04-23 Regular
CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Richfield, Minnesota
Regular Meeting
April 23, 2019
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Regan Gonzalez at 7:00 p.m. in the Council
Chambers.
Council Members Maria Regan Gonzalez, Mayor; Mary Supple; Edwina Garcia; Simon
Present: Trautmann; and Ben Whalen.
Staff Present: Katie Rodriguez, City Manager; Mary Tietjen, City Attorney; Pam Dmytrenko,
Administrative Services Director/Assistant City Manager; John Stark,
Community Development Director; Rachel Lindholm, Minnesota GreenCorps
Member; and Jared Voto, Assistant to the City Manager.
OPEN FORUM
None.
PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Mayor Regan Gonzalez led the Pledge of Allegiance.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
M/Garcia, S/Trautmann to approve the minutes of the: (1) Special City Council work session of
April 9, 2019; and (2) Regular City Council meeting of April 9, 2019.
Motion carried 5-0.
Item #1 METROPOLITAN COUNCIL REPRESENTATIVE MOLLY CUMMINGS
Council Member Trautmann introduced Metropolitan Council District 5 Council Member Molly
Cummings and invited her to speak.
Council Member Cummings introduced herself. She had formerly been the Mayor of the City of
Hopkins and has joined the Metropolitan Council as representative for District 5. She stated she is
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serving on the Transportation Committee and Community Development Committee and discussed her
excitement to build a relationship with Richfield.
Council Member Garcia welcomed Council Member Cummings to Richfield and looked
forward to getting to know her and working with her in the future.
Mayor Regan Gonzalez thanked Council Member Cummings for her attendance and stated
she looked forward to working together.
PROCLAMATION OBSERVING EARTH DAY, ARBOR DAY, AND ARBOR
Item #2
MONTH
Rachel Lindholm thanked the approximately 45 council members, city staff, commissioners,
and residents who came out to clean up Veterans Park today and discussed the interesting items that
were picked up including a tire and fire extinguisher.
Mayor Regan Gonzalez read aloud a proclamation observing Earth Day, Arbor Day, and Arbor
Month.
Council Member Garcia thanked Ms. Lindholm for her work on the Organics Task Force and
sustainability for the City.
COUNCIL DISCUSSION
Item #3
Hats Off to Hometown Hits
Council Member Whalen spoke regarding attending the South Education Center’s Art Fair this
past weekend and was impressed by everything he saw; thanked all of the groups doing park clean-
ups; and mentioned he started a monthly Ward 3 electronic newsletter and people can sign up by
emailing or talking to him.
Council Member Supple spoke regarding the Minnesota Department of Revenue’s Senior
Citizens Property Tax Deferral program and listed the qualifications and encouraged those who
qualified to participate in the program; Unity in the Community hosted by the Joint Community Police
Partnership is on Sunday, May 5 from 2 to 5 p.m. at Veterans Park; MIRA is hosting their 4th Latina
Women’s Fair at House of Prayer Lutheran Church on Friday, May 10 from 5 to 8 p.m.; the 2019
Richfield Garden Club Plant and Gardeners Garage Sale is on May 18 and 19 at Richfield History
Center Bartholomew House located at 69th and Lyndale; and the Annual South of the River Powwow
hosted by the South Metro Indian Education Committee is on Saturday, May 18 at Burnsville High
School and features a lot of Richfield dancers.
Council Member Garcia spoke regarding the Richfield Police Department is holding a drug
takeback event on Saturday, April 27 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Richfield City Hall; and she attended
the awards program for Transportation Resource to Aid Independent Living (TRAIL), an organization
that provides transportation services for developmentally disabled adults and receives funding from
the City through the social services program, on April 22 and received their TRAIL Blazer award on
behalf of the City of Richfield.
Council Member Trautmann spoke regarding the Friends of Wood Lake dinner on Friday, April
26 and stated it’s a great way to support Wood Lake; invited people to apply for naturalist internships,
paid and unpaid, at the Wood Lake Nature Center; and discussed Sheridan Story, a non-profit
Council Meeting Minutes -3- April 23, 2019
organization that provides food for children throughout the Twin Cities, including Richfield, who are
food insecure and encouraged residents to find out more and volunteer.
