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Council Information Memorandum 07-02-1992
CITY COUNCIL INFORMATIONAL MEMORANDUM JULY 2, 1992 UPCOMING MEETINGS AND EVENTS.... 1. CITY COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE FOR JULY: JULY 6 7:00 P.M. COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers JULY 13 7:00 P.M. CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION 1993 Budget Objectives Council Conference Room -------------------------------------------------------- JULY 20 6:30 P.M. PLYMOUTH FORUM Council Chambers COUNCIL MEETING Council Chambers 2. CHARTER COMMISSION FORUM -- Monday, July 13, 7 p.m. The Charter Commission will be reviewing the draft charter document with the public in hopes of receiving input on changes and making the public more aware of its contents. This meeting has been publicized through cable TV, local newspapers, the Plymouth News, and correspondence to homeowner association presidents. 3. WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE -- Tuesday, July 7, 7 p.m. A copy of the agenda and previous meeting minutes is attached. (M-3) 4. FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE -- Wednesday, July 8, 7:30 a.m. A copy of the agenda is attached. (M-4) 5. PLANNING COMMISSION -- Wednesday, July 8, 7:30 p.m. A copy of the agenda is attached (M-5) 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447, TELEPHONE (612) 550-5000 CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMORANDUM July 2, 1992 Page 2 6. PARK AND RECREATION ADVISORY COMMISSION -- Thursday, July 9, 7:00 p.m. A copy of the agenda is attached M-6) 7. MEETING CALENDARS -- City Center and City Council calendars for JULY and AUGUST are attached. (M-7) FOR YOUR INFORMATION..... 1. PROPOSED LIBRARY SITE CONDEMNATION HEARING -- The condemnation hearing for the proposed library site is scheduled to commence July 7 at 8:30 a.m. here at City Center. Three commissioners are expected to meet to determine the value of the former Cavanaugh parcel. The schedule calls for the hearing to conclude by July 13. Assuming that the hearing is completed within this timeframe, the determination of fair market value is expected to be received within 30 to 60 days. 2. "HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE COUNCILMEMBER" -- The League of Minnesota Cities Annual Conference included a presentation on "How to be an Effective Councilmember." A copy of the materials distributed for that training session are attached for Council information. (I-2) 3. ASSOCIATION OF METROPOLITAN MUNICIPALITIES OUTREACH BREAKFAST -- So that Association of Metropolitan Municipalities has a better idea regarding their 1993 legislative positions, an outreach breakfast has been scheduled for July 14 at 7:30 a.m. in the Spring Room at the Sheridan Park Place Hotel, 5555 Wayzata Boulevard, St. Louis Park. Attached is a June 26 letter providing additional information about this breakfast. Councilmembers who would like to attend should contact Laurie Rauenhorst no later than July 9 in order that reservations may be made. (I-3) 4. SUN SAILOR QUARTERLY REPORT -- Attached is a letter from Greg Ptacin, provided as a quarterly update on the Sun Sailor efforts to date to improve distribution in Plymouth. * In mid-July they will be adding 300 papers to the Plymouth distribution. Also attached is a letter from Mr. Ptacin to Dave Barstad, indicating that because of insufficient revenues, the Sun Sailor will not be able to cover the Bass Lake Heights area as quickly as desired. Mr. Barstad had earlier called the City, requesting that papers be delivered to his house which he would, in turn, deliver to his neighbors. (I-4) 5. WEST MEDICINE LAKE COMMUNITY CLUB/NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING -- Previous information memorandums have provided the City Council with letters from Mr. Frank Cleave and Mr. and Mrs. Abe, neighbors of the West Medicine Lake Community Club with respect to their concerns about the club's operation. Attached is a response from Karen Nelson, President of the Community Club, to the earlier letters. An effort will be made to arrange for a meeting between the neighbors and Community Club representatives in hopes of resolving their differences informally. (I-5) CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMORANDUM July 2, 1992 Page 3 6. SUPREME COURT DECISION ON COMPENSATION FOR PROPERTY TAKING -- The attached is an article which appeared in the Wall Street Journal recently, dealing with a Supreme Court decision involving the "taking" issue. This court action is another case in which the Court has determined that governments carry the responsibility for compensating property owners if regulatory actions eliminate land values. It would appear that this issue is going to continue to be one of those matters which needs to be watched, particularly as it relates to allegations of "taking" by land owners of property for such purposes as protecting wetlands. (I-6) 7. MPCA OPEN BURNING PERMIT VARIANCE -- At their June 29 meeting, the Board of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency approved a ten year variance for the City of Plymouth's diseased tree open burning site. This variance will allow us to continue to burn diseased elm and oak at our burn site. The variance is from the MPCA's requirement that burn sites be no closer than 1,000 feet from a public roadway. The Plymouth burn site is approximately 800 feet from 23rd Avenue North. 8. TRAIL EXTENSION FROM STEEPLECHASE TO CHELSEA MEWS -= Earlier this year the City Council directed that the Risk Manager review the question of extending the trail .from Steeplechase to Chelsea Mews. Attached is a June 11, 1992 memorandum from Bob Pemberton which suggests that the accident potential associated with the proposed trail could be reduced or eliminated by either removing the trail stub and constructing a barrier fence, or constructing a trail connection to Chelsea Mews, but incorporating a safer connection than presently exists. Recognizing that the Chelsea Mews Board of Directors opposes the connection of the trail, the Park and Recreation Director, together with, the Risk Management Coordinator are recommending that this trail be removed from the Zanzibar Lane cul-de-sac to its terminus in Chelsea Mews. The existing blacktop will be removed and sodded over. The City would retain the trail easement in the event that conditions change in the future. In the absence of further Council direction, we will proceed in this fashion. (I-8) 9. WINONA TRAIN WHISTLE ORDINANCE -- In accordance with the Council's direction, Chuck Di lerud has obtained a copy of the Winona ordinance which prohibits train whistle blowing. The ordinance does not provide a time prohibition, but rather, a distance prohibition within which a whistle may not be blown except as a warning against immediate threatening danger or peril. According to Chuck, the Minnesota Department of Transportation required as a precondition to this ordinance, that all streets/railroad crossings have a signal and gate. Winona now has 17 street/railroad crossings whereas they once had 34. If the Council is interested in further pursuing this matter, it would be appropriate to direct the staff to meet with the railroad, MnDOT, and appropriate federal officials to determine the requirements which must be met, including their costs. The staff could return with these cost estimates so the Council can decide whether such costs should be incorporated into the Capital Improvement Program. (I-9) CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMORANDUM July 2, 1992 Page 4 10. MINUTES -= Planning Commission Minutes, June 3, 1992. (I-10) 11. PLYMOUTH EMPLOYEES: Transitions -- Lori Kraemer, a permanent part-time Clerk/Typist in the Finance Department has submitted her resignation effective July 31. A copy of the letter is attached. (I-11) 12. CORRESPONDENCE: a. Letter from James W. Commers, Vice President/General Manager of King Cablevision, informing us that the rates for cable service will be increased $1.00 effective in August. The limited basic rate will be increased to $8.35 per month, while the regular cable channels rate will be increased to $12.75. (I -12a) b. Letter from Kirk Brown, President - Twin City's Tree Trust, informing us of the work activity of the Tree Trust in Plymouth for 1992. This includes work at Zachary Playfield, Timber Shores Park, and Parkers Lake Park. A copy of the correspondence to myself and Mayor Bergman is attached. (I -12b) c. Letter from Joyce B. Sieverding, representing the Plymouth Creek Board of Directors. Ms. Sieverding's letter addressed to Barbara Ruhberg, deals with the Vicksburg Village apartment complex parking problems. The Council will recall last year considering a request on the part of Vicksburg Village, dealing with the lack of adequate parking at the apartment complex. Representatives of Vicksburg Village have recently submitted to the City's Planning staff, an application for additional parking capacity at the apartments. The Plymouth Creek Board of Directors obviously has some concerns with the cooperation, or lack thereof, in dealing with this matter as it relates to their development. Copies of this letter will be circulated to the Planning Commission as they consider the Vicksburg Village parking request. (I -12c) d. A second unsigned letter from a, resident in the Amber Woods area expressing concern about the Street Reconstruction Program. The previous letter was in the information memorandum of June 26. A copy has been supplied to Dan Campbell. (I -12d) e. Letter from Maple Grove Mayor James Deane, thanking the City Council for the joint meeting. (I -12e) f. Letter from Greg Bohnert to the City Council, thanking the Council for itssupport regarding their Adult Correction Facility concerns. (I -12f) James G. Willis City Manager I/-3 x WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE AGENDA FOR JULY 74 1992 7:00 P.M. I. East Parkers Lake Homeowner's Association - Industrial Waste Concerns II. Surface Water Regulations for Pike Lake - Maple Grove/Plymouth III. Continued Discussion on Fertilizer Ordinance LII. JUIL 02-'92 In— —3 WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE - MEETING NO. 5 TUESDAY, May 19, 1992 7:00 P.M. Members in Attendance: Craig Twinem, Mary McKee, Jeff Shopek, Dan Faulkner (Staff), Eric Blank (Staff/Ex-officio). Members Absent: LuAnn Yattaw, Bonnie Hackner, and Val Scheglowski Resigned: Dave Tkachenko The meeting was called to order by Chairman Jeff Shopek at approximately 7:00 p.m. with the following changes to the meeting minutes from Meeting No. 4: o On Page 1 the third paragraph, the word "phosphorus" should be used instead of "fertilizer". o- On Page 2 in the last paragraph, the word "construction" should be inserted in place of the word "developments". With these changes the minutes from Meeting No. 4 were approved as written. The first itenf of business was the draft policy on City funding of Eurasian Water Milfoil Eradication as drafted by Eric Blank in an April 9, 1991 memo to the Park and Recreation Advisory Committee (PRAC). Jeff Shopek opened the discussion on the draft policy with a question regarding funding of a priority treatment lake when one of the parties doesn't want to participate in funding the lake treatment. In the ensuing discussion the committee members agreed that a policy was needed and the priorities for treatment would need to be established based on a priority system which would include all parties participating. Mary McKee suggested that one source of funding may be a water quality treatment bill which would be added on to a property owner's water bill much like the recycling charge recently added on. Jeff Shopek also mentioned the possibility of a storm drainage utility fund which several cities in the metropolitan area are now implementing. Eric Blank indicated that the Schmidt'Lake Homeowner's Association assess themselves annually a set amount to have funds available each year for weed control when and if needed for Schmidt Lake. Some additional points and questions were raised regarding the policy on milfoil eradication which included questions such as, would bidding be needed or, are the applicators considered professional services which wouldn't require the public bidding process? Should the applicators be pre -qualified by the Department of Natural Resources and/or the City? Should all the potential homeowner's associations be identified prior to policy implementation? Should boats be checked for milfoil in some manner such as a random sampling technique? If milfoil is found on a boat, would the possibility of a fine be appropriate? Should additional signage be placed at the appropriate lakes explaining the potential for spreading milfoil from one lake to another? CIM IW -3 WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE - MEETING NO. 5 MAY 19, 1992 PAGE TWO Eric Blank continued the discussion indicating that individuals have the right to spray in front of their lake front property with a DNR permit for their individual frontage. He also indicated he intends to put another sign at the Parkers Lake boat launch indicating that there is milfoil in the lake and that boat owners should thoroughly check their boat when they leave the lake. He also indicated that the draft policy is designed to work with only homeowner's associations and not individuals. As a point of information, he mentioned that Schmidt Lake apparently does not have any milfoil and therefore, no SONAR treatment will be done this year. The following specific amendments to the April 9, 1991 draft policy on Eurasian Water Milfoil Eradication were approved: o The first sentence of Point No. 2 of the policy will now read, "The City Council will make funds available according to the following• priorities" rather than "available in the following categories." o In Paragraph 2A the second line would read, "The City may contribute" rather than "The City will contribute." o In Paragraph 2B, the second line will now read, "The City may cost share" rather than "The City will cost share." o In Point No. 3 the last line will now read, "provide two quotes to the City from a licensed applicator approved by the DNR" rather than "provide two quotes to the City." o The second line will now read, "must go before the Water Quality Committee for their recommendation to the City Council for approval prior to payment" rather than "must go before the City Council for approval prior to payment." With these changes, Jeff Shopek moved and Craig Twinem seconded and the four committee members in attendance voted unanimously to recommend approval of the policy to the City Council. In addition, LuAnn-Yattaw had previously voiced her approval of the draft policy to Chairman Shopek. Item No. 2 on the agenda was a review of the status of Schmidt Lake and Medicine Lake milfoil problems. Eric Blank had previously reviewed the Schmidt Lake situation and also briefly covered the Medicine Lake situation and indicated no Eurasian water milfoil treatment is currently scheduled for Medicine Lake. Item No. 3 on the agenda was a review of the Shoreview Fertilizer Ordinance and'what we should be doing in Plymouth. The committee indicated that the discussion at the previous Water Quality Committee meeting in April was very beneficial and the consensus was this topic should continue to be a major focus of the committee in the coming months. Mary McKee indicated that soils samples need to be obtained throughout the City to determine the composition C►c�, JUL 02'92 In -3 WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE - MEETING NO. 5 MAY 19, 1992 PAGE THREE of soils in Plymouth. In addition, this would perhaps get the citizens interested in the proper type of fertilization needed for their lawns. Eric Blank mentioned that the City parks are checked throughout the City per the City's request to the Hennepin County Agricultural Extension Division. Mary indicated she would follow up on this available information and get the name of the Ag Extension person from Eric. The last item of business was a consideration of a meeting date change. It was indicated that Committee Member Bonnie Hackner had difficulty making the third Tuesday of the month designated meeting date. It was suggested that the meeting date be changed to the first Tuesday of the month and this was approved by all committee members in attendance. It was also suggested that we have no meeting in June since the first of June was only approximately two weeks away.- The next regular committee meeting then would be on July 7, 1992 at 7:00 p.m. Chairman Shopek indicated he would contact committee members Hackner, Yattaw; and Scheglowski. The committee 'also discussed the resignation of Committee Member Dave Tkachenko and Chairman Shopek'indicated he would discuss a potential replacement with the Mayor. The meeting was adjourned at approximately 8:30 p.m. LI:,1jut. J 2, 9 2 r FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE AGENDA July 8, 1992 7:30 A.M. AGENDA 1. Call to Order 2. Continued discussion of Community Improvement Fund 3. Review of 1991 Annual Financial Report* 4. Other Business 5. Adjournment Next Meeting: Wednesday, August 12, 7:30 a.m. *Please Bring Your Copy In- q/ CIM JUL 02'92 /�I— PLANNING COMMISSION MEETING AGENDA WHERE: Plymouth City Center WEDNESDAY, JULY 8, 1992 3400 Plymouth Boulevard CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS 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. ' M PUBLIC FORUM CALL TO ORDER CONSENT AGENDA APPROVAL OF MINUTES PUBLIC HEARING 6:45 P.M. 7:00 P.M. A. Metropolitan Life. Amended Residential Planned Unit Development Preliminary Plan/Conditional Use Permit and Final Site Plan to increase offstreet parking and a Variance to exceed impervious coverage at 15700 Rockford Road (91071) B. Ryan Construction Company. Amended Mixed Planned Unit Development Plan and Conditional Use Permit for Waterford Park Shopping Center for a second pylon sign at the northeast corner of 6th Avenue and Revere Lane (91085) C. Carlson Real Estate Company. Conditional Use Permit and Variance to allow banners in the Carlson Parkway Right -of -Way extended south from I-494 to the south City limit line (92048) D. Minnegasco. Amended Planned Unit Development Plan and Conditional Use Permit to allow an experimental fuel service pump at a single family site at 11525 -51st Avenue North (92049) E. U.S. Homes Corp. Amended Planned Unit Development Plan and Conditional Use Permit to allow fencing over 3 ft. in height in the front yard on Lot 1, Block 5, Bridlewood Farm (92050) OLD BUSINESS - DISCUSSION ITEMS: A. Schedule Study Session Dates B. Planned Unit Developments 6. ADJOURNMENT cl'%^ ja 0 2'92 12�- 6 Regular Meeting of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission July 9, 1992, 7:00 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. 