City 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