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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/04/11 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota April 11, 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), Interim Deputy City Manager/Director of Operations and Recreation (Ms. Walsh), Finance Director (Ms. Schmitt), Interim Information Resources Director (Ms. Smith), City Clerk (Ms. Kennedy) Guests: none Councilmember Kraft asked for a discussion related to boards and commissions interviews, noting he felt there had been a change of policy related to interviews and that all applicants who scored high enough should be interviewed, even those seeking reappointment . Mayor Spano asked what has been communicated to applicants . Ms. Kennedy stated candidates had not been notified yet because of the concerns raised by Councilmember Kraft. She continued applicants have been inquiring about their status and are awaiting an update on next steps. Ms. Kennedy stated multiple options were provided to council for candidate pools to interview for each commission. She reviewed the options selected by council. Mayor Spano asked if council wanted to discuss this tonight and or if they should hold this conversation with the consultant when the boards and commissions process is discus sed at a later date. Councilmember Brausen stated he would prefer the conversation tonight . Councilmember Kraft stated the policy point he is raising is that all seeking reappointment would be interviewed. Councilmember Brausen agreed and indicated he would like to interview all as well. Mayor Spano stated he is fine with this but noted council must have clarity about the process. Councilmember Kraft agreed and added this should be a discussion point with the consultant as well. Ms. Kennedy stated status updates would be sent to applicants and interviews would be scheduled. DocuSign Envelope ID: 2FEDDF4B-154A-4EA5-94B5-7C6A4AAEF4B5 Study session minutes -2- Apr. 11, 2022 Councilmember Brausen referenced the Dakota Avenue bikeway pilot project written report and noted from his reading of the report, it looks like the impressions of those interv iewed perceived they had to slow down, that speeds were slower because of the bollards. He added there is a perception of safety, and people did slow down driving here . He noted anything we can do to slow down traffic is desirable and suggested discussion of this in the future at a study session. Councilmember Rog agreed with Councilmember Brausen and noted the detailed report. She stated she is still struggling with the word “prioritize” for walking and biking and mass transit over vehicles. She explained the reason staff is not recommending continuing is cost, and to her mind if this were truly a priority, it would mean shifting of funds, and how we plow streets, into projects that elevate biking and walking. She would support further discussion in a future study session. Mayor Spano stated he would like to have more discussion on this topic also. Councilmember Kraft noted he agrees this is part of the broader discussion . He stated he is interested in the parking concerns, and noted it was effective at improving speeds, while 61% felt comfort while biking. He stated if the city is looking at how to elevate cycling and pedestrians, the city’s street maintenance approach, rightly so, is optimized for car -centric infrastructure. He stated whenever the city looks at something different from that, the natural result will be an increased cost. He added it may be that to do this right, we will need to re- think our approach and be transformational. He also would like to talk more about this. Councilmember Dumalag agreed and thanked staff for the report, saying it warrants further study. She would like to look at investment and how this would be treated as any other infrastructure project. Mayor Spano noted the written report on Rise on 7 Developmen t and pointed out the council received a request for a letter of support for congressionally directed funding. He stated he wanted to be transparent to the public on this. Councilmember Budd asked if this funding comes through, would it affect this project. Ms. Keller stated if there were funding changes to the project, Ehlers would be involved in the pro forma. Councilmember Brausen asked if this request will come forward for the TIF as an action item and if questions can be asked this evening. Ms. Keller stated there is a tentative public hearing scheduled for June 6 on the TIF district related to this project . Communications/meeting check-in (verbal) Councilmember Rog stated there is meeting tomorrow night at City Hall regarding public workspaces at the Wooddale Station, at 7 p.m., and encouraged residents to attend. DocuSign Envelope ID: 2FEDDF4B-154A-4EA5-94B5-7C6A4AAEF4B5 Study session minutes -3- Apr. 11, 2022 Councilmember Budd stated April 28 is the Walker Lake pop-up event. She added it is to get folks into the streets and Sota Clothing, The Block, and Muddy Paws Cheesecake will be hosting the event. Councilmember Rog noted an open house on Tues., April 26, for Minnetonka Boulevard redesign that will take place at city hall from 4-7 p.m. and public input is requested. Councilmember Rog noted the Minnehaha Creek clean-up event on Sat., April 23, at Knollwood canoe landing with more information on the city website. Councilmember Brausen noted there is an Easter egg hunt on Sat., April 23, at the Nature Center, with more details on the city website. The meeting adjourned at 6:50 p.m. 1. Dakota Avenue Bikeway pilot project 2. Bridgewalk Housing Improvement Area (HIA) update 3. Application for AHTF assistance – Rise on 7 Development ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: 2FEDDF4B-154A-4EA5-94B5-7C6A4AAEF4B5