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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-10-05 CC MINThe Birthplace of Minnesota 216 4th Street N, Stillwater, MN 55082 651-430-8800 www.ci.stillwater.mn.us CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES October 5, 2021 REGULAR MEETING 4:30 P.M. Mayor Kozlowski called the meeting to order at 4:30 p.m. Present: Mayor Kozlowski, Councilmembers Collins, Junker, Odebrecht, Polehna, Downtown Parking Commission Chair McAllister, Commissioners Anderson, Lepage, Rheinberger Absent: Downtown Parking Commissioners Bates, Glynn and Hopfe Staff present: City Administrator McCarty City Clerk Wolf City Attorney Land Community Development Director Gladhill Zoning Administrator Tait Police Chief Mueller OTHER BUSINESS Downtown Parking Commission Work Plan Community Development Director Gladhill led discussion of the nine strategies for improving parking capacity as outlined in the parking capacity study done in 2020. He reviewed the work plan developed by the Downtown Parking Commission to implement the study's nine strategies. The priorities for this year are to streamline payment systems, implement a license plate reader system for enforcement, and develop count programs to measure capacity. Next year: looking at the event policy regarding parking and developing a pricing strategy. Downtown Parking Commission (DTPC) Chair McAllister stated the DTPC has been working on the strategies for over a year. Many of the strategies involve significant change and the Commission seeks the Council's assistance with prioritizing. Mayor Kozlowski noted the 2019 report analyzed where the City is at, but did not seem to delineate next steps. Mr. Gladhill explained that the DTPC has been looking at mitigation for business as well as individual parking permits. Feedback received consistently is that employees who work late at night have to walk several blocks to their cars. This is an opportunity to look at business permits in terms of business expansion as well as new development. DTPC Commissioner Anderson noted that with the residential developments underway, the City is also adding more residents downtown who do not have enough parking. The City should keep doing parking counts, because they change. Councilmember Junker pointed out the survey was done in 2019 just before COVID hit and the City stopped charging for parking. The bridge opening in 2020 changed everything from the number of people, to where people were parking, to the capacity of the lots. City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 Councilmember Odebrecht commented that the obvious other macro -economic factor is that Stillwater is drawing traffic that used to go to the Cities. He commended the DTPC on doing a great job with the study. There are some "easy button" strategies that could be implemented first, for instance the surface lots by the Brick Alley and behind Freight House are cheaper than the ramp and this should be flipped. He loves the wayfinding strategies and also would like to know if there is a way to easily use valet parking. Commissioner Anderson stated that the City has not had good luck with valet parking in the past because it was difficult to find a company to operate it while making a profit. Mayor Kozlowski remarked that a lot of the best parking is free and a lot of the worst parking is most expensive. This should be flipped. He is not interested in trying to make money off the parking system, but would like it to cover costs and possibly create a fund balance for capital projects. He also would like to make it easier for people to find parking places, for residents to park more easily, and to have specific lots for employees. Commissioner Anderson pointed out that a lot of people do not like to walk a long way to get to businesses. Part of this is the need to have more rotation in some spots like Main Street. Councilmember Odebrecht stated two strategies that fit well together are moving from three-hour to two-hour parking and increasing wayfinding, along with enforcement. Councilmember Junker stated there are about 1990 parking spots downtown. 76% of those are free. There are 416 three-hour free parking spaces and 239 all -day free spots. The DTPC is trying to capture who is parking where and how to direct that. Mr. Gladhill stated it sounds like the tactic of the pricing strategy should be moved up in the priority scheme. This is a good opportunity to partner with the Chamber to get businesses involved. He also noted that parking fees are aimed at covering operational costs, but do not really cover costs, and the City does not have a robust enforcement system - there is one employee. If the City does not expand revenue, it cannot do capacity expansion. Regarding payment options, about 90% of people can put their credit card in the kiosk properly, but 10% really struggle with the system. The enforcement side is another priority, as well as improving communication. Mayor Kozlowski noted the City does not have a communications person on staff. Maybe as part of event contracts, event organizers should be responsible for directing where people should park. Commissioner Anderson stated he is interested in the Council's thoughts on events - should they take parking spaces or park space; and Mayor Kozlowski resonded that he thinks events should be held in the parks, but since 2000, the river has experienced a lot of flooding, pushing events into the surface parking lots. Part of the issue is figuring