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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 07.24 CCM REGULAR SESSION7/24/23 -1- 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 24, 2023 CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1. INFORMAL OPEN FORUM WITH CITY COUNCIL CALL TO ORDER INFORMAL OPEN FORUM The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Informal Open Forum called to order by Mayor April Graves at 6:47 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor April Graves and Councilmembers Marquita Butler, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, Dan Jerzak, and Teneshia Kragness. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Community Development Director Jesse Anderson, Parks and Recreation Director Cordell Wiseman, Commander Tony Gruenig, Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Barb Suciu, and City Attorney Jason Hill. Mayor April Graves opened the meeting for the purpose of an Informal Open Forum. Leng X. explained he ran for Mayor in the last election. It was quite different than the City Council run he completed in 2019. Since then, he took a vow of poverty and lived in St. Paul at the Dorothy Day Center. He reconnected with his Hmong roots. Leng X. plans to buy a house in Brooklyn Center again. The City should be leading the way rather than following other cities. The Council needs to look at the potential rather than the negatives. The City needs healing and something to look forward to. Leng X. noted Brooklyn Center needs to prioritize innovation and urged the Council to think bigger. Mayor Graves reminded commenters to avoid speaking about items on the agenda. Roger C. asked if Duante Wright was a contributor to Brooklyn Center and if he paid taxes to the City. His death was unintentional and his background was undesirable. He asked if those reasons made him eligible for a memorial. Mayor Graves stated they are not taking any more comments on the memorial. The memorial is part of a settlement agreement, so there is no discussion to be had. Councilmember Jerzak moved and Councilmember Kragness seconded to close the Informal Open Forum at 6:56 p.m. 7/24/23 -2- Motion passed unanimously. Mayor Graves began a five-minute recess at 6:56 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 7:01 p.m. 2. INVOCATION Councilmember Jerzak shared two quotes from Kristin McCarthy. First, he read, “Be wise enough not to dwell on closed doors, and to look for open windows.” He also shared, “Aim for the wisdom of a 100-year-old, the drive of a 30-year-old, and the perseverance of a three-year-old.” 3. CALL TO ORDER REGULAR BUSINESS MEETING The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Regular Session called to order by Mayor April Graves at 7:01 p.m. 4. ROLL CALL Mayor April Graves and Councilmembers Marquita Butler, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, Dan Jerzak, and Teneshia Kragness. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Community Development Director Jesse Anderson, Parks and Recreation Director Cordell Wiseman, Commander Tony Gruenig, Assistant City Manager/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 Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson moved and Mayor Graves seconded to approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda, and the following consent items were approved: 6a. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. June 26, 2023 – Study Session 2. June 26, 2023 – Regular Session 3. June 26, 2023 – Work Session 6b. LICENSES MECHANICAL Binder Heating & Air Conditioning 222 Hardman Avenue N, South Saint Paul 55075 Comfort Matters Htg & Cooling Inc. 18071 Territorial Road, 7/24/23 -3- Maple Grove 55369 Majestic Plumbing Inc. 2801 7th Ave #411, Anoka 55303 Matty V’s Heating & Cooling, LLC 1052 93rd Lane NW, Coon Rapids 55433 Ty ’s Heating and A/C LLC 12689 Zilla Street NW, Coon Rapids 55448 RENTAL INITIAL (TYPE IV – six-month license) 5338 Queen Avenue N 5338 Queen, LLC 6400 Fremont Avenue N Jesus Vazquez Martinez RENEWAL (TYPE IV – six-month license) 5301 Russell Ave N Amax Sommerset Llc 4205 Lakeside Avenue #240 Tommy Conteh 6131 Bryant Avenue N Jun Wang & Jinxiu Wang 306 51st Avenue N Naisha Nicole Bell 3125 65th Avenue N HP Minnesota I LLC 3613 Violet Avenue N Gao Qiang Liu 5755 Humboldt Avenue N Toan Thanh Truong 6018 Camden Avenue N Crystal Clear Investment Llc 6019 Camden Avenue N Inang Ekah 6131 Bryant Avenue N Jun Wang & Jinxiu Wang 6407 Orchard Avenue N Hpa Borrower 2018-1 Ms Llc RENEWAL (TYPE III – one-year license) 6737 Humboldt Avenue N Humboldt Square Ventures Llc 6915 Humboldt Avenue N Lynwood Pointe Llc 7/24/23 -4- 4700 Lakeview Avenue N Nancy G Dahlquist 5737 Emerson Avenue N Nutida Wong RENEWAL (TYPE II – two-year license) 4450 58th Avenue N Park Place Off Broadway Llc 4225 66th Avenue N Sesan Ogunniran RENEWAL (TYPE I – three-year license) 3815 5nd Avenue N Property Management Mn Llc 4507 66th Avenue N Cathy & Mark Steinke Trust 5421 Lyndale Avenue N Zoe & Brett R Hildreth 6614 Bryant Avenue N Ti Lin & Xi Lin 6c. RESOLUTION APPROVING SETTLEMENT AGREEMENT FOR BROOKLYN BOULEVARD CORRIDOR PROJECT PHASE 2 IMPROVEMENTS, PROJECT NO. 2021-05 6d. RESOLUTION RATIFYING THE APPROVAL OF THE PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PLAT FOR NORTH 100 BUSINESS PARK ADDITION AND AUTHORIZING FINAL PLAT RECORDING 6e. RESOLUTION RATIFYING THE APPROVAL OF THE PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PLAT FOR OPPORTUNITY SITE ADDITION AND AUTHORIZING FINAL PLAT RECORDING Motion passed unanimously. 7. PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/DONATIONS 7a. DAUNTE WRIGHT MEMORIAL: INSTALLATION UPDATE City Manager Reggie Edwards introduced the item. In 2021, following the shooting and death of Daunte Wright by a former Brooklyn Center police officer, the City entered into settlement negotiations with the Wright family. There was a trial against the police officer in 2022. A part of the settlement included the creation and installation of a memorial. Dr. Edwards explained the City of Brooklyn Center has been working in collaboration with the Wright family and Juxtaposition Arts on a design for a permanent Daunte Wright Memorial to be located at the northwest corner of the intersection of 63rd Avenue N. and Kathrene Drive. The Daunte Wright Memorial will be located in the City’s right-of-way. 7/24/23 -5- Dr. Edwards noted Juxtaposition Arts is a youth design non-profit. The design was completed by 19 and 20-year-old paid artist apprentices, two of whom were from Brooklyn Center. They met with the Wright family and also visited the temporary memorial. Portraits and symbols from the memorial were integrated into the design process. Dr. Edwards showed a rendering of the memorial. Flowers are integrated into the memorial, intended to represent a living memorial. There is a plaque with information about Duante Wright and the shooting incident. The art of Duante Wright includes an offering area. He also showed an aerial view of the site. Dr. Edwards noted there was a community meeting on July 18, 2023. There were about 25 attendees. There were a number of questions addressed such as the approximate cost of $243,000. The City will maintain the memorial, and there will be a maintenance plan from an art conservator. Caretakers will maintain the planter. Also, the neighborhood impact was addressed. There will be a transition from the current to the permanent memorial to formalize the space. Dr. Edwards stated the materials for the permanent Daunte Wright Memorial have been ordered and the City is preparing for the installation. The installation will begin mid-August, weather permitting, with an estimated four to six-week installation period. Project steps include site grading, installation of footings for granite podiums, placement of pavers and granite podiums, installation of portrait and other art components, site restoration, and planting the bump out. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson noted there is currently graffiti on the nearby stop sign and other areas near the memorial. She asked if that will remain with the permanent memorial. Dr. Edwards stated the City will restore signage, median, fences, and the like in a transitional process to ease into the new memorial. Mayor Graves pointed out that all members of the Council, except for herself, attended the neighborhood meeting. Dr. Edwards added the Council has been and will likely continue to receive questions about the memorial and other outcomes of the settlement. However, Council and staff have received legal counsel to not speak about the settlement at all. Any questions or concerns received by Council and staff can be forwarded to Dr. Edwards. Councilmember Butler moved and Councilmember Kragness seconded to accept the presentation. Motion passed unanimously. 7b. PARK UPDATE Dr. Edwards introduced the item and invited Parks and Recreation Director Cordell Wiseman to continue the staff presentation. 7/24/23 -6- Mr. Wiseman explained there was a large unauthorized event held at Centennial Park on the 4th of July. There were up to 300-400 youths in attendance. This event occurred following similar pop- up events in parks of some neighboring cities that ended up with violence and injuries to some in attendance. Staff, including those from the Parks and Recreation Department, Brooklyn Center Police Department, City Councilmembers, Office of Community Prevention, Health, and Safety, and Community Interveners, collaboratively worked to communicate and disperse the group without incident. Mr. Wiseman stated the purpose of the discussion was to prepare and establish a plan of action to respond to a large unauthorized event. Staff learned the importance of early communication, proactive efforts, and teamwork. In the future, staff will prioritize proactivity. The staff response allowed positive interactions and education with youth. Overall, there weren’t any major issues at the unauthorized event. Mayor Graves stated she was happy with how the incident turned out, especially with the collaboration of various staff. It is also important to follow up with the event planners to help them continue community-promoting efforts while maintaining safety and City regulations. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson noted a priority for her in the budget is to add cameras to the parks. Those who are on camera will behave better, and it could have helped law enforcement determine who shot the gun in the parking lot. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson added she was mistaken about the topic of the presentation. It was her understanding that the presentation would address the repeated issues of large gatherings and noise violations in Northport Park. She thanked Mr. Wiseman for the information and requested an update on the plan to address other issues in the parks. Councilmember Jerzak agreed the outcome of the incident was favorable. He asked if anyone is checking to ensure permits are being pulled and what intel is being gathered to be aware of similar events in the future. Councilmember Jerzak asked why no plan has been implemented for the ongoing issues in Northport Park. The Council has received repeated comments regarding the code violations. The neighborhood near Northport Park is getting very frustrated. He asked what the procedure is to respond to events in the future. Mr. Wiseman stated his outreach team is brand new. The team has been at Northport Park the last couple of Thursdays, which was the night of the week with the most issues reported. They have been able to engage with those at Northport. The issue is now addressing after-hours. The team has gone to other parks in Brooklyn Center, and team members are out every day of the week. The team is still looking to fill some additional positions that will allow the City to better respond to the parks. When there isn’t a permit, then the police are contacted. If the permit is in place but violated, then they will take steps to ensure the organizer cannot get a permit again for some length of time. 7/24/23 -7- Councilmember Jerzak pointed out his constituents have reported issues at Northport Park on Sunday afternoons and evenings. Mr. Wiseman stated they received information about Thursdays at Northport, but they can also schedule a Sunday rotation at Northport. The same evening of the Centennial Park incident there were issues at Lion’s Park. The team is continuing to identify which parks to stop by and when. Councilmember Jerzak asked if Mr. Wiseman is confident that they have the resources, personnel, and procedures required to intervene on issues in the park. Mr. Wiseman stated he has confidence in his staff and their ability. However, he is unsure about the long-term impact because there needs to be better planning and engagement efforts. Councilmember Jerzak asked if the organizers of the Fourth of July events have been contacted and educated. Mr. Wiseman stated he has not followed up with the organizers, but he provided his contact information to them. Dr. Edwards pointed out that the youth who coordinated the Centennial Park event are present. Councilmember Kragness recognized there were a number of people that continue to be extremely involved in the community such as Matt Branch, Laurie Moore, and Joylenna Garcia. Mr. Wiseman agreed Matt Branch has been extremely impactful in supporting youth along with the Parks and Recreation Department. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson noted marijuana will be legal in August. Brooklyn Center doesn’t currently allow tobacco smoking in parks. She asked how marijuana or vaping in the parks will be addressed. Mr. Wiseman stated he has not thought about that, but he will plan a conversation with the Police Chief. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson suggested signage in the parks to ensure the parks are accessible and safe for children. Mr. Wiseman agreed the sign is a good idea, but there should be an enforcement plan in place before any signage. Mayor Graves pointed out there was a long discussion by Council when the decision to outlaw smoking in the parks occurred. The signs likely need to be updated. Mayor Graves requested the young ladies who planned the Centennial Park event come to the podium to speak. Cassie introduced herself as a collegiate basketball player at Minnesota North College. Kiassa stated she is a nursing student at Rasmussen. Tatiana noted she is a pre-law student at LSU. Recreation Director Wiseman explained the event was intended to be a small gathering to celebrate the Fourth of July. They hope to partner with the City to have youth-centric events in the future that abide by City regulations. Mr. Wiseman noted they had planned and hosted events previously, none of which raised any concerns. The goal is to maintain the health and safety of the participants. 7/24/23 -8- Mayor Graves asked if such a large crowd was expected. The ladies confirmed they expected a few hundred people. Mayor Graves stated she is impressed with the ladies’ social reach and leadership skills. She thanked them for their willingness to work alongside the City and its regulations. Matt Branch added the ladies reached out to him and the staff about hosting a back-to-school charity event. Mayor Graves requested more information about community interveners, their planned rotations and schedules, policies and procedures, and the like. The information can be shared with the public as concerns are raised. Mr. Wiseman stated he plans to give a Departmental update in the near future, and the offered to include the requested information in the presentation. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson reiterated the Council has received complaints each of the last four Mondays regarding noise issues each Sunday night. She requested the concern be addressed as quickly as possible. Mr. Wiseman thanked Council for the details. Councilmember Jerzak noted he spent a detailed email to Dr. Edwards asking about how law enforcement and other staff, plan to respond to 911 or other complaints regarding marijuana use. Dr. Edwards stated he would discuss the issue with the staff. Councilmember Jerzak explained he looks forward to the presentation of the information and plans to respond. Councilmember Butler moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to accept the presentation. Motion passed unanimously. 