City Council Minutes

Pursuant to due call and posted notice thereof, the regular meeting of the Victoria City Council was called to order at 6:30 p.m. by Mayor Hershberger Thun in the Council Chambers at 7951 Rose.

Members Present: Mayor: Mary Hershberger Thun; Councilmembers: Tim Amundsen, Tom O'Connor, Jim Paulsen and Kim Roden.

Absent: None.

Staff Present: Don Uram, City Administrator; Holly Kreft, Community Development Director; Cara Geheren, City Engineer and Mike Norton, City Attorney.

Others Present: Sue Orsen, The Victoria Gazette.
 

Mr. Uram asked the City Council to consider adding 10-C; a review of the Downtown Phase II Improvements. He explained that the feasibility report was delivered to the City Council on Friday but due to an oversight the agenda statement was not included on the agenda.

Mr. Uram added the consideration of confidential appraisals for 7975 Rose Street and 7943 Quamoclit under the closed session.

Councilmember Paulsen stated he is not in favor of adding the Downtown Phase II Improvements to the agenda. He said the numbers need further work and they need to understand the context in terms of costs associated with Fresh Seasons and other projects.

Mayor Hershberger Thun said she would support discussing the improvements. She stated there is a tight schedule with Volksfest. She suggested leaving the review of the Downtown Phase II Improvements on the agenda but not take any action.

Mr. Uram noted the timing is based on publication in the newspaper. He said staff would like to get authorization to advertise for bids.

A motion was made by Councilmember Roden, to adopt the Agenda as amended. The motion was seconded. With the majority of the members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 3 Ayes (Mayor, Hershberger Thun, Councilmembers: Roden and O'Connor), 2 Nays (Councilmembers Amundsen and Paulsen).
 

(3) OPEN FORUM:

None.
 

(4) VISITORS PRESENTATION:

Councilmember O'Connor removed item C.

Councilmember Amundsen removed item F.

A motion was made by Councilmember Roden, to approve the Consent Agenda as amended. The motion was seconded. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.

Councilmember O'Connor commented on this resolution approving five signs in and around "historical" Victoria and asked why there are no signs being placed on Highway 7. He said Highway 7 is a significant part of the City. Ms. Kreft said that is a good point and she agrees that having signage on Highway 7 would be a good idea. She said the signs on Rose Street and Victoria Drive are in close enough proximity to be able to move one sign to the South Lake Virginia Shores Park area because the City owns that land.

Councilmember Paulsen questioned the City’s sign ordinance with the five large signs displayed by the City. Ms. Kreft said the signs would be considered real estate signs and the maximum size is 32 square feet.

Mayor Hershberger Thun asked how long the signs would be up. Ms. Kreft said until something was done with the land.

Mayor Hershberger Thun questioned how the calls would be handled. Ms. Kreft said the Business Development Committee is working on a plan.

A motion was made by Councilmember O'Connor, to take at least one of the five signs and locate it in an appropriate spot on City owned property near Highway 7. The motion was seconded.

Mayor Hershberger Thun asked about removing one sign on the east side. Ms. Kreft said one of the signs is on the 13.5 acres and the other sign is on the lift station area.

With the majority of the members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 4 Ayes, 1 Nay (Councilmember Paulsen).

Councilmember Amundsen commented on how much money has been saved by the City with Mr. Popptiz’s efforts for improvements to the baseball field.

Councilmember Amundsen respectively asked the Park and Recreation Committee to consider naming the baseball field the Poppitz Field.

A motion was made by Councilmember Amundsen, to Approve Resolution No. 09-46; A Resolution approving a License Agreement between the City of Victoria and Mike Poppitz. The motion was seconded. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.
 

-A- Approve the May 11, 2009 Claims Roster in the amount of $655,306.92.

A motion was made by Mayor Hershberger Thun to Approve the Claims Roster in the amount of $655,306.92. The motion was seconded. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.
 

A motion was made by Councilmember Roden, to approve Resolution No. 09-47; A Resolution Approving the Donations from James and Sandra Brace for $200 for Boulevard Trees and from Joseph and Brenda Roper for $140 for the Victoria Fire Department, with Thanks from the Council. The motion was seconded. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.
 

None.
 

None.
 

Ms. Geheren explained that the sealcoat program is continuing to be implemented. She noted that the sealcoat is looked at on a five to seven year basis. She stated the 2009 sealcoat program consists of the Watermark neighborhoods, Green Crest, Tristan Heights, Applewood, 86^th Street and Bavaria Road, Marigold and Parkview Lanes.

Ms. Geheren explained that Public Works solicited quotes to crack seal streets and trails in the same area. She said the street portion of crack sealing is about $7,000 and the trail portion is about $2,000. She stated TKDA received two quotes for sealcoating, one from Allied Blacktop Company and one from Astech Corporation. The Engineers estimate was $83,279.30 and the low quote from Astech Corporation was $78,996.20.

Ms. Geheren noted that in 2008 it was planned to sealcoat the downtown area and Field House area but will continue to wait until 2010 due to the ongoing construction in those areas.

