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10-10-16 CC WS MinCITY OF SHOREWOOD CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION MONDAY, OCTOBER 10, 2016 MINUTES 1. CONVENE CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION 5755 COUNTRY CLUB ROAD COUNCIL CHAMBERS 6:00 P.M. Acting Mayor Siakel called the meeting to order at 6:00 P.M. A. Roll Call Present. Acting Mayor Siakel; Councilmembers Labadie, Sundberg, and Woodruff, Acting City Administrator /City Clerk Panchyshyn; Director of Public Works Brown; and, Engineer Hornby Absent: Mayor Zerby B. Review Agenda Labadie moved, Sundberg seconded, approving the agenda as presented. Motion passed 4/0. 2. DRAFT URBAN FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN Engineer Hornby explained that during its May 31, 2016, meeting Council approved a professional services agreement from S &S Tree and Horticultural Specialists, Inc. for the preparation of an Urban Forest Management Plan. The meeting packet contains a copy of the draft Plan which he thought was nicely done. S &S did address all of the items listed in the scope of services request for proposal (RFP). S &S also provided an estimated budget for a 5 -year Urban Forestry Management Program. It reflects an approximate cost of $880,000 over the five -year period; $200,000 for each of the first three years and $150,000 for each of the last two years. Hornby introduced Gail Nozal with S &S. Ms. Nozal introduced her colleague Jon Schmidt. She noted Mr. Schmidt completed the inventory portion of the Plan and he did a lot of the writing. Ms. Nozal explained the first step in the process of preparing the Plan was to complete the inventory. That allowed them to gain an understanding of what the composition and condition was of the urban forest and what maintenance is required. Mr. Schmidt entered the tree inventory data into an iTree Eco model to assess and quantify the beneficial functions of the public tree resource and to place a dollar value on the annual environmental benefit trees provide. The Plan includes an emerald ash borer management strategy and a discussion about reforestation. Councilmember Woodruff asked Ms. Nozal to summarize the Plan for the viewing audience. Ms. Nozal stated there were 3,412 publicly managed trees located within the City's street right of way (ROW) that were inventoried. Of them 858 trees are maple trees. The average diameter of the trees at 4.5 feet is about 15 inches. That is an average size tree for the majority of cities. Approximately one -half of the trees were in good condition. There are 567 ash trees that need to be managed potentially for emerald ash borer (EAB) whether it is by treatment or by removing and replacing them. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES October 10, 2016 Page 2 of 7 Mr. Schmidt stated the Plan is geared toward having the City go down a path to having a healthy, safe and sustainable urban forest. The 5 -year plan starts that process. In response to a question from Councilmember Woodruff, Ms. Nozal stated the ash trees referred to are primarily in the ROWS and in a few parcels in City Parks. Ms. Nozal stated the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has in some instances done a rapid assessment to get an estimate of the number of ash trees in certain areas. Engineer Hornby stated the Plan also includes a private tree management policy for the City. The policy would include woody invasive plant management, homeowner and private land assistance program, and public education. Councilmember Labadie stated if a municipality finds an infested tree on its public property she asked if that has to be reported to some government agency. Ms. Nozal noted there is no reporting requirement. She stated there is a best management practice (BMP) to report the first few findings to the State Department of Agriculture (MDA). Labadie then stated she has heard that EAB has been found in the City of Plymouth. She sked if that is accurate. Ms. Nozal confirmed that and explained in Hennepin County that is the farthest west that it has been found. Ms. Nozal explained it is best to survey trees for EAB during the winter. In Minnesota the best tool for doing the survey is woodpeckers because when there are a lot of them in one area it is often because they are going under the bark to get the larvae. Councilmember Labadie stated that because EAB has been found in Plymouth she asked how long it would take to reach Shorewood. Ms. Nozal stated EAB only fly about two miles in a year. She noted that most of the EAB is brought in on firewood. She thought the City should be prepared to find it at any time. Councilmember Sundberg asked if S &S collaborates with Xcel Energy. Ms. Nozal stated they have some great relationships with the foresters for Xcel. She noted that the foresters for Xcel have their own policies regarding tree care and EAB in particular. Sundberg then asked if the foresters for Xcel let S &S know when they are going to be trimming trees in the area. Ms. Nozal responded no and stated if S &S has a question they will call Xcel. Director Brown explained Xcel typically uses Asplundh Tree Expert Company to trim trees for it and Asphmdh lets Public Works know that it will be trimming in the area. They ask Public Works staff where the problematic areas in the City are and they ask for a signed permit to trim in the areas they are going to trim. Sundberg went on to ask how S &S would go about public education. Ms. Nozal stated utilizing the internet and working with the Communications Coordinator would be good places to start. Informational seminars would also be of value. Sundberg questioned if it would be valuable for the City to pick up things like buckthorn at the curbside. Ms. Nozal stated that is an option. She noted that S &S acts as the city forester for the City of North Oaks and North Oaks does that twice a year. Director Brown stated he thought the MDA still prohibits transporting buckthorn outside of an area. Acting Mayor Siakel asked if most of the ash trees recommended for removal are concentrated in the City's parks. Mr. Schmidt stated they are on public land and public ROW. Those trees are considered dangerous to the community. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES October 10, 2016 Page 3 of 7 Siakel then asked why some trees are recommended for removal and others for treatment. Ms. Schmidt stated if a tree is showing signs for decay or if it appears that it is not worthy of treating then it is recommended for removal. Siakel stated she thought S &S prepared a good Plan 10 year plan for example. Mr. Schmidt responded which is an industry standard. She asked why it is a 5 -year Plan and not an 8, 9 or S &S typically recommends a 5 -year pruning cycle Siakel then stated the draft 2017 budget does not include $200,000 for forestry services. She asked if the Plan could be extended out over a longer time period or if certain parts of it could be done to make it more affordable to do. Ms. Nozal stated it could be spread out over a longer period of time. She also stated there are some hazardous trees that should be removed. Councilmember Woodruff explained the draft 2017 . budget includes $40,000 for forestry services. He asked staff and S &S to tell Council how to spend that most effectively. He stated from his perspective Council has already basically allocated the City's excess reserves. The City has certified its maximum 2017 tax levy with Hennepin County. There is no way for the City could come up with an additional $160,000. He expressed his disappointment that Council did not receive the 5 -year Plan before it certified its maximum levy. He stated in June he had indicated that he would like to receive the report at least in early August or even late July so the budget could reflect what was needed. He noted the report from S &S is dated August 1, 2016. He asked why Council did not receive it sooner. Woodruff stated Council has discussed providing a tree inspection service for trees on private property for a fee. How that would work needs to be flushed out. Engineer Hornby stated that is the last thing that will be added to the draft Plan based on the Capital Improvement Program (CIP). Woodruff asked what the CIP has to do with it; the cost for forestry services is an operating budget item. Director Brown confirmed that. Acting Mayor Siakel stated because some of the trees in the Plan are in the City's parks she asked if the budget for forestry services should be included in the Parks Maintenance Budget. Woodruff stated it may be possible to include reforestation in the CIP. Acting Mayor Siakel stated because some of the trees in the Plan are in the City's parks she asked if the budget for forestry services should be included in the Parks Maintenance Budget. She noted the City has about $500,000 of excess reserves; reserves above those stipulated in the City's General Fund Balance Policy. She stated from her vantage point Council has not agreed on how to use those excess reserves. She asked staff to come back with an affordable implementation strategy for the Urban Forestry Management Program. Director Brown stated he thought the first thing the City should do is address those trees S &S has identified as a liability. Staff can then come back with a recommendation on how to spread out the timetable for implementing the Plan so the cost is more manageable. Acting Mayor Siakel stated she assumed Director Brown was talking about the Dead /Dying Tree Removal Program Activity in 2017 for an approximate cost of $17,340 and noted the City has a budget to cover that. Councilmember Woodruff recommended the budget for forestry services be kept in one budget so it is easier to track. Councilmember Labadie concurred with that and stated she thought it would make things more transparent. Acting Mayor Siakel questioned if the budget for forestry services should be incorporated into the City's levy. She stated $200,000 would be about a 4 percent levy increase. She asked if consideration should be given to assessing for those services. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES October 10, 2016 Page 4 of 7 Councilmember Woodruff stated the Plan mentions assessing property owners for forestry services but the City does not have a policy for doing that. Acting Mayor Siakel clarified that the Plan talks about doing that for benefiting properties. Woodruff stated that would be for trees in the public ROW and reiterated the City does not have a policy for doing that. Director Brown stated ordinance amendments go through a lengthy process and those involving assessments would take even longer. He then stated the 2017 draft budget includes sufficient funding to remove the liability trees in the estimated budget for the Urban Forest Management Program for 2017. Staff can then spread out the Program over a period longer than five years. Councilmember Woodruff asked staff to bring Council a plan for the removal of the liability trees scheduled for 2017 for its October 24 meeting. He suggested that