HomeMy WebLinkAbout2022/04/18 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes
City council study session
St. Louis Park, Minnesota
April 18, 2022
The meeting convened at 5:15 p.m.
Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano (arrived 5:40 p.m.), Tim Brausen, Sue Budd, Larry
Kraft, Nadia Mohamed (arrived 5:30 p.m.), and Margaret Rog
Councilmembers absent: Lynette Dumalag
Staff present: City Manager (Ms. Keller), Interim Information Resources Director (Ms. Smith),
Elections Specialist (Mr. Sund), City Clerk (Ms. Kennedy)
1. Driving civic engagement and participation
Mr. Sund presented the report.
Councilmember Mohamed stated she is in support of the program. She stated when we talk
about civic engagement, councilmembers are not engaging with residents, in terms of getting
them to attend meetings. She recognized civic engagement was made more difficult during the
pandemic because some communities do not do well with virtual meetings. She noted in the
past, the city used to do events and updates in person with various groups, which would help
engagement. She asked if staff could go back to this in the future, along with finding those that
want to participate, in order to build relationships. She stated it is important to be intentional
with engagement approaches.
Councilmember Mohamed stated racial equity staff was heavily involved and she served on the
multi-cultural advisory committee where she called people and invited them to events and the
process was heavily reliant on personal relationships. She added it was customized
communication to community groups, and police were invited if appropriate. She added she
would like to see this type of intentional outreach done.
Mr. Sund stated this is a relational model that has intersection with and works to invite
different groups. Ms. Kenndy added the pandemic really impacted this effort and interrupted
the relational component. She noted staff recognizes the limitations of electronic meetings and
they are working on ways to be more intentional to reach specific communities and rebuild
relationships.
Councilmember Budd asked in the research part of the 3 elements, will it look at those most
underrepresented not only racially, but with seniors and faith-based groups, renters versus
homeowners along with parents versus non-parents. Ms. Kennedy stated staff is also looking at
how this can be applied to define target audiences and identify ways to build relationships.
Councilmember Kraft stated he liked the idea of thinking about target markets. He asked what a
functioning pathway looks like. Mr. Sund stated one way to look at this is how one’s particular
pathway works for them. He added when thinking about pathways, whenever a person enters
the “front door” that is an opportunity for engagement . He noted a great example of that is in
schools and how there is a greater opportunity for additional engagement in other civic areas if
DocuSign Envelope ID: 2FEDDF4B-154A-4EA5-94B5-7C6A4AAEF4B5
Study session minutes -2- April 18, 2022
the initial opportunity is captured. He added there are many different opportunities for people
to engage in the community and get involved, not every pathway needs to end in formal
leadership.
Councilmember Kraft asked if there would be measurement along the way as pathways are
looked at. Mr. Sund stated quantitative information can be looked at, but what is important to
him is if one person felt engaged and participated. The qualitative aspect is difficult to measure.
Councilmember Kraft stated he likes the qualitative piece but there also is an important
quantitative piece. He asked what happens to folks who are not picked for boards or
commissions.
Ms. Kennedy stated they are encouraged to stay involved and look for additional opportunities
to participate in activities or work they are passionate about. She noted serving on a board or
commission is a more formal opportunity for engagement. There may be opportunities to
leverage this interest at the outset and provide more informal opportunities, so more people
can be involved at one time. This could help expand networks and engage folks at the same
time. So, it will be less about spots to fill on boards and commissions and more about pathways
to expand the network overall.
Councilmember Kraft stated he is supportive of the work on pathways but noted there are
some metrics to track. He added there might be other things residents do to engage, that
indicate a greater level of caring, and that could be captured as a pathway.
Councilmember Rog noted when councilmembers are leaving their position, they usually do
some outreach in working to find a potential candidate to fill their position. She suggested
there could be collaboration around this, with resources or a strategic way to blend efforts to
be more effective.
