HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-11-17 Work_Session
MINUTES
OF THE WORK SESSION OF THE
EDINA CITY COUNCIL
VIRTUAL MEETING
NOVEMBER 17, 2020
5:30 P.M.
Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Answering roll call were Members Anderson, Brindle, Fischer, Staunton, and Mayor Hovland.
Staff present: Scott Neal, City Manager; Don Uram, Finance Director; Jennifer Bennerotte, Communications
Director; Ryan Browning, IT Director; Chad Millner, Engineering Director; Ross Bintner, Equipment Services
Manager; Aaron Ditzler, Assistant City Engineer; David Kendall, City Attorney; Risi Karim, City Management
Fellow; Jennifer Garske, Executive Assistant; Sharon Allison, City Clerk.
STREET FUNDING TASK FORCE UPDATE
Manager Neal stated that every community struggles with how to fund infrastructure improvements and said he
was grateful to the task force for taking on this topic, a topic discussed for so long and now being acted upon.
Task Force member Ann Swenson explained that task force members would present three funding options and
requested that Council provide feedback on the option they preferred. Swenson said the three options included
a process called sub-cut which accounted for approximately 30% of a special assessment cost and the Task
Force agreed this amount should not be included in the special assessment. Engineering Director Millner
explained that sub-cut was the process of identifying soil condition below the street and removing and replacing
poor soil which could be as high as $950k annually. Swenson said in all three options, the recommendation was
for the City to absorb this cost.
David Alkire presented Option 1 which was a 50/50 split between special assessment and tax levy dollars over
16 years; Chip Howard presented Option 2 which was 100% tax levy dollars over 16 years; and Ralph Zickert
presented Option 3 which was 100% tax levy over 5 years.
Council shared that they preferred Option 1 for several reasons including ability to prove benefit on a lesser
special assessment which removes potential litigations, not excluding certain properties, ability to finish more
streets in fewer years, etc. The Council also agreed that pet fence and irrigation repairs should only be assessed
to individual property owners because they were not allowed in the right-of-way, and to include retaining walls
and streetlights.
Swenson and Millner said next steps were community engagement and coming back to Council with a final
report.
Other Task Force members present were Kathy Kelly, Hamid Mohtadi, Matt Scherer.
Also present were Council member-elect Jackson and Pierce.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Hovland adjourned the meeting at 6:35 p.m.
Respectfully Submitted,
__________________________________________
Sharon Allison, City Clerk
Minutes approved by the Edina City Council December 1, 2020.
__________________________________________
James B. Hovland, Mayor