Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 11-08 CCM Study SessionMINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA STUDY SESSION NOVEMBER 8, 2021 VIA ZOOM CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Study Session called to order by Mayor Milce Elliott at 5000 P.M. ROLL CALL Mayor Mike Elliott and Councilmembers Marquita Butler, April Graves, Kris Lawrence - Anderson, and Dan Ryan. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, City Attorney Troy Gilchrist, and City Clerk Barb Suciu. MISCELLANEOUS IN -PERSON MEETINGS City Manager Reggie Edwards explained the Council wanted more information about other cities and if they are meeting in person and an update on COVID-19 in the City. Staff looked at a few neighboring cities including Brooklyn Park, Columbia Heights, Fridley, Golden Valley, New Hope, Robbinsdale, Rogers, all of which are meeting in person and one is meeting both in -person and online for a hybrid style. Brooklyn Center was trending downward for the number of COVID- 19 cases and is ranked sixth or seventh for jurisdictions in Hennepin County. Dr. Edwards stated Brooklyn Center used to have a high proportion of cases, but it has improved significantly. He noted the City has installed a system that would allow for the City to have hybrid meetings where participants could participate virtually. Dr. Edwards asked the Council when they would like to resume meeting in person. Councilmember Ryan stated the Council has agreed to approach the situation with abundant caution. He stated if they continue to see a decline in cases and there are appropriate precautions taken for in -person meetings, then they could potentially meet starting in the new year. The holidays may affect the trend of COVID49, including the delta variant, but he would defer to health experts ultimately. Mayor Elliott asked if Fire Chief Todd Berg was available to comment on the topic. Dr. Edwards stated Chief Berg was unable to attend the meeting. Councilmember Butler asked how the spacing would look like in the meetings or chambers. She noted she wants to make sure they are being safe and added she wants to hear from the Fire Chief. While Brooklyn Center had been trending down, the cases in Minnesota have been increasing as 11/08/21 -1- a whole. Dr. Edwards stated there was plexiglass made for separation between councilmembers and Staff will get an exact answer on numbers and capacity from the Minnesota Department of Health. Councilmember Graves noted her agreement with other members of the Council. She stated she was eager to meet back in person again, but she wants to make sure it is done safely. Councilmember Graves added it would probably be wisest to wait to meet in person again until after the holiday season. Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson stated she concurs with her colleagues regarding their eagerness to return to in -person meetings and waiting to start that until after the holidays. She added the plexiglass would be a prudent move to ensure safety. Mayor Elliott asked if Fire Chief Berg would be present at the next meeting to answer more questions. Dr. Edwards confirmed Fire Chief Berg would attend the next meeting to further address the topic. MEETINGS WITH COMMON SENSE Dr. Edwards stated that a few staff have met with Common Sense about how to move forward. He stated he would like to establish 45 minutes to an hour for Council to meet with Common Sense, and he noted it is preferred to meet on a day that does not already have a meeting because it seems to be less fruitful. The meeting would provide updates on changes since the last meeting with Common Sense. Dr. Edwards asked Council for a preferred date if they are open to the meeting. Councilmember Butler stated she received an email from Common Sense asking to schedule a meeting. She asked if that referred to a different meeting than what Dr. Edwards was currently discussing. Dr. Edwards explained Common Sense is doing follow-up meetings with individuals and as a whole. Mayor Elliott asked how long the meeting would be. Dr. Edwards stated it would be a maximum of an hour. After a short discussion, the members of the Council agreed that Thursday, December 2 would work for a meeting with Common Sense with a backup date of Thursday, December 9 for the meeting with Common Sense. Mayor Elliott noted the meeting would be at 6*00 p.m. ORGAN DONATION SHOUT -OUT Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson stated she would like to shout out her daughter's 13th liver anniversary and acknowledge the generous gift she received from her donor. She noted she would like to cast a light on the success of the procedure and encourage people to be organ donors. 11/08/21 -2- IMPROPER TRASH AND RECYCLING DISPOSAL COMPLAINT Councilmember Ryan stated he has received multiple phone calls from a resident living in the 7000 block of Emerson expressing issues related to a group home there. He explained there were complaints about the group home improperly disposing of trash and recycling. Councilmember Ryan noted he had brought this issue up to staff before and hoped they could reevaluate it and each out to the resident. Dr. Edwards stated staff will communicate with the resident to address the issue. He added they will add the issue to the weekly update to ensure all members of the Council are aware of the concern. WORK SESSION ABOUT CITY BUDGET Mayor Elliott asked if Councilmembers were available during the week of November 15 to discuss the City budget. He explained they should discuss the Council's budgetary priorities for the coming year. Mayor Elliott noted the driving reason for the meeting is the call from the community to better fund the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Resolution. He suggested November 15 or November 18. Mayor Elliott asked Dr. Edwards to send out the latest copy of the budget to the Council before that meeting. Dr. Edwards confirmed he would provide that information to the Council. Mayor Elliott encouraged the members to ask Dr. Edwards for any information that would aid them in the discussion of the budget. Following a short discussion on availability, Council consensus was reached to direct staff to schedule a Work Session on November 15, 2021, at 6#00 p.m. Councilmember Graves stated the Staff always tries to bring them a balanced budget, but she stated she was curious Staff had ideas to make the budget more efficient. For example, perhaps there is a program that is not doing as well as they would like. She added she would like to know how much money the Police Department is spending on military -grade equipment as a part of that discussion. Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson stated she has considered a dialogue about their succession plan for the city manager. She noted she is concerned they do not have a Deputy City Manager and explained there is not anyone prepared to immediately step in and succeed in the responsibilities of the City Manager. Mayor Elliott asked Dr. Edwards to give that concern thought and provide input on it at a later time. Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson noted they started the discussions back in June. Considering they must approve the budget on December 6 and it is mid -November, adeep-dive would have been more relevant a couple of months ago. Mayor Elliott asked Dr. Edwards for a timeline update on the budget. Dr. Edwards stated there is a public hearing on December 6 and it will also be the date for the Council to approve the budget. Dr. Edwards asked if the Council plans on inviting the Finance Commission to the November 15 11/08/21 -3- special Work Session. Mayor Elliott stated they should invite the Finance Commission to the special Work Session. Councilmember Ryan stated a few years back there was a change in the statute that the December 5 meeting is no longer called a "truth in taxation" meeting, but the function remains the same. He stated he would appreciate it if Dr. Edwards checked with the City Attorney to ensure the statutory limits or rules on the deadline are observed. Dr. Edwards confirmed he would do that. Mayor Elliott asked Dr. Edwards to share that information with the Council as soon as possible. Dr. Edwards confirmed he would share the statutory information with the Council once he receives it. Councilmember Graves noted her agreement with the other members of the Council that it is a late hour to be readdressing the budget. She believes there is more space to do a deeper dive next year, but added this special Work Session could be an opportunity to reflect on what they are approving, how that could look different next year, and fill in the gaps and questions as identified by the Council. Councilmember Graves explained this could be an opportunity to get an earlier start on the budget or big changes for next year, and they should treat this meeting as a launching pad for the future. She stated they should not make dramatic changes so close to the date they will pass the budget, but she agrees the conversation needs to be had. If they move forward with the attitude of looking towards the future, then they could implement more innovative strategies down the line. Councilmember Graves added they need to have very specific communication regarding what they are doing for the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act such as who has been hired, what they are doing to work on the Resolution, the details on the traffic stop, information on the pilot programs, and explaining what funding they have secured. All in all, they need to make it clear they are moving forward on the Resolution while being smart and strategic about it. She explained things cannot happen overnight because something was written on paper. Councilmember Graves added it would be helpful for the Council to have talking points to reference while speaking to the public and provide the specifics to news outlets because the public seems to misunderstand what is happening. Councilmember Ryan stated he concurs with Councilmember Graves. He stated some pieces of the budget deserve a high level of community engagement, similar to that of the Opportunity Site. Mayor Elliott stated he is open to considering the budget that has been proposed, although the final version has yet to be presented. He explained they need to carefully consider the budget and to be open to community input. He noted he also wants to be open himself to what is possible in the current year because another year is a long time to address disparities in policing and traffic. Mayor Elliott stated he worries about public safety a lot, and that drives him to further consider the budget. Councilmember Graves stated she agrees additional resources will be needed. The funding they have been able to obtain through outside sources should not be trivialized but instead, they should 11/08/21 -4- celebrate and elevate that. She added they should consider input from staff to address potential gaps in the budget. Councilmember Graves explained they could talk to Police Chief Tony Gruenig to see the likelihood of filling the open law enforcement positions, and if they are over - budgeting for that, then they could use that portion of the budget for something to expand mental health response, for example. They could shift the money from holding a spot to something tangible related to community cohesiveness, rebuilding trust and relationships, or other strategies they are already supporting through alternative funding. Councilmember Graves stated she is not opposed to a discussion but noted there may not be enough time to properly discuss major changes, staff and community input on the changes, and the potential consequences of any changes. City Attorney Troy Gilcluist stated, according to statute, the deadline for certifying the property tax levy to the state is December 28, 2021. ADJOURN STUDY SESSION TO INFORMAL OPEN FORUM WITH CITY COUNCIL Hearing no objection, Mayor Elliott closed the Study Session at 6:45 p.m. STATE OF MINNESOTA) COUNTY OF HENNEPIN) ss. Certification of Minutes CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER) The undersigned, being the duly qualified and appointed City Clerk of the City of Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, certifies: 1. That attached hereto is a full, true, and complete transcript of the minutes of a Study Session of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on November 8, 2021. 2. That said meeting was held pursuant to due call and notice thereof and was duly held at Brooklyn Center City Hall. 3. That the City Council adopted said minutes at its November 22, 2021, Regular Session. City Clerk 11/08/21 -5-