City Council

City Council Meeting MinutesMay 16, 2016

1.      Roll Call
Mayor Roe called the meeting to order at approximately 6:00 p.m.  Voting and Seating Order: McGehee, Willmus, Laliberte, Etten and Roe.  City Manager Patrick Trudgeon and City Attorney Mark Gaughan were also present. 

2.      Pledge of Allegiance 

3.       Approve Agenda
McGehee moved, Etten seconded, approval of the agenda as presented.

                                                Roll Call

Ayes: McGehee, Willmus, Laliberte, Etten and Roe. 

Nays: None.

4.      Public Comment
Mayor Roe called for public comment by members of the audience on any non-agenda items.  No one appeared to speak. 

5.       Council and City Manager Communications, Reports, and AnnouncementsMayor Roe announced the next scheduled "Coffee with a Cop" community outreach for residents to hold casual conversations with Roseville Police Officers; filing dates and process for Roseville residents for two City Council seats and contact information at City Hall; and hiring by Ramsey County of election judges for this fall's Primary and General Election and contact information at Ramsey County;

Mayor Roe also announced the June 11, 2016 kick-off for Metro Transit's grand opening of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line along Snelling Avenue, times, locations and routes.

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Councilmember Laliberte reported on amenities of the newer BRT buses, including handicapped accessibility with lower entry doors at curb level and stations built to facilitate those buses accordingly, as well as bike racks for riders; and two doors for quicker loading and unloading, with passes available for purchase and reloading at kiosks along the route.

Councilmember Etten thanked the Roseville Police Department, its Chief, and Sworn and Community Service Officers, for their participation over the last few weeks at community conversations in neighborhood organizational meetings hosted by the Lake McCarrons Neighborhood Association, The Advocates for Human Rights, and the City of Roseville for the Karen Community and those residents of SE Roseville and the broader community.

Councilmember Laliberte provided an update from the Cedarholm Golf Course Clubhouse Task Force and its most recent meeting with partners and users of the facility, and upcoming discussions on uses.  Councilmember Laliberte invited public comment, including a discussion opportunity on Speak Up! Roseville regarding the clubhouse, as well as links on the City's website for resident questions and comments, all of which will be shared with the Task Force.

Councilmember Laliberte also reported on the Roseville Community Health Awareness Team (CHAT) and their recent meeting to review the upcoming seminar, with several representatives attending from the City of Roseville, Ramsey County, and State Department of Health to discuss additional opportunities going forward.

Personally, Councilmember Laliberte read her response to a recent Letter to the Editor in the Roseville Review from Judy Berglund of the League of Women Voters questioning her transparency in local government, specifically with the issue or organized trash collection.  Councilmember Laliberte provided her rationale throughout that decision-making process, asking that all the facts be reviewed before questioning her transparency.

Councilmember McGehee suggested Councilmember Laliberte's rebuttal may be more appropriate in writing rather than using this communications time during a City Council meeting.

City Manager Trudgeon reported on last weekend's orchard planting, with Mayor Roe and Councilmember Etten also attending; and noted the importance of this linkage in producing locally grown food to supply families and local food shelfs; thanking the community for their support of this great event.

Mayor Roe reported a meeting attended last week by he and City Manager Trudgeon with representatives of the Cities of St. Paul and Maplewood specific to the Rice Street/Larpenteur Avenue area.  Mayor Roe reported that this first meeting provided an opportunity to get a sense of where everyone was at, the possibilities and issues; with the overall outcome being that everyone wanted to pursue area-wide public listening session(s) with stakeholders this summer to receive broader feedback.  Mayor Roe advised that City Manager Trudgeon would have more information about that public opportunity at the next Council meeting.  Mayor Roe clarified that this continued to be a very informal working group to make sure everyone was on the same page and ensure no miscommunication; with no public input at these meetings to-date.  However, Mayor Roe suggested that efforts be made going forward to make sure those meetings are noticed appropriately, especially with elected officials in attendance.

Mayor Roe reported that he and City Manager Trudgeon met with Independent School District No. 623 Superintendent Dr. Aldo Sicoli and School Board President Mark Traynor to preliminarily discuss the district's facility efforts scheduled to begin in earnest this fall.  Mayor Roe noted that part of the discussion included the City's model for successful public engagement processes.

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, City Manager Trudgeon and Councilmember Etten advised that they had applied to be involved on the district's committee for community partnership and facilities to ensure the city had a presence in the discussion.

Mayor Roe reported that both the district and city were trying to locate the formal or written agreement outlining the partnership between the two entities for shared one particular facility.

6.    Recognitions, Donations and Communications 

7.            Approve Minutes

Comments and corrections to draft minutes had been submitted by the City Council prior to tonight's meeting and those revisions were incorporated into the draft presented in the Council packet. 

a.            Approve May 9, 2016 City Council Meeting Minutes

McGehee moved, Etten seconded, approval of the May 9, 2016 City Council Meeting Minutes as amended. 

Corrections:

·         Page 9, Lines 18-19 (Roe)

Correct to read: "Councilmember Willmus asked if staff's research of other cities indicated using background checks for ranges of people."

·         Page 9, Lines 41-41 (McGehee)

Correct to read: "Councilmember McGehee noted a further concern [for her is,] [.] [If] a required background check is included in city code, there [was] [maybe] an apparent expectation."

·         Page 10, Line 5 (McGehee)

Correct to read: "in a building that [has] a checklist [has flagged as having] [noting] an owner, manager or other"

·         Page 11, Lines 6 - 7 (McGehee)

Correct to read: "and assurances [on] [for] tenants [and] [,] maintenance [staff] and others" 

                        Roll Call

Ayes: McGehee, Willmus, Laliberte, Etten and Roe. 

Nays: None. 

8.            Approve Consent Agenda 

9.    Consider Items Removed from Consent 

10.        General Ordinances for Adoption 

11.        Presentations

a.            2015 Audit Presentation

Documents provided were entitled: "Comprehensive Annual Financial Report," "Communication Letter," and "Reports on Internal Control and Compliance with Government Auditing Standard and Legal Compliance" for fiscal year ended December 31, 2015. 

Mr. Mayer's presentation included a review of the General Fund budget to actual for 2015; and a financial analysis by fund: the General Fund, Tax Capacity, Levy and Rates; and the following Enterprise Funds: Water Fund; Sewer Fund; Golf Course; Solid Waste Recycling; and Storm Drainage. 

Mr. Mayer recognized improvements in the Golf Course Fund in 2015 due to an extended season and favorable weather, but recommended ongoing diligence in monitoring that Fund going forward.  Mr. Mayer also recommended caution in monitoring the Solid Waste Recycling that was significantly supported through grant funds form Ramsey County.  Mr. Mayer noted the Storm Drainage Fund's strong financial condition even after transferring funds to the Water Fund. 

Mr. Mayer referenced their firm's minimal finding of material misstatements detected as a result of audit procedures that had been corrected by management, specifically adjusting amounts due other governments, and adjusting compensated absences. 

At the request of Councilmember Willmus specific to the approximate $468,000 pending in property tax appeals with Ramsey County, Finance Director Chris Miller advised that no broad update is available as to when outcomes may be resolved, with only one settlement reported to date and resulting in $1,800 back to the City of Roseville.  Mr. Miller noted the more significant property appeals were still pending (approximately 12), but he anticipated their resolution yet this year, at which time the City Council would be advised accordingly. 

