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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.07.14 CCM STUDY7/14/25 -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 JULY 14 , 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 6:04 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor April Graves and Councilmembers Dan Jerzak, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, and Laurie Ann Moore. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Interim City Clerk Shannon Pettit, and City Attorney Siobhan Tolar. Councilmember Teneshia Kragness was excused. CITY COUNCIL MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS Councilmember Jerzak discussed the unintended consequences of the enlargement of the letters for public safety. He gave an example of the Fire Hall, where letters had to be carved into the building, as well as anything that had to be carved into granite or stone, and how problematic that is. He stated that he would own his role in voting in favor of this in the past, but would like to revisit this issue as a Council and have a complete work session. Councilmember Jerzak asked if there could be a poll done with the Council to stay any enforcement of this issue until the Council can work through it, and either repeal it or modify it. Mayor Graves stated she is open to having that discussion and should not be needlessly strict on everyone being in compliance. Councilmember Moore asked if anyone had the Code of Ordinance, and if the Council could do a stay of revocation in the motion. Mayor Graves stated this issue was about something different. Councilmember Moore confirmed she was talking about the same thing Councilmember Jerzak was discussing, and asked City Manager Reggie Edwards to clarify. Dr. Edwards stated that if there is a consensus of the Council, then no action will be taken by City Staff until it comes back to deliberation with the Council. 7/14/25 -2- Mayor Graves asked if there was an agreement with the Council on not enforcing the ordinance regarding address numbers. All Councilmembers agreed. Mayor Graves said she had an amendment to the regular agenda with a motion to go into closed session before the public hearing. Councilmember Jerzak asked what Mayor Graves is referring to. Mayor Graves stated she would like the Council to go into a closed session so they can discuss the statute with the City Attorney before the public hearing. Mayor Graves moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to add a closed session before the public hearing during the regular session meeting. Councilmember Moore stated that Dr. Edwards had provided some updates in the weekly summary regarding the park permitting and the process, as well as responses from residents when things have not gone as planned within the parks. She asked if this was something that the Council needed to revisit and talk about whether there should be any permits. She also asked for a status update on cameras being put up in the parks. Dr. Edwards said that regarding noise violations and residents not following policies with their permits, he asked that those issues come back to the Council towards the end of the summer to be discussed. This time frame would give City Staff time to see how everything played out for the enforcement of policies, and the response from citizens, as well as provide more information for the Council. Dr. Edwards said he did not think there were any cameras purchased for the parks. The City does have trailers that can be used as a strategy to address some issues, if there is potential for incidents. Dr. Edwards said that when he comes back and reports how the Parks and Recreation Department is addressing some issues in the parks, the camera issue can be addressed then, too. Councilmember Moore said she was out on Saturday evening, and one of the trailers was deployed at Northport Park, and there was no one there. She said she did not know if that was good or bad, but a resident did reach out to her and said the trailer had been deployed on Wednesday. Councilmember Jerzak asked about cameras in the parks and thought that Crime Prevention had provided cameras and brackets a while ago to use and deploy at various places in conjunction with the Police Department. He asked that when Dr. Edwards makes his presentation, the camera issue be addressed and clarified. Councilmember Jerzak got a message from at least one resident who was very happy with the deployment of the camera trail and wanted to acknowledge that. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson made a correction to the minutes; on page two of the regular session, Senator Pha’s name is misspelled. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson also asked about addressing people by title in the minutes versus Mr. and noted that in the previous minutes, Chief Flesland is referred to as Mr. Flesland. She asked if there could be a conversation with Chief Flesland to find out what he would prefer to be addressed as. Her perspective is that if she were reading the minutes for the first time, she may not know who Mr. Flesland is. 7/14/25 -3- Dr. Edwards stated that the minutes are done by a service and can be edited afterwards by City Staff. They want to be consistent with all individuals when referring to titles and will ensure that titles are assigned correctly. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said that is what she thought, and asked City Attorney Siohban Tolar if City Staff approves the minutes with the corrections that are going to be made, or if City Staff does not approve the minutes. Ms. Tolar asked if Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson was referring to approving the minutes with the edits that have been put on the record, in addition to the future edits. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said no. In the minutes, Chief Flesland is referred to as Mr., and they have agreed to be consistent with using titles, so do the minutes with amendments to make those changes, get approved, or do the minutes get rejected? Ms. Tolar said no, the minutes do not get rejected; the minutes get approved with the amendment. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson thanked her for the clarification. Dr. Edwards stated he would like to move the Strategic Planning Update Report to the next meeting, as the Deputy City Manager is out on a personal matter and is presenting on that item. That item will need to be moved to July 28. He asked that the Council move up the work session item on permitted districts for commercial animal establishments from the work session to the study session. Mayor Graves asked if everybody was ok with that. Council agreed. Mayor Graves said she is going camping tomorrow, and Councilmember Kragness is already out of town. With both Mayor Graves and Councilmember Kragness out of town, it would fall to Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson as the most senior Councilmember. Councilmember Moore asked if Mayor Graves and Councilmember Kragness would be out of town for next Monday's meeting. Mayor Graves said she would be back on Sunday, and Councilmember Kragness will be back on Saturday. Councilmember Jerzak asked that when Dr. Edwards presents at the end of the summer about the park's progress, he include a legal opinion on what the City can and cannot do to regulate the size of events. He mentioned that Director Wiseman noted that the Parks and Recreation Department can not force people to use Centennial Park, but was wondering if there are regulations regarding the size of an event, then the City could require citizens to use a certain park with a permit. Mayor Graves said she thought those requirements were already in place, but she does not know if the Council got that information from the Parks and Recreation Department. 7/14/25 -4- CITY MANAGER MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS CITY LIQUOR STORE #2 DISCUSSION Dr. Edwards stated that the Director and Liquor Store Manager were present, and he also communicated with all the Councilmembers collectively that he would like to know if the Council had any interest in reviewing a potential three-year lease for Liquor Store #2. Dr. Edwards stated that the Council had already deliberated on this issue and made a decision to move to a six-month lease, which, by default, led to the eventual closure of Liquor Store #2, and that process had begun. Liquor Store #2 has started to deplete its inventory and make plans to remove the interior components of the store to bring it back to a bare commercial building. Doors to Liquor Store #2 will be closed by August 1, and the transition of Staff will happen at that time. Staff that need to transition are three full-time positions and 12 part-time positions. Dr. Edwards said there was new information regarding the audit that needed to be brought to the Council's attention. The audit demonstrated that the liquor stores did, in fact, generate revenue in 2024. At this point, he is not able to distinguish whether all that revenue came from Liquor Store #1 or #2, but the assessment of the Staff is that there is some portion of the net income in 2024 that would pertain to Liquor Store #2. The audit numbers are not broken down by stores. Dr. Edwards asked if the Council would be open to considering a three-year lease option for Liquor Store #2, based on the new audit information that the Liquor Stores did have a net gain in 2024, along with projections around net gains specifically for Liquor Store #2 over the next few years. If the Council is not interested in revisiting the topic, Liquor Store #2 will move forward with shutting down operations. If the Council is open to considering it, then City Staff will bring back the lease option at the July 28 meeting, and Liquor Store Staff will hold off on closing efforts. Mayor Graves thanked Dr. Edwards for the new information. Councilmember Jerzak stated that in a previous one-on-one meeting with Dr. Edwards, they had an honest conversation about Liquor Store #2, and any Councilmember has to be open and willing to take a look at new financial information. After reading the memorandum provided to the Council and considering the new audit information, he remains steadfast in closing Liquor Store #2 and is not willing to revisit the issue. A number of issues influenced his decision, and