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2008-07-15 City Council minutesJuly 15, 2008 Page 1 CITY OF MENDOTA HEIGHTS DAKOTA COUNTY STATE OF MINNESOTA Minutes of the Regular Meeting Held Tuesday, July 15, 2008 Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the regular meeting of the City Council, City of Mendota Heights, Minnesota was held at 7:00 o'clock p.m. at City Hall, 1101 Victoria Curve, Mendota Heights, Minnesota. CALL TO ORDER PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AGENDA ADOPTION Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 APPROVAL OF MINUTES Ayes: 3 Nays: 0 Abstention: 1 Krebsbach CONSENT CALENDAR Mayor Huber called the meeting to order at 7:30 p.m. The following members were present: Councilmembers Krebsbach, Schneeman and Vitelli. Councilmember Duggan was excused. Council, the audience and staff recited the Pledge of Allegiance. Councilmember Schneeman moved adoption of the agenda as revised. Councilmember Krebsbach seconded the motion. Councilmember Vitelli moved adoption of the minutes as revised. Commissioner Schneeman seconded the motion. Councilmember Vitelli moved approval of the consent calendar as presented, pulling items d and g for further discussion and authorization for execution of any necessary documents contained therein. a. b. c. Acknowledgement of the Minutes from the July 8, 2008 Park and Recreation Meeting. Acknowledgement of the Minutes from the June 11, 2008 Airport Relations Commission Meeting. Acknowledgement of the NDC4 Meeting Agenda. July 15, 2008 Page 2 d. Acknowledgement of the Par 3 Update, June 2008. e. Acceptance of Resignation from Firefighter Steve Boley. f. Approval of Sign Permit for 2650 Executive Drive for WUXI APPTEC. g. Adoption of Resolution No. 08-45 "A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING BIDS AND AWARDING CONTRACT FOR SOMERSET PARK/EVERGREEN KNOLLS STREET REHABILIATION AND TOWN CENTER OVERLAY AND RADIUS CONSTRUCTION (PROJECT NO. 200809)." h. Approval of the List of Contractors, dated July 10, 2008. i. Approval of the List of Claims, dated July 11, 2008 totaling $1,252,168.77. Councilmember Krebsbach seconded the motion. Councilmember Krebsbach referred to Item b and made the following correction: Page 3, third paragraph from the bottom, should read "Councilmember Krebsbach noted that the Anoka Reliever Airport is the same size as MSP". Councilmember Schneeman asked to have Item d pulled to mention that the Par 3 is very well used and the revenues have outpaced the expenditures by $35,000, not including the month of July. Councilmember Schneeman commended all those involved with this golf course. Councilmember Krebsbach said there were 2,651 rounds of golf played in June and 2,538 in May. Councilmember Vitelli moved approval of the Par 3 June Update as presented. Councilmember SchneemanKrebsbach seconded the motion. Councihnember Vitelli referred to the Somerset street improvements and said he wanted to make sure that people that were affected by the street work understand what is going on as the Council does a good job of informing people. July 15, 2008 Page 3 Councilmember Vitelli said he missed a meeting and wanted to make sure this has been taken care of. City Administrator Jim Danielson said there has been some private neighborhood meetings held inviting neighbors in. City Engineer Ryan Ruzak said the private meeting had been held in February and the public hearing was held for this project last February. Councilmember Vitelli moved adoption of Resolution No. 08 -45; "A RESOLUTION ACCEPTING BIDS AND AWARDING CONTRACT FOR SOMERSET PARK/EVERGREEN KNOLLS STREET REHABILIATION AND TOWN CENTER OVERLAY AND RADIUS CONSTRUCTION (PROJECT NO. 200809)." Councilmember Krebsbach seconded the motion. Pat Hickey, 2303 Swan Drive, made some comments about Rogers Lake, which borders his property. Mr. Hickey said in the past decade, the City of Mendota Heights and the residents surrounding the lake have worked towards an environment that's made it a very healthy lake. The residents and the city both contributed funds for the "Lake Doctor" to come in ensuring this was a clean, healthy lake. Mr. Hickey said the work done by the St. Thomas Academy students shows that this is a good, clean lake. Mr. Hickey said both private and public monies have been used to install an aerator for use in the winter, build a pier, and build a conduit under Wagon Wheel Trial. Mr. Hickey said the DNR continues to stock this lake with Walleye, Bass and Northern. Mr. Hickey said Rogers Lake is currently considered a recreational lake use by the DNR and unfortunately, this lake continues to be plagued by weeds, so much so that kayaks and row boats actually now get stuck in the weeds, and the residents have to harvest these weeds. Mr. Hickey July 15, 2008 Page 4 said all the contributions made have been great, but feels that the plan going forward should include cleaning weeds. Mr. Hickey