City
Council Meeting Minutes
September 19, 2011
1. Roll Call
Acting Mayor Tammy Pust called to
order the Roseville City Council regular meeting at approximately 6:00 pm and welcomed
everyone; announcing that Mayor Roe was currently enroute. (Voting and Seating
Order for September: Willmus; Pust; McGehee; Johnson; and Roe). City Manager
Malinen had previously advised that he would not be present at tonight’s
meeting due to a scheduling conflict.
Also Present: City Department Heads
were available in the audience; with Assistant City Manager and Finance
Director Chris Miller; Community Development Director Patrick Trudgeon; Housing
Manager Jeanne Kelsey; and Police Chief Rick Mathwig participating in the meeting
as indicated.
Also Present: Housing and
Redevelopment Chair Dean Maschka and HRA Member Bill Masche
2.
Approve Agenda
Willmus moved, McGehee seconded,
approval of the agenda as presented.
Roll Call
Ayes: Willmus; Pust;
McGehee; and Johnson.
Nays: None.
3. Public Comment
Acting Mayor Pust called for public
comment by members of the audience on any non-agenda items.
a.
Timothy Callahan, 3062 Shorewood Lane
Mr. Callahan had with him and
referenced a copy of City Code, Chapter 405 (Noise Control Ordinance) and
expressed curiosity in who enforced the ordinance. Mr. Callahan questioned if
anyone was available to enforce it during the weekend or during evening hours.
Acting Mayor Pust advised that the
City’s Community Development Department staff was responsible for that
particular ordinance enforcement.
Community Development Director
Patrick Trudgeon advised that concerned residents should let his department
know if and when possible; however, they could contact the City’s Police Department
who was available 24/7 for enforcement or to alert appropriate staff for that
enforcement.
Mr. Callahan spoke to a specific
issue on a Saturday and the volume of the public address system at the
Northwestern College athletic fields. Mr. Callahan advised that the system was
so loud during an athletic event that it could be heard inside his home with
all the windows closed. Mr. Callahan advised that he had contacted the Police
Department and had been told by the responding officer that there was nothing
they could do about enforcing the noise ordinance in that situation. Mr.
Callahan opined that this situation was not acceptable to him and repeatedly
expressed his frustration.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that the City
had held conversations with Northwestern College’s Athletic Director three (3)
years ago and was under the impression that the situation had been addressed;
however, he advised that he would review the file for the specifics of that
conversation and would then contact the College again to discuss and alert them
to the situation.
Acting Mayor Pust advised that the
Police Department would also review the situation to determine the rationale
for the responding officer’s comments based on the actual records of the event.
Acting Mayor Pust noted that this would be in addition to the follow-up of Mr.
Trudgeon with the responsible parties at the College to see what they’re not
doing that they should be doing to comply with the City’s noise ordinance.
Councilmember Willmus questioned
the time of day that this occurred; with Mr. Callahan responding that it was at
2:00 pm for a duration of approximately two (2) hours during a football game.
Councilmember McGehee asked that
Chief Mathwig comment on the situation; and how such a complaint would normally
be handled.
Police Chief Rick Mathwig advised
that, since the Police Department is the division that is open 24/7, they often
handled noise complaints. Chief Mathwig advised that, while he had seen the
call for service relative to this issue; but that normally an event held by the
College and its football program and any related complaints would not be
handled by one officer on the scene, but referred to the institution for a
systemic resolution.
Acting Mayor Pust concurred that
it seemed that additional discussion should occur between Mr. Trudgeon and the
appropriate Northwestern College personnel to ensure enforcement in the future;
and that staff would then report back to Mr. Callahan on the results of those
discussions.
Acting Mayor Pust reiterated the
steps being taken by the City staff; assured Mr. Callahan that his concerns had
been heard; and that if he chose to not hear the assurances that his concerns
would be addressed, then that was his prerogative.
Mr. Callahan continued to express
his frustration; and advised that if the City chose to have selective
enforcement, he would take legal action against the City.
b.
