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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019/09/10 - ADMIN - Agenda Packets - Community Technology Advisory Commission - Regular AGENDA TELECOMMUNICATIONS ADVISORY COMMISSION WESTWOOD ROOM 6 P.M. SEPT. 10, 2019 1. Call to order – roll call 2. Adoption of agenda 3. Approval of minutes a. Aug. 7, 2019 4. Public comment 5. Communications from the chair/commissioners 6. Update on transition to community technology advisory commission a. Proposed bylaw, city code revisions, workplan presented at Aug. 26, 2019, study session, along with proposed workplan. No questions or changes requested. b. Approval of bylaws and first reading of city code change is on the Sept. 16 council agenda. c. The second reading of the ordinance changing the city code will take place at the Oct. 7 city council meeting. Once approved, it will be published in the Sun Sailor Oct. 17, then take effect Nov. 1. d. After Nov. 1, website and other items will be updated with new name and mission. 7. Community engagement ideas (received Sept. 3 by staff) 8. Connection with similar commission with other agencies a. Assign a commission member to this task 9. Consider remaining schedule of meetings for other city commissions; assign members to attend meetings 10. Formation of committees/chairs to research technologies, providers, implementation issues and risks 11. Staff items a. No student applications received for open youth position 12. October 30 meeting planning a. A brief history of fiber and futures in St. Louis Park (Clint Pires) 13. Adjourn If you cannot attend the meeting please contact Jacque Smith: jsmith@stlouispark.org or 952.924.2632 by 4 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9. Telecommunications advisory commission Unofficial minutes Meeting of August 7, 2019 1. Call to order Chair Abe Levine called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. Present: Maren Anderson, Cindy Hoffman, Abe Levine, David Dyer, Yonah Davis, Mohamud Mohamed Absent: Bruce Browning, Rolf Peterson Staff: Jermaine Wheeler, Jacque Smith, John McHugh, Clint Pires 2. Adoption of agenda No changes to the agenda. Motion by David Dyer, second by Cindy Hoffman to approve agenda; all voted in favor of approval. 3. Approval of minutes: March 13, 2019 No changes. Motion by Mohamud Mohamed, second by Cindy Hoffman; all voted in favor of approval. 4. Unofficial minutes for information only (no vote required). There were no changes to the minutes. a. May 7, 2019 b. June 11, 2019 5. Public comment: none 6. A brief history of fiber and futures in St. Louis Park (Clint Pires) Pires suggested this be deferred to next meeting in the interest of time. The commission members agreed. 7. Communications from the chair/commissioners a. May 7 workshop Members present agreed they were familiar with the information from May 7. b. June 11 subcommittee meeting No comments on this; notes in the packet from this non-official meeting (less than a quorum present). c. Outcome of June 24 meeting with city council Levine shared that he, Browning and Pires were present at the meeting. He said the only point of discussion was related to having a council member at the commission meetings. The directive was to go forward as the commission had decided on June 11. Abe stated the council was satisfied with the direction of the commission. Pires noted several council members liked the committee structure and to come back to the council quarterly or so; or whenever there was something to discuss/report. 8. Election of chair/vice chair for remainder of 2019 Smith shared an email from Browning related to allowing Chair Levine to be considered as chair for a second one-year term. Levine said the role of the chair is to set up meetings and to run the meetings. There will be more work to do with committee work and coordinating information as well Page 2 as communicating with council. Chair should work with Pires and Smith on what will be said to council and how to present it. Pires said that’s a great approach, but staff will let the chair know what’s needed on the agenda from an official business standpoint. From there staff will provide a skeleton agenda and let the chair fill in the rest. Levine thought we could agree on a framework for each meeting, then items from staff could be added in. Levine asked for volunteers who would like to be chair; Levine offered to serve as chair. Pires suggested that as we go forward with additional changes, let the council know who is serving as chair. Dyer motion to have Levine continue as chair until the December 2019 meeting; Mohamed seconded. All voted in favor. Commission members asked who was vice chair. Smith said the most recent vice chair was Nathan Munson who is no longer with the commission. Dyer motioned that Cindy Hoffman be vice chair; second by Maren Anderson, all voted in favor. 9. Presentation from election staff on ranked-choice voting Michael Sund from city elections staff gave a presentation about ranked-choice voting. He asked the commission members about how results and tabulation should be presented. Dyer suggested use of social media the day after polls close. Sund said that Minneapolis announced on Twitter, then posts on website. McHugh suggested a sign at polling places that counting would take place at 8 a.m. the following day. Hoffman said Carver County did the counting the night of the election. Sund explained the initial machine count will be posted that night; but if no one receives 50% there will be a manual count the next day. Sund invited the commission to attend the Sept. 17 mock election. 