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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025/12/01 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study SessionOfficial minutes Study session meeting St. Louis Park, Minnesota Dec. 1, 2025 The meeting convened at 7:33 p.m. Council members present: Mayor Nadia Mohamed, Lynette Dumalag, Sue Budd (joined 7:35 p.m.), Tim Brausen, Yolanda Farris, Paul Baudhuin Council members absent: Council Member Rog Staff present: City manager (Ms. Keller), deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), community development director, interim building and energy director (Ms. Barton), administrative services director (Ms. Brodeen), assessor (Mr. Bultema), finance director (Ms. Cruver), legislative and grants analyst (Ms. Ferris), public services superintendent (Ms. Fisher), public works director (Mr. Hall), fire chief (Mr. Hanlin), engineering director (Ms. Heiser), city clerk (Ms. Kennedy), deputy police chief (Mr. Nadem), communications and technology director (Ms. Smith), financial analyst (Ms. Stephens), HR director (Ms. Vorpahl), planning manager (Mr. Walther), parks and recreation director (Mr. West), racial equity and inclusion director (Ms. Yang) Guests: Amy Koch, Natalia Madryga and Alysen Nesse with Momentum Advocacy; Metropolitan (Met) Council Member Anjuli Cameron, Representative Larry Kraft, Senator Ron Latz Discussion items 1. 2026 legislative delegation discussion Mayor Mohamed thanked each of the elected representatives in attendance for all their work in advocating for the residents of St. Louis Park and its goals. She asked Representative Kraft, Met Council Member Cameron and Senator Latz to share some of the projects and priorities they are focusing on in the upcoming legislative session. Representative Kraft presented issues he will work on in the upcoming legislative session related to energy, virtual power plants, super speeders and gun violence. Met Council Member Cameron stated the Metropolitan Council is still looking at what issues will be priorities in the upcoming legislative session. She added that the Met Council has a new chair who will need to approve any legislative proposals. Met Council Member Cameron noted some key priority areas are bonding and infrastructure, funding for the park systems and funding for mass transit as well as for highway systems. Mayor Mohamed thanked the Met Council for the funding provided to St. Louis Park this past year. Senator Latz stated this upcoming session will be very interesting. This is not a budget year but it is an election year and all issues will be seen through the lens of the election. Senator Latz added that 2026 is also a bonding year, which will be a focus along with St. Louis Park, Edina Docusign Envelope ID: 7386BB07-95B4-4C7D-9D3A-B4D6ED9EC43C Study session minutes -2- Dec. 1, 2025 and Hopkins priorities. Senator Latz pointed out that the next legislative session is also a policy year and he would like to see more funding for schools and mental health programs. Senator Latz stated that gun violence prevention issues are top of mind and have room for bipartisan support; it is likely to be a multi-year process going forward. The proposed bills need additional input from prosecutors and law enforcement. Senator Latz also added that affordable housing work will continue. Met Council Member Cameron stated that many federal program cuts will impact the 2026 legislative session. Mayor Mohamed introduced that the city’s priorities include two bonding projects. Ms. Heiser presented the Oxford and Louisiana Avenues reconstruction project, at a total cost of $15.74 million. Ms. Heiser noted that the city is looking for half of this funding from the state and observed that 75% of the traffic at this intersection comes from outside of St. Louis Park. Council Member Dumalag stated that the creek floods and flows to the Mississippi River, which then affects drinking water. Council Member Dumalag added that while this affects the city, ultimately, this is a regional issue. The second bonding project, the Zarthan and Louisiana Avenue reconstruction project, totals 1.4 miles of roadway and aims to create regional connections, including affordable housing connections. There is a funding gap here as well. Mayor Mohamed added that residents are coming before the city council and testifying about how property taxes are becoming more expensive. Mayor Mohamed stated that if the city does not receive funding for projects, residents will continue to be burdened. Mayor Mohamed stated that the City of St. Louis Park cannot carry the entire financial burden of these regional projects. Ms. Keller stated that if the Oxford and Louisiana Avenue project does not receive funding, construction will need to be delayed. This year, the city is hoping for bipartisan support for the bonding bill. The city council members presented on the city’s 2026 legislative priorities, which are intended to signal items where the council has a unique story or can build a coalition: Assessing services Mayor Mohamed noted the city is hoping the costs for county assessing services can be recouped from the county or not be levied by the county, adding the city council does not want to burden residents with paying for services that they do not receive from Hennepin County. Ms. Keller noted the city is working with a coalition of six Hennepin County cities on the issue and has a bill at the state legislature, should it be needed. Emergency medical services Council Member Brausen explained that this is a problem related to local control; current regulations do not require ambulance services to disclose important data points that ensure Docusign Envelope ID: 7386BB07-95B4-4C7D-9D3A-B4D6ED9EC43C Study session minutes -3- Dec. 1, 2025 communities receive quality services. Council Member Brausen stated the average response time from ambulance services is 18 minutes, and the city believes that the legislature should revise regulations around ambulance services to have better oversight of operational standards. Group home licensing and registration Council Member Farris stated she has worked in group and nursing