City
Council Meeting Minutes
Jul 1, 2013
1.
Roll Call
Mayor Roe called to order a special
meeting of the Roseville City Council at approximately 6:00 pm, and welcomed
everyone. Voting and Seating Order: Laliberte; McGehee; Willmus; Etten; and
Roe. City Attorney Mark Gaughan was also present.
Mayor Roe noted the purpose of the
meeting was specifically those items as noted on tonight’s agenda. Mayor Roe
further advised that Councilmember Etten was not available due to a pre-excused
absence.
2. Approve Agenda
McGehee moved, Willmus seconded,
approval of the agenda as presented.
Roll
Call
Ayes: Laliberte; McGehee; Willmus; and
Roe.
Nays: None.
3. Public Comment
No one appeared to speak at this
time.
4. Council
Communications, Reports and Announcements
Mayor Roe announced vacancies on
the City’s Human Rights Commission (1), Police Civil Service Commission (1),
and Planning Commission (1), with applications due at City Hall by July 10,
2013.
Councilmember Laliberte expressed
the community’s thoughts and prayers for the families of the nineteen firefighters
who lost their lives in the line of duty in Prescott, AZ; with Mayor Roe
acknowledging the danger faced by firefighters in serving the public.
5. Recognitions,
Donations, Communications
6. Approve Minutes
7.
Approve Consent Agenda
8.
Consider Items Removed from Consent
9.
General Ordinances for Adoption
10.
Presentations
a.
Status of Local Emergency Response to June 21 Storm Damage
A copy of the Mayor’s Proclamation
Declaring a Local Emergency from storm damage experienced in the community on
June 21 and 22, 2013, along with supporting resolutions authorized at an
Emergency Meeting of the City Council on Saturday, June 22, 2013, was provided
as a bench handout, attached hereto and made a part hereof.
Interim City Manager Patrick
Trudgeon provided a brief overview of the City’s response to the storm damage.
Mr. Trudgeon commended staff on being very well prepared to deal with the after
affects, recognizing that emergency preparedness was due to the training staff
had received from the City Staff’s Emergency Management Team coordinated by
Fire Department personnel, Greg Peterson and Dave Brosnahan; and publically
thanked them for that training. Mr. Trudgeon also noted that none of the front
line staff required calling, but showed up on their own; and again formally and
publically recognized their efforts; and suggested a more formal recognition of
those efforts by the City Council at a future date.
After consultation with lead staff
and the City Attorney, Mr. Trudgeon advised that they found no reason to extend
the local emergency past July 1, 2013; only necessary if significant additional
expenses beyond normal operations were experienced. However, Mr. Trudgeon
advised that he did not anticipate costs above what could be accommodated in
the normal process of operations.
Greg Peterson
Mr. Peterson reviewed the
timeframe of the storms, with the City of Roseville and surrounding communities
struck by heavy winds at 7:40 p.m. on Friday, June 21, 2013; resulting in70% of
the community being without power. Mr. Peterson advised that the Police and
Fire Departments were the first responders to assist residents, with the Public
Works Department arriving shortly thereafter; with Friday evening and Saturday
spent keeping things functional. Mr. Peterson noted that an emergency meeting
of the City Council and certain City Staff was held Saturday morning to review
the initial status of the City and responses to the disaster; and to ensure
communications with citizens was in place, with a storm hotline established,
providing immediate assistance, followed by a full damage assessment by the
Public Works and Parks & Recreation Departments, along with other departments
assisting as well.
Dave Brasnahan
Mr. Brasnahan advised that weather
forecasts had prompted the Fire Department to call in 29 additional staff in
addition to the five on duty shift crew; and that response and assistance
efforts were coordinated between two stations in coordination with Ramsey
County Dispatch. Mr. Brasnahan advised that 54 calls were responded to between
8:00 pm and 1:00 pm; with 120 calls taken in the first 48 hours, and in excess
of that over a 72 hour period. Mr. Brasnahan advised that most of the issues
were related to trees and power lines down, and flooded streets. Mr. Brasnaham
noted that this was a 400% increase over normal operations for the department.
