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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026/06/15 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - RegularOfficial minutes City council meeting St. Louis Park, Minnesota June 15, 2026 1. Call to order. Mayor Mohamed called the meeting to order at 6:15 p.m. a. Pledge of Allegiance. b. Roll call. Council members present: Daniel Bashore, Jim Engelking, Sue Budd, Tim Brausen, Paul Baudhuin, Yolanda Farris, Mayor Nadia Mohamed Council members absent: none Staff present: city manager (Ms. Keller), city attorney (Mr. Mattick), communications and technology director (Ms. Smith), deputy city clerk (Ms. Scott-Lerdal) 2. Approve agenda. It was moved by Council Member Farris, seconded by Council Member Budd, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed 6-0 (Council Member Brausen abstained). 3. Presentations. a. Proclamation observing World Refugee Day Council Member Budd read the proclamation designating June 20, 2026 as World Refugee Day in St. Louis Park. The proclamation recognized Minnesota's history of refugee resettlement, averaging approximately 2,000 refugees per year over 45 years, and acknowledged the contributions of refugees to the state and city. Council Member Budd encouraged residents to review the agenda packet resources, including a report from the International Rescue Committee on the impact of current federal administration policies on refugees. Council Member Baudhuin noted that the proclamation could not enumerate all refugee contributions but emphasized that refugees have served as community leaders at the highest levels, including as mayor of St. Louis Park, and expressed pride in that representation. Mayor Mohamed affirmed the importance of highlighting refugee contributions given current federal scrutiny and thanked Council Member Budd for reading the proclamation. b. Proclamation observing Juneteenth            City council meeting - 2 - June 15, 2026 Council Member Farris read the proclamation observing Juneteenth 2026, which recognizes June 19, 1865 as the date that news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas. The proclamation further acknowledged the ongoing contributions of Black Americans to Minnesota and noted that St. Louis Park has observed Juneteenth since 2022. The city’s 2026 celebration series will be held in partnership with St. Louis Park Community Education. Council Member Farris remarked that the persistence of racism in 2026 is disheartening and that a proclamation carries no weight without the work to back it up. c. Proclamation observing National Language Access Week Council Member Engelking read the proclamation observing National Language Access Week, noting that 49 distinct languages are spoken within the city. The top non-English languages in St. Louis Park public schools include Spanish, Somali, Tibetan, French and Oromo. The proclamation recognized Minnesota's multilingual heritage beginning with Anishinaabe and Dakota languages. Council Member Engelking observed that immigration and multilingualism have always defined the nation and contribute to the strength of the community. Mayor Mohamed shared a personal account of serving as a childhood interpreter for her parents at medical appointments, emphasizing why language access matters for families and why the burden should not fall on children. Council Member Baudhuin highlighted the proclamation’s acknowledgment of indigenous languages and the connection between language and culture, noting historical efforts to erase indigenous languages through forced assimilation. d. Recognition of donations Mayor Mohamed recognized a $4,000 donation from American Legion Post 282 through Community Charities of Minnesota to the Police Department's K9 program. Dick Brammer, Post 282 Commander, addressed the council. He noted that Post 282 donated approximately $200,000 through gambling proceeds to the city and veterans the prior year and that the post donates to the K9 program on a recurring basis. He noted these donations currently go to support for K9 Officers Maverick and Rollo. 4. Minutes. a. City council meeting minutes of June 1, 2026 b. Special study session meeting minutes of June 1, 2026 It was moved by Council Member Budd, seconded by Council Member Baudhuin, to approve the city council and special study session meeting minutes of June 1, 2026, as presented. The motion passed 7-0.            