homes for over 40 years. Council Member Farris stated it is important for the city to bring the licensing under the city's jurisdiction to ensure that residents can have a good quality of life. The change at the state in the 2024 session resulted in cities no longer being able to regulate group homes. Housing policy Council Member Brausen stated that the “missing middle” bill is important to St. Louis Park, and the city is looking for a framework that addresses local zoning and land use authority that pertains to local decision making around it; that applies to all but does not keep the city from using the programs they already have in place. Representative Kraft stated there is a bipartisan group of legislators working on a housing bill for this session that would incorporate many of these concepts. There has been good engagement with city organizations and they are starting to roll out language on requirements and choices related to the policy. It is a tough issue and there is bipartisan support as well as objections to aspects of the proposed policy. Housing TIF district modification Council Member Budd stated this pilot to pool TIF dollars in an Affordable Housing Trust Fund has been successful and allowed the city to set aside over $7 million and utilize over $6 million to create 421 affordable housing units. If this successful program goes away, the outcome would not be good for families. Council Member Budd added that the second component of the policy position, income averaging across buildings, would offset deeper discounted units for affordability, allowing for a wider range of incomes to be served. Ms. Koch stated the pooling of TIF dollars is an existing program that was approved by the state legislature, which the city would like to continue, adding that applying the income averaging concept to TIF projects was developed by St. Louis Park. Light rail and public safety Council Member Dumalag stated the city’s position is to support legislation allocating funding to local jurisdictions for staffing and equipment for public safety measures related to the light rail. Council Member Dumalag stated that staff has estimated that four officers would be required from the city’s police department for this public safety support. Council Member Dumalag noted the city’s commitment to the success of the stations includes commercial and residential development at the three light rail stops in St. Louis Park, as well as the Arrive and Thrive plan. The city’s three light rail stops are also where the largest employers are, including Methodist Hospital and Loffler Corporation. Council Member Dumalag added that this is a concern and a legislative priority of the city; it is important to receive support from the state. Docusign Envelope ID: 7386BB07-95B4-4C7D-9D3A-B4D6ED9EC43C Study session minutes -4- Dec. 1, 2025 Council Member Brausen stated that if the public perception is that the light rail is not safe, the public will not use it. Council Member Dumalag shared that St. Louis Park’s partners in Bloomington are also looking at public safety at its light rail stops along their corridor, and this discourse has informed St. Louis Park’s staff as well. Ms. Keller stated that city staff are in conversation with Metropolitan Council staff about how to best coordinate public safety work between agencies and cities. There are resources needed by cities to be full partners in the initiative. Mr. Nadem stated that once the activity leaves the transit platform, there may be health calls and other calls related to public safety, which are the jurisdiction of the local agency. Mr. Nadem added that there will be more people coming into St. Louis Park, thereby more public safety demands, so staffing must be increased in order to provide that public safety. Minnesota Paid Leave Council Member Baudhuin stated there were some concerns around Minnesota Paid Leave, noting that the city has some paid leave policies that exceed what the state law provides, and that is creating some complications on city implementation. Council Member Baudhuin noted there would be fees passed down to the city. The fees cause a levy increase, which the council is working to avoid. Council Member Baudhuin noted the city is in support of paid leave broadly, but is looking for more flexibility for St. Louis Park, as the city is already meeting and exceeding state-mandated paid leave in many ways. Ms. Vorpahl stated staff is also looking for clarification around what the definition of an employee is. For example, this program would cover temporary election workers, seasonal employees and elected officials. Ms. Vorpahl stated that St. Louis Park also currently provides short-term disability at 100%, which is an income replacement. Ms. Vorpahl added that the one piece of the bill that the city cannot meet is the 26-week coverage after employee separation. Ms. Vorpahl stated that while the city fully supports the idea behind the bill, clarity is needed. Council Member Dumalag stated it is also important to keep the property tax relief support programs in place. Ms. Keller stated that the two programs include income and non-income dependent. Mayor Mohamed asked how the city council can support the legislators in their work and with advocating for the city's priorities. Representative Kraft stated that having the city’s legislative priorities presented in this way is helpful, and at this time, and the council has done everything it can do to prepare for the upcoming legislative session. Met Council Member Cameron noted there are upcoming applications for active transportation grants this spring, as well as infiltration grants for stormwater pipes. Mayor Mohamed thanked staff for all their hard work on the legislative priorities and policies, including work to vet proposals and craft recommendations to the city council. Docusign Envelope ID: 7386BB07-95B4-4C7D-9D3A-B4D6ED9EC43C Study session minutes -5- Dec. 1, 2025 Written Reports 2. Housing and neighborhood-oriented system wrap-up The meeting adjourned at 8:53 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Nadia Mohamed, mayor Docusign Envelope ID: 7386BB07-95B4-4C7D-9D3A-B4D6ED9EC43C