City Council - 09/16/2008 - Workshop APPROVED MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL WORKSHOP & OPEN PODIUM
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 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, Assistant City Engineer Rod Rue, Communications
Manager Joyce Lorenz, Assistant to the City Manager Michael Barone, City Attorney Ric Rosow,
and Recorder Lorene McWaters
Heritage Room H
Council Member Duckstad and Community Development Director Janet Jeremiah were absent.
I. TRANSPORTATION PLANNING & FINANCE
Public Works Director Gene Dietz presented a PowerPoint on the Transportation CIP and
Pavement Management Program.
Transportation CIP
Dietz reviewed transportation capital improvement requests and funding sources for
2009-2013, 2014-2023 and 2024-2033. He said the projects in this portion of the CIP
represent enhanced, expanded and new road construction, but do not include residential
street maintenance.
Mayor Young asked why projects headed up by MnDOT and the County are listed in the
City's CIP. He said this seems misleading since the City funds only a small portion of
such projects. Dietz said that even though the City is not the lead on many of these of
these projects, our financial responsibility is in the millions when added up over time and
the intent of the budget is to provide the full financial picture of all funding. In 2013, the
City expects to be responsible for funding about$35 million in road construction
projects. The City's major source of dedicated transportation funding is Municipal State
Aid (MSA). Staff projects about$13 million in MSA in 2013. The 25-year forecast
shows $200 million in city costs for road construction projects, with about$60 million in
MSA, resulting in a possible shortfall of$140 million.
Council Member Nelson asked why plans continue to show Anderson Lakes Parkway
being expanded to four lanes in front of Eden Lake Elementary School, when residents
are opposed to it for safety reasons. Dietz said traffic projections show that Anderson
Lakes Parkway will be under capacity at some point in the future, and adding lanes is the
solution. He said the Council always has the final say over whether or not any road
construction project is approved for construction
Special assessments, private sources, and tax increment financing provide some funds for
transportation construction, although they do not fill the gap. The Capital Improvement
Fund , tax levy, special services districts, and a transportation utility are possible sources
of funding. Dietz said the City's best source of additional transportation funding would
be a dedicated transportation utility; however, cities currently do not have the authority to
establish transportation utilities. He said the state legislature has been reluctant to enable
this solution.
Pavement Management Plan
Dietz said the City has 36 million square feet of pavement, worth between $94 and $240
million. The City currently spends about$2.5 million per year on pavement
maintenance. Dietz said the City has a computerized inventory of all pavements in Eden
Prairie. Every road in the City has been assessed by consultants and assigned a number
(Pavement Condition Index—PCI)based on the quality of the surface.
Dietz showed a graphic that demonstrates the lifetime of a roadway receiving only
routine maintenance compared to one receiving strategic maintenance (sealcoating and
overlay). The sealcoat and overlay program lengthens the life of a roadway by decades
and costs less in the long run. He said that spending $1 for preventative maintenance in a
timely manner will avoid spending $6.80 at a later date for pavement replacement.
The City currently maintains approximately 225 miles of City streets. The current PCI is
81. The written goal is to maintain an average PCI of 60,but with a funding target of 80.
This would require increasing investment from the CIP fund of 5% annually in
combination with $500,000 annually from the Street Division operating budget.
Council Member Nelson said it makes sense to spend money to maintain roads now
rather than having to replacement them sooner at a higher cost.
Council Chamber
II. OPEN PODIUM
A. TOM RINE—EDEN PRAIRIE ART CENTER
Mr. Rine said he is an artist had the pleasure of knowing Mr. Sampson. Until
recently, Rine lived in Minneapolis. He said it took Minneapolis a long time to
put all the pieces together for the arts to thrive in that City. He encouraged the
City Council to approve funding for upgrades to the Art Center building so it can
open as scheduled in January. He said once the Art Center is open, grants and
donations will fall into place. He encouraged the Council to fulfill the Sampson
family's vision and dream, which led them to donate the building to the City.
III. ADJOURNMENT