HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Packet 08-08-2006 SpecialAgenda
City of Plymouth
Special City Council Meeting
Tuesday, August 8, 2006
5:30 p.m.
Meeting Rooms A & B
1. Call to Order
2. Discuss park survey
3. Adjourn
DATE: August 3, 2006
TO: Mayor and Council
FROM: Diane Evans, Acting Director, Parks and Recre iso
SUBJECT: SPECIAL MEETING AUGUST 8, 2006 -MEDICINE LAKE ROOM
The City Council met with Dr. Bill Morris from Decision Resources on Thursday, July
27, at 6:30 p.m. A second meeting was scheduled to further discuss this issue
when all Council could be present. The purpose of the meeting is to review the
results of the survey questionnaire done by Decision Resources and Dr. Morris
regarding a possible referendum dealing with parks and open space.
For your review I have attached the following;
Executive summary of the findings from Dr. Morris
Survey results
Financial information from Mike Kohn
Potential outline of a public information campaign
Open Space informational packet example (1995)
The only hard deadline the City Council faces regarding this issue is notification
of the county by September 15, if we wish to have a question on the November
ballot.
DE/np
DECISION RESOURCES,
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF FINDINGS
2006 City of Plymouth Referendum Communications Study
Methodology:
This study contains the results of a telephone survey of 400 randomly selected residents of the
City of Plymouth. Survey responses were gathered by professional interviewers across the
community between June 19" and 27th, 2006. The average interview took eight minutes. In
general, random samples such as this yield results projectable to the entire universe of adult
Plymouth residents within d 5.0 percentage points in 95 out of 100 cases.
Key Findings:
1. By a 77%-15% majority, residents support the purchase of open spaces and natural areas
to complete the City=s Greenway; but, only 13% Astrongly support@ this action. To fund
the acquisition of open spaces, the typical adult resident would accept a $1.64 per month
B or $19.68 per year B increase in his/her city property taxes. In fact, a moderately low
26% are unwilling to accept any tax increase for this purpose.
2. By a 73%-19% majority, residents support expanding purchasing land and developing
parks and community playfields; a lower eight percent Astrongly support@ this proposal.
To fund the expansion of parks and playfields, the typical resident would accept a $1.3 8
per month B or $24.00 per year B increase in city property taxes. This time 30% are
unwilling to accept any tax increase for this purpose.
3. A $7,000,000.00 bond referendum proposal to fund both the acquisition of open spaces
for the Greenway and the expansion of parks and community playfields registers strong
majority support B 72%-19%, with nine percent uncertain. The Aquick differential@ B
the difference between Astrong support@ and total opposition B is -4%, a small deficit
indicative of a solid potential electoral success of this proposal. Supporters cite
Apreservation of open space,@ Agood for community,@ Areasonable cost,@ and Abenefits
for children.@ Opponents point to Aalready high taxes@ and Alack of need.@
Decision Resources, Ltd.
3128 Dean Court
Minneapolis, Minnesota 55416
City of Plymouth
Park Bond Study
FINAL JUNE 2006
Hello, I'm of Decision Resources, Ltd., a polling firm
located in Minneapolis. We've been retained by the City of
Plymouth to speak with a random sample of residents about issues
facing the city. This survey is being taken because your city
representatives and staff are interested in your opinions and
suggestions. I want to assure you that all individual responses
will be held strictly confidential; only summaries of the entire
sample will be reported. (DO NOT PAUSE)
1. Approximately how many years have
you lived in City of Plymouth?
Turning to parks and recreation....
LESS THAN TWO YEARS .... 6%
TWO TO FIVE YEARS ..... 15%
SIX TO TEN YEARS ...... 21%
11 TO 20 YEARS........ 35%
21 TO 30 YEARS........ 14%
OVER THIRTY YEARS ...... 8%
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED..... 0%
I would like to read you a list of parks and recreation facilities
in the City of Plymouth. First, please tell me if you or members
of your household use that facility. Then for each one used,
please rate that facility as excellent, good, only fair, or poor.
As you may know, the northwest corner of the city is the last
portion of Plymouth to be developed. As the area is developed the
City will need to provide parks and recreation facilities for new
residents.
In order to provide these facilities, the City of Plymouth is
considering a park referendum to fund acquisition of open space
for the city's Greenway corridor. The Greenway would consist of a
2.5 mile corridor that preserves Plymouth's natural areas, trees
and wetlands. The Greenway corridor will include a public trail
that extends between Cheshire Lane on the east and Peony Lane on
NOT VIS VIS VIS VIS DK/
VIS EXC GOO FAI POO REF
2. Small neighborhood parks? 240 29% 43% 3% 1% 0%
3. Large community parks? 26% 31% 42% 1% 0% 1%
4. Community playfields? 490 170 31% 30 0% 0%
S. Trails? 260 310 400 20 0% 0%
As you may know, the northwest corner of the city is the last
portion of Plymouth to be developed. As the area is developed the
City will need to provide parks and recreation facilities for new
residents.
