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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016/08/01 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session111 St. Louis Park OFFICIAL MINUTES MINNESOTA CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL STUDY SESSION ST. LOUIS PARK, MINNESOTA AUGUST 1, 2016 The meeting convened at 6:15 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Steve Hallfin, Gregg Lindberg, Anne Mavity, Thom Miller, and Susan Sanger. Staff present: City Manager (Mr. Harmening), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Director of Community Development (Mr. Locke), Planning/Zoning Supervisor (Ms. McMonigal) and Recording Secretary (Ms. Pappas). Guest: Rebecca Ryan, Next Generation Consulting (by WebEx) 1. Consulting Services for Vision/Comprehensive Plan Rebecca Ryan, Next Generations Consulting, presented ideas and a proposed approach for the visioning and comprehensive plan. Ms. Ryan is the second consultant to present to the council. Discussion involved Ms. Ryan's experience, methods, outcomes, community engagement techniques, availability and other council expectations. Ms. McMonigal explained that the ultimate intent is to bring forward a recommended consultant for council approval at the August 15 council meeting. A refined and more detailed visioning process/scope of work will be prepared once the consultant is chosen. It is expected the consultant chosen by the council will begin in September. Ms. Ryan pointed out two major areas in her proposal that will be of the most importance. These two areas are to include the broadest possible cross section of community input, and to forecast and utilize the trends that may influence St. Louis Park over the next 10 years. She noted she will figure out the strategies to reach people, and the difficult -to -reach populations within the city. Additionally, forecasting will include working with a steering committee to consider trends and the effects these trends will have on coming generations. Ms. Ryan added she had reviewed the last two comprehensive plans produced by St. Louis Park and stated they had done a remarkable job of getting input and creating a living, breathing document. She complimented the city on its foresight, innovation and timeliness with the West End development, noting she wants to help develop visions and trends such as this with the visioning process. Ms. Ryan commented on the idea of community engagement with students, children, faith communities, neighborhood organizations, and businesses. She added they will use "one wish chalkboards" as a way to bring out creativity in community members, while building on strengths. Mr. Harmemng noted that in the past the visioning process utilized a steering committee, and this group went through the entire process with staff and the consultant. He asked if this strategy might be used. Ms. Ryan stated that it can be done any way staff and the council prefer. Staff and the council could either appoint the steering committee members or use a process to allow community members to volunteer to be on the committee, and then the council would make the final decision as to who becomes a member. Study Session Minutes -2- August 1, 2016 Ms. Ryan added the steering committee can become the first responder group; help the consultant avoid errors; and assure the consultant reaches all the different communities represented in St. Louis Park. She stated the steering committee also helps the consultant think through how the community sees trends. Councilmember Hallfin stated the Jewish community is a group that has many different subsets within the whole of St. Louis Park, including Orthodox, Reformed and Conservative groups, each with their own synagogues. He noted this will be an important group to reach. Ms. Ryan agreed and stated there would need to be more strategies to reach each subset and the complex patchwork of this group within the community. Councilmember Mavity asked Ms. Ryan what she would envision as the right size for the steering committee, noting this group could get large quickly and go astray. She asked Ms. Ryan how she might manage folks that want to drive their own agenda through the visioning process. Ms. Ryan agreed those who go astray would not be a good fit on the steering committee. She noted this group will need to be on task and will have homework and projects. They will need to have shared values and goals, and be about inclusion and transparency. She added that every voice will matter, and she would also be available to facilitate the steering committee if needed. Ms. Ryan continued, stating the steering committee can have between 9 to 25 people, depending on what the council decides. Councilmember Lindberg stated he likes the idea of the core steering committee. He asked how many people would provide feedback and data to the steering committee and what success would look like in this process. Ms. Ryan stated the purpose of the steering committee and the visioning process will be to make sure everyone has a voice. She described a project she conducted in the city of Eagan, where one question per week was added to the city's Facebook page. She stated they received 800 answers per week and noted this process could also be done for St. Louis Park. She added that sometimes the open town halls do not attract many people, and the social media and online participation can generate more interest. Councilmember Lindberg asked how transparency is shown. Ms. Ryan stated they will want to be as transparent as possible, and when the project is completed, to make it available to the public with all hard copy and data. Councilmember Sanger stated St. Louis Park has a very large senior population, adding that many are not on Facebook or other social media. She stated she hopes Ms. Ryan won't rely too much on social media for outreach. Councilmember Sanger asked what Ms. Ryan sees as the role for the council, or for commissions, boards, and neighborhood groups in St. Louis Park. Ms. Ryan stated it is up to the council as to what their role will be, adding council members may want to be on the steering committee or may want to appoint people to the steering committee. She also noted examples in Minnetonka and Willmar. Ms. Ryan noted she is working with multiple cities in Minnesota on their visioning processes for the comprehensive plan. Ms. Ryan stated the neighborhood associations in St. Louis Park might be one of the best sources in gathering broad input. She added neighborhood groups could become a small army of volunteers, using workshops in a kit and working with leadership to host house parties. Study Session Minutes -3- August 1, 2016 Councilmember Miller stated he enjoyed tonight's approach, thought it was engaging, and added Ms. Ryan's group could be a great fit for St. Louis Park. He stated her approach is simple and clear with good, common sense. Councilmember Brausen stated he liked Ms. Ryan's simple approach and clear goals. He asked who does the forecasting. Ms. Ryan stated Charlie Grantham on her staff is a futurist who works with the steering committee to help them sort through trends and how they impact the future. He also presents projections and data from the Metropolitan Council, and wherever possible uses secondary sources of data for forecasting and projections to help zero in on future trends. Councilmember Brausen asked about the diversity of Ms. Ryan's staff. Ms. Ryan noted that several people on her staff are people of color. Councilmember Mavity stated it might be very important that the city use local talent, also, noting this was reviewed in recent race equity workshops in which the city has participated. She added she would like to explore this further. Councilmember Mavity asked Ms. Ryan what her capacity is to take on this work for St. Louis Park, pointing out that Ms. Ryan is working with multiple communities on their visioning at this time. Ms. Ryan stated if she were to be chosen as the consultant for St. Louis Park, this would be the fourth group she is working for in Minnesota. She added if she were to get the St. Louis Park contract, she would not take on any additional work. Councilmember Sanger asked Ms. Ryan what the starting point is for this process and farther asked if it would be based on the city's last visioning process and goals. Ms. Ryan stated she would be researching the city's past visioning and appreciative inquiry process, and past council goals. She added she would start here, and then have the first meeting, utilizing social media also. Ms. Ryan stated she could share examples with the council. Mayor Spano stated he appreciates Ms. Ryan's enthusiasm and experience. He had heard about her commendable work from other mayors. Mr. Harmening stated the council will finalize their decision on the consultant in the next few weeks. Ms. Ryan thanked the council for their time and the WebEx meeting was concluded. The council discussed Ms. Ryan's presentation. Mr. Harmening stated he knows Ms. Ryan's work better than the first consultant who presented, noting she is involved in the Alliance for Innovation. He added she has been to the city managers' conference, and she is a very engaging person. He stated both consultant firms would be fine, but it comes down to fit. Ms. McMonigal added staff is concerned about Ms. Ryan's capacity to take on more work and would need to find out how much she would be a face participating in the project. She added the first consultant, David Buerle, would be very involved in the project, and he has more capacity. Ms. McMonigal went on to say that Ms. Ryan did assure the council she would be involved in the process. Study Session Minutes -4- August 1, 2016 Mayor Spano stated the council will need to choose the consultant who has the best approach and best product for the city. Mr. Harmening noted that during the last comprehensive plan process, most of the work was done in-house, with the help of Mobius Consulting. Councilmember Mavity stated Ms. Ryan's firm has the right culture, and the other consultant was not as engaging and more formulaic. She added sometimes being stretched can be a plus, in that Ms. Ryan is working with multiple cities at this time. She noted this may be a win-win, and the city and council will need to move fast so as not to lose Ms. Ryan. Councilmember Miller agreed with Councilmember Mavity. He liked how Ms. Ryan talked about her staff members and that she did not want the council to be on the steering committee. He also liked that Ms. Ryan wanted to engage neighborhood groups; her workshop in a kit idea; and her interaction with the council during the presentation. Councilmember Lindberg agreed that Ms. Ryan's firm is the one, but he does have concerns about her capacity. He added her engagement and natural connection with the council was very noticeable. He stated he likes the first firm's use of data and metrics but felt it might be too much data and that the relationship to the community got lost a bit. Councilmember Lindberg added it would be important to see Ms. Ryan actively engaged in this project. Councilmember Brausen agreed and stated he is on board with Ms. Ryan Councilmember Hallfin stated he liked Ms. Ryan but actually preferred the data driven presentation by the first consultant. He liked getting into the nuts and bolts but noted he can tell the council likes Ms. Ryan's firm and added that she would do a great job. Councilmember Sanger stated Ms. Ryan is far and away the better choice. She liked her outreach plan and the creativity behind it. She noted the first consultant's presentation was just a corporate presentation, adding she is not sure it fits St. Louis Park very well. Councilmember Sanger stated Ms. Ryan's approach is more well-suited to St. Louis Park, noting Ms. Ryan did discuss gathering data from the Metropolitan Council, and she appreciated that aspect. Councilmember Sanger added the first consultant talked a lot about data; however, she felt it was not scientific, nor was there much credence to their data. Mayor Spano stated he liked Ms. Ryan's approach as well, noting that the first presentation had more data. He stated Ms. Ryan is very focused on who is at the table having the conversations, and that is most important for St. Louis Park. He added the fact that people are there, having the conversation, is almost as important as the outcome of the visioning process. He agreed the city wants to include those who are not usually sitting at the table, and Ms. Ryan picked up on this element. He stated he does not think the council should be on the steering committee and that the first consultant would rely too much on the council. Mayor Spano stated it will be important to hear the council's thoughts and perspectives, but this should not be the template. He suggested staff contact Ms. Ryan as soon as possible and hire her as the consultant for the visioning process. The council asked about costs for each consultant. Ms. McMonigal stated they both came in at the $130,000 to $150,000 range. Ms. McMonigal stated staff will reach out to Ms. Ryan immediately. Study Session Minutes -5- August 1, 2016 The meeting adjourned at 7:15 p.m. Written Reports provided and documented for recording purposes only: 2. SWLRT Update o Meliss Kennedy, City Clerk Jak Spano,