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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/01/24 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota Jan. 24, 2022 The meeting convened at 6:30 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Sue Budd, Lynette Dumalag, Larry Kraft, and Margaret Rog Councilmembers absent: Nadia Mohamed Staff present: City Manager (Ms. Keller), CIO (Mr. Pires), Police Chief Harcey, Police Deputy Chief Kruelle, Communications Manager (Ms. Smith) Guests: Tim Martin and Travis Carter, US Internet 1. US Internet update Mr. Pires presented the report. Councilmember Budd referenced the pavement management plan and stated when looking at the map, it looks like the update is not showing in the Fern Hill area in 2022. She asked if US Internet is working to line up their updates with the pavement management plan . Mr. Carter stated they do try to line up their projects with the city’s and if there is re-pavement, they like to get in ahead of time to do the road crossings. He asked Mr. Pires to assist with this happening and permitting. Mr. Pires stated yes, all other projects after Fern Hill would involve adding wiring in areas behind the pavement. Councilmember Kraft asked why the gas lines are exposed first. Mr. Carter stated you must expose utility lines first, locate them, and then have them marked so nothing is hit, especially gas and electric lines. Councilmember Kraft asked if the large drills go in later. Mr. Carter stated yes, and then individual homes are hooked up. Councilmember Kraft asked why US Internet chose St. Louis Park. Mr. Carter stated St. Louis Park has always been high on their list, as the demographic is young people that use the internet and because it is in the middle of Minneapolis and Minnetonka, so it can be served easily. He added working with Mr. Pires is also very helpful and the footprint is there in the city, so it was natural to do St. Louis Park. Councilmember Kraft asked what the life of the underground wiring is. Mr. Carter stated 100 years. Councilmember Kraft asked what they have seen in Minneapolis as to how people use the internet, and does it change with how they interact with cable TV. Mr. Carter stated over 80% of their customers are streaming live. He noted this is now more of an entertainment product. Councilmember Kraft stated it will be interesting to see how this opens the community and allows for more services. DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 Study session minutes -2- Jan. 24, 2022 Councilmember Rog asked about the impact of the fiber throughout the community and the right-of-way on either side. Mr. Carter stated the boulevard is public land and they flyer the whole neighborhood before they start. He stated their construction crews then flyer again and set up drills on the public right-of-way, which takes 1-2 days. He added if they run into issues, some folks call the city and ask what they are doing there. Councilmember Rog asked if the process of installation is loud. Mr. Carter stated it is fairly loud, like a work truck outside the house. He stated if they were there for weeks on end, it would be more problematic. He stated they had less complaints last year during and had more people signing up for service, so they are very excited. Councilmember Rog asked what happens if there is no boulevard. Mr. Carter stated there still is right-of-way, even if there is no boulevard and they try to be as close to the street as the city allows. He added the city tells them where they can install wiring. Councilmember Rog asked how many will be working in the St. Louis Park office. Mr. Carter stated there will be only machinery in the office and no one will be working in there. Councilmember Rog asked what the rates will be. Mr. Carter stated folks should be able to save a few dollars with US Internet. Councilmember Dumalag asked if the resident has a period of time to sign up. Mr. Carter stated people can sign up as they want to, and it usually takes about 3 years to hit maturity in terms of customer signups. He added only when folks want the service will they be hooked up to it. Councilmember Brausen stated he is excited to see this happening in St. Louis Park. Councilmember Budd asked how this works for those that live in rental units. Mr. Carter stated it works like single-family homes, with landlord approval and once the landlord signs off, they will set it up like a single-family home. He added there is no cost to install, and costs only start when service starts. Councilmember Rog noted the green boxes to be painted and asked about them b eing in the right-of-way close to residents’ yards. Mr. Carter stated they try to put it close to the property line, between two homes, and most of the time that works well, adding the boxes are at grade level. Councilmember Kraft asked about environmental impacts and trees and asked to not have the trucks idling. Mr. Carter stated the trucks will be turned off and only the drills will be running . He added the diesel trucks are all modern and safe. He also noted they have zero casualties on trees in Minneapolis, adding if there is any damage, they fix it . Mayor Spano asked about funds accelerating and getting more homes set up quicker . Mr. Pires stated because of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, the city is doing a grant application and a portion of those funds dedicated to digital literacy. He stated awareness of affordable connectivity is the main concern and the city is looking for funds for the city as a whole – for digital literacy to improve people's quality of life. DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 