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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023/03/20 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota March 20, 2023 The meeting convened at 7:25 p.m. Councilmembers present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Sue Budd, Yolanda Farris, Lynette Dumalag, Nadia Mohamed, and Margaret Rog Councilmembers absent: none. Staff present: City Manager (Ms. Keller), Director of Operations and Recreation (Ms. Walsh), Engineering Director (Ms. Heiser), Building and Energy Director (Mr. Hoffman), Director of Community Development (Ms. Barton), Police Chief Kruelle, Deputy Police Chief Nadem, Racial Equity Director, (Ms. Guess), City Assessor (Mr. Bultema), Appraiser (Ms. Nathanson), Public Works Director (Mr. Hall), Communications Manager (Ms. Smith). Guests: none. 1. Police officer recruitment and hiring strategies: Pathways to Policing Program Police Chief Kruelle and Deputy Chief Nadem presented the staff report. Councilmember Mohamed noted her experiences in meeting with other regional police chiefs, being involved in hiring of police, and the conversations around this. She asked if there is a minimum asked for new hires to work in the department . Chief Kruelle stated they ask for a minimum of 2 years, but it’s not strictly enforced. Councilmember Mohamed added it seems most officers are entering through Pathways and she is supportive of the 2024 budget proposals and looks forward to hearing more. Councilmember Dumalag added she also is generally supportive of these strategies and asked if Pathways to Policing is a career shift for those who have an undergraduate degree and then just need practical experience from recruitment to being on the force. Chief Kruelle stated yes, and also for those who have not yet started a career as well, noting it can vary. Councilmember Dumalag asked about competing for candidates with other cities surrounding St. Louis Park. She also asked if there is tension and if the city has a fair shot with candidates. Chief Kruelle agreed there is competition and there is opportunity then to make the program attractive, but added it is a challenge. Deputy Chief Nadem noted it also goes back to the recruitment process as well. Councilmember Rog asked if the city provides the HR function for all the partners . Chief Kruelle stated yes, adding there needs to be a lead for this function, and coordinate activities. Councilmember Rog noted the city then absorbs the cost of this, and asked if there is opportunity for cost share or seek funding through the state. DocuSign Envelope ID: F2A76EEB-DAD8-494C-84F8-8F464D8A95F2 Study session minutes -2- March 20, 2023 Chief Kruelle stated that can be looked at and noted he is meeting with the Post Board tomorrow on Pathways to Policing and he is hopeful this will be one avenue to move this forward to the state level and for funding. He added he is optimistic, and there will be more to come as there is lots of interest. Councilmember Rog noted that of 20 applicants, 19 were not qualified, and asked for more detail on this. Deputy Chief Nadem stated even with 20 applicants, there might only be 13 that show up for the interview, adding they can come in person, or virtually, and we really don’t know why they don’t show up. Councilmember Rog noted she thought the police force was fully staffed and asked if that is correct. Chief Kruelle stated the force is 5-10% understaffed at this time. He noted retirements also play into this number, adding it’s not unusual. He added he is optimistic that in 2-5 years there will be a rebound through the school systems to find traditional candidates, which is severely depleted right now . He added they need to do a better job also of marketing for policing careers. Councilmember Rog asked about civilianization and looking at this as a cost -savings measure, which allows non-sworn civilians to go out on calls that do not require actual police officers. She also asked if St. Louis Park police are looking at this concept that is being tested in various other cities around the country . Chief Kruelle stated CSO’s do offer that, and there’s always opportunities that can be looked into, adding he agrees we do need to look at ways to be more cost effective. Councilmember Budd stated this is all encouraging information. She asked if candidates that come into the pool program are then tied to the city . Deputy Chief Nadem confirmed that was correct. Councilmember Budd asked if the two-year degree must be in policing or can it be in any field of study. Deputy Chief Nadem stated it can be in any area of study and Pathway to Policing will shore it up to make sure requirements and standards are met. Councilmember Budd asked if no convictions was a prior requirement, and i f it is still in place. Deputy Chief Nadem stated within state law there can be prior convictions, but cannot be a felon and there are also other various