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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.10.13 CCM STUDY9/8/25 -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 OCTOBER 13, 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, Councilmembers Teneshia Kagness, Dan Jerzak and Kris Lawrence- Anderson. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Deputy Fire Marshal Brandon Gautsch, Fire Chief Todd Berg, Public Works Director Liz Heyman, City Clerk Shannon Pettit, and City Attorney Siobhan Tolar. Councilmember Laurie Ann Moore was absent and excused. CITY COUNCIL MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS Councilmember Jerzak stated he emailed two corrections of the minutes to City Clerk Shannon Pettit, but could read them aloud as well. He continued that on page 36 of 269, the spelling should be "Otsego", not "Astigo.” He noted that on page 38 of 269, in the last paragraph, the phrase should have been "a little higher." Councilmember Jerzak asked Dr. Edwards for clarification on whether the property tax levy equaled $15.00 per year or per month. Dr. Edwards said it would be a $15.00 increase per year. Councilmember Jerzak said that a 4.98 percent increase would be more than a $15.00 increase per average household per year. Mayor Graves said she did not understand what he was saying. Dr. Edwards said he would go back and verify, but he thought the $15.00 per year was correct. Mayor Graves said she was going by what was listed on the document. Councilmember Jerzak said that it was mislabeled and wrong. Mayor Graves asked Dr. Edwards to get some clarity on that for the record. Councilmember Jerzak continued that the Council received an email from a City Staff member about the budget cuts, which he wanted to address. He noted that the email was heartfelt and well- written, but wanted to articulate that the Council does not propose where the City cuts the budget; it only approves the final number. He continued that Dr. Edwards proposes the budget that is developed by the Directors and the City Staff, with their input, and acknowledged that the cuts are difficult to make. 8/25/25 -2- DRAFT Dr. Edwards clarified the previous question about the property tax levy and stated that a one percent increase would be $15.00 per year, but must be multiplied by 4.98 percent to get the total increase for the year. Mayor Graves stated that maybe Councilmember Jerzak was referring to something that was posted on social media about the additional $15.00. She noted in the previous meeting that she had discussed increasing the property tax levy by one percent to 5.98 percent, and maybe that was equivalent to an additional $15.00 per household, which is correct based on what Dr. Edwards just said. Mayor Graves stated that $15.00 per month does not make sense, though, because that would total $180 per year. Councilmember Jerzak stated that one percent is approximately $250,000 in total for the City. He continued that he did not read anything on social media, but wanted to be clear that the property tax levy was not a simple $15.00 increase, and wanted to make a point of all the tax increases, along with the increase in water and utility bills, add up cumulatively for the resident. CITY MANAGER MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS 2026 LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES Dr. Edwards noted that this item on the agenda relates to legislative priorities. He noted that he is trying to get started earlier in the process so the Council can have the agenda established by the time legislators begin to prepare for the session. The process outlined would be general conversations today with the Council, and Staff would come back with recommendations on thoughts or issues. The following meeting would conclude with adopting an agenda sometime in late November. Dr. Edwards noted that the Council has the legislative properties and the agenda from 2025 in their packet that outlines a few legislative issues that were important to the Staff. Those issues included administration, business, economic development, essential services, financial matters, health and well-being, housing, public safety, and transportation. Of those issues, there were three primary focuses of the City last year, which were the TIF Districts, the Opportunity Site infrastructure bond, and the Public Works Central Garage. Dr. Edwards continued that this legislative session will be a short session, and not a lot of bonding will be coming. He noted that the Council should identify what the City's priorities are so they can craft the 2026 legislative agenda. Dr. Edwards asked the Council if there were certain issues on their minds that could be recorded now, so the Staff can look into those issues. Mayor Graves thanked Dr. Edwards and asked the Council for questions or comments. Councilmember Jerzak said if everything is important, then nothing is important. He noted that on page 12 of 13, the MVLST Funding has a significant impact on the City for the motor vehicle lease and sales tax. He noted the City's cost participation in state and county roads, particularly with the Highway 252 project, which has been stated repeatedly that the City cannot afford to pay for and needs to be a high priority for the future. 