This transcript appears to be from a December 2022 meeting of the Bayport City Council. Based on the context provided and the dialogue, here is the attributed transcript. **Note on Names:** While the provided list identifies Michele Hanson as Mayor, the transcript audio records the roll call for "Mayor St. Ores" (transcribed as "St Norris"). It appears Michele Hanson was a Councilmember at the time of this meeting and is the Mayor-elect. Per your instructions to use the provided names, I have labeled the presiding Mayor as **Mayor Michele Hanson**, though the dialogue indicates this is her final meeting before a transition. **Councilmember Carlson** is addressed as **Connie** throughout the meeting. *** **[5:07] Mayor Michele Hanson:** 2022 Bayport city council meeting please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Adam, will you please call the roll? **[5:07] Adam Bell (City Administrator):** Councilmember Carlson? **[5:07] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** Here. **[5:07] Adam Bell:** Councilmember Gilmore? **[5:07] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** Here. **[5:07] Adam Bell:** Councilmember Hanson? **[5:07] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** Here. **[5:07] Adam Bell:** And councilmember Doll is absent this evening; we wish him well. **[5:54] Mayor Michele Hanson:** So it takes us to the approval of tonight's agenda. Does anyone have any changes, additions, questions, or would someone like to make a motion? **[5:54] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I'll move to approve the agenda. **[5:54] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you, Michele. Is there a second? **[5:54] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I'll second it. **[5:54] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you, Connie. All in favor, aye. Opposed? It takes us to our proclamations, accommodations, petitions, and announcements. The November recycling award recipient is Kurt Campbell at 370 3rd Street South, who will be awarded for his recycling efforts from a grant issued from Washington County. So thank you very much, Mr. Campbell, for your recycling efforts. That takes us to the Open Forum portion of our meeting where we set aside 15 minutes to discuss any topics that are not on tonight's agenda. If there's anyone that would like to address the council, please come forward to state your name and address for the record. **[6:42] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Move on to our consent agenda. We'll consider a resolution adopting items one through eleven: the November 14, 2022 city council Workshop minutes; the November 14, 2022 city council regular meeting minutes; the November payables and receipts; November building, plumbing, mechanical, and zoning permits report; the renewal of liquor and tobacco licenses for 2023; the appointment of Janelle Nelson to fill the vacancy on the library board for a term to expire December 31st, 2025; the renewal of employee health and dental insurance policies; the budgeted fund transfers for 2022; accept a monetary donation from the Bayport American Legion for a Centennial Park pavilion at the Village Green; accept the resignation of employment from City Administrator Adam Bell. With that, are there any questions, comments, or additions to the consent agenda? **[7:30] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** Um, there was one other item regarding the January meeting... item 11. Did you hear that? **[7:30] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Oh, I'm so sorry I missed it. I was so stunned by the number 10. **[8:16] Adam Bell:** And number 11 is to designate January 9th, 2023 as the next regular meeting of the city council because January 2nd is a state holiday. **[8:16] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you very much, Adam. And now with that, is there any questions, comments, additions, or a motion to approve? **[8:16] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** I move to adopt a resolution approving the consent agenda as presented. **[8:16] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you very much, Ethan. Is there a second? **[8:16] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I'll second it. **[8:16] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you, Connie. Roll call. **[8:16] Adam Bell:** Councilmember Gilmore? **[8:16] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** Aye. **[8:16] Adam Bell:** Councilmember Carlson? **[8:16] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** Aye. **[8:16] Adam Bell:** Councilmember Hanson? **[8:16] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** Aye. **[8:16] Adam Bell:** Mayor Hanson? **[8:16] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Aye. **[9:03] Mayor Michele Hanson:** That takes us to where we will consider the certification of past due utility bills to property taxes. And with that, I'll pass the mic over to Adam. **[9:03] Adam Bell:** Thank you, Madam Mayor, members of the Council. As we do every year, state law allows us to especially assess, as well as our ordinance allows the city to especially assess, any delinquent water and sewer utility bills. Notices were sent out of this public hearing. The list of the assessment roll is included in the packet. The city did not receive any appeals from this assessment notice, and so with that, the city is required to have a public hearing and vote to certify it to Washington County. So with that, we will open for the public hearing at this time. Anyone that would wish to address the council may come forward and state their name and address for the record. **[10:08] Mayor Michele