asked that the City form a task force to address this issue. Mayor Huber asked Councilmember Krebsbach to speak to a note she received concerning Rogers Lake. Councilmember Krebsbach said Rick Walsh from the Minnesota DNR Fisheries, as part of the Fishing in the Neighborhood Program, was doing a fishing survey of Rogers Lake and they used a boat with a motor that resulted in a few calls to City Hall. These calls brought attention to the weed blooms and Mr. Walsh suggested the City rent or find some way to harvest the weeds out of there. Councilmember Krebsbach said the shallowness of the lake is a factor as well, and would like to find out how much it would cost, and what the process would be, to harvest the lake. Councilmember Krebsbach said this lake is a beautiful amenity and the City should go the next step. Mr. Danielson said the City needs to spend some time looking into this and will be talking to the DNR as well as other cities that are doing this. A report will come back to the Council by the August meeting. Mayor Huber told Mr. Hickey that the City does not have a firm answer on this tonight, nor can they commit to what they may do this year or next year. The Council will be discussing the budget plan later in the meeting and at a minimum, this needs to be considered during this discussion. This is a very appropriate time to kick this around. Mr. Danielson said there is no money in the budget this year for doing anything, so the earliest the City can respond will be next year. The land is non - meander, which means people own the lake and permission needs to be obtained from all the landowners as well as the DNR and MnDOT. The City will have to get started now to see what can be done next year as there are a lot of hurdles to go over. Mr. Hickey said was not his intent to come here to find solutions, but to create an awareness. July 15, 2008 Page 5 Councilmember Schneeman commended the residents as this will be great to get done, and the DNR has grants for this sort of thing. Councilmember Schneeman said she will give Mr. Hickey some contact information for the DNR to see if there is any money available now. Councilmember Schneeman asked if the lake association has been established. Mr. Hickey said only to the extent that everyone contributed last year to the study done by the "Lake Doctor ". Councilmember Schneeman asked if thrashing machines were ever brought in. Mr. Hickey said they have not, and there are questions still on the best way to treat this type of foliage. Councilmember Vitelli said rather than having a committee, can someone just ask the DNR to help do a "look -see" on the lake and report to the Council on what they recommend. Councilmember Vitelli said Rep. Rick Hanson is very focused on the environment and is sure he would be willing to help get something moving. Councilmember Krebsbach said she does not think a committee is needed and the Council should want to look at the best way to address the weed issue. Mayor Huber thanked Mr. Hickey for corning in with these concerns. Mr. Danielson said in February 2007, the City committed $50,000 towards the purchase of an easement at the Dodge Nature Center, and as part of that commitment, the Council asked that the nature center give some updates on that easement. Mr. Al Singer, Dakota County, said the County and the nature center has been working for about three years to try to secure permanent protection for the land. Covenants were put on this property but covenants do not last forever. Mr. Singer said they are trying to place a permanent conservation easement on the majority of the land in Mendota Heights. There was a perception that this land was already protected by these covenants to use the land July 15, 2008 Page 6 for educational purposes. Mr. Singer said a future board could entertain a proposal to sell or develop the land. Mr. Singer said the board has decided to agree to sell a permanent conservation easement on the 156 acres as shown on the map reviewed. Mr. Singer said he also provided a summary of the restrictions with regard to this easement. The purpose of the easement is to permanently protect the land for scenic, environment, and natural purposes, and the County becomes the qualified organization to receive the conservation easement. As one of the requirements, it is the belief of the Dodge Nature Center that land is not really protected unless it is also managed. A management plan will be required and processes will be put in place to dictate what will be done and who will do it and when. In this process, the nature center had prepared a Natural Resource Management Plan in 1996, which has a requirement that this plan is updated more comprehensively that lays out how the land will be managed. This property can not be used as residential, commercial or industrial use. Generally, structures and other improvements are not allowed with the exception that at some point in