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Minutes - Let's Talk Session• • May 22, 2001 Page 1 MINUTES "LET'S TALK" SESSION Mayor Maxwell welcomed the attendees. City Manager Mielke first recapped the Hopkins Vision and Mission. CBD Parking System Mr. Brausen stressed how Steve Stadler had worked to get the assessment down from 25C to 9C pers sq. ft. and gave information on the CBD Improvement Fund. Audience Response Discussion of this centered around exactly what could the money be used for; business people commented on how this needed to be tied in with alley /dumpster programs, but in the context of getting the business people to spearhead that program but they would appreciate Council support/ leadership in backing such a program. They commented open dialog must continue between business people and the Council. A couple specifically thanked the city for lowering the assessments. East CBD Redevelopment Ms. Jensen explained a combination residential /retail usage is planned for this development and said major concerns are relocating present businesses; working with surrounding neighbors; increasing viability without cost to others Audience Response. More definition was asked about potential renters; condo ratio to rentals (answer: unknown at this time). As to RFP's, people wanted to know how specific the Council requirements were, deadline (answer: left largely open to learn more about market; first of June deadline). There was discussion about what property was actually purchased already; where the process was with other property owners. East Hopkins Land Use/ Market Analysis Ms. Hesch explained issues of the study include land use, streetscaping, urban design and market analysis. She also said "Smart Growth" concepts are being incorporated, and hopefully funding for that may be forthcoming. Audience Response. One person commented the Council's "instincts are right," and that Excelsior Blvd. could become definitive for the southwest metro area, even though Mainstreet would always be Hopkins' center. Another commented years ago "big block retail" had been considered and suggested warehouse retail as a possibility. Comments were supportive of the market study. A couple people suggested Hopkins would be a good site for a place that could house large meetings, especially with catering facilities, as the west suburbs do not have such a site. One person said he is involved in a new community theater group, Shoestrings. If it succeeds, they have no place to go in Hopkins as Stages controls the main theater in HCA. May 22, 2001 Page 2 Audience Comments on Business Concerns in General Bob Miller stressed that property owners need to feel they get "something back" if they reinvest in upgrading their property. He specifically commented on landscaping /alleyscaping. Mr. Berg said much of the discussion on landscapingldumpsters for the CBD also could be applied to East End businesses. Medica /North Annex Ms. Johnson passed around a concept design and briefly described the project. She stressed neighborhood meetings were an integral part of planning; local traffic planning had been a high priority; and that the corporate headquarters would employ 1000 -1500. Audience Response. Attendees seemed excited about this project, especially as it might apply to employing Hopkins residents. One mentioned it would give a real "identity" to Hopkins from the freeway. Public Works Mr. Stadler handed out sketches of the plat layout, equipment storage, etc. Audience Response: Details were asked as to exterior of the new building (answer: concrete panels), if all would be on the present site(answer: yes), if other sites had been looked at (answer: no), how much equipment would be housed (answer: all). Police Chief Reid presented a slide show showing the overcrowding of the present site, explaining how it is hampering the efficiency of staff. He stated a new computer system is a must for dispatch, but there is no room to put it. Hopkins is the only city in the area that has to "hot bunk" its staff. He will find it extremely difficult to recruit new officers when the facility has so many drawbacks. Audience Response. It was asked how much staff had grown since 1980 (Answer: 10, mostly civilian). The major response was concern, surprise at how well the police staff could function under current conditions, and "How do we fix it ?" The indoor shooting range was asked about, and Chief Reid explained it had been closed as it no longer meets air pollution cut -offs. Someone asked if precincts being set up would help (Answer: no). He was asked to prioritize needs (answer: facility, radio system, 12 -hour shift assessment). Several commented they had not realized the constraints the police were under, and felt that the public needed to be made aware of the problem. (This also applied to fire dept.) One speaker said, "If the public understands the problem, they will support the new building." Fire Chief Beckering stressed that equipment storage is a major issue, and response time is hindered when machinery has to be moved to get at proper machinery for specific hazard uses; this is especially critical as Hopkins is the response hazard site for a five county area. There is no space for squad meetings. Pagers are so obsolete parts are no longer available on the market. io • • • • May 29, 2001 Page 1 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - MAY 29, 2001 A work session of the Hopkins City Council was held at 6:30 p.m. on May 29, 2001; at the City Hall. Council members present were Mayor Maxwell and Council members Brausen, Hesch, Jensen and Johnson. City personnel present were City Manager Mielke, Assistant City Manager Genellie, Public Works Director Stadler, City