The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, March 8, 2016 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor Skog; Council Members John Knetter, David Luhring, Jerry Huddleston, and Amanda Jensrud. Also present were Cory Bienfang, City Engineer; and Chris Meyer, City Treasurer.
Regular Meeting Called to Order - Mayor Skog called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 7:02 p.m.
Disclosure of Interest – Council Member Jensrud stated that she would not participate in the discussion or vote pertaining to the Metropolitan Council Reform as she was employed by the Met Council.
Approval of February 9, 2016 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes – Motion by Knetter seconded by Jensrud to approve the February 9, 2016 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Jensrud seconded by Luhring to approve the March disbursements excluding John Knetter‘s. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. Motion by Luhring seconded by Jensrud to approve John Knetter’s March disbursement. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. Knetter abstained from voting.
Public Comment – Sam Radford stated that he and his wife had heard that the City Council was considering condemnation of their property for a bike trail and that they didn’t appreciate hearing the news through gossip around town and an article in the newspaper.
Petitions, Requests, and Communications - Chris Meyer, City Treasurer provided the Council with the 2015 City of Hampton Financial Statements along with information on minimum balances being met. Meyer explained that the State requires a minimum balance of 35% to 40% of annual expenditures, however; Meyer keeps the minimum balance at 50% of the expenditures and confirmed that at this time the City had $175,000.00 above those minimum balances available for projects. Chris commented on some highlights of the financial statement including a water operating loss of $6,432.00 due to depreciation of fixed assets, a sewer operating increase of approximately $44,000.00 due to ESI, a debt schedule showing the current three bond series, and a statement of investments including a breakdown of the CD’s held by the City.
Wendy Carpenter, City Clerk requested the use of the Community Room on behalf of the Cardinals for their annual meeting on April 9. Motion by Jensrud seconded by Knetter to approve the Cardinals use of the Community Room free of charge on April 9. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
The Deputy Sheriff stated that there had been an increase in thefts of trucks and trailers and recommended residents keep their eyes open and pay attention to their property as well as their neighbors.
Ordinances and Resolutions
Resolution 2016-02 – Participating in All Hazard Mitigation Planning - Motion by Huddleston seconded by Knetter to approve Resolution 2016-02 Participating in the All Hazard Mitigation Planning Process. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees
Engineer Report – Huddleston took a moment to thank Mr. and Mrs. Radford for coming to the meeting and voicing their concerns and confirmed that only a feasibility study of a bike trail was approved and perhaps, the newspaper was ahead of where the Council was at. Knetter mentioned that the official minutes were just approved and that they showed no discussion of condemnation. Cory Bienfang, City Engineer provided a background and information on MnDOT’s project regarding Highway 50 for the Radfords and stated that there was never discussion of the City taking any land. Bienfang explained that since their last Council Meeting, MnDOT had proposed a unique opportunity to include a trail in the Highway 50 project and would pay for the design and trail construction within their right-of-way. Cory felt that a trail such as the one being considered could cost as much as $300,000.00 but with the help of MnDOT’s contribution of approximately $65,000.00 and DNR grants available for $150,000.00, the amount left as a cost to the City would be approximately $75,000.00 to $100,000.00. The City Engineer had confirmed with the City Planner that the DNR grant application could be completed and submitted by the March 31 deadline and that the Council would need to decide if they wanted to apply for the grant and if the City would not be awarded the grant, what type of bond or loan Hampton would be willing to acquire. Cory confirmed for Radford that no major impact of parcels were planned and that the trail would stay close to MnDOT’s right-of-way and that he was not prepared to go into detail on acquisition of land at this point as he was not knowledgeable on land values or even exactly how much land would be required. Bienfang explained that it was due to MnDOT’s project that the City was forced to make some kind of decision on the subject so quickly. Knetter apologized to the Radfords for not contacting them and also wanted to consider what is currently needed as far as infrastructure updates. Cory said that he was planning a CIP update and felt that the next update would need to include two blocks of Belmont Street and one block of Main Street between Park and Lincoln Streets as that area still had the clay sewers and to address those as well as the road itself, the City would be looking at about a 1 . million dollar project. Huddleston felt that the opportunity for a trail at this time with the MnDOT project was huge and would be a benefit to the City. The Radfords confirmed with the City that the bike trail would not be assessed to their property taxes and inquired as to if a study had been conducted to show how many people walk and bike along Highway 50 at this time. Huddleston stated that he lived in the Heights of Hampton and he saw people along the Highway regularly. Radford commented on how residents in the Heights of Hampton constantly use his property for parking, storage, and gardens without his permission. Luhring suggested Radford provide information on the issues mentioned so that the City can address them as ordinances need to be upheld and people need to respect other’s property. Huddleston recommended moving forward with the grant. Jensrud asked if there was a penalty if the City would be awarded the grant and then would not be able to accept it if the project being considered fell through. Bienfang mentioned that the City could deny the grant in a case like that but reminded the Council that MnDOT would need answers as they were planning the project now. Knetter felt that the Council should look at a few different factors including landowner involvement, what financial commitments the City would be comfortable with, and what would happen if the City was awarded a grant but in a lesser amount. Jensrud felt that the City should continue to research options and also move forward with the grant application. Motion by Jensrud seconded by Huddleston to apply for a trail grant and accept if awarded only if the idea was supported by the community and landowners that would be impacted. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. Motion by Jensrud seconded by Huddleston to approve Resolution 2016-03 Applying Specifically for the DNR Local Trail Connection Grant. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. Council agreed to contact any affected property owners as soon as possible. Luhring requested looking at the CIP as well and questioned what repair options could be considered for Belmont Street at this time. Bienfang felt that even as it was still considered a surface issue, repairs would be significant and suggested taking a look later in spring since it is always worse right after the frost comes out.
