HomeMy WebLinkAbout2013/07/08 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session if/ St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES
MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL STUDY SESSION
ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA
JULY 8,2013
The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Jeff Jacobs, Steve Hallfin, Anne Mavity, Julia Ross, Susan
Sanger, Sue Santa, and Jake Spano (arrived at 6:34 p.m.).
Councilmembers absent: None.
Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Police Chief (Mr. Luse), Deputy Police Chief
(Mr. DiLorenzo), Police Lieutenant (Ms. Dreier), Police Lieutenant (Mr. Kraayenbrink), Police
Lieutenant (Mr. Harcey), Director of Community Development (Mr. Locke), Planning/Zoning
Supervisor (Ms. McMonigal), Joint Community Police Partnership Coordinator (Ms. Almquist),
Community Liaison(Ms. Erickson), and Recording Secretary(Ms. Hughes).
1. Future Study Session Agenda Planning—July 15 and July 22,2013
Mr. Harmening presented the proposed special study session agenda for July 15, 2013, and the
proposed study session agenda for July 22, 2013.
Councilmember Mavity requested that staff provide trending information about the City's tax
base so that Council has an understanding of what the tax base looks like over the next 5-10
years.
2. Police Department 2012 Annual Report
Ms. Dreier introduced Ms. Erickson and Ms. Almquist.
Ms. Almquist stated one of her goals as the JCPP Coordinator is to make sure there is a lot more
proactive work being done to increase interactions between the Police Department and the City's
immigrant community and making sure the immigrant community has a better understanding of
the laws. She stated another goal is to improve the Police Department's understanding of the
immigrant community and to proactively work on improving relationships.
Mr. Luse presented the staff report and provided an update on the City's RFP process to replace
the Police Department's public safety software and stated the City has located a software vendor
that can provide a better product for less money that meets the needs of the Department. He
added staff is currently negotiating a contract with the vendor and will provide further
information to Council in the near future.
Ms. Dreier discussed the responsibilities of the Community Outreach Division including the
neighborhood watch program, police substations (COP shops), and crime free multi-housing
program. She advised that Ms. Erickson will sit in on the Family Services Collaborative and will
also coordinate monthly outreach meetings with vanous City departments. She stated Ms
Almquist will work with the School District and will also assist with the Citizens Police
Academy for new immigrants. She advised the Police Department will be transitioning to the
Next Generation 911 equipment that has the ability to receive text messaging and provides the
capability to get within 15' of a call, noting the equipment has been installed but is not yet
operational. She added that 71% of the 911 calls in 2012 came from wireless devices. She
stated that calls for service at rental properties increased in 2012 but violations were down to 2%
Study Session Minutes -2- July 8, 2013
of the total calls to rental properties. She stated that graffiti reports increased 7% in 2012 and the
Police Department has continued its efforts to reduce graffiti. She indicated the Police
Department implemented a plan in 2012 to address panhandling in the City that has been
successful in addressing this problem.
Mr. Luse stated the Police Department was overwhelmed with calls following the storm two
weeks ago and commended Julie for doing an amazing job with residents.
Councilmember Ross requested an update regarding dispatch services with Hennepin County.
Ms. Dreier explained that Hennepin County has purchased a software package that connects
disparate CAD systems that will allow sharing of real time data among communities. She added
the Police Department will continue to use Minnetonka for dispatch back-up and vice versa.
Mr. DiLorenzo stated the Police Department has seen an increase in requests for solicitor
licenses and has issued 77 permits to date this year. He stated the Police Department manages
the permits to purchase firearms noting that permits to carry are issued through Hennepin
County. He indicated the Police Department has issued 183 permits to purchase so far in 2013
and the permits are good for one year unless revoked for criminal history.
Mr. Harcey discussed the responsibilities of the Support Services Division that includes
investigations, the Southwest Hennepin Drug Task Force, and school liaison program. He
advised that Support Services is involved in the crime information sharing analysis group (CISA)
coordinated by the Hennepin County Sheriff's Office that shares information on trends, suspects,
etc. and the program has been effective and is working well. He stated the investigators are
responsible for predatory offender tracking and quarterly checks are conducted by the Police
Department, noting these checks are more'frequent than required by the State. He advised the
City does not currently have any Level 3 predatory offenders and has Level 1 and Level 2
offenders who are monitored by the Police Department. He stated the Support Services Division
conducts liquor and tobacco compliance checks and there were 32 liquor violations in 2012,
adding the Police Department offers training for liquor establishments. He stated there are
investigators assigned to the West End Wednesday through Friday from 1:00-6:00 p.m. and
indicated that when the Police Department started working on the panhandler issue, information
was received that panhandlers were involved in burglaries and the Police Department was
successful in getting two of the known panhandlers charged in four different burglaries.
Councilmember Sanger requested further information about the statistics related to rape and
expressed concern that the arrests for rape were up nearly three times over the previous year.