out, who do we take care of first? The City must make sure downtown residents and employees have a place to park, as long as there is an appropriate permit structure and an appropriate technology in place to shift some parking when events are occurring. Chair McAllister emphasized the importance of improving communication and ensuring technological solutions can help with tracking. Employee parking is one of the most difficult issues. The City does not know who the employees are, nor how to communicate with them. Page 2of10 City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 Mayor Kozlowski stated the Chamber is the way to reach all downtown businesses. There should be a way to know approximately how many employees work downtown and when they work. Commissioner Anderson noted that a lot of the restaurant workers are shift workers, a challenge to track. Mr. Gladhill stated the new Economic Development Association could help with figuring out how many employees are downtown, businesses' long term plans, and expansion plans. Commissioner Rheinberger commented he would like to see some estimates on parking needs in terms of times, seasons, and historical events. Another twist is when employees quit, or do not drive - that is part of the mix. Mayor Kozlowski suggested maybe staff can come up with a maximum number of employees at busy times, and a lowest number of employees during slow times. It has been proven that downtown can accommodate crowds of people for large events. There are some things to improve upon when working with businesses, for example snow removal to make walking easier. Mr. Gladhill stated consensus seems to be that parking counts are important, and there is agreement on the top three broad categories, and moving up the pricing strategy tactic. Councilmember Odebrecht encouraged the Commission to continue to look for the right technology for payments and wayfinding. Councilmember Junker remarked there are just too many signs downtown overall. Councilmember Polehna stated he hears complaints from people who do not have smartphones to use the pay system; and Chair McAllister replied the DTPC is aware of this issue. There is a kiosk inside the Lowell Inn for those users who do not have smartphones, many people require assistance. Mr. Gladhill summarized that the next generation of pay technology will have a mobile app feature, but will still have a kiosk to insert a credit card. Mayor Kozlowski brought up the issue of business parking mitigation when there is a change of use. He understands the purpose, but it does not seem to make sense. Businesses get hit with mitigation fees when putting old buildings to use. Perhaps the EDA can talk about creating a parking district to spread some of the burden. Councilmember Junker pointed out parking mitigation fees were implemented in 2006 so some businesses have been paying parking mitigation for 15 years according to the formula for each type of business use. If the system continues, he would question whether $10 is fair. Also, older businesses that were grandfathered in, in 2006, do not pay any parking mitigation fees. The system is based on a 20% capacity of the parking ramp, a threshold that may soon be reached. Mr. Gladhill summarized that part of the pricing strategy will be to outline different options for revenue streams, under the direction of the City Council. RECESS Mayor Kozlowski recessed the meeting at 5:28 p.m. Page 3 of 10 City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 RECESSED MEETING 7:00 P.M. Mayor Kozlowski called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present: Mayor Kozlowski, Councilmembers Collins, Junker, Odebrecht, Polehna Absent: None Staff present: City Administrator McCarty City Attorney Land City Clerk Wolf Community Development Director Gladhill Finance Director Provos Fire Chief Glaser Police Chief Mueller Public Works Director Sanders Assistant City Engineer Abdullah PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Mayor Kozlowski led the Council and audience in the Pledge of Allegiance. RECOGNITIONS OR PRESENTATIONS Pregnancy and Infants Loss Remembrance_ Day Proclamation Mayor Kozlowski read a proclamation designating October 15 as Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. Geri Freels Donation Proclamation Mayor Kozlowski noted that longtime Stillwater resident Geri Freels has generously donated $1 million to the City to be used for the conversion of the former Aiple residence in Lumberjack Landing into a multi -use public building. He read the proclamation designating October 5 as Geri Freels Day. Fire Prevention Week 2021 Proclamation Mayor Kozlowski read a proclamation designating October 3-9 as Fire Prevention Week and Assistant Fire Chief Zeuli spoke about fire prevention week activities. OPEN FORUM Cameron Murray, 350 Main Street North, thanked Police Chief Mueller and Councilmember Junker for listening to Stillwater Mills residents' concerns about noise, pedestrian crossings and the intersection of Mulberry and Second. Because the bids on sidewalk repairs came in high, he suggested the City not go out for fall bids anymore. Though lighting the bridge is a good idea, the cost of holiday lights seems high in light of other City needs. He also noted Bayport has flashing beacons at several of their highway intersections and he would like to see some installed in Stillwater. Mayor Kozlowski asked staff to check into re -striping the intersection by Len's. Louise Hanson, Rivertown Commons resident, asked for a