John Kysylyczyn, 3083 N Victoria Street
Mr. Kysylyczyn referenced a recent
on-line article in the online Roseville Patch related to the City’s
efforts to build a new fire station. In the personal commentary portion of the
article, Mr. Kysylyczyn noted the statement made that past City Councils didn’t
pay close enough attention to fire department facilities, creating the need to
get a project accomplished today. While not concerned that there was no
apparent malice meant, Mr. Kysylyczyn opined that there were apparently some on
the City Council who did not have a thorough understanding of the fire station
issues and past efforts to address those issues.
Mr. Kysylyczyn provided a history
from 1999 when he was elected Mayor of Roseville and his platform to invest in
public safety. Mr. Kysylyczyn referenced various studies completed, and
available at City Hall or on its website, the referendum in 2002 as the first
step to empty out Fire Station #1 through renovation to City Hall and the
Public Works facility to relocate fire administration and computer support; a
study performed by the League of Women Voters on fire stations subsequent to
that referendum; and the most recently completed study Mr. Kysylyczyn noted
that the original intent was to build a fire station on the property behind the
Roseville Branch of the Ramsey County Library; however, since then the library
had expanded onto that property.
Mr. Kysylyczyn noted that some of
the current City Councilmembers were present on the City Council from 2007 –
2009 and should be familiar with this history; and while a new fire station is
a definite community need, the City Council should not allege that the project
has been sitting around with no one doing anything about it; opining that it
was in process until 2005 when the City Council dropped the ball.
Regarding a referendum and based
on his tenure as mayor, Mr. Kysylyczyn opined that there would be no fear of
the City Council in taking such a project to the voters, since the projected
cost was only for $8 million; and further opined that the City Council should
put their trust in the residents and let the voters decide. Mr. Kysylyczyn
advised that, when he hears negative comments about the City Hall project, his
response is that the majority voted for the project, and that serves to stifle
comments.
5.
Council Communications, Reports and Announcements
Acting Mayor Pust announced a joint
meeting on October 4, 2011 of the Shoreview and Roseville Human Rights
Commission and a presentation on Project 515 about laws discriminating against
same sex couples.
Acting Mayor Pust announced a
harvest event on October 2, 2011 sponsored and hosted by the Beyond the Yellow
Ribbon program; scheduled between 2:00 – 5:00 p.m. with the public invited.
6.
Recognitions, Donations, Communications
6. Approve Minutes
7.
Approve Consent Agenda
8. Consider Items Removed from Consent
12.
General Ordinances for Adoption
13.
Presentations
14.
Public Hearings
15.
Business Items (Action Items)
16.
Business Items – Presentations/Discussions
Mayor Roe arrived at this time,
approximately 6:24 p.m.
a.
Long Range Planning Discussion
Community Development Director
Patrick Trudgeon referenced the outline of tonight’s discussion (Attachment A),
as well as some summary information, detailed in the staff report dated
September 19, 2011. Attachments providing additional information and that
would be referenced during tonight’s presentation and discussion included:
·
Long Range Planning Meeting Outline – Draft (Attachment A)
·
Excerpt of the 2030 Comprehensive Plan (Attachment B)
·
Excerpt of Imagine Roseville 2025 Final Report – January
2007 (Attachment C)
·
Roseville HRA Strategic Plan – 2008-2012 (Attachment D)
·
Excerpt from Maxfield Research Housing Market Study (Attachment
E)
·
City of Roseville Demographic Information from 2000 and 2010
Census comparisons (Attachment F)
·
City of Roseville Housing Information comparisons from 2000 and
2010 Census (Attachment G)
·
Businesses and Jobs 2011 from Dunn and Bradstreet, 2011
(Attachment H)
·
Finance and Commerce article (http://finance-commerce.com) entitled
“Culture change or fad” Twin Cities Population shifts Toward Central Core” by
Bill Clements and published September 7, 2011 (Attachment I)
·
Urban Land article entitled “Reinventing Real Estate” by Jim Heid
and dated April 26, 2011 (Attachment I, continued)
·
Urban Land article entitled “Planning Communities for 2020” and
dated February 23, 2011 (Attachment I, continued)
·
Urban Land Institution study entitled, “Housing in America, The
Next Decade” by John McIlwain (Attachment I, continued)
·
Excerpt of Metropolitan Council study on Ownership Roseville
Affordable Housing – Ownership and Rent Affordability Limits 2011 (Attachment
J)
·
Minnesota Housing Partnership data (Attachment I, continued) on
housing market trends and 2 x 4 Report – 2011 Quarter 2
·
Chapter 15 of the Handbook for Minnesota Cities, last revised in
12/2010 (Attachment K-1)
·
Economic Development Authority Handbook, dated June 2011 (Attachment
K-2)
·
Minneapolis – Saint Paul Regional Business Plan, Executive
Summary dated April 2011 (Attachment L)
Additional handouts during the
meeting included:
·
Single family home values 2007 – 2011, with 2007 showing the last
increase in values
·
Inflow/Outflow of Jobs in the Community based on 2009 census
information provided by City Manager Malinen
·
Urban Land Institute – Minnesota – Educational Workshop entitled
“Navigating the New Normal, a ULI Minnesota (ULI MN) public official education
workshop
i. Current
Situation
Using data in the staff report and
related attachments, Mr. Trudgeon reviewed current housing and business
situation and trends.
