Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026.02.09 CCM REGULAR02/09/26 -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 REGULAR SESSION FEBRUARY 9, 2026 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 7:00 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Mayor April Graves, Councilmembers Dan Jerzak and Teneshia Kragness. Also present were Interim City Manager Daren Nyquist, City Planning Manager Ginny McIntosh, City Clerk Shannon Pettit, and City Attorney Siobhan Tolar. Councilmembers Kris Lawrence-Anderson was absent, and Laurie Ann Moore was absent and excused. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 4. INFORMAL OPEN FORUM Mayor Graves opened the meeting for the purpose of Informal Open Forum and reviewed the Rules of Decorum. Paul R. stated he wanted to discuss traffic circles, as he lives on the intersection of 58th and Emerson. He said his home faces the intersection, and over the years, he has seen many accidents, as well as people driving 50 miles per hour down Emerson. He noted that last spring, a temporary traffic circle was installed at the intersection, and immediately, the noise in the neighborhood dropped, and there was less speeding and no collisions. He said in the fall, the traffic circle was being removed, and when he asked why, he was told because it was temporary and made of plastic and the snowplows would shear it off. He said that within a month of the traffic circle being removed, he witnessed another accident at the intersection in front of his house. He noted that the same thing happened at the intersection of 50th and Fremont, where a temporary traffic circle was installed, and then removed, and a bad car accident happened. He said it was worth noting that at his intersection at 58th and Emerson, children are waiting for a school bus, and the last big collision at that intersection was with a school bus. He said he and all of his neighbors over the years have had a car in their front yard due to collisions, but when the temporary traffic circle was put in, there were no collisions. He said he was told at the time that a permanent one would be put at the 02/09/26 -2- intersection at his house, and he urged the Council to fully support that if they can. He stated that in his experience, they work, and it is a good use of public money. Justin M. of France Avenue North said he agreed with Paul R. that traffic is awful and the City should do more to mitigate speeds, but that was not why he was there to address the Council. He said he spoke to the Council four weeks ago, laying out steps that he had hoped the City would take to adjust to the crisis that was unfolding due to ICE invading the City. He added that since he spoke to the Council, another Minnesota resident was killed, and thousands more were abducted and transported out of the state without due process, away from families and legal representation. He urged the Council to take action, as the City is on the verge of a housing crisis, as families across the City take shelter in their homes in fear of being torn apart by their federal government. He urged the Council to improve an eviction moratorium, and if that is not possible, he urged them to get on the phone with Governor Walz to declare an eviction moratorium for the state until this nightmare is over. He said ICE has been seen conducting checkpoints in the City last Saturday on the exit of 157th Avenue. He said he was unsure how it is legal for ICE to stop people in the street and demand to see papers before they go home to their families, and the City should not be allowing that to happen. He said he has seen ICE staging City parks, waiting in parking lots to raid family homes, and making the parks unsafe for families to visit, which is a federal activity that should not be allowed in Brooklyn Center. He said flock cameras have been popping up all over the City, and he was not sure if the City was doing that or if ICE installed the cameras to do mass surveillance on everyone in the City. He said he hoped the Council would take these steps, and he would follow up with an email to discuss the rest of the steps he proposed. Mayor Graves thanked Justin M. for speaking. Mayor Graves called on Elias, who called in via Zoom. Elias stated that he wanted to bring attention to Justine Damond, who was murdered by the first Somali Minneapolis Police Officer, who only served four years, which is a travesty that needs to be declared across the state. He said he really wanted to speak today in honor of Black History Month, and did some research that he felt like needed to be brought into the public sphere, noting that according to the National Incident- Based Reporting System, which is a federal database from 2021 to 2024, the white population, which makes up 85 percent of the population committed 17,012 violent criminal attacks. He noted that the black population, which makes up 7.5 percent of the population, committed 15,000 violent criminal attacks. He said that there is only a difference of 2,000 crimes in not even an 11th of the population. He said this yields about 48 violent criminals per 100,000 in the white population, and 448 violent criminals per 100,000 in the black population. He added that these numbers do not list the Hispanic population, but he wanted to bring this up in order to have some honest discourse about the effects and benefits of the black population in the City. He thanked the Council for their time. George called in via Zoom and asked that the Council not violate his Civil Rights and Free Speech, even though any sort of disrespect towards Israel or Jews is somehow legally protected personal speech. He said he would like to ask that the Council not be persuaded like other City Councils into silencing Americans about their free speech to criticize Zionists and criticize Jews like Epstein for their rape and murder of children. He said when the documents came out from the Epstein list, the public halls are