January 17, 2017 Work Session Minutes
CITY OF SPRING PARK
WORK SESSION MINUTES
JANUARY 17, 2017 – 6:00 PM
SPRING PARK CITY HALL
CALL TO ORDER - The meeting was called to order by Mayor Rockvam at 6:00 p.m.
Council Members Present: Jerry Rockvam, Mayor; Pamela Horton, Gary Hughes; Catherine Kane Palen, and Megan Pavot (arrived 6:05 p.m.).
Staff Present: Dan Tolsma, City Administrator; Mike Kuno, City Engineer; and Theresa Schyma, City Clerk.
1. PLANNING COMMISSION UPDATE & APPOINTMENT TIMELINE
City Administrator Tolsma announced the deadline for Planning Commission applications and Comprehensive Plan Committee applications is February 24. The tentative interview date for the Planning Commission applicants is March 6 prior to the regular meeting at 7 p.m. The Council will receive copies of the Planning Commission applications with their March 6 agenda packets. He added that staff will review the applications for the Comprehensive Plan Committee and make recommendations to the Council instead of having the Council interview all applicants.
The City Council consensus was to have the applications for prospective Planning Commissioners emailed to the Council as they are received so they have additional time to review.
2. CITY HALL SERVER PROPOSAL
City Administrator Tolsma presented the proposal for the City Hall server upgrade. He stated that Five Technology is the City’s current IT consultant. The company already manages the City’s servers, handles all associated IT tasks including troubleshooting and support, and provides off-site backup at their facility in Delano.
Council Member Palen asked if any City documents have already been digitally scanned.
City Administrator Tolsma responded no; there are storage capacity issues with the City’s current server which prevent digital scanning and document management.
City Administrator Tolsma stated that Five Technology has done similar upgrades in Mound and Delano. He further noted that the pricing is competitive and their current service and response time with the City have been good.
3. ASSET MANAGEMENT STUDY PROPOSAL
City Administrator Tolsma discussed the asset management study proposal. He stated that the usefulness of the study is pretty evident with the number of infrastructure projects that are coming in the near future.
City Engineer Kuno reviewed the history and current status of the project and the communication issues that led to putting the project on hold.
The City Council discussed the lack of formal contract for the study and the communication issues that occurred between City staff, contract staff, the Administrative Committee, and the full City Council regarding the change in scope of the project.
Mayor Rockvam questioned if the revised estimate of $60,000 for the project will change again.
City Engineer Kuno responded that the original estimate included being able to use existing structure survey information; however, it was then discovered that the information was not available and additional work would need to be performed. Furthermore, the revised proposal would have a “not to exceed” clause.
Mayor Rockvam stated that the study should be done since it is valuable information for the City’s future. However, communication needs to be handled better and the full City Council needs to be made aware of issues that would have considerable implications on major projects.
Council Member Pavot agrees that communication should have been better with this project but stated that the Council did give City Engineer Kuno the approval to perform a full assessment.
City Engineer Kuno responded that moving forward he would like to prepare formal proposals for any future projects that are estimated at over $5,000 to avoid these types of setbacks.
Mayor Rockvam asked if any of the current amount owed could be reduced.
City Engineer Kuno responded that he would attend all 2017 City staff meetings at no charge to help reduce the City’s overall engineering costs by approximately $2,500 in order to move this project forward.
Council Member Hughes questioned how long it would be until the Council will see the final results of the study.
City Engineer Kuno responded that it will take approximately another six to eight weeks to compile the information and present a report and 20-year plan to the City Council.
The City Council consensus was to have City Engineer Kuno present a summary report of the asset management study proposal during Item #10C of the January 17 City Council Regular Meeting so that the study can move forward.
4. STREET LIGHT LED CONVERSION UPDATE
City Administrator Tolsma announced that the Xcel Energy-owned street lights in Spring Park are going to be converted to LED in the Spring/Summer of 2017. This change will create more uniform lighting in the City since all City-owned street lights were previously converted to LED. He stated that no action is required by the Council.
5. COUNCIL PRIORITIES SPECIAL MEETING DISCUSSION
City Administrator Tolsma announced that the City Council will be having a visioning session in late March or early April. This is an opportunity for the Council to let staff know what their priorities are and what they would like to see accomplished in the near future. He encouraged the Council to start gathering their ideas.
Mayor Rockvam discussed the plowing at the lift stations and parking lot and how it is not being completed in the same manner as the previous Public Works Superintendent.
City Administrator Tolsma responded that while items may not be done in the same manner as the previous superintendent, tasks are still being completed. He further stated that not every task or item relating to Public Works could be listed in the contract with PeopleService. There was an understanding that during the first year some items would surface and they would be handled as needed.
Council Member Horton stated that PeopleService has been very open with the City Council and staff giving direction and responding in a timely manner.
Council Member Hughes stated he would like the City to have current copies on file of all applicable licenses for the new Public Works Director.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent at 6:58 p.m.