ii. What
Do We Want?
Mr. Trudgeon continued to review
demographic information related to tonight’s discussion.
Mayor Roe recognized that the
increasing trend in people living alone may be based on the City’s older
demographics as well as those whose spouses are now deceased.
Councilmember Pust encouraged
staff to add this updated data to the City’s website, as much of that data was
still 2000, not 2010 census information.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that this was
staff’s intent as time allowed and with this information now available as gathered
for tonight’s discussion.
Mr. Trudgeon noted that the Dunn
and Bradstreet information may not all be Roseville-specific, but some may be
from the immediate regional area outside of Roseville (e.g. Falcon Heights);
and further noted that the information was broken down by NAICS classifications
and had mixed classifications.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that staff
would attempt to provide updates on this information going forward on an annual
basis as appropriate.
Discussion included those businesses
included in the “educational services” listing, most likely including higher education,
child care, business schools and other related services.
Mayor Roe clarified that the
number of jobs were positions, not FTE, and could represent part- or full-time
positions. In terms of jobs per business, Mayor Roe questioned if much weight
should be placed on that data, as the size of the business was also needed;
however, he opined that it was good information to have as long as it was taken
as intended.
Mr. Trudgeon referenced the
inflow/outflow of jobs in the community, based on 2009 census information from
City Manager Malinen as follows:
·
34,501 live in selection area, employed outside
·
30,140 employed in selection area, live outside
·
1,879 employed in and live in selection area
·
Councilmember McGehee provided a copy of information provided by
Police Chief Mathwig on housing and business types and their service requirements
·
Police Calls 2010 by category and type
Economic Impact Review on criteria
for establishing an Economic Development Authority, developed by the California
State legislature, currently on Governor Brown’s desk for signing or veto
before October 9, 2011
In factoring in the services
needed in the community, beyond that of the City’s population, Mr. Trudgeon estimated
that those services needed to be similar to those provided for a City with a
50,000 population.
Mayor Roe noted that services were
also needed for those in the community for a short-term while doing business.
Councilmember Pust questioned how
and if that would change when considering Roseville’s peer cities.
Councilmember Willmus opined that
trends may be found similar in most first-ring suburbs.
Councilmember McGehee requested
that staff provide the same data for other suburbs.
Mr. Trudgeon observed that the
data indicated that the number of people living in Roseville and employed in
Roseville was high compared to the Cities of Shoreview and St. Louis Park.
Mr. Trudgeon noted a workshop
entitled “Navigating the New Normal” that was available and recommended that
the City Council may wish to hold this two-hour workshop as a joint educational
venture with the Planning Commission; Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA)
and City Council, as well as other interested parties; where professionals
could address more detailed information on trends in the economy and projections.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that there was no charge for the workshop; and opined that
it may prove very timely and beneficial for current discussions. Mr. Trudgeon
estimated that the earliest available time for such a workshop, in facilitating
schedules, would be in November or December of 2011; and offered to work on
such an event at the direction of the City Council.
Mayor Roe opined that this was
certainly the type of information needed at this time; and questioned if the
presentation would be tailored to Roseville. Mayor Roe questioned if the City
was a member of the Urban Land Institute.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that the
presentation was by industry experts who provided an outside view of a specific
community. Mr. Trudgeon advised that membership in the ULI was individual,
with some of the City’s Planning and Community Development staff having
individual memberships in the ULI.
