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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022 07-11 CCM REGULAR 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 REGULAR SESSION JULY 11, 2022 CITY HALL—COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1. INFORMAL OPEN FORUM WITH CITY COUNCIL CALL TO ORDER INFORMAL OPEN FORUM The Brooklyn Center City Council met in the Informal Open Forum called to order by Mayor Mike Elliott at 7:28 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor Mike Elliott and Councilmembers Marquita Butler, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, and Dan Ryan. Councilmember April Graves was absent and excused. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Community Development Director Meg McMahan, City Clerk Barb Suciu, and City Attorney Jason Hill. Dr. Edwards asked Mayor Elliott if the Implementation Committee discussion will be covered at a future meeting,such as the budget meeting on Monday. Mayor Elliott stated the budget meeting will not be on Zoom, so it should instead be handled at another regular meeting. Mayor Mike Elliott opened the meeting for the Informal Open Forum. Arvid S. explained he is pleased to see the neighborhood meetings have returned. The public received personalized information for their area from the Police Department. Also, there is a question and answer opportunity for residents and Staff. Unfortunately, it is lacking the food and drink as previous year's meetings had. It is the dinner hour and also the weather is very warm. Roger C. noted he has been a resident of Brooklyn Center for many years. He commended the City for setting out progress letters regarding the Woodbine project. He recommended the project be financed with a municipal bond sale. Roger C. asked why the City has chosen not to do that, noting cities and school districts all over the State use municipal bonds to fund such projects. He asked if other financing options have been considered. He has been charged$3,600 for the work, and there is no senior discount. The municipal bond would have a smaller impact on individual homeowners and would favor residents. Councilmember Ryan stated the Council has explored other financing options. For example, franchise fees are pending and depend on the expiration of agreements with private utility companies. The assessment is a fraction of the total project cost. Someone from Public Works can provide more detailed information. There are also municipal bonds for a good portion of the 07/11/22 -1- project. Unfortunately, the market cost of goods and services has increased significantly. The City chose the lowest bid received for the project. Mayor Elliott stated they would look into the matter and do a cost-benefit analysis. Dr. Edwards stated Staff will reach out to provide more information directly to him. Roger C. stated there are several seniors in his immediate area, and the$3,600 would have a very adverse impact on them. An explanation to him and his neighbors would help them to understand the City's efforts to reduce the cost. Mayor Elliott added they could consider a senior discount. Dr. Edwards stated there is a mechanism in place to address seniors for assessments. Randy C. stated he is in the Emerging Brooklyn Center cohort. He asked why other committees need to override and make decisions for other groups. The public forum is also meant to be a time for comments and not engagement from the Council or Staff. Chaz Neal a community member stated,that based on what is happening in the country,he wants to say he is a Black man and not a threat. He read a poem about police brutality, gun violence, and racism. Tanya J. explained she is a concerned human being. The Implementation Committee deserves transparency. Ms. Turk should be one of the most transparent and make sure the Implementation Committee gets all the relevant information from Dr.Edwards. The mothers of the children killed by the Brooklyn Center Police Department are willing and have reached out to the new Police Chief to collaborate without a response, which speaks volumes about the mothers and the Police Chief. Dr. Edwards says he wants to dismantle systematic racism, but he needs to look at the Brooklyn Center Police Department. Kevin S. stated the IC Committee has done a lot of work for minor traffic stops but he wondered what is being done about the four to 500 shots happening. Last weekend there was a car driving through Centennial Park on the grass. We need to get the police up and going especially with this chaos around the city. He asked if LaToya was invited to the Implementation Committee or had she just shown up. He added there needed to be a more formal setup with a more formal voice at the table for the Implementation Committee meetings. Mayor Elliott stated hiring police officers take time because of the process and this is an issue across the country. Councilmember Elliott moved and Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson seconded to close the Informal Open Forum at 7:56 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. 