Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutCouncil Information Memorandum 12-31-1998rp DECEMBER 31, 1998 1. COUNCIL MEETING SCHEDULE.- NOTE: CHEDULE.NOTE: Ward I 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, JANUARYS, 7: 00 PM TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 7.00 PM 2. FRIDAY, JANUARY 1, 1999 3. MONDAY, JANUARY4, 7:00 PM 4. THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 7: 00 PM S. TUESDAY, JANUARY 12, 7: 00 PM 6. WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 13, 7: 00 PM 7. THURSDAY, JANUARY 14, 7: 00 PM REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING, Council Chambers TENTATIVE — SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING, TOPICS TO BE DECIDED AT JANUARY S REGULAR MEETING City offices closed for the New Year holiday YOUTHADVISORY COUNCIL, Medicine Lake Room HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION, Medicine Lake Room ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITYCOMMMTTEE, Medicine Lake Room PLANNING COMMISSION, Council Chambers PRAC, Council Chambers 8. January and February calendars are attached. (M-8) CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO Page 2 , December 31, 1998 1. NEWSARTICLES, RELEASES, PUBLICATIONS, ETC. a) Association of Metropolitan Municipalities FAXNews. (1 -la) b) Letter from the U–S Department of Housing and Urban Development with notice of award to the City of Plymouth the 1999 Fiscal Year CDBG allocation of $311,000. (I -I b) c) Invitation to the grand opening of Panera Bread bakery–cafe Monday, January 18, at Plymouth Station. (1-1c) d) Notice from the City of Minnetonka of application by Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity for rezoning to construct two twin homes. (1 -Id) e) Registration information for the 1999 National League of Cities Congressional City Conference, March 5-9 in Washington, DC. (I -le) J Final report summary on the Hennepin County Criminal Justice System Assessment. (T 1J) g) City news brief with notice of the January 11 community open house/informational session regarding the Activity Center/Field House projects. Also attached is a letter to residents from Park Director Eric Blank with an update on the projects. (I -1g) h) Correction note from Hennepin Parks regarding the Eagle Lake Regional Park Open Houses scheduled for January. (I -1h) i) Plymouth Sun Sailor news summary of events in the city during 1998. (I -1i) 2. MINUTES a) Park And Recreation Advisory Commission November 12, 1998 meeting. (1--2a) 3. STAFF REPORTS a) Plymouth Metrolink Transit System statistical data, to be used at the legislative meeting scheduled for January 22, in Eden Prairie (See calendar). (I -3a) b) Annual report of the Employee Suggestion Program. (I -3b) c) Public Safety report on alcohol compliance checks in 1998. (I --3c) 4. CITIZEN COMMUNICATIONS POLICY—CORRESPONDENCE a) Letter to Denise Paskach from Transit Coordinator John Sweeney regarding route 91 C. A copy of the original correspondence is attached. (I -4a) A status report on the most recent correspondence is attached. (1-4) S. CORRESPONDENCE a) Letter from Councilmember Saundra Spigner submitted to the Plymouth Sun Sailor for the Opinion Page. (I -5a) CITY COUNCIL INFORMATION MEMO December 31, 1998 Page 3 b) Letter from the State Department of Trade and Economic Development regarding the request by the Plymouth HRA for a grant for the Village at Bassett Creek site. (1--5b) c) Notice from League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust of the 1998 property/casualty dividend, along with historic information about Plymouth's annual calculations. This letter came with a dividend check in the amount of $60,052. (I -5c) d) Letter from Wayzata School District Superintendent Dr. Paul Beilfuss with an update following the December 15 bond referendum. (I -5d) e) Letter from Thomas Hearn regarding the Route 91C Plymouth Metrolink line. (I -5e) Letter to Osseo School District Superintendent Dr. Chris Richardson from the Mayor regarding citizen comments about the proposed school boundary changes in the school district. (I-5fi 8) Internet communications from Carl Cooper regarding the proposed school boundary changes in the school district. (I -5g h) Note from Lynne Deering regarding the Council's action on the Plymouth Metrolink Route 91 C. (1--5h) i) Thank you letter from Interfaith Outreach and Community Partners Development Director Carol Bergenstal for City support during 1998. (1--5i) j) Thank—you letter to Shawn Gardner for his comments at the December 16, 1998 Plymouth Forum. (1--5j) 6. COUNCIL ITEMS a) Schedule of Planning Commission meetings for 1999. (1--6a) b) The general public now have a new search feature has on the City's Internet website. At the bottom of the City's homepage (www.ci.plymouth.mn.us) click on the "Search" button/hot link. The entire City web site; the City Charter; City Code; Zoning Ordinance; City Council agendas, minutes, resolutions and ordinances; and agendas and minutes from the Planning Commission, Charter Commission, and Human Rights Commission can all be searched online. An employee group headed up by Amy Mattson, along with Laurie Ahrens, Chris Gallaty, Helen LaFave, Kathy Lueckert, and Jean Lyons, worked to establish this search feature. There are plans to expand the content of the search in the future. Probably the next items to be added to the search capability will be the agendas and minutes of the other City boards and commissions. (I -6b) I as Un V 1 N cN U J� Qu Sw cd p.2 5�zoy� o� F+�M zo 3 0 Q O O S� "--4 z 00 -°`_n ypE g n O mO V UpOpF 9 �Y 0'% v N > s O. •v oa0 d- gra ti o v' 00 'Cl z 12 z� OU CA 1�1 off.c4U xa*5 3! Z,00 i �O guu a 00 UH I -=Ag :Qr o zu jd (�j g cN o,UZ U �p h '`' N o,o Ell gyp ^I Q�� OQ';'x°•f�;''. V'� 0 en � I� IN IM H (4a) C/ 04% ON C� i N "Cf amri U 12 E « ^O 00 HO f. CD0 a� IRO ma�e•— � 00 co s= s<h 20 3 FS 5.8 � a ' t2 00 < O ' 102 F - co W zea H -o_A- U3 u as U.4 o.a... ozU° c o b ozU M , O� w= �o =N� a>a dp -u q<Zl h cV 8-,u J 00 a c� ,n c i u � I N ' N AMM FAX NEWS December 21-25, 1998 Met Council considers major housing incentives X er months of discussion and planning, the Metropolitan Council staff proposed to its Community Development Commit- tee a Hollman implementation plan and some housing initiatives. The Hollman recommendation authorizes the Met Council's Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) to develop and maintain Hollman units in Ramsey and Hennepin counties. Currently, the Minneapolis Public Housing Agency is responsible for the Hollman units. The Metro HRA will need local approval to develop units in a city. The committee debated and will continue to discuss a $77.0 million request for several housing pro- grams at its Jan. 19, 1999 meeting. The funds would be appropriated to the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) and would be used for housing production, preserva- tion and homeless prevention. AAIM Far News is fazed periodically to all AMM city managers and administrators. The information is intended to be shared with mayors, councilmembers and staff its order to keep officials abreast of important metro city issues. © Copyright 1998 AMM 145 University Avenue West St. Paul, MN 55103-2044 Phone: (651) 215-4000 Fax: (651) 281-1299 E-mail: amm@amm145.org .L I 421 4,0040 ASSOfIat1011 Of Metropolitan Municipalities AMM, others meet with Ventura's staff Representatives of city and county groups, including AMM, met with members of Governor -Elect Jesse Ventura's transition staff on Dec. 17, 1998. Wendy Wustenburg will serve as the governor's director of intergov- ernmental affairs, and at the moment Andrea Hart Kajer is on loan to the transition office from the City of Minneapolis. Wustenburg stated that the governor remembers his local government roots (mayor of Brooklyn Park) and hopes to work with us. While there were no specifics regarding proposals or appoint- ments, Wustenburg indicated that the transition team is in the process of developing the 1999-2001 budget and policies. The local officials present were encouraged to convey proposed position papers to the office and assist in recruiting potential state commissioners and staff. There was much discussion as to the form of the dialogue between the governor and local governments. There were suggestions that included the reestablishment of the Office of Local and Urban Affairs or an advisory commission on intergov- ernmental relations. Others pre- ferred an informal relationship through the organizations, while others suggested that the governor have an agenda that advocates several local government issues, such as the repeal of the sales tax on local government purchases and the funding of mandates. TIF legislation won't be recodified The TIF Commission adopted a motion to discontinue the recodi- fication of the TIF Act at its Dec. 18, 1998 meeting. Citing concerns that the recodifi- cation may not produce a less complex and user friendly document, the commission voted to recommend to the House and Senate tax commit- tees that TIF not be recodified. However, it did recommend that several issues identified during the recodification process be studied. Among the issues is the source of data for tourism districts, the defini- tion of increment, the method to determine durational limits, the calculation of original value, and the definition of administrative expenses. The AMM/LMC TIF Review Working Group, the Office of State Auditor and legislative staff compiled the issues list. The commission also recom- mended that the concept of TIF Lite be examined. TIF Lite could be a more streamlined TIF process. While the operating principles of TIF Lite were not discussed, AMM, the LMC and other organizations will work with legislative staff in an attempt to develop the concept. It is possible that the concept could include changes to the existing Tax Abatement Law. Ss ""W°, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT v o WASHINGTON. D.C. 20410-7000 _a 99.'b 0Ev Q December 18, 1998 OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY FOR COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT j2a The Honorable Joy Tierney Mayor of Plymouth Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mayor Tierney: y_. On behalf of Secretary Cuomo, I am pleased to announce your Fiscal Year (FY) 1999 formula allocation under the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships, Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) programs. The Department's FY 1999 budget is the best we have had in a decade and provides an overall increase of nearly $145 million in formula funding. Your total Fiscal Year 1999 allocation is $311,000 for the following program(s): CDBG $311,000 Let us work together to achieve your community's strategic vision as described in your Consolidated Plan. We wish you much success in the use of these resources to implement your community development initiatives. ;_sincerely, l Cardell Cooper Assistant Secretary f>cenera L.Sread lalercy-cede IringtJ the tradition I'll ./ to Your neigit40111100cl -tit our cafe, I •eilt-las ec II•eac b 11" cenfe"Piece o/ever/y neDectf 11•ont our Janc`vicIte3 atic d3 Sa[ato ftearty 9ollpi Served in 3ourclott9l, Irpe�jact bowl3. a. ba f., offers snore fftan a cozen ceb ouJ variefies of dread, as tve[[ as lageA, croissants, tnull ns, and pastries /or YOU to fc4e Monte. Monday, January 18, 1999 6:00 pm through 8:00 pm 16875 County Road #24 (in Plymouth Station) Plymouth, Minnesota Please R.S.V.P. to 612-551-0954 is proud to announce the opening of our new bakery -cafe. You and your guest are invited to join us for our special Grand Opening Celebration. Complimentary beverages and Panera Bread fresh-baked fare will be served. r 12 � RE�tyt0 DSD f>cenera L.Sread lalercy-cede IringtJ the tradition I'll ./ to Your neigit40111100cl -tit our cafe, I •eilt-las ec II•eac b 11" cenfe"Piece o/ever/y neDectf 11•ont our Janc`vicIte3 atic d3 Sa[ato ftearty 9ollpi Served in 3ourclott9l, Irpe�jact bowl3. a. ba f., offers snore fftan a cozen ceb ouJ variefies of dread, as tve[[ as lageA, croissants, tnull ns, and pastries /or YOU to fc4e Monte. Monday, January 18, 1999 6:00 pm through 8:00 pm 16875 County Road #24 (in Plymouth Station) Plymouth, Minnesota Please R.S.V.P. to 612-551-0954 is proud to announce the opening of our new bakery -cafe. You and your guest are invited to join us for our special Grand Opening Celebration. Complimentary beverages and Panera Bread fresh-baked fare will be served. r December 28, Resident/Property The Minnetonka Planning Department would like your feedback about an application we have received regarding property located in your neighborhood: Applicant: Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity Owner: City of Minnetonka Site Location: 204 204 Xenium Lane near Plymouth Rd water tower Application(s): Rezoning Master Development Plan, Preliminary Plat, Site and Building Plan Review Description: A rezoning master development plan from R-1, low density residential, to R- 2, low density residential, to construct two twin homes. The property is also proposed to be subdivided into four lots for individual ownership of each unit. (See attached maps/plans.) Project No.: 98075.98a We would like your opinion about this application before we prepare a report to the Planning Commission. Please fill out the form on the reverse side of this page and return the form, and any other enclosures on which you have written comments, by January 7, 1999. You may also attach a letter with additional comments. A postage -paid envelope has been enclosed for your convenience. Responses by e-mail may be sent to cgutoske@ci.minnetonka.mn.us, reference Project No. 98075.98a. For further information, please call the Planning Department at 939-8290 between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This form is to gather information; it is not for voting purposes. Please note that according to State law, the Planning Commission and City Council cannot deny an application solely because the neighbors oppose it. Your comments, however, are one of several important factors the City will consider in reviewing and making a decision on this application. The final decision will be made by the Planning Commission or City Council. The Planning Department will notify you of the public hearing on this application. Thank you for your comments. PLANNING DEPARTMENT Minnetonka... where quality comes naturally Enclosures GAWMNOTIM98075.98a I support this proposal because I have no comment. I do not support this proposal because If you do not support this proposal, please describe below or draw on the enclosed map any changes that would make this application acceptable. If no changes would make it acceptable, how should this property be developed? You are not required to provide your