City Council Worksession

South St. Paul WORKSESSION AGENDA SSP City Hall 125 3rd Avenue North Training room Monday, November 28, 2022 7:00 pm AGENDA: 1. Bonding Bill Prospects 2. 5th Mondays (2023) 3. CLOSED SESSION: Labor Negotiations 4. Council Comments & Questions A COUNCIL WORKSESSION REPORT DATE: NOVEMBER 28, 2022 1 DEPARTMENT: ADMINISTRATION PREPARED BY: Ryan Garcia, City Administrator ADMINISTRATOR: RG AGENDA ITEM: Bonding Bill Prospects DESIRED MEETING OUTCOMES: • Review previously submitted Capital Bonding requests, none of which have been funded. • Provide Council with brief update on potential special State Capital Bonding Bill for 2023. • Discuss Council’s priorities for 2023 Capital Bonding requests; provide staff direction. DISCUSSION: In June 2021 and September 2021, the City Council adopted several resolutions to formally support requests for financial assistance from the State of Minnesota for the following projects: • Resolution 2021 – 103; $1,650,000 for assistance with procuring architectural and engineering design services for relocated meat processing facilities • Resolution 2021 – 107; $2,440,000 for City Utility Rehabilitation Measures, specifically targeting the replacement of undersized cast iron watermain traversing I-494 in the area between 9th Avenue South and 5th Avenue South. The resolution was amended in September to include funding for the construction of the Water Treatment Plant at Well #3 with a total combined request of $5,940,000. • Resolution 2021 – 108; not a request but instead a resolution in support of Dakota County’s efforts to secure state funding for a new public library in South St. Paul. • Resolution 2021 – 141; $11,000,000 for the design and construction of a new public works / maintenance facility. From the above list, the City submitted a formal request in late 2021 for the utility upgrades and public works facility. Governor Walz submitted his recommendations for Capital Investment in May 2022, which included the $11,000,000 for the public works facility, but as everyone by now knows the legislature adjourned in late May without passing a bonding bill. As such, no South St. Paul projects are currently in queue for State assistance, unless and until (a) the State announces intentions for a bonding bill for the 2023 legislative session, and (b) we submit updated requests. With the 2022 general election having been concluded, there is a possibility that Legislation will be passed in the 2023 Legislative Session to include a 2023 Omnibus Capital Investment (Bonding) Bill. In the event that this happens, Staff feels the City should consider whether and for what purposes we should request State assistance. If so, Staff has compiled the following “short list” of potential requests, mostly based on previous priorities that still lack funding clarity:  • Public Works Facility: Request $13,000,000 for a grant to predesign, design, construct, furnish, and equip its Public Works Central Maintenance Facility and Offices. Total Project Cost is estimated at $25,000,000. • 1927 American Legion Memorial Library: Request $175,000 to conduct a repurposing study for the (current) South St. Paul Library building. • Woog Arena: Request $800,000 to complete design and construction, and replacement of the roof and mechanical systems at Doug Woog Arena . Total project cost is estimated at $9,000,000, with a significant portion anticipated to be covered by LMCIT through a hail damage claim. • Drinking Water Infrastructure Upgrades: Request $8,000,000 to support the reconstruction of substandard water infrastructure underlying the I-494 Wakota Bridge, critical water pressure control infrastructure throughout the City, and construction of a blending and treatment plant to remediate radium contamination in the City’s drinking water system at City Well #3. Total project cost is estimated at $13,450,000. SOURCE OF FUNDS: Each of the projects besides the Library Repurposing Study would include some form of local match. These projects appear in the Capital Improvement Plan, and other Funding Sources besides state funds are identified as a potential Bond Referendum Funding (2024 – 2025, Public Works Building), Tax Levy (2023 – 2026, Arena), and the Water Utility Fund (2023 – 2024, Drinking Water Infrastructure Upgrades). A COUNCIL WORKSESSION REPORT DATE: NOVEMBER 28, 2022 2 DEPARTMENT: ADMINISTRATION PREPARED BY: Ryan Garcia, City Administrator ADMINISTRATOR: RG Agenda item: 5th Mondays (2023) Desired Meeting Outcomes: • Provide Staff with direction related to the three “5th Mondays” (and the one 5th Tuesday following a Monday holiday) in 2023. For Discussion: At the most recent worksession, Council reviewed the meeting calendar for 2023 which was ultimately approved on 11/21. It was noted that there were 4 months in which there would be a “5th Monday” which typically would be a no-meeting night (one of the 5th Mondays is May 29th, Memorial Day, so technically there’s also a “5th Tuesday”). Perhaps it was off-the-cuff, but there also seemed to be a suggestion that we hold “special sessions” on one or more of the “5th Mondays” to drill down on what seemed to be unresolved topics discussed at the 11/14 Worksession, which included: • “Back to Work” program / Worker’s Compensation – it was noted that the City’s premium for Worker’s Compensation coverage continues to increase in cost. The suggestion was that we explore alternatives – whether alternative coverage or an alternative approach to getting employees off of Worker’s Compensation and back to work – at a focused session. • Airport Revenue – there was a suggestion that the City might be missing revenue opportunities at the Fleming Field Airport, specific examples referenced included T-Hangar lease rates and assessments for (generally) pavement improvement projects. • Fee Schedules – there was discussion about some of the City’s fees and how they compared to other communities’, and whether a deeper look would reveal the need to adjust SSP fees. Specific examples related to Solar Panel Fees and Building Permit and Plan Review fees. Staff is certainly open to looking more deeply at each of these topics and re-engaging the Council in a more focused manner. Generally, that should be possible at a regularly scheduled worksession in the near future, as requested. Frankly, 5th Mondays are cherished by Staff so to the extent they can be avoided for night meetings we certainly appreciate that opportunity! But we fully recognize the benefit that might be realized by carving out focused, dedicated time for especially important policy discussions, so if it is the Council’s desire that we identify a couple of critical topics and target any one or more of the “5th Mondays” for a special session, we are absolutely willing to make that happen.