REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING
CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS, CITY OF ALBERT LEA
Monday, February 27, 2023, 7:00 p.m.

PRESENT: Mayor Rich Murray, Councilors Rachel Christensen, Larry Baker, Jason Howland, Sherri Rasmussen, Robert Rasmussen, Brian Anderson. Also present were, City Manager Ian Rigg, Public Works Director Steven Jahnke, City Attorneys Joel and Bryce Holstad of Lake National Law LLP, Sergeant-at-Arms-Public Safety Director JD Carlson, and Deputy City Clerk Karla Tukua

ABSENT: City Clerk Daphney Maras

CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL – Mayor Murray called the meeting to order at 7:00 PM. Deputy City Clerk Tukua administered roll call.

PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE – Mayor Murray asked all in attendance to stand and recite the Pledge of Allegiance.

CEREMONIAL ITEMS – None

PUBLIC FORUM – None

CONSENT AND APPROVAL OF AGENDA

A. Approve Minutes Of The February 13, 2023 Regular Council Meeting
B. Approve Minutes Of The February 13, 2023 Work Session
C. Resolution Accepting Bid For The Food Truck Plaza Phase 1 – Job 2203
D. Resolution Approving Purchase Of Tymco Sweeper To Replace Unit #779 Tymco Sweeper
E. Resolution Approving Myre-Big Island State Park Wastewater Treatment Facility Maintenance Cooperative Agreement Renewal
F. Resolution Approving Plans And Ordering Of Bids For The 5th Street And Frank Hall Drive Reconstruction Project (Job 2301)
G. Resolution Approving Plans And Ordering Of Bids For The Blazing Star Trail, Eddie Cochran Street, and Cedar Avenue Resurfacing Project (Job 2303)

Mayor Murray read through each item on the consent agenda.

Motion made by Councilor Christensen to approve with the exception of item C to be withdrawn and moved under new business to allow discussion. Mayor Murray announced Item C, Resolution Accepting Bid For The Food Truck Plaza Phase 1 – Job 2203 will be moved under new business. Seconded by Councilor Baker. On roll call vote the following councilors voted in favor of said motion: Christensen, Baker, Howland, S. Rasmussen, R. Rasmussen, Anderson, and Mayor Murray. Mayor Murray declared the motion passed.

(See Secretary’s Original Resolution 23-033 through 23-036
Included with these minutes)

PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATIONS

A. Inclusive Park Funding Update From All Together Playground Group

Kara Paulson and Sarah Stultz gave the council an update on the funding process. Kara and Sarah provided the history and showed slides depicting the playground. Key component is that it is made for kids of all abilities and provides children with disabilities or sensory issues to be able to play at this park. The location will be at Edgewater Park, across from the newer pavilion and explained the reasons for choosing this location. Projected cost is $1.25 million, with $745,000 raised plus adding the DNR grant that the City is considering applying for is $300,000, which would bring donations to over one million. Kara listed the additional events coming up to raise funds. Howland asked what the timeline is to start this project, to which Kara said it would be this fall. Rigg explained that part of the timeline has to do with the grant approval. Councilor Sherri Rasmussen asked how people can make donations, to which Sarah described the ways to donate. Howland added that people are excited about this and said it would be a huge asset to the community. Howland and Mayor Murray thanked Kara and Sarah for the work they are doing on this. Murray asked about timeframe for DNR grant to which Rigg explained the timing with input from Community Engagement and Enrichment Director Malakowsky.

UNFINISHED BUSINESS – None

NEW BUSINESS

A. Ordinance 23-087 Amending Zoning And The Land Use Map From One-Four Family Residence (R-2) To Community Business District (B-2) Located At 114 E Front Street (1st Reading)

Rigg stated that Vindokumar B. Patel, owner of 701 S. Broadway and 114 E. Front Street has applied to re-zone 114 E. Front Street from One-Four Family Residence District (R-2) to Community Business District (B-2) to allow for building and parking expansions at 701 S. Broadway locally known as the Clark Station. Rigg also explained that the adjacent property at 701 S. Broadway is already zoned (B-2), which will eliminate concern for spot zoning, additionally the property at 114 E. Front Street has been blighted and vacant, would be demolished either way.

