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HomeMy WebLinkAbout05-27-2025 City Council Meeting Minutes CITY COUNCIL MEETING Mayor Amáda Márquez Simula Councilmembers Connie Buesgens Rachel James Justice Spriggs Laurel Deneen City Manager Aaron Chirpich City Hall—Council Chambers, 3989 Central Ave NE Tuesday, May 27, 2025 6:00 PM MINUTES The following are the minutes for the Meeting of the City Council held at 6:00 pm on Monday, May 27, 2025, in the City Council Chambers, City Hall, 3989 Central Avenue NE, Columbia Heights, Minnesota WELCOME/CALL TO ORDER/ROLL CALL Mayor Márquez Simula called the meeting to order at 6:00 pm. Present: Mayor Márquez Simula; Councilmember Buesgens; Councilmember Deneen; Councilmember Spriggs; Councilmember James Also Present: Aaron Chirpich, City Manager; Mitchel Forney, Community Development Director; Sara Ion, City Clerk; Scott Lepak, City Attorney; Makela Madsen, Nexus-Kindred representative; Stacy Sikorski, Nexus-Kindred representative; Taylor Wolff, Nexus-Kindred representative MISSION STATEMENT Columbia Heights is a vibrant, healthy and connected City. We are here to actively support the community, deliver equitable services, build and strengthen connections, improve upon our past, and uphold our successes. We strive to be better and ensure Columbia Heights is a great place for everyone, today and in the future. A. Columbia Heights City Council and Staff Norms. While we are accountable to each other for these norms, the Mayor and City Manager will help us adhere to them with respectful reminders and reinforcement as needed. City Manager Chirpich noted that the Staff Norms were accepted during a previous meeting and added to the agenda for reference. Going forward the norms will be included in the packet as the first item after the agenda. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE "I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all." APPROVAL OF AGENDA Motion by Councilmember Deneen, seconded by Councilmember Spriggs, to approve the Agenda as presented. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 2 PROCLAMATIONS, PRESENTATIONS, RECOGNITION, ANNOUNCEMENTS, GUESTS A. Foster Care Awareness Proclamation. Receiving Proclamation: Nexus-Kindred Mayor Márquez Simula proclaimed May 2025 as Foster Care Awareness Month, and Councilmember Deneen read the City’s proclamation. Stacy Sikorski, Makela Madsen, and Taylor Wolff accepted the proclamation. Ms. Madsen gave a presentation about Nexus-Kindred. She shared a story about Zaiden, who was in foster care and experienced thoughts of hopelessness and worthlessness. Zaiden struggled in school. Zaiden came to one of Nexus-Kindred’s foster care homes and experienced safety, stability, consistency, love, and care. She read words from Zaiden that said, “Since aging out of the foster care system at age 18, I’ve worked hard to build an independent life. I’m now 19, living on my own, and currently doing an internship in boiler operations. I’ve earned my special boilers license and am working towards my 2A license, which requires about 2,000 hours of experience. I’m also pursuing an associate's degree and plan to earn a refrigeration license. Along the way, I’ve picked up some basic plumbing and electrical skills, which helped me take care of small repairs around the house. On top of that, I’ve started investing in stocks in crypto and have been able to purchase two cars since moving out. These experiences have taught me a lot about responsibility, hard work, and staying focused on my goals.” She mentioned that Zaiden mentors’ other foster youth in the home. Ms. Sikorski explained that the goal of foster care is to provide a safe, loving, and caring home. She provided an overview of Nexus-Kindred Family Healing, which is a parent company based in Plymouth, MN. Nexus-Kindred has been around for 50 years, and the mission has not changed. Anyone 21 years old or older can get licensed to become a foster parent. Nexus-Kindred provides foster parents with training and assistance. She added that they provide adoptions through foster care. She noted their agency serves over 300 kids. She explained that there is a need for foster parents because they do not have enough homes to place all of the kids who need foster care. She stated she would be happy to provide more information to anyone who is interested in being a foster parent. B. Menstrual Hygiene Day Proclamation. Mayor Márquez Simula proclaimed May 28, 2025, as Menstrual Hygiene Day and Councilmember Spriggs read the City’s proclamation. C. Gun Violence Awareness Proclamation. Mayor Márquez Simula proclaimed June 06, 2025, as National Gun Violence Awareness Day and read the City’s proclamation. COMMUNITY FORUM City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 3 There were no public comments. CONSENT AGENDA Councilmember James requested additional information for item 7. City Manager Chirpich explained that item 7 is a project where brick manholes and the water main on 40th Avenue will be replaced. The project is expected to take place in 2026. The water main and manholes are old on this stretch of road. The funding for the sanitary sewer and manhole portion of the project will come from grant funds that were received from the federal government. The water main replacement project would be funded by the City. He mentioned he did not have the breakdown of the funds, but could follow up with the Council. Motion by Councilmember James, seconded by Councilmember Buesgens, to approve the Consent Agenda as presented. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. 1. Approve April 28, 2025, Local Board of Appeal and Equalization Meeting Minutes. MOTION: Move to approve the April 28, 2025 Local Board of Appeal and Equalization meeting minutes. 2. Approve April 22 and May 8, 2025, Strategic Planning Work Session Meeting Minutes. MOTION: Move to approve the April 22 and May 8, 2025 Strategic Planning Work Session meeting minutes. 3. Approve May 5, 2025, City Council Work Session Meeting Minutes. MOTION: Move to approve the May 5, 2025, City Council Work Session meeting minutes. 4. Approve May 12, 2025 City Council Meeting Minutes. MOTION: Move to approve the May 12, 2025, City Council meeting minutes. 5. Second reading of Ordinance 1713, Allowing Alcohol at City Sponsored Events. MOTION: Move to waive the reading of Ordinance No. 1713, there being ample copies available to the public. MOTION: Move to approve the second reading of Ordinance No. 1713, being an ordinance amending chapter 10.201 of the Columbia Heights City code to allow the sale of alcohol at city sponsored events, and to direct staff to send the summary ordinance for publication in the legal newspaper. 6. Professional Services for Construction Surveying and Staking for 2025 Concrete Alley Construction Project. MOTION: Move to approve the proposal for Construction Surveying and Staking for 2025 Concrete Alley Construction with Bolton & Menk, Inc. for an estimated cost of $38,106 appropriated from Fund 415.6400.43050.2506. 7. Approving Plans and Ordering Advertisement for Bids For 40th Avenue Sanitary Sewer and Watermain, Project 2404. MOTION: Move to Approve Plans and Ordering Advertisement for Bids for 40th Avenue Sanitary Sewer Manhole and Water Main Replacement, City Project 2404. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 4 8. Presentation of Body Worn Camera Audit results to City Council. MOTION: Move to acknowledge the receipt of the Columbia Heights Police Body Worn Camera audit report from Lynn Lembcke Consulting dated April 28, 2025. 9. Rental Occupancy Licenses for Approval. MOTION: Move to approve the items listed for rental housing license applications for May 27, 2025, in that they have met the requirements of the Property Maintenance Code. 10. License Agenda. MOTION: Move to approve the items as listed on the business license agenda for May 27, 2025, as presented. 11. Review of Bills. MOTION: Move that in accordance with Minnesota Statute 412.271, subd. 8 the City Council has reviewed the enclosed list to claims paid by check and by electronic funds transfer in the amount of $1,288,560.02. ITEMS FOR CONSIDERATION Ordinances and Resolutions 12. First Reading of Ordinance 1714, Amending the City’s Rental Density Cap. Community Development Director Forney stated at the April 7 City Council work session, Community Development staff presented proposed edits to the City’s rental density cap ordinance. Staff introduced several key decision points and provided a recommendation to the Council, which is detailed in the attached staff letter from that meeting. Ultimately, the Council supported staff’s recommendation, which is reflected in the updated ordinance language and the accompanying internal policy for reviewing rental density cap exemption requests. Community Development Director Forney mentioned that Ordinance 1714 shifts the administrative review of rental density cap exemptions to staff by outlining specific, clearly defined examples of allowable exemptions. The ordinance is supported by an internal policy designed to streamline the exemption process, establish clear expectations for the Council, and guide exemption requests through a more consistent and transparent review and appeal process. This approach also helps protect applicant privacy by reducing the need for public hearings where individuals might otherwise have to disclose personal information. Community Development Director Forney noted that under this new process, staff will have the ability to approve exemptions when applications meet the criteria and intent of the ordinance. For applicants who do not qualify, staff will clearly communicate the unlikelihood of approval. In cases where applications fall outside the scope of the established criteria, staff will bring the request to the City Council with a recommendation for approval or denial based on the individual circumstances. Recommended approvals will be placed on the consent agenda. In cases where investors insist on consideration despite City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 5 not meeting the ordinance’s intent, staff will actively recommend denial. All approved exemptions will be time-limited, with a maximum term of five years. Staff recommend approval of Resolution 1714 and welcome any suggested edits to staff's internal policy draft. Councilmember James asked if the annual application would be an onerous amount of paperwork if the term were five years. Community Development Director Forney replied that it would be a part of the workflow and would be a simple one-page application. Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Deneen, to waive the reading of Ordinance No. 1714, there being ample copies available to the public. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Deneen, to set the second reading of Ordinance No. 1714, being an ordinance amending chapter 5a, article IV of the Columbia Heights City Code to amend the regulation of rental density for detached single-family rental dwellings, for June 9, 2025. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. 13. Consideration of a Rental Density Cap Exemption for 2308 Maiden Ln. Community Development Director Forney stated that on May 14, 2025, the owner of 2308 Maiden Lane reached out to the Community Development Department in writing to request an exemption from the single-family rental density cap. The property is located on Block 184 with seven (7) single-family rentals out of 50 total single-family units and an allotment of five (5) single-family rentals. The applicant is requesting permission to rent out their home as a long-term investment. The owner does not own any other properties within Columbia Heights but resides within the city. The applicant asks the City to consider their request. Attached is the application that staff received. Community Development Director Forney noted at the April 7, 2025, Council Work session, staff presented potential amendments to the Rental Density Cap ordinance. While these changes have not yet been adopted, it is useful to understand how this exemption would be evaluated under the proposed revisions. Under the draft policy, this request would not qualify for an exemption, and the applicant would be notified of the denial. Should the applicant choose to appeal, staff would provide guidance on the appeal process. Community Development Director Forney explained that if approved, Resolution 2025-042 would grant a temporary rental license exemption to the homeowner with a few additional requirements. The homeowner is required to complete the license application process within 6 months from the passage of the resolution. This puts a limit on how long it can take to bring the house into rental compliance if needed. The temporary rental license will be valid for one year from the date that the license is approved. This provides the homeowner and tenant with the ability to rent the home for a full one-year lease. After the term of the temporary license, the persons requesting a temporary license must make an annual application to the City. No property owner shall hold a temporary rental license for the same property for more than two consecutive years. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 6 Councilmember James explained that she is in favor of not having the name and details of the owner as public information. Community Development Director Forney mentioned that staff are trying to eliminate all identifying information except the property address to keep names, phone numbers, and email addresses of property owners out of the public record. Motion by Councilmember Spriggs, seconded by Councilmember James, to waive the reading of Resolution 2025-042, there being ample copies available to the public. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. Motion by Councilmember Spriggs, seconded by Councilmember Buesgens, to approve Resolution 2025-042, being a Resolution of the City Council of the City of Columbia Heights approving the single-family rental exemption request for the rental application at 2308 Maiden Ln, Columbia Heights, MN 55421. All Nays, Motion Failed 0-5. CITY COUNCIL AND ADMINISTRATIVE REPORTS Report of the City Council Councilmember James mentioned she attended the Sustainability Commission meeting, Cheers for Beers, Art-A-Whirl in Northeast Minneapolis, a meeting with the mayor's rapid response team, the City’s school’s expression art show, the City Staff celebration, and the books and brews event. She added that she attended the presentation at the library for the Medtronic site proposal. She mentioned that she signed a letter for elected officials who are standing with the mayor of Newark, New Jersey, and against authoritarian attacks. She noted she did a five-day League of Minnesota Cities challenge on welcoming and engaged cities. Councilmember Buesgens stated she spoke at a MnDOT training. She mentioned that she volunteered with Blooming Sunshine Garden. She noted she attended the Fire Department awards dinner, the St. Matthews musical, Tim Lund’s retirement party, the City’s strategic planning meeting, the MWMO board meeting, the Cheers for Beers event, a tour of the Minneapolis Open Doors courthouse, the HeightsNext planning meeting, and the wellness dinner. Councilmember Deneen explained that she attended the Fire Department awards ceremony and the Energy Action Plan draft feedback session. She noted she volunteered with Every Meal at Valley View Elementary School and went to Coffee with a Cop. She stated she attended the EDA meeting, the work session meeting, and the Council strategic planning meeting. She added that she volunteered at Cheers for Beers. She mentioned she attended the Medtronic redevelopment meeting, the Fire Relief Committee meeting, and the City’s Memorial Day Celebration. Councilmember Spriggs noted he attended the Strategic Planning session, the MnDOT Complete Streets workshop, the five-day League of Minnesota seminar, and the MAC meeting. Mayor Márquez Simula stated she attended the HeightsNext planning meeting and volunteered at the Cheers for Beers event. She added that she attended a couple of Rotary meetings. She announced that the Peace Breakfast is on June 10th from 8:00-9:30 am at Murzyn