02-02-1987 Study SessionCITY OF'RICHFIELD, MINNESOTA
CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
February 2, 1987
MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor John Hamilton, Council Members - Ivan
Ludeman; Michael Sandahl; Martin Kirsch
and Edwina Garcia; also present were
Representative Chris Tjornhom;
_ _ Representative Phil Riveness, and County
Commissioner Randy Johnson.
STAFF PRESENT: James Prosser, City Manager; John Dean,
Assistant City Attorney; Steven Devich,
Administrative Services Director; Donald
Fondrick, Community Services Director;
Barry Fritz, Acting Police Captain; Bruce
Palmborg, Acting Community Development
Director; and Pat Coughlin, Assistant
Fire Chief.
The meeting was called to order by Mayor Hamilton at 7:02 P.M.
Metropolitan Council Member Gertrude Ulrich arrived at 7:10 P.M.;
State Senator Mike Freeman arrived at 7:14 P.M.
Item #1 DISCUSSION OF CITY OF RICHFIELD LEGISLATIVE POLICIES
1987-1988 MITH AREA LEGISLATORS. STUDY SESSION LETTER
_ N0. 6.
City Manager
reviewed Study Session
Policy for 1987-1988.
between the members of
Metropolitan Council r~
concerning the various
Richfield.
Jim Prosser opened the Study Session and
Letter No. 6, concerning Legislative
There was an inter-active discussion
the City Council, State, County and
°presentatives and members of the Staff,
issues introduced by the City Of
There was specific discussion of proposed tax shifts in
the Governor's Budget, wherein local Government aid would be
diverted to School aid in the future and City revenue would
become totally dependent upon local property tax. City Manager
Prosser spoke in opposition to such a plan, indicating the
potential danger of funding local Government through solely
property tax.
Administrative Services Director Devich spoke
concerning the importance of inter-governmental aid and of
preserving revenue mechanisms, such as the fiscal disparity
program, and emphasized the importance of the City receiving
inter-governmental revenue and tax payments throughout the course
of each year, rather than having such payments postponed to the
City Council Study Session `~ - -2- February 2, 1987
end of the year. The latter practice forces the City to maintain
and utilize a large fund balance.
The City Manager spoke in favor of tax increment
financing. Acting Community Development Director Palmborg
reviewed the success that Richfield has had with tax increment
financing and of its importance for future Richfield development.
City Manager Prosser introduced the importance of TORT liability
reform in the upcoming Legislative Session.
Administrative Services Director Devich summarized
insurance costs for the City of Richfield for the past several
years and urged that the joint and several liability provisions
be further amended to protect municipalities and that the League
of Minnesota Cities Insurance Trust be treated as a non-insurance
entity, thus earning protection from claims exceeding $600,000.
State Representatives indicated their support of
insurance reform and reviewed some of the insurance reforms of
the last Legislative Session.
City Manager Prosser spoke to the need for the
Legislature to provide adequate levels of funding for highway
maintenance and urged that MSA funding be broadened to include
further measures. Community Services Director Fondrick addressed
the current limitations of the MSA highway funding and its
proposed uses. There was general discussion regarding the use of
MSA funds for highway planning and Opticom systems.
City Manager Jim Prosser urged the Legislators to work
towards increasing the State Grant program funding for Youth
Service Bureau activities.
City Manager Prosser urged Legislators to oppose off-
sale of wine in other facilities and liquor stores, and opposed
elimination of 3.2 beer sales in Minnesota. Acting Police
Captain Fritz spoke in regard to the difficulties which may arise
from off-sale of liquor in establishments other than liquor
stores.
Assistant Fire Chief Coughlin summarized the City's
need for State Statute modification with respect to identifying
house movers, and toward firefighter residence requirements.
There was a discussion of current State Statutes with respect to
firefighter residency, response time requirements and whether
such matters were now legal issues of bargaining.
City Manager Jim Prosser addressed the issue of
comparable worth and urged Legislators to either include
essential employees in the comparable worth requirement or to
remove essential employees from comparable worth altogether, if
that .were not possible.
City Council Study Session = -3- February 2, 1987
There was a discussion regarding airport noise
Legislation and the City's unequivocal opposition to the
extension of Runway 422. There was general consensus on these
items.
Item #2 494/Highway 77 Status Report
Community Services Director Fondrick and Metropolitan
Council Representative Gertrude Ulrich made a brief presentation
regarding the status of the 494/Highway 77 Traffic Corridor Study
and the implications for Richfield in the future concerning the
proposed improvements.
Item #3 Attorney Report
City Manager Jim Prosser reported that to date, Walser
Buick has not reported back to the City on the proposed leases
for frontage road properties owned by the City.
He also indicated that Mr. McCarthy is supposed to be
contacted concerning outstanding fire code problems and their use
of City right-of-way for parking vehicles.
Mr. Prosser reported that on March 12, 1987, there
would be an EIS Hearing on the 494 traffic corridor study. He
also stated that there was a tentative meeting with School Board
officials on March 31, 1987. There was general consensus among
City Council members that the School Board Meeting be held at
City Hall before one of the City Council meetings in March.
The Assistant City Attorney briefly reported on a
number of pending City Attorney items, indicating that the
transient merchant ordinance was still being reviewed, that there
was an animal hospital, dog kennel matter, currently being
reviewed for a potential facility on Cedar Avenue, and that the
City Attorney's office was going to proceed with the
recodification of the City ordinance.
Item ~4 Pending Litigation
There was no discussion.
City Council Study Session
-4- February 2, 1987
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Hamilton adjourned the e~tin~~t 9:23 P.M.
Date Approved: 2/23/87
ayor
J mes Prosser, City Manager
I~ ~I
1
n