sign indicating crosswalk at tad Street and Commercial, southbound. She also spoke of near accidents with skateboarders, Page 4of10 City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 and stated there is a kid who is claiming he is the Mayor's son and can do whatever he would like with his skateboard. Councilmember Polehna stated that the Parks Commission passed a resolution saying the City needs to get a handle on the skateboarding in town. Ms. Hanson stated with City staff permission, she takes care of the peace park near the ramp and Rivertown Commons as a volunteer. This has been questioned by someone in her building who complained. She would like help from whoever has authority because there is a group of people from Rivertown Commons who use that park as their drug and drinking area. There is also a graffiti problem at the park. Mayor Kozlowski advised Ms. Hanson to call 911 whenever she is harassed. He confirmed he has no son. STAFF REPORTS Public Works Director Sanders informed the Council that the lift bridge will be closed for repairs on October 6 from 8 am to noon. The riverbank stabilization project is starting and the lower loop trail will be closed temporarily. Police Chief Mueller updated the Council on outreach activities. He reported a misunderstanding posted on Nextdoor app. For emergencies and non -emergencies, people should call 911 where calls are triaged. Officers are wearing a pink patch for Breast Cancer Awareness month and selling the patches. The department is starting an "Ask an Officer" program on social media to field questions from the public. He assured the Council that officers take seriously the actions going on at Stillwater School Board meetings and are in discussions with the School District and legal teams. Fire Chief Glaser stated there will be a blood drive Saturday during the open house. Community Development Director Gladhill reminded the Council of the first Economic Development Authority (EDA) meeting October 19. CONSENT AGENDA September 21, 2021 Regular Meeting Minutes Payment of Bills Resolution 2021-138, Adopting Delinquent Parking Mitigation Fees (L.I. Project #00080) Resolution 2021-139, Adopting Delinquent Cleanup Services Charges (L.I. Project #00040) Emergency Vehicle Preemption System Project Resolution 2021-140, Approving 2022 Employee Group Health Insurance Opt Out Option Fire Department Request to Purchase a Fireboat Resolution 2021-141, Approving Amendment to the 2021 Harvest Fest Special Event Contract Skate Park Ramp Donation Regarding the Fireboat purchase request, Mayor Kozlowski pointed out that Stillwater serves many other communities and jurisdictions, and that it borders a national park. He Page 5 of 10 City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 would like to see some cost participation from the National Park Service for fire prevention, rescue and recovery costs. Councilmember Polehna agreed, adding that some of the communities being served assist with costs, but many do not. There are federal and state grants the City should apply for. Fire Chief Glaser stated the Department always applies for grants when available. The current boat, which was federal excess property, was purchased with donated funds. The new boat is being purchased to protect Stillwater assets. Regarding the donation of the skateboard ramp, Mayor Kozlowski acknowledged that skateboarders downtown are getting to be an issue. He suggested installing the ramp somewhere downtown that is not near the lift bridge entrance, for instance in the lot by the Zephyr, to divert skateboarders from the lift bridge. Councilmember Polehna stated the Parks Commission decided the ramp should go to the skateboard park and that the City needs to start working on moving the skate park to a better place. He added that the donor, John Tasch, is a schoolteacher at Rutherford who volunteered to help install it. Motion by Councilmember Junker, seconded by Councilmember Collins, to adopt the Consent Agenda. All in favor. PUBLIC HEARINGS CPC Case No. 2021-54 to consider a request by Todd Ganz of Integrity Land ❑evelopment, applicant and Gary and June Jorgensen. property owners. Consideration of a Re -subdivision to split the property into two lots and a rezone from AP to RB. Property located at 13187 Dellwood Rd N. Notices published in the Stillwater Gazette and mailed to affected property owners on Friday. September 10th. 2021 - Tabled to November 9, 2021. CPC Case No. 2021-56 to consider a request by the City of Stillwater. applicant. Request is for Zoning Text Amendment to amend the Sign Code to create design standards for signage in the CA and CBD Districts. Notice published in the Stillwater Gazette on Friday. September 10th, 2021- Tabled to October 19, 2021. Project 2021-02 Assessment Hearing for the 2021 Street Improvement Project Assistant City Engineer Abdullah stated that the 2021 Street Project is near completion. The last step is to adopt the assessments. The feasibility estimate was $2,137,189 and the final project cost is estimated at $2,095,862. There were slight variations in the final assessment amount due to appraisals higher than the estimated assessments at the beginning of the project. Staff recommends adoption of the assessment roll. Mayor Kozlowski opened the public hearing. Dan Ciro, 1041 LeCuyer Drive, objected to his assessment. He reminded the Council that no special assessment may be made unless the increased property value equals or exceeds the amount of the assessment. He believes an existing