City Council

Minutes Woodbury City Council Wednesday, September 8, 2021 Pursuant to the due call and notice thereof, a regular meeting was duly held virtually and at the Woodbury City Hall, 8301 Valley Creek Road, on the 8th day of September 2021. Call to Order Mayor Anne Burt called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. Mayor Burt welcomed those listening and attending. She said members of the public may attend the meeting but will be required to comply with social distancing parameters as determined by the City. Members of the public may also join the meeting using a PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone or Android device. Public comments will be accepted during the meeting both in person and by using the link to the virtual meeting to join the meeting and then submit your questions via the online Q&A feature within the meeting. Questions regarding the meeting will also be taken between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. via email council@woodburymn.gov or call 651-714-3524 and leaving a voicemail message. Pledge of the Flag Audience, staff, and Council pledged allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. Roll Call Upon roll call the following were present: Mayor Anne Burt, Councilmembers: Kim Wilson, Andrea Date, Steve Morris (remote attendance), and Jennifer Santini. Absent: None Others Present: Clinton Gridley, City Administrator; Kimberlee Blaeser, City Clerk; Janelle Schmitz, Community Development Director; and Karl Batalden, Community Development Coordinator. Special Order of Business A. Presentation by Sergeant Natalie Bauer and Donna Stafford, of the Woodbury Police K9 Fund, K9 Officer Emily Wessels with K9 partner Kane Donna Stafford stated this is her sixth year with the Woodbury Police K9 Fund. She added, since the Fund’s inception in 2016, more than $100,000 has been raised for the community; in 2021, donations have been received in excess of $26,000. She expressed her appreciation for the generosity of the community and the hard work and efforts of the Fund Board. She thanked Alisa Rabin Bell, Board Member, for her support. Ms. Stafford stated funding that has been received has been used to train five dogs and officers. She added there are currently three dogs in the K9 unit, all of which have been purchased using donations to the Woodbury Police K-9 Fund. She added funds are also used to cover retirement expenses for dogs, including Bosco, so officers do not incur any costs when the dogs are retired. She noted the Fund has committed $7,000 to purchase and train a Community Service Therapy Dog to serve Woodbury Public Safety, Police, Fire and EMS, as well as community outreach and incidents as needed. She thanked Public Safety, City staff and the City Council for their support and cooperation in instituting innovative programs and training opportunities.  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 8, 2021 Ms. Stafford stated her intention was to purchase one dog and provide training, as a gift to Woodbury Public Safety in memory of Bruce (Stafford). She added the Fund Board continues to do community outreach and other opportunities to interact with the public. She noted the Board will return to the City Council for the Koins for K9’s Month Proclamation in November 2021, and to present the gift of a Community Service Therapy Dog in January 2021, who will be named by Woodbury students through community outreach. Ms. Stafford stated the Fund hopes to make a donation of a fourth K9 in March or April 2022. Sergeant Natalie Bauer presented Kane, a 9-month-old K9 who arrived from Poland last week. She added he is still a puppy and has a lot of energy, and he is very social. She noted Officer Adam Olson planned to start K9 training with Kane in August but broke his arm on duty one week before training began. Sergeant Bauer stated Officer Emily Wessel has taken over training with Kane, who will train in-house for six months before attending K9 school in March 2022. She thanked Ms. Stafford and the K9 Fund for their support and contributions. She added the dogs are used for patrol work and community outreach, which is a very important aspect of the unit’s mission. Mayor Burt stated the K9s are always the star of the show at local events, including Woodbury Days and the August Community Night Out events. She added the City Council is glad to have Kane on board. She offered congratulations to Officer Wessel. Open Forum The Open Forum is a portion of the Council meeting where a maximum of three persons will be allowed to address the Council on subjects, which are not a part of the meeting agenda. Persons wishing to speak must complete a sign-up sheet prior to the start of the meeting. Give the sign-up sheet to any staff person. Speakers are limited to two minutes each. The Council will listen attentively to comments but, in most instances, will not respond at the meeting. Typically, replies to the concerns expressed will be made via letter or phone call within a week. Consent Agenda All items listed under the consent agenda are considered to be routine by the City Council and will be enacted by one motion and an affirmative vote by roll call of a majority of the members present. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Councilmember or citizen so requests, in which event, the items will be removed from the consent agenda and considered a separate subject of discussion by the Council. Item A Approval of Council Minutes – August 11, 2021 Item B To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-147 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the 2021 HOME Subrecipient Agreement with the Dakota County Community Development Agency. Page 2 of 8  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 8, 2021 Item C To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-148 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota awarding the Janitorial Services Contract to Vanguard Cleaning Systems in the amount of $412,632, for a two-year period and authorizing the Mayor and City Administrator to sign said contract. Item D To approve Cooperative Agreements with Washington County for Intersection Maintenance of Traffic Signal Systems To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-149 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the Cooperative Agreement with Washington County for Maintenance of the Traffic Signal System at the Intersection of County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 13 (Radio Drive) and Hudson Road and Seasons Parkway To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-150 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the Cooperative Agreement with Washington County for Maintenance of the Traffic Signal System at the intersection of County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 16 (Valley Creek Road) and City Centre Drive To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-151 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the Cooperative Agreement with Washington County for Maintenance of the Traffic Signal System at the Intersection of County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 18 (Bailey Road) and Woodlane Drive. To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-152 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the Cooperative Agreement with Washington County for Maintenance of the Traffic Signal System at the intersection of County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 13 (Radio Drive) and County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 20 (Military Road). Item E To approve Equipment Purchase – Dump Trucks To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-153 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the purchase of two new truck cab chassis, Mack Granite 42BR SA vehicle from Nuss Truck & Equipment, Inc. for an amount not to exceed $230,500 through the State of Minnesota Cooperative Purchasing Venture; and Page 3 of 8  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 8, 2021 To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-154 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the up-fitting of two truck cab chassis to include the purchase and installation of two dump systems and two snow/ice control systems from Towmaster, LLC Monroe for an amount not to exceed $289,600 through the State of Minnesota Cooperative Purchasing Venture and a total expenditure amount not to exceed $524,300. Item F To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-155 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota authorizing the acceptance of a donation of $15,000 from Woodbury Police K9 Fund for new K9 Kane and training. Item G To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-156 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota appointing Angela McCarver to the position of Administrative Assistant – Public Works effective September 9, 2021. Item H To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-157 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota appointing Joseph Blumel to the position of Public Service Worker – Fleet Technician effective September 13, 2021. Item I To adopt the following resolution Ordinance 21-158 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota appointing Evan Jorgenson and Bryan Spychalla to the position of Public Service Worker – utilities effective September 13, 2021. Item J To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-159 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota appointing Charles Gustner to the position of Building Inspector effective September 9, 2021. Item K To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-160 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota appointing Beth Johnston to the position of part-time Utility Billing Technician effective September 9, 2021. Page 4 of 8  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 8, 2021 Item L The abstract of bills includes payments made from the operating or project budgets for expenses of the city. The expenditures are from all funds of the city. Any purchased contracts requiring signature of the mayor and City Administrator is hereby approved. Staff recommends approval of the abstract of bills for August 6, 2021 in the amount of $1,024,740.83; August 20, 2021 in the amount of $2,351,225.86; and August 27, 2021 in the amount of $3,047,629.82. Councilmember Date moved, seconded by Councilmember Santini, to approve the Consent Agenda items. Voting via voice: Kim Wilson – aye Andrea Date – aye Steve Morris – aye Jennifer Santini – aye Anne Burt – aye Mayor Burt offered a special welcome to the new employees whose positions were approved in the Consent Agenda. Public Hearings A. Approval of 2020 CAPER Community Development Coordinator Karl Batalden stated the City’s federally required Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) must be submitted in September for accomplishments during Program Year 2020. He added this report is required of recipients of funding from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and is related to Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding. He noted City staff reviewed priorities and adopted an annual action plan in May 2020 for money spend from July 2020 – June 2021, and a public hearing is required to review the CAPER prior to its submittal to HUD. Mr. Batalden reviewed CDBG and CDBG-CV expenditures of $138,358, including the Cobble Hill repair project; replacement of Ojibway Park play equipment; reconstruction of Menomini Park courts and playground equipment; and COVID-19-related CDBG-CV public service programs. He stated CDBG-CV funding was created by the CARES Act and must be used to plan for, prepare for, or prevent the spread of COVID-19. He added $329,000 was allocated to local agencies and non-profit organizations and has been slow to deploy. He highlighted a table from the CAPER which focuses on affordable housing, depicting that the CDBG funds supported five households in Woodbury through rental assistance and 23 households through rehab of existing units. Mr. Batalden stated City staff recommends City Council