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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 09/07/2021 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2021 CITY CENTER 5:00 – 6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30 – 7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Ron Case, Council Members Kathy Nelson, Mark Freiberg, PG Narayanan, and Lisa Toomey CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Matt Sackett, Fire Chief Scott Gerber, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Administrative Services/HR Director Alecia Rose, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Maggie Neuville, and Recorder Katie O’Connor Workshop - Heritage Rooms I and II (5:30) I. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PLAN (5:30-6:20) Chief Gerber stated he will be providing an overview of the emergency management system as a whole and, more specifically, the most up-to-date emergency management plan. The Integrated Emergency Management System includes mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Mitigation is about what can be done ahead of time. Preparedness is the planning process. Response it what tends to get the most attention when people bring resources to where they need to be. Recovery is the time restoring after something major occurs for the community to return to its normal state. A recent update related to Hurricane Ida is the City sent five Eden Prairie firefighters through EMAC (Emergency Management Assistance Compact) to help with hurricane relief in Louisiana. A total of 22 firefighters from nine fire departments were sent from Minnesota to help for about a month. Case inquired how the City is reimbursed for the assistance. Gerber responded funds are through Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and distributed from State to State. Gerber stated risk management and crisis management are closely connected with emergency management. Both are under the umbrella of emergency management. He reviewed various incidents and hazards that could occur, particularly weather-related incidents. The City also creates plans pertaining to special events. The Emergency Management system encompasses many departments, private industry, and groups of people. The City is also fortunate to have local certified emergency response team (CERT) volunteers. The backbone of the system is related to Minnesota State Statute Chapter 12. The State of Minnesota is the system of emergency management and it directs local government to define their responsibilities. Other laws include Superfund Amendments and Reauthorization Act (SARA) and Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA). There are specific responsibilities and expectations about having a plan that fits into the overall umbrella and connects back to City Council Workshop Minutes September 7, 2021 Page 2 the State. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) provide some foundation to the emergency management system. Gerber stated the City’s emergency management system, the responsibility of the fire department, focuses on all hazard, being community connected, and City Staff involvement. The six different departments all play a role. People, good systems and processes, and relationships are what helps emergency management work. The City Council’s role in emergency management relates to policies, executive perspective, being community connected, seeking community feedback, and having confidence in the City’s operational delivery. The City’s emergency management plan involves the city manager; emergency management director, the fire chief; and emergency management coordinators. The Emergency Operations Plan, the guidebook for all-hazard emergency operations in the City, was last updated in 2014. The updates include enhancing some of the procedures, updating the contacts, and added resources. The City also interfaces with the South Group in Hennepin County: Bloomington, Edina, Minnetonka, Hopkins, Richfield, and St. Louis Park. Staff meets with this group of cities on a regular basis. The City also interfaces with Southwest Transit, the School District, Hennepin County Interface, State of Minnesota Connection, and Federal Integration. The plan includes the purpose, scope, and organization. There are multiple annex sections included in the plan. One of the updates within annex C, in regard to emergency public information, is the update from Code Red software to Rave to notify the public of severe weather. Annex D includes updated procedures for search and rescue efforts. Annex E is health and medical, and this relates closely with the COVID-19 response. This particular section includes police, fire, Hennepin Healthcare Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and Hennepin County Public Health. Annex I deals with congregate care. This would be an instance the City would need to temporarily house people at a specific site. Red Cross and the Salvation Army are important resources. Narayanan inquired if this also includes the School District as a resource. Case added churches as well. Gerber responded those would be included as well. The responsible party specifically lists City Staff, but the plan itself does include multiple other community groups and resources. Gerber stated annex J is debris clearance. In many scenarios, the City has a lot of resources, but Staff also coordinates with other groups to provide the best service. Nelson added it is very beneficial to have the yard waste site for debris from storms. Gerber stated annex K, utilities restoration, also has updated resources and procedures. In regard to annex L, hazardous materials/radiological, the two nuclear facilities in the state would potentially not have direct impact to the community. The City is one of eight fire departments with a life safety trailer. Annex M references checklists for responsible parties and various scenarios. These are helpful since these incidents do not happen often. Annex O refers to domestic animals. In Minnesota you cannot require someone to evacuate their home, but if there are resources for their animals, people are more likely to evacuate. Annex Q City Council Workshop Minutes September 7, 2021 Page 3 refers to emergency volunteers and helping organize people, so they are an asset. The Emergency Operations Plan also pairs with the Business Continuity Plan specifically within administration and information