asphalt street with curb and gutter being replaced with an identical asphalt street with curb and gutter does not increase his market value. He spoke to several realtors, attorneys, and an appraiser who agreed with him. Street condition does not seem to be a factor in appraising homes. He believes the property owner's percentage of improvement costs is high and creates a hardship for many. Page 6 of 10 City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 Mayor Kozlowski stated he understands the objection but the flip side is if the road is not maintained and deteriorates, that impacts property values. There is value to maintaining streets, however he struggles with identifying a fair way to do so. Councilmember Odebrecht and Councilmember Polehna shared Mayor Kozlowski's desire to come up with a more fair way to handle street assessments. Mr. Ciro stated many of the streets that were redone were not at the point of deterioration. Mayor Kozlowski replied if the City lets the streets get to that point, then the assessments go up. There have been recent assessments that were a lot higher in areas where streets were in rougher shape. The City arranges to have representative homes appraised before setting the assessments. He stated Mr. Ciro has the option to appeal the assessment, however that is an expensive process as well. City Attorney Land added the City hires experts who do the analysis to ensure that the assessments are justified and do not exceed the increased value. She instructed Mr. Ciro on the formal process of challenging the assessment. Councilmember Odebrecht added that the cost of doing the work does not change. The other side of successful assessment challenges is that the City raises everybody's taxes to spread out the additional costs. Mayor Kozlowski stated that spreading street assessment costs across the entire City would raise everyone's taxes 25-30%. Councilmember Junker stated he has paid two assessments; both made the neighborhood better. Most house values are based on comps taken in that neighborhood. The streets being improved are definitely in need of improvement and the project adds value. Mayor Kozlowski closed the public hearing. Motion by Councilmember Junker, seconded by Councilmember Polehna, to adopt Resolution 2021-142, Resolution Adopting Assessment for 2021 Street Improvement Project (Project 2021-02, L.I. 432). All in favor. UNFINISHED BUSINESS Update on Chestnut Street Plaza ❑esign Process and Contract Amendment Community Development Director Gladhill explained that the Project Manager, TKDA, plans to complete construction plans by the end of the year and to bid the project in early 2022. A $2 million grant from MnDOT was received for the project, necessitating MnDOT design standards be used. Several changes were made to the current plan set after initial review, and the current total cost estimate is approximately $2.5 million. The City's cost will be about $400,000. He presented options for reducing the City portion of the cost by using alternative scaled -down design elements. Staff seeks direction on approving a contract amendment with TKDA in the amount of $79,866 and approving a planning level cost estimate of $2.5 million, identifying pooled TIF dollars as the funding source for the City contribution. Staff recommends continuing forward with the original concept and allocating the additional dollars to the project. Councilmember Junker remarked that $2 million seems like a high cost for what is essentially a block and a half of gray pavers with a white poured concrete sidewalk on both Page 7 of 10 City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 sides, which is very different than the original plan. He asked, if he understands correctly, that the breakdown with TKDA was the initial $260,000 fee and now an additional $80,000 for the design; and Mr. Gladhill confirmed that is correct. Councilmember Junker commented, in hindsight, the City could have designed a straight block and a half of pavers with 16 trees down both sides for a lot less money; and Mr. Gladhill responded that staff will have a meeting with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) this or next week where these issues can be discussed. Mayor Kozlowski agreed that it seems crazy to spend a bunch of money designing something that actually fit downtown, and then the historic preservation office stepped in and stated they did not want it to look like a highway. Now it is costing the City more money for a design that does not fit as well in the downtown. He questioned if the City needs to reach each out to its legislators to bring a resolution. Mr. Gladhill clarified that the Department of the Interior sets the baseline standards of how a registered historic district operates. SHPO is the implementing agency so they have review authority. The right-of-way (ROW) remains MnDOT property. He hears the concern and frustration of the Council, and the hesitation to move forward with a watered down design. Staff recommends holding off on any Council action until after the meeting with SHPO. The Council should keep in mind that it is unlikely construction can occur this next year, but it is important to get it done right. Public Works Director Sanders added that a disadvantage of receiving any type of grant money, whether state or federal, is that it binds the City to follow their guidelines in order to receive the money. Councilmember Odebrecht asked Police Chief Mueller if he is comfortable that the bollards, as