11-14-22 Special City Council Meeting MinutesSPECIAL TSEGO CITY COUNCIL MEETING
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2022
5:30 PM
OTSEGO PRAIRIE CENTER
Call to Order.
Acting Mayor Darkenwald called the meeting to order at 5:35 PM.
Roll Call:
Acting Mayor Tom Darkenwald; Councilmembers: Brittany Moores and Jeff Dahl. City Staff: City
Administrator/Finance Director Adam Flaherty, Streets Operation Manager Kevin Lamson, Parks and
Recreation Director Nick Jacobs, and City Clerk Audra Etzel. Absent: Mayor Jessica Stockamp and
Councilmember Tina Goede,
1. 2023 Budget, Tax Levy and Capital Improvement Plan Review.
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty reviewed the Budget Meeting #9 items included in the
packet.
Trails Management CIP —Fund 202
Parks and Recreation Director Jacobs reviewed the Trails Management CIP, which was also reviewed
with the Administrative Subcommittee. The identified sections were Carrick's Landing and trail
maintenance.
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty reviewed the Capital Improvement Plan financial sheets.
The renewal projects will be based on the trail PCI ratings. CM Darkenwald asked about the trails,
noting there will be more trails added. Parks and Recreation Director Jacobs said there are currently 42
miles of trails.
The City Council concurred as presented.
Park Development CIP — Fund 203
Parks and Recreation Director Jacobs discussed projects including:
• Wayfinding (signage) was reviewed by the Parks and Recreation Commission and the
Administrative Subcommittee. There are 42 miles of trails, the signage will help with directions.
SHIP Grant and funds through Park Development will help fund the improvements. City
Administrator said the Wayfinding Study Document will be presented to the City Council at a
future meeting for approval. The Wayfinding signage progress was reviewed, noting the grant
was extended to 2023.
• Carrick's Landing River Access progress was reviewed.
• Athletic Field Improvements were bid in 2022; however, bids came in higher than expected, staff
is proposing to rebid in 2023, Staff will look for other partners for cost sharing.
• Land Acquisition was updated by City Administrator/Finance Director who said no response has
been received from the property owner. Staff is looking for direction to move forward. The City
Attorney's office has sent letters. City Council requested a letter be hand delivered to the
property owner.
• Prairie Park Masterplan has been shifted from 2022 to 2023, depending on the land acquisition.
• Ashwood Neighborhood Park.
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty reviewed the Capital Improvement Plan financial sheets.
The cash flow projection shows ample funds. These are dedicated funds that can only be used for
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specific purposes. CM Moores asked about the fee schedule. City Administrator/Finance Director
Flaherty said there is a formula that is used annually to calculate the fee.
The City Council concurred as presented.
Park Capital Equipment CIP —Fund 205
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty said this is tax levy funded for items that depreciate and/or
need to be replaced. Parks and Recreation Director Jacobs reviewed the 2023 proposed projects:
• School Knoll Park Improvements.
• Soccer Field Lighting — Lehrke Complex. CM Darkenwald asked if the lighting could be phased.
Staff noted the cost is $190,000 per field and there are up to three fields. City
Administrator/Finance Director said the improvement should be driven based on the contributions
from Boreal Soccer Association; this would be brought back for City Council approval.
• Kittredge Park — Shelter Repairs, CM Moores asked about the soil borings. Staff has made
modifications to the shelter for safety. The footings are raising enough to affect the structure of
the shelter; a consultant may be needed to discuss how to move forward. CM Darkenwald asked
about an option of shaving the concrete.
Parks and Recreation Director Jacobs reviewed the upcoming 2024-2032 projects.
• Trail Renewal Projects (based on trail ratings)
• River Pointe — Natural Park Area
• Community Center Feasibility Study
• Pickleball Courts Lighting
• Playground Improvements (Prairie Park, Lily Pond, Kittredge, Lefebvre and more)
Future Project Consideration: Master Plan Update, Park Lands) Acquisition, Community Garden, 2nd
Community Park, 2nd Dog Park, RC Track Improvements, and Ash Tree Removal & Replacement due to
EAB. The City Council discussed EAB.
CM Dahl asked about preserving the old City Hall on CSAH 39. CM Moores said Wright County is looking
at a roundabout in the area and the bung is only used for cold storage; additionally, the cost to make
the building ADA accessible is very costly. CM Darkenwald said the building needs a lot of work. City
Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty said this would fall under the building CIP and a viable use
would need to be considered to justify the costs.
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty reviewed the Capital Improvement Plan financial sheets.
There are currently funds available to complete all the planned projects. Future projects may need
different funding depending on what is being proposed.
The City Council concurred as presented.
City Buildings and Property Management —Fund 439
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty reviewed the 2023-2032 proposed projects. The City
Council discussed the City Hall HVAC control system. Streets Operation Manager Lamson said the
system is obsolete and cannot be repaired should the system go down.
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty noted the City Campus projects are included and noted
these will be discussed further at a special meeting.
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MINUTES OF THE CITY OF OTSEGO SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING NOVEMBER 14, 2022
The City Council concurred as presented.
Fire Reserve CIF — Fund 214
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty said this fund was established to accumulate funds that will
be used to finance the costs associated with the future construction of a fire station building and the
capital equipment associated with it. This will be discussed at the Special City Council Meeting
scheduled on November 21St
The City Council concurred as presented.
Capital Improvements Revolving CIP —Fund 414
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty reviewed the projects including: city entrance signage,
CSAH 38 & CSAH 39 — local share, CSAH 37 local share, TH101 left turn signals, CSAH 38 — turn lanes at
Martin Farms Ave, CR 137 — local share, CSAH 19 & CSAH 39 intersection local share, and Signal light
painting. The County also identifies several projects in the next ten years to be funded with Local
Option Sales Tax but are not currently assigned a year for improvement. This is important as local share
expenditures for these projects will be paid for out of this fund; however, the estimated local share of
these projects it not yet known.
The City Council concurred as presented.
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty reviewed the Capital Improvements Fund —Cash Flow
Summary. There is a transfer of $1.2 million that is up for City Council action before the end of the
year. The 10-year projections on the levy are holding and the $1.2 million could be transferred to this
fund based on the City's fund balance policy. For the tax abatements the City is levying property taxes
generated from the projects to reimburse for the infrastructure investment. The current numbers are
high as the City and County have set the levy and tax rates are lower than the calculations show;
unfortunately, these numbers will decrease as the tax rate decreases and it will take longer to payback.
City Administrator/Finance Director Flaherty reviewed the budget changes tracking sheet. This will be
reviewed further at the November 28t" Special Meeting at 5:30 PM. The next budget meeting will
include the Public Utilities Operating Budgets and CIP.
2. Adjournment.
CM Moores motioned to adjourn at 6:55 PM, seconded by CM Dahl favor. Motion carried
3=0.
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ATTEST ,/
Audra Etzel, City Clerk
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