5. Unfinished Business a. Volunteer program - continue discussion b. Park development projects- update C. 1993-97 C.I.P. d. Review sidewalk and trail plan e. Focus groups and surveys - continue discussion (Steve Burk) f. Amendment to park plan - playfield site 6. New Business a. Request for City to purchase land at 494 & Co. 9 b. Name the 10th Avenue Park c. West Medicine Lake Drive trail report - cost estimate d. Report on water quality issues, Parkers Lake and Plymouth Creek Park e. Ice rink locations - assign to sub -committee 7. Commission Presentation 8. Staff Communication 9. Adjournment Next regular PRAC meeting - August 13 m-7 CITY COUNCIL - JULY 6 - 19 July 1992 July 6 MONDAY.. 7:00pm CHARTER COMMISSION July 13 Y 7:00pm COUNCILMEETING 10 July 7 TUESDAY .:_ July 14 7:00pm WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE 16 6:30pm **HRA 18 19 20 7:00pm BOARD OF ZONING 22 July 8 WEDN SDAY1 July 15 7:30am FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE 28 29 7:30pm PLANNING COMMISSION 31 July 9 THURSDAY : July 16 7:00pm PRAC r July 10 FRIDAY July 17 July 11 SATURDAY July 18 July 12 ` SUNDAY . July 19 July M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 *REVISED MEETING **NEW MEETING August M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 7/2/1992 Ctf.,' JUL 02'92 m-7 CITY COUNCIL'- JULY 20 - AUG. 2 July -August 1992 July 20 6:30pm PLYMOUTH FORUM :: MONDAY M : July 27 7:00pm COUNCIL MEETING .: 7 July 21 6:30pm HRA .TUESDAY > July 28 July 22 6:45pm PLAN FORUM 7:00pm PLAN COMM. IWEDNESDAY 14 July 29 July 23 r I -THURSDAY -.1 July 30 July 24 1 ":: FRIDAY::: July 31 July 25 1 SATURDAY 25 August 1 July 26 F - SUNDAY IAugust 2 July M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 *REVISED MEETING **NEW MEETING nu aJ. uva M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 7/2/1992 01'41 JUL 02'92 ._ - 7 CITY COUNCIL - AUG. 3 -16 August 1992 August 3 MONDAY 7:00pm CHARTER COMMISSION August 10 7:00pm COUNCIL MEETING ::;:: _: :..:`:;=.;:_=.; :. _ M August 4 7:00pm WATER QUALITY COMMITTEE ...TUESDAY:-- 7:00pm BOARD OF ZONING August 11 August 5 IWEDNESDAYI August 12 7:30am FINANCIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE 7:30pm PLANNING COMMISSION August 6 r :THURSDAY 7:00pm PRAC August 13 August 7 : FRIDAY.'.*:: August 14 August 8 SATURDAY 11 12 13 14 18 19 20 21 August 15 August 9 SUNDAY. 14 August 16 M August -5eptemper T W T F S S M T W T F S S 1 2 1 2 3 4 5 6 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 10 17 11 12 13 14 18 19 20 21 15 22 16 23 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 2 1 22 23 24 25 26 27 31 1 1 28 29 30 *REVISED MEETING **NEW MEETING7/2/1992 CIM JUL 0 2'92 a c LL 4 C Q N w U> c c LL wc c LL M"7 U > cr LL H❑ U� Q z c m a ❑ z M-7 co ,-COLO91Ri LL n r N CO r N N 0 A� wrCDN 3 t ;: CO N C> r N M NMtoNN co t0 .N- N N LL. to N to N GLyA 73 co0TN NO to CO CO tCM N N U W Cf) U r N CIO 9 a El N CAS N M U� Z wzz z a 1:4 w0�a� aha o U < U u cn Ln C\l CA r CD CV `c CV 0 3 * °z gao 0 d' ch T CD N `c N V'. '.. �W a a� CO T CV N Ln CM � co M-7 co ,-COLO91Ri LL n r N CO r N N 0 A� wrCDN 3 t ;: CO N C> r N M NMtoNN co t0 .N- N N LL. to N to N -W r CO N 73 co0TN NO to CO CO tCM N N Ua ❑ 'tRM CIM JUL 0 2'92. r r O N N CD Lo N rn N LL r N ID M O r N m m3 NImtom0 a co ro��R d, T O nrNN T N N fA �rNN a El M $ O f - CO r N N r 00 N C'J LL MOrN ch Z Z WHO Z Z �. N�cTNcO) ro to as =3 ,-°°r�� oq Oo0 in 0 NC?¢uI?U O CC)Nt U `Orc2iN LO T r t. T N \p r- � Ln N a) N w 0 � w � 0, dV 0 V T O O� M aD LO N Z ls�n U U a gVM� g _ co �' r `O N M O M o N Cn T N CV) CIM JUL 0 2'92. Y f 1992 LNC Conference Radisson Hotel South, Bloomington Presenter: Carl Neu Topic: "How to Be An Effective Councilmember" 'rime: Thur. June 11, 't:00-10: ]0 Roam: Boulevard Room HOW TO BE AN EFFECTIVE COUNCIU1EMBLR A SPECIAL PRESENTATION ION THE LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA CITIES ANNUAL CONFERENCE JUNE 11, 1992 Copyright: Neu and Company, 1992. All rights reserved. Ui;'�1� i1 s JUL 0 9 A Time of Assessment and Reexamination 1. Do we have a clear mission statement? 2. What is our vision for the city? 3. What are the emerging trends and issues affecting the city's future? 4. Have we consciously chosen a leadership perspective and commitment? 5. Have we defined roles and relationships for effective governance and administration of the city? 6. Do we have goals, strategies, and action plans to manage issues effectively? 7. Do we have sufficient momentum and commitment to achieve inspired performance and leadership/management excellence? S. Do we demonstrate a sense of stewardship that clearly - accepts accountability for the future of our city? r JUL ., Future vision Leadership and strategic thinking: fundamentals to secure your community's future COMMMTY (insert the name of your community) FESTIVAL 2000 — what will you celebrate or lament on this occasion? The answer will be determined by you, the elected and appointed municipal officials in office during the '90s, and the visions, imagination, commitment, and boldness you demonstrate as leaders and thinkers. he challenges and oppor- tunities facing all local gov- ernments, especially mu- nicipalities, are growing in number and complexity. Concurrently, people (our citizens) are tuning out or rebelling through actions such as tax and term limitations. There is a by Carl IL Neu Jr. national mood of disillusionment with government which is seen as ignoring the concerns of average citizens. A majority of U.S. cities are experiencing chronic fiscal pro- blems exacerbated by flat (or declin- ing) economic activity. Munici- palities are in intense conflict with state governments and other juris- dictions such as counties and schools over tax dollars, unfunded mandates, legislation restructuring revenue generation, etc. Problems accelerate; popular support and resources decline. The only way out of this thicket of conflict and confusion is strong direction and decisive action based upon sound thinking, perspective, and a full appreciation of options and constraints which must be managed or overcome as we navi- gate our communities through the '90s into the 21st Century. In a way, governance during the'90s is an "ice- berg" phenomenon. What we see "above the water line" are all the challenges and prob- lems, but the real sub- stance of the matter is that which lies "below the water line": leader- ship and strategic -think - Colorado Municipalities/November-Decemberl991 r:�t� JUL 0292 ing processes profound and effec- tive enough to shape the destiny of our communities as if they were legacies responsibly and lovingly crafted by public officials and com- munity leaders. As Thomas A. Cronin, a profes- sorat Colorado College, states: "We do know that leadership isall about making things happen that might not otherwise happen and preventing things from hap- pening that ordinarily might hap- pen. It is the process of getting people to work together to achieve common goals and aspirations. Leadership is a that helps people trans - intentions into positive ac- tion, visions into reality." The only means by which leader- ship as described by Cronin can be achieved is through commitment; to accept accountability for shaping the future of a community, com- bined with a process capable of ex- panding one's mental horizons and understanding to a -level essential to achieving effective leadership. The process is strategic thinking or plan- ning: I prefer to focus on strategic thinking because it reflects a par- ticular way of seeing and interacting with information, issues, events, and people while "planning" seems to direct attention toward docu- ments and specific projects. Two working terms that have caught on are: (1) community-based strategic planning or (2) citizen -based com- munity problem solving. In either case, the objective is to expand a community's —and its governing body's ability to address its future in the most effective and knowledgeable ways possible. Car1 H. Neu Jr. is president of Neu and Company, a consultation company for professional development services. He has been a consultant since .197I and has saved as a lecturer on policy forma- tion and strategic leadership for the University of Colorado Graduate School of Public Affairs. This article is copyrighted: Carl H. Neu, Jr, 1991. Reasons for strategic thinking/planning Communities are turning to strategic thinking and planning for one or more of the following reasons: 1. To shape a better future through anticipatory management. Communities buffeted by the forces of change can see their energies and In today's rapidly changing communities, problem solving is no longer sufficient. Problem anticipation and prevention, combined with assertive action for the attainment of specific goals, is absolutely essential. resources sapped by jumping from one crisis to another. Strategic think- ing/planning seeks to replace crisis with forethought and a blueprint of desired long-term outcomes that provide the rationale for current po- licy, budgeting, and service deliv- ery/capital expenditures priorities. In the rapidly changing conditions most communities are experien- cing, problem solving is no longer sufficient. Problem anticipation and prevention, combined with asser- tive action for the attainment of spe- cific goals, is absolutely essential. 2. To expand resource availability.Less than one-fourth of all U.S. metropolitan areas are ex- periencing appreciable growth (more than two percent annually). Over 71.5 percent of all cities are now less capable of meeting their financial needs than they were even a few years ago, and citizens are unsympathetic to appreciable tax increases. The simple truth of the '90s is that most cities can expect flat -line revenue performance with appreciable growth in service levels and capital expenditure demands. Cities can no longer fund their futures relying on past and present revenue generation approaches. Strategic thinking and planning enables communities to target selec- tively revenue expansion opportu- nities achievable through economic development/redevelopment, fee- based income, joint venturing, and civic entrepreneurism (identifying and serving precisely defined market segments who desire or will pay for tailored services). Cities can reorient their thinking toward being consumer -oriented service delivery organizations capable of defining and meeting precise service demands which can be fee based. Tax dollars then be- come the funding mechanism for "base line" essential services. Too many communities can't expand their imaginations enough to break out of the tax -limited world that demands they do "more with less." Ultimately, this mentality leads to the management of scarcity rather than focusing on what can be done to achieve abundance --generating and combining all of a community's resources commensurate with needs and demands. 3. Restore a sense of community. American cities and towns have atomized into diverse players and interests capable of nullifying each other and any communitywide agenda. This trend has been rem - forced by a.growing sense of futility many Americans have about their ability to influence the direction of any "political institution" whether it be the nation, state, or their imme- diate local governments. So they drop out and concentrate their ener- gies to narrowly defined areas of interest—neighborhood, job, ethnic group, or self. Research data indicate low voter turnout is not due to apathy; rather, citizens see little capacity to influence government. Yet, Americans seek in- volvement and empowerment, as (continued on page 8) CIM JUL 02'92 Colorado Municipalities/November-necrneb.r 1441 7 evidenced in the work place and even the Naisbitt megatrend: parti- cipatory democracy. In the extreme case, this trend can erupt into a bal- lot -box rebellion as it has in the Cali- fornia "mega -referenda" elections. Citizen -based strategic planning, such as Canon City's Vision process (see pages 11-14) or Loveland's Agenda for the '90s, is a deliberate effort to reestablish a sense (and practice) of community that asser- tively encourages all citizens to be- come involved in setting the direc- tions their community is taking. The twin mechanisms of collaborative problem identification/solving and consensus -based decision making are used to achieve strategic think- ing, hinking, a renewed sense of community based upon direct citizen involve- ment, and the dispersing of power back to the grass-roots individual citizen level and away from so- called interest groups and power brokers. Governance is effective only when it reflects popular support underpinned by a sense of community. 4. Sorting out relationship is- sues with other governmental and private -sector agencies. Just as "no man is an island," so is no local gov- ernment entity. Caties, towns, coun- ties, oupties, school districts, special dis- tricts, and state government are in- tertwined and interdependent in ways that now need to be sorted out and reestablished to reflect the realities of the'90s and the absolute - Citizen -based strategic planning is a deliberate effort to reestablish a sense (and practice) of community that assertively encourages all citizens to become involved in setting the directions their community is taking. ly most effective use of public dol- lars. Citizens see "community" as the space in which they carry out their daily existence, and they ex- pect all those jurisdictions of legal and political convenience "to get their acts together" in a way that makes their community, and their daily lives, work in a user-friendly, hassle -free way. To do this, a precise definition of mission, roles, and relationships is required to permit each entity to function in a manner that contri- butes to an array of essential gov- ernmental services without duplica- tion or waste. Just as the individual players on a well -organized sports team operate in perfect coordina- tion and harmony, so too must local government jurisdictions. , The era of jurisdictional ex- clusivity and redundancy is over. Cities depend upon schools to en- EIEW MUNIS* Software: F Built exclusively to handle government accounting -Meets the needs of large and smallorganizations - Installations on micros, minis and mainframes F;LarryW. Neu 8r Company, P.C., CAAs e understand your management needs. We instoll and sort the MUNIV program. Call us at: 655 Broadway Suite 400 Denver, CO 303.595.4899 la rich their economic development programs and combat drug and youth -related crime. Schools need a strong economic base capable of en- suring jobs for graduates and fund- ing for programs. Also, institutional roles change. Schools arebecoming the focal point for delivery of county and city - sponsored social, child-care, public health, counseling and nutrition programs needed by the various family unit structures in today's complex society. Schools no longer serve to educate only, they are the location where service delivery for many local -government programs occurs on a personal basis, irrespec- tive of which jurisdiction is account- able for the service. Public-private partnerships and privatization are popular and high- ly effective mechanisms for bring- inga community's total resources to bear in addressing community needs. Strategic thinking and plan- ning provide the comprehension and perspective essential to produc- tive intergovernmental and public- private relationships that yield beneficial outcomes for a com- munity and its citizens. S. Team -building for council and staff. Some councils and staffs use strategic planning as a means for improving teamwork by clarifying mission, roles, working relation- ships, and specific communications and decision -malting approaches to be followed in defining and* im- plementing community goals and service delivery levels/plans. Such efforts clarify purpose and focus the energies and priorities of council and staff toward specific outcomes to be achieved for the benefit of the community through coordinated action, hand work, and responsible behavior rather than "touchy-feely" exercises and exploring inner motivations. Approaches to strategic thinking/planning There are three basic approaches to strategic thinking and planning, Colorado Municipalities/November-December 1991 CI&I JUL 02'92 Leadership evidenced in the work place and even the Naisbitt megatrend: parti- cipatory democracy. In the extreme case, this trend can erupt into a bal- lot -box rebellion as it has in the Cali- fornia "mega -referenda" elections. Citizen -based strategic planning, such as Canon City's Vision process (see pages 11-14) or Loveland's Agenda for the '90s, is a deliberate effort to reestablish a sense (and practice) of community that asser- tively encourages all citizens to be- come involved in setting the direc- tions their community is taking. The twin mechanisms of collaborative problem identification/solving and consensus -based decision making are used to achieve strategic think- ing, hinking, a renewed sense of community based upon direct citizen involve- ment, and the dispersing of power back to the grass-roots individual citizen level and away from so- called interest groups and power brokers. Governance is effective only when it reflects popular support underpinned by a sense of community. 4. Sorting out relationship is- sues with other governmental and private -sector agencies. Just as "no man is an island," so is no local gov- ernment entity. Caties, towns, coun- ties, oupties, school districts, special dis- tricts, and state government are in- tertwined and interdependent in ways that now need to be sorted out and reestablished to reflect the realities of the'90s and the absolute - Citizen -based strategic planning is a deliberate effort to reestablish a sense (and practice) of community that assertively encourages all citizens to become involved in setting the directions their community is taking. ly most effective use of public dol- lars. Citizens see "community" as the space in which they carry out their daily existence, and they ex- pect all those jurisdictions of legal and political convenience "to get their acts together" in a way that makes their community, and their daily lives, work in a user-friendly, hassle -free way. To do this, a precise definition of mission, roles, and relationships is required to permit each entity to function in a manner that contri- butes to an array of essential gov- ernmental services without duplica- tion or waste. Just as the individual players on a well -organized sports team operate in perfect coordina- tion and harmony, so too must local government jurisdictions. , The era of jurisdictional ex- clusivity and redundancy is over. Cities depend upon schools to en- EIEW MUNIS* Software: F Built exclusively to handle government accounting -Meets the needs of large and smallorganizations - Installations on micros, minis and mainframes F;LarryW. Neu 8r Company, P.C., CAAs e understand your management needs. We instoll and sort the MUNIV program. Call us at: 655 Broadway Suite 400 Denver, CO 303.595.4899 la rich their economic development programs and combat drug and youth -related crime. Schools need a strong economic base capable of en- suring jobs for graduates and fund- ing for programs. Also, institutional roles change. Schools arebecoming the focal point for delivery of county and city - sponsored social, child-care, public health, counseling and nutrition programs needed by the various family unit structures in today's complex society. Schools no longer serve to educate only, they are the location where service delivery for many local -government programs occurs on a personal basis, irrespec- tive of which jurisdiction is account- able for the service. Public-private partnerships and privatization are popular and high- ly effective mechanisms for bring- inga community's total resources to bear in addressing community needs. Strategic thinking and plan- ning provide the comprehension and perspective essential to produc- tive intergovernmental and public- private relationships that yield beneficial outcomes for a com- munity and its citizens. S. Team -building for council and staff. Some councils and staffs use strategic planning as a means for improving teamwork by clarifying mission, roles, working relation- ships, and specific communications and decision -malting approaches to be followed in defining and* im- plementing community goals and service delivery levels/plans. Such efforts clarify purpose and focus the energies and priorities of council and staff toward specific outcomes to be achieved for the benefit of the community through coordinated action, hand work, and responsible behavior rather than "touchy-feely" exercises and exploring inner motivations. Approaches to strategic thinking/planning There are three basic approaches to strategic thinking and planning, Colorado Municipalities/November-December 1991 CI&I JUL 02'92 each of which can be effective if ap- plied appropriately. . 