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HomeMy WebLinkAbout19900102_regular18% OF THE EDINB CITY ROILCALL Answering rollcall were Richards. MINUTES REGULBR -MEETING OF THE COUNCIL HELD AT CITY HATL JANUARY 2, 1990 Members Kelly, Paulus, Rice, Smith and Mayor CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS ADOPTED Member Rice to approve and adopt the consent agenda items as presented. Motion was made by Member Smith and was seconded by Rollcall : Ayes: Kelly, Paulus, Rice, Smith, Richards Motion carried. REPORT GIVEN ON PROCEDURE FOR ISSUANCE OF PERWIT FOR ADDITION AT 4515 DREXEL AVENUE: PLANNING COMMISSION ASKED TO REVIEW ORDINANCE RELATING TO ISSUE OF MASSING IN COUNTRY CLUB DISTRICT Mayor Richards recalled that at the last Council meeting the neighbors had expressed their concerns regarding the addition being constructed at 4515 Drexel Avenue. The Council had continued the matter and had asked staff to bring back a detail report on the procedure applied in issuing the permit. He asked for questions or comment on the report dated January 2, 1990 from Planner Phil Dommer which outlined the following in detail: 1) The permit review process in this particular instance; 2) The policy for review of proposals by the Heritage Preservation Board; and 3) Examples of other projects interpreted in the same manner as the subject property. George Johnston, 4516 Casco Avenue, said he was angry at the direction that has been given to the City officials. measurable direct violation of the City code. the authority to right a wrong and keep Edina on course now is the time to give City staff a correction and the right direction. Nancy Burbidge, 4518 Casco Avenue, stated that she felt the ordinance was violated; it says that no dwelling can be closer to a neighbor's property line than 25 feet. Whatever part of the second floor happens to be 18' 9lI from her back yard lot line without a request for variance is of no interest. Common sense would say that it does not matter whether it is a closet, storeroom or dead crawl space - it is the second story of an addition built over a garage. She said it is 2.5 stores high, not 2 stories high. As property owners and citizens of Edina, they Gould like the City go back to square one with a request for variance so that everyone within 200 feet would be notified with what is going on. structure can be further from their property line as the ordinance states and made to conform with the house it is attached to in a way that would keep the architectural integrity of the Country Club area. Jack Burbidge, 4518 Casco Avenue, said that they recognize that there is a particular problem here of undoing something that has been done. wrong, he asked how it can be undone when it was done by a duly authorized City official. In this case, he said there is justification for correcting what was done improperly. 1) single dwelling unit buildings, and 2) buildings and structures accessory to single dwelling unit buildings (garages, tool sheds, greenhouses and garden houses). it is a single dwelling unit building as recognized in Planner Dommer's report which stated that the boundary of a single dwelling unit building is interpreted to be the area of actual living space. ordinance to support that interpretation. The Council in adopting the ordinance could have used that term and established set back requirements in terms of living space. Obviously, it had no such concept in mind. The set back should be determined from the walls of the structure, not what is behind the walls. He said there are situations where the eave projects beyond the top of the wall to less At the last meeting he had pointed out He stated that if the Council has The addition is a double garage with a living dwelling above. With that input, hopefully, the Assuming it is The applicable ordinance contains two important classifications: The question is under what category is the addition classified. Clearly I Mr. Burbidge said there is nothing in the 1/2/90 189 feet in the case of dead space over the of the structure to garage. Above the eave there may eave. That seems to be the usual impinge on the set back than 2'5 feet or less than 5 be a sloping roof with some situation for allowing part requirement, judging from the three examples included-in the report. some sense, but it does not justify chipping away at the legal minimum in other cases, such as where there is a standing wall within the minimum. interpretations were outside of what is contemplated by the ordinance that should not justify further incorrect interpretations. improper interpretation should be corrected by the Council now. go back and follow the correct procedure for consideration of a variance. That makes If the previous He concluded by saying this The City should Mayor Richards asked Mr. Schulte if he had made any effort to sit down with the neighbors to talk about the matter. Mr. Schulte said he