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Home My WebLink AboutCouncil Information Memorandum 04-16-1999APRIL 16, 1999 1. COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE.- NOTE: CHEDULE:NOTE: Ward 1 Councilmember Tim Bildsoe meets with residents and receives their comments in the Administration Library, beginning at 6:00 PM before each Regular Council meeting. TUESDAY, APRIL 20, 7: 00 PM TUESDAY, APRIL 27, 7: 00 PM TUESDAY, MAY 4, 7: 00 PM 2. MONDAY, APRIL 26, 7: 00 PM 3. 4. S. WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 7: 00 PM WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 7: 00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers BOARD OF REVIEW, Council Chambers REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers YO UTH A D VISOR Y COUNCIL, Medicine Lake Room PACT, Hadley Lake Room PLANNING COMMISSION, Council Chambers April, May, and June calendars are attached. (M -S) 1. NEWS ARTICLES, RELEASES, PUBLICATIONS, ETC. a) City news release regarding the visit of a National Guard helicopter to DARE students in Plymouth. (I -]a) b) TwinWest memo regarding the resignation of Sterling Patterson. (I -1b) CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO Page 2 APRIL 16, 1999 c) Star Tribune news story about the Ventura appointments to the Metropolitan Council. (I -1c) d) Invitation to groundbreaking ceremonies for a Carlson Companies company -wide daycare facility, Thursday, April 22, 11:00 AM, 1405 Xenium Lane. (I -1d) 2. COMMISSION ITEMS a) Article approved by the Plymouth Human Rights Commission to be sent to the Sun Sailor for submission as a guest article. (1--2a) 3. STAFFREPORTS a) Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility March population report. (I --3a) b) Statistical Data from the Third Annual Plymouth Commute West Job Fair. (I -3b) 4. MINUTES a) I-494 Corridor Commission/JPO February 10 meeting. (I --4a) b) Plymouth Advisory Council on Transit March 24 meeting. (I -4b) c) Public Safety Advisory Board February 18 meeting. (I -4c) S. CORRESPONDENCE a) Letter from Plymouth resident Troy Taffe to the Council regarding curfew laws in Plymouth. Attached is the Mayor's response. The letters have been forwarded to the Public Safety Department for inclusion in the forthcoming staff report on curfew. (I --5a) b) Thank—you from Park Center Senior High School Human Relations Committee Representative Sue Mingo for the April 7 Plymouth Human Rights Commission regional conference. (I -5b) 6. COUNCIL ITEMS a) At Council's request, we have provided a list of Plymouth advisory boards, community and human service organizations. It is by no means a complete list and any corrections, changes, or omissions can be given to Kurt, 509-5054. (I --6a) 7. LEGISLATIVE REPORTS a) Suburban Transit Association update on transit related legislative (I -7a) b) Municipal Legislative Commission position paper submitted to the House members of the MLC Legislative Delegation. (I -7b) c) Association of Metropolitan Municipalities (AMM) FAX News. (I-70 d) League of Minnesota Cities Friday FAX. (I -7d) OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS April 1999 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 Mar 1999 May 1999 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S First Day of Passover Good Friday 1 2 3 4 S 6 1 7 It 910 11 12 13 2 3 4 S 6 7 8 14 15 16 17 IB 19 20 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 28 29 30 31 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Daylight Savings—set 7:00 PM CITY COUNCIL 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL 7:00 PM PRAC - Council ahead 1 hour MEETING -Council QUALITY Chambers Chambers Lake Ro� Easter 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 7:00 PM YOUTH 7:00 PM SPECIAL 7:00 PM HUMAN RIGHTS 7:00 PM HRA - Medicine ADVISORY COUNCIL, COUNCIL MEETING, COMMISSION - Medicine Lake Room Medicine Lake Room Public Safety Training Lake Room Room 7:00 PM PLANNING 7:00 PM PUBLIC COMMISSION. Council SAFETY ADVISORY Chamboo BOARD, Bass Lake Room 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 7:00 PM CITY COUNCIL MEETING - Council Chambers 25 26 27 28 29 30 7:00 PM YOUTH 7:00 PM BOARD OF 7:00 PM PAC( - Hadky Lake ADVISORY COUNCIL, REVIEW, Council Rp Medicine Lake Room Chambers 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION. Council Chamber Modified on 4/16/1999 OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS May 1999 v— i W.A—Aw I Th,. -d.. I P id.v I C.turd. Apr 1999 Jun 1999 S M T W T F S S M T W T F S 12 3 1 2 3 4 5 4 S 6 7 8 9 10 6 7 8 9'oII 12 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 13 14 11 16 I7 IB 19 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 25 26 27 28 29 30 27 28 29 30 OFFICIAL CITY MEETINGS June 1999 Sunday Monday Taesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 2 3 4 5 7:00 PM CITY COUNCIL 7:00 PM ENVIRONMENTAL 7:00 PM HUMAN MEETING - Council Chambers QUALITY COMMITTEE, Medicine Lake Roam RIGHTS COMMISSION - Medicine Lake Room 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 7:00 PM YOUTH 7:00 PM PLANNING 7:00 PM PRAC - Council ADVISORY COUNCIL, Medicine Lake Room COMMISSION, Cmucil cnanben Chambers 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 Flag Day 7:00 PM CITY COUNCIL 2:00 PM COUNCIL TOUR 7:00 PM HRA - Medicine MEETING - Council OF COMMON BOND Lake Room Chambers HOUSING PROJECT 7:00 PM PUBLIC SAFETY ADVISORY BOARD, Public Safety Training Roan 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Father's Day 7:00 PM YOUTH 7:00 PM PACT - Haft Lake ADVISORY COUNCIL, Room Medicine Lake Room Summer begins 7:00 PM PLANNING COMMISSION, Cmncil Chambers 27 28 29 30 May 1999 Jul 1999 5:30 PM MUSIC IN PLYMOUTH, Plymouth Amphitheater S M T W T F S S M T W T F S II 2 3 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 910 11 12 13 14 11 11 12 13 14 11 16 17 16 17 IS 19 20 21 22 IS 19 20 21 22 23 24 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 30 31 Modified on 4/16/1999 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 9, 1999 CONTACT: Susan Gottwald 612-509-5148 Minnesota National Guard Helicopter Visits Plymouth DARE Students Fifth grade DARE students from four Plymouth elementary schools enjoyed a special visitfrom the Minnesota National Guard Drug Demand Reduction team on April 8. The visit was a prelude to national Drug Resistance Education (DARE) Day on April 9. The Minnesota Army National Guard landed a "Huey" helicopter at Gleason Lake, Zachary Lane and Kimberly Lane Elementary Schools. Fifth grade DARE students from Oakwood Elementary School traveled to Gleason Lake School to join in the event. At the request of the Plymouth DARE Officers, the National Guard's Drug Demand Reduction Program flew the 11 -passenger UH -1H helicopter to the school to reinforce the drug-free life style taught by Plymouth's DARE. The crew discussed the helicopter, survival equipment and remaining drug and violence free. Students toured the helicopter after the presentation. Daren the Lion, the official DARE mascot, also was on -hand for the event as were the Plymouth Police Department's four DARE Officers. Plymouth DARE officers are Officer Susan Gottwald, Investigator Craig Lindman, Officer Greg Oly and Officer Scott Streachek. The Drug Demand Reduction Program offers drug-free role models and flies daily to Minnesota schools. The event was planned by DARE Officers to recognize Plymouth DARE students for their efforts in resisting pressures to become involved in violence and drug abuse. DARE is taught in nine elementary schools in Plymouth. DARE is a collaboration of DARE -certified law enforcement officers, educators, students, parents and the community. The 17 -week curriculum helps students recognize and resist pressures that influence them to engage in violence and experiment with alcohol, tobacco, inhalants and other drugs. The strategies focus on enhancing communication skills, self-esteem, decision-making, conflict resolution skills and positive alternative activities. -30- PLYMOUTH A BeautifufPface To Give 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 - TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 Op" .^°"'°^w www.d.plymouth.mn.us 04/08/99 09:46 To:Ms. Joy Tierney Frow Sterling TWI NNA~ I=—ST CHAMBER-* OF COMMERCE Memorandum To: TwinWest Board Members Foundation Board Members Committee Chairs and Chamber Leadership From: Kaye Rakow Date: April 7, 1999 It is with mixed emotions that I recently accepted Sterling Patterson's resignation. Sterling has accepted an offer of employment with General Mills, Inc. (which is a valuable Chamber member company) in their Promotions Department. Page 1/1 For more than three years, Sterling has been an invaluable employee as first the Director of Community Affairs and most recently as our Executive Vice President. While at TwinWest she has helped to establish and enhance our local business councils, streamline internal operations, strengthen our business education partnerships and continually demonstrate her professional leadership with staff and volunteers alike. I am proud to see Sterling take on this dynamic challenge. All of us will miss her, and we do wish her all the best! Sterling's last day will be April 20, 1999. EXTRA CLEANING xay POWER? Published Thursday, April 15, 1999mT r6 1 0 7 Ventura names a new Met Council David Peterson and Dan Wascoe Jr. / Star Tribune startr6m.com Metro Gov. Jesse Ventura appointed a new Metropolitan Council on Wednesday and moved it in a whole new direction. His group of 16 contains not a single property developer and is full of people sympathetic to mass transit. Ted Mondale, Ventura's choice as chairman, hailed what he called "a new day" for the metropolitan area, coordinated by a council full of "people who know where we're headed." The Met Council oversees development of the metro area and can influence what direction the area moves in: whether it's denser and more clustered around transit stations, or more spread out and dependent on roads. Rep. Myron Orfield, who is among those who have criticized the number of real estate developers on the council in the past, said the new roster is "a huge improvement." The Minneapolis DFLer counts 12 or 13 votes "solidly behind light rail" among the new members. Karen Christofferson, public policy director for the Builders Association of the Twin Cities, said she's impressed with the diverse group but regrets the absence of builders. "I think that clearly was one of the signals sent, that there wouldn't be any developers," she said. "The council looks pretty well balanced, but I'm sorry there's no one with any direct, in -the -ground experience. You always like to see in a public policy group a few professionals involved, because they have good experience and a body of knowledge. But that was interpreted as a bad, or undesirable, background." Ventura's choices are not a clean sweep of the current council. But by reappointing only three members, he recast the agency more than at any time since it was established in 1967. The new council includes 10 men and six women. There are six DFLers, two Reform Party supporters and five who did not specify a party affiliation. The group is more diverse ethnically and racially than Ventura's Cabinet. Two new members are black, one has a Hispanic background and one is Asian. Like Ventura, former mayor of Brooklyn Park, several appointees have experience in municipal government. The group also includes a landscape architect, an urban designer, a probation officer, a farmer, a real estate broker, a small-business owner, a marketing expert and a mediator. With a group this diverse, Mondale joked after Wednesday's news conference, the mediator "might be needed." Many new appointees have backgrounds working with transit issues. Among them: Natalie Hass Steffen has worked actively