09-11-07 Worksession
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CITY COUNCIL MINUTES
Richfield, Minnesota
Special Worksession
September 11, 2007
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Goettel at 6:10 p.m.
I ROLL CALL
Staff Present:
Debbie Goettel, Mayor; Sue Sandahl; Bill Kilian; Fred Wroge; and Susan
Rosenberg.
Steven Devich, City Manager; Dan Scott, Public Safety Director; Kristin
Asher, Assistant City Engineer; and Cheryl Krumholz, Recording Secretary.
Members Present:
Item#1
UPDATE FROM CITY HALL TASK FORCE II REGARDING PROPOSED NEW CITY
HALL/POLICE/FIRE FACILITY (COUNCIL MEMO NO. 164)
Assistant City Engineer Asher stated there will be surveying of Heredia Park taking place for
the preliminary design of the proposed new building.
Rick Jabs, City Hall Task Force II (CHAT II) Chair, discussed the public open house on
Thursday, September 13 to show citizens the work in progress. He said there is no final definition of
the facility.
Michael Cox, WOLD Architects & Engineers, reviewed the materials to be on display at the
open house (Clerk's File No. C-431).
Council Member Sandahl asked about the square footage adjustments.
Mr. Jabs explained the storage area has been incorporated into other areas so there's been
no real change in square footage.
Council Member Sandahl asked about bike storage.
Michael Klass, WOLD Architects & Engineers, stated that after receiving more feedback, the
bike area was re-designed to 100 square feet.
Council Member Sandahl said she wanted to make sure the building wasn't too small.
Council Member Kilian stated the building should be planned for the future and not be re-
designed. He added that the community spaces were less than he had hoped.
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September 11, 2007
Council Member Sandahl stated she was pleased to see one of the guiding principles included
the building as a community gathering place. She also discussed emergency preparedness/response
center capabilities.
Mr. Jabs discussed the building space needs are a conservative approach and economically.
feasible. Departments have provided input on their space needs. The City Council input on other
space needs is requested.
Council Member Kilian said community meetings for the public should be able to be held here.
Council Member Wroge said the space needs include the Council Chambers and four other
rooms. He liked the idea of having meetings out in the community. He expressed concern regarding
economic feasibility. If the building is built only for major use, he said that would not be economically
feasible and he would no longer support it. He said he thought WOLD did a great job, but if things
change and they drag out, the cost will increase. He suggested moving forward with getting the
community's feedback.
Mayor Goettel said she agreed with Council Member Wroge. She suggested the community
space have divider walls so the room size can be adjusted.
Mr. Cox said it costs more to make the rooms flexible and there could be acoustic issues.
Mr. Jabs said the task force would report back to the City Council after the open house.
Item # 2 DISCUSSION REGARDING SURVEY OF OVERNIGHT PARKING RESTRICTIONS
IN METRO CITIES (COUNCIL MEMO NO. 165)
Assistant City Engineer Asher reported that City staff surveyed 16 cities in the Twin City area
for ordinances addressing overnight parking restrictions. Many cities do restrict overnight parking
throughout the year and not just limit it to winter months for snow plowing. All the cities rely on
complaints to enforce the overnight parking limits.
Assistant City Engineer Asher stated the Transportation Commission discussed the overnight
parking restrictions and believed it was more of a housing occupancy than transportation issue. The
commission believed the enforcement of the ordinances regarding snow emergency and 48 hours
parking was sufficient.
Council Member Wroge said he supported doing something to eliminate overnight parking and
the community needs to be part of the decision. The 48~hour ordinance doesn't work because there's
many ways around it. He said he liked the complaint-based option.
Council Member Kilian stated people don't call to complain about their neighbors. Many times
the chalking of tires becomes game-playing. He said he agrees with the Transportation Commission
that in some ways this is a housing occupancy issue, but if there's no space to park, plowing the
streets becomes an issue.
Public Safety Director Scott discussed the difficulty in enforcing and prioritizing the continuous
48-hour parking ordinance. If parking is prohibited, something else could be impacted.
Council Member Kilian said there is a certain level of frustration because the ordinance cannot
be enforced unless neighbors complain on neighbors.
Public Safety Director Scott discussed the increased use of the web site to receive complaints
as well as staff receiving calls directly.
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September 11, 2007
Council Member Wroge said he'd support a possible overnight parking ban because
vandalism and snowbird issues would be reduced. A different model of enforcement is needed
because an ordinance for a 24/48/72 hour parked vehicle is not enforced successfully. .
Council Member Sandahl stated there is no perfect solution. Some people view the street in
front of their house as theirs so they should be able to park there. She said she believed there would
be resistance from the community for a restriction.
Council Member Wroge said the City Council needs feedback from the residents.
Council Member Rosenberg stated most people with off-street parking do not have alleys. In
her part of Richfield, there is a scramble to get cars off the street. She said she would not support an
overnight parking restriction. A blanket statement of no parking is a disservice to the community.
I ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent a
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Recording Secretary
Date Approved: September 25. 2007
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