removal process be started as soon as possible. Director Brown stated the planning for the removal is in progress. Director Brown stated he thought there is Council consensus to deal with the hazardous trees. Staff will provide Council with a 7 -year and /or ten -year version of the Urban Forestry Management Program for its next meeting or the meeting after that. He asked if there is Council consensus about the City offering a for -fee tree inspection service for private property owners. Councilmember Woodruff noted that he is not ready to give his support to the tree inspection service for private property owners without knowing how that would work. Director Brown stated what staff wants to know is does Council support the concept of that and noted the details of how that would work have not been flushed out. Woodruff stated the need for the details was discussed early this summer and the fact that has not been done is wearing thin on him. Brown noted that there have been other priorities for staff. Woodruff suggested dealing with the liability trees and getting started with treating those ash trees the City wants to retain. The City cannot wait until 2018 to start the treatments. Acting Mayor Siakel noted she agreed with starting to remove the hazardous trees. She stated if the trees on public property are treated she asked if they can be re- infested with EAB because ash trees on private property have become infested. Ms. Nozal stated the active ingredient in the insecticide currently being used to prevent EAB has been proven through research to be 99 percent effective. It is preventative as well as therapeutic. Any larvae, including those that are invisible, would die from the treatment. The label on the product indicates the treatments should be done every two years. If the City does that there should not be any re- infestation. Ms. Nozal stated the method for treatment S &S uses is a micro injection. It is an injection into the tissue at the base of the tree. No neonicotinoids are used. Acting Mayor Siakel stated the estimated budget for the Urban Forest Management Program indicates the annual treatment cost would be about $11,000 and that would be to treat about one -half of the ash trees each year. She then stated she understands Council to be in support of removing some hazardous trees and treating ash trees in 2017 for an approximate total cost of about $28,000. She went on to state she would like to see something created for residents as well and commented she thought Director Nielsen would have something to do with that. Acting Mayor Siakel asked staff if it had sufficient direction from Council. Director Brown responded yes. Acting Mayor Siakel thanked Ms. Nozal and Mr. Schmidt as well as staff for their efforts. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES October 1.0, 2016 Page 5 of 7 3. RENEWA BLE ENERGY DRAFT IMPLEMENTAION PLAN Engineer Hornby explained Council directed staff to prepare a Renewable Energy Implementation Plan for the Renewal Energy Study done by Great Plains Institute. The Study included some recommendations for Shorewood priorities based on Council input. WSB & Associates, along with its occasional partner Solar Stone and Great Plains, was asked to prepare an initial draft of the Plan. The intent of the draft Plan is to get Council feedback. When Great Plains assessed the practicality of wind energy in Shorewood and determined that throughout most of the City wind energy would not be very effective. Therefore, the Study was geared more toward solar energy. The Study identified some areas, mostly building rooftops, that might be good for solar. The Plan includes short -term (0 -5 years), mid -range (5 — 10 years) and long -term (10+ years) priorities. They line up with what Great Plains had as priorities in its Study. Most of the items identified would be completed mainly by in -house staff He highlighted the 1 — 5 years action items in the Implementation Plan. ➢ Next year • Planning and zoning ordinance updates — some of those have already been implemented • Public education / public information ➢ 12 — 18 months • On -site solar installations ➢ 1 — 2 years Fleet maintenance and purchases Planning and zoning ordinance updates— set renewable energy and energy reduction goals, include a copy of the City's solar resource in the Comprehensive (Comp) Plan I — 3 years On -site solar installations — consider participation in joint power actions, promote a community garden solar program ➢ 1 — 5 years • Improved building efficiencies — replace lighting with LED lamps, recommission HVAC systems, identify efficiency improvements to the public safety facilities. There is one office in City Hall that is warmer than others and there is a thermostat in there. What ends up happening is that thermostat is adjusted to accommodate that office making the rest of the building too warm or too cold. • Improved energy use — educate residents on water consumption habits, identify opportunities to improve efficiencies on water and wastewater pumping CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES October 10, 2016 Page 6 of 7 Councilmember Sundberg recommended being more aggressive on the timeline for some of the actions. She thought setting renewable energy and energy reduction goals should be done as soon as possible because everything is built around that. That should be moved up to next year. She then stated she thought there are a lot of easy opportunities for improving energy conservation. She suggested asking Xcel Energy