##VIDEO ID:qMVrt6XHqvI## [Music] thanks for joining us for city council comments I'm Steve Ericson along with council member Carrie Ray rower today we're talking about both the Tuesday November 19th and our Wednesday November 6th meetings thanks for coming in today glad to be here yeah I know we've had you here before so welcome uh this is kind of a last harah for you because uh we're just coming off the election and you won uh the State Rep seat in District which district so it's District 35b the eastern half of Rapids and then two precincts of Andover okay so you'll be kind of moving to St Paul to represent folks of the capital that's right so uh uh you know even though I'm done on the council as of the end of December I am close to home I live here and I will be representing the constituents here so I I'm glad to have the relationship with our current Council and want to continue to you know work on things for our cities all right so folks can still reach out to you obviously you'll have a a wider area now right exactly as a state legislator all right well let's talk about the election too because we're going to have two new faces on the council next year uh one will be in your seat ward two uh Peter Butler won that race so he will be the new Ward 2 representative in SW in in January and then also in Ward 4 Christopher Geisler won that race and he will be sworn in as well in January to represent Ward four uh his mother Jenny Geisler is actually the current uh W for representative and she is basically retiring at the end of the year she did not seek reelection so uh congratulations both those two men and then also as well Pat Carlson our large council member and council member Ward one Brad groak those two ran on opposed and uh are uh getting another term on the city council yeah just super excited to have Peter Butler and Chris Geisler coming in and I think they're going to do a fabulous job and I wish them all the best all right well let's jump into things here we're going to start off by talking about our Tuesday ooc or November 19th uh city council meeting uh we actually had two proclamations to start there uh one was Rapids women of today uh they are a group of women that meet monthly uh in the city so they're always looking for folks to join them I know they do have a Facebook page uh usually they post our meetings on our web calendar on the city website so you can find that there and then we also had a second Proclamation for small business Saturday uh this is coming up pretty quick always after Thanksgiving uh and this actually encourages folks to shop in the community absolutely I it's just a great um it's a great event it's a great thing for us to you know spread the word so small business Saturday is the Saturday after Thanksgiving um it's encouraging you to shop local within the community it's really great for the local economy it's shown that the money spent um on small business Saturday is is then also um returned back to that community so we encourage everyone to get out Saturday November 30th and Shop locally here in the area all right this kind of came after I believe out of the the whole Black Friday thing of of course that used to be the the crazy The Big Box retailers the lines everybody shopping those National retailers the day before that so uh and that's even changing now I mean they've had Black Friday sales right already for the past couple of weeks so black Friday's changed but uh small business Saturday remains so go out uh shop at your small businesses dine at you know your local restaurant so that's what they're encouraging yes that would that would be absolutely fabulous all right uh moving forward Council adopted a resolution uh requesting an NOA County highway department to perform a speed study on 85th Avenue right so on 85th Avenue from East River Road to Spring Brook Drive um there's going to be con there's a a new round of about at the intersection of 85th Avenue and Evergreen Boulevard um County Road 132 has a current posted speed of 50 m hour and the feeling is that that's really maybe too fast to be approaching a roundabout and go through that roundabout safely but so by doing the um the speed analysis they'll be able to determine what should be um the posted speed on that road all right and that is a county road so that's why the the co Highway Department is performing the speed study so they'll do that and we'll eventually get the results back and then I imagine there'll be a recommendation as to what should happen next right exactly with that all right our big item from this meeting we had a long presentation on this one uh uh there was a public hearing for this matter it's the Metropolitan Council Environmental Services Rapids Interceptor Rehabilitation facility plan that's a lot a mouthful uh basically they're going to be redoing the big sewer pipes in the city and this is like a met Council project right this is a very large sewer project this is a regional system this is why it's um the Met Council because it affects many cities multiple cities actually our waste here travels all the way down to um the Metro site uh by St Paul so it's not um just something that's happening within Rapids so it's under the Met council's jurisdiction and it's going to be done in different phases because it's such a big project so phase two is from Hansen Boulevard and J Street to Exon and phase three will be from Partridge and 122nd Lane to Hansen Boulevard and J Street so uh yeah multiple multiple steps here and what's really interesting so it's called CIP lining cured in place pipe lining so instead of having to dig up the whole pipe and and a lot of excavation they actually insert inverted lining uh down through the pipe system from one location and then uh heat it up or fill it with water whatever that system works and it heat activates the resin liner and it hardens and it forms a new pipe within the old pipe and that actually if the old pipe deteriorates that new pipe will still stay in place um and and work on its own so uh a much uh more coste effective and less um damage to you know the the environment another thing I do want um our residents to know is that this is not going to disrupt your Sewer Service they use something called a temporary conveyance system so they set up a system that goes around the part that they're working on so that our sewer will continue to flow yeah and they showed pictures because they did this on Highway 10 last year between like egret and Hansen there were pipes we got photos of them so they did a temporary thing for there cuz they must have been working on another one at the time uh so anyways this is part of a larger project I believe it's like it's over several years time they'll do it in phas is uh people can comment on the proposal uh through December 1st I believe if anyone has public comments nobody spoke at the public hearing uh but they can find out more information online about this and and add any comments that they