42 minutes . . .
ROLL CALL AND GETTING STARTED
Absent: None
Shiva Bidar-Sielaff opening remarks: Card from Obihiro sister city. Congratulations to Alders Brian Solomon on his wedding and to Alder Scott Resnick on his engagement.
Rules suspended rules for introduction of business and order of resolutions and ordinances.
Mayor is wearing goofy visor from the Rose Bowl loss and people are laughing.
They modify the record of proceedings from a previous meeting.
CONSENT AGENDA
They pass everything on the agenda as recommended with the following exceptions:
They will hear items 2 – 18 which are public hearing items.
They record a unanimous vote on the following extra-majority items: 59
Items 22, 71 and 72 the recommendation is to place 22 on file and refer the other two items to the next meeting on 1/22.
They separate items 15 and 23 for discussion. Item 15 has a speaker and is a public hearing item.
Verveer asks for item 62 to be excluded.
Cnare recuses herself from item 19.
Clear asks to be added as a sponsor on item 79.
The motions passes.
URGING ASSAULT WEAPON BAN FOR CONGRESS
Alder Weier reads the resolution.
Subeck, Clear, Phair, Resnick, Bidar-Sielaff, Clausius, Cnare, King, Schmidt, Rummel, Rhodes-Conway, Solomon, Verveer, Maniaci, the Mayor and maybe more ask to be added as a sponsors. Mayor says that he will be in Washington on the subject if it doesn’t conflict with another meeting he has.
WAITING
They move to suspend the rules to keep going because it is not 6:45 yet and they need to wait to have public hearings because that is when they are scheduled to start. But there is also a motion to take up item 62 and it is seconded. They move to table item 62. The mayor suggests they take up item 2. He declares the public hearing open . . .
PUBLIC HEARINGS
313-315 North Frances Street
Peter Ostlind comments on the old and new zoning code changes and discussions they had while working on the Downtown Plan. He says he didn’t think that the intent was to ignore current and new zoning requirements. He says that the staff report addresses how that is all blown apart. He says his concern is, given the small size of the project, how will it not have a spill over effect on the neighbors, that really hasn’t been addressed. They say they will handle it in the management plan, and that is a condition of approval. He says they shouldn’t be building buildings that need an intensive management plan, the buildings should stand on their own and the city shouldn’t have to enforce this over time, ownership and usage may change over time and who will enforce if there are issues.
Two other registrants in support from the development team.
Bidar-Sielaff moves to adopt. Someone seconds.
Verveer makes an additional amendment to say that there will be no parking permits for this building, the tenants have to be notified in the lease and they must submit leases to the city. Verveer says that it should have been offered at the Plan Commission. Says it is a routine condition. There is no parking in the development. He thanks Pete and the steering committee for their work. He says the project is a close call. Staff thinks that the project doesn’t meet the standards but the project has been greatly improved in terms of design and management and this project is on a unique parcel, three sides of the parcel are public right of way and that tipped the scales of why this was approvable. He says few sites will be like this in the future.
Motion passes unanimously.
Other items
Item 3 has a registrant in support and available to answer questions. Bidar-Sielaff moves adoption. Motion passes.
Item 4, no registrations. Rummel moves adoption with amendment that is on their desk regarding side yard setbacks. Motion passes.
He holds the public hearings on items 5 – 12, liquor licenses.
Item 5 has registration in support and available to answer questions, no questions, hearing closed.
Item 6, same thing.
Item 7, no registrations, hearing closed.
Item 8, registration in support and available to answer questions, no questions, hearing closed.
Item 9, no registrations, hearing closed.
Item 10, no registrations, hearing closed.
Item 11, no registrations, hearing closed.
Item 12, no registrations, conditions on the license, hearing closed.
Bidar-Siealff moves to approve items 5 – 12 with conditions. Maniaci recuses herself on item 8.
Items 13 – 15, plans specs and schedule of assessments on various projects. Only one registrant on item 15 but no speakers. No discussion. Motion to pass, passes without discussion and seemingly unanimously.
Item 16 – no registrations, hearing closed.
Item 17 – no registrations, hearing closed.
Item 18 – no registrations, hearing recessed for two weeks from tonight.
Move to adopt 16 and 17 and refer 18 – motion passes.
There were some registrants on 16 and 17 to support and answer questions which the mayor notices after they pass.
CHRONIC NUISANCE ORDINANCE
They take the item off the table. Maniaci moves adoption with an amendment at their desk. Mayor makes her have a second. Then she makes an amendment. She explains the amendment and changes to make it more flexible. It currently doesn’t include fire inspection calls, only police and building inspection. It was also labor intensive and they are trying to get to properties sooner. The addresses are usually on the radar but the bar is set high. She defers to George Hank from Building Inspections for questions.
Subeck asks to be added as sponsor. So does King.
Rhodes-Conway asks for examples of why this helps.
George Hank says that there needed to be 5 separate cases and 1 prosecution. He says now it is 3 cases and 3 prosecutions. He proposed a sliding scale, more prosecutions you get there quicker. As the problems increase with intensity you don’t have to wait for 5 cases.
Rhodes-Conway asks if this is because they have properties that are chronic nuisances that don’t meet this law. Can you give examples.
Hank says there may be some property owners that don’t do anything, they may have been prosecuted 3 times but haven’t have 5 cases and we needed to wait.
Rhodes-Conway asks how many this would add to potential for prosecution.
Hank says its hard to come up with a number, but there have been several properties in the past months that would bring them in for prosecution. There are some owners with several properties that would be impacted.
Phair added as a sponsor.
Bruer urges support. Says that while we are adding teeth, it is important to note the tool has been invaluable to educating the Apartment Association and other groups to work with the community to take properties at risk or challenged to develop abatement plans. These net the worst of the worst and that speaks well to landlords and the community groups are part of the major success of the ordinance.
Clausius asks to be added as a sponsor.
CLOSING
Palm has item for introduction for a utility district referred to public works.
Bidar-Sielaff wishes Cnare Happy Birthday.
Mayor thanks the council for making it a quick meeting (wearing his fancy visor)
Adjourn.