time, the nature center has contemplated creating a visitor center. It is not known at this time, when or where this center would be constructed. A three acre site will be carved out within this156 acres that the nature center could create a future visitor center, parking and road access if the board feels this would be something useful to the nature center and passes all the hurdles. Public access was another important element, and if public money is spent on this involved in permanently protecting this land, the public should have a certain degree of public access, yet at the same time this is private property. Public access will continue to be guided and determined by the Dodge Nature Center board of directors, but this really does say that this land will have public access as long as the resource doesn't get compromised July 15, 2008 Page 7 and doesn't interfere with the operations and the goals of the nature center. There will be no motorized vehicles except for emergency and maintenance purposes. The topography or surface will not be changed, and water quality will not be altered. There will be restrictions on the kinds of signs that will be posted. It will be ensured that the vegetation will reflect the goals of the property and that the ornative species are not evasive species. Herbicides and pesticides will not be used unless there is a human health need. Animals will not be grazing nor will there be any domestic animals used for agricultural use except for educational purposes. Exotic and /or evasive species will be precluded. The easement was acquired on May 2, 2008 and the County will monitor this easement on an annual basis. There was a property report done that documented the condition of the property at the time of conveyance to make sure there are no border incursions or uses that were not contemplated or allowed. The County and the nature center looked to be long term partners in this, and it is a great thing for the City of Mendota Heights that this gem is now permanently protected and to be used for the public. Ben VanGunde, Executive Director of Dodge Nature Center, said he has been the director for about 4 years now and thanked the Council on behalf of the nature center for their support of this conservation easement which is the strongest legal protection that can be placed on an open space natural area like this. Mr. VanGunde said he believes strongly in conservation easements and put one on some woodland property he owns. Mr. VanGunde said he likes to think long term and believes the citizen of Mendota Heights will rest easy that this is going to be protected for a long tune. Mr. VanGunde said he recently received a phone call from a developer who wanted 10 acres for an office park there. July 15, 2008 Page 8 Mr. VanGunde talked about wetlands and oak savannahs in this area, and the mecca for wildlife. The nature center contracted with Great River Greening to do a natural plan and will continue to work on the land is a restoration fashion to bring it to pre-settlement condition. Uses beyond hiking, and cross country skiing are not anticipated. Mr. VanGunde talked about the two homes on Highway 110 that were taken down, saying there were old and it was time to do so. Mr. VanGunde thanked the Council for all their help and support. Mayor Huber asked where the public will access the property. Mr. VanGunde said there is an agreement with Mendota Heights Church where the nature center paved their parking lot and the church allows the public to park there except during Sunday service hours. There is also an access where the houses were and off Dodge Lane. Councilmember Krebsbach asked how many acres there are. Mr. VanGunde said the easement covers 156 acres. Councilmember Krebsbach said this is as much of a signature piece as the bluffs are to have that open space in the middle of the city. Councilmember Krebsbach said she has been aware that developers have been eyeing this for quite some time and it is wonderful that the County and the Dodge Nature Center are in agreement on this. Councilmember Krebsbach said she has been interested in having an overpass over Highway 110 that connects the Village and the Mendota Plaza, and one of the things the Council looked at was to see if there is any money from the County to connect the trail system which would be coming over to the Dodge Nature Center. At that time, the definition of preserve precluded what would be a July 15, 2008 Page 9 hiking trail and would that change now? Mr. VanGunde said bicycles would not be allowed unless on a particular trail. The nature center is working with Dakota County on putting a trail to link up the trail through the property in West St. Paul, which does not affect the easement property. This project is slated for 2010 -2011. Mr. Singer said the North Urban Regional Trail starts by The Village and connects with Valley Park and then goes along the frontage road and the gap