on commuter rail in Anoka County. Former State Rep. Carolyn Rodriguez of Apple Valley is credited with engineering the passage of legislation allowing suburbs to opt out of the metro -wide transit system. Todd Paulson of Brooklyn Center is a former chairman of the old Metropolitan Transit Commission, which ran the bus system until the Met Council took over. Former State Sen. Phil Riveness of Bloomington is an ex -bus driver who emphasized transportation issues as a legislator. New appointee Matthew Ramadan represents north Minneapolis and said he wants to make sure that an expensive rail system gets people from home to work, including from cities to suburbs -- rather than between downtown Minneapolis and the Mall of America. Aware of rail -system financial deficits in other cities, he also said he will seek a "long -tern commitment" to pay for rail here. Curt Johnson, former Met Council chairman, said he was surprised that Ventura didn't retain more members with development experience. He said he's "amused or appalled" by the criticism that developers had too much influence. r ` _L i "Developers are a treasure trove of sophisticated information about the way the system works," he said. Carol Kummer, Minneapolis, one of the three members who were reappointed, said the council might want to continue to tap that expertise through its various advisory committees. The other incumbents retained were Mary Smith, Orono, and Julius Smith, Chaska. The 16 members were winnowed from 193 applicants by a committee headed by Eden Prairie Mayor Jean Harris. She said that after several public hearings the panel ranked finalists for Ventura's consideration. The governor's office then submitted the names to legislators representing areas covered by Met Council districts. Their feedback changed the order of the final rankings, she said, adding that some legislators called to thank Ventura for seeking their opinions. Mondale said the governor spent much of last weekend studying thick files of background information on the recommended candidates. The council, which began as a planning agency for shaping growth in the seven -county Twin Cities area, has been assigned other major responsibilities, including running most public bus service and handing sewage treatment. Its 1999 operating budget is $447 million, of which $122.8 million comes from property taxes. The rest comes from bus fares, sewer charges and state and federal grants. The agency employs 3,684 people. The council's authority includes the seven counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott and startrbune.cotn Washington. Met Council members get paid $20,000 a year for their part-time work. lamNe O Copyright 1999 star Tribune. AN rights reserved. y� !'lrR iJ JJ i i JJI"N 1 \r,"utLJV� 1 \..VI M I'1111 LJ G71G •y'17 GG17 tore ore' Core att' ` batt. $aby stroi � l rf are free fo spec. al od 9ves fs and fV h sir pr;;ef Carlson Companies and Children's Home Society of Minnesota invite you to the groundbreaking for: CarlsorCompay%;es • Cott are .. ..0 Center Please join us as we take the first step together in creating a company -wide child care program. It's an event to bring out the kid in all of us! Date: Thursday, April 22, 1999 Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Location: Carlson Marketing Group (1405 Xenium Lane. Plymouth) parking lot; on the west end of the building With questions or to get directions call or e-mail Marilyn Ueb at 612-212-5455, mlieb®carlson.com 4 Y i s �t s i .i 1 . tore ore' Core att' ` batt. $aby stroi � l rf are free fo spec. al od 9ves fs and fV h sir pr;;ef Carlson Companies and Children's Home Society of Minnesota invite you to the groundbreaking for: CarlsorCompay%;es • Cott are .. ..0 Center Please join us as we take the first step together in creating a company -wide child care program. It's an event to bring out the kid in all of us! Date: Thursday, April 22, 1999 Time: 11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Location: Carlson Marketing Group (1405 Xenium Lane. Plymouth) parking lot; on the west end of the building With questions or to get directions call or e-mail Marilyn Ueb at 612-212-5455, mlieb®carlson.com 4 Y �-- �,E)) Plymouth: A Neighborhood and CommunityforAll Plymouth wasn't always considered part of the metropolitan area. In days past, Plymouth was quite separate from Minneapolis. In fact, it was a vacation destination. People from Minneapolis traveled to Medicine Lake in Plymouth to get away from the hustle and bustle of the City. They came to Plymouth to slow down and relax. Remnants of this previous life can still be seen as one tours the area. Many of the cabins around Medicine Lake that families once used as a refuge from urban life have been renovated from seasonal into permanent residences. Over the years, Plymouth has experienced tremendous growth. In 1960, Plymouth had a population of fewer than 10,000 people. By 1980, that number had more than tripled to almost 32,000. Today, Plymouth has about 62,000 residents. In addition to population growth, evidence of Plymouth's growth can be seen by the fact that our city, which once had a single zip code, now has four zip codes assigned to it. Today Plymouth is home to people of different socio—economic and cultural backgrounds. It is also a place that more than 40,000 people come to work. Of course, many still come just to play and relax. Our parks, trails, festivals, lakes, wildlife, restaurants and stores draw people. Plymouth may have changed over the years, but one thing does not change. The doors to Plymouth are wide open to all. We are a community of more than 60,000 people and each of us can make our community stronger. It's important that we make everyone welcome. As someone passes by, you can smile and wave. The welcoming spirit of Plymouth is in us all. Showing this spirit to all is one way to show that Plymouth is truly a neighborhood and community for all. by Claudelle Carruthers, Ph.D. Human Rights Commissioner, Plymouth MEMO CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MN 55447 DATE: April 13, 1999 TO: Dwight Johnson, City Manager FROM: AmIfflurlburt, Community Development Director SUBJECT: Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility (HCACF) Population Report Attached is the report that was provided by Hennepin County staff for the month of March, 1999. The average daily population reported for the Plymouth facility in March was 582 including juvenile girls housed in the ACF Women's Section, less than the occupancy limit of 601 set by the Conditional Use Permit. Date: To: From: Subject: memo Recycled Paper April 9, 1999 Board of Hennepin County C Jan I. Smaby, Corrections Di County Correctional Facility - March, 1999 As requested, please find attached the average daily population reports for the Adult Corrections Facility, the Juvenile Detention Center, and the County Home School for the month of March, 1999. JIS/cg CC: Chief Judge Mabley Judge Kevin Burke Judge Pam Alexander Sandra Vargas Anne Hurlbert, City of Plymouth DOCC Management Team State Representative Wes Skoglund Carole Martin Adult Corrections Facility Men's Section March Average Population Average Men's Section Straight Time Total Count 380 Less: Average Absentees* 174) Average Men's Section Sentenced Inside Count 306 Plus: Average non -sentenced residents (Jail Annex, INS) 68 Total -Men's Section --inside Count 374 (highest inside count during month: 413) Men's Section Capacity 395 Less: Average -inside Count (374) Average Available Beds 21 *Home Monitoring, housed in Work Release due to PSWP participation, etc. 1999 Monthly Average Population ACF Men's Section {Capacity - 395) 400 350 ,P 300 -250 f } y N U ❑ Avail Beds R 200- F , ■Not Sentenced a } ■ Sentenced 150 A 4 n > F 100 Rj S 50 0 e ��t• �ep fat PQc `A,kA CP �oJ Oma *Home Monitoring, housed in Work Release due to PSWP participation, etc. Adult Correptions Facility Women's Section March Average Population Average Women's Section Straight Time Total Count 57 Loss. Average Aftentees {home -monitoring, otc.) (16) Average Women's Section Sentenced Inside Count 41 Plus: Average non -sentenced residents (Jail Annex, INS) 0 Total Women'kSoction inside Count 41 (highest inside c9untt during month: 51) Total Women's Section Capacity 58 Less: Module reserved for use by JDC Girls Annex (16) Net Capacity available for Adult Women 42 Less: Average Inside Count (41) Average Available Beds 1 1999 Monthly Average -Population ACF Women's -Section (Net Capacity = 42) 60 r. 50 /� v 0 �� 4 '+`a r< ,.x r ,: pes PF Y �Y s �, Y Ste, P. t D Avail. Beds �� '�' �(� � .,�.2.�",n,T•��" �' �Z wsa"r �.^ Y o �4' � .z � e i' - ,A f yl '� "-�`�Y� 30 ® Sentenced ��r`�W��+,Jf�l��x'fi� yy.3wRsr T�'y✓ �x ` �.�.. ��.ew ■ JDC Gh is' Annex {! .v •a+rx`}��Ur�£'`�+"'"y.�s,.�t �`° ""d'� +kE"� �'r'" .i '��'t Y t � �_ d$-. 10 o -ta a rhni°tr.;, 16 -bed module reserved for JDC girls 0 �e�p a� PQ,�,J t �� • V�e J� PJo� Q 0� moo, Ona �<7 Adult Corre0ions Facility Work Release March Average Population Average Work Atelemw-Total 26-1 Less: Average Absentees (home monitoring, etc.) (128) Average Work Release Inside Count 132 Plus: Average Straight Time Residents (Porters, PSWP) 24 Total Work Release Inside Count 156 (highest inside cowl during month: 168) Work Release CApacity 172 Less: Average inside Count -156 Average Available Beds 16 180 160 140 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 �a* �C°V 0& QQ& 4P VJc �J` to 50 0& °J Oe0 1999 Monthly Average Population ACF Work Release _(Capacity =172) ❑ Avail. Beds ® Inside Count Juvenile Detention Center March Average Population Average Total Detained Population 154 Housed outsid+ejofJ G: Home Detention/Post Disposition Home Detention 48 ACF Girls Annex 10 CHS Secure Unit 5 Other (Wabasha, Wilson Center, Dakota Co., etc.) 18 Average Total -Housed -Outside oT JDC $1 Average Inside Count: 73 (highest inside count during month: 86) JDC Capacity 87 Less: Average Inside Count -73 Average Available Beds 14 90 80 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 �� e�o �a� PQM �� J� �J` PJB ed ooti 4P 4b 1999 Monthly Average Population Juvenile Detention Center (Capacity = 87) O AvaiL Beds M Inside Count County Home School March Average Population (highest inside count during month: 141) 1999 Monthly Average Population County Home School (Capacity =166) 160 140 120 100 �� 0 Avail. Beds � k�.7,�� ¢��e3 z��s ar,f�iY 8O ■ Reserved Beds �^�.��xfi x✓�Y�aa� °cz ,� ahr a�� s'f ii`� p '' ,.�s}y 60 �;��zt�j, �, , ®Average Count 40 20 r AJ J h ��Qe� �`�, PQ. A�Jo �� QJ�SeQ Oo*-,soJ poG In cottages which-havebne ormomTesidents-on furlough status; -one -bed is-Teserved, in the event that the resident is returned to CHS. Average Reserved Available Program Capacity Population _Beds" _Beds Cottage 1 24 16 0 8 Short Term Juvenile Males Cottage 2 22 17 1 4 Juvenile Female Offenders Cottage 3 24 21 0 3 Juvenile Sex Offenders Cottage 4 24 17 1 6 Adolescent Male Offenders Age 13-15 Cottage 5 24 19 1 4 Adolescent Male Offenders Age 15-17 Cottage 6 24 22 1 1 Adolescent Male Offenders Age 1547 Cottage 7 24 24 0 0 Adolescent Male Offenders Age 1749 Total 166 136 4 26 (highest inside count during month: 141) 1999 Monthly Average Population County Home School (Capacity =166) 160 140 120 100 �� 0 Avail. Beds � k�.7,�� ¢��e3 z��s ar,f�iY 8O ■ Reserved Beds �^�.��xfi x✓�Y�aa� °cz ,� ahr a�� s'f ii`� p '' ,.