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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025.12.08 CCM STUDY12/08/25 -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 DECEMBER 8, 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 6:01 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor April Graves, Councilmembers Kris Lawrence-Anderson, Dan Jerzak, and Laurie Ann Moore. Also present were City Manager Reggie Edwards, Deputy City Manager Daren Nyquist, Community Development Director Jesse Anderson, City Clerk Shannon Pettit, and City Attorney Siobhan Tolar. Councilmember Teneshia Kragness was absent and excused. CITY COUNCIL MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS Councilmember Jerzak noted a correction was needed for the Commercial Vehicle ordinance, which was changed in 2024, regarding the length being less than 22 feet. He said he was not sure if this was a typo, because he thought the Council had come to a consensus to extend the length in the ordinance to 26 feet. He stated that he reviewed the minutes and, on September 10, 2024, made a motion, seconded by Mayor Graves, to amend Ordinance Nos. 2024-10, 12-309 and 12-310. He said there have been questions about this, and he went to research to confirm. According to other documentation, the length is 21 feet, with no updates. He said he would like that to be researched with proper updates in all of the City's ordinances. Community Development Director Jesse Anderson said he remembered the same thing as Councilmember Jerzak and would check to make sure that the publicized version states it is 26 feet. Councilmember Jerzak said this ordinance was primarily changed for the City's food trucks. He noted that it is important to get it right, for the Chapter 5 code revisions regarding food trucks, and individuals approached the forum last week about a vehicle, and he wanted to be consistent. Mayor Graves said she would like to add the Union Contract for Police Officers to the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Moore asked if it was already added. Mayor Graves said the 49ers are already on the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Jerzak asked if this union would include the police officers and the detectives, and he assumed they were still negotiating. 12/08/25 -2- Police Chief Garett Flesland responded that the Police Department is looking to add a tentative contract for LELS 82, which covers the officers and the detectives. He said the unions for the non- sworn are still being negotiated. Councilmember Moore asked if the Union contract was supposed to be on the Consent Agenda, and Mayor Graves is adding it. Mayor Graves confirmed Councilmember Moore was correct, and she was doing it at the request of the City Manager. Mayor Graves said she was going to add the item as 6g. Union Contract for Police Officers, to the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Moore asked if the Invocation could be brought up as a possible discussion item. She said her colleagues know that she has declined to participate for her own personal reasons. She said Invocations have a lot to do with God, and because of the separation of church and state, she has declined to participate. She said there has been a long-standing tradition in the City of Brooklyn Center to have an Invocation, and she asked if her colleagues had any thoughts on the purpose of it. Councilmember Jerzak said he respects Councilmember Moore's position. He said during his Invocations, he has not referred to God in any of his, and he uses it to address other feelings or things that are relevant, but is neutral about it. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said she is neutral about it as well, and stated that the Council should have this discussion again when Councilmember Kragness is present, and get a consensus from the Council then. Mayor Graves agreed that they should discuss it again when all Councilmembers are present. She said she likes having an Invocation, and thinks it is an opportunity to address things that might be coming up in the community and acknowledge other events, historic or traditional. She said as long as Councilmembers are not using it as a pulpit, it is a positive thing. Councilmember Jerzak asked if he could go back and amend a statement he made earlier in the Study Session about the Commercial Vehicle ordinance, and said that if any action was taken on somebody who had a 22-foot vehicle, he would like City Staff to research that. City Attorney Siobhan Tolar said Councilmembers could call the Invocation something else, like Council Reflections, since the term Invocation might be the troublesome part. Councilmember Moore thanked Ms. Tolar for that suggestion. She said that all the Councilmembers have the opportunity to have reflections around events they have attended or other things during the City Council report. She said at times the Invocation has made her uncomfortable when people have said certain things. She said she does not understand why the Council is doing an Invocation when doing the work of the residents. 