HomeMy WebLinkAbout01-07-15 Teambuilding Packet ZZ
City of Oak Park Heights Worksession
Date: Wednesday, January 7, 2015
Location: Oak Park Heights City Hall Council Chambers
Time: 6:00 p.m.
1. Call to Order
2. City Council Teambuilding and Priority Identification
3. Adjourn
Page 1 of 8
1
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City of Oak Park Heights
14168 Oak Park Blvd. N•Box 2007.Oak Park Heights,MN 55082•Phone(651)439-4439•Fax(651)439-0574
January 2,2015
MEMO )
TO: Mayor and City Council e rs I
FROM: Eric Johnson,City Ad in
RE: List of Items Received r Counc' eambuilding:January 71h, 2015 -6 PM
(items received as of 112115-2: 30 pm)
Below is the listing of items I have received to date for the Council work session on 117115. This meeting will be
posted as a Work Session--City Council Teambuilding and Priority Identification and I would presume that items
could be added to this list if it meets the general spirit of the posting label.
Items Thus Far:
• Consider creating a"Vision Oak Park Heights-A 20 year Plan": Design Guidelines and Redevelopments.
(McComber)
• Consider more in depth Community Surveying(McComber)
• Consider Community Engagement Opportunities: Paradelcar shows/volunteeringlholiday Decorating
(McComber)
• Discuss Job Descriptions, Roles and Capacities(McComber)
• Discuss a possible Village Center Concept—something similar to a"Bayport Village Green" (McComber)
• Consider the establishment of a Rental Licensing Program —Use of Single Family Homes to ensure basic
amenities and conditions. (McComber)
• Consider a formal policy regarding the taking over roadways from other jurisdictions. (Runk)
• Consider how the City may close-out the SCRCP cost elements to ensure the City's cost cap is fully
honored,develop a possible resolution on City Council position,timelines, amounts and recourse. (Runk)
• Consider a policy on Official Communication with other governmental jurisdictions. (Runk)
• Consider creating a policy on video recording City Council Work sessions. (Runk)
Lastly, I have attached my summary of items discussed last year.
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How tribes are -....._..-._ is subprifne More on rental housing More with Nuria
using GIS r lending making inspections In r Rivera-Vandermyde.
technology T a comebacks z "• Minneapoiis 5t,Paul; Page 6
Page 2 Page 3 Pages 4 5
.! JI x110 zmz -
Working with finite resources, Twin Cities rental Using housing regulation
housing inspectors reward good, target bad as a community-
engagement tool:
A conversation with Muria
Rivera-Vandermyde of the
t'.
City of Minneapolis
By Jacob Wastalusrnxulnctollllr.elt
o a casual observer,a housing inspection
Tregulatory alightseemlikeli ttlemorethan arovtine
exercise.6uttoNur€aRivera-
•+.- L Vandermyde,it's an opportunityto.build a
! ,f p ( -'j stronger community.Rivera-Vandermyde
serves as director of the Cityof Minneapolis
Orr, Regulatory Services Department,which
oversees the safety and condition of the cit,/s
r C w - housing stock—including more than 85,000
rental housing units that must be inspected
- - �' - on a regular schedule.Since taking the helm
_ - of Regulatory Services in May 2013,she
_ has launched new programs and initiatives
aimed at shifting the department's focus
u. t from,in her view,collecting fines and pur-
suing those who were not complying with
fy housing codes to establishing meaningful
1 and sustainable partnerships with commu-
nitres
-ti An attorney by training, Rivera-
Vandermyde has nearly two decades of
experience in organraational management,
By Jacob WascaluS llllnillaillli1111!llllalllgll111111€€III!?IIINf111il1f€1111€fllallll€1111€tact!{I{itl:IfllllkltptallllNlltplllalltllllllllll11111I1Ef11 11111.......:......1 1111}l 1111[I1151111fllllllllffllEllltti llEl administration,regulatory compliance,pub-
hc-private partnership building,and statisti-
cal analyses.In her wide-ranging career,she
in 2013,housing inspectors from the City elusion of each walk-through,each inspec- in investors buying up foreclosed single- has held senior positions with the Puerto
of Minneapolis Department of Regulatory for eitherissued alist of repairs the building's family homes and converting them to rental Rico Departments of justice and Corrections,
Services walked through nearly 1,900 one- ' owner needed to make in order to bring the dwelungs.Minneapolis housing inspectors served as president and CEO of a nut-for-
to three-unit rental dwellings to conduct a dwelling up to code,or gave the building the.. now face the daunting task of ensuring that profit corporation that delivered health care
frill,150-point safetytnspection.'Inside each - property equivalent of a clean bill of health. the fast-growing inventory of converted services to prison populations,and consulted
building,they moved from room to room, Anywhere from one to eight years later,this rental properties is made up of safe,code- on legal and operational matters.