did meet with George Johnston and they talked about the history of the design for the project, the amount of time spent with the City in planning it properly and examining all aspects of the code. Those issues were handled, addressed and he then moved forward by hiring someone to begin construction. He had indicated to Mr. Johnston that considerable time was spent on the design and he explained why certain things were done. Mr. Schulte said he would be amenable to sitting down with all parties concerned to talk about aesthetic issues, but as to the issue of the construction, it continues. Member Smith commented that he had trouble with the neighbors asking that the variance process be followed in that they would run the risk of having the variance approved. He said the six of them should take the offer of Mr. Schulte to try to work around some of the issues that exist because of the structure and look at some alternatives. Mr. Burbidge said he did not think the variance procedure would result in a variance being granted. impact the future of Edina. The issue goes beyond the subject addition and will Following further discussion, Mayor Richards said that if this Council chooses to take no action regarding this specific situation the matter will run its course. If it wishes to do something it must take affirmative action. Member Smith said he would like to continue this matter to the next Council meeting to see if the neighbors and Mr. Schulte can come to a mucual conclusion. Member Rice indicated he would support the suggestion if he thought that would accomplish anything. In this case, technically, the staff has followed the guidelines that this Council and previous Councils have established and has acted consistently with past cases. subject being discussed. The general issue of massing will be coming back to the Council for consideration in the near future. He saw no need for any action by the Council on the Member Paulus commented that, having served on the variance board, she was concerned that if staff initially felt no variance was required the argument that will go before the Board of Appeals will be extremely weak. Also, she questioned how it could go before the Board because staff never recommended a variance. Member Smith made a motion to continue the matter to the meeting of January 22, 1990. Mr. Schulte said he would prefer to have the issue settled so that he could proceed because of financial commitments. Nancy Burbidge observed that to ask the homeowners to get together when each is protecting their rights is difficult and would be a burden put on them. matter should be resolved by the elected officials. She said it would be sad to pursue this longer and take it to a court of law. In her opinion, any judge would say that anything that is a second floor dwelling is living space and that it is too close to their property; that a permit should not have been issued. The If 196 1/2/90 precedent has been followed, then the official who issued the permit would be accused of gross abuse of precedent. . addition wall 18' 9" from her back fence. The matter should be resolved by those who violated the ordinance and should be brought to resolution so that it will not be done again, She reiterated that she did not want-the Mayor Richards summarized that for some period of time, specifically in the Country Club area, we have seen a desire for people not to relocate but to take small sized lots and expand upon them. ordinance; staff has said that this is consistent with the ordinance. unfortunately, is put in the position of being judge and jury, inaction it is making a judgement and is reaffirming what the staff has done. said this is being done as a policy matter because on balance the Council has heard people from the Country Club area tell us that lots in the nature of 7200 square feet and the lot coverage requirement in the ordinance is not adequate to allow them to build on their property as might be allowed elsewhere throughout the City. the issue and, hopefully, illicit responses and comments from the people in the Country Club area who are not directly impacted by this case. concluded that the neighbors have the right to seek legal recourse if they think the ordinance has been violated. This is not a a clear.violation of the The Council By the Council's He What will likely come of this is to ask the Planning Commission to revisit Mayor Richards George Johnston asked if the Council could see their option for recognizing that a variance was issued without due process and that they have the option of going back through that step. has visited the site two times and has heard that other Council Members have also been there. procedure; that staff has interpreted the ordinance consistently. Member Smith stated that he had no problem with the staff's procedure in issuing the permit, which process has been authorized by the Council. The intent of the motion