that exists is between Sibley High School and Garlough Park. The nature center received money through the federal transportation fund to make a trail connection through what is known as the Marie property, where there will actually be an underpass on Marie Avenue and on Charlton Street so that kids and bicyclists can go under both of those roads. They will eventually be connected so that people from Mendota Heights will be able to follow a trail to get all the way to the Mississippi River and from there, down to Hastings. This is a long term plan, and the relationship building between the nature center and the County takes lots of fouls. The easement on the Lilly property was the first phase. This will be the next phase. Mr. Singer said the County brought forward the their concerns about the Mendota Plaza redesign and that they had identified that there is a potential regional corridor that would go from the CDA property through Mendota Plaza, across to The Village and on to Valley Park. The County is in the process of advocating in the budget process that there would be a special pot of funds available to help cities to realize these kinds of projects. It's early to say that the County is prepared to put some money towards this, but it has been identified as a major greenway corridor and that the County wants to have a strategic role in helping to make sure there is recreational open space and water quality enhancements. Mr. Singer said in this particular case, the nature center land to the west is too wet for a trail and the County would be looking at making some sort of July 15, 2008 Page 10 regional trail connection to the west that would include the CDA property. Mr. Singer noted the small piece of MnDOT right of way that is excluded from the easement and it is conceivable that since it is not owned by the nature center, the City could put in an application through the Farmland and Natural Area Program, this does fit the County's definition of protecting key open space that has multiple public benefits. Mr. Singer said the County will be going to the board in September for a new application round that will end in November. The County is trying to figure out how the Plaza can function and be an amenity to the City. Councilmember Krebsbach said having the bicycle and hiking access will only enhance the businesses at Mendota Plaza. Councilmember Krebsbach asked if there would be anything going across Highway 110, it would be in that hatched area or would it be at the corner. Mr. Singer said the County sees that the primary trail would be to the west of the easement and one of the things that they talked with the nature center was to put a screen of vegetation on the land that the developer does not own. Mr. Singer said aside from that fact that it would be the traditional approach to separate these different kinds of land use, the County thinks it is wise to take advantage of this wonderful multi - million dollar amenity as the developer things about redeveloping The Plaza. Councilmember Krebsbach said she appreciates the ability to participate in this. Councilmember Vitelli asked what the characteristics are for the lake on this property. Mr. Singer said it was a long time since he was on that lake and talked about living in a house on the lake which had a lot of duck weed at one time. Their dog did not realize the green stuff on the lake was something it could walk on. Mr. Singer said he believes that it is about 12 to 13 feet deep at the deepest part. This is an artificially created lake and July 15, 2008 Page 11 at one time there was a dike which breached in a stone, draining the lake into a culvert. There were about 35 snapping turtles, 105 painted turtles, and 1,500 leopard frogs that all washed into the outlet from thus pond. There are fish in there as well. Councilmember Schneeman said there was a lot of interest from residents who thought there was a development going in where the houses were being taken down. Everyone was anxious to buy a lot. Mr. Singer talked about the Farmland and Natural Area Program, and said the County has now completed and approved 56 projects, comprising of 6,000 acres and extended /committed almost $16.5 million, and have leveraged $56 million worth of either land owner donations or non - county funding. It has changed how the County thinks of open space protection so that inside the County it is now the Parks and Open Space Department. Mr. Singer talked about the importance of collaboration to use resources wisely. Councihnember Schneeman asked if there is any money left in that fund. Mr. Singer said they just received about $1.6 million of federal money yesterday and has about $3.5 million left. Councilmember Krebsbach said as the Council goes into the comprehensive plan process, she has asked Planner Steve Grittman to find a way that residents who own property on the bluff can put their properties into a conservation