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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024.12.09 CCM STUDY SESSION12/9/24 -1- DRAFT 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 DECEMBER 9, 2024 CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Study Session called to order by Mayor April Graves at 6:05 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, Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Barb Suciu, and City Attorney Jason Hill. CITY COUNCIL MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS Councilmember Jerzak noted he would like for Consent Agenda Item 6e. Resolution Adopting a City Council Code of Conduct and Ethics be moved to allow for discussion. The previous minutes allude to Mayor Graves’ preference for further discussion as well. Finally, Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson was unavailable to participate in the previous discussion on the topic. Mayor Graves confirmed Consent Agenda Item 6e. Resolution Adopting a City Council Code of Conduct and Ethics would become Council Consideration Item 10b. Resolution Adopting a City Council Code of Conduct and Ethics. Councilmember Jerzak added he would like Consent Agenda Item 6f. 2025 Brooklyn Center Legislative Priorities to be discussed. There was a canceled Council meeting, and there hasn’t been sufficient discussion. There is also an error in the document which requires review. Councilmember Jerzak stated he would like to recognize the brave men and women who handled the dangerous, difficult situation over the weekend. He requested the Council join him in the recognition. Councilmember Butler noted her appreciation of how the incident was handled. Mayor Graves agreed with the comments. Councilmember Jerzak asked for clarification regarding Council Consideration Item 10a. Brooklyn Center Community Safety Violence Prevention Commission. The item states that the staff requested the Council “to enable the resolution,” but no resolution was provided. He asked if a final draft of the resolution was provided to Council. City Manager Reggie Edwards stated the resolution was not included in the packet, but it will be made available to the Council during the presentation. 12/9/24 -2- DRAFT Councilmember Jerzak explained transparency is important. He requested the Council consider pushing back the item to allow for a review of the document and public notice. Dr. Edwards stated a resolution doesn’t have any legal obligation to provide notice, and the documents are available to the public. Councilmember Jerzak asked when the document was made available to the public. Dr. Edwards stated there was an administrative error where the resolution was marked as private when the packet was sent out. It will be provided during the presentation. Councilmember Jerzak pointed out there was previous consensus to refine and discuss the entirety of the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act. Also, there was an administrative error that inhibited the document’s release. Mayor Graves stated she would like the item to remain on the agenda. After the presentation, the Council has the option to table the resolution if they are not comfortable voting on it. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson pointed out she has asked to review the entire document consistently over the past two years. The fifth item in the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock- Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act hasn’t been thoroughly discussed. She stated she would also like to table the item. Mayor Graves stated the presentation may address some of her concerns. Also, there will be time for discussion after the presentation. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson reiterated she has asked to review the entire document consistently over the past two years. The discussion hasn’t taken place, and the sudden request to approve the document at the final meeting of the year is concerning. Mayor Graves noted there has been discussion of an advisory committee long before the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act was passed. Director of Community Prevention, Health and Safety LaToya Turk even presented information that had been provided to the Council years prior by a Brooklyn Center Police Department Commander. Mayor Graves stated she would rather continue the dialogue and receive the presentation rather than tabling it completely. Councilmember Jerzak stated the timing of the item is concerning as it is the final meeting of the year, and the other discussion hasn’t been completed. Mayor Graves noted continuing the conversation is important, but the Council doesn’t need to vote on it after they receive the presentation and discuss it. Councilmember Jerzak pointed out he has been asking to review the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act for a long time. Mayor Graves stated the presentation and subsequent discussion of the resolution regarding the Community Safety and Violence Prevention Commission is part of the Council’s desire to review the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act. 12/9/24 -3- DRAFT It was the consensus of the Council to keep the Council Consideration Item 10a. Brooklyn Center Community Safety Violence Prevention Commission. Mayor Graves stated she needs to assign some Liaison positions and Mayor Pro Tem for 2025. She asked if the Council had any input. Councilmember Kragness stated she would like to remain with the Financial Commission. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson stated she would like to remain with the Housing Commission. Councilmember Jerzak offered to stay on the Hwy 252 Task Force and to return to the Crime Prevention Committee. Mayor Graves added she planned to make Councilmember Kragness Mayor Pro Tem for 2025. Mayor Graves noted she would be out of town for a few days to attend a conference in Los Angeles and to visit her son. Councilmember Butler pointed out Wangstad Commons will be hosting a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Thursday, December 12, 2024. Mayor Graves added the Hmong New Year Celebration will be hosted at the Community Center. However, there is some conflicting information on the details of the event. Assistant City Manager/City Clerk Barb Suciu confirmed she would put the items on the Council calendar. Mayor Graves clarified the Hmong New Year Celebration will be at Brooklyn Park’s Community Center. DISCUSSION ON STUDY SESSION PROCEDURES Dr. Edwards noted the format of the Study Session was created on a trial basis to allow for more organic conversations. There was some input from Staff to request the Study Session be held from 6:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. to allow for a Work Session from 6:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. However, the length of time needed for the Study Session varies. It is challenging to schedule speakers for Work Session topics due to the late hour. Mayor Graves stated she does move to Work Session items if time allows. Overall, she doesn’t feel the Study Session meeting has changed too much. Councilmember Kragness noted she supports the current setup of the Study Session and how Mayor Graves runs the meeting. Councilmember Jerzak agreed with Councilmember Kragness. 