Motion made by Councilor Baker to approve, seconded by Councilor Rasmussen. On roll call vote, the following councilors voted in favor of said motion: Christensen, Baker, Howland, S. Rasmussen, R. Rasmussen, Anderson and Mayor Murray. Mayor Murray declared the motion passed.

(See Secretary’s Original Ordinance 23-087
Included with these minutes)

B. Resolution Supporting DNR Grant Application For Outdoor Recreation

Rigg explained that City staff are preparing a grant application to the Minnesota DNR for $300,000 toward the Inclusive Playground planned for Edgewater Park. This is the same grant that the City applied for in 2022 and did not receive. While the DNR said the grant application was “complete and well-written,” it said the application would score higher if: 1) Restrooms were located at the playground instead of expecting users to cross the park road to the restrooms at the Edgewater Pavilion. 2) There was a buffer of green space between the playground parking lot and the playground itself. 3) Fencing around the playground provided more safety for users. Staff have made these changes to this year’s grant application. The resolution authorizes staff to submit the application. Funding for this $1.2 million project includes: $350,000 from the City; $300,000 from the DNR; $100,000 from Freeborn County; and the rest from the All Together group via fund-raisers and grants.

Motion made by Councilor Howland to approve, seconded by Councilor Christensen. On a roll call vote, the following councilors voted in favor of said motion: Christensen, Baker, Howland, S. Rasmussen, R. Rasmussen, Anderson and Mayor Murray. Mayor Murray declared the motion passed.
(See Secretary’s Original Resolution 23-037
Included in these minutes)

C. Resolution approving agreement between City Of Albert Lea and Albert Lea School District 241 for two (2) school resource officers

Rigg said in December, City staff met with School District staff about adding one School Resource Officer (SRO). City and School operations and budgets do not align and their request missed the City’s normal budget process. Operationally the City would identify an officer from the current pool of officers who would work well in the school setting. They would be assigned and spend a few weeks in May/June getting familiar with the position so they can start in September 2023. The selected officer’s current patrol schedule would be filled with a new hire in August/September. The impact to the budget would occur at this time at an estimated $18,000 for 2023 and $55-60,000 annually afterwards. Some benefits to this position would include more officers in the summer time to reduce overtime and increase vacation allotment for staff. There are many operational benefits to the department with an added person in the schools. For the community, it takes the SRO program out of the more reactive mode and into a more proactive one to reach youth at a critical time in their lives. Anderson wanted clarification on whether the School District was paying for half of this program, per the discussion last week. Rigg confirmed that this was the case.

Motion made by Councilor Baker to approve, seconded by Councilor S. Rasmussen. On a roll call vote, the following councilors voted in favor of said motion: Christensen, Baker, Howland, S. Rasmussen, R. Rasmussen, Anderson and Mayor Murray. Mayor Murray declared the motion passed.
(See Secretary’s Original Resolution 23-038
Included in these minutes)

D. Resolution to Authorize Funds Transfer

Rigg explained that in December the City passed a resolution transferring funds from the General fund to the 300 Broadway Ridge Project Fund to cover the costs of the project. The source of these funds was the remaining ARPA Funds. As the City is looking at setting up a TIF district and expects to recover the costs of the project now with tax increment dollars, staff is recommending transferring the $524,733.44 back to the general fund and review options later for the use of the funds.

Motion made by Councilor Christensen to approve, seconded by Councilor R. Rasmussen. On a roll call vote, the following councilors voted in favor of said motion: Christensen, Baker, Howland, S. Rasmussen, R. Rasmussen, Anderson and Mayor Murray. Mayor Murray declared the motion passed.
(See Secretary’s Original Resolution 23-039
Included with these minutes)

Mayor Murray stated the Resolution that was pulled from the Consent agenda, which was item C – Resolution Accepting Bid for the Food Truck Plaza Phase 1 – Job 2203 will be discussed at this time. Item 5C has been changed and reflected as item E below.

