City Council Meetings

Watertown City Council Regular Meeting Mayor Michael Walters Adam Pawelk Fred McGuire Dan Schuette Kay Thul 8/22/2023 - Minutes 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 in the Council Chambers of City Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, August 22, 2023, by Mayor Mike Walters. Councilmembers present: Mike Walters, Adam Pawelk, Dan Schuette, Fred McGuire, and Kay Thul. Councilmembers absent: None City Staff present: City Administrator Jake Foster, Fire Chief Tom Hanson 2. Adopt Agenda COUNCILMEMBER SCHUETTE MOVED TO APPROVE THE AGENDA AS PRESENTED. COUNCILMEMBER MCGUIRE SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED 5-0 3. Consent Agenda Discussion And Approval COUNCILMEMBER MCGUIRE MOVED TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED. COUNCILMEMBER THUL SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED 5-0. 3.A. 3A - August 8, 2023 Regular Meeting Minutes 3.B. 3B - August 8, 2023 Work Session Minutes 3.C. 3C - Step Movement For Kim Block 3.D. 3D - Lions Club Special Event Liquor License 3.E. 3E - Transient Merchant & Solicitors Permit - Shared Solar Advisors 3.F. 3F - 2024 Prosecution Contract With The Carver County Attorney  3.D. 3D - Lions Club Special Event Liquor License 3.E. 3E - Transient Merchant & Solicitors Permit - Shared Solar Advisors 3.F. 3F - 2024 Prosecution Contract With The Carver County Attorney 4. Open Forum Carver County Sheriff’s Office Monthly Update Deputy RJ Cripps updated the City Council on an ongoing issue related to vandalism but it has changed locations.. He stated that he has been working with City staff and they are getting closer in figuring out who has been doing the vandalism and continue to monitor. Deputy Cripps explained they are doing more of the enforcement versus education as that approach seems to be working better. Councilmember McGuire asked for clarification between educational versus enforcement approach. Deputy Cripps explained the difference is with educational such as minor traffic violations - petty graffiti you only issue warnings versus enforcement you issue tickets and take people to jail, essentially give people less breaks. Deputy Cripps reminded the council he and his partners will continue doing community policing and being nice and still be there for the people but when citations and enforcement need to take place, the citations will be taken place and arresting people that need to be arrested. Councilmember Pawelk appreciates Officer Cripps statement of finding the balance between policing and community. Fire Department Monthly Update Hanson stated that total calls 45 calls this last month. 14 Fire Calls, 29 Medical Calls, and 2 Rescue Calls. Location Breakdown 37 City of Watertown, 3 Watertown Township, 2 Hollywood Township, 1 Franklin Township, 2 Mutual Aid outside of our fire district. Hanson reported he had received a letter from the Minnesota Board of Firefighter Training and Education, they have some programs through the legislature that supplement the city training dollars within the state. Last year the City was awarded a grant for reimbursement for $7800 for in state training and additional training at the fire station. A reimbursement form has been submitted the complete $7800 plus a little more. The letter stated the complete amount of $8620 will being reimbursed to the City of Watertown for training. This is funding that revolves year to year and the amount does change depending on other departments not using the funds allocated to them, allowing us to use these additional funds. Hanson extended a full invite for the Fire Station Open House on September 18th, at the Watertown Fire Station, 5 pm - 8 pm. Hotdogs with all the fixings will be provided, fire truck rides, and additional fire safety education. Hanson also wanted to wish all the student and staff a safe school year. He also would like to remind everyone to watch for children around the bus stops, walking to and from school, and also the increased traffic in the school district. 5. New/Old Business 5.A. 5A - Fire Department Boat Replacement Hanson reminded the council the background of this topic, at the June 27th council meeting, approval was given to solicit quotes for a replacement of our 1995 boat and trailer. Staff spent time looking at various Rigid Inflatable style boats and determined that the AB Profile with a 5.A. 5A - Fire Department Boat Replacement Hanson reminded the council the background of this topic, at the June 27th council meeting, approval was given to solicit quotes for a replacement of our 1995 boat and trailer. Staff spent time looking at various Rigid Inflatable style boats and determined that the AB Profile with a Shallow Aluminum Hull would be the best boat to suit our needs. This boat has an aluminum hull that withstands the abuse from submerged rocks and debris in a river setting. Several area fire departments utilize a variation of this boat; Bloomington, Coon Rapids, Maplewood, and St. Cloud Fire Departments all have this brand and style of boat and have expressed a favorable review. This boat will be outfitted with a 30hp Mercury motor, which is the same size as our current boat. Additional options on this boat include a mounting bar for lighting to be utilized for search and rescue operations in low light conditions. A new trailer is included in the pricing provided. Currently, a dealer in Bloomington has this boat in stock. The boat is new, but is a 2020 floor model. There has been no change to these boats or this model in this time period. The boat does come with a 10 year warranty, which starts at the time of sale. The motor carries a 3 year warranty. Other quotes were solicited from the next closest dealers, which are located in New Jersey and Kentucky. These dealers do