Manager Assistant Stahmer, and Finance Director Yager. Newspaper Dispensers Discussion Assistant City Manager Genellie had further researched the issue as directed by the Council. Banning is not advisable. Use of designated locations, limitation of numbers, setting distance from posts or other objects, fees and licensing are all permissible. Street cleaning is a major impetus for consideration. Businesses have not been surveyed in general, but Michelangelo's and the Music Center do not like them. Most cities require licensing. He referred to St. Paul's ordinance as a good one. There was general discussion. Mayor Maxwell said he feels moving them from corners is a prime concern; not placing near schools is another concern. General Consensus: The ordinance work should proceed. Any drafted ordinance would be discussed with businesses and paper publishers before passage. The licensing process should include a fee, a designation of who owns the dispensers, a mapping of each publishers dispensers, and proof of insurance and maintenance. Mr. Genellie will try to determine who owns the dispensers, map out current dispensers, get input from the business community. Lodging Tax Review Mr. Stahmer said 95 % of such monies must, by law, go toward promoting the city. Most cities do this by naming a current employee director of tourism. There is a 3 % cap on such a tax; most cities tax at that level. A rough estimate of income for Hopkins would be $45,000; after Hopkins House renovation it might be $36,000 as there would be fewer rooms. HCA does not qualify as a convention center. Mr. Mielke noted that the retreat and comments at "Let's Talk" suggest more than these amounts could be easily spent on Hopkins promotion. Discussion centered on how use of this tax might help HCA. Possibilities mentioned was naming an HCA employee director of tourism; renting space at HCA for the tourism office, offsetting some of the park dedication fees for HCA by devoting some of these monies to the bike trail, underwriting concerts. General Consensus: The tax needs to be pursued. Talks need to be held with Hopkins House before any tax is put it place. Emphasis needs to be on offsetting current expenses, with new programs added only if money is available for them. Review CIP Discussion Finance Director Yager and Mr. Mielke stressed that until the legislature is done, no firm planning is possible. Ms. Yager said the proposals were just given her by department heads, etc., May 29, 2001 Page 2 and were presented more for information than as proposals. Much of the discussion centered about the Park Board section. Mr. Mielke noted that the Board had not assigned money sources, feeling that was beyond their purview. Concerns were expressed about giving money to the Alice Smith playground as it would the door for all schools wanting help. There were questions about the plans for the stage in the park; Mr. Stadler said this was prompted by the "Music in the Park" program and was planned to be set into the bermed area. Later discussion brought out that the Jaycees have talked about covering the parking area near this. Ms. Johnson asked what had happened to the bike racks. The Central Park hockey rink for summer use was discussed. General Consensus on Park Issues: The Council should make its priority list, then meet with the Park Board to discuss priorities together. Mr. Stadler said he could annotate the present list to give the Council some idea of Park Board thinking. The idea of correlating a stage and covering the parking area with private funds should be looked into; the Council would be interested in a preliminary design There was some discussion on St. Joe's parking. Mr. Mielke is trying to arrange a talk with them. Retreat Review Mr. Stahmer handed out a preliminary draft of a summary of the retreat. He will bring a completed draft in June. Mr. Mielke hopes to have an action plan based on these results by budget time. Other Lawn Signs Mr. Mielke referred to a letter from Charles Heubach. When this issue came up before, the resident was told such issues were handled on an "on complaint" basis. The city cannot remove signs without giving notice to the owner. The police could be told to do so until challenged. Any ordinance will need to be looked at in the light of garage sale signs. Ms. Hesch said in the past a laminated copy of the ordinance and penalty was posted where there was a problem. General consensus was that might be worth trying and work should continue on an ordinance. Mr. Heubach should be contacted. An article in the Highlights is also a good idea. Knox Lumber Mr. Mielke said there are unconfirmed rumors Knox has been sold. The comprehensive plan said this should be rezoned to business park. This may need immediate attention. Police Civil Service Commission A dispatcher needs to be recruited. Before this can be done the commission either needs to have two members appointed or the commission needs to be disbanded. He and Chief Reid feel the commission is a duplication of efforts as all complaints from personnel are handled by an outside arbitration system. Consensus is this needs further discussion of pros and cons of either decision. • t • May 8, 2001 Page 1 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - MAY 8, 2001 A work session of the Hopkins City Council was held at 6:30 p.m. on May 8, 2001, at the City Hall. Council members present were Mayor Maxwell and Council members Brausen, Hesch, Jensen and Johnson. City personnel present were City Manager Mielke, Economic Director Kerrigan, Economic Development Coordinator Hartshorn, Public Works Director Stadler, Housing Coordinator Elverum, Crime Prevention Specialist Kurtz, City Attorney Steiner, Assistant to the City