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Home My WebLink AboutCity Council - 07/15/2008 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY,JULY 15, 2008 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOM II 6:30—7:00 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Phil Young, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher, Jon Duckstad, and Kathy Nelson CITY STAFF: City Manager Scott Neal, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George Esbensen, Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, Assistant to the City Manager Michael Barone, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters Heritage Room H Council Member Butcher joined the meeting at 6:15 p.m. Chief Esbensen was absent. I. BUDGET ADVISORY COMMISSION (BAC) A. REPORTING Finance Manager Sue Kotchevar said the Budget Advisory Commission is compiling a report as they go. Each new portion of the report is reviewed and approved at the following meeting. Kotchevar asked the Council how they would like to receive reports —either periodically or as one large report submitted at the end of the process. Council Member Nelson said she prefers to receive reports periodically. She also requested that backup materials provided to the BAC members be provided to Council Members. Kotchevar said all of the BAC agendas, minutes and backup documents are uploaded on the website through a secure portal, which will be made available to the Council Members. B. TERMS City Manager Scott Neal said Budget Advisory Commission member Mark Kantor submitted his resignation this afternoon. Kantor is moving out of state in August, so his last meeting will be in July. Kotchevar said when the BAC members were appointed, all of the members received two-year terms. Terms for all members are currently scheduled to end in March 2009. The topic was discussed at the last BAC meeting, and members recommended four-year terms, since the City has a two-year budget cycle and there is a long learning curve. They also suggested that terms start in January at the beginning of the budget cycle,rather than March. Recruiting would take place in September, rather than January. Council Workshop Minutes July 15, 2008 Page 2 Mayor Young said that if most or all current members are interested in continuing on the commission,he does not see the point of opening up the recruiting process this year. Staff will survey current members to determine how many wish to stay on the commission. Council Member Nelson said she is concerned that if BAC terms are four years, and other commissions are two or three years, there will be a misimpression that the BAC is more important than other commissions. Young said four-year terms make sense for the BAC due to the amount of background required of commission members. Aho said he also favors four-year terms. Nelson said she would like to see terms staggered and limited to four years. Neal said staff will draft a motion for BAC terms for the City Council to consider at their August 19 Council Meeting. II. CIP Kotchevar presented projections for the CIP fund based on three scenarios, including current projections, current projections plus revenue from the economic development fund, and current projections plus five years of market value homestead credit(MVHC). She said it may be difficult to bring the levy back up to $1 million per year as planned due to levy limits imposed by the State Legislature during the 2008 session. Council Member Nelson asked if the CIP revenue forecast includes funds for signage that has been recommended by the Chamber Wayfinding Committee. Mayor Young and Public Works Director Gene Dietz said the Chamber's wayfinding discussions are still in the preliminary stages. Nelson said she would want to check with the Chamber before making decisions on transferring money out of the economic development fund. III. EDEN PRAIRIE PROMISE Neal presented an overview of the most recent phase of the City's Performance Partnership, called the Eden Prairie Promise. Neal said that while the vision and the mission are the same, the initiative's new name reflects a stronger alignment with community outcomes. The focus of this phase of the initiative is defining key results and setting community performance measures. Key results the City strives to achieve are divided into six groups or outcomes: • Healthy, Strong and Safe Community • Preserved and Beautiful Environment • Mobile Community • Satisfied Customers • Efficient and Effective Service Delivery • Responsive and Accessible Government Council Workshop Minutes July 15, 2008 Page 3 Staff has identified 25-35 measures that will be tracked on an annual basis. Neal said the aim of the program is to shift focus from activities to performance and results, and from department outcomes to customer impact. IV. PARTNERSHIP SURVEY RESULTS Neal presented an overview of the results of the 2008 Partnership Survey on employee engagement. Compared to 2006, results were higher in all five major categories: Your Job, Your Supervisor, Your Work Group, Department Leadership, and City Leadership. The highest scored item was a 99.0 positive response to, "I like my job." The area of strongest growth was, "I feel valued for the work that I do," which rose from 67.2% in 2006 to 82.8% in 2008. There were no areas of sharp decline. Council Chamber V. OPEN PODIUM A. BETSY ADAMS — CUMMINS GRILL REUSE STUDY Adams, Chair of the Heritage Preservation Commission (HPC), said the HPC encourages the City Council to adopt the findings of the Cummins Grill Reuse Study and proceed to explore all four scenarios presented in the report. She encouraged the Council to take into account the historic value of the building when considering future uses. B. JAN MOSMAN— CUMMINS GRILL REUSE STUDY Jan Mosman, President of the Eden Prairie Historical Society, said the Historical Society is interested in making the Cummins Grill House their headquarters. She said the Historical Society strongly opposes the sale of the property and is willing to demonstrate its commitment to preserving the site by negotiating a long term lease plan. She said the Historical Society has been approached by an Eden Prairie resident who wants to help support the Historical Society in maintaining the building. Mayor Young said he plans to recommend that action on Reuse Study be tabled until the Pioneer Trail road construction project is complete and its impact on the site is known. C. ROBIN SMITH - ROAD/PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE Robin Smith, 16511 S. Manor Road, addressed Council about a temporary construction road from Eden Prairie Road to Sky Lane, which is scheduled to be removed in two weeks. Mr. Smith said removal of the road will impact the development potential of 18 acres of privately held land and will remove access to a fire hydrant that currently serves adjacent homes. He asked the City Council for assistance in obtaining permission from MAC to keep a portion of the road in place. Council Workshop Minutes July 15, 2008 Page 4 D. VIJAY AND REKHA DIXIT—SHREYA R. DIXIT MEMORIAL FOUNDATION Mr. Dixit said his 19-year-old daughter, Shreya, was killed in an automobile accident in November 2007. He and his wife have formed a foundation in Shreya's honor and will hold a vigil and walk in Purgatory Creek Park on August 17. He thanked Police Chief Rob Reynolds and the Parks and Recreation Department for their assistance in planning this event. Mr. Dixit asked the Council for additional assistance in promoting the event, especially in neighboring communities. Mayor Young offered condolences to the Dixits on the loss of their daughter and said he would support promotion of the event with neighboring cities. VI. ADJOURNMENT