Hall. Tickets are $20 per person and $160 for a table for eight people. The proceeds go to Missions Inc. She noted that she signed onto the City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 7 letter supporting the mayor in Newark, New Jersey. She thanked staff for their work on the Memorial Day event for the City. She noted that it was the five-year anniversary of George Floyd’s murder and explained that the City has come a long way since then. She mentioned that the City now has two full- time social workers and a therapy dog and is continuing to work to support the mental health of police officers. She added that the City desires to continue to do better. Report of the City Manager City Manager Chirpich announced that the wading pool at McKenna Park would be closed due to a tree damaging the fence around the wading pool. The pool will be closed until the damage can be cleaned up. The City-wide garage sale registration deadline is Saturday, May 31st. The City-wide garage sale is scheduled for June 6-8. More information can be found on the City’s website. Music in the Park is sponsored by Northeast Bank and will begin on June 4th with Ecuador Manta. The event will take place from 6:30-8:00 pm at Huset Park East. The details and schedule for Music in the Park are on the City’s website. City Manager Chirpich gave an update on the intersection of 40th Avenue and 5th Street. Public Works crews are currently working on repairing the road due to a water main break. The City expects the repair to be completed by the end of the week. City Manager Chirpich provided additional information about the EPA grant that was referenced in the Consent Agenda and noted that it is a maximum grant of $400,000 from the Federal government. It is an 80/20 split and is only for the sanitary sewer portion of the project. The City would have to expend a minimum of $480,000 to be eligible for the full reimbursement. The project is estimated to be upwards of $1 million. City Manager Chirpich mentioned that he had answers to the questions raised during the Community Forum portion of the last Council meeting. He noted that one of the questions raised about Gould Avenue was whether the City had a six-hour parking rule. The City has a six-hour parking rule which is referenced in the City Code 7.205a, which states, “No person shall park a vehicle in his custody or control in any one place upon any street or roadway for a continuous period longer than 6 hours.” Staff find the enforcement impractical and would like to suggest some changes for the future. The Ordinance is not a perfect situation for Gould Avenue and Peters Place, and there is room for improvement. City Manager Chirpich noted that there was a question about whether there was a law that says some people do not have to register and pay for tabs for their vehicles. He explained that motor vehicle registration and taxation are regulated by Minnesota State Chapter 168 per the Department of Public Safety Driver and Vehicle Services. Minnesota requires all motor vehicles to be registered annually. The State allows reciprocity agreements with some other states and territories. If residents observe parked cars with expired tabs, they are welcome to call the non-emergency Columbia Heights police dispatch line. Cars that have tabs that have been expired for more than 90 days can be impounded. The Police Chief has been working with his staff who are patrolling the area to understand the law more and expects enforcement of the rule moving forward. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 8 City Manager Chirpich mentioned that there was a question asking if there was sufficient parking at Ratio Apartments. He explained that Ratio Apartments has an interior parking garage. During the planning approval process, the parking spots were calibrated to meet the standards and calculations that were needed. Ratio residents who wish to use the indoor parking garage are required to pay a monthly fee in addition to their rent. He noted that there was a question that asked if there could be an agreement with Ratio building owners to provide cheaper parking for building residents. At this time, the City cannot require Ratio to reduce its parking lease rates. The income from parking is essential to Ratio’s financial health for their project. The City has been able to craft development agreements for subsequent projects that require parking to be included in the base rate of apartments. Residents who do not want to pay for parking have been offered to park for free overnight at the City’s municipal parking ramp. He explained that Ratio management requires a parking lease for 12 months so that residents do not just get a parking lease in the winter. City Manager Chirpich stated that there was a question wondering whether the City had completed an assessment of the effects of the new parking regulations. City staff started an assessment immediately following the implementation on January 2, 2025, and have continued to do so through April. The report of the assessment took place during the May 5th Council work session. He added that there was a question regarding why winter parking was not included in the work session assessment report. Staff did not include winter parking data in the report to the Council because of the elimination of the full lane along the north side of Gould Avenue, and the citations in the winter decreased in comparison