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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021 03-08 CCM Study SessionMINUTES OF THE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF BROOKLYN CENTER IN THE COUNTY OF HENNEPIN AND THE STATE OF MINNESOTA STUDY SESSION MARCH 8, 2021 CALL TO ORDER The Brooklyn Center City Council met in Study Session called to order by Mayor Mike Elliott at 6:00 p.m. The meeting was conducted via Zoom. ROLL CALL Mayor Mike Elliott and Councilmembers Marquita Butler, April Graves, Kris Lawrence - Anderson, and Dan Ryan. Also present were City Manager Curt Boganey, Director of Public Works Doran Cote, City Clerk Barb Suciu, and City Attorney Troy Gilchrist. CITY COUNCIL DISCUSSION OF AGENDA ITEMS AND QUESTIONS Mayor Elliott requested that the last Work Session Item, Policy Aide Position, be moved to the second item so that there is adequate time to discuss it and make a decision at tonight's meeting. Councilmember Ryan requested clarification regarding the Policy Aide Position discussion on the Work Session Agenda. He asked whether the Mayor wants to move the discussion on the Work Session Agenda, and then also move it to tonight's Regular Session Agenda. Mayor Elliott confirmed this. Councilmember Ryan stated he is fine with moving the Policy Aide Position discussion up in the Work Session to be addressed as the second Agenda item. Mayor Elliott stated he would like to have a discussion regarding the law enforcement labor contract. He asked whether it is a time -sensitive issue, or if it can be removed fiom the Consent Agenda. City Manager Curt Boganey stated any Consent Agenda item can be moved to the Regular Agenda. City Staff are available to answer any questions the City Council may have. He added he would hope that this item would not be delayed to a future meeting date, as good faith negotiations have been ongoing for a long time, and a fair agreement has been reached with the union. He noted delaying a decision might send a negative message to the union. Councilmember Graves stated she is fine with moving the law enforcement labor contract to the Regular Session Agenda to get more thorough reporting, but with the intention of approving it this evening. 03/08/21 -1- Mayor Elliott stated he would like to have a discussion regarding the agreement with the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Mr. Boganey asked whether Mayor Elliott is referring to Item F on the Consent Agenda. Mayor Elliott confirmed this. Mr. Boganey stated the agreement provides access to federal funding for the City of Brooklyn Center. Public Works Director Doran Cote stated the proposed agreement is the same as the agreement provided for Brooklyn Boulevard Phase 1 and allows MnDOT to convey federal funding to Brooklyn Center. He added federal regulations require that federal funding is channeled to the City through MnDOT to be passed on to the contractor. MISCELLANEOUS SET DATE AND TIME FOR MEETING WITH COMMON SENSE Mr. Boganey stated Common Sense consultants have completed one-on-one meetings with most of the City Council and would like to schedule a first meeting with the City Council as a whole. They have provided some dates, which are listed in the Staff Memo in the meeting packet. Common Sense can provide a 45-minute update at a Regular Session City Council meeting, or host a 1.5-hour session, which would be their preference as they can be more thorough, and do the subject more justice. Mr. Boganey stated the consultants are available for any City Council meeting date, as well as some additional dates. They will try to accommodate the City Council's schedule, but they would like to have more than 45 minutes together. Mayor Elliott stated it would make sense to schedule a meeting outside of a Regular Session meeting, of 1.5-2 hours. Councilmember Butler stated the memo only lists City Council meeting dates and no additional dates. Mr. Boganey stated the consultants have indicated that if the City Council wishes to choose a date other than a City Council meeting date, they will do their best to accommodate the request. Councilmember Ryan stated he agrees with Mayor Elliott that it would be better to devote a meeting exclusively to Common Sense, and he is in favor of finding a date that works for everyone. Councilmember Graves stated the City Council should go ahead and set a date. She added she is anxious to get back into this work and she is not opposed to dedicating more time to the issues. She added, if it is difficult to find a time that works for everyone, the work can begin at regular meetings, but only as a last resort. Trash Clean-up Councilmember Butler stated she would like to bring up the trash issue again. She added she knows City Staff is working on some initiatives that they will roll out soon, but she does not 03/08/21 -2- remember if the City Council has seen those plans. She noted the trash situation is so bad right now with snow melting, and many residents are commenting on Facebook, and want to know what the initiatives will be for cleaning up the City. Mr. Boganey stated that issue is high on the minds of City Staff, and there are meetings planned this week. He added he will include something in the weekly update to let the City Council know of upcoming plans to address trash. Mayor Elliott requested that this issue be added to the City Council's next meeting agenda. DISCUSSION OF WORK SESSION AGENDA ITEMS AS TIME PERMITS USE OF THE CHAT ROOM DURING COUNCIL MEETINGS Mayor Elliott stated the City Council previously talked about the Zoom chat function by people who have joined the meeting. He added he sees the chat function as useful for participation in the governing process and should be kept so the public will be able to continue to participate. Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson stated she finds it to be a distraction. She added she appreciates City Staff s report on surrounding cities and how they have handled the chat function issue. She added the chat function should be allowed during the Open Public Forum, but not constantly throughout the meeting. Councilmember Ryan stated he agrees that it is a distraction. He added a public system called Intercall is recommended in the staff materials, which allows listeners to call in during a meeting for any agenda item and leave their comments. He noted he feels that would be a good approach and would remove the distraction of the chat bar. Councilmember Graves stated she initially liked the chat function because it encouraged more ideas, but she now sees that it can be a distraction at times. She added some of the chat content has become rude or condescending. She noted she does not think the chat function should be removed entirely, but if there are ground rules, the function can be managed better. Councilmember Graves stated maybe a chat monitor would be required. She added people are probably not listening if they are busy typing a question or comment. She stressed the importance of active listening, which is a big part of learning and making decisions. Councilmember Butler stated she agrees with Councilmember Graves. She added she does not have a strong feeling for or against the chat function, although she is always encouraged to see residents showing up and participating, whether she agrees with them or not. She noted she would prefer to keep it this way. Councilmember Ryan stated he is always interested in what constituents are thinking on any subject. He added he recommends the Intercall system, which manages and preserves people's comments. He noted this will allow Councilmembers to focus on the discussion and still have access to the comments and observations of constituents. 