A public hearing to discuss the Minnesota Statute for “granny pods” was held prior to the Lanesboro City Council meeting on September 6 at 5:15 p.m. Each Minnesota city can choose to opt out of the state ordinance allowing granny pods. EDA member Michael Brown pointed out that Lanesboro’s ordinance regarding situations like the granny pod one is 27-years-old and outdated. “The ordinance seems to be designed to drive people out of the community,” he said, noting that Lanesboro does not have any assisted living facilities. The Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously agreed that it would be in Lanesboro’s best interests to opt out and rewrite the old ordinance to be specific to the city’s needs.
The first public hearing was closed and a second one was opened to discuss the proposed improvements to Lanesboro city streets Auburn Avenue South between Whittier Street East and Zenith Street, Circle Drive between Auburn Avenue South and its eastern terminus, and Zenith Street between Auburn Avenue South and the eastern intersection of Maple Drive.
Before the floor was opened for comments, Mayor Krom asked City Administrator Michele Peterson to address a flyer that had been circulating Lanesboro with misinformation about the cost of the street improvements and the affected number of citizens. The project will benefit 63 parcels in the affected area, and taxes will not be doubling as a result of the project. Peterson went on to say that there is currently a total of 757 Lanesboro residents with 376 households.
Brian Malm of Bolten and Menk reviewed the proposed project with the council and visitors to the meeting and presented several alternatives. He was also able to conduct a neighborhood meeting several weeks ago and address concerns from residents.
The project is split into two phases which could be done as one project or in different years. The alternatives to the project to bring costs down were narrowing the road, which would not allow for on-street parking or doing a mill and overlay, which would merely defer the project for another 10-15 years.
Lanesboro resident Peggy Hanson pointed out that the map showing the condition of the streets in Lanesboro indicated that there are other areas in need of repair as well and asked how the city plans to address that. She also asked why the residents in the project repair area were only being assessed 20% instead of the standard 35%. Peterson replied that, due to some of the larger lots in the area, it was more logical to assess at a lower rate and also noted that nothing is set in stone yet. Another member of the audience asked what would happen if nothing were done with the streets in question and was told that if no improvements took place, the roads would be reduced to gravel in a few years.
“I’ve never seen construction costs go down,” Malm said when asked what the cost of doing the project now versus later would be. A resident of the project area said that she thought that was a moot point as what really matters is if the city can afford to do it now. She also mentioned that she wouldn’t mind living on a gravel road.
Another Lanesboro resident asked if there was a policy in place that would allow people with hardships to take a longer time to pay for their assessments. Peggy Hanson noted that Minnesota has a property tax refund program that’s available if property taxes are too high in relation to the homeowner’s income.
“I don’t want no curb and gutter,” Lanesboro resident Everett Johnson declared to applause from the audience.
Mayor Robin Krom thanked everyone for coming to the meeting and expressing their opinions before closing the public hearing and opening the regular council meeting.
The date of the Coffee Street East closure request was listed incorrectly as September 14 in the council agenda. City administrator Michele Peterson noted that the correct date is September 24.
Jason Resseman reported that the Historical Preservation Committee plans to begin cataloging the historical homes and buildings in Lanesboro and is considering having placards available to historical homeowners for purchase to hang on their homes.
An ordinance regulating and enforcing parking restrictions on the west side of Kenilworth Avenue was approved. Currently, drivers park diagonally which does not allow enough room for emergency vehicles to get through. The ordinance will require drivers to parallel park instead.
The council discussed the possibility of opting out of the State of Minnesota’s “granny pod” ordinance. A motion to opt out and ask the Planning and Zoning Commission to research ways to update Lanesboro’s ordinance was approved.
Council member Tom Smith suggested that the council schedule a special work session that would be open to the public to discuss the proposed street improvement project. “We have a lot of homework to do,” Mayor Krom commented about the information and opinions expressed in the public hearing for the matter earlier that evening.
The 2017 preliminary budget was reviewed and approved.
The council approved a 5-year lease with the Prestemon family to relocate the city’s brush dump to their land. The cost is $100 a month with annual payments.
Six proposals from engineering firms for the position of city engineer were reviewed. Council member Smith asked if having a city engineer would incur more bills and wanted to be sure that the city would not be spending money on things it could take care of itself. Peterson assured him that she would always discuss questions with the city maintenance workers first and would only utilize the city engineer when necessary. The council voted to hire Bolten and Menk for the job.
The next meeting will be held on October 3 at 5:30 p.m.