For the Enterprise Fund graphs in the audit report, Mayor Roe sought clarification as to whether capital funds entered into the figures represented as operating revenues and expenditures. 

Mr. Mayer responded that capital didn't really enter in, as these addressed spendable resources and provide a net position number.  Mr. Mayer stated that the expenses category for capital occurs through depreciation over the next twenty years, a challenge in evaluating funds under that context, when the city actually used funds to address capital needs. 

On a related note, Mayor Roe noted in the General Fund and other Funds, it addressed operating revenues versus operating expenses, noting much funding comes from non-operating revenue such as property taxes and other governmental sources.

Mr. Mayer used the Solid Waste Recycling Enterprise Fund as the best example for operating revenue, basically serving as an exchange transaction for taxpayers receiving a good or service and the city receiving a revenue stream, in addition to a grant from Ramsey County making up the bulk of the rest of the funding requirement.  Mr. Mayer noted the need was to evaluate the fund on whether or not the revenues are sufficient without the grant to fall back on; such as the city currently did with its Water Fund and Sewer Fund and their rate structures to keep them in sync.

 In the tax-supported funds, Mayor Roe noted it was much more confusing to the reader because operating revenue is actually only a portion of the revenue generated through an activity, even though that activity may be mostly funded by other revenue sources.

Mr. Mayer noted the city's operational goals to cover those needs; using municipal golf courses as examples of challenges, causing some jurisdictions to move them to a more governmental-type structure.  However, Mr. Mayer again recognized the great year the golf course had experienced in 2015, so therefore, he wasn't too alarmed.  Mr. Mayer suggested this may be a decision the city chooses to make in the future, in moving the golf course into a government or recreational fund.

Regarding the Golf Course Fund, Councilmember Laliberte noted that the Clubhouse Task Force heard from several other municipalities funding capital needs versus daily operations. Councilmember Laliberte asked Mr. Mayer if he was aware of other examples that may be helpful or ramifications in moving the golf course into a government or recreational fund versus an enterprise fund.

Mr. Mayer responded that in an enterprise fund, user fees would fund both operational and capital expenses, unless in order to provide this service or program, capital needs will need other city resources as well.  Mr. Mayer advised that this became a policy decision, but created an indication to him of potential benefits in moving toward a governmental or park and recreation type of fund.

Councilmember McGehee asked if the City's Water Fund fully funded through generated user fees was typical of what he found with other cities or if there was another way to look at that fund similar to what he'd addressed for the Golf Course Fund.

Mr. Mayer stated that he found Water Funds to typically be funded by user fees in most cities; but when capital needs arise, the question then became how best to approach that.  Typically, Mr. Mayer reported that Roseville was unique in covering capital needs exclusively through user fees without incurring debt or using special assessments.  Mr. Mayer noted that this was determined by individual city philosophies and the availability of other means to fund capital needs (e.g. grants, debt financing, etc.).  With Roseville's "pay-as-you-go" philosophy, which he found a good thing, Mr. Mayer noted it did result in funding challenges, such as the city found in 2014 when it undertook a significant project.  At those times, Mr. Mayer noted that the city needed to look to other funding resources (e.g. Storm Drainage Fund). 

Mayor Roe clarified that the City made a policy decision in 2014 to pay off the internal loan between the Water Fund and another fund; and noted that all of those costs had not been incurred in 2014, but had included paying off the internal loan from previous years. 

McGehee moved, Etten seconded, acceptance of the 2015 Annual Financial Report as presented.                     

Councilmember Etten thanked city staff for their excellent work, expressing his personal appreciation of another clean bill of health.

Roll Call

Ayes: McGehee, Willmus, Laliberte, Etten and Roe. 

Nays: None.

12.        Public Hearings and Action Consideration

13.        Budget Items

14.        Business Items (Action Items)

a.            Organizational Budget Priorities

City Manager Trudgeon advised that, in an effort to have a more systematic approach for services provided and budget requests, staff reviewed the City's mission statement, community aspirations, the 2014 community survey, and 2016 City Council priority planning document (PPP) as part of their 2017 internal budget process. 

City Manager Trudgeon noted this resulted in each department head bringing forward five organization-wide priorities based on those documents and what they perceived to be the organization-wide needs.  With this broader process, Mr. Trudgeon reported that those submissions led to thirty-five different ideas on what priorities should be included in the 2017 budget; with department heads subsequently meeting to regroup those priorities into five larger categories as submitted.  Mr. Trudgeon advised that this exercise served to strengthen relationships among departments for allocation of financial resources, and contrasted with past independent departmental budget cycles rather than this citywide viewpoint.  Mr. Trudgeon noted this provided a sense of organizational priorities and allowed management staff to evolve out of past department-centric formats to move toward this new organization-wide priority-driven framework.

City Manager Trudgeon advised that this first look was not intended to define costs, but allow a broader discussion of the merits of proposed initiatives; with costs coming forward for those approved priorities as part of the subsequent process, including other funding sources and new levy dollars.  While there may be a desire to talk specifics and better understand financial ramifications, Mr. Trudgeon asked Councilmembers to recognize that this initial discussion is only the start of the process.

City Manager Trudgeon advised that each department head was available tonight, and would participate in and weigh in on organizational priorities, hopefully creating a free-flowing discussion.  As part of the process, Mr. Trudgeon advised that other budget impact items and a proposed process calendar were included for feedback from the City Council tonight as well.

City Manager Trudgeon introduced the presentation, showing the initial priorities and the five areas subsequently identified by city staff, as detailed in the Request for Council Action dated May 16, 2016, with specific items addressed under each priority with an overview of each initiative by individual department heads, followed by Councilmember and staff discussion. 

 Crime Reduction/Safety Items

Mental Health Liaison Officer
Police Chief Rick Mathwig reviewed the intent of this proposed new position and rationale for department heads agreeing to and seeing it as a priority.

Councilmember McGehee pointed out that, within the metropolitan area and extending as far as Rochester, MN, there were no beds or psychiatric appointments available.  While this position may be a good thing, Councilmember McGehee opined we as a state had failed, and since services aren't available for a significant number of people, with an estimated 30% to 40% of those incarcerated in correctional institutions having mental health issues, that needed to be kept in mind with this request. 

Councilmember McGehee asked how this linked into staff's training for mental health crises to avoid a repeat of past episodes, which was important as well.

Chief Mathwig advised that the department always tried to avoid any deadly force confrontations, and continued additional training as mandated for all new police officers by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST).  Chief Mathwig noted that all stated are not doing so, but this was a new mandate in Minnesota.  Chief Mathwig advised that the University of Northwestern offers a POST-certified education and training program.  For clarification, Chief Mathwig advised that to his knowledge, no police officer had been hired in the last 28 years without going through POST training whether or not they had military training beforehand, unless having previously served as a police officer in another state where you could be initially excluded from that immediate POST training.

Councilmember Laliberte agreed that the mental health situation in Roseville and other communities was serious and should be paid attention to by all local governments.  Councilmember Laliberte stated her hope was that legislation this session would have addressed that, but apparently it had fallen aside.  Therefore, Councilmember Laliberte questioned if there were grant available for increased mental health-related training or for the additional officer position, similar to that offered in 2006.