2. INVOCATION 07/11/22 -2- Mayor Elliott read part of the Martin Luther King, Jr letter from the Birmingham City Jail dated April 16, 1963. 3. CALL TO ORDER REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING The Brooklyn Center City Council met in a Regular Session called to order by Mayor Mike Elliott at 8:18 p.m. 4. ROLL CALL Mayor Mike Elliott and Councilmembers Marquita Butler, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, and Dan Ryan. Councilmember April Graves was absent and excused. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Community Development Director Meg McMahan, Police Chief Kellace McDaniel, Police Commander Tony Gruenig, City Clerk Barb Suciu, and City Attorney Jason Hill. 5. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 6. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Elliott stated Public Hearing Item 8a., Resolution Authorizing the Initial Legal Action to Enforce the City Code Regarding Violations at 3321 50th Avenue North in the City of Brooklyn Center, was supposed to be a Council Consideration Item would be moved to become Council Consideration Item 10a.Resolution Authorizing the Initial Legal Action to Enforce the City Code Regarding Violations at 3321 50th Avenue North in the City of Brooklyn Center. Mayor Elliott stated Planning Commission Item 9a.,Planning Commission Application No.2022- 004 for the Re-plat, Re-zoning, and Establishment of a Planned Unit Development, and Amendments to the Zoning Code and 2040 Comprehensive Plan to Allow for the Re-development of the Former Sears Site(1297 Shingle Creek Crossing), will be moved to a future meeting. City Manager Reggie Edwards confirmed the item could be moved to the next City Council meeting on July 25, 2022. Mayor Elliott moved and Councilmember Ryan seconded to approve the agenda and consent agenda as amended. 6a. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. June 27, 2022—Study Session 2. June 27, 2022—Regular Session 6b. LICENSES Garbage Hauler License Allied Waste Services of North America 8661 Rendova St NE 07/11/22 -3- Circle Pines MN 55014 Mechanical Licenses Advanced Heating & Air Conditioning 10550 Co Rd 81 Maple Grove Mn 55369 Affordable Comfort Mechanical 1167 Viking Dr E Maplewood MN 55109 Liberty Comfort Systems 627 East River Rd Anoka MN 55303 New Century Systems 20150 75th Ave Ste B Corcoran MN 55340 St Paul Plumbing&Heating Co 640 Grand Ave dba MSP Plumbing St Paul MN 55105 RENTAL INITIAL (TYPE IV—six-month license) 5500 Bryant Avenue N N Mejia-Morales & V Idrovo 6019 Camden Avenue N Inang Ekah 6536 Chowen Avenue N Bridge SFR IV Borrower I LLC INITIAL (TYPE II—two-year license) 3018 Thurber Road Mnhomes2go Inc Okapi Real Estate LLC 6124 Lee Avenue N SUSAN OBWAYA INITIAL (TYPE I—three-year license) 4207 Lakeside Avenue N, #130 Ronald Powers & Clarice Powers RENEWAL (TYPE IV—six-month license) 4450 58th Avenue N Park Place Off Broadway, LLC 5821 Ewing Avenue N IH2 Property Illinois LP 5931 Zenith Avenue N IH3 Property Minnesota LP RENEWAL (TYPE III—one-year license) 5800 Logan Avenue N Farnaz Toussi 7018 Brooklyn Boulevard Mains'1 Communities LLC 5808 Fremont Avenue N Cosco Property 5 LLC 07/11/22 -4- RENEWAL (TYPE II—two-year license) 7230 West River Road Sonam Nyorie 3012 Thurber Road Mnhomes2go LLC Angelique Kapila 4013 65th Avenue N Gao Qiang Liu 5724 Logan Avenue N Konstantin Ginzburg 6712 Drew Avenue N Bag Homes LLC 6737 Camden Avenue N Ronald F Jasicki RENEWAL (TYPE 1—three-year license) 7018 Drew Avenue N Michael Bocko 6c. RESOLUTION NO. 2022-66; APPOINTING ELECTION JUDGES FOR THE 2022 PRIMARY ELECTION 6d. RESOLUTION NO. 2022-67 IDENTIFYING THE NEED FOR LIVABLE COMMUNITIES DEMONSTRATION ACCOUNT (LCDA) FUNDING AND AUTHORIZING AN APPLICATION FOR GRANT FUNDS Motion passed unanimously. 7. PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/DONATIONS 7a. CRIME STATISTICS FOLLOW-UP Dr. Edwards explained there was a request from the Council to provide data from a period longer than five years. Staff compiled additional data to present. They will also present the increase in gun violence and strategies the City is taking to address the issue. Commander Tony Gruenig explained some crimes have 32 years of data while others have shorter histories of being tracked for only 13 years. He showed a slide in homicides from 1990 until 2022. There was a significant increase in homicides in 2021. Robberies peaked in 2007 and have been increasing since 2021. Aggravated assaults peaked in 2005 and were exceeded in 2021 and likely in 2022. Commander Gruenig noted the definitions and data collection methods regarding forcible rape have changed over the years, so they do not have the complete data. Overall, there is a decrease in forcible rape. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked what has changed about forcible rape. Commander Gruenig stated there is a slide at the end of the presentation that would help to explain the question. 