03/09/21 -3- MAYOR'S SENIOR AIDE POSITION Mayor Elliott stated he has requested consideration of the hiring of a senior policy aide to handle policy, administrative, and constituent services, and to support the duties of the Mayor's Office and City Council. He added over the past few years that he has had this role he has found a grave need for additional support and assistance for the reasons outlined in the memo. He noted the community expects a lot from the mayor, and in a typical week, he responds to constituents' inquiries and needs, works with the City Council and City Staff on housing and public safety, as well as being involved with a number of external organizations, committees, and groups on behalf of Brooklyn Center. Mayor Elliott stated there are times when it becomes difficult to keep track of all the meetings he needs to attend and to ensure that he is fully prepared, representing the City, and doing a good job of it. Mayor Elliott stated he put together a job description based on similar positions in other cities that support the Mayor's office and Councilmembers. He added he emailed the job description to the City Manager in September 2020 and met with the City Manager and Finance Director to review the position description and consider annual costs. He requested City Council consideration of a Resolution to provide support for the establishment of a senior policy aide position. Mayor Elliott stated the proposed policy aide staff would improve policy development, including research and documentation. The policy aide would support the Mayor in preparation for meetings as well as tracking and following up on issues brought forward at City Council meetings. The policy aide position would support improved constituent services and engage with residents in helping to resolve issues and provide access to local government. Mayor Elliott stated the proposed policy aide staff would support and manage the duties of the Office of Mayor, including managing calendars and scheduling meetings, as well as reviewing documents that require the Mayor's signature. The position would increase capacity to retain relationships and communicate with organizations and provide support in the identification of legislative agenda items that align with the City Council's priorities. Mayor Elliott stated he reviewed other cities that have a similar position, including the City of Minneapolis, which has multiple similar positions. He asked whether the City of Brooklyn Center, which has a City Manager and a strong City Council, needs this type of position, and the answer is yes. He noted the City of Berkeley, California, up until recently had a part-time mayor and 5 dedicated staff that focused on similar issues. He requested the City Council's consideration of supporting this much -needed position. Councilmember Butler stated the City is undertaking a lot of development, issues, and projects, including the 252 conversions, Opportunity Site development, and addressing issues related to the pandemic and what will be on the other side of it, as well as overall City operations. She added the policy aide position would give the City's leaders the opportunity to look at things they are passionate about that City Staff may not have time to look into. She added, for instance, she would 03/08/21 -4- like to look into environmental issues, but she does not have time to do that type of research. She noted this sounds like a great opportunity for the City Council. Councilmember Ryan stated he appreciates Councilmember Butler's remarks regarding the many challenges faced by the City of Brooklyn Center. He added he agrees the City Council would benefit from the additional capacity to support decision -malting on difficult and challenging issues. He noted, however, this position should be for the benefit of the whole City Council, and not for the selective advantage of one member. Councilmember Ryan expressed concern that the proposed duties of the policy aide, as noted in the Mayor's memo, are currently the direct responsibility of the City Manager. He stated, if the City Council moves forward with this position, it could create duplication of efforts, as well as a potential waste of time and funds. He asked whether Mr. Boganey could comment on these issues. Councilmember Lawrence -Anderson stated it is 6:45 p.m. Mayor Elliott asked for Mr. Boganey's response. Mr. Boganey stated, regarding the issue of policy work attracting more financial resources to the community, all those items fall under the category of the City Manager. More can be done in these areas, and there are two solutions in particular: reprioritization of what the City Council wants fiom the City Manager; or the City Manager can add staff whose duties it will be to assist in those areas. That would avoid any duplication of efforts and keeps that area of responsibility where it should be, in serving the City Council as a whole. Mr. Boganey stated support for constituent services and scheduling and coordinating the mayor's schedule does not fall under the responsibilities of the City Manager. He added, however, the City Manager is responsible for ensuring that the elected official's needs are being met, either by assigning duties to an existing staff person who has the time and ability to provide that support or through hiring an additional staff person to complete related assigned duties to support the Mayor and City Council. Mayor Elliott stated, to underscore the point, this position would work cooperatively to support all Council Members in their respective roles. He added the position would support the Mayor and City Council and would report to the elected officials rather than City staff due to oversight responsibility to encourage strong support and relationships. He noted the staff person would handle communication and accountability for which elected officials are responsible and having the staff person report to the City Manager would leave us where we are now. Discussion of this item continued and reached conclusion at the March 8, 2021, Work Session. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Elliott closed the Study Session at 6:54 p.m. 03/08/21 -5- 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 Study Session of the City Council of the City of Brooklyn Center held on March 8, 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 March 22, 2021, Regular Session. Barbara Suciu, City Clerk -------------- Mike Elliott, Mayor 03/08/21 -6-