12/9/24 -4- DRAFT Councilmember Jerzak pointed out the Engineering Department’s recent project came in under budget. The project is being approved on the Consent Agenda. He thanked Staff for their hard work. It was the consensus of the Council to continue the Study Session format. CITY MANAGER MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS 2025 BUDGET DEBRIEF City Manager Reggie Edwards stated Staff would like to establish a process to debrief after budgeting. They want to ensure the budget discussion’s timeline is appropriate, the priorities of the Council are being met, and for the Council to be prepared to make an informed decision. Councilmember Kragness stated she appreciated the latest format to discuss the budget. However, they could have benefited from an additional meeting. She added that regular presentations from Departments are beneficial. Mayor Graves agreed with Councilmember Kragness. Councilmember Jerzak agreed with Councilmember Kragness’ comments. An additional meeting could have supported more discussion on the levy percentages. Dr. Edwards pointed out Staff is also working to reflect on the budgeting process. Staff also has an interest in an opportunity to reinform Council of updates made based on Council feedback. Mayor Graves stated Council would be interested in the information on the back end of the budget process. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson noted not all of the budget items have been discussed, yet the budget and levy have passed. That cannot happen again. Dr. Edwards stated all budget items have been presented to the Council. The item that hasn’t been presented is regarding utility rates, and it is on the agenda for that meeting. Councilmember Jerzak suggested the timing of Staff’s presentation regarding surprising items could be planned more effectively to elicit a better response from Council. Mayor Graves pointed out the audit was received later than the Council was preferred for the last two years. COMMISSION APPLICATIONS AND PROCESS Dr. Edwards stated engagement was an issue when he started working at Brooklyn Center. However, it is a value of Brooklyn Center to create an inclusive community. The Commissions are an effort to promote inclusivity. Additionally, the Commissions are an opportunity for the Council to receive input from the community. Unfortunately, some of the Commissions have not been meeting quorum and, thus, have not fulfilled those goals. Dr. Edwards pointed out the 12/9/24 -5- DRAFT Commissions have been rather homogenous in the past. They hope to promote engagement, retention, and inclusivity throughout the Commissions. Mayor Graves stated Staff and Council should be marketing Commissions on a regular basis at community events. The work the City has done with Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth could help grow Commissions as well. Councilmember Kragness stated she looked forward to the annual Commissioner luncheon when she served on the Financial Commission. Presentations to the Council by Commissioners would also be beneficial to promote communication between bodies and to empower Commissioners. Mayor Graves agreed the joint Commission meetings are beneficial. However, other community partnerships weren’t invited. Dr. Edwards noted Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson has also expressed interest in joint gatherings. Councilmember Butler stated CAPI, CEAP, Brooklyn Center schools, and other local organizations host events, and the City should be present at said events to promote Commissions and other engagement opportunities. As for vacancies, she asked if it would make sense to combine Commission meetings if there is some similarity. For example, the Housing Commission and Parks and Recreation Commission could share a meeting. Councilmember Jerzak pointed out BrookLynk did a Council “takeover” that the youth enjoyed. Youth in City Government is another opportunity to get young people involved. He asked if the water bills can notify residents of Commission openings. Councilmember Kragness noted she had a conversation with the Mayor during her time at the Financial Commission. It was a thorough discussion to show how serious she was about the role and to share her skills. Mayor Graves stated she and Ms. Suciu have made some phone calls. However, it would be a great way for the Council Liaisons to assist in the process. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson suggested Commission applicants be required or strongly encouraged to attend a meeting of the Commission they want to be a part of. It shows a higher level of commitment and also educates the applicant. Mayor Graves agreed that attendance at a meeting should be strongly encouraged. Mayor Graves added the application itself could be refined to allow applicants to fully express their interest and what they would offer a Commission. The accessibility of the application must also be considered. Ms. Suciu noted the application is on the City website and is available in any language. Mayor Graves requested physical copies of the application in multiple languages be made available to the Council. Councilmember Kragness noted the community is interested in seeing past Commission minutes online, and it would help to inform potential applicants about what the Commission does. 12/9/24 -6- DRAFT Councilmember Jerzak suggested the openings be included on the City’s digital signs. Councilmember Butler pointed out the Parks and Recreation Commission’s minutes are not available online. Mayor Graves asked if there is a time frame that minutes are required to be posted. Ms. Suciu stated the minutes should be posted once they are approved. However, liaisons may not be posting the minutes separately from the agenda once they are approved. Dr. Edwards asked for more ideas to promote engagement, retention, and inclusivity throughout the Commissions. Mayor Graves pointed out that many of the suggestions would address engagement and inclusivity. Mayor Graves suggested Staff could encourage current Commissioners to help with recruitment as part of their meeting agenda. Personal invitations can go a long way. The City isn’t in a position to provide a stipend for attendance. However, providing snacks or beverages is enticing. Councilmember Butler noted gauging the preferences of meeting times of interested applicants. She requested Staff figure out why Commissioners aren’t attending or staying involved. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson stated the appreciation luncheon used to be in April. The gesture is simple but well-received. It is an opportunity for the Council to meet Commissioners. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Graves closed the Study Session at 7:02 p.m.