The Hampton City Council met on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at the Hampton City Hall for the regular scheduled meeting. Present were Mayor John Knetter; Council Members Jerry Huddleston, David Luhring, Anthony Verch (arrived at 7:03 p.m.), and Nick Russell. Also present was Cory Bienfang with Bolton & Menk; and Mike Slavik, Dakota County District 1 Commissioner.
Regular Meeting called to Order - Mayor Knetter called the Regular Scheduled Meeting to order at 7:00 p.m.
Disclosure of Interest – None
Approval of March 12, 2024 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes – Motion by Luhring seconded by Russell to approve the March 12, 2024 Regular Scheduled Meeting Minutes. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Approval of Disbursements – Motion by Luhring seconded by Russell to approve the April disbursements. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Public Comments:
Mike Slavik, Dakota County District 1 Commissioner, was in attendance and Mayor Knetter asked him if he wanted to address Council at this time. Slavik stated that the first item he wanted to discuss with Council was on the Council agenda, which was the letter sent by the Dakota County Board to members of Minnesota Congress regarding the recently passed housing bill. The bill would effectively eliminate local authority regarding regulating planning and zoning in regard to housing issues in the City. Slavik mentioned that the bill was driven by the State Builder’s Association in an effort to end homelessness. Discussion. Slavik stated that, because of lobbying efforts, the bill was put on hold.
Another issue that Slavik touched on was current and upcoming construction projects in the area that may cause traffic problems. Signage is in place, but if changes need to be made Slavik said to contact him. He mentioned that law enforcement will be doing extra patrols in the area to help curb traffic problems. He asked to be contacted with any concerns about traffic control issues.
The final item brought up by Slavik was the Dakota County Township Officers Association meetings. He mentioned that invitations for future meetings will include cities as well as townships.
Petitions, Requests, and Communications:
Letter from Dakota Co. Board of Commissioners to Senator Lindsey Port and Representative Ginny Klevorn regarding Senate File 3946 and House File 4009, regarding minimum residential densities in cities. This item was discussed by Council during Mike Slavik’s report.
Ordinance review and clarification:
o Ordinance § 152.004(B) – Zoning/General Provisions/Definitions/Lot Lines
o Ordinance § 152.032 – Accessory Building and/or Structures
Mayor Knetter suggested that this be tabled and reviewed at the next City Council meeting. Motion by Knetter seconded by Verch to approve tabling this agenda item until the May Council meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0
Reports of Officers, Boards, and Committees:
Engineer’s Report – Cory Bienfang, of Bolton & Menk, updated Council on the new water tower site land acquisition. The scheduled closing date is April 17th, with the City to pay closing costs in the amount of $1,755.50. Mayor Knetter interjected, stating that he feels that Council should make a motion to recognize and approve of the closing schedule. Motion by Knetter seconded by Luhring to recognize and approve of the closing schedule for the water tower site land purchase. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. Bienfang stated that the Mies family has been a great partner for the City in helping to complete the land purchase for the project. The next step is to move forward to the final design phase, with the project still requiring a conditional use permit (CUP). When the final design is completed, a CUP application will be submitted to the Planning Commission.
Bienfang continued, stating that the water tower project team developed several tower graphic options and has narrowed the options down to three for Council consideration. He referred to his staff report, included in Council meeting packets. Attached to the report are pictures of the tower graphic options. Discussion. Councilors gave opinions on tower colors and lettering. Bienfang mentioned that he would take comments back to the project team.
Water / Sewer Report – Mayor Knetter reported that he has been in contact with the MPCA regarding the City’s permit requirements in reference to the Phosphorus Management Plan. A progress report was approved by the MPCA. Preparations are being made for discharge. Knetter signed himself and Josh Dixon up for training for sewer pond stabilization. Knetter also stated that he has been removing debris located near the water tower and hauling to the dump. The items are things that were removed from the storage area at Old City Hall when the City allowed the tenants to take over the use of the area in November.
Park Report – Councilor Russell stated that nets would be going up at the tennis courts next week. Discussion about trees that will replace the ones recently removed in the parks. Russell asked how many should be replaced and if Council had any preferences regarding tree species. He will provide more information regarding tree replacements at next month’s meeting.
Street Report – Councilor Luhring stated that spring street sweeping will be scheduled soon. The mill and overlay project in the Heights of Hampton will begin next month. Discussion about tapering the overlay to build up the center of the roadway for better crowning to improve drainage. Mayor Knetter mentioned that he had requested quotes to have the driveways at 23231 Belmont St. and 23391 Belmont St. repaired. He reminded Council that the driveways began to buckle after the 2019 street project on Belmont St. was done. Motion by Verch seconded by Huddleston to approve the driveway repairs. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0.
Unfinished Business:
Building cleaning service – Mayor Knetter may have found someone to fill the position.
City computer support services – Mayor Knetter has found 2 interested firms.
New Business - None
Adjournment - Motion by Verch seconded by Luhring to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. None opposed. Motion passed 5:0. The meeting adjourned at 7:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Judy O’Brien