was to try to get the neighbors together to settle the issue. Jack Burbidge argued that the problem with interpreting the ordinance the way it has been done is that staff has used a concept that has no justification in the ordinance. The ordinance does not say anything about living space - it talks about single dwelling unit buildings and garages. and it should be 25 feet from the property line. ordinance that says you count the set back from living space - it should be counted from the wall. that is not the interpretation that has been used. Mayor Richards responded that he felt they do, that he He said no purpose would be served by going back through the variance This is a single dwelling unit There is nothing i6 the That is the proper interpretation of the ordinance and Mayor Richards asked for a second to the motion on the floor. stated that the matter then stands as to the action taken by City officials in issuing the permit. Hearing none, he Member Kelly made the following motion: 1) That the application of ordinance requirements on side yard/rear yard setbacks for living space be reviewed by the Community Development and Planning Commission as it pertains to the Country Club area relative to the issue of massing (cubic feet), with input from affected neighborhoods throughout the City, and 2) That the Planning Commission be asked for their recommendation on including architectural review as part of the process for a permit on a addition or remodeling project. Paulus. Motion was seconded by Member Ayes: Kelly, Paulus, Rice, Smith, Richards Motion carried. CENTENNIAL LAKES MASTER PLAN UPDATE PRESENTED Properties, presented a proposed modification of the approved master plan for Centennial Lakes. He mentioned that Peter Jarvis, BRW, Inc., would explain the Boyd Stoffer, President of United 1/2/90 191 details of the modified plan. The new proposal involves a redefined use for the designated Parcel E in the south end of the site, which was originallyshown as residential use on the approved master plan. The approved master plan showed 1.5 million square feet of office, over and above the office medical building, as part of the over-all 100 acre site plan. No construction has begun on any of the four office buildings. I Mr. Stoffer pointed out that, as has been widely publicized, the Twin Cities office market is seriously overbuilt. collapsed and we are now seeing vacancy rates over 20%. forcing office projects to fail economically and are making new projects infeasible and not financeable. The market in the suburbs has essentially These poor conditions are The revised plan would reconfigure Parcel E (now shown on the master plan as residential) to include two small office buildings between 80,000 to 115,000 square feet. typically considered to be low-rise buildings. with the existing plan for the high-rise office buildings. Mr. Stoffer said that a number of potential users have expressed interest in the site but they have not been able to proceed or propose the project because it would involve speculating on too much extra space. What they are trying to do is to respond to the current office market. They also at this point do not see the opportunity for high-rise residential and feel this is a good opportunity to utilize that portion of the site. These buildings will be in the four to five story range in height, The design would be compatible Mr. Stoffer said that they have not as yet done any financial analysis related to the tax increment district. They are aware that the homestead credit issue has come back to haunt them - there has been an interpretation regarding the credit that is unfavorable and would put some pressure on the tax increment district. The ability to do an additional office building on the site, or an office building sooner, will generate tax increment in a positive way whereas residential is a user. He concluded by saying they understand the need to go to the financial drawing board and to meet with staff to understand what the impact of the proposed change would be. This information is being communicated to the Council to keep them informed as to what is being discussed with the staff. going through the formal procedures with the Planning Commission and the Council. Peter Jarvis, BRW, Inc., displayed a graphic of the master plan $or Centennial Lakes and referred to the status of Parcel E on the south end of the site which illustrated high rise housing on the east side of the pond. overlay of Parcel E which illustrated the modification, he pointed out the location for the proposed two small office buildings. The five story building would contain 115,000 square feet and the four story building would contain 85,000 square feet - a reduction of approximately 50/60,000 square feet of office space as shown on the current approved master plan. Mr. Jarvis explained that, conceptually, the park would work the same, with the exception of a hard