In order to provide these facilities, the City of Plymouth is
considering a park referendum to fund acquisition of open space
for the city's Greenway corridor. The Greenway would consist of a
2.5 mile corridor that preserves Plymouth's natural areas, trees
and wetlands. The Greenway corridor will include a public trail
that extends between Cheshire Lane on the east and Peony Lane on
If the referendum were successful, the owner of a $350,000 home
would see a property tax increase of $2.25 per month, or $27.00
per year for fifteen years. And, the owner of a $500,000 home
would have a tax increase of $3.15 per month or $37.90 per year
for fifteen years.
10. If the election were held today, STRONGLY SUPPORT...... 150
would you support or oppose this SUPPORT...............57%
90; NEED MORE
referendum proposal? WAIT FOR OPPOSE................10%
2%.
RESPONSE) Do you feel strongly STRONGLY OPPOSE........ 9%
that way?
areas, do you consider total pro-
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED..... 9%
IF A RESPONSE IS GIVEN, ASK: (N=363)
11. Why do you feel that way?
GOOD FOR COMMUNITY, 24%; MORE PARKS ARE NEEDED, 3%;
COST IS REASONABLE, 9%; TAXES ARE T00 HIGH, 15%; CITY
HAS ENOUGH PARKS, 3%; PRESERVE OPEN SPACE, 27%; NEED
PARKS AND BALLFIELDS FOR CHILDREN, 90; NEED MORE
TRAILS, 30; GOOD FOR PROPERTY VALUES, 4%; SCATTERED,
2%.
12. In comparison with neighboring VERY HIGH.............11%
areas, do you consider total pro- SOMEWHAT HIGH......... 35%
perty taxes in your community to ABOUT AVERAGE ......... 38%
be very high, somewhat high, about SOMEWHAT LOW........... 2%
average, somewhat low, or very VERY LOW...............0%
low? DON'T KNOW/REFUSED.... 15%
Changing topics....
13. Do you currently use the Internet
at home? (IF "YES," ASK:) How do
you connect to the internet -- on
a dial-up modem at 28K, on a.dial-
up modem at 56K, DSL, Comcast High
Speed Internet, or some other way?
IF "OTHER, " ASK) How?
NO....................20%
YES/DIAL-UP AT 28K.....4%
YES/DIAL-UP AT 56K....10%
YES/DSL...............19%
YES/COMCAST HIGH SPD..45%
YES/OTHER..............1%
DON'T KNOW/REFUSED..... 2%
Now just a few more questions for demographic.purposes....
20. Do you own or rent your present RENT..................20%
residence? (IF "OWN," ASK:) Which OWN/UNDER $250,000....100
of the following categories con- OWN/$250,000-$350,000.320
tains the approximate value of OWN/$350,001-$450,000.230
your residential property -- under OWN/$450,001-$550,000..80
250,000, $250,000-$350,000, OWN/OVER $550,000......5%
350,001-$450,000, $450,001- DON'T KNOW.............1%
550,000 or over $550,000? REFUSED................2%
21. What is your age, please?
22. Gender. (DO NOT ASK)..
23. REGION OF CITY
18-24 ..................3%
25-34 .................10%
35-44 .................28%
45-54 .................23%
55-64 .................21%
65 AND OVER ........... 16%
REFUSED................0%
MALE..................50%
FEMALE................50%
WARD ONE..............28%
WARD TWO..............24%
WARD THREE ............ 24%
WARD FOUR.............25%
DATE: July 27, 2006
TO: Eric Blank, Park and Recreation Director
FROM: Mike Kohn, Financial Analyst
SUBJECT: Park Referendum
According to our last projections from March of this year, the City would need
approximately $14,000,000 to acquire a 10th playfield site and open space for the
Northwest Greenway Corridor (NGC). The costs are estimated at $8,000,000 for a 40
acre playfield site and $6,000,000 to acquire about 23 acres of NGC that will likely not
be obtained through donation. (Please note that these projections are heavily dependent
on timing and availability of willing sellers.)
Currently, funding of $4,000,000 is programmed in the CIP over the next 4 years to
acquire the 10'h playfield. The breakdown of this funding is as follows:
Park Dedication Fund $1,500,000
Community Improvement Fund $2,250,000
Capital Improvement Fund $250,000
Another $350,000 is programmed in the CIP for acquisition of NGC property with
funding from the Capital Improvement Fund.
In total, this leaves a shortfall of approximately $9,650,000.