where the public comments can be made, and people are supposed to go to be 02/09/26 -3- able to alert their fellow citizens that there is Jewish supremacy, as seen over and over again in the Epstein files, as they traffic and murder children and women. He said that he cannot be cut off, as this is protected speech, and the Council could try, but may pay a stiff penalty for that, as other speakers have been given leniency to say whatever they like. He said the Council could look up the First Amendment to see what it covers, and it is everything, including the right to criticize Jews for rape and murder and criticize Israel for genocide. He said he could criticize Zionism, and the ADL and the API act running the government. He asked how long everyone was going to look the other way as the City Council's silence on free speech, protecting pedophilia, and genocides at the expense of everyone else. He said the Council gets paid by the APAC and the ADL, and because the Jews give their sob story about the Holocaust, no one has heard about the 66 million Christians who perished at the hands of the Jewish Bolsheviks, but Hitler and his friends knew a lot about the Bolsheviks, and they were trying to save Europe from what came their way. Mayor Graves let George know his time was up. Wayne S. said he lives over in the Firehouse neighborhood and said he was curious about the utility bill that he just got, because it went up over 60 percent from his last bill. He said his bill went from $160 to $260, and he is trying to retire, and his house is almost paid off, but he cannot seem to get ahead. He said he thought that this meeting was supposed to be about utilities. He said he is still paying an assessment from when he bought the house years ago, when the City redid the street, plumbing, water, sewer, and gas lines. He noted that his water bill has gone up significantly for some reason, and he does not understand why. He asked if the Council had the answer to that. Mayor Graves said City Staff could follow up with him to give specifics on different things that have happened over the last few years, since the City did its water treatment facility, and some issues with water meters. Wayne S. said his water bill is due in a few days, and asked if he should pay it or wait to hear something from City Staff. Mayor Graves said he should pay what he can afford to pay. Naheed said her comment has to do with the current emergency situation that they are facing throughout the state of Minnesota, including Brooklyn Center, which is being targeted by federal action of secret police conducting state terrorism on people. She said this started at the beginning of December, when an action took place at the City Council that was astoundingly lacking in wisdom and consideration about what City residents need, which was the termination of the long- time City Manager, Reggie Edwards, for no reason. She continued that despite demands from the community, taxpayers, and voters, plus two of the City Councilmembers who voted against termination, this action was initiated by one City Councilmember, and this is a shocking dereliction of duty to the people of the City. Mayor Graves notified Naheed that her time was up. Naheed thanked the Council for its time. Julie B. said she wanted to address what is happening in the community, the targeting, and the harassment. She stated that a car went around her block 11 times this morning, and every other day, ICE is sitting in front of her house, harassing her and her neighbors. She said people are afraid, and the City needs a very clear and present message from Councilmembers, and people need to speak out, but they are so afraid right now to even leave their homes. She added that restaurant workers are being followed home or taken in the parking lots where they work wrongfully and then being returned. She asked if there were any grants available to residents to 02/09/26 -4- help them right now to repair windows that have been broken or doors that have been broken down. She said there is a lot of organizing happening to try to help people, but people need to understand how this works when ICE sits in front of her house for hours or circles the block, and her child is afraid to come home. Mayor Graves said Julie B.'s time was up. Mayor Graves moved and Councilmember Kragness seconded to close the Informal Open Forum. Motion passed unanimously. 5. INVOCATION Councilmember Jerzak read a quote from Margaret Thatcher, "You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it." He read another quote from Wes Fessler, the coach for the Ohio Buckeyes, "We are all faced with a series of great opportunities, brilliantly disguised as impossible situations." Mayor Graves thanked Councilmember Jerzak for his quotes and said she agrees with his second quote and often tells herself that every obstacle is an opportunity. She said that saying is a good way to stay focused on what you can control. 6. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Councilmember Kragness moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda, as amended, with amendments to the minutes as stated during the Study Session to move the EDA/Work Session item EDA Meeting Changes and Additions to the Study Session, and the following consent items were approved: 6a. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. January 26, 2026 – Study Session 2. January 26, 2026 -- Regular Session 6b. LICENSES RENTAL INITIAL (TYPE IV– six-month license) 5031 Drew Avenue North Eduard Antonio Lopez Tardi 6410 Xerxes Avenue North NAISHA BELL RENEWAL (TYPE III – one-year license) 2401 54th Avenue North Michael Tulkki 2813 64th Avenue North Everest Holdings LLC RENEWAL (TYPE II – two-year license) 02/09/26 -5- 5349 Penn Avenue North AM Abdullahi & YM Noor 5524 Dupont Avenue North N J Manthey & J M H Brown RENEWAL (TYPE I – three-year license) 4207 Lakeside Avenue North, #224 Marina Feldman 6835 Noble Avenue North Robert J Berglund 2912 Nash Road SFR BORROWER 2022-A LLC 3600 Admiral Lane HPA CL1 LLC 5306 Penn Avenue North Sweet Home LLC 5437 Logan Renewal Avenue North Nicholas Kaufman 5925 Zenith Avenue North Sanchez Properties Llc 7045 Unity Avenue North Amas Investments Llc 7125 Riverdale Road CMR Figuerora & GT Sanchez 6C. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE ACCEPTANCE AND EXECUTION OF AGREEMENT FOR THE HENNEPIN YOUTH SPORTS PROGRAM GRANT 6d. RESOLUTION APPROVING A MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING WITH THE UNITED STATES CAPITOL POLICE FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF LAW ENFORCEMENT SERVICES PROVIDED IN SUPPORT OF CONGRESSIONAL SECURITY EVENTS 6e. RESOLUTION APPROVING A CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM SERVICES AGREEMENT WITH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE NETWORK FOR PARTICIPATION IN THE EBRIEFING PILOT PROGRAM 7. PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/DONATIONS 7a. PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY AS BLACK HISTORY MONTH IN THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER Mayor Graves read aloud a proclamation recognizing February as Black History Month in the City of Brooklyn Center. 02/09/26 -6- Councilmember Kragness moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to approve the Proclamation Recognizing February as Black History Month in the City of Brooklyn Center. Motion passed unanimously. 7b. PROCLAMATION RECOGNIZING FEBRUARY 18, 2026, AS SCHOOL BUS DRIVER APPRECIATION DAY Mayor Graves read aloud a proclamation recognizing February 18, 2026, as School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. Councilmember Kragness moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to approve the Proclamation Recognizing February 18, 2026, as School Bus Driver Appreciation Day. Motion passed unanimously. 7c. HIGHWAY 252/I-94 PRESENTATION BY THE 252 SAFETY TASK FORCE Mr. Nyquist introduced Tara McCarthy to present this item to the Council. Ms. McCarthy introduced herself and stated she was from the Highway 252 Safety Task Force, and noted that to respect the Council’s time and consideration of the distressing unease and unrest in the state, she wanted to quickly reinforce that the Task Force has a continued commitment to assisting in the City Council’s work towards road safety, and plans to benefit the community. Ms. McCarthy said the Task Force remains adamantly opposed to the current proposed Highway 252 expansion, and MnDOT’s proposed alternatives present serious safety concerns. She noted that MnDOT's alternatives are not aligned with Minnesota state transportation goals, and they harm the livability of the Brooklyn Center residents. She said she wanted to bring attention to information that Brianne Kennedy of Thrive Consulting presented to the City Council meeting on January 26. She noted that in Ms. Kennedy's report, housing values are less than those in the Twin Cities and in the country. She noted that in her own research, she has found studies proving that elevated highways will further depress property values. She added that Ms. Kennedy also stated that residents employed in Brooklyn Center do not reside there, and most of the City's residents are employed outside of the City, and the increased pollution from the influx of vehicles on the current MnDOT path is detrimental and harmful to the City's future. She said she wanted to let the Staff and City Councilmembers know that the Safety Task Force has not received safety data from MnDOT that was requested almost a year ago, and requested again last month. Ms. McCarthy noted that in March 2025, MnDOT staff met with the Safety Task Force and informed them that crash risks were not acceptable without a collector lane, but with a collector lane, they were acceptable. She said on February 5, Amber Blanchard, the Highway 252 I-94 Project Manager, said she would get back to the Safety Task Force with the safety data regarding the crash risks. She noted that since MnDOT has not shared any of this information with the Safety Task Force at this time, it is premature to do any kind of presentation for the Council today. She 02/09/26 -7- stated that when MnDOT comes forward with a full proposal or the Safety Task Force is able to obtain some safety data from them, they will present it to the Council at that time. She thanked the Council for its time. Councilmember Jerzak thanked the Safety Task Force for their passion and for continuing to update the Council. He said this is a marathon, not a sprint, and knows it is not easy, but he really appreciates it. Mayor Graves thanked the Safety Task Force for all their continued work. Councilmember Kragness thanked the Safety Task Force and said she appreciates the tenacity. Councilmember Kragness moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to accept the presentation from the Highway 252 Safety Task Force. Motion passed unanimously. 7d. ORDINANCE REPEALING AND REPLACING CHAPTER 23, SECTIONS 23- 2400 THROUGH 23-2411, HOSPITALITY ACCOMMODATIONS, FIRST READING, AND SETTING A PUBLIC HEARING FOR MARCH 9, 2026 Mr. Nyquist introduced City Clerk Shannon Pettit to present the revisions on the Hospitality Accommodations. Ms. Pettit stated that she would start with some background on this Ordinance, and counsel received presentations on March 14, and again on October 13, 2025, regarding the need for an updated Hospitality Accommodation Licensing Ordinance with options for updates and approach. She noted that the Council recommended using a focused approach to address areas of concern. She added that City Staff, including the Police Department, Fire Department, Community Development, Administration, and the City Attorney, worked on updating the Ordinance and opted to repeal and replace the existing Ordinance with the provided, updated version. Ms. Pettit explained that some of the areas of concern that were discussed in those previous meetings included over 2,000 Police Calls for service in 2024 to City hotels, long-term lodgers, and past inspections that indicated concerns with health, fire, and safety. She added that there are a total of 1,081 hotel rooms in Brooklyn Center, and from October 1, 2024, to October 1, 2025, there were 2,781 calls for service to those hotels compared to 1,088 apartments in Brooklyn Center, where there were 1,356 calls for service. She added that the data from the types of calls for service to hotels from October 13, 2025, has changed a little bit, but she wanted to remind the Council what the City has been working with. Ms. Pettit stated that the updates to the Ordinance include updated definitions list, updated application process, allows but does not require inspections by City Staff as needed, clearly outlines the ability to allow the Council to impose conditions on licenses if necessary, removal of 02/09/26 -8- calls for service, removal of licensing levels, inclusion of nuisance call definitions and refers to state statutes, outlined standards of operations, and provides clear procedures for enforcement. Ms. Pettit said there are a few questions for the Council that she would like to get feedback on. She stated that one of the questions was the definition for permanent residency that talks about 28 consecutive or non-consecutive days, and whether the Council would like this to align with the current UDO. The other questions are regarding the minimum standards of operation, with guestroom occupancy lists maintained for one or two years, and maintenance of video recordings to include the lobby/registration area and any others requested by the Council, such as hallways and common areas. Ms. Pettit noted that continued Staff discussion has changed the language in Section 23-2408, F., regarding Staff requesting records from hotels: from "upon reasonable request" to "within 72 hours of receipt, unless a timeline is specified within the written request" as recommended by the City Attorney. Ms. Pettit asked if the Council had any additional questions. Mayor Graves asked what the current UDO is regarding permanent residency. City Planning Manager Ginny McIntosh said the current UDO has two definitions right now, one for extended stay hotels and one for regular hotels. She said the regular hotel UDO has a stay of no more than 30 days, and that is in alignment with the Department of Revenue, with lodging taxes for stays of less than 30 days. She added that the extended stay hotels have language regarding longer stays, and there has been discussion around ensuring that the UDO speaks the same language, especially if the City needs to enforce anything. Mayor Graves said it makes sense to align with the UDO. Councilmember Jerzak asked about the extended stay and if there are individuals under contract in there, like indigenous groups, which happens with various contracts with non-profits, and the City needs to be respectful of those things. He added that the City is not going to catch everything, but believes in having the Ordinance be in line with other Ordinances. Mayor Graves asked if the guest occupancy list was not previously maintained as part of the UDO. Ms. Pettit said two years may be unnecessary, but one year may not be long enough. City Attorney Siobhan Tolar said the occupancy list is specifically related to the maintenance of guest room occupancy lists for review by the City upon inspection. She said that if inspections are only done on a rolling 12-month schedule, the City could lose some of the data that they were trying to see, and keeping it for longer could make the data more accurate. She added that, to Councilmember Jerzak’s point, the City will not be able to fix everything, and Staff wanted to bring it to the Council for consideration to get a consensus. Councilmember Jerzak said he would be in favor of keeping the records for two years, specifically in the case of investigations of trafficking, which takes a certain amount of time, and investigators would be able to see trends in hotel occupancy. He noted that there used to be maintained trespass lists that could be reviewed, and since everything is electronic, if there was an interruption or a change of ownership in the hotel, those records would provide additional depth to look at patterns for those hotels. He said he hopes the Council revisits these Ordinances sooner than the last 12 years, since the last time the Council did was a year ago. He said if Ordinances need to tweak 02/09/26 -9- things and are unnecessary, then they can be dropped at the time, but if the City does not have these Ordinances, they cannot use them. Mayor Graves said keeping the guestroom lists for two years makes sense to her, and the other final piece was maintenance of the video recordings to include any other areas of the hotel. Councilmember Jerzak said parking lots, hallways, and common areas would be necessary to maintain because that is where all the intrusions occur. He said that anywhere the hotel has video should be retained; otherwise, what is the purpose of having cameras and video? Mayor Graves asked if this part of the Ordinance is in regard to maintaining video recordings wherever there are cameras, or designating where those cameras need to be. Ms. McIntosh said the Ordinance required that the hotels have the cameras and maintain them. Ms. Tolar confirmed that the Ordinance was written to require the cameras and to maintain the video. Councilmember Kragness said she believes in balancing safety and privacy, but she believes the common areas and hallway videos should be maintained for safety reasons. Ms. Tolar said that one of the issues was privacy, and many hotels do not have cameras in their hallways to maintain privacy for guests. She added that the Council could articulate that if the hotels have cameras in these particular areas, the City can view them, and if the hotels do not have cameras in those areas, they need to, at a minimum, maintain the cameras in the lobby and registration area. She said in her opinion, mandating cameras in areas that can be considered private may not be the best course of action, but it is up to the Council. Mayor Graves said she had a similar feeling about the hallways, and in common areas, registration, and parking lots, where an intruder or someone trying to enter or exit the building would make sense. She said she agreed that if the hotel had the cameras in the hallways already, then the City would ask that the hotel maintain them, but she is reluctant to make that a requirement. Councilmember Jerzak said he concurred, but going into a hotel, he forfeits some of his privacy. He said the flexibility of this Ordinance is going to be, if the City starts seeing trends and problems breaking out, then the City has the ability to obtain video to rectify crime. He reiterated that if the cameras are there, the hotel needs to preserve the video. He said if cameras are not there now, the City does not have a reason to compel it, and is not going to. He said parking lots are where a lot of activity occurs. Mayor Graves asked if the Staff got enough feedback to move forward. Staff agreed that they did. Councilmember Jerzak thanked the Staff for discussing the Ordinance and said it is undeniable that data shows actions need to be taken. He said he understands the urgency to address these serious problems, but he believes speed is not the primary driver, but rather an enforceable Ordinance that will lead to measurable results for a drop in calls for service. He added that 02/09/26 -10- addressing some of the human costs that occur at these hotels needs to be done sooner rather than later. He said it is important to remember that there's no perfect Ordinance that is going to solve these serious problems, and the Council should be willing to tweak and adjust and revisit as needed, and more often than not, as these are fluid things. He noted that it has been years since the first Ordinance was an active one, and it was well-intended, but it has fallen short and is long overdue for a review, revision, repeal, or rewrite. Councilmember Jerzak continued that on page 80 of 98, the City already determined the long-term lodgers issue, so that has been discussed. He added that on page 82 of 98, section 23 regarding minimum standards as forms of payment, as cash payments are problematic and should be discussed with the Police Department, and determine what their position is. He noted that it is very easy to take cash and go out to a Walmart and buy a cash Visa card that is not traceable, but it adds one more step if somebody is trying to engage in prostitution or trafficking. He added that the more cash the front desk has, the more likely a robbery is to occur. He said he would not be in favor of having cash on site. Councilmember Jerzak noted that under Section 23, 2400, under the Hospitality Accommodations on page 83 of 98, a guest is defined as any person who occupies a room. He asked if a guest only has to occupy a room for 10 minutes, or an hour, or if there is a time limit to be considered a guest. He said the reason he brings this up is to deal with issues regarding prostitution, and it is something to think about when drafting the Ordinance. He noted that under section C of the same page, 83 of 98, bed and breakfasts are not addressed, and they have occupants. He said he does not know if there is an inventory of that, or how many are operating in the City. He said, according to this Ordinance, a bed and breakfast would have to get a license as well, and that has to be taken into consideration to see if the City has the capacity for them and what kind of licensing and inspections would be required, such as a county lodging license. He noted that on page 84 of 98, under section G., he asked how the City is excluding group homes, because they receive money, there is a state statute, and the City needs to be clear in its Ordinance. Councilmember Jerzak noted that on page 85 of 98 under section C. consideration of application, he suggested that if all investigational work has been done and Staff is recommending approval, that it goes under the Consent Agenda like the rentals, because any Councilmember can pull that property from the Consent Agenda, but the Council has to trust the City Staff's work. He noted that in the Ordinance, any place that states the City Manager should also state City Clerk, because the City Clerk also handles licensing. He added that on the same page, under section E. regarding applications, he said the City should require ownership information of the hotel because if it is an out-of-state owner, the City needs to be able to get a hold of the owner, and managers of the properties are not always privy to the owner's information. Councilmember Jerzak added that on page 85 of 98, under number seven, it should state that anyone the City Manager would designate should be in the Ordinance. He noted that on page 86 of 98, under section G, that portion should be amended to state that anyone the City Manager designates, and any other place in the Ordinance, that if the Council agrees to amend anything, the City Manager has the ability to designate anyone. 02/09/26 -11- Councilmember Jerzak added that on page 87 of 98, Section 23, 2406, regarding background investigations of interested persons under A.it states the City Manager would be responsible for doing background checks, and he would like it amended to state the City Manager could designate anyone to do it. He asked about employee training regarding trafficking, if new hires are trained, and how staff would be kept up to date, or if there would be a log of training, as there is a lot of turnover in that industry. He added that the City has to have guard rails in place where they can, and needs to be uniform and consistent. He said that because there is a lot of turnover, the staff does not know there is a license requirement or that it is their duty to report any suspicious activities. He said, more importantly, it is about building that relationship, and owners used to tell hotel staff not to call the police because it would affect the hotel negatively. He added that the City should want to encourage relationships with the Police and Fire Department. Councilmember Jerzak noted that on page 87 of 98, section B, there is a discussion of fees that he said needs to be clearer about what they are for, and the City has to be able to explain that. He noted that there should be consideration about the outcome of excessive use, for example, unwanted persons on hotel property, and said it is important to remember that they are dealing with human behavior and want to reduce police calls for service. He said there should be some consideration about a limitation on unwanted people on the property that would require the hotel to hire security. He added that the responsibility should be put on the businesses instead of the taxpayers paying for over 2,000 Police calls. He stated that right now, the hotels are using the City as their own employees, and at some point, they should consider enforcing a rule that if hotels continue to have these types of nuisance calls, which would be defined in the Ordinance, there could be a possibility of excessive use. Councilmember Jerzak stated that on page 91 of 98, the Ordinance needs to define what a nuisance call is in order to avoid appeals. He said he apologized for the depth, but he wants to get the Ordinance right. Mayor Graves said this is one of the benefits of having someone on the Council who has experience working in the City with the hotels. Councilmember Jerzak said there is a fine line between commerce and people contributing to the problems that they have in the City. Mayor Graves said the few things that stood out to her that Councilmember Jerzak mentioned were changing the language so the City Manager could appoint a designee, requiring ownership information in the applications, and hotels providing their own security if they are having problems, rather than relying on the City's Police Department. Councilmember Jerzak said he wanted to encourage groupthink about these things and noted that they all heard Chief Berg talk about the problems at the hotel and the number of times that they have been back there. He said these hotels become a revolving door, and in his experience, if the City does not make it part of their cost of doing business when the hotels lean on the City unnecessarily, they will continue to do so. He said the hotel staff knows that, and knows that the City has to respond to 911 calls, but a lot of issues could be handled internally, and they are not. 02/09/26 -12- He said some of these hotels should be required to hire security, and to pay fines if they continue calling the Police, and City Staff should consider making that part of the Ordinance. He said if the City gets an Ordinance together that helps with inspections, it does not mean it cannot be amended later, and it is not going to be perfect, but if this Ordinance is not looked at comprehensively, then it is just a waste of time. Mayor Graves said that due to the number of comments that Councilmember Jerzak had tonight, she asked if he would feel comfortable making a motion tonight or if he would like to wait and take action at the next meeting. Councilmember Jerzak said he would give his notes to the City Manager, and he said he is not uncomfortable moving forward because the Council needs to move on, but he would like the Council to think about moving forward at a reasonable speed with this Ordinance, as this is a crisis. He said the Council needs to be realistic about changes that may need to be made and review the Ordinance again. He said whatever the rest of the Council thinks, he is not opposed to moving on because something has to be done. Mr. Nyquist said Ms. Pettit could provide more information, but the Council should be aware that there is a timing component for the current licensure through Hospitality. Mayor Graves asked Councilmember Kragness about the three things she called out and if she had any agreement on those things. Councilmember Kragness said she did, and wanted to point out on page 87 under section 23-2408 C., for the record retention, it states it can be done by the City Manager or the City Manager's designee, and the Ordinance should have the designee consistency throughout since the language is already there. Mayor Graves asked about requiring security versus an over-reliance on the Police Department. Councilmember Kragness agreed with that idea. Mayor Graves asked about adding the owner's information requirement to the application. Councilmember KRagness agreed with that idea, as well, and said she can not believe that it is not already required. Mayor Graves said those three items could be adjusted, and then anything else Councilmember Jerzak could be integrated into the Ordinance. Ms. Tolar said she would like to research the security issue, as she is not sure it is permitted to force someone to have security on site. (1:33:34) Councilmember Jerzak said the current Ordinance, which was drafted by *cannot understand the speaker*, stated that if the hotels reached a certain point, they would be required to have security. He said he does not know how the security would fit in the Ordinance, but he thought that is what the original Ordinance was tied to. Ms. Tolar confirmed that it was tied to the levels, and the City does not have levels anymore in the Ordinance. Councilmember Jerzak said the Ordinance could state something like if the hotel had 126 documented nuisance calls, they would be required to attain security for a period of time, or 02/09/26 -13- something similar. He said in the past, a lot of the hotels were required to get security, and they did not comply, and then the only option was for it to come before the Council, and the hotel would get its license revoked. Ms. Tolar said that is kind of the point, and the hotels may not need security because they may get their license revoked or suspended, and those conditions could be met before they get to that point. She said she would like to look into it before putting it in the Ordinance to ensure it is not an issue. Councilmember Jerzak said he was suggesting it because what the City is doing now is not working. Councilmember Kragness thanked Ms. Tolar for how thorough she is, and wanted to acknowledge it. Councilmember Jerzak moved and Councilmember Kragness seconded to adopt an Ordinance Repealing and Replacing Chapter 23, Sections 23-2400 through 23-2411 of the Brooklyn Center City Code in their entirety regarding Hospitality Accommodations, First Reading, and Setting a Public Hearing for March 9, 2026, with noted updates as requested by Council. Motion passed unanimously. 7e. FINANCE DEPARTMENT UPDATE Mr. Nyquist introduced Mr. Aarsvold to present this update. He noted that originally he also wanted Dan Tienter from Ehlers and Associates, who has been serving as Interim Finance Director, but he is out sick. Mr. Aarsvold said he had hoped to introduce Mr. Tienter to the Council and help learn a little bit about the Staff from Ehlers and Associates to help out in Finance, as things transition with new Staffing there, and discuss the Department's status, along with priorities for 2026. He said there are two great staff members from Ehlers and Associates that are helping out at Brooklyn Center, Dan Tienter and April Miller, who both worked directly in Municipal Finance Departments in Fridley and St. Louis Park before coming to Ehlers and Associates, so both understand what the City is facing. Mr. Aarsvold noted the Department status, given the challenges inherent in Staffing transitions. The Department, however, continues to function well, doing day-to-day operations such as payroll and accounts payable, and the Staff is responsive and knowledgeable, and there are good, comprehensive financial policies that are in place. He said those policies were put in place around 2017, and he was present through the most recent results from the bond sale, and there was a note in there that the City does have strong financial policies, which is a factor when rating the City's credit as a borrower. He noted that things that are lacking are long-term forecasting and planning, and Mr. Tienter is going to put together a 10-year plan to look out for future needs and decisions that will impact the taxpayer in the future, policy updates, and process improvements, with an opportunity to update some more dated policies, and ensuring inter-departmental coordination. 02/09/26 -14- Mr. Aarsvold noted that some near-term Department priorites include: navigating the Finance Director Transition, supporting Finance Director recruitment, completing the 2025 annual comprehensive financial report which April Miller will help with, complete the 2026 financial management plan to provide guidance to think holistically how all the needs in the next decade fit financially, develop the proposed 2027 budget, support the water meter replacement project, update the purchasing policy, and complete series 2015A and 2016A IRS exam on outstanding bond issues. He noted that the IRS exams are not done because something ahs been done wrong, but whenever a City is involved in issuing tax exempt debt, the IRS has purview over that and occasionally decides eight to 10 years into a bond issue that they will do spot audits of different issues in different communities and right now two of those are what the IRS has chosen to review for Brooklyn Center. He added that staff at Ehlers and Associates deal with these on a daily basis, and are helping City Staff pull together all the required information and get it submitted to the IRS. He asked if the Council had any questions regarding the update. Councilmember Kragness thanked Mr. Aarsvold for giving context about being audited because people often think when they hear that that something is wrong, but it is just part of the process. Mayor Graves asked what the inter-departmental coordination looks like and if that includes new processes and new assignments. Mr. Aarsvold said there are no specific processes developed yet, but it is ultimately about making sure Staff feel like they have what they need to run their Department and make decisions. He said when there are new initiatives, it is important that Finance has things that they will need to ultimately help those Departments get those initiatives done. Mr. Nyquist added that the inter-departmental coordination is more of a practice that has not been practiced much recently, and it is now time to work together in a more collaborative way because the City Departments are down so many leaders, and this is an opportunity to really teach each other what everyone does in their own Departments. He noted that for the Finance Department, this means letting Staff talk about what they need, and why they need it, with the Staff that actually fills out the paperwork and understands that process. Mayor Graves said she has had some of those same experiences herself, working through her contracting process in her full-time job. She said she would like to talk more about the Financial Management plan, and when the Council could expect to start to see that, and how it will inform the budget process. Mr. Aarsvold explained that staff is looking at 16 to 18 different funds and where those funds stand today, and the needs going forward for personnel as well as capital, and trying to understand what the capital needs of the City are going to be, and begin projections on those needs into a 10-year projection. The financial management plan would discuss how to potentially pay for those 10- year projection projects, the tax impact, and decisions that would have to be made in order to fund those projects regarding Staffing, Capital decisions, and general operating costs for the entire City. The Finance Management plan