E. Resolution Accepting Bid for the Food Truck Plaza Phase 1 – Job 2203

Engineering and Bolton and Menk Inc. have reviewed the bids opened Tuesday, February 21, 2023 for the Food Truck Plaza Phase 1 Project. The project involves the construction of a food truck plaza on the East Main Street property next to the channel. It will include a concrete pad for up to three food trucks, power, and landscaping. Engineering received two bids. Engineering is recommending the low bid of $92,693.06 from Larson Contracting Central, LLC of Lake Mills, IA. The Engineer’s estimate was $138,084.00. The bid abstract is attached. Christensen mentioned she had asked for this to be moved off of the consent agenda, due to not understanding the project. She spoke of the opportunity she had to visit with a member of the Roger Olson family, Roger donated this land to the City several years ago. Christensen said she has gained some history on the donation of the land and what the intent was. She explained her initial reservation and clarification she received from the member of the Roger Olson family and also from Mayor Murray on cleaning up this area. In this context she approves of this project, she also stated that the public might not be aware of background and appreciates the opportunity to clarify. Baker asked how the reservations would be handled to which Rigg described as a temporary plan. Howland asked how scheduling happens on current spots available for food trucks, Rigg described the current process and the possibility of changes needed in the future. Howland also stated this will be a great addition. Rigg clarified that this is Phase 1, there will be Phase 2 and highlighted some functions of this, which will make it a multi-functional community space.
Motion made by Councilor Howland to approve, seconded by Councilor R. Rasmussen. On a roll call vote, the following councilors voted in favor of said motion: Christensen, Baker, Howland, S. Rasmussen, R. Rasmussen, Anderson and Mayor Murray. Mayor Murray declared the motion passed.
(See Secretary’s Original Resolution 23-040
Included with these minutes)

F. Resolution Approving City Of Albert Lea Logo and Authorizing Staff to Trademark Design, this item number has been changed from E to F, due to Resolution inserted above.

Rigg mentioned the meeting held on February 23rd and is available to view on the City’s YouTube Channel. He asks that anyone with questions to review this video. Rigg gave a quick re-cap on why the City is looking to change the design. When it comes to the cost he reassured the public that less than $3,000 has been spent. Key items that came up in discussion was about the colors and he explained the reason the colors looked muted. Rigg asked if there are any changes the Council would like to see before the March 13th council meeting. Slides were displayed for council review. Rigg explained the main difference in the two logos displayed in the slides and described the changes that were previously requested. He offered alternatives that could be offered, and said that if a decision is not made at the March 13th council meeting, the existing logo will need to be used on the new water tower and the proposed logo will be put to bed for some time. Mayor Murray asked if it is the wish of the Council to discuss this further and come back for a vote on the March 13th council meeting. Council members Anderson and Baker agreed they needed more time and provided reasons. Murray asked council to reach out to the people in their wards to discuss and let them know that a decision will need to be made at the next council meeting. Anderson expressed again that we would like input, it’s not all or nothing. Howland encouraged residents to go to the City’s YouTube channel to view the public meeting input session. Mayor Murray announced this item will be tabled and presented at the March 13th council meeting.

MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS:
First Ward, Councilor Christensen reported:
• Ward Items – None
• Committee Update – Attended the National Vitality Center Annual Meeting, and explained it’s the financial arm for the Blue Zones and what they are doing to get additional grants and funding for their projects and initiatives. Christensen stated she will be the City’s representative on this board. She gave a shout out first to A.L. Highschool Orchestra as well as mentioning on February 16th the High School Concert Choir was invited to present at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Conference noting this is the equivalent of a sports team going to state. She also mentioned the Civic Music Association presented a concert by the Frisson Ensemble, a group from New York. Christensen also thanked the Albert Lea Tribune, Sarah, and her staff for their Progress edition and the work involved.

Second Ward, Councilor Baker reported:
• Ward Items – Had one item which he spoke with the City Manager to look into.
• Committee Update – Was at the HRA meeting and spoke about City Manager speaking on the possibility of the HRA coming under the wing of the city. He thanked the City Manager for coming to the meeting and explaining this. HRA Board is also looking for a new Executive Director and he talked about the relationship between the HRA and the City. Baker mentioned he will have an ALEDA meeting at 7:30am Weds. morning, to which he will report on at the next council meeting.

Third Ward, Councilor Howland reported:
• Ward Items – None
• Committee Update – Park and Rec meeting was cancelled due to weather. He attended the CVB board meeting, they primarily discussed new board member applications. They had a good number of applications, he suggested we check with them on how they received so many. He then gave a quick shout out to the Albert Lea Community Theater with their next play opening March 9th, Almost Maine, and gave a description of the play. He also stated that Neil Lang has retired as the building manager and promoter. There is a new manager who has already booked events. He then thanked Neil Lang for his service.