�s}y 60 �;��zt�j, �, , ®Average Count 40 20 r AJ J h ��Qe� �`�, PQ. A�Jo �� QJ�SeQ Oo*-,soJ poG In cottages which-havebne ormomTesidents-on furlough status; -one -bed is-Teserved, in the event that the resident is returned to CHS. DATE: April 14, 1999 TO: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager through Fred G. Moore, Director of Public Works FROM: John R. Sweeney, Assistant to Public Works Director SUBJECT: STATISTICAL DATA FROM THE THIRD ANNU LOUTH COMMUTE WEST JOB FAIR ON MARCH 11, 1999 Attached is a report prepared by Shannon Carpentier and New Unity Inc. summarizing highlights of the Third Annual Plymouth Commute West Job Fair. The report goes into great detail and includes the following: • Job Fair summary highlights • Job Fair survey results -applicants entering • Total applicants surveyed • Top locations (by city) that applicant's came from • Summary of job fair questionnaire • Recommendations for future job fair • General conclusions I believe that the report factually summarizes what we already believed, that the job fair was a resounding success. attachment \\PLY NTNWiskl\pw\Engineering\TRANSMMEMOS\1999\Dati JobF&ir.doe 3rd Annual Plymouth Commute West Job Fair Report Prepared by Shannon Carpentier and New Unity, Inc. March 1999 Job Fair Summary Highlights: Total Registered Applicants: 439 • Broad participation from throughout Metro/West Metro area: 125 City of Minneapolis residents attended 54 North and Northeast Minneapolis residents attended (zip codes 55411, 12, 13, 18, 21, 22, & 05) 113 City of Plymouth residents attended • 53 rode the Job Fair bus (108 rides were provided by Metro Transit) • 31 Plymouth and New Hope employers participated I. Job Fair Survey Results — Applicants Entering Total Surveyed Applicants: 409 A. Demouaahic Information: Gender: Male: 212 Female: 184 No answer: 13 Age: Average Age: 33.5 Race: African-American: 138 European -American: 194 Native American: 9 Asian -American: 24 Hispanic/Latino: 9 Other: 3 No answer: 32 TOTAL = 409(100%) Disability: People w/ disabilities: 18 Top City's Applicants Came From: Minneapolis: 125 Plymouth: 113 Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Osseo, Champlin: 42 New Hope: 38 Other Cities identified were: Balsam Lake, Wisconsin; Fairbault; St. Cloud; Lakeville; Elk River; Hamel. B. Job Fair Questionnaire #1). How did you hear about the Job Fair?: Media: Newspapers: 96 (Star Trib46; Employment Wkly/Guid-7; Sun Post/Sailor-15; Plymouth Newsletter -24; Other- 4) TV/News: 14 Radio: 87 (KMOJ- 56; KDWB-11; KS95- 7; The Point 104.1- 6; 950am Solid Gold- 2; WCCO- 2; 91.1- 2; 93x-1) Total Media = 197 Organizational Referrals: PNS Coyle and Unity -Somali Community- 24 MPLS Urban League- 3 HIRED- 9 Loring Nicollet Bethlehem- 4 Jewish Vocational Services- 6 Hmong American Partnership- 2 Workforce Centers- 8 Working Families- 2 Employment Action Center- 3 Pilot City- 1 Unknown Job bank- 2 MRC- 1 Job Counselor- 2 Flyers: Heard by Flyer- 37 Word of Mouth: Heard through Word of Mouth- 38 Total Community Outreach(Organizational Referrals/Flyers/Word of Mouth) =142 Total number of applicants who did not answer the question = 70 #2). What type Job(s) are you seeking?: Clerical/Office: 49 Business/Management/Professional: 30 Marketing/Sales/Customer Service: 52 Industrial/Production/Manufacturing: 57 Warehouse/Janitorial/Shipping/Recv: 34 Computer/Technical: 45 Finance/Accounting: 10 Food/Hospitality/Hotel: 25 *Many respondents said "any job" or put down a shift instead of a position Total = 367 Applicants Responded U #3) How did you get to the Job Fair? Bus - 53 Drove- 308 Rode- 36 Walked- 1 Total = 398 #4) What type of transportation will you use to get to work in Plymouth/New Hope? Bus — 65 Car - 302 Bus/Car -10 Bus/Carpool - 3 Carpool - 6 Other - Total = 394 Car/Carpool- 5 Bus/Car/Carpool- 2 Walk/Bike- I III. Recommendations for Future Job Fairs Community Outreach Strategies: • Increase participation from North Minneapolis agencies (i.e. - PNS/New Unity, Urban League, RMC, GLCC, Phyllis Wheatley, Pilot City, NRRC, Summit Academy, Upper Midwest American Indian Center, Hmong American Partnership. New Unity should continue to host a pre job fair information meeting with Northside agencies at Pilot City. • Continue to distribute flyers extensively throughout target areas • Seek greater involvement from Minnesota Workforce Centers, Hennepin County Century Plaza EA/TEA and targeted agencies Advertisin&Media strategies: • Continue KMOJ radio live remote from the Job Fair • Continue Radio ads • Continue ads in Twin Cities Employment Weekly, Sun Sailor/Post, Plymouth Newsletter and North Minneapolis papers • Continue individualized employment ad/Job Fair announcements in Star Tribune • Continue to pursue TV news coverage (Cable 12 was effective!) Strengthening Employer Recruitment: • Continue to work with the same employers who have attended prior Job Fairs • Target approximately 10 employers who did not attend the prior Job Fairs, who the committee strategically want to attend in the future • Continue the policy that limits the participation of temporary services IV. General Conclusions The Third Annual Plymouth Commute West Job Fair should be considered a great success. The event was well attended (439 applicants registered) and it received excellent public relations. The event attracted a diverse cross-section of job seekers from throughout the region with a higher skill level than previous years. This broad range of applicants' skill levels provided a variety of attractive applicants for employers. Extensive employer and applicant feedback was sought on the day of the event. Overall, the feedback was very positive. However, some higher skilled applicants indicated that they didn't see the number of appropriate opportunities they had hoped for. Greater emphasis could be placed on encouraging employers to recruit for a wider range of opportunities, though future job fairs will likely continue to attract a majority of entry level applicants. I494 Corridor Commission/JPO Meeting Minutes of Wednesday, February 10, 1999 I. Call to Order. The meeting was called to order at 8:42 a.m. by Chair Ross Thorfinnson. Those in attendance were: Ross Thorfmnson, Eden Prairie Lisa Raduenz, LJR Inc. Leah Goldstein, LJR Inc. Mike Opatz, City of Maple Grove Jim Hovland, City of Edina Craig Larsen, City of Edina Dave Lindahl, City of Eden Prairie Alisa Orat, City of Bloomington Bob Byers, Hennepin County Tom Johnson, Hennepin County Curt Gutoske, City of Minnetonka Joy Tierney, City of Plymouth Russ Susag, City of Richfield Kate Garwood, SW Metro Transit Tom Foley, City of Richfield II. Review of Minutes. Minutes from the December 21, 1998 meeting of the I-494 Corridor Commission were reviewed. Motion to approve the meeting minutes was made by Hovland with a second by Tierney. Motion carried unanimously. III. Report on Hennepin County's Transportation Service Plan. Johnson discussed methods used by Hennepin County in developing its Transportation Service Plan. Hennepin County used a land use model, and assigned different levels of trips to different land uses. They surveyed each city on existing and future land use data. This was applied to Traffic Forecasting Methodology. This was done to improve upon the Metropolitan Council's forecasts for county roads. The service plan has ten chapters, including Future Trends and Development Patterns and Multi -Modal Planning. The major focus of the plan is not transit. Hennepin county is a highway oriented agency that assists with bike paths and transit in a partnership role. Hennepin County hopes that this modeling will flag trends to watch over the next twenty years. Johnson reported the Functional Classification Chapter and its implications for community planning for future. A big issue is access management, and the study showed that access and accidents are highly correlated. There are some suggestions for Roadway Jurisdiction transfers resulting from the study. Byers stated that Hennepin County's previous transportation plan had not been updated in twenty five years. This Transportation Service Plan will provide a guideline for future developments. It makes the policy recommendations of coordinating multi -modal planning and emphasis on access management strategies. Tierney asked how can changes be made in existing developments where there is a conflict with the plan and to prevent land -locking a property. Johnson responded that county would like to work with cities on corridor -wide plans that would include access management. Raduenz asked is the county responsible for reviewing plans that don't abut a county road but may impact county traffic. Johnson stated that the county would help with internal roadway processes as well but do not have authority on non -county road. Johnson stated they are interested in using "ghost plats" to determine where future problems may arise and to officially map the corridor. Raduenz asked if there is a conflict when a development does not warrant a traffic signal but wants one. Johnson said that in collaborative efforts between cities, state, and county, the stop light is likely to become a higher priority. Gutoske asked if any sections of 494 pose a problem for the county. Johnson stated that they only looked at the County system. Some of the numbers in the model looked suspicious because the model likes to place as much traffic on highways as possible, making effects on county roads parallel to 494 less likely to show congestion in the model. Byers stated that roadway jurisdiction issues in the Plan have drawn the most comment. One transfer that will impact the Corridor is the reclassification of Hwy. 55 as a minor arterial. Raduenz stated that the 494 Engineer's Subcommittee will address issues of arterial roadway identification, safety, roadway condition, and capacity with the Hennepin County engineers as part of its ongoing work plan. IV. Other Business. Update on Carlson Companies. Gutoske reported that the Carlson Companies are working on a TDM proposal with the City of Minnetonka and the 494 Corridor Commission. The previous TDM plan was more than ten years old. The new one has an open ended condition for cooperation with the Commission, but requires a minimum investment of $5,000 per year in program management and incentive funding. Vanpool Proposal. Raduenz reported that there is money at the Metropolitan Council to implement a vanpool program in the Corridor but there is some concern about the different roles of Metro Commuter Services and the 494 Commission. Raduenz sent a memo to Schallbetter outlining the roles and responsibilities of the different agencies. Newsletter Update. Raduenz reported that the newsletter should be out by next week, but needed to find out which city's bulk mailing permit was used last time. Larson stated that he wasn't sure if it was Edina's permit that was used. Treasurer's Report. Raduenz stated that she was unable to get a report from Minnetonka's financial department due to Bruce DeJong being ill. She provided a report on the 494 expense account and a report on 1999 dues and 1999-2002 CMAQ funding levels. All but three cities have paid the 1999 dues in full according to LJR's report, and the CMAQ funding levels for the next two cycles include $171,850 (with a local match of $43,000) during the 1999-2000 cycle, and $191,687 (with a local match of $49,000) during the 2001-2002 cycle. Minnesota Transportation Alliance. Thorfinnson stated that there is a good chance projects on 494 will be funded in the next two years. Rep. Tom Workman and Senators Carol Molnau and Carol Flynn are more supportive of 494 projects than previously, according to Chair Thorfinnson. The completed EIS will make it easier for 494 to secure funding, he believes. VII. Next Meeting/Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 10:40 a.m. Next meeting of the I-494 Corridor Commission is scheduled for Wednesday, March 3, 1999 from 8:30-10:30 a.m. The meeting will be at the Southwest Metro Transit Hub. I►] v MINUTES PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT March 24, 1999 PRESENT Mike Cagley Councilmember Scott Harstad Representing Metro Transit - Sheri Gingerich Representing Laidlaw Transit Services, Inc. - Jim Baldwin Representing the