Parks & Recreation Director
Lonnie Brokke
Mr. Brokke advised that their
staff was out the majority of the weekend; with 76-100 trees down, in a variety
of sizes; with ten 10 trees alone down at the Golf Course. However, Mr. Brokke
advised that there appeared to be no building damage to shelters or park
structures; and thanked the Adopt-a-Park volunteers for their assistance in
clean-up efforts to pick up smaller items, allowing staff to focus on the
larger debris. Mr. Brokke noted that clean-up would continue for the next few
weeks; and expressed hope that the ground would dry out to avoid additional
trees being uprooted from winds due to the heavily saturated soils from
numerous and heavy recent rain storms.
In terms of cost, Mr. Brokke
estimated that internal labor and equipment costs to-date was approximately
$3,000; contractual tree removal in parks approximately $6,000. While clearing
streets remained the first priority, Mr. Brokke advised that his department, along
with the Public Works Department would continue to work with a tree contractor
to remove public and private property debris placed on the boulevard and
suitable for removal or chipping.
Mr. Brokke advised that, once the
initial clean-up was completed, future work would include stump removal from
significant trees lost, clean up of branches and limbs over trails; resulting
an additional $15,000 estimated for contractual work and debris removal; with
an additional $5,000 in internal costs for labor and equipment, and some
incidental supply costs of a few hundred dollars (e.g. chain saw blades). Mr.
Brokke advised that some trails were also undermined due to trees being
uprooted and excessive rain.
Mr. Brokke advised that he wasn’t
anticipating additional overtime costs above those experienced the weekend of
the storm; with remaining clean-up taken on as part of regular duties of the
department. Mr. Brokke thanked the Public Works, Fire and Police Departments,
along with the City Council, for their assistance and support. Mr. Brokke
noted that the Run and Roll of the Roses had been cancelled for the first time
ever due to safety concerns with downed power lines and trees.
Public Works Director Duane
Schwartz
Mr. Schwartz provided an overview
of initial clean-up efforts, with those concerns focusing on various utility
emergencies and blocked streets from trees and/or power lines down; with 7 of
the City’s sanitary sewer lift stations and water booster station without power.
Mr. Schwartz advised that all streets were opened to traffic to some degree by
June 27, and the last lift station’s power restored by late Sunday morning,
June 23. The initial cost for the three day response was estimated by Mr.
Schwartz to be $13,000; even with staff on duty 24/7 for several days from June
22 – June 23. Due to staff’s jockeying of portable generators, Mr. Schwartz
advised that they had been aware of no reports of private property damage due
to lift station back-ups.
Mr. Schwartz briefly displayed an
example from the City’s Asset Management Program providing a breakdown of
resources and costs by task, now available through the City’s software program.
As of the end of the day on June
26, 2013, Mr. Schwartz advised that 1,862 properties had debris curbside, and
estimated that there were over 2,000 properties in Roseville with damage. Mr.
Schwartz noted that most property owners moved quickly to get their debris
curbside; while some had hired a private contractor, or hauled the debris
themselves to various Ramsey County compost sites.
Mr. Schwartz advised that the City
had coordinated with Ramsey County to use their Kent Street site exclusively
for city-hauled debris staging area, with debris hauling begun on June 23 by
City trucks and with assistance of a contractor. Mr. Schwartz advised that
City staff was chipping some of the smaller piles; and estimated completion of
the first city-wide pass-through by July 20th; and one additional
pass for properties first addressed before July 8; followed by additional
clean-up in parks and on boulevards. Mr. Schwartz estimated over 100 trees
with additional damage (e.g. cracked trunks, hanging branches, etc.).
Mr. Schwartz detailed storm
clean-up costs to-date as follows:
|
Initial contractor costs
|
$20,000
|
|
Initial staff response costs
|
20,000
|
|
Contractor debris hauling
|
100,000
|
|
Staff debris hauling/chipping
|
175,000
|
|
Debris processing
|
30,000 – 40,000
|
|
Stump disposal
|
10,000 – 15,000
|
|
Misc. rentals, etc.
|
10,000
|
|
Follow-up tree trimming and/or removal
|
25,000
|
|
Total Debris Cost Estimate
|
405,000
|
|
|
|
Interim City Manager Trudgeon
emphasized to the public that the Kent Street site was exclusively for city
use, not public use; with Mr. Schwartz advising the public to continue using
the other typical Ramsey County sites to ensure monitoring for the benefit of
Roseville residents.
