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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 03-03-2000''"�*s CITY COUNCIL IN FORMATIONMEMOY MARCH 3, 2000 UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS 1. COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE: NOTE: Ward 1 Councilmember Tim Bildsoe meets with residents and receives their comments in the Administration Library, beginning at 6:00 PM before each Regular Council meeting. THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 7: 00 PM TUESDAY, MARCH 21, 7:00 PM 2. MONDAY, MARCH 6, 7:00 PM 3. TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 7: 00 PM 4. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 7: 00 PM 5. THURSDAY, MARCH 9, 7: 00 PM 6. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15, 5:00-9:00 PM 7. THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 7: 00 PM 8. THURSDAY, MARCH 16, 7: 00 PM JOINT MEETING: CITY COUNCIL AND CHARTER COMMISSION, Public Safety Training Room REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers YOUTHADVISORY COUNCIL, Medicine Lake Room CAUCUS NIGHT STATEWIDE PLANNING COMMISSION, Council Chambers Agenda is attached. (M-4) PARK& RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION, Council Chambers. Agenda is attached. (M-5) OPEN HOUSE ON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN UPDATES, Council Chambers HRA Medicine Lake Room PUBLIC SAFETYAD VISOR Y BOARD, Public Safety Training Room CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO MARCH 3, 2000 Page 2 9. SATURDAY, MARCH 18, OPEN HOUSE ON COMPREHENSIVE PLAN 9: 00 AM -1: 00 PM UPDATES, Council Chambers 10. 11. A List of future Regular Council Meeting agenda items is attached. (M-10) February, March and April calendars are attached. (M-11) 1. NEWS ARTICLES, RELEASES, PUBLICATIONS, ETC. a) Community Development Department Northwest Notes. (I -I a) b) Metropolitan Council notices of environmental services and budget meetings. (I-1 b) c) Letter from St. Louis County Commission Chair Steve Rauker supporting tax policy reform. (I -1c) 2. STAFFREPORTS a) Notice of election chair and vice chair for the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission. (I -2a) 3. MINUTES a) Park and Recreation February 10 meeting. (I -3a) b) Charter Commission January 13 meeting. (1--3b) 4. CORRESPONDENCE a) Letter from Dr. Meskath Uddin to the Service Area Manager of the Canadian Pacific Railway regarding the use of train whistles in Plymouth. (I -4a) b) Letter from Jerry Lindberg regarding the North American Properties project at 36`h and Vicksburg. (I -4b) c) Letter to the Mayor from State Representative Henry Todd Van Dellen regarding legislative priorities. (I -4c) 5. CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS POLICY—CORRESPONDENCE a) Letter from Ruth Gregory to Public Safety Director Craig Gerdes regarding a dog attack in her neighborhood. (1--5a) A status report on the most recent correspondence is attached. (1-5) 6. LEGISLATIVE ITEMS a) Association of Metropolitan Municipalities AMM FAX News. (1-5a) CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO Page 3 MARCH 3, 2000 b) Suburban Transit Association Legislative Report. (1--5b) Please Note: the release schedule of the League of Minnesota Cities Friday Fax often varies during the legislative session. It may appear in Council packets separately. PLANNING COMMISSION AGENDA M— q ® WEDNESDAY, MARCH 8, 2000 WHERE: CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS Plymouth City Center 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 CONSENT AGENDA All items listed with an asterisk (*) are considered to be routine by the Planning Commission and will be enacted by one motion. There will be no separate discussion of these items unless a Commissioner, citizen or petitioner so requests, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered in normal sequence on the agenda. CALL TO ORDER - 7:00 P.M. 2. PUBLIC FORUM 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA 4. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 5. CONSENT AGENDA* A. Satellite Industries. Site plan to add 21 parking spaces; variance from the side yard setback requirement for parking and driveway; and a lot consolidation for property located at 2530 Xenium Lane North. (20013) 6. PUBLIC HEARINGS A. K P Marketing. Rezoning from FRD (Future Restricted Development) to RSF-3 (Single Family Detached 3) and a preliminary plat for 17 single family lots on the 4.75 acre parcel located east of Fernbrook Lane and south of 47' Avenue. (20003) B. Rottlund Homes. Planned Unit Development Sketch Plan for a 1,020 unit residential development with a variety of housing types on a 125 -acre site located west of I-494 and north of Schmidt Lake Road. (20006) C. Joseph and Nancy Wagner. Rezoning from C-3 (Highway Commercial) to C -W (Commercial/Warehousing) for the Mid -Co AV property located at 3440 Kilmer Lane North. (20014) D. City of Plymouth. Rezoning from C-3 (Highway Commercial) to C -W (Commercial -Warehouse) for certain other properties abutting Kilmer Lane and text amendments to the C-3 and C -W Zoning Districts. (20026) E. Loucks & Associates, Inc./Sprint PCS. Conditional Use Permit and Site Plan Amendment to install a 72 - foot monopole antenna and related ground equipment for property located at 4455 State Highway 169. (20015) F. Steve Jantzen and Janis Beavers. Interim Use Permit to place 420 cubic yards of fill to create a berm on the southeast corner of the property located at 1410 Yellowstone Lane North. (20016) NEW BUSINESS S. ADJOURNMENT Regular Meeting of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission March 9, 2000, 7 p.m. AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Approval of Minutes 3. Visitor Presentations a. Athletic Associations b. Staff c. Others 4. Report on Past Council Action a. Accepted 1999 Annual Report b. Approved Change Order No. 6 for the Plymouth Creek Center 5. Unfinished Business a. Comprehensive Plan update b. Plymouth Creek Center update 6. New Business a. Plymouth Creek Center Rental Rates and Policies b. C. d. 7. Commission Presentation S. Staff Communication 9. Adjourn Next regular meeting - April 13, 2000 :n\parks\staff \eric\prac\agendas\march.doc Tentative Schedule for City Council Non -Consent Agenda Items March 21 Public hearing on charter amendment to eliminate obsolete language Public hearing for Wayzata to issue revenue bonds for Hammer Residences, Inc. Sketch plan for Bernardi property Rezoning of parcels in Kilmer Lane area Approve Disposition of Tax Forfeit Parcel in the City of Plymouth (Outlot A, Camelot Overlook 03-118-22-24-0073) Tabled from February 29 Council Meeting Recognition to Residents who received "We Care About Kids Day Role Model" Awards (Councilmember Brown) April 11 Public Safety Report on Alcohol Compliance Violation Penalties April 25 C/) 0 z W 2 J Q U LL LL O ►� fil // ZZ Wag oa OOn 3 60E R m ' OV C OO O m2U W) � � N R LL O ^ � U L C7 _ Ocd >1 m 0zm 2� ��n c -� �n .W C. 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O w a ¢� ¢__ Dd 0 5 d C C 0� yj 0� >j Rz az oo o0 00 .r N R C 7 7 r N W N Highlights For More Information: • Public open house meetings March 15 and 18 • Public hearing set for March 29 Call Community Development at 509-5450 • Check the City Web Site at www.ci.plymouth.mn.us • E -Mail us at AHurlbur@ci.plymouth.mn.us Northwest Ncfts rpr I T CITY O� PLYMOUTR A Newsletter for Residents and Landowners Issue 20 March 1, 2000 Draft Comprehensive Plan ready for public review Public meetings and hearing dates set The schedule for public meetings and hearings on Plymouth's updated Comprehensive Plan has been set. The City Council and Planning Commission, at a joint session held on February 12, gave their preliminary approval to the draft plan, when they decided that the draft is now ready for review and comment. Open house meetings will be held on Wednesday, March 15 (5:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.) and Saturday, March 18 (9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.) Both meetings will be held at Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Staff and consultants will be on hand to answer questions and take comments on the plan. The meetings will be informal, with video presentations repeated frequently so that residents can drop in when it is convenient for their schedules. The Planning Commission will hold a formal public hearing at a special meeting on Wednesday, March 29 at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the Council Chambers at City Hall, and will be televised on cable television channel 37. This meeting will offer an opportunity for the public to give comments on the plan, orally or in writing. After the hearing, the Planning Commission will make a recommendation to the City Council on any changes to be made to the plan before it is formally submitted to the Open Houses Wednesday, March 15 5:00 P.M. to 9:00 P.M. and Saturday, March 18 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 P.M. City Hall Public Hearing Wednesday, March 29 7:00 p.m. City Hall Televised on Cable 37 Metropolitan Council for review. City Council action has not yet been scheduled, but is anticipated to occur sometime in April. Following Metropolitan Council review of the plan, the City Council will make any final changes and formally adopt the plan, likely sometime this summer. The City has been