim City Administrator Dawson indicated that department heads were in the process of identifying staff members who could work from home, arranging rotating schedules, and looking at equipment needs for staff working from home. In response to a comment from Mayor Reinke, Administrative Services Director Petersen explained that the City’s IT staff has set up a two-step authentication process for staff working from home to provide a layer of data protection. In response to a comment from Council Member Olson, Administrative Services Director Petersen noted that staff will be tracking expenses relating to COVID-19 and would be evaluating reimbursing staff for use of personal telephones, equipment, etc. In response to a question from Council Member Zabel, City Attorney Thomson noted that he would respond back on whether the Federal Emergency Paid Sick Leave Act includes seasonal workers. WORKSHOP March 24, 2020 Page Two Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier provided an overview of proposed staffing for the Public Works Department that would have two of the four superintendents and half of the crew on-site for one week increments. He reviewed a list of essential priorities developed by staff and noted that work from home tasks would include training and certifications. In response to a question from Council Member Olson, Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier that on-site staff would follow social distancing when inside and only one person to a vehicle. Attorney Thomson indicated that Interim City Administrator Dawson could implement this work arrangement. Mayor Reinke commented on the need to treat all staff equitably as far as working from home. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier noted that the proposal had not yet been discussed with the union. In response to a comment from Council Member Zabel, Administrative Services Director Petersen noted that the City has been communicating with the City’s unions about temporary modifications relating to COVID-19. TITAN PARK SALE In response to a question from Council Member Zabel, Interim City Administrator Dawson noted that that a public hearing relating to the sale of a portion of Titan Park would be held in April or May. BIKE AND PEDESTRIAN PLANNING In response to a question from Council Member Zabel, Communications Specialist MacLeod noted that the on-line public engagement component of the bike and pedestrian planning would proceed as scheduled. OAKDALE MARKETPLACE PUD In response to a question from Council Member Zabel, Interim City Administrator Dawson noted that staff would report on the Oakdale Marketplace Planned Unit Development on April 28. SEWER SYSTEMS Council Member Olson asked that the City provide detailed information to the public on issues that can arise when using materials, other than toilet paper, in the bathroom. Council Member Zabel added that information should include costs relating to unplugging sewer lines, etc. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier added that sewer back-ups should be noted. Communications Specialist MacLeod indicated that information would be posted on the City’s web page and NextDoor. WORKSHOP March 24, 2020 Page Three DOG PARK Council Member Olson commented on complaints received from the public about dog waste at the Oakdale Bark Park and suggested that the gates be locked when the park is not open or that users be issued card keys or charged a fee in order to hire a company to pick up dog waste on a regular basis. Council Member Zabel noted that Carver County was going to close their dog park unless the dog waste was picked up. Council Member Ingebrigtson supported charging a small annual fee to cover cleaning and maintaining the dog park. He felt that paying a fee would give users a sense of ownership. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier commented that there could be a high cost to bring electricity to the dog park to have locking mechanisms on the gates and also mentioned the frequent damage to gate release hardware. Council Member Swedberg asked that more information first be gathered before taking action. Mayor Reinke asked that the City Council pay a visit to the dog park and report back on their observations at the March 31 meeting. PARK CIP Council Member Zabel asked about revisiting the Walton Park warming house project due to COVID-19. Council Member Swedberg supported holding off on projects, such as the warming house, Tilsen Park swing set, and similar for the time being and using resources on projects that will address safety concerns. Council Member Olson agreed. Council Member Ingebrigtson supported staying the course as projects will help the economy. Council Member Zabel suggested that projects could be reprioritized; for instance, repave trails at the Oakdale Nature Preserve. Mayor Reinke asked that the Park CIP be discussed at the March 31 meeting. Council Member Zabel asked that Recreation Superintendent Williams provide a report on the impact COVID-19 cancelations will have on the recreation budget. He also asked staff to provide a timeframe for making a decision on whether to hold Summerfest. Council Member Swedberg asked staff to look at whether the order for the Arbor Day Tree Giveaway could be canceled to help make a determination on whether or not to hold the giveaway. CLAIMS Council Member Swedberg inquired about a Claims request for Mary Nash. WORKSHOP March 24, 2020 Page Four Interim City Administrator Dawson explained that she was assisting the Police Department with a promotional process. In response to a question about Claims in general, Interim City Administrator Dawson noted on the commonality of Claims’ amounts for cities varying greatly from time to time, especially relating to seasonal needs. CITY ADMINISTRATOR SEARCH UPDATE AND RETREAT Mayor Reinke announced that the City Council would meet on April 6 to discuss semi-finalists for the city administrator position. In discussing the City Council retreat scheduled for April 7, the City Council voted: Council Member Ingebrigtson Do not postpone Council Member Olson Postpone Council Member Swedberg Postpone Council Member Zabel Do not postpone Mayor Reinke Postpone Interim City Administrator Dawson indicated that he would contact the facilitator about other dates. STREET SIGNS Council Member Ingebrigtson suggested that the City consider selling old street name signs to the public when signs are replaced. PUBLIC WORKS Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier shared some comments about the 2020 Park CIP projects: currently good bidding environment and the ease of getting projects done for those amenities currently not being used. Referencing the 2020 street improvement project, Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier informed the City Council that only one property owner had asked if the project would proceed as planned. Public Works Director/City Engineer Bachmeier noted that the sale of street name signs had been looked into before and it was determined that administrative costs would exceed revenue. He also noted that street names in Oakdale follow the Washington County naming guidelines, and which may not be as unique as street names in other communities. ADJOURNMENT The workshop adjourned at 6:36 PM Respectfully submitted, Susan Barry, City Clerk