7c. LABOR STUDY - BROOKLYN CENTER POLICE DEPARTMENT Dr. Edwards introduced the item and explained prior to 2020, Staff investigated completing a labor study for the Brooklyn Center Police Department (BCPD). In 2022, the City contracted with the National Police Institute (NPI) for a workload study and an organizational assessment. Brooklyn Center Police Commander Tony Gruenig explained the high-level goals of the analysis were to analyze the police department’s current workload, organizational structure, and resources, use workload data to assess the potential impact of diverting some calls for service and examine the community and internal police department sentiment about policing in Brooklyn Center. Commander Gruenig stated the NPI produced a 90-page report that includes a variety of findings including surveys of Departmental employees, interviews and focus groups with community members, quantitative analyses, and 26 comprehensive recommendations. Only seven recommendations will be covered in the presentation. Colby Dolly, representative of the National Police Institute, summarized the role of NPI. He noted the methodology for Brooklyn Center Police Department’s Labor Study consisted of a mixed 7/24/23 -9- methods approach, using surveys, interviews, and quantitative analyses. NPI representatives then evaluated a variety of factors including calls for service, administrative time, service level, relief factor calculations, and staffing level scenarios. Mr. Dolly explained the quantitative analyses were used to examine the patrol workload. Calls for service were analyzed and coupled with relief factor calculations to determine the optimal number of patrol officers based on workloads and service levels. The methods used by NPI consider the time taken to respond to community-initiated calls for service, the time officers are available, and the service level in calculating the number of officers needed. Mr. Dolly stated the result of the quantitative analyses is a staffing model that provides enough time for a quality response from officers while also providing time for training and wellness. Factors to determine the number of officers needed include community demand, the amount of time allocated for administrative time, the desired service level, and the relief factor. The relief factor is the number of hours officers are available for patrol. Mr. Dolly pointed out there will be a predicted 42,210 calls for service in 2023. The data shows the average time spent on calls by officers is 0.32 hours, which includes drive time and on-scene processing. Administrative time is also needed for post-call processing to collect evidence or write reports. Mr. Dolly added the final consideration for determining staffing needs is the service level desired by the community and policymakers. Service level is defined as the proportion of time officers are available to devote to proactive activities. Proactive policing refers to a police department’s attempts to prevent crime, engage with the community, and enhance public safety rather th an respond to calls. Mr. Dolly noted the amount of available proactive time is important. When officers spend most of their time answering calls for service and completing administrative work, they have little time or capacity to solve problems proactively and engage in community policing. Service level is also important regarding officer health and wellness. High workload levels have an impact on police- community relationships and job performance. Mr. Dolly showed a chart with staffing level scenarios based on the percentage of proactive time. If Brooklyn Center were to aim for 45 percent of the proactive time, then the City would need 6 total officers. 30 percent of proactive time would require 22 officers while 40 percent of proactive time would require 30 officers. Mr. Dolly stated there are 26 key recommendations, but he noted he would only highlight seven of them. First, based on the relief factor calculated for the BCPD, the Department should authorize 12 additional positions and 36 officers for the patrol to ensure the Department employs enough officers who are able to conduct proactive community policing activities and time away for training. Mr. Dolly noted the second recommendation is for the Department to authorize two additional 7/24/23 -10- sergeants in the patrol division to ensure sergeants are able to attend training and proactively supervise officers. Mr. Dolly explained the third recommendation is for BCPD to add an additional detective to lower the workload of all detectives. He showed a chart of nearby cities, their populations, the number of 2021 Group-A offenses, the number of authorized detectives, and the offenses handled per detective. Champlin and Richfield have a similar population to Brooklyn Center, but their offenses per detective are almost half that of Brooklyn Center. Mr. Dolly stated the next recommendation is for the Department to immediately hire individuals to fill the authorized records technician positions and add an additional positive to compensate for the recommended increase of officers. The fifth recommendation is for BCPD to champion and expand the employee wellness program and seek grants to provide additional resources. Mr. Dolly added BCPD should create a comprehensive crime reduction strategy in collaboration with the community and communicate it both internally and externally. Lastly, the Department and the City should initiate programs with the community to foster positive interactions between community members and department employees. Mr. Dolly pointed out that increasing the service level will significantly increase both prevention and community engagement efforts all while reducing stress and burnout. Current community engagement is extremely limited with current staffing levels and current community engagement frequently requires using