HomeMy WebLinkAboutCity Council Minutes 04-13-1999 SpecialAdopted Minutes
Plymouth City Council Special Meeting
April 13, 1999
A special meeting of the Plymouth City Council was called to order at 7:08 PM in the
Public Safety Training Room, 3400 Plymouth Blvd., on April 13, 1999.
COUNCIL PRESENT: Mayor Tierney; Councilmembers Black, Harstad, and Johnson.
Councilmember Bildsoe arrived at 7:18 PM. Councilmember Spigner arrived at 7:45 PM.
COUNCIL ABSENT: Councilmember Slavik.
ALSO PRESENT: City Manager Johnson, City Clerk Ahrens, Park and Recreation
Director Blank, Public Safety Director Gerdes, Public Safety Support Services Supervisor
Cox, Finance Director Hahn, Community Development Director Hurlburt, Public Works
Director Moore, and Deputy City Clerk Hoffinan.
Summer Pool Passes
Park Director Blank explained the history of negotiations with LifeTime Fitness over a
summer pool pass for Plymouth residents. He outlined membership account plans, and
the participation rates for Plymouth residents at the Life Time Fitness Center in
Plymouth. He explained it would be very easy to reach capacity for the outdoor pool,
leading to congestion, and frustration among club members and residents paying daily
admission. He said from Memorial Day to Labor Day staff is proposing a program that
offer a daily pass at a lower rate for Plymouth residents.
Councilmember Bildsoe arrived at 7:18 PM.
Park Director Blank said staff would like to receive a general consensus from Council on
proceeding with the plan, so that appropriate advertising and staffing could be arranged.
Motion was made by Councilmember Black, seconded by Councilmember Johnson, to
direct staff to proceed in developing an agreement with Life Time Fitness to offer daily
pool passes from Memorial Day to Labor Day with a reduced rate for Plymouth residents.
Motion carried, five ayes.
Citizen Survey
City Clerk Ahrens outlined the schedule proposed for conducting a citizen survey. She
summarized the questions that are proposed in the survey.
Councilmember Spigner arrived at the meeting at 7:45 PM.
Councilmembers discussed questions that might be asked in the 1999 proposed survey.
These topics included: questions about town meetings and ward meetings; questions
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Special City Council Meeting
April 13, 1999
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about a sense of community and participation in neighborhoods; whether there are
services that Plymouth does not provide which may be desired by residents; questions
about the appeal of city beautification projects; questions to judge the effectiveness of
council and city government; and questions about residents' use of LifeTime Fitness
Center.
Councilmembers directed staff to prepare a request for proposals for a City survey.
Liquor and Tobacco Ordinances
Public Safety Director Gerdes presented a report outlining administrative and
presumptive penalties for alcohol compliance check violations. He said the advantage of
presumptive penalties is that business owners know up front what the penalties for
violation will be, and this helps with training.
Public Safety Director Gerdes recommended that first violations would be handled
through an administrative hearing. He said that staff would then provide a report on the
disposition to the full Council as part of general business in a regular Council meeting.
Councilmembers discussed the levels of penalties for first, second, and third violations.
In response to a Council question, Attorney Knutson stated that it would be legal to
require a violator to post a sign explaining why a license had been suspended.
Motion was made by Councilmember Johnson, seconded by Councilmember Bildsoe, to
direct staff to propose an ordinance containing the proposed alcohol violation penalty
guidelines on the May 4, 1999 regular Council meeting agenda.
Motion carried, six ayes.
Public Safety Director Gerdes presented the proposed penalties for violations of the
tobacco ordinance. He said that the State has set minimum penalties for violations, while
giving cities the ability to set higher maximum penalties.
Councilmembers discussed penalty levels and whether first and second violations should
be handled through administrative hearings. Public Safety Director Gerdes recommended
that in a first violation the presumptive penalty be offered in an administrative hearing.
He said if an agreement is not reached, the violation would go before the full Council in a
public hearing.
