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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 09/21/2004 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP/FORUM TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2004 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOM II 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Councilmembers Sherry Butcher,Ron Case, Jan Mosman, and Philip Young CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Police Chief Dan Carlson,Fire Chief George Esbensen,Public Works Director Eugene Dietz,Parks and Recreation Director Bob Lambert, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Communications Manager Pat Brink, Assistant to the City Manager Michael Barone, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters Heritage Room II I. REFERENDUM FOLLOW-UP SURVEY RESULTS Dave Bender and John Schamber of Marketline Research presented results of the referendum follow-up survey. The survey was conducted to: • Determine what factors influenced defeat of the referendum • Identify citizen support of possible future referendum and which items would have the likeliest support • Help identify differences in needs, attitudes and perceptions of those who voted for or against the referendum Key findings included the following: • Bundling of projects worked against the success of the referendum • Levy success was hurt most by inclusion of the outdoor family aquatic center • Voter positions were strongly correlated to: - Frequency of park and recreation system use - View of whether the City has adequate park, trail and recreation facilities - Having to vote for more than one referendum in a year - Extent school referendum affected vote on park levy - Voting for a referendum that results in a property tax increase Two distinct voter blocks with very different attitudes were identified. One block of voters ("accommodating voters")weighs initiatives on their collective merits. Another block of voters ("resistive voters") weighs initiatives mainly on a set of attitudes toward specific issues that outweigh their opinions on other elements within the package. Council Morlshop—September 21, 2004 Page 2 Sixty-nine percent of respondents indicated they believe the City should attempt another Park Bond Referendum in the next two years. Marketline's analysis indicates that while most voters are receptive to a future park levy, the outcome of any referendum will be influenced by timing, economic conditions, and structure of the package. Mayor Tyra-Lukens noted that the issue of whether or not to bundle items on the Spring referendum was heavily discussed before a final decision was made. She asked the consultants if they believed a future referendum would be successful if the aquatic center element were removed. Schamber said it would"more than likely"pass,but it would depend on the environment. Bender said taking the aquatic center off would definitely improve the chances for a successful referendum. He noted that the third sheet of ice and proposed child care center were also unpopular with voters. He said any successful referendum will depend on the combination of items offered and the total cost. Councilmember Mosman asked if there is more staff and Council can legally do to convey that the value per household is very good. Lambert said the City has to be very careful about what they say. They cannot"push"the issue. Mayor Tyra-Lukens suggested focusing more on the monthly cost per household than the total cost of the projects. Lambert said the monthly cost angle was a main focus of all of the City's communications for this referendum. Councilmember Butcher said she is pleased to see how closely the results of this survey correlate to the survey that was conducted before the City decided to hold the referendum. She said this lends additional credibility to the surveys and helps inform the Council. Councilmember Case noted that he has probably spoken informally to at least 50 residents who voted on the referendum, and the survey results confirm what he has already heard anecdotally. Lambert said one of the most important pieces of information gleaned from this survey is that three-quarters of voters would support a future referendum if it is presented differently. He said that although many users of the Community Center indicate they wish it were more like the Chaska Community Center, it is important to note that(unlike Chaska) Eden Prairie has several private health clubs. He said the public may not feel the City should be trying to provide what is already available through the private sector. Lambert said that Edina's zero depth wading pool for toddlers is responsible for a large percent of their profits. Likewise, the indoor play center at Edinborough generated enough revenues to pay for itself far earlier than expected. Lambert suggested that Eden Prairie consider using revenue bonds and doing projects in a phased approach. Mayor Tyra-Lukens asked how Lambert plans to proceed. Lambert said all of these issues will be discussed by the Parks and Recreation Commission. He noted that any referendum the City holds will have to tie in with School District plans. It will be most important to stress to the School District that if they indicate they will not hold a referendum during a certain time frame, they must not then come back with a different plan. Council Mor l shop—September 21,2004 Page 3 Councilmember Case asked that staff and Parks and Recreation Commission keep Council up to date on any discussions or proposals. He said he would like Council to be aware of ideas before they appear in the media. Council Chamber II. OPEN FORUM A. PCRA MESSAGE BOARD POLICY Boy Scouts Austin Massey and Robby Thames spoke on behalf of Troop 597. They said in late August they requested their troop's annual spaghetti dinner be advertised on the City's reader board at Purgatory Creek Recreation Area. They were told this was policy,but were later informed the policy changed on September I and that only service groups from which the City directly benefits would be allowed to use the sign. They said the do believe the Boy Scouts serve the City in many different ways, including through various Eagle Scout projects. They said that even if they were not to be allowed to use the sign, they would have appreciated some advance notice. They assumed since the Girl Scouts were allowed to use the sign in August, they would be allowed to use it for their event. They thanked the Council for the opportunity to present their concern. Mayor Tyra-Lukens thanked the troop for a very thorough presentation. She said she and other members of the Council were not aware the City's policy for reader boards had changed, and that the matter should probably be referred to staff. City Manager Scott Neal said that when the City installed the new reader board at Purgatory Creek, the intent was to communicate information from the City and Schools to the public. Since this new reader board is ideally located at an intersection and is of very high quality,the City began to receive many more requests from outside groups to post information. He noted there is an optimal number of messages that can be run to effectively communicate information. If there are too many messages running, the information becomes diluted. He said the new policy addresses the original intent of the sign. Communications Manager Pat Brink noted that although he is relatively new to his position with the City,he has seen a marked increase in requests to use this reader board. He said when the new policy was formulated, the intent was to be fair and consistent. He initially thought groups like Rotary, Lions, etc.,that co- sponsor events with the City should be the main groups to use the sign in addition to City and School users. He said he does not see how the Boy Scout spaghetti dinner directly fits into those parameters. He said his main concern is where do you draw the line? He reiterated he is trying to enforce a policy that attempts to be fair to everyone. Council Worlshop—September 21,2004 Page 4 Councilmember Mosman said the spaghetti dinner is this troop's one and only fund raiser and they have depended on this type of advertising in the past. Brink noted that this particular reader board is brand new. Mosman said another source of advertising, through school distribution of flyers,has been cut off this year as well. She said she feels it is important to find ways to look at how the City can help community groups advertise events. She suggested delaying implementation of the policy so the Boy Scouts could use the reader board for this year's event. Mayor Tyra-Lukens agreed, and suggested the policy not be changed until January 1. She also requested that this discussion be continued during the Council Meeting. Councilmember Case said he would not be able to attend the Council Meeting because of a conflicting meeting at Oak Point,but he wanted to say he strongly believes that government property purchased with tax payer funds should be open to groups like the Boy Scouts. He said it doesn't really matter if this means one car misses seeing a message. III. OPEN PODIUM No one requested to speak at Open Podium. IV. ADJOURNMENT