City of Plymouth - John Sweeney Consultant for Plymouth Metrolink - George Bentley Committee Secretary - Patty Hillstrom I. MEETING MINUTES The minutes of the February 24, 1999 meeting were approved as written. II. RIDERSHIP INFORMATION AND REVIEW OF RIDERSHIP STATISTICS FOR JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 1999 Bentley distributed ridership statistics for the committee members to review and shared the followings comments: Monthly Cost Summaries - The subsidy per passenger numbers are a little higher than usual because of one-time annual expense items. The subsidy number will probably never be down to the regional goal subsidy for Dial -A -Ride but the passenger per hour number for Dial -A -Ride is excellent. Metrolink passengers per hour are excellent and the subsidy for passenger is fair. Route 91 subsidy is a little on the high side, Route 92 is good and Route 93 is moderate. Ridership Graphs - The system ridership numbers are strong and overall are above the best February ever for the system. The Plymouth Flyer ridership numbers are good and Metrolink had the highest ridership ever for February. Passengers Per Day - The graphs show that for both January and February there were the highest passengers per day for any month since the system started. Bentley distributed an analysis of the new Routes 91L and 93L for January and February and stated that the overall goal was a 2% increase in ridership which has already been surpassed. MINUTES - PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT March 24, 1999 Page 2 III. STATUS REPORT ON PLYMOUTH FLYER SERVICE (JIM BALDWM Baldwin reported that he is hoping to see some increase in ridership by providing round trip service to North Memorial Hospital, Courage Center and Methodist Hospital. This added service has now been implemented. A time frame has been added to the reservation system which will include a confirmation on the next business day between the hours of 11:00 a.m. to noon. The Plymouth Flyer will be serving the school district in the later hours of the day. Registration for some new programs has just begun and requests for service are anticipated in the near future. IV. IDENTIFICATION OF AREAS OF CONCERN AND/OR RECOMMENDATIONS Mike Cagley's Comments • Cagley stated that the problem reported at the February 24' meeting regarding the Route 93A has been resolved. The bus is now arriving on time at the Four Season Mall Park and Ride. • Cagley asked if the shuttle buses for the Route 93L are marked because he always has to ask the driver. Baldwin stated that the shuttle buses should be marked on the header sign. • Cagley reported that when the Route 93A (4:35 p.m.) comes ahead of the Route 93S it causes over crowding on the 93A. People tend to take the first bus that comes and are not going to chance the second bus not coming. Cagley asked Gingerich to encourage the driver of the Route 93A to remind people that if they are going to the Four Seasons Mall Park and Ride the Route 93S would be more convenient. Gingerich will check with the drivers of these two routes. • Cagley asked if the discounted value cards have made any impact on ridership numbers. Bentley stated that there has been an increase in total ridership of 3% as a result of Metro Pass. • Cagley asked if the results of the Plymouth Metrolink survey were available. Bentley stated that the results are not completed yet and Gingerich stated that the results of the Metro Transit survey would be available in May. N:\pw\Engineering\TRANSMPACTMINUTES\1999\PACT 3 24.doc v MINUTES - PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT March 24, 1999 `+- Page 3 T Sheri Gingerich's Comments • Gingerich reported that the Plymouth Metrolink buses will all be repainted. It will take about 60 days to get the decals and then one by one all the buses will be repainted. V. REPORT RE: 2ND AND 3RD SHIFT REVERSE COMMUTE SERVICE IMPLEMENTED ON MARCH 15, 1999 Sweeney distributed the schedules for the new 2nd and 3`d shift reverse commute service. Schedules were designed around several employers that had identified their particular shift times. If the federal grant is approved for Access to Jobs there will be an additional reverse commute 2' and 3'd shift service that will be implemented directly from North Minneapolis. VI. 3RD ANNUAL COMMUTE WEST JOB FAIR HELD MARCH 11, 1999 The 3`d Annual Commute West Job Fair was a good success with over 440 applicants and 31 businesses participating in the job fair. Some of the politicians in attendance indicated that they would be putting the job fair on their calendar for next year. A wrap-up meeting with the Steering Committee will be held on Wednesday, March 31. VII. OTHER COMMENTS • Sweeney reported that in April a promotion will be done for the three millionth passenger in the Metrolink system. This promotion will be done at the same time as a promotion being done by Metro Transit for their two billionth passenger. Work is being done on a gift package and also how to pick the three millionth passenger. • Baldwin reported that he spoke with Councilmember Kelly Slavik regarding a bus layover that was creating a safety situation and noise problem. The bus will now be laying over at the Plymouth Fire Station parking lot or by continuing up Dunkirk Lane and straight in behind Rainbow Foods. N:\pw%Engineering%TRANSMPACnMINUTES119991PACr 3 24.doc MINUTES - PLYMOUTH ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT March 24, 1999 Page 4 • Gingerich reported a concern by a passenger that the 6:13 Route 93A was an extra board driver and in fact it was. As of Monday, March 22 a regular driver was placed on that route. Gingerich contacted the passenger informing him that it will be the same driver everyday and the consistency will be back. The next PACT meeting will be held on April 28, 1999 at 7:00 p.m. in the Engineering Conference Room (Hadley Lake Room) on the lower level of the Plymouth City Hall. Respectfully, Patty Hillstrom Committee Secretary N:\pw\Engineering\TRANSI71PACnMINUTES\1999\PACT-3 24.doc 1 City of Plymouth Public Safety Advisory Board Minutes of Meeting February 18, 1999 7:00 p.m. Present at the meeting were members Ed Albro, Dan Freese, Cathy Kaufman, and Police Sgt. Mike Goldstein. Staff members attending were Public Safety Director Craig Gerdes, and recording secretary, Public Safety Tech Svcs Supervisor Barb Cox. Guests Council Member Scott Harstad, Fire Chief Richard Kline, and Fire Operations Officer Gretchen Hurr were in attendance. Members Charlie Honke, Kim Gassner, and Firefighter Chris Dore did not attend. Chair Kaufman called the meeting to order at 7:08 p.m. Chief Gerdes noted he would like to add one item to this evening's agenda, right after the approval of the minutes on City Court. Freese moved approval of the minutes from the January 28, 1999 meeting, seconded by Albro. All voted in favor and the minutes were approved. Chief Gerdes noted he would like to take a couple of minutes to discuss the City Court issue. He distributed a memo to Board members outlining what they have done on this issue to date. He noted that a bill was introduced in the State Senate which would authorize a form of City Court without cities needing to change their charters. He noted that our information is that it is highly unlikely the bill would be approved, which would require Plymouth to change their charter to implement this system. He noted that charter changes take some time to accomplish. Gerdes noted at this time that he is requesting the Advisory Board direct staff to put together a recommendation to the City Council that they will continue to put together information on the program, but that you do fundamentally support the concept of City Court and would recommend the City begin to look at the legal issues involved with the City Charter. Freese moved this direction, Goldstein seconded. All voted in favor and the motion was approved. The next item was the location of the March and April meetings. Cox noted that we have a class using the training room on the scheduled dates for our March and April meetings. She noted that we have instead booked the Bass Lake Room in City Hall for those two meetings. She noted this information will be highlighted on the agenda, but she wanted to give out the information in advance. She noted the Bass Lake Room is on the lower level at City Hall. When you come in their front door you go to the stairway just past the Council Chambers and the room as on the right-hand side at the bottom of the stairs. Kaufman noted we also have a couple of membership issues for this evening. She noted we received a letter from new member Kim Gassner outlining her problems with her schooling courses. Gassner states that she would be unable to attend until after March because of these conflicts and is asking for a waiver from the attendance requirements until then. Kaufman stated she believes that Gassner is sincerely interested in the Advisory Board and would like to give her this opportunity. She asked if anyone else had any input. Freese noted he identifies with her problem. Kaufman noted we also have a member in violation of the attendance policy. Cox added that the adopted policy was that a member could not miss more than two consecutive meetings. She noted that Charlie Honke had missed both the December and January meetings and was sent a letter warning him that this was in violation of the policy and if he missed the next meeting the Advisory Board would be requesting he be replaced. Cox noted she had received no response from Honke. Albro moved that the Advisory Board request the City Council replace Charlie Honke. Seconded by Freese. Kaufman requested a roll call vote on the issue. Albro-yes; Freese -yes; Goldstein -yes; and Kaufman -yes. The motion was adopted and staff will direct a request from the Advisory Board to the City Council requesting a replacement. The next issue on the agenda was the snowmobile ordinance. Cox noted that in doing research we found that we do not need to change the ordinance in order to fix the problems with the approved areas. She noted these were adopted by resolution and so in your packet you received a proposed resolution which would modify the previous resolutions to correct the problems. She noted this would take care of the immediate problem and the group could then take time to look at the overall issue later. Albro moved the Advisory Board forward the resolution to the City Council for approval with our support. Goldstein seconded. All voted in favor and the motion passed. Gerdes noted that we have some information that the State may no longer be supporting the trail along Hwy 55 and we will be pursuing this with the DNR as well. Kaufman noted the next issue on the agenda is a presentation on the Fire Department and she welcomed Fire Chief Kline and Gretchen Hurr to the meeting. Kline started the presentation by doing an overview of the history and organization of the department in Plymouth. He noted the City is divided into three fire districts, each with a station. We currently have 65 firefighters and respond to 1,200 calls for service each year. He noted that Plymouth is a paid -on-call department. Albro asked what other types of departments are in the area. Kline stated in the metro area the vast majority are paid -on-call. He noted the larger cities, Minneapoils, St Paul, Rochester, have full-time departments. The only suburban departments with full-time are St Louis Park and Edina. He noted Mankato has a combined department with some full-time 7 and some paid -on-call. Kline stated we normally compare with cities such as Maple Grove, Minnetonka, Apple Valley and Woodbury. Kline noted the major services of the department are fire suppression, hazardous materials response (joint with Maple Grove), alarm response, technical