City Council Meetings

MINUTES OF THE Mayor Steve Washburn WATERTOWN CITY COUNCIL Deborah Everson Regular Meeting Tuesday, August 27, 2019 Lindsay Guetzkow Adam Pawelk Michael Walters 1. Call to Order and Roll Call Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the regular meeting of the Watertown City Council was called to order at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 27, 2019 in the Council Chambers of City Hall by Mayor Steve Washburn. Council Members present: Washburn, Michael Walters, Deborah Everson, Lindsay Guetzkow, and Adam Pawelk. City Staff present: City Administrator Shane Fineran, City Planner Mark Kaltsas and Clerk/Treasurer Lynn Tschudi. 2. Adopt Agenda GUETZKOW MOVED, EVERSON SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3. Consent Agenda Discussion and Approval All items listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion on an affirmative vote by roll call of a majority of the members present. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Council member or citizen so requests, in which event, the item(s) will be removed and discussed prior to the adoption of the consent agenda. GUETZKOW MOVED, PAWELK SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. A. Adopt a motion to approve City Council Workshop Meeting Minutes from August 13 2019 B. Adopt a motion to approve City Council Regular Meeting Minutes from August 13, 2019 C. Consider Resolution #2019-116, Accepting donation and directing use from St. Paul’s Church D. Consider Resolution #2019-117, Approving Office Equipment Lease with Pitney Bowes E. Consider Resolution #2019-122, Approving Solicitor Permit for Perfect Exteriors of MN 4. Open Forum 5. New/Old Business A. Tax Increment Financing District 2-7 Plan & Agreement Fineran said there is a proposed TIF district due to the receipt of a business subsidy application. Steve Homola, president of Stonwerk, would like to construct a 16,000 square foot building in the Industrial Park. Tammy Omdal addressed council to inform them on the TIF plan. She said the proposed TIF district would be an Economic Development district. The city would be able to capture the increase in property taxes with the exception of the state taxes and school referendum tax. The approximate amount of increment would be $231,000. This would be on a pay-go basis, meaning no funds Page 1 of 4  provided up front. The city would pay back the incentive over a period of nine years. Fineran clarified that the minimum job retention would be 15 jobs. Guetzkow said the EDA discussed using the 15 employees rather than the current level of 25 to be aware of a possible economic downturn. Steve Homola addressed council to share his reason for keeping his business in Watertown. Washburn asked what kind of building Homola is going to build. Homola said it will be likely a brick or concrete building. Homola shared information about the fabrication part of his business. Walters expressed he is glad to see these types of incentives being used to keep business in town. Everson and Guetzkow agreed with Walters. PAWELK MOVED TO OPEN THE FLOOR, GUETZKOW SECONDED. No written or verbal comment prior to the meeting. GUETZKOW MOVED, EVERSON SECONDED A MOTION TO CLOSE THE FLOOR. Washburn is very pleased to see this project moving forward in the Industrial Park. WALTERS MOVED, EVERSON SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2019-118, APPROVING A MODIFIED DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM FOR MUNICIPAL DEVELOPMENT DISTRICT NO. 2 AND A TAX INCREMENT FINANCITNG PLAN FOR A TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICT NO. 2-7 THERIN. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. EVERSON MOVED, GUETZKOW SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2019- 119, AUTHORIZING INTERNAL LOAN FOR ADVANCE OF CERTAIN COSTS IN CONNECTION WITH TAX INCREMENT FINANCING DISTRICT NO. 2-7. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. GUETZKOW MOVED, EVERSON SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2019- 120, AUTHORIZING EXECUTION OF A DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. B. Verizon Wireless Tower CUP & Site Plan City Planner Mark Kaltsas explained that Verizon Wireless has applied for a conditional use permit and a site plan. They would like to replace and upgrade equipment on the tower located by the city Public Works facility located at 700 Lewis Ave N. Kaltsas said a provision will include administrative approval on conditional use permits moving forward on those permits which require repair and replacement of equipment. The planning commission held a public hearing on this topic where they have recommended the approval of the CUP and site plan to council. Washburn asked if this will upgrade the tower to 5G. The applicant said it will be an expanded 4G on a different frequency and can be easily upgraded to a 5G in the future. Guetzkow asked if there will be an interruption during the repair. The applicant said there should not be an interruption. EVERSON MOVED, PAWELK SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTION 2019-121, APPROVING A CONDITIONAL USE PERMIT AMENDMENT AND SITE PLAN REVIEW AS RQUESTED BY VERIZON WIRELESS FOR THE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 700 LEWIS Page 2 of 4  AVENUE N. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. C. Forest Hills Resident Concerns & Reimbursement Request City Administrator Fineran said two residents in the Forest Hills development are requesting reimbursement for installation of carriage lights. The residents are requesting this due to the removal of the requirement for new residents to install a carriage light. Staff is not recommending reimbursement of any expenses to the residents. Pawelk pointed out that policies change all the time, making it unclear why the resident would request a refund. Cory Norcutt approached council and shared that he agrees with Fineran on the carriage light topic. He did express his concerns for erosion control issues in the Forest Hills Development by Loomis Homes. Washburn said the staff report on the agenda will address some of the construction processes. Everson expressed that she does not agree with the reimbursement because the ordinance was changed properly. Walters pointed out Mr. Titchener’s discrepancy in the cost of his carriage light from a previous Planning Commission meeting where he stated he paid $250 for a solar light and in the council packet where he is requesting $500 for the same light. Washburn said he understands where the residents’ frustration lies due to the ordinance changing. EVERSON MOVED, GUETZKOW SECONDED A MOTION TO ADOPT RESOLUTIONS 2019- 108 & 2019-109, DENYING HOMEOWNER’S REQUEST FOR REFUND REGARDING CARRIAGE LIGHTS PREVIOUSLY INSTALLED UNDER CITY CODE CHAPTER 62, DIVISION 19, FOREST HILLS ZONING (PUD-FH). MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 6. Other Reports Pawelk updated on the open meeting law training he attended. Guetzkow updated on the EDA meeting where they discussed the new TIF district. Walters said he attended the Chamber of Commerce meeting where the sheriff reminded residents to keep personal property locked to avoid crimes. A. Lynn Tschudi - Quarter 2 Financial Update Tschudi provided council an update on the revenues and expenses for the second quarter. B. Shane Fineran - Building Permitting Activity Update Fineran said the building permit activity is down by about half of the lots from last year. Fineran said this is likely due to the reduction in lot inventory. He is hoping to see more building activity after new inventory is brought on by developers. Fineran said there have been 11 permits out the door and 4 waiting to be picked up for new construction. He is forecasting 20-25 new homes for year ending 2019. Page 3 of 4  Fineran thanked resident Cory Norcutt for communicating well with staff on the Forest Hills Development concerns. Fineran explained that the erosion control escrow is new for 2019 and staff is still adapting to monitoring this requirement. Fineran updated on the process of issuing final certificate of occupancies. He said there have been some landscaping in the Forest Hills Development that is not up to standards noted in the Development Agreement. Fineran said Loomis Homes will address those concerns by the end of September. Washburn said council tends to be more likely to work with people, while still holding people accountable to the city code. We work on a complaint basis, so we rely on our residents to help be our eyes and ears throughout the city. The goal of the city is to be very customer service driven. Fineran commended the city staff for their great work on the storm damage building permit process. 7. Claims WALTERS MOVED, EVERSON SECONDED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CLAIMS ROSTER FOR THE 2019 BUDGET. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 8. Adjournment Members of the City Council and City staff may convene directly following the adjournment of the meeting at the Luce Line Lodge in a purely social event. Membes of the public are welcome to attend. EVERSON MOVED, GUETZKOW SECONDED A MOTION TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 7:47 PM. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. Page 4 of 4