8/25/25 -3- DRAFT Mayor Graves said last year, the Council was able to make some progress in getting those bills heard regarding the cost-sharing process, so that would be worth putting pressure on. Councilmember Kragness stated she appreciated the fact that this is coming out earlier to give the Council more time to discuss. Councilmember Jerzak asked if the Minnesota League of Cities and Metro Cities could join together to navigate some of the more common issues. Dr. Edwards said there are certain items, such as LGA and fiscal disparities, that impact Brooklyn Center that the Council should weig h in on and support. Dr. Edwards stated that primarily the League of Minnesota Cities, Metro Cities, and Northwest Metro Mayors' Association are the three bodies that will move legislative agendas and issues that Brooklyn Center would align with. Mayor Graves said she would be speaking with several other Mayors at a press conference in St. Paul about gun violence. She stated that the city of St. Paul has drafted a local ordinance designed to protect residents from gun violence, and that it is a common-sense proposal and provision. She noted that these provisions include banning public possession of assault weapons, banning binary triggers and high-capacity magazines, and banning guns at sensitive city-owned places like libraries, parks, recreation spaces like zoos, museums, and beaches. The final provision would require every firearm to have a serial number. She noted that she wanted to put it on the Council's radar as well as add it to the legislative agenda, because she thinks there needs to be movement among local legislation, due to the increase in gun violence. She said that when she gets a full draft of an ordinance, she will present it to the Council. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked if the gun ordinance could be added to a Work Study Session with the City's Police Chief. Mayor Graves stated that it should happen, along with a further discussion about it. Mayor Graves said laws at the state and federal levels are less likely to move, and so it is the Council's responsibility to make sure the constituents are safe. She noted that she is in full support of the right to bear arms and got her own concealed car ry license a few months ago. She noted she is a big proponent of violence prevention, and this ordinance could be a way to have some common-sense safeguards. Councilmember Jerzak said he looked forward to having that conversation and the rhetoric around defining what assault weapons are, along with ghost guns and serial numbers on weapons. He noted that he thought everyone on the Council received an email from Mayor Carter regarding the ordinance in St. Paul, too. Mayor Graves said even people who are not firearm experts can recognize the importance of the constitutional right to bear arms, but the City would be clear about the ordinance. She noted other things of importance to keep in mind for legislative issues are what neighboring cities are doing, and if Brooklyn Center can align with any of those issues. 8/25/25 -4- DRAFT Dr. Edwards said he has started some conversations with other city managers, but much of their legislative issues will pertain to their own city’s issues. He noted that last year, a collaboration of seven or eight cities tried to work together regarding group homes, and was met with great opposition. He continued that collaborative work will continue to try to get group home issues resolved, as well as issues on the prevention of data sharing. Mayor Graves said she is thinking of strategies to apply more pressure by aligning with other cities with like-minded interests. She asked when to expect the next discussion around the issues that will be brought up in the legislative agenda. Dr. Edwards noted that at the next Council meeting, there will be further discussion about issues the City Staff selected. CITY MANAGER PERFORMANCE DATES Dr. Edwards said this was just a reminder for the Council to put two dates on the calendar, November 24 from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., and the Council would meet as a group to talk about performance. On December 15, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., Dr. Edwards will meet with the Council to discuss performance with them collectively. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked Dr. Edwards to repeat those dates. Dr. Edwards reiterated that it would be November 24, from 5:30 to 6:30, pending the Council's willingness to use 30 minutes of Study Session time for that discussion. The second date is December 15, from 6:00 to 7:30. Councilmember Kragness said she has the December 15 date on her calendar, but the meeting is scheduled at 5:30 p.m. She asked Dr. Edwards if she should change it to 6:00 p.m. Dr. Edwards told her to stand by and he would confirm the time for that date, before she changed it in her calendar. DISCUSSION REGARDING CHAPTER 5, CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER ORDINANCE Dr. Edwards introduced this item, moved from the Work Session agenda, and stated that the Deputy Fire Marshal Brandon Gautsch, along with Fire Chief Todd Berg, were there to make the presentation. Fire Chief Todd Berg stated that Chapter five pertains to the fire prevention City ordinance. This ordinance has not changed in 15 years and requires some updating. Chief Berg introduced Deputy Fire Marshal Brandon Gautsch to discuss the proposed changes to the ordinance. Deputy Fire Marshal Gautsch stated the purpose of the ordinance is to establish and maintain a fire prevention division within the fire department of Brooklyn Center, as authorized by the City Council, to enforce fire codes and promote public safety through fire prevention and inspections. The fire department has two full-time fire inspectors to carry out enforcement and education of 8/25/25 -5- DRAFT this ordinance. This division is supervised by the Deputy Fire Marshal and ultimately the Fire Chief. Mr. Gautsch highlighted the proposed changes to the ordinance with changes regarding the code book years to the most recent to alleviate coming to the Council every three years when the state codes change. He noted the importance of adding language for email correction notices and correspondence, bringing it up to current common practice. Additional sections added to the ordinance are needed to support safety in access to gated communities, malfunctioning elevators, maintaining alarm and sprinkler systems, vacant buildings, hotel life safety inspections, electric vehicle charging stations, and mobile food truck inspections. Mayor Graves asked if the added language for email corrections is not exclusive to email. Mr. Gautsch stated that it would be in addition to paper notices sent to residents. Mr. Gautsch stated he would like to add fees for administrative citations for certain items. The Fire Department has never had any consequences for any of the ordinances before. There have always been false alarm fees, but those have never been enforced. This updated ordinance would give the Fire Department the ability to enforce these items with some type of consequence to encourage accountability for property owners. Some new fees that the Fire Department would like to enforce would be for mobile food truck inspections, malfunctioning elevators, malfunctioning alarm panels, and re-inspection fees. Mr. Gautsch asked if there were any questions from the Council regarding the proposed changes. Mayor Graves asked what the mobile food truck inspections consist of. Mr. Gautsch stated that a food truck is a commercial kitchen on wheels and is held to the same standards as a restaurant kitchen. Those standards include corresponding K-extinguishers, the propane being used, and anything else that a restaurant kitchen would have to abide by per the state inspection regulations. Mayor Graves asked how the Fire Department gets called for mobile food truck inspections. Mr. Gautsch explained that the Fire Department typically does not get called for those types of inspections, and that is why he would like to add it to the ordinance for any permitted food truck. The Fire Department would be notified of the need for an inspection through the permit process. He noted that any food truck operating in the City would be subject to a spot check by the Fire Department for a current fire inspection. Councilmember Jerzak stated he does not want to add another level of bureaucracy to food truck owners who are typically small business entrepreneurs. He asked what necessitated the need for additional fire inspections, and noted that food trucks are already inspected by the county, and the food truck owner already incurs the fees for that. He also noted that food trucks coming in from other communities may not be aware of the additional fire inspection ordinance in Brooklyn Center, and he does not want it to feel aggressive to the food truck owner. Mr. Gautsch responded that this follows the state fire code, with a chapter that specifically regulates inspections for food trucks. Chief Berg added that the county is doing health inspections on food trucks, but not fire inspections. He stated that these inspections make food trucks better and safer for the communities, and a lot of surrounding area fire departments are doing the same thing. One 8/25/25 -6- DRAFT inspection done on a vehicle a year is in compliance with standards, so multiple inspections would not have to be done for food trucks entering other communities. Councilmember Jerzak stated he would get on board as long as there is an educational campaign for food truck owners so they are aware of the requirements. He noted that his other concern would be the cost associated with the inspection, because the City can only recover the cost of the inspection. He asked how often the inspections would be required, and if food trucks are sold, if the license goes with it. He wondered if the county had been notified about this, and if there was any way there could be a collaboration on