publicly, he wanted to say that he thoroughly reviewed all of the information provided and was open to new information regarding the store, but he also did not want to revisit every decision that the Council made. He stated he shared some valuable information with Dr. Edwards in their one-on-one meeting, but he is not willing to litigate decisions that were made or not made, nor is it his intention to embarrass any of the Staff or previous decisions. Mayor Graves asked if any other Councilmembers wanted to weigh in. Councilmember Moore concurred with Councilmember Jerzak’s statement; she also would not support a three-year lease option for Liquor Store #2. She stated that rather than going through all of the reasoning, she was very clear in previous meetings about how she felt. The City still has one Liquor Store open and does not see the added value of having two stores, so debating over the 7/14/25 -5- A/C units and a new roof does not matter to her. She does not see Liquor Store #2 as a valuable asset to the City. The employees who have worked diligently at the store are an asset, but looking at the total impact of keeping that store open for all residents, the Council cannot continue to subsidize the store. Even with projections presented to the Council, the projections do not break down income from last year for Liquor Store #2, and previous projections in presentations were all proposed for this year. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson concurred with Councilmember Jerzak and Councilmember Moore for reasons that she said she has stated before, and is remaining with her decision to close Liquor Store #2. Mayor Graves stated she remains opposed to closing Liquor Store #2. She stated she thinks it is an asset to the City, and having both stores helps offset the cost of inventory, as explained by City Staff in previous presentations. The plan and changes made by City Staff were reflected in their projections and were convincing. Mayor Graves is disappointed that the rest of the Council will not reconsider closing the store. Councilmember Jerzak said he appreciated Mayor Graves' comment, but he would like to ask some questions out loud to help the Council avoid this situation in the future. He stated he thought very hard about this. He was an employee at the City for a long time and knows what it is like to feel like you could lose your job. He has been laid off before, so he understands all those feelings. He would like the Council to consider, at least for discussion, that they have a feasibility analysis. A feasibility analysis is a comprehensive analysis that evaluates the practicality and potential success of a project, examining various factors like technical, financial, market, and operational aspects, and helps to determine if a project is worth pursuing. The reason he brought up the analysis is that he does not want that Department to feel like it was singled out. He wants all of the information to be front and center. He would like this analysis to be used for the Heritage Center and the Golf Course. An incident just happened at the Golf Course where a bridge went out, and there will be costs associated with repairing that, in addition to what the City already subsidized from the budget. The earlier information is presented to the Council, the better. The Council has known for a long time that the lease was ending for Liquor Store #2, and the Council had their differences of opinion on what was a good lease and what was not. He is disappointed in the cost of closing Liquor Store #2 primarily because the Council tipped its intention early on. All of those factors go into tight finances. He asked if there was any interest amongst the other Councilmembers in taking a look at the feasibility analysis of these types of special enterprise funds to help bring the facts to light in the future. Councilmember Moore asked if Councilmember Jerzak was asking a question of the other Councilmembers. Mayor Graves asked if Councilmember Moore had a comment first. Councilmember Moore stated that she agrees with Councilmember Jerzak. Prior to being a Councilmember at the end of last year, the Council received information with projected ideas to increase income at the Heritage Center, and at that time, at least one Councilmember talked about being a landlord. There was also a vibrant discussion regarding the Golf Course and what the 7/14/25 -6- future may hold for that special revenue fund. She is in agreement that a feasibility analysis is long overdue. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said she has no other comments. Mayor Graves asked if that was in response to Councilmember Jerzak’s question. Councilmember Jerzak asked Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson if she would be interested in the Council conducting a feasibility analysis. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson responded yes. Mayor Graves stated that it is the Council's consensus to conduct a feasibility analysis. Dr. Edwards stated that at some point, the City will be doing feasibility studies, and they do take time and money, but the City will be doing them. STRATEGIC PLANNING UPDATE AND REPORTING This item has been moved to the meeting on July 28. PERMITTED DISTRICTS FOR COMMERCIAL ANIMAL ESTABLISHMENTS This item has been moved from the Work Session to the Study Session. Dr. Edwards introduced Associate City Planner Krystin Eldridge, who will be presenting on this issue. Dr. Edwards explained that this item came before the Council in an Open Forum where a comment was made that pertained to humane pet stores, and other Cities had adopted ordinances that ensured pet stores were not purchasing animals from industrialized facilities. The Council had also discussed whether or not pet stores were permitted within the City, so Dr. Edwards had asked City Staff to look into that and present their findings to the Council. Associate City Planner Krystin Eldridge stated that in 2017, Roseville passed a ban on the sale of dogs and cats after HarMar Pet Store closed following years of complaints of animal neglect and abuse. Many Cities have passed similar ordinances since, including Coon Rapids, Columbia Heights, Maple Grove, Shoreview, and Blaine. In 2024, animal advocates approached the legislature to propose a bill that would prohibit the sale of dogs and cats from commercial breeders; however, pet stores may engage with animal shelters, rescues, and other organizations to rehome animals. The bill language stated pet stores already operating for at least one year, and have the same ownership can continue the sale of cats and dogs but any animal offered or sold must be obtained by a USDA licensed or state licensed facility and the license number must be disclosed, and all advertisements must disclose the breeder's state or USDA license number. The bill proposed that local units of government may enforce stricter guidelines via ordinance regarding the transfer of ownership of animals or the prohibition of selling or offering animals for sale by a pet dealer or other entity. The bill ultimately did not pass the legislative session. 7/14/25 -7- Ms. Eldridge continued that Megan Helling of The Humane Society has presented stories from other families regarding the inhumane practices of pet store acquisition and asserts that pet stores do not consider animal welfare when purchasing or selling dogs. Dogs are not walked, touched, or offered any physical wellness checks within this system. The Humane Society Fact Sheet criticizes USDA Oversight as a broken system with weak enforcement, without the ability to ensure the overall health of the animals. It is a widely accepted practice of the pet store industry to accept animals from puppy mills or to operate as commercial breeding facilities themselves. There has not been a commitment to prevent animal cruelty or ensure the health and welfare of the animals before being placed in new homes. Even if pet stores offer extensive paperwork from reputable pet organizations, there are still instances of neglect reported, as well as health issues and even death for the animals after being adopted. The Humane Society is engaging with the Cities to help tackle this issue. Ms. Eldridge noted that under the Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), Chapter 35 Zoning regulates Commercial Animal Establishments (formerly kennels) and animal hospitals. The Commercial Animal establishment definition was broadened under the new zoning code to include "Commercial Animal Establishment (formerly kennels). Any business that raises, breeds, sells, boards, distributes, or exhibits animals for either entertainment or education purposes, including but not limited to: kennels, aquariums, pet shops, petting zoos, riding schools or stables, zoological parks, or performing animal exhibitions." Commercial Animal Establishments are permitted in Commercial (C), Business Mixed-Use (MX-B), and Industrial districts (I). Permitted means it does not require City Council approval, and no public review is necessary. Animal hospitals are permitted in every non-residential district except the I district. Some of the City's PUD District properties, like Shingle Creek Crossing, may allow for pet stores and animal hospitals in the underlying C2 District. An example would be that animal hospitals are a special use, and the retail sale of pets is a permitted use. The ability to place standards on the operation through licensing would allow for additional oversight. Ms. Eldridge showed the Council a zoning map of the City and highlighted the light purple and the dark purple shaded areas of the map, as those are areas where commercial kennel establishments are permitted without City review. A small portion of the City that is zoned Commercial (C) is a leftover District from previous zoning that would also allow commercial kennels. The rest of the districts that are not residential would allow animal hospitals. Ms. Eldridge continued that commercial animal establishments are currently allowed in the MX-B, I, and C Districts of the City. She asked if there are any zoning districts that the Council would like City Staff to review and change, or include or restrict use. Ms. Eldridge asked if the Council had any interest in City Staff pursuing an amendment to the City Code of Ordinances that would require the humane sourcing of animals for pet stores/commercial animal establishments. City Staff conducted a review of the City's Code of Ordinances and believes any language would best be located in Chapter 1 (Animals), as it already contains municipal licensing requirements for commercial kennels and standards for commercial kennels. 