Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout11-13-2018 Council Minutes MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday,November 13,2018 7:00 o'clock p.m. ROLL CALL The Orono City Council met on the above-mentioned date with the following members present: Mayor Dennis Walsh, City Council Members Richard Crosby, III, Wendy Dankey, and Aaron Printup. Representing Staff were City Administrator Dustin Rief, Community Development Director Jeremy Barnhart, Public Works Director/City Engineer Adam Edwards, City Attorney Soren Mattick, and Recorder Jackie Young. Mayor Walsh called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. APPROVAL OF AGENDA CONSENT AGENDA 2. CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES OF OCTOBER 22,2018 3. CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MINUTES OF OCTOBER 22,2018 4. CLAIMS/BILLS 5. PROPOSED 2019 OFFICIAL MEETINGS CALENDAR 6. PROPOSED 2019 COUNCIL LIAISON PLANNING COMMISSION MEETINGS 7. APPROVAL TO DISPOSE OF UNCLAIMED VEHICLE 8. PARK MAINTENANCE CONTRACT WITH SENTENCE TO SERVE(STS) 9. GRINDER STATION 1 PUMP REPLACEMENT 10. 2017 STREET MAINTENANCE FINAL PAY REQUEST 11. LA18-000081 BRIAN HAAS ON BEHALF OF JEFFERY GOSSEN,4260 SIXTH AVENUE NORTH,VARIANCE—RESOLUTION NO. 6916 12. RPS18-000058 GORDON JAMES CONSTRUCTION,INC.,2895 CASCO POINT ROAD, ENCROACHMENT AGREEMENT Crosby moved,Dankey seconded,to approve the Consent Agenda as submitted. VOTE: Ayes 4, Nays 0. CONVASSING BOARD 1. CERTIFY RESULTS OF THE NOVEMBER 6,2018, MUNICIPAL ELECTION— RESOLUTION NO.6915 Page 1 of 7 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday,November 13,2018 7:00 o'clock p.m. Dankey moved,Crosby seconded,to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 6915,a Resolution to Certify Results of the Tuesday, November 6,2018,General Election for City of Orono Offices. VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. PUBLIC COMMENTS Catherine Miller,Orono Woods, stated she has lived for 42 years. Miller stated she read an article in the local paper about the big 190-unit apartment building that is being proposed to be built in Orono and that she has a few concerns about it. Miller stated her concerns are whether Orono needs that type of housing, whether it is for people that work in the area, whether it is going to be low income housing, and whether they have housing here already. Miller stated she would like people to know there are those issues associated with it. Walsh noted anyone can bring a proposal before the City and that the public hearings are held at the Planning Commission where people can provide their input. Miller asked how people are notified of the meetings. Rief stated all public meetings are posted in the Laker Pioneer newspaper prior to the public hearing and then again when it goes before the City Council. Rief noted the proposal was just a preliminary sketch plan without a formal public hearing but that there will be other chances for interested residents to appear at a public hearing and provide input. Miller stated she is concerned that people keep moving further into the suburbs and that she is interested in hearing what other people have to say about it. PUBLIC WORKS/CITY ENGINEER REPORT 13. CRYSTAL BAY ICE RINK Edwards noted at the October 22 Council work session,the City Council discussed installation of an ice rink at Crystal Bay Park. The intent was for an ice rink to be installed in time for the 2018-2019 winter season. The Council also indicated a desire to see additional improvements made to the rink for the following winter, including lighting. Due to time constraints with completing an ice rink before the winter freeze, Staff initiated elements of the plan that fall below the Staff approval threshold,with the Public Works Department doing some site preparation work and then ordering an ice arena kit. The Park Commission reviewed the plan at their November 5 Park Commission meeting. The Commission endorsed the provision of an ice rink at the park but expressed concern about not being consulted on the project and not having time to fully develop a comprehensive plan. The Park Commission recommendation was that the City Council refer other ice rink items to the Park Commission for their review and input. Walsh noted this has been talked about for approximately 20 years. Printup stated the prospect of an ice rink at Crystal Bay has already generated some interest among the nearby residents. Printup indicated he has some information from 1994 showing that this was originally Page 2 of 7 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday,November 13,2018 7:00 o'clock p.m. proposed back then so it is not a new concept for the Crystal Bay area. Printup stated when people say government moves slow,this is an example of that,but at least it is now getting done. Crosby commented in his view this will be great for the neighborhood and the children in the area. Walsh noted he spoke at the Park Commission meeting about the proposal and indicated that it was not intended to be a grandiose, expensive project,but that the idea was to make it as simple as possible since the intent was to test the general concept. The Public Works Department has acquired a kit and will be flooding the area with the help of the fire department. If it works out,the Park Commission can incorporate it into their plans and the City can budget for it. Printup noted the plan depicts the basketball court and skating rink, and then further up at the top of the paper it says Crystal Avenue,which does not go through. In the area where it says ice skating rink,to the right of that there are some plans for a berm, a fence, and a gazebo or a shelter as well as an evergreen tree with Christmas lights. Printup noted the next item on tonight's agenda is holiday decorations, which has nothing to do with this, but that it is exciting that the City Council is tackling items that were raised years ago. Printup stated the ice rink has generated