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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022 07-25 CCM STUDY SESSION MINUTES 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 JULY 25, 2022 CITY HALL—COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in a Study Session called to order by Mayor Mike Elliott at 6:06 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor Mike Elliott and Councilmembers Marquita Butler, April Graves, Kris Lawrence- Anderson, and Dan Ryan. Also present were Community Development Director Meg McMahan and City Clerk Barb Suciu. CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF AGENDA ITEMS AND QUESTIONS City Clerk Barb Suciu explained there were some differences between the printed agenda and the online agenda. Mayor Elliott asked why the items are being removed. Ms. Suciu stated Staff made a mistake with the item, and it was meant to be removed. Mayor Elliott asked why the item was meant to be removed. Ms. Suciu stated Staff discussed and decided it made more sense to bring the items up on another agenda. Mayor Elliott asked why. Ms. Suciu stated Dr. Edwards will likely not be able to speak to the items that evening, so it should be brought to the Council when he is present for the presentation. Mayor Elliott asked what the timeline is for the Planning Commission item. He noted he may not be present for the presentation. Community Development Director Meg McMahan stated the City is obligated to review the item within 60 days, and it was extended to 90 days. The applicants are present as well as the City Planner. Mayor Elliott asked if they would vote on the item that evening. Ms. McMahan stated she would check on the answer to the question. Councilmember Butler asked if the Novus Agenda is up-to-date. Ms. Suciu confirmed the correct agendas are online. MISCELLANEOUS COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS 7/25/22 -1- Mayor Elliott stated he has done a lot of committee work, so he hasn't gotten the information to Staff to be included in the packet. They are still working on interviews. Ms. McMahan stated she found the information requested by Mayor Elliott. The application has already been extended twice, so they have to take action before September 21, 2022. There is also urgency on the applicant's part because they want to break ground this year. Mayor Elliott stated he wants to be present for the discussion, so the item should be moved. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked where the item would be moved to. Mayor Elliott stated he would not be present at the meeting. Ms.McMahan pointed out the Opportunity Site will be presented at the next meeting, so they don't want to have two extensive presentations and discussions together. Mayor Elliott asked if the items could be pushed back. Ms. McMahan stated she would not recommend pushing either of the presentations back as the projects are already delayed. Mayor Elliott proposed a special meeting to hear the presentation. Ms. McMahan stated Staff would look for additional dates if requested by the Council. Councilmember Ryan stated if the item is important to Mayor Elliott, then he should change his schedule to be present for the scheduled presentation. Pushing back development could have negative consequences for the developer and the City. There will still be a quorum when Mayor Elliott leaves the meeting. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked if the applicants were rescheduled from the last meeting because there wasn't a quorum. Ms. McMahan confirmed the applicants were asked to move the presentation because only three Councilmembers were supposed to be at the last meeting. Mayor Elliott stated they could receive the presentation that evening and vote on the matter at the next meeting. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson stated she would like to find a compromise while respecting the applicants. Councilmember Graves stated she agrees with Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson. Councilmember Ryan stated he believes they should vote on the matter that evening because they will still have a quorum after the presentation. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson stated she would like to know the recommendations for the commission appointment before the meeting so the applicants could be reviewed before the meeting. She noted she requested to be part of the interview process,but she has not been invited. The commissions need to meet quorum. Councilmember Ryan agreed he would like to review the applications to make a more informed decision on the recommendations. He referred to the Council's standing rules regarding Work Session procedures. He asked for the Council to confirm they would follow the rules to expedite 7/25/22 -2- the Work Session process. Mayor Elliott confirmed the Council is on the same page in terms of Work Session and Open Forum. Councilmember Ryan stated he would read the paragraph describing the Work Session procedures from page 103 of the City Council Manual. Mayor Elliott stated he would summarize the paragraph. He stated the public comment would be limited in time, be addressed to the presiding officer, and remain on topic up for discussion. Councilmember Ryan stated all questions and comments should be addressed to the presiding officer and not to anyone Councilmember or Staff person. DISCUSSION OF WORK SESSION AGENDA ITEMS AS TIME PERMITS IMPLEMENTATION COMMITTEE DISCUSSION Mayor Elliott explained it is the role of the Implementation Committee to work toward the initiatives presented in The Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act to transform the community and public safety. He noted several instances of police violence. They are working to enact new policies to build trust and promote fairness. Mayor Elliott stated he has addressed issues in the meetings with City Staff in an attempt to heal the Implementation Committee. A facilitated conversation is needed to move forward constructively. Councilmember Ryan stated the discussion is not about the work of the Implementation Committee or the clear acts of police violence. Instead, it is about the conduct of the Implementation Committee Chair toward City Staff. The City Council should focus its efforts on a code of conduct. He noted his support of the City Manager's withdrawal of City Staff from the Implementation Committee. A Staff member was treated with profound disrespect and bullying at the June 23 meeting by the Chair, and it was not in line with the values of the City. Councilmember Ryan added the Committee has failed to provide its primary charge which was to provide recommendations to the City Council. From the time the Act was passed, there was a deadline of 180 days, which was more than one year ago. The Mayor was not open to amending the 180 days. Mayor Elliott agreed the Act has a deadline of 180 days but also on an ongoing basis. He agreed they are working to provide recommendations soon. Additionally, Councilmembers did have the opportunity to provide feedback and changes to the Act, although it was a short period. Councilmember Butler noted it was time for Informal Open Forum. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson added she has more comments for the discussion after the 7/25/22 -3- regular agenda. Mayor Elliott stated he would not be present at the time of the continued discussion. Councilmember Graves noted Mayor Elliott made ten minutes of introductory comments which did not allow for time for the other members of the Council to discuss. She stated she has put together several recommendations and was hoping to have a robust conversation with the Implementation Committee. Councilmember Graves apologized for her absence at the last meeting as she was too sick to attend. She added she looks forward to sharing her ideas with the Councilmembers that have chosen to be present for the entirety of the meeting. ADJOURN STUDY SESSION TO INFORMAL OPEN FORUM WITH CITY COUNCIL Councilmember Graves moved and Councilmember Ryan seconded to close the Study Session at 6:46 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. 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. 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 July 25, 2022. 2. That said meeting was held according 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 August 8, 2022, Regular Session. 1/4 City Clerk Mayor 7/25/22 -4-