Hanson:** All right, it doesn't look like we have any visitors here this evening. So would someone like to make a motion to close the public hearing? **[10:08] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** I'll move to close the public hearing. **[10:08] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you, Ethan. Is there a second? **[10:08] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I'll second. **[10:08] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you, Michele. All in favor, aye. Opposed? Okay, so now there's city council discussion on this item. Any questions, comments, or discussion from the council? **[10:53] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I am still concerned—are we recouping, I mean I know that we discussed this at the last time, but are we truly recouping the city's investment of time and tracking and contacting as part of the fees that go on to be assessed to the taxes? **[10:53] Adam Bell:** We are. Some of these are limited in the amount of interest that can be associated with these payments. We haven't done a full cost analysis of the amount of time; each year it's a little bit different. Last year there were 10 addresses, this year there are 17. We have not historically been assessing the delinquent water payments until last year was the first after some time. Previous to that, as the Council recalls, we were—I'll say threatening—but the alternative was to shut off the water. The amount of time that staff, both Public Works and Finance staff, spent on going through that process trying to collect the payments—this definitely spends less staff time administering it this way, and then all the fees are collected through the county as part of the property taxes. **[10:53] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** It is curious we've got a couple of groupings of addresses. Is it somehow easier for people to just pay once a year? It just seems curious. **[11:39] Adam Bell:** I do not have an answer as to why that is. There wasn't last year, so this year just appears to be a coincidence. There's actually the same address listed twice... oh no, it’s South 4th Street and then South Minnesota Street, the same number. I got confused, never mind. **[12:25] Mayor Michele Hanson:** I just want to make sure that others who are paying right on time are not absorbing the cost of others who are not. And of course, I have complete empathy for hardships, but if it's something that's just like, "well it's easier to do it at the end of the year," that's not really acceptable. **[13:12] Adam Bell:** Madam Mayor, members of the Council, we do still work to collect these before they are assessed throughout the year. But as you can see, the different amounts vary quite a bit. Some of them we will work with customers throughout the year on payment plans. There really isn't any Rhyme or Reason I can speculate why some of these are opted to pay through the property taxes because it's not cheaper for the resident. **[13:12] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Okay, thank you for addressing my questions. Any other discussion or questions from the council? If not, would someone like to make a motion? **[13:58] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I move to approve the certification of past due utility bills to property taxes. **[13:58] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you, Michele. Is there a second? **[13:58] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I'll second it. **[13:58] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you, Connie. We do not need a roll call. All in favor, aye. Opposed? Right, that takes us to our unfinished business, or we do not have any unfinished business this evening. So that takes us to our new business. First, I'd like to step back and just say we're very sorry to see that you're leaving Bayport, and thank you so much for all your years of service. I should have stopped right at the beginning, but we will find a way to have more recognition in the January time frame. But thank you for everything that you've done for us. **[14:43] Adam Bell:** It's my honor and pleasure. [Applause] I have provided the council notice that I've taken another job with another city as a City Manager. My last day in Bayport will be January 12th. I gave a 45-day notice, so now I'm working through the transition with the rest of the staff. Immediately preceding this, the Council had a workshop to discuss appointing an interim administrator after I leave. At the January city council meeting, the city council will be asked to appoint Matt Kline, Public Works Director, as the interim administrator. It’s been six years. I'm very proud of the work that the city's done. I've been very picky with where I want to spend my time professionally, and I feel very blessed to have been selected in Bayport back in February 2017. It's bittersweet because I love the staff, the council's been great, and it's been a great place to work. We didn't get to do everything that we had talked about, but I know the city is in good hands. It’s kind of emotional for me. I've really enjoyed my time here with the residents. Thank you very, very much. **[17:52] Mayor Michele Hanson:** All right, so then that takes us to the first official item of new business, and that is to consider amending Appendix D, which is a fee schedule of the Bayport city code of ordinances. With that, I'm going to turn the mic back over to you. **[17:52] Adam Bell:** Thank you, Madam Mayor, members of the Council. Every December, staff reviews and presents proposed fee schedule changes. Last year there were very minimal; this year staff did identify several fees that we