Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/03/21 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council special study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota Mar. 21, 2022 The meeting convened at 5:20 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), Deputy City Manager/Director of Operations and Recreation (Ms. Walsh), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Elections Specialist (Mr. Sund), Interim Information Resources Director (Ms. Smith), City Clerk (Ms. Kennedy), Community Development Director (Ms. Barton) Guests: 1. Public process expectations and outcomes Ms. Smith presented the report. She stated the questions from staff to council are “Does council still support the guidance provided in 2016 and what outcomes will assure the council the city has conducted a successful engagement process?” Councilmember Brausen stated he likes the application of the IAP2 criteria for public input, noting we need to be open to public input but also realize the results the council may be looking for may not ever be achieved. He added decisions will always be based on imperfect information and public input is not always the best and most accurate information. He continued public input is often the reflection of who feels most strongly about an issue as those most immediately impacted are the ones showing up. He stated it is council’s job to promote the community vision developed within the public process and ongoing public participation. He stated the council is responsible for decisions that impact the public today, in the future, and the public goes to the ballot box to elect them to do the work. Councilmember Brausen stated government allocates resources and often, those that complain loudest are doing so because the decision did not go their way. He noted staff does a good job of making robust efforts to communicate with the community, and we need to continue to expand outreach to the communities most impacted and who do not traditionally participate, because they do not have time or resources to do so. He added telephone and online surveys make sense, and in multiple languages ideally. He stated meetings during the day or on weekends would be helpful for those who have night jobs that keep them from participating. He noted incentives, like daycare or gift cards, have been discussed in the past to incentivize participation, but personally he is satisfied with the efforts being made by staff and the current structure. He added he is happy staff continues to review this issue, but noted staff is doing a great job. Related to the second question posed by staff, Councilmember Brausen stated he does not see a failure of public process on issues, adding it is hard to measure outcomes. He noted the community shows up on a regular basis on a variety of issues. DocuSign Envelope ID: 8EBAFC20-E7E2-4807-A0D2-C51D8456BAC5 Study session minutes -2- Mar. 21, 2022 Councilmember Budd stated she was interested in the survey results and wondered if those are being incorporated somehow. She asked how items that went well or not well were captured and applied to the process. Ms. Smith stated this is where community workgroups are helpful because they help determine what worked well and what did not. Ms. Barton added the Vision 3.0 process made it clear people want a variety of ways to provide feedback on projects and initiatives. She stated staff has also worked with consultants to use different strategies including holding meetings outside of city hall, using the community engagement vehicle to meet people where they are at, and performing surveys. Ms. Kennedy stated elections staff utilize the community engagement vehicle quite often and have had a lot of success using it as an engagement tool. She stated there are many opportunities for interaction outside of city hall just by participating in events or activities already happening in the community. She added the pandemic also caused everyone to look for different ways to engage and staff has adapted their strategies to accommodate changing needs. Councilmember Rog asked how council decides what projects to engage deeply on, especially when sometimes there does not seem to be as much engagement from the public. Ms. Smith stated there is not always a direct correlation between the amount of work put into a strategy and the level of engagement that results. She noted the scale or scope of the decision, event, or initiative is factored into the communications strategy. Ms. Kennedy added staff does make a concerted effort to develop a communications plan or strategy that will meet the expectations of the community and the council. So, when a large project or initiative is being discussed that has the potential to impact the whole city, staff considers how to engage based on the expected role of the community. Informing the public is a different strategy and level of engagement than consulting or collaborating with the public . Ms. Barton noted when there are specific requirements on public engagement, such as legal notices, staff typically goes above and beyond to be sure there are ample opportunities for those affected to engage. Councilmember Rog stated she would advocate for broader engagement, especially with zoning and development projects as they affect so many. She stated the council should also be asking what the community needs in terms of engagement. She added there are points where the community feels frustrated about the timing of their input and the decision being made. She would like to do better by the community and hopes to keep the conversation going related to this. Ms. Kennedy reiterated staff supports being clear about expectations with the public, noting a robust public process does not always result in engagement. DocuSign Envelope ID: 8EBAFC20-E7E2-4807-A0D2-C51D8456BAC5 Study session minutes -3- Mar. 21, 2022 Councilmember Rog stated she is supportive of the way public process is being handled, adding there is also the potential of moving some processes into the empowerment phase of the IAP2 spectrum when appropriate. Councilmember Kraft noted the aim should be that everyone who engages with the city says at the end, we did everything we told them we would do, even if that decision goes the wrong way. He stated staff and council mindset should be that way as it helps everyone think about how to set expectations up front. He stated staff does a good job of this but does think there might be more to do at the beginning of the process and there might be more council can do as well to set those expectations in the community. Councilmember Kraft asked staff what the biggest challenge is with this process . Ms. Smith stated there are more communication tools in St. Louis Park than many other cities and it is disappointing to sometime hear community members say they did not know about things that have been pushed out many ways and multiple times. She stated although it is frustrating, that is the reality with all the communication efforts because we cannot force people to engage. Ms. Smith stated, however, the city is also fortunate to have access to a variety of communications tools to enhance engagement. Ms. Barton added staff are not necessarily experts in community engagement and do the best they can to develop and implement effective strategies. She noted trying to connect with historically under-represented communities and determining how to effectively engage with and encourage engagement is a challenge. Councilmember Kraft stated related to the policy points, he wants to make sure he hears all sides of an issue and that everyone who wants to be involved, is involved . He noted even if people are not stepping forward, we need to look at who should be involved, and this needs to show up in the policy. He stated we do need some work on accessibility to meetings, setting expectations at the beginning of processes, and then repeating those expectations consistently would help. He does not understand why the statement “public participation works best for broad visioning” is included in the report. He stated it sounds like it is not as valuable and sometimes it is just as valuable in different ways. Councilmember Dumalag stated she supports the IAP2 guide and likes that the city has a process for this. She stated thinking about how we engage boards and commissions, and how do we know something is working. She stated boards and commissions have given council feedback they want to be more engaged, so this is something to investigate further. Mayor Spano stated producing a singular language is important. He added the purpose of community meetings is also very important and setting the rules at the onset of the meeting. He stated there might be a better way to do this at city council meetings, to be explicit . He added staff is exceptional at community engagement noting the times staff is most successful is when innovative ideas are used. He agrees with the questions staff presented and would like to also add to them. He stated there are opportunities for collaboration with the community in smaller ways -- within their neighborhoods, with items such as neighborhood grants, sidewalks, and bike trails. DocuSign Envelope ID: 8EBAFC20-E7E2-4807-A0D2-C51D8456BAC5 Study session minutes -4- Mar. 21, 2022 Mayor Spano stated the second policy question related to outcomes of the public process would be where the community realizes why things are done, even if they do not necessarily agree with the final decision. Councilmember Brausen added part of the public process is proper framing and setting up the expectations, but the public must also understand how decisions are connected to strategic priorities and the visioning process. 2. Letter of Support to St. Louis Park School Board Mayor Spano suggested editing the letter to the School Board as to who the letter is coming from. The meeting adjourned at 6:15 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: 8EBAFC20-E7E2-4807-A0D2-C51D8456BAC5