Chief Mathwig advised that the city has routinely applied for grants, but ironically Roseville's crime rate is not high enough to be in a position to receive a grant; and he was not aware of any new grant legislation being proposed.

Councilmember Etten noted that the Chief had read off a Madison, WI job description, and asked if Chief Mathwig saw similarities for the proposed job description or job performance for a Roseville mental health liaison officer. 

Chief Mathwig respond affirmatively.

Councilmember McGehee opined that the entire policing philosophy and organization is different in Madison, WI related to this aspect.

Continue Transition to Full-Tim Firefighters AND Employee Safety & Los Control

Specific to employee safety and loss control efforts, Fire Chief Tim O'Neill noted that this had primarily been handled through the City's Finance Department for many decades, and only last year had been taken over by the City's Fire Department.  Chief O'Neill noted that the majority of Fire Department efforts were comprised of Office of Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) education and training, and it made sense for the Fire Department to coordinate those plans and training organization-wide, as it did with emergency management training.  Chief O'Neill reported that biggest part of the budget for this initiative involved the contract with the ILC Company for the educational component, ongoing reporting requirements, as well as following through to assist the city if or when it received an OSHA audit, and was ongoing.  Chief O'Neill advised that this had never been a line-item budget before, but now for the first time, a preliminary budget of $12,000 as has been historically expended was now specifically identified in the General Fund.  Chief O'Neill noted this would identify that actual expenditure, similar to the allotment of emergency management, allowing staff to more clearly show actual expenditures each year. 

Specific to the ongoing transition to full-time firefighting and operating under the new pilot program for multi-jurisdictional response of the "closest available unit," Councilmember Willmus asked if the city was seeing a shift   in response times under that new model and in operating with neighboring communities.

Chief O'Neill clarified that the pilot program had been authorized by the Roseville City Council, but had yet to be started.  Chief O'Neill advised that the hold-up was on the dispatch side and coordinating all fire department and response equipment locations through GPS, not available for all equipment, with Roseville's units having that capability.  With an anticipated launch in September or October of 2016, Chief O'Neill advised that the response times would be carefully monitored by each department and dispatch; with that data available next year.

At the request of Councilmember Etten, Chief O'Neill advised that the Fire Department had no longer been hiring or training part-time firefighters for about five years.  As to where and how those remaining part-time firefighters remain, Chief O'Neill advised that some continued to serve because they loved their firefighter positions and serving their communities; others liked the part-time income and had become used to it supplementing their regular jobs; and others were nearing the end of their careers and trying to achieve vesting for their retirement goals.  Chief O'Neill noted that, as anticipated, the attrition rate continued to drop through retirements mostly.

If the City continues to move to or moves faster than originally anticipated toward the full-time firefighter model, Councilmember Etten questioned if some of those remaining part-time firefighters would be cut off before they became fully vested.

Chief O'Neill assured that would not be the case at all; with the concept and intent all along being to have people leave through attrition; and offering that the city would not end the program from their side unless the remaining part-time firefighter positions continued to drag on a few decades from now. 

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Chief O'Neill reviewed the vesting process and timing with increased pension potential for every year of service, and age-related payout options.

Councilmember McGehee opined that this should be a topic of discussion going forward, whether or not part-time firefighters had grown accustomed to a second income, since the city continued to expend considerable funds annually for turnout gear whether for part- or full-time firefighters.  Councilmember McGehee opined this was an expense residents should be aware of and that as city government should be looked at.  Councilmember McGehee noted the concern was not to intentionally cut someone off, but if at year 10 it was determined that there was no reason in any longer delaying going to a full-time department, there should be no reason for the city to continue carrying part-time firefighters.

Specific to measuring response times once the pilot program for closest unit responding is started this fall, Councilmember McGehee asked that the reports to the City Council be of sufficient detail to show actual markers and times for when the calls originally come in to dispatch, when the Roseville department received the call, and when they arrived at the scene.

Chief O'Neill clarified that the information was already available today on every call: from the time the 9-1-1 call was answered by dispatch, when received at the Roseville queue, when the unit was out the door, and when they arrived on scene; all data captured today.

Councilmember McGehee asked how it was determined to move the employee safety and loss control from the Finance Department to the Fire Department.

Chief O'Neill responded that the City's Assistant Finance Director had performed the duties for a long time and had been good at it; but when she moved on about 1.5 years ago, internally during a department head meeting, staff had evaluated whether or not that was the right fit for the Finance Department, and determined that it seemed to be a better fit for the Fire Department, given their coordination of other employee training citywide.  Chief O'Neill advised that his department enjoyed training, and offered to give it a try, and now after eight months into it, originally being an adventure in learning, a good foundation had been established to move forward.  Chief O'Neill noted that another component was that the Fire Department's current Administrative Assistant had performed those duties in another city they'd worked for, including maintaining OSHA logs and compliance requirements, making the transition even better.  Chief O'Neill expressed his hope that the duty would improve annually and that training would continue to be enhanced for employees versus being stale and boring, but more exciting and enhancing overall safety aspects for city staff and Roseville citizens.

City Manager Trudgeon gave credit to Chief O'Neill and his Department for taking this on.  Mr. Trudgeon noted that staff continued, at their frequent department head group meetings, to discuss how to better position the city and its staff and to be better trained.  Mr. Trudgeon noted the duty was not a perfect fit in the Finance Department and opined that by shifting this duty, it freed up Finance staff to allow them to focus on more important finance issues for the city and its residents.

Councilmember Laliberte thanked Chief O'Neill and his staff for stepping up and taking that on.  Councilmember Laliberte sought clarification on whether this was a budget item when part of the Finance Department, with this being the first time it was contracted out.

Finance Director Chris Miller clarified that it had always been contracted out, but coordination was now just shifted from the Finance Department to the Fire Department as noted by Chief O'Neill.

Infrastructure Sustainability

Increased Investment - Pathways & Parking Lots
City Manager Trudgeon noted this initiative didn't include recent City Council discussions for making connections with various segments throughout the community; but would be incorporated into this effort.  Mr. Trudgeon clarified that that component would be new infrastructure, and not addressing maintenance of existing pathways and parking lots as this was originally intended to do. 

Mayor Roe asked how sustainable the fund balance looked for annual pathway and parking lots. 

Public Works Director Marc Culver responded that with some minor tweaks, the fund fluctuated from year to year, and only a small fund balance at this time, but not sufficient for a full budget year for any significant work.

Specific to equipment lifecycles for that increased investment in maintenance of pathways and parking lots, Councilmember Etten asked at what level maintenance is being done, given typical Minnesota winters and complaints about that current level.  Councilmember Etten asked if the city is able to respond at its best level, good, or just making do.

Parks & Recreation Director Lonnie Brokke responded that this addressed ongoing maintenance, not sweeping; and involved capital needs, not operational needs; simply the rehabilitation, repaving, or replacement of segments.

At the request of Councilmember McGehee, Mr. Culver clarified that this was maintenance at the CIP level.

Stormwater Plan Update (Comprehensive Plan)

Mr. Culver briefly summarized this item, noting it would be incorporated in the comprehensive plan update accordingly.