might have absolutely yes always want to hear from the public all right and then I'm sure we'll hear more about the the planned phasing of all this and how it affects the different neighborhoods all right moving forward Council uh held a public hearing rather uh considered a feasibility report in order order a public hearing and assessment hearing for Street reconstruction we're already talking about Street reconstruction for next summer 2025 right it's a it's a year it's an annual thing so um our you know our Public Works division our Engineers they really plan ahead and they're always looking you know 30 years out so we're on a really a 30-year rotation for full reconstruction now there's always um rehabilitation in between but the full reconstruction uh costs more and so it we always try to find you know which portions of the city need it the most and put out a full plan for that and part of that is it includes a portion of the funds to come from an assessment to the homeowners um we do try to keep that low so it's lower than the average of the other cities around us um another thing to keep in mind is it does increase the value of the home when you have that new Street and curb gutter so um it it's a necessary thing we know it's a cost burden but there are different ways to pay for it too if if that is um something um that's a struggle so we want to make sure that we have those opportunities right you can let it roll to your property taxes and and pay it over a 10-year period I believe the rate for next year is just over $2,400 uh for single family residents that's 2025 rate so again 3 3.9 miles of streets almost four miles being done next year uh folks have already been notified if they're impacted by this they've gotten notice that they're hearing or and I think there was actually a meeting already but in any case there's there will be another meeting in the park nearby in one of these neighborhoods to to talk more about this uh you can find videos online that talk about how the the process works again construction will be about from May of 25 through August or so um so and City staff will keep you updated on on all portions of it so when you can use your street when you when they don't want you on it they'll keep you um a breast of all of the the updates all right so the the hearings that are coming up will be in February for the uh the public hearing and the assessment hearing for the actual projects all right moving forward Council uh adopted a resolution approving a budget amendment to complete a traffic study on a segment of Northdale Boulevard we had the one that was a County Road in the southern part uh this is happening more in the northern part of the city that's right so it's over by our Target Riverdale area and we had some new apartment buildings there so we've got a um you know possibly increased traffic going on uh City staff have received several calls of you know concerns about safety and traffic speed on the road along Northdale Boulevard is between Crooked Lake Boulevard and Main Street so by doing the study they can analyze the traffic data and investigate whether um we need to make some changes to address vehicle and pedestrian safety or whether it's uh Fe it's already um okay the way it is yeah okay so we'll be investigating that and then uh reporting back Council also approved a contract with axon is that how we say Enterprise Incorporated uh this is for bodyw warn cameras this is a bit of a change we had I say our old Antiquated system is already kind of out of date we're going to be moving to more of a leasing model correct as you know technology just goes so fast so what happened is we're it's our we're getting close to the end of this um 5 years and it doesn't make sense to continue our lease especially because the other cities around us including inoka County are using this axon system so it wouldn't make sense for us to use a system that just doesn't work with their systems uh in addition to it this lease allows them to keep the technology up to date they'll continue to um improve and work with whatever we need as far as the system goes the hardware goes and so on so it makes more sense so this is body worn cameras and a couple other things correct include yes that's right and an incar system the tasers uh the interview and detention area security camera system it's going to come along with unlimited data storage for digital evidence too so it yes it is an improvement in multiple areas okay and it sounds like we're doing this a little early some of this will be part of the 25 budget but we wanted to get in line to not be doing this over vacation periods next summer so it sounds like they're going to maybe do it earlier next year yeah and locking in you know your contract and cost um it can be beneficial because sometimes they go up over time right for sure I feel like everything goes up over time right all right so more more to come on that as well all right that was our uh November 19th meeting we want to jump back now to our first meeting of the month which took place actually on Wednesday November 6th we were a day late uh because of election day we couldn't hold the meeting while the polls were open uh one of the first items there we wanted to talk about uh was Council holding a public hearing and then adopted an ordinance and a resolution establishing fees for 2025 speaking of things that you know everything goes up a little bit every year right so there are no major changes to the fee schedule most of the changes are Minor Adjustments to adjust for inflation but they also did make it easier um for the user to understand and to view them yeah some people had to go on our website to find a lot of things on the city's website and um they're putting it kind of more under the one resolution now so if you want to find the information it's easier to find on the website so that'll be easier for folks hunting for that information absolutely going forward all right Council adopted an ordinance establishing a housing housing Improvement area for Village Manor Condominium Association we've done several of these before but it's been a number of years I believe since we've we've done one yeah yeah so this comes out periodically um it's you know it's not something we promote but it is something that is important if um there is an association that doesn't have the funds to do a capital Improvement and if that Capital Improvement is necessary so let's say a roof is starting the rivs of the association are starting to fail it needs to be updated but maybe they don't have the capital to do so um they can come to the city um the city does have to you know look through the finances and ensure that they really don't have the ability to do this it also comes along with the fact that it can be hard for um those associations to get financing because they don't have the security to show um in order to get that financing but in addition to coming to the city for public financing the