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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.01.27 CCM REGULAR1/27/25 -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 REGULAR SESSION JANUARY 27, 2025 CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS 1. INFORMAL OPEN FORUM WITH CITY COUNCIL The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Informal Open Forum called to order by Mayor April Graves at 7:05 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Mayor April Graves and Councilmembers Dan Jerzak, Teneshia Kragness, and Laurie Ann Moore. Councilmember Kris Lawrence-Anderson was absent and excused. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Community Development Director Jesse Anderson, Economic Development Manager Ian Alexander, City Clerk Barb Suciu, Deputy Clerk Shannon Pettit, and City Attorney Siobhan Tolar. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 4. INFORMAL OPEN FORUM Mayor April Graves opened the meeting for the purpose of Informal Open Forum and reviewed the decorum document. Jovita M. introduced herself as the founder of the Minnesota Immigrant Movement, a Statewide grassroots organization. She explained members of the Latinx community in Brooklyn Center and surrounding areas are concerned because their children are afraid to attend school due to immigration concerns. Jovita M. explained she hopes to partner with the City to educate folks on their rights. She suggested a media campaign be initiated, an ordinance be issued regarding immigrant rights, and that the Council coordinate with the schools. Mayor Graves confirmed Staff has already been coordinating with local schools. Dena S. noted she is appearing on behalf of her neighbors who are living in fear. She loves living in Brooklyn Center because of the diversity. She noted her appreciation of Jovita’s comments and encouraged the City to do more to support immigrants. 1/27/25 -2- Jose R. introduced himself as a resident, husband, father, and pastor. He requested information be made more accessible to the immigrant community, specifically regarding immigrant rights. Mayor Graves asked when the statement from the City would be completed. Dr. Edwards stated Staff would complete the memo within the week. Melissa R. noted she is married to Jose R. She stated Brooklyn Center has a beautiful, diverse community, and no one should be living in fear. Brooklyn Center needs to be supportive of all members of its community. Mayor Graves agreed there is a lot of misinformation out there. Brooklyn Center will be releasing a statement soon. Nahid K. expressed her frustration with the Council’s recent repeal of the Council’s Code of Conduct. More than one year of work went into its development. The City’s leaders need to set a good example for all. Mercy is an important part of the conduct as well. Mayor Graves stated the commenter’s timeline is complete. Gretchen E. stated it was frustrating that the new Deputy City Manager was present at the previous City Council meeting but wasn’t introduced publicly. She thanked staff for compiling the minutes related to the Daunte Wright and Kobe Dimock-Heisler Community Safety and Violence Prevention Act. There are supposed to be quarterly reviews scheduled for expanded response and that hasn’t been happening. Mayor Graves pointed out the item is on the list for future work sessions. Gretchen E. pointed out there is a policy on Council travel related to continental US travel but nothing on international travel. Mayor Graves confirmed she is aware of the policy. Kevin S. stated it is concerning for two members of the Council to be out of the country at the same time. Julie B. noted her disappointment that travel, and professional development funds are not being used to support Councilmember Kragness’ opportunity to attend a conference in Manchester, UK. Safety is a growing concern in the community. It is disheartening that the council isn’t taking every opportunity to grow and learn. She reminded the Council that people pay attention to the individual votes of Councilmembers. Julie B. stated she has been interrupted multiple times during public comment periods due to allegations of personal attacks. Another person commented after her and directly named community members without interruption. She asked for the City Attorney to define what a personal attack is. The podium should be an opportunity to hold Councilmembers accountable, particularly if the Council itself is speaking negatively of other community members. Mayor Graves asked for City Attorney Siobhan Tolar to define “personal attack” for them. Councilmember Moore pointed out Informal Open Forum is not allowed to include responses. 1/27/25 -3- Mayor Graves stated the request is for clarification purposes. Both the public and the Council could benefit from hearing from the City Attorney. Councilmember Moore stated all commenters need to be treated the same. City Attorney Siobhan Tolar stated she would prefer to review the policies before answering because there are implications related to the First Amendment. Mayor Graves moved and Councilmember Moore seconded to close the Informal Open Forum at 7:21 p.m. City Clerk Barb Suciu noted another hand was raised online while Julie B. had been speaking. Mayor Graves stated Informal Open Forum was already over its allotted time. Motion passed unanimously. 