HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 11/02/1989 - Special Meeting M I_ NUT E S
SPECIAL EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL MEETING
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 1989 CITY HALL COUNCIL CHAMBERS, 3:00 PM
7600 Executive Drive
COUNCILMEMBERS: Mayor Gary Peterson, Richard Anderson,
Jean Harris, Patricia Pidcock and Douglas
Tenpas
CITY COUNCIL STAFF: City Manager Carl J. Jullie, Assistant
to the City Manager Craig Dawson,
Director of Public Works Gene Dietz,
Police Chief Keith Wall , Police Captain
Jim Clark, Fire Chief Ron Johnson,
Assistant City Attorney Judith Dutcher
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
ROLL CALL: All members present. Anderson arrived at 3:12 PM.
t . DISCUSSION ITEMS
A. Budget Presentations
Harris commented that she would prefer to have department heads
present during the Council ' s budget deliberations. She believed
that it would be easier for them to provide substantive details
than the City Manager. Having department heads present would a'so
allow them to participate in a larger team process and to under-
stand the policy directions of the Council - ;
She noted a difficulty for the Council to review the budget
against priorities established by the Council . Due to the lateness
of the year for considering the budget, she asked the Council to
identify goals which could be carried into 1990.
Harris mentioned that it also would be difficult to evaluate the
performance of the City Manager against goals established by the
Council because his evaluation occurred relatively late in the
year.
Tenpas indicated that he had many questions on the budget, due
in part to a lack of historical knowledge about the City's
programs and practices. He related that he planned to meet with
the staff and the City' s audit firm during the budget process.
Anderson arrived.
2. Lawful Gambling
Harris requested that the City of Burnsville ordinance relating
to lawful gambling be included with the background information
for the Council 's November 7, 1989 meeting.
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3. Parking Around Pax Christi Church
Pidcock thanked Councilmembers for making time in their schedules
to attend this special meeting. She said she called the Council
together to prevent and solve problems, and to avoid creating
them. She reviewed the situation of parking prohibitions on and
around the Pax Christi Catholic Community Church. Pidcock
expressed concerns about poor public relations caused by the City
issuing parking tickets. She believed that the police had several
options to pursue besides issuing tickets - e.g. , directing traffic
or issuing warnings. She said she was not advocating that the law
be broken.
Pidcock proposed a one-month moratorium on issuing tickets at
Pax Christi so that the Police and/or Engineering staffs and the
Church could resolve the problem. She recommended that a
Councilmember be present during the meetings. She requested that
this group present recommendations on what should be done which
were in the best interests of the City and took into consideration
the interests of the church.
Tenpas said h i s concern with this matter was the resolution process
which was followed. He would have preferred that staff have met
with the church prior to the second round of issuing tickets. He
wanted similar incidents to be handled more quickly in the future.
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Pidcock noted cases in other cities where parking was allow-ad
around churches on streets which were 30 to 32 feet wide (Homeward
Hills Road was 32 feet wide) .
Dutcher discussed issues of potential liability if a moratorium
were put into effect. The City had already determined that there
were safety issues existing. To remove enforcement could be
construed as negligence.
Peterson believed that signs currently in place should not be
removed.
Pidcock said the City should not harass the church nor interfere
with the parishioners' desire to attend church.
Wall explained that the City has relied on churches to communicate
with their members about the need to comply with parking
regulations. He related the need to keep fire lanes and handicap
parking spaces open. For the City to provide traffic direction at
this church and all others would be difficult, if not impractical .
Harris said she could not support a moratorium at this time. She
believed the safety issues were very important.
Peterson was pleased to see the constructive suggestions proposed
by staff and discussed with the Pax Christi Church administration.
He believed the church should take responsibility in solving its
parking problems. The church should know that City staff is
available as a resource, but that it should not look to staff to
solve this issue. i
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Anderson complimented the staff for the traffic planning work done
during the development of Pax Christi and the enforcement of the
traffic regulations which had been instituted. He expressed
concern about the time needed to be set aside and taken for a
special meeting on this issue. He stated he could not support a
moratorium on issuing tickets . He was upset that residents had
called him about the passibility of invalidating parking tickets
issued near other congested facilities in the City. To establish
a moratorium or to invalidate tickets could set an undesirable
precedent.
Peterson believed that the primary responsibility to correct
parking problems rested with businesses and institutions, not with
City staff.
Clark believed that the. City had an excellent track record and
working relationship with Pax Christi . He related :several
instances over the past two to three years where staff had worked
with the church administration to address traffic and parking
issues.
Tenpas said that the reason for this meeting resulted from a lack
of information. He requested early communication from the City
Manager about similar situations of a higher-than-normal issuance
of citations.
Johnson said that the Fire staff was concerned about safe access
along Homeward Hills Road. For the safety of fire truck operators
and motorists, he believed that "No Parking" signs should be
placed on both sides of Homeward Mills Road from Sunnybrook Road to
Pioneer Trail . Johnson stated that the fire lanes at Pax Christi
were adequate, but they only meet the minimum width standard.
IT. ADJOURN14ENT
Harris moved, and Anderson seconded, that the meeting be adjourned at
3:50 PM. Motion passed 5 - 0.
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