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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021/05/20 - ADMIN - Minutes - Community Technology Advisory Commission - Regular Community technology advisory commission meeting May 20, 2021 6 p.m. Community technology advisory commission Minutes Members present: Mike Siegler, Cindy Hoffman, Kelly Heitz, Rolf Peterson, Bruce Browning Members absent: Abe Levine Staff present: John McHugh, Clint Pires, Jacque Smith Guests: None 1. Call to order – roll call Meeting was called to order at 6:02 p.m. Hoffman joined at 6:20 p.m.; McHugh joined at 6:30 p.m. 2. Approval of minutes – April 29, 2021 Browning moved, Pohlen seconded. All voted to approve the April 29, 2021, minutes as written. 3. Smart cities initiative Reporting for the environment committee, Peterson said he purchased a whole house plug load monitoring system that connects to 16 circuits. He will continue to explore the results. Siegler said this solution isn’t realistic for all residents, but if Peterson could identify one action residents could take to reduce plug load that would be helpful. Peterson agreed. Reporting for the GIS committee, Heitz shared a presentation that can be used for the city council joint study session meeting June 14. The demonstrated the affordable housing units dashboard that has been developed by the city housing and GIS staff with input from the GIS committee. Siegler suggested a diagram showing the sources of data would be helpful so it’s clear the data hasn’t been manipulated or adjusted. Browning said it was a nice start. Siegler said the inclusiveness of the project, with cooperation between city staff and the CTAC, should be highlighted during the presentation to the city council. Reporting for the connected communities committee, Siegler said they are working on building a stakeholder list in order to gather more data. Pohlen is collecting data and creating a spreadsheet with information. They are focused on getting the best information possible to result in the most focused data gathering. This is a work in progress. Levine will be joining this committee as the environment committee is disbanding. Pires reviewed the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) small city coronavirus block grant fund application he shared with Levine and Siegler recently. Deadline to apply is June 1, 2021. While the application requires a plan Community technology advisory commission meeting May 20, 2021 and cost estimate for proposed projects, which we don’t currently, Pires suggested applying anyway, as work had begun last fall on smart cities initiatives. The commission supporting moving forward. Pires said he has some starter data available for the application. He said the committee should tackle the application and contact him for any further data that’s needed. Siegler said he’ll kick off the application process and will involve Levine. Pohlen added that he thinks it’s important that a solid outcome is identified in the application. 4. Meeting schedule for 2021 Smith shared with the commission that with the anticipated July 1 end of the peacetime emergency for COVID-19, all city boards and commissions will be required to meet in person starting in July to comply with state open meeting laws. Some medical exceptions may apply; commission members with these concerns should contact Smith privately. Smith said that indoor face coverings and physical distancing are no longer required at city hall for those who are fully vaccinated, but that commission members can continue those practices if they wish. Smith reminded the commission that the bylaws require only four meetings per year and asked if the commission would like to reduce its regular meetings from the monthly schedule. Pohlen noted the importance of committee work has increased in the past year, while the importance of regular commission meetings has decreased. The commission agreed to meet every other month starting in July and to continue meeting on Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. The commission will not meet in June due to the scheduled June 14 joint study session with city council. Smith said she’d reserve larger rooms at city hall and send invites for July, September and November 2021. On another topic, Pires mentioned the Emergency Broadband Benefit (EBB) program and efforts to ensure residents were aware of the temporary discount program for internet service and equipment. Smith shared the ways the city’s communication division has shared the news. McHugh told the commission of an experience helping a Menorah Plaza resident apply for the EBB program, which was a challenge since the person didn’t have broadband. Siegler emphasized that this kind of assistance is very important, beyond just providing the service itself. He asked Pohlen to add McHugh to the stakeholder spreadsheet. Browning said he talked with the director of the St. Louis Park Emergency Program, who said they are also spreading the word about the EBB program. 5. New appointment to commission Smith said that Konnor Slaats was appointed to the commission by the city council May 17. Slaats’s term starts May 31, 2021, and ends May 31, 2022; this appointment fills a position that was vacant. Slaats is now included on all commission emails, meeting invites and correspondence. 6. Adjournment Browning moved, Peterson seconded a motion to adjourn the meeting. All voted in favor. Meeting adjourned at 7:03 p.m. Community technology advisory commission meeting May 20, 2021 ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Jacque Smith, liaison Mike Siegler, vice chair