not have this boat in stock, but did provide a cost. They did say that typical lead-times could be approximately 8 months. Staff is recommending purchase of the 2020 AB Profile boat from Great American Marine in Bloomington to replace our current boat. Upon delivery, staff anticipates declaring our existing boat, trailer, and motor as surplus equipment and selling it via an online auction. Budget Impact: Staff has budgeted $17,000 for the boat replacement. The total price of the boat, trailer, motor, and equipment is $28,795.00. From the office furniture and 1st floor carpeting funds, there was an additional $18,955.30 in savings that are now unallocated. My proposal includes utilizing $11,795 of those unallocated savings to offset the budget shortfall in this purchase. Councilperson Pawelk asked for clarification on the accessories included on the Bloomington companies quote if it includes the decals and specialty accessories for the boat. Hanson clarified the quote does not include the decals or specialty accessories. THUL MOVED TO APPROVE THE PURCHASE OF THE AB PROFILE BOAT, 30 HP MERCURY MOTOR, AND TRAILER MCGUIRE SECONDED. MOTION PASSED 5-0. 5.B. 5B - 2024 Fire Command Vehicle Hanson is asking for approval to solicitation of quotes for a new fire command vehicle. The 2024 CIP outlines the replacement of our 2014 Ford Explorer, which is our primary command vehicle. This vehicle is utilized as a take home, first response SUV that is staffed by an officer. This vehicle is also outfitted with EMS equipment. This vehicle often arrives on scene prior to Fire Crews arriving in large apparatus and is instrumental in gathering information about the scene and developing a strategy for next arriving units. During the week this vehicle is typically staffed by the Fire Chief and is also used as a staff vehicle for driving to inspections, meetings, etc. The 2014 Explorer current has approximately 40,000 miles on it. There is a balance to our replacement schedule. We look to replace vehicles with daily use, like this one approximately every 10 years. We aim to replace our vehicles prior to major maintenance and repairs being due. This maximizes our investment and allows for the potentially higher resale on the secondary market. If applicable, we will often relegate these smaller vehicles to alternate roles in our fleet to extend their life span within our organization. With the anticipated delivery of this vehicle in 2024, Chief Hanson met with other Fire Department leaders and inquired what the plan should be for the existing vehicle. The group decided it would be best to keep the 2014 Ford Explorer as a secondary Command Vehicle. The thought process is that this would become a rotating vehicle that the officers would share on rotating schedule. This could allow two officers to arrive on scene and start setting up our Incident Command System. The secondary officer could either be a Command Aide, or a Division Officer, both which are vital to maintaining accountability on the fire ground. It should be noted that a second command vehicle purchase was part of the 2022 CIP but was ultimately pulled off due to the increased cost of the Ladder Truck Purchase. By keeping the 2014 Explorer, we still are able maintain our long-term command vehicle strategy, without adding an  officer could either be a Command Aide, or a Division Officer, both which are vital to maintaining accountability on the fire ground. It should be noted that a second command vehicle purchase was part of the 2022 CIP but was ultimately pulled off due to the increased cost of the Ladder Truck Purchase. By keeping the 2014 Explorer, we still are able maintain our long-term command vehicle strategy, without adding an additional expenditure. Because of the complex window in procuring vehicles lately through the State Contract, staff is recommending that we procure pricing now in anticipation of a short ordering window. In the event, we miss the ordering window or have complications with the State Contract, we can still adjust while keeping with our traditional replacement schedule. The intent is that his vehicle will arrive in 2024. Budget Impact: Staff has budgeted $90,000 for the purchase of this vehicle and subsequent equipment WALTERS MOVED TO APPROVE THE SOLICITATION OF QUOTES FOR A NEW COMMAND VEHICLE PAWELK SECONDED. MOTION PASSED 5-0. 5.C. Amend Agenda PAWELK MOVED TO AMEND THE AGENDA TO MOVING 5C TO AFTER THE CLOSED SESSION THUL SECONDED. MOTION PASSED 5-0. 5.D. 5C - Closed Session For Foster Performance Evaluation 12-13-22 PAWELK MOVED TO CLOSED THE AUGUST 22, 2023 FOR THE CLOSED SESSION AT 7:23 PM THUL SECONDED. MOTION PASSED 5-0. WALTERS MOVED TO REOPEN THE AUGUST 22, 2023 FROM THE CLOSED SESSION AT 8:22 PM THUL SECONDED. MOTION PASSED 5-0. 6. Other Reports Foster reported on the process of the interviews for the Administrative Services Director open position. Foster is working on rescheduling the final interview. Foster also stated the Market Valuation just became available, it will be about a 9% increase for next year. Foster stated he is planning on having a budget work session the first meeting in September. The preliminary levy needs to be adopted the second meeting in September. 7. Claims 7.A. 7A - Claims Packet 8.22.23 PAWELK MOVED TO APPROVE THE AUGUST 22, 2023, CLAIMS PACKET. MCGUIRE SECONDED. MOTION PASSED 5-0. 8. Adjournment WALTERS MOVED TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 8:22 PM. THUL SECONDED. MOTION PASSED 5- 0. 309 Lewis Avenue South; P.O. Box 279, Watertown, MN 55388 ________________________________________________________ Michael Walters, Mayor ________________________________________________________ Michael Walters, Mayor ATTEST:__________________________________________________ Jake Foster, City Administrator