Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/01/03 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Regular Official minutes City council meeting St. Louis Park, Minnesota Jan. 3, 2022 1. Call to order Mayor Spano called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. 1a. Elected Official Oath of Office St. Louis Park resident, Judge Allen Oleisky swore in of the following newly elected officials of the City of St. Louis Park for four-year terms beginning Jan. 3, 2022:  Councilmember Ward 1 - Margaret Rog  Councilmember Ward 2 - Lynette Dumalag  Councilmember Ward 3 - Sue Budd  Councilmember Ward 4 - Tim Brausen After the oaths were administered, each official signed a copy of the oath which is kept on file in the city clerk’s office. Councilmember Rog stated she is proud to again serve on council and looks forward to working with councilmembers and staff to make St. Louis Park even better. Councilmember Dumalag thanked her family in attendance and looks forward to serving the residents of Ward 2. Councilmember Budd stated she is honored to serve the residents of Ward 3 and work with her fellow councilmembers and staff. She thanked family members for being in attendance. Mayor Spano welcomed Councilmember Budd as the newest member of council. Councilmember Brausen stated he represents Ward 4 and thanked those who voted for him, allowing him to serve again. He added he looks forward to collaborating again with council, staff, and residents. 1b. Pledge of allegiance 1c. Roll call Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Sue Budd, Lynette Dumalag, Larry Kraft, Nadia Mohamed, and Margaret Rog Councilmembers absent: none Staff present: Interim Deputy City Manager/Parks and Recreation Director (Ms. Walsh), City Attorney (Mr. Mattick), Community Development Director (Ms. Barton), Planning Manager (Mr. Walther), Communications Manager (Ms. Smith) DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 City council meeting -2- Jan. 3, 2022 Guests: Community members, Councilmember family members, friends and St. Louis Park Police officers 2. Presentations 2a. Retirement recognition for Police Sergeant Daniel Meyer Chief Harcey stated he has been honored to work with Sergeant Meyer for over 30 years and he will be missed. He stated Sergeant Meyer’s dedication to the profession has made him special to the city and force. Mayor Spano read the resolution of recognition and presented a plaque to Sargeant Meyer. Sergeant Meyer thanked the council and city, noting he has enjoyed every minute of his work in the city. 2b. Accepted donation from Arthur Klassen Mark Oestrich, Westwood Hills Nature Center Manager, accepted a donation in the amount of $25,000 from Arthur Klassen for renovation of the aviary building and for enhancing bee and pollinator programs at the center. He stated Mr. Klassen is a long- time resident of St. Louis Park and partaker of the nature center and programs. He stated this donation will be helpful for developing programming. He read a letter into the record from Mr. Klassen. Councilmember Rog thanked Mr. Klassen for his donation as well, noting honeybees and pollinators are so important now. 3. Approval of minutes - none 4. Approval of agenda and items on consent calendar 4a. Accept for filing city disbursement claims for the period of Nov. 27 through Dec. 23, 2021. 4b. Adopt Resolution No. 22-001 appointing councilmembers to office of mayor pro tem for the 2022 calendar year. 4c. Adopt Resolution No. 22-002 designating the St. Louis Park Sun-Sailor as the city’s official newspaper for 2022. 4d. Adopt Resolution No. 22-003 declaring 2022 city council meeting dates. 4e. Designate iDeal Energies, LLC the lowest responsible bidder and authorize execution of a contract with the firm in the amount of $395,500 for the installation of solar panels on The Rec Center roof above the east arena. Project No. 37220001. (This item was removed from the consent calendar and considered as regular agenda item 8d). 4f. Authorize execution of a contract with Kimley-Horn, in the amount of $380,614 to provide community engagement and preliminary layout (30% plans) for the Cedar DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 City council meeting -3- Jan. 3, 2022 Lake Road and Louisiana Avenue improvement projects (4023-1100 and 4024- 1100). 4g. Adopt Resolution No. 22-004 accepting work and authorizing final payment in the amount of $80,206.36 for project no. 4020-1000 pavement management (Area 8) with GMH Asphalt Corporation, Contract No. 32-20. 4h. Approve entering into a service agreement with the Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation for continuing to use their crews from the Sentencing to Service Program (STS Program). 4i. Adopt Resolution No. 22-005 approving acceptance of a $25,000 donation from Arthur Klassen for renovation of the apiary building and enhancing the honeybee educational programs at Westwood Hills Nature Center. 