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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council - 12/01/2015 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM TUESDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2015 CITY CENTER 5:00—6:25 PM, HERITAGE ROOMS 6:30—6:55 PM, COUNCIL CHAMBER CITY COUNCIL: Mayor Nancy Tyra-Lukens, Council Members Brad Aho, Sherry Butcher Wickstrom, Kathy Nelson, and Ron Case CITY STAFF: City Manager Rick Getschow, Police Chief Rob Reynolds, Fire Chief George Esbensen, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, City Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters GUESTS: Rep. Jenifer Loon, Rep. Paul Rosenthal, Rep. Yvonne Selcer, Senator Melisa Franzen, Senator David Hann Senator Franzen was not able to attend the workshop. I. LEGISLATIVE UPDATE Getschow reviewed a list of legislative priorities compiled by the Municipal Legislative Commission and the City of Eden Prairie. The priorities fall into three categories: • Promotion of accountability and transparency in the state/local fiscal relationship • Investment in job retention and growth • Support of local government policies that promote fairness and equity Getschow said the City continues to urge the legislature to provide direct property tax relief to individuals who need it the most regardless of where they live. The City also continues to support increased transparency and prudent reform in the state's Fiscal Disparities program, including addressing what the City and MLC consider an outdated and arbitrary formula. Getschow said the City is asking for support for transportation funding, particularly for the Southwest LRT project. The City believes investment in infrastructure is critical to economic growth of the region. The City also supports amending the Minnesota Government Data Privacy Act relating to data retention for on-officer cameras (body cams). The City asks legislators to consider the financial impacts of any changes. Finally, the City believes current mandates relating to expenditure reporting create undue administrative burdens due to the lack of standard reporting practices across cities. The proposed deadlines are also problematic because they do not align with most cities' budget preparation timelines. City Council Workshop Minutes December 1, 2015 Page 2 Rep. Rosenthal said 2016 is a bonding year, and he supports pushing for the biggest bill possible. He said he supports LRT "most of the time." He said the state's infrastructure is falling apart, and a comprehensive plan is called for. He said he serves on the Public Safety Committee, and he agrees there are many problems surrounding data collected with body cams. He said the Civil Law Committee will have to work through these issues before anything can be forwarded to the Public Safety Committee. Rosenthal said he does not foresee any changes to the fiscal disparities program in the upcoming session. Rosenthal said his portion of Eden Prairie is a small but important part of the district he represents. He always welcomes hearing from City officials on any issues or concerns. Rep. Loon said the 2016 session does not begin until March 8. She said there is a tax bill currently in committee. She said there will also be a transportation bill during this session. Loon said she does not foresee a gas tax being passed. She agreed that transit,particularly the Southwest LRT project, will be a major consideration in 2016. Senator Dibble has said it is important to him that SWLRT be part of the transportation package;however, Loon says she sees problems with that. She does not think there are enough votes in the House to pass it as part of a bonding bill. She said compromises may be possible. Loon said she recently met with MnDOT officials because she is concerned with their plan to close 169 for an entire year for repair work. She said the MnDOT plans do not include expansion of capacity, and that is an issue that will have to be addressed as part of the transportation package. She said any successful transportation package will have to be comprehensive. She said the preliminary budget forecast will be released next week, and any surplus will likely go into reserves. She said she continues to advocate for changes to the fiscal disparities program. Senator Hann said the 2016 session is expected to be relatively short—about 10 weeks. He said 2016 is not a budget year,but a tax bill and transportation bill need to see progress. He said it will be difficult to get a transportation bill passed if it includes a gas tax. He said he hopes the Governor will rethink his vow to veto any tax bill that does not include universal preschool. He said this is an opportune time to look at taxes. He said they need to look at how much is in reserves versus a comprehensive tax package. Hann said there continues to be bipartisan concern over the sex offender program. Hann said the legislature will also need to address the enhanced drivers' license issue. At some point, the Federal government plans to require an enhanced driver's license in order to board commercial flights. Minnesota has chosen not to issue enhanced drivers licenses, and state law currently does not allow the state to enter into discussions with federal officials. Hann said that portion of the law needs to be repealed so that discussions can be held. Hann said building transportation capacity must be a priority. The closing of Highway 169 for a year will be very problematic. Rep. Selcer said she agrees that a comprehensive transportation package is critical, but an equally important question is how the package will be funded. She said the state's portion of the Southwest LRT project will be $125 million. She said that may sound like a lot, but that amount was recently spent to relocate a northern Minnesota highway. She said she supports the Southwest LRT project, and she believes it will promote job creation. She feels agreement can be reached on a transportation package if metro legislators can stand together on the issues. She said she agrees that the fiscal disparities program should be updated. Selcer said she serves on the Subcommittee on Metropolitan Council Reform. City Council Workshop Minutes December 1, 2015 Page 3 She would like to hear input from City officials. Aho said he supports the addition of elected officials to the Metropolitan Council. Mayor Tyra-Lukens asked if there has been discussion about getting away from the gas tax as a source of transportation funding, particularly since people are driving less and using more efficient vehicles. Hann said there has been some discussion about identifying dedicated funding streams. The question is whether it is acceptable to divert dollars from the general fund for transportation. He said he thinks that would be okay. Tyra-Lukens asked if legislation of drones has been considered. Rosenthal said he expects to see some type of regulations in future sessions. City Attorney Ric Rosow said the FAA released new recommendations on November 15. Chief Esbensen said drones are already prohibited from flying within five miles of any FAA safety zone —which means they cannot be operated anywhere in Eden Prairie due to the location of Flying Cloud Airport. Council Member Nelson said the City has implemented a lot of innovative ideas. She asked if the legislators would be interested in hearing how these ideas have resulted in lower taxes. Selcer and Loon said they would like to receive that type of information. Aho said he is concerned that the 35W/494 interchange project keeps getting moved down on the list of MnDOT priorities. Loon said agrees that if metro area legislators band together, these projects can be moved forward. Rosenthal said he agrees that the 35W/494 Interchange is one of the most important transportation projects on the list. II. OPEN PODIUM A. DAVE BRUNS—PARKING OF VEHICLES ON PUBLIC PROPERTY Bruns requested that the City Council pass an ordinance relating to taxi cab standing. The proposed ordinance would prohibit taxi cabs from parking on public property, including parks, walkways and trails. It would also prohibit parking of taxi cabs within 2,000 feet of daycare centers. The Mayor thanked Bruns for his comments. III. ADJOURNMENT