City Council - 04/19/2022APPROVED MINUTES EDEN PRAIRIE CITY COUNCIL MEETING TUESDAY, APRIL 19 2022 7:00 PM, CITY CENTER CITY COUNCIL Mayor Ron Case, Council Members Mark Freiberg, PG Narayanan, Kathy Nelson, and Lisa Toomey CITY STAFF City Manager Rick Getschow, Public Works Director Robert Ellis, Parks and Recreation Director Jay Lotthammer, Community Development Director Julie Klima, Police Chief Matt Sackett, Fire Chief Scott Gerber, and City Attorney Maggie Neuville I. CALL THE MEETING TO ORDER Mayor Case called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. All Council Members were present. II. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE III. OPEN PODIUM INVITATION IV. PROCLAMATIONS / PRESENTATIONS A. EDEN PRAIRIE POLICE DEPARTMENT JUVENILE DIVERSION PROGRAM AWARD Chief Matt Sackett stated the Minnesota Chiefs of Police Association (MCPA) Excellence in Innovation Award presented Eden Prairie for the Police Department’s Juvenile Diversion Program. He introduced Randy Thompson, Juvenile Diversion Coordinator, who implemented the program in 2006. Chief Sackett explained the program gives an alternative resolution after a crime rather than court. The outcome usually results in a fine or community service in lieu of incarceration. There have been over 1200 participants in the program, and the recidivism rate for the program is 12 percent, much lower than the 20 percent average teen recidivism rate for the Country. Case noted the program is great, and Mr. Thompson has served the City of Eden Prairie for many years in many roles. He thanked Mr. Thompson for his service to the City.
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B. ACCEPT PARK BENCH DONATION FROM ELEANOR FINNE AND RECOGNIZE PLASTIC RECYCLING EFFORT (Resolution No. 2022-60) Lotthammer introduced Eleanor Finne who has worked toward her Girl Scout Gold Award. She has also donated a bike rack to the park system. Eleanor Finne explained she is currently working on her Girl Scout Gold Award and has been able to collect over 500 pounds of plastic bags which were sent to Trex as part of their Recycling Challenge Program. She collected, sorted, and handed in the bags. Ms. Finne has chosen to then donate this bench to the City to be placed in one of the City’s parks. She added her next project is community education on proper usage of plastics and setting up an ongoing recycling event. Case thanked Ms. Finne for her work. He asked if the park bench acknowledges Ms. Finne’s hard work. Lotthammer confirmed the park bench acknowledges Ms. Finne. Narayanan stated he recommends her next project focus on plastic straws. He thanked Ms. Finne for her efforts. MOTION: Narayanan moved, seconded by Nelson, to accept a donation of a park bench from Eleanor Finne. Motion carried 5-0. C. LEN SIMICH RECOGNITION – SOUTHWEST TRANSIT
Getschow introduced Len Simich, Chief Executive Officer of Southwest Transit. Mr. Simich has served in the role for 25 years. Case noted the budget of Southwest Transit has a large budget which Mr. Simich has handled
efficiently and basically served as a City Manager in a sense. Case read the proclamation in full honoring Len Simich and his service to the community. Mr. Simich thanked a number of individuals for their support throughout his career. Freiberg stated Mr. Simich will be difficult to replace and noted his staff hold him in very high regard. Nelson thanked Mr. Simich for his work allowing people to travel efficiently through the City. Narayanan added Mr. Simich has been a great leader of his staff. He noted Mr. Simich stepped up to help deliver food to students while schools were closed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr. Simich is truly an innovator and superior executor. Toomey noted her agreement that Mr. Simich has been a great asset to the community.