5. INVOCATION Councilmember Kragness shared a message from her devotional about folks loving one another for who they are. She read a prayer about God’s presence and asking God to help people live like a city on a hill. 6. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Mayor Graves noted she forgot to add an item regarding Commission appointments during the Study Session. City Clerk Barb Suciu confirmed it could still be added as a Council Consideration Item. Councilmember Kragness moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda, as amended with Consent Agenda Item 6d. Resolution Supporting the Pursuit of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Redevelopment Grant Program Funding for the Acquisition of the Brown College Site at 5951 Earle Brown Drive becoming Council Consideration Item 10a. Resolution Supporting the Pursuit of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Redevelopment Grant Program Funding for the Acquisition of the Brown College Site at 5951 Earle Brown Drive and adding Council Consideration Item 10b. Commission Appointments to the agenda, and the following consent items were approved: 6a. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. January 13, 2025 – Study Session 2. January 13, 2025 – Regular Session 3. January 13, 2025 – Work Session 6b. 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RESOLUTION NO. 2025-020; ACCEPTING ADDITIONAL GRANT FUNDING FOR A FIFTH INTENSIVE COMPREHENSIVE PEACE OFFICER EDUCATION & TRAINING (ICPOET) POSITION 6d. RESOLUTION NO. 2025-021; SUPPORTING THE PURSUIT OF MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REDEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM FUNDING FOR THE ACQUISITION OF THE BROWN COLLEGE SITE AT 5951 EARLE BROWN DRIVE Motion passed unanimously. 7. PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/DONATIONS None. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS None. 9. PLANNING COMMISSION ITEMS None. 10. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ITEMS 10a. RESOLUTION NO. 2025-021; SUPPORTING THE PURSUIT OF MINNESOTA DEPARTMENT OF EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REDEVELOPMENT GRANT PROGRAM FUNDING FOR THE ACQUISITION OF THE BROWN COLLEGE SITE AT 5951 EARLE BROWN DRIVE 1/27/25 -6- Mayor Graves pointed out Councilmember Jerzak requested this item be moved from the Consent Agenda to the Council Consideration Items. Councilmember Jerzak noted he was surprised a grant request for such an amount was placed on the Consent Agenda considering the Council has been asking to review the Grant Policy. The grant includes a matching component and requires costs for the City such as demolition. Brooklyn Center already has 80 acres, and they have had a bad experience with Target. Numerous open sites have yet to be put to use. Councilmember Jerzak added the site is assessed at $2.3 million, which is a heavy lift. If an outside party purchases the site, then the City will get back $40,000 for the work they have put into it. He was open to listen to a presentation from Staff, but he is hesitant to support the item. City Manager Dr. Edwards explained it is the norm for grants to go on the Consent Agenda. The Council would need to approve the grant before it could be accepted. The item is purely for application. Economic Development Manager Ian Alexander stated he has inherited a difficult job. The City has put together a lot of developments without the proper infrastructure and some decisions have limited the power of the Council regarding development. A challenge of the Opportunity Site is the lack of infrastructure. Mr. Alexander explained the initial idea was to reach out to the original owner of 5951 Earle Brown Drive for more information. The owner had paid off the mortgage on the property then allowed it to go into forfeiture. Staff approached Hennepin County with a request to raise the right amount of money to purchase the site. His goal is to write down the cost of the property. Three affordable housing groups, one self-storage group, and one banquet hall group have shown interest in the site. Mr. Alexander noted the site is 6.46 acres adjacent to the Target site of 9.1 acres. The sites comprise the entire corner of the Opportunity Site. It is centrally located and has access to utilities. The City should steer redevelopment of the site in question to optimize the income-producing potential and tax base of the area. A goal of economic development is to increase the tax base. An affordable housing use would not grow the tax base and increase the burden on City services. Mr. Alexander stated the grant would offset the City’s financial burden and could cover up to 50 percent of the tax-assessed value of the property. Other grants are being sought out to cover more of the expense. Staff is confident the requirements of the grant would be met in the allotted time. If not, then the grant can be returned. Mr. Alexander added he wasn’t present when the city decided to purchase the Target site. The fact that the City purchased the Target site shows its effort to turn a bad situation into a slightly better one. Holding additional land isn’t a strategy in and of itself. The strategy is the Opportunity Site as a whole. 