inspections there to make it more efficient for the owners. Councilmember Jerzak continued and asked about enforcement, and if this crosses over with vehicle ordinance code enforcement, and if two different inspections would have to happen, that is not efficient for the City. He asked what the current practice for inspections is in other cities. Mr. Gautsch said he wrote this updated ordinance based on what other surrounding cities are doing. The fees associated with the inspection would be updated in the fee schedule that is coming up. Neighboring cities are charging up to $100 for a fire inspection, and are operating under the premise of one required inspection a year, which is accepted in other communities. He noted that when food trucks fill out their permit for an event, it would trigger a documentation requirement for a fire inspection, and if the owner did not have one, they would contact the Fire Department in order to get one. Councilmember Jerzak stated that the educational component would be when the Health Fair comes up at schools, and a number of food trucks come up for that event. Councilmember Jerzak stated that at one point, the Fire Department was three years behind on commercial inspections alone, and adding this component might be too much for the number of Inspectors that the Department currently has. Chief Berg stated that the reason for the updates on this ordinance is to streamline the inspection process, so Inspectors are not returning to properties seven or eight times in order to ensure properties are up to regulation standards. Chief Berg stated that what Councilmember Jerzak might be referring to is that several years ago, there was only one full-time fire Inspector, which put the Department behind on inspections. He noted that as of now, the Department has two full-time Inspectors and is on pace with all of the City's annual inspections. Chief Berg continued that the Department does not need any more man- hours added to effectively perform inspections, and if the ordinance goes into effect, the process will be streamlined, which may actually require fewer man-hours for Inspectors. He noted that the provisions in the ordinance would make the community safer as a whole. Mayor Graves asked if the Fire Department had considered creating a database for efficiency that could be shared with other Departments, so they would be aware of whether or not someone has gotten an inspection. Chief Berg said that it was a great idea and could be done. He noted that the food truck inspection is a result of a few bad apples, where something happened that could have been prevented. He said a database would be a process that would make it very easy to keep the process streamlined. 8/25/25 -7- DRAFT Councilmember Kragness said her question pertained to data sharing as well, so if a food truck has already received an inspection from another Fire Department, then Brooklyn Center's resources are not being used to investigate that. Councilmember Jerzak stated his concern would be miscommunication between vehicle code Inspectors and Fire Inspectors and code enforcement. He said constituents get frustrated when there are multiple layers of government that they have to navigate in order to run a business, and may not necessarily understand. Mayor Graves added that a database could offer more collaboration between Departments for inspections, to prevent miscommunications from happening. Councilmember Jerzak said he agreed to the code changes, and if there is anything significant in the changes, that could be provided to Dr. Edwards in the future for the Council to review. Mayor Graves added that a memo could be sent to Dr. Edwards in lieu of the Fire Marshal and Fire Chief coming to the Council every three years to discuss code changes. Dr. Edwards noted that if there are code changes, the Fire Department is required to come to the Council for approval. He noted that what could happen is that a memo could be sent to him, and then code changes could be added to the Consent Agenda for approval. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson thanked Mr. Gautsch and Chief Berg for the presentation. PROPOSAL: SHARED FORESTER POSITION WITH CITY OF CRYSTAL Dr. Edwards introduced this item, moved from the Work Session agenda, along with Public Works Director Liz Heyman, who would be presenting on the possibility of partnering with the city of Crystal on a Forester. Public Works Director Liz Heyman stated she would like the Council's opinion on a proposal from the city of Crystal for a shared Forester position. The position would be a 50/50 split, with Brooklyn Center's share totaling $60,000 for the position, and would be funded from the City's Stormwater Utility fund. Ms. Heyman noted that the current Forester position in Brooklyn Center is an assigned position with the Public Works Maintenance team. This position has worked well historically, but climate change and invasive species have greatly increased forestry tasks. The City needs someone with more specialized knowledge and grant-writing skills. Ms. Heyman noted that the previous City