02-15-00 WSWork Session Minutes
February 15, 2000
A City Council work session was held on Tuesday, February 15, 2000 in the Council
Chambers after the regular City Council meeting.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Gene Maxwell at 9:50 p.m. All Council
members were in attendance, as was City Manager Steve Mielke.
State of the City Schedule
The first item of discussion was the State of the City Scheduled for March 23. After
discussion, all five Council members indicated a desire to be involved in the program
and indicated they will be in attendance at the State of the City address.
Tait's SuperValu
The next item was a discussion about Tait's SuperValu. Some Council members had
heard rumors about the financial conditions at Tait's. Mielke stated that rumors were
circulating but that the City had no reason to believe that there were any problems, and
in fact, stated that all loan payments were current
Question About Proposed Parking Lot at Corner of Ninth Ave No and First St No
The next item of discussion was a question about the proposed parking lot at the corner
of Ninth Avenue North and First Street North. Mielke stated that the staff was
continuing to work with the property owner and US Bank with the hope of a purchase
agreement and development agreement being brought to the Council in the near future.
Zion Lutheran Church
Council member Hesch indicated that she had been approached through a letter by
Pastor Karl Galik at Zion Lutheran Church, asking for a meeting. Other Council
members indicated they had received similar letters of invitation. Hesch and Council
member Brausen stated that they were going to meet with Pastor Galik to discuss the
future development of Zion Lutheran Church.
Fireman's ®ance
Council member Hesch indicated that she would be attending the fireman's dance and
would represent the City Council.
NSP Power Outages
Council member Jensen asked for information about NSP power outages. She
indicated that there had been frequent outages over the last year and was curious as to
the reasons and any other information relative to these outages. Mielke indicated that
he ~nrould attempt to obtain information from NSP.
Citizen's Academy
A question was raised relative to the applicants for the Council position and whether or
not they had been invited to join other efforts at the City level. Maxwell indicated that
letters had gone out inviting them to participate in board and commission efforts, and
that it was anticipated that they would also be invited to participate in the Citizen's
Academy.
Work session minutes 02/15/00
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Flexible Zoning Standards
Council member Hesch requested information about the flexible zoning standards and
wanted staff to look at specific sites to see if the new provisions had been helpful in
their development.
Builder's Fair
Discussion was held relative to the Builder's Fair held on February 13. The Council
asked that thank you's be handed out to those responsible for the event, and also
asked that we make efforts to improve the booth and staffing at the Hopkins booth in
the coming year.
Caring Youth Awards Banquet
Discussion was held about the Caring Youth Awards banquet. Council member Jensen
had heard from a constituent who was concerned about the inability to recognize
multiple numbers of youth from an organization, and that several organizations did not
bring forward names because of their inability to celebrate a large number at the same
time. Mayor Maxwell indicated that the item had been discussed in previous years and
the consensus from all of the partner organizations was that this was problematic. He
invited further discussion at future meetings, and indicated that he had participated in
this event for a number of years and wished to have a different Council member work
on this project. Council member Johnson indicated a willingness to serve next year.
There being no further items of discussion a motion was made by Council member
Hesch, seconded by Johnson to adjourn. The motion passed unanimously. The
meeting was adjourned at 10:45 p.m.
ATTEST:
May r