10. Review proposed changes to bylaws Smith suggested 1.1 should read “Commission members voted Aug. 7, 2019, to reorganize as the Community Technology Advisory Commission.” Dyer suggested 2.1 should read “There shall be at least seven members…” Pires pointed out that the commission can have non-commission members on committees, etc. Hoffman mentioned that in 2.2 commission should be small C. Dyer suggested that in 3.1 the language be changed to read “A regular election shall be held at the first meeting following city council boards and commissions appointments in May.” Pires pointed out 3.2 and asked if the commission would like to change. Levine suggested a caveat, …”unless otherwise voted on by the commission.” There was discussion of what “consecutive” means. The language will read, “The term for officers shall be one year and the chair may serve for up to two consecutive years.” Levine noted that 4.2 should be changed to “A majority of commissioners shall constitute a quorum…” The commission agreed with striking 4.3 as simple majorities aren’t required. Page 3 The commission agreed with the change to 5.3. 5.2 can be removed as there’s no reason for an annual meeting. Levine asked about meeting time and if that needs to be specified. Pires said there is language to allow for changes. 5.4 there was discussion about why only one day’s notice for commissioners for special meetings. Pires recalled it was from a time when postal mail was the way to notify people officially. Staff will check in with the city clerk on language for this item to see if it can or should be changed; if it can preference would be notice is given at the same time meeting is posted officially. Motion to approve the slate of changes for the bylaws by Dyer; Hoffman seconded. All voted in favor. 11. Changes to code Smith explained that city code language has been simplified so that commission can be nimble and make changes as needed to their work. Dyer moved to permit staff to amend the code section 2 per direction by city clerk’s office. Mohamed seconded. All approved. Anderson moved to approve the revisions to city code as presented. Davis seconded. All approved. 12. Review/approve work plan for 2019 Levine asked if the commission wanted to decide committees at another meeting; the commission agreed. Hoffman moved to approve the work plan as presented. Davis seconded. All voted in favor. 13. Staff items Staff will check on any applications for a new youth member, which was due August 1. Pires asked who would attend the August 14, 2:30 p.m. Verizon meeting; Browning, Levine and Mohamed plan to attend. Since there is not a quorum expected no official notice has to be posted of the meeting. Levine proposed a meeting on September 10, 6 p.m. to tackle the commission’s next item on establishing subcommittees. He asked if commission members would be willing to be part of more than one committee; there was general agreement to this. Levine suggested that not much can be done on committees until community engagement is done and he wants to do exploration on how they can learn more from the community. Pires recapped by saying the commission wants to do some exploration, which will at the same time serve other items on the workplan. Levine didn’t think the commission was ready to form committees. Pires explained the change of a city department from inspections to building and energy to encompass climate action plan and sustainability. Levine asked that everyone think about main components of community to which the commission should do outreach. Next meeting is Sept. 10 to review that input. Commission members should Page 4 send their ideas to jsmith@stlouispark.org by Tuesday, Sept. 3. Idea is to figure out what it means to get input from the community. Other homework is to review a list from Browning that has ideas for several committees; commission members weren’t familiar with this list so Levine said he would email it to Smith, who will then send it to the commission. Dyer reminded commission members to be careful emailing, and that “replying all” or having conversation by email about official commission business could violate open meeting laws. Smith and Pires agreed and thanked Dyer for providing that reminder to the commission. Pires said he wanted to bring up one item regarding fiber. Since 2005 the city has installed fiber conduit whenever a street is reconstructed; that has contributed to the 50 miles of fiber in the community. In 2012, a study by CTC consultants helped determine what to do with excess fiber and how to lease the fiber. For the first time, in 2020 the city is considering not putting fiber conduit into the ground during these projects. The reason is primarily financial as the city looks to manage the property tax levy amount. Pires said the city manager and city council will be interested in how the commission would react to that. Dyer stated this seems to be against everything the commission is trying to accomplish. Pires pointed out that conduit laid in the Sorensen neighborhood was recently leased back to US Internet to provide service in that area. Anderson asked if enough money was recouped to cover the cost of installation of the conduit. Pires said they do a trade, it’s not monetary. Hoffman asked about the demographic of the neighborhood and raised concerns about perceptions of inequities if this practice is discontinued going forward. Dyer said it’s difficult to know how to respond to this proposed change without understanding the entire picture and what pressures are on the finances. Pires understands the commission direction is to look for more opportunities with outside vendors to expand in St. Louis Park and to look at alternative ways to provide same infrastructure but with private vendors. Levine made a motion that the commission believes high speed data communication is important to the future of the city, and where costs are prohibitive to provide fiber, the city will look at alternative business models and technologies that can or will provide equivalent capabilities to fiber. Hoffman seconded the motion. All voted in favor. 