rescue such as water and ice rescues, and fire prevention education. He noted the vast majority of call are for alarm response with them being approximately 60% of overall calls. Also for information 80 to 90% of the alarm calls are false alarms. The next area presented were the challenges that face the department. First, Plymouth is a growing community. He noted our calls for service are generally on the rise with over 70% of the calls during day hours, which they classify between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. The next challenges listed were diversified fire services delivery system, increase in state and federally mandated training requirements, increase in time commitment for firefighters, developing infrastructure of the City (cul-de-sacs), the demographics (professional white collar commuters, dual career families, higher incomes), the cost of child care, the misnomer "volunteer", and financial compensation. He noted the department has begun several initiatives including; single station dispatching ( eliminate call volume), multiple station dispatch on working fires, Chief officers use of duty vehicles, automatic mutual aid in certain areas of the City with Wayzata, Medicine Lake, and Maple Grove, use of City workers to supplement day response, and the pre-emption equipment. On the issue of recruitment and retention of employees, he noted they are currently paid on a scale between $7.50 and $9.50 per hour, there is a recruiting problem with no set scheduling, but being on call -out. Kline noted they currently have 68 paid -on-call positions. He noted they just had a major recruiting push where they used Cable 12 video, posters at area businesses, a recruitment hotline, a lighted sign on Co Rd 9, the City's web page, the City Newsletter, and the Sun Sailor. He noted that is used to be for every 20 applications only 1 would become a firefighter. He noted that has gotten better and 16 new firefighters have been put on in the last 5 months. Kline noted he would bring up Fire Operations Officer Hurr to explain the Duty Crew as she supervises that program. Hurr noted this is a variation of organizational style of paid -on-call. The firefighters can schedule themselves to blocks of time during the peak call times. She noted the program was started in January of 1998, so they just completed the first year and have made some changes during that time. She noted the crews staff one station with four firefighters. During their shift they respond to calls, do training, maintenance duties, and education duties. The shifts run Monday through Friday with three different shifts available 12 noon to 3 p.m., 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. She noted the 6 to 9 p.m. shift was added in October of 1998. The program has some advantages for the department as well as the firefighters. It ensures predictable staffing levels for fire call response, although currently the morning 3 hours are still a challenge. The program also reduces response time as there are two trucks on the street in less than 1.5 minutes. She noted that Plymouth defines in- service time as the time from when their fire pager goes off until they have a truck on the street. She noted the one time they cannot control is the time between the fire starting and the time the fire is reported. Hurr showed some response charts. The first showed a comparison between 1997 and 1998 for response between 1200 and 1800 hours Monday through Friday. The response went from an average of 4 to 5.7 minutes in 1997 to an average response of 1.1 to 1.9 minutes in 1998 under the Duty Crew program. She also showed a chart to compare the 1200 to 2100 hours for October, November, and December with an average response of 4.8 to 6.2 minutes in 1997 decrease to 1.1 to 1.6 minutes under the Duty Crew program in 1998. Hurr indicated the Total Response Time then includes the response from the time of the call until the first truck arrives on the scene. She indicated that during their shifts the crews respond to routine and emergency calls. The advantages to the firefighters of the program include the predictable work schedule, and the reduction of committed time (unless the individual firefighter chooses to participate more heavily). She noted their time in the program is about %2 firefighting duties, % administrative duties, and the rest is mixed. Albro asked if the fire stations have beds in them. Hurr noted that they do. Albro asked if they are ever used. Hurr noted they are occasionally. Albro asked why the stations were built that way if we were not going to staff them with full-time firefighters. Hurr noted that we do staff the stations during severe weather situations or heavy response times and the beds are used then. Kaufman asked when a fire page goes out, how long do you wait for people to respond before you just head to the call. Hurr noted that we have a current requirement that they live or work within five minutes travel time. Albro asked if we track how often they show and their response time. Hurr noted the department does track their percentage of response every month. She noted they are required to make 50% of the calls during their available time out of their district. Albro asked if they track the individual response time. Hurr noted they do, but on an informal basis. Albro asked if they got to the station or directly to the fire. Hurr stated they respond to the station, with the exception of the officers who have the option. She noted this is because we need to get the trucks and equipment there from the station. Harstad asked if they roll out on false alarms. Hurr noted that they do respond. She stated that sometimes they cancel if they can confirm by phone it is false, but often they still respond to ensure there is no problem. Goldstein added that sometimes the police department or fire officers arrive and can let them know it is false as well. 4 Chief Kline recapped that the Duty Crew program operates Monday through Friday for nine hours a day. Kline noted the next project they are working on is Benchmarking. He noted this would compare to other cities. They first need to identify collective norms and averages, and they are collecting performance data from other departments. He noted they are continually setting goals, attempting to be innovative and assessing and revising their mission statement. They attempt to keep addressing future challenges with staffing and keeping up with development. He noted some of the staffing issues. They plan to continue using the duty crew, they are working on the use of city workers, primarily fire inspectors for daytime response, additional part-time staff, focus on day response (he noted 4 or 5 out of the 16 new firefighters are daytime responders), and the addition of full-time staff. Albro asked if the percentage of false alarms is consistent through the day, or if there is a time of day when there is more often a real fire. Kline noted that the majority of their calls are during the 12 noon to 6 p.m. period. Overall, very few of their calls are actual working fires. Kline then went over the option of a joint fire station. He indicated that we have an option for a station #4 and are exploring options with Maple Grove. He stated this would involved sharing the facility, the personnel, and the equipment. He indicated the response time, training and money savings would be a benefit. Kline indicated that he noted in previous minutes it was stated that the locations of our current stations are horrible. He indicated he is not so sure of that. He stated that moving the stations would not guarantee help with recruitment efforts. He indicated the locations are not the greatest, but not the worst either. He indicated a requirement for residential sprinklers would be of the greatest benefit to them. He gave a brief overview of fires and flashover and indicated he has a short 7 minute video on this issue for the group's information. Kline indicated they are always planning for the future and he could see a benefit to the proposed study on cost benefit analysis. Harstad asked if we could get full-time firefighters to work for $7.50 an hour. Kline stated they have unions which would strongly discourage that. Harstad asked if the department experiences problems with summer vacations, weekends, and holidays with individuals having other plans. Kline indicated this was indeed a problem. Harstad stated he was wondering about the impact of the fireworks law getting passed on the 41 of July holiday. Kline indicated that if the law should pass we would probably staff the stations for response. 5 Harstad asked if the department responds to car accident scenes. Kline noted it depends on the call, if the person is pinned the dispatcher will automatically notify the fire department, otherwise the police officers would have to request them to respond. Harstad asked about the Medicine Lake Fire Department. He indicated he is surprised they are still staffing this and having out -sourced to Plymouth. There was then discussion on the possible locations for Plymouth Station 4 or a Plymouth/Maple Grove joint station. Kline indicated they are looking in the Co Rd 47 and Vicksburg area as this would give them major thoroughfares for response. Gerdes noted there is some roadwork under development. He noted the completion of Schmidt Lake Road will help with travel. Also, there is a proposal to the City Council for an extension of Fernbrook up to Co Rd 47. Gerdes indicated he wanted to make clear to this group that the Council received this fire presentation in November and has not made any directions to the Advisory Board regarding the Fire Department. Kaufman asked if the Advisory Board couldn't present an opinion on the issue since we were approached by a citizen with concerns. Gerdes indicated the Board could, but need to understand that the Council is already working on Fire Department issues. Gerdes noted that much credit should be given to Chief Kline for the evolution of the fire department in the six years they have been under his direction. He also stated he wanted to make sure the Board understood that there have been three major fires presented to the City Council and in all three cases there were delayed alarms. He noted in these instances, there is not much the fire department can do to save the property, but just keeps it under control and from spreading to further homes. Chief Kline indicated we are at the last section of the presentation. He distributed handouts on fires and flashovers for the group's information. He noted we had 25 working fires in 1998. The vast majority were under control quickly with limited loss. He indicated it is important to keep the dynamics of fire in mind and showed the video. Harstad asked on the staffing issue if we have a period ahead where we see a lot of retirements or something that could cause a crisis period for number of firefighters. Kline indicated we consistently lose three to four a year. He noted they become vested at ten years and most either leave after that or stay on for the full twenty. This gives them consistent turnover of three to four each year. Harstad asked if we have the new fire station, how many more firefighters would be needed to staff it. Kline indicated if it is a stand alone Plymouth station at least twenty would be needed. If it were shared with Maple Grove, we would each need ten. Harstad stated in terms of development he thought Maple Grove's needs for the station were more pressing than ours. Kline indicated they propose a station by 2003. 