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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026.03.09 CCM REGULAR03/09/26 -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 MARCH 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 7:05 p.m. 2. ROLL CALL Mayor April Graves, Councilmembers Dan Jerzak, Teneshia Kragness, Kris Lawrence-Anderson, and Laurie Ann Moore. Also present were Interim City Manager Daren Nyquist, Interim Deputy City Manager and Public Works Director Liz Heyman, City Engineer Lydia Ener, Fire Chief Todd Berg, City Clerk Shannon Pettit, and City Attorney Siobhan Tolar. 3. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 4. INFORMAL OPEN FORUM Mayor April Graves opened the meeting for the purpose of Informal Open Forum and reviewed the Rules of Decorum. No one wished to address the Council. Councilmember Moore moved and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to close the Informal Open Forum. Motion passed unanimously. 5. INVOCATION Mayor Graves said she was trying to think of something to read for Women's History Month, and, thinking about all of the craziness that is going on in the world, she stated she is struggling a lot, and some days she feels okay, and the next day she feels really down. She stated she wants to acknowledge that a lot of people might be struggling with those types of feelings and encouraged people to take care of themselves, lean on loved ones, be there for their friends, and spread kindness wherever they can. She stated she wrote something in her journal on her way over and thought she would share a little bit of that. She stated she wrote this segment last October, “Something 03/09/26 -2- that has been on my mind the last few days has been revolutionary love, and, or love as a revolutionary act. An act of rebellion. I’ve been thinking about my parents getting married in 1972, just five years after the court case that ruled interracial marriage legal. My parents were pioneers in many ways. I wonder how much racism they encountered in the 19 years they remained married. I also wonder how external societal pressure may have affected their ability to stay emotionally connected and faithful to their commitment. Even though they eventually divorced, their love for one another is still evident to this day, and without question.” She thanked the Council for letting her share that. 6. APPROVAL OF AGENDA AND CONSENT AGENDA Councilmember Moore moved and Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson seconded to approve the Agenda and Consent Agenda, as amended, with amendments to the minutes as stated during the Study Session, and moving the Work Session City-Wide Water Meter Changeout Plan: Policy Decision Discussion to the Study Session, and the following consent items were approved: 6a. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. February 23, 2026 – Study Session 2. February 23, 2026 – Regular Session 3. February 23, 2026 – Work/EDA Session 6b. LICENSES RENTAL INITIAL (TYPE IV– six-month license) 4945 Zenith Avenue North SHANKAR SHRESTHA RENEWAL (TYPE IV – six-month license) 3700 55th Avenue North James Ayotunde Olatunbosun RENEWAL (TYPE III – one-year license) 5801 Xerxes Avenue North Brooklyn Center Ah I Lllp RENEWAL (TYPE II – two-year license) 700 66th Avenue North Georgetown-bc Company Lllp 6736 Perry Avenue North CCf2 N LLC RENEWAL (TYPE I – two-year license) 3319 66th Avenue North Thr Property Illinios L P 5418 70th Circle Jazz Properties 5530 James Avenue North Pro Operam Sub Iv Llc 03/09/26 -3- 6331 Indiana Avenue North Ih3 Property Minnesota Lp 6800 Orchard Avenue North Prosperous Property Llc 7007 James Avenue North Infinite Property Llc 6c. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE REQUEST FOR COUNCIL SUPPORT FOR APPLICATION TO MINNESOTA DNR LOCAL TRAIL CONNECTIONS GRANT PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPMENT OF TRAIL CONNECTION IMPROVEMENTS AT WEST PALMER LAKE 6d. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE REQUEST FOR COUNCIL SUPPORT FOR APPLICATION TO MINNESOTA OUTDOOR RECREATION GRANT PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPMENT OF IRRIGATED SOCCER FIELDS AND NATURAL AREA RESTORATION AT WEST PALMER LAKE PARK 6e. RESOLUTION ACCEPTING BID AND AWARDING A CONTRACT, IMPROVEMENT PROJECT NO. 2026-06, 07, 08, & 09, JOHN MARTIN DRIVE IMPROVEMENT PROJECT 6f. RESOLUTION AUTHORIZING THE APPLICATION AND EXECUTION OF THE METROPOLITAN COUNCIL GRANT AGREEMENT FOR INFLOW AND INFILTRATION 6g. RESOLUTION APPROVING A FIVE-YEAR CONTRACT FOR TASER 10 6h. RESOLUTION APPROVING THE INTERIM CITY MANAGER, DAREN NYQUIST, FOR THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR 2026 6i. RESOLUTION APPROVING FIRST AMENDMENT TO LOBBY EDGE LLC PROFESSIONAL SERVICES AGREEMENT Mayor Graves called for a five-minute recess at 7:11 p.m. Mayor Graves recalled the meeting at 7:16 p.m. 7. PRESENTATIONS/PROCLAMATIONS/RECOGNITIONS/DONATIONS 7a. PUBLIC WORKS ANNUAL REVIEW Mr. Nyquist said in continuation of the Department's annual presentations, City Engineer Lydia Ener will provide the Public Works annual report. 03/09/26 -4- Ms. Ener explained that the Public Works Department has quite a few functional divisions: Administrative/Engineering group in City Hall, Street Maintenance (storm, sewer, traffic control, street lighting) at Central Garage, Park Maintenance and Forestry, Public Utilities (water and sanitary sewer), Central Garage, and Facilities Maintenance. Ms. Ener explained the role of Public Works in Brooklyn Center includes providing the maintenance and operations of the City’s infrastructure and facilities in a quality, cost effective manner including 105 miles of City streets and 5,100 traffic signs, 520 acres of parks and natural areas, 62 miles of trails and sidewalks, municipal-owned buildings and grounds, 88 miles of storm drains and 40 treatment facilities, and water and sewer operations. Ms. Ener noted 2025 accomplishments, including the completion of the Orchard Lane East improvements, which was a massive project for the City that lasted two years, and included street reclamation, utilities, curb and gutter, ADA improvements, sign improvements, and trail improvements. She added that they also completed the 67th Avenue and James Avenue mill and overlay project, expanded the traffic calming program, continued sidewalk improvements, utility projects, including a lift station and well houses, and continued the lead service line project. Ms. Ener stated that 2026 goals and priorities include two large street projects at Humboldt Avenue (53rd to 57th), improvements, and John Martin Drive improvements. These two street projects are both reclamation projects, one with utilities on Humboldt and one without on John Martin Drive. She stated the Department will continue with the traffic calming program, and a larger update on that will occur in two weeks on upcoming projects and recent wins. She stated that they will continue the lead service line project, park improvement projects in the Palmer Lakes area, and continue the partnership with Great River Greening to ensure the City has a good tree canopy. Ms. Ener stated that long-range goals for Public Works include the Capital Improvement Plan project areas, which are both road projects as well as utility projects. Public Works will continue with the traffic calming program, continue the Park capital improvement plan that was identified by residents as a priority, Humboldt Avenue and 65th Avenue area improvements, and lastly, Highway 252 improvements, along with MnDOT cost share and mitigations. She added that the most recent win with MnDOT is that they have agreed to move forward with a cost share that will significantly benefit the City, and mitigations will be included in their upcoming EIS that will benefit the City and the upcoming Humboldt project. Ms. Ener asked if the Council had any questions for her. Councilmember Jerzak asked for an update on the well that needs repairs. Ms. Heyman responded that the well Councilmember Jerzak is referencing is Well 11, and Public Works recently sealed Well 7 within the rules and regulations of the Minnesota Department of Health. She stated there are very strict rules, and a review was done with Public Works consultations to make sure that the well was sealed properly to protect the City's water quality. She stated they have finished test pumping and are as confident as they can be based on their tests that this is a good spot and will yield the amount of water that they are hoping for when putting forward a new well. She said they are close to moving forward with the next steps for opening up that hole, to install the pump, and then build the new pumphouse, and are on track with that project. 03/09/26 -5- Councilmember Jerzak said in the weekly update that maybe Public Works could provide a brief update if there has been any change in the PFAS, because occasionally, he gets questions about that. Mayor Graves said there have been changes at the federal level regarding PFAS, too. Ms. Heyman said the last testing they did for PFAS did not show any significant changes, but she could talk with their consultant in terms of updates at the federal level. She said as far as she knows, none of the federal regulations would change how the City would move forward regarding how they are dealing with PFAS. Mayor Graves said she was not implying that, but it might change the levels that Public Works is dealing with over time. Councilmember Jerzak said perhaps in a weekly update, the redundant system that the Council would like information on could be addressed. Ms. Ener said Public Works just put in a grant application to move forward with the redundant water main project included in the Capital Improvement Plan, and principal engineer Hannah just helped them put together a request for a grant to help fund that project. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked about the 5,100 traffic signs and said that it seems like a lot. Ms. Ener said it is a lot of signs, but that does include all of the sign blades, including every street sign, any stop signs, delineators, and pedestrian crossing. Councilmember Lawrence- Anderson said she was thinking of just stop signs. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson asked about the 40 treatment facilities. Ms. Ener said those would be associated with storm water, sumps in the bottom, grit chambers, membranes, or anything that traps what the City does not want moving through the storm sewer, and work to improve water quality for the storm sewer. Councilmember Lawrence-Anderson thanked Ms. Ener for her report. Councilmember Moore asked where Public Works is looking at traffic calming for the record. Ms. Ener said they are looking at a permanent installation in the Grandview neighborhood at Fremont, 58th, and Emerson. She stated they are also looking at a pilot or permanent installation along Lilac near the golf course area. Councilmember Moore said she received a notification that the Three Rivers Park District is looking at input for North Mississippi Regional Park, which is very close to her, and wondered if the City is going to be involved in those discussions with Three Rivers and what the City wants to see for North Mississippi Regional Park. Ms. Heyman said that the notification was from the Minneapolis Park Board, as they are the owners of that facility. Ms. Heyman added that Public Works has been monitoring it as it comes through, but as the owner, they are pushing out engagement and concepts along those lines; residents of Brooklyn Center are free to give any input. Councilmember Moore reiterated that Brooklyn Center residents can give input because it is on the border, but Minneapolis is the owner. Ms. Heyman confirmed that was correct. 03/09/26 -6- Councilmember Moore said she thought she saw the Three Rivers District looking for input from Brooklyn Center residents. Ms. Heyman said she would have to check where that ownership and jurisdiction line changes over, but the large majority of that project is further south and is owned by Minneapolis, but as it moves into Brooklyn Center, the Three Rivers Park District owns the trail. Councilmember Moore said she would think that the City would want to be involved, or at least make sure that the Parks and Recreation Commission or others are there for discussion that might be happening around the regional park, and asked if that is a possibility. Ms. Heyman said it would be difficult for Staff to continually attend, but Public Works has shared that information in the past with the Parks and Recreation Commission and it has been pushed out via social media channels to keep residents informed about the project itself. Ms. Heyman added that Public Works understands it is important to maintain regional connections regarding the project. Councilmember Kragness asked about the well project, and noted it has been a $2 million project that has been underfunded, and asked how the City will pay for that, as Ms. Ener had alluded to some grant potential. Ms. Ener said Public Works applied for a grant for the redundant water main coming out of the water treatment plant, which is a separate project listed in the 2028 CIP. Ms. Ener added that the wellhouse project that is currently in progress for Well 11 is being tracked by several Staff members within Public Works to check the budget every month to make sure it is tracking properly. She added that Staff are checking invoices monthly with the contractors to ensure that they are in line with the appropriated budget. Councilmember Kragness said the project is still underfunded, so how is the City going to pay for that. Ms. Heyman said the project is not underfunded, and Well 11 is a new well that needed to be built because Well 7 failed, and Public Works found out it failed in early 2023. The project is being funded with the water utility rates, but a large majority of it is being funded with bonds that were purchased last October. Councilmember Kragness said maybe she wrote down the wrong project, but she wrote down that Ms. Heyman said there was a $2 million project that was underfunded. Ms. Heyman said that was a long-standing placeholder for the water meter change-out that had been sitting since before Ms. Heyman joined the City, and she said it was underfunded because they are now looking at 1,000 water meters costing $500,000, so $2 million is not going to cover the 9,000 meters if they have to replace them all. Councilmember Kragness said if 1,000 meters cost $500,000 to replace them and the City is losing $300,000 roughly in revenue, then the fund is still coming up short $200,000. Ms. Heyman said the $300,000 in revenue loss is only for the no- flow meters, but the amount that it costs to replace the meters is not going to be fully covered by the revenue lost at this point. Mayor Graves said her question is about the pipeline to employment in the Public Works Department. She said she knows she has brought this up many times, but she asked if there was an update on a career pathway that is accessible and provides a good job. Ms. Heyman said that since she joined the City, there were a few years when it was really difficult to recruit seasonal members, but it is a great pipeline, and a great entry-level job, so she and Staff have been interested in supporting that type of work. She said they have done a few things in the Department, including working with the BrookLynk program, which had a few different options, including construction and trades pathways to employment through Hennepin Technical College. She added that for part of the program, students are brought in to tour the facility, and Public Works does mock interviews 03/09/26 -7- with them and chooses the folks who are most interested and qualified. Ms. Heyman stated that one of the folks who went through that program did become a full-time Staff member with Public Works. She stated they have also connected their BrookLynk friends with the city of Minneapolis' program, because the Brooklyn Center Staff in the Public Works Department is relatively small and does not see a lot of turnover, and with that connection in Minneapolis, the BrookLynk students have the ability to work across those lines, and there is an open level of communication and more opportunity there. She stated that Public Works is also working with Charles Walker and the Outreach program through Parks and Recreation to connect with schools and the guidance counselors to bring a tour of students through the facility and teach them about Public Works equipment. She stated that the Department is doing its best to leverage resources, but they are a small team and would not have the ability to make those programs themselves, so they are partnering with BrookLynk and other technical programs and career fairs at the high schools in the City. Mayor Graves said that sounds excellent, and she is happy to hear that a student from BrookLynk was able to use that pathway to work full-time for the City. Councilmember Moore asked if the City is continuing the partnership with Great River Greening, since last year they did free tree distribution at East Palmer Lake. Ms. Heyman said the City did partner with Great River Greening, which is not just specifically trees, but this will be year two of that partnership. Ms. Heyman explained that Great River Greening won a federal grant for a coalition of cities, and Brooklyn Center is one of those cities. Ms. Heyman added that the great thing about this partnership is that the City will be able to take down a large majority of the public ash trees with that federal grant. Councilmember Moore said she knew that Green River Greening was doing removals as part of that coalition of work, and they may not have trees available this year. Councilmember Moore said she wants people to know about it because it is a great coalition and did apply to Brooklyn Center residents last year, and she was able to get some free trees along with some apartments and townhouse complex areas as well, which the residents were really thrilled about. Mayor Graves thanked Ms. Ener and Ms. Heyman for the presentation. 8. PUBLIC HEARINGS 8a. ORDINANCE REPEALING AND REPLACING IN ITS ENTIRETY CHAPTER 23, SECTIONS 23-2400 THROUGH 23-2411 OF THE BROOKLYN CENTER CITY CODE OF ORDINANCES REGARDING HOSPITALITY ACCOMMODATIONS Mr. Nyquist introduced City Clerk Shannon Pettit to present this item to the Council. Ms. Pettit said the Council has seen this information a few times now, so she will go over it quickly, but will ask questions if needed. Ms. Pettit explained that the Council previously received presentations on this item on March 14 and October 13, 205 with a first reading on February 9, 2026. She noted that 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. She added that Staff asked for feedback from the Council and updated the proposed ordinance to reflect the 03/09/26 -8- recommendations. Ms. Pettit added that the reason for the ordinance change is due to concerns about calls for service to the hotels, as well as past inspections done by both Hennepin County and the City of Brooklyn Center that have addressed or spotted some health, fire, and safety concerns. She added that there have also been issues seen with long-term lodgers at the hotels. Ms. Pettit explained the changes in the ordinance involve updated definitions, the application process, the language around inspections by City Staff, the ability to impose conditions on the licenses if necessary, removal of calls for service, removal of licensing levels, inclusion of nuisance call definitions, outline standards of operations, and outline clear procedures for enforcement for Staff. Ms. Pettit said for tonight, the requested Council action includes opening the Public Hearing and taking public comment, closing the Public Hearing, and allowing Council discussion and two separate motions to adopt the ordinance and adopt a resolution approving a summary publication of the ordinance. Councilmember Jerzak thanked Ms. Pettit and other Staff for all the work that has gone into this ordinance change. He noted that he hopes the Council recognizes there is no perfect ordinance, and the Council may have to come back and review, and hopefully that happens more frequently than every 12 years. He added that the questions he had were addressed through Mr. Nyquist regarding some amendments that were provided this morning. He asked City Attorney Siobhan Tolar if the ordinance passed tonight, in the way that it is written, on page 76 of 87 under section D, states that going forward, they will expire on April 30. He asked how this would work with the Council repealing the existing ordinance. He asked if the Staff will have appropriate time to prepare all necessary background checks and the information needed to gather for all the license applications, because not everybody is always timely. He asked if there would be an educational rollout for the motels to know what the new ordinance entails, and if there would be an interim period. He asked if the Council has the ability to extend that deadline from April 30 because that will be a lot of work for Staff when all of the licenses expire, and background checks are needed for new licenses. Ms. Tolar said that it is a Staff question in terms of how to get things done quickly, and the data on the ordinance can be changed, but it will push things back, and until the ordinance gets passed, the City will operate under the existing ordinance. Councilmember Jerzak asked about page 77 of 87 under section H. It states, "It is the responsibility of the business to notify the City of all interested persons after issuing of license." He added that he spent a large portion of his career trying to enforce ordinances that were unenforceable, and if these hotels have a large turnover in employment, so after they hire someone new, they are supposed to get a background check done, and that should be put on the business, but how is the business going to notify the City. He asked if the City will restrict the new employee and will not let them start working until they pass a drug test and a background check. He said this portion of the ordinance is ambiguous and needs to be clarified, because the City does not have the Staff to chase down hotel employees, and there is a lot of changeover in that industry. He added that those people are important in hotels because they are the frontline employees, and if they have felony convictions or something, that could be a bad situation. He continued that it did not need to be debated tonight, but should be taken into consideration. 03/09/26 -9- Ms. Pettit said Staff have made a plan to notify hotel license holders of the changes with a formal letter that is ready to go if the ordinance passes. This letter will inform the license holders and the hotel properties that it will take effect mid-April, and it will be in effect when their license is renewed. She added that there will also be an invitation to them to discuss with City Staff if necessary, and possible site visits to hotels to make sure hotel staff are aware of the ordinance changes. Ms. Pettit said either way, the City would invite all license holders to go over the changes and implications that it could have on the business. Ms. Pettit continued that for background checks, the current process is that they are done every year, and if there is a change in management, it is left up to the hotel to contact the City to notify City Staff of any management changes, in which case a new background check would be run at that time. Councilmember Jerzak said that it will have to be a Staff thing; he just wanted to bring it up because it was unclear in the ordinance. Councilmember Jerzak asked about the portion on page 81 of 87 under 15, the way it is written states there is no interest in employee, manager, or contract, and may reside in a guest room, and that is problematic. He said this is problematic because oftentimes, night managers, or interim managers, or transfer managers were allowed to stay at the hotels as part of their compensation. He noted that Super 8 used to do this because they had a rental license, and that is problematic because now the City is telling private parties what they can or cannot do with their own private property. He said he thinks this portion of the ordinance needs some attention because if a night manager is living at the hotel as part of their compensation, and there are issues, they would have to figure out where the night manager could stay or potentially move to a different hotel. He said he is nervous about this part of the ordinance. Mayor Graves said she thinks Councilmember Jerzak has a point. Ms. Tolar asked for a point of clarification, because there is a difference between sleeping over during the night shift versus living at the hotel as a residence. She asked if some hotels are allowing people to live at the hotel, eat, sleep, and live at the hotel as their residence, or just sleep there during their night shift. Councilmember Jerzak said he has seen it both ways, and sometimes it is part of the employment package, particularly with front desk managers. He said this is the time to consider all of this. He added that he thinks this portion of the ordinance might be a problem for employees who are staying at the hotel, with the way it is written. Mayor Graves said she was curious what other cities do about this issue specifically. Ms. Pettit said this is a conversation that City Staff is having, and there is one rental license at the hotel, and she does not want to mispeak, but her understanding is that the hotels are not zoned for rentals. She added that it is a conversation that is being had internally to address that and move forward. Councilmember Jerzak said if it is a non-issue, that is fine. He added that it used to be part of employment packages in the past for hotels, which is why the City should be aware of it. He said he would not name names, but there were some managers who were problematic in the past who 03/09/26 -10- were living at the hotels, and there was some criminal activity that occurred, which is why he is bringing it up now. He said he would yield to those comments. Mayor Graves asked if there were any other questions or comments from the Council. Councilmember Moore said she wanted to clarify with Councilmember Jerzak and noted that the Fire Chief Todd Berg was present as well, but the Council was presented with pictures previously, of hotel rooms filled almost to the ceiling with items, and the assumption was that someone may have been living in those rooms or was part of a contract. She asked if she was correct in that assumption and if Chief Berg could shed some light on that, because she was absent from that presentation. Chief Berg said that in a few of the hotels that he has been in, there are permanent residents who are there as part of their employment package. He noted some of those rooms were fine, and some were not. The pictures shared with the Council during the hotel update were of a room of a permanent resident and a few storage rooms that needed to be cleaned out. He asked Councilmember Moore if that answered her question. Councilmember Moore asked if there was at least one example of an employee who was living at the hotel as part of their contract that Chief Berg was aware of. Chief Berg confirmed that was correct. Councilmember Moore said she would then concur with what Councilmember Jerzak is saying, that it is a concern if a property owner has a part of their contract for employment to live there, then the ordinance would not allow that. She asked if she was correct. Councilmember Jerzak said there is a zoning consideration, so he does not want to answer that question, but he wanted to bring this up for discussion. He suggested that City Staff take this section of the ordinance out and work on it, and bring it back to the Council for modification, because there is a desire to move forward with the ordinance since it has been languishing. He said this would move the ordinance along, and the zoning experts could tell the Council how to handle this. Mayor Graves said zoning seems to be the larger question that has not been answered by Staff, and her concern is that this would set the City up for a lawsuit. Councilmember Jerzak said litigation is why he brought this issue up. Ms. Tolar asked if the Council wants to amend this ordinance today by removing section 23-2408, which are the minimum standards of operation, A.15. Councilmember Moore said that is correct. Mayor Graves said she was not sure. Ms. Tolar said someone needs to tell her, for sure. Councilmember Moore said she was correct; it is section 23-2408, subsection A, number 15 that needs to be removed. Ms. Tolar thanked Councilmember Moore for the clarification. Councilmember Kragness asked for clarity on whether the Council is removing that portion of the ordinance because it would be part of the employee's employment. She asked if it would be possible to change the ordinance to say that a person could not reside at the hotel without a work contract on file, because then it would be acknowledged. Councilmember Jerzak said that would bring up the zoning question, though. 03/09/26 -11- Mayor Graves said she thought there was a larger question beyond someone staying there that needs clarity. She asked if that was the section identified for Ms. Tolar. Councilmember Moore confirmed that it was the section to be removed completely. Mayor Graves said Staff could get some clarity and bring it back as an amendment. Ms. Tolar asked when the Council was looking to amend this, because it does not take effect for a while. Mayor Graves asked if it could be amended before it takes effect. Ms. Tolar said it could not, and today is the day that the Council makes the final changes or decides if they want a third reading. Ms. Tolar said there is nothing in the City Charter that states they cannot have a third reading of an ordinance, but the longer it takes to approve this ordinance, the longer the Council is pushing out the effective date. Ms. Tolar explained that the Council's options are to approve it with the amendment that they discussed today, and the Mayor would sign it within 48 hours with the changes, and it would take