Forester, who has stepped into another role within the City Engineering Department, got ahead of an infestation of Two-Lined Chestnut Borers on oak trees in Brooklyn Center. This infestation affected roughly 400 publicly owned oak trees in Brooklyn Center, and the signs were identified early near 55th and Camden. The City is still proactively treating this infestation. Ms. Heyman noted that almost every existing role and responsibility would be picked up by the future proposed specialized Forester. She added that the only task not picked up by the specialized Forester would be weed spraying in public hardscape 8/25/25 -8- DRAFT and streetscape. As a result, this task would be absorbed by the Streets and Park Maintenance Staff. Ms. Heyman said the specialized Forester would also have specialized grant writing skills that could make long-term recommendations for forest management and research, along with a broader look at the City’s tree canopy. Ms. Heyman continued that the funding would come from the Stormwater Utility funds and would be slotted in the 2026 budget as such. She noted that urban forests provide water quality benefits, with enhanced filtration, pollutant reduction, and runoff delay, and this makes for an easy argument to slot this position within that fund. Next steps would include funding in the 2026 Stormwater Utility budget, working with Crystal on a joint agreement for the position, and posting the position in 2026 to find an applicant. She noted that this line item would show up in the next meeting on the Utility budgets, and could be discussed further then, but she wanted to bring it to the Council's attention now in the event there were questions. Councilmember Jerzak asked if the city of Crystal has considered this in their own Work Session, or in front of their Councilmembers. Ms. Heyman responded that Crystal’s Council has reviewed it and is in support of it. Councilmember Jerzak asked what spe cific Utility fund this position would be funded out of, and whether that would require a rate increase. Ms. Heyman answered that the funding would come specifically out of the Stormwater Utility fund and would require a small, negligible increase in terms of rate. Councilmember Kragness asked if the Stormwater Utility fund was the only fund that was currently sustaining itself. She added that this would be a new, added position, and the Council had been very adamant about not adding any new positions to the City’s budget. She asked Ms. Heyman how much it would cost for the City to treat all of the trees. Ms. Heyman explained that the City has to hire a contractor to do that, and the City is already treating all of the affected trees. She said she was not sure what it costs to treat the trees, but it is on a two-year cycle. She noted that the infestation was caught early due to the past Forester, who had specific knowledge around forestry, and is an example of why a Forester is needed. Councilmember Kragness said the trees are already being treated and asked if this position needs to be additionally proactive. Ms. Heyman said the item before them is about how to fund the shared new Forester position itself, and the tree treatment currently happening will become routine maintenance in the City. Councilmember Kragness said she understands the need and concept for the position, but with the budget the way it is, it is difficult to add a new position when funded positions are currently being cut. Mayor Graves said she understands Councilmember Kragness, but she will always support ways to protect the natural environment, especially in collaborative ways with surrounding cities. She noted that she was going to schedule a tour around the Twin Lakes and see the work that has been done around water quality there, as it affects several cities. She noted that maybe something similar could be done with Shingle Creek. She said she supports adding a new position, and noted 8/25/25 -9- DRAFT she was never in support of cutting positions in the first place, so she does not feel particularly bad about supporting this. Councilmember Jerzak stated that if the City does not do anything preventative, what is the cost down the road to remedy the diseased tree situation. He said he understood where Councilmember Kragness was coming from regarding adding new positions, but if things like diseased trees go untreated because there is no one to inspect them, it will cost more to cut them down in the future. He noted that the loss of the City’s canopy would be extreme. Mayor Graves said the City is probably missing out on a lot of opportunities without someone on Staff who is knowledgeable about grant writing and management. She noted that she used to work in the Health Department in Minneapolis, and Minneapolis has a very robust tree program. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson thanked Ms. Heyman for the presentation, and said she is supportive of this, and sees this as a proactive need with the amount of trees that are in the City. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Graves adjourned the Study Session at 6:53 p.m.