edge on the east side of the pond. remain essentially the same. From a site plan standpoint, he observed that this is a conceptual statement and that there are some details that still need to be worked out. Mr. Jarvis said this presents some interesting opportunities: 1) Parking will be staged so that.it will not be perceived as one large parking lot; parking will be segregated into two areas with a landscape buffer between; 2) There will be more parking closer to France Avenue, and 3) Configuration of the pond will be reversed - and will appear to be bigger. change as measured by traffic, or building height, or FAR will result in a reduction in intensity. contemplated with no median break across from the amphitheater, with two access points off of Edinborough Way. They will then be By means of an , The transit way and other functions of the park would From a use standpoint, the As to access, a free right in/free right out is 192 1/2/90 Mayor Richards cautioned that silence does not mean acquiescence and that there are a number of issues that need to be addressed together with getting neighborhood input. He urged the Council to voice concerns or negatives if they are uncomfortable at this point, knowing there are numerous issues yet to be addressed . - Member Smith asked about the height of the proposed buildings and said he would be concerned about the impact on the residents at Edinborough. information on what effect the homestead credit issue would have on the tax increment district would be helpful. modification was market driven. He said more Mr. Stoffer clarified that the proposed Member Paulus asked if there now is no need for the residential units that were approved on the master plan and that she was concerned that we would be eliminating a parcel that was intended for residential use. Mr. Jarvis explained that in the early stages of developing the master plan they had looked at a number of potential uses and after considerable deliberation Parcel E was identified as a candidate for the highest density - high rise rental housing. time, there clearly is no demand in Edina for this type of housing. that there is no question but that we would be trading residential use for office use. Member Paulus also asked if the developers would foresee increasing the size of the office buildings if at any point in time there was increased demand for office space. Mr. Jarvis said that the major office statements are still available in the configuration of three buildings instead of four on Parcel F. Mr. Stoffer stated they do not anticipate increasing the density on the site. At this point in He stated Member Rice asked if the financial projections will entail some assessment of risk over a period of time. that have been successful so far, e.g. the condominiums and the commercial, and asked why they did not consider doing more condominiums or more retail. Mr. Stoffer pointed out that condominiums are users of tax increment and that they need to generate more tax increment to continue the housing program begun in Parcel A. to commercial development and that commercial on Parcel E would not be feasible. Member Rice said he was also concerned how the proposed office buildings would relate to Edinborough . Mayor Richards said a major issue in considering the modification wo&d be whether enough tax increment will be produced to pay for the public amenities that the City has agreed to do. available. of the public amenities that were contemplated because the increment is not there. He said there have been two components of the development Commercial-wise they have been convinced that France Avenue is the key That cannot be determined until the financial data is Member Smith commented that we may need to look at scaling back some Manager Rosland said that this was brought to the Council in order to communicate the current status of the development. The financial analysis to be made will take into account the effect on the whole tax increment district to make sure we do not approve something that will impact negatively. it will be brought back to the Council. When that data is available No formal action was taken. 1-494 SCOPING DOCUMENT COMPmTED: PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED FOR 1/17/90 Engineer Hoffman reported that the Scoping Document for the 1-494 Reconstruction Project has been transmitted from bmDOT. It describes the alternatives for the reconstruction of 1-494 from the Minnesota River in Bloomington to 1-394/TH 12 in Minnetonka and the potential impacts of those alternatives. Scoping Document is to help define the alternatives and issues that will be studied in the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). The purpose of the The proposed project would involve the addition of one or two lanes in each direction on 1-494 and reconstruction of the interchanges to provide additional capacity and improve safety. The alternative of designating one of the additional 193 lanes proposed for 1-494 for vehicles with two or more persons is also proposed for study in the EIS. and Transportation System Management alternative. run through January 24, 1990. 