working on the plan update for almost three years. The update includes plans and policies for land use and infrastructure (including parks, transportation, sewer, water and public facilities) from now until the year 2020. The draft Comprehensive Plan document is contained in two volumes, one containing the main chapters of the plan and a second with technical appendices. Copies of the documents are available for review at the Community Development Department in City Hall during regular City Hall office hours. A copy is also available for review at the Plymouth Community Library, 2 Northwest Notes March 1, 2000 located at 15700 36`t Avenue North (phone 612-847-5825). Those who have access to the World Wide Web from their home computers can review the plan by visiting the City of Plymouth web site. All of the plan chapters (policy Plan, land use, housing, transportation, sewer, water, etc) are available on the web site. At the time this newsletter was published, we were still working on making all of the City of Plymouth graphics and maps available in a web - compatible format. To check out the World Wide Web version of the plan, visit the City's site at www.ci.plymouth.mn.us and click on "Comprehensive Plan" on the home page. Community Development Department 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 For More Information For more information please contact the Community Development Department at 509-5400. Office hours are 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday and Wednesday through Friday; 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Tuesday. You may also send e-mail to ahurlbur@ci.plymouth.mn.us. Northwest Notes✓News on Planning for Northwest Plymouth ,AMA Metropolitan Council /-/b Working for the Region, Planning for the Future Environmental Service February 29, 2000 MCES PLANNING AND BUDGET BREAKFAST MEETINGS Metropolitan Council Environmental Services (MCES) is holding breakfast meetings in advance of preparing its 2001 budgets. These meetings provide communities and industries an opportunity to comment on and help plan for and prioritize current issues, services and direction. This year, 2000, is year two of a three-year $20 million budget reduction goal and MCES remains on -track to reach this goal in 2001. Your comments and participation it the discussion at these planning meetings is important. This year, comments and discussion will be focused on: • Strategic Development: Smart Growth Alignment — Strategic planning frameworks (alignment with Governor's plans/Council's plans/MCES's plans) — Regional environmental agenda to be developed with stakeholder involvement in 2000 — MCES's 2000 and 2001 goals • Customer Focus: Regional Constituency Building — Legislative initiatives (e.g. SAC/system equity) — Customer survey follow-up/implementation: meter/billing accuracy, and odors • Water Resources Management: Quality of Life — Comprehensive strategies for targeted pollutants — Master planning (including potential capital investments and strategies to reduce capital costs) — Grants (e.g., MetroEnvironment Partnership grant program) — Beyond MUSA study areas • Competitive Business Processes: High Performance Service — Rates continue to decrease to meet 2001 goal — New goal of being among top best five in retail rates of peer agencies by 2005 Follow-up meetings will be held in June to consider the draft MCES 2001 Budget and 2001-2006 Plan for Allocating Resources (PAR). Our current schedule anticipates a public hearing at a July Metropolitan Council meeting. We will hold three meetings (listed below). Please make reservations by calling Katie Elliott at (651) 602-1016; leave your name and affiliation and identify the meeting you will attend. SCHEDULE FOR MCES PLANNING AND BUDGET BREAKFAST MEETINGS (Maps to all three locations are included) Tuesday, March 14: 7:30 a.m. Maplewood Community Center Focus of this meeting 2100 White Bear Avenue planned for industrial users Maplewood, MN Wednesday, March 22: 7:30 a.m. Bloomington City Hall 2215 W. Old Shakopee Road Bloomington, MN Thursday, March 23: 7:45 a.m. (NOTE: Later start time for this location) Brooklyn Park City Hall Chambers 5200-851' Avenue North Brooklyn Park, MN For more information about MCES, visit our website at: www.metrocouncii.org/environmentlindex.htm 230 East Fifth Street St. Paul. Minnesota 55101-1626 (651) 602-1005 Fax 602-1183 TDD/TTY 229-3760 An Equal opportunity Employer Maplewood Community Center 2100 White Bear Avenue Maplewood, Minnesota Phone: (651) 779-3555 Tuesday, March 14 7:30 a.m. CD v 2 aA From the North: South on Hwy 35E to Hwy 61, south to Hwy 36. East on Hwy 36 to White Bear Avenue. South on White Bear Avenue about 1/2 mile to the Center. From the South: North on Hwy 494/694 to Hwy 36. West on Hwy 36 to White Bear Avenue. South on White Bear Avenue about 1/2 mile to the Center. From the East: West on Hwy 36 to White Bear Avenue. South on White Bear Avenue about 1/2 mile to the Center. Or: West on Hwy 94 to Hwy 494/694. North to Hwy 36. West on Hwy 36 to White Bear Avenue. South on White Bear Avenue about 1/2 mile to the center. From the West.: East on Hwy 694 to White Bear Avenue. South on White Bear Avenue, about 2 miles to the Center. Or: East on Hwy 94 to Hwy 35E. North on Hwy 35E to Hwy 36. East on Hwy 36 to White Bear Avenue. South on White Bear Avenue about 1/2 mile to the Center. Bloomington City Hall Chambers 2215 W. Old Shakopee Road Bloomington, MN (612) 424-8000 Wednesday, March 22 7:30 a.m. From 35W, exit at 98th Street. Go west on 98th Street. Follow the curve to the left which turns into Old Shakopee Road. Turn left at the next light into the parking lot of City Hall at the intersection of Old Shakopee Road and Penn Avenue. s .r s Brooklyn Park City Hall Chambers 5200 -85th Avenue North Brooklyn Park, MN (612) 424-8000 Brooklyn Park City Hall is located 2.5 miles west of Highway 252 on 85th Avenue. Thursday, March 23, 2000 7:45 a.m. (NOTE: later start time for this location) J -L -/C Saint Louis County a� 1810 12th Avenue East, 214 Courthouse, Hibbing, Minnesota 55746 (218) 262-0201 q Fax # (218) 262-0203 www.stlouiscounty.org February 23, 2000 E-mail: raukars@co.st-louis.mn.us STEVE RAUKAR REBATE OR REFORM Commissioner Seventh District Dear City Officials, Should we question the long term wisdom of the legislature's rush to rebate taxpayers' token amounts to finance your next small appliance, and more importantly, to nail down voter support at the ballot box? Yes and no. From a practical vantage, who couldn't use any amount of jingle in their pocket. However, from a bigger vantage, does it really do much more than boost consumer spending and sales tax receipts even more, and buy political good will in a very important election year with redistricting on the horizon. Enough said. From the vantage of a local government policymaker, the rebate does little to address the obvious need for tax policy reform. While local governments, i.e. cities, townships and counties, rely on property tax to fund delivery of essential services, we, too, pay sales tax on purchases. Yes, sales tax on property tax dollars - double taxation if you will. When we discuss sales tax, it's a little known fact that back in 1992 when the State of Minnesota was facing a financial crisis, a sales tax was imposed (mandated) on local units of government to help the state through a difficult time. Since that time, St. Louis County has paid over $6,600,000 on purchases and anticipates another $1 million in 2000. The result: double taxation on the property taxpaying citizens of Minnesota, and artificially raising the cost of government at all levels. It raises the questions: Do local governments get rebates, too? In theory, why not? - in reality, no. You might ask why wouldn't the legislature repeal such a bad policy at a time when dollars are plentiful in the state coffers. Well, in the words of several key legislators, "What's to be gained?", "Who would know?", "Where's the political gain? The issue has no constituency." Maybe so, so what do you say, let's inform legislators statewide that this is bad policy and demand a repeal of double taxation. Since the squeaky wheel gets the grease, I urge you to weigh in, by phone, letter, e-mail. Create a constituency, mobilize. I believe that through a concerted effort, taxpayers could save an estimated $90 million statewide from needlessly going into the state coffers from local governments' already stressed budgets. Our County Board has passed a resolution to expand awareness and to request the legislature and governor to make this a high priority. The state's financial crisis has passed for now, and the timeW- Chair, y is now. It's your money. St St. Louis County Board of Commissioners "Working Together Serving People" 0 printed on recycled paper DATE: March 1, 2000 TO: Joy Tierney, Mayor �' �4 FROM: Eric J. Blank, Director, Parks and Recreation SUBJECT: Election of Chairperson and Vice Chair According to Section 305.03, Subd. 3, of the Plymouth City Code, the Chairperson and Vice Chairperson of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission are appointed by the Commission from among the members of the Commission, subject to approval by the Mayor, for a term of one year. On February 10, 2000, the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission elected the following officers: Chairperson Donald Anderson Vice Chairperson