testing smoke and carbon monoxide deter- inspection process will repeat. compliant places to live.lust to the east of Community Diwdend recentlyspokewith
tors, n
checking the operability of appliances, Ten years ago,the supply of single-family Minneapolis,St.Paul,Min .,which has also Rivera-Vandemryde about herdirectorshlp of
and making sure windows wererit painted rental homes in Minneapolis—as well as that experienced a spike in rental properties,'con-I Regulatory Services in Minneapolis and the
shut.Outside,they checked the integrity of of two-and three-unit rental properties— fronts asimilar housing-regulation scenario. role that her department plays in neighbor-
the foundation;the weather-tightness of the might not have warranted any particular "Were trying to find the right balance„ hood stability.
siding;and the condition of the chimney, attention.But one side effect of the housing
roof,gutters,and downspouts.At the con- marketcollapseofthe last decade was aange' Continued on page 4 Continued on page 6
Vi631 us at
Page 4 of 8
Page CommunityDividend October 2014
A conversation with Hnria Rivera-Vandermyde of the
City of Minneapolis '
Continued from page 1 naius3unxnncuiu properties can destabilize a neighborhood.
So our inspection and enforcement work
Community Dividend: Let's start really impacts a neighborhood's housing
with your departments name."Regulatory environment.At the end of the day,housing o
Services could mean lots of different things, that is in good quality should lead to a more `
depending on the context.What exactly do stable envirotmtent.That can lead to more R
you and your colleagues do? business investment in the area,which can o
lead to a stronger housing market.We really *y
Nuria Rivera-Vandermyde: In gen- are positioned to be gatekeepers of.neigh- a t
eral, much of what Regulatory Services borhood stability. j g
does revolves around issues of livability
and public safety. More specifically,were CD:What tools does your department have '
in charge of building inspections, traffic '' to help accomplish that? IC - -.
control,and animal control.In our building- i Nuda Rivera-Vanderoryde
inspections role,we conduct visual or physi- NRV: People often talk about the'carrot"
cal inspections of nearly all residential and and the"stick:and I think we have tools With all of the changes we're making in our
commercial buildings in the city,including that fit into both categories.We have some
thorough inspections of the interiors and tools that can help landlords ifthey'm doing communications and programs, I hope people see that
exteriors of the ciWs reri al housing stock the right thing and showing good faith and
For these assets,were essentially helping working with the city.Or,theres a variety of Regulatory Services is opening itself up in a way that ii
preserve the actual physicai structures— tools that allow us to punitively engage land- hasn't before and that we're trying to create meaningful
the homes themselves—and were helping lords to do the right thing.Were striving to
protect the tenants In those homes.We do employ all our tools with a balance that will and sustainable partnerships with communities.
this by regularly Inspecting the properties ensure the greatest success.
to ensure that they comply with city codes With our'stick'tools,we can assess fines
regarding safety,security,and habitability i on landlords who are not code-compliant or toration plan. Then we can waive some or the fee to release their vehicles from the city
With traffic control,we manage the flow who break other ordinances or laws,or we ail of your fees to give you additional time to impound lot.We asked ourselves,why aren
of traffic around large construction pro)- can schedule inspections more frequently.In completeyour rehah.*Basically,ifwe see that we reaching these residents?To answer du
ects and major events,and we oversee and our new tier system,thefiequencyofinspec- theres a good faith effort on the part ofa land- question,were looking at even more data an
enforce parking meters.Were also charged tions reflects the quality and maintenance of lord,we can waive fines,extend deadlines, information:How many of these residents In
with animal care and control,including pro- the rental property.For instance,if you re a and really try to figure out a way forward. in places with garages?Do people here hav
tecting residents from dangerous animas, landlord who owns rental property with a lot access to the Internet,and can they octet
such as violent dogs,and protecting animal of problems,you'll be slotted lino our Tier 3 CD: Are you looking at any new ways to messages about snow,emergencies that go of
welfare by looking out for hoarding or ani- and well be out at your property every 12 to ; encourage positive landlord behavior? from the city?How many residents in this are
mal cruelty cases. 38 months.[For more on the city lstier.based i rely on public transportation rather than
inspections system,see the accompanying NRV:We are looking into adjusting our car?So were really examining out findings I
CD:On the housing inspections side,what ' article that starts on page 1.1 We can also issue rental license fee structure to reflect the tier see ifwe need to alter our approach in how ti
role does the department play in creating what's called a"good cause"letter if a land- system,so that good landlords whose prop- E issue notices or ifthere are any language barr
safer,healthier neighborhoods? lord fails to meet minimum rental licensing erties we inspect less frequently pay less for a I ers that we can overcome.Uhimate€y;its red
standards.That will put the property owner at rental license than landlords ofproblemprop- about interpreting the data and informatio
NRV:We play a critical role.There are few risk for revocation of his or her rental license erties.It hasrit been approved yet,but were and finding the story and seeing how we ca
departments in the city that can effectively at that property.If a landlord faces a second looking into ways to make that change.Were adjust our procedures to serve the cornmunis
stabilize—or destabilize—neighborhoods revocation action for failing to meet our scan- I also looking at being able to show the actual better.