Human Capital

Increased Volunteer Recognition Efforts AND Volunteer Management Software Support
City Manager Trudgeon reviewed volunteer management software, not included as a budget line item at this time, but his intent to include it as such for better tracking.

Enhanced Employee Tuition Reimbursement Program AND Enhanced Employee Training & Development Resources

City Manager Trudgeon noted this involved only an estimated $5,000 in resources for employee incentives for personal development beyond on-the-job training, and to enhance employee training.

From a hypothetical perspective, Councilmember Willmus asked what a typical scenario was for employee training and development, as far as degrees.

City Manager Trudgeon noted that may involve an employee pursuing a Masters Degree within their chosen field or to finish their Associates of Arts Degree; but noted with a total reimbursement per employee limited to $1500 annually, it was intended to encourage employees to improve themselves, in addition to other financial resources that might be available to them.  Obviously when investing in employees, Mr. Trudgeon stated the desire was that they stay employed and use those skills, but the reality may be that they don't remain employed for long after advancing their education.  Mr. Trudgeon stated that was one reason to limit the amount of money available for that advanced education.

Councilmember Willmus stated that he felt strongly that, if that incentive was offered, a component of it be a commitment by the employee to a certain amount of time - whether through loans or grants for education purposes as done by some federal government programs.  Councilmember Willmus opined he was not into having the city become an educational stepping stone for future advantages elsewhere.

City Manager Trudgeon stated that typically, this had not been the city's experience, but recognized it was a possibility, and offered to look into Councilmember Willmus' point.

Administrative Office Assistant (part-time)

City Manager Trudgeon advised that this part-time position at 20 hours per week would be intended to provide basic clerical support.  With continued mandates for the Human Resources Department to provide healthcare reporting, including overturn of employees and individual employee benefits, Mr. Trudgeon advised that the intent would be to put these resources in that direction to free up the Human Resources Manager for larger items versus tasks, and ultimately benefit the entire organization.

Assistant City Manager Position

City Manager Trudgeon noted past discussion about reinstating this former position or creating a new position.  Mr. Trudgeon noted this would allow having an Assistant available in the Administrative Department to better manage administrative department functions.  Mr. Trudgeon noted that he currently oversaw all core operations on a day-to-day basis as well as the overall management of the city organization.  Mr. Trudgeon opined that would allow the City Manager to provide better oversight of all departments; carry out strategic initiatives for the benefit of the community and the city organization; and be more proactive in problem-solving for the organization.  Mr. Trudgeon also noted this would allow the City Manager to think "bigger picture" and be more involved in the community; and ultimately would help the organization's overall health, allowing for better internal services to staff and the City Council, including City Council packet preparation and city clerk functions.

For reference, Councilmember Laliberte asked how and why this position had been eliminated in the early 2000's.

City Manager Trudgeon advised that his research indicated that the position had been eliminated in the 2003 budget, but wasn't clear why that action had been taken, but he suspected it was financially motivated.

Councilmember McGehee stated it was a budget move during big efforts to hold the annual city levy flat or negative.  Councilmember McGehee opined that the position at that time had proven extremely useful and provided an additional knowledge base at City Hall for residents to contact.  Councilmember McGehee further opined that it was a nice position and made the city better.  While staff needed to identify all cost ramifications for reinstating the position, Councilmember McGehee opined that it should be considered.

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, City Manager Trudgeon advised his recommendation would be to transform the full-time Assistant to the City Manager position, formerly held by Ms. Collins, to an Assistant City Manager position.

Councilmember Willmus noted this position had been tossed around for years; and while he was initially supportive it as a positive, he would want to see the net dollar amount created through the various transitions in positions.

Councilmember Etten referenced people and resources shifted in the current 2016 budget cycle to provide additional assistance to the Human Resources area, and asked for clarification as to that situation.

City Manager Trudgeon advised that no actual persons to-date had been shifted to that area. However, with the significant experience of Human Resources personnel the city was seeing more dedicated time in this one-person department. Mr. Trudgeon noted that initial implementation of the HRIS system had problems, but was now working as it should and making operations run smoother. However, Mr. Trudgeon cautioned that an upgrade to the HRIS system was forthcoming, and when upgrading to a new version, he couldn't guarantee there would be no ramifications.  But, Mr. Trudgeon noted it was now easier for employees to access their benefits and self-enroll. To clarify, Mr. Trudgeon advised that no additional staff resources had been added to the Human Resources function, just efficiencies realized by the current work force.

Mayor Roe noted than an intention of taking one position from part-time to full-time in the previous Administration Department reorganization was to provide more support for the human resources function, but that intention had not been realized by that change, with other duties taking up the additional time instead.

City Manager Trudgeon agreed that was correct; advising that reporting requirements for the Human Resources function continue to grow exponentially.

As noted by Councilmember McGehee, City Manager Trudgeon stated that, with the improving economy, the city was seeing more movement of employees to other opportunities, as well as ongoing retirements.

Councilmember McGehee opined that having someone knowledgeable about day-to-day issues and operations of the city was key if and when the City Manager was out of the office or otherwise unavailable.

Mayor Roe noted that those retiring at the top of their skills and earning levels, and their replacement by employees with less experience and time on the job may allow for some net gain to the city in salary and benefit savings; or at least factor into the net annual budget costs.  

Mayor Roe noted that to some extent in the private sector, employees are expected to stay with the organization after receiving educational assistance from that employer.

City Manager Trudgeon agreed that providing those education opportunities could address employee retention.

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, City Manager Trudgeon advised that more detailed information would be provided to the City Council for their decision-making as it related to the Assistant to the City Manager versus an Assistant City Manager position, and how it was actually envisioned. 

Councilmember Willmus cautioned that one thing the City Council needed to be cognizant of was that labor was the city's biggest cost.  Therefore, Councilmember Willmus opined that a balance was needed between retaining good employees while not crossing over the threshold.  Councilmember Willmus noted there would always be some level of turnover, and while the city wanted to remain competitive and provide value to Roseville taxpayers, some employees would still choose to move on.  Councilmember Willmus opined he didn't necessarily see that as a bad thing; and the City needed to realize it may not be able to compete with cities such as St. Louis Park or Edina.

Strategic Technology Initiative

New Permitting and Licensing Software

While more conversation was needed, City Manager Trudgeon noted there was a definite need to discuss how the city delivered services moving forward.  With multiple and diverse hardware and software currently being used, Mr. Trudgeon noted that communication between those systems wasn't always easy or even possible, and needed serious review.  As far as the 2017 organizational priorities, Mr. Trudgeon advised that staff didn't feel comfortable proposing to the City Council a definite plan of action until they had done further due diligence.  However, Mr. Trudgeon alerted Councilmembers to watch for additional information in the future, including an expansive Volgistics database program as one option.

Interim Community Development Director Kari Collins advised that during her short tenure in the department, she saw an obvious need to upgrade the current Community Development Department permitting software to streamline processes versus hiring additional staff to do so.  Ms. Collins noted that the City's financial software, Springbrook, had been purchased by EXCELLA and was now offering packages that were fully engaged and ready to be merged.  When reviewing these initiatives,

Interim Community Development Director Collins reported that city staff had been collaborating more than ever between departments, but had not yet clearly identified software packages that were inter-relational for all departments.  As to integration, as Springbrook does upgrades down the road, Ms. Collins noted the city would see the effects; making permitting and transactions by contractors and residents easier.  Ms. Collins reported that her past experience in another city setting had shown a 60% increase in electronic permitting applications.  As the various modules were coordinated and able to talk among and between all departments, Ms. Collins noted it would finally allow communication with each other form one platform with each application.  For example, Ms. Collins noted the verbal communication between staff in various departments as they reviewed projects and applications as the Development Review Committee (DRC) could be handled electronically under one platform to see where an application or development was at in the process. 