14. Adjournment Hoffman moved to adjourn the meeting, Dyer seconded. All voted in favor. Meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. Meeting: Study session Meeting date: August 26, 2019 Written report: 10 Executive summary Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Recommended action: City council is asked to review this update and provide any feedback before presentation for official approval at a future city council meeting. Policy consideration: Will the proposed changes to the bylaws and city code to transition the telecommunications advisory commission to the community technology advisory commission, and the proposed 2019 work plan, support the city council and the city in achieving progress in the city’s five strategic priorities? Summary: At the June 24, 2019, city council study session, commission members and city staff presented a proposed change to the commission name and mission, along with tentative work plan items. The city council expressed its support for these items. At an August 7, 2019, meeting, commission members reviewed the existing bylaws and city code and approved proposed changes to allow for the new community technology advisory commission. They also approved a work plan to be submitted to city council. Financial or budget considerations: Costs may be associated with outreach and education initiatives suggested by the commission. It’s expected that the city’s cable TV fund can support those incidental costs. Any future major initiatives recommended by the commission may result in more significant budget implications. Strategic priority consideration: Not applicable. This commission believes changes to its bylaws and to the city code supporting the transition to the community technology advisory commission will result in support and advancement of all the city’s strategic priorities. Supporting documents: •Discussion •Proposed changes to bylaws •Proposed changes to city code •Proposed work plan for 2019 •August 7, 2019, unofficial meeting minutes Prepared by: Jacque Smith, communications and marketing manager Reviewed by: Clint Pires, chief information officer Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Maria Carrillo-Perez, senior management assistant Approved by: Tom Harmening, city manager Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Page 2 Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Discussion Background: At the June 24, 2019, city council study session, telecommunications advisory commission members and city staff presented a proposed change to the commission name and mission, along with tentative work plan items. The city council expressed its support for these items. At an August 7, 2019, meeting, commission members reviewed the existing bylaws and city code and approved proposed changes to allow for the new commission. They also approved a work plan to be submitted to city council. Present considerations: The commission is interested in any feedback from council on the proposed bylaw and city code changes and to the proposed workplan, prior to official approval at a future city council meeting. Next steps: If the council agrees with the proposed changes and the work plan, these are the next steps for the commission: •Include the proposed bylaw and city code changes as a consent agenda item at a September regular city council meeting, along with the proposed work plan. •At its next meeting, Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2019, 6 p.m., begin discussion on how to conduct community engagement efforts. The results of community engagement will help determine topics and formation of committees. 1 Commission members TELECOMMUNICATIONS COMMUNITY TECHNOLOGY ADVISORY COMMISSION BYLAWS ARTICLE I –THE COMMISSION 1.1 1.2 1.3 2.1 2.2 2.2 2.3 Name of the Commission. The Commission was officially created as the Cable Television Advisory Commission by Ordinance 1783-89 on April 17, 1989, and reestablished and renamed the Telecommunications Advisory Commission (“The Commission” by Ordinance 2216-01 effective January 1, 2002. The powers of the Commission shall be as stated in section 2-184 of the St. Louis Park City Code. Relation to the Ordinance. These bylaws supplement the Ordinance, and in the case of conflict, are subordinate to the Ordinance. ARTICLE II – OFFICERS, MEMBERS & STAFF Officers and Members. The officers of the Commission shall be the Chair and Vice- Chair. There shall be at least seven commission members, one of whom is appointed by the St. Louis Park school board and one of whom is a youth member. Chair. The chair shall preside at all meetings of the Commission and is eligible to vote on all matters coming before the Commission. The chair shall appoint all committees. The chair shall have the responsibility for calling special meetings of the Commission and for conducting all meetings in an orderly manner. Vice-Chair. The Vice-Chair shall perform the duties of the chair in the absence or incapacity of the Chair. Staff Liaison. A staff liaison to the Commission shall be appointed by the city manager and shall be subject to the administrative rules and regulations of the city. The staff liaison may facilitate or assist in the meetings and shall be responsible for recording attendance of commission members and for preparation of minutes. The staff liaison is responsible for keeping the city manager informed regarding the business of the commission and shall communicate to the city manager any problems or issues that may arise. The staff liaison shall also be responsible for assisting the commission in considering their financial needs and, if deemed necessary by the commission, shall request appropriate the annual budget process. ARTICLE III - ELECTIONS voted August 7, 2019, to change the name of the commission to the Community Technology Advisory Commission. Powers. Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 3 2 3.1 Elections. A regular election shall be held at the annual first meeting each yearfollowing city council boards and commissions appointments in May. Officers shall be nominated from the floor by any voting member of the commission. 3.2 Term of Office. Officers will assume office at the first meeting following an election. The term for officers shall be one year and the chair may only serve oneserve for up to two consecutive years as chair. 