At the request of Mayor Roe, Mr.
Schwartz advised that staff was seeking direction from the City Council on
whether commercial properties could also receive curbside pickup of debris,
similar to residential property owners. Mr. Schwartz advised that to-date only
one church and less than a dozen businesses had asked for this service; and
advised that there were a few trees on private and commercial properties yet to
be addressed. Mr. Schwartz advised that he anticipated only a few of those
commercial or institutional properties wanting the City’s assistance for debris
removal; and advised that staff was amenable to doing so if the City Council
directed accordingly.
At the request of Councilmember McGehee,
Mr. Schwartz clarified that the City would remove debris at curbside until it
had been completed; then would move back to those neighborhoods addressed prior
to July 8, at which time the city would pass through those neighborhoods for a
second time; with the intent that the entire City would be covered one time.
At the request of Councilmember
Laliberte, Mr. Schwartz advised that removal of EAB quarantined trees would be
done by contractors fully aware of MN Department of Agriculture guidelines.
Greg Peterson
Mr. Peterson advised that, in his
contact with Ramsey County, the City of Roseville had been the only City to
initially declare an emergency, with others following suit. Mr. Peterson
advised that in order to meet federal assistance guidelines for such a
disaster, costs needed to reach $7.5 million county-wide. While all costs will
continue to be documented and forwarded to Ramsey County, Mr. Peterson
anticipated that the City would remain on its own for cost recovery, with
estimates under $500,000.
Councilmember Willmus thanked all
staff for their efforts, and the time put in over the weekend.
Willmus moved, Laliberte
seconded, to extend pick-up for tree debris removal to commercial and
institutional properties; following the same process and criteria used for
residential properties.
At the request of Councilmember
McGehee, Council consensus was that this motion to also provide this service to
commercial and institutional properties was not intended to set a precedent and
was specific to this disaster only, not constituting an established policy of
the body; with future disasters determined on a per case basis, noting that
staff indicated the impacts would be minimal at this point.
Roll
Call
Ayes: Laliberte; McGehee;
Willmus; and Roe.
Nays: None.
Mayor Roe once again thanked
everyone for their efforts and their immediate response in the initial hours;
opining that it was very impressive.
Recess
Mayor Roe recessed the meeting at approximately 6:28 pm and
reconvened at approximately 6:40 pm.
b.
Joint Meeting with Housing & Redevelopment Authority (HRA)
Mayor Roe welcomed members of the
Roseville HRA to tonight’s quarterly joint meeting with the City Council.
Members present included HRA Chair Dean Maschka; and HRA Members Kelly Quam;
Susan Elkins; Vicki Lee; Bill Masche. Acting HRA Executive Director Jeanne
Kelsey was also present in the audience.
Dale Street Fire Station
Chair Maschka introduced Gretchen
Nicolls, Corridor Development Initiative (CDI) representative who had been
working with the HRA and staff on the Dale Street redevelopment project and
invited her to review the process and recommendations from those community
meetings. Chair Maschka opined that he had found the entire process interesting
and a very good experience.
Ms. Nicolls provided a brief
overview of the operations of the CDI over the last ten years with the purpose
of providing a framework for housing and mixed use development for Twin Cities’
neighborhoods, while understanding the market and to assess community values to
merge those two through a proactive planning process and mobilize them between
the planning and implementation stages.
Ms. Nicolls noted that the
advisory group designing this process included HRA Member Bill Majerus; Dan
Maser; HRA Chair Dean Maschka; Fred O’Neil; Ken Hartman; City staff members Pat
Trudgeon, Jeanne Kelsey and City Councilmembers Tammy McGehee and Jason Etten.
Other CDI representatives involved included Facilitator Barbara Raye; Katie
Berger, overseeing the gathering block exercise; Alan Arthur for the
development workshop and assisting in assessment of financial feasibility of options;
guest presenter Todd Rhoades; Ms. Nicolls and Roseville staff.
Ms. Nicolls reviewed the various
community outreach and communication tools used to engage citizens for the four
workshops, each focusing on a different aspect: 1) Information Gathering; 2)
Block Exercise; 3) Developer Panel; and 4) Framing the Recommendations. Ms.