1/27/25 -7- Councilmember Jerzak pointed out he is familiar with the Grant Policy as he helped to write it. He asked why Council didn’t receive have an opportunity to discuss the grant in advance. Dr. Edwards stated Staff utilized the same process as other grant applications would require. Councilmember Moore asked if the property was available to be acquired when the Target site was acquired. Mr. Alexander stated he is unsure. Councilmember Jerzak stated the acquisition of the Target site was done in good faith, but it didn’t work out well. The fire didn’t help the situation either. He explained he is prioritizing practical opportunities. The City needs to do something with what they have first. Councilmember Moore asked if the proposed site could have been included in the Target site acquisition. Community Development Director Jesse Anderson noted he believes the college was still operating when the Target site was acquired. Nonetheless, both sites are part of the 80-acre Opportunity Site. The plan was to use the proceeds from the sale to acquire additional land to the north. Councilmember Moore noted her agreement with Councilmember Jerzak. The best-laid plans continue to lay dormant across the City. The grant application does not benefit the City. Dr. Edwards asked what would happen if the grant was not acquired and what other efforts are being made to cover the costs. Mr. Alexander stated the intention is to find additional matching opportunities. If the grant isn’t received, then the site would likely go to tax forfeiture and be purchased for private development. Dr. Edwards explained Staff is attempting to obtain money to benefit the taxpayers rather than asking taxpayers to fund a project. The residents are not on the hook for the matching grant should it be accepted. Mayor Graves stated she wants Staff to pursue grants and build economic capacity in Brooklyn Center. The item is merely for an application. Mr. Alexander confirmed the item is only for an application, and they may not receive the grant. He noted his understanding of the concerns. Brooklyn Center is a great City, but its people are overly taxed due to the lack of a tax base and features to attract outside money. Staff is working on a project for the Target site that would overlap with the college site. If it were to work out, then the project would be a massive asset for the City. Mr. Alexander requested the application be approved because the Council would still need to accept the grant. He offered to meet individually with Councilmembers to further discuss the plans. Brooklyn Center needs to be more intentional with its grant-seeking efforts. The Council has inherited a difficult position regarding development. Their department is determined to build the tax base. Mr. Alexander added he would be hesitant to move forward with the grant if he were in the 1/27/25 -8- Council’s position, and it is his responsibility to better communicate with the Council. Councilmember Moore pointed out the grant requires a 50 percent match. She asked if the requirement would put taxpayers on the hook for the funds. Dr. Edwards stated if they were unable to find grants or other money to match the grant in question, then the funds would be returned. Mr. Alexander noted other funding sources haven’t been utilized, which would require additional conversation. Dr. Edwards stated the General Fund would not go toward this site’s acquisition. Councilmember Kragness agreed the location is strategic and complementary to the Target site. She stated she would like to see a realistic plan from Staff on how the 50 percent match will be sought out. She added Staff are the experts on the matter, so she trusts their input. There is no harm in seeking out free money. Mr. Alexander requested the application be approved. In the interim, he could present a more detailed plan. There are very few funding options in existence. The plans are moving Brooklyn Center in a positive direction. Mayor Graves added Planning Commissioners are feeling excited about the direction of development in Brooklyn Center. Councilmember Kragness reiterated she isn’t opposed to applying for the grant, but there needs to be a plan in place. Dr. Edwards confirmed Staff would put together a detailed plan. Councilmember Jerzak explained the Opportunity Site plans originally relied on a developer to provide the infrastructure. The Council wrote down the land to $1 and threw in $10 million, and the infrastructure still couldn’t be completed. Councilmember Jerzak noted his understanding of the intention of the application. The Council has only been told of vague projects such as a sports facility, but they need more details of potential projects to support Staff’s efforts. The constituents are not supportive of the City owning more vacant land. Councilmember Jerzak noted his appreciation of growing Brooklyn Center’s tax base. However, the project wouldn’t see taxes for 15 or more years. Mr. Alexander pointed out Tax Increment Funding (TIF) would follow a longer timeline such as 15 years, but they do not plan on using TIF. Councilmember Jerzak stated the Council doesn’t have that information. Mr. Alexander stated he would like to present more details to Staff. Mayor Graves stated she doesn’t want the City to acquire more empty land. However, she does want Staff to be ambitious in building the tax base. She expressed her support of the application, but she would not support a 50 percent match from taxpayer money. 