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Case stated Mr. Simich’s life, leadership, and professionalism has made a large impact on the City. D. HENNEPIN COUNTY COMMISSIONERS CHRIS LATONDRESSE AND DEBBIE GOETTEL Getschow stated Eden Prairie is represented by two County Commissioners, Chris Latondresse and Debbie Goettel. He introduced the two to provide a presentation to the Council. Ms. Goettel explained she represents District 5 which includes two-thirds of Eden Prairie and Mr. Latondresse represents District 6 and the remaining one-third of Eden Prairie. She noted the County has commented often on the excellent communication skills of the City of Eden Prairie. Ms. Goettel stated the County is focusing on disparity reduction through education, employment, income, housing, transportation, justice, and health. She noted Minnesota has some of the greatest racial disparities in the Country and everyone has the responsibility to address the concern. Mr. Latondresse noted they are about to the two-year mark of COVID-19 and acknowledges the thousands of lives lost and the sacrifices of front-line workers throughout the pandemic. He stated about 75 percent of Hennepin County residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine. Mr. Latondresse explained the County has a number of American Rescue Plan Act investment areas they have funded through the $246 million received from the federal government. The public has shown a desire for both emergency programs and long-term programs.
Mr. Latondresse stated the first focus of the funds is housing stability as one-third of Hennepin County households pay more than 30 percent of their income
toward housing costs, which is considered a cost-burdened households. The gap of available affordable homes is widest for the lowest income households, which contributes to the rise in homelessness in the County. 116 households in
Eden Prairie have access housing assistance funds. Mr. Latondresse stated the County has made a historic investment in long-term
housing solutions. They are also transforming hotels which have previously been used for quarantine to long-term housing.
Mr. Latondresse added the County has put effort into public safety and mental health. In 2019, six suburban cities partnered with Hennepin County for a new response to mental health emergency calls by embedding social workers into
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local police departments. In 2022, 22 social workers across 23 police departments, 911 dispatch centers, and group homes serving 36 cities, including Eden Prairie, were added across the County. Ms. Goettel noted small businesses are the backbones of the community and have faced difficult times due to the pandemic. The County has provided $70 million to support small businesses. There has been $3 million through 286 grants distributed to Eden Prairie small businesses. Ms. Goettel explained the County has also expanded Elevate Business HC, which offers businesses free advising and other resources to help them recover from the pandemic and build for future growth. Up to 25 hours of one-on-one consultation with business advisors to provide practical business support including accounting, finance, legal, marketing, social media, web development, and human resources. Case added the City has collaborated with a number of entities to start a space at the High School this fall to support youth and adult entrepreneurship in the City. Toomey asked if the advisors through the program are volunteers. Ms. Goettel stated there are volunteers, but there are also a few paid positions thanks to grant dollars. She added there is a mentorship program available for retired individuals to volunteer with.
Ms. Goettel stated the County has set a net zero by 2050 in carbon emissions through a Climate Action Plan, which has a great deal of support from Eden
Prairie among other cities. Case noted Eden Prairie is the first City to join the County in the 2050 carbon neutrality pledge. Eden Prairie has a goal for every City vehicle to be electric by 2030, and the County has been looking at a
similar initiative. Ms. Goettel stated more information such as infographics and charts are available online.
Ms. Goettel added Hennepin County is the largest funder in supporting the Metropolitan Council for the construction of the Southwest Light Rail. She noted the City has continually supported the project. The current anticipated
completion date is 2027. She showed a map depicting current and future transportation projects in Eden Prairie.
Ms. Goettel offered support in the fielding of any community concerns regarding property value assessments.
Case thanked Ms. Goettel and Mr. Latondresse for their work. Narayanan thanked Ms. Goettel and Mr. Latondresse for their work. He
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pointed out Mr. Latondresse's comments about COVID-19. Narayanan asked if there are numbers about the number of COVID-19 first-responders in both Hennepin County and Eden Prairie because they should honor them somehow. Narayanan added the City has run into issues with the price of electric vehicles. For example, Southwest transit has looked into electric busses, but they are twice the price as a normal bus. There were no grants available to the City to offset the high costs. Narayanan explained any help in that area would be welcomed. Narayanan noted the importance of solar to climate change initiatives. Ms. Goettel stated Hennepin County has honored first-responders through recognition, time off, and financial compensation. Eden Prairie has a number of first-responders, but the County couldn’t provide details such as addresses of the first-responders. However, the City could reach out to local medical centers for more information. Narayanan clarified he would like a monument of sorts honoring the workers. Ms. Goettel stated many cities across the nation are doing a similar recognition, and the County could discuss such an option.