Date Approved: February 6, 2017
___________________________
Theresa Schyma, City Clerk
____________________________
Dan Tolsma, City Administrator
WORK SESSION MINUTES
JANUARY 17, 2017 – 6:00 PM
SPRING PARK CITY HALL
CALL TO ORDER - The meeting was called to order by Mayor Rockvam at 6:00 p.m.
Council Members Present: Jerry Rockvam, Mayor; Pamela Horton, Gary Hughes; Catherine Kane Palen, and Megan Pavot (arrived 6:05 p.m.).
Staff Present: Dan Tolsma, City Administrator; Mike Kuno, City Engineer; and Theresa Schyma, City Clerk.
1. PLANNING COMMISSION UPDATE & APPOINTMENT TIMELINE
City Administrator Tolsma announced the deadline for Planning Commission applications and Comprehensive Plan Committee applications is February 24. The tentative interview date for the Planning Commission applicants is March 6 prior to the regular meeting at 7 p.m. The Council will receive copies of the Planning Commission applications with their March 6 agenda packets. He added that staff will review the applications for the Comprehensive Plan Committee and make recommendations to the Council instead of having the Council interview all applicants.
The City Council consensus was to have the applications for prospective Planning Commissioners emailed to the Council as they are received so they have additional time to review.
2. CITY HALL SERVER PROPOSAL
City Administrator Tolsma presented the proposal for the City Hall server upgrade. He stated that Five Technology is the City’s current IT consultant. The company already manages the City’s servers, handles all associated IT tasks including troubleshooting and support, and provides off-site backup at their facility in Delano.
Council Member Palen asked if any City documents have already been digitally scanned.
City Administrator Tolsma responded no; there are storage capacity issues with the City’s current server which prevent digital scanning and document management.
City Administrator Tolsma stated that Five Technology has done similar upgrades in Mound and Delano. He further noted that the pricing is competitive and their current service and response time with the City have been good.
3. ASSET MANAGEMENT STUDY PROPOSAL
City Administrator Tolsma discussed the asset management study proposal. He stated that the usefulness of the study is pretty evident with the number of infrastructure projects that are coming in the near future.
City Engineer Kuno reviewed the history and current status of the project and the communication issues that led to putting the project on hold.
The City Council discussed the lack of formal contract for the study and the communication issues that occurred between City staff, contract staff, the Administrative Committee, and the full City Council regarding the change in scope of the project.
Mayor Rockvam questioned if the revised estimate of $60,000 for the project will change again.
City Engineer Kuno responded that the original estimate included being able to use existing structure survey information; however, it was then discovered that the information was not available and additional work would need to be performed. Furthermore, the revised proposal would have a “not to exceed” clause.
Mayor Rockvam stated that the study should be done since it is valuable information for the City’s future. However, communication needs to be handled better and the full City Council needs to be made aware of issues that would have considerable implications on major projects.
Council Member Pavot agrees that communication should have been better with this project but stated that the Council did give City Engineer Kuno the approval to perform a full assessment.
City Engineer Kuno responded that moving forward he would like to prepare formal proposals for any future projects that are estimated at over $5,000 to avoid these types of setbacks.
Mayor Rockvam asked if any of the current amount owed could be reduced.
City Engineer Kuno responded that he would attend all 2017 City staff meetings at no charge to help reduce the City’s overall engineering costs by approximately $2,500 in order to move this project forward.
Council Member Hughes questioned how long it would be until the Council will see the final results of the study.
City Engineer Kuno responded that it will take approximately another six to eight weeks to compile the information and present a report and 20-year plan to the City Council.
The City Council consensus was to have City Engineer Kuno present a summary report of the asset management study proposal during Item #10C of the January 17 City Council Regular Meeting so that the study can move forward.
4. STREET LIGHT LED CONVERSION UPDATE
City Administrator Tolsma announced that the Xcel Energy-owned street lights in Spring Park are going to be converted to LED in the Spring/Summer of 2017. This change will create more uniform lighting in the City since all City-owned street lights were previously converted to LED. He stated that no action is required by the Council.
5. COUNCIL PRIORITIES SPECIAL MEETING DISCUSSION
City Administrator Tolsma announced that the City Council will be having a visioning session in late March or early April. This is an opportunity for the Council to let staff know what their priorities are and what they would like to see accomplished in the near future. He encouraged the Council to start gathering their ideas.
Mayor Rockvam discussed the plowing at the lift stations and parking lot and how it is not being completed in the same manner as the previous Public Works Superintendent.
City Administrator Tolsma responded that while items may not be done in the same manner as the previous superintendent, tasks are still being completed. He further stated that not every task or item relating to Public Works could be listed in the contract with PeopleService. There was an understanding that during the first year some items would surface and they would be handled as needed.
Council Member Horton stated that PeopleService has been very open with the City Council and staff giving direction and responding in a timely manner.
Council Member Hughes stated he would like the City to have current copies on file of all applicable licenses for the new Public Works Director.
ADJOURNMENT
The meeting was adjourned by unanimous consent at 6:58 p.m.
Date Approved: February 6, 2017
___________________________
Theresa Schyma, City Clerk
____________________________
Dan Tolsma, City Administrator