like Regulatory Services. For instance. if I lords,we have the authority to revoke all of tier rating on each particular rental license,
were not careful in how we pursue our that landlord's Minneapolis-based property i but that's something that will have to wait CD:How do you think the drys currei
policies, we can cause evictions, which I licenses for up to five years. until we implement anew land-management approach to regulatory services differs froi
often punish tenants for the actions of a On the other hand,we have°carrot°Ines- ]] system the city is adopting- past approaches?
landlord Or, we can cause landlords to cures that incentivize landlords.While some 1
screen tenants too strictly,which effectively landlords get slotted into Tier 3 and therefore CD: Due to the nature of its work,your NRV: In the past, I think there was
restricts affordable housing options for some ; have their properties Inspected often,land- IiI department collects a lot of data on property emphasis on fining and pursuing landlors
of our city's residents.On the flip side,if lords whose properties doret have arty code l conditions and other community indicatom whose properties wererft in compliance wi'
we don't do enough proactive inspections infractions have inspections every eight years. Haw are you using the data? I city codes.Thais something that we still net
and complaint-based inspections,then we That's a huge incentive for an owner to take to do,but we should also emphasize tryit
allow some tenants to fail prey to land- eweofhis or her property.Moreover,ifsome- NRV:To me,data is a narrative.Its a story. to actively help Minneapolis residents.
lords who are not doing appropriate or one plans to convert a previously owner-occu- And the story tells us if were doing our job that end,one thing we recently created w
adequate jobs of managing their properties. pied horse into a rental,for which we assess right or if we could do it better.For example, the Homeowner Navigation Program.Thu
The effects of ourwork with rental proper- a$1,000 fee,we'll knock off$254 if he or she were examining data around snow emerges- of an elderly woman who's living by heist
ties Wend to owner-occupied homes as well takes a city-endorsed course on good property ties from the winter of2013-2014.In a snow and gets an order to clean up or fist her to
Rental housing whose tenants are a drain management.Thais also a huge incentive emergency,the city tows away any vehicles I gutters.In many cases,she s not going to I
on public resources—who have multiple if you own a home that's on the city s;offi- that am parked on snowplow routes.We 1 able to do that.Is having an inspector reper
police calls to the property,for erarnple—or cial Vacant Building Registration—which car- noticed that during last winter's antra emer- edly visit her property and fine her the be
that is in disrepair and looks unkempt on ? nes a nearly$7.000 annual fee—but you have ; genies,we had an inordinate amount of approach?No.With this grogram,we a
the outside may negatively affect market plans to restore the home,you can work out a ing violation citations in North Minneapolis. stop that type of interaction and instead p
and property values on the owner-occupied - restoration agreement with us that outlines a This is an area where a large portion of the the homeowner in touch with a"navigate
homes that are nearby.These types of rental credible timeline and financing for your res- residents are low-income and can ill afford _ who will help her access different rtsourc
Visit us at www,mirneapolisfed.org
Page 5 of 8
October 2014 CommunityDividend Page 7
and find a solution to her problem. For we'
orevtaenaneighbor,whomgltbethable od Is subprime lending making a eomeba(V
the work.This way were helping her fix the
problem with her property rather than just
f thig her until she complies.Right now,this
program is just for owner-occupants, but Continued#rem page 3 -our ho Is to 1t to landlords as well Figure 2
hope expand Bank Credit Card Debt Usage hy Prime and suhpnme
The reality is that Regulamry Services can't area and just over one-third of all consumers Borrowers for the Twin Cities and the U.S.
