01-12-2010 Council Work Session Minutes

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Orono City Council Committee of the Whole January 12, 2010, 6:30 p.m. Orono City Council Chambers o Met Council's policy has typically been that if a 1 acre property is hooking up to sewer,the city has to find another area to provide density at 3 units per acre. o Housing unit forecast for 2030 needs to be considered. o A proposed subdivision on Bohn's Point is changing from one 5 acre parcel to 3 parcels. Per recent Met Council meetings, areas included in the MUSA prior to 1997 won't need to be developed at 3 units per acre. This will allow several properties to move forward with development prior to final adoption of the Comp Plan. 3. Upcoming Street Projects • Kellogg and staff have been discussing the Pavement Management Plan and the State Aid dollars available for projects. There is a cap on State Aid dollars and account balances. Orono's account is reaching its maximum value. For projects that cost more than State Aid allows in the account, cities are allowed to use their account balance and borrow against future State Aid contributions. • Scheduled projects for 2010 include Willow Drive from Fox Street to Watertown Road. Willow Drive north of Watertown Road to the fire station is not eligible for State Aid funding, but it makes sense to include this road section in the project. The cost to the city would be approximately$90,000-$120,000. This request will be brought to the next council meeting for formal approval. • Casco Point Reconstruction Project—The mill and overlay portion of the project was delayed until 2010. Oil costs have increased since the original bid. The city could potentially get lower bids through the annual materials bid process than the contractor price. If better pricing is available, Geislinger wouldn't be required to do the mill and overlay portion of the project. Bonestroo is estimating the project will come in approximately$150,000-180,000 under the contract amount. • McMillan commented that the bike lane along Willow from the Luce Line to Fox Street should be included in the improvements as it connects the Luce Line and Dakota Rail trails. • As part of the bridge inspections program, the guard rail on McCulley Road at the Luce Line crossing was identified as being too low and not meeting current guidelines. The estimated cost to make the correction is$40,000, which could be a State Aid project. The bridge was probably constructed in the early 1980's and the grade of the road may have changed over time with road maintenance. Mn/Dot has recently raised additional issues on bridge inspections, probably as a result of the 35W bridge collapse. • Council directed the Engineer to proceed with the process for a bridge improvement project. 4. Employee Compensation/Step Increases • Council recently requested information regarding the city's employee compensation plan and step increases. • White commented that there is concern that a new employee could reach the top step within 3 years with few incentives to follow. • McMillan commented that Council could rethink the compensation plan/step increases and discuss further once the new City Administrator starts. There are other methods available besides step increases, such as performance reviews. Bremer suggested that the new City Administrator and Personnel Committee meet to continue discussions. • Franchot noted that a complete compensation review is currently being done at the LMCC by a local consultant. He indicated he could share Orono's current plan with her and obtain her comments. The goal is to have a fair and competitive plan. • The City Administrator salary survey showed that all other cities have more steps than Orono. Page 3 of 4