HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026/01/21 - ADMIN - Agenda Packets - Community Technology Advisory Commission - Regular Community technology advisory commission meeting
January 21, 2026
6 p.m.
If you need special accommodations or have questions about the meeting, contact Jacque Smith at
jsmith@stlouisparkmn.gov or 952.924.2632, or the administrative services department at 952.924.2505.
Community technology advisory commission
The St. Louis Park Community Technology Advisory Commission is meeting in person in the
Westwood Room on the third floor of St. Louis Park City Hall, 5005 Minnetonka Blvd. Members
of the public may attend the meeting in person.
Agenda
1. Call to order – roll call
2. Approval of minutes
Nov. 19, 2025
3. Review revised workplan and council advisory form
4. Communications and announcements
5. Adjournment
Community technology advisory commission meeting
November 19, 2025
6 p.m.
Community technology advisory commission
Minutes
Members present: Reid Anderson, Shane Leverenz, Konnor Slaats, Kayla Stautz, Benjamin Straus
Members absent: Rudyard Dyer, Nat Johnson
Staff liaison: Jacque Smith, communications and technology director
Guests: Tom Marble, St. Louis Park Public Schools liaison
1. Call to order – roll call
Slaats moved, Leverenz second a motion to call the meeting to order at 6:07 p.m. with Stautz
and Anderson in attendance for a quorum. Straus arrived 6:17 p.m.
2. Approval of minutes – Oct. 14, 2025
Slaats moved, Anderson seconded approval. Motion approved 4-0 (Straus not present)
3. Work session
Tom Marble, executive director of information services for St. Louis Park Public Schools,
introduced himself as the school district liaison to the commission. School district cabinet
members are serving as liaisons to city boards and commissions that previously had a member
appointed by the school board.
Slaats explained the commission is working on developing work plan items around three key
themes: enhancing resident engagement with city technology tools, exploring generative AI
potential and public safety and security considerations. Members discussed the importance of
clear, policy-relevant insights and the need for a rough draft of the work plan by the end of the
evening. Smith clarified that a council advisory form would also be needed for council to
approve new work plan items. Members split into three groups to discuss their assigned work
plan items.
4. Group feedback/discussion
Members agreed to finalize the work plan and advisory form at their December meeting, which
will also allow for incorporation of Vision 4.0 themes presented to the city council in December.
5. 2026 meeting schedule
Smith will send calendar appointments to CTAC members for 2026 meetings.
6. Communications and announcements - none
7. Adjournment
Anderson moved, Straus seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting, all voted in favor. Meeting
ended at 7:10 p.m.
These minutes were created with the assistance of a generative AI transcript service, then edited and
finalized by a human.
Board and Commission
Annual work plan
Presented to council: February 18, 2025
Approved by council:
1
2025 work plan │ Communications and Technology Commission
1
Initiative name: Support citywide Vision 4.0 process
Initiative type:
☒ Staff support (review project,
policy or program and provide
feedback)
☐ Independent research project
☐ Gather community feedback
☐ Lead community event
Initiative origin:
☐ Applicant-initiated
☒ Staff-initiated
☐ Commission-initiated
☐ Council-initiated
Legally required (e.g. response to
Legislative changes or Judicial decisions)?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Commissioner lead(s) name(s):
None, all will be involved.
If joint commission initiative, list other board or commission:
Is this an established work group?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Initiative description: Support the citywide Vision 4.0 process by participating directly and/or encouraging others to participate, and by
sharing information with other community members about the process.
Strategic Priority: ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☒ 5 ☐ N/A
Deliverable: ☐ Research report ☐ Summary of community input ☒ Other ☐ N/A
Target completion date: 3Q 2025
This section to be completed by staff:
Council request (if applicable): ☐ Review and comment or reply ☐ Review and decide ☒ Informational only – no response needed
Budget required: None
Staff support required: Communication from staff liaison about opportunities with Vision 4.0
Liaison comments: Plan to keep the commission informed about opportunities to assist with the citywide Vision 4.0 process.
Commission members received information from the community engagement coordinator throughout the Vision 4.0 process,
including invites to participate in surveys and to host community meetings.
Board and Commission
Annual work plan
2
Commission member Benjamin Straus hosted a community meeting at his apartment complex.
Commission members reviewed the Dec. 8, 2025, Vision 4.0 council report presented to the city council, to inform CTAC
additional workplan goals for 2026.