Councilmember Pust advised that
she had seen a portion of the presentation, and that it provided great
information.
Mayor Roe, with Council consensus,
directed staff to schedule a workshop; and to have the City’s administrative
secretary arrange schedules for Councilmembers, advisory commissioners, and
logistics.
At this point, Mr. Trudgeon
advised that he was concluding his presentation of data; and asked Mayor Roe to
proceed with discussion at his discretion.
Mayor Roe opined that more
information was needed projecting how and what businesses were indicated in the
future; the demographics of who was moving into the metropolitan area or other
places who may have the option of choosing Roseville; and form a marketing
point of view, how they choose, where growth is anticipated, and how it fits in
with what is currently available and what needs to be enhanced.
Mr. Trudgeon opined that the
“Navigating the New Normal” was a great place to determine what the future
would bring.
Mr. Trudgeon noted the dominant
factor played by Baby Boomers in everything currently happening and projected
to happen in society; as well as that of the Generation Y group born from the
late 1970’s to mid-1990’s and their radical and different points of view of
work and lifestyles; including predicted trends in their interest in remaining
active and wanting to return to the central city or inner-ring suburbs rather
than the outer suburbs to be where the action is; and their interest in
non-traditional senior housing. From that perspective, Mr. Trudgeon opined
that Roseville was very well positioned with their current marketing efforts,
even though it was too early to determine the results of that marketing at this
point; but encouraged additional discussion and review of the City’s relevancy
to regenerate the entire community, neighborhoods, schools, and businesses over
the next decade as those shifts become available.
Mayor Roe noted similar references
to that effect in the articles included by staff in the agenda packet
materials. Mayor Roe noted that he’d found those articles very interesting and
encouraged the public to check them out on line. Mayor Roe opined that the
cyclical nature of those trends was what the community needed to focus on in order
to handle those changes as generations cycle through, as had been previously
preliminarily discussed by the City Council.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that staff
did not have solutions; but knew that the City needed to be aware of those
trends and attempt to adapt as indicated.
Mayor Roe concurred, opining that
developers were following those same trends and they would look to meet the
demand as indicated.
Councilmember McGehee opined that
the demographic information was vital to avoid the City losing ground; however,
she noted that the City was currently heavily-invested in senior housing; and
further opined that the development market had a tendency to push the same type
of developments, and that instead the City needed economic diversity.
Mayor Roe noted the business
information provided on types in the community, and noted the current
diversity, including technical and professional jobs, even though so much
emphasis was placed on retail jobs. Mayor Roe opined that this lack of
recognition of those types of businesses may be due to their limited impact on
City services, even though they provided good jobs and the City needed to
ensure that the balance was maintained.
Councilmember Willmus referenced
the city-wide market values compared with other first-ring suburbs and how they
remained sustained, expressing his surprise in that information. Councilmember
Willmus opined that this indicated a fairly stable market when compared with
other communities.
Mr. Trudgeon noted that, based on
the information from Ramsey County, Roseville had the highest valuation of
those comparable communities and maintained the largest gross dollar value for
single-family, duplexes and townhomes; as well as in rental and commercial
properties across the board.
Councilmember Willmus opined that
this benefit was derived through the City’s typical mixed land uses.
Mayor Roe noted that this was a
look at per capita; however, it was also interesting to compare whether or not
the City had the highest gross dollar value and highest unit price compared to
peer cities, which may provide additional information. Mayor Roe noted that,
as City government, as well as its residents and business owners, this indicated
pride of ownership in that value as well. Mayor Roe asked that staff provide
additional peer city comparisons.
Councilmember Johnson left the meeting at this time,
approximately 6:55 p.m., due to a family emergency medical situation.
Councilmember McGehee spoke in
support to continue to ensure diversity in housing and to improve on existing
housing stock and types. Councilmember McGehee advised that the comments from
her constituents were related to the small number of higher end executive single-family
and townhomes available in Roseville; and that this was a type of housing
needed and desired in Roseville. Councilmember McGehee opined that there was a
need to retain the relationship between the City’s tax base and services it
provided, noting that the community was older with older homes and businesses
being rehabilitated, not new construction, with those values naturally
declining. In order to maintain the amenities and public services and safety
facilities, Councilmember McGehee noted the need to provide employees, visitors
as well as residents with ongoing services, based on increasing the City’s tax
base with businesses and higher valued homes that would benefit that tax base.