0 Plymouth is very interested at this time as there would be a need to purchase land for affordable housing nearby for firefighters as well, so this is one of the options being considered at this time. Harstad asked if the availability of City water is a concern. Kline indicated if we go with Maple Grove, they have brought water down within a half mile of the site already which we could tap into. Harstad asked if a joint venture would be two buildings with one in each community. Kline stated no, it would be one shared facility essentially doing away with the geographic barrier. He noted there are not a lot of others out there to model the project after. He noted part of the reason they are considering a joint venture is if there is one on each side they will only be a mile and a half apart. Kline stated it is important to get the station before development occurs to get the base for response. Harstad asked if we have found the Opticom (pre-emption) system enhances response time. Kline stated yes, it has made a remarkable difference. Kaufman stated it has been fascinating to learn about the duty crew, and the fact that 70% of the calls occur during the day. She indicated she is not comfortable with not having all four stations staffed with either duty crew or full-time staff. She indicated the citizen had a complaint in this regard. Goldstein noted it was that the fire was right by station 2 and the crew had to come from station 1. Kline indicated that we are delighted with the duty crew and see it as a win/win for the department and the firefighters. He added that you don't staff for catastrophic events, but staff for the vast majority of calls. He noted the point is well taken and as the mission changes we will look at and shoot for five minute response and alternative methods for supplementing paid -on-call people and look at the cost benefit. Gerdes added this is a difficult balancing act. He noted we could staff four stations, 24 - hours a day and still lose houses. He noted you staff and manage for fires you can put out. Kaufman added that she believes if people in Plymouth knew the costs they would pay for it. She stated she believes most are not aware we don't already have a full-time department. Harstad noted the priorities need to be people #1 and property #2. He noted we spend a lot of time on prevention and education and the priority needs to be getting people out. You can always build a new house. He noted it is hard to cost justify saving the property. Freese indicated the prospect of a joint venture with Maple Grove brings concerns. He stated he would be concerned they are more developed and there would be more fires in Maple Grove. He asked if Maple Grove responds to medicals? Kline and Goldstein stated they do not. Freese indicated another concern is that we have one heavily traveled corridor and Maple Grove has 3 and that would mean more possibilities for hazardous calls. He asked if we would then need to purchase more hazmat equipment. Kline indicated we would not. He stated the hazmat unit is already a joint unit with 7 Plymouth and Maple Grove. He noted they have supplies and people and the call volume for them is very low, but both respond already. Goldstein stated this is a very thought provoking issue. He noted he has been a resident since 1977 and a lot of his neighbors think the fire department is a staffed full- time department. He noted we need to consider whether it adds any benefit. He stated he sees an expansion of some sort. He noted he is also concerned about a loss of the core group of duty crew people. He stated he would encourage continued brainstorming and looking at other alternatives. He added the possibility of running two duty crews at once. Harstad asked if there is much residential construction with sprinkler systems. Kline indicated there is not much in the area of single family homes. Freese moved to adjourn, motion seconded by Goldstein. The meeting was adjourned. 0 M City Council Plymouth City Hall 3400 Plymouth Blvd Plymouth, MN 55447 Troy Taffe 5350 Dunkirk Ln N Plymouth, MN 55446 4-4-99 Dear City Council, This letter is concerning the teenage curfew laws for Plymouth. Recently I read an article in a local newspaper, about our curfew. There was a group that was pushing for a later curfew for seventeen year-olds. This impacts me directly because I will be turning seventeen within a month. This group felt that 1:00am should be the curfew for us, for many reasons. I totally support this because I have been out past midnight on several occasions, because of work, sports, or other activities. Many teens who work late are often still working past midnight, and have to drive home after their legal curfew. Now if they were to be pulled over for any reason, the officer could ticket them on curfew violation and they or their parents would be fined. This causes some problems for working teens who would like to work late to make a few extra bucks. Seventeen year-olds should also be allowed a little more freedom because in another year, they are legally adults and have no curfew at all. Being able to stay out until 1:00 allows them to go out to dinner, go to a late movie, and still be in no rush to get home on time before curfew. Sincerely, Troy rTaf7?r Y 0 CITY )COF PLYMOUTF+ April 13, 1999 Troy Taffe 5350 Dunkirk Lane North Plymouth, MN 55446 Dear Troy: Thank you for your recent letter regarding the curfew laws in the City of Plymouth. This issue was initiated by the Plymouth Youth Advisory Council and is now under consideration by the Public Safety Advisory Board. The City Council will consider public input along with the recommendations from both of these advisory groups during their deliberations on the matter. Your letter has been included in the public record and will be considered during the Council's future consideration of the curfew laws. I appreciate you taking the time to provide the City Council with your views on the curfew ordinance. Sincerely, Joycelyn H. Tierney Mayor PLYMOUTH A BeautiJUIP(ace To Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 --✓- .. ,. 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To refresh your memory, in 1995, a law was passed to grant a 15 percent tax break to new C-1 structures (excluding retail and lodging) built in areas classified as transit zones. Transit zones are defined in statute and require specific regularity of public transit service. During the 1998 session, the STA supported legislation that would include a combination of transit routes in the definition of a transit zone, thereby allowing replacement transit communities to take advantage of the transit zone tax breaks. At the time, Senator Dave Knutson (R -Burnsville) and Representative Dan McElroy (R -Burnsville) served as chief authors of this legislation. House File 2240, authored by Representative Ron Abrams (R -Minnetonka), would eliminate tax breaks for newly built transit zone C-1 structures unless grandfathered. Structures eligible for the grandfather clause are those that are currently in some phase of development or planned development. (Co-authors are: Representatives Mark Buesgens, Ron Erhardt, Dan McElroy, Bob Milbert and Steve Sviggum.) As replacement transit communities have only become eligible to take advantage of this law in 1999, there has not yet been the opportunity for developers to take advantage of these tax breaks. Therefore, there are no structures in replacement transit communities eligible for the grandfathered exceptions. At a Property Tax and Tax Increment Finance Division hearing on March 29, Tom Poul (from Messerli & Kramer) testified in opposition to this legislation on behalf of the STA. He explained to the Division that replacement transit communities had only recently become eligible to take advantage of the transit zone law and would like the opportunity to prove this law could work to the benefit of transit users and providers. Additionally, Mr. Poul told the Division that the benefits available to developers of C-1 property in replacement transit zones are more limited than those available to other transit zone areas. (Unlike regular transit zone benefits, which are available to structures within one-fourth of a mile and do not sunset, replacement transit zones are only one-eighth of a mile and the tax benefits end after ten years.) The STA Legislative Report is prepared by Tom Poul and JenniferPeterson Messerli & Kramer P.A., 145 UniversityAvenue West, Suite 450, St Paul, MN 55103 Telephone (651) 228-9757 Fax (651) 228-9787 1_i._-4 8 Messerli & Kramer has been working with the supporters of this legislation (primarily business owners and downtown Minneapolis land owners) to have an amendment added that would grandfather any property built within replacement transit zones, but it has been difficult to find an author. Furthermore, Representative Abrams is resistant to accept an amendment that would allow any community to utilize a tax break he considers to be terrible public policy. In support of his position, Representative Abrams has enlisted the services of Dr. George Karvel, Distinguished Chair in Real Estate at the St. Thomas University Graduate School of Business. Dr. Karvel explained to the Division that this legislation has been destructive to the downtown Minneapolis real estate market and will lead to a drop in property value due to an inability to find renters for older buildings that do not receive the tax break. He prepared a report for the Division that contains a variety of information on this issue. If you would like a copy of this report, call Jennifer Peterson at 651/228-9757 or send a request by e-mail tojpeterson@mandklaw.com. Prospects for this legislation in the House are quite good. Support seems fairly bi- partisan and Representative Abrams has stated plainly that he intends to incorporate this legislation into the Omnibus Tax Bill. In the Senate, Senate File 2157 has been introduced with Senator John Hottinger (DFL - Mankato) serving as Chief Author. (Co-authors are: Senators Bill Belanger, Doug Johnson, Sandy Pappas and Jim Vickerman.) Senator Carol Flynn (DFL -Minneapolis), one of transit's strongest advocates in the legislature, has indicated her opposition. However, it is still unclear how much Senate support there is for this bill and what its chances are of being incorporated into the Senate's tax bill. No Senate hearings have been held, but the STA will likely testify in opposition when and if one should arise. TAX EXEMPTION FOR BUSES Legislation has been introduced that would provide a sales tax exemption for public transit buses and replacement parts for the maintenance of buses. This legislation, spearheaded by the Minnesota Public Transit Association (MPTA), was heard on April 7 in the House Tax Committee and laid over for possible inclusion in the Omnibus Tax Bill. The Senate companion bill has not yet received a hearing. House File 1974 and Senate File 1813, authored by Representative Bill Kuisle (R - Rochester) and Senator Sandy Pappas (DFL -St. Paul), was introduced to correct the inconsistency in state sales tax law in regard to public transit vehicles. Under current law, public transit buses purchased by the Met Council, Duluth Transit Authority and St. Cloud Transit Authority are exempt from the state sales tax. However, all other transit services pay this tax, which costs thousands of dollars each year. It is difficult to predict the final outcome for this legislation, but this year is a year in which the legislature has the financial resources to absorb the cost of instituting a statewide tax exemption for these vehicles. Messerli & Kramer will work with the STA legislative delegation and other legislators to help ensure that HF 1974/SF 1813 becomes law. We will also keep you up-to-date during these final weeks of the session on the progress of this legislation. 