7/14/25 -8- Mayor Graves thanked Ms. Eldridge for her presentation and research on the topic. She noted that currently, Brooklyn Center does not have a pet store in the City, but she would be most interested in City Staff pursuing an amendment to the code that would require Humane sourcing of animals. She asked other Councilmembers for opinions or comments. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson concurred with Mayor Graves. No one else wished to comment, and Mayor Graves thanked Ms. Eldridge again for her presentation. Mayor Graves said the only other item under Study Session was a quick discussion around Dr. Edwards’ schedule. Dr. Edwards explained that the schedule presented to the Council is in the annual schedule for performance. There have been some slight modifications to the schedule. On July 28, the Council had agreed to Dr. Edwards' Mid-Year review at that time. At this meeting, the Council will be provided with an evaluation of Dr. Edwards' work, which he has completed for himself. Council will also provide their own individual comments or thoughts on Dr. Edwards' Mid-Year review, to Common Sense, and those comments will be compiled by Common Sense. Common Sense would have a conversation with the Council on the message that would be conveyed to Dr. Edwards on August 18 during the scheduled Mid-Year Review. The August 18 date has been newly added to the schedule, and Dr. Edwards asked if the Council is amenable to that date to have a conversation about his Mid-Year review. The rest of the schedule the Council has already seen, and it takes the Council through the balance of the year, going into a final review and goal setting for 2026. Mayor Graves thanked Dr. Edwards. Councilmember Moore asked about Council feedback regarding Dr. Edwards' appointment being due by July 23. She noted that it is only a week away. Councilmember Moore asked if that would be sent by Common Sense and if that date can be adjusted. Dr. Edwards clarified that the July 23 date is a check-in on the Council's thoughts, and between now and July 23, the Council will have provided their individual feedback on Dr. Edwards' Mid- Year review to Common Sense. Common Sense would come to the July 28 meeting with the summary of the Council's feedback and Dr. Edwards' own performance feedback. The Council could deliberate on that feedback at that time. Councilmember Moore asked if the timeline is still the same, and is due a week from today. Dr. Edwards responded that the timeline can be moved, but that is up to the Council. Mayor Graves asked if Councilmember Moore needed more time. Councilmember Moore asked if Dr. Edwards was doing his performance feedback on the 15th. Dr. Edwards said that is correct, and the Council will have Dr. Edwards' own performance review by then. Councilmember Moore asked if Common Sense is sending the Council a form to fill out, and the Council does not have that form yet, as it is currently July 14. Dr. Edwards confirmed that is correct. Councilmember Moore reiterated that if Common Sense gets the form to the Council in a timely fashion, then there 7/14/25 -9- still has to be a week turnaround time on that feedback, and a discussion is still scheduled on that feedback on July 28. Dr. Edwards confirmed that all of that information and the timeline is correct. Councilmember Moore said she would see what she could do then, and she is clear on the dates and requirements. She thanked Dr. Edwards. Mayor Graves stated August 18 does not work for her, as she will be out of town to give a presentation for her public health work. Dr. Edwards said that if the Council is open to it, he could send a few different option dates to the Council via email with the City Clerk, and it can be scheduled that way. Mayor Graves said she will be out August 18-22. Councilmember Jerzak said he is flexible and will accommodate her schedule. Councilmember Moore asked if the meeting on August 18 should be a separate date from a regularly scheduled Council meeting, since this is not a regularly scheduled Council date. She asked if it could be scheduled for August 11 or August 25. Mayor Graves suggested meeting earlier on August 25 and utilizing the Study Session. Councilmember Jerzak asked if they could meet at five o'clock on the 25th. Mayor Graves said 5:30 would work better. Mayor Graves said that is a strong suggestion, and hopefully that date works for Councilmember Kragness. Councilmember Jerzak stated it is important that Dr. Edwards gets this feedback on a timely basis. He stated that the Council should do its best to accommodate Dr. Edwards's request out of fairness. Mayor Graves agreed with that statement and asked the Council for any other discussion or questions. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Graves adjourned the Study Session at 6:44 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.