Motion was made by Councilmember Harstad, seconded by Mayor Tierney, to direct staff
to prepare an ordinance regarding penalties and procedures for liquor violations.
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Special City Council Meeting
April 13, 1999
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Motion was made by Councilmember Bildsoe, seconded by Councilmember Johnson, to
amend the motion, and increase presumptive penalties to the maximum levels set by the
City, and to change the maximum penalties to a 60—day suspension and a $2000 fine.
Motion to amend failed, Councilmembers Bildsoe, Black, and Spigner ayes; Mayor
Tierney, Councilmembers Harstad and Johnson nays.
Motion was made by Councilmember Johnson, seconded by Councilmember Black, to
amend the motion, to increase fines to the maximum, but retain suspension periods at the
amounts recommended for presumptive penalties.
Councilmember Spigner said she would like a requirement that violators be required to
attend smoking clinics.
Plymouth resident Wayne Cummings said that smoking is becoming a problem for
younger children. He said this is an important issue that the Council needs to address.
Motion to amend passed unanimously.
Motion was made by Councilmember Bildsoe, seconded by Councilmember Black, to
amend the motion, to increase suspension periods to 20 days for the second violation, and
30 days for the third violation.
Motion to amend failed, Councilmembers Bildsoe, Black and Spigner aye; Mayor
Tierney, Councilmembers Harstad and Johnson nay.
Motion was made by Councilmember Bildsoe, seconded by Councilmember Johnson, to
amend the motion, to increase suspension periods to 15 days for the second violation, and
25 days for the third violation.
Motion to amend passed, Councilmembers Bildsoe, Black, Spigner, and Harstad aye;
Mayor Tierney and Councilmember Johnson nay.
Main motion passed, six ayes.
City Court
Manager Johnson asked for direction on how to proceed with a proposal to develop a city
court.
Councilmember Spigner stated that a city court is different from a district court or a
community court because it deals with violations by settling cases within the community.
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Special City Council Meeting
April 13, 1999
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Community Development Director Hurlburt stated that a City court would not likely
change the number of citations or the speed of dispositions, but would change the venue.
She said it was a matter of giving violators a chance to correct a situation.
Attorney Knutson said a city court may be a more humane process, but its effectiveness
would depend on the city's goals
Motion was made by Councilmember Spigner, seconded by Councilmember Black to
direct the Charter Commission to study the concept of a city court.
Motion carried; Mayor Tierney and Councilmembers Spigner and Black aye;
Councilmembers Johnson and Harstad nay. Councilmember Bildsoe absent.
Policy on Funding Social Services
City Clerk Ahrens summarized the City's policy on funding of human service agencies.
She said general fund contributions are guided by legal criteria. She said the proposal
before the Council would set guidelines more detailed than exist at present. She said the
new policy would establish a review process for allocation.
Attorney Knutson said that the State Auditor is increasingly concerned about how local
government money is spent. Before the city can spend any money; public purpose and
statutory authority for spending that money must be established. He recommended a
written agreement with agencies on specifically how the money donated will be spent,
and whether it meets statutory authority.
Councilmembers agreed unanimously to remove Item 2—C from the proposed policy,
referring to Council consideration of human services priorities established by the
Northwest Hennepin Human Services Planning Board.
Councilmembers discussed establishing the year 2000 general fund contribution to
human service agencies at a $100,000 budget maximum.
Councilmembers directed staff to put the proposed policy on a regular Council meeting
agenda item for consideration.
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Special City Council Meeting
April 13, 1999
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Establish Future Study Session Date and Topics
Councilmembers discussed topics for future study session. Topics included:
Convention travel and tourism
Zachary Elementary playground funding
Council packet content
Crime issues Summit
League of Minnesota Cities
City Center streetscape plans
Year 2000 City celebration
Councilmembers agreed to use time after the May 11 Board of Review session as a study
session, and to consider session dates in May and June to review streetscape plans.
The meeting was adjourned at 10:30 PM.