do everything wed like it to do. We have in the nation had a credit score below 660 100
finite resources and limited staff,and there
are a lot of homes in the city to monitor. Mortgages and credit cards down, 90
So how do we increase the effectiveness of 80
our work and demonstrate to neighborhood autos up 70 ,.
and community organizations that were all The data show that nationally and in 60
in this together?One way is by listening to Minneapolis-St.Paul,a much smaller share
and learning fmm the residents themselves, of subprime borrowers than prime bor- �-
so I've placed a big emphasis on community rows holds a mortgage.(See Figure 1.)And 40
engagement.We've been going out and talk- while the percent of prime borrowers with 30
ing to a lot of community orgam2atiom to mortgage debt declined slightly after 2008, 20
learn from them.Were being more open and by about 5 percentage points,the percent of , 10
transparent And were collaborating with subprime borrowers holding mortgage debt 0
them.Ultimately,I think that our openness dropped even more over the same period,by 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014
and wilimpess to work with community roughly 9 percentage points,This downward —nwaa.reaa --renctsassxscea.
groups is going to help us advance our goal trend for subpritneborrowereboldingmort- —usarooe __ussamdn,e
of making neighborhoods saferand healthier. gage debt shows no signs ofa reversal. s—reaeaiRe�ea�dK. woe,rmmWdmFbdtWPewVe Rank d14�Y fcamxtaromaae11F.W'uaw.
With regard to balances owed on bank-
CD:What's an example of how Regulatory issued,general purpose credit cards,which
Services has worked in partambip with com- are the most widespread form ofelebtreport- —
munitygroups? edinomsumercreditfi les,the share ofprime Figure
borrowers with bank cards has remained Auto Debt Usage by Prime and subprime Borrowers
NRV:Weve had some neighborhood orga- stableover time.(See Figure 2.)The share of for the Twin Cities and the U.S.
nintions talk to us about language barriers subprime borrowers with bank credit card 100
and how this communication problem has debt first peaked in 2002 at roughly 70 per- 90
Whited our work.For eumple,when we cent,declined afterward,and then peaked 80
plan to have an inspection,we have to mail again just prior to the Great Recession.Since
out a little form that seeks to obtain consent then,the share ofsubprime borrowers with 70
to access a person's rental unit.The form bank creditcarcidebt has droppedby 10 per- 60 i
is in English and has never been trans- centage points in the Minneapolis-St.Paul 50
dated mto any other language.Recently,we area and by 15 percentage points nationally. d0 --------------
planned to inspect a block of homes whose Since2012,the usage ofsubpranebank credit 30
occupants were native Spanish speakers card debt has remained largely unchanged, 20
We learned from the neighborhood group While mortgage and bank card usage do
that many of the residents found the con- not show a subprime revival,auto lending 10
sent form confusing.So we translated the tells a different story.Overall,the share of 0
notification into Spanish,and will continue consumer credit fileswith auto debtrose con- 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014
to do that not just for these consent forms siderably prior to the Great Recession.(See —Twinantestome --Tw Ca,es5'twme
but for everything,aid well translate our Figure 3.)During the recessiorL di percent- --ll,s.Rme us sao�_
forms and communications into whatever age of consumer credit files with auto debt
ektla"d�AererveB°""°'8'r"Fe'°a'r°4'"'u°nz°"e°mEe°"a' ail:awxr.wm,Otsuaa,c,,,,arc�eiea,orim�a.
language necessary. declined,but it has trended upward since late
With all of the changes were making in our 2011.The share of subprime borrowers hold-
cwtmmnications and programs,I hope people ing auto debt saw a big drop after 2008,but rowers with auto debt increased by 20 percent nologies.For example,lenders axe installing
see that Regulatory Services is opening itself the rebound that followed was strong and after 2911,compared to 14 percent for sub- GPS(Global Positioning System)devices in
up in away that it hasntbefore and that were brought the prevalence of auto debt usage prime borrowers. vehicles purchased by borrowers with nski-
trying to create meaningful and fiestainable I among subprime borrowers dose to its pre- Insi m nary themuch-discussed comeback er credit scores.A GPS device can transmit
partnerships with communities. really our recession peaks. of subprime lending appears to be limited to information about the vehicles precise lava-
goal to bridge the gap between residents of Even though subprime auto debt has the auto loan market.Within this market the lion,making it easier forthelenderto repos-
Minneapolis and the city government.® i experienced a revival,the recent recovery increase is less pronounced given the higher less the vehicle if necessary Related devices
appears to be more robust for prune her- relative increase in prime auto lending during can also be used to disable a car until it can
For more about the City of Minneapolis rowers,to the point where the percentage the same period.,* be repossessed or until the delinquent bor-
Asgulutory Services Department and its work of prime borrowers with auto debt has risen rower becomes current on his or her loan,
visit cf.minrreapotis mtr us/regservirxs. above its 2007 peak.In addition,the post- A technology boost for subprime These tools mifigate the risks assoaated with.