Councilmember McGehee opined that it was important that the development coming
into Roseville benefited the tax base rather than costing more in services than
they brought forward.
Councilmember McGehee provided a
copy of information provided by Police Chief Mathwig on housing and business
types and their service requirements.
Mr. Trudgeon clarified that, while
it was interesting to conjecture certain uses with city services and talk about
the need for positive tax and the amount of taxes greater than their benefit;
however, while not being negative, the heart of the matter was that the detail
that could be provided through a fiscal impact study would be more specific and
accurate.
Related to fiscal impact studies,
Mr. Trudgeon advised that there were differences in developing a community with
a lot of open spaces with development impacts greater on infrastructure and
services; where if a fully developed community such as Roseville, those impacts
were more incremental since there is already some infrastructure available and
in place to provide some level of service.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that the rule
of thumb was that often residents are found to have a greater impact on City
services than commercial, with few exceptions, as they have a greater demand in
consuming parks, trails and schools.
While recognizing that fiscal
impact studies are powerful tools, Mr. Trudgeon cautioned decision-making on
that alone, and questioned if such decision-making was even legal under state
statute. Mr. Trudgeon suggested that, if something was identified as a winner
from a tax base standpoint, while also being identified as a community need and
supportable in the market place, the City may wish to consider incenting that
development or project as much as possible, given limited resources to do so.
However, Mr. Trudgeon suggested that this is where the City’s energy should be
focused, and while fiscal impacts were an interesting part of any land use
discussion, it should not be the sole decision-making consideration.
Mayor Roe concurred that decisions
not be made exclusively on a fiscal impact basis, and opined that there were
different levels of land use and other supporting documents for that land use,
such as the Comprehensive Plan. Mayor Roe opined that it would seem to be a
reasonable expectation that within mixed use communities, there would be some
net users and some net providers within that mix.
Mayor Roe suggested that staff provide
additional information on how, if determined by the City Council as a beneficial
direction to proceed, a fiscal impact policy could meld into the
decision-making process, how much information was already available and how
much additional information was needed and could be provided; and affiliated
costs for such a study in order to develop a policy.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that in early
2000, there was a Metropolitan Council study that looked at six (6)
metropolitan suburbs for a study; and offered to get that information to the
City Council.
Councilmember McGehee provided
another bench handout that included interesting points for evaluation by the
City Council on creation of an Economic Development Authority or Commission;
and the criteria in establishing such a body.
Mayor Roe opined that the ULI workshop
would provide additional information as well; and asked that Mr. Trudgeon track
down the Metropolitan Council study previously referenced.
Mayor Roe further opined that the
City seemed well-served to-date by its goals and statements in the Imagine
Roseville 2025 and Comprehensive Plan documents.
Housing – Identified Wants
Councilmember McGehee noted that
the Comprehensive Plan and Imagine Roseville 2025 documents were drawn
up before the impacts of the economic slump were known; and advised that she
wasn’t hearing that the slump was coming to an end; opining that the City
needed to adjust to long-term and suggested that the documents be adjusted to
reflect that new economic reality.
Mayor Roe noted that, while it was
true that many of the documents were prepared before the “new normal,” the
goals (e.g. regional leadership in sustainable development) remained relevant
today and seemed to be following the direction of the market place and enhancing
diversity. Mayor Roe opined that the question was how to pull that all
together into a business strategy.
Councilmember Willmus, with
concurrence by Mayor Roe, opined that all of the documents were
forward-looking; and cautioned becoming reactionary or radically adjusting
goals and objectives. Councilmember Willmus opined that this would cause the
City to miss the mark and become significantly handicapped going forward.
Councilmember McGehee advised that
her point was, when discussing zoning changes, the City needed to be more
aggressive with LEED certified building and encouraging higher energy
efficiencies, which was very much a part of those general goals. Councilmember
McGehee encouraged that the City continue to target those areas based on the
general goals (e.g. native landscaping, increased vegetation in parking lots)
and provided several examples in the community of those enhanced aesthetics.