designed, would prevent someone from driving through; and Chief Mueller answered that he has not spent a lot of time researching that. He has concerns about having vehicular traffic crossing an area designed for pedestrians. Councilmember Polehna commented that the Council voted at one time to close Water Street. Mr. Gladhill stated the final bollard design will come with the next set of plans and public safety will be involved in those choices. Councilmember Junker stated he never voted to close Water Street. It was going to be converted to a one way street, not closed. NEW BUSINESS 2021 Sidewalk Project Rejecting Bids Assistant City Engineer Abdullah informed the Council that the bid opening for the 2021 Sidewalk Rehabilitation Project was on September 3. Two bids were received and the lowest bidder is 50% more than the engineer's estimate for the project. Staff recommends that the Council reject these bids and combine the sidewalk project with 2022 street improvement project to obtain more favorable bids. Page 8 of 10 City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 Motion by Councilmember Polehna, seconded by Councilmember Odebrecht, to adopt Resolution 2021-144, Rejecting Bid and Propose Rebid in Spring 2022 Sidewalk Rehabilitation Project (Project 2021-06). All in favor. Compensation Market Review Selection and Award Contract City Administrator McCarty stated that in 2016, the City implemented a new Classification/Compensation system for City employees which defines the wage ranges for all employee positions. The City is finding it increasingly difficult to recruit talented individuals to fill vacant positions and to retain talented employees due to non-competitive wage rates for some positions. Consultant proposals were sought for a comparative market analysis of the City's current Class/Comp wage schedule, and proposals were submitted by five consulting firms. staff recommends acceptance of the proposal from GovHR USA in the amount of $15,660. Motion by Councilmember Junker, seconded by Councilmember Collins, to adopt Resolution 2021-145, Resolution Accepting Proposal and Awarding Professional Services Contract to GovHR USA for Completion of a Comparative Market Analysis of the City's Classification Compensation Wage Schedule. All in favor. Lift Bridge & Downtown Lighting Proposals City Administrator McCarty informed the Council that last year the City and downtown groups lit the buildings and south side of the lift bridge. To continue that into 2021-22, the building lights need some repairs, and it is proposed that lights be put back up on the south side of the bridge and also look at lighting the north side. Quotes came from Holiday Lighting & Design in the amount of $31,429 for the bridge lighting and $5,700 for the roofline lighting. These costs are not in the budget. He explained two possible City funding sources that could be used for the $5,700 roof lighting and a portion of the $31,429 for bridge lighting. He suggested collaborating with the Wintertime in Stillwater group to try to find donations to light both sides of the bridge. Councilmember Junker stated the north side of the bridge has a much bigger impact than the south does especially with the ice sculpting contest taking place. To get lights on the north side, they must be put up in October from a barge. Two companies gave a price to use their barge. He suggested putting up the lights that were used on the south side last year, on the north side. Then, if enough money is raised, the City could get new lights for the south side, put up with a scissor lift. A scissor lift will not work on the north side. The City would need to pay for the $9,400 to put the existing lights on the north side, and then raise additional funds for the new lights on the south side. These lights are up for 150 days so he feels it is a benefit for the community to bring people to downtown Stillwater, creating a more year-round destination. Motion by Councilmember Junker, seconded by Councilmember Polehna, to approve the plan to fund the installation of lights on the north side of the bridge using the lights that were used on the south side last year, and if enough money can be raised, to order new lights for the south side to be paid for by the Wintertime in Stillwater group (fundraising). All in favor. Page 9 of 10 City Council Meeting October 5, 2021 COUNCIL REQUEST ITEMS Councilmember Odebrecht gave kudos to Councilmember Polehna for obtaining ARPA funds from Washington County for the trunk line. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Councilmember Junker, seconded by Councilmember Collins, to adjourn. All in favor. The meeting was adjourned at 8:52 p.m. 2 Ted Kozlowski, Mayor ATTEST: • Resolution 2021-138, Adopting Delinquent Parking Mitigation Fees (L.I. Project #00080) Resolution 2021-139, Adopting Delinquent Cleanup Services Charges (L.I. Project #00040) Resolution 2021-140, Approving 2022 Employee Group Health Insurance Opt Out Option Resolution 2021-141, Approving Amendment to the 2021 Harvest Fest Special Event Contract Resolution 2021-142, Resolution Adopting Assessment for 2021 Street Improvement Project (Project 2021-02, L.I. 432) Resolution 2021-144, Rejecting Bid and Propose Rebid in Spring 2022 Sidewalk Rehabilitation Project (Project 2021-06) Resolution 2021-145, Resolution Accepting Proposal and Awarding Professional Services Contract to GovHR USA for Completion of a Comparative Market Analysis of the City's Classification Compensation Wage Schedule Page 10 of 10