Water / Sewer Report - Knetter commented that the lift station pump had needed to be pulled and repaired and that due to different quarterly water sampling techniques, there would be a higher postage rate required to meet new temperature standards. Luhring said that he had been made aware of a statement concerning the Mayor of Dennison helping with a lot of the duties regarding the water and inquired as to what safeguards were in place to ensure safe drinking water. Luhring mentioned that Hampton’s Mayor was not licensed to perform any work on the water system and wanted to be sure that not just anyone has access to the water / sewer operations. Knetter stated that no one is able to gain access to the areas of concern as they are all locked.
Park Report – None.
Street Report - Luhring suggested considering sweet sweeping and provided two quotes to the Council that were approximately the same amount. Jensrud confirmed that any project or service under $100,000.00 does not need to be bid on. Motion by Skog seconded by Jensrud to approve the contractor that performed the service last year, Allied Blacktop Company. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Luhring requested the City Engineer work with him in regards to areas that need to be filled and patched.
Unfinished Business – None
New Business -
Metropolitan Council Reform - Chris Gerlach, Dakota County Commissioner spoke on issues such as the Met Council going forward with Thrive and some other plans that do not necessarily match what Dakota County and other local cities are in favor of and explained that no elected officials are currently on the Council as others in the country and that the County was requesting support on reforming the Council’s structure by looking at other options. Wendy Wulff spoke on behalf of the Met Council stating that the Council works under the legislature and ideas as well as changes are always welcome but do need to go through the legislature at this time. Wulff explained that all Council Members are reviewed by local officials and then appointed by the Senate and Governor. Huddleston said that it would be beneficial to have local officials on board. Knetter confirmed that it was just a reform being requested. Motion by Huddleston seconded by Knetter to approve Resolution 2016-04 Supporting the Reform of the Metropolitan Council. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. Jensrud abstained from voting.
Conduit Issuer Discussion - Chris Meyer, City Treasurer confirmed that the City had a request to be a conduit issuer for the City of Prior Lake similar to the one from Augustana last year and that as they need to finance 25 million dollars and had already planned a separate project for 2016, were searching for cities willing to assist in bank qualified loans. Meyer said that the City of Mayer was committed to $10 million and that the City of Hampton could commit to $10 million with no liability and receive a fee of $20 to $25 thousand dollars. Motion by Knetter seconded by Jensrud to move forward and approve a public hearing on the issue. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Planning Commission Appointment - Skog confirmed that two individuals had shown interest in joining the Planning Commission. Knetter was concerned with having too many new participants and not keeping the experienced individuals on the Board as the Comprehensive Plan was due for an update. Huddleston felt that it would be nice to see separate individuals on the Planning Commission and City Council but felt that now was not a good time to have an all new Commission and basically remove the experienced ones. Skog said that new people and ideas are needed and two individuals are interested. Wendy Carpenter, City Clerk confirmed that the two seats in question had been approved for an additional term or until qualified, interested individuals could be appointed and that Marlin Reinardy has mentioned that he would like to step down from the Commission on numerous occasions. Amanda Jensrud said that she would be willing to stay on the Planning Commission if the City Council felt it would be beneficial to the City. Luhring felt that as both terms were renewed in January that a letter of resignation should be submitted before someone could be replaced. Motion by Luhring seconded by Knetter to table the Planning Commission appointments. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 4:0. Jensrud abstained from voting.
Adjournment - Motion by Knetter seconded by Luhring to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. The meeting adjourned at 9:03 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, Wendy Carpenter