07/11/22 -5- Commander Gruenig added shots heard calls significantly increased in 2021. 2022 is trending toward the same. The data was only collected for the last 13 years. Mayor Elliott asked for the source of the data. Commander Gruenig stated there are several sources it will be addressed in the presentation. He noted firearms recovery was fairly consistent until 2021. 2022 will be the peak for firearm recovery. Commander Gruenig explained there are various sources of data including Federal, State, and County sources. Brooklyn Center Police Department used to collect data using the UCR system. In September 2020, they transitioned to NIBRS. There is an appearance of an increase in crime after transitioning to NIBRS which are largely a result of counting the crimes omitted after the hierarchy rule was applied. An analysis of the 2019 NIBRS data further measures how these increases can look when data users compare two reporting methods. Nearly 90 percent of the incidents submitted to the UCR program in 2019 involved only one offense. Commander Gruenig stated that UCR used the hierarchy rule which means that only the highest level offense for an incident was reported. NIBRS does not use the hierarchy rule,but the offenses are relatively minimal. With the change in collection method, rape increased by 2.2 percent, and aggravated assault increased by 1.2 percent. As for crimes against property, robbery increased 0.6 percent,burglary decreased 2.2 percent,larceny increased 3.5 percent, and motor vehicle theft increased 4.5 percent. Councilmember Ryan asked if the Department is still down 15 officers. Commander Gruenig confirmed they are still down 15 police officers. Councilmember Ryan asked if the full force would be 49 officers including the Chief. Commander Gruenig confirmed that 49 officers would be a full force. Councilmember Ryan pointed out that when he joined the Council, they had a high crime rate. He went to the legislature and obtained funding for four more officers and other law enforcement program assistance. The crime rates then decreased. Mayor Elliott asked if robberies,assaults,and rapes are down from the 30-year high. Commander Gruenig stated robberies are slightly down from the 30-year high and aggravated assaults are at an all-time high. Mayor Elliott asked where the aggravated assault data is from. Commander Gruenig stated the analysts pulled from Federal and State sources for aggravated assault. Mayor Elliott asked if they had a chart showing all of the crimes together. Commander Gruenig stated they did not have a chart with all of the crimes put together in one graph. Councilmember Butler asked for the percentage of the crimes that are happening and how many the officers can solve or charge. The emails Council seems to receive regular emails about law enforcement capturing criminals. Commander Gruenig stated the submission of cases to prosecution is significantly down. The City Attorney's Office just gathered information about 07/11/22 -6- the decrease of submitted cases that is available online. He noted he doesn't know the clearance statistics at the moment. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked why the submission rate is lower. Commander Gruenig stated they only have three detectives currently when they used to have six or more. Mayor Elliott asked if there is information about all the violent crimes combined into one chart. Commander Gruenig stated they don't have the graph,but it would likely be too many data points. Mayor Elliott stated he can see all crimes combined in one chart on the FBI website, and the analyst should be able to do that. Commander Gruenig stated the Council did not ask for that information so it was not prepared, but the analyst could work on it. Mayor Elliott asked for an update on the current Staff numbers. Police Chief Kellace McDaniel stated a lot is going on in the City. It is his third week in, and he appreciates all of those who have been helping him. The committees are a big help as well. The City needs help, and they are reaching out to other entities for assistance. Chief McDaniel stated the southwest sector of the City is a hot spot. Sixteen percent of the total violent crime in Brooklyn Center occurs in the area near Walmart and Sonder House. He has been working with officers and Office of Community Prevention, Health and Safety Interim Manager LaToya Turk. The recent incident of shots fired is still under investigation, so he cannot share too many details. Police and Staff are working to reach out to community groups to address the hot spots in Brooklyn Center. They are looking to get back to community policing. Ms. Turk explained the Police Department has partnered with a community crisis response team and violence interrupters to address the increase in gun violence. They are focusing on four areas: prevention, interaction, response, and recovery. They plan to address public safety and access to basic needs. The