Nicolls noted that, throughout the process, there was real curiosity expressed
by those attending on how the process might inform the community’s voice to
achieve an excited versus frustrated redevelopment project.
Chair Maschka noted that the
adjacent area to the Dale Street project had some other significant areas of
concern, including the safety of the intersection and street alignment.
Chair Maschka noted the two main
concepts developed and coming forward for recommendation at this point for
development of a house on a lot with a common area, with fairly intensive density
proposed; whether as free-standing townhomes or other types of homes, still
being explored. Another concept included a 55 plus, market rate housing
apartment building that would blend into the existing homes and transition the
area. Chair Maschka noted that the devil was in the details, specifically financial
viability, and cautioned that those specifics would need to be worked through.
Chair Maschka opined that, if the City wanted a certain type of housing, it
would need to determine how to achieve that goal, particularly in the area of financial
assistance. Chair Maschka advised that the next step for the HRA would be
development of a Request for Proposals (RFP).
Chair Maschka reiterated his
interest in this very unique experience, and recommended that the process be
used on future development projects as well.
HRA Member Vicki Lee expressed
appreciation for the proactive process and bringing in area residents upfront
rather than afterward.
Chair Maschka noted another issue
that came forward during the process was a highlighted at a recent Metropolitan
Council session on residential development metro-wide that he and Ms. Kelsey
had attended. Chair Maschka advised that those issues were also evidenced in
research provided in the updated Maxfield Study, indicating that things will
develop differently in the future. One consideration was, with the City
recently eliminating Planned Unit Developments (PUDs), how the City would
handle variances, if something came up that didn’t fit current zoning requirements.
Chair Maschka advised that the Metropolitan Council session emphasized the need
for innovation, with a lot of today’s rules no longer working, evidenced across
redevelopment efforts nationwide. An example for Roseville included the Roseville
retail area, with many strip malls no longer working, with Chair Maschka noting
that the provided great redevelopment opportunities for housing as they were
often located on busy streets along mass transportation routes. While
Roseville currently has a very strong retail system, Chair Maschka suggested
that the system varied from a shopping experience at Rosedale versus changes
being experienced for other retail areas. Chair Maschka also noted that many
young families want to locate in the Roseville area, and they want housing
options not currently available in Roseville (e.g. better designed townhomes
and/or apartments); but desiring a quality of life beyond a 30 minute commute
to and from work. While this represented a different generation for marketing
purposes, Chair Maschka opined that it put Roseville in a tremendous place to
develop based on that perspective.
At the request of Mayor Roe, Chair
Maschka advised that the next step would be for the HRA to develop an RFP,
based on the process to-date and any feedback provided by the City Council at
tonight’s meeting. One thing for the City Council to consider will be how to
finance a project to make it work or how a project can prove innovative enough
to qualify for grant funds; noting that something will be required to fill the
financial gap, and how best to do that.
At the request of Mayor Roe as to
whether or not the City Council needed to formally adopt the next steps, Chair
Maschka advised that, with concurrence by Acting HRA Executive Director Kelsey,
the HRA had received fairly good direction for the next step. Chair Maschka
advised that Ms. Kelsey was currently working with the University of MN to get
student architects to do design work on the type of housing; opining that the
design would prove important to attract the right partners to make a project
work financially.
Councilmember McGehee concurred
with Chair Maschka on the process used for this project, opining that she’d
found it exciting to see citizens attending from beginning to end, and fully engaged
and involved. However, she recognized along with Chair Maschka that the
details were the most important element. From the point of view of the City
Council, Councilmember McGehee opined that it was vital that this project
succeed, not just for the community, but for this difficult site, with a number
of serious issues beyond its minimal size. While concern has already been
raised about price, Councilmember McGehee opined that it was not as important
as moving forward as a community to find different forms of development and new
amenities and housing types for the community to allow them to blend in and be
acceptable to existing residents in a neighborhood. Councilmember McGehee
opined that the bungalow housing style seemed to be very appealing to people in
the neighborhood during the process and would serve to blend a higher density
into the existing single-family neighborhood, while allowing for a potential
apartment complex on the busier Dale Street side. Councilmember McGehee opined
that environmental issues would continue to be an important aspect for this
project for her; as well as impervious surfaces and addressing drainage and
stormwater runoff, and providing gathering places for residents beyond that
available in City parks.