Mr. Luse agreed that statistically this was a large percentage increase and indicated that several
of these cases involved mental health issues making them more difficult to prove. He added the
increased percentage could also be attributable to a change in the law requinng reporting of
nursing home cases. He stated there were no serial stalker types of rapes and no predators that
residents need to be warned about.
Councilmember Santa stated that rape and domestic violence crimes are vastly underreported and
asked what the Police Department is doing to educate the public about these crimes.
Mr. DiLorenzo stated the Police Department is assertive in arresting perpetrators of domestic
violence; in addition, the Police Department partners with Cornerstone and a consortium of other
Study Session Minutes -3- July 8, 2013
cities that ties together education and prosecution, adding the City is seen as a State model for
domestic violence prevention. He indicated the City's domestic violence arrests are significantly
higher compared with other communities in Hennepin County and the Police Department is
constantly working with Cornerstone and with prosecutors to go over cases.
Councilmember Spano encouraged the Police Department to develop strong relationships with
the Muslim community to educate them regarding domestic violence prevention.
Mr. Luse stated the Police Department is going to work on that, adding that Ms. Almquist will be
able to provide assistance on working with different cultures.
Mr. Kraayenbrink discussed the responsibilities of the Patrol Division and advised the patrol
shifts overlap coverage during peak times and this allows the Police Department to manage
overtime. He stated the Patrol Division has three officers working a relief shift where every third
week they are staffing the West End area from 5:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. and they have done a great
job connecting with the business owners.
Councilmember Ross indicated she received a call about tailgating in the West End garage at one
of Toby Keith's events and requested that the Police Department monitor this closely.
Mr. Kraayenbrink stated the Police Department recently upgraded its speed boards with better
technology and these are being used throughout the City.
Mr. Luse indicated the Police Department has also been using a new message board for
crosswalk enforcement education on pedestrian crossings throughout the City to promote safety
in crosswalks.
Councilmember Ross stated there are still a lot of branches hanging from trees after the recent
storm and requested an update on the City's progress.
Mr. Harmening advised that staff is in the process of inventorying tree damage and requested
that residents contact the City if they see tree branches that need to be cut down.
Councilmember Mavity stated she received an email from a resident who lost 15 trees during the
storm who wanted to thank everyone for being so helpful.
Councilmember Spano stated there was a serious incident across the street from him over the
weekend and he was impressed with the professionalism shown by the Police Department in the
face of a chaotic situation and expressed his appreciation and thanks to everyone.
Mayor Jacobs thanked Mr. Luse and his staff for the annual report and welcomed Ms. Almquist
and Ms. Erickson to the City.
3. Southwest LRT Update—Freight Rail Comments and Letter
Mr. Locke presented the staff report and letter and comments on freight rail relocation and
colocation options. He advised that it was staffs understanding that the SPO's cost estimates
will be presented at the CAC and BAC meetings on July 25`h. He also advised the SPO is
willing to attend the special study session on July 29`h to explain the cost estimates, assuming
this information is available before July 29`h. He stated Council previously raised a question
Study Session Minutes -4- July 8, 2013
about whether freight rail is part of municipal consent and explained that municipal consent law
does not specifically state anything about freight rail so from a pure legal standpoint it is not
included in municipal consent; however, the location of freight rail and how it is handled will
affect the design of light rail which is part of municipal consent and it was staffs understanding
that the SPO and Met Council are going to be looking for municipal support for the entire
project. He noted that municipal consent is a Minnesota law and is not an FTA requirement;
however, the FTA understands that Minnesota law requires that the project seek municipal
consent so the FTA will be paying attention to that because it represents a potential risk factor
for whether the project goes forward. He indicated the cost estimates being prepared by the SPO
are for the entire SWLRT project and will include other variables in the project design, e.g.,
freight rail, location of the OMF, and how light rail goes through Eden Prairie.
Councilmember Hallfin felt the letter and comments adequately captured the points that Council
wished to convey to the SPO regarding freight rail.
Councilmember Mavity felt that paragraph 7 on page 3 regarding colocation alternatives should
be revised to accurately reflect that Council does not want the southern connection used as a de
facto switching wye in the future should there be a business reason to do so. She indicated she
had previously stated there needs to be a northern connection that needs to be part of mitigation.
She questioned the usefulness of this paragraph as written and did not feel it reflected what
Council wanted, adding she previously expressed concern that if the fix does not happen now it
will never happen and she wanted to make sure there was a northern connection and there needs
to be mitigation for this in the budget.
Councilmember Sanger suggested this paragraph be revised to state that additional mitigation is
required to make sure neither the southern nor northern neighborhoods are used for backing up
and switching purposes.
Councilmember Santa indicated the railroad could easily decide to go north and connect with
BNSF and was concerned that providing a north connection as part of SWLRT could give the
railroads a way to get into town.
Councilmember Mavity stated the connection to BNSF does not exist and pointed out that Met
Council has proposed a southern connection that the City does not want. She indicated this
paragraph simply states an issue but does not state what the City wants and felt it was imperative
to make sure an engineering solution to handle trains seeking to go north on the MN&S is
included as part of the overall SWLRT budget.