Ms. Geheren talked about partnering with other communities for one joint project for sealcoating. However, some communities have found that partnering doesn’t result in a significant cost savings. Ms. Geheren explained that one of the cities needs to volunteer to be the host city because a joint powers agreement is needed. She noted conversations have been started for next year. Mr. Uram said it is a barrier for doing work together but they will continue to look for opportunities. Councilmember Paulsen asked what the savings could be. Ms. Geheren said she has heard that it is more negligible but it is an opportunity to work together. Mr. Uram noted with partnerships they could save money long term. Mr. Norton stated he didn’t think the cost would be high for the city to put the agreement together. He noted there would be a standard template of three to four pages that would protect all the entities.

Councilmember Roden said this is a continuation of the five year total street reconstruction plan and commented on the sealcoat program being part of the ongoing maintenance.

Mayor Hershberger Thun asked if residents would be notified of the sealcoating. Ms. Geheren said they try and get the word out on the website. She said it would be a good idea to send out a mailing. She said the contractor has to make contact with the residents before they do work.

Councilmember O'Connor clarified that all of the additional costs over and above the bid are included in the current year budget and asked what the total would be. Ms. Geheren said that is correct and the crack seal is about $90,000 and engineering is about $2,500, for a total of $92,500.

A motion was made by Councilmember Roden to Adopt Resolution No. 09-48; A Resolution accepting quotes and awarding a contract for the 2009 Sealcoat Improvements to the lowest bidder, Astech Corporation in an amount of $78,996.20. The motion was seconded.

Councilmember Amundsen asked about the asterisk which states, "denotes error in quoter's calculation." Ms. Geheren explained that the physical document that was submitted had a different total and the way it is set up is the unit price prevails. She said this document gets mailed back to the bidder. She noted they did call them to make sure they understood that the unit price prevails.

Councilmember Amundsen noted the ongoing maintenance plan is designed to minimize the impact of cost on people in the long term.

With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.

Ms. Kreft stated this is a follow up for a program the Business Development Committee started last year. She said the committee surveyed 14 businesses which included a 52 question survey. She stated that in the packet is a report of the summary of the findings and based upon the findings the Business Development Committee created the 8 goals that are listed.

Councilmember O'Connor commented on 14 businesses out of 45 participating. Ms. Kreft said they did ask other businesses to participate but they chose not to participate. She noted there are both new and well established businesses represented. She said the intent is to continue to build on this report.

Councilmember Amundsen referred to page 6 under Victoria as a place to do business and said the second problem listed is signage. He said the signs approved this evening were a direct response to that need. He commented on Victoria being a good place to live and said the major issue by businesses was parking.

Councilmember Roden stated that there is a parking meeting on Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the City Hall.

Ms. Geheren showed a map of the Downtown Phase II Improvements. She said the arrival of the grocery store prompted the need to have Tower Boulevard and Quamoclit Street reconstructed. She reviewed what is included in the scope of the improvements; reconstruction of Quamoclit Street and construction of the new Tower Boulevard extension from the existing alley to Quamoclit Street. She noted the streets will match the Phase 1 Improvements. Ms. Geheren said there is a right turn lane planned for construction along TH 5 at Quamoclit Street that was recommended by MN/DOT as part of the approval of the Fresh Seasons Grocery Store. She said there would also be the storm sewer construction consistent with the Downtown Regional Storm Water Management System. Ms. Geheren stated the plan also includes construction of ten on-street parking stalls along Stieger Lake Lane adjacent to the future Lakeside Development project. She said the next step is to modify the existing curb line on Victoria Drive at TH 5 and showed what it would look like when completed. She said they would also be replacing the water system gate valves and the sanitary sewer. She noted the sanitary sewer lines were televised and it was determined that full replacement was necessary along Quamoclit. Ms. Geheren commented on the amenities and said they are not currently included in the scope of these improvements. She said the added cost, which would be paid 100% by the City, were estimated at $400,000.

Ms. Geheren stated the total project costs are $660,177 with the breakdown of the sanitary sewer improvements costing $48,844 and coming out of the sewer funds, the watermain improvements costing $46,704 and coming out of the water funds and the Victoria Drive turn Lane costing $3,478. Ms. Geheren said the assessable project cost is about $561,155. She noted that with city participation at 25% the cost is $140,287 leaving $420,862 to be assessed. Ms. Geheren explained that the City owns a lot of the property that is being assessed or has agreements in place. She referred to the appendix that lists an assessment role for the project. She explained that there is an agreement with the Gannon property stating the City would pick up future assessments with this work. Ms. Geheren said there is also a deed grant for the grocery store that is meant to offset the costs associated with Tower Boulevard and Quamoclit Street. She stated the total project costs are $660,177 less the $165,000 deed grant for a total of $495,177. The assessed parcels would be the Klein Bank, Braunworth property, Hartman property and the Victoria Bar and Grill for a total of $168,779 which leaves the City share at $326,398. Ms. Geheren stated that Ms. Johnson has been including these numbers for 2009 in the analysis.

