11/17/2003 CONF MTG - 4613!
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CffY OF
FRIDLEY
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CONFERENCE MEETING
November 17, 2003 - 7:00 p.m.
Fridley Municipal Garage
400 - 71St Avenue N.E.
1. Traffic Diversion Program.
2. 2:00 A.M. Closing for Licensed Establishments.
3. Springbrook Nature Center Admission Fees.
4. Fee Increases.
5. Fire Department Fee Increases.
6. Community Development Fee Increases.
7. Policy Questions Related to the Issuance of
Debt During 2003/2004.
8. Use of Fund Balances for Street Reconstruction.
9. Street Assessments for Future Projects.
10. Charitable Gambling Locations.
1 1. Tuesday Evening Hours.
12. Other Business.
Adjourn.
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To: William W. Burns, City Manager��
From: Cpt. Don Abbott '
Date: 11-14-03
Re: Traffic Diversion Program
The attached proposal is to establish a Traffic Diversion Program (TDP) in and for
the City of Fridley. The concept of TDP has existed for some time, but has
generated new interest of late. TDP, sometimes referred to as Administrative
Tags, Admin. Tags, or Admin Citations, involve non-traditional means of traffic
enfor.cement utilizing options to traffic citations. The attachment briefly outlines
our options and makes a recommendation to adopt a TDP for the City of Fridley.
�, �
Proposal
To Establish a Traffic Diversion Program
For the City of Fridley
The Fridley Police Department is proposing the creation of a Traffic Diversion Program
(TDP) in and for the City of Fridley. A TDP is an alternative enforcement program
replacing the issuance of traditional traffic citations for minor moving traffic violations and
for most parking violations. Some jurisdictions include misdemeanor violations of animal
control ordinances.
A TDP typically uses an alternative citation form to the Uniform Traffic Ticket (UTT) now
used statewide for all of these offenses. TDP citations are not submitted to court, rather
they are processed by the municipality issuing the citation. TDP Citations not issued to
persons who have had a previous traffic violation or TDP citation issued within a
prescribed period, usually one to three years prior to the current offense. If the person
indicates a desire to admit the violation, they are eligible to receive a TDP citation. The
person receiving the citation has to remit the TDP fee, typically significantly less than the
fine for the offense, within a set period of time to avoid prosecution. Should the driver
indicate to the officer making the traffic stop their wish to contest the charge, the officer
issues a UTT and assigns a court date. Should the driver agree to the conditions of the
TDP citation but not follow through on that commitment, the officer is notified and then
issues a UTT. There are several benefits to adopting a TDP.
First, additional enforcement is believed to result, as officers are sometimes reluctant to
issue UTT's for minor moving violations knowing the fines are in excess of $100. The
officers find the lower fee collected by the TDP citation more reasonable and are more
likely to issue citations. Increased enforcement is generally accepted as beneficial to
traffic safety. The TDP does not replace traditional traffic enforcement methods utilizing
the UTT, rather it augments it by providing officers with an additional tool specifically
targeting minor offenders with penalties more proportional to their offense.
Second, drivers subjected to enforcement action react favorably to the lower fee in place
of a fine and the fact that the violation does not appear on their driving record.
Third, the county court system benefits from the removal of minor traffic offenses from -
their caseload, allowing these resources to be redirected to more serious offenses. Anoka
County Court has already communicated their desire that we better manage or reduce our
citation load.
Finally, the municipality benefits from the additional revenue of the TDP fee if set over the
city's share of traditional fines (currently about $17 of a$107 fine, fee, and surcharge):
The rationale is that the municipality assumes the cost of hiring, training, and equipping
our officers who actually work traffic enforcement. Thus the revenue is closely related to
the expense of the activity.
Different applications of TDP's exist. Some cities simply offer administrative citations with
fees below that of traditional fines. Once the driver pays this fee within the time limit, they
have no further obligation. While this system realizes several of the advantages of a TDP,
it does not address one critical component — education. Other jurisdictions require drivers
participating in their TDP to complete training courses prior to having their charge
s
dismissed. Such a TDP uses the educational component to increase the effect the
program has on traffic safety in their community. These training courses vary in length
from 3 hours to 8 hours, and are conducted in a classroom setting. The education
focuses on the effects of traffic violations, the link between minor offenses and accidents,
and the effects of accidents. Drivers are charged a fee that both covers the expense of
the TDP and the required training, and also serves as a disincentive to the commission of
traffic violations.
The proposal put forward by the Fridley Police Department is a combination of these two
types of TDP. Parking offenses and non-moving violations would be subject to a fee-only
resolution. Moving offenses would attach the 4— hour training requirement. Only minor
offenses would be eligible for TDP citations. These violations would generally be petty
misdemeanor violations such as speeding, stop sign and semaphore violations, signaling
and lane change violations, driving rules violations, and equipment violations. All parking
violations would be eligible for fee-only TDP citations, with the exception of handicapped
parking. Persons with a recent prior moving violation or TDP citation from Fridley or
communities with a similar TDP would be ineligible for participation in the TDP. This prior
violation exclusion would not apply to TDP parking citations. Major moving violations and
misdemeanors such as DUI, Driving After Revocation or Suspension, or any violation
involving an accident, would not be eligible. We would also recommend making most
violations of our animal control ordinances eligible for participation (without a training
requirement).
Program revenues and expenses are estimated and provided below. Program expenses
include $1500 for forms and informational brochures, and $3000 expenses for the
educational component.