Having had the opportunity to
observe the meetings, and attending three of the four workshops, Councilmember Willmus
expressed his appreciation throughout the process; noting that while the group
has remained sympathetic to the concerns of the neighborhood, the project
continued to be a work in progress. Councilmember Willmus advised that, prior
to acquiring the adjacent parcels, his reason for advocacy was to ensure a
buffer for homes to the north, an element he would continue to seek. Councilmember
Willmus encouraged a continuation of the neighbor involvement moving forward;
and from an HRA Member standpoint, he remained unsure if he agreed with Chair
Maschka on the need for PUD’s, opining that the City’s recently-updated code
provided sufficient flexibility.
Chair Maschka clarified that he
wasn’t sure if PUDs were a solution, suggesting that other options may be
available moving forward. Chair Maschka advised that this was simply one item
pointed out in the Metropolitan Council seminar; basically the need to be
creative and innovative, and think outside the box.
Mayor Roe noted that recent
discussions on the zoning code had included options for adding additional
districts or tweaking existing districts.
Having heard very good feedback from
those participating in the workshops, Councilmember Laliberte questioned if
those participating were from the neighborhood or community-wide.
Chair Maschka opined that most
were from the neighborhood, as well as one participant from the City of Falcon
Heights who wanted to observe the process.
Ms. Nicolls noted that the report
provided a list of those attending and their addresses.
Chair Maschka noted that neighbors
initially attending a workshop then brought in more neighbors as the process
moved forward; with the general attitude moving from concerns with what would
happen to adjacent property taxes, and an initial distrust for politics and
government in general; to a conclusion at the end that they were being listened
to; with resulting applause at the final workshop.
At the request of Mayor Roe, Ms.
Nicolls advised that a survey was done at the end of each workshop to determine
neighborhood interest and consensus, providing a fairly significant satisfaction
level; with only one person in obvious disagreement at the end. Ms. Nicolls
opined that the final recommendations seemed to be something that everyone
could live with, and while not necessarily their first choice, given all
considerations and discussion, it would be amenable.
Chair Maschka emphasized that this
was only a start, with considerable public discussions still needed at the HRA
and Planning Commission levels; and the City Council as the final arbitrator.
At the request of Mayor Roe,
Acting HRA Executive Director Kelsey reviewed the anticipated timeframe going
forward, reiterating that it was intended to remain a public process
throughout. Ms. Kelsey suggested the next step would be at the HRA’s September
meeting to review a draft RFP; receipt of RFP’s once issues; selection of the
top proposals meeting guidelines for further review over a period of time, and
then narrowing those proposers down to one; with a subsequent Development
Agreement drafted with that developer and the City in the beginning of 2014,
with proposed construction in the summer of 2014.
Chair Maschka noted the need to
reframe mindsets from the manifest destiny generation housing concepts to that
of the new generation.
Mayor Roe noted the recent update
of the Zoning Code in 2010 from the previous 1959 version; opining that it
should provide sufficient flexibility. While recognizing that there may be additional
revisions needed, Mayor Roe noted that that staff had been willing to bring
things forward for adjustment to meet current needs.
Comprehensive Multi-Family
Housing Needs Analysis / Maxfield Research
Chair Maschka referenced page 126
of the study, listing five recommended priorities for the City, seeking
concurrence by the City Council before the HRA moved forward under that
pretext.
Chair Maschka noted the need to
redefine the often-misunderstood “affordable housing” terminology (Recommendation
#2) and a perception that this meant public subsidies, and to clarify that it
referred to affordable housing for those earning between $30,000 to $35,000
annually (e.g. Roseville firefighter) to capture the market area needed in
Roseville.
Chair Maschka noted that an
acceptable alternative proposed for the Dale Street site by one developer was
for 55 plus apartments (Recommendation #3) with no amenities or services beyond
the basic ones for those looking to move out of their single-family homes into
a rental that they could occupy for part of the year and then close down while
traveling for the remainder of the year; but remaining an upscale type of
housing option.
