City Council Meeting - 2020-06-15

Detailed briefing

City Council Meeting — June 15, 2020 • Council approved the June 1 regular-meeting minutes, June 1 closed-session minutes, and bills. Staff said a discrepancy in the bills had been reconciled before approval. • Council approved the Salvation Army’s request to ring bells at IGA for one day, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., for its Christmas in July effort. A resident also raised speeding concerns on Bull Moose Hill/Maryland. Police said a speed-monitoring sign had been moved to the area, extra patrols were requested, the sign would be rotated to cover both directions, and crash data and a possible speed study would be considered. • Council approved a 20-year agreement with the Methodist Church for year-round public parking in its lot. The city is expected to complete about $15,000 in improvements by July 2021; the church is expected to contribute about $2,000 and remain responsible for plowing, except that the city may remove large snow piles once annually if needed. • After lengthy public comment, council denied the 150 West Bluff vegetation-management request. Residents and council members raised concerns about bluff stability, runoff, flooding, the selection of specific trees, public notice, and whether individual view requests should be handled through a broader bluff-management approach. The applicant said she did not seek clear-cutting or topping and wanted maintained trees and a restored view. • Council then imposed a moratorium on vegetation cutting on all city-owned bluff property. Staff will place a policy discussion on a future agenda, beginning in July, and the Tree Advisory Board may be involved. The city said future public notice will be provided through the Harbor Light, city website, and Facebook page. • Main Street tree-grate bids came in far above the amount previously approved by council. Council denied both bids and directed a new, reduced-scope bid focused on tree grates, concrete cuts, and tree replacement, leaving other infrastructure work for later. • Council scheduled a special meeting for June 22 at 7 p.m. to review possible Planning Commission recommendations following its hearing on potential temporary zoning and/or city-code changes. Council also appointed Mike Naterkus as its Planning Commission representative and appointed George Peete, Beth Raleigh, and Al Daika to the commission. Worth watching: • Whether council develops a comprehensive city-owned bluff vegetation policy before lifting the moratorium. • The scope, price, and timing of the rebid for Main Street tree grates. • Recommendations from the Planning Commission and any resulting temporary ordinances. Upcoming: Special City Council meeting on June 22 at 7 p.m.; staff expects an initial bluff-policy discussion in July. Why it matters: Council paused bluff vegetation work and scaled back a downtown project as it weighs public concerns, costs, and longer-term planning.

No open public follow-ups are linked to this meeting yet.