[MPLS] MPRB meeting 2-2-05

[Elizabeth Wielinski]

The Regular Meeting began at 4:30 pm and was closed to the public for a 
discussion of pending worker's compensation litigation.

The Standards and Conduct committee (Chair Kummer, Commissioners 
Dziedzic and Fine) started at 5:00.

GM for Admin Don Siggelkow reported that he had been contacted 
regarding a rule about the Board Secretary reporting on all pending 
matters before the committees during the first meetings in the months 
of December and June.  He had looked up the rule and also researched if 
it had been followed by previous secretaries to the board.  He found no 
such reports for the past 20 years and gave the commissioners three 
options he felt they could choose amongst to handle the situation...
1.  Have the Board Secretary prepare a list of items that "might " come 
before the board during the upcoming year (would involve prediction and 
be rather inaccurate)
2.  Report on a list of standing issues
3  Compile a report that could be a combination of both

Commissioner Kummer felt that maybe it was an obsolete rule and should 
changed due to lack of use during the past 20 years
Commissioner Fine asked for the exact language of the rule and Don 
Siggelkow provided it and added a forth option of dropping the rule.
Some discussion was had over interpretation of what pending matters 
meant and Commissioner Fine suggested that it appeared to mean items 
that had not concluded
Commissioner Erwin agreed and said it was a housekeeping issue and 
would help get closure on issues, especially on items that the public 
had brought forward and involved referral to staff.
Commissioner Kummer suggested it be rewritten to be more useful
GM Siggelkow suggested January and June would be more appropriate times 
for reporting and Commissioner Kummer agreed it would conflict less 
with December budget talks.
More discussion was had about the predicting what might be on future 
agendas and it was decided that it would create havoc.
Commissioner Fine stated that it was intended for cleaning up old 
business.
Commissioner Erwin suggested changing pending matters to unfinished 
business to make it clearer
Commissioner Fine (on the committee) made a motion of same and it passed

The next discussion was on agenda items, and enforcing the policy of 
items needing to be turned in 1 1/2 weeks before the next meeting for 
information to go out in commissioners packets and for mailed agendas 
and website agendas to conform.  This would avoid items coming in at 
the last minute and no time to review background information.
Commissioner Kummer asked if there was an emergency what would happen.
Commissioner Hauser supported the change when it was recommended by 
Commissioner Mason at the last meeting and mentioned that a vote could 
be taken to suspend the rules and add something to the agenda in an 
emergency.
Commissioner Dziedzic made a motion for this and it passed.

OPEN TIME CHANGES
GM Siggelkow recommended that like the agenda items, people signing up 
for OPEN TIME should do so one week prior to the next meeting or that 
OPEN TIME should be moved in the agenda to 4:45pm prior to the start of 
the meeting to facilitate moving the agenda along more smoothly without 
the break at 6:00 for OPEN TIME.  After all OPEN TIME is for the public 
to communicate with the BOARD not an open mike situation.

Commissioner Erwin mentions that 1 week ahead is probably too long and 
suggests by Monday of the week of the meeting
Commissioner Kummer agrees and suggests that someone might just sign up 
every week to be on the safe side
Commissiner Fine moves that the sign up deadline be moved to Monday
Commissioner Hauser also thinks Monday would be good.
Motion Passes

As to moving OPEN TIME to 4:45 Commissioner Kummer thinks it is a bad 
idea but agrees that some people are abusing the opportunity to be at 
the microphone and that maybe it should be at the discretion of the 
President
Commissioner Fine asks if OPEN TIME or anything like it is used by 
other city boards
GM Siggelkow... NO
Commissioner Fine reiterates that it is suppose to be a time for 
speaking to the BOARD and is turning into a soap box for televised 
speeches
Commissioner Erwin suggests changing the format rather than the time
Commissioner Dziedzic refers to it as "Dziedzic Bashing time"
Commissioner Erwin suggests more explicit rules
Commissioner Berry Graves mentions that the 15 minutes the committee is 
alloted has been over for quite awhile
Commissioner Fine moves that OPEN TIME be moved to 4:45pm so as not to 
appear on TV.
Motion passes Kummer NO Fine and Dziedzic YES (the item is moved to the 
FULL BOARD for a vote at the next meeting)

Superintendents Reports
GM Siggelkow asks that the board make a motion to move the 
Superintendents Report from the 1st meeting of the month to the 2nd as 
the current Superintendent prefers to do the report in writing and it 
would work better.
Commissioner Dziedzic makes the motion and it passes.

Standards and Conduct Adjourns at 5:30

Administration and Finance

2 projects on the agenda that have cost over runs and need change order 
$$$ increases and a low bid acceptance are moved by Commissioner 
Dziedzic. (all passed after discussion that follows)
Commissioner Berry Graves asks for an explanation of the perpetual 
project with constant increases (Lake of the Isles Restoration).
Tim (sorry no last name given) explains that because of the segmented 
stages of the project (voting on phase III) there needs to be 
adjustments
Commissioner Berry Graves asks for more detail
Tim explains that as the project has progressed more things have come 
up, including permitting delays at state agencies, timing changes to 
coincide with other projects (some of the fill used was from the berms 
a Jordan Park and some from the Guthrie project) and some was due to 
more clean up and more engineering effort than expected.  The overall 
increase is at 10% which is considered to be reasonable
Commissioner Erwin asks if the Operating and Maintenance budget is 
being tapped for the extra dollars as it is a state funded project?
Tim says no, there were contingency dollars available

Commissioner Berry Graves then asks about the Mill Ruins Park project.
Rachel (also staff and I didn't hear the last name, sorry) explained 
that the construction being undertaken was to have been part of Phase 1 
but the money ran out and now it is to be included in Phase 4.

Commissioner Berry Graves says she just wants to make sure the 
information is available to the public
Commissioner Dziedzic asks why this bid was accepted since it wasn't 
the lowest
Rachel explains that is wasn't a true low bid  and explained how there 
had been changes made from RFP requested items
Commissioner Hauser thanked her for finding this within the minute 
details of the contract.

Admin and Finance adjourns at 5:42

That's all for part 1...  part 2  the  U of M boathouse and the ILRA 
(International Log Rolling Association)

Liz Wielinski
Columbia Park