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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019/02/11 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota February 11, 2019 The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Rachel Harris, Anne Mavity, Thom Miller, and Margaret Rog. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), CFO (Mr. Simon), Deputy City Manager/Human Resources Director (Ms. Deno), Finance Manager (Mr. Ebensteiner), City Clerk (Ms. Kennedy), Elections Specialist (Mr. Stokka), Elections Specialist – Outreach and Education (Mr. Sund), Community Organizer (Mr. Grey), Management Assistant (Ms. Carrillo Perez), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Pappas). Guest: Martha Ingram and Stacy Kvilvang, Ehlers. 1. Future study session agenda planning – February/March, 2019 Mr. Harmening presented the proposed study session agenda for February/March, 2019. Mayor Spano noted he will be in Washington, DC for the National League of Cities Conference on March 11, so will not be at the meeting, adding that several topics may need to be moved to a different meeting, due to his absence. Councilmember Rog mentioned she would like to discuss one for one replacement or other approaches to NOAH housing threatened with redevelopment. She noted specific concern about several properties on 31st street. Councilmember Miller added he is interested in looking at 1 for 1 replacement, if affordable units are lost to new development. Councilmember Hallfin agreed this is reasonable, however, added he does not think the council needs to spend more time on this because the concerns are being addressed within the policies of the city already. Councilmember Mavity stated the city needs a clear strategy on affordable housing . Mayor Spano stated he is comfortable having this conversation at a future study session, rather than a specific discussion on a policy. He suggested the discussion be centered on the goal of not losing NOAH properties. Councilmember Miller stated there may be a gap in the city’s redevelopment policy, and he w ould be interested in discussing this. Mayor Spano asked Mr. Harmening to have the city attorney review the legalities on this issue and bring the topic back for council discussion at a future study session. DocuSign Envelope ID: 4F13504B-D52A-41E0-BBC6-6A498200D928 Study session minutes -2- February 11, 2019 2. 2019 bonding review and financial modeling update Ms. Kvilvang and Ms. Ingram, from Ehlers, presented. Ms. Kvilvang discussed, in detail, the 2019 general obligation (G.O.) bond issuance. She stated while the estimates are only preliminary, the G.O. bond issue is anticipated to happen in March 2019, since the projects are either approved or are expected to be approved in the near future . Ms. Kvilvang noted the G.O. bond issue will include the following projects: Westwood Hills Nature Center, SWLRT construction and fiber, Connect the Park, and Cedar Lake Road. She noted that total estimated G.O. bond issue for 2019 is $22.2 million. This total will be adjusted when final bids and pricing are available. She added the bonds will be issued as either G.O. Charter bonds or G.O. Tax Abatement bonds. Mr. Harmening pointed out the bonds are used as a way to lessen the impact of taxes on homeowners of median valued homes, and even out the debt levy rather than allowing it to spike. He added staff is proposing to use revenues that the city has on hand, due to finishin g the year in the black, so not as to levy as much for the projects in 2020. Ms. Kvilvang noted the calendar of next steps in the process, which will need to be agreed to by the council:  February 19 – the council calls for sale of bonds.  March 4 – public hearing on tax abatement portion of bonds.  March 18 – city council awards sale of bonds.  Early April – closing on bonds and city receives funds. Mayor Spano noted there must be 6 affirmative votes at the city council meeting in order to move this process forward, related to the charter bonds. Councilmember Miller stated he cannot support the tax abatement bonds because he is not in full support of the Nature Center, and has concerns that the council is using abatement bonds instead of the charter bonds. Ms. Ingram, bond attorney for the city, pointed out, however, that the city charter does provide the council authority to approve the abatement bonds as presented by staff . Councilmember Miller added it is the spirit of our charter that he takes issue within this instance. Councilmember Brausen pointed out the project contracts have been signed and the city has committed to building the new nature center, so in order to finance this project, the abatement bonds are necessary and a good plan to help spread out the taxes over time. Councilmember Mavity agreed stating the council approved the project and told staff to make it so, and staff figured out a way to do this. DocuSign Envelope ID: 4F13504B-D52A-41E0-BBC6-6A498200D928 Study session minutes -3- February 11, 2019 Councilmember Hallfin added once the council passes something, it is approved and must be paid for in some fashion. He stated he understands Councilmember Miller is not in favor of the nature center, but added it must be paid for one way or another. Mayor Spano stated he understands and respects that both Councilmember s Rog and Miller do not support the project, but added the financing must still be agreed to. Councilmember Rog stated in her view, the merits of the project and financing are not independent of each other and are both linked. Mayor Spano pointed out that how the project is financed is the council’s decision, and the project was approved by the majority, and now must be paid for. It was the consensus of the council that staff move ahead with the proposed schedule noted above. Mr. Simon presented the financial model for long-term planning. He pointed out levy impacts in the future, noting that all figures are estimates at this point. Councilmember Rog asked about using the tool related to the range of home values in 2020. Councilmember Brausen pointed out this can be used in a future community center discussion to look at impacts. Councilmember Rog noted this will also be helpful in looking at ways to fund projects through partnerships, as well as bonds and tax levy. Mr. Simon agreed that this can be put int o the model as well, in order for the council to see impacts. Councilmember Miller stated this helps also with looking at projections over time, especially with the Climate Action Plan, which will be very costly. Mr. Harmening noted the 2020 budget process will begin earlier this year, in order for council to discuss the property tax levy. He noted the modeling tool will be used during that discussion. Mr. Grey was introduced at this time as the city’s new community organizer. He will be helping residents connect and do community outreach. Mr. Grey stated he will be meeting one-on-one with the councilmembers. The council welcomed him to St. Louis Park. 3. Elections outreach and education plan Ms. Kennedy, Mr. Stokka, and Mr. Sund presented. Ms. Kennedy explained ranked-choice voting is a significant change to the voting method used in St. Louis Park and provides an opportunity to develop programs to educate and engage the community around all aspects of the elections. She