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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.04.14 CCM WORK4/14/25 -1- MINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA WORK SESSION APRIL 14, 2025 CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council/Economic Development Authority (EDA) met in Work Session called to order by Mayor/President April Graves at 9:01 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor/President April Graves and Councilmembers/Commissioners Kris Lawrence-Anderson, Dan Jerzak, Teneshia Kragness, and Laurie Ann Moore. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Economic Development Manager Ian Anderson, Economic Development Coordinator Amy Loegering, and Deputy City Clerk Shannon Pettit. ACTIVE DISCUSSION ITEMS HOTEL ORDINANCE AMENDMENT City Manager Reggie Edwards introduced the item and invited Economic Development Manager Ian Anderson to continue the Staff presentation. Economic Development Manager Ian Anderson pointed out that many City Departments were part of the effort. He explained there are a few hotels of concern in Brooklyn Center. The Brooklyn Center Police Department received over 2,000 calls for service to hotels in 2024. Inspections indicate health and safety issues, including fire safety concerns. The hotels have long-term lodgers, including family units, who need permanent housing and social services. Mr. Anderson stated that the current point system is keyed to police calls for service only and excludes inspection data. Hotels are issued a Level I license upon new ownership, and no initial inspection is required. License suspension, revocation, or non-renewal are the only enforcement tools, all of which require City Council/EDA approval. Mr. Anderson stated Staff hopes to reduce police calls through strategic interventions. They want to provide the Police Department with the ability to issue citations for certain violations, clarify the ordinance to better define the types of police contacts that are included in the license point calculation, and increase cooperation between hotels and law enforcement by eliminating points of calls initiated by hotel staff. 4/14/25 -2- Mr. Anderson noted that another strategy is to increase fire and housing inspections to ensure hotels provide a safe, clean environment for lodgers. The changes would allow inspectors to issue citations for violations, require an inspection upon transfer of ownership before a new license is issued, and require ongoing annual inspections for all hotels prior to license renewal. Mr. Anderson added Staff also hopes to reduce the use of hotels as long-term housing by focusing strategies to identify vulnerable individuals to connect with permanent housing and allied services, coordinating with Hennepin County to provide housing and services, and including embedded social workers during inspections to connect with vulnerable parties. Mr. Anderson pointed out that the state of the hotels is troubling. The current ordinance lacks clarity. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak agreed that the current ordinance is insufficient and unenforceable. The City Council/EDA needs to reach a consensus about the goal of the ordinance. They may want to address trafficking, other crimes, excessive calls for service, or social issues. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak pointed out that Hennepin County handles the lodging inspections. Brooklyn Center doesn’t need to duplicate a licensing process. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak stated that some hotels consider police calls the cost of doing business. One hotel has hired someone to dispute the calls for service because it was the cheaper option for them. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak added that the County works with nonprofits to place vulnerable individuals in hotels. There was a situation where 19 Indigenous people were placed at a hotel. Due to the traumas they had experienced, they didn’t allow anyone to enter their rooms. Subsequently, no enforcement could be completed. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak stated that some people are hesitant to negatively impact licensing. However, there is no point in licensing if the regulations aren’t enforced. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak asked if the Staff has reached out to other cities that have faced similar issues. Robbinsdale, for example, has an ordinance regarding excessive consumption. Staff need to find out what is working elsewhere. Brooklyn Center has an alternative response strategy that could offer services to long-term lodgers in their downtime. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak pointed out that the proposed ordinance has been needed for a long time. Councilmember/Commissioner Kragness asked what the cost is for someone to live in a hotel long- term in comparison to affordable housing. Economic Development Coordinator Amy Loegering stated they were unable to determine the cost of long-term hotel stays. Those supporting the long- term hotel stays are very tight-lipped about the process. 4/14/25 -3- Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak noted that a nonprofit may take a block of rooms and fill rooms as available. There are HIPAA regulations and other confidentiality standards that the nonprofits uphold. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak explained a situation where a hotel was required to have armed security. However, there was no way to enforce it. There wasn’t someone monitoring if the armed security was doing their job and addressing overly intoxicated folks or people sleeping in cars. It is difficult to enforce cameras and lighting as well. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak stated there is a line about graffiti and a seven-day timeline. However, there is another ordinance in place already addressing graffiti. Mr. Anderson asked if the City Council/EDA supports the proposed ordinance. Mayor/President Graves stated she supports the proposal. The components are rather straightforward. She asked for the reasoning for the change of points calculation, to avoid counting calls for service that originate with hotel managers, and to increase citation-issuing power for inspectors. Ms. Loegering stated that the current ordinance doesn’t define what a verified call is. Officers have taken the most conservative view of a verified call as ones that trigger a complaint. However, calls for service without an official complaint filed are being missed. Additionally, officers felt strongly that removing managerial calls for service would reduce friction and significantly improve relationships with hotels. There are ordinance requirements to maintain lighting and the like. Inspectors can write a citation for a broken light or graffiti. Inspectors are at the hotels most often. Increasing their ability to issue citations would be an impactful, preventative measure. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak pointed out that managers would pressure their employees to avoid calling the police, as it could change the licensing category for the hotel and, subsequently, the need to lay off employees. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak noted that the same system needs to be used to handle graffiti violations. The process for code enforcement by law enforcement and inspectors needs to be ironed out to avoid duplicating work. Police officers admit that they are not the experts on the City Code. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak offered to meet with Staff to provide more input based on his professional experience with code enforcement. Mayor/President Graves asked if Hennepin County is unfairly pushing the burden of unhoused individuals in Brooklyn Center hotels over other municipalities. If that is the case, then it needs to be addressed with the County. Councilmember/Commissioner Moore noted she has professional social worker experience with Hennepin County. It is difficult to find beds for people in need, even if they are transitional. 4/14/25 -4- Mayor/President Graves pointed out that the City relies upon lodging taxes, and nonprofits putting vulnerable people in Brooklyn Center hotels. She has no desire to push anyone out of hotels that is in need of shelter. It is unfortunate if Brooklyn Center is carrying the weight of homelessness for the County, especially because it doesn’t have a strong tax base as it is. Affordable housing projects tend to go up in communities that are already struggling with finances and relevant services. Ultimately, it is an issue of equity. Councilmember/Commissioner Jerzak suggested they sit down with the County. Commissioner Lunde is their representative, but he can’t do much without the specifics of the undue burden Brooklyn Center has been given. Brooklyn Center has a lower cost for hotels, so many nonprofits are attracted to their hotels. Hotels have not been providing the proper services for folks hosted by nonprofits. Councilmember/Commissioner Moore asked if the Housing Commission could provide input on the topic. Mr. Anderson thanked Ms. Loegering for her work. COMMUNITY SAFETY AND VIOLENCE PREVENTION COMMISSION This item was postponed to a future meeting. ADJOURNMENT Mayor/President Graves moved, and Councilmember/Commissioner Kragness seconded adjournment of the City Council/Economic Development Authority Work Session at 9:31 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.