HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 01-04 CCM Work SessionMINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL
OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER
IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND
THE STATE OF MINNESOTA
WORK SESSION
JANUARY 4, 2021
CALL TO ORDER
The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Work Session called to order by Mayor Mike Elliott at
6:17 p.m. The meeting was conducted via Zoom.
Mayor Mike Elliott welcomed the meeting attendees to the first meeting of 2021, including many
community members. He wished everyone a Happy New Year. He recognized that 2020 was a
difficult year for everyone, with the global health pandemic and ensuing financial crisis taking its
toll on society.
Roll Call was not taken.
ROLL CALL
CONTINUATION OF RETREAT PHASE 2
WITH COMMON SENSE CONSULTANTS
Dr. Edwards stated this discussion is a follow-up to a City Council retreat in 2019 that was
discussed at the City Council's recent meeting. City Staff indicated that Common Sense
consultants were prepared to come back and do additional work with the City Council. He
introduced Janice Downing and Alicia Gelhar from Common Sense and invited them to address
the City Council.
Janice Downing stated Common Sense is honored to be able to continue work with the City
Council and enjoyed the work, that they have participated in the past few years.
Ms. Downing stated she has 30 years of experience working with organizations in all sectors,
including government. She added they want to partner and co -create rather than dictate, to ensure
the right type of impact. She noted the goal is to help the City Council become more efficient and
impactful in their work.
Ms. Downing reviewed objectives and recommendations for working together with clarity and
greater communication, and resolve conflict with minimal negative outcomes, using power that
works for all, and not just some. She added a goal is to create a safe and confidential space for
growth using a third party, increasing the City Council's ability to understand each other and work
together.
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Alisha Gelhar, Common Sense consultant, stated a schedule of regular interaction with the City
Council is proposed for 2021, to offer support and counselling. Ms. Gelhar stated the City Council
can post questions in the chat function.
Councilmember Butler stated messages in chat are going to Ms. Suciu but not to everyone.
Ms. Downing stated issues covered during the retreat include shared values; the role of empathy;
creating a culture of listening and a sense of belonging; "simple rules" for the City Council;
community interaction through an intercultural agility lens; and Stephen Covey's Decision -
Making and RACI Models.
Ms. Downing reviewed the new consulting schedule, including consistent meetings before every
other City Council meeting in the first two quarters of 2021. She stated this will include a
facilitated group meeting in February and facilitated check -in in March. She noted
Councilmembers will receive an email invitation and assessment to complete, with a link to
schedule individual coaching and listening sessions.
Councilmember Graves requested clarification regarding the proposed schedule. Ms. Downing
stated Common Sense will facilitate a group meeting during the regular City Council meeting on
February 22, 2021, with one-on-one meetings scheduled during the time period February 22-
March 8, 2021. A check -in is scheduled for March 9, 2021, and another between March 22 and
the April meeting.
Councilmember Graves stated she likes the dedicated one-on-one space to work on development
of individual Councilmembers. She added she is excited to get started.
Mayor Elliott stated we will commence this work, and it will be good. He added he looks forward
to working with Common Sense.
Mayor Elliott called for a recess at 6:45 p.m.
Mayor Elliott stated the dial -in option was disabled. He added folks who were on the meeting
earlier are no longer able to access the meeting by phone. He noted these are technical issues that
need to be figured out. He noted we are trying to make sure that folks can call in to the meeting.
The meeting resumed at 6:57 p.m.
OPPORTUNITY SITE UPDATE AND DISCUSSION
Mayor Elliott stated this discussion is related to the Opportunity Site, which is incredibly important
to the future development of Brooklyn Center. He added he hopes that folks who have been trying
to get through by phone can use the link. He noted this especially includes members of the
community.
Community Development Director Meg Beekman gave a review of the Opportunity Site
development and introduced the panel who will facilitate the discussion. She stated the City has
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been reviewing this area for about 20 years as an area for potential redevelopment opportunities.