2 r GOVERNOR VENTURA PURSUES TRANSIT FRIENDLY POLICIES At the State of the Region Address on March 30, new Met Council Chair Ted Mondale revealed the governor's plan to utilize five percent of Motor Vehicle Excise Taxes (MVET) for costs related to LRT, commuter rail and car -free busways. This would equate to approximately $25 million annually, which would be used to match federal funding for the above -listed projects. While transit experts agree that this amount is probably not enough to fund an adequate public transit system as our population increases and congestion problems grow along with it, but the governor's proposal is a start. It is also a signal that after years of inattention, the executive branch plans to take a leadership role in transit and transportation policy — a good sign for the STA and other transit providers. One problem with this proposal, however, is that it was not included in the governor's budget, so its chances of passage this year appear slim. On Wednesday, April 7, Tom Poul (Messerli & Kramer P.A.) and the executive directors of the STA's transit systems will be meeting with EI Tinklenberg, the newly appointed Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner. They plan to discuss the STA's purpose and legislative goals and the important role replacement transit communities play in the metro -area transit system. Tinklenberg, like Mondale, is a strong advocate for policies that promote both transportation and transit funding. On April 13, STA representatives will also meet with Ted Mondale to express the STA's purpose and goals. Our goal through these meetings is to develop a strong relationship with the Met Council and MNDoT and to work together to pursue policies that will advance transit initiatives in Minnesota. LIGHT RAIL TRANSIT UPDATE This year is another active year on the light rail transit (LRT) front, although not all of the legislative action has been positive for developing this new form of transit in the metro area. Representative Phil Krinkie (R -Shoreview) has introduced legislation, House Files 1886 and 2087, both of which would impact LRT planning and/or funding. House File 1886 would abolish the regional rail authorities in the metro area as well as the light rail transit joint powers board. Additionally, it would transfer LRT planning duties to the Met Council. This legislation has not yet received a hearing in the House and does not have a Senate companion. However, it is in a House finance committee (which means it is still available for consideration) and the Senate held a hearing on this issue in the form of an amendment to the Omnibus Transportation Bill. 3 The second Krinkie bill that would impact LRT is House File 2087, a bill that would not allow political subdivisions or public corporations to levy a property tax for light rail transit. This legislation received a hearing in the House Property Tax and Tax Increment Finance Division on March 30 and was laid over for possible inclusion in the Omnibus Tax Bill. Because one advocate for this legislation is House Tax Chair Ron Abrams, its prospects for inclusion in the House tax bill are great. The Senate Companion, Senate File 2138, authored by Senator Linda Runbeck (R - Shoreview) has not yet received a hearing and, technically, did not meet the second deadline. While the advancement of planning and funding for LRT is not a primary goal of the STA, we will follow this issue and keep you up to date as the session wraps up during the next few weeks. MET COUNCIL UPDATE The past few months have been active for the Met Council. Not only was Ted Mondale appointed as the Chair, but public hearings were also held to hear statements from a list of 80 prospective Met Council appointees. Following the hearings, the governor's nominating committee submitted a list of 42 finalists to the legislature for comment. It is expected that the nominations will be announced in the next few weeks. This year, as in the past few sessions, a number of bills were introduced that would have made the Met Council an elected body rather than an appointed one. No action was taken on any of these bills and the issue appears dead for at least this session. House File 313, authored by Representative Dan McElroy (R -Burnsville), would place non-voting members on the Met Council who represent counties immediately surrounding the metro area. In the House, this legislation was approved by the Local Government Committee on March 17 and sent directly to the House Floor. The companion to this bill, Senate File 723 was authored by Representative Linda Higgins (DFL -Minneapolis). Her bill was approved by the Senate Local government Committee on March 8 and referred to the Governmental Operations Committee where it now awaits action either this year or next. This legislation is the result of recommendations made by a metropolitan government task force that has been meeting for quite a few months. Members of this task force include legislators, city and county employees, and locally elected officials. Their suggestion was that the legislature formalize its contact with surrounding communities, including those in Wisconsin, by passing legislation that will allow non-voting members to participate Met Council discussions. It is hoped that a formalized relationship will help with regional planning issues for both the metro area and the surrounding counties. 4 i TAX CREDIT FOR TRANSIT PASSES Legislation has been introduced this session that would provide a tax break for businesses that provide transit passes to employees. Senate File 813 (authored by Senator Carol Flynn) and House File 723 (authored by Representative Dan McElroy) would grant businesses a credit against tax due equal to 30 percent of the expense incurred by the business to provide free or reduced cost transit passes to employees. If an employer provides the passes to employees at a cost lower than the passes were purchased at by the company, the company receives the tax break on the difference between those two prices. Senate File 813 received a hearing on March 29 in the Sales and Income Tax Division and was laid over for possible inclusion in the Omnibus Tax Bill. House File 723 was discussed in the House and has been laid over for possible inclusion in the Omnibus Tax Bill. The STA has not taken a formal position on this issue, but we are monitoring it closely and working with legislators to ensure it is included in the final mark-ups of the House and Senate tax bills. MET COUNCIL BONDING As reported to you in previous STA Legislative Reports, the STA is supporting the Met Council's regional bonding request of $52 million, as well as the request for a predictable bonding authority that would be set annually through a formula rather than legislative authorization. Senator Carol Flynn and Representative Wes Skoglund (DFL - Minneapolis) are the chief authors of two bills that would achieve both of those goals for the Met Council. Although these bills were introduced in early to mid-May, no action has been taken in either legislative body. Senate File 1764 is currently in the Transportation Finance Committee while House File 1588 was returned to the author and is no longer available for committee action. It is quite possible that the House will not approve any additional bonding authority for the Met Council, while the Senate could repeal last year's strategy and include such bonding in the Omnibus Tax Bill. As STA communities have numerous capital projects slated to be paid for from this bonding, we will continue to support passage of this legislation this session. 5 AL-I74ORIZED TO PRACTICE LAW IN MINNESOTA, WISCONSIN, IOWA, SOUTH DAKOTA, WASH[Nu-TON D.C., COLORADO, ILLINOIS AND CALIFORNIA WRITER'S DIRECT DIAL NUMBER MPccPr1 i Kramer professional association ATTORNEYS AT LAN' LEAGUE OF MINNFSOTA CITIES BUILDING; SLTrE 450,145 UNn ERSrIY AvENUE WEST ST PAUL, MINNESOTA 55103-2044 TELEPHONE. (651) 228-9757 FACSIMILE (651)228-9787 MEMO DATE: April 14, 1999 TO: MLC Board of Directors FROM: Bob Renner, Jr. RE: Letter to MLC Legislative Delegation MINNEAPOLIS OFFICE 1800 FIFTH STREET To%%, .RS 150 SOUTH FIFTH STREET MINNEAK)LIs, MiNwEsOTA 5S402-4218 TFI.EPHONE (612) 672-3600 FACSIMILE (612) 672 -3 777 SPR J �,9 t �� Please find attached a copy of a letter sent to the House members of the MLC Legislative Delegation on Monday of this week. A similar letter will be sent to the Senate members shortly. The House and Senate will begin marking up their Omnibus Tax Bills in the next few days and I will give you a complete update on those bills at our April 29 meeting. If you have any questions or concerns that you would like answered before that date, or that you would like us to discuss at the meeting, please call me at 651/228-9757. m MUNICIPALII' LEGISLATNE COMMISSION April 8, 1999 Representative Ron Abrams 585 State Office Building St. Paul, MN 55155 Dear Representative Abrams: League of Minnesota Cities Building 145 University Avenue West, Suite 450 St. Paul, Minnesota 55103 Telephone: (651) 228-9757 Facsimile: (651) 228-9787 As you are aware, the session is entering its last weeks and the finalization of the House Omnibus Tax Bill will soon begin. Therefore, now is the appropriate time to remind you, the representatives of our member cities, of the Municipal Legislative Commission's (MLC's) positions on a variety of issues. LOCAL GOVERNMENT AID This year, the MLC has actively pursued greater fairness and equity in the state's transfer payment system. Toward that end, we are supporting a per capita minimum local government aid (LGA) distribution for all cities. Representative Henry Van Dellen introduced a bill to achieve this goal, House File 1869, which was discussed in the House Property Tax Division on March 29 and laid over for possible inclusion in the Omnibus Tax Bill. The MLC believes that this bill introduces a modicum of fairness in an inequitable system. We believe that because all cities have basic needs and residents in all cities contribute tax dollars to this program, that all cities should receive some LGA. On average, cities that receive LGA receive more than $100 per capita while many cities receive little or no LGA. House File 1869 attempts to correct this disparity and its provisions should be included in the House Omnibus Tax Bill when it heads to conference in the near future. The Senate companion bill to House File 1869 (Senate File 2062, authored by Senator Gen Olson) has been introduced but has not been heard at this time. It is the MLC's hope that the House will include this position in the Omnibus Tax Bill and strongly advocate for it during conference committee. Member Cities: Apple Valley, Bloomington, Burnsville, Eagan, Eden Prairie, Edina, Lakeville, Maplewood, Minnetonka, Plymouth, Roseville, Shoreview, Woodbury r .r FISCAL DISPARITIES The MLC is also pursuing a measure of fairness in the fiscal disparities program this session. Representative Erik Paulsen has helped in this goal by introducing a bill that will cap a city's contribution to the fiscal disparities pool at 15 percent of the city's net tax capacity. It is the position of the MLC that the fiscal disparities program is in need of, at the very least, some reform measures that will make it fair for all participants. Representative Paulsen's bill, House File 2252, would freeze any city's fiscal disparities contribution at its current level if the city is contributing 15 percent or more of its tax capacity. The freeze would not allow that city's contribution amount to grow until market value increases lowered the percent of the city's contribution to a level below the 15 percent maximum. This bill would not lower the amount of money available in the metropolitan area pool because it is not retroactive. It would, however, slightly reduce the rate of the pool's growth by stopping uncapped increases in contribution levels. This legislation was discussed in the House Property Tax Division on March 30 and was laid over for possible conclusion in the Omnibus Tax Bill. The MLC