HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019-10-15 City Council Work Session Meeting MinutesMINUTES
OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE
EDINA CITY COUNCIL
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2019
5:30 P.M.
Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:32 p.m.
ROLLCALL
Answering roll call were Members Brindle, Anderson, Fischer and Staunton. Mayor Hovland arrived at 6: I I p.m.
Staff in Attendance: Scott Neal, City Manager; Perry Vetter, Parks & Recreation Director; Nick Lovejoy, I.T. Systems
Administrator; Ryan Browning, I.T. Manager; Jessica Wilson, Water Resources Coordinator; Chad Millner,
Engineering Director; Ross Bintner, Engineering Services Manager; Brian Olson, Public Works Director; Jennifer
Bennerotte, Communications & Technology Director; Stephanie Hawkinson, Affordable Housing Development
Manager; Martha Allen, Water Resources Intern; Tara Brown, Sustainability Manager; and Sharon Allison, City Clerk.
FLOOD RISK REDUCTION STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT CHECK-IN
Task Force Members in attendance: Kathy Amlaw, Nora Davis, Roxane Lehmann, Greg Lincoln, Richard Manser,
Louise Segreto, Richard Strong and Michael Platteter. Consultant in attendance: Sarah Stratton, Barr Engineering.
Flood Risk Reduction Task Force member, Nora Davis, explained how the task force had been meeting for several
months discussing strategies to address flood risk and resiliency. Ms. Davis said it was a complicated issue that would
worsen. It was noted that the task force began meeting because over the past several years, staff have completed
studies and made proposals, that were not implemented. Ms. Davis asked for feedback and direction from the City
Council.
Council asked what the task force saw as a necessary first step. Response was that solutions may be expensive but
depending on the neighborhood, increasing storage may be a first step. Task force members said they were surprised
to learn that there were five homes on Weber Pond that flood every year and the members considered this to be a
lack of maintenance of Weber Pond and the pond had passed its original design capacity.
Solutions discussed were build recreation opportunity by creating riverways like other cities have done, build more
holding ponds and make them deeper, remove silt build-up from existing ponds to return them to their original depth,
balancing public interest while storing water on parkland, working with other municipalities, data collection of how
many homes floods, and educating property owners about the enormity of flooding using a similar approach like
energy conservation education.
Ms. Davis thanked the Council for listening and providing feedback and said the task force would present its final
report in February 2020. The Council thanked the task force for their work.
SNOW CLEARING ORDINANCE FOR SIDEWALKS
Director Olson explained the current timeline for responding to snow removal complaints on privately maintained
sidewalks was a total of nine days because property owners had seven days to remove the snow after receiving the
notice. He said on the ninth day, the snow is removed by the City and assessed to the property owner. Director
Olson discussed proactive versus complaint enforcement and shared other cities procedures that allowed them to
react sooner. Council directed staff to revise the ordinance to include a quicker response, a fine and educating
property owners.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Hovland adjourned the meeting at 6:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Sharon Allison, City Cleric
Minutes approved by the Edina City Council, November 6, 2019.
ovland, Mayor ames
Edina City Council Work Session/October 15, 2019