In the example cited by
Councilmember McGehee, and at the request of Mayor Roe, Mr. Trudgeon responded
that the enhanced aesthetics were part of complying with the new zoning code.
Mayor Roe noted the need to put
goals and aspirations into one (1) document to make them more user-friendly and
accessible. Mayor Roe asked that staff consolidate them in one location for
more realistic application.
Mr. Trudgeon noted that, in 2012,
the HRA would be updating their Strategic Plan from the current five-year
plan. Mr. Trudgeon advised that the information presented tonight would be
part of that document based on the direction received. Mr. Trudgeon referenced
those materials presented tonight, opining that they represented good base line
information; and that the housing and business information, whether as a whole
or separately, were not exclusive of each other and did not indicate only what
the market wanted, but also community needs and benefits. Mr. Trudgeon
cautioned that, just because the City identified what it wanted, the market may
not support it, or it may need to be subsidized if unable to stand on its own.
Discussion ensued regarding the
housing market report information for the need for 40-50 new single-family
homes being done prior to the recent Pulte development and those executive
homes.
Housing Manager Jeanne Kelsey
clarified for Mayor Roe that the Applewood II senior assisted and cooperative
living project was taken into account in the report, as it was in the planning
stages.
Councilmember Pust opined that no
matter how the community evolved or the economy ended up, there would continue
to be a need for better and more public transportation, with housing and
businesses locations dependent upon where that transportation was located.
Councilmember Willmus asked staff
to provide an update of 2009 housing market analysis projections.
Further discussion included
housing information available on the International City Manager’s Association
(ICMA) website for sustainable cities; average income guidelines for affordable
housing delineations; whether condominium living was large enough for a family
of four (4); how affordable units were calculated by the Metropolitan Council
and how current market value or existing units were not part of that calculation
for future goals and/or needs; drop of housing values making more homes affordable,
while dropping incomes may not make homes any more affordable for many
families; and the need to balance police call stats with those at the Rosedale
service area, and how to accurately identify police calls based on per capita
or specific land uses and which had greater impact; or various tax bases and
percentage of property taxes paid and comparable police call activities.
Councilmember McGehee expressed
concern with the Police Department database and how information could be filtered.
Police Chief Mathwig advised that
the information displayed during tonight’s presentation by Councilmember
McGehee had been in response to her public information request of the
department; with this synopsis including some residential and some retail
calls. Chief Mathwig advised that the City’s data system was based off 9-1-1
calls by address, by land line or cell phone; and did not indicate the type of
land use, whether commercial or residential, with that information only becoming
available when the officer arrived on site unless they were personally familiar
with a specific address. Chief Mathwig advised that this data was used by
civilian law enforcement agencies throughout the nation and built on address
listings.
Mayor Roe noted that the City’s GIS
system may be able to provide more refined data; however, he questioned whether
the cost of such a search would be of value.
Councilmember Pust questioned the
purpose of further study or discussion, opining that the City already had generalized
knowledge applicable to Roseville, and questioned why Roseville would be any different
that other communities or whether residential properties versus commercial
properties required any more or less in City services.
Mayor Roe concurred with
Councilmember Pust, opining that he didn’t want to spend a lot of time or
resources gathering additional information.
Councilmember McGehee noted that
the City’s Public Safety budget represented 48% of the City’s total budget.
Councilmember Pust reiterated her
assertion that a “typical” community applied to Roseville as well.
Councilmember McGehee clarified
that she had not asked for information; however, she noted that a typical community
had 20 square feet of retail per capita, while Roseville had 100 square feet
per capita, making the City of Roseville different and not typical.
iii. How
Do We Get There?
Mayor Roe asked Mr. Trudgeon to
provide preliminary comments on those areas outlined for further and/or future
consideration.
More Information
Mr. Trudgeon noted the requests
for additional information from staff as discussed and as previously indicated.
Resources
Mr. Trudgeon noted that there
appeared to be spending already for appropriate necessary resources for
marketing and outreach; while the City may want to consider additional
resources for attracting new and enhancing existing businesses, find ways to
provide realistic incentives, such as loan programs, assistance with land acquisition,
offering employee training for current businesses, or create incubators for new
businesses. Mr. Trudgeon noted that any future appropriation would be more
than the current 0% being allotted.