City council meeting - 3 - June 15, 2026 5. Consent items. a. Resolution No. 26-086 accepting donations to the city to support police department K9 program b. Resolution No. 26-087 appointing election workers for the August 11, 2026 State Primary election c. Approve boards and commissions appointments d. Resolution No. 26-088 authorizing application for fiscal year 2026 Assistance to Firefighters grant e. Resolution No. 26-089 supporting the City of St. Louis Park as a 2026-2027 Minnesota GreenCorps member host site f. Resolution No. 26-090 authorizing parking restrictions on south side of Oxford Street east of Louisiana Avenue - Ward 2 g. Approve first amendment to shared parking agreement at Inglewood Avenue South - Ward 1 h. Resolution No. 26-091 authorizing application to the Metropolitan Council Regional Solicitation for Transportation Projects Council Member Budd commented on item 5b, noting the significant number of election workers who have committed to staffing the state primary election on Aug. 11, 2026. Each election worker completes two to six hours of training in preparation. Council Member Engelking observed that item 5f implements parking restrictions on Oxford Street near the new Louisiana transit station in anticipation of increased traffic when light rail service begins in 2027. The parking restrictions improve sight lines for large commercial vehicles entering and exiting the adjacent industrial area. It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Baudhuin, to move consent item 5c to regular business as item 7b; to approve the consent items as amended, and to waive reading of all resolutions and ordinances. The motion passed 7-0. 6. Public hearing. a. Public hearing for new liquor license - Create Restaurants MN LLC dba Hazelwood Food and Drink Ms. Scott-Lerdal presented the staff report on the new liquor license application. Mayor Mohamed opened the public hearing. No members of the public offered testimony. Mayor Mohamed closed the public hearing.            City council meeting - 4 - June 15, 2026 It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Farris, to approve the on-sale intoxicating liquor license with Sunday sales for Create Restaurants Minnesota LLC dba Hazelwood Food and Drink. The motion passed 7-0. 7. Regular business. a. First reading of ordinance amending Chapter 3 of the city code related to temporary liquor licenses Ms. Scott-Lerdal presented the staff report. The proposed ordinance amendment to Chapter 3 of the city code would align with Minnesota State Statute 340A.404, subdivision 10c, which allows temporary liquor licenses to be issued to brewers and microdistillers. City code currently limits the issuance of temporary on-sale intoxicating liquor licenses to clubs, charitable, religious or nonprofit organizations. Three breweries and two microdistilleries operate in St. Louis Park; an owner representing all five establishments requested the amendment. Council Member Brausen asked whether the amendment would allow a brewery to bring in spirits in addition to other beers. Ms. Scott-Lerdal confirmed that an on-sale intoxicating temporary liquor license covers the full range from 3.2 alcohol through hard liquor. Council Member Brausen expressed support, noting it aligns city code with state law and removes an unnecessary restriction on local businesses. Council Member Baudhuin expressed support, stating there is no reason for city ordinances to differ from state statutes unless specific local values require it. He noted that regulations around distilleries and breweries are still evolving and credited the business owners for proactively bringing the issue forward. Council Member Engelking noted that four of the five establishments are located in Ward 2 and credited the owners of The Dampfwerk Distillery, who were present, for organizing all five establishments to bring the request forward. He highlighted the economic benefit of allowing these businesses to host events such as small wedding receptions that draw visitors from outside the city. It was moved by Council Member Engelking, seconded by Council Member Baudhuin, to approve the first reading of the ordinance amending Chapter 3 of the city code related to temporary liquor licenses and to schedule the second reading for July 6, 2026. The motion passed 7-0. b. Approve boards and commissions appointments Council Member Brausen stated he wanted to recognize the appointments to the city’s boards and commissions with additional context and read all appointments into the record. He described how 71 residents had applied for 38 available seats across multiple boards and            City council meeting - 5 - June 15, 2026 commissions. Four nights of interviews were conducted by council members and existing commission members. Council Member Brausen thanked his colleagues, particularly Council Member Budd, for participating in four nights of interviews, and read the appointments into the record as follows: Benjamin Straus, Edward Bulliner, Lindsay Keogh, Asha Murugesan and Elsa Anderson were appointed to the Community Technology Advisory Commission. Jose