1. Council -directed strategic planning. This approach is the most frequently used because it is effi- cient and supports the,concept of representative government—i.e., council accurately reflects and is knowledgeable about the viewsand opinions of the community. The city Bound establishes its collective vi- sion for the future of the commu- nity, develops appropriate strategic plans and goals in support of that vision, and provides staff with im- plementation guidelines and budgetary policies to fulfill the plan. Typically, this type of strategic thinking and planningtakes place at a "weekend retreat," usually facilitated by a consultant. 2. Council -staff * directed strategic planning. This process is similar to the one outlined above but places a greater emphasis on staff participation and council -staff interaction during the visioningand goal -setting process: It provides an opportunity for council -staff dialogues and sharing of opinions not readily available in regular council meetings or work sessions. Frequently, councils using this ap- proach take the proposed strategic plan to the community for public input and recommendations. 3. Community -wide inforined- cons ent strategic planning. This ap- proach brings together various leadership elements of the com- munity to frame a common vision for the community and a strategic plan that will guide the efforts of the community toward the attainment of that vision. This process has been highly popular in those instances where a concerted effort is made to involve all elements of the community, no matter how divergent they may be. The effort can take as long as a year or more to accomplish, but it does offer citizens an opportunity to par- ticipate directly in defining the community's future and goals for community-based projects and un- dertakings. Usually, this process in- volves: • A high degree of community education as to major issues facing the community and the possible op- tions open to it. • Conducting numerous forums permitting the participation of diverse groups and individuals so that their views can be presented and appreciated. • Careful staffing of options for their presentation back to the com- munity for evaluation and refine- ment. • Consultation services to facilitate communitywide com- munications and decision-making efforts. • Facilitation to ensure that all voices in the community have an equal opportunity to present their views, to be respected and ap- preciated, and to have a role in defining the content of the final community vision and supporting strategic plans. • Extensive communications so that all parties involved are thoroughly knowledgeable as to what issues are being considered, the options available for addressing these issues, and all other factors that must be taken into considera- tion for developing a highly produc- tive vision and plan that has a realis- tic probability of achievement. 1-a A commitment to strategic thinking/ planning is an invitation to the community, council, and staff f to engage in an active exploration and anticipation of the future and the challenges to be addressed. • Establishing the means to maintain communitywide en- thusiasm in support of the vision and implementation plans to achieve that vision. • Establishing constructive liaison and collaboration with other governmental and private entities whose participation in the im- plementation of the strategic plan is essential. Specific steps for strategic thinking/planning There are numerous ways to in- itiate and conduct a strategic think- ing/planning (visioning) process. A checklist of common steps includes: 1. Define the reasons for doing it and the processes to be used. A commitment to strategic think- (continued hink(continued on page 10) A1C Engineering Consultants Fort Collins Colorado springs Vail Longmont (303) 226.4955 (719) 5984107 (303) 4786340 (303) 67844 • Water Resources/Augmentation Plans • Water Supply and Treatment • Wastewater Collection and Treatment • Drainage and Flood Control :;' '••; • Highways and Bridges • Utility Mapping Colorado Municipalities/November-DeoamberlM CIN, , UL usU� IL 0 2+92 9 ing/planning is an invitation to the community, council, and staff to engage in an active exploration and anticipation of the future and the challenges to be addressed. It invol- ves developing consensus and the discipline to implement that con- sensus without falling to the temptations -of short-term political expediency and pressures from specific groups or individuals with agendas inconsistent with the com- munitywide consensus. There needs to be a clear under- standing of why a strategic think- ing/planning hinking/planning effort is being under- taken and the specific approaches to be followed. 2. Define products or benefits. There should be a clear expectation among all parties involved as to what the strategic thinking/plan- ning effort should produce for the community. Possible products in - dude a vision statement, a mission statement, specific goals, and the strategies and operational plans for attaining those goals. 3. Define who should be in- volved nvolved and who is responsible for coordinating the effort. The three strategic planning approaches presented earlier involve different groups of participants ranging from councilmembers to the entire com- munity. ommunity. Also, the specific roles to be given to participants should be clarified so arguments don't arise. Some participants may have to be part of the consensus decisions, others may be in advisory or facilitator roles. Coordination is essential, espe- cially for communitywide efforts. In such rases, a steering committee to oversee and orchestrate the process is recommended. 4. Publicize the effort as ap- propriate. A communitywide visioning process usually needs a theme such as "Vision 2000 and Beyond," a definite schedule of events and meetings, a budget, etc. A council -directed process may in- volve a weekend retreat with fol - ...t low -up staff work to prepare vision, mission, and goal statements that are communicated throughout the community as the council's goals and priorities. A communitywide effort requires extensive publicity and on-going communications that keep the community fully informed about the process and progress being made toward a community vision and implementation plans. S.Facilitate the process. Strategic thinking/planning is an activity dissimilar from normal council - staff -community activities which tend to focus on specific agendas, problems, and other short-term routine matters. When a group is to engage in a strategic thinking/plan- ning effort, it needs to reorient its perspectives and conduct dialogues that yield enlightenment and in- formed consensus rather than legis- lative/administrative "win -lose" decisions. Afacilitator can guide the process, enhance communications, defuse conflicts, and guide problem solving and decision making. 6. Publicize the outcomes. Any strategic thinking/planning effort should yield, ata minimum: • A thorough understanding of forces and issues affecting the com- munity and its future—factors and issues to which the genius and power of leadership must be ap- plied lest the community's future be left to happenstance. This activity frequently is referred to as an "en- vironmental scan," but it is much more. It permits identification of those "things that might not or- dinarily happen" and "those things which might happen (but may not be desired outcomes)' referenced in Cronin's definition of leadership. • A vision of what the com- munity wants to be through con- scious decision making and dedi- cated effort. • A mission statement par- ticularly for the municipal govern- ment. What is the purpose of the municipal government—to provide services and enforce regulations or la Extensive publicity is required to keep the com- munity fully informed about the progress being made toward a community vision and implementation plans. to facilitate a communitywide effort and sharing of resources to achieve the vision? These two concepts are distinctly different. • Specific goals and implemen tation strategies for achieving the vision. These goals and strategies provide leadership guidelines for developing operating plans, pro- grams, budgets, etc., so that the community's efforts and resources are focused (rather than dispersed) on achieving the vision. • Specific management action plans (MAPs) that direct de- partmental activities and link them to other community and private sec- tor participants as appropriate for fulfilling the vision. • Monitoring and evaluating the process and outcomes. Tracking results is essential to ensure the ef- fort is working and course correc- tions are made when warranted or needed. Good futures don't' happen. They are the result of leaders who define desired futures and invent the ways to make them become reality by involving people, setting definite goals and priorities, and creating the backbone to achieve what the wishbone wants. When Celebration 2000 occurs, many com- munities will celebrate tangible out- comes and achievements. But the real cause for celebration should be the spirit, will, and foresight certain people demonstrated when they stepped up to the challenge of leadership and made your Com- munity 2000 happen through strategic thinking, planning, and hard work. CIM JUL JUL 02`92 10 Colorado Munirina►icirc/Nmringh..-rl.o-.. h..1001 STRATEGIC PERSPECTIVE (One view) Government Evolution Strengths Weaknesses (Internal) (External) CLeadership Values of Stakeholders r IConstituent Evolution Opportunities and Threats Social Expectations :I<<' • jU' i; 2'92 A Our moral responsibility is not to stop.. the future, but to shape it ... to channel our destiny in humane directions and to ease the trauma of transition: ' —A. Toffler `''' JUL 02'92 u A K O '; +1 V M 4) O C6 y Q A b 2 C O• Cifl, JUL b 2'92 C4 C� w w d: .r � H U O � Z F- N N «+ •J w Q � •-• w U S O �- N � J Z O a: w O co J 3 w J a: ¢ w a. C/) ' c� H w •—• • z S .-+ w 1- W 1- C9 w CL. w Q Y Z u, _j 1 O w !-- J Z J Q Q 3 w D: O Q } . w ti u A K O '; +1 V M 4) O C6 y Q A b 2 C O• Cifl, JUL b 2'92 C4 N W U O N LLJ oa LLI o= W 0 r4 O"Oop 0 :5 Ida -1—;Z. W Q 3 W .S t-- LL- CD LL. Q W � Z ¢ O c� z z S U Oho JUL 02'92 • IV . s s « I « I - �o O s 41 I V w N �v • I « 49 a 1 . « i « « I « « d � ¢ u° � # i U «.LAJ I « ~ I H « $4 I « � I w « « I « I « CC W CA —i « �I m« I I �« c a� e 2 . E ti w4� was a � w R a0 W a u0 vc a R H ti 0 N W U O N LLJ oa LLI o= W 0 r4 O"Oop 0 :5 Ida -1—;Z. W Q 3 W .S t-- LL- CD LL. Q W � Z ¢ O c� z z S U Oho JUL 02'92 • IV MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE: A PROCESS OF INTEGRATION FOR PERFORMANCE By Carl H. Neu, Jr. Management Consultant and Former Council Member Lakewood, Colorado The problems and challenges faced today by. many communities will not go away with slogans, wishful thinking, or applying many of the remedies that worked in the past. Strategic issues and forces that vie to shape the destinies of our towns and cities are sufficiently complex and relentless to defy traditional leadership approaches based on experience and street wisdom. Many elected officials and professional managers wisely caught on to this point and turned to strategic planning and goal -setting as practical tools to bring direction to their communities. In fact, in 1982, I co-authored an article' that advocated governance as a process for: . Developing a vision of the future . . Setting community direction and goals. . Anticipating issues which may affect the community . Focusing and solving problems facing the community . Providing a policy framework for municipal operations. . Monitoring staff performance. . Mobilizing community support. . Inspiring others to become a part of the city's future • This governance process focused upon the importance of - vision, priorities, and popular support. But two new factors are emerging which, if ignored,, can contribute to a governing body's progressive inability to master the forces which shape the community's future. The first factor is the changing nature of the challenge) and issues facing local governments. The second factor is the changing role of the governing body both in terms of function (the WHAT of governance) and the means necessary to carry out that function (the HOW of governance). The nature of the challenges and issues facing local government has changed in several ways: "Municipal Governance Challenges of the 1980's," by Carl H. Neu and Lyle Sumek. Copyright: Carl H. Neu, Jr., 1988. s. I. Many issues have become so complex and ambiguous that the "best and most acceptable" way to manage or resolve them eludes the organization. Examples are mega -issues such as air quality, water, economical mass transit, annexation planning, and reversing the steady deterioration of infrastructure (especially streets). Z. Intergovernmental collaboration and public-private cooperation have become vital components in resolving many issues, especially regional Issues. 3. The public has become impatient with government's seeming inability or unwillingness to deal with significant issues that affect quality of life and the community's sense of well-being. Simultaneously, they generally oppose efforts to raise taxes or expand government powers. 4. Closely tied to Items 1 and 3 is * a basic change occurring in the economics of the local government enterprise. A greater portion of funds are being absorbed in capital investments designed to benefit and enrich the future. The resulting pressure on operating budgets has led to an expansion of non -tax revenues and searches for new tax sources. This trend is aggravated by the growing unpopularity of property taxes and a resultant overdependence on sales taxes. 5. Significant "financial gaps" are occurring from: a. The failure of revenue growth to keep pace with service delivery costs and capital demands b. Declining external revenue . sources from federal and state governments e. Emerging "civic wars" and tax base cannibalism among jurisdictional entities 6. Breakdowns in old state -city, county -city, and city -city relationships and agreements are occurring without a deliberate concurrent effort to forge new arrangements. 7. Issue complexity has caused a growing dependence of elected officials upon highly professional staffs and outside experts that, on occasion, intimidate' both the elected officials and general public with the forcefulness of their convictions. All of the above factors plus many more, as shown in Figure 1, represent "forces" impinging upon the organization. 6 . CIF- !U1L 0 2'9 Metro/Regional Dynamics Citizen "Energies" New Alliances and Leadership Coalitions VISION CITY OR ORGANIZATION Emerging/Changing 74k Community Issues (New Complexity & Tenacity) DIRECTION ' OPERATING ' ENVIRONMENT ROLE OF COUNCIL AS INTEGRATOR Manager and Department Heads' Agenda/Priorities Financial !! issues. Economics of Local Government Enterprise / Personal "Mandate and Agenda" As f an Elected Official Team Dynamics and Effectiveness Figure l: Local Government Equilibrium Any one or a combination of these forces can knock the organization off equilibrium and send it hurling aimlessly into the future. Similarly, the forces may compete with or seek to overpower each other. The results of the latter would be changes in organizational behavior and decision-making that yield poor results, and inefficient utilization of resources. Also, this can create the perception that the decision makers are being left behind by events and other players usurping the leadership process. - The predominant role of the governing body now is to take all these "incoming forces" and integrate them into a propelling force that moves the organization forward in a planned and purposeful direction. In municipal governance, the WHAT of council's role is to: 7. CIM. JILL 02'92 . Recognize fully the presense, purpose, and potential power of each force Achieve a position of balance among the various forces through a process of integration that takes the city in a direction carefully chosen by the governing body Maximize the capacity of the city to move in the desired direction at a pace that satisfies citizen expectations and adequately meets the challenges facing the city In local government, the HOW of governance frequently is more important than the WHAT. The manner in which the governing body's role is carried out through performance has to be examined from two perspectives: 1. The governing body functioning as a productive decision-making entity 2. The contribution of each council member Governance is a process of focused leadership that first develops a vision of what the community can/should be; and, secondly, initiates and maintains the actions and popular support necessary to translate that vision into reality. Governance is more than responsive representation; it also is responsible stewardship that protects the quality and vitality of a community in a manner that values its future and creates a sense of expanding well-being among its citizens. For this reason, the council must recognize, respect, and integrate all the forces impinging upon, and trying to influence, the community's direction and priorities. It achieves this integration by: 1. Defining and communicating a vision of what the council wants the city to become as a result of its leadership actions. 2. Developing a full awareness and appreciation of the operating and economic/political environment in which that vision is to be fulfilled by council. and community action. 