Revenues
Offense
Parkina
�ving Violations
imal Violations
2002
Taas
2191
Increase Estimated Participation Fee Gross
Factor* 2004 Rate** Revenue
1.1 241
1.1 2
" Factor by which 2002 tags are expected to increase for 2004
"' The proportion of those tagged expected to partictipate in TDP
Expenses
Category Description
0.25 $25.00 $3,968.75
0.2 $50.00 $24,101.00
0.5 $25.00 $275.00
$28,344.75
Less Expenses $4,500.00
Estimated Net $23,844.75
Expense
Personnel costs Instructor Salary - course instruction - average $25/hr * 80
hrs (4 hrs * 20 weeks) $2,000.00
Supplies Printing - citations, brochures, registration materials $1,500.00
Resource Materials $1,000.00
$4,500.00
'° Fridley Police Department
�� Memorandum
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� �
To: Bill Burns ��
From: Dave Sallman
Date: November 14, 2003
Re: 2 AM Closing
At your request, Deb Skogen provided a list of surrounding cities that have
approved the 2 AM closing for licensed establishments. They are listed as
follows.
Minneapolis-yes
Columbia Heights- no
Brooklyn Center-yes
Brooklyn Park-yes
Coon Rapids-no
Blaine-yes (as of November 10tn)
Moundsview-yes
New Brighton-yes
Anoka-no
Spring Lake Park-yes
I attempted to contact the police departments for the above listed cities. I did not
contact Minneapolis or Blaine. Brooklyn Center and New Brighton have not
returned my call as of the writing of this memo. I also contacted Roseville
because they are relatively similar to Fridley in terms of size and commerciat
development. Most of the police departments reported relatively few problems
so far with the 2 AM closing. They noted that only a few establishments in each
city took advantage of the law. Roseville noted that their office�s worked late
night security at the Perkins (24 hour) and noticed that there were more "drunk"
people coming in later (as would probably be expected).
When I requested delaying a decision on the 2 AM closing, there were several
reasons. One is that I did not want us (Fridley) to be the first city in the area to
go to it. We are not. I also noted that I was concerned with having to change our
shift structure to accommodate the closing times, The cities that I have spoken
to do not report this being a problem so far. The other issues that I was
concerned with were that there are several establishments in town that are high
maintenance from the law enforcement standpoint. Sharx and Main Event tend
to be higher maintenance primarily because they cater to a younger crowd.
These are two establishments that would likely switch to the 2 AM closing.
At the time of our last discussion, we also had "Sean's" which feli into this
category. There are several other establishments in town that have the potential
to cater to the younger crowd and the 2 AM closing would probably make that
occur.
The last reason that I requested for us to wait until spring was that I would expect
some statistics to come out relative to the Statewide effect of the 2 AM closing by
that time. If year-end statistics for 2003 come out and indicate at noticeable
increase in the number of alcohol related accidents/arrests, do we (Fridley) want
to be in a position where our ordinance change was partially responsible for that?
I'm not saying that there will be an increase, just that we lose nothing by waiting
until the numbers are in so that a rationale decision can be made. I appreciate
that the licensees are arguing that they are losing something (business) but they
are not the only constituents with which we need to be concerned.
An additional issue has surFaced recently in the form of changing the law for DUI
from .10 Alcohol Concentration (AC) to .08 AC. This has the Governor's support
and'there is a fair amount of Federal Highway money attached to the move. It
seems somewhat cynical (at best) to switch to a 2 AM closing then lower the
amount that people can drink. As has previously been noted, the 60/40 food to
alcohol ratio would not be easier given a 2 AM closing.
For the reasons listed above, I recommend that the Council stay with a spring
(March/April) review of any change in the 2 AM closing law.
.
Recreation and Natural Resource Department
�_
To:
From:
Date:
Re:
emo
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William W. Burns, City Manager �
Jack Kirk, Director of Recreation and Natural Resources
November 12, 2003
Springbrook Nature Center Admission Fees
J�
At the recent November 3rd meeting, the Parks and Recreation Commission
made a recommendation on 2004 admission #ees for the Springbrook Nature
Center. The charging of admission fees for the nature center would officially
start on January 1, 2004. The admission fees are part of the total $103,000 in
revenue expected from the Springbrook Nature Center operation next year. The
net revenue goal from daily and annual admission passes for 2004 is $31,000.
The Springbrook Nature Center admission fees would be set as follows:
Dailv Admission Passes
• $2.00 per individual
• $3.00 per family
Annual Passes
• $25.00*` per individual
• $40.00*'` per family
** Fridley residents would receive a$5.00 discount coupon to purchase
an annual pass. The discount coupon would be included in next City
newsletter and would need to be redeemed by March 31,2004.
Orqanized Groua Passes
• A daily group fee will cost 50 cents per person, with a minimum charge of
$5.00
The following will aiso be part of this new admission fee system for the nature
center:
PurchasinQ of Passes
The primary site for purchasing daiiy and annual passes will be the Interpretive
Center building at SNC. Staff and/or volunteers will handle the sale of the
passes.
After-Hours admission (when the SNC building is closed) will be on the honor
system and users will be expected to place payment in an envelope and deposit
in the drop box provided.
Annual passes may also be purchased at the Recreation Office in the Fridley
Municipal Center.
The Springbrook Nature Center Foundation will include an annual pass with
each full membership in the Friends of Springbrook organization. The
Foundation will buy the annual passes from the City at the regular rate to include
with these memberships.