recommend amending for 2023. These would take effect January 1st. I included the entire fee schedule in front of you. A couple of the fees I will highlight: the 3-2 malt liquor license is being deleted as it's no longer relevant. Regarding building plan reviews, MinSpec, who does the plan review, has recommended changing the fee to $105 per hour with only a half-hour minimum. Previously it was $60 with a one-hour minimum, so residents are actually being charged slightly less for those typical half-hour reviews. Fire inspections, burning permits, and incident reports have all been increased by five dollars. In Parks and Recreation, the damage and cleaning deposit for the beach house has been increased. The beach house fee for non-residents is being increased on weekends. Boat trailer parking permits have also increased, which hasn't changed in about 10 years. Under the Joint Powers Agreement with Baytown Township, the surcharge for Baytown Water customers is going up five percent, which is one dollar. **[22:34] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I'd like to talk a little bit about the boat trailer parking for non-residents. The Resident Annual permit is going up to $75 from $50, and the non-resident is going up to $100 from $85. The increase for the residents is greater than the increase for the non-residents, which doesn't seem right. I feel like the non-resident fee should go up a little more. I have similar feelings toward non-resident park rentals of shelters. **[23:20] Mayor Michele Hanson:** And we didn't increase the one for the beach house, but I mean, Lakeside and Barkers are amazing facilities. On weekends it's packed, which is fabulous, but it's really becoming very regionally known. Our Public Works and staff salaries increase, maintenance increases. I'm surprised to not see those increase as well, at least for non-residents. **[23:20] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** Right now they're charging like a hundred dollars a day for a shelter for a non-resident. I feel like that's a reasonable price, but maybe we should compare this to other local areas. **[24:53] Adam Bell:** We have done that. Bayport is one of the cheaper park facility rentals. It gets skewed because some cities don't charge at all for reservations. The non-resident fees are significantly more than resident fees, but we haven't increased those other than the beach house proposal tonight. **[25:39] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Well, it’s something to take into consideration. People in Bayport are already paying taxes for this. To be providing such fabulous accommodations for people that don't live here, I’d like to see those go up at least five percent for every non-resident item. **[26:24] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I still don't know why there's not more of a gap between resident and non-resident for boat trailer parking. I would suggest we increase the non-resident to $125 or $150. **[27:58] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I agree. I think residents should have more of an opportunity because sometimes even getting a reservation here is hard. I remember renting a pavilion in Oak Park Heights and it was like $200 for four hours. I think we should research non-resident rates more. Also, is there a time frame for renting the beach house? **[29:34] Adam Bell:** We wait until January 1st to make park reservations for that year. There's a two-week window where residents get first option before it opens to the general public. **[30:21] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I've often thought they should give residents until February 1st. Sometimes with the holidays, you forget that first week in January. **[30:21] Mayor Michele Hanson:** I’m for that—extending it to February 1st for non-residents. **[31:08] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I'd like to propose the non-resident annual permit for boat trailer parking increase to $125 instead of $100. **[31:08] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Any other changes? I want to talk about the vacant building registration fee. Right now it's $500 for the first year and $1,000 after that. I don't know if it's enough of a deterrent. **[31:54] Adam Bell:** It is intended as a disincentive. The fee is to compensate the city for the amount of time spent dealing with those properties. It has to be "reasonable" according to our legal advice. **[34:13] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I feel like we could look back at the amount of time we've spent trying to work with some of these vacant property owners. **[35:45] Tom (City Attorney):** It may need an overhaul of the entire ordinance. Right now, it's really a maintenance cost monitoring fee. If we want it to be more punitive or regulated more heavily, we should do a full overview of the vacant building statute. **[36:31] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Okay, so two definite changes: non-resident boat trailer parking going up to $125, and moving the date for non-residents to make park reservations to February 1st. **[37:33] Tom (City Attorney):** Mayor, the policy for when residents and non-residents can rent isn't actually part of the fee schedule ordinance. It's a city policy, so it should be a separate action. **[38:21] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Okay, then the motion should just be the fee schedule and the trailer parking. **[38:21] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I'll make a motion approving the recommendation of the fee schedule and the increase in the non-residential trailer parking. **[38:21] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you. Is