3.3 Succession of Office. The Vice-Chair shall succeed to the office of Chair in the event the Chair is vacant by virtue of any inability to fulfill the duties of the office. Should the Vice-Chair thus move to the Chair, a special election shall be held to fill the unexpired term of the Vice-Chair. ARTICLE IV – CONDUCT OF BUSINESS 4.1 Voting. Each regular member of the Commission including the Commissioner appointed by the School Board and any Youth Member appointed by the City Council shall be entitled to one vote on all matters brought to a vote. 4.2 Quorum. Four (4)A majority of commissioners shall constitute a quorum for the purpose of transacting its business. A smaller number may adjourn from time to time until a quorum is obtained. 4.3 Majority Vote Required. A simple majority vote of the members present and voting is required for passage of all matters before the Commission. ARTICLE V – MEETINGS 5.1 Meetings. All meetings of the commission will be conducted in accordance with the Minnesota Open Meeting Law. Proceedings of the Commission will be conducted as outlined in the Standard Code of Parliamentary Procedure. 5.2 Annual Meeting. The annual meeting of the Commission shall be the last meeting held each year at which time elections will be held and a summation of progress made, work accomplished and a proposed work program for the coming year shall be prepared for delivery to the City Council. 5.35.2 Regular Meetings. The Commission will hold at least four regular meetings each year. Regular meeting dates shall be set during the final meeting of each year for the upcoming year and shall not be held on any of the holidays recognized by the St. Louis Park City Council. Those holidays include: Ash Wednesday, Chanukah, Christmas, Independence Day, Labor Day, Martin Luther King Day, Memorial Day, Passover (first two nights), President’s Day, New Year's Day, Rosh Hashanah, Thanksgiving Day and the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, Veterans Day and Yom Kippur. (For Chanukah, Christmas, Passover, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, the holiday includes the evening before the holiday.) The meeting time shall be 7:006 p.m. promptly. Meeting dates shall be posted in advance in the city offices. The commission may change the regular meeting time or date as Commented [JS1]: Commission business doesn’t require simple or super majorities. Commented [JS2]: The commission would like to delete this section as there’s no reason for annual meeting, since elections take place earlier in the year (see 3.1) Commented [JS3]: Because holidays can be changed by the city council, instead of listing the holidays individually this refers back to the document of council-approved holidays that is updated annually. Commented [JS4]: Meeting time has changed. Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 4 3 deemed appropriate, provided the public notice requirement for a special meeting is met. 5.45.3 Special Meetings. Special meetings of the Commission may be called by the chair or three commissioners for the purpose of transacting any business designated in the call. The call for special meeting shall be delivered in compliance with state law. At least one day prior to the meeting, a notice must be delivered to the Commissioners of the date, time, place and purpose of the special meeting. Notice of the date, time, place and purpose of a special meeting must also be posted on the principal bulletin board of the city at least three days prior to the date of the meeting. Commissioners should be notified of the special meeting before or at the same time the meeting is officially posted. 5.55.4 Emergency Meetings. An emergency meeting may be called by the chair due to circumstances which require immediate consideration. Notice must be made to commissioners by any means available. A good faith effort shall be made to provide notice of the meeting to any news medium that has filed a written request for notice of meetings. The notice shall include the purpose of the meeting. 5.65.5 Record of Proceedings. All minutes and resolutions shall be in writing and shall be recorded in the journal of the proceedings of the commission. Records shall be kept in accordance with MN Statute and rules regarding preservation of public records and the MN Government Data Privacy Practices Act. ARTICLE VI – ATTENDANCE 6.1 Absences. If a Commissioner is unable to attend a regularly scheduled or special meeting of the Commission, that member shall notify the city staff liaison of this fact no later than 4 p.m. the day of the meeting. 6.2 Attendance. Commission members are expected to attend regular and special commission meetings and assigned committee meetings. A roster of attendance shall be maintained. Repeated absences shall result in the chair contacting the member to ascertain his/herask their intentions as toabout continuing involvement on this Commission. 6.3 Request for Council Action. Should the member not wish to continue to serve on the Commission, or should the member have continuing absences, the chair shall inform the City Council of this fact, recommending the Council appoint a replacement. ARTICLE VII – AMENDMENTS 7.1 Amendments. Amendments to these bylaws may be proposed by any voting member. All proposed amendments shall be submitted in writing to each member of the Commission at least fifteen (15) days prior to the regular meeting of the Commission at which that amendment is to be considered. A statement explaining the purpose and effect of the proposed amendment shall be attached to the proposed amendment. Amendments shall be considered only at regular meetings of the Commission. Commented [JS5]: One-day notice before a meeting didn’t seem to make a lot of sense. Commissioners would like it to say they are notified before or at the same time as the official notice. Commented [JS6]: Changes made for plain language. Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 5 4 Adopted January 27, 1983 Revised August 23, 1984 Revised March 10, 1997 Revised December 5, 2002 Revised May 5, 2005 Revised December 7, 2006 Revised May 3, 2007 Revised August 7, 2019 Adopted [insert date] Formatted: Centered Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 6 City code CURRENT VERSION Sec. 2-184. Powers and duties. The telecommunications advisory commission shall have the following powers and duties to: (1)Provide a public forum for the expression of cable television concerns of franchise subscribers and public and private cable television users; (2)Promote and encourage the widest range of use of the city's public access channels; (3)Encourage a diversity of programs and services to cable subscribers through a working relationship with the cable television company that fosters an examination of new programs and services and of changing community needs; (4)Oversee future interconnections with metropolitan communities; (5) Monitor the day-to-day operations of the cable television system as well as any experimentation that is done with new and specialized cable services; (6)Assist in any evaluation of the cable television system that are conducted during the term of the franchise or in anticipation of refranchising; (7)Submit to the city council by April 1 of each year an annual report of the activities of the commission during the previous year; and (8)Perform other functions as needed to carry out these duties and responsibilities as directed by the city council and to act in an advisory capacity to the city council. (Code 1976, § 1-323) SUGGESTED REVISION Sec. 2-184. Powers and duties. The community technology advisory commission shall have the following powers and duties to: (1)Advise and collaborate with the city council and boards and commissions on the application and use of technology for the purpose of improving city services and quality of life for St. Louis Park’s citizens, businesses and visitors. (2)Submit to the city council by April 1 of each year an annual report of the activities of the commission during the previous year; and (3)Perform other functions as needed to carry out these duties and responsibilities as directed by the city council and to act in an advisory capacity to the city council. (Code 1976, § 1-323) Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 7 Board and Commission Annual Workplan Approved: TBD Updated: July 10, 2019 1 Work Plan Template│ telecommunications advisory commission City of St. Louis Park Strategic Priorities 1.St. Louis Park is committed to being a leader in racial equity and inclusion in order to create a more just and inclusive community for all. 2.St. Louis Park is committed to continue to lead in environmental stewardship. 3.St. Louis Park is committed to providing a broad range of housing and neighborhood oriented development. 4.St. Louis Park is committed to providing a variety of options for people to make their way around the city comfortably, safely and reliably. 5.St. Louis Park is committed to creating opportunities to build social capital through community engagement OR Other Time Frame Initiative Strategic Priorities Purpose (see page 2 for definitions) Outcome (fill in after completed) 4Q 2019 Establish committees to research technologies, providers, implementation issues and risks. ☐New Initiative ☒Continued Initiative ☐Ongoing Responsibility ☐1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐4 ☐ 5 ☒ N/A ☒Commission Initiated Project ☐Council Initiated Project ☐Report Findings (council requested) ☐Formal Recommendation (council requested) 3Q-4Q 2019 Attend meetings of other city boards and commissions to learn how technology might help their activities and related city services ☒New Initiative ☐Continued Initiative ☐Ongoing Responsibility ☐1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐4 ☐ 5 ☒ N/A ☒Commission Initiated Project ☐Council Initiated Project ☐Report Findings (council requested) ☐Formal Recommendation (council requested) 3Q-4Q 2019 Connect with similar commissions from other agencies ☒New Initiative ☐Continued Initiative ☐Ongoing Responsibility ☐1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐4 ☐ 5 ☒ N/A ☒Commission Initiated Project ☐Council Initiated Project ☐Report Findings (council requested) ☐Formal Recommendation (council requested) 3Q 2019 Develop a plan for community engagement. Determine methods for informed public input on activities and priorities. ☒New Initiative ☐Continued Initiative ☐Ongoing Responsibility ☐1 ☐ 2 ☐ 3 ☐4 ☒ 5 ☐N/A ☒Commission Initiated Project ☐Council Initiated Project ☐Report Findings (council requested) ☐Formal Recommendation (council requested) Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 8 Board and Commission Annual Workplan Approved: November 19, 2018 Updated: 2 Purpose: definitions Modifications: Work plans may be modified, to add or delete items, in one of three ways: •Work plans can be modified by mutual agreement during a joint work session. •If immediate approval is important, the board or commission can work with their staff liaison to present a modified work plan for city council approval at a council meeting. •The city council can direct a change to the work plan at their discretion. •Project initiated by the board or commission Commission Initiated Project •Project tasked to a board or commission by the city council Council Initiated Project •Initiated by the city council •Board and commission will study a specific issue or topic and report its findings or comments to the city council in writing •No direct action is taken by the board/commission Report Findings •Initiated by the city council •Board and commission will study a specific issue or topic and makes a formal recommendation to the city council on what action to take •A recommendation requires a majoirty of the commissioners' support Formal Recommandation Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 9 Board and Commission Annual Workplan Approved: November 19, 2018 Updated: 3 Parking Lot Items that are being considered by the board/commission but not proposed in the annual work plan. Council approval is needed if the board/commission decides they would like to move forward with an initiative. Initiative Comments: Produce a quarterly report for the city council of relevant technology activities and advances. Produce final reports on completed commission activities, with recommendations for consideration by other commissions or by the city council. Enhance the commission’s presence on the city website. Provide analysis of proposed or considered technology for the community and city operations and provide recommendations and feedback to staff, the city council and other commissions. Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 10 Telecommunications advisory commission Unofficial minutes Meeting of August 7, 2019 1.Call to order Chair Abe Levine called the meeting to order at 6:05 p.m. Present: Maren Anderson, Cindy Hoffman, Abe Levine, David Dyer, Yonah Davis, Mohamud Mohamed Absent: Bruce Browning, Rolf Peterson Staff: Jermaine Wheeler, Jacque Smith, John McHugh, Clint Pires 2.Adoption of agenda No changes to the agenda. Motion by David Dyer, second by Cindy Hoffman to approve agenda; all voted in favor of approval. 3.Approval of minutes: March 13, 2019 No changes. Motion by Mohamud Mohamed, second by Cindy Hoffman; all voted in favor of approval. 4.Unofficial minutes for information only (no vote required). There were no changes to the minutes. a.May 7, 2019 b.June 11, 2019 5.Public comment: none 6.A brief history of fiber and futures in St. Louis Park (Clint Pires) Pires suggested this be deferred to next meeting in the interest of time. The commission members agreed. 7.Communications from the chair/commissioners a.May 7 workshop Members present agreed they were familiar with the information from May 7. b.June 11 subcommittee meeting No comments on this; notes in the packet from this non-official meeting (less than a quorum present). c.Outcome of June 24 meeting with city council Levine shared that he, Browning and Pires were present at the meeting. He said the only point of discussion was related to having a council member at the commission meetings. The directive was to go forward as the commission had decided on June 11. Abe stated the council was satisfied with the direction of the commission. Pires noted several council members liked the committee structure and to come back to the council quarterly or so; or whenever there was something to discuss/report. 8.Election of chair/vice chair for remainder of 2019 Smith shared an email from Browning related to allowing Chair Levine to be considered as chair for a second one-year term. Levine said the role of the chair is to set up meetings and to run the meetings. There will be more work to do with committee work and coordinating information as well Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 11 Page 2 as communicating with council. Chair should work with Pires and Smith on what will be said to council and how to present it. Pires said that’s a great approach, but staff will let the chair know what’s needed on the agenda from an official business standpoint. From there staff will provide a skeleton agenda and let the chair fill in the rest. Levine thought we could agree on a framework for each meeting, then items from staff could be added in. Levine asked for volunteers who would like to be chair; Levine offered to serve as chair. Pires suggested that as we go forward with additional changes, let the council know who is serving as chair. Dyer motion to have Levine continue as chair until the December 2019 meeting; Mohamed seconded. All voted in favor. Commission members asked who was vice chair. Smith said the most recent vice chair was Nathan Munson who is no longer with the commission. Dyer motioned that Cindy Hoffman be vice chair; second by Maren Anderson, all voted in favor. 9.Presentation from election staff on ranked-choice voting Michael Sund from city elections staff gave a presentation about ranked-choice voting. He asked the commission members about how results and tabulation should be presented. Dyer suggested use of social media the day after polls close. Sund said that Minneapolis announced on Twitter, then posts on website. McHugh suggested a sign at polling places that counting would take place at 8 a.m. the following day. Hoffman said Carver County did the counting the night of the election. Sund explained the initial machine count will be posted that night; but if no one receives 50% there will be a manual count the next day. Sund invited the commission to attend the Sept. 17 mock election. 10.Review proposed changes to bylaws Smith suggested 1.1 should read “Commission members voted Aug. 7, 2019, to reorganize as the Community Technology Advisory Commission.” Dyer suggested 2.1 should read “There shall be at least seven members…” Pires pointed out that the commission can have non-commission members on committees, etc. Hoffman mentioned that in 2.2 commission should be small C. Dyer suggested that in 3.1 the language be changed to read “A regular election shall be held at the first meeting following city council boards and commissions appointments in May.” Pires pointed out 3.2 and asked if the commission would like to change. Levine suggested a caveat, …”unless otherwise voted on by the commission.” There was discussion of what “consecutive” means. The language will read, “The term for officers shall be one year and the chair may serve for up to two consecutive years.” Levine noted that 4.2 should be changed to “A majority of commissioners shall constitute a quorum…” The commission agreed with striking 4.3 as simple majorities aren’t required. Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 12 Page 3 The commission agreed with the change to 5.3. 5.2 can be removed as there’s no reason for an annual meeting. Levine asked about meeting time and if that needs to be specified. Pires said there is language to allow for changes. 