Staffing
Mr. Trudgeon noted that he didn’t
throw this into the discussion lightly; but suggested additional
reorganization, hiring of additional support staff; or hiring of professionals
on staff to serve as lead persons may be appropriate.
Policy boards
Mr. Trudgeon noted that this was
the area for the most City Council discussion and consideration; and provided a
list of options. Mr. Trudgeon advised that, during his research, State law and
City Council resolution had been done in 1987 to establish a port authority.
However, Mr. Trudgeon advised that he needed to further research that action
and any results; even though the City still apparently had a port authority.
Discussion included if a port
authority existed, when they last met; current Local Development Corporation
serving the City through its HRA; and rationale in developing another citizen
advisory commission needing to be staffed and creating another bureaucratic
step for developers.
Mayor Roe noted that the City of
Shoreview had an Economic Development Commission for a number of years, and had
just enacted an Economic Development Authority to replace it; and asked that
staff contact Shoreview staff for anecdotal information on benefits and challenges
and their rationale in making that change.
Regulatory changes
Mr. Trudgeon advised that if any
or additional barriers were found in the City’s zoning code or other regulatory
documents, or if they were found not to be proactive, staff would recommend
changes. Mr. Trudgeon noted that another issue was the process itself, since
for a developer, time was money, and the longer they had to wait for approval,
the more it hurt the City’s ability to respond to the market. Mr. Trudgeon
recognized that the City needed a regulatory function; however, it needed to be
realistic and reasonable.
Mayor Roe noted ongoing
discussions at the Regional Council of Mayors meetings in how to streamline
development, not only at the city level, but region-wide as well.
Mr. Trudgeon noted the need to
fast track permitting, and how and when approvals could be done
administratively based on their level of expertise versus how and when City
Council approval was warranted. Mr. Trudgeon advised that administrative
approvals speed up the process, assuming appropriate regulations are in place
with the new zoning code already accommodating most cases; allowing staff to predict
a relatively accurate timeline for development, rather than attempting to meet
schedules for hearings and meetings of the City Council.
Mayor Roe asked that staff provide
a list of those things that the City Council may want to incent, or the type of
thing staff was looking at and their level of difficulty to provide incentives.
Role of public
Mr. Trudgeon suggested more discussion
on the public role and their input as plans develop; and at what level the City
Council wanted that public input and how to implement that public input with
fewer resources and beyond policy boards.
Mayor Roe noted that the notice
distance had been expanded for public hearings before the Planning Commission
on land use case. Mayor Roe opined that the current work being done by the
Human Rights Commission and their Civic Engagement Task force should accomplish
a number of the goals for that public process. Mayor Roe noted that such
methods as district council review of developments, as is done in Minneapolis
and St. Paul, may not be appropriate to Roseville, due to our population relative
to the districts in those cities.
Mr. Trudgeon noted that the
ever-expanding use of technology and social media options would help that
public information and involvement process.
Councilmember McGehee cautioned
that, due to the City’s heavy senior population, while they may use e-mail for
communication, they may not be inclined to use the City’s website for
information; and opined that she would like to see the City’s official
newspaper carry more information to engage citizens.
Mayor Roe pointed out that his
suggestion had been that staff consolidate some of this information in one area
to include the City’s strategies, goals and objectives.
Councilmember Willmus noted that
the Neighborhood Engagement Task force was looking at all of those areas.
Mr. Trudgeon advised that staff
was aware that “one size doesn’t fit all” in communicating with and engaging
the public, and keeping them informed.
Mayor Roe noted that it may not
only be senior citizens, but also individuals or families that were unable to
invest in technology for their communication needs. Mayor Roe opined that a
majority of the senior population were pretty technologically savvy.
Regional Initiatives
Mr. Trudgeon advised that this
would include company CEO’s; and how to promote the region and bring in jobs;
how to be aware of those opportunities and coordinate efforts, such as through
membership in Regional Economic Development Partnerships. Even though the City
of Roseville was not a member, Mr. Trudgeon advised that the City was taking
advantage of the benefits; however, to continue doing so and receive more tangible
results of those efforts, the City may need to invest more. Mr. Trudgeon noted
that many of the benefits went beyond costs; and were intangibles, and hard to
quantify. While recognizing the financial challenges, if feasible, Mr. Trudgeon
suggested the City may want to put some resources toward that partnership.