would be a tool to help the City plan different projects, and could easily be consulted when trying to decide if different projects need to be moved forward, rather than having conversations while projects are isolated from what is happening throughout the entire 02/09/26 -15- City. He said the work has started, but they need to build a model first, and I have to go back and look at the last set of audited financial statements and look at what the budget is for this year, so that they can begin projections going forward. He noted that he will work with staff internally to determine what all of those assumptions need to be and the biggest driver of these will be capital and so he and other staff will get a good sense of where the cities capital needs are and look at that what that means relative to the future and that would be presented to the Council hopefully in the near future so that the Finance Department can inform the 2027 budget process. Councilmember Jerzak said he hoped that any new build projections also factor in the extra inspectors, extra fire, and extra police force in all of those projections. He added that another thing that is easy to ignore is depreciation and deferred maintenance, and the City ends up paying large sums of money to repair antiquated public buildings. He said it would help to plan ahead instead of living from check to check. He said he would also like to take into account not just the depreciation, but the appreciation of costs that are constant. Mayor Graves said Councilmember Jerzak brought up a point that was discussed earlier around the Economic Development Authority and how the Council’s activity in that realm affects financing and thinking. She said it would be helpful to have some of those projections as well about potential developments that are on the horizon or could be on the horizon, without muddying the waters too much. Councilmember Jerzak said at times he thinks that the City has been too conservative when it has this levying ability, and perhaps the City is not using it to its advantage to leverage more economic development where there is capacity, but the Council does not have the information about its effect. He added that there may be a place for LAST (Local Area Sales Tax), and having good data presented with those projections might go a long way. Councilmember Kragness said she is looking forward to seeing a realistic five-year financial plan and having the numbers, and not losing sight of those, would be helpful. She said the City has all of these spreadsheets, but no one is really looking at them. She said in her other day job, she manages the budgets for 34 different companies, and presents that information in order to see what the future is going to look like, so there are no surprises, such as the water rates increasing. She added that someone should be looking at these things ahead of time to prep for the future. She said she will be very interested in seeing a comprehensive, actual financial plan put together that states the opportunities that the City is missing out on because they are not seeing the data. Mayor Graves moved and Councilmember Kragness seconded to approve the presentation on the Financial Department Update. Motion passed unanimously. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS 9. PLANNING COMMISSION ITEMS 02/09/26 -16- 10. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ITEMS 11. COUNCIL REPORT Councilmember Jerzak reported on his attendance at the following events and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Shared that he had a one-on-one meeting with the Interim City Manager and the Assistant City Manager. • Shared that he attended the Minnesota League of Cities Annual Convention held in Plymouth, and this year’s presentation consisted of methods of advancing the practice of community and stakeholder engagements through education, advocacy, and building partnerships when trust in government is fractured. He said there were also disaster readiness lessons from both the Bemidji and the windstorm, and the Mankato flood. He said the keynote speaker was Dandel Jasper, the strategic advisor for Mall of America, about heart and vision and advancing government leadership in complex times, and people do not feel as though their government is being truthful with them. • He noted that during this convention, there was an initial announcement that they did not want to address any of the ICE issues there, but at every table, every break, people were talking about the impacts ICE has had on their communities, and it is weighing heavily on every person that he spoke with at the convention. • Shared that Senator Pha, Representative Vang, and others have been in communication about what they would like to do this legislative session regarding ICE, from possible moratoriums to rental assistance, much like during COVID-19. • Shared that the letter that the Mayor sent out in support of community members affected by ICE, which was published in the paper, was very good, and a number of other cities indicated that they were in the process of doing the same, but had not gotten that far yet. Mayor Graves reported on her attendance at the following events and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Shared that she has been attending meetings with several different neighboring cities and the City Manager, Police Chief, and the office of Community Prevention Health and Safety on all-around coordination to provide resources and support for people in the community who need it due to the federal enforcement, as well as providing resources to Staff in order to connect community members to those resources. She added that she is very supportive of the state Representatives who are doing the work to try to help out the community. 12. ADJOURNMENT Councilmember Kragness moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded the adjournment of the City Council meeting at 8:25 pm. Motion passed unanimously.