some excitement for the immediate neighbors. The resident that lives next to the property that says existing house is willing to contribute time and his experience with rinks. Printup noted this is not going to be like a huge ice rink but instead a little neighborhood rink. The meeting minutes from 1994 show that a lot of the same concerns were expressed then about the amount of activity. Walsh indicated he is in agreement the City Council should refer these types of things to the Park Commission but that this ice rink was discussed a long time ago and is intended to be a small rink. The City re-implemented the Park Commission,who has done a number of improvements to the various programs and are bringing life to the parks. Dankey asked if there will be some benches. Printup stated to his knowledge that is included in the plan for next year. Edwards noted there is already a bench there facing the sidewalk and the Public Works Department will turn it to face the ice rink. Printup moved, Crosby seconded,to approve the establishment of an ice rink at Crystal Bay Park for the 2018/2019 season,and to direct Staff and the Park Commission to develop a plan for the city ice rink,including improvements at the existing rinks. VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. 14. HOLIDAY DECORATIONS Edwards noted at the October 22 Council work session,the City Council also discussed the acquisition of additional holiday decorations throughout the City. Current holiday decorations include the 32 holiday Cascade snowflakes on the Navarre light poles. The Council expressed an interest in establishing more color and providing some large ground mounted ornaments as well as decorating some of the trees with lights. The Council further expressed an interest in having a tree lighting ceremony at the Orono Golf Course, including decorating the clubhouse and one of the large pine trees with lights near the parking lot. Page 3 of 7 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday,November 13,2018 7:00 o'clock p.m. Staff has contracted to have lights installed at the golf course and purchased some garlands and some wreaths for some of the street light poles down in Navarre. Edwards noted the items are broken out between 2018 and 2019. Walsh noted this item has been discussed in the past and that the City acquired some snowflakes a few years back and are now looking to expand that somewhat. Crosby asked if funding is the main concern and where the initial funding will come from. Edwards noted these are unbudgeted items and that it will come out of the General Fund this year. Staff is proposing to allocate future expenses to the Special Projects and Contingencies budget. Crosby commented he is a big proponent of this and that enhancing the holiday season helps the business district of Navarre. Dankey stated it also provides opportunities for people to get together and meet new people in the community. Crosby moved,Dankey seconded,to authorize the procurement of holiday decorations and expenses associated with the holiday lighting ceremony,and to direct Staff to adjust the 2019 General Fund budget to account for these items and events in the future. VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. PLANNING DEPARTMENT REPORT—KEVIN LANDGRAVER,REPRESENTATIVE 15. LA18-000057 TEXT AMENDMENT: ACCESSORY BUILDINGS AND STRUCTURES SETBACKS,ORDINANCE NO. ,AND SUMMARY ORDINANCE NO. Curtis reviewed the draft ordinance regarding proposed changes for Accessory Building and Structure setbacks. Currently there are many specific rules for accessory structures and buildings based on their size,the zoning district, lakeshore lot versus non-lakeshore lot, lot size, and location of the lot. These regulations have evolved over time and have become difficult to understand. In addition,the terms structure and building, although defined differently,are used interchangeably within the regulations. The Planning Commission has been working on this amendment since June. The code has been reorganized so that a user can find the majority of the information regarding principal building,accessory buildings, and accessory structure setbacks within the specific zoning district sections. Additional modifications were made in the Accessory Buildings and Structures and Non-encroachment sections. At their October meeting,the Commission reviewed and discussed the draft ordinance. The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to approve the proposed ordinance. Further,the Planning Commission opened a discussion and the public hearing at their June meeting regarding this text amendment. The text amendment was discussed and the public hearing was continued at each of the subsequent Planning Commission meetings. At the October meeting the Commission reviewed and discussed the draft ordinance provided by Staff. The Planning Commission voted 7-0 on a motion to approve the proposed ordinance. No comments from the public were received during the public hearings. Page 4 of 7 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday,November 13,2018 7:00 o'clock p.m. The Council should review the draft ordinance tonight and provide feedback. Staff plans to place the final ordinance on the Council agenda in December. Walsh noted there have been various changes to the City Code over the past 30 years and it refers the reader to different sections of the Code. Staff has been attempting to clean the Code up over the past year. In 2019,the City will be employing a code expert to help codify the code and get rid of all the duplications and referrals to different sections. Walsh stated the goal is to simplify the process. While the cleanup of the code will probably cost$60,000, it has not been done for 30 years and needs to be done. Walsh requested Staff summarize any major or minor changes with the text amendment. Curtis stated the following changes are being proposed: 1. Correction and clarification between the terms building and structure. 