Ms. Geheren reviewed the project schedule and said they have had individual meetings with the property owners. She said the issue with the bank is the challenging grades and they need to get permission from the bank owner to grade their driveway which they have been agreeable to. She noted they will also need to grade the Braunworth’s driveway. Ms. Geheren stated the Gannon property has concerns with the finished design in front of his property and what the truck access will be with trucks backing up. She noted they are trying to come up with a design and there are ongoing discussions. She said they are in regular and frequent contact with all of the property owners.

Ms. Geheren stated that tonight they are looking at passing a resolution receiving the report and calling for a hearing on the improvements to be held on June 8^th and authorize advertisement for bids. She said the bid opening would be June 4^th and once a contractor is onboard they would provide a detailed schedule.

Councilmember Roden commented on the tight timeframe and said she is comfortable with moving forward.

Councilmember O'Connor clarified that the vote would be to continue the process, not to approve anything.

Councilmember Paulsen showed a Phase II spreadsheet that he created which did not include the Deed Grant. The spreadsheet shows the City paying 60% of the costs. Councilmember Paulsen said it is not clear how all the costs fit with the previous approval. He asked if Mr. Hartman’s site plan is being amended by adding the ten parking spaces. Ms. Geheren said it is consistent with the site plan. Mayor Hershberger Thun said it is an opportunity to add ten more parking spaces and asked who is paying for them. Ms. Geheren said the ten parking spaces are part of the assessable costs. Mayor Hershberger Thun noted there was always going to be additional parking in that area. Councilmember Paulsen asked for a drawing on how the parking will work.

Councilmember Paulsen said they also need to decide on the City percentage. He stated that 29% of the $660,000 is in soft costs.

Councilmember Amundsen stated there needs to be a spreadsheet.

A motion was made by Councilmember Paulsen, to Approve Resolution No. 09-49; A Resolution to authorize staff to publish notification and conduct a public improvement hearing to be held at City Hall on June 8, 2009 which would also allow more detailed discussions. The motion was seconded. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.

A motion was made by Councilmember Paulsen, to Approve Resolution No. 09-50; A Resolution approving construction plans and specifications and ordering advertisement for bids for the Downtown Phase II Improvements. The motion was seconded.

Mr. Uram noted that in order to advertise for bids the specifications have to be approved.

Mr. Norton clarified that bids are not assessments.

Councilmember Amundsen said that prior to sending this out he would like to have clarification on the items discussed. He noted the truck area for Fresh Seasons is a significant concern.

With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.

Councilmember Roden asked for a spreadsheet with choices on the assessment percentages.

Mr. Norton said that on June 4^th the policy will need to be determined in order to approve the preliminary assessment role.
 

Mr. Uram said they have identified a couple of people who could hold a lot of positions during an emergency situation. He noted that he and Chief Walsh meet monthly to work on the Emergency Management Plan. He explained that three individuals have been identified for each of the positions within the incident command system. Mr. Uram said he has a chart with names and that will be brought back for Council discussion. He stated they have also been working on a footprint for the EOC at the Fire Station. Mr. Uram said they continue to work on the generator piece. He also noted that he and Ms. Mahnke are meeting with the management coordinator for Holy Family and ISD 112 this Thursday.

Councilmember Roden commented on the need for telecommunication services. She said one of the biggest issues is being able to communicate and suggested putting together a communications plan. Mr. Uram said they are basing the plan on Carver County’s plan and they do have a telecommunications plan.

Councilmember Paulsen commented on the small number of people doing lots of things and the redundancy. Mr. Uram said redundancy exists but is limited. He noted that progress has been made.

Councilmember Amundsen asked for a progress report and presentation in the near future.

Councilmember Paulsen questioned how the City gets to a command control environment with a volunteer force.

Mr. Uram said there is flexibility in the plan. He said there will also be a workshop.

Councilmember Roden asked if the plan would be tested. Mr. Uram said the important part of the emergency management plan is to test the plan.
 

Councilmember Roden mentioned the parking meeting again this Wednesday from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the City Hall.

Mayor Hershberger Thun noted the next meeting will be on Tuesday, May 26^th due to Memorial Day.

Councilmember Amundsen commented on the Victoria Spirit and said people were notified of the composting. He stated that the impact of clippings in the street gutters is significant.
 

None.
 

Mayor Hershberger Thun stated they will be going to a closed session to discuss confidential appraisals. Mr. Norton said there will be no action unless staff is directed to acquire the property.

A motion was made by Councilmember Paulsen, to recess to closed session. The motion was seconded. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.

A motion was made by Councilmember Paulsen, to reconvene the regular City Council meeting. The motion was seconded. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.
 

A motion was made by Councilmember Amundsen, to adjourn the meeting at 9:12 p.m. The motion was seconded. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Vote: 5 Ayes, 0 Nays.
 

Respectfully submitted,

Tanya Schmieg
TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc.