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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026.01.26 CCM STUDY01/26/26 -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 JANUARY 26, 2026 CITY HALL – COUNCIL CHAMBERS CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Study Session, called to order by Mayor Pro Tem Teneshia Kragness at 6:04 p.m. ROLL CALL Mayor Pro Tem Teneshia Kragness, Councilmembers Dan Jerzak, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, and Laurie Ann Moore. Also present were Interim City Manager Daren Nyquist, Interim Deputy City Manager Liz Heyman, City Clerk Shannon Pettit, and City Attorney Siobhan Tolar. Mayor April Graves was excused. CITY COUNCIL MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said she had a correction in the minutes, on page 21 of 204, if Councilmember Jerzak meant “Commissions” instead of “quorums” in his quoted statement. Councilmember Jerzak said he was referring to quorums at Commissions. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said his quote was referring to issues with Committees making quorums. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said she may have read it wrong. Councilmember Jerzak said that due to the extraordinary times and circumstances, any further discussion on Tenant Protections should be tabled. He said he would like to seek a Council consensus on this action and thinks it would be the right thing to do. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said she agreed, due to the subject being sensitive right now. She asked if any of the Councilmembers had additional comments. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said she agreed as well, and on sensitive topics like this, she would prefer to have a quorum, and Mayor Graves has tabled items when someone was absent before, too. Councilmember Moore said she was in agreement, in light of the times. 01/26/26 -2- Councilmember Jerzak said under the circumstances, as the Council moves ahead with coming to a consensus with the rentals, it would have to be timely due to the sensitivity and deserves a lot of discussion. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness agreed with Councilmember Jerzak’s statement. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked Councilmember Jerzak for clarity on whether he also wanted to discuss the rental program. Councilmember Jerzak said his understanding was that the discussion regarding the rental program was going to be at a forthcoming Work Session. He asked Deputy City Manager Daren Nyquist if that was correct. Mr. Nyquist confirmed that Councilmember Jerzak was correct. Councilmember Jerzak stated that he thought there was a consensus among the Council about the rental program, but that Staff needed additional time to put together the mechanics of the program. He asked Mr. Nyquist again to confirm if he was correct. Mr. Nyquist confirmed that Councilmember Jerzak was correct, and the rental program would be discussed at either the next meeting or the meeting after next. Councilmember Jerzak said these are two separate issues and should stand on their own, which is more appropriate now than previously. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said she agreed with Councilmember Jerzak. Councilmember Moore said she would like some information from the Interim City Manager or other Staff regarding Brooklyn Center community resources that are available to residents. She said she knows that Commissioner Lundy talked about county resources, but she was at a political vigil on Saturday and saw a van that said Brooklyn Center Community Outreach on the side, but no one ever got out of the van. She said she wants to know what is actually available, and if Departments or Staff are available when residents call, so they are not put on hold through Hennepin County or some other resource. Mr. Nyquist said that is something he and the Community of Prevention, Health and Safety Staff have been working on. He said he and Mayor Graves, among other Staff, have been in meetings to establish those community resources. He said it is not a City-led effort, but a community-led one, and is a landing place for all of those resources. He said he would send those resources out to the Council. He added that one thing they are struggling with as an organization is having limited Staff to provide direct resources, but the City can provide facility space, meeting spaces, and communication tools for community partners. He added he has a list of community resources that he can share with the Council. He said going forward, there is an opportunity for an engagement team to help there, but it would be beneficial to figure out where the City would get the most bang for its buck because there is a lot of need out there. Councilmember Moore asked if Staff had received any calls directly to the City of Brooklyn Center for assistance that Mr. Nyquist was aware of. Mr. Nyquist said the only calls he is aware of were a handful of 911-related calls that were for information more than help. 01/26/26 -3- Councilmember Moore asked if the Outreach van that was at Bellevue Park on Saturday, where no Staff were seen, just drove there and parked, and were available if there were any questions and concerns. She said the event was quite organized, and there were handwarmers and other things available for the people at the park for the event. She asked again if that was what the Outreach Staff was there for. Mr. Nyquist said Councilmember Moore was correct, and noted that as Parks and Recreation Director Cordell Wiseman has spoken about before, the Outreach Staff are available at those park events to monitor the event, and see if anyone needs assistance and for City Staff to know what is going on, on the City’s land and is never anything else than providing assistance if needed. Councilmember Moore thanked Mr. Nyquist for that information and for the Council to review, and for the people who are watching the Council meetings to know that the Outreach Staff are out there in those parks. She asked if people should call the City or the Community Center regarding spaces to gather. Mr. Nyquist said at this point, he would route those calls to Director LaToya Turk, the office of Community Health, Prevention and Safety, as she has been a point of contact for community resources. He added that the Council has probably heard that the City has been using the Community Center as a holder for mutual aid goods, because there is a lot of space there, and the City needed to be helpful at some point. He said Ms. Turk would be the best point of contact now, as she has been the thread holder for a lot of these community conversations going on right now. Councilmember Moore asked if residents could go to the website to look up Ms. Turk’s number. Mr. Nyquist confirmed that it was correct. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said one of the main things is people need to know where to go for answers, and the more transparent the City can be, the more helpful it would be to have resources to point people toward. She added that at the last meeting, the Council was asking for more information regarding all of this and where to point people for answers. Mr. Nyquist said he had a comment regarding that, if Mayor Pro Tem Kragness would let him discuss it. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness stated that he could. Mr. Nyquist said the conversations he has had with community groups and with cities have the same question. He added that this situation is hitting the City in a different way than even COVID- 19 did, and in terms of the level of need, it is different, and cities are not organized to move at the speed at which some community groups are. He said the City is doing what it can, but there is always more to do, and Staff are trying to figure it out as best they can, but the community partners in other cities around Brooklyn Center are having the same questions. Councilmember Moore said she believed it was discussed during her one-on-one last week with Mr. Nyquist, but she wanted to prioritize a Financial lead. She said she wants to be timely in the review of the 2026 and 2027 budgets, which include the purchasing policy. She added that the purchasing policy was never finalized last year, and wanted to bring it to the Council for consideration for future Study Session topics. 01/26/26 -4- Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked if the I.T. Department could add something to the City’s website as a quick reference for residents to get resources. Mr. Nyquist said that would not be complicated; the issue is sharing resources that may put others at risk, and a lot of the resources are happening through informal means, and he would not want to put that information up without vetting it. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson thanked Mr. Nyquist for his input and said that it makes sense. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked who has the Invocation tonight. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said she does. FURTHER DISCUSSION ON TENANT PROTECTIONS FROM LAST COUNCIL SESSION This item will be rescheduled for discussion at a future meeting. CITY MANAGER MISCELLANEOUS DISCUSSION ITEMS COMMISSION APPLICATION PROCESS REFRESH Mr. Nyquist said he put together an informational presentation on the Commission Application process to make the Council aware of the internal processes and the tweaks that have been made to make the process run a little smoother for both applicants and Staff. He said this would mostly be a refresh, and it is something that he saw coming into his position last year. Mr. Nyquist stated that the background of this Commission mapping began in 2025. He said that when he would hear the Commission application process, he heard a lot of confusion at the Staff level, not knowing what to do or where things go, and it was more work and effort for the Staff than it needed to be. He said he brought together a group of all the Staff liaisons, City Clerk, Staff, Communications, and other Department leaders to sit down and start mapping out a process in order to be on the same page. During that meeting, the Staff discussed the current process, roles, issues, future goals, future process, and developmental needs. He noted that several roadblocks were discussed with Staff, including incomplete applications, transparency on the process, slow response time, unclear responsibilities, onboarding to the Commissions from an applicant perspective did not really happen, and communication was lacking. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said several years ago, she had requested a binder that would be presented to the applicant once they were hired, which would include the bylaws of their Commission, and expectations for being on the Commission. She said she is thrilled to see that this is being discussed. Mr. Nyquist said he had heard that there was a process that existed at some point, so Staff tweaked and refreshed things such as a constant flow of communication, and did some work internally to look at how to get out flyers if there is a Commission vacancy. He said this would involve using the Engagement Team to hand out standard flyers in the field when there is a vacancy. He noted 01/26/26 -5- that Staff will also start applicant screening with a simple interview over the phone to see if the applicant is still interested in the position and why. He stated that sometimes applications will sit depending on whether there is a vacancy or not, so if six months go by, the Staff will call the applicant to see if they are still interested in the position. Mr. Nyquist said in terms of clear communication with applicants, that means the City Clerk’s Department has much more dedicated back and forth with applicants if they need it. Applicants will know who to contact when their application is submitted, and will be notified about the next steps in the process. He noted that in terms of onboarding, the applicant would receive a packet that includes the code of conduct, and some conversation around that, and a specific time with Staff Liaisons to onboard