2011 increase in the number of consumers subprime lending by reducing default rates
..-- ----- - .- - -. - holding auto debt was higher-for pnmebor- auto lending? and increasing recovery rates when defaults
The dry onimh u yearly amn,as easme u of pm, rowers than for subprime borrowers,both The increased availability of credit to sub- do occur.As a result,they may be making
emu on the Vacant Building Regiettatim([BR}list nationally and in the MirmeapeNSt.Paul prime borrowers seeking an auto loan maybe, lenders more willing to lend to subprime
to determute whether heir owner will be dLwpd area.For*=ple,the number ofprime bor- in part,the result of new auto-tracking tech- auto borrowers.M
the annum!ftt.A VBR properly can be removed from
thelist if its owner enters a restoration agreement m
otherwise brings the property,up to rode,or if the °Andrew Haugh—u4 Dovphoon twee,belle W Scatty,and Wdbert van der PJaauw,'l ookrag under the Hood of the subprime Auto].ending Market."Lbet),Siren
property is purchased for mhabilitarim purposes w Econamtu,Federal Reserve Bank of New York August 14,2014 Available at I>batyma tecommru.newymkf-d org.
demahshed.
Visit us at www minneapolisfed.org
Page 6 of 8
2014 City Council—Retreat—Teambuilding Discussion (Eric's Notes)
Established Goals and Targets for 2014
• The City Council discussed some the issues associated with the keeping of chickens in the City;
this is not currently permitted. Generally there was a desire to allow residents to keep a limited
number of chickens.Asked that staff please investigate any model ordinances that may be
available from the LMC or from other Cities. Also,that it be accomplished via a permitting
format that requires a proactive step by the resident to secure a permit and communicate with
their neighbors.
• The City Council discussed the concept of allowing bee-keeping(apiculture)within City limits.
This is not currently permitted. Generally,the Council felt that there was not a compelling need
to consider the proactive introduction a possible risk factor to some people who may be allergic
to the sting of a bee,wasp, hornet,etc. within a residential neighborhood. Language should be
crafted that outlines that bee-keeping specifically prohibited.
• The City Council discussed that it would like to continue to look general ordinance updates,
addressing changes in the community or rules that are relevant. However, this would not be a
total re-codification, rather making targeted changes where appropriate.Staff and council
members will review City Ordinances and suggest changes where they may think appropriate.
• The Council continued to express the desire to continue to build positive relationships with
outside agencies and other units of government. While policies and interests may not always
coincide; discussions should remain respectful and professional.
• The City Council desired to secure a price quote to remove the wail between the two small
conference rooms adjacent other City Council chambers and installing an accordion-type wall ;
also a price option on removing the wall between the City Council Chambers and the two
conference rooms and similarly installing an accodinan=type wall.
• The City Council discussed that it has a preference to see the lands lying west of the former
Buberl's site be developed as retail/commercial;with potentially some mixed use to the
southern limits. However, no specific action is to be taken and the Council will await a petition
for annexation and its related proposal.
• The City Council discussed that it again desires to have a City recognition event that is inclusive
of all Council Members, Commissioners,Volunteers and Staff. Details to be worked out, but
could perhaps be held in a City Park or other location and possibly develop the plan to include
additional family members for such persons?
Page 7 of 8
• The City Council continued to express an interest in the redevelopment of the NW corner of STH
36 and Osgood Ave. However, any development scenario pursued must be plausible in so far as
that there is a net economic benefit to the City, through a realistic growth in the City's tax base
and not added burden on any new frontage road construction costs or maintenance
responsibilities.
• The City Council desires to establish longer-term/multi-year cQntractual relationship with the
Bayport Fire Department as a viable, economic method of sharing resources with adjacent
communities.The City understands that there are upcoming challenges with the possibility of a
new fire station.
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