Chair Maschka advised that
Recommendations #1 and #3 were very clearly identified.
Regarding Recommendation #5, Chair
Maschka advised that the HRA had recently signed their first Letter of Intent
for a property meeting these requirements, at an estimated cost of $80,000.
Chair Maschka sought City Council
concurrence for the HRA to use these recommendations from the Maxfield Study
update as a working document moving forward.
Councilmember McGehee noted her
ongoing advocacy for multi-generational housing (Recommendations #1 and #3) to
include 15-20% or some other fair percentage for affordable housing
(Recommendation #2) to be included throughout the community versus only in one
area.
Chair Maschka concurred, noting
the need to avoid any perception of building “low-income ghetto housing.”
Mayor Roe noted that the City may
need to commit to some type of assistance to fill financial gaps to provide for
that affordable housing option.
Chair Maschka concurred, noting
that a developer could often receive tax credits for including an affordable
housing option in their development.
Mayor Roe opined that the City
should incent a mix of affordable housing; and suggested terminology for that
affordable housing for consistent use in the City of Roseville as “affordable,
work-force housing in our community” as a community priority.
Councilmember Willmus noted the
need to remain flexible with housing moving forward, opining that demographics
would continue to change significantly over the next few decades; and the City
should position itself for that change.
Mayor Roe noted that,
realistically, today’s 55 plus buildings would move through those demographics
and no longer serve that audience but remain standing, and should prove
adaptable to the market place.
Chair Maschka noted that this was
HRA Member Lee’s continuing comment that buildings built today should be able
to address the housing market needs and changing demographics for the next 100
years.
Chair Maschka spoke in support of
the updated Maxfield Report and the HRA’s excitement to address trends moving
forward and changing housing needs.
At the request of Councilmember
McGehee, Chair Maschka and HRA Member Masche referenced some of the exciting
housing areas currently happening in the broader metropolitan area, including
American Avenue in the City of Bloomington, the west end in St. Louis Park.
Chair Maschka noted that the most bizarre thing currently happening is the need
for assistance with the retail component to make housing work, since it had
always been opposite in the past.
Mayor Roe referenced a recent
article in the Minneapolis Star Tribune on rehabilitation of multi-family
apartments in the City of Burnsville; noting that since the City of Roseville
already had a funding program in place to address those issues, it should
remain a high priority.
Councilmember McGehee suggested
the need, when rehabilitating a multi-family building, to consider
compartmentalizing second-hand smoke, and be mindful of accessibility and
sprinkler systems.
Mayor Roe opined that those were
the type of things gap funding would need to address, as they probably wouldn’t
happen without that assistance.
c.
Receive Fire Relief Association Update
Two bench handouts were provided
for this item, consisting of the presentation itself and a spreadsheet
providing comparison actuarial information from 2006 to 2013 to-date.
Interim City Manager Patrick
Trudgeon reviewed the presentation material, providing background information
for newly-elected Councilmembers as well as a refresher for veteran Councilmembers.
Mr. Trudgeon noted that members of the Fire Relief Association were present for
comment as well.
Mr. Trudgeon’s presentation
included the background of the Relief Association, its’ history, other relief
associations and their type within the State of MN, how they were funded,
current use of the Public Employee Retirement Association (PERA) versus the
defined pension plan of the past; current actuarial versus accrued liabilities;
pension costs; a history of pension increases; and the conditional staff
recommendations as detailed in Page 2 of the Request for Council Action (RCA)
dated July 1, 2013. Mr. Trudgeon clarified that in 2010 the City Council had
made the change for newly-hired firefighters joining the department for PERA
pensions, with no new members entering into the Relief Association. Mr.
Trudgeon noted that the fund balances are related to the investment market to
keep the fund viable.
Mayor Roe, as an ex-officio member
of the Relief Association in his role as Mayor, provided a brief history of the
last benefit increase in 2009 between the City Council and Association, and
agreement at that time that future requests would be every other year and tie
into the percent funded moving forward. In 2011, while there was an
opportunity for a requested increase, Mayor Roe advised that none was sought,
recognizing that it was a difficult economic time for the City and everyone.