12/08/25 -3- Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said that having reflections during the Council report is a good suggestion. Mayor Graves said she appreciates the comments from the City Attorney and the Council, but will address it again when the full Council is present. Mayor Graves said there was a suggestion made that if the Strategic Planning update got done early, the Work Session item could be moved up to the Study Session. CITY MANAGER MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS 2025 STRATEGIC PRIORITY PROJECT UPDATE Dr. Edwards explained that this is the second presentation that has been done on the Strategic Priority Project, with an update and goal setting. He introduced Deputy City Manager Daren Nyquist to present this item. Mr. Nyquist said he would be updating the Council on what has happened since his last presentation with the Council in July and what to look forward to in 2026. He said in July that he discussed with the Council the plan to align all the different types of work that the City does as an organization. He noted that he worked with the Department Directors throughout the year to identify 64 projects that he would define as high-impact projects. He noted that projects were slotted into priority areas outlined in the strategic plan that included enhancing economic growth, developing financial stability, increasing safety for the community and employees, improving employee engagement, and improving communication. Mr. Nyquist shared a dashboard with the Council on the current status of the 64 projects. All 64 projects are in the green on status, meaning these projects are moving forward and are aligning with all the goals across the organization. He said that in terms of completion, 92 percent of the projects are on track or already completed, with only eight percent of projects at risk or off track. He highlighted the different projects and their categories. To enhance economic growth, City Staff developed the groundwork for an Economic Growth Plan. To develop financial stability, City Staff delivered regular financial reports to the Council. To increase safety for the community and employees, City Staff built better digital forensic capabilities for the Brooklyn Center Police Department and developed and implemented a crime reduction plan. City Staff and Fire Chief Todd Berg also re-established a safety committee and updated emergency plans, camera security, and phone lines. He noted that these safety plans will have a big impact on cybersecurity and physical safety in 2026. To improve employee engagement, City Staff revamped employee onboarding and held conversations with individuals in Departments on pay analysis and 2026 budget updates. To improve communication, City Staff built an intranet site to improve access to news and documents for City Staff, and began monthly City Manager update meetings open to all City Staff. 12/08/25 -4- Mr. Nyquist highlighted his personal observations with a lot of positive momentum and opportunities within Departments, and Staff willing to engage. He said some things that he noticed were a lack of documentation, especially for Staff's job duties and work, and if that Staff member were to leave the organization, would all their work go with them. He noted that there is also a lack of formalized structures, which outline how the City handles project management and strategic planning. Mr. Nyquist explained that for 2026, he will continue the process that began this year. He noted that some known projects will slide from 2025 into next year, which include updated standard operating guidelines in the Fire Department, the five-year financial plan, exploration of options for the Opportunity Site, Safety Committee goals, and minor updates to the City website with buried and outdated information. He explained that the goals for all this work are to execute these projects at a high level through focus, visibility, and ownership, and begin tracking progress and outcomes through data. He noted that the goal is to develop an annual process that identifies and aligns strategic priorities, and has those priorities inform annual budget processes. Mr. Nyquist explained that this year, the intentional process began, and in 2026, he wants to begin the annual strategic goal setting while building alignment and outputs, and in 2027, Departments can get on schedule to have strategic goals inform the budget conversation. He asked the Council if there were any questions. Councilmember Moore said that 64 projects seem like a lot, but with 92 percent of them accomplished, they must have been low-hanging fruit and were easily identified for completion. She asked Mr. Nyquist to elaborate on what he found in terms of lack of documentation and formal structures. Mr. Nyquist said documentation regarding processes was missing or does not exist for all City Staff. He noted an example of when City Clerk Shannon Pettit was absent for a few meetings, he had her make a checklist of her duties so those could be completed despite her absence. He said he would like City Staff to get to a point where there is a standard when people get into their position and a checklist of tasks for them to accomplish. He said for City Staff, there is a lot of institutional memory, so people just know their work, but there needs to be succession planning for when Staff leave. Councilmember Moore asked if the problems regarding formalized structure also relate to the processes, because every Department under their Director has a formalized structure for their operational tasks that Staff have to complete either daily, weekly, or monthly. Mr. Nyquist said there is a formalized structure within the Departments, but his comments were related to the strategic level and developing goals for the year, not so much how Departments work as that hierarchy is already set. It is more about working together as an organization to set goals and work together. Councilmember Moore asked if Mr. Nyquist saw positive collaboration across the organization. Mr. Nyquist responded that there is no confusion about roles within the organization and how each Department operates, but there is work to be done bridging between Departments. 