3. Establishing direction through goals,` budgets, and programs that both support attainment of the vision and objectively reflect the realities of the operating environment 4. Providing policies and decision-making guidelines to staffs, boards and commissions, and advisory groups that focus community energies and priorities toward achievement of the vision S. Constant' communication with all citizens to articulate the vision, attain community support and citizen involvement, and foster an atmosphere of trust and confidence in the community's elected leadership 6. Building leadership coalitions with other "power" groups within the community or region who, by combining their forces with the city's, make possible or accelerate attainment of key components of the vision 8. c��; ,�UL u °92 The ability of the governing directly by the personal behaviors member. It is logical to expect personal agenda of priority items legitimacy of these items will be council's collective vision and goals. .1-0-Z body to function effectively is affected and "mandate/agenda" of each council that each council member will have a he/she wishes accomplished. But the validated by the degree they support the This necessitates negotiation, compromise, and cooperation to align the council's collective vision and each council member's personal agenda. Council -member behaviors that work toward and sustain consensus, therefore, become a vital part of the governance process. If individual council members resort to behaviors that frustrate collective decisions based upon a process of majority rule, the council becomes vulnerable to having the community's direction set by one of the impinging forces shown in Figure 1. Governance is a process :dependent upon team -oriented actions that empower the governing body to operate as a cohesive force capable of defining and achieving 'direction through combined effort and commitment. The latter are obtained through informed debate, constructive individual behaviors, and respect for the validity of the majority decision. Municipal governance is a process for the integration of potentially conflicting energies that must be harnessed and aligned to go in directions that, benefit 'the community's future. The role of integrator of these energies belongs to city council. The quality of its _ performance in carrying out this role is determined by its ability to act as an effective governing body and the supportive contribution and behaviors of each council member. 9. 01m in 02"92 MAJOR MUNICIPAL LEADERSHIP CHALLENGES FOR THE 1990'S 1 1. SEARCH FOR SIMPLICITY. 2. PARTICIPATORY DEMOCRACY - CITIZEN INVOLVEMENT. 3. INCREASED/NEW SERVICES DEMANDS. 4. SOCIAL ISSUE - INFRASTRUCTURE CONFLICTS. S. FUNDAMENTAL SHIFTS IN MUNICIPAL FINANCES. * OPERATIONS - CAPITAL * TAX LIMITATIONS (LEGAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL)• * REDUCED SUBSIDIES * TAX COMPETITION * FEE - BASED REVENUES (SEGMENTATION) * DE FACTO "EQUITY" PARTNERSHIPS * ATTITUDE OF MANAGING SCARCITY 6. MANY "POLITICAL ISSUES" REALLY'ARE DILEMMAS; %. SEARCH FOR COMMUNITY/COOPERATION VS "CITY". 8. "BOTTOMS UP" DECISION MAKING. 9. SHIFT IN MISSION/ROLES (MAKING THINGS HAPPEN!) 10. ECONOMIC VITALITY. 11. SOLID WASTE*UTILITIES. 12. DEPRIVATIZING WATER. 13. GOVERNANCE - MANAGEMENT STRESS/TENSIONS. 14. PERFORMANCE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS. 3 9a. ' C0 JUL 0-,;'92 .1-,;Z, MUNICIPAL GOVERNANCE AND MANAGEMENT CHALLENGES OF THE 1990'S by CARL H. NEU, JR. MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT AND FORMER COUNCILMEMBER LAKEWOOD, COLORADO In 1980, I coauthored an article entitled Municipal Governance Challenges of the 1980's which started with the observation as we move into the s, it is evident that the governance process is not working well." As we enter the 1990's, the conclusion remains the same; i.e., most city governments, while impressively. and professionally managed, are not being led or governed well relative to the emerging trends and subsequent challenges they face. The simple fact is that surprisingly few governing bodies or councils engage in developing and employing the wisdom, leadership skills, decision-making processes, and capacity to work with highly professional staffs to anticipate and shape those forces shaping the destiny and quality of their communities. Municipal leadership is a bipolar model consisting of a council and manager or administrator who respectively represent the political and service performance elements of the city. Collectively they support each other in defining and translating mission, policy, and goal statements into municipal performance and delivery of services. However, leadership is not a reflection of structure; it is a matter of the wisdom and action exemplified by elected officials who are most effective when they are supported by effective managers. The challenges facing municipalities are growing in number and complexity and resources are becoming progressively more scarce. The fundamental function of city government 'is undergoing a transformation from a primary emphasis on service delivery to influencing and guiding a community's entire array of political, economic, cultural, and educational forces toward the creation of a better standard of living and quality of life for all citizens: individuals and businesses. Too few councils and other legislative bodies are exhibiting the willingness or capacity to understand and address the seemingly intractable challenges they face. The result is a growing loss of popular confidence in government, in general, and the growing frustration and eventual disillusionment of the highly motivated and dedicated young professionals who entered city management as a career in the 70's and 80's. Copyright: Carl H. Neu, Jr., 1990. All rights reserved. 10. t. ;; JUL 0 2'92 z=R The greatest challenge for municipal governance and management in -the 1990's will be to make the council-manager model (or its equivalent function in those cities without this form of government) work to -its fullest potential toward providing the leadership effectiveness required during the 1990's. Federal and state governments have demonstrated their inability to deal with many substantive issues affecting one's life at the grass-roots or home -town level. The question is can we demonstrate the will, wisdom, and political discipline to accept accountability for the destiny of our own communities." There is no arguing that the responsibility is ours at the local -level whether we like it or not. MAJOR CHALLENGES Numerous challenges, some have become dilemmas, are confronting communities. While they may vary in degree from one community to another, the most typical challenges evident throughout the country are: 1. The Search for Simplicity. Americans continuously demonstrate short attention spans and a desire for quick - fix "feel good" responses to complex issues. This temptation permits many councils to drift into the "everything is okay" syndromeaccompanied accompanied by a lack of desire to tackle complex and often controversial issues. The political process then dwells on the superficial or simple power struggles without any intent to develop the comprehension necessary to master strategic issues and challenges. The outcome is an ever -widening chasm between the. growing complexities of reality and the simple responses which are little more than political palliatives. Many councils further this process by being too busy to take time to think, study issues in conjunction with staff, or even set goals or priorities. 2. Failure to see Governing and Managing as a Team Concept. A city is a montage of stakeholders all of whom are either influenced by and/or are trying to influence the basic directions the community is taking. Elected officials and professional management staffs are highly interdependent in their shared responsibilities for policy -formulation, the administration/ implementation of those policies, and working with various stakeholder groups affected by these policies. Many councils do not act as if they see the professional staff as part of a team whose collective task is to govern and manage the city. Council behaviors toward staff frequently reflect arrogance and incredible insensitivity to staff members' professional expertise and personal feelings. As Vince Lombardi once said: 11. CINI JUS 02'92 _T_1A "A player's got to know the basics • of the game and how to play his position. The (players) have to play -as a team. The difference between mediocrity and greatness is the feeling these (players) have for each other." 3. Participatory Democracy. The role of elected bodies such as city councils is being altered dramatically by the megatrend "from representative goverment to participatory democracy' identified by John Naisbitt. Elected bodies are no longer primarily "representatives who make decisions for'the electorate." A new working order has emerged in which elected and electors operate in a partnership that emphasizes involvement, education, and communications as forerunners to decisions, actions, and allocation of resources. The role of the elected official in this arrangement is to: . Identify and focus issues. • Facilitate sharing of information, communications, and.education of electors and affected parties. • Develop consensus on appropriate actions. • Ratify and implement the consensus through legislative and administrative actions. • Maintain support. The new leader is one who helps the electorate discover avenues that advance their long-term interests and the opportunity to- participate in decisions directly affecting them and their sense of well being. 4. Fundamental Shifts conomics/Finances in Munici un amenta occurring in the basic 'economics of enterprise represent the most profound elected officials and public managers in fundamental transformations and resultant Government. transrormations the municipal challenges for the 90's. Five challenges are: a. The current reliance on traditional sales and property tax approaches have taken us through various cutback management schemes that only led to the ultimate realization that we are condemned to the perpetual management of scarcity. We need to create new revenue (preferably not tax based) sources capable of meeting increasing expenditure demands. 12. cim !UL- 02s92 b. Municipals have for years not paid their full way relying on federal and state transfer funds to subsidize local demands and keep taxes as low as possible. C. City annual budgets have seen a steady increase of the portion of funds allocated to capital needs, especially infrastructure. But current accounting methods focus attention on annual expenditures, not total value of city holdings. Nor have they promoted establishing adequate sinking funds' for maintenance and replacement of infrastructure. The failure to provide for the eventual recapitalization of infrastructure investments is evident in the highly publicized infrastructure gap and represents a hugh potential unfunded liability. New accounting methods must be established to reflect the true value and future financial obligations associated with a city's total financial investment. We currently manage this vast capital investment as if it doesn't exist except to need occasional repairs and replacement by crisis. d. Cities have rushed into supporting economic development with a myriad of schemes such as incentives, front-end capital investments, land dedications, tax deferments, and job/training funding. These schemes are, in fact, de facto joint ventures that expose the municipal government to financial obligations and risks without commensurate opportunities to recoup taxpayer monies and share equitably in future profits and gains associated with various projects. The private sector has gotten the public sector to share capital investment risk but has jealously excluded public participation in any gains except those associated with tax revenues which frequently are deferred or curtailed by popular pressures for tax limitations or rollbacks. The simple truth is that municipal governments have become partners in expanding the total economic capacity of the community but fail to see themselves as such. Therefore, they tend not to establish equitable partnership agreements where rewards and paybacks relate directly to investment and risk incurred. Private -public partnerships must reflect the spirit of partnership and not reinforce the public-private dichotomy so often fueled by 13. pV JUL 02.'9Z thoughtless rhetoric. e. Voters resist regressive sales and Rroperty tax funding mechanisms, preferring a 'pay for what you use" philosophy. Municipal budgets must make revenues demand related whenever possible. Tax -based revenues should be reserved for core services that are available to all citizens irrespective of demand or ability to pay. This means that cities must stop seeing themselves as public service monoliths and now segment their service offerings into two categories: base -line services funded by taxes and discretionary services funded by fees. Tax dollars are too precious to fund every service demands. Tax dollars must come to be seen as the funding source of last resort. 5. Search for Community on a Regional Basis. No city is an island and many ey issues attecting every city's and region's future just do not lend themselves to unilateral resolution. Key examples include transit, water, air quality, solid/hazardous waste, dealing with gangs and drugs, healthcare for the indigent, the homeless, etc. In most metropolitan _areas, incredibly little is accomplished relative to any of these issues because of an inability or unwillingness to .act as a "community" facing common challenges and opportunities. Municipal officials must risk becoming part of broader pacts or coalitions for mutual benefit. Our constituents see the metro areas or regions they live in as communities, but public officials persist in Balkanizing these common issues especially when sharing money or power is involved. We must extend "community" beyond our city limits to perspectives and boundaries that encompass and accommodate all jurisdictions and peoples whose participation is essential to the meaningful resolution of these issues. Little "community" mindsets are like little minds - impotent* against big realities and challenges. A HARSH REALITY The degree to which municipal governments experience success in meeting the challenges listed above (and many more not listed) will be in direct proportion to the degree public officials and their constituencies are capable of changing, learning, and acting with resolve and commitment. Human experience is the reflection of the character of a people. The future, to paraphrase Max DePree who is author of Leadership is an Art, belongs to those capable of creating a vision, exercising stewardship in dealing with the 14. people and assets entrusted to them, providing people opportunities to make meaningful contributions, expecting individuals to accept accountability for their choices, and saying "thank you". Abigail Adams wrote Thomas Jefferson at a time of great testing of peoples' character and fortitude, "These are hard times in which a genius would wish to live..... Great necessity calls forth great leaders." The final frontier for leadership in this country and the final decade of this century are to be found at the home -town local -government level. The reform, renewal, and revitalization of any enterprise or nation always is a "bottoms -up" process. The future of the United States will be the future we create in each of our communities as we progress through the 90's. ls. 02992 z_1�21 LOCAL GOVERNMENT: A NEW WORKING ORDER By Carl H. Neu, Jr. Management Consultant and Former City Council Member Lakewood, Colorado A subtle and pervasive revolution is taking place in this country. This revolution affects the future of government at all levels, particularly local government. . "From representative government to participatory democracy." John Naisbitt, in his best-selling • book, Megatrends, clearly identified this key social trend and predicted it would revolutionize local government throughout America. It has; and in the process, it has also altered the role of elected bodies such as city councils and county commissions. They are no 'longer primarily "representatives" and decision -makers; they have become catalysts for building consensus and coalitions for change. Representative government, in which key decisions affecting communities' futures are made by elected leaders, is becoming a myth. Representative bodies were chosen to represent electors; decide crucial issues; and set the rules, policies, and laws that guided a community. Today, people who are affected by a decision 'are becoming progressively more intolerant of not being a direct part of the decision-making process. Electors " have come to realize that the 4R's of politics - responsiveness, responsibility, reality, and reelection - weren't always balanced in the best long-term interest of the taxpayer. In theory, elected officials are supposed to articulate and respond to voter viewpoints. However, issues have become more complex and risky from a voter's point of view. Major capital and infrastructure projects, as well as new government policies and regulations, can inflate taxpayers' living costs and "mortgage" their incomes through higher taxes. This is more true now that there is little "easy money" from Washington to underwrite local ambitions. The elector is coming to realize that • he or she is not best served by - elected officials whose priority is reelection rather than the responsible advancement of constituents' long-term interests. The new working order represents a partnership between elected and elector that emphasizes education and communication as a forerunner to action. 'The recent emphasis on communication by mayors and councils in many cities is symptomatic of this phenomenon. City-wide and ward communication meetings; neighborhood referral .processes; and "town meeting" discussions on critical issues such as housing density, land use, community goals, sales tax rates, etc., all reflect consciousness of this trend and its effect on vital community decision-making processes. Copyright: Carl H. Neu, Jr., 1988. 