Fourth Ward, Councilor S. Rasmussen reported:
• Ward Items – Thanked the people who have reached out to her about the logo. Let them know that she has voiced their concerns, asked for more input since a decision will be made in a couple weeks. She thanked the Humane Society for speaking tonight about the challenges they are facing, and made a plea for anyone that can donate to help the Humane Society. She also gave a shout out to Stacia Lang, she grew up here and was instrumental in designing some of the wardrobe in the movie Creed 3.
• Committee Update – Spoke about the Senior Center and reminded the public if they are 55 or over you can join and asked residents to check it out, it’s a great resource.

Fifth Ward, Councilor R. Rasmussen reported:
• Ward Items – None
• Committee Update – He attended the Library Board meeting to which he gave the highlights. Attendance was up in 2022 along with Adult and Children programming has been well attended. Local marketing group Hustle has worked with the library on their social media providing templates. Talked about a grant that the was awarded on how they can meet the needs of the refugees in the county. Spoke on the 2023 goals for the library.

Sixth Ward, Councilor Anderson reported:
• Ward Items – No specific items but invited residents to reach out to him on the two proposed Logo designs.
• Committee Update – He attended the HRA meeting and stated that Councilor Baker spoke about the main issues of the meeting. He mentioned that the HRA needs to tackle the “R” in HRA, the redevelopment and working with the city to do that.

MAYOR REPORT – He attended:

• HRA board meeting
• Legion Chili Feed and Fundraiser
• Logo Refresh meeting
• Congratulated the girl’s hockey team for making it to state. He’s proud of them and also proud of the 7 wrestlers that will be going to state.
• He mentioned the Albert Lea Symphony was playing tonight, started at 7pm, adding Albert Lea Band and Choir concerts that were coming up.
• Mayor Murray discussed that he sits down weekly with Phillip from ALEDA and with City Manager Rigg and mentioned there are a lot of neat things going on in the community, then stated what they were working on.
• He announced additional events happening in Albert Lea

CITY MANAGER REPORT

• Thanked the council for passing the resolution and adopting the new agreement with the School District for the SRO.
• He sat down with the HRA and explained why this was important. Stating that in other municipalities the HRA is part of the City and the staff of the HRA is City staff. He stated that the authority given to the City to help with housing runs through the HRA. Rigg explained other aspects of this along with meetings with housing developers.
• Annual Council Retreat is scheduled on Wednesday, March 22nd , and will discuss more big-ticket items.
• Rigg is working on the potential of Federal appropriations and will have possibly four requests going in.
• He thanked State Legislators for continuing to work on the funding for the Waste Water Treatment Plant and the final dredging of Fountain Lake.
• Rigg along with Human Resource Director, Mike Zelenek met with consultants dealing with pay classification and wage study to be ready for the union negotiations.
• Looking to meet with Councilor Christensen, Community Engagement and Enrichment Director Cathy Malakowsky, and Human Resource Director Mike Zelenek to go over what the Human Rights Commission will look like.

APPROVAL OF CLAIMS

A. Resolution 23- Approving Claims
(1). Presentation of Claims Over $25,000

The attached resolution directs the Mayor and City Treasurer to issue the payment of claims as presented in the Detail of Claims report. In addition, Tukua displayed a list of claims over $25,000 for the public’s viewing, transparency and education.

Motion made by Councilor Baker to approve, seconded by Councilor Anderson. On roll call vote, the following councilors voted in favor of said motion: Christensen, Baker, Howland, S. Rasmussen, R. Rasmussen, Anderson, and Mayor Murray. Mayor Murray declared the motion passed.

(See Secretary’s Original Resolution 23-041
Included with these minutes)

ADJOURNMENT: 8:02 P.M.

Motion made by Councilor Howland, seconded by Councilor Christensen. That there being no further business, the Council meeting adjourn until the next regular meeting of the Albert Lea City Council at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, March 13, 2023. On roll call vote, all councilors voted in favor of said motion.

Mayor Murray declared the motion passed and the meeting adjourned.

 

__/s/__________________________
Mayor Rich Murray

 

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Karla Tukua
Secretary Pro Tem