explained the goal will be to bridge the gap between the services the city provides and the information people need to feel engaged in those services. She reviewed the elections forecast for the next 3 cycles, noting that the need DocuSign Envelope ID: 4F13504B-D52A-41E0-BBC6-6A498200D928 Study session minutes -4- February 11, 2019 for community engagement and education will not end with ranked-choice voting. She stated the 2020 cycle will be very busy with the addition of the Presidential Primary in March and the traditional primary and general elections in August and November. In 2021 the city will go through a redistricting process using the data collected in the 2020 census and including the community in that process will be valuable in terms of looking at our current precincts and some changes that may be needed to provide better service to voters. Mr. Sund reviewed historical voter data and discussed voting habits in St. Louis Park. He stated the good news is voters in St. Louis Park already participate in elections at a relatively high rate. He noted that there is still room for improvement, particularly in underserved population s and municipal elections when overall engagement drops off. He stated with the upcoming changes in 2019 and beyond, staff wants to focus outreach and education efforts in areas that will be most impactful to the community from the beginning. Ms. Kennedy added they are using a targeted and thoughtful approach, but the materials are going to be adapted for the each specific audience based on their needs. Mr. Sund discussed the existing civic literacy gap that outreach and education programs can address for a wide range of voters, including those who have never voted, those who vote occasionally, and those who are avid voters and participate in every election. Mr. Stokka explained three mock elections are planned in 2019 to address needs specifically related to ranked-choice voting. He stated each mock election is designed to serve a specific purpose. The first mock election will be held April 24 at the high school and will only be open to students – not the public. The purpose of the first mock election is to test ballot designs, precinct signage, and internal administrative procedures related to testing of equipment and counting. The second mock election will be held on June 15 in conjunction with Parktacular. This will be open to anyone who wants to participate and will focus on increasing awareness regarding ranked-choice, and testing early voting simulations and administrative procedures. A city-wide mock election will be held in September on a date to be determined. This will be open to anyone who wants to participate and will be heavily advertised as an opportunity for people to come learn about and practice voting on a ranked -choice ballot. He explained all results from the mock elections will be available to the community in a variety of ways so people get used to how they can find results in November. He added staff is also working on developing election toolkits for different groups (candidates, students, new residents, new voters), and Election Ambassador Program, a Student Election Program, and a Civics and Elections 101 course that will be offered in the spring through Community Education. He presented an interactive board game staff developed to help groups learn about and understand how a ranked-choice election is counted, and noted that staff has also developed educational curriculums that can be tailored to presentations for different groups in the community. He stated every month there will be information going out to the community about elections and ranked-choice voting through written materials, mailed materials, social media blasts, videos, and interactive presentations. He asked council to spread the word and help encourage people to sign up for regular elections updates through GovDelivery. Ms. Kennedy noted that many of the materials being produced will be available in multiple languages that are spoken in St. Louis Park including: English, Spanish, Russian, Somali, and Hebrew. DocuSign Envelope ID: 4F13504B-D52A-41E0-BBC6-6A498200D928 Study session minutes -5- February 11, 2019 Mr. Sund presented the redesigned elections section on the city website, noting the specific outreach sections where people can request materials or invite staff to come to a meeting or event. He stated a story map would also be available in the next month to direct residents to meetings and events related to election education. Councilmember Rog asked if there will be any opportunity to talk about the upcoming census. Mr. Sund answered yes, and there will be much community engagement around that as well. He stated staff has met with community development to explore opportunities for collaboration. Councilmember Harris asked how soon they plan to begin speaking to residents about the elections. Mr. Sund stated they have already started talking to organizations in the city, including boards and commissions, faith communities, youth sports organizations, friends of the arts, St. Louis Park rotary, League of Women Voters, and Discover St. Louis Park. He noted this process is ongoing and reiterated the intention is to build relationships and make connections in the community to spread the message and hopefully increase engagement with elections organically. He added the council is welcome to provide suggestions or ideas for groups that may be interested in connecting. Councilmember Rog asked about software programs related to tabulation of results. Ms. Kennedy stated this is not an option for 2019, noting that the software itself is very costly and the council would have to evaluate the need against the cost if this was something they wanted to pursue in the future. She noted the city has asked to partner with Henn epin County and the City of Minneapolis on any future considerations to purchase tabulation software from the equipment vendor. Communications/Meeting Check-In (Verbal) Councilmember Brausen asked about the written report on zoning, noting the planning commission has voted not to pursue this. Councilmember Mavity stated the council should have a conversation with the planning commission on this topic. Mayor Spano stated this must be discussed before anything would be voted on by the council . Councilmembers Mavity and Brausen agreed. Councilmember Harris noted the Texatonka small area plan and stated if councilmember s know of residents in the area that might want to participate in focus groups related to the project, to please let her know. She added this would be persons living in the Oak Hill, Texatonka, Cobble Crest, and Aquila neighborhoods. The meeting adjourned at 9:40 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 4. Annual open to business program update DocuSign Envelope ID: 4F13504B-D52A-41E0-BBC6-6A498200D928 Study session minutes -6- February 11, 2019 5. Proposed allocation of 2019 community development block grant (CDBG) funds 6. Zoning regulations for ground floor transparency requirements 7. Historic Walker Lake small area plan 8. TexaTonka reinvestment and small area plan 9. Council workshop follow-up ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, City Clerk Jake Spano, Mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: 4F13504B-D52A-41E0-BBC6-6A498200D928