HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019/07/22 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes
Study session
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
July 22, 2019
The meeting convened at 6:40 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Rachel Harris, Anne Mavity, Thom
Miller, and Margaret Rog.
Councilmembers absent: Steve Hallfin
Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Police Chief Harcey, Fire Chief Koering, Deputy
Fire Chief Wolff, CFO (Mr. Simon), Operations and Recreation Director (Ms. Walsh), Public
Works Superintendent (Mr. Hanson), Deputy City Manager/Human Resources Director (Ms.
Deno), and Recording Secretary (Ms. Pappas).
Guests: David Zoll, consultant.
1. Future study session agenda planning – August, 2019
Councilmember Miller proposed revisiting housing setback, FRA, and how to create and retain
more affordable housing in the city.
Councilmember Rog stated she would like to add into this conversation some concerns she has
heard from residents related to very large homes being built next to very small homes .
Councilmember Mavity agreed and asked staff to prepare background materials for the council
for briefing prior to this discussion, so as to understand all aspects.
Mayor Spano stated this feels very small bowl and he would prefer to discuss larger bowl items
related to housing.
Councilmember Rog noted the council just spent a very long time reviewing C1 requirements,
which is a very small portion of the city’s commercial areas and from her perspective , the issue
of tear downs should be discussed.
2. Reilly site amended consent decree update
Ms. Walsh presented the report and asked if the council is in agreement on moving forward
with the amended consent decree.
Mr. Hanson noted the changes in the report and Mr. Zoll, legal counsel, provided updates on
the process for amending the consent decree and next steps for approval.
Councilmember Harris asked about the 30-day comment period and what timeframe that
involved. Ms. Walsh stated the public listening session was held in October 2018 . The meeting
was recorded and might be used as communication to refer the public back to the information,
rather than have another listening session.
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Study session minutes -2- July 22, 2019
Councilmember Harris asked from a financial perspective if the consent decree changes will
fulfill city goals. Mr. Hanson stated yes, there is a potential long-term savings by reducing pump
and dump.
Councilmember Miller asked for the quantitative savings on this project per year . Mr. Hanson
stated it will be approximately $60,000 per year and will increase over time.
It was the consensus of the council to support the amended consent decree and to also have
the information communicated to the public.
3. 2020 budget – public safety overview
Police Chief Harcey and Fire Chief Koering, along with Deputy Fire Chief Wolff, presented their
respective reports to the council as it relates to 2020 budget, along with an overview of
department programs, operations, and future considerations.
Councilmember Rog thanked them all for the wonderful work they do in the community . She asked
Chief Harcey what the average change to the police budget has been over the past five years. Chief
Harcey indicated 6.7% but noted the city also has received revenues for some of the new officer
hiring, which offsets the first couple of years of salaries.
Councilmember Rog noted the increase in spending for police seems to be higher than in other
departments and asked what have residents received increases in, considering this.
Chief Harcey stated the city community policing program and service is far beyond traditional
police response. He added it involves working on reducing the number of weekly calls and is a
problem-solving approach to target and address ongoing issues.
Councilmember Rog asked if the police had data on this. Chief Harcey stated yes, as it relates to
specific crimes. He added calls for service are requiring that more be done by policy, and higher-
quality service is being given.
Councilmember Harris stated she did a ride along with the police recently, which was very
informative, and she encouraged other councilmembers to also do this. She stated the police
provide compassion and she did see the ripple effects of increased service, beyond responding to
emergency calls. She asked what the impetus has been for the added service from police.
Chief Harcey stated 23 years ago, the city switched from traditional policing to looking deeper and
really solving problems. He added this has been a great fit for the police department and with city
functions. He stated this has been a cultural change and the expectation now is that all officers
provide all services to all.
Councilmember Harris asked about the implications to a typical household in St. Louis Park with a
levy increase, in light of what the police department is asking for in their budget for 2020 . Mr.
Simon stated it would be an increase of 5.6% for fire and 5.9% for police, per household. Mr.
Harmening reminded the council that he and staff are still reviewing all department budget
requests, and nothing has been finalized for recommendation to the council yet.
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Study session minutes -3- July 22, 2019
Councilmember Mavity asked about healthcare cost increases. Ms. Deno stated those costs have
already been built into the salaries and budget requests.
Councilmember Brausen noted the police organization chart, with 13 officers on the investigations
side. He asked if this includes solving crimes and prosecutions. Chief Harcey stated yes.
Councilmember Brausen asked for Chief Harcey’s opinion of the efficacy of the DARE officer.
Councilmember Mavity stated the DARE program has been proven not to work.
Mayor Spano asked about full-time service and why that is not a priority for the city moving
forward. Chief Koering stated there are fewer folks volunteering to be part of the non-career
workforce, and with changes in demand for this job, the model is not as ef fective any longer. He
noted it is harder and harder to think about how to sustain the part-time firefighter, and also if this
is the best way to spend money. He stated they continue to review this model. Chief Koering added
if St. Louis Park would like to go back to the full-time model, it would require the legislature to
make a change, adding the fire program sees healthcare management as its main business going
forward.
Councilmember Mavity asked Chief Harcey about constrained resources and if this is a problem
with the force and how it’s being addressed.
Chief Harcey stated they have seen an increase in calls since 2013, and a combination of this along
with the increase in the amount of leave police officers are now allowed to take, including PTSD
leave, and retirements, has driven down their ability to be as responsive as they would like to be.
He added there is a lag time in new hires getting up to speed and they are trying to address this
issue.
Chief Harcey added they do have public safety officers helping and supervision of the dispatchers
will also address the issue.
Councilmember Mavity asked about data tracking of race and if it might be best to work toward a
statewide standard, so all police departments are tracking in the same way, and have a system
implemented to help with this.
Chief Harcey stated the system St. Louis Park police will use is being built from the ground up and
will use different benchmarks and best practices. He added the department is partnering with
Edina on this work and creating a process, while also sharing the costs of the same consultant.
Councilmember Rog asked why officers continue to be hired for SWLRT, when the project won’t be
completed for another three years. She also asked why there are five officers working on the DARE
program, when DARE has been proven to be ineffective.
Chief Harcey stated of the four school officers they have, only one does DARE work in the
elementary schools.
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Study session minutes -4- July 22, 2019
The council thanked the chiefs for their reports and the work they do for the city. Further
information will be forthcoming related to finalized budget requests from both departments.
Communications/meeting check-in (verbal)
Mr. Harmening noted it is time for a city council mid-year check-in meeting, which will be
scheduled in the near future.
The meeting adjourned at 9:10 p.m.
Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only:
4. June 2019 monthly financial report
5. Second quarter investment report (April – June 2019)
6. Housing Authority (HA) Board 2019 annual work plan
7. Food security and access study update
______________________________________ ______________________________________
Melissa Kennedy, City Clerk Jake Spano, Mayor
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