Not all of the site is publicly owned; the Economic Development Authority (EDA) owns
approximately half of the land. This creates complications with redevelopment of the site as only
portions are controlled by the City.
Ms. Beekman stated tonight's purpose is to provide an update on the master planning process for
City -owned property and review some next steps toward completion. The Master Plan provides
guidance for how the area will develop in the future but it is not prescriptive.
Ms. Beekman stated the City entered a preliminary development agreement with Alatus developers
in April 2018, allowing them to develop a master plan for the southern 35 acres of the site owned
by the EDA. The City Council met with 2 other developers, and selected Alatus as the
development partner as their vision aligned with the City's plans. It was decided that the City
would take the lead in redeveloping the full 80-acre site in partnership with Alatus, and Alatus
would focus on the initial phase of development. The intention is to hold a City Council Work
Session in February 2021 to discuss the initial development phase.
Ms. Beekman introduced the project team, including Haila Maze and Mike Thompson from Bolton
& Menk Consultants; Andrew Dressner with Cunningham Group, responsible for urban design
aspects of the project; and Andrew Moua with Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth (BBAY); Jason
Aarsvold with Ehlers Inc, who conducted a financial assessment and analysis of the Master Plan
as well as traffic and stormwater studies. The goal of this evening's discussion is to receive
feedback and comments from the City Council on approaches for community engagement moving
forward, and potential preferences for land use mix.
Haila Maze, Bolton & Menk, reviewed engagement work that has been done to date, including
Phase 1 and current Phase 2 development scenario review and impact assessment. Phase 3 will be
the plan review, approvals and early implementation.
Ms. Maze stated the City Council feedback that has been received from Phase 1 indicates that more
work must be done on engagement with communities that are under -represented. Phase 2
partnerships are important to ensure that those involved know the community well, and are directly
connected with residents, and understand the Master Plan process. Information will be provided
to enhance engagement, including surveys, online interactive maps, immigrant population
outreach, social media updates, and drive-in movie night. The online presence will be enhanced
so residents and stakeholders can find resources. The process changed due to the pandemic and
the first phase tools longer than expected, which was intentional.
Ms. Maze stated, in terms of engagement to date, there have been 2500 direct engagements,
excluding online conversations. She added this is a good grouping for a community of 30,000
residents. She noted the Becoming Brooklyn Center webpage, which has been effective in
reaching large numbers of people, had 140,000 hits.
Andrew Moua, Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth (BBAY), reviewed an "equity scorecard" that
was developed to ensure accountability by the City to its communities for responsible
development. The score card is a public use tool created by the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability
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and Community Organizations, to measure principles and ensure that standards are being met.
City Staff reached out to BBAY staff to request support for developing the score card and provide
input on a Community Benefits Document (CBA).
Mr. Moua stated the BBAY conducted workshops for youth to determine what they want to see in
Brooklyn Center in 2040, and what will help them reach their fullest potential and stay in Brooklyn
Center. It was clear that young people were unaware of the effects of large-scale development,
and more robust informing is necessary to inform youth on the Opportunity Site development.
Mr. Moua stated BBAY is involved in an outreach effort to design and implement a Task Force,
with 4-6 engagement sessions that would target approximately 80 youth, to get input and feedback
for the scorecard. The goal is to build capacity for long-term change and develop a tool and
procedure that can be used in the future. The Task Force will be comprised of four youth leaders
from BBAY, Planning Commissioners and community stakeholders. The role of the Task Force
will be to build an equity scorecard that reflects the values of the community.
Ms. Maze reviewed values that have been noted throughout this process as important to the
community: affordability; diversity and inclusivity; health and wellness; fiscal responsibility;
flexibility; local benefit; community pride; environmental sustainability; and counteracting
displacement. Guiding principles that have been identified are creation of a vibrant and distinctive
destination; embrace the growing diversity of the community; consider sustainability in design;
and produce places that bring the community together.