name and address in response to this survey. If you do, it will become public information. If you would prefer to stay anonymous, please complete the survey without including your name or address. We would still like to hear your opinion. Your Name Address Phone GAWMNOTIM98075.98a LMC League of Minnesota Cities Cities promoting excenence 145 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55103-2044 Phone: (651) 281-1200 - (800) 925-1122 Fax: (651) 281-1299 - TDD (651) 281-1290 December 21, 1998 TO: Mayors; Managers, Administrators or Clerks FROM: James F. Miller, Executive Director0 M iti SUBJECT: 1999 NLC Congressional City Conference Registration and Conference Program Enclosed is the program brochure and registration form for the 1999 NLC Congressional City Conference, to be held in Washington, D.C. March 5-9. The League of Minnesota Cities encourages city officials to attend and take part in developing an action plan to gain support for critical budget and policy issues facing cities during the 106th Congress. As in previous years, the League is planning an opportunity to meet with the Minnesota Congressional delegation. We are currently attempting to schedule one meeting with the entire delegation, most likely from 9:00 - 10:00 a.m., on Tuesday, March 9, 1999 on Capitol Hill. If that is not possible, we will schedule individual meetings with each Member. Watch the Cities Bulletin for details. For those of you from cities which are not currently Direct Members of NLC, please note the new dues schedule intended to encourage membership from smaller cities. This is an excellent time to join NLC! Of course, you may attend the Congressional City Conference whether or not your city is a direct member. The new dues schedule is: Population Range 1999 Dues Under 1,000 $192 (new category and rate) 1,000-2,500 $391 (new category and rate) 2,500-5,000 $590 (new category and rate) 5,000-10,000 $816 (new category and rate) The deadline for advance registration is Friday, February 5, 1999. After that date, on-site registration will be necessary. Room reservations should be made immediately as they are at a premium at and near the Washington Hilton. Enc. AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITYIAFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER HENNEPIN COUNTY CRIMINAL .TUSTICE SYSTEM ASSESSMENT FINAL ]REPORT SUMMARY PRESENTED TO THE HENNEPIN COUNTY - CRMI NAL JUSTICE REVIEW CommrrrEE NOVEMBER 1998 INSTITUTE FOR LAW & POLICY PLANNING I. L P P P.O BOX 5137 BERKELEY, CA 94705 (510) 486-8352 Criminal Justice System Assessment I 1 SUMMARY a FINAL REPORT SUMMARY The Hennepin County Board of County Commissioners retained the Institute for Law and Policy Planning (ILPP) to conduct a jail overcrowding study with the primary goal of determining whether and how demand for the county's limited jail resources can be reduced. This document summarizes the analysis, findings, and recommendations presented in the final report.' The Hennepin County Board of County Commissioners has, for the past twenty years, struggled with problems of jail crowding. Proposals for building new jail beds have been considered, and attempts made to reduce the crowding. Historically, this crowding issue has resulted in conflict between various agencies and the Board, and there has been a lack of consensus for major construction or the accompanying tax increases. The conflict has many contributing causes, and many suggested solutions. However, there has never been a comprehensive effort to understand crowding and the complete range of options available to contend with it. The final report provides a comprehensive system assessment and recommendations for system changes that are aimed at managing jail crowding, irrespective of how many beds are built now and in the future. 1. SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS The recommendations presented in this report are developed from the criminal justice agency and system findings. The recommendations emphasize system coordination and interagency cooperation. Agency findings that merely related to "fine-tuning" internal procedures have not been addressed in the recommendations, as individual agencies have an excellent history of reviewing and refining these internal operating policies. System Recommendations Restructure the existing Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee to become a true coordinating mechanism for the Hennepin County criminal justice system with an overall goal of system population management and with the authority to develop system policy, resolve system issues and identify system needs as they arise. • Develop an information system that provides adequate access to case management information for individual criminal justice agencies and the regular collection of system data to study and identify system issues. The studies of the jail population that were conducted at the beginning of this project have not been summarized. They are included in the full report as an appendix. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 1 Justice System Assessment —L— i NAL REPORT SUMMARY • Develop and implement a coordinated criminal justice system budget process through the executive committee of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee. • As an initial step to system management, develop a mission statement and a comprehensive criminal justice system plan consistent with that mission. Law Enforcement • Continue policies for citation release but develop and implement certain changes to enhance release options and to reduce intake at the ADC. • Further explore the feasibility of developing remote booking facilities in communities with holding facilities outside of Minneapolis. • Work with court and other criminal justice agencies, through the CJCC operations committee to develop solutions to inmate transport issues. • Review and modify the methodology for classifying inmates prior to the move to the new PSF. Pretrial Services • Review and implement procedural changes that will increase system accountability and improve overall system efficiency. Courts • Implement a case management system that gives the court greater control over case scheduling and dispositions and puts the court in a leadership position in the Hennepin County criminal justice system. • Review the feasibility of giving hearing officers authority to hear more kinds of cases. This could reduce the court's misdemeanor caseload and allow more time to handle other criminal matters. City Attorney 9 Re-evaluate the viability and efficiency of tab charges. Community Corrections Review policies regarding presentence investigations and pre -plea investigations to determine what information the court needs to make its sentencing decisions and where presentence investigations can be eliminated. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 - Summary. 2 inal Justice FINAL REPORT • Develop electronic monitoring as a sentencing alternative to non -work release cases and as an option for pretrial releases (non-Alcosensor cases). • Authorize Community Corrections to "determine the conditions of confinement." Facilities • Administer and plan pretrial and post-sentenenced beds under the same common authority, or, at worst, overlapping authority over both facilities. • Consider selling/renting current facilities for US Marshall and other needs, and building a single large justice complex with very efficient operating assumptions. The new complex would house all current and future pre-trial and post -sentence inmates, support work and other programs, and provide a wider variety of housing, classifications, treatment, and flexibility. 2. BACKGROUND Hennepin County's criminal justice system consists of local and state agencies, each having responsibility for enforcing laws. Hennepin County's criminal justice systems has four principal functions: law enforcement, pretrial detention, adjudication and imposition of sanctions. Law enforcement functions are carried out by municipal police departments and law enforcement agencies, of which the largest are the Minneapolis Police Department and the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office. Pretrial detention occurs at the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center, and pretrial release evaluations are performed by the Department of Community Corrections. Adjudication responsibilities are shared by the city attorney, county attorney, public defender or private defense counsel, and the district court. The imposition of sanctions is done by the court with the Department of Community Corrections providing investigative services. The Department of Community Corrections also provides probation supervision and operates the Adult Corrections Facility (ACF/Workhouse). The discussion of the criminal justice system is organized in *the report according to the roles of the agencies: "managing the resources" (information system and budget considerations); "managing the flow" (law enforcement and pretrial services); "managing the case" (courts, prosecution, defense); and "managing the offender" (probation and sentencing alternatives). 3. EXISTING JAIL FACILITIES AND FUTURE DEMAND Hennepin County has two detention facilities, the Hennepin County Adult Detention Center (ADC) and the Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility (ACF/Workhouse). Only the Adult Detention Center, which is used to house pretrial inmates, has been chronically overcrowded. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 3 Criminal Justice Assessment ` FINAL REPORT SUMMARY Hennepin County Adult Detention Center The ADC (or "jail") is operated by the Hennepin County Sheriffs Office. A major renovation project in 1978 increased jail capacity to 226 beds; subsequent expansion and double bunking increased total capacity to its current 509 beds. The jail's average daily population has exceeded its design capacity since at least 1981, and currently averages between 660 to 700 daily. Crowding and classification forces the use of temporary beds in the gymnasium and dayroom spaces. The Sheriffs Department contracts with the ACF and other Minnesota county jails to hold a daily average of 160 inmates at a cost of between $2.9 and $3.6 million for 1998, a cost that is anticipated to grow to $8 million by the year 2000. The county has begun work on an additional jail building, the Public Safety Facility (PSF), which will house 270 inmates to bring the total pretrial detention capacity to 779. Sheriffs documents indicate that the "functional capacity" of the new PSF is 662. There are 241 staff at the jail, including security staff and support staff. With the addition of the PSF, total jail staff increases to approximately 410. The central inmate receiving area for Hennepin County is located on the ADC main floor. Design of the sallyport contributes to delays and crowding, and the intake and receiving area is often congested Admissions have been increasing at about 5.4% per year since 1978 and are projected by some to reach 55,000 in 1998. Hennepin County Adult Corrections Facility (ACF/Workhouse) The ACF Workhouse serves as the sentenced facility for Hennepin County and is operated by the Department of Community Corrections. It holds felony, misdemeanor, and gross misdemeanor defendants sentenced to less than one year, although some inmates remain for up to two years due to consecutive and enhanced sentences. The major structure was constructed in 1930 with renovations and additions occurring since then. The 1997 budget was $14,503,639. Although the Men's Section has not been overcrowded, other sections of the facility are at or exceed capacity. Since 1984, the ACF has leased beds to the Sheriff for holding pretrial detainees, it now will hold up to 70 pretrial inmates for the ADC. Projection of Future Demand Estimates of future system demand are always difficult, and especially so in Hennepin County, where demand for limited jail resources has been at a relatively low but slowly increasing level. In the long run, the number of inmates held in a jail is under the control of a county's criminal justice authorities. The variables that can be altered by decision - makers include the number and type of arrests, the speed with which cases are processed, the criteria for pretrial or sentenced release, and the availability of acceptable alternatives to incarceration. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 4 Criminal Justice Assessment FINAL REPORT SUMMARY ILPP has made rough planning projections of the jail population from 1997 to 2015. The projections are intended to illustrate plausible scenarios if the county continues to operate its justice system in more or less the same manner as it does today. Hennepin County's population growth has been fairly slow; the current population of slightly over one million has increased at slightly less than 1% per year since 1980. Crime in Hennepin County is moderate. The index crime rate was 7087 in 1990 and has drifted down slightly to 5346 in 1996. When compared to the larger counties, Hennepin County has a comparable population and a lower average daily population (ADP). For 1997, the combined ADP in the Adult Detention Center and the Adult Correctional Facility was 1,112, excluding work release. 1LPP has forecast jail population according to three scenarios. The first (Scenario 1) is a low projection that assumes that jail population starts at its present level of 945 and grows at the rate of population increase of 0.3% yearly (the average growth since 1990) to 1,034 in 2015. The high projection (Scenario 3) is based on a ratio of average jail population to county residents that is closer to similar counties: 363 per 100,000 county residents. Applying that figure to Hennepin County gives a projection of 3,816 jail beds. It is assumed to take 18 years to build to that level and that further expansion would mirror population growth. Beds grow sharply to 4,175 in 2015, but growth would then moderate. ILPP does not suggest this as a serious alternative unless the county is anxious to triple its budget for the jail. Rather it should be taken as indicating what can happen when jail growth becomes uncontrolled for a number of years. The intermediate scenario is the most complicated. The ADC and the ACF are projected separately. For the ADC it is assumed that the drop in AIS (average length of stay) over the last five years is forced by the need to make beds available. Therefore, the ALS for both felonies and gross misdemeanors is returned to the highest during that period. The hypothetical ADP under those conditions is then used as the starting point. For the ACF, the population is calculated as what it would have been if felons and gross misdemeanants served half of their commitments (they now serve a quarter to a third of the commitment). Analogously to pretrial, the lengthened stay is an attempt to make the sanctions "more meaningful" to the offenders. The projection shown in Scenario # 2 is the sum of the two facilities, and the expansion is projected to take place gradually over the 18 -year period. The jail population reaches 1,667 in 2015 if the (unrealized) bed need grows at the rate of county population growth. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 5 Justice Svstem Assessment �! 1 FINAL REPORT Jail Population Projections 4,500 4,000 3,500 �. 3,000 ■ Scenario # 1 IM 2,500 t Scenario # 2 00 , 1500 —a— Scenario # 3 1,5 IL G 1,000 Q 500 0 1997 2000 2005 2010 2015 4. MANAGING THE RESOURCES The role of efficiently managing the resources required by the justice system is made more complex by the division between different agencies and jurisdictions. The two primary resources shared by the different agencies that make up the justice system are the Criminal Justice Information System and funding from the county budget. The Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) Criminal justice information in Hennepin County is maintained primarily on the county's mainframe computer. The adult justice information management system, known as SIP (Subject in Process), was conceived in the early 1980s, developed by the county Information Services department (IS), and brought on line near the end of that decade to replace manual record-keeping. While SIP does an acceptable job of tracking individual cases, serious shortcomings, include an outdated computer language, inability to capture all the desired information, and data fields that allow free -form entry, and difficulty obtaining summary data. Additionally police agencies other than the Minneapolis Police Department do not have a connection to SIP. Several agencies are acquiring auxiliary systems designed to supplement and exchange information with SIP but be self-contained. Adult Field Services (AFS), intended primarily for Community Corrections, should address some problems in the probation - court relationship, but has problems of its own (it is somewhat difficult to learn and has been coming on line very slowly). The jail (ADC) has purchased a Jail Management System (JMS) that should improve management information, but it has been slow to be implemented. The courts are developing a system to allow real-time entry of courtroom proceedings and retrieval of data. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 - Summary. 6 Justice System Assessment , FINAL REPORT SUMMARY Major improvements need to be made to the justice information system to bring it up to modern standards of efficiency and effectiveness, and there is growing acceptance of the idea that SIP needs to be radically overhauled or replaced. The CJCC (Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee) has established the Integrated Systems Advisory Board and the Hennepin County Criminal Justice Integration Project. Their initial task is to model the entire justice system structure, and from that model obtain a new system. An RFP to select a vendor for the design study is being prepared with a target date of December 1, 1998. The county anticipates that about $1 million will be needed for the study, to be split 50% - 25% - 25% among state, county, and local funds. As with nearly all of the jurisdictions studied by II.PP, the principal barriers to developing an integrated data system are not technical but institutional. Hennepin County, through the CJCC, is attempting to implement the necessary degree of coordinated action. Although much more work, leadership and an improved structure is needed, Hennepin County is proceeding in the right direction in terms of modernizing its data management system. The Hennepin County Justice System Budget In Hennepin County, over 40% of the county's operating funds are allocated to justice functions, and more when city police and the state offices (courts, probation) are considered. The justice share of the county's general fund grew from 37.4% of the county operating budget in 1991 to 45.1% in 1997. In 1998 the share budgeted for justice fell slightly below the 1996 level, but it is not yet possible to tell whether the slowing represents a trend or is temporary. Since the crime rate has been slowly falling since 1990, it might have been expected that the rate of justice expenditure would decrease also.- However that is not the case. Disregarding 1998, it can be seen that justice consumes about 1% more of the county budget each year. A larger jail will greatly accelerate the trend. 5. MANAGING THE FLOW Entry or "flow" into the criminal justice system begins with an arrest by one of over 30 municipal police departments or other law enforcement agencies in Hennepin County. After arrest, pretrial release evaluations are performed by the Department of Community Corrections. Law Enforcement There are no countywide arrest standards, and each law enforcement agency within the county has its own standards for determining when an individual should be arrested or cited. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 7 Hennepin County Criminal Justice System Assessment �L. ) ` FINAL REPORT SUMMARY The Minneapolis Police Department has traditionally accounted for 80% of the bookings to the jail. A significant increase in bookings is a result of a new deployment policy, entitled CODEFOR (Computer Optimized DEployment — Focus On Results). Early data indicate a decrease in selected crime categories in the target areas. The major findings regarding law enforcement agencies include the following: • Hennepin County imposes both a booking fee for arrestees and a daily housing rate for misdemeanor detainees that have been effective in "rationing" use of the jail by most municipalities within the county. • There appears to be a need for both uniform arrest standards and monitoring of the implementation of arrest standards. • There is a need to link local booking with the Sheriffs system to reduce duplication in bookings where arrestees are initially booked at a local holding facility but later transferred to the county facility. • Access to county information for law enforcement agencies varies: some have computer access to the court's system while others have no access at all. • Some police chiefs were unaware a coordinating committee existed while others found it to be ineffective. • The impact of CODEFOR will increase because the establishment of a "chronic misdemeanor offender" category means more persons will be detained for longer periods; more persons with outstanding warrants will be arrested and detained; and more agencies are becoming interested in similar programs. Pretrial Services The Pretrial Release Program, which is part of Community Corrections, was implemented in August 1992. The program has two units, the Pretrial Screening (bail evaluation) Unit and the Misdemeanor Investigation Unit. Pretrial Screening performs the bail evaluations and establishes conditions of release where needed. The Misdemeanor Investigation Unit supervises those persons who have been placed on conditional release. Major findings regarding Pretrial Services include the following: Because pretrial release evaluation is not considered part of the booking process, interviews after a detainee has been transferred to a housing unit results in lost time. (This issue will probably be resolved when the PSF is constructed.) Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 8 Justice System Assessment _ , FINAL REPORT SUMM. • Upon implementation of a new information management system, the unit will have the capability to track FTAs, pretrial failures and caseload numbers. • The workload for the pretrial services unit has increased as the result of CODEFOR and drug court. The number of pretrial evaluations has increased in direct proportion to the increase in CODEFOR bookings. • The increase in the number of persons picked up on warrants has affected the Warrant Office's workload. The delay can be as much as two days before a court appearance. • Duplication occurs when an offender is arrested again on a new charge and a new pretrial evaluation is completed, even if one has already been done within the past few weeks. • The increase in the number of persons detained on warrants indicates a need to review the pretrial unit's release authority • Communication issues can delay or affect pretrial release. • The conditional release process can be expedited by allowing staff to meet with the individual in the courtroom to discuss the contract after a conditional release has been ordered. 6. MANAGING THE CASE The agencies responsible for "managing the case" includes those involved in adjudication and imposition of sanctions: the courts, City Attorney, County Attorney, and the Public Defender. Courts Hennepin County comprises the Fourth Judicial District Court, which has four separate divisions. Division One is Minneapolis and Divisions Two through Four represent the suburban courts. Of the 58 judges in the district court, 44 handle a criminal calendar at any given time. Most criminal cases are handled from first appearance to pretrial conferences through master calendar assignments and include several "mandatory" calendars. Drug cases are handled by the drug court, homicides and complex felonies are specifically assigned 30 to 60 days before trial. The district court uses a combination probable cause/pretrial conference hearing for gross misdemeanors and felonies. Division 1 includes a Traffic Violations Bureau. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 9 Hennepin County Criminal Justice System Assessment 1- i I FINAL REPORT SUMMARY The major findings regarding courts include the following: • The Fourth Judicial District Court has been cognizant of jail overcrowding and responsive to development and implementation of policies/procedures that will ease or alleviate overcrowding. • There is, however, a need, for the court to take a broader view of court efficiency that will positively impact on jail overcrowding through an overall plan with specific goals. • Adoption of a goal for early resolution of criminal cases will make hearings more meaningful. • The National Center for State Courts found continuances, particularly of the probable cause/pretrial conference, were a problem. Trial continuances are also a problem. • The block assignment of cases, currently used only for civil cases, appears to provide greater incentive for judges to expedite case resolution and complete trials within time standards for civil cases. • There is a need to re-evaluate policies and procedures for the fast track property calendar. • Because of the trend toward settling cases much later in the adjudication process, there may be a need to re-evaluate other long-standing court procedures or policies in order to expedite case disposition. • Drug court demonstrates how a differentiated case management system can improve court efficiency. Disposition time for drug cases has been reduced to an average of 30 days from a prior time frame of 4 to 6 months. • There is no consistent policy for expediting resolution of violations of probation, which generally can be done more quickly than disposition of a new offense. • Access to a misdemeanor defendant's sentencing history and case status is problematic under the SIP information system. • Transportation or movement of defendants by the Sheriffs Office for court appearances has caused problems, including delays in bringing jail inmates to court for appearances. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. IU Justice System Assessment , i FINAL REPORT SUMMARY City Attorney Prosecution of misdemeanors that occur within Minneapolis city limits is the responsibility of the Office of the City Attorney. The Office of the City Attorney has both a criminal and a civil division. In most jurisdictions, the determination whether an arrest becomes a "case" depends upon a decision by the prosecutor, but in Hennepin County, the law enforcement agencies have primary responsibility for initiating misdemeanor cases into the court process through the "tab" charge and citations. The City Attorney's Office has recently implemented a new team structure for its trial attorneys. Domestic abuse is a specialized area. Another special assignment is prosecution of selected chronic offenders; two attorneys are vertically assigned to these cases. The office has a contract with the Citizens Council to provide victim -witness support. Findings for the City Attorney's office include the following: CODEFOR has had a dramatic impact on the city attorney's caseload. The City Attorney's Office currently has no opportunity to review police reports prior to arraignment, so prosecutors must rely solely on the initial report or citation. District court has tracked misdemeanors with felonies, creating problems for the city attorney in following active cases because it does not always receive notice. County Attorney Charging and prosecution of felonies is the responsibility of the county attorney. The county attorney's office has three divisions: juvenile, adult and special litigation. There is a bridge team to cover cases where one of the defendants is an adult and one is a juvenile. Trial teams do all the charging; each team charges for a two-week period. The major findings for the County Attorney's office include the following: The county attorney's total caseload has increased by 17% from 1995 to 1997, and is projected to increase by 25% for 1998. At the same time, the decline rate for all cases reviewed has decreased from about 32% to 26%. Overall caseloads for attorneys in the office are increasing. The office is taking a tougher stand on plea negotiation, partly because of legislative mandates. There is no office policy for when plea offers should be made. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 11 Hennepin County Criminal Justice System Assessment-. } ! `- FINAL REPORT SUMMARY Public Defender The public defender is responsible for providing legal defense to defendants who are found to be indigent; the indigency determination is made at the first court appearance. About 85% of defendants charged with felonies will be represented by a public defender. Like the city attorney and county attorney offices, attorneys in the public defender's office are assigned to trial teams. The major findings for the Public Defender's office include the following: • Access to clients is an issue in terms of available space. • In contrast to other Minnesota counties, the public defender is not allowed to interview a defendant prior to the first appearance in court, which affects case disposition. • Meetings with in -custody clients is made more difficult by the housing of inmates in annex sites. • Pretrial hearings are sometimes continued because defense counsel have not yet met with their clients. • Obtaining initial discovery is generally not a problem, but witness statements are often not provided by the county attorney until the day of trial. • Pretrial hearings and trials are sometimes delayed because defense counsel and prosecutors are not present, due to conflicting trials. • Incentive to settle cases early in the adjudication process is undermined by the perception that the prosecution's first offer will not be the same as the one given at trial. 