5.4 there was discussion about why only one day’s notice for commissioners for special meetings. Pires recalled it was from a time when postal mail was the way to notify people officially. Staff will check in with the city clerk on language for this item to see if it can or should be changed; if it can preference would be notice is given at the same time meeting is posted officially. Motion to approve the slate of changes for the bylaws by Dyer; Hoffman seconded. All voted in favor. 11.Changes to code Smith explained that city code language has been simplified so that commission can be nimble and make changes as needed to their work. Dyer moved to permit staff to amend the code section 2 per direction by city clerk’s office. Mohamed seconded. All approved. Anderson moved to approve the revisions to city code as presented. Davis seconded. All approved. 12.Review/approve work plan for 2019 Levine asked if the commission wanted to decide committees at another meeting; the commission agreed. Hoffman moved to approve the work plan as presented. Davis seconded. All voted in favor. 13.Staff items Staff will check on any applications for a new youth member, which was due August 1. Pires asked who would attend the August 14, 2:30 p.m. Verizon meeting; Browning, Levine and Mohamed plan to attend. Since there is not a quorum expected no official notice has to be posted of the meeting. Levine proposed a meeting on September 10, 6 p.m. to tackle the commission’s next item on establishing subcommittees. He asked if commission members would be willing to be part of more than one committee; there was general agreement to this. Levine suggested that not much can be done on committees until community engagement is done and he wants to do exploration on how they can learn more from the community. Pires recapped by saying the commission wants to do some exploration, which will at the same time serve other items on the workplan. Levine didn’t think the commission was ready to form committees. Pires explained the change of a city department from inspections to building and energy to encompass climate action plan and sustainability. Levine asked that everyone think about main components of community to which the commission should do outreach. Next meeting is Sept. 10 to review that input. Commission members should Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 13 Page 4 send their ideas to jsmith@stlouispark.org by Tuesday, Sept. 3. Idea is to figure out what it means to get input from the community. Other homework is to review a list from Browning that has ideas for several committees; commission members weren’t familiar with this list so Levine said he would email it to Smith, who will then send it to the commission. Dyer reminded commission members to be careful emailing, and that “replying all” or having conversation by email about official commission business could violate open meeting laws. Smith and Pires agreed and thanked Dyer for providing that reminder to the commission. Pires said he wanted to bring up one item regarding fiber. Since 2005 the city has installed fiber conduit whenever a street is reconstructed; that has contributed to the 50 miles of fiber in the community. In 2012, a study by CTC consultants helped determine what to do with excess fiber and how to lease the fiber. For the first time, in 2020 the city is considering not putting fiber conduit into the ground during these projects. The reason is primarily financial as the city looks to manage the property tax levy amount. Pires said the city manager and city council will be interested in how the commission would react to that. Dyer stated this seems to be against everything the commission is trying to accomplish. Pires pointed out that conduit laid in the Sorensen neighborhood was recently leased back to US Internet to provide service in that area. Anderson asked if enough money was recouped to cover the cost of installation of the conduit. Pires said they do a trade, it’s not monetary. Hoffman asked about the demographic of the neighborhood and raised concerns about perceptions of inequities if this practice is discontinued going forward. Dyer said it’s difficult to know how to respond to this proposed change without understanding the entire picture and what pressures are on the finances. Pires understands the commission direction is to look for more opportunities with outside vendors to expand in St. Louis Park and to look at alternative ways to provide same infrastructure but with private vendors. Levine made a motion that the commission believes high speed data communication is important to the future of the city, and where costs are prohibitive to provide fiber, the city will look at alternative business models and technologies that can or will provide equivalent capabilities to fiber. Hoffman seconded the motion. All voted in favor. 14.Adjournment Hoffman moved to adjourn the meeting, Dyer seconded. All voted in favor. Meeting adjourned at 8:05 p.m. Study session meeting of August 26, 2019 (Item No. 10) Title: Telecommunication advisory commission transition update Page 14 Telecommunications Advisory Commission/Community Technology Advisory Commission Community engagement ideas from commission members Sept. 10, 2019 Members were asked to submit their ideas for community engagement by end of day Tuesday, Sept. 3. Input received is below. Abe Levine Getting input from the community: • Need PPT on goals/objectives of CTAC along with some ideas of our own and the kinds of input we are seeking. This will keep conversation from becoming a complaining session or suggestions that are not appropriate. This needs to be developed before we go public. Suggest we have a couple of people work on this, review with the Commission for approval and agreement. Publish this on the City’s website • Decide on 3 venues for soliciting input. One would be City Hall, and two others. Need to