As elected officials, Mayor Roe
noted the opportunities, as well as challenges, in dedicating staff resources
and time toward economic development; as well as how the City is judged based
on their contribution to and/or membership in some of the regional partnerships
and organizations referenced by Mr. Trudgeon. Mayor Roe noted that through
involvement on their respective boards and in their policy studies, above and
beyond the financial participation side, other communities (e.g. St. Louis Park
HRA) fund economic development through service fees associated with the HRA or
EDA that the City of Roseville was not currently charging but could be done
outside of general property taxes.
Mayor Roe opined that the City
Council needed to keep all options in the funding resource mix toward the
overall goals; and encouraged staff to keep the City Council apprised of such
opportunities. Mayor Roe noted that this remained a “work in progress.”
At the request of Mayor Roe for
any additional comment, Councilmember McGehee expressed her frustration that
things were brought forward to the City Council without a larger community
context for approval, with no discussion on how it fit in the community.
Mayor Roe asked if Councilmember
McGehee was specifically referencing community development projects.
Councilmember McGehee responded
affirmatively; and asked that the City Council’s decisions be made within a
broader context going forward based on creating a policy under which to
consider items brought before it.
Mayor Roe noted that development
projects to-date included information on how they related to goals in Imagine
Roseville 2025 and the Comprehensive Plan; or any negative impacts. Mayor
Roe asked that staff be sure to continue including that information as
applicable, whether positive or negative impacts were indicated; and expressing
why staff has recommended that an application proceed through the process.
Councilmember Willmus, based on
the data and presentation tonight, opined that the City of Roseville appeared
to be doing a lot of things right; and while agreeing that it was advantageous
to have more community input, he didn’t want to completely circumvent the
current process.
Mayor Roe concurred with
Councilmember Willmus; opining that there may be other things that local
government could foster, such as the St. Louis Park presentation given last
year to the HRA. However, Mayor Roe noted, and Community Development director Trudgeon
confirmed, that St. Louis Park Community Development staff was twenty-one (21)
in their Inspections Department alone since they required point-of-sale inspections;
while the City of Roseville ran a small and lean operation.
Councilmember Pust noted that the
City of Roseville continued to reduce or eliminate its staff rather than adding
staff.
Mayor Roe opined that, to the extent
the city wanted to do things, beyond volunteers, resources would need to be considered.
Councilmember Willmus reminded
staff to get all of tonight’s handouts and packet on the website for public information.
Mr. Trudgeon asked Councilmember
McGehee for electronic copies of her handouts from tonight’s meeting.
Mayor Roe asked that, for the
purpose of easier accessibility by the public, the studies, data and other
information referenced tonight be put in a specific place on the website.
Mr. Trudgeon confirmed, with
Council consensus that the next step for staff would be to schedule the “New
Normal” workshop and discussion; in addition to the information as requested
for staff to procure.
Mayor Roe suggested that, given
the number of schedules to accommodate and the approaching holiday season that
the workshop be scheduled sooner rather than later.
Councilmember McGehee concurred
with the observation of Councilmember Willmus that the City was doing many
things correctly and comparably to other first-ring suburbs; especially when
compared to St. Louis Park and other communities, the City of Roseville had
almost no staff dedicated to economic development; and recognizing that this
was a lot of work.
Mayor Roe concurred, opining that,
while the City had a small staff, they were all “super human.”
Mayor Roe questioned when the City
Council wanted a follow-up on tonight’s discussion, beyond the additional information
being requested and the workshop to be scheduled in the near future.
Councilmember Willmus suggested,
with Councilmember consensus, that further discussion or timing for such a discussion
be held after the workshop was held.
Mr. Trudgeon expressed staff’s
appreciation of the City Council’s time and consideration in discussing this
information, and in their willingness to hold the ULI workshop.
17.
City Manager Future Agenda Review
18.
Councilmember-Initiated Items for Future Meetings
16. Adjourn
McGehee moved, Pust seconded,
adjournment of the meeting at approximately 8:04 pm.