7. MANAGING THE OFFENDER For managing the offender, the relevant Community Corrections roles are presentence investigations and probation supervision, which are part of the division of Adult Field Services. The agency provides services that span the entire adjudication process: pretrial bail evaluation, conditional release supervision, presentence investigations, probation supervision, and detention facility operations (including programs and sentence alternatives). Community Corrections operates three institutions: the Adult Corrections Facility (ACF); a juvenile pretrial facility and the Hennepin County Home School for juveniles. Adult Field Services conducts between 3,200 and 3,500 felony presentence investigations each year. Office policy is to complete a PSI for a defendant in jail custody within 2 Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 12 Hennepin County Criminal Justice System Assessment �y FINAL REPORT SUMMARY weeks, but the reality is probably closer to 3 weeks; the goal is 6 weeks for all other defendants. The agency also completes approximately 17,000 PSI's for misdemeanors and gross misdemeanors each year. Adult Field Services provides traditional supervision (probationer reports regularly to an assigned probation officer); intensive supervision for specific offenses; group supervision; restitution only monitoring; and administrative probation. The findings for Community Corrections address first Field Services and then Sentence Alternatives. Field Services Findings • The probation officers who conduct felony PSI also prepare "pre -plea" investigations. Pre -pleas are used extensively, accounting for 60% of the felony investigations in 1997 and about 45% through the first 6 months of 1998. • Use of pre -pleas should be re-evaluated because of the high percentage of unresolved cases and they may introduce delay to the adjudication process. • PSIs require an interview with the defendant; if he or she does not appear for the interview, a bench warrant will be requested, often asking that the person be held in jail until the interview is completed. • Field Services' Intake Committee has recently devised a short -form PSI that will be available for probation officers' use. • The only misdemeanor for which a PSI is mandated is fifth degree assault, which includes domestic assault. Sentence Alternatives Findings • Hennepin County does not have a day reporting center, which is generally seen elsewhere as an integral component of a community corrections program. • Alco -Sensor Electronic monitoring was developed primarily for the work release program, which may explain the limited number (130) of electronic bracelets available. • The court and other criminal justice agencies have not been kept apprised of changes in ACF programs. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 0 Summary. t s Hennepin County Criminal Justice System Assessment ! �; FINAL REPORT SUMMARY 8. HENNEPIN COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ASSESSMENT Hennepin County has exemplified the state of Minnesota's progressive criminal justice philosophy. The system has been responsive to jail overcrowding and willing to develop and implement policies and procedures to minimize use of the jail or to reduce jail or court time. Hennepin County, and particularly the district court, has over the last 20 years: • implemented a booking fee and misdemeanant housing charge to ration use of the jail; • created a variety of new court calendars, combined pretrial/probable cause hearings, property; and drug court; • established a pretrial release program; • conducted trial blitzes to reduce case backlogs; and • developed a short form PSI for certain offenses and set a goal of two weeks for PSIs felony in -custody cases. Despite the county's efforts to control jail crowding, the average daily population has increased steadily from 161 in 1978 to about 550 in 1997. There are still areas in which the Hennepin County criminal justice system can be made more effective and efficient. Without system "controls" that lead to improved effectiveness and efficiency, the available beds will be filled sooner rather than later, which in turn creates ever greater demand for increasingly limited resources. At the core of ILPP's system findings is an assessment of strategies that have been identified in jail crowding research as effective system strategies for reducing jail population. Key to jail population management is the existence of a system management mechanism, such as Hennepin County's Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, which has been in existence since the 1980s. Notwithstanding the existence of the coordinating committee, the criminal justice system is still "uncoordinated" as a system. • Although the Fourth Judicial District Court has been extremely responsive to the development of efforts to reduce jail crowding, there is a need for the bench to assume a leadership role as a group to ensure lasting system and effective system change. Legislative changes in sentencing and enhancements have placed additional pressure on the county's criminal justice system but the system itself has implemented policies that have increased demand for limited system resources. Institute for Law & Policy Planning (ILPP) November, 1998 • Summary. 14 City Briefs City of Plymouth From: Helen LaFave, 509-5090 Date: December 29, 1998 City of Plymouth to hold public information open house on Activity Center and Field House projects Detailed planning is underway by the City of Plymouth for the Activity Center and Field House projects approved by Plymouth voters last May. Plymouth residents are invited to a community open house to review the plans on Mon., Jan. 11, 5:30 — 7:30 p.m., at City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd. The Plymouth Planning Commission will review the plans in January or February. Following Planning Commission review, the Plymouth City Council will consider the projects. The architect is preparing the detailed plans and specifications needed for construction. The project likely will be bid in February. Work will begin on the site in early spring. The target date for the opening of the Field House is November 1999. The Activity Center will open during the spring of 2000. For more information, please call Park and Recreation Director Eric Blank, 509- 5201, or Assistant City Manger Kathy Lueckert, 509-5052. December 30, 1998 Dear Resident, rpr )IT CITY O� PLYMOUTR This is just a short note to bring you up to date regarding the activity center/fieldhouse park project. The landscape and building architects have been hard at work during the last developing the plans and specifications planning department were made a few Commission review in late January. for this project. The formal submittals weeks ago. It is currently scheduled three months to the city's for Planning In an effort to help you get a better picture of what the project will actually look like, we have scheduled an open house on Monday, January 11, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. During that time we invite you to stop by City Hall, meet with the architects and city staff, and review the most current plans for the activity center and fieldhouse. We will also have a site model and building model for you to see. At that time we will be able to answer questions on some of the issues we've had previous questions about, such as landscaping, parking lot lighting, signage, and trail development. If new issues are identified at this meeting or at the Planning Commission meeting, we will still have an opportunity to make changes in the specifications. Our current schedule calls for appearing before the Planning Commission January 27, going to the City Council in February and out for bid in March. We anticipate that the Council would award contracts in early April and construction could begin perhaps in May. Thank you for your time and interest in this project. We look forward to seeing you on Monday, January 11. As always, I may be reached at 509-5201. Sincerely, Eric J. Blank, Director Parks and Recreation EB/np Parks and Recreation Department 3400 Plymouth Boulevard • Plymouth, Minnesota 55447 • Telephone (612) 509-5200 1 _ 1� IitPCRTAMCQRRECTION REGARDING ' EAGLE LAKE REGIONAL PARK PUBLIC IiicCPMATION OPEN HOUSES The letter you recently received reo3r4in2 Ea le Lake Revional Park contained an incorrect date. F=nnepin Parks is hosting Publi: Information Open ;souses on Janna My 11 and January 28 (not Januar, 23 as stated in the letter) to answer questi,:r.s and accept comments about proposed developz.ent pians for the park. We apologize for the error and any confusion it may have caused. HENNEPIN PARKS 559-9000 or 559-5719 (TBD) e al aac ai C:h jnn=4660 Plymouth nears JRemembering events of 1998 community' eduajon By Sally Thompson Minnesota Sun Publications calendw opinion (Published: Tuesday, December 29, 1998) (check it out) public safety Events both bad and good made their mark on Plymouth's history smioirs during 1998. Among highlights of the year were the following: Other Papers: ;"''. obituaries , January Plymouth police brought a standoff in northeast Plymouth to a b1iel<S conclusion with no injuries. While the incident happened in 1997, the Receive an e-mail when the Sun Sailor comes online story made headlines in the first Sun -Sailor of the new year. Email: even#stscolr�as Hammer Residences began celebrating its 75th year of serving people with developmental disabilities. .: a. archive Minnesota Sun Publications established a presence on the Internet, You only need to join the going online at http://www.mnsun.com. email list of one paper, all cOnfaC� pg papers are put online at the same time. "How To Talk Minnesotan, The Musical," put together by author Howard Mohr and composer Drew Jansen, marked its first year of filling the Plymouth Playhouse with a special performance and dinner. Lester, the missing fire detector, was found by Tom and Sam Switzer of Plymouth, who received a $1,500 prize. Lester was a city project to promote fire safety. February A replica of the Parkers Lake log cabin was donated to the city of Plymouth by Carol Creelman of Golden Valley. Dedication took place during the Fire and Ice Festival on Feb. 7. Veteran police detective Bill Hanvik retired after 27 years with the Plymouth Police Department. Plymouth police worked with local business owners to make sure minors couldn't buy tobacco or liquor in the city. "We Love Our Kids" activities kept community residents busy during the month. A Richfield man died in an industrial accident at Minntech Corp., the first serious accident of the company's 25 -year history. Plans for a 4 Down Skate Park, a facility requested by the youth of the city, came before the City Council. The park opened in March. March U.S. Rep. Jim Ramstad met with city residents to report on congressional action. Speed limits and parking issues were residents' main concerns at a Ward I meeting led by Councilmember Tim Bildsoe. Members of the Zuhrah Shrine Horse Patrol told about riding in the 109th Rose Bowl Parade. Plymouth second annual "Commute West" job fair attracted 420 job j 1 seekers. Police canine Dallas located a woman who wandered away from the Courage Center. Nick Irons told students at Greenwood Elementary about his swim down the Mississippi to raise awareness of muscular dystrophy. April Primavera, the second annual springtime celebration of fine art in Plymouth, showed 100 works by adult artists, chosen from among 200 entries. Plymouth artist Keith Donaldson received the Primavera Award for his watercolor, "Jazz Fusion." Police arrested a man who threatened a resident with a.22 caliber rifle. No one was injured. Jack Jenkins, owner and chief executive officer of Recycled Computer Products, received the TwinWest Bravo Award. Plymouth Volunteer Coordinator Nancy Anderson said 761 people volunteered for the city in 1997, donating 12,861 hours of work. A Youth Advisory Council was created by the Plymouth City Council as a way to get youth involved in government. Plymouth's financial records, overseen by Dale Hahn, earned a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting by the Government Finance Officers Association for the 15th consecutive year. May Wayzata School District eighth -graders tied for the second highest score in the state on the Basic Standards reading test, and they ranked third in math. With 6 percent of voters going to the polls, the activity center/fieldhouse referendum passed by 55 votes, receiving 1,132 "yes" votes and 1,077 "no" votes. "Famous Dave" Anderson was named Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year by TwinWest Chamber of Commerce. A public hearing was held to gather input before drafting changes in an animal control ordinance for the city. June Changes to Ferndale Road were discussed by the Plymouth and Orono city councils. Jacque Frazzini retired after teaching for 23 years in Wayzata school. "A Midsummer Night's Dream" concluded her career as a drama teacher. An escapee from the Hennepin County Adult Correctional Facility was apprehended in Anoka the day after his escape. Three state awards went to Plymouth because of three successful community projects. Receiving recognition were: the development of the Elm Creek Nature Area, a boat -building project for youth and collaboration on the Plymouth LifeTime Recreation Center. July A man was charged with terrorizing a Plymouth couple by threatening them and waving a gun at them as they drove along a highway entrance ramp. Justin Zook, 12, won the right to represent the United States in the International Paralympic World Championships after competing in the U.S. Swimming Championships for Swimmers with Disabilities. Erickson's NewMarket celebrated its 25th anniversary with extensive remodeling, expansion and a grand re -opening celebration. The City Council passed a new animal control ordinance which will go into effect Jan. 1. Cats and dogs were prohibited from running freely. Vision of Glory Lutheran Church donated $3,000 to the city to buy specialized goggles for firefighters. August Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church moved to Plymouth from New Hope. Three Plymouth artists -- Gail Speckman, Don Bania Jr. and Jim Hautman -- were