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HomeMy WebLinkAbout10-05-2020 Special City Council Meeting MinutesOFFICIAL PROCEEDINGS CITY OF COLUMBIA HEIGHTS CITY COUNCIL MEETING OCTOBER 5, 2020 The following are the minutes for the special meeting of the City Council held at 5:15 pm on Monday, October 5, 2020, in the Community Room, Columbia Heights Public Library, Columbia Heights, Minnesota. 1. CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Mayor Schmitt called the meeting to order at 5:15 pm. Present: Mayor Schmitt; Councilmember Buesgens; Councilmember Murzyn, Jr.; Councilmember Novitsky; Councilmember Williams Also Present: Kelli Bourgeois, City Manager; Aaron Chirpich, Community Development Director; Kevin Hansen, Public Works Director; Nicole Tingley, City Clerk 2. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE 3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Novitsky, to approve the agenda as presented. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. 4. ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION A. Approve City Hall Condo Transfer Agreement Community Development Director Chirpich explained that the agreement is to transfer the ownership of the City Hall condo unit to the City. It is a transfer agreement and not a purchase agreement because the City paid for the condo unit on the front end by reducing the sale price of the development site. Chirpich summarized the primary provisions of the transfer agreement as follows: • Condo Value/Cost- A value of $2,115,000 was assigned to the condo. The City will be subject to closing costs typically assigned to a buyer. • Gray Shell Specifications- The unit will be mostly unfinished with basic utility connections. A list of specifications that clearly define expectations for gray shell unit is being drafted. • City Hall Upgrades- An escrow of $500,000 will be used for exterior finish upgrades for the City Hall condo for the areas of the façade, street scape elements, and vestibule. These improvements will be brought to City Council at a later date and there is the ability to reduce upgrades at any time. • Additional Installations- Certain improvements outside of the City Hall condo unit are included in the transfer agreement. These include the 28 stall parking garage, security system connections, heating and cooling units, rooftop HVAC unit, and shared use of emergency generator. The City will also have its own generator specific to city hall operations. Chirpich mentioned that there are additional agreements working in conjunction with the transfer agreement that relate to the conveyance of City Hall. Those agreements are the Condominium City Council Minutes October 5, 2020 Page 2 Declarations and Bylaws which is the management and cost sharing for the condo association. It addresses maintenance of general common elements within the development. He shared examples and explained the cost sharing equation. Next, Chirpich provided an overview of the parking license agreement. He explained the City would be leasing spaces from the main level multifamily parking area during business hours for staff parking. The City also has the option of renting spaces. One option may be to rent stalls back to the multifamily unit on the weekends for guests. Mayor Schmitt asked about more details on the upgrades specifically the City Hall vestibule. Chirpich stated City staff will bring all of the proposed upgrades to the City Council for review and feedback in the near future. Mayor Schmitt asked about the budget of the upgrades and if it can go up or down. Chirpich responded that it could go down. He stated the budget is $500,000 with all components discussed and staff believes there is opportunity to scale down with the crash protection benches being an example. Mayor Schmitt stated that former City Manager called her and left a message stating that he built the current City Hall and previous police station 62 years ago. She commented that she hopes the new City Hall will last that long. Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Novitsky to waive the reading of Resolution 2020-79, there being ample copies available to the public. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Murzyn, Jr., to approve Resolution 2020-79, a resolution approving Transfer Agreement which recites terms for conveyance to City of City Hall component. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. B. Authorize Purchase of Laserfiche Municipality Site License City Manager Bourgeois explained two options for upgrades to Laserfiche. Minimal required upgrades would allow 25 staff to be full users and the rest be read only users. The public would not be able to access documents online in the public portal. The second option is the Municipal Site Wide License. This would allow all 100 full user licenses and includes the document portal for the public and allows for the ability for submitting forms. Bourgeois explained the costs of each option. The price for the minimal upgrades is $14,000 plus $12,500 per year. The cost of the Municipal Site License is $25,000 per year plus a one-time cost for installation and labor of $3,700. The Municipal Site License would be a 3 year commitment with 3% price increase each year. If chosen, the Municipal Site Wide License would be purchased using $16,000 of 2020 budgeted funds and $12,700 CARES Act funding. Bourgeois recommended the Municipal Site License as it has the public ability to search for documents and more reduction in paper transferring. In addition, it would set-up the City for integration between Laserfiche and Permitworks for online permit applications and payments. This integration is a separate cost of $22,000 through CARES Act funding and is anticipated to be brought to City Council on October 12. City Council Minutes October 5, 2020 Page 3 Mayor Schmitt commented that she thinks the Municipal Site License is necessary. She has heard disappointment from the public no longer being able to access documents. She asked for clarification if old documents would be able to be accessed. City Clerk Tingley responded that it would allow for any documents the City chooses to share such as minutes and agendas and additionally the ability to create online forms. Motion by Councilmember Novitsky, seconded by Councilmember Murzyn Jr., to authorize purchase of Laserfiche Municipality Site License and associated labor costs from OPG-3 in an amount not to exceed $28,700 using 2020 budgeted funds of $16,000 and $12,700 CARES funding. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. C. Approve Contract with SEH for Phase 1 Services for Monopole Cell Tower at 3989 Central Avenue Public Works Director Hansen stated that the City needs to build a monopole cell tower at the Library site as a part of the negotiated settlement agreement for removal of the cell towers at 3989 Central Avenue. To complete the tower engineering services are needed specifically design and bidding services. Staff contacted SEH for a proposal of these services. Hansen explained the work would be funded through the Anoka County Economic Development Fund. Mayor Schmitt asked for clarification on how much would be funded through the Anoka County Economic Development Fund. Hansen answered he believed not only the engineering services would be funded through the Anoka County Economic Development fund, but also the construction of the tower. Mayor Schmitt asked about a start-time. Hansen responded that SEH will start with engineering services right away because of the short timeframe. Councilmember Buesgens asked about a timeline. Hansen answered that it is anticipated public bidding will take place February through April. Construction will depend on the builder and availability of materials, but he hopes construction for the end of summer next year. Chirpich added that the tower needs to be substantially complete by October of next year. Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Novitsky, to approve the Professional Services Agreement with SHE for engineering consultant services for the preliminary and final design of a monopole communication tower to be located at 3989 Central Avenue in an amount not-to-exceed $45,505 appropriated from Fund 415-52014-3050. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. 5. CITY COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS Mayor Schmitt decided to skip the reports. Mayor Schmitt announced that she received a phone call from Fairview that the Columbia Heights clinic is one of 14 clinics being closed by them. She shared some further information stating that Fairview does not know the timeframe, it has been made public, and it is contributed to an increased use of telehealth services. She also noted that Fairview commented to let them know of anything that they can do to help the community and they are willing to do events. City Council Minutes October 5, 2020 Page 4 Councilmember Buesgens noted it would affect the revenue of the parking ramp. Chirpich stated that it is a $30,000 per year revenue. It was noted that the funding is secured for one year already. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Novitsky, to adjourn. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. Meeting adjourned at 5:38 pm. Respectfully Submitted, ___________________________________ Nicole Tingley, City Clerk/Council Secretary