Ms. Maze stated the focus of Phase 3 will be to review the content and recommendations of the
draft Master Plan; establish an ongoing accountability framework; and lead into discussions on
early implementation. Intended outcomes are an informed and empowered community; broad
support for the plan; and feasible implementation approach.
Ms. Maze stated the main question is what will be considered "enough" engagement, given the
level of engagement to date. Should every resident be engaged, or a representative sample of the
community, including broad outreach to historically under -represented groups. She asked whether
broader engagement efforts should be considered. She added there is not a recommendation but
rather it is the City's strategic decision for public engagement.
Ms. Maze requested the City Council's input on priorities that should be the focus, and what
approach or blend of approaches is most appropriate to ensure both meaningful and responsible
use of City resources.
Ms. Beekman requested City Council comment and feedback on aspects of the Master Plan that
they feel are more important than others, in terns of gathering community input. She asked where
the engagement focus should be, and what approaches to engagement should be sought. She
stressed the importance of getting a City Council consensus and developing strategies that meet
their expectations, so that the end result is a plan that is reflective of what the community wants
and can ultimately be approved by the City Council.
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Councilmember Graves stated, in response to which aspects of engagement would be the highest
priority, she believes values and principles are representative of what she has heard and would like
to see as a City Council. She added she would like more clarity around community benefits, which
is work that is being led by the BBAY. She noted she hopes they have support and assistance from
other organizations that suggested that additional tool to the process.
Councilmember Graves stated land use is another area where good community input will be
required. She added she wants to know how engagement will continue as the City moves through
the development process. She noted engagement has been slow to start, and City Staff have made
an effort to do better, and work with the community. She noted it is not easy, even under normal
circumstances, and things have not been normal for the past year, but she would like to hear more
about specific things, like what is going to be built, and the community will still need to be
engaged.
Councilmember Graves stated, regarding some issues, it may be necessary to try to speak to every
resident, but that can be time sensitive, and not necessary in every situation. A representative
sample may be sufficient, with a focus on those who are under -represented or not engaged, and
there has been some effort to do that. She stressed the importance of being intentional about how
to continue engagement moving forward. She expressed her appreciation for the presentation.
Councilmember Butler stated her thoughts are similar to what Councilmember Graves said. She
added she has spoken with many residents who had no idea about the Opportunity Site. She noted,
with this big of a project, the City has to do a better j ob of getting information out to people, which
may include going door-to-door. The 252 Task Force went door-to-door with their survey, and
were successful in obtaining over 100 responses. She stressed the importance of engaging as many
people as possible so they are aware of what is going on and can get involved if they would like
to.
Councilmember Butler stated she agrees with a lot of the values that were outlined. She added she
is interested in community benefits, which relates to the City's current housing study. She noted
she would love to say that we engage with every resident directly, which would take time, but it is
possible. Her preference would be engaging with a representative sample of the community.
Dr. Edwards stated Councilmember Ryan has been unable to join the meeting on his tablet, so he
will be speaking into the meeting recording via Dr. Edward's speakerphone.
Councilmember Ryan stated he appreciate all the efforts that are being made to overcome these
technology obstacles. He added, with regard to communication of the Master Plan, he is pleased
that community -based organizations have been involved in soliciting information from what have
formerly been marginalized communities. Every resident's input was valued, and their voices
were heard. The Opportunity Site development has always been intended to provide a broad -based
community benefit. He stressed the importance of not overlooking essential aspects of the 2040
Comprehensive Plan and provide a broad range of housing choices.
Councilmember Ryan stated he is interested in seeing low cost per space business incubators, much
like the project that was brought forward at the old Olive Garden site. He added that concept was
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also brought forward for the second phase of the Opportunity Site. He noted the City Council
must be cognizant of how much market value property needs to be developed to support the costs
of sustaining that effort.
Mayor Elliott stated Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson joined the meeting for 20 minutes but
had to go deal with a family emergency.
Mayor Elliott stated there are a number of folks from the community who have joined this work
session and he is going to give them an opportunity to speak, about community engagement.
Kamaty Diem, Organization of Liberians in Minnesota (OLM), stated the OLM was part of the
original group that started this process some time ago. He added there has been disengagement
from the current OLM and reorganization. He stressed the importance of a more robust
engagement with OLM community members. He noted the pandemic has been challenging for
their community, and focus has been on sustenance of the community.
Mr. Diem stated OLM can renew its engagement in this process and become more involved.
Community members can be a part of the project and understand what is at stake as these decisions
will affect them or benefit them.
Alfieda Daniels, a resident, thanked City Staff and the BBAY for the work that has been done so
far. She added she has been part of the committee and has followed this process for a while. She
noted she feels confused being a part of the committee as Meg has said that the plan has been
collecting dust since 2006, but the site was not considered an Opportunity Zone at that time. She
asked what was the initial thought when it was created.
Ms. Daniels stated the committee developed the scorecard, and the BBAY was assisting with that
process. She added she is surprised because the committee sent out an email requesting that the
work be put on pause due to the pandemic. She noted the committee has not come together to do
any work, although they were mentioned in the presentation.
Ms. Daniels stated she is confused about how the score card got into the hands of the Youth
Alliance, and how did that transition happen. She asked why the committee has not been called
back since they were created, to do the engagement work that they were set up to do. She noted
they have not been called back to figure out how to engage the community.
Ms. Daniels stated there was a work session after Phase 1, and there were many questions because
it did not seem that Phase 1 was complete. There was no demographic data, and no sign -in sheets,
and we were told that Phase 2 would be better. As a member of the committee, she does not know
how Phase 2 could have been completed during the pandemic. She added, if there was any email
communication, she was not included. She asked how Phase 3 can be started without the
committee being engaged.
Ms. Daniels stated the "meeting in a box" concept was created by and pushed out by City Staff.
She added she voiced that she felt there was a lot wrong with the "meeting in a box" because the
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questions it contained and the entire process was facilitated by City Staff. She noted the committee
was concerned that people should understand the project, rather than us just talking at them.
Ms. Daniels stated she is confused because today she received an email communication from
someone at the Alliance for Youth. She added she believes it was Andrew.
Councilmember Ryan stated he appreciates the comments that the citizen is malting about these
issues, but this is not the time. He added it is not germane to the discussion, and it is diverting us
from the official business we have tonight. He noted this has been very difficult due to technical
problems.
A resident stated the woman is still speaking. You do not cut off any woman, in any scenario.
Councilmember Ryan stated run the meeting however you want, you are the mayor.
Philip Gray, a resident, stated the discussion was regarding community engagement, and
Councilmember Ryan made a comment about the price of housing. He added that was not as
germane as what Ms. Daniels was speaking about.
Mayor Elliott asked Ms. Daniels to continue. Ms. Daniels stated as someone who has participated
in local government, if this makes her uncomfortable and she can only imagine what will happen
if this is someone's first time participating in a City Council meeting.
Ms. Daniels stated she is going to move forward to her next point, which is regarding the CBA
(Community Benefits Agreement). She added the committee brought up the idea of a CBA. She
noted she has participated in writing a CBA before, and the CBA should not come from the City
or City Staff but rather from the community and presented to the City Council. The City Council
can then use the CBA as a bargaining chip for development. She expressed concern about that the
CBA is being limited to one organization to discuss and create it. She asked why the City is so
interested in creating a CBA, and why is it not being generated by the community, and why the
committee is being shut down.
Philip Gray thanked everyone who is wonting on this, including the City Council and City Staff,
and especially thanks to the public. He added everyone is looping to put together what is best for
Brooklyn Center. It should be an exchange of ideas without animosity or disrespect or talking
down to someone. This is an opportunity to put something together that the City can be proud of
and pass on to future generations.