A referendum authorizing the borrowing of funds for playfield and opens space needs
would give the City the ability to realistically acquire land in the near term before land
prices become prohibitive. While authorization of $9,650,000 might fully fund the
estimated needs, lower amounts would also be beneficial. For example, the $7,000,000
bond option outlined in the survey would give the City the capability to purchase a
10th
playfield and leave a pot of funds (estimated at $3,650,000) to begin actively pursuing
parcels for the NGC.
Potential ®pen Space Ballot Question
Draft Public Information Timeline Et Costs
Goal: To raise awareness that the City of Plymouth will have a ballot question
on the November 7 ballot, outline what the City is proposing, and define
the cost of the referendum to the average homeowner.
Medium Date Related Cost
Plymouth News — Mailed first week of Not Applicable -
September/October Issue. September Existing
Short story that Council approved Publication
ballot question. Watch for special
mailing. (Ballot question decision
must be made by the August 8 City
Council Meeting to meet deadline
for this publication)
Special Mailing to Residents Mailed late September/Early 4,400—
4 -page, 8 1/2" x 11 mailing) October (use this to also design/printing/mail
publicize the dates of the service (32,500
public information meetings) pieces)
4,300 — postage
Information Meetings Mid -October Not Applicable
News Release(s) , Early October Not Applicable
Publicizing Special Meetings
Northwest Cities September or October (need Not Applicable
5 -minute segment) to negotiate the exact date
with other cities)
Community Journal Closer Look Use the segment Not Applicable
Segment — Use to highlight highlighting Plymouth
referendum question which will be closest to the
election.
Web Site Post information on the Not Applicable
ballot question after
After Labor Day
Sun -Sailor Guest Column - Submit Mid -October Not Applicable
a guest column by the Parks and
Recreation Director which details
what the City is proposing and cost
to the average homeowner.
Plymouth News — Week of October 23 Not Applicable -
November/October issue (this will Existing
be mailed earlier than usual to Publication
ensure it hits mailboxes before
election.) Story highlighting ballot
question
Re'm,,,endum, Overview
Plymouth voters will decide
in a special bond election on May 23 xr
whether the City should issue up to
2.235 million in general obligation
bonds to buy four undeveloped=;
pieces of land and build about 11
miles of new trails. The City would?
preserve the land as natural open
space. Issuing the new bonds would
result in no net tax increase for
property owners because the new
bonds would simply replace old
park bonds which expire in 1996. If
voters approve the bond issue, the
City would match the bond funds
with about $1 million in existing city
funds contained in the Community
Improvement Fund.
The four sites, comprising
about 125 acres, are spread through-
out the City. They were selected
from a list of 30 possible sites fol-
lowing a professional biological
study to determine environmentally
significant sites. They include por-
tions of the original big woods
forest, other hardwood forest areas,
a tamarack wetland area and other
land surrounding some of
Plymouth's highest quality wet-
lands. (For a description of each site,
see inside.)
G e C V€ 0 S 0 0 n 0 c G e a ell C O+ I [11 Gi e n
Financing
The estimated cost of pur-
chasing the open space and building
the new trail segments is $3 million.
The City would cover $2 million of
the cost by issuing bonds. It would
pay for the remaining $1 million
with existing funds in the
Community Improvement Fund.
Effect ®n Property TUXLMS
The average homeowner
would see no tax increase if the
bond referendum passes. This is
because park bonds issued in 1980
will be retired in 1996 before the
levy for the new bonds takes effect.
The portion of the city tax levy used
to pay these old park bonds is the
same as the cost of the new open
space/trail bonds. In short, one will
replace the other, and the net effect
on the average tax bill is that it
would remain the same if the refer-
endum passes.
3 letio
Trails
Plymouth's 68 -mile trail system
links residential areas with parks,
neighborhood commercial centers and
schools. Respondents in a 1993 park
survey conducted by the University of
Minnesota for the City identified trails
as their most desired new park facility.
If approved, the $1 million for
trails would pay for 19 trail segments
in all parts of Plymouth (see map). The
additional 11 miles of trails would con-
nect many existing trails. Some trail
segments may require feasibility stud-
ies to determine their final location and
alignment. The proposed projects
would accelerate trail construction by
about five years. Trails are generally
funded at about $200,000 a year.
The following are the proposed
trails, subject to feasibility studies to
determine their final cost, location and
alignment.