overtime. More proactive time would routinely allow community engagement during normal shift duties. Commander Greunig added that consistent community engagement would promote a culture of engagement within the Department. Commander Greunig showed a list of past and current community engagement efforts. Current wellness and crime reduction efforts include mandated annual check-ups, a peer support team, visits from mental health professionals, a wellness room, a recruitment and retention team, and weekly crime reduction strategy meetings. Law enforcement also looks forward to the City’s implementation of alternative responses to some calls for service. Councilmember Kragness shared that the third recommendation regarding detectives stood out to her. She pointed out that the cities with the most similar number of offenses, Richfield and Plymouth, have twice as many detectives as Brooklyn Center. Councilmember Jerzak noted the results are not a surprise as the Department has been understaffed for quite some time. Being fully staffed is different than being fully funded. Also, there is difficulty throughout the State to find qualified individuals for the openings. Councilmember Jerzak stated it would be nearly impossible to fit all of the recommendations into the upcoming budget. He hopes the budget addresses the recommendations in a realistic manner and considers a long-term implementation plan of the recommendations for future budgets. The 7/24/23 -11 - Council has the obligation to address and promote public safety. Commander Greunig stated the Commanders brought some proposals regarding retention to the Chief. Those will hopefully be a consideration in the budget request. He noted that Dr. Edwards helped to negotiate some efforts within the Police Department that helped to promote retention. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked how many patrol officers are currently employed by the Police Department. Commander Greunig stated there are currently 20 patrol officers. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson pointed out the recommendation is for 36 patrol officers, which is 16 more than the current level. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson read a quote from the Labor Study document that stated focus groups showed community support for law enforcement. Meanwhile, the surveys of officers showed emotional exhaustion along with feelings of isolation and lack of community support. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson stated first responder wellness should be addressed. There need to be permanent cameras in the parks. Also, mobile units have shown effectiveness, so there should be more mobile units in the budget. All of those efforts are non-lethal and proactive. Brooklyn Center is one of the few jurisdictions in the area without a drone or canine. In lieu of bodies that the City cannot obtain due to budget and lack of qualified parties, there are alternative law enforcement strategies that can be prioritized. She hopes the staffing levels can increase. Councilmember Kragness asked how many officers is the Department supposed to have. Commander Gruenig stated the Department is supposed to have 26 patrol officers. It is obvious the Department is understaffed. She asked how the Labor Study will continue to be used as a resource. Commander Gruenig stated there are other recommendations from the Labor Study that can be implemented. For example, staffing levels could be adjusted to better cover the peak calls for service times. Mr. Dolly confirmed there was a recommendation to stagger the officers on different shifts once there are higher staffing levels. Also, community service officers (CSOs) are a great resource to act as a strategic deterrent. Councilmember Jerzak noted that non-sworn staff are extremely important in supporting law enforcement. The non-sworn staff are also understaffed which may hold back investigations and follow-up. The victims of crime also feel the effects of a lack of administrative support. Commander Gruenig stated they have difficulty staffing community service officers. About six years ago, CSOs were used eight years ago as a deterrent and changed the coloring of the cars to look extremely similar to police cars. Unfortunately, most neighboring cities offer benefits to CSOs. Training CSOs takes a while as well because their role is capped at 28 hours per week. Mayor Graves asked how many CSOs are currently with the department. Commander Gruenig stated he doesn’t have the exact number, but it is around seven or eight. Mayor Graves stated she interacts with CSOs much more often than police officers. They tend to be younger and more 7/24/23 -12- diverse. Plus, they are more likely to be from the City. She stated she hopes the City can do more to support the CSO program. Mayor Graves agreed there is a need for more detectives, and the open patrol positions need to be fulfilled. Current personnel aren’t receiving the training and attention they need. The recruitment and retention team in the Department will be able to make a big difference. Mayor Graves added some non-sworn staff feels like they don’t receive as many training opportunities as sworn staff, and it may be an untapped resource. Mayor Graves noted there was a statistic shared that a large percentage of sworn and non -sworn employees that do not feel heard in decision-making processes by leadership. She stated she wasn’t sure who the leadership was referring to. Nonetheless, it is important for staff to be part of decision- making. Commander Gruenig agreed he would