17, 1990 at 7:OO p.m. at the Edina Community Center. In addition, it is proposed that the EIS study ano-build The Scoping comment period will A public scoping meeting will be held on January Member Rice asked if it would be years before Edina would have the chance to comment on specific plans. Engineer Hoffman elaborated that the EIS will be completed in 1992 and will indicate what impact the project may have on Ed.ina. The greatest impact will be mainly on Richfield and Bloomington. time Edina will be asked to approve specific plans, e.g. frontage road changes, interchange modification, etc. He said that no action is required at this time. At some point in PARK BOARD REPORT "JUPITER AND BEYOND" DISCUSSED Council Members were given copies of the Park Board's Jupiter and Beyond Plan in December for study and had asked this be placed on the January 2, 1990 agenda for discussion. He observed that he will attend the Park Board meeting on January 16 and will convey to the Board the comments of the Council. Mayor Richards recalled that the Member Smith mentioned one area of concern was the proposed one million new permanent Senior Center. He said he saw no need for more brick and mortar and would like the Park Board to work with the Edina Community Center Board to see what could be done with the present Senior Center facility. Member Rice made the following observations: 1) AssumRtions - Word "premier" to describe the Park and Recreation Department is a little strong. 2) Demographic Proiections - He suggested that the Park Board not rely solely on projections as past experience has shown that they can be wrong. 3) Results of June, 1988 Park and Recreation Survev - The plan noted that the large majority of residents are currently satisfied with the number and quality of recreation and athletic program offerings. doing now. 4) User Participation - He questioned the increase in one year of 200+ participants in T-Ball. 5) Park and ORen Space Acreage - He asked for acreage on the "green space" parcels owned by public, quasi-public or private entities, e.g. golf courses, and said that if the acreage were added to that in public ownership Edina would be significantly above the national average. He questioned the need for additional parkland and the goal of the City to meet or exceed national park and open space acreage standards as per population. City will not sell or donate ownership of any park or open space acreage, he said there might be a time we would consider sale of a sliver of land - that it should not be absolute. 6) Financial Proposals - He said the Council cannot determine which park gets what - it is the function of staff to make those recommendations. The Council should make a tour of the parks before it approves any capital expenditures. 7) Park Development - He questioned the objective to make all park facilities more usable and accessible by the disabled. every tennis court should be made accessible to wheelchairs. to provide more gymnasium space. He said there probably is enough gym space if it is properly coordinated between the needs of the City and the schools. questioned the need for a City owned tennis center facility and an indoor/outdoor pool with special water features. working document and is well done. He cautioned against making any dramatic changes from what we are Regarding tge policy that the He asked why, for example, Another objective is He also He concluded that the report it is a good Member Paulus said the Park Board should get the message on how tight the money is. The residents want a good park system but have said "no more spending". Member Smith commented that we have enough capital items in the park budget by virtue of the age of the facilities to maintain or replace what we presently have. His perception is to hone down the wish list. accessibility, he suggested the Park Board look at one particular park that might be oriented for the disabled population. With regard to handicapped 194 1/2/90 Manager Rosland said that, basically, honing down the wish list is the direction staff would want to take. However, when this study was started each facilrty's staff was asked to "give us your dreams" and that it was important to let the plan breath. sanity to it. Member Kelly commented that the Park and Recreation budget is approximately 13% of the total City Budget which includes the central services appropriation. Council should look at the percentage of the City's budget that goes to Park and Recreation and how that meets the demands of the residents. generate revenue should be considered to promote a "pay for itself" policy. I Obviously, then hard facts and figures must be applied to bring some The Also, any way to