Manager Stahmer, Housing Inspector Page, Police Chief Reid and Finance Director Yager. East End CBD Project Discussion Publicity will be forthcoming in the Sun Sailor and in the Minnesota Real Estate Journal. Response deadline will be June 4. A sample of the information packet to be sent to responders was shown and discussed. A public information meeting will be held May 30. Ms. Elverum said feedback from developers has been that Hopkins is a prime city. She reported the work for the grant is still going ahead. Mr. Brausen said he would like data to support the type of housing chosen for building. Mr. Kerrigan said an offer has been made to the Luthers. Mayor Maxwell said he had talked to Mr. Lommen; his impression is that Lommen is most concerned with how the development will fit in with his stuff. Mr. Mielke suggested the developer could work with him. General Consensus: The Art Center should be included on page 2 of the packet. The sentence about public assistance should be omitted; in the response required they should say if they think they will need public assistance. The Community Profile section should be deleted as too much information in it is outdated; if such information could be updated it would be useful for other purposes in the future. Information on developer's projects, especially those in driving distance, should be required in their response. Alliant Tech Concept Mr. Kerrigan said SurModics had approached him about building on this site. They would build a one -story office /tech structure and 130 housing units north of Second Street. However, they would need $5 million public assistance and it would affect the Medica project. He has already spoken to Jim Vos. Discussion followed. General Consensus: The Alliant Tech building is in good shape and may be usable as it is or with remodeling by someone else. The housing proposed would be too dense. The needed financial assistance would put Hopkins' TIF at too high a level. They do not support the proposal. U -Haul Property Acquisition City Attorney Steiner said that the city taking action would mean, at most, a two month saving of time from the County's proposed regular taking. If fought by U -Haul, it would save no time; in any case it would be more costly. Mr. Stadler said the real problem is that U -Haul has nowhere else to go in Hopkins because of the zoning required. It was noted that new management May 8, 2001 Page 2 has taken over; since then neighborhood complaints have sharply risen. Police have been working with the neighborhood and U -Haul. Mr. Stadler said he thinks the Spur Gas site will be cleared and seeded within 30 days to prevent erosion. He will talk to Mr. Levy and put an article in the Sun Sailor to update the neighborhood. General Consensus: Hennepin County should do the takeover of U -Haul. A letter responding to the county memo should be sent to put the City on record. Rental License Ordinance This was presented just to see if the Council would support the idea. If they do, it would then go to the City Attorney, then rental property owners, then rental property managers for feedback. It would then come back to a Council work session before formal presentation at a Council meeting. Ms Page said most cities that have rental property registration, as Hopkins does, also have a penalty process to make enforcement easier. Police already monitor some of the rental sites on a regular basis. Unpaid penalties would be reason to suspend licenses. Ms. Kurtz said there is not a big problem now. When there is a problem, the owners are approached and usually cooperate. The new ordinance would allow provisional licensing to give owners time to correct problems; but if an owner would refuse to correct problems there would be a process for nonrenewal. She also noted that on "number of problem calls" repeat calls on the same problem would be counted as "one call." Ms. Hesch asked if renters might have their housing endangered. Ms. Page said that could be possible. Mr. Brausen said when he managed property in Minneapolis, the city would post a very noticeable sign in any building stating the owner was out of compliance. Renters could put their rent into escrow so that they would be protected and able to rent elsewhere if their building was closed. Ms. Page said that was a county court process. The city attorney would need to look at it to see if it could be used in Hopkins. Ms. Hesch asked about duplexes; Ms. Page said while that is one unit, one side could be put on a provisional license. Mayor Maxwell asked how non- registered rentals are found; Ms. Page said tax assessor records for non - homestead are checked; there is a $250 citation already in place for non - registration. Mr. Brausen asked if the state allows rental credit applications to be accessed. Ms. Page said she will check and see. Ms. Kurtz said the primary issue is not so much property maintenance as property management. She added that inspections are already done; when problems occur, follow -up is done; the main reason for the ordinance is to put the whole process "under one umbrella." Ms. Kurtz said while the program might take some set -up time, she feels the program would save time overall; she added a brochure could be done to give renters. While management may complain at first, she feels the program would help them document "problem renters" and make eviction of such easier. Mr. Brausen said he felt the process would be a good Citizens Academy presentation. General Consensus: The ordinance should be pursued. 2002 Budget Discussion This was a very preliminary discussion. Both Ms. Yager and Mr. Mielke stressed that until the legislature is done, no firm planning is possible, especially as all 3 branches of the • • •