1/27/25 -9- Councilmember Moore asked if the resolution is just for an application. Dr. Edwards confirmed if the item is approved, then Staff will only apply for the grant. Should the City receive the grant, then the Council would need to accept the grant. Staff would have a plan for the additional matching funds at that time. Mr. A lexander added there would need to be a grant agreement approved by Council after an acceptance. Councilmember Jerzak stated the department deserves a chance to seek out the funds. He doesn’t like surprises, and he needs to be more fully informed to make decisions on behalf of taxpayers. He is open to the application, but he will be watching the process carefully. Mayor Graves moved and Councilmember Kragness seconded to adopt RESOLUTION 2025-021, a Resolution Supporting the Pursuit of Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development Redevelopment Grant Program Funding for the Acquisition of the Brown College Site at 5951 Earle Brown Drive for Redevelopment. Motion passed unanimously. 10b. COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS Mayor Graves stated the Councilmembers should have received an email from Ms. Suciu with the applications. It is important to appoint more Planning Commissioners for them to reach a quorum. She asked if other Commissions have openings. Ms. Suciu stated there would still be one vacancy on the Planning Commission, two or three on the Housing Commission, one on the Financial Commission, and two on the Cultural Arts Commission should the appointments be approved. Councilmember Jerzak stated there is a vacancy on the Charter Commission as well. Ms. Suciu stated there are one or two vacancies on the Charter Commission, but it is a different appointment process. More information is available online. Councilmember Moore pointed out she only received the applications a few hours before the City Council meeting. She requested information be provided to the Council with more notice. On the whole, she is supportive of anyone interested in volunteering to serve Brooklyn Center. Ms. Suciu stated she sent out the applications out as soon as she receives them. Two applications for the Planning Commission were received over the weekend. Because of the Thursday Planning Commission meeting, they are being considered on a quicker timeline. Councilmember Kragness asked if the two Planning Commission appointees are aware of the meeting on Thursday. Ms. Suciu explained the Planning Commission recommendations are re- appointments. They reapplied after urgency was expressed to them. 1/27/25 -10- Councilmember Moore moved Councilmember Kragness seconded to appoint the recommended candidates to their respective Commissions. The motion passed unanimously. Mayor Graves reiterated there is still one vacancy on the Planning Commission, two or three on the Housing Commission, one on the Financial Commission, and two on the Cultural Arts Commission. 11. COUNCIL REPORT Councilmember Kragness reported on her attendance at the following and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Attended the legislative breakfast, learned about the top priorities of nearby jurisdictions, and advocated for Brooklyn Center’s legislative priorities. Councilmember Jerzak reported on his attendance at the following and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Met with constituents regarding Hwy 252 and water bills. Councilmember Moore reported on her attendance at the following and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Attended the Parks and Recreation Commission and participated in discussions regarding sustainability. • Asked about the process for the minutes. Ms. Suciu stated once minutes are approved, they are posted online. • Noted Hennepin County is looking for Recycling Ambassadors. Mayor Graves reported on her attendance at the following and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Attended Northwest Tourism annual meeting. • Recorded Mayor’s Minutes with CCX. • Met with constituents. • Participated in the Cultural Arts Commission meeting. Councilmember Jerzak pointed out he attempted to attend the tourism meeting remotely, but it didn’t work. Mayor Graves stated she can ask for the presentation to be shared with the rest of the Council. Ms. Suciu explained when Staff sets up a meeting in the calendar, there is automatically a Teams meeting set up. They are still getting used to the new programs. She apologized for the error. 1/27/25 -11 - 12. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Graves moved and Councilmember Kragness seconded adjournment of the City Council meeting at 8:08 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.