2
Initiative name: Participate in city website redesign review process
Initiative type:
☒ Staff support (review project,
policy or program and provide
feedback)
☐ Independent research project
☐ Gather community feedback
☐ Lead community event
Initiative origin:
☐ Applicant-initiated
☒ Staff-initiated
☐ Commission-initiated
☐ Council-initiated
Legally required (e.g. response to
Legislative changes or Judicial decisions)?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Commissioner lead(s) name(s):
None, all members or a small group will be involved.
If joint commission initiative, list other board or commission:
Is this an established work group?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Initiative description: While the exact process for the redesign has yet to be determined, we plan to draw on the expertise of the CTAC by
involving members, or a small group of members, in potential user group testing or other review of a draft redesign of the city website.
Strategic Priority: ☒ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☒ 5 ☐ N/A
Deliverable: ☐ Research report ☐ Summary of community input ☒ Other ☐ N/A
Target completion date: 3Q 2025
This section to be completed by staff:
Council request (if applicable): ☐ Review and comment or reply ☐ Review and decide ☒ Informational only – no response needed
Budget required: None
Staff support required: Staff liaison
Liaison comments: The primary goals of the redesign are to ensure compliance with upcoming ADA requirements, ensure mobile
accessibility and improve search function. CTAC will be asked to focus on these items in its review.
CTAC members Konnor Slaats and Kayla Stautz each participated in one of two user experience workshops Sept. 9 and 11, both
two hours each. Both were provided with recordings of the workshop they didn’t attend, and provided comments on user
feedback, as well as suggested wireframe and design elements.
Board and Commission
Annual work plan
3
3
Initiative name: Stay informed about pending legislation affecting cable and technology
Initiative type:
☒ Staff support (review project,
policy or program and provide
feedback)
☐ Independent research project
☐ Gather community feedback
☐ Lead community event
Initiative origin:
☐ Applicant-initiated
☒ Staff-initiated
☐ Commission-initiated
☐ Council-initiated
Legally required (e.g. response to
Legislative changes or Judicial decisions)?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Commissioner lead(s) name(s):
None, all will be involved
If joint commission initiative, list other board or commission:
Is this an established work group?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Initiative description: CTAC is asked to stay informed about pending legislation that may affect the city’s cable franchise, or other
technologies vital to the community such as broadband.
Strategic Priority: ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☒ 5 ☐ N/A
Deliverable: ☐ Research report ☒ Summary of community input ☐ Other ☒ N/A
Target completion date: Ongoing
This section to be completed by staff:
Council request (if applicable): ☐ Review and comment or reply ☐ Review and decide ☒ Informational only – no response needed
Budget required: None
Staff support required: Information and updates from staff liaison
Liaison comments: Staff liaison will stay informed of pending legislation through contact with state and national advocacy organizations,
as well as through the city’s legislative staff and lobbyists. Information affecting cable and technology will be shared with CTAC members.
Board and Commission
Annual work plan
4
4
Initiative name: Whitepaper – Future of Generative AI for Cities
Initiative type:
☐ Staff support (review project,
policy or program and provide
feedback)
☒ Independent research project
☐ Gather community feedback
☐ Lead community event
Initiative origin:
☐ Applicant-initiated
☐ Staff-initiated
☒ Commission-initiated
☐ Council-initiated
Legally required (e.g. response to
Legislative changes or Judicial decisions)?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Commissioner lead(s) name(s):
Konnor Slaats, Kayla Stautz, Benjamin Straus
If joint commission initiative, list other board or commission:
Is this an established work group?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Initiative description: This is a proposed whitepaper seeking to explore the question: how might cities need to adapt to be generative
artificial intelligence (AI)-compatible in the future? The whitepaper will explore policy adaptations cities, including St. Louis Park, may
need to make in a generative AI-enabled future. Peer cities and use cases for generative AI tech will be explored in areas such as
public works, public-facing chatbots, planning and zoning, external resources and coalitions, and public engagement.
Strategic Priority: ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☐ 5 ☐ N/A
Deliverable: ☒ Research report ☐ Summary of community input ☐ Other ☒ N/A
Target completion date: Q3 2026
This section to be completed by staff:
Council request (if applicable): ☐ Review and comment or reply ☐ Review and decide ☒ Informational only – no response needed
Board and Commission
Annual work plan
5
Budget required:
Staff support required:
Liaison comments: CTAC has reviewed the generative AI guidelines generated in November 2024 for city staff, and is aware of the data
assessment project conducted in 2025 to move the city toward the goal of having reliable, organized data to “feed” any future
generative AI project. Data cleanup will continue in 2026.