chosen for Courage Cards this year. TwinWest invited Reform Party gubernatorial candidate Jesse Ventura to speak at the monthly breakfast meeting. Republican candidate Nona Coleman and DFL candidates were invited to speak in succeeding months. A public hearing gave residents a chance to discuss planning for Northwest Plymouth. September With a split vote, Plymouth Planning Commissioners recommended "complete urban expansion" for northwest Plymouth. City residents learned city taxes on an average home in Plymouth, one valued at $192,800, will go up $23.67 in 1999. A resident of the Hennepin Adult Corrections Facility committed suicide. Plymouth artist Anthony Whelihan was commissioned by the Walt Disney Co. to create a signature work of art for the company's 75th anniversary. West Medicine Lake Community Club celebrated its 50th anniversary. The "Dream House" on the Home and Garden Network features the home of Plymouth residents Jim and Dee Sandberg. October Roger Lipelt was honored by players past and present as he retired as Wayzata head football coach. Sunny skies warmed Plymouth on Parade, a celebration of Plymouth's first 25 years as a city. A caravan of tractors, wagons and horses led a rally to protect the open spaces of Northwest Plymouth. "Meet Me in St. Louis" was the first production of the Plymouth Westside Players. November Mayor Joy Tierney and Councilmember Ginny Black were reelected to the Plymouth City Council, and Scott Harstad and Kelli Slavik were elected to the City Council. Delphie Sorenson, who has served District 281 for 20 years, was � named Minnesota School Nurse Administrator of the Year. Hennepin Parks Board discussed creating a new golf enterprise at Eagle Lake Regional Park. . "How to Talk Minnesotan" came out with a new winterized, holiday version of the musical at the Plymouth Playhouse. A new noise ordinance was approved, setting "measurable standards" for a wide range of noises. December Voters in District 284 approved an $18.5 million referendum to repair and maintain the schools and to improve technology. Plymouth police, aided by a police canine, rescued a juvenile from a swampy area. The Plymouth Driver's Exam Station opened for business after being expanded and remodeled. horne help search e-mail i.b.s 721 �Y VIN Minnesota Sun Publications ® 1998. Main Office: (612) 896-4700, FAX: (612) 8964818 Minutes of the Park and Recreation Advisory Commission Meeting November 12, 1998 Page 37 Present: Chair Anderson, Commissioners Thompson, Willegalle, Wahl, Fiemann, Priebe, Musliner; staff Bisek, Blank, Busch; Pederson; Planning Commissioner Koehnen 1. CALL TO ORDER Chair Anderson called the November meeting to order at 7 p.m. in the Council Chambers. 2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A motion was made by Commissioner Musliner and seconded by Commissioner Wahl to approve the minutes of the October meeting as presented. The motion carried with all ayes. 3. VISITOR PRESENTATIONS a. Athletic Associations. None were present. b. Staff. Mary talked about the success of the Plymouth on Parade event. The next big event is Old Fashioned Christmas on Dec. 6, at Plymouth Creek Park. Santa will be in the Historical Society building, along with Mrs. Claus. Mary stated that she just returned from the state parks and recreation conference. A number of the sessions Mary attended dealt with promotion and public relations. We are currently working on a program called E -Connect, which involves putting our brochure on the Internet. We are trying to attract potential employees for the summer by putting up portable signs around town during the winter holiday break, announcing job opportunities. Commissioner Thompson suggested contacting the athletic associations and making announcements in their newsletters. Commissioner Fiemann wanted to know if athletic associations' newsletters could be attached to the city's web site. Commissioner Musliner suggested tapping into the youth advisory council for possible employees. Director Blank said he attended their first meeting to talk about the activity center. Commissioner Musliner asked about the Santa Mailbox and who responds to the letters. Mary stated that volunteers answer them. Mary discussed the recent upgrade to the TTR software and a couple of minor problems that developed. Mail -in registration is lower since TTR was implemented. Of the classes that are available through touch tone registration, about 35% are being registered for by using that method. c. Others. None. 4. PAST COUNCIL ACTION Director Blank said that on a 4-3 vote, the Council approved partial development of northwest Plymouth, rather than full development as recommended by the Planning Commission. Commissioner Priebe asked what partial development means. Planning Commissioner Koehnen said the MUSA will be extended primarily to the area east of Vicksburg Lane, and to some areas west of Vicksburg generally lying along the Soo Line Railroad and Schmidt Lake Road. PRAC Minutes/November 1998 Page 38 �i l 5. UNFINISHED BUSINESS a. Open space — review and discuss recommendation of Open Space Committee. Bruce Hesse, 1105 Peony Lane, presented a petition representing 10 families/properties. As a group, they firmly oppose building a picnic shelter on the Hardenburg site, they reject parking on 12th Avenue as well as Peony Lane, they oppose widening 12th Avenue, they want property kept in its current natural state, but support removal of dead trees, underbrush, etc. They support widening the trails and covering them with wood chips or gravel. They request that the city forester identify some of the plants and trees with signs, as a learning tool for school children. They also would like the city to set up a subcommittee comprised of people living by the park to review future plans for this property. Commissioner Fiemann asked about the road expansion and where this idea came from. Blank said he knows of no plans to expand the road. Mr. Hesse said trails are about two feet wide with lots of overhanging branches and are all very muddy. He said the hole where the house sat is being filled with dirt. He talked about an access from 8th Avenue. Director Blank said that was private property and the land owner doesn't want it used as an access. The only access is via 12th Avenue or 11th Avenue. Cal Baldry, 1115 Peony Lane, was present to reinforce what Mr. Hesse said.. He wants site kept natural, as originally proposed. There is some sentiment for a play apparatus for children if non -natural uses are considered he said. Then the issue of preservation was discussed. Director Blank supports the charter amendment method. It could be as restrictive as the City chooses. The City Council would then vote on the amendment, which would have to be passed unanimously. The amendment could require any changes to each site be voted on by the citizens at large in an election. This charter could be rescinded by another charter amendment. Another method is to convey the development rights to a third party, such as the Land Trust. The only way this method could be rescinded would be by an agreement between the City and the third party with whom the agreement was made, or by the City condemning the other party's interest in the property. A third method of preserving open space would be to leave it up to the discretion of the City. Commissioner Priebe favors conveying the rights to a third party or the charter amendment. Commissioner Thompson is comfortable with the charter amendment. Commissioner Fiemann prefers the charter amendment. The general consensus of the park commission was the charter amendment option. COMMISSIONER FIEMANN MOVED TO RECOMMEND THAT THE COUNCIL PURSUE THE CHARTER AMENDMENT OPTION FOR PROTECTION OF ALL OPEN SPACE SITES AS OUTLINED BY THE CITY ATTORNEY IN HIS LETTER TO DIRECTOR BLANK. CHAIR ANDERSON SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED; SIX AYES, ONE NAY. Commissioner Musliner voted nay, because she feels comfortable allowing the City Council to establish the length of time the open space properties should be protected. The commissioners then discussed the petition that had been presented by Mr. Hesse. They were in agreement that the picnic shelter should not be built and wanted reference to it stricken from the open space committee report. Director Blank said it probably wouldn't be following protocol to make any changes to the actual report, but rather PRAC could suggest to the Council that they make the change. COMMISSIONER PRAC Minutes/November 1998 Page 39 �� c MUSLINER MOVED TO RECOMMEND THAT PRAC RECOMMEND TO THE CITY COUNCIL THAT THEY OMIT THE OPTION OF A PICNIC SHELTER FROM THE HARDENBURG OPEN SPACE SITE. COMMISSIONER PRIEBE SECONDED. MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. Commissioner Wahl stated that he is not comfortable with the idea of posting 12th Avenue as no parking. Other commissioners agreed. Director Blank said there are no plans to install a parking lot or to widen 12th Avenue. b. Activity center/fieldhouse update — Del Erickson, architect. Mr. Erickson shared the following information with PRAC regarding the activity center/fieldhouse plans: there will be a 300 car parking lot with options for expansion. The main door is a plaza area centered between the fieldhouse and activity center. There is a two stage pond with a waterfall between them. There is space allotted for future tennis courts or expanded parking. The drop off area accommodates buses, includes a covered walkway, and the main entrance into central lobby area has automatic opening doors for the handicapped. In the central lobby area there is an open stairway, reception area, and toilet facilities adjacent to the entrance area. Access to the fieldhouse is via stairs or elevator. The elevator . is in a position to be shared by both the fieldhouse and activity center. The banquet room accommodates 350, and can be divided into two or three smaller rooms. There is a raised platform in one corner. The north and west face of the main room has a bay window that takes in the view of the park. On one side of the main room is a catering kitchen which can also function as a teaching kitchen. The Fireside room, which is also the senior area, will have a fireplace and a kitchen. An open deck surrounds this room. There is a snack lounge on the lower level, with future spaces planned for conference rooms, music room, and a tiered meeting space for workshops, etc. There is a second set of bathrooms on this level to serve the fieldhouse and future expansion of the lower level. There is 2,250 square feet of finished space and 10,000 square feet of unfinished space on the lower level. Commissioner Willegalle asked if Mr. Erickson had the opportunity to meet with the arts council. Mary said the arts group has a concern about storage of art projects. Mr. Erickson explained that there is 1,000 square feet of general storage for them. There will be a game room in the fieldhouse, because it has proven to be such a popular attraction at the ice arena. One end of the fieldhouse will accommodate batting cages when the bubble is up. 100 yds. x 60 yds. is the size of the large soccer field, which can be divided into two smaller fields. Director Blank and Mr. Erickson visited the Stillwater fieldhouse and will incorporate some of those ideas into our plan. Shortening the dome by 20 yards made it fit better on the site and kept us from encroaching on the wetlands. The dome is bolted into a concrete curb which will be level with the field. When the bubble is down in the summer the curb will be at grade level, so that no one will trip on it when they are out on the field. As far as the timing of the project, the design development stage has been approved. Next is the design schematic stage, which we hope to have completed by the end of the month. Then we would begin working on the construction documents. Director Blank said he hopes we can go out for bid by the end of February and get the contractor started in April. The plan now is to open in March of 2000. Commissioner Anderson asked how administration will be handled. Director Blank said he has discussed this with the finance and administration departments and his plan is to have a personnel package ready by March, 1999. PRAC Minutes/November 1998 Page 40 ., �.. c. 1999-2003 CIP. After receiving a report from engineering, Director Blank took out the reference to replacing the parking lot at Parkers Lake in 1999. It just needs routine crack filling and minor repairs. Commissioner Willegalle asked about playground improvements for Birchview. Director Blank responded that Birchview was upgraded in 1997. There was some discussion about which schools' playgrounds had been upgraded recently. They were Oakwood, Pilgrim Lane and Greenwood. Further engineering studies need to be done on the lighting at Zachary Playfield. Director Blank said that population projections show that the number of school age children is holding steady making it somewhat difficult to plan for future parks and even puts the size of the 10th playfield into question. CHAIR ANDERSON MOVED TO ACCEPT THE 1999-2003 CIP AS PRESENTED. COMMISSIONER THOMPSON SECONDED. THE MOTION CARRIED WITH ALL AYES. Commissioner Wahl asked about the youth sports fields upgrade. Director Blank said it would either be Greenwood or Central Middle. Director Blank also reviewed the list of items not included in the CIP. Commissioner Willegalle asked if the skateboard park would be reconsidered in the future. Director Blank said the issue is dead as far as this Council is concerned. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Report on athletic field use. Rick Busch explained the data on the charts. Three years ago a task force studied the trends in the uses of athletic facilities. On soccer field usage, Busch explained that they are not all full size fields. For the U6 and U8 teams, four teams can go on a full size field. For U10, two teams go on a full size field. The total number of teams playing soccer in 1998 have already exceeded the year 2005 projections. Six new full size soccer/football fields were added at Elm Creek Playfield this fall and one full size field was created at West Lutheran High School. U6 soccer no longer uses hockey rinks. The soccer field the high school owns and maintains is in poor shape because of the high school marching band using it. The other five fields are maintained by the city and are in much better shape. Commissioner Willegalle asked if more soccer fields will be available next summer. Busch said the six at the high school will be available next year but they weren't this past summer. For baseball/softball field use, numbers are holding steady and are not meeting projections. Four new baseball/softball fields were added at Elm Creek Playfield, and adult softball was transferred there from Zachary. A 90' baseball field was added at West Lutheran. In 1999, two 90' fields will be added at Wayzata High School and one 60'-75' field will be added at Armstrong. Commissioner Thompson said Plymouth -Wayzata Youth Baseball is averaging more kids per team than in previous years. They are completely revamping the 9-12 year old group. She said they need some fields with fences, so the kids can know what it's like to hit a home run. Commissioner Wahl asked why they increased team size. Commissioner Thompson said field pressure dictated that. Director Blank asked if portable fences would be acceptable. Commissioner Thompson said yes. Director Blank explained that there's been a decline in adult softball but an increase in adult soccer. Commissioner Thompson asked if there's growth in other sports. Busch said there appears to be an interest in rugby. PRAC Minutes/November 1998 Page 41 - "l b. Dog park referred from City Council. Distributed at the meeting was a large packet of reading material on dog exercise parks in other communities. Mark Peterson attended the session at the state conference on dog parks and brought these materials back. Our City Council has received a number of requests for such a park in Plymouth. Commissioner Priebe wondered about the significance of the three Hennepin County parks where dogs are allowed to run. Crow -Hassan, Elm Creek and Lake Sarah are all somewhat rural and they require a special permit, which costs $25 per year. Director Blank said park staff will do a search on the Internet about this issue in other parts of the country and report back at a future PRAC meeting. 7. COMMISSION PRESENTATION None. 8. STAFF COMMUNICATION The next meeting is December 10. 9. ADJOURNMENT The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m. DATE: December 22, 1998 TO: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager through Fred G. Moore, Director of Public Works FROM: John R. Sweeney, Assistant to Public Works Director� SUBJECT: STATISTICAL DATA REGARDING THE PLYMOUTH METROLINK TRANSIT SYSTEM'` Attached are several documents and graphs that have been submitted to Messerli and Kramer, lobbyists for the Suburban Transit Association (STA), to provide them with detailed information regarding the Plymouth Metrolink transit system. The information was provided with the understanding that all or a portion of it will be used by them for a legislative meeting that will be held in January 1999. The meeting involving Plymouth Metrolink and Southwest Metro is scheduled for January 22, 1999, and will run from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. The meeting will be held at the new Southwest Metro Transit Hub in Eden Prairie; and all of the Plymouth legislators, as well as those representing Southwest Metro Transit Commission (consisting of the communities of Chaska, Chanhassen, and Eden Prairie) will be invited to attend. Additionally, all Plymouth City Councilmembers and Southwest Metro Board Members will be invited. Special invitations will be sent detailing the event, however, by this memo I wanted to notify you as soon as possible so that you may all tentatively put it on your calendar. The informational pieces attached are as follows: • Fast Facts, a fact sheet about Plymouth Metrolink. • Plymouth Metrolink rider characteristics. • Graph of Metrolink system ridership, 1995 through 1998. R:\pw\Engineering\TRANSIINMEMOS\96\StatistiC$J Data.doo SUBJECT: STATISTICAL DATA REGARDING THE PLYMOUTH METROLINK TRANSIT SYSTEM Page 2 • Graph of Metrolink Reverse Commute Ridership, 1995 through 1998. • Graph of operating costs for Plymouth Metrolink projected for 1998. • Graph of sources of revenue projected for Plymouth Metrolink for 1998. • Statistical data, 1996 through 1998 for the system and Plymouth Metrolink. As I indicated, all or part of this may be presented in a package to the legislators; however, I thought it would be valuable information to share with all of you prior to the meeting on January 22. attachments cc: Mayor City Council Kathy Lueckert Bob Renner Messerli and Kramer League of Minnesota Cities Bldg. 145 University Avenue West Suite 450 St. Paul, MN 55103 George C. Bentley G. C. BENTLEY ASSOC., INC. 14292 Golf View Drive Eden Prairie, MN 55346 R:WEnginwing%TRANSMMEMOS%9Mtatistipi_Datidoc FAST FACTS A Fact Sheet About PLYMOUTH METROLINK December, 1998 • Plymouth Metrolink bus services: Express and Reverse Commuter Services to and from downtown Minneapolis, with morning and evening rush-hour trips connecting Plymouth neighborhoods, businesses and Park & Ride sites with the downtown area. Dial -A -Ride, a shared ride curb -to -curb transit service for Plymouth residents. Rides can be scheduled anywhere in Plymouth as well as to Ridgedale, downtown Wayzata, Golden Valley Center, and the New Hope K -Mart. Plymouth Flyer, a special transportation service for seniors and persons with disabilities. Riders can travel within Plymouth, to surrounding communities or to medical trips at Methodist Hospital or North Memorial Hospital. • Plymouth Metrolink was established in 1984 as the first transit service to be launched under Minnesota law that provided for Replacement Transit Services - better known as Opt -Out Transit Systems. These programs provide cost-effective community based transit as part of the regional transit system. Other Opt -Out Programs are Southwest Metro Transit, Minnesota Valley Transit, Shakopee Area Transit and Maple Grove Transit. • Since its inception, Plymouth Metrolink has experienced spectacular ridership growth. Most recently, in 1997 288,301 passenger trips were provided and 307,500 passenger trips are projected for 1998. • The Plymouth Metrolink fleet includes five mini -coaches, ten small buses, eight forty foot buses and two articulated buses. • The second annual "Commute West" Reverse Commute Job Fair, held in March, 1998, sponsored by Plymouth Metrolink and the City of Plymouth, continued the 1997 success with 426 job seekers and 36 booths staffed by businesses seeking new employees. • In October, 1997, the Minnesota Public Transit Association named Plymouth Metrolink "Minnesota Transit System of the Year" for efficiency and effectiveness. • The Plymouth City Council makes key decisions about Plymouth Metrolink, and the Plymouth Advisory Committee on Transit (PACT) plays a key role in ensuring that Plymouth Metrolink continues to meet the community's needs. For information about Plymouth Metrolink, call 509-5521. For route and scheduling information, call 373-3333. PLYMOUTH METROLINK RIDER CHARACTERISTICS RIDER SURVEY 2/26/98 • Most respondents (74.9%) ride five days per week. This is slightly more than indicated in the 1996 survey ("more than two-thirds"). 10.8% of respondents ride four days per week. The next highest response rate was for two days per week (5.7%), largely due to Dial -A -Ride responses. 61.4% of all respondents have a car available, while 38.6% do not. The number of respondents with cars available is down slightly from the two-thirds indicated in the 1996 survey. - Commuter respondents indicated that 81.7% (up from 77% in 1996) have a car available while 18.3% do not. - Reverse commuter respondents indicated that 11.1% have a car available and 88.9% do not. - Dial -A -Ride respondents indicated that 24.4% (down from one-third in 1996) have a car available and 75.6% do not. If the bus were not available, 46.5% would drive alone (down from `over half' in the 1996 survey), while 17.0% would carpool (down from 25% in 1996). 20.2% would not make the trip if the bus were not available (up from 16% in 1996), and 16.3% marked "other" and wrote they would take a cab, ride with a spouse or a friend would drive to a park and ride lot somewhere else, or weren't sure. - Commuters responses indicated that 63.9% would drive alone, 17.8% would carpool, 7.86/o would not make the trip and 10.5% checked "other." - Reverse commuter respondents said that 15.6% would drive alone, 15.6% would carpool, 46.6% would not make the trip and 22.2% checked `other." - Dial -A -Ride respondents stated that 4.3% of them would drive alone. 15.2% would carpool. 45.7% would not make the trip (up from 35% in 1996) and 34.8% checked "other." • 60.9% of those responding to the survey were women. compared to two-thirds in 1996. - 66.5% of commuters were women and 33.5% were men. - 31.8% of reverse commuters «were women and 68.2% were men. - 66.7% of Dial -A -Ride riders were women and 33.3% were men. • The average age was 41-45 (compared to 36-40 in 1996). Household income of respondents is widely diverse. and spread fairly evenly among income groups. There is a significant difference between household incomes of commuters and those of reverse conunuters and Dial -A -Ride passengers. - 52.9% of commuters have household incomes over $50.000 (compared to 41% in 1996). Only 9.1% have household incomes under $30,000. - 6.6% of reverse commuters have household incomes of over $50,000. 7 1. 1 % have household incomes under $30,000. - 10.5% of Dial -A -Ride respondents have household incomes of over $50,000. 60.4% have household incomes under $30.000. 47.9% have household incomes under $20,000 (compared to one-quarter in the 1996 survey). - 18.2% of respondents did not answer this question (compared to nearly 25% in 1996). • The main reasons given by respondents for using Metrolink service were convenience and cost savings (including downtown parking costs), the same as in 1996. Reverse commuters and Dial -A -Ride respondents indicated that they do not drive and convenience as their primary reasons, the same as in 1996. a� 9 a� rn ca a co N T cu CL a) L a 9 co J 0 W z W O a v Go M Qi r 0000 0000 do0OO OOR, Ct Ci CO 4" q* NVe^-N T- 0. 44). 40). wo, c 0 L N_ S N = II F � N V N 4! I1 •y N O L d` C O t r - to 4) 11 L V d O � i L " a C O Elm o� d ca t d W 0) cu n. LOCI Coco O O O O O O O O MMU)0 C1 vi act 00 coVmN N 00 P� Cl) M V- V - w! - t -V! V! N! V! 49 !L K v C G! ~ 4f 41> > N Q. d ILa`a`O a� cu a �44 r ,U9. t . d `S r - p a� cu a PLYMOUTH METROLINK STATISTICAL DATA 1996 -1998 SYSTEM: Services include commuter routes 91ABCD and 93ABC, reverse commuter routes 92ACD, Dial -A -Ride, Plymouth Rider (11/96 - 4/98) and Plymouth Flyer (3/98 - present). Passengers per Hour 1996-9.36 1997-9.25 1998-9.68 Cost per Passenger 1996-$5.72 1997-$5.71 1998-$5.56 Subsidy per Passenger 1996-$4.38 Recovery Ratio 1996 - 27.34% Passengers ver Dav 1996 - 1,050.12 1997-$4.25 1997 - 29.65% 1998-$4.11 1998 - 30.09% 1997 - 1,101,49 1998 - 1,170.63 METROLINK: Services include commuter routes 91ABCD and 93ABC, and reverse commuter routes 92ACD. Passengers per Hour 1996-14.29 1997-15.72 1998-16.54 Cost per Passenger 1996-$4.60 1997-$4.24 1998-$4.19 Plymouth Metrolink Statistical Data 1996 - 1998 Page 2 Subsidy per Passenger 1996-$3.23 1997-$2.80 Recovery Ratio 1996 - 35.30% 1997 - 40.40% Passengers per Day 1998-$2.76 1998 - 41.09% 1996 - 895.18 1997 - 945.78 1998 - 1,170.63 MEMO CITY OF PLYMOUTH 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD, PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447 DATE: December 24, 1998 TO: Dwight Johnson, City Manager FROM: Laurie ens, Shawn Drill, Jan Olsson (Empl yee Suggestion Committee) SUBJECT: 1998 Annual Report of the Employee Suggestion Program The Employee Suggestion Program guidelines provide that an annual report is to be provided to the City Council regarding the total number of suggestions received, number of suggestions implemented, savings realized, and estimated program administration and award costs. The following suggestions were submitted and considered in 1998 through the Employee Suggestion Program: • Change the City's courier vendor for deliveries to City Attorney. The suggestion was awarded with $200 savings per year identified. The employee was awarded $100. • Print "Address Correction Requested" on City envelopes. This suggestion was rejected as the extra cost for this postal service is not justified for regular mailings. • Install water coolers in City Hall for better tasting water. The suggestion was rejected due to increased cost and incorrect message that may be sent to residents visiting City Hall about the city's water. • Offer monetary incentives to employees who live within Plymouth. This suggestion was rejected because it relates to terms and conditions of employment and is likely not legal. • Order letterhead envelopes with preprinted department name. This suggestion was rejected because of the increased cost and decreased convenience in use; however, the employee was awarded $25 because another solution was identified through the review process. All employees Page 2.