is extremely supportive of this bill even though only a few of our members would be affected at the outset and some of our member cities are fiscal disparities net gainers. We support this legislation because we believe it is fair for all cities involved in the fiscal disparities program and that it is good public policy. As with the legislation discussed above, the companion to this bill (Senate File 2096, authored by Senator Bill Belanger) has not received a hearing. And again, we ask that you pursue inclusion of this provision in the Omnibus Tax Bill and that you emphasize that this House position should prevail during conference committee negotiations. SALES TAX EXEMPTION FOR LOCAL GOVERNMENTS The MLC strongly supports legislative initiatives that would provide an exemption from state sales and use taxes for local units of governments. This repeal would provide over $80 million each year in relief for property taxpayers. It is our belief that local governments are responsive to concerns about high property taxes that are held by both legislators and taxpayers. Therefore, we believe that any method of reducing inefficient and unnecessary property tax expenditures, and asking local governments to raise $80 million per year in property taxes for the state to spend is most definitely an inefficient expenditure. LIMITED MARKET VALUE While many legislators believe that a limited market value (LMV) policy seems like a benefit to property taxpayers, the MLC believes those supporters have not carefully reviewed the long-term consequences of LMV on the property tax system. An artificial limit on market value will create major disparities between homeowners of identical homes. One homeowner might have purchased a house and lived in it for ten years while another might have sold the house to someone new after five. The new homeowner would then be forced to pay much higher property taxes than his/her neighbor with a "tax controlled" home does. This policy would be particularly harmful to first-time and low-income homeowners. LMV would also complicate an already complicated system. One of the goals of the MLC is to strive to make the property tax system more simple and understandable. The LMV concept flies in the face of this objective. Finally, LMV will not lower taxes; it will merely shift them to properties that are not increasing in value as fast as other properties. REVERSE REFERENDUM Historically, the MLC has opposed the concept of reverse referenda on local governments. We believe that local governments are responsive to taxpayer cries for lower property taxes and that a reverse referendum mechanism already exists — it is called an election. The MLC's primary goal is to create more fair and equitable property tax and state aid system, and it is our belief that the positions outlined above will help to achieve those goals. Oh behalf of the entire MLC, I offer you our thanks for your careful consideration of our position on these issues when placing your votes during the final days of the 1999 session. Sincerely, Jean Harris Mayor of Eden Prairie Chair of the MLC From: AMM To: Kathy Lueckert Date: 4/13/99 Time: 5:49:28 PM Page 2 of 2 AMM FAX NEWS April 12-16, 1999 Senate marking up Transportation Funding Bill The Senate Budget Committee is marking up the Omnibus Trans- portation Funding Bill this week. It basically mirrors the governor's budget recommendations. Included is $60 million for the Hiawatha LRT and $113.6 for Metro Transit, which has about $5 million for service expansion. Trunk highway is funded at $2.084 billion ($16.7 million less than governor or House), CSAH at $737 million ($10 million more than governor or House) and MSAS at $213 million. The Senate bill does not have a provision for a Major Transportation Projects Commission, but does place commuter rail activities in MnDot and requires significant study and planning. The bill also designates that LRT must first be built to connect the major downtowns and the Mall of America and the airport, before any other LRT lines. It is expected that the Senate committee bill will be introduced by the end of the week for possible floor consideration next week. AMM Fax News is faxed periodically to all AMM city managers and administrators. The information is in- tended to be shared with mayors, councibnembers and staff in order to keep officials abreast of important metro city issues. Phone: (6.51) 21.5-4000 Fax: (651) 281-1299 �: 1 Association of Metropolitan Municipalities Subcorniftee hears TIF general law proposal Rep. Dan McElroy (R -Burnsville) presented a proposal this week to the House Property Tax Subcommittee regarding the pooling issue in TIF districts established between Aug. 1, 1979 and July 1, 1982. The proposal will be introduced as a bill today (April 13) and could be included in the House Omnibus Tax Bill. The bill assumes that the districts do not have authority to spend increments outside the district (pooling) and therefore, the bill does the following: ♦ Ratifies pooling for districts, provided it was done before the city received notice from the state auditor that it was not in compliance with the law or before Dec. 31 ,1999, which- ever is earlier. ♦ Requires that after Dec. 31, 1999, increment from the district can only be expended to pay pre-existing obliga- tions and administrative expenses. City Corporations Bill goes to the Senate floor The Senate Government Operations Committee passed the Municipal Corporations Bill (SF 851) as amended to the Senate floor. The committee removed the provi- sion directing the state auditor to staff the task force. The House version is on the floor and could be enacted upon within the next few weeks. Pre-existing obligations include both in- and outside -district obligations. In - district obligations include bonds issued before May 1, 1999 and binding, written agreements made by Sept. 1, 1999 and secured by incre- ments and expended within the district. Outside -district obligations include bonds secured by increments and issued before the earlier of notification by the state auditor or May 1, 1999 and binding, written agreements entered before the earlier of the state auditor notification or Sept. 30, 1999. ♦ Mandates the decertification of the district after all pre-existing obliga- tions have been paid and any remain- ing increments have been distributed to the taxing jurisdictions by the county auditor. The bill is effective upon final enactment. Testimony on the bill could be scheduled this week. County -approval for TIF districts debated ep. Dennis Ozment (R -Rosemount) is authoring a bill (HF 1226) that would prohibit the use of TIF for community centers and public parks. It was heard in the House Property Tax division and was amended to include a provision requiring county boards to approve TIF plans/modifica- tions. County boards may approve the plan but can also reduce the duration and approve a portion of the county tax rate. The county has 30 days after submission to approve the plan and if the county fails to approve, the plan is deemed to be approved. . 1 LMC FRIDAYFAx %pwojMinMroivcifmr Number 14 A weekly legislative update trvm the League of Minrresote Cities April 9, 1999 Crunch Time: Mandates Mandates, Mandates As the 1999 Legislative session moves into its final weeks, it now appears likely that local units of government may be confronted with a one-two punch of a wide array of new, un- funded mandates and possibly severe restrictions on our ability to set our levies. All of this is coming at a time when the state is experiencing a multi- billion -dollar surplus. Bleacher Safety. In a Senate commit- tee hearing yesterday, the bleacher safety bill fiscal note was unveiled. The bill's authors, Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista) and Rep. Steve Smith (R -Mound), are committed to the funding provision in the bill, however the collective actions of the Legislature may be to eliminate or dramatically reduce any matching grant appropria- tion. The bill's fiscal note suggests that cities could have to finance the nearly $46 million in bleacher improvements required in the bill. The estimate for school improvements was even more staggering --more than $200 million. Some discussion tentatively proposed setting aside $100,000 to assist local units with the improvement costs. In other words, the Legislature would assist with .04 percent of the esti- mated costs. Police Pursuit Training. The police Pursuit training bill would require eight hours of pursuit training every two years for every officer. The estimated cost of the training is $1.5 million per year. This does not include indirect costs such as travel, meals, lodging, and replacing officers who are away at training. The House Judiciary Finance Committee has tentatively earmarked only $400,000 a year for state reimbursement of training costs. If the training requirements are not also scaled back, then the cost to local governments will be,$1.1 million a year in direct training costs and all the indirect costs. Additionally, no money has been earmarked for pursuit simulators or new driving facilities. Without the simulators, an adequate number of places to conduct the new training may not be available. The Senate Crime Prevention and Judi- ciary Budget Division has not yet revealed its preliminary budget numbers. Part-time Peace OffIcers. The Senate Crime Prevention and Judiciary Budget Division is also considering language that would require 320 hours of training for part- time peace officers to maintain their licenses unless they can pass a POST Board test demonstrating their compe- tency in a number of training areas. Because most part-time officers hold full-time jobs elsewhere, it would be difficult for them to attend that much training. Many departments would be forced to replace their part-time officers with full-time officers or reduce service levels. The estimated cost to cities for replacing the officers is over $1 million. Counties would face an additional $1.2 million of costs. Planning and Zoning Issues Amortization. The Senate passed S.F. 854 (Langseth), a bill that prohib- its local governments from using amortization to phase-out non- conforming land uses—essentially leaving condemnation as the only tool of last resort when communities are faced with such situations. The Senate rejected several amendments to preserve the tool or even to protect on-going litigation from being dis- rupled by the legislation. The only amendment they did pass was to allow cities to use amortization to deal with adult businesses. Shooting Ranges. The House passed H.F. 619 (Hackbarth), a bill that exempts shooting ranges from planning and zoning regulations. The bill specifically sets out the Procedures by which governments may close or relocate a range, and sets out the reimbursement obligations of the government entity to the range owners. It also establishes an "irrebut- table presumption that shooting ranges are not a public or private nuisance and does not interfere with the use and enjoyment of any other land or property." Wastewater Treetment Funding The House and Senate are preparing to allocate funds for various sources of wastewater funding. It is important for cities to urge the legislature to make a commitment to fund the State Revolving Loan Fund and Wastewater Infrastructure Fund. While several bills this session would benefit individual communities, the most effective and important use of state money is to leverage the federal revolving ban fund and pool resources in the WIF fund. Since only a small amount of money is being appropriated, it needs to be pooled and made available to as many cities as possible. Did we mention that the state is facing a multi -billion -dollar surplus? Far aeort iffformatioa 001 city legialatire issues, coated any mtmbtr of the