to last year. Staff would recommend assessing the citations for a longer period of time. City Manager Chirpich explained that there was a question about why the Police Department was not towing vehicles when issuing tickets. The Police Department is towing vehicles when it is allowed by State Statute. Not all ticket parking violations are towable. City Manager Chirpich stated there was a question about why residents had not received any information from the City regarding parking updates or changes. Staff have used multiple methods of communication to inform and prepare residents for the new regulations. The weekend before the new regulations were implemented, Community Development staff mailed flyers to each property with a frontage of Peters Place or Gould Avenue and Reservoir Boulevard properties that share an alley between Gould Avenue and Peters Place. On December 27th Communication staff sent a code red neighborhood alert about the upcoming changes by phone, text, and email. On December 31st Communication staff sent a second code red message. The Communication Department and the Community Development Department collaborated on a website specifically for the effort and included City-wide parking information, which can be found on the City’s website. City Manager Chirpich noted that there was a question regarding why there were different solutions proposed instead of permit parking. Permit parking can regulate who parks in a certain area, but not where, like in front of a driveway, mailboxes, and trash cans. Permit parking cannot resolve concerns about insufficient drive lane width while reducing parking to one side can do that. Permit parking is typically a way to regulate between different uses and not densities. Permit parking would not guarantee that a resident would be able to park outside of their home because the road is not owned by the property owner. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 9 City Manager Chirpich mentioned that there was a fan noise concern from a resident. The fan noise mitigation project began on May 19th and was completed on May 23rd. The work included moving the fan deeper into the garage and away from the exterior wall. The fan was aimed in a different direction. There is still electrical work that needs to be done, which will calibrate the fan speed to the temperature of the room. City Manager Chirpich mentioned that during the last Council meeting, there was an individual who was representing ACEIT and had concerns related to the City’s usage of poll pads. A poll pad is used in place of paper poll books to check in voters on election data and to see whether a voter has received an absentee ballot or has voted absentee. Additionally, the pads help direct voters to the correct polling place if they are at the incorrect location. Poll pads use a secure internet connection to update voter information in real-time with the State voter registration system. If there were a situation where the poll pads could not be utilized, there is a paper backup that is deployed by the City. He explained that the poll pads are not used one day out of the year. Last year, they were used and deployed for three elections in the City. The County can have real-time updates to reflect what is happening on election day, which is a huge benefit. He mentioned that the individual who raised concerns noted that the poll pad agreements came out in 2018 and felt that the County and City did not properly vote on the agreement. In 2018, the County Board voted unanimously to purchase and use poll pads. The County sent all required notifications to the State to inform them of that decision. There was no formal vote required by the County or the City. The City is liable for the product if it is misused or damaged while in the City’s possession. The County does not own or control the data system. City Manager Chirpich stated that there was a resident who expressed concerns to the Council regarding volleyball games taking place at a neighboring property. Staff from the Community Development Department inspected the property and found some minor code violations related to the netting to prevent balls from leaving the area. Enforcement is underway. He noted that police have responded to several complaints at the location to investigate concerns related to the volleyball games. There have not been any citations issued. Mayor Márquez Simula thanked City Manager Chirpich for addressing each individual question instead of simply providing a summary. She expressed her appreciation that City Manager Chirpich did not include the winter data for Gould Avenue and Peters Place, since there is not enough data to compare and provide a full answer. She added that there was not a lot of snow during the winter, which makes it difficult to see the issues that trucks had in trying to get through the area. Mayor Márquez Simula noted that people are allowed to play volleyball in the City, but there are noise Ordinances in place. She encouraged community members to call the Police Department or the City to address noise or parking concerns. ADJOURNMENT Motion by Councilmember Buesgens, seconded by Councilmember Deneen, to adjourn. All Ayes, Motion Carried 5-0. City of Columbia Heights MINUTES May 27, 2025 City Council Meeting Page 10 Meeting adjourned at 7:06 pm. Respectfully Submitted, ______________________________________ Sara Ion, City Clerk/Council Secretary