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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021/01/19 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council special study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota Jan. 19, 2021 The meeting convened at 5:00 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Lynette Dumalag, Rachel Harris, Larry Kraft, Nadia Mohamed, and Margaret Rog Councilmembers absent: none Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), City Attorney (Mr. Mattick), Director of Community Development (Ms. Barton), CIO (Mr. Pires), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Senior Management Analyst (Ms. Solano) Guests: Senator Ron Latz, Rep. Ilhan Omar, Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene, Metropolitan Councilmember Lynnea Atas Ingebretsen, House Rep. Cheryl Youakim, Lobbyist Moore, Lobbyist Tranten 1. 2021 legislative priorities – meeting with elected and appointed representatives Rep. Omar stated it will take time for our nation to heal from the events of Jan uary 6 and she sees the inauguration of the new administration as a new opportunity for this country. She noted shared priorities are being discussed and in the next few weeks they will be working on the priorities of the new administration, including another stimulus package, COVID initiatives, student debt, and mortgages. She added an infrastructure bill will also be worked on related to transportation and other needs of municipalities. Councilmember Harris asked about moratoriums on rent and if that is on evictions. Rep. Omar stated yes, and it will go into effect tomorrow and last until September . Councilmember Harris asked if those unable to pay their mortgages will also be addressed. Rep. Omar stated a moratorium is now in effect related to mortgages until September and will be extended tomorrow. Councilmember Harris asked about federal initiatives such as works progress and skill building . Rep. Omar stated this will be worked on and there is an agreement to move on this as soon as possible related to a jobs program and infrastructure rebuilding around the country. Councilmember Harris asked about the infrastructure package and stated the city is unable to repair roads and bridges as needed, as the city is delaying an increase in our tax levy current ly. She added there is also difficulty in gaining funds for the city’s climate action plan (CAP), noting the city would benefit from an infrastructure bill that could assist with the CAP also. Rep. Omar stated that part of the campaign promises from the incoming president is a robust energy proposal of $1.6 trillion and will have an impact on these concerns. DocuSign Envelope ID: B501868A-E80A-4600-99C7-9D058325E1B6 Special study session minutes -2- Jan. 19, 2021 Mayor Spano stated less than 3% of Minnesotan’s have been vaccinated . He asked about doses that have not been sent out yet and for any information on this. Rep. Omar stated the current administration has not been truthful and starting tomorrow she hopes for a more robust understanding of what will happen the first 100 days and how the cities will be engaged in rolling out the vaccination plans. She stated there are no more vaccines to be sent to states and there is no stockpile at this time. She added a pilot project will be put into place and more will be known in the next few days. Councilmember Kraft stated it will be helpful to have a president that is civilized. He stated $2 million per year will be needed to meet the yearly goals of the CAP . He added nature in Minnesota can be 1/5 of climate change and could cost half a million per year also. He asked about her thoughts on that. Rep. Omar stated the new administration will help shape this and an open dialogue will be advantageous for all in grant creations for this type of initiative . Councilmember Mohamed asked if a Democratic president and house and senate will allow more to be accomplished now. Rep. Omar said the upcoming administration is the most progressive our country has ever had, and this is a great starting point. She added there is a 1 percent majority in the senate for Democrats and while there may be some challenges supporting the new administration, it will take much advocacy and negotiation. She added this is a hopeful place to be now. Mayor Spano stated the council has sent the representatives a legislative document that includes items of interest to the City of St. Louis Park including housing affordability, transportation, climate action, and race equity. Metropolitan Council Rep. Atlas Ingebretsen introduced herself and stated parks and equity are her areas of concern. She stated she has no updates for the council on the delay of SWLRT at this time, but the Met Council is 100% committed to the work and working with the county on this project. She has reviewed the city’s priorities list on legislative issues and the number one area she has received the most outreach and engagement has been environment and climate. She added on housing they are working to address this crisis and their staff is working across agency lines to partner on this and build more cross-sector initiatives. She stated they have invested resources in section 8 housing through the area and working to find housing for families in need. She stated the Metropolitan Council takes housing very seriously, as well as opening opportunities for people affected by COVID. Commissioner Greene thanked the council for their ongoing partnership. She stated there are 3 new commissioners on the Hennepin