Study session minutes -3- Jan. 24, 2022 Ms. Keller stated they are also exploring other partnerships on this and looking with Children First into what opportunities are available for improvements. Mayor Spano added he wanted to be sure the school district is brought into this conversation as well, especially with internet connectivity for all students and families. Mayor Spano asked if this will cut into the city budget if people move away from cable providers and to USI. He also asked if staff has contemplated how the loss of franchise fees might affect the city and how these lost fees will be recovered . Mr. Pires stated there was a concern, years ago, about whether cable TV would go away and there was a decrease in franchise fees for a while, but for now it has leveled off. He added while only using video streaming over-the-top services is not an issue in the city yet, if folks are only using streaming long-term, impacts might be felt in cable tv revenues. He stated future revenues are not certain in any case, we are trying to stay as conservative as possible on cable tv fund expenditures, and the future is unknown. Councilmember Rog asked if cable funds amount to about half a million dollars per year in revenues. Mr. Pires stated yes. Mr. Pires added that annually the engineering department holds a meeting with all the utilities and learns about the projects going on for the year so they can all collaborate where possible. He noted USI attends that meeting. He added that restoration is very important to residents and returning the boulevard back to its original state is a concern that engineering watches very closely. Mr. Pires stated USI has been very good about restoration in St. Louis Park over the years, and it has not been an issue. 2. Community policing discussion Police Chief Harcey and Deputy Chief Kruelle presented the report. Councilmember Rog asked what categories are being used for racial identification. Chief Harcey stated it is fairly limited with Caucasian, Black, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, or non-Hispanic. He noted this is based on what is used by the federal government and it is also the same criteria as used for the census. Councilmember Rog asked if there is training on racial identification . Chief Harcey stated yes, including protocols training and how to use your best judgement. Councilmember Rog asked if gender is part of racial identification and how does that work with gender non-binary people. Chief Harcey stated that is open to an ask, but again it is to use their best judgement as to gender. Councilmember Budd asked if the use of force policy has been updated on the city website. Chief Harcey stated yes, that is correct. DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 Study session minutes -4- Jan. 24, 2022 Councilmember Kraft asked about how the duty to intervene training is being received in the department. He stated with George Floyd’s murder one of the most egregious things that happened was that the officers did not intervene and that this is an indictment of the police departments culture. He stated this is an area that is so important. Chief Harcey agreed and added we will never know until we are tested. He stated he cannot fathom members of the St. Louis Park police doing something like what happened with George Floyd, adding he feels there would have been intervention by city officers. He stated he cannot foresee this ever happening but having the formal policy of duty to intervene as part of the training and culture of the police force is critical. He added the force is paying attention and the policy solidifies this. Ms. Keller stated in her time with the city, she has been very impressed with the integrity she has seen around the police force, adding she doesn’t say this lightly. She added it is important that the public knows this as well as the council, adding it goes deep. Councilmember Rog asked about duty to intervene and if this applies to verbal interactions ever. Chief Harcey stated the duty to intervene policy only revolves around use of force, while adding, however, there is also a policy about how police treat the community and professional and courteous behavior as well. Councilmember Rog commented on a ride along she had with city police and stated St. Louis Park officers treated an individual much better than officers from another city and asked if this is discussed within St. Louis Park police and how to do this when interacting with other officers. Chief Harcey stated there is a responsibility of the police force to always treat everyone with respect and dignity. Mayor Spano asked how often the public safety information specialist interacts with the fusion center at the State of Minnesota. Chief Harcey stated she is the police lead crime analyst, but it is a team effort with the state and county. He added most of her partnership is with the county daily. Deputy Chief Kruelle added the work being done with the public safety information specialist is very good. Mayor Spano asked if there would be more investigative work with the fusion center. Deputy Chief Kruelle stated that is a good question , noting that data collection is needed, and this position provides that, especially when connecting with other agencies . Councilmember Kraft noted he did a ride along as well recently and noted that the amount of technology the officers have in the squad cars creates distractions. He asked if the technology support person looks at these distractions to help eliminate distractions over time. Chief Harcey stated yes, with all the technical systems there can be distractions and