Mayor Regan Gonzalez spoke regarding attending the League of Women Voters (LWV)
annual meeting, along with Council Members Garcia and Supple, and invited other residents to get
involved with the LWV civic activities, with their next meeting on Saturday, May 18 and people can get
more information by emailing Maureen at mascaglia@comcast.net; Open Streets at Penn Fest is on
September 15 from 1 to 5 p.m. and is taking application on the City’s website from organizations,
businesses and community groups who are interested in participating in the event; the Richfield
School District is looking for donations until May 31 for the 2019 Senior Class Party (the 50th
anniversary) and you can contact Tina Lavin at petinalavin@gmail.com for donations; and thanked
everyone who came out to the park clean-up today and the other groups that are cleaning up the
parks.
Item #4 APPROVAL OF THE AGENDA
M/Whalen, S/Garcia to approve the agenda.
Motion carried 5-0.
Item #5 CONSENT CALENDAR
City Manager Rodriguez presented the consent calendar.
A. Consider adoption of a resolution modifying a Health Care Savings Plan for International
Association of Firefighters (IAF), Local 1215 bargaining unit employees. (S.R. No. 56)
RESOLUTION NO. 11621
RESOLUTION ESTABLISHING AN UPDATED AMENDED POST
EMPLOYMENT HEALTH CARE SAVINGS PLAN FOR FIREFIGHTER
EMPLOYEES (LOCAL 1215)
B. Consider approval of a bid tabulation and award of a contract to Corrective Asphalt Materials,
LLC for the 2019 Maltene Pavement Rejuvenation Project in the amount $436,580, and
authorize the City Manager to approve contract changes under $175,000 without further City
Council consideration. (S.R. No. 57)
C. Consider approval of a proposal for Bolton & Menk to provide construction engineering
services for the Lyndale Avenue Reconstruction Project for a fee not to exceed $818,606.
(S.R. No. 58)
M/Trautmann, S/Supple to approve the consent calendar.
Council Member Supple commented on that she appreciated the City offers the Health Care
Savings Plan and was impressed by the quality control mechanisms outlined in Bolton & Menk’s
proposal.
Council Member Whalen agreed with Council Member Supple’s comments on the Health Care
Savings Plan and stated he was impressed with the community engagement efforts of Bolton &
Menk.
Council Meeting Minutes -4- April 23, 2019
Motion carried 5-0.
CONSIDERATION OF ITEMS, IF ANY, REMOVED FROM THE CONSENT
Item #6
CALENDAR
None.
CONSIDERADOPTION OF REVISIONS TO THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING
Item #7 POLICY WITH REGARDS TO HOUSING AND REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
SCATTERED-SITE PROGRAMS. (S.R. NO. 59)
Council Member Supple presented Staff Report No. 59.
M/Supple, S/Garcia to adopt a revised Inclusionary Housing Policy, clarifying language relating
to the Housing and Redevelopment Authority's scattered-site housing programs.
Mayor Regan Gonzalez commented that this change makes sense to take into consideration
not only new construction that is affordable but also improving existing housing and keeping it
affordable over the long term.
Council Member Supple commented on an item that Housing and Redevelopment Authority
Commissioner Pat Elliott highlighted at their meeting that non-housing development projects that
receive financial assistance from the Housing and Redevelopment Authority, Economic Development
Authority, or the City and might cause a loss of affordable housing and what will be done to either
replace or mitigate the loss.
Council Member Whalen commented that he thought it made sense to include and prioritize
rehab projects, especially in the current market, and thanked the Housing and Redevelopment
Authority and staff for continuing to review and update the policy and viewing it as a working
document as contexts, needs and options available to use continue to change.
Council Member Garcia commended Community Development Director Stark for his ability to
pull together policies to respond to the housing challenges.
Community Development Director Stark thanked Council Members and commented he was
glad that staff and policymakers are on the same page on these housing issues and have
accomplished a lot in the last couple of years and reiterated these policies are living documents and
require continuous review.
Council Member Trautmann added his support of this policy and stated there is no silver bullet
to affordable housing, is glad homeownership part of the discussion and that housing/land trusts are a
power tool that offers opportunities for families.
Motion carried 5-0.
CITY MANAGER’S REPORT
Item #8
City Manager Rodriguez stated she had nothing to report.
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Item #9 CLAIMS AND PAYROLLS
M/Garcia, S/Supple that the following claims and payrolls be approved:
U.S. Bank 04/23/19
NP Checks: 276768 - 277160 $ 1,388,859.56
Payroll: 144907 - 1445225 655,500.68
TOTAL $ 2,044,360.24
Motion carried 5-0.
OPEN FORUM
None.
Item #10 ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent at 7:50 p.m.
Date Approved: May 14, 2019
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Maria Regan Gonzale
Mayor
Jae�� Katie Rodriguez
Assistant to the City Manager City Manager