09-12-2023 Work SessionCITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Richfield, Minnesota
City Council Work Session
September 12, 2023
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Supple called the work session to order at 5:45 p.m. in the Bartholomew Room.
Council Members
Present:
Council Members
Absent:
Mary Supple, Mayor; Sean Hayford Oleary; Ben Whalen; and Sharon
Christensen
Simon Trautmann
Staff Present: Katie Rodriguez, City Manager; Dustin Leslie, City Clerk; Chris Swanson,
Management Analyst; Scott Kulzer, Administrative Analyst; Matt Hardegger,
Transportation Engineer; Brittany Bartlett, Equity Coordinator; Joe Powers,
City Engineer; Chris Link, Public Works Deputy Director; Kristin Asher,
Public Works Director; Jay Henthorne, Police Chief; Kate Aitchison
ITEM #1
DISCUSS PROGRESS MADE BY PUBLIC WORKS IN UPDATING RICHFIELD'S
ADA TRANSITION PLAN FOR THE PUBLIC RIGHT-OF-WAY
AND DISCUSS NEXT STEPS.
Transportation Engineer Hardegger gave the presentation covering the ADA transition plan
overview, city self-evaluation, methodology, scoring criteria, pedestrian curb ramp prioritization
scores, and sidewalk prioritization scores.
Mayor Supple asked a question on behalf of Council Member Trautmann who was absent.
She asked about the southeast quadrant of the city having a lot of need for sidewalk improvements.
City Engineer Powers stated it was mostly due to the age of the infrastructure.
Council Member Whalen spoke about the challenges of plowing the Southeastern corner of
the city and asked if there was a way for it to improve. Deputy Director Link spoke about the
challenges of plowing that area of the city.
Mayor Supple asked if the I-494 project would improve some of the challenge areas on the
map. Transportation Engineer Hardegger stated there would be some improvements at the
intersections of the project.
Council Member Hayford Oleary spoke about the difficulties with sidewalk snow clearing.
City Council Work Session Minutes
-2-September 12, 2023
Transportation Engineer Hardegger continued the presentation covering traffic signal
prioritization scores and replacements costs.
Council Member Whalen and staff spoke about the timeline and pace of replacing traffic
signals. Council Members and staff also spoke about prioritizing projects and taking continuity into
account.
Council Member Hayford Oleary spoke about budget concerns and allocating funds for these
projects in the next year. Deputy Director Link spoke about franchise fees and how they would fund
ADA improvements.
ITEM #2
STAFF WILL REVIEW THE SUCCESSES AND CHALLENGES OF THE SNOW
EMERGENCY PARKING PILOT PROGRAM AND MAKE
RECOMMENDATIONS REGARDING THE FUTURE OF THE PROGRAM.
Deputy Director Link gave the presentation covering the pilot program overview, public
outreach, snow emergency occurrences, use of parking areas, and recommendations from public
works.
Mayor Supple and Council Member Hayford Oleary stated they were concerned about
discontinuing parking areas and spoke about difficulties with residents finding parking options during
snow emergencies.
Police Chief Henthorne spoke about the difficulties with ticketing and towing and discussed the
process.
Council Member Hayford Oleary suggested one-side parking in certain areas of the city such
as 64th. City Manager Rodriguez stated that if the city were to expand and add more pilot projects, the
city would need to have deterrents in place so residents park off the street.
There was a discussion about towing and ticket fees. Police Chief Henthorne stated the ticket
fee was $40 and has not been raised for a long time. Council supported raising the fee to act as a
deterrent for parking on the streets during a snow emergency.
Deputy Director Link summarized the discussion. Council Member Hayford Oleary stated it
would be helpful to give residents enough notice of changes.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Supple adjourned the work session at 6:48 pm.
Date Approved: September 26, 2023
Mary B. Supple
Mayor
Dustin Leslie Katie Rodriguez
City Clerk City Manager