Walter Sandison, 4612 W. 58th Street, commented that he had talked with Commissioner Keefe who indicated that the City contributes roughly 10% of the budget for the Hennepin County Parks. City of Edina get some representation on that Board as we receive nothing in return. Commissioner Keefe had suggested that the Mayor Richards said he would convey to the Park Board the comments and concerns of the Council and would report back as to the outcome of the January 16 meeting of the Park Board. PLAN FOR TAX INCREMENT DISTRICTING OUTLINED December 14, 1989 memorandum regarding commercial area redevelopment and the December 27, 1989 memorandum outlining a preliminary work program from Gordon Hughes, HRA Executive Director summarized as follows. Mayor Richards referred to the T.I.F. District Establishment: 1) Establish T.I.F. districts no later than March 19, 1990. 2) Establish economic development, T.I.F. districts for all retail areas. After establishment, attempt to upgrade all or part of some of these districts to redevelopment districts. 3) among all these districts. Attempt to establish T.I.F. districts such that increments can be "pooled" DevelopmentA2edeveloument Plans: During the process of establishing the T.I.F. districts, work will start on preparing detailed development and redevelopment plans. contacts with tenants and property owners, preparation of land use alternative and public improvement plans and detailed finance plans. assistance of the hiring or contracting of: This will ixklude This work will require - Planning consultant(s) to prepare land use and public improvement plans - Project manager to interface with tenants and property owners, planning consultants, and potential developers/redevelopers. This individual could be a part-time contractual employee. Planning Costs : No estimates for costs of establishing the districts have been developed. costs must be borne by the City until tax increments are generated by the districts which then can be used to repay City costs. Such Member Paulus asked at what point in time we would hire the planning consultant(s) and project manager and what cost the City will incur if this goes no where. Manager Rosland said that the planning consultant(s) will be involved in preparation of the required plan describing proposed development activities, public costs and impacts on other taxing jurisdictions. be involved after the districts have been established. explained that no cost estimates have as yet been made. legal and other expenses in the initial work regardless of whether the districts are established which roughly could be $25,000. The project manager would The City would incur Executive Director Hughes 1/2/90 195 Member Kelly asked how the districts would be affected by the tax law relating to homestead credits and in particular Centennial Lakes/Edinborough. Director Hughes explained that prior to the 1989 tax law the state paid homestead credit, that typically is shared among all the taxing jurisdictions, in tax increment districts went 100% back to the district. Accordingly, each unit of home ownership property in these districts received a state paid credit. homestead credit was replaced with transition aid and disappeared. wording of the new law that transition aid does not get credited 100% back to the districts. Instead it flows out, essentially, to school districts. Part of it is made up in that the City's levy in essence is being increased to make up for the lost homestead credit. So within the tax increment districts we will at least capture the City's share and to a certain extent we will capture the county's share. a portion of that homestead credit received in prior years and that it had hoped to get in future years out of these districts. be impacted the most because of the large amount of homestead property in the district. Director Hughes noted that the pay 1990 taxes is the first year that the City will suffer from this problem and it would take special legislation to restore the credit. Under the 1989 tax law, Through the From a capital standpoint, the bottom line is that the City will get only Centennial Lakes/Edinborough will It was the consensus of the Council that staff should proceed with the preliminary work program as outlined to establish tax increment financing districts for the retail areas identified. ETHNIC CELEBRATION TO BE HELD ON 1/21/90 Noah Hurley, Chair, Human Relations Commission, reminded the Council Members that their presence at the Edina Community Meeting to be held at Braemar on January 21, 1990 will be greatly appreciated. committee has done an outstanding job in preparing for this event and asked that this become an annual event. He thanked the Council for their support and said the steering On behalf of the Council, Mayor Richards expressed thanks to Mr. Hurley and Dorie Barman, members of the Human Relations Commission, for their efforts. He asked that following