Mark Wahl These names are being forwarded to you for your approval. EB/np cc: City Manager —L- _ �,-) a, MINUTES OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION MEETING February 10, 2000 Page 5 Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Singer, Musliner, Fiemann, Thompson, Meyer, Wahl; staff Bisek, Blank, Pederson; Councilmember Slavik; Planning Commissioner Stein 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Anderson called the February meeting to order at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers. Chair Anderson introduced Mary Meyer and Ellie Singer, recently appointed commissioners. The rest of the commissioners introduced themselves and stated how long they've been on the board. Chair Anderson also introduced Kelli Slavik, Councilmember, and Robert Stein, Planning Commissioner. Staff introductions followed. a. COMMISSIONER FIEMANN MOVED TO REAPPOINT DON ANDERSON AS THE CHAIR AND MARK WAHL AS THE VICE CHAIR OF THE PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION. COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Commissioner Musliner wanted to clarify a statement in January's minutes regarding the presentation made by Karol Greupner on the events survey she conducted. The statement read that the longer the event, the higher the attendance. The statement should have read the longer the event has been in place, the higher the attendance. A MOTION WAS MADE BY COMMISSIONER WAHL AND SECONDED BY COMMISSIONER MEYER TO APPROVE THE MINUTES OF THE JANUARY MEETING WITH THIS CLARIFICATION. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. b. Staff. Mary Bisek announced that Recreation Supervisor Cindy Anderson had a baby boy on January 17th. She stated that Fire and Ice pictures are on display across from the Park and Recreation window. Mary thanked those who volunteered. Regina Callies is an intern with us, who helped chair the event, Mary said. She's a student at the U. This Saturday we are participating with the Wayzata School District in a workshop. On Monday, Mary and Regina are meeting with the Youth Advisory Council and discussing a possible youth coffee house. Mary said we are working on the E -connect website. This will allow people to register for classes over the Internet. PRAC members may be asked to help test the product. Mary stated that we are in the process of working with Wayzata on evaluating our contract with them. We provide swimming lessons for them and lifeguarding services at their beach. At issue is the shortage of staff and by continuing to provide services to PRAC Minutes/February 2000 Page 6 Wayzata, we may end up shortchanging Plymouth's beaches. We are going to be advertising this weekend for our seasonal clerical position. This person would work approx. 32 hours per week, beginning in March. Mary said we are working on a redesign of the cover for the Plymouth Leisure Times which will be on the front of the August issue. Mary said staff has also been working on a design of the letterhead, brochure, business cards, etc., for the Plymouth Creek Center. Commissioner Meyer asked for a definition of the Youth Advisory Council. Mary explained that Councilmember Judy Johnson started it. Director Blank said they have seven members. They have studied such things as the city curfew for youth, overnight parking in the City; they've made presentations to other cities that are thinking of forming youth councils, etc. They are going to help us come up with some programming for teens. Mary said this winter for the first time, we had a teen ski and snowboard club for 9th -12th graders. Mary said our largest teen program is employment. We train youth as lifeguards and water safety instructors and then employ them. Commissioner Musliner said that the water quality at Parkers Lake is very bad. She also said it's important when thinking about the Wayzata Beach to consider that many Plymouth residents use that beach, including her family. Commissioner Singer asked how we decided that last year's unguarded beach was successful. Director Blank said we reported no incidents there and attendance was about the same as previous years. Looking ahead, if staffing shortages continue to be an issue, we may have to go to unguarded hours at our other beaches, stated Director Blank. Commissioner Fiemann asked about where kids can go to become lifeguards. Mary said lifeguard training is expensive. She said we offer training during winter break. It costs several hundred dollars for someone to become certified. They get lifeguard training, Red Cross CPR and first aid. It's more involved than basic first aid. We have a reimbursement training program, whereby we reimburse them for half their cost if they end up working for us. If they come back and work for us a second year, we give them back another $100. The going rate for lifeguarding is $9 per hour starting wage. Commissioner Musliner was concerned about a child who fell through a slush hole during Fire and Ice. She said that apparently staff knew about it but did not barricade the area. Mary knew about the child falling through but was not aware that staff knew about the hole ahead of time. She explained what happens when the rink is made. Wherever snow is pushed up to make a berm, the ice underneath gets insulated. It's easier to fall through the ice near these berms. Director Blank said he will look into this further and get back to Commissioner Musliner. Mary discussed the Plymouth Creek Center brochure she distributed and what it contained. This packet of materials is what gets mailed to individuals interested in renting the Center. Plans are to begin renting out the facility in June. c. Others. 4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION a. The Council approved the 2000 park rental fees and policies. b. The Council approved Change Order No. 5 on the Plymouth Creek Center. PRAC Minutes/February 2000 Page 7 c. Council approved the Millennium Garden project and have given the go ahead to begin the fund raising on the project and to hire a consultant to design the garden. Director Blank explained that the garden area in City Hall's lobby is to help advertise the Millennium Garden. We're considering using a brick made of recycled glass for the Buy a Brick program. This is one of the ways residents can help fund the project. We're going to have a design competition to select the final designer. Our goal is to have a preliminary design by May. There was an article in the Lakeshore Weekly about the Millennium Garden that has already generated interest in the Buy a Brick program. Commissioner Meyer will help with the garden project because of her expertise and experience working at the Landscape Arboretum. 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Comprehensive Plan update. Director Blank stated that the Comprehensive Plan meeting will begin Saturday at 9 a.m. over at the Reserve. By 4 p.m. staff hopes to have gone through the entire document. The goal is to get through it and make sure that all governing bodies are in general agreement that it's ready to be reviewed by the public. Surrounding communities also have an opportunity to review it. Director Blank said the plan is to have it adopted by the City Council and Metropolitan Council in June. Commissioner Singer thinks one of the tables is labeled wrong. Commissioner Meyer said she did not get the document. Commissioner Thompson said in order to have received it, you had to respond to a letter that had been sent previously. b. Plymouth Creek Center update. Director Blank distributed some financial information on the fieldhouse. So far the fieldhouse has been a tremendous success. We took in $21,000 in November in revenue, in December $25,895. In January, we took in $40,000+. We expect this trend to continue. The bubble is scheduled to come down in late April. We need 40 strong individuals to disassemble the dome. The expenditures for staff is quite low. Estimated gas bill to be $45,000 for six month season. Electric bill is right on. When Director Blank looks at the whole six months, estimates surplus revenue to be between $75,000 and $90,000. The excess revenue will go into a fund to cover replacement costs for the turf and the fabric dome. Director Blank said we have a tremendous walking program. It just keeps expanding. Staff is keeping track of all the walkers. At the end of the indoor season, we will have a full report on the revenue and we might be able to lower the rate for Plymouth groups using the fieldhouse. Soccer, lacrosse, girls fastpitch softball and walking are the four major programs going on there. Commissioner Musliner is on the Early Childhood Education Board through Wayzata School District. She's hoping we can hold some type of open gym time at the fieldhouse during the day for pre—schoolers. Director Blank is looking forward to finding groups to use the fieldhouse during those open daytime hours. One such group would be the children who are home—schooled. Director Blank reported on the progress at the Plymouth Creek Center. He said the bathroom tile is in, the floors are in, painting is going on, workers are hanging the ceiling, etc. Major completion is scheduled for the end of March or early April. We selected all PRAC Minutes/February 2000 Page 8 the furniture for the building yesterday, including office furniture and banquet room furniture. This came in $15,000 under budget. The furniture