Trail
mXeruun.Ln from.Minrietonka to Luce Lu.e „1 ,
Vicksburg Ln. from Old Rockford Rd.
to Schmidt Lake Rd. 1.6
19t1i Aue from Ho11y, Lri ,to,Co Rd 101; `z ^ {i, ? _;
Co. Rd. 61 from Plymouth Creek
to Co. Rd. 9 (west side) 1
Z ernbroolc Ln from Co -R 9
Vinewood Ln. from Co. Rd. 9 to
Northwest Blvd. .5
Schmidt sake Ind Sfrom Pernbrooky
s 3aa2' • a Ci
Xernium Ln. from 32nd Ave. to Co. Rd. 9 .75
Turtle Lake Trail to Old Co Rc1 9
Dunkirk Ln. from 24th Ave. to 33rd Ave. .75
West Medicate ailroad track #o Hwy 55 3
34th Ave. to•Lanewood Ln. (south side) .3
Co Rd ;;47 from Annapolis
to NorElltivestiBlvd 6 '
East /West off-road trail from Vicksburg
to Fernbrook .5
Northwest Blvd from"42nd to43rd
Northwest Blvd. from 54th to 56th Ave. .37
St. Mary s Park to Wayzata East Jr High 2;
Hemlock Ln. from Co. Rd. 10 to 62nd Ave. .37
Medina Rd..from Co. Rd 24'.to CoRd;101 7
Mummm Existing Trails OR`Proposed Trails
site seiection
The City Council
unanimously approved the
special bond election after
receiving a report from a 10 -
member Open Space Task
Force and a recommen-
dation from the Parks and
Recreation Commission. The
Open Space Committee was
made up of four Park and
Recreation Commissioners,
one citizen from each of
Plymouth's four wards, one
Planning Commissioner
and one City Council
member.
The task force spent
over a year evaluating the
sites and developing a
detailed ranking system. It
inventoried all wetlands
and wooded areas remain-
ing in Plymouth. After
identifying 107 parcels of
land, totaling 1,538 acres, it
narrowed the list to 30 pri-
ority sites. Next, an
environmental biologist
team analyzed the sites
and identified the top 15.
Each site received a grade
based on environmental fac-
tors. Based on criteria
established by the task force,
these four sites were selected
as the highest priority pend-
ing completion of purchase
options with the respective
property owners.
FG
1'. _C4- leand Basswood Fot S:SL (SlCP 11
This site is part of the original 'Big
Woods" in Plymouth and is located
west of Peony, south of 54th Ave. and
north of the Soo Line Railroad tracks.
The 29 -acre site is the largest undis-
turbed high quality
maple/basswoods forest left in the
city. Elfin Creek runs through the site.
French Regional Park (Site 2):
This diverse 26 -acre site is located just
west of Goldenrod Ln. on the north
side of Medicine Lake. It includes for-
est tracks, cattail marsh and open
field. The area also features a great
variety of wildlife. If voters approve
the bond issue, this site would be
incorporated into French Regional
Park.
Tarnarack/Cwnnplex Wetland
Communities (Site v):
The largest of the four sites, this 47 -
acre site is in the southeast corner of
Plymouth. It is east of Co. Rd. 73,
north of Ridgemount Ave., and south
of Co. Rd. 15 and Sunset Trail. This
site contains tamarack, cattail and
emergent marshes as well as a major
wetland.
Old White Oak Forest (Site 4):
Located in the southwest corner of
Plymouth near Hadley Lake, this 23
acre site has a very old white oak for-
est along with green ash and sugar
maple.
4
Or
EY`5
WARD BOUNDARIES
momm PRECINCT BOUNDARIES
Polling LOC NOnS
By voting yes, on the ballot question, you will be authorizing the
City to issue the bonds. By voting no, you will be voting against
the bond issue. Polls will be open 7:00 am — 8:00 pm on May 23. The
following are polling places in Plymouth. For information on where
to vote, call 550-5000.
Precinct Location
iii ' ..._ EEL-, f .... L.._ l
t.:
2 Peace Lutheran Church
3695 County Road 101
ssYahlVlethodist'Chox-chi "l;
4 St. Phillips Lutheran Church
17205 County Road 6
Oakwood lemertary
s ' 1'.7340
YCottnry
TZoac16;
6 Fire Station 3
3300 Dunkirk Lane
7 1'arlcers ,alce Baptist C.urch
8 Parkers Lake Baptist Church
14720 County Road 6
9 Plymouth City Center
3400 Plymouth Blvd
10 Plymouth Creek Elementary
16005 41st Avenue North
Precinct Location
12 Vision of Glory Lutheran Church
13200 Highway 55
3 ` VIt Olivet T.utheran Chureh '
14 Fire Station 2
12000 Old Rockford Road
yJ,5 ,'r Pilgrim United Methodist Church:
y' 4325 Zachary`Zane No` ,,
16 Bass Lake Playfield Building
5450 Northwest Blvd.
7 Apostolic Lutheran Church
11015'Countq Road 15
18 Armstrong High School
10635 36th Avenue No.
19 Pilgrim Lane"Elementary
3725 Pilgrun Lane
20 Zachary Lane Elementary
4350 Zachary Lane