Disalav of Passes
All individuals using SNC will be expected to wear the daily or annual pass, so it
is openly displayed. Daily passes will be in the form of a stick-on badge, which
will be validated with the date of use when purchased. Annual passes will be a
pin-on badge or button.
Hours of Oaeration
Springbrook Nature Center will become a user fee area at all times. The official
park hours are 5 am to 10 pm. The reduced 2004 budget for SNC will see some
reduction in hours that the Interpretive Center building is open and staffed.
Expected hours are Monday through Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm. Part-time
staff, hired to sell admission fees, will be scheduled at various times to
supplement regular staff and volunteers. As a result, some additional building
hours will be available throughout the year.
Sponsored or �free" Admission Davs
To make the park available to those individ�als with low incomes, a corporate
sponsor will be sought to °sponsor� one day per week for the entire year for a
sponsorship cost of $3500. Should we find a sponsor for this program, the park
would be open to all on that particular day each week, without the need for an
admission pass. Appropriate signage would be displayed at the park entrance
to recognize the sponsor for their contribution to the community.
Group Sponsorship
Smaller donations from community groups or businesses will be used to sponsor
the admissions for visits from groups with special needs such as handicapped
individuals and nursing homes.
�
Entrances to the Park
This admissions plan will necessitate closing all of the secondary entrances to
the park, with the possible exception of the finro entrances near the Springbrook
Apartment complex. We will negotiate with the apartment complex management
on possible entrance passes for apartment residents. If we can reach some type
of agreement with them, those entrance gates will be kept open. Signs at all
other locked entrances will direct visitors to the main parking area and entrance
gate on 85th Avenue.
Enforcement
This system will reiy on volunteers to help patrol the trails of the park and remind
visitors that Springbrook Nature Center is now a�user fee" area and all visitors
must display a pass.
There may be some limited assistance from the Police Department with periodic
foot and bike patrols through the park.
This system expeets that the required displaying of daily and annual passes will
exert significant peer pressure on park users to assist with the sale of the
admission passes.
Sictnage
The establishment of an admissions fee system at SNC will require signage to
inform all park visitors of this new requirement. It is expected that there will be
new signs at the parking lot entrance to the trails, at all former open entrances to
the park, near the Interpretive Center building, and at various locations
throughout the trail system. Signs will inform all that SNC is now a user fee area
and admission passes are required. They will also thank our visitors for their
cooperation.
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TO: WILLIAM W. BURNS, CITY�L7ANAGER �l�V
FRO�YI: RICHARD D. PRIBYL, FINANCE DIRECTOR �'
SUBJECT: FEE INCREASES
Date: November 13, 2003
The attached schedule is a summary of the increases that staff has made as a result of the
most recent fee study. I have reduced the entire document down to two pages. The
resulting two pages summarize in descending order the magnitude of these fee increases.
The vast majority of the increases come from services provided by the Fire Department or
the Community Development Department. Should Council have any questions related to
the increases, both department directors will be present to discuss the changes.
The fees shown on the attached schedule have been briefly discussed with the City
Coun�il. These fees will add approximately $98,000 to the General Fund. As a result of
the previous discussion with the Council, we have taken the liberty to add these numbers
to the 2004 Budget
There are a few additional new fees that the Fire Chief and the Community Development
Director will be covering separately due to the materiality of the new services. As of yet,
these fees have not been added to the 2004 Budget
We look forward to reviewing and answering any questions that Council may have
regarding the fees or fee study.
RDP/me
Attachment
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emo
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To: William W. Burns, Ci Mana er `�1��
tY 9 �
From: John Berg, Fire Chief
Date: 11 /14/03
Re: Fees
Attached is an outline identifying two areas in the Fire Department where changes in
fees could be made or new fees invoiced.
s >
�
Fridley Fire Department
Identification of New Revenue
The Fire Department looked at its operations and ident�ed two areas where we could
make changes in fees or invoice for new fees.
The Fire Department is recommending new fees in two areas of service:
1. Commercial Fire Inspection
2. Emergency Response
1. Commercial Fire Inspection
In 2003 the State of Minnesota adopted the Intemational Fire Code (IFC), which replaced
the Uniform Fire code (UFC). Within the scope of the IFC there are two types of
inspections for which the City may charge a permit fee.
A. Construction Permits
B. Business Operation Permits
A. Construction Permits:
Construction permits are issued to contractors that are installing, modifying or removing
fire protection systems, hazardous material handling systems, industrial ovens, etc.
An example of how the IFC will change the way we do business is in the area of
flammable and combustible liquids. In the LTFC "Under Ground Tank Removal" or
"Storage Tank Installation" were two different pernuts and fees for similaz inspections in
terms of stafftime. Under the IFC the permit would be for "Flammable and combustible
liquids" and cover both tank removal and installation. The number of permit categories is
reduced and the permit fees aze more consistent with the work actually performed.
B. Business Operation Permits:
Business Operation Permits are currently issued annually. One example of a business
required to have a business operation permit is McGlynn's Bakery. They have several
operations requiring permit inspections. They have Cryogenic fluids, Industrial Ovens,
Hazardous Material, and LP Gas. McGlynn's would be issued a business operation
permit and charged a fee based on the most time consuming of the three inspections. The
inspection of all three would be conducted at the same time.
