Minutes - Council - 09/21/1989 - Special

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Council recessed at 9:02 p.m. Mayor Reimann called the meeting back to order at 9:15 p.m. Councilmember DeLuca resumed discussion of funding the Fire Department and stated that he is opposed to continuing to fund the entire department from the Landf'fll Trust Fund and feels that the cost should be shifted to the residents. Sandra Ashley stated that the decision was to only fund contracted fire protection services from the Landfill Trust Fund; other department costs will be turned over to the residents; in 1991 there will no longer be a need to contract for fhe protection services and at that point the residents will be paying the entire cost of a fh:e department. Council consensus was that Mr. Hartley should draft a resolution establishing guidelines and criteria for use of the Landfill Trust Fund to allow spending the interest and also the principle, but only in certain situations and on a payback basis. Motion by Councilmember Peterson and seconded by Councilmember DeLuca to adopt Resolution #89-09-248 adopting the Property Tax Levy. Motion carried. Voting Yes: Mayor Reimann, Councilmembers DeLuca, Pearson, Cich and Peterson. Voting No: None. Councilmember Peterson initiated a discussion regarding the Airport Commission's request for $30,000 for airport related activities, $20,000 of which would be recaptured from other agencies. Mr. Ippel stated that the funding is to follow through with tasks remaining relating to the Airport Master Plan Study and the pre-application for AIP funding. Mr. Ippel reported that Mn/DOT and FAA have reached a finding of no significant impact with respect to the environmental assessment worksheet on proposed improvements at Gateway. Because of the level of required, the FAA District Office is capable of making a judgment with respect to funding. It is probable that the funding would be approved with contingencies. Those contingencies would include a commitment from Ramsey that no more landfills will be sited within 5,000 feet of the runway and that funding would not be available until there are agreements made regarding the closure date for the existing landfill. Councilmember Peterson suggested that the Airport Commission's request for $30,000 not be funded at this time because it is questionable whether the airport should exist and because the reports generated with the $30,000 may be outdated by the time funding is available because the expected life of the landfill is another 3-4 years. Mr. Ippel stated that even though the Metropolitan Airport Commission is not interested in owning any more airports, it recognizes that Gateway could serve the entire region and is discussing budgeting to assist Ramsey with it's share of the development costs, either in whole or in part. The City is to the point now where it has been determined that the airport improvements are technically feasible and they qualify for funding participation. The City should follow through with the pre-application for funding and determine when funding might be available. City Council/September 21, 1989 Page 4 of 5