additional time to complete processes, but the public safety technology support person has really helped take away distractions from officers in the field, which has been a big help . Mayor Spano referenced the George Floyd murder and pointed out there were officers that were sworn to protect, and they were bystanders, which points to the culture of an organization, but also to mental health. He is pleased to hear officers are taking advantage of DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 Study session minutes -5- Jan. 24, 2022 assistance with mental health services and asked the percentage of officers on the force that use this. Chief Harcey stated all staff are required to participate in an annual mental health check in and he thinks about 10% of the force participates in additional therapy sessions. Councilmember Dumalag asked if the police department require s PTO and taking time off, and if this is part of the officer annual review, to ensure they take care of themselves. Chief Harcey stated if an officer is involved in a critical incident, they are required to see the mental health professional before they return to work. In general, there has not been an issue with officers not using their time off, so it has not been a problem . Councilmember Kraft asked about the 10% and if there is an annual mental health check. Chief Harcey stated yes, and that annual check is from himself down to all officers and dispatch/administration as well. Mayor Spano stated he was glad to hear the force is making this a priority and taking advantage of this annual check in with a mental health professional . Councilmember Brausen added he is excited to hear about all the mental health assistance as well. He noted 2019 was the last time there was a death related to officer action in the city and asked if that officer is still with the force and if this assistance was available to the officer. Chief Harcey stated yes, he is still with the force, he was on paid administration leave for quite some time, was allowed to use the mental health therapist, and when he did come back, he was eased into his role and was retrained as well. Now he is back and doing really well. Councilmember Brausen stated the use of force policy is on the website and asked that the most recent update date be included at the bottom of the page online. Councilmember Rog asked about the duty to intervene and how often St. Louis Park officers respond to a situation where Minneapolis police officers are also involved in the situatio n. Chief Harcey stated not very often as they don’t really call the city when they need assistance. He stated he is trying to work through that with them to provide mutual aid assistance to them, noting there are occasions along Excelsior or Minnetonka Boulevards at times. Councilmember Rog asked, if St. Louis Park officers did witness inappropriate behavior by another city police officer, is there a way to intervene. Chief Harcey stated the policy for St. Louis Park does provide that they have a duty to intervene in real time, and also report it to their supervisor, who would report it to the other officer’s supervisor. Mayor Spano thanked Chief Harcey for the update, and especially the items related to the future of policing and including the mental health response . Councilmember Rog asked if we are looking closely at ARPA funds on mental health response as a potential revenue source. Ms. Keller stated staff is looking at many ways to utilize these funds and will bring that information for council and also look for direction from council for projects of formative change. DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 Study session minutes -6- Jan. 24, 2022 Councilmember Rog stated recently there have been detailed Facebook posts by the city on criminal activity. She asked if this is a new practice and for an explanation on rationale and the benefits. Chief Harcey stated it’s a fairly new approach for police, but we are starting with a more cautious approach, and when we evaluate this, we work with Ms. Smith to be sure it meets the social media standards of the city. He added they are starting to do this more and are asking for community assistance to identify suspects and educate the community in what is going on, as well as identifying challenges the police have in identifying suspects. Councilmember Rog stated she does appreciate the posts that have been done on Facebook, but she is wondering if anything changed recently when a video was posted where there were many comments from the community related to racism. She noted mug shots also may invoke responses related to racism and asked if it is worth it. Chief Harcey stated they discussed this with Ms. Smith, but because there was a public video that already went out in the media, staff did not feel it would create a negative response, but it did. He stated police need to be careful about what is controlled on social media and free speech issues. He added most often the public seems to self-regulate. Councilmember Rog asked if that post led to any tips or useful information. Chief Harcey stated yes, the tips did help in identifying the suspects. He added recent posts did not mention race at all of suspects. Mayor Spano noted in the state, each department had its own public informa tion officer. The city does not have this but makes good use of social media. He noted he is hearing from some residents that they are not hearing about some crime issues, and it turns out they look at the city page versus the police page. He asked if cross posting on both sites might be something to consider in the future. Chief Harcey stated he will check