On the user side, Interim Community Development Director Collins advised that a realtor or developer could simply plug in an address to find what records the city had involving a land use history and other information before proceeding further.  Ms. Collins admitted to being excited about the possibilities, and noted the intent would be to utilize Community Development fee-supported funds to start streamlining and collaborating as an organization.

Councilmember Willmus asked if other municipalities in Minnesota were using this software.

Interim Community Development Director Collins advised she wasn't aware of any in Minnesota; but her predecessor Paul Bilotta had reported that the City of Corvallis, OR was now using the EXCELLA software, and she understood the State of Oregon had claimed it as their official software.  While used in various entities, Ms. Collins stated she was not aware of any other in Minnesota.

With the Community Development Department being fee-based, Councilmember Willmus questioned how tracking time in other departments is done and how net costs for the new program would be tracked (e.g. training, internal users, etc.).  Councilmember Willmus noted problems experienced with some of the past software applications.

Interim Community Development Director Collins advised that some training would be included in the initial licensing fees that would depend on how that licensing was handled, and whether a percentage was applied to future permit fees, such as a 1% technology fee or whatever percentage was needed for the city to recoup those costs.

At the request of Councilmember Willmus, Interim Community Development Director Collins confirmed that each department would be required to purchase its own license.

With Councilmember Willmus asking what other software programs are available or familiar to staff, Interim Community Development Director Collins reviewed some of those software programs, but opined they were more watered down systems, often used by other municipalities, but not as attractive from a GIS standpoint or in merging with the current Springbrook financial software program and future benefits.

Addressing Demographic Change

Youth Outreach in SE Roseville

Parks & Recreation Director Brokke reviewed the intent to bring programming to the Marion Street neighborhood versus them coming to the program, basically due to a lack of transportation.  Mr. Brokke noted this could serve as a pilot program for areas of the community in the future; and was essentially targeted to children when they were out of school and could be situated with group leaders on site at various parks.  Mr. Brokke reviewed the "Passport to Play" program for ages 4 - 10; and the "Leaders in Training" program for ages 11 - 15; found popular in other areas of the community and other communities, specifically geared toward new Americans and acclimating that option with other programming in the community.

Specific to the 1716 Marion Park property, Councilmember Willmus noted that with the playground equipment grant not being received from U. S. Bank, would the park development come to fruition or would it develop in some other direction.  Councilmember Willmus noted this proposed program was broader for other parks and was a bigger project.  However, Councilmember Willmus asked if there were other parks in the SE Roseville area having a direct connection to Karen community housing that could be used; or wasn't defined to this one parcel.

Parks & Recreation Director Brokke responded affirmatively that other connections were available and the programs didn't hinge on that one park, but had stated conversations about them. 

From a policy perspective, Councilmember McGehee opined that this proposal sounds more top down from the city and Parks & Recreation Department rather than play space acquisition and types of activities; with providing input from residents as to what they actually wanted.  Councilmember McGehee noted discussions had also been held that involved having a place for the elderly and others in that community to be involved; as well as bringing pieces to them such as through the Police Department and/or Ramsey County Health Department and Library system. Councilmember McGehee opined that she did feel it was important to integrate this community in what the city already had to offer at other parks, but the first place to start needed to be with them and their comfort level.

Parks & Recreation Director Brokke agreed with that point, opining that this was just a small start to begin working with the Karen community and get their input, building from there; with this intended as a program start to make those connections.

Mayor Roe opined that from his perspective, most of the rest of the Roseville community engages in recreation programming already based on their knowledge of those programs and services; but this served as an effort to be proactive and bring offerings to those in the community who may not know how to engage or have transportation to engage.  Mayor Roe opined that his takeaway is that the Parks & Recreation department, whether through new parks or upgrades to existing parks, is to engage people in the process versus imposing something they might not find appealing.

Parks & Recreation Director Brokke Lonnie stated this outreach would be no different than those previous processes.

Councilmember Etten expressed his personal appreciation for the "Leaders in Training" program, citing a recent example and ideas shared with an area fourth grader.

Councilmember Laliberte stated she understood this from a broader perspective and how people normally engage to collect and disseminate ideas; but also incorporating outreach into already existing programs. 

At the request of Councilmember Laliberte, Parks & Recreation Director Brokke confirmed that this initiative would involve personnel and supplied.

Councilmember Laliberte noted that in the "big list" of priorities before these five combined categories, the elderly services under demographic changes seemed to have fallen off.

City Manager Trudgeon advised that, as the bigger list was vetted, in this one social equity and delivery of services were incorporated for areas not typical accessed.  Under a citywide idea, Mr. Trudgeon advised that as partnerships are built, this would be a starting point, and those areas thought to be more immediately feasible were included, with others still in the thought process for future reference.

In terms of that specific elderly demographic change, Councilmember McGehee spoke in support of getting it back as a significant part of current demographics, opining there would be little dramatic change in the foreseeable future related to a growing elderly population.

Mayor Roe agreed and noted they were part of the demographics of program users already.

Councilmember Willmus also agreed with his colleagues, and suggested when demographics change, something should in turn be incorporated into the PPP initiatives as well, and plugged into that document to look at changing demographics in overall priorities.

Update Transportation Plan (Comprehensive Plan)

As previously noted, Public Works Director Culver advised that an update of the city's transportation plan and various components would be part of the comprehensive plan update itself.  Mr. Culver noted his intent to make it a deliberate part of the process to update the Pathway Master Plan through receipt of additional public input on prioritizing future segments as well.

Comprehensive Plan

Interim Community Development Director Collins spoke to the work she and Parks & Recreation Director Brokke were doing to incorporate the Parks Master Plan with the remainder of the comprehensive plan, including additional and ongoing input being received by staff from the Metropolitan Council (e.g. climate change, equity planning, health impacts and other periphery items).  Ms. Collins referenced the preliminary timeline put together by staff for discussion at future City Council meetings, with the Planning Commission scheduled for their first view of the proposed overall scope and initial drafts of Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) and Requests for Proposals (RFP), and impacts based on community engagement and corresponding costs.  Ms. Collins stated staff's intent to provide a sufficient range of review to perform the update right every ten years.

Discussion ensued as to potential timing of the process and overall scope based on engagement strategies; request that staff provide additional emails from the Metropolitan Council and other staff notes to help inform the City Council as they start the process and decision-making cycle; and links for the City of Roseville through the Metropolitan Council's website.

As brought forth by Councilmember Willmus, City Manager Trudgeon noted that part of the discussion will involve how involved the city wants to get with the update, given it's a fully-developed community.

Mayor Roe noted the timing also needed for sufficient public review and comment.

Councilmember McGehee opined that the last time breaking down into small subgroups within neighborhoods and the community for that review was missed.  Councilmember McGehee spoke in support of concerted input from those areas with pieces to allow residents to respond versus only having an upper level touch.