16. CIM JUL 02.';,2 . .c Frequently, communities focus really mask the underlying problems is growth. It is a fact that many 'issue have really had little growth that time, they have. experienced a structures, economic activities, composition, and land use and reuse. their energies on "false issues" that that must be addressed. An example communities caught up in the growth during the last decade. But during process of continuous change in family demographic mix, neighborhood It is this process of change that raises many of the strategic issues that face communities: land use, drainage, sales tax increases, transportation, economic vitality, and various other programs of interest to citizens. These issues, more and more, are being • resolved at the grassroots level by citizen and neighborhood coalitions rather than through formal decision-making systems. The role of the elected official in the new working order is to: . Identify and focus issues that need to be addressed Facilitate sharing of information, communication, and education of electors on relevant issues . Develop consensus on appropriate actions Ratify the emergent consensus through legislative action Implement programs, policies, and projects created by the (legislative action Maintain support for the action taken If the historical representative government process imposes a decision upon an elector prematurely, it can cause unnecessary confrontations and polarization. The elector -citizen resorts to initiative, referenda, judicial action, or recall in order to impose his or her will upon the elected body. If this body persists in forcing the issue, electors can, and do, force elections to modify charters or change the form of government. This revolution in public decision-making ' literally ' is turning the traditional governing process upside down. The effect: 1. It has served to make the governing process more democratic. 2. Citizens (electors) have learned to circumvent the legislative process and decide issues directly. 3. Elected. officials now must focus " their energies on sensing vital issues, formulating informed consensus, and enabling implementation of that consensus. 4. The power of the populace to continue to increase, and there power of legislative bodies. 17. make crucial decisions directly will will be a concurrent decrease in the c;►;:, JUL 0 a'92 S. 'Ilse elector will display more caution and skepticism over issues Involving major capital commitments and quality of life. This caution and skepticism will be misread, by some elected officials, as resistance rather than a natural consequence of the new working order. 6. Effectiveness as elected officials will depend on skills that advance the new working order in the true interest of the elector. 7. Elected officials will spend most of their time outside the council chambers and board rooms in forums that stimulate communication and consensus -building - forums that take the elected to the elector. The neer leader Is a courageous, insightful facilitator that helps his or her followers discover ' avenues that advance their true long-term interests. The old elected leader. frequently was an order giver, especially in those cases where the illusion of a mandate existed. That is the way it was, but it is not the way it will be. a 18. GOVERNMENT AS A TEAM I.- Elements of a Team Goals Sense of purpose Clearly-defined roles and relationships Trust - communications Feelings of respect . Life cycle (seasons) Arenas Shared leadership Evaluation Performance improvement — A subordinate goal 2. Goals 1_P, Goals are what the governance team exists to achieve. Goals are important to any team for the following reasons: Goals provide a future direction for the community. Goals assist in building the commitment of the community, local elected officials, and staff to some future image of the community. Goals provide a foundation for accountability and performance. Goals define program.direction and service levels for the community. Goals assist in the mobilization of people and resources, since there is a clearly-defined desired end. Goals provide a sharing of power with the realization that neither the local elected officials nor administrative staff can achieve the goal alone. Goals are the means by which the staff and board team set the future course of action for the community organization. The interaction of the team will ultimately determine whether the organization will or will not be able to achieve its goal. Each goal has two dimensions. The first is time. Goals should address both the immediate and future needs of the,community. They should help the board -staff team make short-term decisions that produce long-term benefits for the community. The second dimension is scope, which has two components: the degree to which the issue is understood 19.E►� JUL '2`92 by team members, and the comprehensiveness of the issue involving .whether or not all elements have been considered. Every goal incorporates these dimensions. The effectiveness of the goal is determined by the degree of consideration given to the issue and the quality of the process in establishing the goals. 3. Team Life Cycle 4. Team Arenas I 20. Jv� 02. 9. High Low 1-� Figure 1 VISIONARIES C j O III M Planning M I U Horizons - N . I Image of T Y the D Community I r R E C T I O N Low 1-� Figure 1 VISIONARIES INTERACTIVE j III IV REACTIVE RESPONSIVE I II COMMUNITY ISSUES Scope of Decision -Making (Operational/Current) 21. High �v_ J f92 c ;;° JUL 0 rs92 m 4 W E w w H w 1 ' .1co O i ca . 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W. •� a ...> IG44> x cam>p > •O w 1 1 w h O> a •O w w u q CJ 1 • N w u +J v O .a aJ 4 w A C 1• -•4 u t O O 44i 1 t_ L o. •L u +J 14 N nm I -Z THE CIVIC ENTREPRENEUR PSYCHE - 1. "WE CHOOSE AND THE WORLD APPEARS - BECOMES: BUT FIRST WE MUST CHOOSE. 2. "THE FUTURE IS A DYNAMIC CORKSREW" 3. "EVERY TIME WE SHIFT TO A HIGHER PLATEAU OF AWARENESS AND PROCESSING, PAIN IS EXPERIENCED" 4. "THE TRICK IS NOT CARING IF IT HURTS" (THE PAIN STOPS MOST PEOPLE) • r S. "DEFINE THE FUTURE YOU WANT LEVERAGE THE WAVES INVENT THE WAYS TO MAKE IT HAPPEN" 24. r.- 02f92 ,� O .-. O O W Z J W > O Q X: J .� •-+ > W W F- O A Q O W ---� z F- H J 7 Qcn Q Q CA J O O W J � w go w z «y !r •+ CO M LL O F - w.0 O A Cl- LL.. Z O F- a O CO Q >- F— cl-- O Z J W W F- O H F - Q J O W Z tr Z Q w S CO Z W O tr O O O O W F- F- F- F- ►� r — Z z w Q X �+ Cl) F- O W Y O W w z >- Q} O Q m w F- J :5 J F- W CL S Z LL A Q F- Q C/) 3 0 F- 0 W z Z 0- z L-) A Q Q cn Q - - - - >- F— cl-- Z J W W F- F - Q Z cam- Z tr w W F- W O tr O O U- LID O U. r � U .-. LL- F- O A O W LL U- Y Z O 'O ..r W O Z W F- Gq > \ ar Z• S O F- W O tY Z Z W H O W = c�- O W F- U) O O cam- Ir U QLL_ 0. WW Q Q W LL W W W W :_p- O W O W W O F- F- 3 w > Q W Z Q Com- 3 U' Y S W 3 W W W w 3 3 3 3 W Q g J J J z W w 3 3 3 Ix z w w 3 3 3 F- Q S S 0 0 0 U J 3 3 Z Z 2 2 F— ui N cim,, NL 0 2592, F— Z W Z W O LID r � LL- F- O O W Z O 'O ..r W O W F- Gq > W O tY Z Z W H O W = O O J U) O O,. IL W J QLL_ O OI. Q W LL W W W W :_p- O W ==trtY 2 F— ui N cim,, NL 0 2592, I James Willis Mgr. 3400 Plymouth Plymouth, MN June 26, 1992 Dear James, X-3 as ociation of metroolitan municipalities Blvd 55447-1482 -. Cities have reached a critical juncture at the Legislature. State officials seem to believe that cities' financial resources can provide the answer to the state's continual funding problems. We want to know your view about what direction the Association of Metropolitan Municipalities should take during 1993 to help protect cities from further legislative intrusion on our tax base. To provide you with a forum for your opinions and concerns on this and other issues, we are planning our seventh annual Outreach Breakfast for you and other city officials in your area. The breakfast is scheduled for July 14 at 7:30 a.m. in the Spring Room at the Sheraton Park Place Hotel, 5555 Wayzata Blvd., St. Louis Park. It is located on the SW corner of Highway 12 and Turner's Crossing, or the first stoplight west of Highway 100. Exit Vernon -Xenia from Interstate-394/Highway 12. Please R.S.V.P. to Carol or Nicole by noon, July 10. The AMM would like your input on the following concerns: * Metropolitan issues such as storm water management, water supply and general Metropolitan Council authority; * Legislative matters'such as LGA and HACA distribution, the Local Government Trust Fund, transportation and transit concerns, local options for city revenues and regional sewer financing; * Seeking commitments from legislative candidates regarding their views toward city issues. * The Metropolitan Governance Task Force's preliminary report on the Metropolitan Council and the Task Force's view of the Council's role in the region. This is -not a formal gathering and we hope for lots of discussion from you, because your opinions, concerns and advice will help shape AMM's policies and priorities for the 1993 session. 183 university avenue east, st. paul, minnesota 55101 (612) 227-4008 CJI; JUL 0`92 The breakfast also can be an avenue for you to tell us what you'd like to see the AMM do by way of member services. Are there other support services that we should provide, or improvements to current services that you can suggest? We hope you plan to attend the July 14 breakfast at the Sheraton Park Place. We would ask that managers make this information available for and extend this invitation to city council members. As always, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to call the AMM office. Sincerely, Karen Anderson, AMM President Minnetonka Council 2afn Campbell AMM Board member Minneapolis Council Cra ''g R p AMM and member Brooklyn Park Manager ti'. -'i U,V- 0 `Vh MINNESOTA SUN PUBLICATIONS Sun•Current Sun•Post Sun•Sailor June 25, 1992 Mr. James G. Willis City Manager City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Willis: I L/ This is the quarterly update we promised to provide regarding our circulation in the city of Plymouth. We're pleased to tell you that as of mid-July we will add 300 papers to our distribution in Plymouth. That's approximately 25% of the households we identified as not now getting a copy of the Plymouth Sun -Sailor.. The additional copies are being added to existing routes where developments within those routes have made the carriers come up short. Advertising revenues in 1992 are relatively flat. The additional copies are being made possible by our voluntary subscription effort. We hope that a continued success in this area will allow us to further increase our Plymouth distribution in 1992. If you'd like to know the specific streets or specific addresses that will be added to our distribution, please contact our circulation director, Jeannine Pfann at 897-5481. If we can be of further service, please let me know. Since , Greg acro Advertising Director GP/mc Bloomington Office: 7831 East Bush Lake Road • Bloomington, MN 55439 • Ph: (612) 896-4700 :, ; JUL X592 10,jd MINNESOTA SUN PUBLICATIONS Sun•Current Sun•Post Sun•Sailor June 25, 1992 Mr. David Barstad 12915 54th Avenue North Plymouth,.MN 55447 Dear Mr. Barstad: i�y The city of Plymouth has advised us that you would like us to begin home delivery of the Sun -Sailor to your home. our circulation depart- ment confirmed that they have discussed this with you several times. We're flattered by your high level of interest and surprise& at your persistence. There is a change in the information you've been given in the past. During the month of July we will add 300 papers to the city of Plym- outh. Unfortunately, the additional papers will not cover the Bass Lake Heights area'. Ninety-seven percent of our revenues come from advertising. We're forced to maintain a balance between our circulation numbers and our advertising rates. Advertisers are reluctant to pay more and will sacrifice some households in order to maintain their rate. Because of our voluntary subscription effort, we are seeing some growth in circulation revenues. That's what has enabled us to in- crease the distribution in Plymouth as well as other cities. However, we feel it's in everyone's best interest to fill in existing routes before we begin servicing relatively new areas. Please be assured that we want to cover the Bass Lake Heights area. We will do so in the future. Since , Greg tacin Advertising Director GP/mc cc: Frank Boyles / James G. Willis Y Bloomington Office: 7831 East Bush Lake Road • Bloomington, MN 55439 • Ph: (612) 896-4700 k;E°ti JUL O L `92 WEST MEDICINE LAKE COMMUNITY CLUB 1705 Forestview Lane North Plymouth, Minnesota 55441 (612) 553-1107 June 30, 1992 Mr. Frank Boyles Assistant City Manager City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 Dear Mr. Boyles: The Board members of the West Medicine Lake Community Club, along with Dolly Reveling, met on June 23, 1992, to discuss your letter of June 18, as well as those from our neighbors. We must tell you that the general tone of all the letters was disheartening, to say the least. Rather than go through each incident cited by Mr. Cleave and the Abe's, we would like to repsond in general. -Dolly has gone one-on-one with them on all mentions and it seems pointless to cover that ground again. Over the years, Dolly, as well as our past rental agents, have done their best to answer the complaints of our neighbors and will continue to do so. What Mr. Cleave and the others do not seem to realize is the fact that we can never eliminate certain problems completely. Over the past eight years, we•'have reduced our wedding times and we have turned down many large receptions and picnics. This has had an effect on our revenues. We acknowledge the rights of our neighbors, but also ask them to understand our position and our rights as well. We are always open to their suggestions and comments, and they all have a standing invitation to air their views to our entire Board on the second Tuesday of each month. In closing, Mr. Boyles, the West Medicine Lake Community Club has done, and will continue to do, to the best of our ability, everything we can to keep things under control. Sincerely, WE✓S�T, MEDICINE LAKE COMMUNITY CLUB Karen Nelson President dks is t cc: Mr. & Mrs. Matthew Abe Mr. Kim Bergman, Mayor y`3 Mr. Frank Cleave Mr. Denny Paulson, Acting Public Safety Director Mrs. Dolly Reveling West Medicine Lake Community Board of Directors Z 5 JAL J JL StatesMt�st La'ficlowriers Compensate ` for Re'aiila'fion Justices Back Compensatiol On Property When Rul( Eliminates Entire Valuc By PAUL M. BAaserr Statl Reporter of THE WALL STREET JOURNAL WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court made it tougher for government to regu- late land use without having to compensate Private property owners. The justices, by a 6-2 vote, said a state regulation that, in effect, eliminates the entire value of private real estate obligates the state to pay property owners for their loss. The case could have a broad impact on companies and individuals whose land is subject to environmental or safety regu- lations. Generally, the Constitution's Fifth Amendment prohibits government from taking Property without paying "just com- pensation" to the owner. The question decided yesterday was whether South Car- olina's regulation of construction on its environmentally fragile Atlantic coastline amounted to taking property rights from a Person who intended to build on beach - front real estate. l The high court clarified that such a regulation could be considered the equiva- lent of physically occupying or confiscat- ing land, requiring the government to pay its owner for the value of the property. The property owner who was the sub- ject of the decision paid $975,000 in 1986 for two beach -front lots on which he planned to build two houses, one for himself and one to sell. A state agency barred the construc- tion under the environmental law, which took effect in 1988. The property owner, David Lucas, sued the state, arguing that the regulation denied him "all economi- cally viable use" of his land. A state court agreed and awarded him $1.2 million for the "regulatory taking" of his property. The South Carolina Supreme Court reversed that decision, ruling that a restriction "enacted to prevent serious public harm" doesn't require a state to compensate landowners for their losses. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court said South Carolina's top court had misunder- stood the law on "takings" and reversed its decision. Even if a regulation addresses a serious harm, the government must compensate a Property owner denied "all economically viable use of his land," Justice Antonin Scalia wrote in an opinion for the major- ity. But exceptions to that rule may arise, Justice Scalia said. For example, if the legal title to the land forbids the type of uses proscribed by the government regula- tion, the government may not have to compensate the owner. Another exception would occur if, under the state's traditional Judge-made law, known as common law, the owner would be forbidden to use the land in the fashion prohibited by a subse- quent regulation enacted by a legislature or imposed by an executive -branch agency. The Supreme Court sent the Lucas case back to the South Carolina courts with Instructions that compensation is due un- ess one of the exceptions applies. Justices Harry Blackmun and John 'tevens filed dissenting opinions, object - ng to the broad rule on regulatory takings xtablished by the majority. In an separate "statement" that, in ffect, amounts to a dissent, Justice David . outer said he would have dismissed the ase because of procedural errors commit - .d by the state trial court. (Lucas vs. South, arolfna Ct astal Commssion) F— _IM MEMO CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447 DATE: June 11, 1992 TO: James G. Willis, City Manager FROM: Bob Pembertonll, Risk Management Coordinator SUBJECT: TRAIL EXTENSION FROM STEEPLECHASE TO CHELSEA MEWS On June 10, 1992 Eric Blank and myself met with the president of the Chelsea Mews Association, Karen Fox, and reviewed her concerns regarding the unauthorized connection with the Steeplechase trail stub. She and members of her association are concerned about potential injury to youngsters who have worn a path from the Steeplechase trail stub to Chelsea Mews. The trail proceeds through approximately 38 feet of woods and down a 30 degree slope exiting onto their private drive through deep cover. In the past, youngsters on bikes and skateboards have come down the path striking parked cars or startling drivers and it is her concern that this represents a potential for serious injury. The trail could be connected, but this would require some type of device to discourage the use of bikes and skateboards and permit a safe entrance into Chelsea Mews. To accomplish this goal either a gated turnstyle or an L - configured path would have to be installed. This could either be a ramp or steps, but that would require excavation, grading and the loss of trees and brush. The Chelsea Mews board of directors is opposed to a connection with the Steeplechase trail stub because of the potential loss of trees and the continued intrusion of youngsters into their area. It would be relatively simple to discourage the use of this trail stub by removing the asphalted trail stub, restoring the area to its natural condition and building a fence to discourage entrance into Chelsea Mews. Therefore, from a risk management viewpoint, the accident potential could be reduced or totally eliminated by either removing the trail stub and constructing a barrier fence or constructing a trail connection to Chelsea Mews but incorporating into a plan design a safe connection with the private drive. cc: Dale E. Hahn, Finance Director Eric Blank, Park & Recreation Director _T 1_I hA — S. 0 2 T 1-I E E. _ _ i - 6� 6%1n e v%% 4, © v- A% `'��=Tr a f f i C 61.54 -1-1 the snowmobile either was stolen or was not in use at the time of the alleged unlawful act, or if (c) the registered owner furnishes to law enforcement officers upon request the identity of the person in actual physical control of the snowmobile it the time of such violation. The provisions of this subdivision do not apply to any person who rents or leaaea a snowmobile if ouch person keeps a record of the name and Address of the person or persons renting or leaving ouch snowmobile, the registration number thereof, the departure date and time, and expected time of return thereof. Such record shall be preserved for at least six months and shall be prima facie evidence that the person named therein was the operator thereof at the time it was operated contrary to this Section. The provisions of this part do not prohibit or limit the prosecution of a snowmobile operator for violating any of the provisions of this section. Ord. No. 3006 1/16/90. 