there a second? **[38:21] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I'll second. **[38:21] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Roll call. (The roll is called and the motion passes unanimously). **[39:10] Mayor Michele Hanson:** That takes us to our Truth in Taxation on the 2023 City budget and Levy. We're going to discuss the tax levy, the budget, and the capital improvement plan. **[39:54] Adam Bell:** (Provides a detailed presentation on the 2023 budget). Following multiple work sessions, the council adopted the preliminary budget in September. The only change since then was the removal of one CIP item regarding water fountains at Barker's Alps. Bayport is a full-service city. Significant factors this year include a 3% COLA for wages and an increase in workers' compensation costs for police. Overall, the city experienced a 15.5% average market value increase for properties. Our total Levy is $1,652,203, which is only a $60,000 increase over last year, or 3.8%. Out of all comparable cities in Washington County, Bayport has the lowest levy increase this year. **[58:22] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you. You've done a tremendous job over the last six years of making it clear how the process works and keeping the budget as low as we possibly can. Any questions or comments? **[59:08] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I'll move to adopt a resolution establishing the levy for 2023. **[59:53] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Is there a second? **[59:53] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** Second. (Roll call: All present vote Aye). **[1:00:38] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I'll move to adopt a resolution establishing the budget for 2023. **[1:00:38] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** Second. (Roll call: All present vote Aye). **[1:00:38] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** I'll move to adopt a resolution establishing the Capital Improvement Plan for 2023. **[1:00:38] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** Second. (Roll call: All present vote Aye). **[1:01:25] Mayor Michele Hanson:** That takes us to our city council liaison reports. I'll start with Michele. **[1:01:25] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** The Planning Commission hasn't met, but the Bayport Community Action League is having the Lighting of the Green this Wednesday starting at 6:30 at the Village Green. Santa will make an appearance, and we'll be reading excerpts from the winning Centennial essay contest. I believe the Mayor will be flipping the light switch. **[1:02:11] Mayor Michele Hanson:** I look forward to that. I also participated in the Pavilion groundbreaking. We received a letter of recognition from Senator Klobuchar. There is a rendering of the Pavilion here at City Hall if you want to take a peek. **[1:02:56] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** The Cable Commission met. We looked at the proposed budget and thought $4,000 a month for internet and phone seemed aggressive for their location, so they are looking into that. They are also hoping to get a production van from another city at a good price. **[1:05:15] Councilmember Carlson (Connie):** The Library Board met. Jill said it stays pretty busy. The project is coming along, and she's happy that everything is coming in at or under budget. **[1:06:49] Mayor Michele Hanson:** I had my last meeting with the Lake Elmo Airport Advisory Commission. We reviewed accomplishments including the new runway. Noise complaints remain low and are addressed each time. I think it’s worth continuing our participation in this commission as it impacts our area. That is the end of my liaison reports. **[1:11:14] Gabe Kinney (Fire Chief):** We had 82 calls for November. Year-to-date we are at 1,025 calls, up from 852 last year. We escorted Santa, which was a huge success. Our training house burn is this Saturday on 6th Street at the Andersen property. Mayor, on behalf of the fire department, we’d like to thank you for your years of service and dedication to public safety. **[1:14:15] Jay Jackson (Police Chief):** We’ve had 7,920 incidents this year, up 285 from last year. We have Toys for Tots drop-offs here at City Hall until the 9th. We have six or seven huge boxes full of gifts already. Mayor, you’ve done an amazing job supporting the police department and representing our city. **[1:18:07] Adam Bell:** Public Works Director Kline and Assistant Administrator Taylor are not here, but their reports are in your packets. Just a reminder that snow emergency rules go into effect if we get more than two inches of snow. On a final note, Moody’s is reviewing the city for a potential credit rating upgrade from our current Aa2. Also, staff met with a developer about a possible annexation from Baytown for a property north of Inspiration. Finally, Mayor, it has been a special relationship working with you. There is a retirement reception for you on December 13th at the fire station from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. **[1:26:45] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Thank you. It has been an honor. I believe I will still be here January 9th to swear in our new mayor. **[1:27:31] Adam Bell:** Because of the holiday, the first meeting of January is moved to the second Monday, which is the 9th. **[1:28:17] Mayor Michele Hanson:** Would someone like to make a motion to adjourn? **[1:28:17] Councilmember Michele Hanson:** I’ll move. **[1:28:17] Councilmember Ethan Gilmore:** Second. **[1:28:17] Mayor Michele Hanson:** All in favor, aye. Meeting adjourned.