the event they give the Council their candid comments as to future events. *RESOLUTION ADOPTED DESIGNATING DEPOSITORIES FOR PUBLIC FUNDS OF CITY Motion was made by Member Smith and was seconded by Member Rice for adoption of the following resolution: RESOLUTION DESIGNATING DEPOSITORIES BE IT RESOLVED that the First Edina National Bank, Edina, MN, First Southdale National Bank, Edina, MN, Americana State Bank of Edina, Edina, MN, Southwest Fidelity State Bank, Edina, MN, First National Bank of Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN, Marquette Bank Minneapolis, Minneapolis, MN and Norwest Bank MetroWest, Edina, MN, authorized to do banking business in Minnesota, be and hereby are designated as Official Depositories for the Public Funds of the City of Edina, County of Hennepin, Minnesota, until January 1, 1991. Resolution adopted on rollcall vote, five ayes. *SIGNATORY RESOLUTION ADOPTED Member Rice for adoption of the following resolution: BE IT RESOLVED that the persons holding office as Mayor, Manager and Treasurer of the City of Edina, be, and they hereby are, authorized to act for this municipality in the transaction of any banking business with First National Bank, First Southdale National Bank, Americana State Bank of Edina, Southwest Fidelity State Bank, First National Bank of Minneapolis, Marquette Bank Minneapolis and Norwest Bank MetroWest (hereinafter referred to as the "Bank") from time to time and until written notice to any Bank to the contrary, to sign checks against said accounts, which checks will be signed by the Mayor, Manager and City Treasurer. Motion was made by Member Smith and was seconded by SIGNATORY RESOLUTION 196 1/2/90 Each Bank is hereby authorized and directed to honor and pay any checks against such account if signed as above described, whether or not said check is payable to the order of, or deposited to the credit of, any officer or officers of the City, including the signer or signers of the check. . Resolution adopted on rollcall vote, five ayes. *FAGS= SIGNATURES RESOLUTION ADOPTED seconded by Member Rice for adoption of the following resolution: Motion was made by Member Smith and was RESOLUTION ADOPTED AUTHORIZING USE OF . FACSIMLE SIGNATURES BY PUBLIC OFFICIALS RESOLVED that the use of facsimile signatures by the following named persons: FREDERICK S. RICHARDS - MAYOR KENNETH E. ROSLBND - CITY MANAGER JOHN WALKEN - CITY TREASURER on checks, drafts, warrants, warrant-checks, vouchers or other orders of public funds deposited in First Edina National Bank, First Southdale National Bank, Americana State Bank of Edina, Southwest Fidelity State Bank, First National Bank of Minneapolis, Marquette Bank Minneapolis and Norwest Bank MetroWest, be and hereby is approved, and that each of said named persons may authorize said depository banks to honor any such instrument bearing his facsimile signature in such form as he may designate and to charge the same to the account in said depository bank upon vhich drawn as fully as though it bore his manually written signature and that instruments so honored shall be wholly operative and binding in favor of said depository bank although such facsimile signature shall have been affixed without his authority. Resolution adopted on rollcall vote, five ayes. I =GER TO ATTEND HENNEPIN COUNTY MEETING ON COMPOSTING that he will be attending the Hennepin County meeting on composting scheduled for 1O:OO a.m. on January 4. The county’s resolution has been modified to remove the penalty and they are asking cities to cooperate in locating transfer sites from which the county would pick up the compost material and haul it to the county’s site. Manager Rosland advised He said he would support that alternative as it seemed to be workable. AGENDA FOR JOINT COUNCIL/SCHOOL BOARD MEETING DISCUSSED a tentative agenda for the joint Council/School Board Meeting scheduled for January 19 as follows: Mayor Richards presented 1) Taxes 2) Demographics 3) Activities of Futures Commission 4) Facilities Utilization 5) Strategic Planning - Programs and policies regarding chemical use and teaching of ethics The Council has been invited to have supper with the School Board beginning at 5:30 p.m. with the formal meeting scheduled for 7:OO p.m. at the Community Center. He said the agenda is not limited and asked for comments from the Council. ,. Member Paulus suggested that the comments from the advisory boards and commissions concerning the School District Strategic Plan be included. suggested that the issue of a School Board representative to the Park Board be discussed. Manager Rosland TOYS R US SIGN AT CENTENNIAL LAKES DISCUSSED the Toys R Us store at Centennial Lakes and commented that it appears to be very large and does not look right. requirements and that if it does the Council should review the ordinance. Planner Larsen responded that the sign area is in conformance with what is allowed on wall