should be delivered March 27. We hope to have some programming in there by mid-April. The caterer has been meeting with wedding parties. Chair Anderson wanted to know if we would have a meeting there sometime. Director Blank said at least once a year we'd meet there. c. Approve 1999 Annual Report. Director Blank went over the 2000 work plan. He said golf could become an issue that needs to be reviewed within a year as opposed to three years. Commissioner Musliner said she saw an article about bark parks in the January parks magazine. There is a lot of interest in bark parks all across the country. Director Blank said there is an archive on the Internet through NRPA where you can look up information on any topic relative to parks and recreation. Director Blank explained that the annual report is a historical document. He explained that we've been doing this for 20 years. It's an ordinance requirement, so this document must be approved by the Parks Commission. Commissioner Thompson asked about the decline in team sports as noted on pg. 14 and thought that this should be addressed. Mary explained that kids coming out of high school are not going into adult softball programs in the same numbers as they used to. Commissioner Thompson also wants more years compared regarding the budgeted expenditures on pg. 8, and she would also like previous years' figures for the Ice Center shown on pgs. 22-23. Commissioner Musliner suggested moving the title Sources of Revenue over to the right on pg. 8, so that it's not over the title Expenditures. Commissioner Musliner asked for an explanation of the Tree Trust organization. Director Blank said they've been working with the City for 20 years. This is a non-profit group of young people that are hired to work on numerous projects. They are supervised by University of Minnesota forestry students. They started planting trees as their very first project, hence the name. Chair Anderson asked if the City still uses ICWC crews. Director Blank said yes. Commissioner Singer said that of all the orientation materials she received, the Annual Report was the most helpful. COMMISSIONER SINGER MOVED TO APPROVE THE 1999 ANNUAL REPORT. COMMISSIONER WAHL SECONDED. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. 6. NEW BUSINESS There was no new business. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION None. 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION Director Blank talked about the possible need for a third sheet of ice at the Ice Center. We've had to turn kids away from the Learn to Skate program. He said that two weeks ago, the MN Wild faxed to all cities in the metropolitan area a request for proposal to build the MN Wild a training facility. The MN Wild would rent five hours a day from the community that is awarded this proposal. They want ice time seven days a week, 11 months a year. It would be difficult to give them this much time, unless we add another sheet. We have to respond by 4 p.m. Friday. We need to solve the parking problems we have there now. If we build a third PRAC Minutes/February 2000 Page 9 sheet of ice, it can only go on the east side of the building. This would take away some of the parking spaces. We need to generate 260 more parking spaces. We may have to build a parking ramp. We've talked to the Wayzata Hockey Association about a contribution from them to help with this parking issue. Director Blank said the ice arena is turning a profit of $100,000 a year. A third sheet of ice would be almost all profit. Commissioner Fiemann asked about the demand on the current rinks. Director Blank said we open at 7 a.m. and close at 11:30 p.m., and on Friday and Saturday nights we close at 1 a.m. Director Blank is confident that we could fill up a third rink several months a year. During the non -demand months, we could use it for other activities by removing the ice. Commissioner Fiemann asked if the City Council is looking into the parking problem at LifeTime. Director Blank said the President of LifeTime is willing to work with us on this issue. Director Blank feels that an additional 100 stalls will solve the parking problem 95% of the time. Director Blank said the east parking lot is always full whenever any type of big game is going on. Even if we don't go with a third sheet of ice, we have to look at solving the parking problem. Planning Commissioner Stein stated that this was his last meeting, and he wanted to congratulate the Park Commission. He thinks this group contributes more to the City than any other committee. A new Planning Commissioner will be appointed to attend the rest of the meetings in 2000. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 8:20 p.m. Proposed Minutes Charter Commission Meeting January 13, 2000 A meeting of the Plymouth Charter Commission was called to order by Chairman Sipkins at 7:00 p.m. in the Public Safety Training Room, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard, on January 13, 2000. CHARTER COMMISSIONERS PRESENT: Chairman Sipkins, Commissioners Donovan, Schwartz, Thompson, McKee, Marofsky, Murphy, Bobra, Pauba, Preus, Garst, Walling, and Willis. ABSENT: Commissioners Johnson, Martin, and Thompson. OTHERS: Assistant Manager Ahrens, and City Clerk Paulson. Approval of Agenda Motion was made by Commissioner Marofsky, and seconded by Commissioner Pauba, to approve the agenda. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Approval of Minutes Commissioners Thompson and McKee suggested a few minor corrections be made to the minutes. Motion was made by Commissioner Marofsky, and seconded by Commissioner Bobra to approve the amended minutes. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Consideration of Issue of Mail Ballot for Special City Elections A considerable amount of discussion was held relative to the issue of requiring a mail ballot election for Special City Elections. The commissioners referred to the six percent voter turnout for the referendum on the new Activity Center and Field House and whether that turnout is a fair representation of the populace, especially for a project this size. It was noted that the turnout is much greater for the General Elections, and perhaps it would be more appropriate to include City questions on those ballots rather than conducting Special Elections where the turnout is much lower. Some of the commissioners felt strongly that a mail ballot election, even though the cost is approximately $7 per voter compared to $2 per voter for regular special elections, should be the method to conduct special elections. The commissioners also were concerned that citizens Proposed Charter Commission Minutes January 13, 2000 Page 2 of 3 could perceive the notion that the Council strategically plans the vote for major projects to not coincide with the General Election in order to receive the low voter turnout. Motion was made by Commissioner Donovan, and seconded by Commissioner McKee, to schedule a Joint Study Session with the City Council on the issue of mail balloting and any other options to increase voter turnout. Commissioner Schwartz offered a friendly amendment to the motion that copies of all the materials that the Commissioners received are provided to the Council prior to the Joint Study Session. Commissioners Donovan and McKee accepted this amendment. With all members voting in favor of the amended motion, the motion carried. Consideration of City Charter Amendment to Eliminate Excess Language in Section 12.13 Commissioner Marofsky briefly discussed excess language contained in the City Charter for Section 12.13, Subds. 2-6. He explained this language is outdated and obsolete. Motion was made by Commissioner Donovan, and seconded by Commissioner Garst, to approve the language amendment and recommend the Ordinance be presented to the City Council for formal action. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Consideration of Issue to Change Mayor's Term of Office from 2 to 4 Years Assistant City Manager Ahrens requested the Charter Commission to review this item. She stated the Council noted that the Mayor has very similar legal duties as a Councilmember, and the cohesiveness and continuity of the Council could change every two years. Also, there is the expense of an election campaign every two years. In response to a question, she stated there is not a term limit. The Commissioners requested this item be discussed with the Council at the Joint Study Session when the mail ballot issue is discussed to determine the Council's reasons for proposing the issue. Consideration of City Court Issue Assistant City Manager Ahrens reported the item of city court didn't appear on the Council's list of legislative agenda items. Motion was made by Commissioner Willis and seconded by Commissioner Preus to decline studying this issue. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. Proposed Charter Commission Minutes January 13, 2000 Page 3 of 3 Designation of Committee for By -Laws Review Assistant City Manager Ahrens stated it has been recommended that the Charter Commission's By -Laws should be reviewed. Commissioners Murphy, Marofsky, and Sipkins volunteered to review the By -Laws and present any recommended changes to the Charter Commission at the next meeting. Schedule Next Meeting Assistant City Manager Ahrens stated due to the Council's busy meeting schedule, a Joint Study Session with the Charter Commission probably couldn't be conducted until March. She stated she would inform the Commissioners of the Joint Study Session date once a date is selected by the Council. Adjournment Motion was made by Commissioner McKee, and seconded by Commissioner Thompson, to adjourn the meeting at 8:05 p.m. With all members voting in favor, the motion carried. City Clerk T. A. Bagus Service Area Manager Canadian Pacific Railway 1997 Floan place Suite # 17 Telephone: 612-347-8225 Dear Mr. Bagus, St. Paul, MN 55117 Date- 2/21/00 The night time trains those run on Minnesota - Glenwood Line are becoming more noisy, speedy, frequent, heavier and lengthy. -chis line is located south of Wayzata High School (Plymouth). I live few hundreds feet south of this line in a newly developed community (Plum Tree). I am sure you have the residential area restrictions such as speed limit, honking etc. but you need to see how many of the night time drivers comply with these regulations. At night, we woke up due to the extreme noises, tremors, and shakes. It feels like earthquake. Two of those trains are worst of all - one between 2 and 3 a.m., and the other between 5 and 6 a.m. On the early morning of Feb 19th and Feb 21 st, it was the worse of all shakes. Future planned structure ( Wayzata High School Stadium within a few hundred feet) as well as the existing structures may suffer from fatigue and I am afraid it may give away due to these shakes. I hope you will take care of this matter. I also called few months earlier and complained about the same problem. May I suggest a few things: • Night trains should be less speedy , lighter cargo, less noisy, and smaller in length. • It needs monitoring to see drivers comply with the existing restrictions for residential area driving. Thanks, Sincerely, Meskath Lin, MD. 18000 48th Court North Plymouth, MN 55446 Tel 612-478-6524 CC- 1. Chuck Schneider 2. Lundgren Bros .,,:%O. City of Plymouth 4. Principal, W.H. School 5. John Bergene a- -L— [ February 29, 2000 Mayor Joy Tierney and City Council Members City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mayor and City Council Members: I watched the marathon city council meeting on February 15, 2000, dealing with the approval of the North American Properties plan for developing a Lund's store, restaurants and shops in "Downtown Plymouth". I find it incredible that a few vocal nearby residents almost thwarted approval of this plan. I want to weigh in as one of the other 50,000+ residents of Plymouth in favor of this plan, including the access to 36th Avenue. The agitated residents who spoke at the meeting and complained about too much light, noise, traffic, congestion, etc. had to know that all of these factors would be present when they chose to live there. The plan to develop "Downtown Plymouth" in one manner or another has been on the drawing board since we moved here ten years ago. These residents have the convenience of being able to walk to the library, grocery store, theatre, health club, etc. It follows that these benefits come at the cost of increased traffic and congestion, but that is no reason to deny the rest of us an upscale Lund's store and restaurants. Please give North American Properties access to 36th Avenue and let's get on with this project. It's a good plan for the City of Plymouth and its residents. I am disappointed that the City Council is so willing to bend over backwards for the few, self-interested residents who appeared at the meeting at the risk of losing a good thing. Please don't forget about the rest of us. k I yours, 1,JT. Lin be g Berkshire Lane North Plymouth, MN 55446 Henry Todd Van Dellen State Representative District 34B Hennepin County Minnesota House ofentatives Repres •w1�L :~Ib�•t.`SO COMMITTEES: TAXES, PROPERTY TAX DIVISION; TRANSPORTATION POLICY; WAYS AND MEANS February 29, 2000 The Honorable Joy Tierney City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447-1482 Dear Joy: Thank you for your letter and enclosures containing City of Plymouth's 2000 legislative priorities. I will be mindful of them during this session and please do not hesitate to contact me with issues or concerns that come up during the legislative session. Sincerely, HeT. Van Del'el State Representative HTVD/pc 14615 43rd Ave North Plymouth Minnesota 55446 (612) 553-9088 571 State Office Building, 100 Constitution Ave., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155-1298 (651) 296-5511 FAX (651) 296-2080 TTY (651) 296-9896 ca 08/17/1994 11:11 612-4752643 RUTH GREGORY Ruth Gregory 14811 Gleason Lake Dr. Plymouth, Mn 55447 Phone: 475-4955 Fax: 475-2643 E-mail: gregory@cpi.umn.edu 3/1/00 Mr. Craig Gerdes Chief of Police. City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447-1482 Dear Mr. Gerdes, PAGE 01 :15)_(L1 It has come to my attention today that there was a hearing in reference to the violent Pitt bull attack on my neighbor Dolores Buker on 2/2/00 My first question is why were the neighbors not notified of either the attack or the hearing? I am shocked and extremely dismayed that these violent animals have been allowed to return to their owners, in my neighborhood! Why were these violent animals not destroyed? I have seen the injury they have caused to my neighbor, who required surgery after the attack. Don't we have laws about the destruction of animals that attack people? This is now an issue of public health. I have a vulnerable child age 14 who will ride past this house in the summer. She walks past Bucker's on the way home from school. I should not have to restrict her walking or bike riding in the neighborhood for fear of her life. Seeing what these animals were capable of doing to an adult. my fear is that a child or vulnerable youth could loose a limb if not their life! It is my understanding that these dogs were free in their back yard when they attacked Ms. Buker. What would happen if a child stuck an arm through their fence? Will the City of Plymouth be the responsible party in the case of another attack? I am offended to think that my tax dollars could end up being spent to defend the city for knowingly allowing dangerous animals to remain free. Doesn't the city have an affirmative duty to protect it's citizens? Are the ordinances on our city books strong enough to protect the residents of this city? If not we need to change them. These animals have proven to be dangerous in the extreme. What would it take to have these dogs destroyed? I look forward to your written response. Yours Very Truly, Ruth Gregory &roc cc: Mayor Joy Tierney All Members of the City Council F_ U 70 V U p C U C — C U N L w X ci 'p0 N 0 V al CL U 2 U c3 = v� b=A U v ° C13 E o p E o L1 x c x U ¢ o c x cC U c r, RS N ca L� = a� -O O U cC U yam„ "CIOY N N� = y N � U N = 3 3 cao_ 3 0 ro o 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 o O o 0 0 0 0 v=, vi o ,n In In -; N N O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O p p p O O O O 0 0 0 0 O q O O O O O v1 cn In v'1 in 1.111O N d' �O I I I I c I I I N N M 0 O OO O O O O O O O O O O q O O O O O O O O O O O O O O I M I M I M I M I M I M 1 M I M I M I M I M I M I M I M I N O O w. I I _ _ _ _ _ _ F 0 ^ 0 ^ 0 0 0 0 > o0 I 00000 I 0 I q I o 0 0000 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 00 0 0 0 0 0 N 7 7 7 0 R e- A�r -a w In bIn t n a to U ,... to U C vc rn O `n U Y c al o b u> ¢ n. o o o c= cd o c o o u D O O L 'D ..z .� bi O U U¢ mO 0 N O L U xU ¢ U p U L a N U C O M al Cl y O U y O C O O q .— dk N L U L N LY L N U to U N Y N L h U vI U Y N N U 7 L Y N U o 0 0 o c '� ''3 o c o ''L 'o c o O O O O cd y N O c3 O y U c6 O y 7 N 7" From: AMM To: Laurie Ahrens AMM FAX NEWS Date: 2/28100 Time: 5:04.52 PM Page 1 of 1 "__U qwnww Association of Metropolitan Municipalities Feb. 28 -Mar. 3, 2000 First deadline nears: Several local government bills to be heard ith the first committee deadline set for Friday March 3, several bills impacting local governments are sched- uled for hearings. Among the bills slated for action are the following: • Public Corporations: (HF 2673/SF 2521). The bill has cleared the House Local Government committee and has been referred to the Civil Law Commit- tee. The Senate bill has passed the Judiciary Committee and is to be heard in the Local Government Committee today. The bill should pass and could be amended to limit a local government's ability to establish a non- profit corporation. • Business Subsidy. (HF 3057/SF 2893). House Local Government will hear the bill on Monday. It is anticipated that the bill will pass without substantive amendments. In the Senate the Jobs, Energy and Economic Development Committee will hear the bill on Tues- day. The author Senator John Hottinger has prepared an amendment that incorporates many of the House changes but also includes several other changes. The Senate amend- ment will not raise the minimum subsidy subject to the act but will retain the $25,000 limit. The amendment will also require local government busi- ness subsidy policies to require a wage floor. The wage floor is to be determined by the city. AA13f Far News is faxed periodically to all A3131 city managers and administrators. The information is intended to be shared with mayors, comtcilntembers and staff'in order to keep officials abreast of important metro cityissnes. PCopyright 2000AM31 145 UniversityAlnenue West St. Pau4 MN 55103-2044 Phone: (651) 215-4000 Far: (651) 281-1299 E-mail• amm dainm145.org Eminent Domain. (HF 591/ SF 45). The House bill is scheduled on Wednesday for a hearing in the Civil Law Commit- tee. The bill as amended in the Local Government Committee relates to costs and notifications in eminent domain proceedings. The bill was introduced as a property rights bill. The amended bill would extend the notice for a "quick take" acquisition from 90 days to one-year. The amended bill removes the court's discretion in awarding payment for costs incurred by the owner in the eminent domain proceedings and in direct purchase situations, the $500 cap on appraisal fees is eliminated and other fees incurred by the owner are entitled to be reimbursed. Sewer Availability Charge (HF 3622/SF 2829). The bill would change the way the sewer availability charge (SAC) is calculated. The method of calculation as authorized by the bill would include the cost of growth in constructing the sewer project. Currently growth capacity is not calculated. The bill has not been scheduled in the House. Metropolitan Council --State Agency (HF 3529). The bill is scheduled for a hearing today. The bill would make the Metropolitan Council a state agency. Transportation Funding The Senate Transportation Policy committee has hearings set for Thursday at noon and 6 00 p.m. for SF 2678 (Sen. Flynn) which is the Governors Transportation bill we can only speculate at what amendments will be attached. The House Transportation Finance committee will discuss the governor's bill HF 2891 (Rep. Molnau) wednesday at 8:00 a.m. The House passed HF 3588 (Rep. Molnau) to Capital Invest- ment last week. It contains bonding authority of $200 million for metro and $100 million for outstate highways plus $44 million for local bridges. HF 446 (Rep. Kuisle) was heard Monday at 8:00 a.m. and amended to include a constitutional amendment for 30 percent of MVET to replace auto tab fee reductions. Deleted from the bill was a 20% MVET dedication to transit. It will be sent to House Tax committee on Wednesday Camera Cop HF 3322 (Rep. Biernat) was heard and laid over in the Crime Prevention Commit- tee last Tuesday (2/22/00). There was a possibility of a hearing this week, how- ever, barring a miracle, it won't happen. The Senate position is still one of photo- graphing the driver instead of the license plate. The Transportation Policy Commit- tee Chair Rep. Workman insists that the bill be referred to his committee which presents two problems. He opposes the bill and since deadline is this Friday, there is not enough time. Levy Limit hearing he House Property Tax subcommit tee heard several local bills related to special levies and were laid over for omnibus bill consideration. Chair Rep. Erhardt indicated that he did not want general testimony concerning the pros or cons of levy limits. Therefore, only specific issues related to Robbinsdale levy problems were discussed. Neither the AMM, LMC or County Association were allowed to testify. Apparently what we had understood from Tax Committee Chair Rep. Abrams was incorrect. This was not a meeting to discuss the merits of levy limits. At this point no such meeting has been scheduled. Stay tuned. L — (/p SUBURBAN TRANSIT LEGISLATIVE REPORT ASSOCIATION "'{F ; _ • REPORT 2000-3 " FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 25, 2000 LEGISLATORS PURSUE BONDING AUTHORIZATION FOR METRO TRANSIT Representative Ron Abrams (R -Minnetonka) and Senator Sandy Pappas (DFL -St. Paul) have introduced bills that would increase the bonding authority provided to the Metropolitan Council during the 1999 Legislative Session. Last year, the Metropolitan Council requested $52 million in bonding authority to fund capital improvement projects for transit services. The Legislature authorized only $36 million, leaving Metro Transit with no option except to cut some projects that had been previously approved for funding. To eliminate that deficit, House File 3530/Senate File 2935 would increase the 1999 authorization by $16 million, fulfilling the full request as submitted last year. Neither bill has received a committee hearing — House File 3530 awaits action in the House Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee, while Senate File 2935 has been referred to the Transportation Committee. The STA plans to strongly support passage of this legislation, and we will keep you informed as the bills progress through the legislative process. Representative Carol Molnau (R -Chaska) and Senator Dean Johnson (DFL -Willmar) have introduced nearly identical legislation, with the only difference being that their legislation includes a general fund appropriation of $3.7 million to Metro Transit and $1 million to the Minnesota Department of Transportation for grants to public transit systems for building transit facilities and hubs. House File 3559/Senate File 3306 have also not yet received any legislative action. The STA Legislative Report Is prepared by Thomas J. Poul and Jennifer J. Peterson Messerli d Kramer PA., 145 University Avenue West, Suite 450, SL Paul, MN 55103 SENATOR DICK DAY INTRODUCES "FREEDOM TO DRIVE" AGENDA Senator Dick Day (R -Owatonna) has introduced a number of bills that, taken together, represent one of his primary legislative pursuits for the 2000 Legislative Session - the Freedom to Drive Agenda (the Agenda). Senator Day's initiative includes a resumption of his assault on ramp meters and high -occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes; a transportation -funding package; a prohibition on left -lane driving for purposes other than passing; and a bill to increase the speed limit on a portion of Interstate 35E through St. Paul. On February 16, a hearing was held to consider his various proposals. Senate File 2480 would place a moratorium on the use of ramp meters this October. During the break, the effects turning off ramp meters would have on traffic flow and safety. Senate File 2480 was amended and approved by the Senate Transportation Committee on February 16. It now heads to the Transportation Budget Division for consideration. Senate File 2481 would open the HOV lanes on Interstates 35W and 394 to general traffic and the dedicated center lane on 1-394 would be opened to east- bound traffic during the morning rush hour and to west -bound traffic in the evening. Senate File 2481 has been referred to the Transportation Budget Division where it awaits action. You might recall that Senator Day pursued both of those proposals last session, but was defeated following testimony by MNDoT, the STA and other transportation groups. The STA will again oppose passage of these bills as they remove important incentives for transit users. Senate File 2482, the speed limit increase legislation, has already been disposed of by the Transportation Committee. At the February 16 hearing, officials from Minnesota Department of Transportation (DOT) testified against increasing the speed limit on 1-35E through St. Paul from 45 miles per hour to 55 miles per hour. DOT explained to the Committee that they feel bound by a federal court order not to raise the speed limit at this location (sometimes called a "practice freeway" by disdainful legislators). The court order was part of a settlement reached in the 1980s between DOT and area residents opposed to the freeway. Following testimony and debate, the Committee voted against approval of Senate File 2482. Senate File 2483 is Senator Day's transportation funding proposal. He would reduce vehicle registration taxes from the current formula ($10 added to 1.25 percent of a vehicle's base value) to $10 plus one percent of the base value. Senator Day's bill would require the dedication of 50 percent of tab fees to the general fund and 50 percent to the highway user tax distribution fund. Finally, he is proposing a constitutional amendment that would dedicate 50 percent of the motor vehicle excise tax to the highway user tax distribution fund. This legislation was scheduled for a hearing on February 16, but no action was taken at that time. Instead, Senate File 2483 was referred to the Transportation Budget Division. 