4j. Adopt Resolution No. 22-006 accepting work and authorizing final payment in the amount of $66,900 for project no. 5321-5004, Booster Station at Water Treatment Plant #8, Contract No. 27-21. 4k. Approve the amendment to the existing cooperative agreement for the police mental health program. (This item was removed from the consent calendar and considered as regular agenda item 8e). 4l. Adopt Resolution No. 22-007 to recognize Dan Meyer for his 30 years of service. 4m. Adopt Resolution No. 22-008 accepting work and authorizing final payment in the amount of $27,464.50 for the alley reconstruction project with G.L. Contracting, Inc. - City Contract No. 38-21. 4n. Approve replacement of 2006 Sterling LT8500 Dump Truck and attachments. 4o. Adopt Resolution No. 22-009 designating Citizens Independent Bank and the 4M fund as official depositories for city funds in 2022. 4p. Adopt Resolution No. 22-010 authorizing execution of a renewed lease with the State of Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) for Webster Park. 4q. Adopt Resolution No. 11-011 approving labor agreement between the city and the Local 49 employee bargaining group, establishing terms and conditions of employment for two years, from Jan. 1, 2022 - Dec. 31, 2023. 4r. Approve for filing planning commission minutes of Nov. 17, 2021. Mayor Spano requested that consent calendar item 4e and 4k be removed and placed on the regular agenda to 8d and 8e. It was moved by Councilmember Brausen, seconded by Councilmember Mohamed, to approve the agenda and items listed on the consent calendar as amended to move consent calendar item 4e and 4k to the regular agenda as item 8d and 8e; and to waive reading of all resolutions and ordinances. The motion passed 7-0. 5. Boards and commissions - none 6. Public hearings - none 7. Requests, petitions, and communications from the public - none DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 City council meeting -4- Jan. 3, 2022 8. Resolutions, ordinances, motions and discussion items 8a. Zoning text amendment – solar energy systems Mr. Walther presented the staff report. Councilmember Kraft asked about heat island effects in parking lots. Mr. Walther stated solar panels would not add to heat island effect but there are potential conflicts with trees and landscaping and solar installations in parking lots. Councilmember Kraft asked if parking were in a front yard, could solar panel be added. Mr. Walther stated that would be an exception allowed in a multi-family building site, but not a single home. Councilmember Kraft stated Sol Smart is a great program with over 400 communities as part of it and he is happy the city is progressing to the next level to make this faster, easier, and less expensive. Mayor Spano noted a clarification point and asked if staff is or is not recommending screening of free-standing structures as a condition. Mr. Walther stated staff is not recommending this, but if other items present on site, such as utility boxes, that need screening, then staff will work on this with an applicant. Mayor Spano asked about the parcel sizes of 50-75% and how staff came to these numbers. Mr. Walther stated these are based on what other cities put in their ordinances, including the City of Minneapolis. Mayor Spano added he is excited to see this come forward. Councilmember Rog asked, for a resident who wanted to explore this, whether the city’s solar suitability map would be helpful. Mr. Walther stated that is a good place to start and staff can also supply a broader map that is not limited to rooftop suitability. It was moved by Councilmember Brausen, seconded by Councilmember Kraft, to approve first reading of ordinance amending Chapter 36 pertaining to solar energy systems and set second reading for Jan. 18, 2022. The motion passed 7-0. 8b. Zoning text amendment – daycares Mr. Walther presented the staff report. Councilmember Rog asked what the on site, 50% of play space, is based on. Mr. Walther stated this is a number planning commission wanted to start with, adding the commission advocated for there to be play areas on site, even when there are parks available nearby. Councilmember Rog asked if the city will allow for variances. Mr. Walther stated if there is a practical difficulty involved, then a variance can be considered. DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 City council meeting -5- Jan. 3, 2022 Councilmember Rog asked about the age-appropriate equipment and noted there is an opportunity for the business-owner to work with staff if a park does not have it available, and they are requesting this. Mr. Walther stated yes, they could speak to park and recreation staff to look at feasibility and costs. Councilmember Rog asked if there would be neighborhood involvement or would this be determined. Mr. Walther stated that is to be determined, but the typical operations and recreation process includes neighborhood involvement when adding equipment to parks. Councilmember Kraft stated he is happy to see this process be made easier, especially during COVID, noting the importance of affordable