association also has to provide the city with a a full financial plan to show how they're going to prepare for the future so that they're going to be able to fund their own um Capital Improvements without coming to the city for that public financing support so it's it's a little involved but it's there as necessary and we want to make sure um that that's available yeah and it helps them make the improvements they need it helps keep the city looking good in those areas where where they they do need the projectly uh and again taxpayers are not on the hook for this that's right that's right they they have to pay the city back in full yes for that you're just kind of the conduit or the in between man kind of to get yes conduit that's exactly the right term all right Council uh considered a comprehensive plan Amendment this involved low density residential and something we are going to call very low density residential right so previously we had just the low low density residential definition we didn't have a category for very low density residential and so what we ended up with is this required minimum uh low low density residential um had a required minimum of three units per acre we're now lowering that down to 2.25 units per acre and then making a new category that's very low density that will go all the way down to one unit per acre and the main reason is kraz is a fully developed city so we have like maybe this little triangular plot here or this trapezoid plot over here and um it's just the way that we want to still be able to develop those little spots that aren't necessarily as easy to develop um and this gives the flexibility to uh allow us to put you know maybe even just one unit if that's all that's going to work there yeah all right well thanks for explaining that I like we really creative we just threw the word very on top of the low density residential and that's it's really just removing the constraint of a minimum yeah yeah yeah all right that is all the items we had to talk about from that meeting uh before we go I want to talk about uh an exciting event coming up for folks that don't know the Rapids tree lighting Festival is back again this year I'm not sure what number on now maybe at least the third year oh possibly the fourth I lose track after every year but again this is coming up on Saturday December 14th this year 3:30 to 600 p.m. over at Boulevard plaza which is right next to the kunon Rapids Ice Center uh the big tree I know is coming in next week uh so they'll be getting that set up and lit for the event there's fireworks uh treats pictures with Santa bonfires cocoa crafts and more so it's just been a lot of fun the fireworks are always pretty cool the first year we did this and it was like we expected like okay we're going to see like 30 seconds a couple but it went on for several minutes you know it was a pretty cool show Rapids loves their fireworks and the Rapids council members love having the fireworks displays at events for folks so uh it's kind of tell what we're known for a little bit here yes yes so this is uh like I said those are the events that are coming up there'll be fire pits uh but non- perishable food and monetary donations will be accepted at the event for Kun rid's High School food shelf and the Cardinal compassion fund and it says Rocky says be sure to bundle up to stay warm this is an outdoor event so dress warmly but that should be a lot of fun on Saturday December 14th and hoping for some snow hopefully it'll be a you know a snowy tree lighting the way it's starting to feel today and and going forward I think uh you know snow might be in our future all right well that's all the items we had to talk about as we mentioned at the top this is your last month or two here on the council uh you won the State Rep race in your District so uh you'll be done at the end of the year on the council just wanted to reflect back this was you you were hired or you elected by the folks for a term uh so basically almost four years you've served or will have served four years when you're done um how's your experience been just talk about to start oh phenomenal so I was elected yes in the November election of 2020 so one full term four years uh what I have learned is just vast um and I'm just so proud of the work we've been able to do over the last four years I think we do a great job of working together and getting things done for the city um really some major accomplishments like the energy action plan that we have in place to help our residents with you know accessing those rebates and incentiv that they can to make improvements like HVAC or insulation in their home to reduce their energy usage uh our beautiful new water tower stands up as you cross 610 and that was a necessary project because we would have had to invest money in into an aging tower on Foley Boulevard and Northdale Boulevard and it just wasn't you know didn't make sense to put all that money into something that then also was not fully usable because it wasn't at high enough elevations so this this brand new water Tower is just a it's a nice uh thing to see as you drive into the city expanded the recycling center our Recycling Center is really a fabulous place it's a a regional model for what recycling center should be they accept so many different things um you know and I've built relationships with our council members and the great thing is I'm not really leaving because I'm representing Rapids and then two precincts of Andover so I can't wait to you know come back to the council and you know uh focus on those relationships and know what and learn from them what else they want to accomplish for Rapids going forward and I can advocate for that at the state level so can't wait to get to work for all the constituents and residents here all right well congratulations to you we'll miss you on the council but like you said you're not going far you'll be doing work still for the citizens of  Rapids and good luck with things because I think what are we still going to be in a divided legislature it is as it's still as a tie in the house um so yes we are already off and running on working together and coming to compromises so um I you know I'm going into it with a very open mind of what we can accomplish and um will be a lot of bipartisan bills looking forward to compromise will need to be the is the key word this session it sounds absolutely and just want to say a double warm welcome to Peter Butler and Chris Geisler you're coming into a great Council that knows how to work together and um get things done so you'll have a fabulous experience all right well we thank you for being here today to do Council comments and talking to us but you can't go yet you still got two more meetings in December that's right so I will be there so I'll see you all in December still yeah all right thanks for coming in today Carrie thank you at home for watching and we'll see back here again after our two meetings in December [Music]