Mr. Gray stated he has been asked by several people to attend these meetings, and he is not sure
why, but he believes he makes sense and adds clarity. He added he is listening to everything that
is being said, and it is obvious this is a situation where the City has not engaged citizens. There
are multiple communities within the City, and they are made up of citizens. If the citizen
participation rate is less than 10% that is not very good. Engagement methods should be either/or
choices. 10% to him is not enough. There is an opportunity to ensure that as many citizens as
possible have knowledge, if not input. The goal of everything the City does, as far as engaging
citizens, should be to make sure that all citizens know about the Opportunity Zone.
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Mr. Gray stated he loves the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance, and he and Mayor Elliott worked together
on its formation. He added, however, they are young people with a different perspective, and they
should not be in charge of the engagement process.
Mr. Gray stated the final percentage of participation should be whatever we have dictated, and
whether we have done a good enough job. We need to get to our purpose, which is to put together
a development that shows who we are as a city and what it is that we want to pass on to future
generations.
Mayor Elliott stated Mr. Gray was instrumental in the formation of Brooklyn Bridge Alliance. He
added Mr. Gray's dedication to the community is greatly appreciated. He noted he is surprised,
after Mr. Gray's experience with the process, that he was not aware of Opportunity Site proposals.
Randy Christensen, resident, stated he was not prepared to speak as he was not aware that this was
a public hearing. He added, after serving on the Planning Commission, he is aware that there have
been several plans for the Opportunity Site presented at different times. He noted how much
community engagement is enough is a very big question. A door -knocking campaign would take
time, money and volunteers, and it will be difficult to explain the Opportunity Site, how it will
affect the City, what should happen, and how you are representing us as the City Council.
Mr. Christensen stated City Staff provided assistance along the way, and ultimately a lot of these
things won't happen without a developer. He stressed the importance of understanding what
motivates the developer to be here, and the City's vision and expectations. He thanked the City
Council for their time, and added he looks forward to seeing the results.
Nelima Sitati Munene, Executive Director of ACER (African Career, Education and Resources)
stated her organization works within African immigrant communities in the northwest suburban
Twin Cities, including Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park. She added, based on our engagement
in the process, there is concern about the need for deeper community engagement. She noted it is
recognized that some work has been done, and there are challenges with comprehensive outreach
due to the pandemic.
Ms. Munene stated, with regard to Question 1, all issues are important, and the community must
benefit when a development is to be done, especially in areas where there is significant public
investment.
Ms. Munene stated, with regard to Question 2, this is not an "either/or" process, and everyone
must be directly engaged. She added other forms of engagement can be used successfully, and
door-to-door engagement is not necessary but rather a blend of approaches is best and a robust
strategy must be employed. In terms of values and principles, the historically under -represented
groups must be at the table. Some people may need more extended outreach due to barriers but
we do not have to knock on every door.
Melissa Carey, a resident, stated she has spoken with Councilmember Ryan twice and he hung up
on her twice. She added she told him he should be listening to the community, but he said he was
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busy. She reminded him that it is his duty as an elected official to be on this meeting. She noted
a lot of the discussion has to do with equity, racism and engaging communities that have not been
engaged. She noted it is ironic that he would demand to be heard, but when a black woman gets
on here he interrupts her and hangs up in a hissy fit, and that is not okay.
Ms. Carey stated she appreciates the values and principles that have been touched on. She added
she does not appreciate the tolcenization of different groups that have been engaged, as it seems
that City Staff have used a checklist and checked items off and then they are good. She added she
was in groups of people of color that were engaged by City Staff, but she does not feel that they
were heard. She stressed the difference between receiving information vs. being listened to and
having plans implemented.