areas. Member Kelly asked how many other large signs are contemplated at Centennial Lakes. Member Rice referred to the sign at He asked if it conforms to the sign ordinance Planner Larsen said the only other large sign will be for the 1/2/90 197 theatre; that they will be asking for more than the sign ordinance allows and will request a variance. Mayor Richards asked if the ordinance could be more restrictive in planned retail areas. I Planner Larsen said that the City could make signage in the Mixed -- Development District subject to a conditional use permit so that the signage package for a development would need Council approval. After further discussion, on size, location and aesthetics of the sign, it was the consensus that staff should bring back additional information and recommendation to address the issues raised by the Council. STATE’S FINANCIAL HEALTH PROFILE FOR CITY OF EDINA DISCUSSED Member Smith referred to the State’s Financial Health Profile for the City of Edina and commented that as he read it he felt it begins to tell the Edina story. He suggested that some of the material be pulled from the report to be used in telling other communities how we do things more frugally here. SAFETY OF ELECTRICAL CORDS FOR CITY VEHICLES QUESTIONED electrical cords for City vehicles are safe or if they pose a hazard when they remain connected to the outlets. outlets. Member Kelly asked if the She suggested they be unplugged from the DISPOSAL OF CHRISTMAS TREES DISCUSSED considered to be compost and if they should be placed out on the curb as yard waste. haulers with other garbage. Member Kelly asked if Christmas trees are Manager Rosland indicated that they should be placed for pick up by the LETTER COMMENDING SUPERAMERICA FOR SUPPORT OF GYMNASTICS PROGRAM NOTED Richards said he had received a copy of a letter from the Edina Gymnastics Association to SuperAmerica commending them for their strong support of the gymnastics program. He asked that a copy be given to the Edina Sun-Current. Mayor FIRE DEPARTMENT COMMENDED FOR ACTIONS AT CHRISTMAS DAY HOUSE FIRE commended the Fire Department for their exemplary actions in battling the Indian Hills house fire on Christmas Day. Mayor Richards DATE SUGGESTED FOR COUNCIL EDINAMITE DINNER Mayor Richards said that the last week in February has been tentatively scheduled for the Council’s Party that was auctioned at Edinamite. He asked the Council to check their calendars as to available dates and to get back to him. mST SUBURBAN MEDIATION CENTER FUNDING DISCUSSED letter dated December 20, 1989 from Susan Nelson, Executive Director of West Suburban Mediation Center. fund the West Suburban Mediation Center due to funding constraints on the part of the County Board. They plan to continue providing services to residents of Edina and additional efforts will be made to make up for the unexpected shortfall. any suggestions the City may have on their predicament. Manager Rosland referred to a She advised that Hennepin County has decided not to The County funds represented one-third of their 1990 budget. They have asked for Manager Rosland said that the City does use their services and through the recommendation of the Human Relations Commission will be funding $800 of their current budget. He suggested that this be referred to the Human Relations Commission for their analysis and recommendation. Member Kelly made a motion to refer the matter of funding for West Suburban Mediation Center to the Human Relations Commission for their input and comment. Motion was seconded by Member Smith. Member Kelly suggested that the issue of payment for services be considered. 1/2/90 198 Mayor Richards referred to the budget hearing on December 18, 1989 at which a number of people were vocal about increasing their property taxes. that the Human Relations Commission look at other resources in the City that we might offer as an alternative to resolve dispute cases, other than through the West Suburban Mediation Center. He suggested . Member Paulus asked for the following information: 1) If the 7% involvement by Edina residents as reported last year was an increase or decrease, and 2) Typical cost per case. With no further comment, Mayor Richards called the vote on the motion. Ayes: Kelly, Paulus, Rice, Smith, Richards Motion carried. CTATMS PAID Motion was made by Member Smith and was seconded by Member Rice to approve payment of the following claims as per pre-list dated 01/02/90: General Fund $150,878.67, Communications $9.32, Art Center $2,585.57, Capital Fund $711.08, Golf Course Fund $111.86, Recreation Center Fund $1,753.99, Gun Range Fund $20.91, Edinborough Park $1,744.65, Utility Fund $7,929.88, Liquor Dispensary Fund $4,397.42, Construction Fund $172,785.85, Total $342,929.20. Motion carried on rollcall vote, five ayes. There being no further business on the Council Agenda, Mayor Richards declared the meeting adjourned at 9:50 p.m. City Clerk