Councilmember Willmus spoke in support of the Imagine Roseville 2025 community visioning process and engagement models, suggesting they be incorporated in this effort as well to ensure broader input.

Mayor Roe suggested incorporating the Park Master Plan process as another successful model.

Councilmember Etten noted that past updates had never pushed back to the Metropolitan Council to look at their transit services in this area; and cited several examples about the lack of transportation or connections in various areas of the community (e.g. SE Roseville).  Councilmember Etten suggested it was hard to encourage immigrants to use public transportation to get to work when there was limited services and insufficient room on those buses.  Councilmember Etten recognized the significant population density at Rice Street and Larpenteur Avenue on all sides of the intersection.  Councilmember Etten suggested identifying those areas of concern and identifying ways for the City of Roseville to push back about unmet needs by the Metropolitan Council to at least get on their radar.

Public Works Director Culver noted that the Metropolitan Council would ultimately review the city's comprehensive plan, allowing Roseville residents and the City Council to make specific comments on current transit services and the desire for improvements.  However, Mr. Culver advised that he couldn't guarantee their receptiveness with no available mechanism to force improvements; but opined having that public voice and subsequent comment from the Metropolitan Council on those public comments would at least get things out in front of them.

Mayor Roe noted with the last update, the System Plan that came forward removed a transit corridor through Roseville, and as specified by Roseville in their comprehensive plan update, the corridor had been inserted again.  Mayor Roe suggested a broader voice from several jurisdictions may be an example of influencing outcomes; noting that the Rice Street corridor had been identified in the not too distant past as a main north/south corridor in the region.

Councilmember McGehee noted the need for cross connections for residents as well as those public transportation offerings on major roadways.  As an example, Councilmember McGehee advised that the School District had to provide transportation for elderly residents and program participants to recreational and/or educational facilities at the Fairview Community Center due to the lack of public transportation.

Mayor Roe, with concurrence from Councilmember McGehee, also noted, from conversations at new immigrant forums, opportunities to train people to use the public transportation system were not feasible as that public transportation didn't exist where they lived, therefore they couldn't get to the site and learn to use it.

If opportunities present themselves during the process to get areas of importance for Roseville to the attention of the Metropolitan Council, Councilmember Laliberte encouraged taking advantage of those opportunities.  As an example, Councilmember Laliberte referenced the new housing development on Dale Street that was reliant on a bus stop being there, with there currently being no stop nor one planned as an option for those residents.

Councilmember Etten spoke in support of strengthening collective efforts with the Cities of St. Paul and Maplewood, and Ramsey County to approach transit needs and getting that information back to the Metropolitan Council, since this impacts a broader area than just the City of Roseville.

Mayor Roe noted that the SE area under discussion and involving those various jurisdictions involved three different Ramsey County Commissioner seats; and agreed with the point of Councilmembers Etten and Laliberte that this created a great opportunity to have a united voice on some of those issues that inform the broader comprehensive plan process.

Polity Priority Planning (PPP) Initiatives

Housing/Economic Development & Infrastructure Sustainability
SE Roseville Engagement

City Manager Trudgeon briefly reviewed these initiatives as previously discussed as part of the PPP document and process.

Councilmember Willmus spoke in support of partnering with SE Roseville housing developers, whether AEON or Common Bond or both, to proactively come up with solutions.  Councilmember Willmus admitted that may take dollars, a viable plan, or some other type of participation by the City of Roseville.

Housing and Economic Development Staffing Programs

City Manager Trudgeon advised that staff was going through the process now, and would be providing recommendations in the near future to continue moving forward; whether that involved program or staffing changes, or hiring of outside consultants.

Investment in Infrastructure

City Manager Trudgeon noted that investment in infrastructure was ongoing and important; and ultimately embedded in all the other areas.

City Council Input about Initiatives

City Manager Trudgeon sought input from the City Council in general about these proposed organizational priorities and initiatives; or things that were not being addressed that should be.

Specific to various and overall technologies, Councilmember Laliberte noted the need to pay attention to that, since the city had invested in various software programs to-date that didn't work across the organization and/or with other software programs.  Councilmember Laliberte stated that it would be helpful to her to have a better understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of those existing technologies and software systems; and what is needed to fix the gaps and make them more consistent.

City Manager Trudgeon responded that this was certainly an important issue and needed further discussion internally and at the city council level throughout the remainder of the year.  Mr. Trudgeon stated he anticipated that staff would be prepared to discuss that in more detail, but advised that they had not felt comfortable in doing so at this time without having additional answers available.  Mr. Trudgeon noted that all city departments struggled with this on a day-to-day basis; including how to better allocate dollars to IT and communicate better among those systems rather than having to resort to paper methods.

As part of that due diligence, Councilmember McGehee suggested looking into the LOGIS system as a potential model, used in the SE metropolitan area with overarching groups of municipalities belonging and a software group coordinating different packages including state reporting requirements built into. 

Mayor Roe noted a pretty significant discussion in last year's budget discussion of the park area and facility CIP needs; with staff tasked to bring a plan forward.  Mayor Roe reminded staff to make sure that was on the radar screen early on in the process as directed by the City Council for a conjoined discussion versus a disjointed one on timing for that issue.  Mayor stated his interest in seeing how that goes forward and tying it into the policy related to park dedication fees and use of the remaining funds from the Park Renewal Program.  Mayor Roe noted the need to incorporate that with other areas in the CIP and identifying other funding sources for those CIP needs as part of that broader discussion.

Councilmember McGehee opined that the city had done a fairly good job looking at contract services; but suggested continued diligence in more guidelines or ways to plug in shared service opportunities.

Councilmember Etten expressed his appreciation for this collaborative process.  While he may miss the detailed information provide from specific departments, Councilmember Etten stated his preference for this unified staff approach evolving from past territorial requests or "silo" thinking.  Councilmember Etten opined this was a great move for the city and thanked City Manager Trudgeon for implementing the process.

Councilmember McGehee also thanked City Manager Trudgeon for getting this process on board and making it happen; noting elimination of the silos was a top priority of the City Council.

Councilmember consensus was to get the elderly demographic back in the process.

City Manager Trudgeon reviewed various budget impacts for 2017 as noted in the presentation; 2017 budget cost savings; potential 2017 levy cost savings and other components of the budget process.

City Manager Trudgeon asked if there was anything missing before the July 18, 2016 presentation of the City Manager-recommended 2017 budget.

Mayor Roe noted the missing details mentioned by Councilmember Etten, asking that staff preliminarily plug those in between now and the next iteration, recognizing they will not represent final numbers, but will serve to help inform the process. 

Mayor Roe, supported by Councilmember Willmus, asked that staff provide another opportunity for City Council feedback prior to the City Manager-recommended budget presentation for staff to better determine how to allocate resources based on that feedback, even if it meant a range of those costs.

City Manager Trudgeon agreed to provide hat look, suggesting June for that initial preliminary look at numbers or a range.

At that time, Mayor Roe also asked for another update on the status of tax appeals with Ramsey County; any legislative impacts or updated legislation; single-family and commercial market value calculations projected; and any other levy adjustments or significant impacts to taxpayers for 2017.