with one-on-one conversations that happen before the first Commission meeting. He said the application itself has also been revised with the deletion of unnecessary questions and the addition of some clearer language to make it more accessible for people. Mr. Nyquist said the biggest change in the application process is the recommendation for anonymity for applicants. He said the names on the applications will be scrubbed, and Staff feel like this is going to help some people feel safer to apply for a Commission and help from an equity perspective. He said this was also recommended previously by the Council, and City Staff agree that it is a good idea that will be implemented. Mr. Nyquist said from his perspective, one of the best things to come out of this was clarified roles at the Staff and Liaison levels, so the City Clerk Department knows exactly what they are doing, and Liaisons know what they are going to do. Communications knows its role; Engagement teams know their role. He added that City Clerk Shannon Pettit has a process map that she is following and is located for all Staff to see, and the application process is more complicated than it seems, because there are a lot of people who have their hands on a single application. Mr. Nyquist said those are the changes that the application process will be seeing, and the roles have been clarified for everyone. He said the Staff will screen the application, communicate processes and appointments, and conduct onboarding. He stated that the Council will review applications and approve appointments. He noted that ideally, he would like to see applications processed within 45 days, but the City will hold them for a year if there are multiple applicants. A better experience for applicants with Liaisons speaking to applicants to ask how the process went, clearer expectations for Commission members and onboarding, and a consistent process across all Commissions. He noted that there are a lot of different Commissions with a lot of different things going on, but the process for making applications should feel the same for applicants, Staff, and the City Council. He noted that one thing that is also happening now is that Liaisons will meet once every three months to talk about Commission experience and what is going on, and make sure those processes are the same, and record and take notes to ensure more conversation internally. Councilmember Jerzak commented that for consistency across all Commissions, the Charter Commissions are appointed by the Chief Judge, which takes additional time, and they frequently reach out via Zoom, so allowing time for that, since that Commission only meets four times a year, and additional timelines are often a result of a lot going on outside. He said he wanted Mr. Nyquist 01/26/26 -6- to be aware that consistency is tried to be practiced, but that the Commission would be a special case. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked if the Chair of the Commission and the Liaison could be a part of the onboarding in a group meeting, because everyone would bring a different perspective. She added that it is awkward to show up at the first Commission meeting with no instruction, no expectation, and not knowing a soul there. She said if there was an opportunity to schedule a brief meeting with the Chair of the Commission, as well as the City Council Liaison, that would help. Mr. Nyquist said that was a great idea, and said that had been discussed, and asked City Clerk Shannon Pettit if that idea had made it into the final recommendation. He said he knows for sure the Liaison will have that meeting, and if the Commission Chair is available, he said he thinks they could make that happen. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked if he was referring to the City Council Liaison. Mr. Nyquist confirmed that she was correct, as well as a Staff Liaison, and if the Staff can make that meeting happen with their schedules, then he will work that into the onboarding process. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked who the Staff Liaison would be from, because typically, people say City Council Liaison, and stated she is confused. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said there are two Liaisons, a Staff Liaison, and a Councilmember. Councilmember Moore said she wanted to ask about anonymity for applicants. She said the Staff had raised concerns about anonymity, and she has too when certain names are posted. She asked if anonymity would just include the applicant's name, and no one, including the Mayor, would know the applicant's name. She said she has had questions about this process over the last year, and even previously, and she wants to be clear about the applicant's anonymity. Mr. Nyquist said in this new process, the Council would see the application, notes from the Staff conversation, and no name attached to the application. Councilmember Moore added that there is no information required to apply for a Commission in the City, and she has looked at the requirements. She noted that some of the applications have one sentence, nothing, or the requirement that the applicant has lived in the City for a number of years. She asked if, in this process, the City is updating the application or using the same one. She said she wants to be clear that the City is updating the application and not requiring pages and pages, but that the application requires more information about interests and past experiences that are related to the Commission. Mr. Nyquist said the application has been revised with more targeted questions. He said the biggest change that will address what Councilmember Moore is asking about is the Staff interview with the applicant about interests and other things that will be noted for Council and Staff. Councilmember Jerzak asked if anything has been said about the number of Commissions that an individual can serve on, and what the City is doing for active recruitment for Commission appointments. he understands anonymity, but the City wants diversity, so Commissions do not get stacked one way or another. He said he does not have the answer regarding diversity, but he knows 01/26/26 -7- that has happened in the past, and that would be a concern. He noted that if everybody thought one way, then the recommendation from the Commission to the Council may not agree with the Council's, since the Council does not think one way, and it could be challenging. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said that is why Mr. Nyquist is recommending a Staff interview, which will provide a lot more information than the Council is used to. She said when she first applied for the Finance Commission, she had an hour and a half interview with the former Mayor, which was very valuable, so she knew what to expect on the Commission. Mr. Nyquist said the Staff has talked about the number of Commissions that an individual is allowed to serve on, and there has not been a decision made yet. He said he spoke with Ms. Pettit recently about the difference in bylaws among Commissions, and it would make everyone's lives easier by having similar bylaws so there are clear expectations. He said that the discussion is still on the table right now and will require more conversations. He said regarding recruitment, it is a practice and it is never going to be 100 percent, but getting material out in the field for Staff to grab and go and hand out so people are aware that there is an open Commission seat, and having intentional conversations with Engagement Staff, the Communication Staff, and Staff getting pinged in the process map will help. He said it is going to be a constant conversation now and expects improvement, but it is going to be a practice. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said she thinks there should be a number of Commissions that an individual is allowed to be on. She said while the City welcomes volunteers, if one person is on every Commission and decides to either move out of the City, or no longer wants to participate, then those Commissions have to fill those slots. She added that there should be a cap, and maybe two Commissions could be allowed, but she is open to what other people have to say. Councilmember Jerzak agreed with Mayor Pro Tem Kragness on the cap on the number of Commissions and said the Commissions would want a broader perspective. He added that he would like to see a place for youth to begin serving through BrookLynk for the Community Center through the swim teams, or the High School, to encourage involvement. He said the City does a very poor job of representing the youth on any of the Commissions and Committees, and while he understands the youth have busy lives, if the City never asks them to get involved, then they are not going to consider it. He said he knows there is a presentation regarding that tonight, and he thinks that is a great place to start. Councilmember Moore thanked Councilmember Jerzak for bringing that up and asked how the City can strategically get the youth involved as much as possible. She said this question piggybacks off her second comment about bylaws. She said the Board of the Cultural and Public Arts Commission came out with a 15 to 20-page bylaw that was very extensive and specific, and compared to some of the other bylaws that have been on the books for a long time, was a huge contrast. Councilmember Jerzak asked Councilmember Moore how many Commissions an individual should be allowed to serve. Councilmember Moore said that when the Council has a quorum, the Council should talk about what the limit should be with Consensus from the Council. 01/26/26 -8- Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson said she did not think there had been a Youth in Government Day with the City Council. She said years ago, it was one of her favorite meetings of the year. She said there was a process where teachers would select a High School student to sit next to a Councilmember and engage during a Council meeting. She said there was also a catered dinner downstairs, and the student would sit right next to the Councilmember, and it was a fun meeting where the youth got a real education on how the process works. Mr. Nyquist said there have been conversations with Youth on Board, and given everything that has been going on, it has been pushed to the side. He said he could bring that process to the next meeting after similar discussion items to see where that is at. He noted that he is hearing a lot of interest in reengaging youth on Commissions, and further discussion could happen sooner rather than later. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said she likes that idea, as well as implementing Councilmember for the Day or Mayor for the Day. City Attorney Siobhan Tolar said there was a youth event recently, and while the youth did not get to shadow the Councilmembers, they came to a meeting and got to sit in a Council seat to see what it was like to be a Councilmember, and it was a great opportunity to see their interest. Mayor Pro Tem Kragness said she knows the event Ms. Tolar is talking about, but she likes the idea of being a part of the process live, and maybe the youth would keep the Councilmembers calm and on their best behavior. Councilmember Moore said that, in light of all the significant changes that have occurred in less than a month, she would not put this as a high priority in the first quarter of the year at all. Councilmember Jerzak said the Council organically for the Day came from a capstone project that also came from BrookLynk, and it rose up through there. He said he was not current on it now, since he has not been involved with BrookLynk for four or five years, but that was a really good place to start because it was already organized. There were interns who were also present here with the City, and it became the capstone project, and maybe that is one place that could be utilized with the youth, because there would not be a lot of Staff effort utilized, and the Council has to be aware of Staff capacity. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Pro Tem Kragness Graves adjourned the Study Session at 6:41 p.m.