easement. Mr. Singer said the County recognizes that and Marilyn Lundberg has been in contact with them with regards to that parcel in Lilydale, and the County recognizes that although the bluff line has some level of protection, putting an easement on it would make sense. The challenge will be that these are relatively small parcels and it gets more complicated and time consuming in working with individual land owners to do that. Mr. Singer said if there is a way to work together cooperatively and figure out what makes the most sense, whether the City owns the easement or the County does, the first goal is to figure out what needs to be protected and July 15, 2008 Page 12 then figure out the tools and mechanisms of how this can be done. Councilmember Krebsbach asked how this can be started because there may be property owners in Mendota Heights who want it and those that don't. Mr. Singer said people could apply to the County's program saying they want to put a conservation easement on their property. For the County to make the public dollars go as far as possible, it would be great to consider donating the easement — there are some charitable contributions that can go along with donating a conservation easement. It would make sense of a number of adjacent landowners put in a proposal together. Residents can go to the County's website for more information on the application process. Mr. Singer said it will be useful to have the cities work together in a coordinated way of being able to move forward with this. Councilmember Krebsbach said the City will be interested as well. Mayor Huber said the Planning Commission will be reviewing Mendota Plaza again this month, and then it will go to the City Council again at their next meeting. Mayor Huber asked Mr. Singer to quickly look over the resolution. Mr. Singer reviewed and said Staff pretty much covered it, and he has no questions. Mr. VanGunde asked what is meant by "green space usage concepts". Mr. Singer said the restrictions that are included in the easement have been well thought out and there have been numbers of discussions between the boards and advisory committees, and this is looking out for the best interest of the property and the nature center's primary use, and for the public benefits. Clearly if the City were to require some different uses on that property, it would have to get approval by the Dodge Nature Center Board and also by the County. It is the City's prerogative to do that. Mayor Huber asked what the Council's thought are on this. Councilmember Krebsbach asked Mr. Singer if he was ok with the resolution where that language is Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 ISAIAH - AFFORDABLE HOUSING July 15, 2008 Page 13 up at the top before it got to the "whereas's ". Mr. Singer said he is. Mayor Huber said if everyone is ok with this, acknowledging that Councilmember Duggan is not present, let the document stay as is with a few typo changes to be done. Councilmember Schneeinan said it was fine with her. Mr. Singer said the County has committed and already paid $500,000 to acquire the conservation easement. Councilmember Krebsbach moved to authorize acquisition of the easement from the Dodge Nature Center, along with authorization for payment of $50,000 to the DNC for the easement. Councilmember Vitelli seconded the motion. Mr. Cameron Kruse, 588 Sutcliff Circle, said he is before the Council to ask for the inclusion of affordable housing in the comprehensive plan. Mr. Kruse said he and his wife Nancy moved to the area in 1967 in a starter house in the Friendly Hills neighborhood, and have lived in three different houses in Mendota Heights since then. Mr. Kruse said he served on the Planning Commission for 9 years, serving as Chair for 7 of those years. Mr. Kruse said during that time period, he went through the comprehensive plan process. Mr. Kruse said he and members of ISAIAH, which is an organization of 90+ churches in the metropolitan area and the St. Cloud area that work in the area of social justice issues such as housing, education, health care, domestic violence, and immigration. Mr. Kruse said this group has been particularly interested in housing and work force and affordable housing, being involved since 2003. Mr. Kruse covered two general areas: morality of justice and economics, reflecting the faith side of these issues. Mr. Kruse referred to the recitation of July 15, 2008 Page 14 the Pledge of Alliance where it says "and justice for all ", saying justice is more broad than the court's justice, and that housing and education for all is included. Mr. Kruse said that as a City, we say we are pledged to this. Mr. Kruse talked about the economics by saying there is a big gap between the haves and have nots, and referred to a report by the Itasca Project called "Close the Gap ", which was done in 2005. The Itasca Project is comprised of about 40 CEO's of major businesses in the