Mr. Sund stated before the pandemic staff did host an event for prospective candidates that
included an opportunity to talk with former councilmembers, and it was successful. Mr.
Kennedy stated staff sees themselves as a resource; there is more brainstorming that can be
done around it, but staff cannot be involved in the recruitment of candidates.
Councilmember Rog stated she was interested in exploring public financing for campaigns,
possibly through a match program, noting this could be an opportunity. She added ad hoc
committees can also be helpful and this should be done as much as possible in neighborhoods
versus at city hall. Councilmember Rog stated recently she called several residents and invited
them to attend a meeting at city hall and they were not planning to attend until she asked. Ms.
Kennedy stated this is a perfect example of how engagement can work and the impact of being
invited to participate by a trusted person. She noted a lot of this is about building the network,
so the reach of the city expands beyond staff.
Councilmember Rog stated another way to engage with residents is when new neighbors move
into a neighborhood. Mr. Sund stated the city has a welcome packet for new residents that
includes information and resources. Councilmember Rog stated this is helpful, but also reaching
DocuSign Envelope ID: 2FEDDF4B-154A-4EA5-94B5-7C6A4AAEF4B5
Study session minutes -3- April 18, 2022
out to those who want to be more engaged would be best and letting them know who they can
contact at the city.
Councilmember Rog added folks who are objecting to an issue have recently created petitions.
She noted she has explained to folks that for various issues, petitions are not appropriate,
noting there is some confusion in the community about when to petition and when not to . She
stated the city does require petitions for something like stop signs, or for becoming a c andidate
for city office. However, at other times, they are not the best way to communicate and it can
have an opposite effect of disempowerment.
Ms. Kennedy stated it may be helpful to create simple resources that focus on how the city
functions, how the council makes decisions, and opportunities for people to engage with
council, to make participation less intimidating.
Councilmember Brausen stated he is supportive of these efforts and noted the pathways are
important. He asked if there was a volunteer coordinator on staff and could they help find
those who want to serve in the community. He stated the relational model, and the
relationships are important in getting more involvement and leveraging those relationships . He
added we do have to identify those that have important relationships with community groups
and then help them develop those more intentionally. He stated there may need to be some
training for front line staff to help folks engage more.
Councilmember Brausen noted understanding the public better is a priority for council and then
setting realistic expectations for the public’s role in their decision making.
Mayor Spano stated staff should be proud of this work and he is excited about the
opportunities this presents. He added this provides more work looking externally versus
internally and it represents a shift in strategy. He noted there was a lot of effort from staff on
this work and he hopes they are not overwhelmed . He understands moving in this direction and
agreed this will intentionally be embedded in staff work.
Mayor Spano asked about a civics academy. Ms. Smith stated this is something that was
planned pre-covid and as soon as it is safe to do so, it will be reintroduced. Mayor Spano stated
this will be a good place for the council to become involved as well.
Mayor Spano asked about someone staffing this work and encouraged that this does not only
look at city government, but also looks at what some of the non -profits that support the
community need, as well as the school district.
Ms. Keller stated this discussion has created some pillars of civic engagement . She added this is
everyone’s work and everyone has a role in it. She noted resources will be looked at as well as
how success is defined. Additionally, qualitative and quantitative metrics will be considered,
noting the quantitative will not be causation measures of something that is not working well.
Councilmember Kraft stated he likes the ideas of pathways and involving other organizations as
well.
Councilmember Rog stated there is list of volunteer opportunities on the city website.
DocuSign Envelope ID: 2FEDDF4B-154A-4EA5-94B5-7C6A4AAEF4B5
Study session minutes -4- April 18, 2022
Communications/meeting check-in (verbal)
The meeting adjourned at 6:16 p.m.
2. Business terms – purchase and redevelopment contract with Sherman Associates (Ward
1).
______________________________________ ______________________________________
Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor
DocuSign Envelope ID: 2FEDDF4B-154A-4EA5-94B5-7C6A4AAEF4B5