01-22-2008 WSJanuary 22,, 2008
Page 1
MINUTES
CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION -January 22, 2008
A work session of the Hopl{ins City Council was called to order by Mayor Gene
Maxwell at 6:35 p.m. on January 22, 2008, at the Hopkins City Hall. Council members
Riclc Brausen, Kristi Halverson, Bruce Rowan and Cheryl Youalcim were present. City
personnel present were City Manager Rick Getschow, Community Development
Coordinator Tara Beard, Director of Planning Kersten Elverum, Police Chief Craig Reid,
and Investigator James Niemackl. Also present were Sue Haigh, Karl Batalden and Chad
Dipman of the Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity (TCHH).
Habitat for Humanity Presentation
Ms. Beard said the Harrison lots were acquired during the work on Excelsior
Blvd. The city signed a contract with Schatz Group to sell them. She has met with Karl
Batalden, and a Right of Entry Agreement was signed with TCHH. TCHH has had soil
testing done and has had the property assessed.
Ms. Haigh described the work done by TCHH and answered Council members'
questions. Their goal is to eliminate poverty housing. They build homes and sell them
to families that meet the guidelines. The 0% interest mortgage is arranged so that the
first mortgage will be no more than 30% of the family income. Payments do not increase
if income increases as they want the families to move up financially. A second mortgage
covers the remainder of the house's cost and is forgiven at the end of the first mortgage
(30 years) if the family is still living there. A maintenance escrow is included in the
mortgage so that the house can be kept up. TCHH keeps right of first refusal so they can
buy back homes if the family decides to sell; a shared equity agreement assures TCHH
will be able to afford the property. To date only 3-S have been repurchased, but most
houses have been built in the past ten years. They build SO-60 per year, and have built
about 680 homes in 41 cities in the metro area. The foreclosure rate is less than 2%.
Buyers must attend a series of classes so they have the skills to maintain and keep the
house. They must also put in 500-600 hours of work on their home or other homes.
Most houses have three or four bedrooms; the families are often multigenerational.
They will seek financial assistance from HUD through Hennepin County and
from Habitat International to potentially purchase the Harrison lots. Mr. Batalden said
TCHH will apply for that help in February; September would be the earliest they could
actually purchase the lots. A down payment could be made before that. Later he added
that the federal grant money must be repaid by TCHH, even if the house is foreclosed,
which is why there is an equity agreement. Answering Mayor Maxwell, Ms. Haigh said
actual building, other than the foundations, would probably not start until next spring;
both houses would be built at the same time. TCHH would be happy to interview
Hopkins' residents as possible purchasers, although she could not promise they would get
the homes. Four follow-up visits are made to each family after the purchase; TCHH is
considering expanding that program. Answering Mr. Brausen, she said TCHH would be
happy to hold an open house in the neighborhood. Ms. Youakim asked about cash and
in-kind donations; Ms. Haigh said she would get current figures for the Council.
She noted $82,000 per lot would be one of the highest prices TCHH will have
paid. Mr. Batalden said TCHH would need a Memorandum of Understanding or a
Purchase Agreement by February 21. They would also need a resolution passed by the
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January 22, 2008
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Council or a letter from the Mayor. Mayor Maxwell said he would want a neighborhood
meeting held before then so the Council would have resident feedback. Ms. Beard noted
a resolution could be passed at the February 19 Council meeting. General Consensus was
to use Feb. 19 as a deadline for the neighborhood meeting and a decision on the purchase
price.
Graffiti Plan
Chief Reid said graffiti was one of the biggest crime concerns in the city survey.
Staff has been working on a plan to make responses more consistent and of more service
to residents. There are 250-400 incidents known to police each year, but many do not get
reported. Ray often cleans up signs, etc. as he sees them and does not report those. St.
Louis Park thought they had about 100 incidents; once they started their graffiti program
they found they had about 700. He also feels the city could do better with the victims.
Hopkins will be working with other cities as taggers often work in more than one city.
Another city might know the tagger's moniker, making apprehension possible. The
biggest change Hopkins will make is to have the morning PSO spend a couple hours
several times a week looking specifically for graffiti. Digital camera photos will be
taken, and the graffiti will be cleaned immediately if possible. X11 incidents will be
entered in police records. Liz Page will be responsible for follow up. Many incidents
involve city property or public utilities. He would like to institute a letter signed by
Mayor Maxwell to be sent to public utilities and government entities that do not get
graffiti cleaned off their property in a reasonable length of time; this would be only a few
times a year, but would show the city is seriously concerned about graffiti. Public
Works' goal is to remove graffiti from city property within 24 hours. Seven days would
be the deadline for residents. Mayor Maxwell expressed concern if Liz could handle the
extra load; City Manager Getschow assured him that had been considered. The only
noticeable work load increase will be handled by the PSO. Answering Mayor Maxwell,
Chief Reid said most taggers are not gang members; if they seem to be, the gang force
will be notified. Mr. Brausen said the coupon for savings on graffiti cleaning supplies
was a really good thing. Chief Reid said he has told the Hance Hardware owner the
police department would pay back the $5 coupons redeemed, but he said he wanted to do
this for the community. He added Hance Hardware is the only business that sells the
graffiti removal products in Hopkins. Mr. Getschow said this was a plan with increased
efforts toward graffiti abatement. There are not any current plans to bring forth any city
code or ordinance revisions. Chief Reid said he wanted the Council to be aware the
issue is being addressed.
Other
Ms. Youakim asked how influential neighborhood disapproval would be in the
TCHH project. Mayor Maxwell said there would need to be good points, not just "I don't
like it." Mr. Brausen added that "fair market value" might be brought up, but that is what
the city plans to charge. Ms. Youakim added she feels the fact the new residents would
be independent owners needs to be stressed.
City Manager Getschow reminded the Council that planning for State of the City
would start soon. There was a general discussion. Anew format is a prime concern.
January 22, 2008
Page 3
Mr. Getschow noted the next Council meeting would be on Monday, Feb. 4, due
to caucuses on Tuesday. The work session Feb. 12 will include the legislative platform.
Citizens' Academy will start Feb. 28; graduation will be April 1. Ms. Youakim said she
would do one of the first two sessions.
On motion by Ms. Halverson and second by Mr. Brausen, the meeting adjourned
at $:10 p.m. on a vote of S-0.
Kasey Kester, Secretary
COUNCIL MEM RS:
ATTEST:
Eugene . M .well, Mayor