An example of how IFC has changed our fee structure is in how we permit grain
elevators. We had a provision in the LTFC for "Grain Elevators" for which we charged a
permit fee of $500. The IFC does not list "Grain Elevators" but does list "Combustible
Dust-producing Operations". The Genera.l Mills grain elevator would fall into this
category. The estima.ted cost for inspection is less than $500 but the broader category of
dust-producing operations will pick up fees from other businesses. The IFC also includes
permit fees for other businesses that were not previously included in the UFC like
Combustible Fibers, and Hot work Operations.
� .�
Estimated Revenue:
The impact the adoption of the IFC permit fees will have on total revenue is unknown at
this time because the Fire Department has not identified all of the businesses that will be
impacted by the code change. Because of the addition of new business operation pernuts
under the new code the revenue may increase by an undetermined amount.
2. Emereencv Resnonse
The Fire Department is recommending that under the following circumstances the City
invoice responsible parties for service:
■ Any emergency response to a personal injury accident (Vehicle Accident)
where the Fire Department is able to render aid, provide assistance, or otherwise
improve the conditions of the patients. The owners insurance company will be
invoiced for the cost of the response at a flat rate. In the event more than one
vehicle is involved the shared cost will be invoiced to each insurance company. In
the event the owner of the vehicle does not have insurance the owner will be
invoiced. An exception may be made in the event of a fatality.
■ Any emergency response to a vehicle fire. The owners insurance company will be
invoiced for the cost of the response at a flat rate. In the event the owner of the
vehicle does not have insurance the owner will be invoiced.
■ Any emergency response to underground pipeline utility breaks if caused by
anyone other than a homeowner or resident. The responsible party will be
invoiced for the cost of the response at an hourly rate. It will not be the Fire
Department's policy to determine who was responsible for marking of utility
lines.
■ Any emergency response to a fire where an individual is charged under the
arson statutes. Cost of the response would be forwarded to the court for
reimbursemeflt through restitution.
■ Any emergency response to a fire as the result of negligence. Examples of this
would include methamphetamine lab, commercial and industrial operations where
hot work is performed and reasona.ble caze is not exercised, and burning of debris
by contractors or homeowners that results in subsequent fires to wildland or
structures. The responsible party will be invoiced on an hourly rate for vehicles
and personnel.
Vehicle Accident/Fires
The recommendation for fees associated with personal injury accidents and vehicle fires
is driven by the increasing hazards associated with vehicles and the increasing number of
transportation accidents. Automobile manufacturers have increased the level of sa.fety to
passengers and at the same time increased the risk to emergency responders. As an
. . ,�;
;
example there are now vehicles with air bags in up to twelve different locations that may
detonate after the arrival of emergency care providers and cause injury. Other examples
are seat belt pretensioners, door shocks and bumper shocks that all utilize gas under
pressure tha.t may rupture when heated or cut. In addition, high voltage batteries, anti
theft devices and altemative fuel sources have increased the potential for injury.
Automobile ma.nufacturers have not been cooperative in providing all of the resources
needed in the event firefighters have to extricate patients. Reference material, equipment
and the increased need for specialized training has increased the cost to the Fire
Department.
Under ground Pipeline Utility Breaks
The State Statute requiring that pipeline utility breaks be reported has increased the calls
to the Fire Department. The potentia.l of these calls becoming a serious incident drove the
legislation to mandate reporting. Until contractors realize the seriousness of the potential
for injury there will still be contractors that choose not to have utility lines marked before
digging or ignore markings and cause leaks. The Fire Department does not respond to
many of these calls but they do tie up resources until utility comparues are able to make
repairs.
Arson/Negligence
Fires caused by arson or negligence should, in the opinion of the Fire Department, be
reimbursed to the citizens through fees invoiced to irresponsible people.
Estimated Revenue:
• Personal Injury Accidents
■ An estimated 100 calls per yeaz
■ At $400 per call
■ Equals $40,000
• Vehicle Fires
■ An estimated 30 calls per year
■ At $400 per call
■ Equals $12,000
• Pipeline Utility Breaks
■ An estimated 10 calls per yeaz
■ At an estimated $800 per Hour
■ Equals an estimated $8,000
The total estimated new revenue from emergency response is $60,000 annua.11y.
This does not take into account the nwnber of fees that the City may not be able
to collect.
& �����y� � COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
4�. �"
� DEPARTMENT
PLANNING DIVISION
Memorandum
DATE: November 13, 2003
TO: William W. Burns, City Manager t��
�
FROM: Scott Hickok, Community Development Director
Paul Bolin, Planning Coordinator
SUBJECT: Fee Study Analysis and Recommendation
Introduction
As you are aware, staff recently completed a fee study. That comprehensive fee study
took a close look at the services provided by the City and the costs of providing those
services. Facts that we have known intuitively were made very clear through this study.
The purpose of this memo is to review the key points of this study and highlight three
specific areas where staff is recommending changes in fees charged by community
development.
Elements for discussion
Area 1. The fee study clearly demonstrated that the citizens of Fridley are subsidizing a
major portion of the costs for processing land use applications such as rezoning
applications, special use permits, plats, lot splits, etc. As a result, staff is recommending
substantial increases in the cost of permit fees. These fees are listed categorically on the
attached matrices. Using an average from the last 4 years for computation of permit
demands, the total additional annual increase in revenue would be $52,273.25.
Note also, this dollar amount does not include a fee for second accessory building special
use permits. Staff is recommending that the City modify the Code requirements in the
R-1 district thereby allowing second accessory buildings without a special use permit.