discuss best way of notifying residents of impending meeting. At least 3 commissioners to attend each meeting, one of them to be moderator. Suggest that the meeting be recorded, either audio or video • Suggest that along with providing access to the CTAC PowerPoint on the City’s website, a section for input be established for residents to provide input in lieu of attendance at the three meetings • Perhaps could advertise existence of the commission and meeting dates/places in the newsletter. Maybe US mail too Committee suggestions: • First committee on Public Safety. Smart light poles would be a good starting point. Committee to delve into other aspects of public safety, speak with Police and receive input from the community, publish report of what was learned (maybe in several segments), make recommendations • Committee to delve into Smart Buildings. First task is to learn what this means, publish report, refine learnings in nearer-term activities, publish reports and recommendations • Committee to examine tracking technologies as they would apply to school bus tracking, snow plows, city buses, and others. Evaluate what’s out there today, compare to what would be needed, obtain input from the Community, publish reports, make recommendations • Committee to design CTAC website (see Seattle for example), work with the City for its implementation • Committee Input Committee for designing input from residents, methodologies, communications from CTAC to residents • Committee to research CTAC-like commissions in others, establish some methodologies to communicate with them, perhaps quarterly “association” meetings with several at a time, either in person or via video-conferencing Clint Pires Though commission members are the ones who should and ultimately will drive community engagement which will direct committee focus and actions, here are a few thoughts on the community engagement / input piece: 1. In order to reach communities within SLP who have not traditionally provided much input, meet with Racial Equity Manager Alicia Sojourner and her team for suggestions on how to do so. With a list of proposed committees, they may even be able to provide specific suggestions for each one. 2. Make use of the city’s Survey Monkey account to gather input on questions where the commission is looking for more citywide input, perhaps on more formatted than unformatted questions. Recognize that those who use this method are like those who show up to vote, not a statistically representative sample. But still valuable in that it represents an interested audience. 3. Consider focus group facilitators who can guide community meetings / discussions so that you can normalize the input across the various meetings. 4. Consider use of Facebook, Twitter, Nextdoor, GovDelivery, MySLP, and ParkAlert to gather input from those subscribers. 5. There may be some captive audiences of active SLP folks to tap: Lenox, Discover SLP, SLP Business Council, SLP Library users, civic groups (e.g., Rotary), houses of worship, Children First, neighborhood associations (may be a duplicate of Nextdoor), public and private schools (SLP’s future), Park Nic / HP buildings (telemedicine interest), etc. 6. City buildings (e.g., Rec Center) and food stores (e.g., Byerly’s and the Cubs), other gathering places. 7. Consider other input methods used as part of Vision 3.0. Since it appears a couple committees may end up focusing on smart cities, here are a couple links I found that may help inform them. Of course, the input process from the community you are working on is most important, and these links may help you frame that process. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma2AQtr7wXQ&feature=youtu.be http://smartcitiesconnect.org/the-one-factor-that-determines-if-your-city-will-be-a-smart- city/?utm_source=Smart+Cities+Connect+Main&utm_campaign=e67d7ce89c- EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_03_28_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_0c782ca5b0- e67d7ce89c-154928969 This link was also provided: MnDOT releases connected and automated vehicles strategic plan (https://www.lmc.org/page/1/CAVstrategicplan.jsp?ssl=true&utm_source=Sept.+3%2C+2019+Bulletin+ Cities&utm_campaign=Bulletin+09%2F03%2F19&utm_medium=email) David Dyer My first suggestion would be to engage the HRC commission. They help represent a lot of minorities and underserved people in the SLP community. Thus it would be good to get their input about what is needed for those people and how technology etc. can better serve them. Anything from just day to day stuff to helping kids have the tech or tech connections they need for school. My other suggestion I don’t know if we can do. The city elections are coming up and I don’t know if things are as strict about them as regular elections. But the people that vote here are people that are engaged in the community. Maybe we could just have a pamphlet or flier that people can pick up at the voting places. John McHugh I suggest that the SL-PUBLIC Wi-Fi terms and conditions agreement page promote opportunity for citizen engagement. Why? Because they are using city-provided technology and may be more inclined to participate. The YouTube video [@2.30] has a member of the Johns Creek, GA [60,000 pop] Citizen’s Advisory Committee who mentions streetlight spillover into neighborhoods. The video is produced by a GIS company. https://www.esri.com/en-us/smart-communities/strategies/civic-inclusion Leverage a system to connect with the community Smart communities and smart cities can achieve civic inclusion when they embrace GIS technology that • Transforms the way governments engage and collaborate with the community. • Expresses the value of what's being done, through data, to support all citizens. • Increases opportunities for accurate data input and feedback. • Exposes outliers to improve social equity and presents opportunities to intervene. • Creates a hub for collaboration and communication on a community's priority initiatives.