2 Senate File 2484 would prohibit driving in the left-hand lane unless overtaking slower vehicles. Mark Rask, author of American Autobahn, testified on behalf of the bill. Mr. Rask said the bill eases stress for all drivers, as slow and fast moving vehicles work together. To illustrate how traffic would flow under such a policy, Mr. Rask showed video footage of the German Autobahn, a comparison that some Senators felt was inappropriate as there is little similarity between the rural Autobahn highway and Minnesota's urban freeways. Senate File 2484 was approved by the Committee and referred to the Transportation Budget Division. At this time, no House companion bills have been introduced for Senator Day's legislation. We will continue to monitor and update you on the progress of the Freedom to Drive Agenda. HOUSE REPUBLICANS CONTINUE ASSAULT ON LRT House Republicans, calling light rail transit (LRT) a "boondoggle," recently announced plans to repeal the nearly $100 million in bonding that has been authorized during the past two years. Last year, LRT funding was included in a bill that provided tax cuts and other funding initiatives as a compromise between the governor and legislators. House Republicans have never been overly supportive of LRT, and they recently expressed frustration with the cost of building the Hiawatha Corridor, and with the projected benefit -cost return of $0.42 for every $1.00 spent. Instead of LRT, the Republican caucus has announced that they will pursue more cost-effective alternatives such as dedicated busways. While Republicans might garner enough votes to pass the repeal in the House, prospects of such legislation passing the Senate are much more slim, as the Democratic majority supports LRT. Furthermore, as LRT is one of Governor Ventura's favorite projects, it is unlikely that he would sign a bill calling for its repeal. No specific legislation has been introduced yet, but we will let you know when it is. GOVERNOR VENTURA'S TRANSIT INITIATIVE INTRODUCED House File 2891/Senate File 2678, authored by Representative Carol Molnau (R - Chaska) and Senator Carol Flynn (DFL -Minneapolis) is Governor Ventura's transportation and transit proposal for this session. This legislation creates a multimodal transportation fund, to which 46 percent of the motor vehicle excise tax revenue would be dedicated and utilized as follows: (1) twenty-five percent for appropriation to the metropolitan council for transit capital, operating, and associated development purposes; and 3 (2) seventy-five percent of the revenue would be available for appropriation to the Commissioner of Transportation for statewide surface transportation purposes including, but not limited to, highways, transit capital and service expansion needs outside the metropolitan area, commuter rail capital and operating expenses, right-of-way preservation, grants to local units of government for comprehensive planning related to transportation investments, and other transit capital and highway purposes. This fund would supplement, not replace, existing transit and transportation revenues. For expenditures of funds from the transit account, the Metropolitan Council shall give priority to transit service expansion and transit capital projects that: (1) are consistent with the regional master transit plan and the transit capital improvement program; (2) support other public investments in infrastructure, housing, schools, and other public services; (3) encourage development that includes a mix of housing, retail, office, and open space in a pedestrian -friendly environment; and (4) respond to the needs of growing communities that actively foster transit - oriented development and work with transit providers in developing solutions to mobility needs in their localities. As discussed in previous issues of the Legislative Update, the 54 percent dedication would require passage of a constitutional amendment by the electorate while the 46 percent dedication is statutory, a proposition that concerns some legislators. This legislation also provides for a stable and predictable bonding authorization for the Metropolitan Council. If House File 2891/Senate File 2678 becomes law, the Metropolitan Council will have an annual increase in bonding authority based upon the previous year's authority adjusted for inflation using the United States Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics Minneapolis -St. Paul Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI -U) for the previous taxes payable year. The annual inflationary increase will be capped at three percent. The STA is on record strongly supporting this provision. We will keep you up to date as the entire bill moves through the 2000 Legislature. 0 LEGISLATION OF INTEREST House File 3521 was introduced on February 16. This legislation, authored by Representative Tom Hackbarth (R -Cedar), would appropriate funding to the Metropolitan Council for express bus service between Anoka and downtown Minneapolis. House File 3521 would also provide for building a park and ride at the intersection of Highway 65 and Anoka County Highway 22. This legislation does not yet specify the amount of the appropriation. There is not yet a Senate companion bill for House File 3521. House File 3664 was introduced on February 17 by Representative Dan Larson (DFL - Bloomington). This legislation would forbid MNDoT from artificially increasing waiting periods on ramps or to encourage, influence, or force the traveling public to use alternative routes or alternative modes of transportation. This legislation is in response to complaints about increased traffic by residents in neighborhoods near freeway access points. A Senate companion bill has not been introduced for this legislation at this time. Senator Keith Langseth (DFL-Glyndon) has introduced Senate File 2283, a bill that would provide $3.7 million to the Metropolitan Council for transit services during fiscal year 2001. The STA plans to support this legislation, which has not yet received a hearing in the Transportation Committee. It also appears that Governor Ventura will be willing to support this deficiency appropriation. Representative Peg Larsen (R -Lakeland) has again introduced legislation to abolish or change the structure of the Metropolitan Council. House File 3489 would abolish the Metropolitan Council as a separate entity and transfer its duties to various existing state agencies. House File 3529 would provide legislators with greater control over the actions and policies of the Metropolitan Council by making it a state agency. This is the third session during which Representative Larsen will pursue abolition of the Metropolitan Council. She is opposed to the Metropolitan Council in large part due to her belief that it is unresponsive to legislators and operates with too much autonomy. 5 Attn: Mayor Joy Tierney Council Members Cheif Gerdes Enclosed is a letter that is concerning the well being of two of our family members Mar 03 Z008 15:84:57 Via Fax -> G12+589+586® Administrator Page 881 of 902 SAecial z'Aage edition L FR Li IDA Y Ax Number 5 0 1 a A weekly legislative update from the League of Minnesota Cities March 3, 2000 Legislative highlights fr®m the week ®f Feb® 28 Bleacher safety modifica- tions advance and retreat The House Government Opera- tions Committee approved a bill Thursday to modify the bleacher safety requirements offered by Rep. Fran Bradley (R -Rochester). Under the bill, bleachers less than 55 inches would be exempt, the compliance date would be moved to August 1, 2001, and existing bleachers with 9 -inch or less gaps would be grandfathered. Under current law, bleachers less than 30 inches are exempt and all bleachers must conform to the 4 -inch gap standard by Jan. 1, 2001. The House committee action may be for naught. The Senate Govern- ment Operations Committee late last night defeated a similar bill offered by Sen. Deanna Wiener (DFL -Eagan) on a 5-4 vote. We'll have to see if the Senate bill can be reincarnated, or if another bill becomes a vehicle for further action. Transportation funding On Thursday, the Senate Trans- portation Committee considered a delete -all amendment to a bill offered by Sen. Carol Flynn (DFL - Minneapolis) that would modify funding for transportation and transit. The proposal would reduce license tab fees, replace lost revenue with sales tax from motor vehicle sales, create a multi -modal fund with additional motor vehicle sales tax receipts, and dedicate the sales tax on motor vehicles to the multi -modal fund. The Flynn proposal on tab fee reductions is less aggressive than the governor's proposal to limit license fees to $75 per vehicle. The governor's proposal would require the dedication of 54 per- cent of the sales tax on motor vehicles to maintain the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund. The balance of the sales tax on motor vehicles would be dedicated to a multi -modal fund. The Flynn proposal would maintain the funding for the Highway User Tax Distribution Fund through a 25 percent dedication, and make an additional $300 million per year available to fund transportation and transit projects across the state through the multi -modal fund. The debate is far from being resolved. The House has yet to solidify its transportation funding strategy. There are bills in the House that loosely resemble the governor's proposal. And a bill was introduced yesterday that would speed up current projects by transferring nearly $400 million from the general fund and $77 million from the trunk highway fund to the Dept. of Transportation for state road construction projects. House budget resolution The House Ways and Means Committee adopted a budget resolution yesterday that estab- lishes spending targets for the finance committees. The committee with the largest authorization is transportation finance, with $350 million to allocate for transportation projects. The next highest commit- tee is K-12 education finance with $28 million. These targets do not include tax cuts, which the tax committee may pass, or capital projects to be paid through state bonds. The Senate will set its own budget targets soon. Differences will have to be resolved between House and Senate leaders as the omnibus spending bills move into confer- ence committee. Omnibus pension bill The Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement com- pleted its omnibus pension bill at midnight Monday. The bill does not address the significant funding deficiency of PERA, which will be studied over the interim. The bill includes several changes to the volunteer fire relief statutes, including increases in the maximum pension benefit allowed and clarifying that the open meeting law applies to relief association boards. The bill also