approval of the 2020 CAPER. Mayor Burt asked how the funding is communicated or made available to the public. Mr. Batalden stated City staff have been using social media tools, and the organizations in question rely on their own operations and means of communications. He added that the Christian Cupboard has created mobile food shelves, and the Community Action Partnership of Ramsey and Washington Page 5 of 8  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 8, 2021 Counties is providing emergency rental assistance. He noted the State has created its new renthelpmn.gov website, which offers a more streamlined process and less thorough regulations. Mr. Batalden stated City staff has discussed City communications with all the grantees, and what can be done to help them. He added the YMCA will be submitting a reimbursement request in September 2021 for emergency child-care that was provided during the pandemic. He noted the reality is that this is a very complicated funding source that is made more complicated by the requirements of the CARES Act. Councilmember Santini moved, seconded by Mayor Burt, to close the public hearing. Voting via voice: Kim Wilson – aye Andrea Date – aye Steve Morris – aye Jennifer Santini – aye Anne Burt – aye Mayor Burt opened opportunity for discussion and questions from the Council. There were no comments. Councilmember Santini moved, and Councilmember Date seconded To adopt the following resolution Resolution 21-161 Resolution of the City of Woodbury, Washington County, Minnesota approving the 2020 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report. Voting via voice: Kim Wilson – aye Andrea Date – aye Steve Morris – aye Jennifer Santini – aye Anne Burt – aye Discussion No items scheduled Transportation Report (2nd meeting of the month, May-October) No items scheduled Administrative Report City Administrator Clint Gridley stated City staff posted the City’s Performance Measurement Program on the City website, as reviewed by the City Council at a recent meeting. He added residents Page 6 of 8  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 8, 2021 can review key performance indicators regarding what the City of Woodbury is doing. He thanked Assistant City Administrator Angela Gorall for her hard work in revising the program to make it more user-friendly. Mr. Gridley stated the City’s 2020 Census information is in, and the total official population as of April 1, 2020 is 75,102 residents, an increase of 13,141 from City’s population in 2010. He added population is projected to increase to 77,162 in 2022. He noted Woodbury is more racially diverse, with 28.8% of Woodbury residents self-identifying as black or indigenous people of color, compared to 20.9% in 2010. Mr. Gridley stated the express bus service routes 351, 353 and 355 will be consolidated into one stop at the Woodbury Theater Park & Ride lot. He added it is anticipated that all service will be in same place when Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) service is available. Mr. Gridley stated development of single-family units has increased by 102% over last year. He added total residential units, including townhomes and apartments, has decreased 15.4%, and total permits issued has increased by 40%. Mr. Gridley stated, in terms of sustainability, City staff are using telemetric devices installed in City vehicles to analyze efficiency. He added City staff currently have eight plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Mr. Gridley stated golf has gone very well this year. He added the golf course has seen a 10% increase over last year in terms of rounds. Mr. Gridley stated Woodbury Days was very successful, with City Councilmembers and Public Safety Officers meeting and greeting residents at a booth. He added it was nice to see all the residents and providers there. Mr. Gridley stated there has been an easing in DNR watering restrictions, but the City of Woodbury will keep restrictions in place until the end of the season. Mr. Gridley stated the upcoming Planning Commission meeting will include the Manning Meadows House move site and building plan; Salem Lutheran Church Variance and Subdivision; Briarcroft South/Wozniak rezoning, Planned Unit Development, Conditional Use Permit and Preliminary Plat; and the Hartung Farms Preliminary Plat and Final Plat. Mr. Gridley stated the City’s annual Budget Meeting is scheduled for September 15, 2021 4:00 p.m., and will be held in the Public Safety Education Center located in the Public Safety building, to review the proposed budget for the year of 2022. He added this is a public meeting, and information on the meeting is available on the City website, at City Hall, and at the library. Mr. Gridley stated the City Council’s September 29, 2021 regular meeting will include three preliminary public hearings for Salem, Briarcroft and Hartung. Mr. Gridley stated the Economic Development Commission meeting will be held on September 20, 2021, at 7:30 a.m. in the Ash North and South Conference Rooms. Chair Burt asked when the census data will be changed on City signage. Councilmember Morris stated Green Step Cities information should also be added to the City’s signage. Page 7 of 8  City Council Meeting Minutes Wednesday, September 8, 2021 Councilmember Wilson stated the budget workshop can get to be a long meeting. She added a 4:00 p.m. start time with public input only at the very beginning and the very end makes it difficult for people who work or have work the next morning. She noted, going forward, she would support splitting the budget meeting into two separate meetings, to give the public the opportunity to listen, engage and ask questions. Adjournment Mayor Burt moved, seconded by Councilmember Date, to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 p.m. Voting via voice: Kim Wilson – aye Andrea Date – aye Steve Morris – aye Jennifer Santini – aye Anne Burt – aye Respectfully submitted, _________________________________________ Kimberlee K. Blaeser, City Clerk Approved by the Woodbury City Council on September 29, 2021 Page 8 of 8