12/08/25 -5- Councilmember Jerzak said during the initial presentation regarding this in July, he was concerned about developing a City bureaucracy and was pleased to see that Mr. Nyquist's 25 highlights got tied into specific areas. He asked about the economic growth plan and if there are efforts being made to retain businesses, especially Walmart and CVS, and noted that LA Fitness is leaving on December 18. He said he understands that the City has nothing to do with the private leases, but he gave the example of the former Tires Plus and the King Buffet, and that the City owns the lots on both sides of those businesses and does not allow parking there. He noted that the nearby Detail Shop is a minority owned business and due to the no-parking signs, they are losing business. He asked if the City has reached out to the Detail Shop to offer to lease parking in the City-owned empty lots next to them to encourage that business to stay open. Councilmember Jerzak continued that it would be nice if the Council had a press release on what Mr. Nyquist is doing, because the Council also had goals when evaluating the performance of the City Manager, and it would be helpful to have that information. He noted that in terms of exploring options for the Opportunity Site, the Council does not have to be updated on everything, but there have been discussions about putting up the Opportunity Site for sale, adjusting the Comprehensive Plan, among other things, and those conversations are happening in a vacuum when ultimately the final decision is made by the Council. He noted that regarding the City's website, specific areas could be discussed with critical offerings to make the City's website better. Mayor Graves asked Mr. Nyquist where he had seen the most improvement. Mr. Nyquist said the most improvement would be in the internal communication with Staff, which has improved since he started last year. Mayor Graves added that the willingness of Staff to engage shows an improvement in trust within the City enterprise, which is important. She shared that one way to address contradictions is not to think of them as lacking anything, but to get specific about what is being blocked, and how it is being blocked, and not to get bogged down in lack of funding, lack of time, or capacity. Mayor Graves brought up the point made by Councilmember Jerzak about relationships with businesses, and said the Council does not have a lot of control over that, but maybe there is something that the Council or City Staff could do about it. She said she gets frustrated when she goes to the Walgreens in Brooklyn Center versus the Walgreens on 85th and Brooklyn Park, because the number of items is completely different, along with the cleanliness of the store, both inside and out. She said the store in Brooklyn Center is getting bad management, and some of the issues could be solved by holding management accountable. She asked why a store can be run well in one city but not in Brooklyn Center, and said it is part of being deprioritized. She noted that by addressing this, the City is standing up for the quality of businesses that the residents want in the City, and having relationships with management would help so that managers know that City Staff is paying attention. She said she has not been in LA Fitness, but she said maybe the drop-off in membership might have something to do with how it was being managed. Councilmember Moore said the reputation of Brooklyn Center has taken a hit over time, and the Council has seen that in the exodus of both large and small retail across the City. She noted that there is not a lot of interest in current spaces that could be rented, which include the empty 12/08/25 -6- Opportunity Sites. She continued that someone purchased both Brown College and the Sears building, and they are still sitting empty. She said the Council has tried to educate themselves on why Brooklyn Center does not have a good reputation, and she still does not understand it, but it is very apparent in the northwest region of the City. She noted that the City website is also difficult to navigate, even for her, and it has been the same for a very long time. She said other neighboring cities have very engaging websites. Councilmember Moore continued that in terms of the five-year financial plan, she was concerned when there was a three-to-two vote on assessing violations to the taxes of property owners to the tune of $201,000. She asked if the vote had been different, and it had not gone to the tax rolls, how the City would make up that $201,000. She answered that the way the City would have made up that money was by making more cuts across City Departments. She said the City is not on a strong footing regarding its finances, and she has a lot of concern for Brooklyn Center and has been very outspoken about it in budget sessions, as well as sessions regarding the tax levy. She said the Council needs to make this a priority and start talking to businesses to find out what is going on. Councilmember Jerzak said in the Friday update that there was a contract issue with the Chamber of Commerce, which is a connection to local businesses. He asked how many members the Chamber of Commerce has, if there is a board of directors, and if the City regularly meets with them to see if they are staying on track. He said sometimes organizations like the Chamber of Commerce have a better connection with local businesses than the City does. Councilmember Moore asked about the number of businesses involved with the Chamber of Commerce, and whether they are paying dues, have a board of directors, or have meetings. She said there is follow-up information regarding the Chamber of Commerce she would like; otherwise, it is just another layer of bureaucracy, and the City is paying for it and does not get any information from the businesses. She said the Council does not know what it does not know. Mayor Graves asked to pull the Work Session item, the Administrative Penalties Program and Abatement Fees Discussion, and discuss it now. ADMINISTRATIVE