Nieves Soto was appointed to the Housing Authority. Derek Reise, Natalie Wagner, Rebecca Asheim Keller, Rebecca Evan, Avery Kuehl and Addison Martin were appointed to the Environment and Sustainability Commission. Bruce Cantor, David Yakes, Jay Jaffee, Nouk Yang, Rachel Snee, Stella Schlegelmilch and Adrienne Krill were appointed to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission. Thomas Weber, Christopher Caton and Avi Nieves were appointed to the Planning Commission/Board of zoning appeals. Robert Tift was appointed to the Fire Civil Service. Jackie Kay, Lee Conliffe, Isabel Anderson, Katie Story, Brenda C. Morales, Akilah Anderson and Tess Culp were appointed to the Human Rights Commission. Anthony Del Percio, Tommy Hines, Mike Rydberg, Derek Fradenburgh, Rachel Nieves and Ranae Brusch were appointed to the Police Advisory Commission. Council Member Baudhuin thanked Council Member Brausen for his decision to recognize the appointees publicly. He noted the difficulty of the selection process given the high quality of all applicants and highlighted the growing number of youth applicants as an encouraging trend. Council Member Engelking congratulated the new board and commission members present in the audience. Council Member Bashore thanked all 71 applicants, acknowledged the importance of advisory roles, noted that many current council members began their public service on boards and commissions and encouraged those not appointed to reapply in future cycles or pursue other volunteer opportunities with the city. Mayor Mohamed thanked the appointees for continuing to engage with the city during a particularly difficult period and expressed that their commitment carried special meaning. It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Budd, to approve the boards and commissions appointments as presented. The motion passed 7-0.            City council meeting - 6 - June 15, 2026 8. Communications and announcements. a. Potential LAWCON property transfer and purchase of Webster Park - Ward 1 Mayor Mohamed noted that staff sought direction from the council on whether to schedule a study session or allow staff to continue pursuing the opportunity and return at a later date. The city council expressed confidence in staff's judgment to proceed without a study session. b. Climate Leadership and Natural Spaces system wrap-up Council Member Budd acknowledged the breadth of the Climate Leadership and Natural Spaces System wrap-up materials and recognized staff for their work. She noted that the absence of council questions or comments on many items reflects trust in and appreciation for the work, not inattention. Several announcements were shared: The Fire Department open house is scheduled for Tuesday, June 16, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. at Fire Station 1. Basketball in the Park begins Thursday, June 18, 2026, at Ainsworth Park from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. featuring youth play alongside St. Louis Park Police and Hennepin County Sheriffs. Parktacular, the city's annual summer festival, takes place the weekend of June 20, 2026. The Grand Day parade is Saturday at noon along 40th Street and ending at the Recreation Outdoor Center (ROC). STEP is holding a ribbon cutting for its new facility expansion on Thursday, June 19, 2026 at 4:30 p.m. followed by a community block party at 5:00 p.m. STEP, in collaboration with St. Louis Park School District, is distributing food to youth throughout the summer every Monday midday at Ainsworth Park and every Friday with a weekend food pack. Mayor Mohamed asked how families could access the program. Council Member Engelking confirmed that families simply need to show up at the park. Mayor Mohamed highlighted several Juneteenth Celebration events: x A family movie night screening of “Soul” at Lenox Community Center on June 15, 2026, from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. x A Black Storyteller Alliance event at St. Louis Park Library on June 16, 2026, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. x A summer concert series kickoff featuring Soul Flower at the amphitheater on June 17, 2026, from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. x A Juneteenth skate at the ROC on June 18, 2026, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. Ms. Keller noted that the council will recess for two weeks and reconvene after the July 4th holiday on July 6, 2026.            City council meeting - 7 - June 15, 2026 9. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 7:05 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Yolanda Farris, mayor pro tem These minutes were created with the assistance of a generative AI transcript service, then edited and finalized by a city staff person.