2. Reorganization of all setback information into each zoning district section. 3. Clarification of the terms Accessory Structure Accessory Building, and Oversized Accessory Building. 4. Revised required setbacks for accessory buildings versus accessory structures. 5. Removal of one level of accessory building size-based setback tiers. Reduced to two different setbacks from three. 6. Removed the definition of"private recreational facilities". 7. Language clean-up in the non-encroachments section. 8. Allowance for accessory buildings to follow the nonconforming lot width flexibility for side setbacks and expanded the flexibility to other zones. 9. Allowance for accessory buildings streetward of principal buildings only in RR-1A and RR-1B districts,with certain aesthetic conditions. 10. Expansion of the accessory building footprint limit based on acreage; both building size and total building footprint. Mattick stated his review of the draft ordinance involved ensuring that the definitions were correct,that the changes made sense, and that it was overall written correctly. Walsh stated since this code touches on a number of different things in the Code,that cleaning it up solves a lot of headaches for Staff. Mattick stated from his standpoint, one of the things to keep in mind is that the court has said the City has a lot of deference but that they need to learn how to do it clearly and to the point where someone can understand what it says. Page 5 of 7 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday,November 13,2018 7:00 o'clock p.m. Walsh stated the City's Code Review Committee was extremely favorable to incorporating the charts and graphs. Walsh asked what the next step will be. Curtis indicated she will make another review of the draft ordinance to make sure all the references are correct. If it is acceptable at that point,the City Council can make a motion to adopt it at their meeting in December. Walsh stated nothing jumped out at him when he reviewed it but that it would be good to go through it one more time. Printup asked whether there are any items that Staff feels need to be further clarified. Curtis stated she is glad the City is finally addressing these things and that the new code should help people understand it better and make things easier for Staff. Walsh stated the whole goal is to get to a more logical and reasonable method of doing things. Walsh asked whether anyone from the public would like to comment on this item. Caroline Miller asked if the City is still concerned about hardcover and protecting the area lakes. Walsh noted the City Council redid the hardcover calculations a few years ago and that the City is very strict in the 0-75 foot zone. There were no further public comments. The City Council took no formal action on this item. MAYOR/COUNCIL REPORT Dankey congratulated Mayor Walsh, Council Member Printup,and Matt Johnson for winning their elections. Dankey noted her term is up at the end of the year and that she will miss everyone. Crosby thanked the veterans for their service. Crosby recognized Andy Gitori for his service. Gitori joined the Army in 2010, completed several tours, including Iraq and Afghanistan, and is currently stationed in Alaska. Crosby stated he is a terrific young man and dearly missed and that he would like to thank him for being Orono's hero. Crosby noted Orono lost a special person by the name of Jim Cox Monday night. Jim Cox served over 45 years with the Long Lake Volunteer Fire Department,from April of 1964 to June of 2009, and during that time served more than ten years as assistant chief. Crosby stated he would like to send a special remorse and thoughts to his friends and family and that he will deeply be missed. Printup stated he would echo the comments of Council Member Crosby. Printup thanked Council Member Dankey for her service on the Council. Page 6 of 7 MINUTES OF THE ORONO CITY COUNCIL MEETING Tuesday,November 13,2018 7:00 o'clock p.m. Printup stated as it relates to the text amendment earlier this evening,the Council is trying to make things make sense and reasonable but that they are not selling out the soul of Orono as far as water quality and green space. Mayor Walsh thanked the veterans for their service and congratulated Aaron Printup and Matt Johnson on their election wins. Walsh thanked Council Member Dankey for her service on the Council. Walsh reported there was a mayors' meeting this morning in Shorewood where they discussed aquatic invasive species. University of Minnesota representatives were there and spoke on the topic. Walsh stated the biggest thing that came out of the meeting is that the University people told everyone that when you take a mower out on the lake to cut and collect milfoil and flowering rush,you are basically seeding the lake. Walsh stated it was a very eye-opening conversation. A number of LMCD representatives were in attendance along with other mayors and council members. Richie Anderson was also in attendance. Walsh stated the LMCD is aware of the issue and will be discussing this in the future. Walsh noted there is a November 30 tree lighting ceremony at the Orono Golf Course. Santa will be there and a number of other activities are planned. Walsh thanked the local businesses for their donations to this event. CITY ADMINISTRATOR'S REPORT Rief reported Staff has been busy with elections over the past couple of weeks and that Orono had an excellent turnout this year,with 77 percent of registered voters voting. Approximately 1,600 of those votes were via absentee ballot. In addition, Staff had a meeting today about the 2020 census. CITY ATTORNEY REPORT Mattick stated there will probably be a closed session at one of the next two meetings to provide a recap of where things are at. ADJOURNMENT Crosby moved,Dankey seconded, to adjourn the Orono City Council meeting at 7:50 p.m. VOTE: Ayes 4,Nays 0. ATTEST: 1^g) A i 410 fa. nna Carlson, City Clerk Dennis Walsh,Mayor Page 7 of 7