Budget Response Card

City Manager Trudgeon sought feedback on the draft budget response card prepared by staff, noting a decision was needed for the July/August newsletter deadline fast approaching.

Councilmembers Laliberte and McGehee stated they definitely wanted to use this method again.

Councilmember McGehee provided several suggestions based on comments she'd taken from residents last year: put "debt service" and "capital replacement" in separate categories to enhance transparency issues; include the city's phone number on the card; and emphasizing emailing more lengthy comments.

Discussion ensued regarding debt service and capital; with a lack of consensus on how much information was too much or not enough.

Councilmember Etten questioned how to effectively separate categories without making the document too large; and suggested a footnote stating what each category included; or a percentage of the total budget and reflection of taxes paid and responses based on that; or some other method.

Mayor Roe suggested simply separating each service into "operating" and "capital."

Councilmember Laliberte stated she didn't want to take debt service and add it to Public Works without knowing the value of the debt and operating for each category without having a total column.  Councilmember Laliberte questioned how to make it clear what was part of the budget or levy, or what each referred to.

Councilmember Willmus suggested the need to include the revenue side of the equation for each category as well to fully understand, but didn't agree with breaking out debt service.

Mayor Roe suggested keeping the post card simple provide an accompanying article provides more detail.  Mayor Roe provided a mock-up he'd created as a suggested part of the detail for such an article.

Councilmember McGehee opined the post card was straightforward and people understood it; with Mayor Roe and Councilmember Willmus opining that the post card didn't show enough.

Further discussion ensued regarding debt service and an understanding by the public of what that involved (e.g. no interest on borrowing for deficit spending) or how to be more transparent and explain in more detail in an accompanying article.

Councilmember Etten spoke in support of Mayor Roe's suggestion for more detail in an article.  Councilmember Etten noted that the Finance Department had worked hard to create something as clear as possible; but now everyone wanted different emphases; and opined that a full-page article, with a simply post card as drafted by staff, would address all concerns and allow sufficient pieces for the public to have the full picture.

Mayor Roe noted that the post card had served well in getting people talking and raising questions.

Councilmember Laliberte agreed with the simplicity of the post card and elaboration in the article; noting the communications deadline for staff.

City Manager Trudgeon advised that the absolute drop-dead date for the printer for the newsletter was June 1, 2016.

Additional discussion ensued as to additional information or categories for the post card, including debt service clarification versus operating costs with dissention on how to split up some of those functions (e.g. City Hall); median value home identification and share of city taxes for expenses/revenue each year; and the goal of the post card to seek comment from the public on priority spending of taxpayer monies or any areas suggesting a shift in focus.

Finance Director Miller sought clarification of what the City Council was seeking for feedback from residents: to drive what the City Council presented to them or to evoke or solicit their comments.  Mr. Miller clarified that the post card was of the City Council's design, not his, and he wanted to make sure of their intent, but at this point admitted he was struggling to find a consensus. 

Councilmember Willmus admitted that, when this post card was initially put together, he questioned the simplicity of it and whether it provided useful information, opining that he didn't find it useful at all.  Councilmember Willmus noted that a number of the comments received last year didn't even pertain to the budget, even though he gleaned more useful information from those comments.  Councilmember Willmus opined that what he found missing was the context of each category and how it impacted other areas of service or how each offset the other, which was not spelled out.  If the intent was to repeat this effort, Councilmember Willmus asked that the expense and revenue sides both needed to be provided.

City Manager Trudgeon sought more specifics for direction to staff, noting a lot of information and context could be addressed in an article; with only a response card made available without any categories or other versions as discussed.  Mr. Trudgeon noted that the article provided more freedom to explain, and suggested leaving the post card without accompanying data.

Mayor Roe and Councilmember Laliberte supported City Manager Trudgeon's recommendation.

Councilmember Laliberte noted that, over the last 1.5 years, she continued to advocate for an easy to understand way for the public to understand the budget, whether through a pie chart or list; and at same time for last 1.5 years, saying give to people in easy to understand way and she continued to advocate for that simple snapshot.  While it was difficult to provide everything, Councilmember Laliberte spoke in support of a quick, easy visual for public information.

Mayor Roe concurred.

Councilmember McGehee concurred also; nothing that she found the cards useful even if not addressing the budget specifically, but allowing for 250 residents to provide additional input that were not usually heard from or attending the annual public hearing on the budget.

Councilmember Etten agreed with the format and additional information provide in the article; and expressed his appreciation as well for the additional feedback whether related to the budget or not. Councilmember Etten agreed with Councilmember Willmus on the simplicity of the post card that may have resulted in incorrect feedback from the community due to its lack of detail that may serve to mislead some of the City Council's decision-making. 

Mayor Roe asked if the framework being requested was to show budget expenditures by function not just the impact to homeowners; with Councilmembers Etten and Willmus in agreement and Councilmember McGehee disagreeing.  As such, staff was so directed.

Regarding fee-supported as well as tax-supported categories to be included in the article information, Mayor Roe and Councilmembers were all supportive and staff was so directed in visual format as well as in narrative format.

Mayor Roe suggested City Manager Trudgeon and Communications Manager Bowman provide their expertise in how best to present the information.

Discussion ensued on how to present the information graphically, whether or not to include median home values and whether or not to include that in this new format; with Finance Director Miller recognizing the intent.

Specific to the simple graphics, Mayor Roe clarified for staff that the intent was not for the postcard but in the article with detail, context and graphics included.

Recess

Mayor Roe recessed the meeting at approximately 8:51 p.m., and reconvened at approximately 8:58 p.m.

15.        Business Items - Presentations/Discussions

a.            Zoning Notification Policy

City Planner Thomas Paschke briefly summarized staff's recommendations as detailed in the Request for Council Action dated May 16, 2016.  Mr. Paschke reviewed various components as highlighted and staff's recommendations.

Regarding open house notices (lines 22 - 39), Mr. Paschke advised that staff's recommendation is to take that notice process under the Community Development Department realm and control to provide better detail and more consistency versus the current hit and miss process depending on developers and specific developments.

At the request of Mayor Roe, Interim Community Development Director Kari Collins confirmed that the costs will still be paid for by the developer as part of the application process and remain entirely fee supported.

As noted, staff recommended incorporating these recommendations as part of a pilot program for future review prior to permanent implementation.

Mr. Paschke further reviewed renter notifications based on the in-house database now available (lines 40-45).

At the request of Councilmember Willmus, Mr. Paschke advised that for commercial buildings, due to the frequency of turnover for office/warehouse uses, delivery would be made to the generic suite or unit number versus a specific tenant of record.

For larger development signs (lines 46 - 59), Mr. Paschke reviewed the generic sample provided in the packet (Attachment B) with other information available online or at city hall and provided staff's rationale in disseminating that information via email from the city to those interested parties versus attempting to provide specific project information on the city's website.

Discussion ensued regarding sign sizes; storage and installation; other examples and generic information versus more specific supplemental information.

Ms. Collins advised that staff could look into the cost of segregated, corrugated signage of a smaller size in addition to more generic signage.  Ms. Collins suggested, if using the generic sign directing people to a number at city hall, it would provide staff an opportunity to determine interest and in the context of that information address potential notification areas.

Mr. Paschke suggested that most sites are proposed developments and land use changes; and suggested keeping it simple.