and quality childcare for families. He added for both mental health and economic well-being, this is urgent, noting an article by PBS which stated the absence of affordable and reliable childcare limits which jobs folks can accept, makes it harder to climb the corporate ladder, and restricts the broader economy from growth. He added when the city has opportunities to offer support, he is glad they are taking steps to do so. Councilmember Dumalag thanked staff and the planning commission for their work on this, adding she is glad to see this change is being made. She stated usually the outdoor play area is the most challenging to achieve, because it may be in an area that takes up parking stalls. She is glad that this is tied to a state requirement, because if our requirements are more stringent than neighboring cities, we could lose an opportunity for daycares. Councilmember Mohamed agreed with comments made by Councilmember Kraft. She stated it is usually women making difficult decisions related to their career, due to childcare and she is also supportive. Mayor Spano stated his support and noted he has spoken with parents about this over the years and is excited the city will collaborate with daycares on playground equipment. He stated as that process happens, he wants to be sure staff is comfortable with the equipment in terms of installation and maintenance. It was moved by Councilmember Rog, seconded by Councilmember Mohamed, to approve first reading of ordinance amending Chapter 36 pertaining to daycares and set the second reading for Jan. 18, 2022. The motion passed 7-0. 8c. Participation in the Just Deeds Project. Resolution No. 22-012 Mr. Walther presented the staff report. Councilmember Mohamed stated she supports the city’s participation in the Just Deeds project. She noted damage has been done in the city over time, especially in the DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 City council meeting -6- Jan. 3, 2022 southwest area. She stated participation in the project is very symbolic and leads to a larger policy question of how the city can make sure that those who suffered losses of generational wealth are caught up to the rest of the population who had that benefit. Councilmember Brausen stated he is a real estate attorney and has spent a lot of time examining titles and has seen many racial covenants restricting who could live where, throughout the history of most properties. He noted thankfully the federal government outlawed such restrictions in the 1960’s, but this is about increasing awareness of a discriminatory and racist past that our community engaged in on a massive scale. He stated it gives everyone an opportunity to review the history of their properties, determine if they have any of these restrictions, and acknowledge this wrong was done in the 1920’s-1950’s. He noted this is an opportunity to make amends. He acknowledged it does not give generations of BIPOC families the opportunity to recapture the generational wealth that was lost, adding everyone will have to continue to acknowledge our racist past and take steps to deal with it. Councilmember Kraft agreed with his colleagues’ comments and stated he is also supportive of the city’s participation in the project. He agreed this is a symbolic action and it does not improve the lives of anyone who has been impacted by these covenants. He stated this is about educating and starting the policy discussions the council needs to have to begin to address the fallout of this practice. He added he was happy to see that a key focus of Just Deeds, in addition to discharging the covenants, is educating the community about other historically discriminatory practices, helping the community pursue reconciliation and anti-racist solutions, identifying contemporary discriminatory systems, policies, and practices, and taking action to dismantle racist practices and policies. Councilmember Budd expressed support of the resolution, adding the people she knows that have found these covenants in their deeds see this a very “close to home” education in ways that academic study of systemic racism is not. She stated this is a very critical program and she supports the city’s participation. Councilmember Dumalag supported the city’s participation in the project, adding this is the start of a conversation because the issue exists now. She stated she is a real estate professional and encounters questions about why there are amenities in certain neighborhoods and not others. Even today part of the explanation given about these differences is that there is not enough of a market in the area because of the area median income. She stated this will drive future policy discussions to help rectify the racist history within the city. Councilmember Rog agreed with her colleagues’ comments and emphasized that the resolution and the city’s participation in the project as another tool for awareness and education. She added it is critical that this not be performative. She stated the homeownership