establishes a task force that includes a League of Minnesota Cities representative to study retiree health care benefits over the interim. The bill passed the Senate Gov- ernment Operations Committee late last night and awaits similar action in the House. Contlnued on page 2 For more Information on city legislative Issues, contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team. (651) 281-1200 or (800) 925-1122 Mar 83 Z888 1S:8S:48 Via Fax FRIDAYF,4x M,4crcH 3, 2000 — PAGE 2 Rule petition law A bill extending the sunset of the 1999 rule petition law passed the House Governmental Operations Committee yesterday. The law authorizes local governments to petition the state for amendment or repeal of a state agency rule if the rule is unreasonable or if a less costly method of achieving the purpose of the rule is found. The bill, carried by Rep. Sherry Broecker (R-Vadnais Heights), will extend the sunset to July 31, 2006. Business subsidies bills H.F. 3057, introduced by Rep. Dan McElroy (R -Burnsville), and the companion bill S.F. 2893, intro- duced by Sen. John Hottinger (DFL -Mankato), received hearings in the House and Senate this week The two versions contain some considerable differences. The House bill still increases the $25,000 threshold to $100,000. The Senate bill contains new requirements communities must adopt prior to awarding any new business subsidies, and require- ments dealing with time limits for the goals that must be identified in the subsidy agreement. Provisions that appeared in the original version of the Senate bill, including a relocation impact study require- -> 61Z+S89+S868 Administrator Page 88Z Of 88Z ment, additional relocation report- ing requirements, and certain details regarding the specific wage floor requirement, are no longer included. The House bill was re-referred to the tax committee and the Senate bill was sent directly to the floor. We expect the two bills to be reconciled in conference commit- tee. Look for more details in the next Cities Bulletin. County plat review S.F. 702 (Vickerman) was passed by the Senate Transportation Committee to the Senate floor yesterday. The House Transporta- tion Committee will hear H F. 672 (Kuisle) today and it will likely be referred to the Local Government Committee. Unlike the original version, this bill does NOT require county approval for city plats. This bill: • Clarifies the comment period for cities, towns and county plats. • Requires counties to develop guidelines for their use when reviewing plats abutting county roads. • Does NOT allow county approval of city or town plats. • Does NOT interfere with approval timelines. With this amendment, the League of Minnesota Cities and the Asso- ciation of Metropolitan Municipali- ties no longer oppose this bill. MINNESOTA CITIES, Building , Quality Communities League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference 2000 LMC's 87" Annual Confcrcncc Junc 13-16, 2400 St. Cloud, Nlinncsota Mark your calendar now and plan to join us for LMC's premier conference event! Attending LMC's Annual Conference 2000 is a smart way to collect strategies and information, renew your enthusiasm, investigate new products and services, and spend time with colleagues who will remind you of your commitment to outstanding leadership. Plan now to join us in St. Cloud, and we'll warmly welcome you there! See future issues of Cities Bulletin and the April issue of Minnesota Cities magazine for more information on how to register for this event, or download the housing and registration forms from our Web site: T M� www,lmnc.org, 3-3-2000 Dear Mayor Joy Tierney and City Council Members, We are residents of the City of Plymouth and we are being slandered by one of our Neighbors (Delores Buker). She is making our lives very difficult to be model citizens of the city of Plymouth. Here are the facts: Two weeks after we moved in to our house our Ms. Buker's son came to us to talk about the situation of all of our dogs chasing each other back and forth along our mutual fence line. Ms. Buker's son told us that he would be putting up boards along the fence. We offered to do so also. The next day we put up boards along more of the fence than we agreed to. Mr. Buker failed to fol- low his own agreement. Four months later, I (Gregory Brandt) had let the dogs out into our fenced in yard. A few moments later when I was in the bathroom, and heard Delores Buker yelling at my dogs. I imediate- ly ran out to the back yard to find Ms. Buker hitting our dog Cocoa in the head with a shovel. Our other dog Cha -Cha in defence of her sister Cocoa, bit Ms. Buker's arm while hitting our dog Cocoa in the head. As I got to where the commotion was, Ms. Buker had dropped the shovel and my dogs had backed away from the fence and her dog's lip was fish hooked on the fence. She then asked me to get her dog loose, and as I reached over the fence I was bitten by her dog and I started bleeding. I still continued to get her dog loose and I was bitten a few more times. I then instructed her to go in her house, while I went to call the police and paramedics. *As the police officers investigate the scene they come up with a judgement that she was in the wrong. *She immediately complained to the police and now has both of our dogs declared dangerous. *By Minnesota State Statute 347.50. sub 2 a dog cannot be declared dangerous if it was provoked into biting. *Cocoa did not bite any person at all. She should not be declared dangerous or potentially dangerous. *Cha -Cha bit my neighbor in defense of her sister, who was being beaten by a shovel. There- fore she was provoked. *The police officer at the scene said that my dog did nothing wrong in defending her sister and property. *My dogs were quarantined in my home. If the animal control officer thought that my dogs were dangerous they would have put them in the city kennal for 10 days. *My dogs cannot go outside without a muzzle on since the incendent. *1 was bit by her dog and nothing is being done with her dog, probably because I did not complain at all. *When I brought my dogs to the vet I waited until after the exam to tell them what had hap pened. The vet had already noted on the exam sheet that the dogs were very freindly well behaved. The vet stated that the dogs had to have been provoked because neither dog had shown any sort of agression toward any of the doctors or the other animals at the clinic. *We also have a cat that enjoys the company of our dogs. *My wife(Rebecca Brandt) is a piano teacher that teaches in our home. We have children that come to our home for lessons everyday. The dogs just loves to be petted by them. There has never been a sign of aggression out of these dogs before, especially not with children. *Our closest friends(Richard and Sarah Eads) who lived with us and our two dogs for a year and a half have no fear that our two dogs would even think of harming their 6 month old baby girl Madeline Rose Eads. *Our dogs get along with our other neighbors dog. * We also have many friends, family members, and neighbors who think that the situation is very unfair. *Ms. Buker went to Chanel 4 news with her story in order to give us a bad name, but at the end of the news story she also stated that it was her fault. *Ms. Buker then attempted to spread the rumor that our dogs should not be in the neighbor hood. *Because of the news story, a stranger from St. Cloud, Lisa Jacobson, found our house to talk to us. She stated that the news story made her upset, and said she knew that it was only telling one side of the story. She wanted us to know that other people understand situations like this and that people do care about our situation. *Mrs. Moore, a neighbor, offered to go to court if we needed her to give a statement of character against Ms.Buker. *It seems that our neighbors, except for Ms. Buker, agree that Ms. Buker was in the wrong. They don't seem to care to much for her, and feel she is doing this to get attention. * I do not want to dislike any of my new neighbors and this is a very unfortunate situation. I want to continue to live in the city of Plymouth with my wife and two dogs. Because my dog was provoked, I feel that declaring either of my dogs dangerous is unacceptable to me and everyone I know. *1 am sending this letter to you in regards of me (Gregory Brandt) having to defend my dogs in front of Chief Gerdes on Wednesday March 8, 2000. Sincerely,/ xz" c�GG� Gregory and Rebecca Brandt 130 Niagara Ln N. Plymouth, Mn 55447 DATE: February 28, 2000 TO: Mayor and City Council, Charter Commission, City Manager FROM: Laurie Ahrens, Assistant City Manager ''-/ SUBJECT: Joint Council/Charter Commission Meeting A joint meeting of the Plymouth City Council and the Charter Commission will be held on Thursday, March 9, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The meeting will be held in the second floor Training Room of the Public Safety Building, 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Attached is an agenda for this meeting. Members of the City Council are also receiving three packets of information: 1) History on the Mail Ballot and Special Elections Issue, 2) All -Mail -Ballot Elections, and berslof the Charteayor Term of r Commissione. All . If Ifese materials have any member of the been previously provided to mem lease give me a call at Charter Commission would like another set of these materials, p g (612) 509-5052.