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2022-06-21 City Council MinutesCITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY STATE OF MINNESOTA Minutes of the Regular Meeting Held Tuesday, June 21, 2022 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the regular meeting of the City Council, City of Mendota Heights, Minnesota was held at 6:00 p.m. at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, Minnesota, CALL TO ORDER Mayor Levine called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. Councilors Duggan, Paper, and Mazzitello, were also present. Councilor Miller was absent. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Council, the audience, and staff recited the Pledge of Allegiance. AGENDA ADOPTION Mayor Levine presented the agenda for adoption. Councilor Mazzitello moved adoption of the agenda. Councilor Duggan seconded the motion. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 CONSENT CALENDAR Mayor Levine presented the consent calendar and explained the procedure for discussion and approval. Councilor Duggan moved approval of the consent calendar as presented, pulling items F, H, and K. a. Approval of June 7, 2022 City Council Minutes b. Acknowledge Minutes -Natural Resources Comrission of May 11, 2022 c. Acknowledge Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission of April 12, 2022 d. Acknowledge Minutes - Parks and Recreation Commission of May 10, 2022 e. Approve Renewal of Massage Licenses f-. Approve Appointment of Student Representatives to City Ad-visefy GO m-m i i; s i R_ n -q g. Acknowledge the April 2022 Par 3 Financial Report 1. A ..L.,....,ledge May 2022 Fife C.,..,.....:.. i. Approve May 2022 Treasurer's Report j. Approve Building Activity Report May 2022 k. Approval Claims List Councilor Paper seconded the motion. Ayes: 4 Finance Director Kristen Schabacker replied that each planning case is required to collect an escrow to fund any related costs such as legal or publication costs. She explained that unused escrow is then returned to the applicant, noting that the City does that four to five times per year. Councilor Duggan noted Swanson Haskamp consulting fees and asked if that is a standard monthly fee or whether the billing is submitted for work performed. Finance Director Kristen Schabacker replied that the bills are for services performed. Councilor Duggan referenced the cost for tree removal and asked how many trees were removed. Finance Director Kristen Schabacker commented that she does have that information and will follow up with Councilor Duggan. Councilor Paper asked why the law firm would receive the funds. City Attorney Elliott Knetsch stated that if a vehicle is driven in a DUI there are related actions, such as taking the vehicle and selling the vehicle noting that the State then dictates the percentage the City receives as well as the prosecuting agency that handled the case. He confirmed that the forfeiture law dictates the percentages. Councilor Duggan moved approval of the CLAIMS LIST. Councilor Mazzitello seconded the motion. Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 PUBLIC COMMENTS No one from the public wished to be heard. A) CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS FY2021 AUDIT REPORT Matt Mayer, BerganKDV, presented the results of the 2021 audit reporting that the City received a clean or unmodified opinion. He noted that there were no findings related to Minnesota Legal Compliance. He stated that there was one continued finding related to the lack of segregation of duties which is a common finding with small city staff teams. He also provided information comparing the budget to actual amounts as well as information on different City funds. Councilor Duggan thanked Mr. Mayer for the presentation and commented that it is great to see the position of the City, recognizing the excellent work of the finance staff. Councilor Paper referenced the comment that was made stating that the City had 118 percent of one year's budget but noted that 106 percent was also mentioned and asked for clarification. June 21, 2022 D4endota Heights City Council Page 3 of7 Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence replied that she is unsure as the electrician was unable to look at those. Public Works Director Ryan Ruzek was unsure but believed they would either be in pressure sodium or metal haloid lights. Councilor Mazzitello commented that the initial turning on of the lights would take some time as the lights warm up. He noted that if the lights are turned off and immediately turned back on there would not be the same delay because the lights would already be warmed. He asked if it would be advantageous to place signage on the hockey boards instructing the location of the light button. Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence stated that the plan has not yet been developed, noting that she would plan to work with cities that have push button lights to determine what has been most effective. She agreed that there would need to be something to alert users as the lights may be on when they get there from another user but may turn off while they are using the lights, therefore they would need to know how to turn them back on. Councilor Duggan asked if the lights would be brighter than the existing lights Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence replied that this would determine when the lights come on and off. He stated that there has been concern related to lighting and therefore staff has been meeting with residents around Friendly Hills to mitigate lighting concerns. She noted that they installed shades on the lights. Councilor Duggan suggested that the installers are asked the best way to reduce the brightness of the lights to lessen impacts to homes. Councilor Paper asked the neighborhood input that has been received. Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence replied that engagement has not been done as this was a directive of the City Council. She confirmed that additional community engagement could be done at a later time if needed. Councilor Duggan moved to approve THE INSTALLATION OF PUSH BUTTON LIGHT SWITCHES AT THE MARIE AND FRIENDLY HILLS ICE RINKS WITH A REVIEW AFTER ONE YEAR. Councilor Mazzitello seconded the motion. Further discussion: Mayor Levine commented that she did receive one email in favor of the push button lighting. She stated that she has also received resident input on this topic in the past and believed that this is something desired by the community. Councilor Paper commented that parks open at 6 a.m. and asked if the lighting would be restricted so that lights could not be used at 6 a.m. Parks and Recreation Manager Meredith Lawrence confirmed that the available light times would still be restricted to the typical hockey rink evening hours. .7ttne 21, 2022 Mendota Heights City Cou�xcil Page 5 of 7 Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 Mayor Levine adjourned themeering at 6:51 p.m. A4—r—B � Stephanie Levine Mayor ATTEST• Christine Lusi City Clerk June 21, 2022 Mendota Heights City Council Page 7 oj7