convictions such as domestic assault, where a person cannot be hired. Councilmember Brausen stated back in 2017, this program was pitched to council as a way to find a more diverse pool of candidates and now it seems to be a necessity to continue to get quality candidates. He added he is supportive of this effort. He asked what the prospects at the state level are to possibly get additional funding. Chief Kruelle stated he has not heard much on this other than resources are working on that issue. He stated they only get funding for the first half-year of training right now, and he would push for a full fi rst year of funding or other options. DocuSign Envelope ID: F2A76EEB-DAD8-494C-84F8-8F464D8A95F2 Study session minutes -3- March 20, 2023 Councilmember Farris stated she was also part of the hiring process and being a civilian, it was helpful to be able to have a say in who is policing your community . She added she definitely supports this program and noted St. Louis Park is different from Minneapolis or St. Paul, and this needs to be communicated to folks who have concerns. Councilmember Mohamed asked about retention strategies. Chief Kruelle stated wellness is a huge strategic initiative, along with culture, and training, noting this all needs to be communicated in the hiring process. Mayor Spano stated this has been a good conversation . He added the program was designed to get a better pipeline of candidates and to get a more diverse group of candidates. He asked if it was ok if this program pushes the city to get a few more qualified candidates and increases the force to higher numbers. Chief Kruelle stated yes, that would be ok because it all about finding good people to bring into the profession. 2. 2023 Market value update Mr. Bultema and Ms. Nathanson presented the report. Councilmember Brausen asked how the 7 hotels within the city are valued. Ms. Nathanson stated hotels are coming back slowly as businesses are not coming back as quickly as the recreational sector. She added value of hotels is looked at per key and not per square foot. She noted those that struggled the most during the pandemic were those with convention or gathering spaces, so they went down in value. Councilmember Rog asked about starter homes not selling fast . Mr. Bultema stated the city’s housing stock is smaller than typical and that stock did not move as fast as the larger homes during the pandemic. The reason for that is people were working from home and needed more space, so space became a premium. Councilmember Rog asked if Class C properties are selling and being renovated . Ms. Nathanson stated in the beginning of 2022 there was a lot of activity around this, before the interest rates increased. She added at the end of 2022, there was not as much activity. Councilmember Rog asked about investors buying these Class C buildings . Ms. Nathanson stated generally it is smaller, more local investors that buy the Class C buildings. 3. Winter parking restrictions Ms. Heiser and Mr. Hall presented the staff report. The policy question for the council is do they want formal parking restrictions in place during the winter months , to promote climate resilience. If the council is interested, Ms. Heiser proposed that staff study this issue further and come back with recommendations for council review. Councilmember Rog asked how many streets this involves . Ms. Heiser stated she is not certain, but the majority of streets where parking restrictions were in place this year were less than 27 feet wide. DocuSign Envelope ID: F2A76EEB-DAD8-494C-84F8-8F464D8A95F2 Study session minutes -4- March 20, 2023 Councilmember Rog asked if there might be consideration of maintaining one side parking on streets that are 26 feet wide or smaller. Ms. Heiser stated they have not received that request, but if they did, the traffic committee would consider that . Councilmember Rog noted she is supportive of this and shared she did hear from many residents this winter how much they appreciated the work of staff related to one-sided parking. Mayor Spano stated he is also supportive. Councilmembers Brausen and Mohamed indicated they were also supportive. Councilmember Rog asked how many times the city has implemented these parking restrictions. Mr. Stevens, Public Works Superintendent, stated this has been done four (4) times in the last 12 years . He added it is dependent on the volume of snow and when it is in the 60-foot range, restrictions need to be applied. Councilmember Budd asked if the rain and ice have effected this. Mr. Stevens stated it is unique, but it does cause issues especially when the rain freezes over. Communications/meeting check-in (verbal) The meeting adjourned at 8:41 p.m. Written Reports 4. Snow emergency exempt parking 5. January 2023 monthly financial report 6. February 2023 monthly financial report ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: F2A76EEB-DAD8-494C-84F8-8F464D8A95F2