Toomey noted the City is providing free art classes to first-responders. She thanked the County Commissioners for their presentation and efforts. V. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND OTHER ITEMS OF BUSINESS MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Freiberg, to approve the agenda as published. Motion carried 5-0. VI. MINUTES A. COUNCIL WORKSHOP HELD TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022
B. CITY COUNCIL MEETING HELD TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2022
MOTION: Toomey moved, seconded by Narayanan, to approve the minutes of the Council workshop held Tuesday, April 5, 2022, and the City Council meeting held Tuesday, April 5, 2022, as published. Motion carried 5-0. VII. REPORTS OF ADVISORY BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS VIII. CONSENT CALENDAR A. CLERK’S LIST B. CHICK-FIL-A by Chick-Fil-A. Second Reading of Ordinance for Planned
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Unit Development Review with waivers on 1.27 acres, Resolution for Site Plan Review on 1.27 acres (Ordinance No. 11-2022-PUD-6-2022 District Review, Resolution No. 2022-61 for Site Plan Review, Development Agreement)
C. CODE AMENDMENT FOR LIGHTING by City of Eden Prairie. Second Reading of Ordinance to amend City Code Chapter 11 relating to site lighting (Ordinance No. 12-2022, Resolution No. 2022-62) D. APPROVE USE OF $62,423.26 IN CDBG-CV FUNDS FOR PROP
E. APPROVE FIRST AMENDMENT TO LEASE AGREEMENT WITH INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT NO. 272 IN CITY CENTER SPACE F. APPROVE AGREEMENT WITH XCEL ENERGY FOR EV CHARGING SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION FOR CITY CENTER PARKING LOT G. APPROVE AGREEMENT WITH XCEL ENERGY FOR EV CHARGING SYSTEM INFRASTRUCTURE PURCHASE AND INSTALLATION FOR MAINTENANCE FACILITY PARKING LOT
H. DIRECT STAFF TO NOT WAIVE MONETARY LIMITS ON MUNICIPAL TORT LIABILITY ESTABLISHED BY MINNESOTA STATUTES 466.04 I. APPROVE ENTERPRISE AGREEMENT AND RENEWAL OF MICROSOFT LICENSES PURCHASE THROUGH SHI J. APPROVE TREE REMOVAL AGREEMENT AND AGREEMENT REGARDING SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS K. APPROVE CONTRACT FOR PIONEER TR TRAIL REHAB AND STARING LAKE PARKING LOT PROJECT TO BITUMINOUS ROADWAYS, INC. L. AWARD CONTRACT FOR 2022 SURFACE SEAL PROJECT TO CORRECTIVE ASPHALT MATERIALS, LLC M. AWARD CONTRACT FOR CR 62 FENCE REPLACEMENT TO STERLING FENCE INC. N. APPROVE INSTITUTION COMMUNITY WORK CREW AGREEMENT
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O. APPROVE GRANT AGREEMENT FOR WATERSHED OUTLET MONITORING PROGRAM WITH METROPOLITAN COUNCIL MOTION: Freiberg moved, seconded by Toomey, to approve Items A-O on the Consent Calendar. Motion carried 5-0. IX. PUBLIC HEARINGS / MEETINGS X. PAYMENT OF CLAIMS MOTION: Nelson moved, seconded by Narayanan, to approve the payment of claims as submitted. Motion was approved on a roll call vote, with Freiberg, Narayanan, Nelson, Toomey and Case voting “aye.” Nelson noted her appreciation of Staff’s clarity in providing payment information to the Council. Case added there are occasional audits for a more detailed work at finances. XI. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS XII. PETITIONS, REQUESTS, AND COMMUNICATIONS XIII. APPOINTMENTS XIV. REPORTS XV. OTHER BUSINESS XVI. ADJOURNMENT MOTION: Toomey moved, seconded by Nelson, to adjourn the meeting. Motion carried 5-0. Mayor Case adjourned the meeting at 7:50 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, __________________________ Nicole Tingley, City Clerk