Instead of an S.U.P., staff believes the same objectives could be accomplished by
building the standard stipulations of a second accessory building S.U.P. into the
performance standards of the R-1 Chapter of the Zoning Code. This will accomplish
several things including taking the cost of administering these S.U.P.'s off the backs of
the general public, and it will eliminate a process for homeowners who may be trying to
accomplish one of our other objectives, which is eliminating inappropriate outdoor
storage.
Area 2. Another fact is that the City made a policy decision some years back to not
char�e a residential plan check fee for reviewing residential plans. Again the study
showed that this practice has placed additional shared burden on the taxpayers, rather
than on the individual or company who is benefiting from the plan review. Plan revie�vs
are essential. The permit on a residential project is really broken into two components.
These components are plan review and field inspection. Each piece is equally important
and can be equally as time consuming. In earlier Council discussions a point of debate
was, "so I put in a new egress window and I'd need to pay an additional amount", ar"so
my garage permit would have cost an additional $120.00?" The answer to both questions
is, yes, additional fees would apply. However, the plan check fee is relative to the cost of
the permit and small jobs have relatively small permit fees and would thereby have even
smaller plan check fees. The building code sets the plan review fee at 65% of the
building permit fee.
Also, a question was asked about a plan drawn on a napkin for a new porch stoop. Here
again the fee would be commensurate with the fee, which for a porch stoop is likely a
minimum permit fee of $25.50. The plan check fee would be $16.57 (65% of building
permit fee), for a project such as this. Keep in mind; a plan drawn on a napkin can often
be the most expensive and time consuming from an inspector's perspective.
If we used our 2003, January 1— September 30 statistics these additional plan check fees
Would have resulted in an additional $35,000.00 of revenue in the Building Department.
Area 3. A substantial amount of time has been spent over the past years providing service
for those who are refinancing or selling their properties. In doing so they, their lenders,
their title companies, request a zoning letter or zoning certification from our staff. In the
past, the Fridley taxpayer has subsidized the cost for gathering this information and
generating these zoning letters. City Staff has developed a new tool to both enhance
efficiency and to raise revenue. A full description of this tool, Fridley Self-serve Zoning
(FSSZ) has been attached to this memo for your review.
Recommendation
Community Development Staff recommends the Council approve and adopt the fees
being proposed. Adoption of the fees will allow the City to recover the staff time costs
associated with providing these services.
As assistance from the State continues to be reduced, the City must further cut services or
increase revenues. User fee increases only affect those who are utilizing the service.
User fees prevent the average Fridley resident from subsidizing the cost of hislher new
neighbors plat, building plan review, and zoning letter.
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+ 4
emo
To: William Burns, Ci Mana er �
tY 9 �
From: Scott Hickok, Community Development Director
Paul Bolin, Planning Coordinaior
CC; City Council
Date: 11 /13/03
Re: Fridley Self Serve Zoning (FSSZ)
The low interest rates of the past 6 years have led to a flux of new home sales and
the refinance of existing homes in Fridley. Each and every one of these new
mortgages requires the lender to verify the property they are financing is properly
zoned for its use and that the property is not located in a flood zone. The $125 to
$400 fees paid by the mortgagees to the title companies to provide this
information are exorbitant for the amount of work actually done by these title
companies. For the $125 to $400 fee paid, the title company simply calls, faxes, or
writes the Planning Department and states, "I need flood and zoning on 1234 Any
Street". Planning Staff then spends anywhere from 2 minutes to 2 hours
researching the properties address file before calling the title company back with
the information. On a typical day Planning Staff averages 4 zoning requests per
day.
The City currently does not charge for this information, meaning that all Fridley
residents are paying for the work necessary to retrieve this information. In light of
recent budget cuts, that eliminated 2 members of the Planning Department, the
planning staff has been investigating increasing fees and passing on the true
costs of services to those who are actually benefiting from those services. It is
within this framework that staff is proposing to develop a"self-serve" zoning &
flood plain information tool for the City's website.
In April 2003, the Planning Department identified the development of a web-based
self-serve zoning tool as one possibility for meeting the Department's goal of utilizing
e-government to reduce the costs associated with these labor-intensive data
requests. Over the past 5 months the idea has developed into the Fridley Self Serve
Zoning (FSSZ) Project, with help from members of the City's Engineering, GIS, and
MIS Departments.
Attached you will find the Planning Department outiine for the FSSZ Project. The
outline addresses the vision and rationale for the project, identifies the potential
users, and addresses the financial, personnel and IT requirements necessary to
successfully carry out the project. The project is designed reduce the cost the City
incurs in delivering flood plain and zoning information, as staff will no longer be
involved in the gathering or dissemination of zoning information. Citizen and
business wants and needs will be met by making the flood and zoning information
available for retrieval at their convenience with a minimal user charge. The project
meets the Planning Department's goal to utilize e-government to reduce costs where
possible by minimizing labor-intensive data requests.
The Council has been very supportive of past e-government initiatives, most recently
paperless agendas, FITS, and the scanning of all records & building plans. The
Planning Department believes that the proposed FSSZ Project warrants the Councils
full support in light of recent budget and staff reductions in the Planning Department.
FSSZ will enable the Planning Department to "do more with less". Staff will make a
brief presentation on the FSSZ proposal and answer any questions you or the
Council may have at their November 17th work session.
• Page 2
i
Outline of the FSSZ Project
1) Vision.
The vision for this project is to provide zoning and floodplain information, on the City's
website, in an extremely efficient and user-friendly manner in order to reduce the
amount of staff time and taxpayer dollars spent retrieving this information. It is the
Planning Division's intent to reduce the demand on staff time in providing this
information, over the telephone or through the mail, by charging fees high enough to
cover staff's time and encourage the use of FSSZ.
