City 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Disparities program, including addressing what the City and MLC consider an outdated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