Dave Breen, President of the
Relief Association Council
In response to Councilmember McGehee,
Mr. Breen advised that full vestment at 100% was achieved after serving for 20
years; and a firefighter could be vested at 50% after ten years of service;
with years between calculated accordingly. Mr. Breen reviewed past and current
requirements, established on the Fire Chief and lead staff of the Fire
Department in defining firefighters “in good standing” based on the percent of
calls to which they respond, a certain number of drills attended, and other
commitments during their years of service.
Councilmember McGehee sought
further clarification of the defined benefits addressed on page 9 of the
presentation and the difference between the benefit at 100% vestment and their
social security amount. While recognizing that serving as a part-time
firefighter was often a second job for most firefighters, Councilmember McGehee
noted that the City Council also had other compensation plans coming before the
body for the rest of staff as well; opining that this represented a big
commitment.
Mayor Roe clarified that the
pension was intended as a supplemental benefit; and when someone was retiring,
this wasn’t their primary source of income.
Since this was his first look at
this presentation, Mr. Breen advised that he could not respond to Councilmember
McGehee’s questions at this point without giving it further review. Mr. Breen
noted that the original intent was in recognizing that a firefighter wage may
not be high, but if a commitment was made for twenty (20) years, they would
receive just compensation at the end of that commitment through the fund.
Mayor Roe noted that the intent
tonight was for informational purposes, with the actual request coming back to
the City Council at a future meeting, allowing for staff’s recommendations as
conditioned if an increase was granted. As an ex officio of the Relief
Association Board, Mayor Roe opined that the conditioned recommendations made
sense from his perspective. Mayor Roe noted that as the City continued to
transition into PERA, and eventually those currently in the Relief Association
retired, another issue for Association Board membership would be how the
Association wound down with a fixed number in the Association and no longer
growing; what was best for the people in the Association, whether retired or
retiring, and from a financial perspective for the City.
Mr. Trudgeon noted that the
Association needed a decision on the benefit increase from the City Council by
the end of July; with staff intending to bring this forward as a formal recommendation
for City Council adoption at the July 8, 2013 regular meeting in order to meet
the timeline required by the Association.
Mr. Breen concurred, noting that
the Relief Association needed to report to the State of MN before the end of
July.
Councilmember McGehee requested
that the upcoming meeting packet materials include the applicable State
Statutes or regulations for defined benefit plans.
Mr. Breen advised that they were
available on the State Auditor’s website, with Mr. Breen and Mr. Trudgeon
offering to provide information on links.
Councilmember McGehee advised that
she wanted to know the average payout per month per person; and how Roseville
compared with other communities.
Mr. Breen advised that it varied,
but averaged $30 per month based on the number of years of service; with
Councilmember McGehee advising that she would do her own calculations based on
that information.
11.
Public Hearings
12.
Budget Items
13.
Business Items (Action Items)
14.
Business Items – Presentations/Discussions
a.
Approve Issuing a Request for Proposal for Recycling Services
Public Works Director Duane
Schwartz advised that staff had revised the draft RFP in accordance with past
discussions with the City Council, and as detailed in the RCA dated July 1,
2013 and revised RFP (Attachment A).
Councilmember Willmus commended
staff on the good job they did in incorporating the requested revisions from
City Council direction given at last week’s meeting.
Mayor Roe concurred, noting that
the only thing he noted was discussions related to Section 5.02 (page 13) and
discussion on collection vehicles being licensed and meeting regulations, with
redundancy in the introductory paragraph and in the bullet points. Mayor Roe
suggested simply striking language in the introductory paragraph.
Willmus moved, McGehee seconded,
authorization for issuance of the RFP for recycling services; as amended by
Mayor Roe to strike language in the introductory paragraph of Section 5.02.
Mayor Roe thanked staff for
incorporating the previous discussion, as well as finding a few others
previously missed.
Roll
Call
Ayes: Laliberte;
McGehee; Willmus; and Roe.
Nays: None.
15.
City Manager Future Agenda Review
16.
Councilmember Initiated Items for Future Meetings
17.
Adjourn
Willmus moved, Laliberte seconded,
adjournment of the meeting at approximately 7:45 pm.
Roll Call
Ayes: Laliberte; McGehee; Willmus; and
Roe.
Nays: None.