Ms. Carey stated City Staff has hardly engaged the Latino community. She added there was a
survey for the incubator microbusiness development, and she asked if it could be translated into
Spanish, but City Staff apparently used Google Translate. She noted City Staff does not engage
with her community the entire time. They sent out a survey and gave less than 1 week to fill it
out, and then say they have engaged the community.
Ms. Carey stated she does not appreciate the tolcenization, when the survey asked for her race and
ethnicity, and City Staff says that they have engaged with black and brown people. She added
they do that a lot and she does not appreciate it.
Ms. Carey stated the City uses all the buzz words, but she was there and has seen the efforts and
that it is not community engagement. She added she is asking for true, meaningful community
engagement that will reach residents, and the City has not done that. She added she will go door-
to-door with City Staff in her community and translate for them. She noted that is the only way to
get people to know about this. You are not reaching communities of color.
Matt Branch, a resident, stated the only reason he knows about the Opportunity Site is because he
chose to start attending meetings for his own personal reasons. He added he is a black citizen, and
has a wife who is a Mexican citizen, and neither of them have been contacted about this on any
level. He added he looks forward to all levels of engagement. He noted door-to-door contact is a
must.
Mr. Gray stated everyone is echoing that to engage a citizen you have to have a multi -pronged
approach. He added Ms. Carey stressed the point that you cannot have everything printed in
English, and a community navigator can be enlisted to find places where citizens are located. He
added he is not saying that you have to go door-to-door for everyone, but many different
approaches can be used. He noted it is time consuming but does not have to be expensive. It just
has to be purposeful.
Ms. Daniels stated everything that has been proposed here by residents are things that the
committee had proposed. She added she wants to know if the committee's input is being
considered, and whether City Staff have the option of taking or leaving what was suggested to
them by the Committee. She added the committee members attending this meeting worked very
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hard and were ignored in the beginning, and all of these issues have already been discussed and
proposed at the very beginning of the process.
Dina Angelique, a resident, stated she has never participated in a meeting before and she has lived
in the City for 20.5 years. She added she was encouraged by a friend to participate in this meeting.
She noted she is shocked and embarrassed that a Councilmember who willingly chooses to run for
office and be elected would disrespect a member of the community and disrespect the Mayor and
then hang up. She noted she felt that needed to be noted, as someone who has never participated
in a Council meeting before.
Mayor Elliott stated many community members expressed their opinions on this issue tonight and
expressed much of what he feels about engagement around this project. He thanked residents for
their comments and for coming to speak about this project and what it means for the community.
He noted the question is, who is this an opportunity for. He stressed the importance of engaging
every resident.
Mayor Elliott stated many residents who have lived in Brooklyn Center for decades are not aware
of this project and that is concerning. The project will be upwards of $500 million, with apartments
proposed at $1,500 a month for a 1-bedroom. The City Council has not discussed or begun to
understand what this will mean for the community, and there are too many questions. He stressed
the importance of property engagement to ensure the project is driven by the community and will
ensure that the best possible project is completed for the community. The sheer amount of acreage
under consideration is important, considering the impact on surrounding properties in terms of
value and cost of living.
Mayor Elliott stated we do not have answers to these questions. We need to tap into the rich
resource that is the community, including people who have lived here for 40-50 years, and people
who represent the diversity of the community. The opportunity should be for the residents of
Brooklyn Center to engage and shape what comes out of this, and what gets developed.
Mayor Elliott thanked everyone for their contributions tonight. He added he is dismayed by the
comments of Councilmember Ryan, and his interaction with a community member. It is important
as elected officials that we are listening to community when they raise their voice, whether or not
we agree with them.
Mayor Elliott stated Councilmember Ryan wishes to speak. He added he thinks the discussion
should be left here and have the rest of the presentation on another night. He added he will be
signing off soon.
Councilmember Ryan stated he is having technical problems.
A resident said we can't hear him.
Councilmember Ryan stated my comment was that the City Council was trying to discuss difficult
issues during the Work Session earlier, and it is important to keep the topics germane to the agenda.