preventative model will create skills training for youth and identify root causes for the uptick in violence. Real-time engagement with youth in their spaces will help to build community relationships, particularly in the hot spots. There will be involvement in community events and community interveners will help to connect people to resources in situations where law enforcement responds. Ms. Turk stated they have been meeting with schools, interveners, and community organizations to create an immediate response to the issue. As they are addressing communities impacted by trauma,they are focusing on healing spaces and conflict resolution skills. Mayor Elliott asked where the Police Department is at in terms of Staffing. Chief McDaniel stated there are about 37 officers, and they need more. Mayor Elliott asked how many they can hire. Chief McDaniel stated there are four undergoing background checks currently. Mayor Elliott thanked Staff for the presentation. Councilmember Butler moved and Mayor Elliott seconded to accept the Crime Statistics Follow- up presentation. 07/11/22 -7- Councilmember Ryan noted Mayor Elliott talked about revising the police budget by removing $470,000 during the June 6 budget meeting. He asked if Mayor Elliott will still recommend that change if the Chief says they need more officers. Councilmember Ryan added the packet stated they were at 34 officers and could still hire 15. He asked for clarification from Staff. Mayor Elliott stated they just heard from Chief McDaniel on the matter. Councilmember Ryan stated he has only been there for a couple of weeks and may have the numbers wrong. Mayor Elliott stated the Chief is not wrong. Mayor Elliott stated he doesn't know what budget discussion Councilmember Ryan is referring to. Motion passed unanimously. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. 9. PLANNING COMMISSION ITEMS 9a. PLANNING COMMISSION APPLICATION NO. 2022-004 FOR THE RE-PLAT, RE-ZONING, AND ESTABLISHMENT OF A PLANNED UNIT DEVELOPMENT, AND AMENDMENTS TO THE ZONING CODE AND 2040 COMPREHENSIVE PLAN TO ALLOW FOR THE RE-DEVELOPMENT OF THE FORMER SEARS SITE (1297 SHINGLE CREEK CROSSING) This item was moved to a future meeting. 10. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ITEMS 10a. RESOLUTION NO. 2022-68; AUTHORIZING THE INITIAL LEGAL ACTION TO ENFORCE THE CITY CODE REGARDING VIOLATIONS AT 3321 50TH AVENUE NORTH IN THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER Dr. Edwards introduced the item and invited Community Development Director Meg McMahan to present. There have been several complaints from other community members. There have been years of enforcement issues at the property owned by Jason Lindsey. Ms. McMahan explained on December 2, 2021,there was an initial violation found regarding the accumulation of junk/furniture/appliances, commercial vehicle parking, and waste container. A correction notice was issued for the accumulation of junk/furniture/appliances, commercial vehicle parking, waste container storage, non-owner vehicle storage, unlicensed/inoperable vehicle, and yard maintenance. Since then, Staff has completed a total of 21 inspections and issued 9 citations totaling $1,810. The staff has received several ongoing complaints since 2019 about the commercial vehicles on the property, accumulation of junk, and operating a business from the property. 07/11/22 -8- Ms. McMahan stated a building permit was issued in March 2022 to construct a new garage to allow for indoor storage. The garage is still under construction. There haven't been citations since the construction of the garage because the Code allows for construction materials and vehicles to be present while the garage is built. Ms. McMahan stated Jason Lindsey does own Twin Cities Concrete Solutions LLC registered to the address. Due to the commercial vehicles and activity at the property, Staff believes the owner is operating an unpermitted home-based business. In November 2020, Staff sent a letter to the owner regarding the unpermitted home-based business. Councilmember Ryan moved and Councilmember Butler seconded to adopt RESOLUTION NO. 2022-68 authorizing the initial legal action to enforce the City Code regarding violations at 3321 50th Avenue North in the City of Brooklyn Center. Motion passed unanimously. 11. COUNCIL REPORT None. 12. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Elliott moved and Councilmember Ryan seconded the adjournment of the City Council meeting at 9:00 p.m. Motion passed unanimously. 07/11/22 -9- 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: Attached hereto is a full, true, and complete transcript of the minutes of a Regular Session of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on July 11, 2022. That said meeting was held under due call and notice thereof and was duly held at Brooklyn Center City Hall. That the City Council adopted said minutes at its July 25, 2022, Regular Session. Barbara Suciu, City Clerk Mike Elliott, Mayor 07/11/22 -10-