gap and the government’s role in creating or perpetuating the status quo of the wealth gap is an issue that she has thought about and talked about for years, even prior to her being on council. She noted in the city, approximately 1% of single- family homes are owned by black residents. The city continues to have segregated DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 City council meeting -7- Jan. 3, 2022 neighborhoods, a situation created by council and their predecessors who owned homes and made these decisions, as well as other factors. She explained Bronx Park, located in Ward 1, was where Woodfin Lewis first attempted to bring his family to a rental home and was forced to leave, so this issue hits close to home for everyone. Councilmember Rog noted she attended a screening of the TPT film, Jim Crow of the North, and Mayor Spano spoke and participated on a panel. Over 100 residents attended and were very engaged in the discussion. She noted there are many people in the community who want to learn more and reverse the wrongs of the past. Mayor Spano added this has become interesting topic for him as he has wanted to learn more about the history of this issue. He explained he visited the mapping prejudice website where you can see a heat map of properties with restrictive covenants. He noted the U of M has only reviewed approximately half of all the properties deeds in the county, and the map is evolving as more properties with restrictive covenants are identified, including his own home. He stated his home will be used as an example in an outreach and education effort for homeowners to learn more about the process. He noted it is important for everyone to understand the city has always been doing race work in some regard. This is an opportunity to help others learn and examine their lives to identify other areas of racial inequity. Councilmember Brausen stated just because the government isn’t involved any longer does not mean that redlining no longer occurs. He noted real estate professionals continue to steer people of color away from primarily white-owned areas. He acknowledged the practice was not universal but does occur regularly. If anyone suspects this is occurring, they need to be reported to the State of Minnesota because it is an illegal practice. He added this also happens in the mortgage lending industry and people need to call these practices out and be vigilant to right these wrongs. Mayor Spano stated more communication will be done on this project going forward. It was moved by Councilmember Mohamed, seconded by Councilmember Dumalag, to adopt Resolution No. 22-012 that the City of St. Louis Park joins the Just Deeds Project as a member organization to provide free legal and title services to help St. Louis Park property owners find discriminatory covenants and discharge them from their property titles. The motion passed 7-0. 8d. Designate iDeal Energies, LLC the lowest responsible bidder and authorize execution of a contract with the firm in the amount of $395,500 for the installation of solar panels on The Rec Center roof above the east arena. Project No. 37220001 Mayor Spano stated he wanted to highlight this project as an investment in the city’s climate goals. He noted the Rec Center is the single greatest energy user of all city buildings and he is excited to see this move forward. DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 City council meeting -8- Jan. 3, 2022 It was moved by Councilmember Brausen, seconded by Councilmember Mohamed, to approve iDeal Energies, LLC the lowest responsible bidder and authorize execution of a contract with the firm in the amount of $395,500 for the installation of solar panels on The Rec Center roof above the east arena. The motion passed 7-0. 8e. Amendment to the existing cooperative agreement for the police mental health program Mayor Spano stated he wanted to know more about this change. He explained the city has had a relationship with the county for years that provides a part-time social worker to work with the police department. This amendment makes this a full-time position. He noted the importance of mental health and stress, and this social worker is an important tool to help the police respond appropriately to the needs of the community. He added this is an ongoing investment in the city’s public safety. It was moved by Councilmember Dumalag, seconded by Councilmember Mohamed, to approve the amendment to the existing cooperative agreement for the police mental health program. The motion passed 7-0. 9. Communications Ms. Walsh stated staff is excited to be working with council this year and looking forward to better days ahead. She noted the housing authority recently received 15 housing vouchers for veterans. Mayor Spano added he is hoping 2022 is better than the two years prior and looks forward to working with council and newest councilmember Budd. 10. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 7:42 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62