area (3M, Best Buy, Wells Fargo, etc). These people have identified the housing gap as being very important to the metro area. The study shows that the Twin Cities is the worst in terms of metropolitan areas of having such a gap (core city vs. suburbs). Mr. Kruse said the Met Council and Dakota County both feel this is an important issue, and should also be important to the City of Mendota Heights and its citizens. Mr. Kruse said their group meets out of a church in Inver Grove Heights, and in talking to the City of Inver Grove Heights, the group found that the City was only interested in large lots and large houses, and that is all the City of Inver Grove Heights wanted to hear about. Since then, they have changed their policy and have endorsed work force housing. Mr. Kruse presented some pages out of Inver Grove Heights draft comprehensive plan which has 14 housing policies, 12 of which address work force and affordable housing. They have also included inclusionary zoning as one of their tools. The group also helped the City to identify 12 other tools that cities could use to work on affordable housing. Mr. Kruse said this is an issue that neighboring communities are working on and it is appropriate that the City of Mendota Heights also includes in their comprehensive plan. July 15, 2008 Page 15 This plan will be good for businesses where lower salaried people that work or live in the city be closer to their homes and jobs. Housing for children is also important as well as senior housing. This program would benefit everybody. Mr. Kruse said the definition of affordable housing as a house that is $215,000 or less for a family of four with an income of about $65,000. This is not housing for the really low income such as federal and state supplemental housing. Mr. Kruse said the group is asking the City to provide for regulatory benefit inclusionary zoning, which means that there would be a situation where a developer would come in and a certain percentage of the unit would fit this work force housing requirement. The benefit of that is to get this kind of housing spread through out the community, not setting up a project kind of situation. Mr. Kruse said the City will need to give up something as the developer will not be able to do this on their own, and the City will have to give something like increased density for the area to provide the opportunity to make enough money to offset the additional costs of providing lower cost housing within the development. Mr. Kruse said affordable housing is a positive thing for a community, nationally at least 375 cities and counties have used inclusionary zoning as a way to encourage this kind of development. These projects do well because there is always some kind of control, i.e. Dakota County CDA has good control over their projects, and homeowners associations and zoning ordinances are also good ways to have control. Mr. Kruse said affordable housing has both a moral and economic value to the citizens of Mendota Heights and the group would like to work with the City to incorporate this into the comprehensive plan. July 15, 2008 Page 16 Councilmember Krebsbach said she met with Mr. Kruse and Ms. Judy Rhein previously, and asked what the affordable housing percentage is in West St. Paul. Mr. Kruse said he did not know. Councilmember Krebsbach said Mendota Heights is part of a bigger community with West St. Paul, and being in the same school district, and she would be curious as to the percentage. Other topics of conversation at that meeting were the possibility of new jobs in The Village and Mendota Plaza. Mr. Kruse said he would get that information. Mayor Huber said the City has had some success with affordable housing on Lexington Avenue and some senior orientated housing on Highway 110. Mayor Huber said there is not much in the way of larger tracts of land available to put in a moderately sized housing development. There has been some talk about putting this type of housing in Mendota Plaza, but it is not certain the landowner is interested in doing that. Mayor Huber said there is not a high level of bus service in the City. Mayor Huber said he is comfortable working with agencies such as Dakota County CDA where the City has a good idea of what type of project will go in and that long tem' relationship of keeping an eye on that project to make sure it's maintained well. Mayor Huber said he supports projects that go hand in hand with an area he has more confidence on the long term result. The City of Mendota Heights takes a good look on what projects will looks like over the next ten to twenty years. Mayor Huber said he is less comfortable that mostly all the non - developed land in the conununity is single family and would not want to see something come in that is multi - density. Councilmember Krebsbach talked about the facility on Lexington Avenue and that it turned out to be beautiful family housing. There is a parcel