County Board. She stated areas the commission will focus on this year include SWLRT, climate action, immigration, and the pandemic response. She is looking forward to working with the council and city. Mayor Spano stated the city is interested in becoming a pilot for the vaccination with the county when this might arise. DocuSign Envelope ID: B501868A-E80A-4600-99C7-9D058325E1B6 Special study session minutes -3- Jan. 19, 2021 Senator Latz stated there is uncertainty around the budget now, but a more reliable budget forecast will be available at the end of February. He added there is a cash reserve of $1.3 billion that is available, and they are hopeful the federal government will add to the CARES Act funding to help the shortfall. He added existing costs will hopefully be offset for the budget but will need to be held for COVID-related issues. He stated many items have been set up for remote work and there is discussion on a possible bonding bill. Rep. Youakim stated she is hoping they will balance the budget this year. She added they are also focused on helping folks in need and she is working on local option sale tax initiatives that have developed in the last few years. Councilmember Brausen asked about local property taxes as it relates to the city tax levy and property values in the city. He also asked if there is any discussion on giving cities some flexibility on the tax rates, especially since there is a large lower-income population in St. Louis Park. Rep. Youakim stated she was concerned about commercial property values but was not aware of residential tax rate shifts onto individual properties. She stated this can be looked at and she will discuss it with the city’s lobbyist. Councilmember Rog asked about municipalities helping their own residents with property tax relief and the fact that it seems to all be state pre-emption. Rep. Youakim stated there is a bill looking at filing for an extra rebate and changing the qualification age for the senior tax relief also. She stated cities could do this if they had the funds and she did not think they could be prevented from doing that. Mayor Spano stated in St. Louis Park the affordable houses were purchased low, then upgraded, re-sold, and property values went way up. Others did not and the council was hoping to adjust the tax rates for differing properties based on their market values. Rep. Youakim stated this type of assessment on the land is being looked at with commercial properties, but this is not something the state would consider, although noted it might be a tool that could be used. Councilmember Rog stated she will check in about Minnetonka Boulevard at another time with Commissioner Greene. Councilmember Harris asked about COVID and innovations in government services. She has seen several family-owned businesses opening during the pandemic and asked if there is any effort to cap delivery fees for restaurants. She also asked if there are initiatives that the state has looked at to help these small businesses. Senator Latz stated he had not heard of these caps and neither had Rep. Youakim. Senator Latz added if fees are capped, it brings up other issues involving price controls and rent controls, so he is skeptical about capping. DocuSign Envelope ID: B501868A-E80A-4600-99C7-9D058325E1B6 Special study session minutes -4- Jan. 19, 2021 Councilmember Harris asked for an update on SWLRT. Commissioner Greene stated construction is going well; however, there are two items that have come up including the construction of the tunnel, which will add costs to make it as safe as possible. Additionally, the crash barrier wall is another area that will have much higher costs for construction, and because both are critical of the timeline, there will be ramifications. She stated the Met Council is working with Hennepin County to access the budget and timelines now and how this will change. She stated this will be addressed in 2021 and all are working toward that. Mayor Spano asked about reopening the bike trails in the meantime and rerouting . Rep. Atlas Ingebretsen stated she will work on this with her staff, adding throughout the project the county and Met Council have been working with constituents related to this. She added there is a delay in construction, but they do not know to what extent . She added she will ask about this and invited the council to email with further questions. Councilmember Dumalag asked about the state tax credits and if there are ways property owners or investors can take advantage of that. Rep. Youakim stated there is some bipartisan support for this, developers like it also, and she is hopeful there will be extensions. Councilmember Kraft noted the advanced energy codes legislation that will be introduced soon and stated 58% of emissions come from buildings in St. Louis Park and two-thirds of emissions come from commercial sources, so this bill focusing on the energy code to hit net zero by 2036 hits a sweet spot for the city, especially with redevelopment. He asked if there is a way to get this passed. Senator Latz stated this is the first he has heard of this . He stated there is a more willing chair of the energy commission and this might be helpful to opening the discussion further. Mr. Moore added he will keep Senator Latz informed on this legislation adding his strategy will be to get this in front of the energy commission chair and noted this is being worked on as a statewide bill. The meeting adjourned at 6:30 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: B501868A-E80A-4600-99C7-9D058325E1B6