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He added he is interested in hearing from community members on a wide range of pertinent issues,
and this was a misunderstanding.
Councilmember Ryan stated full responses can be provided for the residents' questions and
concerns at another time. It is inappropriate for someone to make a personal attack on any
Councilmember who is expressing their opinion that a caller does not approve of. He has issues
with the way this work session and other work sessions have been conducted. There are open
work sessions where residents are invited to participate, but tonight's meeting was not the best
time for that type of interaction. He stated he expressed his feelings on this point, and that was
how the misunderstanding got started. He added he can understand how people who are not
familiar with Council procedures could misinterpret that. He noted he has been on the call the
whole time and has listened to everyone's comments.
A resident said we can't hear him.
Councilmember Ryan stated that is because of technical problems. He added he did not hang up
and he has been on the meeting the whole time and listened to everyone's comments.
Ms. Daniels stated if that is an attempt at an apology from Councilmember Ryan, he failed horribly.
If this is an attempt at excuse, it is a failed attempt. This is a meeting with participation of 30
people who heard what happened. I was rudely interrupted and have been interrupted by
Councilmember Ryan in person before, when he was in my face and almost physically hit me. If
that was an apology or excuse, it is not accepted. This is unacceptable. I am used to this type of
behavior every day as a black woman. Accountability processes need to be put in place.
Mayor Elliott asked whether the City Council is okay with adjourning the meeting at this point
and scheduling a time to it on another night.
Councilmember Butler thanked everyone that is on the call. She apologized on behalf of the City
Council for what has taken place tonight. She stated it is not acceptable to interrupt a community
member who is speaking, and it is not acceptable to tell the person in charge how the meeting
should be ran.
Councilmember Butler stated she has been taken aback by the defensiveness about community
engagement from some Councilmembers as well as City Staff, and she does not condone the
behavior displayed tonight. She added this is a difficult and complex project and community
engagement is of the utmost importance. Many people are invested in this project, and the City
Council is inundated with information, as well as a lot of other big things on their plate. She noted
she is impressed with community members who take the time to look into the details and bring
issues to light.
Councilmember Butler stated she is fine with scheduling additional meetings, although it gets
draining the more meetings we have. She added, however, with this project she is not okay with
going with the status quo and pushing things forward.
Mayor Elliott requested feedback and comment from Councilmember Graves.
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Councilmember Graves stated she is triggered on several different levels right now and does not
have the capacity to continue this meeting. She added this discussion is much larger than the
Master Plan. She stressed the importance of being clear about community engagement and
outreach specific to the Master Plan and specific to the Opportunity Site, which are two different
things that are connected.
Councilmember Graves stated she is okay with ending the meeting.
I�IZ�li17►1� 1 ��11�'
Mayor Elliott moved and Councilmember Butler seconded of the City Council Work Session at
9:00 P.M.
Motion passed 3-0 (Councilmembers Ryan and Lawrence -Anderson did not respond).
Dr Edwards stated Councilmember Ryan would like to speak. Mayor Elliott stated, as a point of
order, the meeting has been adjourned.
Mayor Elliott stated, for the record, Councilmember Ryan posted in a chat to Dr. Edwards that he
voted aye for the adjournment.
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STATE OF MINNESOTA)
COUNTY OF HENNEPIN) ss. Certification of Minutes
CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER)
The undersigned, being the duly qualified and appointed City Clerk of the City of Brooklyn
Center, Minnesota, certifies:
1. That attached hereto is a full, true, and complete transcript of the minutes of a Work
Session of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on January 4, 2021.
2. That said meeting was held pursuant to due call and notice thereof and was duly held at
Brooklyn Center City Hall.
3. That the City Council adopted said minutes at its January 25, 2021, Regular Session.
Barbara Suciu, City Clerk
Mike Elliott, Mayor
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