2) Purpose of Project.
The purposes for developing FSSZ are to 1) reduce the City's cost to deliver the
information, 2) provide better service to those who need the information by improving
accessibility to the information, and, 3) free staff members to work on other projects
and provide better service to those customers seeking help over the telephone or in
person.
The project will provide a tool for residents and businesses to search for zoning
information, without the time or expense of involving City staff. Those unable or
unwilling to collect this information by themselves, will be now be charged fees high
enough to cover staff time and actually generate a small amount of revenue for the
City's general fund. By avoiding time delays caused by staffing levels and avoiding
the soon to be implemented high costs of obtaining flood and zoning information, this
should be a popular initiative with business and residents.
It is to the City's benefit to make accurate zoning and flood zone information readily
available to business and residents alike. A lender or resident, doing research on
their own, will save City staff a great deal of time and eliminate the possibility of
inaccurate information being given out. Planning frequently receive calls from
someone who has purchased, or loaned money to purchase, a home in a single-
family zoning district with plans to convert it to a duplex. When informed that
duplexes are not allowed in the zoning district, they respond, "My realtor told me it
was ok" or "I talked to someone at the City and they said it was ok". Providing this
information in a free/low cost, easy to use format is valuable to the City and will allow
staff to focus their efforts on other projects.
3) Rationale for the Project.
The rationales for the project include cost reductions, meeting customer needs, and
meeting a strategic goal set forth by the City's Planning Department. Costs will be
reduced, as staff will not be involved in the gathering or dissemination of zoning
information. Customer wants and needs will be met by making the information
available for retrieval at their convenience. The project will meet the Planning
Department's goal of utilizing e-government to reduce the costs associated with
addressing these labor-intensive data requests.
• Page 3
4) Customer Groups
The user groups to be served by FSSZ are citizens and businesses. Citizens often
seek zoning and flood plain information before purchasing their dream home to
ensure that incompatible uses cannot move in next door. It is quite common for
citizens to make requests for such information prior to expanding or remodeling their
homes or to see if zoning permits a neighbor's action.
The business group to be served includes attorneys, realtors, title companies,
appraisers, and lenders seeking the information on properties they are considering
for purchase, issuing mortgages to, or appraising.
5) Desirable Features of e-Government.
The Planning Department is striving to provide many of the features that make e-
government desirable. FSSZ will be easy to use and accessible to all who are able
to access the web. The project will be cost-effective, as the small cost to develop the
zoning tool will be quickly recovered by the staff time NOT spent researching and
retrieving zoning information for citizens and businesses.
6) Website Characteristics.
FSSZ will have a user friendly front end in which those requesting zoning information
can simply enter an address or parcel identification number and the database will
produce the appropriate zoning and floodplain information in a form suitable for
printing.
7) Project Planning.
The Planning Department has assembled a project team that includes the City's
Public Works Director, the Cit}�s GIS Specialist, the City's MIS staff, Planning Staff,
and the Planning Coordinator as the project lead.
There are a number of tasks to complete in order for the project to become
operational; many of these tasks are quite technical in nature. None of the tasks will
be outsourced, as the City has the resources to develop this project in house. The
Cit�s GIS specialist will carry out the data preparation and linking of databases. The
Public Works Director and Planning Director will work on the design of the front page
of the site, and the City's MIS staff will complete the work necessary to put the site
online.
The most critical IT requirements for carrying out the FSSZ project involve
manipulating a number of databases to work together seamlessly. The information
that FSSZ will provide comes from a number of different sources. The base parcel
data is supplied by Anoka County, legal descriptions from the City Assessor's
database, flood information from FEMA, and zoning information from the City's GIS
database. While the City has been working to standardize the format of information
stored in it's databases for the past 4 years, it often takes some tweaking to merge
the data. The City's GIS Specialist has become very proficient in tackling this type of
• Page 4
a task and has been able to bring all these databas�� �c�gether to make FSSZ a
success.
The other IT requirements include ensuring the City's website server has the ability to
host the FSSZ. In discussions with the City's MIS Coordinator it was confirmed that
FSSZ could easily be accommodated on the City's existing web server.
The City's IS Committee has started working on the latest "3 Year Plan" for IT related
projects and purchases. The continued maintenance and expansion of FSSZ will be
incorporated into the 3 Year Plan.
8) Resources & Financing.
The City has the resources in place to develop this project in house and therefore,
the only real costs involved are staff time. The Planning Division had included this
project in its strategic planning and budgeting for this year. The plan is to make
FSSZ a low cost service, and those not willing or able to utilize the service will
actually generate a small amount of revenue for the City.
The front-end costs of developing FSSZ are negligible. The databases being
accessed currently exist and the City has all of the hardware, software, and people
resources necessary to devefop the project in house. The residents of Fridley have
already paid the cost to develop FSSZ. The development of this tool will allow City
staff to spend more time acting on their concerns and projects than answering zoning
questions for lend�rs. The residents will truly get more planning assistance for their
dollar when this project is up and running.
Staff research indicates that user charges do not need to be identical for citizens and
businesses utilizing FSSZ and that the Council may want to actually set the user fees
for business high enough that they actually subsidize some of the services provided
to residents. The user charge is ideal for this situation, as the consumers are not
forced to utilize the City's website and pay the applicable fees, as all information is
available at City Hall and the Fridley branch of the Anoka County library. It is simply
out of convenience that these businesses currently requesting the information by
telephone would utilize FSSZ.