PENALTIES PROGRAM AND ABATEMENT FEES DISCUSSION Dr. Edwards explained that the Council had previously asked the Staff to bring more information about this topic to them. He introduced Community Development Director Jesse Anderson to present this item. Mr. Anderson said he would be discussing the Administrative penalties and fees that were associated with the special assessment hearings that the Council discussed a few months ago. He noted that back in October, the Council had requested a discussion around these fees. He said the Administrative Penalty Program was created to address ongoing property code violations. Prior to the Administrative penalties, county citations were the only option, and those are criminal or civil charges that require documentation and a court date. He said this was brought to the Council to 12/08/25 -7- be changed in 2008, since it was a change in the City Charter, which required a unanimous vote. It went on a referendum on November 28, 2008, and passed on the ballot in 2010. He said the City adopted a fee resolution in 2010, and there were three levels: a $60 ticket, $125 ticket, and a $300 ticket. He noted that citations could double per violation per day within 24 months, with a maximum of $2,000. He said there is an appeal process within 10 days of the citation to a hearing officer. The hearing officer is going to look at whether the violation occurred and the citation that was imposed. In 2024, the fees were adjusted down to a $50 ticket, $100 ticket, and the third level was adjusted based on unit size; the maximum went from $2,000 to $1,000. He gave examples of citation levels one, two, and three, with a level one citation being waste container storage, a level two citation being parking violations on the grass, and a level three citation being operating a rental without a license. Mr. Anderson explained that property code violations are found during a proactive complaint- based inspection, and a first and second notice of violation is mailed. City Staff also attempts to contact the owner or occupant about the citation and provides extensions if warranted. City Staff issue citations as a last resort, if the property is not in compliance, and the City will abate the violation as needed. The City provides abatement and passe s the cost onto the owner for things like trash/junk, brush, inoperable vehicles, grass and weeds, and unsecured buildings. Mr. Anderson explained that rental license violations occur when an owner does not obtain a license, fails to renew the license, or does not pass the inspection after the license has expired. Renewal notices are emailed to the owners at 120, 90, 60, and 30 days prior to the license expiring. Paper mail notices are sent 90, 60, and 30 days prior to the license expiring. The property is posted within 30 days after the license expires, and after the property is posted, City Staff may start issuing citations to the property owner. Mr. Anderson noted that abatement fees that are charged to the owner are the costs of abatement from contractors that the City hired, along with the City's abatement fee, which was changed in 2024 from $150 to $75. If any citations or fees must be specially assessed to Hennepin County, there is an additional $40 fee, and if the assessment is not paid before rolling over to Hennepin County, there is interest charged on the amount. The City sets the interest to be charged, and this can be changed prior to rolling the amount over to Hennepin County. Mr. Anderson explained special assessment interest and said that if citations and fees are not paid and it rolls over to Hennepin County, there is interest that is charged, just like for abatement fees; the City sets the interest rate, and it can be changed. The interest rate for 2026 is set at 5.15 percent. He noted that Council could consider changing or specifying the interest rate for each of the special assessments that would include grass abatement, administrative citations, nuisance abatements, trees, and vacant building registration. He said that administrative penalties are a penalty, and all others are considered fees for service. He asked if there were any specific changes that Council would like City Staff to research or bring forward for consideration. He said typically there is a fee schedule that is approved every year, so whatever changes the Council would like to make could be put on the schedule for 2026. 12/08/25 -8- Councilmember Jerzak said that citations are not used as a City revenue stream, and everyone can agree that is not the intention. He said on page four of 20 in the memo provided to the Council, it states that these numbers are estimated low to avoid reliance on that revenue. He said if these citations are not used for revenue, why not enter one dollar for the offset account and any money that would go to the General Fund. He said one possibility for the Staff to consider is to create a fund where people could make payments to the City for their violations. He asked Mr. Anderson if the Inspectors have shared their thoughts in meetings on writing up administrative citations to the residents, and if it is working, and what the benefits are, because when writing up citations like that, the Inspector is destroying that relationship between themselves and the residents. He noted that Mr. Anderson had asked for the Council’s input on adjustments, but without the Inspector's input, that is difficult to do, and it is important to remember that the goal is not to raise revenue or to punish people. He said one of his hopes is that the maximum fine or combination of fines is set at $2,000 because if a resident cannot pay a $50 fine, they will not be able to pay a $2,000 fine, which is why so many had to be certified to the tax rolls. He said he would also like to