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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/02/07 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council special study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota Feb. 7, 2022 The meeting convened at 5:20 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Sue Budd, Lynette Dumalag, Larry Kraft, Nadia Mohamed, and Margaret Rog Councilmembers absent: None. Staff present: City Manager (Ms. Keller), City Attorney (Mr. Shepherd), Deputy City Manager/Director of Operations and Recreation (Ms. Walsh), Fire Chief Koering, Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Director of Community Development (Ms. Barton), Zoning Administrator (Mr. Morrison), Planning Manager (Mr. Walther), Communications Manager (Ms. Smith), Elections Specialist (Mr. Sund) Guests: None. 1. Encouraging vaccine and booster use in St. Louis Park Mr. Sund presented the report on policies and procedures encouraging vaccine use in St. Louis Park. The policy questions before council include should staff and local partners pursue programmatic approaches to encourage vaccine and booster use or should staff pursue a regulatory approach to encourage vaccine and booster use. Councilmember Rog stated she concurred with staff’s recommendation to use a programmatic versus regulatory approach. She stated she works in non-profit and noted there are financial incentives being offered for vaccines throughout the state, through the end of February, adding this could be helpful. She referenced an app called Docket that folks can use to show their vaccination status, and this would be useful versus taking a photo of a vaccine card. She asked if this structure would be used for flu shot or other pandemics going forward and if this is a structure for the long-term. Ms. Keller stated staff does not know how much of this work will be borne by our partners and if this is a long-term strategy or if it is sustainable. At this point, she noted, this partnership is with healthcare professionals. Chief Koering agreed this is the beginning stages of discussions. Councilmember Rog added the state just made funds available for vaccine clinics , recovery centers, and for community-based and religious organizations. Mayor Spano encouraged staff as they are going t hrough this process to document these discussions and processes so they could be referred to again in the future . Councilmember Budd asked if there has been any consideration to set up metrics as triggers, and as certain levels are hit, then move to hybrid work or learning in schools. She asked if the DocuSign Envelope ID: 89238EAA-73DA-437A-A307-DC8DD1FECE14 Study session minutes -2- Feb. 7, 2022 city could have a plan in place so when a certain level hits, there is a trigger for certain action to begin. Mr. Sund stated having a specific metric marker is not an action that municipalities have taken. Chief Koering added the challenge is getting accurate and timely information and where data is at a certain time. He stated it is problematic going in and out of certain mitigations, noting there needs to be a bigger and broader range picture and this has not been created at a state or federal level, thereby creating some confusion. Councilmember Brausen stated he supports staff’s approach. Councilmember Kraft stated he is in favor of th e programmatic approach and would like to see this done regionally or at the state-wide level. He added there are a lot more people who are willing to get vaccinated if we help them to do so, and getting the vaccination rate over 90% would be fantastic. Councilmember Kraft stated the city does not have a public health department, but he is supportive of staff’s recommendations, noting the city should also add goals to improve our position, such as vaccination rates as compared to other cities or areas, and use that as a metric, noting others could learn from St. Louis Park. Councilmember Dumalag agreed adding she is supportive of the programmatic approach . She stated the city is not on the same scale as Minneapolis and noted their mandates will be ending soon as well, so it makes no sense for St. Louis Park to be an island. She likes the partnership approach and commended staff’s efforts, adding she is in favor of a more innovative programmatic approach. Councilmember Mohamed stated she is in favor of a programmatic approach as well. She wanted to see how many more people would be vaccinated, adding she liked the coupon or discount ideas to support the business community and the creativity around this . She added she is happy to see results, without any damage to businesses. Mayor Spano stated he is also supportive of the programmatic approach. He noted community health is important and while the city does not have a health department, cities are very helpful in this area. He feels this is in line with what the community has come to expect from the city. He noted that what works for some cities may not work in St. Louis Park and vice versa , adding this approach helps the city work with businesses and community. He also noted a metric tool is helpful, he would like more information from staff on this, and it would help to have more people vaccinated within the city. Mayor Spano thanked the governor’s office for allowing exemptions for city EMT’s to administer vaccines. He asked about costs associated with this and what they might be. Ms. Keller stated much of this is in-kind and staff time, but the incentives themselves will include a dollar amount and staff is looking at funding sources, as well as ARPA funds. She asked if council was comfortable with the proposed $15,000 allocation for this programming, which includes incentives for businesses. DocuSign Envelope ID: 89238EAA-73DA-437A-A307-DC8DD1FECE14 Study session minutes -3- Feb. 7, 2022 Mayor Spano stated he is fine with $15,000 and up to $30,000 if needed . Councilmember Rog stated she is supportive of the $15,000. She asked if there were any liability concerns with vaccinating the public, especially with incentives being offered. Ms. Keller stated the city works under medical direction. Chief Koering stated all the vaccinations are under a physician’s medical license and those receiving the vaccine must sign a release and consent prior to vaccination. He stated he has no concerns with this process or with incentives. He stated no incentives can be given if someone already has a vaccination and this is being checked. Councilmember Rog asked about vaccinating infants to 5-year-olds. Chief Koering stated he feels this is best done through the health care system, but for the underserved this might be an area the fire department along with Park Nicollet can assist. Councilmember Kraft stated he is supportive of the $15,000 and agrees with Councilmember Rog. He would like to see this be successful if the money is spent, but because it impacted another metric, not because the money was spent. It was the consensus of the council to approve staff’s request for $15,000 to pursue the programmatic approach. Mayor Spano asked if staff will come back with a final report . Ms. Keller stated staff will use a comprehensive communication approach to ensure the community is aware of this opportunity, and ongoing updates will be provided to council. The meeting adjourned at 6:15 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: 89238EAA-73DA-437A-A307-DC8DD1FECE14