Mayor Roe suggested a QR code or scanned phone link for the generic sign for those walking or biking to get additional information.

Ms. Collins reiterated that a phone number is a great way for staff to track interest levels.

Discussion ensued related to other possibilities for greater notification (lines 61-68).

Councilmember Willmus opined that he would not use NextDoor.com for this type of notice as there was not consistent integration and it was used for less complex items and differently by various users.

Mayor Roe noted the availability of Speak Up! Roseville as well.

Councilmember Laliberte agreed that each NextDoor.com group managed their areas differently, and questioned if the dynamics may change among those areas.

Regarding extraordinary notification (lines 69-88), staff reviewed their recommendations.

At the request of Mayor Roe, Mr. Paschke clarified the intent for mandatory or city-required Environmental Assessment Worksheets (EAW) of Environmental Impact Statements (EIS) to address potential impact areas and notice distances with the goal to reach as many people as are interested.

Councilmember McGehee noted that all EAW's to-date in Roseville had been citizen-initiated rather than city initiated (e.g. asphalt plant).  Councilmember McGehee asked that health, safety and welfare concerns be included as part of any EAW review to address any other potential issues (e.g. Interim Use for concrete crushing and greater impacts beyond 500').

Mr. Paschke noted that was the point staff was trying to make that whether tonight or for a future topic of discussion, the City Council needed to select what uses in these areas rose to that greater notification need.  Mr. Paschke suggested that needed to be a City Council discussion to direct staff and not a staff determination; but needing City Council and/pr, Planning Commission discussion to establish those parameters in code or via a policy for specific uses.

Mayor Roe noted existing code language addressing those types of impacts; and suggested simply referencing those having extraordinary impacts would suffice, while recognizing there would still be subjective analyses for particular uses.

Mr. Paschke clarified that was addressed under performance standards.  However, Mr. Paschke also addressed when the clock started ticking for applications; and suggested perhaps any Interim Use should be subjected to the extraordinary notification ruling.

Mayor Roe suggested staff look at current performance standards and how language could be inserted to address the extraordinary notice point.

Councilmember McGehee suggested guideline stating until staff signs off on an application or until they moved it to the City Council for a decision, the clock didn't start until then.

Mr. Paschke questioned if that was even possible.

Mayor Roe suggested language such as "If in the city's judgment, city code performance standards may require an application would not be deemed complete until judgment was made by the city that extraordinary notification was required."

City Attorney Gaughan advised that, whatever requirements existed, the city would need to clearly define them so the applicant knows before they submit anything whether their application was complete or not.  Mr. Gaughan advised that he wanted to avoid any scenario where the applicant provided what they reasonably believed to be a complete application, and the City Council or its staff used their discretion to state they wanted more.  Mr. Gaughan noted the city wanted its system to be set up for clarity in determining what consisted of a complete application.

Mr. Paschke noted that was the rationale for the City Council to select uses, citing Twin Lakes as an example and how that development was driven by the City Council versus staff.

Ms. Collins suggested a pilot program for the greater notification aspect of these recommendations, allowing staff to flesh out some of the more detailed criteria or extraordinary notification, using the remainder of 2016 to implement the pilot program and then come back at year end to determine what is or is not working (lines 92-95).

In general, Councilmembers supported the pilot project concept.

Mayor Roe noted the need to get the terminology right specific to extraordinary distance or expanding notification areas.

Councilmember Etten expressed appreciation for the greater types of notification.

Councilmember Willmus spoke in support of the pilot project, but noted his long-term concerns with use of NextDoor.com, sign size, and ads in the Roseville Review given the lack of reliable delivery citywide.

Councilmember McGehee spoke in support of the city taking back the open house process for more consistency; and expressed her support for the pilot program for renters as indicated and year-end report on their interest level and feedback on the methods being used.  Councilmember McGehee expressed her interest in having the city newsletter issued more frequently to make it more up-to-date and timely with current happenings, including this type of issue.

At the request of Mayor Roe, Ms. Collins and Mr. Paschke reviewed lines 61-68 of the report for more clarity, including increased radius of 1000'; staff's preparation and distribution to attendees of a summary of discussion at the open house; cost of additional staff services applied to applications; and publication in the Roseville Review as noted.

Mr. Paschke advised that staff would begin modifying code as discussed; but would not bring them forward for implementation prior to the end of the pilot program.

Discussion ensued specific to Conditional Uses (CU), and without objection, Mayor Roe suggested that any CU and Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code text amendments tied to a particular development would be subject to the developer open house requirement based on it running with the land, such as with zoning or map changes, and to be considered as part of future code updates.

Ms. Collins duly noted that directive.

16.                        City Manager Future Agenda Review

City Manager Trudgeon provided a preview of upcoming agenda items.

Noting that the 1716 Marion Street discussion was tied to SE Roseville visioning, Councilmember Willmus asked that staff incorporate that into their report on May 23, 2016; duly noted by City Manager Trudgeon.

As noted by Councilmember Laliberte and the need to publically notice the discussion, City Manager Trudgeon reported that he was anticipating scheduling the Neighborhood Association Task Force report and recommendations for the June 20, 2016 meeting.

17.        Councilmember-Initiated Items for Future Meetings

Councilmember McGehee asked that upcoming budget discussions include the cost for a more frequent city newsletter, since it was clear it reached the largest number of Roseville residents.

Noting that the City had just recently awarded the newsletter printing contract to a new company, Councilmember Laliberte suggested soliciting cost estimates from that firm sooner rather than later based on their bid.

Mayor Roe concurred it made sense to seek that information from that firm first.

City Manager Trudgeon duly noted the request; noting that there were other related costs as well, including a tremendous amount of staff time if the newsletter went from quarterly to monthly.

Mayor Roe announced that, in accordance with Minnesota State Statutes Chapter 13.D and exceptions to Open Meeting Laws, he would entertain a motion to move into Closed Executive Session for the purpose of discussing development of a potential offer for acquisition of 0 and 0 Cleveland Avenue (SE Corner of County Road B and Cleveland Avenue).

Etten moved, McGehee seconded, recessing the City Council meeting at approximately 9:34 p.m. and convening in Closed Executive Session, per State Statute.

Roll Call

Ayes: McGehee, Willmus, Laliberte, Etten and Roe. 

Nays: None.

CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSION

Mayor Roe convened the City Council in Closed Executive Session at approximately 9:37 p.m.

 

In addition to the Councilmembers, City Manager Trudgeon, City Attorney Gaughan and Parks and Recreation Director, Lonnie Brokke were also present.

MEETING EXTENSION

At approximately 10:00 p.m., Laliberte moved, Etten seconded, extending the City Council meeting to the conclusion of this item.

Roll Call

Ayes: Willmus, Laliberte, Etten and Roe. 

Nays: McGehee.

RECONVENE OPEN SESSION At approximately 10:05 p.m., McGehee moved, Willmus seconded, recessing the Closed Executive Session and reconvening in Open Session.

Roll Call

Ayes: McGehee, Willmus, Laliberte, Etten and Roe. 

Nays: None.

18.        Adjourn

Etten moved, Laliberte seconded, adjournment of the meeting at approximately 10:05 p.m.

                                    Roll Call

Ayes: McGehee, Willmus, Laliberte, Etten and Roe. 

Nays: None.