along Highway 35 that was purchased by a church that may be developed, and the City is certainly looking at Mendota Plaza as a possibility. Councilmember July 15, 2008 Page 17 Krebsbach said the CDA is also in that area and she feels comfortable working with the CDA. Councilmember Schneeman said there is a need in Mendota Heights for assisted living, and is hoping something like this goes in Mendota Plaza. Councilmember Vitelli said the CDA is working with a provider of assisted living for The Village. Councilmember Schneeman said there are a lot of residents in their 90's that wish to stay in the city, and feels there is adequate affordable housing in the city on the north side of the city. Councilmember Krebsbach said the housing values have also moved up in the area which moves homes out of the affordable housing range. Councilmember Krebsbach said she is not as interested in the housing in the Mendota Plaza area as she is not sure it is conducive to housing, but the Council is requesting that the developer includes some housing. Mayor Huber said in looking at the City's profile on housing, the City is not far off the norm of averages. Councihnember Vitelli said according to the City Planners report, under the table called "Existing Affordable Rental Housing" and looking at the 2005 households, the City shows having 4.4% of the total households are considered existing affordable rental housing. Added to that should be the homes on the books with a current assessed value at $200,000 and less. The number of homes valued at $200,000 and less in Mendota Heights are 7 %. Using the new number from Met Council of $215,000 would add another 1 %. Adding it all up, the City has 12.4% of affordable housing. Councilmember Vitelli asked ISAIAH members what the city's goals should be, as the 12.4% seems pretty high. Mr. Kruse said the Mayor and City Council has done very well, and in looking to the future, the July 15, 2008 Page 18 group would like the Council to indicate in the comprehensive plan that they will continue this process. Councilmember Vitelli asked how ISAIAH would rate the City on their 12.4 %. Mr. Kruse said they have not done a rating, but believes the City is doing well. Councilmember Vitelli said he believes the city has done well at 12.4% affordable housing. Mayor Huber thanked the group for their presentation and said he has a lot of admiration for what this group is accomplishing. Mayor Huber said Councilmember Vitelli and Councilmember Schneeman have expressed a desire to change the date for the proposed budget workshop. Councilmember Vitelli asked to have this scheduled on a Monday or Tuesday of the Council meeting week as he is at his lake home most of the time. Mayor Huber said he suggested doing mornings. Councilmember Krebsbach said she cannot do mornings. Mayor Huber asked about Monday, August 4. Councilmember Vitelli said he is ok with that date. Councilmember Krebsbach said that would give time to make adjustments. Mr. Danielson said this needs to come back at the first meeting in September in order to get it to the County by September 15. Mayor Huber asked if Staff will be ready by August 4. Mr. Danielson said they can be. Mayor Huber asked about Monday, August 4. Councilmember Schneeman said she would prefer the 18. Councilmember Vitelli said he would prefer the 4th Councilmember Krebsbach said she will be in Boston until the 18. Mayor Huber suggested having Staff get the books to Council by August 8 and have a meeting on August 18. Everyone was COUNCIL COMMENTS ADJOURN Ayes: 4 Nays: 0 July 15, 2008 Page 19 fine with that. The meeting will be scheduled for 7:00 pm. Councihnember Krebsbach said she has been receiving complaints of additional noise along Highway 110. Councihnember Krebsbach suggested putting something in the comprehensive plan to put in a noise abatement wall and now with the money coming in from the gas tax for transportation, there might be additional funding for those types of things. Councilmember Krebsbach suggested looking at this and the landscaping plan for Highway 110. A wall could be constructed by the curve coming off Highway 35. Councilmember Schneeman said there seems to be a problem with maintenance of these types of walls, they look shoddy, and don't think they are attractive. They are fine around the curve and ramps, but not more than that. Councihnember Schneeman said there may be increased traffic since Highway 35 has been closed for maintenance. Councilmember Vitelli said the City's Public Works Supervisors's father, Mr. William Olen, recently passed away and services will be held at Mendota Heights Methodist. Councilmember Krebsbach said the city parks look fantastic. There being no further business to come before the Council, Councihnember Vitelli moved to adjourn the meeting. Councilmember Krebsbach seconded the motion. Time of Adjourmnent 8:30 p.m. Rebecca Shaffer ATTEST: Recording Secretary John May