City Council - 01/08/2008 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP
& OPEN FORUM/OPEN PODIUM
TUESDAY,JANUARY 8, 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, Public Works Director Eugene Dietz, Community,
Communications Manager Joyce Lorenz, Assistant to the City Manager Michael Barone, City
Attorney Ric Rosow, and Recorder Lorene McWaters
Heritage Room H
I. 2008 COUNCIL APPOINTMENTS AND MEETING PLANNING
Appointments
Mayor Young asked for input from on the Council Members' current appointments.
Council Member Aho said he would like to continue serving on the I-494 Corridor
Commission. He believes continuity in this particular appointment would be valuable.
Aho said he was unable to attend either of the Southwest Suburban Cable Commission in
2007;however,he would be happy to keep the appointment and try to attend the
meetings this year.
Council Member Duckstad said he would like to continue to serve on the Southwest
Transit Board and the City/School Facilities Task Force.
Council Member Nelson asked if an appointment for the Southwest Corridor
Commission is necessary since the portion of Highway 312 in Eden Prairie is complete.
Public Works Director Gene Dietz said he will continue to attend meetings this year, but
does not see the need for a Council Member to attend. City Manager Scott Neal will
inform the Southwest Corridor Commission of the City's intention to leave the group and
inquire whether or not they expect the City to pay dues for 2008.
Nelson would like to continue to serve on the Eden Prairie Foundation Board.
Dietz said it might be advisable to have two elected officials serve on the LRT Policy
Advisory Committee, since work on the project is expected to ramp up this year. Aho
said he would like to continue serving on the committee, though the meeting time
occasionally conflicts with I-494 Corridor meetings. Nelson said she is very interested in
serving on the committee.
City Council Workshop Minutes
January 8, 2008
Page 2
Workshops
Young asked Council Members for input on workshops for 2008. Neal distributed a list
of potential workshop topics, compiled with input from staff and Council Members.
Butcher asked if more workshops on the Major Center Area are anticipated. Neal said
yes, and they will be added to the schedule. Aho suggested that the Department Directors
give presentations on their department functions and upcoming work. Duckstad said
something similar was presented to the Budget Advisory Commission last summer. He
said that information would be useful for all Council Members. Dietz suggested a
workshop on the Capital Improvement Budget. Aho asked for a workshop on disaster
preparedness, particularly any role Council Members and the Mayor would have in local
disaster response. Nelson suggested a workshop on cost recovery rates for recreation
programs. Butcher suggested a workshop on the Comprehensive Guide Plan.
Neal said he will produce a tentative workshop schedule for the Council Members to
review at the Planning Retreat on January 19.
Young asked if the City Council has ever considered having Council Members act as
liaisons to the Commissions. Butcher said the idea was discussed a number of years ago,
but was not pursued because of the number of additional meetings that would be required
of the Council Members.
Council Meetings
Neal said staff is considering inviting representatives from local organizations, such as
the Met Council and watershed districts, to make short presentations at the beginning of
each Council meeting in addition to continuing to have City boards and commissions
make presentations.
Council Member Butcher said the difference between the Open Forum(scheduled
speakers) and the Open Podium(unscheduled speakers) segments of the workshop is
unclear, and requested that they be combined. After some discussion, the group agreed
the two segments would be combined. Residents wishing address Council will still be
asked to call the Office of the City Manager by noon of the meeting day to be placed on
the list of speakers. If there is time left after scheduled speakers finish talking, anyone in
the audience wishing to speak will be given the opportunity.
Young said he would like to have timer lights installed at the podium, so that speakers
know when their allotted time is nearing and end (yellow light) and when their time is up
(red light). Neal said staff has looked into obtaining such a system,but has not located a
vendor yet. Neal said staff has also started to more consistently inform scheduled
speakers that Open Podium time is reserved for Eden Prairie residents.
Young said he recently visited Cornerstone, one of the organizations that receive grant
funding from the City. He said he found the visit moving and informative. He would
like all of the Council Members to have the opportunity to gain a better understanding of
the agencies that receive grant funding. Butcher said the agencies used to periodically
make presentations at Council meetings, and she thinks it would be useful to invite them
City Council Workshop Minutes
January 8, 2008
Page 3
to do so again. Assistant to the City Manager Michael Barone said he serves on the
Human Services Resource Committee, which oversees this funding process. He will pass
this request along to the committee.
Nelson asked why staff is recommending only one regular Council meeting for several
months of 2008. Neal said the first meeting in February would have fallen on the same
night as political caucuses; the April schedule was changed to accommodate Eden Prairie
Schools spring break; only one meeting is scheduled in July to allow Council Members
more time to schedule vacations; the first meeting in August was taken off the calendar to
allow Council Members more time to attend National Night Out events than in past years;
and the first meeting in November would have fallen on the same day as the election.
The Council Members approved the schedule. (Mayor Young excused himself from the
meeting at 6:15 p.m. and was not present for this portion of the discussion.)
Council Chamber
II. OPEN FORUM
III. OPEN PODIUM
IV. ADJOURNMENT