Brainerd City Council: Looking ahead to 2018 bonding bill

The Brainerd City Council Monday night discussed the city's plan to identify priority projects for the 2018 state Legislature bonding bill.

Council members will identify projects to be considered and the council will at the March 20 meeting discuss those projects and determine which ones to focus on.

Typically, the Legislature passes a bonding bill during even-numbered years. The 2016 bonding and transportation bill was struck down at the end of the last session in May 2016. In November 2016, the council unanimously approved a motion identifying the city's historic water tower and the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail as the city's two top 2017 bonding requests to the state Legislature.

After speaking with area legislators about what makes for attractive bonding projects, the city will take the historic water tower off the project list for now, city Administrator Jim Thoreen said.

"There are some other worthy projects that we really do want to get funded," Thoreen said.

Committee chatter

The personnel and finance committee discussed this issue in more detail prior to the council meeting. Thoreen informed the committee he had recently spoken with state Rep. Josh Heintzeman, R-Nisswa, who told him the historic water tower project might be too localized to attract support for state bonding.

"It doesn't have the wide area impact that you normally look for in bonding," Thoreen said.

There was hope a stop-gap bonding bill would be passed in 2017, before a regular bonding year in 2018. Council member Sue Hilgart said she recently spoke with state Rep. Paul Marquart, DFL-Dilworth, who told her a bonding bill will most likely not happen in 2017.

"That's a lost year and a lost opportunity," Hilgart said. "It is what it is."

The committee discussed the possibility of securing bonding funds to eventually bring the Cuyuna Lakes State Trail to Brainerd, so bicyclists can travel from Brainerd to the Cuyuna Country State Recreation Area. The goal would be to tie the trail into the Paul Bunyan State Trail, as well as the potential Mississippi River riverfront project.

"In my opinion, the Brainerd riverfront is tied in with the Cuyuna trail, it is tied in with the Paul Bunyan trail," said council member Gabe Johnson. "The riverfront is the hub of spokes of trails running out."

The city could look to the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources as a possible funding source for the riverfront project, Hilgart said. The process would be less onerous than the bonding process, she said, and would include less competition for funding. Heintzeman serves as co-chair of the LCCMR.

"The river project is a perfect fit, really, for that funding," Hilgart said. "And more of a guarantee."

In other business, the council:

Approved an on-sale liquor license transfer from Gregg Gribbin doing business as Liquor Pigz Sports Bar to Isaac Carranza doing business as Big Dogs Bar. This is subject to background check, fire inspection and satisfaction of all city code requirements.

Approved a temporary 3.2 percent malt beverage on-sale license application submitted by the Mid-Minnesota Builders Association for an event March 31-April 2 at the Essentia Health Sports Center.

Approved a contractor payment to Short Elliott Hendrickson for work on the Brainerd Lakes Regional Airport utility extension project through Jan. 31 in the amount of $15,942.

Received a written report from Fire Chief Tim Holmes on the department's activity for the month of February. The department responded to 27 calls for service during the month, with eight of those calls canceled enroute. Of those 27 calls, 13 were within the city of Brainerd.

Adopted a resolution setting the final connection charge amount for the Beaver Dam Road project. From 2003-2005, the project extended utilities past undeveloped and underdeveloped properties. At the time, the council set policies for deferred assessments on the projects and provided for connection charges when the properties connected to the utilities. The resolution sets the final connection charge for the project at $19,237.

Adopted a resolution requesting an amendment to the city's annual agreement with the Minnesota Department of Transportation in order to purchase an additional bus. The additional bus will replace a bus totaled in a Jan. 12 crash. The state agency has agreed to fund 80 percent of the costs of an additional bus this year as a replacement, which requires an amendment to the city's contract. The total local share is estimated at $16,000, which will come from the city's transit fund.

Authorized a conditional job offer to Megan Duhn as a human resources intern for the city of Brainerd and Brainerd Public Utilities. Her anticipated hire date is May 8 with a pay rate of $12 per hour. Her pay will be reimbursed through the National Joint Powers Alliance.

Received an update from city staff that Brainerd Public Schools does not want the city of Brainerd to use school buildings as polling locations for elections. After the 2016 election, city staff met with district staff who said safety concerns for students and staff are prompting this change. The school uses Riverside, Lowell, Garfield and Harrison elementary schools as polling places.