61.55 RhILROADS. (a) Speed Limitation at Street Crossings. No train of care, single oar or locomotive shall be run over any public street crossing on any railway in the City at a greater speed than 30 miles per hour. (b) Obstruction of Street. No person shall stop or cause to be stopped any train of cars, car or engine across any public street in the City, except a sufficient time to couple or operate the cars, not to exceed 10 minutes. No person shall cause or permit the crossing gates and/or crossing warning lights to remain down and operating in excess of 5 minutes when no train of cars, car or engine is being operated at the crossing. (c) Diesel Locomotives Left Running. No person shall cause, allow, parmit or suffer a diesel powared railroad laeemebivo ongino to be parked or left standing with the engine operating for a period longer than 30 consecutive minutes on any trackage other than in the following arsaas Switch yards east of Buchanan Street; spur track to Peerless Chain Company east of Adams Street; switch yards adjacent to the Mississippi River in the area between Harvester Avenue and Winona Street extended; and trackage north of Second Street between Franklin Street and Winona street extended. No person shall cause, allow, permit or suffer a dioeel- powered railroad locomotive engine to be parked or left standing with the engine operating for a period longer than 30 minutes at the Chicago and North Western Company refueling station located east of Gould Street extended, except during the months of October, November, December, January, February and March and on any day in any other month in which the temperature is below 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Provided, however, an engine may be parked or left standing for a longer period than specified when an emergency exists or when an engine is in the process of charging and testing an air -brake system. If the period is to be exceeded, the person shall notify the Police Department. (d) Whistle Blowing It shall be unlawful for an engineer of a locomotive to ring the bell or blow the whistle of a railroad locomotive on the Soo Line main line from a point 1000 feet east of the east line of Louisa Street to a point 1000 feet west of the west line of Pelzer Street except as a warning against immediate threatened danger or peril. Ord. No. 2726 8/20/84. Ord. No. 3059 4/15/91. DEC 5 1991 J�ttl s-10 CITY OF PLYMOUTH PLANNING COMMISSION MINUTES JUNE 3, 1992 The Regular Meeting of the City of Plymouth Planning Commission was called to order at 7:00 p.m. MEMBERS PRESENT: Chairman Stulberg, Commissioners , Barb Stimson, Roger Scherer, Scott Syverson, Michael Wigley, Ed Albro and Dennis Zylla. MEMBERS ABSENT: None. STAFF PRESENT: Director Charles Dillerud, City Engineer Dan Faulkner, and Planning Secretary Jackie Watson. *MINUTES MOTION by by Commissioner Zylla, seconded by Commissioner MOTION TO APPROVE Wigley to approved the Planning Commission Minutes of May 13, 1992. Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION carried on a unanimous vote. VOTE - MOTION CARRIED Chairman Stulberg introduced the request for an Amendment AMENDMENT TO TRANSPOR- to the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan to TATION ELEMENT OF remove the Minor Collector street designation on the COMPREHENSIVE PLAN Fernbrook Lane corridor between County Road 6 and Gleason Lake Drive. . Director Dillerud reviewed the May 29, 1992 staff memorandum. Chairman Stulberg stated that the previous recommendation of the Planning Commission was to not connect Fernbrook Lane and to exclude it from the Capital Improvement Program. Chairman Stulberg opened the Public Hearing. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Rick Sathre from Sathre- Bergquist. Mr. Sathre stated that the estimated increase in trips l generated on the surrounding existing roadways by the report seem to show that the traffic will be evenly distributed throughout the system. • Gir'v: �`' V�� r�7 Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 Page 84 Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Jim Hartman of 1140 Harbor Lane North. Mr. Hartman stated that the resurfacing of I-494 has radically decreased the traffic noise levels in the neighborhood. He said that the removal of the connection of Fernbrook Lane will be a benefit to the neighborhood in keeping out additional traffic. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Jeremy Wilson-Dandos of 14400 -4th Avenue North. Mr. Wilson-Dandos stated that he was the chairperson of the Harbor Place Homowners Association did not feel that the projected increase of 1,400 cars warranted the connection of Fernbrook Lane. He said the deletion of the connection will preserve the quality of life for the neighborhood. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Larry Wood of 1125 Fernbrook Lane. Mr. Wood stated that during the past 15 years there has been no major need for the connection of Fernbrook Lane for public safety concerns. He said he'was concerned with the safety of pedestrians who are walking or bicycling and crossing the Luce Line. He said that the neighborhood is relatively free of any crime at the present time and that if the connection were made it would increase the crime in the area according to statistics he had from his past experiences in Missouri relating to access into neighborhoods. Chairman Stulberg closed the Public Hearing. MOTION by Chairman Stulberg, seconded by Commission Wigley MOTION TO APPROVE to recommend approval of the Amendment to the Transportation Element of the Comprehensive Plan to remove the Minor -Collector street designation on the Fernbrook - Lane corridor between County Road 6 and Gleason Lake Drive. Commissioner Zylla stated that traffic projections are not always valid and that the projected distribution of the traffic seems to be adequate. Commissioner Scherer stated that the new traffic study has convinced him that the connection is not needed because no significant trips will be added to I-494. Commissioner Albro stated that he had driven the neighborhood and talked to the neighbors and had only found one person in favor of the connection. He said he felt there was more danger for pedestrians walking in the C;r„ JUL 32'9 Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 Page 85 area than a concern for the slight increase in traffic on other streets. Roll Call Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION carried unanimously. Chairman Stulberg introduced the request by Werneke Company for a Site Plan Amendment and Conditional Use Permit for outside storage at 15500 -28th Avenue North. Chairman Stulberg waived the review of the May 15, 1992 staff report. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Mike Buystedt representing the petitioner. Mr. Buystedt stated that he was in agreement with the staff report. Chairman Stulberg opened and closed the Public Hearing as there was no one present to speak on the request. MOTION by Commissioner Wigley, seconded by Commissioner Stimson to recommend approval of the request by Werneke Company for a Site Plan Amendment and Conditional Use Permit for outside storage at 15500 -28th Avenue North. Roll Call Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION carried on a unanimous vote. ID VOTE - MOTION CARRIED WERNEKE COMPANY (91098) MOTION TO APPROVE VOTE - MOTION CARRIED Chairman Stulberg introduced the request by Graham Land GRAHAM LAND DEVELOPMENT Development Company for a Planned Unit Development Concept (92034) Plan, Preliminary Plan/Plat, Conditional Use Permit and Rezoning for 38 single family lots located northwest of the intersection of Northwest Boulevard and 42nd Place North. Director Dillerud reviewed the May 12, 1992 staff report. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Mike Gair, representing the petitioner. Mr. Gai r stated that the ownership of Outl of A is in the process of being deeded to the State of Minnesota because the outlot consists of DNR and Army Corps of Engineer protected waters; it will not be owned by a Homeowners Association. He said that Mr. Tom Graham has agreed to add additional trees to screen Lot 1, Block 1, and Lot 4, Block 3. He noted that the entire north boundary back 200 feet is owned by Suburban Hennepin County Parks. Chairman Stulberg opened the Public Hearing. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. John Lino, Blue and Gold Company, owners of the Curtis Lake property to the north. GW JUL C 2, `92 Planning Commission Minutes -T— I U June 3, 1992 Page 86 Mr. Lino read a letter to be placed on record stating that they objected to any connection of the two properties by public streets; and that they had received that assurance from the City Council when their project was approved. Chairman Stulberg closed the Public Hearing. MOTION by Commissioner Zylla, seconded by Commissioner MOTION TO APPROVE Scherer to recommend approval of the request by Graham Land Development Company for a*Planned Unit Development Concept Plan, Preliminary Plan/Plat, Conditional Use Permit and Rezoning for 38 single family lots located northwest of the intersection of Northwest Boulevard and 42nd Place North. Commissioner Wigley stated that he was concerned with the 6 foot side yard setbacks; and, he asked if the setbacks were increased to 10 feet if some lots would be lost. Mr. Gair stated that it would not reduce the number of lots but they want to preserve the opportunity for 3 stall garages. Commissioner Zylla stated that if this were LA -1 rather than LA -3 he would be concerned with the reduced setbacks. He said he is amazed to see that the developer is asking for less density on the site than allowable, and he will agree to the reduced side yard setbacks because of this. Commissioner Stimson asked if Vinewood Lane would eventually be connected. Director Dillerud stated that Vinewood Lane will not be connected. Roll Call Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION carried on a unanimous VOTE - MOTION CARRIED vote. Chairman Stulberg introduced the request by Lundgren Bros. LUNDGREN BROS. Construction for a Planned Unit Development Concept Plan, CONSTRUCTION (92035) Preliminary Plan/Plat, Conditional Use Permit and Rezoning for 127 single family lots located at the northeast corner of County Road 101 and County Road 24. Commissioner Scherer excused himself from the table for the discussion of this request. Director Dillerud reviewed the May 12, 1992 staff report. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Terry Forbord of Lundgren Bros. Construction representing the petitioner. Mr. Forbord stated that the presentation would be lengthy because of the requested variance from the standards for this PUD. CIM JUL 02'92 Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 Page 87 Mr. Forbord introduced Mr. Peter Pflaum of Lundgren Bros. Construction. Mr. Pflaum stated that if the recommendations of staff regarding deletion of the private amenities were those recommended by the Planning Commission they would not be able to develop this site or other sites in the future in Plymouth. He said this request would be the "deal breaker". He noted that this is an emotional issue for Lundgren Bros. because they have been developing in the City of Plymouth for the past 23 years. Mr. Pflaum stated that Homeowners Associations and active open space are important to Lundgren Bros. Construction and there have never been problems with these two items concerning Lundgren Bros. He said that the liability costs are minimal for this type of insurance. Mr. Pflaum stated that amenities such as open space and tennis courts, and landscaping are important to those people who purchase homes in the Lundgren Bros. developments. He said that these amenities aid the homeowner if they resell their homes. Mr. Forbord stated that there is very little developable land left in Plymouth with any character and Lundgren Bros. is trying to create an attractive subdivision with this request. Mr. Forbord introduced Mr. John Uban from DSU, Inc., a consulting planner. Mr. Uban explained how this site was designed. He said that the density planned for this site is under that which is allowed. He said the surrounding sites, roadways, and wetlands needed to be considered in the design of this site. Mr. Uban introduced Mr. Frank Svoboda, a certified wetlands biologist. Mr. Svoboda described the wetlands on the site; the impact the project would have on the wetlands and the mitigation used to preserve the wetlands. Mr. Forbord stated that this is not a typical Lundgren site because of the impacts on the site by the roadways, water tower and wetlands. He said that these constraints challenged them to design a site that would be appealing to future homeowners. He described the landscaped berming proposed throughout the site, which requires some of the reduced setbacks being requested by this proposal. -JUL 02,nn Planning Commission Minutes-� d June 3, 1992 Page 88 Mr. Uban commented on the wetlands and the traffic noise which will affect the site, and the need for the berms to separate the homes from the impacts on. the site. The reduced setbacks requested are needed for flexibility to create the berms. He said that 12 parking spaces are proposed at the public park site to pull the traffic off the road on the site, with berming to create a separation from the homes without the need for the developer to donate another lot for the public park. Mr. Uban stated that the proposed center islands on the cul-de-sacs will break up the view from the homes and will also be used for the storage of snow in the winter. The islands will be landscaped and maintenance free. Mr. Rick Sathre of Sathre-Bergquist, Inc. discussed the grading plan for the proposed subdivision, and the proposed routing of the storm water and the sediment ponds which would neutralize the water before it enters the wetlands. Mr. Sathre stated that some wetland will be filled at the County Road 24 entrance, and this will be replaced on the site. He discussed several ways the adjacent Leuer property could be designed to make it developable. He compared this proposed development to the Steeplechase development stating that the lots on this proposed site would be larger. Mr. Forbord and Mr. Sathre showed aerial views and slides of the Steeplechase development and described some of the changes they would make in the proposed development; and, the fact that reduced front yard setbacks make the rear yard larger and is enjoyed more by the homeowner. Mr. Forbord stated that this request is for a quality neighborhood, which is affordable. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. John Grigg, 3180 Queensland Lane. Mr. Grigg stated that he lives adjacent to the site and that he is concerned with the wildlife that will be displaced in the wetland areas during development. He asked that the developers try not to disturb all of the wetland areas at the same time so the animals will have some place to live in the interim. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Joe Domogala of 17705 County Road 24. Mr. Domogala stated that he was opposed to the reduction in the setbacks proposed. He said he was concerned with the drainage on the site; and, he said the proposed berms JU. 02,W Planning Commission Minutes 1_10 June 3, 1992 Page 89 would be very difficult to maintain. He said he favors larger lots. He said the access road onto County Road 24 and will create traffic and safety problems on an ,already busy stretch of highway. _Mr. Domogala stated that he wanted to know how the public park would be policed. He also stated he would like to see restrictions on the height of the homes. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Michael Halbach of 3185 Kimberly Lane. Mr. Halbach stated that he thought this proposal was a good plan, but that he was concerned with the small- lot sizes. Chairman Stulberg closed the Public Hearing. Chairman Stulberg asked Mr. Svoboda to respond to the question regarding the preservation of the habitat in the pond areas. Mr. Svoboda stated that the project would be done in phases and the habitat could be moved to another area while one area is being disturbed. , Chairman Stulberg asked City Engineer Faulkner to respond to the questions on the culvert which crosses County Road 24 for drainage and County Road 24 traffic. City Engineer Faulkner responded that this culvert will be extended and looked at further at the final stage of the proposal. He said a right turn lane and a by pass will be constructed to eliminate the backup of traffic on County Road 24. A traffic signal will be installed in 1996 by the County. Chairman Stulberg stated that the Commission is currently studying the Planned Unit Development Ordinance, and one area of concern is private open space and amenities in single family detached subdivisions. He stated that single family plat Homeowners Associations had not functioned well in some cases. Chairman Stulberg asked Mr. Forbord to respond to the concerns regarding the maintenance of the berms. Mr. Forbord stated that maintenance of the berms in the Steeplechase development are not a problem and these berms will be similar. Mr. Pflaum stated that the berms will be designed so that they are maintainable. �:r �° JUL 02'92 Planning Commission Minutes I v June 3, 1992 Page 90 Chairman Stulberg asked someone to respond to the security issue regarding the open space park area. Mr. Uban stated that the public park will be located in the most visible area of the site which aids in the security. Commissioner Albro asked if the cul-de-sac islands would be damaged by the storage of snow. Mr. Uban stated that the use of stone and gravel on the island would make the islands undamageable. Commissioner Wigley asked what the front setbacks and the _ side setbacks were in the Seven Ponds development. Director Dillerud responded that Seven Ponds front yard setbacks are 35 feet with the discretion of the Director to reduce 25 percent to 30 feet where cause can be shown for wetland preservation. He said that the side yard setbacks were 10 feet. Commissioner Stimson asked what the underlying zoning was in the Steeplechase addition. Director Dillerud responded that it was part LA -1 and part LA -2. Commissioner Stimson stated that the Planning Commission is still studying the Homeowners Association issue regarding the maintenance of the areas, and that the complaints in this area were not in regard to the Lundgren Bros. developments. Commissioner Albro asked about the liability of the City relative to Homeowners Association responsibilities for maintenance of open space. Director Dillerud stated that this issue is being studied by the Planning Commission. Mr. Forbord asked that Lundgren Bros. not be penalized because of other developments where the Homeowners Associations are not responsible. Mr. Pflaum stated that the concept of this proposal would be destroyed if the Homeowners Association, the open space and setbacks were denied. He said that Lundgren Bros. needs this type of development regardless of where the site is located. MOTION by Chairman Stulberg, seconded by Commissioner MOTION TO APPROVE Stimson to recommend approval of the Residential Planned Unit Development Concept Plan for Lundgren Bros. ��::; X! 0 `92 Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 1-1 p Page 91 Construction located at the northeast corner of County Road 101 and County Road 24 subject to all conditions listed in the May 12, 1992 staff report. MOTION to amend by Chairman Stulberg, seconded by MOTION TO AMEND Commissioner Wigley to delete Conditions 5 and 6 from the draft resolution regarding the extension of 35th Avenue North and the elimination of the play structure and tennis courts. Roll Call Vote. 6 Ayes. MOTION carried unanimously. VOTE - MOTION CARRIED Roll Call Vote on Main MOTION of Concept Plan. 6 Ayes. VOTE - MOTION CARRIED MOTION carried unanimously. MOTION by Chairman Stulberg, seconded by Commissioner MOTION TO APPROVE Stimson to recommend approval of the RPUD Preliminary Plat/Plan and Conditional Use Permit for Lundgren Bros. Construction, subject to all conditions listed. MOTION to Amend by Chairman Stulberg, seconded by MOTION TO AMEND Commissioner Wigley to delete Conditions 14 and 15 from the draft resolution regarding the extension of 35th Avenue North and deletion of the play structure and tennis courts. Roll Call Vote. 6, Ayes. MOTION to Amend carried VOTE - MOTION CARRIED unanimously. MOTION by Commissioner Wigley, seconded by Commissioner MOTION TO AMEND Zylla to amend Condition 12 to recommend setbacks of 15 feet for the living side of the lot and 10 feet on the garage side; front yard setbacks to be 35 feet, with the flexibility of the Director to reduce 25 percent of the lots to 30 feet. Commissioner Stimson stated that Steeplechase setbacks of 25 feet were acceptable. Commissioner Wigley stated that his motion was to take the setbacks closer to the underlying guiding. Commissioner Stimson stated that Commission needed to keep in mind the affordability of housing in Plymouth as to lot sizes. Commissioner Zylla stated he favored Commissioner Wigley's motion, and stated that he could not accept anything less that 10/10 setbacks. He said that if this proposal were in a higher density area he would possibly support the smaller setbacks. He said that the underlying zoning .is important in these issues. XL C Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 Page 92 Roll Call Vote. 2 Ayes. Commissioners Syverson, Albro, Stimson and Chairman Stulberg voted Nay. MOTION to Amend Failed. MOTION by Commissioner Albro, seconded by Commissioner Wigley to amend Condition 12 to recommend setbacks of 15 feet for the living side of the lot and 10 feet on the garage side; front yard setbacks to be 35 feet, with the flexibility of the Director to reduce 25 percent of the lots to 25 feet. Roll Call Vote. 4 Ayes, Commissioner Stimson and Chairman Stulberg voted Nay. Roll Call Vote on Main MOTION. 6 Ayes. MOTION carried unanimously. .1-10 VOTE - MOTION FAILED MOTION TO AMEND VOTE - MOTION CARRIED VOTE - MOTION CARRIED MOTION by Chairman Stulberg, seconded by Commissioner MOTION TO APPROVE Wigley to recommend approval of the draft resolution Setting Conditions to be Met Prior to Publication of the Ordinance Rezoning Land and the Ordinance Rezoning the site from FRD to R -1A. Roll Call Vote. 6 Ayes. MOTION carried. VOTE - MOTION CARRIED Chairman Stulberg called a recess at 10:50 p.m. Chairman Stulberg reconvened the meeting at 11:00 p.m. Commissioner Scherer returned to the table. Chairman Stulberg introduced the request by Christ CHRIST MEMORIAL LUTHER - Memorial Lutheran Church for a Site Plan and Conditional AN CHURCH (92038) Use Permit Amendment, and Zoning Ordinance Variance to permit a temporary building on the parcel in addition to the existing church structure, located at 13501 Sunset Trail. Director Dillerud reviewed the May 28, 1992 staff report. He stated that there should be a correction to the staff report in #1. under Primary Issues and Analysis, stating that the current number of children in the daycare is 76 and the church is requesting an increase to 107. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Ted Kemna, representing the petitioner. Mr. Kemna stated that the daycare has been in existence since 1986. He said that the modular building will allow the expansion of the daycare. The structure will also serve as a youth center. The building will be built offsite and will be assembled onsite. He said they plan to have the site operable by September 1, 1992. He stated he is in agreement with the conditions listed i n the May 28, 1992 staff report. Chairman Stulberg opened the Public Hearing. '92 Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 Page 93 Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. David Kelley of 13421 Sunset Trail. Mr. Kelley stated he is a neighbor and said that the church runs a good operation. He said he wanted to know when a permanent structure would be completed to replace the modular'unit. He asked if the Commission would renew the permit at the end of 5 years if the permanent structure was not completed.. Mr. Kelley also stated that he is not in favor of any additional outdoor lighting as there is a lot in the area at the present time. Chairman Stulberg introduced Ms. Cheryl Myers of 1260 Sycamore Lane. Ms. Myers stated that she is a patron' of the church and the daycare center. She said she is very supportive of this request. Chairman Stulberg introduced Ms. Michelle Soderberg of 16235 -9th Avenue. Ms. Soderberg stated that she is a patron of the church and daycare center and that she is very supportive of this request. Mr. Kelley stated than an additional concern of his is additional parking, :if needed, on the site; and he suggested that additional parking be located around the back of the site. Chairman Stulberg closed the Public Hearing. Chairman Stulberg requested Director Dillerud to discuss any additional parking needs. Director Dillerud stated that 10 additional parking spaces will be needed and that there is sufficient area on the site to handle this. He said that the building does not remove any of the calculated parking spaces that exist. Mr. Kemna responded to the parking issue stating that the present parking exceeds the need for the present size of the congregation. He said that parking would be expanded as needed in the future. He said that no additional lighting is planned. Mr. Kemna stated that the church is. in the process of planning a permanent structure to replace the proposed modular building and their plans are to have a permanent structure completed in five years. Commission Zylla asked if the modular building will be purchased or leased by the church. :::� JAL. � `92 Planning Commission Minutes T (O June 3, 1992 Page 94 Mr. Kemna stated that the modular building will be leased. He said it will be tied into all the public utilities on the site. Commissioner Zylla stated that his past experience with modular units showed them to be cold and uncomfortable to work in. Mr. Kemna introduced Ms. Deb Reisner of the Tender Learning Center daycare center. Ms. Reisner stated that new technology has created a warm and workable environment within the modular units. MOTION by Commissioner Wigley, seconded by Commissioner MOTION TO APPROVE Syverson to recommend approval of the request by Christ Memorial Lutheran Church for a Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit Amendment, and Zoning Ordinance Variance to permit a temporary building on the parcel in addition to the existing church structure, located at 13501 Sunset Trail, subject to all conditions in the May 28, 1992 staff report. Roll Call Vote. MOTION carried unanimously. VOTE - MOTION CARRIED Chairman Stulberg introduced the request by Quantum QUANTUM DEVELOPMENT Development for a Conditional Use Permit for a private (92039) school located at 12325 State Highway 55. Director Dillerud reviewed the May 27, 1992 staff report. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Clint Carlson, representing the petitioner. Mr. Carlson reviewed the history of the site in the past two years. He stated that a K-12 school is consistent with the zoning on the site. He said the proposed tenant needs to have the approval for all grades in order to commit themselves to the project. Chairman Stulberg introduced Ms. Cathy Brown, from Minnetonka, who will be the dean of the proposed K-12 school. Ms. Brown addressed the outdoor activities that will be involved with the proposed school. She stated that 10 parking spaces have been requested for students, and that there will not be many students of driving age attending the school. Chairman Stulberg introduced Ms. Dana Hanson, from Hopkins, Chairman of the Foundation for the proposed school. Clitii i UL 6 ) s92 Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 Page 95 Ms. Hanson discussed the curriculum for the school, stating that children are educated on an individual basis according to*their needs. She stated that they need a firm decision to operate the school before they begin to hire teachers and accept student applications. Chairman Stulberg introduced Ms. Gayleen Touhey, 15515 -6th Avenue, Director -of the existing child care center on the site. Ms. Touhey stated that the proposed K-12 private school would be very compatible with the existing child care center on the site. Chairman Stulberg opened and closed the Public Hearing as there was no one present to speak on the issue. Commissioner Zylla asked Director Dillerud to respond to the letter from Quantum Development, Inc., dated June 2, 1992. Director Dillerud responded that the Commissioners should discuss each of the 4 issues in the letter on an individual basis. He asked the Commissioners to review the letter to determine whether they would be comfortable with the proposed conditions of the letter. Mr. Carlson stated that 25 extra parking spaces, which were approved by a previous Site Plan, will be completed by the end of the summer. In a worst case scenario, if all proposed 50 high school students drove to the site, there would still be adequate available parking on the site. MOTION by Commissioner Zylla, seconded by Commissioner MOTION TO APPROVE Stimson to recommend approval of the request by Quantum Development, Inc. for. a Conditional Use Permit for a . private school located at 12325 State Highway 55, subject to all conditions listed in the May 27, 1992 staff report. MOTION to amend by 'Commissioner Zylla, seconded by MOTION TO AMEND Commissioner Albro to delete condition 8 and to add all the conditions requested by Quantum Development, Inc., except for Item 4 B., listed in their June 2, 1992 letter, to the resolution. Roll Call Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION to Amend carried VOTE - MOTION CARRIED unanimously. Roll Call Vote on Main Motion. 7 Ayes. MOTION carried VOTE - MOTION CARRIED unanimously. Chairman Stulberg introduced the discussion of the Goff GOFF HOMES, INC. Homes, Inc. request for Rezoning from FRD to R-4, Site (92020) 110 JUL. G �j la Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 Page 96 Plan and Conditional Use Permit for 156 units of townhomes located at the west side of Xenium Lane at 37th Avenue North. Chairman Stulberg stated that at the Public Hearing for this item on May 13, 1992, he answered for all the Commissioners, a question put to the Commissioners as to whether any of them had a conflict of interest regarding this request. He apologized for not polling each Commissioner individually, and he publicly polled each Commissioner. Each Commissioner stated that they had no conflict of interest regarding this request with the exception of Commissioner Wigley, who stated that he did not have a conflict of interest, but that he did live in the neighborhood. Director Dillerud reviewed the June 3, 1992 memorandum from staff regarding this request and the proposed changes recommended by Goff Homes, Inc. Chairman Stulberg introduced Mr. Pat Goff. Mr. Goff stated that he had met with the neighbors to discuss their concerns. He said he received a letter from Mr. Scott Miller, attorney for the neighbors, on June 2, 1992, addressing the issues of concern. Mr. Goff discussed his letter of June 3, 1992 to staff, responding to the issues in Mr. Miller's letter. Mr. Goff stated that he did not want to be the scapegoat for the neighborhood for falling property values, which he stated is already happening here and in most parts of the country. He said he has tried to design a development which would be an asset to the neighborhood. Chairman Stulberg recognized Mr. Scott Miller as the representative for the neighborhood. Mr. Miller stated that this is not socioeconomic protest. He stated that the basis for their request for denial of this request is based on the Conditional Use Permit standards No. 2 and 3, regarding promotion of the public welfare and to not be detrimental to public safety. He stated that this project would diminish the value of homes in the neighborhood. Mr. Miller stated that he had a three-page list of concerns from the neighborhood regarding this request. He said he was asked for the list by Mr. Goff, but he said they felt uncomfortable in giving him the list, but said he would go through the list point -by -point in a letter. -t- I n Planning Commission Minutes I. (C) June 3, 1992 Page 97 Mr. Miller stated that this information from the neighborhood and a watercolor rendition of the site from Mr. Goff just before the Memorial Day holiday. He stated that the watercolor rendition did not show the landscaping or elevations. Mr. Miller stated that the projections for this site are for a 4 -year plan. He said that if the market is not willing, this project could take 8-10 years. He said the neighborhood objects to this long-term construction which would be a safety issue for the children in the area. He said the elevation of the site is so high that the proposed townhomes would look down upon the existing homes in the neighborhood. He said that the extension of Xenium Lane and the increased traffic and noise in the neighborhood hinder the safety and enjoyment of the neighborhood. Mr. Miller stated that a certified assessment of decreased property values resulting from this development is not needed as the neighborhood has several relators living there who stated that a development such as this would diminish the value of property. Mr. Miller stated that he heard several parties were worried about a law suit resulting if this development were approved. He said the neighbors have not discussed a law suit. f Mr. Miller stated that the only changes proposed by Goff Homes, Inc. to the Site Plan were aesthetic in nature. Chairman Stulberg asked Mr. Miller why he was uncomfortable giving the list compiled by the neighbors to Mr. Goff. Mr. Miller stated that he had not reviewed the list; that it was correspondence from his clients; that possibly he may have found some items that he thought objectionable; but that all related items were disclosed in his correspondence to Mr. Goff. Chairman Stulberg stated that he wished to respond to the insinuation that some people were considering law suits. He said that this issue has not been discussed and a law suit is not a concern of the Planning Commission. Mr. Miller asked why the City Attorney was present at the meeting. Chairman Stulberg stated that no one except himself knew that the City Attorney was even present. He said the City Attorney was requested to attend the meeting by the City Council and not by staff. Planning Commission Minutes June 3, 1992 Page 98 Mr. Miller stated that the neighbors met with Mr. Goff for about 2 1/2 hours. Mr. Goff stated that the watercolor referred to was created by a Landscape artist. He stated that he tried to be very specific in his June 3, 1992 letter for response to the neighbors concerns. He said that there is no way he can cut down the site. 