5
Initiative name: mystlouispark (city customer response management system) assessment
Initiative type:
☐ Staff support (review project,
policy or program and provide
feedback)
☒ Independent research project
☐ Gather community feedback
☐ Lead community event
Initiative origin:
☐ Applicant-initiated
☐ Staff-initiated
☒ Commission-initiated
☐ Council-initiated
Legally required (e.g. response to
Legislative changes or Judicial decisions)?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Commissioner lead(s) name(s):
Rudyard Dyer, Shane Leverenz, Tom Marble (school district staff
liaison)
If joint commission initiative, list other board or commission:
Is this an established work group?
☐ Yes
☒ No
Initiative description: The commission team members will conduct an assessment and review of the current MySLP app. We will
document the current feature set, capabilities, accessibility (language options), and integrations. Research will be conducted on
industry best practices and peer municipality apps to determine if there are any opportunities to expand, further integrate, or modify
the existing MySLP app in any way to provide more or better benefits to residents. We will also examine whether the MySLP app is
even necessary. The end deliverable will be a report outlining the current condition and capabilities of MySLP with recommendations
for any changes, enhancements, or modifications to the platform.
Strategic Priority: ☐ 1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐ 4 ☒ 5 ☐ N/A
Deliverable: ☒ Research report ☐ Summary of community input ☐ Other ☒ N/A
Target completion date:
This section to be completed by staff:
Council request (if applicable): ☐ Review and comment or reply ☐ Review and decide ☒ Informational only – no response needed
Board and Commission
Annual work plan
6
Budget required:
Staff support required:
Liaison comments: City staff are currently evaluating this product for compatibility with other software being used in the city for
tracking work requests internally, in an attempt to eliminate duplicate efforts.
Initiative Origin Definitions
Applicant-initiated – Project initiated by 3rd party (statutory boards)
Staff-initiated – Project initiated by staff liaison or other city staff
Commission-initiated – Project initiated by the board or commission
Council-initiated – Project tasked to a board or commission by the city council
Strategic Priorities
1. St. Louis Park is committed to being a leader in racial equity and inclusion in order to create a more just and inclusive community for all.
2. St. Louis Park is committed to continue to lead in environmental stewardship.
3. St. Louis Park is committed to providing a broad range of housing and neighborhood oriented development.
4. St. Louis Park is committed to providing a variety of options for people to make their way around the city comfortably, safely and
reliably.
5. St. Louis Park is committed to creating opportunities to build social capital through community engagement
Modifications
Work plans may be modified, to add or delete items, in one of three ways:
Work plans can be modified by mutual agreement during a joint work session.
Board and Commission
Annual work plan
7
If immediate approval is important, the board or commission can work with their staff liaison to present a modified work plan for city
council approval at a council meeting.
The city council can direct a change to the work plan at their discretion.
Future ideas
Initiatives that are being considered by the board or commission but not proposed in the annual work plan. Council approval is needed if the
board or commission decides they would like to amend a work plan.
Initiative Comments
1
Advisory communication to council
City Council has provided direction that the primary purpose of advisory boards and commissions is to assist/advise city council in the policy decision-making process on behalf of the public. Boards and commissions may also be asked to provide community advice and feedback in a systematic manner.
Please use this form to submit a board or commission-related topic for city council consideration. Note that
use of this advisory communication to council requires a majority vote of a city board or commission prior to
submission.
Decisions on whether to take up an issue will be made by council.
Use the sections below as a guide and omit sections that may be extraneous.
Date:
To:
From:
Subject:
Strategic priority (if applicable):
Approved work plan item? ☐Yes
☐No
Council request: ☐ Review and comment or reply
☐Review and decide (e.g., new work plan item)
☐Informational only – no response needed
Action requested:
What is the commission asking Council to do? For non-work plan items, no action will be taken unless Council
chooses to provide direction or otherwise discuss at a future meeting. If requesting a new work plan item, make
explicit.
1
Background:
Explain the exact circumstances of the situation and provide general information about the topic/issue.
Assessment:
Explanation of the Commission's stance on a particular topic/issue, how it supports existing strategic priorities
and how it advances the purpose of boards and commissions. Include information about whether cross-
collaboration with other boards or commissions is recommended. If action from the council is requested,
provide the justification.
Recommendation:
Recommendations should be included for “review and decide” initiatives. Include clear explanation of
recommendation(s). This section can include a bulleted list of each individual recommendation, etc. Staff will
provide their recommendations on the staff report.
1