in with Ms. Smith regarding this and get back to council. Councilmember Kraft thanked the police for their work on the recent carjacking issues . He stated the police approach presented seems correct as well as the culture. He also thanked Chief Harcey for the department’s diverse approaches to mental health issues and broader approach to public safety. He asked the Chief to think about outcomes and asked if there is some way to measure mental health outcomes over time. Councilmember Kraft stated he is glad police are doing traffic stop data collection adding if a disparity is uncovered, it may or may not be a police problem and he recognizes this, adding we need to let the data lead. Councilmember Kraft appreciated the data and asked about the use of force statistics. He noted there is a disparity in the data, but there is no reason. He hopes to see a reason for this and actions to address it over time, noting he would like to see a connection related to that data over time. Chief Harcey stated there are some ways to do that kind of comparison, and there is no good benchmark for comparison. He noted looking at crime statistics can be the benchmark, but DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 Study session minutes -7- Jan. 24, 2022 then it looks at possible racism in the criminal justice system. He stated this will be difficult and time consuming as well as controversial. Councilmember Kraft asked about the annual statistics, noting fear around the crime trends. He also asked about the police force’s goals around this, while also ensuring community values. Chief Harcey stated things seemed to be going well, but with the recent carjackings and robberies, it helped drive up statistics in the end of the year. He stated there is a lot of speculation of what is driving this crime, pointing to COVID and kids not being in school, as well as the criminal justice system not adapting to COVID related changes in their practices and how to properly hold people accountable. He stated they are discussing this with area mayors and the county attorney to look for solutions. He stated prevention is always best and we press forward on this as much as we can and working with the community . Mayor Spano added there will be a follow up letter from the area mayors , police chiefs, and the Hennepin County attorney's office to explain what will be done to collaborate and support one another related to these recent crimes. Councilmember Dumalag stated there were no homicides in the city and as we move towards a systems approach and policies, she sees this as outcomes the city is trying to prevent and appreciates the investment and thoughtfulness around the specialist. She also stressed the duty to intervene and is thankful this is part of the police culture in St. Louis Park. She noted recruitment of people of color adding there may be some specific cultural needs to be mindful of when hiring. Mayor Spano stated in the meetings with mayors and the county attorney, a program used in the past was noted, and this is the policing model that St. Louis Park has actually been using for many years now. Councilmember Budd thanked Chief Harcey for his working with her recently in learning about policing in the city, adding she has always been very supportive of the policing model used in St. Louis Park. Communications/meeting check-in (verbal) Ms. Keller stated staff started educating businesses today about the mask mandate and asked the council to forward any issues to staff they may hear about . She added staff has ordered 20,000 masks to be available for businesses to pick up and to get them out to the community . Written Reports Councilmember Brausen referenced the report on Bridgewalk, which is substantial, but he is supportive. He pointed out the owners will bear the brunt of the costs of the project, adding it will preserve affordable housing. Councilmember Rog noted the first quarter development update. She stated it was helpful and she requested the unit size, such as studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom be included in the table DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62 Study session minutes -8- Jan. 24, 2022 indicating totals market rate, affordable on page 2 of the report. She stated this is an important detail to keep reporting on and make sure we are aware. Councilmember Kraft added over time, the inclusionary housing policy might be adjusted to encourage more 2-3 bedrooms versus studios and 1 bedroom. Mayor Spano referenced Bloomington affordable housing policies, adding there are more creative ways to look at this in St. Louis Park. He stated they are doing things he has not heard of before and asked staff to look at doing a comprehensive peer analysis on housing in the future. Councilmember Rog noted the Fernhill pavement management plan and added she will have some modifications on the sidewalk plan soon on Raleigh and Salem Avenues. She asked council to review this as well prior to the public hearing on Feb. 7 and the in-depth discussion on Feb. 22, 2022. Mayor Spano noted there will be some announcements on Wednesday about the light rail from the Met Council. He also noted the upcoming council retreat and the upcoming letter from mayors and the county attorney on crime issues. The meeting adjourned at 9:52 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 3. Bridgewalk Condominium Homeowners’ Association Housing Improvement Area (HIA) 4. Quarterly development update – 1st Quarter 2022 5. 2022 Pavement Management Project Update – Fern Hill (4021-1000) ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: D4C8041B-BB90-4A0D-B501-71C321A37E62