� received information on how to add their department name to envelopes through the existing word processing system. • Purchase pop from a different vendor with pickup by City. The suggestion was rejected because the increased personnel cost and inconvenience outweighs any product cost savings. • Give recruitment bonus to employees for new employee referrals. This suggestion was rejected because it would not reduce costs and would tend not encourage diversity in the City's workforce. • Institute a copy/supply center. The suggestion was rejected as the costs cannot be justified. • Use 100 ton press to crush used oil filters. The suggestion was accepted because a savings of $475.50 per year was identified. The employee was awarded $237.75. Many other suggestions were implemented during 1998, but these were the nine submitted through the Employee Suggestion Program. The Labor Management Committee also made two changes to the Program: 1) The turnaround time for review and consideration of suggestions was established as 10 days; and 2) The names of all employees submitting worthwhile suggestions during the year will be placed in a drawing at the upcoming Employee Recognition Event. TO: Mayor and City Council Members THROUGH: Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager FROM: Craig C. Gerdes, Director of Public Safety SUBJECT ALCOHOL COMPLL4NCE CHECK UPDATE DATE: December 28, 1998 for Council Information Memo During 1998, the Police Department conducted a total of 114 alcohol compliance checks. These checks resulted in a total of 25 failures; 23 first fails, 1 second fail and 1 third fail. Of the 25 fails, 13 have completed dispositions with court. All 13 completed cases are first offenses for the establishment. Eight of these cases are ready for their administrative hearings. At this time, we would like to schedule the eight cases that have completed the criminal court process for City Council administrative review. It is possible to schedule hearings for five (5) similar cases for the first meeting in February and other three (3) similar cases for the second meeting in February. The Council could hear all eight (8) cases at a special meeting on the fourth Tuesday in January, or the Council could determine another schedule for hearing these cases. When these hearings are scheduled, staff will provide individual history for the Council on the establishment as well as information on the compliance check failure. The other five cases which have completed court dispositions will not need administrative hearings. Four of the businesses involved have had changes in their license status. Two of the businesses have new owners since their failure and the new owners have the license at the business. One business has a new owner that elected not to sell and no longer has a license. The fourth establishment has the same owner, but has dropped their license and no longer sells any alcoholic beverages. In the fifth case, the facts of the case do not support an administrative hearing. All five are currently compliant. Police Department staff has now received information on the tobacco compliance checks from 1998. After the first of the year, we will provide a similar report on these checks and a proposal for scheduling these administrative hearings. Police Department staff and the City Attorney's office have met and worked out a new plan for better communication on these compliance check issues. The Attorney's office will now inform the police department by form letter at the end of each case that it has been completed. The Attorney's office will also provide a table listing all compliance check cases and their current status each month. We believe this will help ensure these issues are then brought to the Council for administrative review in a timely fashion. December 21, 1998 Ms. Denise Paskach 15000 - 45`h Avenue North Plymouth, MN 55446 CITY OF PLYMOUTH+ SUBJECT: LETTER ATTACHED TO PETITION TO STOP ROUTE 91C FERNBROOK AND 44TH TO VICKSBURG LANE AND 46TH AVENUE Dear Ms. Paskach: Your letter and attached petition to Mayor Tierney dated December 14, 1998, was referred to me for review and response. You may recall that I returned a telephone call to you on December 9, 1998, regarding your concerns and the issues addressed in your letter to the Mayor and we discussed them at that time. As you are no doubt aware, the City ceased the operation of a 40 foot bus through your neighborhood on Tuesday, December 15, 1998. The removal and rerouting of the bus from your neighborhood was at the direction of Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager. The bus has temporarily been rerouted to begin service at 44' Avenue and Fernbrook Lane, then continuing north to Schmidt Lake Road, westerly on Schmidt Lake Road to Vicksburg Lane and southerly on Vicksburg Lane to the new park and ride lot at Plymouth Covenant Church and ultimately continuing south and easterly along its existing route to downtown Minneapolis. Staff will continue to review the need for bus service in the area between Vicksburg Lane and Fernbrook Lane bounded on the north by Schmidt Lake Road, and on the south by Old Rockford Road. You may be interested to know that on Monday, December 14, six people from your neighborhood chose to ride the bus that went through the neighborhood that day; and of course, on Tuesday, December 15, several of those people called to see what happened to the bus and asked why it was not going through the neighborhood again. We have listened to your concerns and assure you that we will do our very best to address those concerns while trying to provide a needed service in the general area. We will continue to evaluate ridership, existing passenger desires, and service potential while determining how many potential riders are in the area previously described. You may recall that during our conversation I indicated to you the City would be monitoring this service very carefully and listening to the neighbors and because the transit system is under local control of the City Council, I indicated that we could and would respond quickly. N:\pw%Enginaring%TRANSIT\LTRS%98\Pukuh_I2 ?IAoc PLYMOUTH ABeautit*ufPlace'ry Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 ®:«.....,. www.d.plymouth.mn.us Ms. Denise Paskach Page 2 I believe that my statements have been validated as evidenced by the quick response taken to the concerns of you and your neighbors. As we continue to try to provide transit service for the area, we will do our best to involve you and your neighbors in this process and keep you informed of our progress. If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact me at your convenience at 509-5521. ereiy, L ,yam ✓ 7J R. Sweeney Transit Administrator cc: Mayor Joy Tierney City Councilmembers Fred G. Moore, Director of Public Works Dwight D. Johnson, City Manager C/R File (98-71) Route 91C Opposition Committee Members Steve Paskach 15000 - 45 h Avenue North Plymouth, MN 55446 Diane Straate 4610 Quantico Lane Plymouth, MN 55446 Mike and Nancy Bakeman 4510 Lanewood Lane Plymouth, MN 55446 N:%pw%Engineering%TRANSMLTRS\9g\Paskach-12_?l.dac Ms. Joy Tierney, Mayor 3400 Plymouth Blvd. Plymouth, MN 55447 Ms. Denise Paskach 15000 4V Ave. N. Plymouth, MN 55446 Dear Ms. Joy Tierney, Thank you for your prompt call back concerning the route of the Plymouth Metrolink 91 C. Concerning the route of 91 C, where the bus will travel on 44th to 45th Ave. to 46th Ave. to Vicksburg, the residences in this neighborhood along this proposed route are strongly opposed to this route through our neighborhood. We are demanding by the petition signatures attached that this bus be re-routed to travel on the main four -lanes of Fernbrook to Schmidt Lake Road to Vicksburg. No one that we contacted in this neighborhood would use or know of anyone who would use the bus along this route to commute downtown. Since a Park -n -Ride location is planned to be located adjacent to the Plymouth Covenant Church's parking lot, we feel this will be sufficient for any commuters to drive their car to and commute by bus downtown. Most people in this area choose to live here because we want to live in a quiet neighborhood to raise our children. We do not want a commuter bus traveling through our neighborhood during the morning and evening hours while our children are at the school bis stops in the morning and playing and riding bikes in the evening. Since we have no sidewalks, many people take their morning and evening walks along the side of the same street that this bus is proposed to travel on. This poses danger that cannot be overlooked. Many people have stated they would not have purchased their home here if this commuter route was already in place. Steps have been taken to improve safety along 44th, 45th, and 46th Avenues, and adding a commuter bus reverses these years of progress. Joined efforts have made safer, quieter streets that as parents we are confident that our children can walk or ride their bikes to their friends houses or to Turtle Lake Park to play without fear of their safety. This commuter bus route through our neighborhood is not a service we want running through our neighborhood. We want this bus to be re-routed to the major roads such as Fernbrook, County Road 9, Schmidt Lake Road, or Vicksburg as it travels to & from Park and Ride Locations as tax paying citizens of Plymouth. Also, we do not want a "Wait and See" approach to take place, we want it to be re-routed immediately. e the ter bus Attached is the beginning of a petition to havand co itu or any 91 v s route re-routed out of our neighborhood, other commuter buses to travel on major roadways. Sincerely, Route 91 C opposition Committee Denise Paskach Steve Paskach Diana Straate Mike Bakeman Nancy Bakeman CC: Tim Bildsoe John Sweeney Route 91 C opposition Committee Members ;j, I e— %c C, 0 �,c, A)c, tj 3 "cl- I'> I - - r�� � nom.- _ or q,110 Ui 17 L44. "116 ►cf , 0 s - /t) Vis«�' tf 'AW, LAqL(O. AtA- IVoe ,f /11, Y\A All yq�e 14 q19 Z- 4a 4�"fn-r M oiu l,,N v— -PaS - y `' 1evwh ..r� � • iw.v� �� � �{ 4SUO tJcv�-c.�0o�( �� � Pty ��`%� (qq3o - l�v�" pme 41 r v'�vLi.�.<.- �f�. /cam L� t? / .. � t • � 5'f � . k&, Lf,42b 1 Y3oo Ave ti /y -3L-Ips. vs y <<-� '4vt iy315' �/y t1644 ��lvi�, 5:5-yg6 AIL VP -- �' /YYO y;/7t� aie SsYy6 _ �, eft �c1��5�i 1 ,I..I r : �.. I uLl q )" y 11 `'Ill w / U,. , n . / 4Jsr s Lto iqt; Litf U VIM +►'h Nehemq hh ySUO �.au► ►ovd1 LV) A -a C & �t ICKV (�j2 L^ I,.,,(•1, , S�Zr� �j IqLl.(o 41�LA ie, �atc+ion �lo qlc -R-om Nei - el Caroli rK r� s 7n- lic (pa A --a h ___-.3_ ___-__ _____ _...... o.5- -, oa, /L/�30 q541,1, /`J. -------- vi r Ln i _ __/-�� cr �D,,) 5 (e _ _ -__ lob-- a J "C___ � — lo 9AA&ALli.P-Lu Caruc qGq5 PZkLIC-IlVieU) LIA N/,-) 410-t Pavte k,,-,e.� f� I u z w a N U 00 ON 00 Q\ N 00 "O N 00 I'D O 00 t— 00 00 00 N O N 00 N N 00 :' N 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 00 I- CN CN N 10 00 10 140 N N O O .-1 O— N — O O — -- N N N 1 N 9 0000 a0 00 00 a0 DD 00 00 00 CN O� O� T T T T T T T 0 0 N O O O O N O O O O N N N N N W 00 00 00 00 00 w 00 00 00 T T a1 ON T O� T T D; a l, -r --CN M M l� O O �--� N O --� O •-+ O N O O O O N N- N 'Cf N CA Cd 10 cn 0 �., ani 0N g o 00 0 0 0 0 0 ,o c c 00 0 4.4 ° 04 o a.W oU H�axHx a,ad Z o o ° cd ° O o to BEd 00 Aa tiv�waA�a N 3 20.? °0 0 a > o °o °O 3 as xc�axcn 4 tf i �,C l-: 1%10 00 0� �o %0 �o 1.0 110 v To the Citizens of Plymouth I wish you all a happy holiday and an exciting New Year. As the year 198 comes to an end I have become increasingly concerned about what appears to be a lack of concern in regard to the opinions and desires of the citizenry as well as the appearance of special interest, and hidden agendas from elected officials. There are those who try to distract you from the facts of policy particularly when it supports only a minority interest, by stating their actions are morally based. I want you all to know that your opinions do count. It saddens me to receive phone calls from many who discuss their lack of faith and trust in our political system, but I am here to tell you that it continues to be far superior then other systems in the world. Please recognize the power that we all hold as American citizens and know that the system will work if you continue to be involved. Don't be discouraged because of a narrow few who may be pushing an agenda that does not support the rest of us. Remember that it is our duty to keep note and use our power on the first Tuesday in November by casting our vote for those who will better represent us. If you believe you are not being heard and are not being presented then replace that person, and choose someone who will listen and support you. Remove from office anyone who tells you that your voice does not matter, because it does. I can guarantee you that our system of government will only get better when we exercise our rights as Americans. A good example of how our system truly works for the people is the election of Governor Jesse Ventura. Comments from political bodies have been that the people didn't truly vote for the candidate but placed a protest vote. I disagree with this opinion. Minnesotans came out in record numbers to elect into office someone who said he will listen to the constituents and that was enticing enough! So in conclusion my fellow Plymouth residents, if you are not listened to now, you will be when you cast your ballot in November! Stay active and involved with greatest respect, Saundra Spigner Plymouth City Council member 1NNESpl' Trade & Econoimc Development December 22, 1998 Business & Commimity Development The Honorable Joy Tierney Mayor, City of Plymouth City Hall, 3400 Plymouth Blvd Plymouth, MN 55447-1482 R i Contamination Cleanup/Investigation Grant Program Site: Village at Bassett Creek Applicant: City of Plymouth HRA Dear Mayor Tierney: The Department of Trade and Economic Development has completed its review of the applications for the Contamination Cleanup/Investigation Grant Program received on November 1, 1998. We are not able to offer you a grant this year because we have a limited amount of grant funds available, and competition was high. The next deadline for applications to the program is May 3, 1999. You are welcome to resubmit this project, or other contaminated site projects that the city of Plymouth HRA may be working on. We will be hosting application workshops in March, 1999. A notice will be sent out specifying dates and times. Applications will be available at that time as well. If you would like to discuss your application, or the process for the next round of grants, please call me at 651-297-4132. Sincerely, Meredith Udoibok, Director Brownfields & Community Assistance cc: Edward Goldsmith 500 Metro Square, 121 7th Place East, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55101-2146 USA 612-297-1291 •800-657-3858 - Fax 612-296-1290/296-5287 - TTY/TDD 800-627-3529 www.dted.state.mn.us Q/ LMC145 University Avenue West, St. Paul, MN 55103-2044 .T,¢ague of Minnesota Cities Phone: (612) 281-1200 • (800) 925-1122 Cities pwmoting ewenanee Fax: (612) 281-1299 • TDD (612) 281-1290 December 21, 1998 To: Mayors and council members of LMCIT member cities From: LMCIT Board of Trustees Jim Antonen, City Manager, Moorhead Les -Henke, Mayor, Willmar Jim Miller, LMC Executive Director Re: 1998 LMCIT dividends Karen Anderson, Mayor, Minnetonka Todd Prafke, City Administrator, St. Peter As you know, the LMCIT property/casualty program is returning $10 million to member cities as a dividend this year. Members of the LMCIT workers compensation program will also share in a $5 million dividend to be distributed in April, 1999. We'd like to congratulate you on what your city has accomplished by cooperating through LMCIT and by your commitment to reducing claims and losses. We've enclosed a chart showing your city's share of this year's LMCIT property/casualty dividend, how that compares with your premiums, and what your city's past premiums and dividends have been. The amount of each city's dividend depends on the city's total premiums and losses for all the years the city has been a member of LMCIT. The longer your city has been a member and the more successful it has been in avoiding losses, the greater your city's dividend. This is the twelfth consecutive year in which the LMCIT property/casualty program has returned a dividend to its members. This year's dividend brings the total to over $100 million since 1987. That's equal to 31 % of the cities' premiums for that period. LMCIT's work comp members have also received substantial Premiums and Dividends LMCIT Property/casually Progra � Illllllllll� � ■ua IILJ �a � ll� llL'J ■� ■L:� l� �:a a� s.:� t:� t:� t,:� t:� t:� t:t� t:� t:� t:� t� tsar• n`���:Il:�t:L' Etdt36JtiiJ;itdJEt�1Ed��EtC3Jt#C3JtIiL'da dividends in the past few years: $5.4 million in 1993, $8.5 million in 1997, $4 million in 1998, and another $5 million to be distributed to members next April. —over— AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY/AFFIRMATIVE ACTION EMPLOYER LMCIT's