Loading...
01/11/2022 - City Council SpecialMINUTES OF A SPECIAL MEETING OF THE EAGAN CITY COUNCIL Eagan, Minnesota January 11, 2022 A Special Meeting of the Eagan City Council was held on Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 5:30 p.m. Present were Mayor Maguire, Councilmembers Bakken, Hansen, Fields, and Supina. Also present, City Administrator Osberg, Assistant City Administrator Miller, Finance Director Feldman, and City Planner Schultz. ROLL CALL AND ADOPTION OF THE AGENDA Councilmember Fields moved, Councilmember Bakken seconded a motion to approve the agenda. Aye: 5, Nay: 0. Motion carried. VISITORS TO BE HEARD There were no visitors to be heard. MEETING WITH LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION Mayor Maguire welcomed State Senator Carlson and State Representatives Sandra Masin and Liz Reyer. State Senator Klein and State Representative Richardson was not present. Also present were Patricia Naumann, Executive Director of Metro Cities; Dan Lightfoot, Intergovernmental Relations Director of the League of Minnesota Cities; and Tom Poul, Attorney, Messerli & Kramer of Municipal Legislative Commission. City Administrator Osberg noted It is the tradition of the City Council to meet with the legislative delegation early in the year. Each member of the legislative delegation introduced themselves and spoke about their committee assignments and upcoming legislative work for the year 2022. Each representative from the LMC, MLC, and Metro Cities gave an update on several issues their respective organizations plan to address in the coming legislative session. The Council, representatives from the lobbying organizations, and the legislative delegation discussed what they see coming out of the legislature this year. Mayor Maguire thanked the legislative delegation and representatives from LMC, MLC, and Metro Cities for attending the meeting. The Council recessed for 10 minutes before proceeding with the agenda items. Special City Council Meeting Minutes January 11, 2022 Page 2 COMPRHENSIVE GUIDE CONCEPT REVIEW, SONESTA SUITES City Administrator Osberg introduced the item and asked City Planner Schultz to provide additional information as part of the informal discussion with City Council ahead of submitting a formal development application. City Planner Schultz provided a map and background information for the property located at 3040 Eagandale Place. Schultz noted the property is currently guided Retail Commercial but there is a request to discuss the possibility of High Density residential. The proposal involves the conversion of the existing Sonesta Suites hotel from short-term hotel rental to long-term apartment rental. Two representatives, Rover Schmitt and Curt Smith, from Boulder Ventures, LLC were present and provided a short presentation on the history of the building and the developer's history of acquiring these types of hotels to convert into apartments. City Council noted concerns of accommodating on -site parking, covered parking, availability of storage and recreation space as key concerns to converting the property. The representatives thanked the Council for its time and input. PROPOSED ARPA FUNDING PLAN City Administrator Osberg introduced the item and noted that this was the second update to Council about the topic of ARPA funding. Administrator Osberg invited Finance Director Feldman to present to Council on the City's ARPA funding plan. In 2021, dollars were set aside for the City's COVID-19 leave policy, the vaccine incentive program, and hiring incentives for Parks/Rec employees. In 2022, the City set aside $800,000 as a cost of implementing the OSHA vaccination requirements, which according to the League of Minnesota Cities, would require cities to cover the cost of employee testing based on language in Minnesota State Statute. The Council has also approved technology improvements in the Council Chambers and HVAC improvements at the ECC as part of the 2022 budget. Future funding items could include water and sewer, broadband infrastructure, and the amounts available for these projects will be determined by lost revenues the City continues to experience due to COVID-19. There are regulations for how ARPA funds can be utilized and staff continue to follow guidance from the Federal government and the City Auditors to ensure spending decisions are compliant with Federal requirements for the funds. OTHER BUSINESS There were no other business items. Special City Council Meeting Minutes January 11, 2022 Page 3 ADJOUNRNMENT Councilmember Hansen moved, Councilmember Bakken seconded a motion to adjourn. Aye: 5, Nay: 0. Motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Q� � Date Mayor f City Clerk