Councilmember Hallfin felt that Council was getting into the business of the railroads, which is
beyond what the City is commenting on.
Councilmember Mavity stated the City's DEIS comments previously delineated the danger of
having either one of these used as a switching wye and this language could be copied in the letter
and comments. She indicated that Council has made a clear statement that the City does not
want any part of the tracks in the community to be used for stopping and switching.
Councilmember Ross suggested the paragraph simply state that the City does not want trains
stopping and switching and felt the paragraph should not tell them how to accomplish that.
Study Session Minutes -5- July 8, 2013
Councilmember Sanger suggested the paragraph be revised to indicate the SWLRT budget must
include funds for additional trackage or other means to ensure trains are not backing up,
switching, or parking in either a northern or southern connection through St. Louis Park
neighborhoods.
Councilmember Hallfin stated this was a railroad issue and not a Met Council issue and
questioned how the City can tell them they cannot switch, back up or park in the City.
Councilmember Sanger asked staff if they felt it would be better to eliminate this paragraph from
the comments.
Mr. Locke replied that he saw no harm in dropping the paragraph.
Councilmember Mavity felt the paragraph should be included in the comments and stated
Council spent a lot of time on this issue in the DEIS comments.
Mayor Jacobs and Councilmembers Hallfin, Ross, and Santa felt the paragraph should be
eliminated from the comments.
Councilmember Spano stated the objective of keeping trains from stopping in St. Louis Park was
important but was not sure the City could prevent that, adding that elimination of the wye will
stop parking, blocking, and the back and forth movements. He stated he could live with having a
southern connect and making the statement that the City wants to try to eliminate trains from
stopping in St. Louis Park. He added that moving a train is a different action than moving onto a
switching wye.
Councilmember Santa indicated Council and staff have worked hard on this letter for a long time
and it cannot by definition be all-inclusive. She felt the letter and comments presented a strong
statement that Council finds colocation to be feasible, viable and capable of success; and does
not find that relocation is a feasible or viable option.
Councilmember Ross agreed.
Councilmember Spano commended staff and Council for its work on the letter and comments
and felt it sends a clear message to the SPO and Met Council.
Councilmember Sanger asked that the second paragraph of the cover letter be revised as earlier
requested to remove the words "embrace and approve" and replacing with"consider" as it relates
to the municipal consent process. She also requested that paragraph 1(d) on page 4 of the
comments related to safety impacts be clarified to state that a 50' buffer is needed between the
tracks and private property boundaries.
Mayor Jacobs felt the letter and comments were well drafted and restate the City's position that it
believes colocation is still viable, adding it has always been the City's position that as long as a
viable option exists the City opposes relocation.
It was the consensus of the majority of the City Council to strike paragraph 7 on page 3 of the
comments regarding colocation alternatives. It was also the consensus of the City Council to
revise paragraph 1(d) on page 4 of the comments related to safety impacts to state that a 50'
buffer is needed between the tracks and private property boundaries. It was also the consensus
Study Session Minutes -6- July 8, 2013
of the majority of the City Council to make no changes to the second paragraph of the letter
regarding municipal consent.
Mayor Jacobs recessed the Study Session meeting at 8:32 p.m. in order to convene the Special
City Council meeting. Mayor Jacobs reconvened the Study Session meeting at 8:38 p.m.
Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal)
Mr. Harmening discussed the incident on Friday morning in Councilmember Spano's
neighborhood leading to gunshots being fired. He advised there was a strong response by the
Police Department and no one was hurt.
Councilmember Mavity requested information regarding the sale of the BP on Excelsior
Boulevard.
Mr. Harmening agreed to provide Council with further information.
Councilmember Mavity advised she recently met with Marshall O'Brien, a chef who lives in St.
Louis Park and has a business working with schools. She stated Mr. O'Brien would like to talk
to the City and Schools about getting involved in a community initiative in the fall with a
specific focus on healthy eating.
Council also discussed move-up housing and several new homes being built in the City.
It was the consensus of the City Council to place this item on a future study session agenda and
that this item was not a high priority.
Councilmember Ross requested that Council have a future study session discussion based on its
earlier discussions regarding what Council wants St. Louis Park to look like ten years from now.
Councilmember Sanger requested that Council have a study session discussion regarding the
processes used for appointing Councilmembers to serve as alternates on committees or to attend
various meetings. She referenced the recent appointment of Councilmember Spano as an
alternate on the Corridor Management Committee.
Mr. Harmening agreed to place this item on the special study session agenda on July 15`h
Mayor Jacobs stated he would be meeting with Golden Valley Mayor Shep Harris about the
possibility of putting together a consortium of metro mayors to talk to Xcel Energy about
underground power lines. He added that someone from Xcel Energy and the Public Utilities
Commission would be coming to a study session meeting to discuss this with Council.
The meeting adjourned at 8:59 p.m.
Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only:
4. State Aid Street Designation—Wayzata :oul• -rd
Nancy Stroth, ty Clerk Jeff JI•�•s, i ayor