The Planning Division is proposing fees of $25/lot to print out a zoning certificate for
those lenders simply seeking floodplain and zoning information and $50 if the
requestor would like a letter verifying the information. The thought was to set these
fees high so businesses would utilize FSSZ. The Planning Department believes that
a small user fee would also be appropriate for those businesses using FSSZ. The
fees could be much less than those charged for written requests, to encourage the
utilization of the website. Staff is suggesting a subscription fee of $120/year for those
lenders/appraisers/realtors who take the bulk of staff time with zoning requests. The
businesses willing to pay the smalf fee would be able to generate a zoning certificate
for the properties on which they were inquiring. Residents, who were just seeking
basic information and did not require a zoning certificate, would be able to view the
• Page 5
information at no cost. In this way, the businesses wouid help subsidize the future
operation, maintenance, and improvements to the City's website.
9) Marketing & Communications.
The Planning Division intends to get the word out on FSSZ in the following manners:
article in the City newsletter; blurb on the message portion of the residents utility bills;
the City website's "what's nevW' section; cable television; and e-mail to known
business users.
10) Evaluation.
For the site to be successful it must utilize feedback from users and make changes
as necessary to provide the services they most desire in a simple way. A form to be
placed on the web page will solicit input. The form will not only solicit input on the
users satisfaction with the service, but also ask for their input on the ease of use of
the site and seek comments to improve the sites design. The evaluation form will
also be used to identify additional information or services the City should make more
readily available on its website. In addition to this more formal feedback, Staff will be
in contact with the various title company and lender representatives, with whom
relationships have been established and who will be using this tool to gather their
suggestions for improvements.
A site counter will measure the number of hits to the site. In order for the project to
meet its original intent, the City will notice a corresponding decrease in the number of
flood and zoning requests received by way of telephone, fax, or letter.
11) Resource Links.
In order to provide as much information to the residents as possible, the following
websites will be linked to the FSSZ website:
https://anoka.mn.ezgov.com/ezproperty/review search.'�sp - This site contains all of
the property tax information, searchable by address, for properties in Anoka County.
The Planning Department frequently receives requests for "assessed value" of
properties. This information and more is available from Anoka County's Property
Taxation & Records Division.
http://www.fema.gov/fima/nfip.shtm - This site for the Federal Emergency
Management Agency contains valuable information on the National Flood Insurance
Program. Those owning property in the flood plain will want to explore the
information available on this site.
• Page 6
FINANCE DEPARTMENT
CITY OF FRIDLEY
MEMORANDUM
�
� N.
• �,
DATE: November 13, 2003 �
TO: WILLIANI W. BURNS, CITY MANAGER �
FROM:
SUBJECT:
RICHARD D. PRIBYL, FL�TANCE DIRE�TOR
POLICY QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE ISSUANCE
OF DEBT DURING 2003/2004
RICHARD D. PRIBYL
FINANCE DIRECTOR
SPECIAL ASSESSMENTS / STREET PROJECTS
Past Practice — The City of Fridley has been engaged in a street reconstruction program for many
years. This program provides for new installation of concrete curb and gutter and a mill and new
overlay to the road surface. The street program has resulted in smaller assessments over the past
number of years. In the past, the City had sufficient reserves to seif fund the assessment portion
of the project cost until the amount was sizable enough to package the numerous projects into one
new bond issue.
We are currently at a point in our cash mana�ement cycle where we need to take some action
regarding the numerous projects that we have assessed that have not been bonded for. We have
approximately $750,000 in non-bonded projects, in other words, we have a fund that has a
$750,000 deficit awaiting some process to fund its deficit. Typically, the City would have
structured a bond issue and used the special assessments as the repayment vehicle. The cost of
creating a new debt issue would involve costs associated with a Fiscal Consultant (Ehlers), a
Bond Council (Briggs & Morgan), a Bond Rating Agency (Moodys) and bond printing along
with some other miscellaneous costs. These costs would be approximately $30,000 -$40,000.
An option to the standard bond issue has surfaced with the discussion of the level of reserves the
City has available. When reviewing the cash situation for the City, it would make sense to do an
operating transfer from the Closed Bond Fund to the fund that is carrying the negative cash
balance. There are a number of advantages to this type of plan:
• Save the cost of consultants associated with the debt issue.
• Eliminate the cash deficit in the project debt service fund.
• Move some money out of the Closed Bond Fund, reducing what appears to be
surplus.
• The money would be replenished over the period of the assessment collection.
• The City would be saving the cost of the ongoing interest related to the debt service
(difference between our earnings rate/opportunity cost and the cost of the
additional debt service).
The end result of this type of program or policy is that it would save the City money over the life
of each loan in lieu of the debt issue. The surplus funds could then be transferred back to the
closed bond fund at the end of the assessment period. This surplus then would be transferred
back in the amount of the principle repayments and interest payments.
November 13, 2003
Policy Questions Related To T'he [ssuance Of Debt During 2003/2004
Page 2
I would recommend that Council �ive serious consideration to this plan, in tieu of doins a
conventional debt issuance. �
WATER I�IPROVEMENT PROJECTS FOR 200=t
The 2004 Water Capital [mprovement Plan inc(udes the following items that in the past would
have been included in a new bond issue:
1. Replacement of the Marion Hills Storage Tower $550,000
2. Recondition Commons Water Treatment Plant $840,000
3. Repair & Repaint'/ MG tank @ Commons $150,000
Projects (ike these are similar to the special assessments that have typically been funded by a ne�v
bond issue. It would not be our recommendation to use the cash that currently exists in this fund.
