HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013/11/25 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular I/I St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES
MINNESOTA SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL MEETING
ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA
NOVEMBER 25, 2013
1. Call to Order
Mayor Jacobs called the meeting to order at 9:33 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Steve Hallfin, Anne Mavity, Julia Ross, Susan
Sanger, Sue Santa, and Jake Spano.
Councilmembers absent: None.
Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), City Attorney (Mr. Scott), City Clerk (Ms.
Stroth), Director of Inspections (Mr. Hoffman), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes).
la. Pledge of Allegiance
2. Resolutions, Ordinances, Motions and Discussion Items
2a. Excel Pawn Currency Exchange License Renewal.
Ms. Stroth presented the staff report and stated that licenses for currency exchange
businesses are handled by the Department of Commerce and are renewed each year
through a state application process. She stated the City held a public hearing on
November 18, 2013, and tabled consideration of the license renewal pending further
investigation by the Police Department as outlined in the staff report. In addition, the
City Clerk's office received additional documents from Excel Pawn and from Mr.
Lansing, and these documents were reviewed by the Police Department and the City
Attorney as noted in the staff report.
Mr. Scott referenced the bullet point summary of findings contained in the staff report
and stated that Mr. Doolittle had a 1989 conviction and served time in prison from 1989-
1994 and has had no other criminal convictions since that time. He indicated Mr. Scott
Lansing made a presentation to the City Council on November 18, 2013, and submitted
documents to the City about a vehicle forfeiture in 2005 and the City's finding was that
there was no illegal conduct by Mr. Doolittle. He stated that Excel Pawn has had a pawn
shop license since 1998 and that license is up for renewal but is handled administratively
on a calendar year basis. He explained that Excel Pawn has had a currency exchange
license since 2000, and Mr. Doolittle has been listed as part owner on the City's pawn
broker license since 2008. He reminded Council that this is a currency exchange license
renewal, which is a State license, and indicated there have been a lot of allegations by
Mr. Lansing about falsification of the applications, and the City could not identify any
inaccuracies in the pawn shop license on file since 2008. He stated Mr. Doolittle
disclosed the cocaine conviction when he was required to, and Excel has been a good
operation in St. Louis Park according to the Police Department, and the owners have been
cooperative. He noted there are some minor licensing issues involving the pawn shop
that will be addressed as part of that license renewal. He referenced the State Statute that
deals with denying a license application based on a criminal conviction and stated that in
order to deny the license based on a criminal conviction, the conviction has to be directly
related to the license being sought.
Special City Council Meeting -2- November 25, 2013
Mr. Patrick Doolittle, 330 Wolf Pointe Trail, St. Louis Park, appeared before the City
Council and stated he was present to answer any questions.
It was moved by Councilmember Ross, seconded by Councilmember Mavity, to approve
the State issuance of a Currency Exchange License Renewal to Excel Pawn &Jewelry for
their business located at 8008 Minnetonka Boulevard in St. Louis Park.
Councilmember Sanger stated it was clear to her there is no basis for denial.
Mr. Scott Lansing approached the City Council and stated he submitted voluminous
documents that are not in the agenda or on the website.
Mr. Scott stated that a summary of the documents is included in the City Council agenda.
He added that City staff reviewed all the documents but it was not practical to put all the
supporting documents in the packet or on the website.
Mr. Lansing stated he has records from 2000 where Mr. Doolittle was not listed, and he
has records that show they were falsifying documents. He stated the Maplewood police
report states that Mr. Doolittle is an owner.
Councilmember Mavity stated that City staff, including the Police Department and the
City Attorney, have reviewed all these documents and have advised Council that these
documents are not relevant in the matter under consideration by Council. She then called
the question.
The motion passed 7-0.
3. Adjournment
The meeting adjourned at 9:45 p.m.
Nancy Stroth,Ciify Clerk Jeff Jac Ma or