and CenterPoint Energy to help with that assessment of opportunities. She asked if there is anything related to the GreenStep Cities Program in the Plan and stated that should be an as soon as possible activity as well. The City should take advantage of what the GreenStep Cities Program already includes. She asked that cost savings be factored in to the cost for rooftop installation; there should be saving because of investments in that. If there are no savings then that activity should be reevaluated. She stated that the Great Plains Institute report encouraged establishing a mission 1 vision for why this is important to the City. She noted that she would be willing to work with the Communications Coordinator on that. Sundberg then stated the City received a copy of the Great Plains Institute report in February. She cautioned against delaying the Implementation Plan finalization and implementation activities any longer. She noted she thought there are some implementation items that would not require too much staff time. Acting Mayor Siakel stated she thought it was good to find out what the opportunities are for renewable energy for the City. On a larger scale it does not appear to fit in with the needs of Shorewood. The action items listed in the Implementation Plan would be a lot of work for staff. And, that is in addition to the number of other big projects. She noted that she does not understand how Council wants this to move forward. Councilmember Woodruff stated he could support doing most of the next year action items listed in the Implementation Plan. He then stated that Council needs to reevaluate how involved the City should be in renewable energy. He thought the City was somewhat limited in its capacity to implement some of the items. He noted that Council has already approved replacing lighting with LED lamps at City Hall and at Public Works. He stated he was skeptical of the there being any ability to have significant solar installations in the City that would make financial sense. But, if Council wants to do something just to say the City did it without regard to cost and financial return then that is something entirely different. That is not something he supports doing. Councilmember Sundberg stated there are some energy conservation common sense action items that can be done. Councilmember Woodruff stated there is an action item about fuel efficient vehicles and electric vehicles for the City's fleet of vehicles on the list. That would fall in the energy conservation group. Councilmember Sundberg stated an argument could be for that. Councilmember Sundberg stated she thought electric vehicles are not a high priority for the City. Solar installations are also not a high priority unless there is an opportunity to participate in a solar garden with, for example, the Metropolitan (Met) Council. She noted she agrees that some of the action items listed in the Implementation Plan do not make sense for the City to do. Yet, there are some that would be very cost effective to do. Councilmember Woodruff suggested Council prioritize the action items with staff and remove those items that do not make any sense for the City to do. Then staff resources should be assigned to work on the higher priority items. CITY OF SHOREWOOD WORK SESSION MEETING MINUTES October 10, 2016 Page 7 of 7 Councilmember Sundberg stated from her perspective the City's goal is not to be the next innovator with solar technology. She then stated Council has not established clear goals of what it would like the City to accomplish with regard to renewable energy. She thought there are common sense things the City should be doing. Acting Mayor Siakel stated she thought some of the action items in the Implementation Plan do not apply to the City. Councilmember Sundberg offered to work with staff to downsize the hmplementation Plan and to adjust the priorities. Acting Mayor Siakel asked if any of the items in the Implementation Plan should be incorporated into the Comprehensive (Comp) Plan. Engineer Hornby responded yes. Councilmember Sundberg stated it is up to Council to decide what makes sense for the City to do. Engineer Hornby asked Council to tell him what action items it wants the City to implement and what their priorities are. Acting Mayor Siakel stated she would like the Implementation Plan to be downsized to doable action items that make sense for the City to do. Councilmember Sundberg asked that the action items be expanded upon to make them clearer. Councilmember Woodruff suggested focusing on action items zero to 5 years out. Anything beyond that is unrealistic. Engineer Hornby recommended the Implementation Plan be refined annually and then every five years it should reviewed in detail and revised as needed. Councilmember Sundberg asked staff to come up with a draft of what the City's goals should be. She stated from her perspective the City is trying to reduce costs, be more prudent with the use of energy resources and show leadership for the community. Councilmember Woodruff stated he thought the GreenStep Cities Program probably has some goals that the City could try and achieve. He then stated the information provided by staff indicates that rooftop solar installations on City buildings would not be a break even financial investment. 4. ADJOURN Woodruff moved, Sundberg seconded, Adjourning the City Council Work Session of October 10, 2016, at 6:55 P.M. Motion passed 4/0. RESPECTFULLY SUBMITTED, Christine Freeman, Recorder ATTEST: a C1 fi t 1 Je n Panchyshyn, City Clerk