The minimum ba(ance that we should be retaining in cash should at least be equal to what has
been set aside in accumulated depreciation for the future replacement of fixed assets. Assumina
that this cash has a purpose and Qiven that our cash is less than the accumulated depreciation, we
seem to have two options; (1) a bond issue, (2) a transfer from another fund. Ordinarily, I would
recommend pursuina a G.O. Water Revenue Bond for this type of capital project, but as we have
seen, the Charter Amendment once again comes into play. Since we cannot increase our rates
enough to offset the total amount of additional debt service expenses, we could have a problem
�vith the sale of this new bond issue. This is a problem for adding additional debt to this fund. It
is assumed that in 2004, we will take the question to the voters regarding increasing water rates.
It appears that the only way that we will be able to add debt is by taking the rate issue to the
voters. When we (ook at packaging the amount of debt we need to do the projects shown above,
the investors wiil evaluate the risk associated with the possibility of not being repaid. Since we
have no guarantee regarding the ability to bring the fund into a profitab(e situation, we could,
over a period of years, incur losses to have to fall back on the general obligation pledge.
The other solution, as you have probably already concluded, is to use the resources in the "Closed
Bond Fund" to provide for the new 2004 water improvement projects. This would allow us to
either provide funding until the rate is raised sufficiently to compensate for additional debf
service and then sell a bond or use the funds as permanent financing. These are the advantages:
• Save the cost of consultants associated with the debt issue.
• Move some money out of the Closed Bond Fund, reducing what appears to be
surplus.
• The money would be replenished over the period of the loan.
• The City would be saving the cost of ongoing interest related to the debt service
(difference betw�een our earnings rate/opportunity cost and the cost of the
additional debt service).
[��n�
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City of Fridley
TO: William W. Bums, City Manager ���
��
FROM: Jon Ft. tlaukaas, Public Works Director
DATE: 1`lovember 14, 2003
SUBJECT: Use of Fund Balances for Street Reconstruction
PW03-092
Councilman Steve Billings proposed to use our Closed Bond Fund balances to perform a major
muitiyear street reconstruction project as an effort to compiete as much of our non-concrete
curbed streets as possible. This came as a result af some of the criticisms the City has recieved
for holding large reserves.
ln discussing the amount of money_ available for such a project with Finance Director Rick Pribyl,
we concluded that there would be approximately �6 million that could be so diverted.
Additional funding for such a project would be through assessment which have historically retumed
about 17% of the construction costs to us, and MSAS funding at approximately �350,000 per
year.
A project this size could not be done with current staff and therefore a consultant would be needed
to do the design, surveying and staking, construction inspection, and conh-act administration. A
typical fee for the\e services is 20% of the construction cost
In determining estimated construction costs, we use a typical 100 foot street segment and include
all items that may be associated with the reconstruction of that segment This works out to
approximately �11,315 per 100 foot str-eet segment
Using all oF the above factors, we determined that a project could be created that would
reconstruct 11.45 miles of streets in 2005-2007. The attached spreadsheets give a better detail
of the estimated costs.
Maps will be available at the Conference Meeting showing which streets we would propose to
reconstruct plus what street would be left and a timeline for their completion.
Attachment
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City of Fridley
TO: William `W.� s, City Manager ;
.,� �2'
�:�,-.
FROM: Jon li. tiaukaas, Public Works Director
DATE: October 1, 2003
SUBJECT: Street Assessments for Future Projects
PW03-084
In 2004, we are planning to reconstruct the University Avenue East Service Drive between 61�` and
Mississippi Street This road has concrete curb and gutter but due to the high traffic volumes
generated by the businesses along this strip, the pavement and base has deteriorated to the point
of needing reconstruction. Over the next several years, we can expect to see the need to perform
such reconstruction in many commercial and industriat areas throughout the city.
Although we are currently concentrating on neighborhoad residential streets with bituminous curb,
we are experiencing deterioration on many of the older concrete curbed residential streets
throughout this time. We need to begin considering and preparing for a mill and overlay program
to deal with these areas.
The current assessment policy is that the adjacent properties pay for the costs associated with the
initial installation of concrete curb and gutter. We would like to propose the following additional
policy for future assessments associated with those streets that have existing concrete curb and
gutter.
Rl and R2 Parcels:
Assess the cost of pavement removal or milling and the cost of the final
replacement lift of wear course (top layer) asphalt only. Fifly percent (50%) to
either side on a lot width basis as currently used. All curb repairs, utility
adjustrnents, base repair and reconstruction, base asphalt course and all other
projects costs would be covered by the city.
1`lon Rl and R2 Parcels:
Assess one-third of all asphalt and base reconstruction costs to each side on a
lot width basis as currently used. The remaining one-third plus all curb repairs,
utility adjustments, and other project costs would be covered by the City.
October 1, 2003
Page 2
The traf�ic generating nature of non-residential parcels and the heavier delivery trucks, etc.,
associated with these uses justify the differing policies. While a large household with four cars may
generate an average of 15 to 20 trips per day, a non-residential parcel can easily generate
hundreds or even thousands of trips per day and, therefore, have a much greater impact on our
roadway system.
Recommend the City Council consider this policy and adopt it for the 2004 and future street
reconstruction projects.
Jtiti:cz