remove the doubling of the violations in the 24-month period and on a per-day basis, because it is unrealistic and punitive. He said the City used to be very aggressive, and if a resident was running a rental without a license, they were issued a one-time warning, and then it was sent to the City Prosecutor to take it out of the hands of the Inspector and let the courts deal with it. He said that the process also allows the plaintiff to make their case to the court because there are always two sides to the story, and it requires Inspectors to document everything, making them better Inspectors. Councilmember Jerzak continued that on page three of 20 in the memo provided to the Council, that a level two violation is parking on the grass but most of the homes in the City are landlocked or only have a single car garage or the residents are living in a multi-generational home, and the City does not allow parking on the street between 2:00 and 6:00 a.m. so parking on the grass is their only choice. He continued that the UDO was also changed, so the landlords cannot use class five residential zoning, and there were no grants made available for concrete to extend driveways or parking, and concrete is extremely costly right now. He said at some point, he is going to request that the Council go back and look at that again because class five has served the City for years and years. He said citations should be a last resort, before referring to City Prosecutors or anywhere else. He asked what other similar cities are doing as far as citations and fee schedules go, and if there have been comparisons made. He said City Staff should also present their recommendations, because they are the boots on the ground issuing these citations. Councilmember Moore said she had to concur with Councilmember Jerzak and thinks in many ways that these citations are inequitable. She noted that she drives around the City all the time, and sees garbage cans sitting out a week after pickup, and asked if those residents are issued a citation for that. She added that the City is the most economically disadvantaged population in the Metro, and over $2,000 went to the residents' taxes, on top of their property taxes, the school referendum, and the county taxes. She said anything that can be more educational and informative for the residents. She said there are definitely eyesores around the City, but she does not know what can be done about them other than towing some of these vehicles. She said the fees were punitive, and it was a lot of money that the City brought in and added to residents' taxes that are 12/08/25 -9- already strapped for cash. She said the City could be more collaborative and not punitive, and anyone with cognition can see that these fees are a revenue stream for the City. She said she does not know if this can be delayed for the future or if there has to be a vote on it, but she would not be in favor of what was presented tonight. She stated she appreciated the presentation from Mr. Anderson. Dr. Edwards said that this discussion was under a Work Session, and there is no particular action asked of the Council at this time. Councilmember Jerzak added that on page six of 20, for the record, there were 48 citations issued that were over $1,000, and there were 27 that were over $2,000, and 12 were over $5,000. Mayor Graves said she appreciates her comments from her fellow Councilmembers, and appreciates the comments about the driveway issues and the inequity around the inspections being complaint-based and random. She said she liked the recommendation of asking City Staff, who are required to write those administrative citations, for their input. She said she knows that the City has done some work on educating the public since she has been on the Council, and she recognizes that there needs to be balance and ordinances need to be followed. She said she liked the idea of establishing a fund that residents could pay into for citations, and changing the interest rates depending on the types of citations. She asked how quickly abatement really happens, because residents testified that they got a notice, and 11 days later, the City had done abatement, and she does not think that is a fair amount of time for residents to rectify the situation. She asked if there was additional time given for extenuating circumstances. Mr. Anderson said there is additional time given for extenuating circumstances, for example, a resident was out for medical treatment, called City Staff to explain, and an abatement had already been done. He said if that resident had called three hours earlier, abatement would have been delayed in that circumstance. He said the typical timeline for grass abatement is eight days, and large items that need to be cleaned up that are more challenging are longer, but the soonest abatement would happen is 10 days after the notice. He said that if City Staff see items of value being left out on the property, a couple of notices are sent before abatement occurs because it is challenging to remove valuable items. He said when it comes to towing vehicles, there are a couple of notices sent before towing because taking someone's transportation is serious, and the City could do it within seven days, but typically does not. Mayor Graves said revisiting the timelines between abatement and notices should also occur as part of this process. Councilmember Jerzak said the vacant building fees should also be revisited, because those fees were established during the peak of foreclosures, and it is very different now. He said there should be exceptions made, particularly for those in transition between assisted living care and nursing homes, instead of punishing those residents. ADJOURNMENT 12/08/25 -10- Mayor Graves adjourned the Study Session at 7:01 p.m.