premium rates have been stable or declining over that same period. LNICIT's liability rates are now lower than they've been since the early 1980's. LMCIT work comp rates for 1999 are just over half of the 1992 rates. At tho same time. LMCIT has been able to continue to improve the coverage to respond to city needs. The coverage for claims arising from Year 2000 problems - a risk that private insurers seem almost universally to be trying to avoid - is one more example of how LMCIT tries to help cities meet new problems and needs as they arise. How is this all possible? A lot of things go into it, but the most important is that cities have done an outstanding job of controlling and avoiding losses. To do that takes both the support of the city elected officials and the efforts of your city staff people. That commitment to controlling losses is paying off for all of us. As Minnesota city officials Nve can all be very proud of what «e're accomplishing cooperatively through LMCIT. As LMCIT's Trustees, we offer you our congratulations. League of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust Property/Casualty Program PLYMOUTH Premiums and Dividends since 1987 $616,177 Dividends PLYMOUTH Premium Dividend History $250 11 $100 '94 '92 1 '91 •'I ? o ;: � 1 I• •1 71; �>�y�{�� > 1 1 1 /[[•'1�� 1 ' .. PLYMOUTH Premiums and Dividends since 1987 $616,177 Dividends Independent School District 284 4 a lalh 1 December 17, 1998 Dear Community Leader: Paul R. Beiliuss, Ed.D. Superintendent of Schools 210 County Road 101 North P.O. Box 660 Wayzata, MN 55391-0660 612.745.5001 Fax: 612.745.5097 0284supt@informns.k12.mn.us I would like to express my deepest gratitude and thanks for your support of the $18.5 million Bond Referendum. As you are most likely aware, voters approved the referendum on December 15. The funds generated by this bond issue will allow us to move forward and make necessary improvements to our schools and technology program. The majority of the referendum — $13.35 million — will be used to upgrade electrical and mechanical systems at the District's oldest buildings. Roof repairs and tuckpointing are also planned. The repairs will occur over a two to three year period. Four million dollars of the referendum will go toward the District's technology program. The long- range technology plan calls for the replacement of obsolete computers (equipment that is more than 10 years old) and audio-visual equipment. A portion of the technology funds will be used to strengthen the District's network security system. As a small token of thanks, I've enclosed a bookmark with our District's mission statement and 1998-99 goals. As you will note, one of our goals focuses on providing high quality learning environments. Referendum funds will help to make that goal a reality. I will be working closely with other District staff as we proceed with the planned renovations. We will see that taxpayers' financial support of our schools is handled prudently. You can expect to be updated regularly on our progress through District communications (see enclosed `Read, See, Hear All About It!' card), as well as local media. I encourage you to call my office at any time if you have specific questions. Thanks again for your generous support of the Wayzata Public Schools. Truly yours, Paul R. Beilfuss, E2. Superintendent of Schools Building excellence for students and the community! Read, See, Haar All About It! Communicator — published monthly. If you don't currently have children in public school, call 745-5068 and ask to be put on the monthly mailing list. Wayzata Update — a student -produced publication. Available at District schools as well as the following locations: Byerly's/Ridgehaven, Caribou/Lake St, Chili's/Co Rd 9, Cub/ Vicksburg, Howie's Barber Shop/Hamel Rd, Lunds/Wazyata Blvd, New Market Foods/Co Rd 101, Plymouth Library, Rainbow Foods/Hwy 55, Sunsets, Wayzata Library —over— Plymouth Sun Sailor and the Lakeshore Weekly News — official District newspapers.. School Board meeting minutes, as well as legal notices, are printed in these papers. Web site — iww.wayzatak12.mn.us Cable TV — 39 (Media One); 8 (Triax, Wayzata); 35 (Paragon, Minnetonka). Cable television schedules are available in the Lakeshore Weekly News and on the District's web site. All District employees have a -mail — frrst name—last name@wayzatakl2.mn.us All District employees have voice -mail. If you would like a copy of the staff directory, call 745-5068. !�►�� General Information — 745-5000 1998-99 DISTRICT GOALS To improve teaching and learning District resources will he directed to: • Implement the Graduation Standards using a standards-based curriculum that is supported by stall developm, ret • Implement Shared Decision 1%1akin through the development of a cl,arca Decision Agreement by each schools Sitc Coordination Team, usr,ni: the District's Shared Decision Making Guide, to be presented to the : drool Board for consideration and approval by December 1998 • Enhance a client -centered school system through training, listening, c,'alualing and nurturing a "user-friendl,' climate • Provide high quality, safe, healthy and efficient learning environments for District students, staff and residents through ongoing. efforts to renovate, repair and update District facilities MISSION STATEMENT The mission of the Wayzata School District is to prepare all students for the future by providing a challenging education which builds academic competence, develops responsible citizenship, encourages creativity, promotes lifelong learning, advances critical thinking skills, instills a commitment to personal wellness, and fosters respect for self and others. THOMAS N. HEARN 455 1 NIAGARA LANE No. , PLYMOUTH, MN 55446-2162 (61 2) 557-0252 December 18, 1998 Mr. Dwight Johnson City Manager 3400 Plymouth, Blvd Plymouth, MN 55447 RE: Bus Route Dear Mr. Johnson: Thank you for talking with me when I called earlier this week to express my disappointment in the decision to move the Plymouth MetroLink 91-C bus route between Fernbrook and Vicksburg. Having worked for six years in Washington DC for a federal agency, I was accustomed to calling governmental officials only to get a recording or someone other than the one I needed to talk with. It was refreshing to have you answer the phone... in person. As I mentioned over the telephone, I want to express my disappointment in the decision to change the 91C -bus route between Fernbrook and Vicksburg. I live one-half block off 40 street and was looking forward to having the bus come close enough that I could walk to the stop without having to get in my car and drive to a park and ride facility. I just retired at the end of September and due to several physical disabilities, I thought the bus to downtown Minneapolis would be a great solution. Moving the route to Schmidt Lake Road does nothing for my situation and I might as well drive into Minneapolis. I know of several other neighbors who, also, are disappointed in the rerouting decision. I understand that you had received several complaints about the original route along 40 Street. I assume they centered about the increased traffic the buses would contribute too. I really can't consider that a valid argument. The time the buses are going through the area is early, before many of my neighbors are awake, and in the early evening. Plus, we have 5+ school buses ply this route twice a day, twice a week garbage trucks are doing the same and once a week, we have the "recyclable" truck going through the neighborhood. Adding 91-C buses to this would not make a big impact on traffic along 441' Street. In fact, it would most likely reduced area vehicle traffic overall. What is important is that allowing the buses on 44`h between Fernbrook and Vicksburg would be logical and increase potential rider -ship. Rerouting the bus to Schmidt Lake, where very few people live who could, and would, use the bus does not make sense. I urge you and the City Council to reconsider your decision and allow the bus to return to what was original planned. Thank you. Sincerely, Thomas N. Hearn December 17, 1998 Dr. Chris Richardson Superintendent Independent School District 279 11200 93`d Avenue North Maple Grove, MN 55369 Dear Dr. Richardson, The Plymouth City Council has received many calls about the proposed redistricting plans in the Osseo School District from our citizens who will be impacted by the plans. They have expressed to us their desire to have their children attend nearby schools with friends and neighbors. Their concerns are the same ones stated during the 1995 boundary changes in Osseo. We agree with the concerns, and approved a motion last evening that reaffirms City of Plymouth Resolution 95-29 on school boundary changes. A copy of the 1995 resolution is attached. We urge you to seriously consider the concerns of Plymouth residents. However, we recognize and respect that the Osseo School Board must make school boundary decisions that are in the best interests of all school district students. We wish you well in this difficult decision. Sincerely, Joy Tierney Mayor of Plymouth PLYMOUTH A Beautif u!Place To Give 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD - PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 - TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 ftj.. �.•„>.- www.ci.plymouth.mn.us CITY OF PLYMOUTH RESOLUTION NO. 9S-29 RESOLUTION REGARDING SCHOOL ATTENDANCE BOUNDARY CHANGES Whereas, Plymouth is a growing community requiring our respective school districts to re-examine their attendance boundaries; .and, Whereas, several school districts representing Plymouth residents are either actively reviewing attendance boundary changes or will be reviewing such boundaries in the near future; and, Whereas, the City of Plymouth and its residents have an interest in school' attendance boundaries in relation to future traffic planning, public safety, recreation programming, community identity and other municipal concerns; Now, therefore, be it resolved by the City Council of the City of Plymouth that the School Districts serving Plymouth residents consider the following objectives in establishing school attendance boundaries: 1. That Plymouth residents and neighborhoods should be segmented as little as possible among different schools, 2. That Plymouth students be allowed to attend the nearest neighborhood school possible, considering geographic proximity as well as major barriers such as freeways, 3. That Plymouth students and neighborhoods be kept together through the progression from elementary to high school, 4. That current students be allowed to continue attending their existing schools as long as practicable, and 5. That the Plymouth City Council offers to work cooperatively through our Council Coordinating Representatives to achieve these objectives. Adopted by the Plymouth City Council on January 3, 1995. f Internet contain From: Coopcarl @ aol.com Sunday, December 20, 1998 3:30 PM Sent: rep.rich.stanek@house.leg.state.mn.us rodigy.com; Contact@ ci.plymouth.mn.us To: PENNY.STEELE@co.hennepin.mn.us; andystart@p Cc: Re: Thank you Subject: We will continue to be present at all meetings and to make sure that the board knows our feelings. Rep. Stanek, it is my opinion that even if we win this round, inevitably there is going to be a move by the the to get all Plym ve the whole uth census arease East side of Hwy. 169. What is procedure moved into the Wayzata school district? We should work toward this goal regardless of the outcome of this situation. Carl Cooper Internet Contact From: Coopcarl@aol.com Sent: Saturday, December 19, 1998 1:04 PM To: Contact@ ci.plymouth.mn.us Cc: richardsonc@osseo.kl2.mn.us; PENNY.STEELE@co.hennepin.mn.us; rep. rich.stanek@house.leg.state.mn.us; andystart@prodigy.com Subject: Resolution Please pass this to the Mayor and all Council Members Thank you for your show of support for census area 283 by passing your neighborhood school resolution. I have passed this news along to many of the residence of 283 and to the Osseo School Board members. Census area 283 is a part of the Plymouth neighborhood and we thank you for your support. We would still appreciate any personal support you could give to our issue and your individual help in contacting the school board members would be much appreciated. Carl Cooper December 23, 1998 The Honorable Joy Tierney City of Plymouth 3400 Plymouth Blvd Plymouth, MN 55447-1482 Dear Joy: 12 DEC 2 g 9 Thank you so much for your gifts of food this Holiday Season to the Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners Food Shelf. We are truly grateful for your support. In recent months, IOCP has witnessed an increased reliance on the food shelf by many of the working poor in our community. In fact, we are now distributing more than 20,000 pounds of food a month. We are particularly indebted to you for providing support to insure that food will always be available to families who need it in our community. Again, many thanks. Sincerely, Carol Bergenstal, De elopment Director Interfaith Outreach & Community Partners IOCP did not provide any goods or services in consideration of this gift. 110 Grand Avenue South, Wayzata, Minnesota 55391-1872 612/473-2436 Fax 6l2/473-1337 December 31, 1998 Shawn Gardner 14110 —370' Avenue North Plymouth, MN 55447 Dear Mr. Gardner, Thank you for taking the time to appear at the Plymouth Forum on December 16 to speak about the persons exempted from the requirements of the massage therapy ordinance. When the ordinance was originally drafted, the city attorney at that time advised that the city keep the "exempt persons" clause in the ordinance. The record is not clear as to why it was important to keep that clause. I am asking the current city attorney to review this issue in light of your concerns. I'll be back in touch with you after I receive the attorney's response. If you have questions, please call me at 509-5052. Best wishes for a happy and healthy New Year. Sincerely, Kathy Lueckert Assistant City Manager PLYMOUTH A Beautifuf Pace 4o Live 3400 PLYMOUTH BOULEVARD • PLYMOUTH, MINNESOTA 55447-1482 • TELEPHONE (612) 509-5000 9"N...Mp" www.ci.plymouth.mn.us rpc )11Y oF PLYMOUTR 1999 Planning Commission Meeting Schedule All meetings begin at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers Plymouth City Center, 3400 Plymouth Boulevard January 13 January 27 February 10 February 24 March 10 March 24 April 14 April 28 May 12 May 26 June 9 June 23 July 14 July 28 August 11 August 25 September 15 September 29 October 13 October 27 November 10 November 24 (tentative) December 8 December 22 All meetings are the second or fourth Wednesday of the month. Call the Community Development Department at 509-5400 to confirm meeting schedules and agendas. If you are not able to attend a meeting, please call Denise Hutt at 509-5408.