Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.05.05 CCM STUDY5/5/25 -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 STUDY SESSION MAY 5, 2025 CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Study Session called to order by Mayor April Graves at 6:00 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor April Graves and Councilmembers Kris Lawrence-Anderson, Dan Jerzak, Teneshia Kragness, and Laurie Ann Moore. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards and City Attorney Siobhan Tolar. COUNCIL MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS CLOSED SESSION - PURSUANT TO M.S. 13D, SUBD. 3.C.3. Mayor Graves moved, and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to open the Closed Session. Motion passed unanimously. Councilmember Kragness moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to adjourn the Closed Session. Motion passed unanimously. RESOLUTION NO. 2024-138 AMENDMENT - COMMUNITY SAFETY AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION COMMISSION Councilmember Moore moved to move the item to the Regular Session for a vote. Mayor Graves asked if they should have a conversation about the item first. Councilmember Moore stated that the Council has had many conversations about the item, and she has made a motion to move the item. Mayor Graves asked if other Councilmembers would like to discuss the item. Councilmember Jerzak noted he would like to ensure all Councilmembers have reviewed the 5/5/25 -2- amendments. In his opinion, the edits are acceptable. Councilmember Kragness noted her agreement. Councilmember Moore confirmed she has reviewed the document. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson suggested that the wording “advise and assist” on page five be changed. She explained she would prefer wording such as “review and recommend.” Councilmember Moore agreed with Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson. Councilmember Kragness commended the Council for their progress and compromises throughout the review process. Councilmember Jerzak asked for Mayor Graves’ input. Mayor Graves stated she has supported the Commission since the beginning. Councilmember Jerzak seconded to move the item to the Regular Session for a vote. Motion passed unanimously. Mayor Graves stated that Study Session Item Resolution No. 2024-138 Amendment – Community Safety and Violence Prevention Commission would become Regular Session Council Consideration Item 10a. Resolution No. 2024-138 Amendment – Community Safety and Violence Prevention Commission. CODE OF CONDUCT RESOLUTION 2024-128 Mayor Graves noted her appreciation of the article in the packet. Dr. Edwards offered to share Staff’s insights from the articles. On the whole, the Council has supported a Code of Conduct, should the language be agreed upon. The staff has reviewed the Code of Conduct documents from Edina, St. Louis Park, Rochester, and the Minnesota League of Cities. Resolution 2024-128 previously failed. All sample documents reference prohibited conduct. Only one document included accountability measures, similar to Resolution 2024-128. Dr. Edwards pointed out Councilmembers have had questions about the definitions of certain accountability measures. There is a desire for accountability measures to match the misconduct. Some general terms in the policy can be cleaned up such as “may” versus “shall”. Another suggestion is to rename the policy to be “Code of Respect” to highlight the desired outcome of the policy. The goal is to shape the standard of respect rather than emphasizing penalties. Mayor Graves noted her support of the idea. A “Code of Respect” would be a great opportunity to present examples of respectful behaviors to Councilmembers. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson explained she has been a volunteer or elected official since 5/5/25 -3- the 1990s, and she hasn’t had any ethical issues. She doesn’t have an issue with rules being implemented, but she doesn’t want it to be weaponized. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson expressed her support of a coaching document. She stated she would like examples of what would constitute censuring. Mayor Graves stated if someone unknowingly states a microaggression, the best way to move forward would be a conversation and education. If someone refuses to take the feedback and continues the disrespectful conduct, then it would be time to move up the accountability scale. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson reiterated she agrees to be held to a higher standard than members of the public. Councilmember Moore reminded the Council that the proposed resolution is for volunteers, Staff, Commissioners, contracted folks, and the like. There have been inappropriate comments on social media by folks representing the City. Mayor Graves pointed out that the discussion about a Code of Conduct originated from the misconduct of Commissioners. Councilmember Moore confirmed she was aware of its origins. Councilmember Moore stated there is a Council Code of Conduct within the Council Policy and Procedures. It has been a priority of Councilmembers to review and understand the Council’s Policy and Procedures. She asked if the conduct language would remain in the Council Policy and Procedures documents. Dr. Edwards noted Staff reviewed multiple City documents for overlap. Some repetition has been intentional. City Attorney Siobhan Tolar confirmed there was a side-by-side review of Council Processes and Procedures and the proposed Code of Conduct. The Processes and Procedures dictate how meetings should be operated while the Code of Conduct explains why the Council and other City representatives should conduct themselves at a high level. There was also a Charter review as part of the process. The Council can direct Staff to add cross-references in the documents if they so choose. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson stated she would like cross-references in the documents. Councilmember Jerzak encouraged his fellow Councilmembers to look at the Code of Conduct as an opportunity and to continue handling discussions with respect. He had edits to provide to Dr. Edwards and suggested other Councilmembers submit any edits to Staff as well. Submitting edits to one source can be a collaborative effort. Also, the discussion may warrant a planned discussion. Mayor Graves requested for the Commission Code of Conduct to be discussed at a future meeting. Councilmember Jerzak stated he would like the Committees to be added to the Code of Conduct can come back as a separate item. Councilmember Moore asked if the feedback would be regarding Resolution 2024-128. 5/5/25 -4- Councilmember Jerzak explained his edits and suggestions have been submitted to Dr. Edwards. Dr. Edwards has offered to return an edited version to the Council. Councilmember Moore asked if only the Brooklyn Park Code of Conduct was reviewed before the Brooklyn Center was drafted and presented to the Council. Mayor Graves stated many cities’ Code of Conduct documents were reviewed before the initial draft was prepared. Dr. Edwards confirmed Staff would implement the suggested edits to the Council Code of Conduct and draft a similar document for Commissions. Ms. Tolar asked what dealbreakers the Council has regarding what should or should not be included in the Code of Conduct. Ms. Tolar added a censure is the most serious accountability action and requires Council review. Brooklyn Center may not have a censure level of misconduct to provide as an example. Mayor Graves suggested a restorative or reparative track for accountability be included in the document. She added that more details and examples be included in the Code of Conduct to determine when a different level of accountability should be implemented. Councilmember Kragness pointed out that the softening of the language and collaboration has decreased the punitive feel of the document. Nonetheless, the document needs to have accountability measures. A restorative or reparative track could be beneficial. Ultimately, if there are no teeth to enforce the document, then there isn’t a point. Mayor Graves stated the Commission’s version of the document should mirror the Council’s version as closely as possible. Councilmember Jerzak stated the decorum document hasn’t been voted on. It may be beneficial to include a review of the decorum document as part of the Code of Conduct review process. Mayor Graves stated Rochester has Guidelines for Addressing the Council which could be an improved style in comparison to Brooklyn Cetner’s decorum document. Their existing document is heavy-handed and doesn’t allow for a human aspect. If it is okay for folks to express positive emotions through clapping, then they should be able to express negative emotions as well as long as order is maintained. Councilmember Moore stated she would agree with Mayor Graves’ suggestion to allow a more human component. However, the standards have been applied inconsistently to different groups of people. In her experience as a Councilmember and community member, she has seen the inconsistencies. Mayor Graves explained she tends to ignore brief comments or applause. If an action is becoming a disturbance to the meeting, then she will make a comment on it. It depends if addressing a situation takes longer than the act itself. Brooklyn Center has maintained proper decorum despite 5/5/25 -5- impassioned commentary. It is unreasonable to expect a presiding officer to ensure every attendee follows every guideline. Councilmember Kragness pointed out that individuals have freedom of speech, and the Council cannot inhibit that right. She added Mayor Graves and herself have done a commendable job as presiding officers in recent months. Councilmember Jerzak noted Mayor Graves previously mentioned that letting a commenter speak a bit longer may have a larger impact on the commenter than what the rest of the attendees may understand. Also, Mayor Graves has stated that she considers if something needs to be said in general or at that exact moment. His approach would be less punitive and heavy-handed, and he looks forward to a softer approach. It was the consensus of the Council to move forward with softer language, to send suggested edits to Council, and for Staff to draft a new document with the edits. Dr. Edwards confirmed Staff will work on drafts, and they will have the changes prepared to present before the last May 2025 meeting. Councilmember Moore noted the document needs to be boiled down to the purpose of the meeting and the role of the presiding officer to ensure the purpose of the meeting is being fulfilled. BUDGET SCHEDULE Mayor Graves stated this item would need to be addressed at another time to allow for Informal Open Forum. CITY MANAGER MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS Dr. Edwards asked if Council would like to remove Work Session Item 1a. Community Safety and Violence Prevention Commission because the item will be addressed during the Regular Session. Mayor Graves confirmed the Council won’t need to discuss the Community Safety and Violence Prevention Commission during the Work Session. Dr. Edwards noted there is an Economic Development Authority (EDA) item that was addressed during the Closed Session. In light of that, he requested that EDA Item 4b. regarding the purchase of 5951 Earle Brown Drive, the former Brown College site, be removed from the EDA agenda. Mayor Graves confirmed that EDA Item 4b. could be removed from the EDA agenda. Dr. Edwards added Staff worked to update the emergency procedures, and it would be presented to the Council for review at a later date. He thanked Staff for their work on the item. Councilmember Jerzak pointed out he had an edit for the minutes. It lists that he testified at the Capitol, but it was actually Councilmember Kragness. 5/5/25 -6- Councilmember Kragness added that she attended the grand opening for Pollo Campero, but it was not mentioned in the Council Reports of the previous meeting. Councilmember Jerzak noted he also attended the grand opening for Pollo Campero and attended a Crime Prevention Meeting. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Graves adjourned the Study Session at 6:58 p.m.