technology. It is an ongoing tool that continues to be updated. The emergency management program is also required to have a mitigation plan, and the City is part of Hennepin County’s All-Jurisdiction Hazard Mitigation Plan. This is helpful for access to federal funding. The emergency operations center (EOC) is utilized for major incidents and is located at Fire Station one. Station four is the alternate site. Disaster response and recovery is connected to the State’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management. This also is connected to FEMA. On a regular basis Staff are working to enhance what they are doing and stay updated with training. An updated Emergency Operation Plan (EOP) will be put it into service after today. Case asked for more information in the plan on the role of the Mayor and City Council during an emergency. Gerber responded the Mayor and Council play an important role in community connectedness. Case would like more information detailing the Mayor and Council’s role in how they may be engaged for decision making. Getschow added COVID is a good example of the Council’s role in emergency management. As new information was gathered, the Council declared a City emergency, approved additional spending, and anticipated the closing of buildings. Case added it may be helpful to have it stated within a certain amount of time the Mayor and Council are informed of emergencies and decisions being made. Neuville added it is reasonable to put provisions in the plan about communication with the Council. Case added the wording can be very vague. Nelson inquired who is the designated person to sign off on additional, unbudgeted expenses. Gerber responded in Plan B government the City Manager can sign off on those expenses. There are codes within finance specific to those types of emergency expenses. An emergency declaration by the Council provides flexibility for purchases. Freiberg inquired if there are any other aspects needing to be updated. Gerber responded they have been working on this particular update since 2019. Once the plan is updated, there will likely be pieces needing to be updated again as there are always changes and learning experiences. Freiberg asked what kind of reserve funds the City has available for an emergency. Getschow responded the City has quite a bit of liquidity, about half of the general fund. Narayanan noted he is more familiar with the information technology piece of business continuity. It is important to have a plan in case of a cybersecurity attack. Gerber responded information technology is very involved in this aspect. Getschow added there are many levels of protection in place. Case added it may be beneficial to have a ten-minute update to Council about protections against cybersecurity attacks. City Council Workshop Minutes September 7, 2021 Page 4 Toomey inquired about the life safety trailer. Gerber responded it provides support at the scene for firefighters and law enforcement. Toomey added the City talks with other departments on a regular basis. Gerber confirmed yes. II. TREE DISCUSSION (6:20-6:30) Lotthammer stated recently a resident off Anderson Lakes Parkway had cut down nearly all their trees on their property. The City was notified by the neighbors. After a discussion with the property owner, their intent was to have a more traditional, flat back yard. These types of tree changes have typically happened every few years. In these instances, it does not occur to the property owner to notify the City about taking down trees on their private property. The tree replacement plan and ordinance are set up to work with developers and larger areas of land. The City does not address under half acre properties. There is nothing currently stating this is wrong. The question is whether or not there should be something in writing about these types of properties. If so, this would likely be approached as enforcement or retribution. Narayanan inquired if this is regarding the recent tree discussion at Council about the heritage tree. Lotthammer replied the heritage tree removal was specific to a property owner purchasing a lot being developed and wanting to amend a development agreement. Case stated it may be helpful to offer a consult. If the City were to fine residents who did not reach out for a consult, it may be the most aggressive tree ordinance in the state. He questions at what point they are infringing on private property owner rights. Getschow added at the moment he is not aware of a City with regulations on properties under a half acre. Nelson noted tree removal is regulated along streams and lakes on conservation easements. Case asked Staff to research the best option moving forward. Open Podium - Council Chamber (6:30) III. OPEN PODIUM A. ASPIRA MAISON – FREDERICK MILLER SPRING Aspira Maison, 7475 Flying Cloud Drive Apt 557, stated she has concerns about the Frederick Miller Spring area with the Noble Hill development. The Riley Purgatory Bluff Creek Watershed District did not include a retaining wall in their approval because it is part of the City’s requirement. There are potential problems that may not be foreseen with this project, and there could be effects to the creek and spring. Case noted Staff can address these concerns. Ellis noted there may have been some confusion about the comments made at the watershed district meetings. The watershed itself does not permit the wall structure but rather permits for general land alteration disturbing activities. A building permit will be required by the City Council Workshop Minutes September 7, 2021 Page 5 City. This is outside the purview of the watershed district. It is required of all walls four feet or higher to have a design by a structural engineer. Aspira noted concerns about the structure of the wall. Ellis stated the building services department reviews the design plan, and if they agree with it they issue the permit. Case added the City is not building the wall, but they are in charge of permitting and inspecting. B. KARINA KEDRIJ – FREDERICK MILLER SPRING Karina Kedrij, 11447 Anderson Lakes Parkway, noted concerns about landslides due to the development, especially considering the fragile environment. The City will be liable in the case of a landslide. Case noted the project was approved in June. It is 20 acres of farmland being developed and eight acres of trees will be protected. The creek will be protected. IV. ADJOURNMENT