effect 30 days after publishing. She noted that after the ordinance is effective and people are on board, then the Council can amend, but the Council cannot amend something that is not effective. Ms. Tolar stated the Council has probably 40 to 50 days before this ordinance even takes effect, or bring this ordinance back at the next meeting and then push it, but the Council would be adding that additional time in. Mayor Graves asked what the preference of the Council was. Councilmember Kragness said she would be in favor of pushing the ordinance through and omitting that part for now. Mayor Graves noted there was a consensus among the Council. Mayor Graves moved, and Councilmember Moore seconded to open the Public Hearing. Motion passed unanimously. Kevin S. of the Evergreen neighborhood stated he drives by these hotels often. He stated the ordinance talks about the inside of the buildings, and asked if the outside will be held to any standard. He noted that when the Baymont hotel was going through its situation, they had trash on a trailer, and it was contained. He said the Travelodge is a different story. Even before this came up at Council meetings, there were piles of trash outside the back of the building, not in a dumpster, and the back fences of the property are filthy. He said the patrons of Denny's at the time would look out the window and wonder what kind of neighborhood or City they were in, and now it is even worse. He said he has not driven by now in the last couple of weeks, but every time he takes that exit, he looks at that property, and it is a pig pen. He said he does not know if the Council has any control over the outside of the hotels. Mayor Graves said she would anticipate that the exterior would be part of the inspection, not just the inside of the building, and stated Kevin S. raised some good points. Kevin S. continued that he heard the Council bring up permanent residents, and asked how that deals with the residents that the county puts in the hotels, and if anyone tracks how long they stay at the hotels, or if they are transitional. He said he would never know that there are county people in there, because they do not do anything outside the building, which is probably a good thing. He 03/09/26 -12- asked if the City has any control or communication with the county regarding how long those residents can stay at the hotel. Mayor Graves thanked Kevin S. for speaking. Mayor Graves moved, and Councilmember Jerzak seconded to close the Public Hearing. Motion passed unanimously. Councilmember Jerzak stated the City code enforcement does have jurisdiction outside of the building, such as trash and overflowing dumpsters, and maintenance items, either from a proactive standpoint or from a complaint. He said if people see it, feel free to call in to the City, and there will be a response to that. Councilmember Moore added that Community Prevention, Health and Safety Director LaToya Turk works with an Outreach provider and may have some information regarding what is going on with transitional housing, which is not permanent housing. She stated just to be clear that transitional housing that the county has authorized through a variety of ways for a variety of reasons is transitional and is not considered a permanent residence. Councilmember Jerzak moved, and Councilmember Moore seconded to adopt an Ordinance Repealing and Replacing in its entirety Chapter 23, Sections 23-2400 through 23-2411, with the noted exception, of the Brooklyn Center City Code of Ordinances, regarding Hospitality Accommodations and a Resolution. Motion passed unanimously. Mayor Graves moved, and Councilmember Moore seconded to adopt a Resolution Approving a Summary Publication of an Ordinance Repealing and Replacing in its entirety Section 23-2400, with the noted exceptions, of the Brooklyn Center City Code of Ordinances, Regarding Hospitality Accommodations. Motion passed unanimously. 9. PLANNING COMMISSION ITEMS 10. COUNCIL CONSIDERATION ITEMS 11. COUNCIL REPORT Mayor Graves reported on her attendance at the following events and provided information on the following upcoming events: • Shared that she continues to meet with state legislators, and with the Coalition of Mayors for safe and stable communities. • Attended a meeting of the Northwest Tourism board. • Shared that she continues to have one-on-one meetings with Interim City and Deputy City Managers. 03/09/26 -13- • Attended the meet and greet for election updates with Hennepin County with Councilmember Kragness. She said there was a good turnout and a lot of questions, so she asked City Staff to come up with a frequently asked questions document, or provide that information on the City's website. She noted there were a lot of questions about people being able to vote safely and legally in the City. • She shared that she attended the Brooklyn Center Lions' meeting. 12. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Graves moved, and Councilmember Jerzak seconded adjournment of the City Council meeting at 8:01 p.m. Motion passed unanimously.