'He said he would commit to a lattice type deck so that homeowners would not look directly down upon the existing homes. Mr. Goff stated that he felt his design fit the area. Chairman Stulberg asked Mr. Goff whether the plan before the Commission tonight with the changes he has suggested is the plan he wishes to proceed with. Mr. Goff stated that the additional changes have enhanced the plan and he is comfortable with the design before the Commission. Mr. Miller stated that all changes have been aesthetic in nature and that the concerns of the neighborhood stated previously have not been addressed as far as this request meeting the standards for Conditional Use Permits. MOTION by Chairman Stulberg, seconded by Commissioner Wigley to recommend denial of the request by Goff Homes, Inc. for Rezoning from FRO to R-4, Site Plan and Conditional Use Permit for 156 units of townhomes located at the west side of Xenium Lane at 37th Avenue North, stating that this request does not meet the Conditional Use Permit Standard No. #3 as far as site planning and transitional issues. Chairman Stulberg suggested to the neighborhood that they meet before this item goes to the City Council to get expert advice on dimished property values and other facts they wish to present to the City Council. Commissioner Zylla stated he agreed with the motion. He said that redesign and enhanced aesthetics could make the site plan more acceptable. Chairman Stulberg stated that he would support the rezoning to R-4 because this supports the guiding. He said his denial is based specifically on site design and transition relating to Standard #3 of the Conditional Use Permit standards. Commissioner Albro stated that he is not in favor of this request. He said that he felt that the Rockford Road Plaza was probably not contemplated before this site was guided. Roll Call Vote. 7 Ayes. MOTION carried unanimously. Meeting Adjourned at 12:52 a.m. T 10 MOTION TO DENY VOTE - MOTION CARRIED Gig." J& G 2 `92 June 29, 1992 Dale & Bobbi: I submit my letter of resignation. My last day will be July 31, 1992. Thank you for making my employment here very enjoyable and rewarding. Thank you also for the flexibility with my work schedule. Sincerely, C4 R Kraemer King Videocable Company June 25, 1992 Mr. John T. Irving Chairman Northwest Suburbs Cable Communications Commission 7020 - 45th Place North Crystal, MN 55428 Dear Chairman Irving: 0 6901 Wrrtnetka Ave. N. Brooklyn Park. fAN 55428 (612) 533.8347 • Administration (612) 5338020. Customer Service An Af lwe of King Broadcasting Company Effective in August, King Videocable Company will be adjusting rates for some services. I have outlined the services effected, the old rate, the new rate, and the change below: SERVICE OLD RATE NEW RATE CHANGE Limited Basic $7.35 $8.35 +$1.00 Cable Channels $11.75 $12.75 +$1.00 Late Fee $3.00 $5.00 +$2.00 We will be communicating this information to our customers in the months of July and August, along with information comparing the value of cable television service. There has been much discussion in recent months regarding increases in the charges for cable television. Unfortunately, this discussion has often overlooked the fact that customers today are paying for a product which is greatly improved over the product they received in the middle 1980's. The number of available channels has greatly expanded and the programming offered by existing satellite services has significantly improved. Accordingly, we believe that cable television continues to offer one of the best values for our customers' entertainment dollar. We hope that you and other members of the cable commission will agree. r r 'ie Mr. John T. Irving June 25, 1992 Page Two. Under separate cover, I am forwarding to Greg Moore an explanation of our billing and collection procedures pursuant to his request. I hope that you and other members of the commission will have an opportunity to review all of this information and please do not hesitate to contact me directly if I can be of assistance to you. Si cer James W. Commers Vice President and General Manager King Videocable Company JWC/se `2 e"N; J�1� TWIN CITIES TREE TRUST June 26, 1992 Mr. James Willis City Manager Plymouth City Offices 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Willis, -T- I a b We are interested in informing you, the Mayor and the City Council about the park projects that area youth will be working on in Plymouth this summer. They are participating in the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program directed by Twin Cities Tree Trust. I am enclosing a list of the projects and the approximate dates when they will be in Plymouth along with a letter to your Mayor and members of the City Council. I would appreciate your seeing that copies of the letter and the project list are distributed to the Mayor and Council. In addition, if you would like to visit a worksite, please contact us so we can confirm the schedule and exact location of the work crew on the day you wish to visit. We would also be happy to meet you at the site to answer your questions. We appreciate the commitment Plymouth has made to our program. Sincerely, TWIN T T TRUST rk wn President PLYMOUTH Enclosures Zachary Playfield (6/15 - 7/14) - remove existing landscaping - keystone retaining wall - landscaping Timber Shores Park (7/15 - 8/28) - remove existing stairway - timber staircase - new trail construction Parkers Lake (7/29 - 8/28) - installation of fieldstone planters 4100' - handicap access ramp AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMFLuytK RECYCLED PAPER i ! is � z -gab TWIN CITIES TREE TRUST June 26, 1992 Mr. Kim M. Bergman, Mayor Members of the City Council Plymouth City Offices 3400 Plymouth Boulevard Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mayor Bergman and Members of the City Council: We will have youth from Plymouth and neighboring communities working on park projects in Plymouth this summer. They are participating in the Summer Youth Employment and Training Program directed by Twin Cities Tree Trust. I am enclosing a list of the projects and the approximate dates when they will be in Plymouth. The youth are very proud of their work and the contribution they are able to make to their community. A visit by you would help reinforce the importance of their accomplishments. If you would like to visit a worksite, please contact me or Barbara Hise, Tree Trust's Community Relations Coordinator, prior to your visit. We can then give you the exact schedule and location of the crew and meet you at the site to answer questions, if you wish. We appreciate the commitment Plymouth has made to our program. We hope you will take a few minutes this summer to see the quality projects the youth are completing in Plymouth. Sincerely, Z CIES E TRUST own resent Enclosures EMPLOYMENT TRAININGIURBAN CONSERVATION 4100 VERNON AVENUE SOUTH, ST. LOUIS PARK, MN 55416-3199 612/920-9326 FAX 612/920-4558 AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER ONUL RECYCLED PAPER �JU Ms. Barbara J. Ruhberg Director of Asset Management STEVEN SCOTT MANAGEMENT INC. 6005 Wayzata Blvd. Minneapolis, MN 55416 Dear Ms. Ruhberg: June 29, 1992, Your letters, dated 6/1/92 and 6/12/92 have been forwarded to me by Ms. Inga Moore from Plymouth Creek Board of Directors. She forwarded your letters to me for response because I am one of the three advisory committee members who was authorized by the Board of Directors for Plymouth Creek to work with Vicksberg Village, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. and Welsh Construction along with yourself and your company to resolve the parking situation at Vicksberg Village. The other two committee members from our group are Mr. Patrick Hallisey of 4065 Quantico Lane North and Mr. Sy Friedman of 4155 Upland Lane North. The three of us have been the collective primary contacts from Plymouth Creek who have met with or worked with you, Lisa Moe and others from Metropolitan Life, Vicksberg Village and Welsh Construction over the past eight months (since October, 1991). We received authorization from the Board of Directors for Plymouth Creek (of which Mr. Friedman and myself are current Board members and Mr. Hallisey is a former Board member) following the Plymouth City Council meeting last October. During this meeting, Mayor Bergman's direction to Welsh Construction and the management company for Vicksberg Village (Z & S Management) was -to include Plymouth Creek homeowners in further redesign efforts to alleviate the parking problems at Vicksberg Village. Our committee was formed 'to respond to this direction at the time and we have continued to remain the key resources on this issue from Plymouth Creek. Our committee designated Mr. Hallisey as the key contact to establish communication with the appropriate representatives from the apartments, Metropolitan Life, and Welsh Construction. Additionally, he has been responsible for establishing mutually convenient meeting times with as many of the parties represented as possible, for presenting and reviewing all suggestions and alternatives to resolve the parking problems during these meetings, for recording and maintaining documentation on the progress made at these meetings, and for reporting periodic progress on this issue to the Plymouth Creek Board of Directors. Additionally however, Mr. Friedman and myself have also taken the responsibility for reporting progress, participating in meetings, and presenting progress reports within the Board of Directors sessions when Mr. Hallisey may not have been present. As the authorized representatives from Plymouth Creek, we regarded the City Council's request quite seriously when we initiated discussions with Vicksberg Village and attempted to collaboratively approach this task of resolving the parking problems with a plan that we both could endorse. We agreed early on last fall, that any eventual alternative(s) designed and proposed needed to be presented as a comprehensive plan to address the range of parking problems present within the apartments. It was quite evident following the October 1991 City Council meeting that the parking lot(s) approach in the absence of additional management directives, efforts, etc., would not resolve the parking problems in total. Consequently, when Mayor CIM JUL 0 2 `92 S- I ac - B. Ruhberg Page 2 Bergman closed the meeting that evening last October, he specifically directed that Welsh Construction and its representatives involve the Plymouth Creek homeowners or representatives therein in further efforts to define the specific parking problems and to design a plan to address these problems. This direction was given because it was originally Plymouth Creek homeowners who had suggested that we work collaboratively on the parking issues given the adverse impact the apartments had already had on the townhome properties. Addition of parking lot(s) proposed last fall, was therefore considered only a partial solution to this problem. With this as a bit of rehashing of history which I'm sure you are already familiar with, I again reference your two June letters to our Board president, Ms. Moore. Both letters contain several false and misleading references on the subject of the parking situation which, we feel, requires clarification_ and correction. First, there should be no reason to question who the "authorized representative(s)" have been from Plymouth Creek as you personally, have worked with Mr. Hallisey over the past eight months. When you elected to contact Ms. Moore to request attendance at our May, 1992 Board meeting, Ms. Moore confirmed in your presence, that Mr. Hallisey, Mr. Friedman and myself have always been authorized to work with you on this issue. This is not new information to you. Your letters imply that you were unaware of this authorization with whom to work with from Plymouth Creek. The fact is however, that you have been very aware of who to deal with as evidenced by your reference to Mr. Hallisey in your June 1st letter. Additionally, if there was a legitimate concern or question regarding the "authorization" of anybody from Plymouth Creek, you have had the past eight months to seek clarification! Raising the question now creates a scenario which looks as though Plymouth Creek has not been responsive in providing resources on this issue. Nothing could be further from the truth. Your raising the issue is a false and misleading picture of the reality of the situation which could easily be refuted by a review of our files on the discussions, proposals, and results of these discussions over the past eight months, of which you were a part. Second, you reference in your 6/1/92 letter, Mr. Hallisey's preference for a proposed parking lot to be built on the westernly portion of the apartment complex. You submitted preliminary prints to Ms. Moore with your letter to "insure that the Board of Directors of the townhome association had the correct and most updated information." You sent this information to Ms. Moore under the pretense that you were uncertain who the authorized representatives were from Plymouth Creek, and therefore decided that the Board president was the authorized representative. Unfortunately, as you discovered, Ms. Moore thoughtfully reminded you to respectully consider operating within the process which had been designated last October rather that requesting an audience in the absence of agreement reached with our committee on the parking situation. You chose however, to send your parking lot proposal to the Community Development Director, City of Plymouth, and to bypass the Plymouth Creek committee members. This, in an attempt to hurriedly ensure that a parking lot commence this year. G►F I JUL 0 ?'9 T- late B. Ruhberg Page 3 Mr. Hallisey was also present at our May Board meeting to report on the progress of the discussions and the proposed resolutions to solving the parking lot problems at Vicksberg Village. His version of his "preference" for the parking lot alternative over other solutions, is quite contrary to the information you prsent. As the key resource and committee head for our group at Plymouth Creek, Mr. Hallisey has always indicated, and we have concurred, that any eventual resolution to the parking problems at Vicksberg Village would need a combination of,efforts to alleviate and resolve this problem. You yourself, had acknowledged during our May Board meeting that Vicksberg Village is an exceptional property from your standard apartment projects given the large number of units situated on such a small, restrictive plot of land. Given this fact, Mr. Hallisey has indicated that if actual construction of a parking lot or some similar type of parking structure were to take place, then it would need to.be done as part of a total comprehensive plan to address the parking problems. This plan would need to first, define the parking problems, and second, provide activities, actions, resources, timetables and costs for resolving these problems. Included in such a plan, could be a parking lot, but only if it is a factor within the context of the broader plan, and not the sole alternative. Neither Mr. Hallisey, nor any of the Plymouth Creek committee members on this subject, nor our Board of Directors has indicated a preference for a parking lot in the absence of a total comprehensive plan which includes additional, less costly measures and actions which could be taken prior to the parking lot construction phase of a project. Your insinuating that Mr. Hallisey "prefers" the parking lot solution over other alternatives is false and completely contrary to what Mr. Hallisey has in fact, discussed with you and other Vicksberg Village and management company representatives since last fall. Consequently, we have asked Mr. Hallisey to compile the documentation on all suggestions and responses to these suggestions from all discussions over the past eight months. We will provide this information to the Plymouth Planning Commission and the Plymouth City Council in order that they too have "the most correct and updated information." Ms. Ruhberg, we have acknowledged all along, that when we reached mutual agreement on how to resolve the parking problems, our committee would approach our Board of Directors and then our homeowners to ensure their endorsement and support. We have also agreed, that we would then petition the City of Plymouth collectively in order that they, too, would know that we had complied with their directive and had reached an agreement that Plymouth Creek, Welsh Construction, Vicksberg Village, and your management company could live with. It has been critical that we be in a position to support any parking problem resolution(s) to our homeowners especially, given the existing adverse impacts the apartments have had on Plymouth Creek. These impacts have affected our property values which have.been diminished partially due to the apartment complex, have affected the additional pollution of the Creek due to construction materials, etc., which have yet to be cleaned up in the creek, and the general impairment of the land between Plymouth Creek and Vicksberg Village. c-! m JUL 0 a'92 B. Ruhberg Page 4 Your letters, and subsequent efforts to deliberately bypass the City Council's directive to involve and work with Plymouth Creek are unconscionable, but not surprising considering the past efforts of Metropolitan Life and Welsh Construction on this project. Your submission of a parking lot as the agreed upon resolution to all the parking problems existent at Vicksberg Village falls short of the comprehensive plan proposed by our committee and homewoners through Mr. Hallisey. The pieces of the plan which you neglected to include, but which bear some review include the following: - The actions, timetables and resources with Steven Scott Management will be taking to manage the existing and future parking situations within the Vicksberg Village project. - A formal documentation from Steven Scott Management which outlines the total number of apartments in the complex, the number of parking spaces required by unit, and the alignment of -all parking spaces to allow for adequate resident and visitor parking. - The redesign plan for all interior parking and the timetable for completion of this piece of the project. - The specific efforts and activities proposed by Steven Scott management in terms of communication vehicles to better inform tennants about the true parking situation within the complex. If there is a parking lot proposal presented to the City of Plymouth which lacks the abovementioned items and additional items from Mr. Hallisey's documentation, then I can assure you that it is a plan that has not been endorsed by, nor has it involved appropriately, the Plymouth Creek represen-, tatives. Finally, your 6/1/92 letter indicates that the Plymouth Creek Board of Directors may not have been interested in continuing negotiations with you, given Mr. Hallisey's recommendation to this effect at the May, 1992 Board meeting. Again, this is completely untrue and unfounded. By a review of your efforts as of late, it is"quite apparent that you, not Plymouth Creek, are unwilling to negotiate on this issue. In your urgency to get a parking lot built, you have completely ignored the process directed by Mayor Bergman last October, and have adversarially bypassed the Plymouth Creek committee and homeowners on this issue. We remain committed to working together to resolve the parking situation; however, we cannot have our efforts represented to the City of Plymouth under the false scenario's which you have presented. We respectfully request that if you cannot or will not work with us on a collaborative basis, that you identify someone else from your organization with whom we could work. If you desire to discuss this letter and/or respond, you can contact me directly at 4061 Quantico Lane, Plymouth, 55447 or at 559-0087. 'ncerely, y c B i Sieverdin ' `r JUL 0 P- 192 L OUTH CREEK BOARD OF DIREC 0 _.j.- ('a c --- B. Ruhberg Pages cc: Jplymouth City Council Plymouth Planning Commission Plymouth Creek Board of Directors Chuck Dillerud, Plymouth Community Development Director Katherine McCarthy, Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. - Chicago Lisa Moe, Steven Scott Management, Inc. Pat Hallisey, Chair, Plymouth Creek/Vicksberg Village Committee f.� :: JUL (:2,99 QX -41 -el Z. JUL Z-I*ae- City of Mdpl e rove 9401 Fernbrook Lane, Maple Grove, Minnesota 55369-9790 612-420-4000 June 25, 1992 J 1 .mow{ Mayor Kim Bergman ; VZA' City of Plymouth j 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 ;, �'%'�• xt Dear Kim: Thank you so much, for hosting our joint meeting this week. I feel it is so important that we meet and share ideas and get to know each other. It was a most interesting and enlightening meeting. Please thank your Council members and fine staff for the warm hospitality they gave us. Sincerely yours, James P. Deane Mayor JE: CT cc: City Council "Serving Today, Shaping Tomorrow" AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER James Deane David Burtness Daniel Ganter Donald J. Ramstad Mayor Councilmember A Councilmember Councilmember A Printed on Reeveled Paper w,,M JUL U2t LeAnn Sargent Councilmember i v June 26, 1992 TO: Plymouth City Council p FROM: Greg Bohnert pl� a-� A sincere thank you for listening and supporting the interest of Plymouth, its citizens and especially those of us on the south side of the Adult Correction Facility. While the political process is very difficult, time consuming, and frustrating, and while we could still be "blessed" with more surprises by Hennepin County and the Adult Corrections Facility, we were very pleased with your support and the decision reached. THANK YOU!! (J'IN JUL 0 2'92