What this meeting did about specific topics, organized by issue rather than by document.
Agenda approval
Council approved the March 9, 2021 agenda after Greenberg asked to add the City logo to For the Good of the Council, and Alders and Blake agreed to amend their motion.
Agenda: 1. Motions: M001. Speakers: Alders, Blake, Greenberg.
Carr's Tree Service at 19477 St. Francis Blvd.
Council held the public hearing on Carr's Tree Service with no public comments, moved the added bufferyard setback variance into the Planning & Zoning item, and then approved the Planning & Zoning recommendations for the outdoor storage and variance requests. The approval included the new 20-foot variance from the 100-foot bufferyard setback and a revised chipping/grinding limit of Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Agenda: 2, 7a. Motions: M002, M008. Speakers: Alders, Blake, Rainville, Evan Amundson.
Consent agenda
Council approved the consent agenda, including the February 9 regular meeting minutes, the treasurer's report and claims, the 2021 Farmers Market lease and market appointments, and Resolution 2021-09 for voluntary Anoka County economic development cost sharing.
Agenda: 3, 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3e. Motions: M003. Speakers: Blake, Rainville.
Meet the Deputies and Sheriff's Report
Sheriff Stewart, Commander Heath, Deputy Abler, Deputy Cutler with K9 Diesel, and Sergeant Slavik addressed Council for Meet the Deputy Night. Council thanked the Sheriff's Office for service in Nowthen, and Commander Heath skipped the monthly report because it had already been submitted by email.
Agenda: 5. Speakers: James Stewart, Wayne Heath, Jordan Abler, Jesse Cutler, Mike Slavik, Pilon, Blake, Rainville.
Nowthen Fire Department startup
Council approved the new Nowthen Fire Department policies, including the part-time firefighter pay scale, and authorized the hiring process for Ramsey Fire firefighters who want to transition to Nowthen. Council also authorized up to $15,000 from the City budget to finish the fire station addition after hearing that CARES Act funding had covered prior work but additional work remained.
Agenda: 6a, 6b. Motions: M005, M006, M007. Speakers: Dave Schmidt, Blake, Rainville, Pilon.
Leistico Estates plat and street paving deferral
Council approved the Leistico preliminary and final plat and CUP for street paving deferral by accepting the Planning & Zoning and Planner Stockman findings and recommendations. The packet conditions included a $2,500 per-lot park and trail dedication fee for the two new lots before final documents are signed.
Agenda: 7b. Motions: M009. Speakers: Rainville, Greenberg.
Snow removal ordinance
Council approved Ordinance 2020-04 amending Chapter 5 of the City Code for on-street parking and snow removal. The minutes note that the graphic added to the ordinance made the text clear.
Agenda: 7c. Motions: M010. Speakers: Blake, Greenberg.
Self-storage facility limits
Council tabled the self-storage facilities discussion until April and directed Clerk Streich to gather information from other cities and the League of Minnesota Cities about possible moratoriums or other controls.
Agenda: 7d. Motions: M011. Speakers: Pilon, Rainville, Streich.
Illegal habitation at 19111 Cleary Road
Council approved Resolution 2021-10 requiring the occupants of the accessory building at 19111 Cleary Road to stop using the pole shed as a residence by April 22, 2021 because of health and safety concerns and Minnesota State Building Code violations. The minutes state that no information was available for 5270 189th Avenue.
Agenda: 7e. Motions: M012. Speakers: Rainville, Greenberg.
Review of inactive IUPs and CUPs
Council discussed how to begin cleaning up older interim and conditional use permits, focusing first on about 20 permits likely to be resolved quickly. Council members were asked to send Clerk Streich information about permits they knew were no longer active, and Pilon planned to meet with Planner Stockman to help select the first 20.
Agenda: 7f. Speakers: Pilon, Streich, Rainville, Blake.
Fee schedule update
Council approved the updated fee schedule with corrections. The motion was amended to strike the phrase "Not to exceed $300" regarding litigation or administrative-hearing costs on page 11.
Agenda: 8. Motions: M013. Speakers: Streich, Blake, Alders, Rainville, Pilon.
Employee personnel policy
Council approved the Employee Personnel Policy as presented, while leaving three issues for later discussion: whether to keep emergency medical benefits or use short-term/long-term disability, how to form a personnel committee, and what spending authority staff should have without prior Council approval.
Agenda: 9. Motions: M014. Speakers: Rainville, Blake, Alders, Streich, Pilon.
City logo
Council discussed logo options that had been presented previously. The minutes say the option on the right, described by Clerk Streich as "a little more rich," was the overall approved logo, but no formal motion was recorded.
Agenda: 10. Speakers: Greenberg, Pilon, Streich, Alders.