like the non-sworn staff to receive more training, but it is an issue with coverage to send any staff to training. There have been two non-sworn staff that have transitioned to sworn staff, one of whom still works with the Police Department. Mr. Dolly pointed out that “leadership” didn’t have a specific definition assigned to it in the survey. He added that non-sworn staff have a high level of enthusiasm for the work, which is a real asset to the City. Mayor Graves stated there are records staff positions that haven’t been filled. Commander Gruenig explained they are still looking to find a good fit. Each posting only receives a few applications, and the preferred candidate pool would be 30-40 applicants. The position has been filled a couple of times, but the employees left shortly after starting. Councilmember Kragness asked if there is potential to give CSOs a raise to promote retention. Commander Gruenig agreed increasing the pay could be an option, but a human resources study would have to be completed. Brooklyn Park, for example, offers benefits to CSOs, and Brooklyn Center has lost several CSOs to Brooklyn Park. Brooklyn Center could offer additional wages that would be equal to the cost of benefits. Councilmember Kragness asked why they can’t have benefits. Mayor Graves stated the City doesn’t offer benefits to any part-time employees. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson stated she would like to see a cost-benefit analysis comparing a wage increase or offering benefits to CSOs. She asked when there would be a new recruitment video. Commander Gruenig stated there aren’t plans to create a new video. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson pointed out she would like to see a new recruitment video that is approved by the Council, particularly one that shows the soft side of law enforcement. Mayor Graves added it would be a good resource for law enforcement to work with Megan on a recruitment video. 7/24/23 -13- Councilmember Jerzak noted there was a recommendation for two new sergeants. Sergeants are vital in the development of new officers. Plus, it provides opportunities for promotions. Sound leadership is especially important considering that BCPD has a large percentage of newer staff. Commander Gruenig agreed leadership is critical for triaging calls and preventing simple mistakes that can be made by new officers. Mayor Graves stated there is a clear need for a comprehensive plan across City Departments that highlights how various staff and community can work together. Commander Gruenig stated he would relay the vision to the Chief. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked if there will be a similar presentation made to the rest of the Police Department. Commander Gruenig confirmed there would be a presentation. Councilmember Jerzak moved and Councilmember Butler seconded to accept the Labor Study for the Brooklyn Center Police Department. Motion passed unanimously. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. 9. PLANNING COMMISSION ITEMS None. 10. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ITEMS 10a. APPROVAL OF A TRANSPORTATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE (TEDI) GRANT APPLICATION, TO SUPPORT PHASE 1 OF THE OPPORTUNITY SITE Dr. Edwards introduced the item and invited Community Development Director Jesse Anderson to make the Staff presentation. Mr. Anderson explained that the staff is continuing to look at grant opportunities to support the Opportunity Site. The Transportation Economic Development Infrastructure (TEDI) grant program is a joint program between the Minnesota Department of Transportation and the Department of Employment and Economic Development. The program is intended to finance infrastructure that “creates economic development opportunities, jobs, and improve all types of transportation systems.” It is a Statewide grant with about $1.9 million available for the 2023 round. There is no grant maximum and no match requirement. However, the demonstration of additional non-State dollars is viewed positively. 7/24/23 -14- Mr. Anderson added the grant funds are provided as reimbursement for expenditures, and the related project must be completed within three years from the execution of the funding contract. The application deadline is September 22, 2023. Awardees will be announced in December 2023. Mr. Anderson noted funding would help offset the costs of the parkway. The application will not commit the City to additional funds. The requested Resolution of Support is a grant-required affirmation showing the City’s support of Phase I. Councilmember Jerzak moved and Councilmember Butler seconded to approve a resolution authorizing an application for a Department of Employment and Economic Development 2023 “TEDI” grant, to fund public infrastructure for Phase 1 of the Opportunity Site. Motion passed unanimously. 11. COUNCIL REPORT Councilmember Kragness reported on her attendance at the following and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Attended Fire Academy graduation. • Attended Duante Wright community meeting. • Had coffee with a concerned business owner. • Attended employee picnic. • Participated in City Council budget meeting. Mayor Graves reported on his attendance at the following and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Thanked Mayor Pro Tem Butler for representing her at the community meeting. 12. ADJOURNMENT Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded the adjournment of the City Council meeting at 9:07 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.