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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023/05/15 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session (2) Official minutes City council special study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota May 15, 2023 The meeting convened at 7:35 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), deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), engineering director (Ms. Heiser), building and energy director (Mr. Hoffman), community development director (Ms. Barton), race, equity, and inclusion director (Ms. Guess), administrative services director (Ms. Brodeen), city clerk (Ms. Kennedy), elections & civic engagement coordinator (Mr. Sund) Guests: none. 1. Community and civic engagement system kick off. Mr. Sund presented the staff report. Councilmember Rog asked about boards and commissions members and if everything is status quo while this is all being reviewed. Ms. Kennedy stated all board and commission members whose term expires in May will be automatically extended to Sept. 1. This will allow time for the results the consultant analysis to be presented and considered in future plans. 2. Engagement strategies for city council meetings The council participated in a purpose mapping exercise related to the desired goals and outcomes of public participation in their meetings. Councilmember Rog noted residents have approached her with issues they want the council to consider, and it can be very hard for councilmembers to find time and space to carry these issues forward. She suggested it might be better to create opportunities for residents to present their ideas to council. Ms. Kennedy encouraged the council to think about what outcomes they are trying to achieve and let that dictate the strategy. She noted implementing an open public comment period is one strategy. If the council’s goals are to provide the public more access to council during meetings, that could be an effective tool. However, if the goals are centered on providing the public with opportunities for meaningful interaction with council, to help people feel heard or to better understand their role in the decision-making process, there may be more effective strategies that could be used to achieve those outcomes. Mayor Spano stated he wants to figure out a way to hear from people of color and to ensure that opportunities for public comment are meaningful and productive. DocuSign Envelope ID: 303658BA-800E-4585-896D-9F2D74534BE8 Study session minutes -2- May 15, 2023 Councilmember Mohamed stated she would like to try strategies that would allow council to hear and deliver a more thoughtful answer to residents in the moment. Councilmember Brausen stated that can be a difficult approach to facilitate. He added the council relies on staff, who are generally the subject matter experts, and good at answering questions that may come up during meetings. Councilmember Dumalag asked her colleagues if an open public comment and discussion period would help advance the decisions that council needs to make. She stated it is hard to anticipate what the public might say and added it’s also helpful to her to be able to pause, discuss and make decisions after reflection on what she heard. Ms. Kennedy stated she is hearing a ton of great ideas related to strategy. She asked the council to focus on goals and outcomes so staff can develop strategies to help get council where they want to go. Councilmember Rog stated a goal she has is to help more residents understand local government and how to participate. She noted the city website does not feel user friendly and thinks the city is not maximizing that opportunity for public engagement. Councilmember Mohamed suggested finding more creative ways to engage and inform younger people on the work being done. Mayor Spano stated he would like a goal or outcome to have better informed community members. Mr. Sund explained staff will review the feedback council provided, noting this framework will help to guide future engagement strategies. Ms. Kennedy added meaningful change will take some time to implement and gauge effectiveness, but this will hold staff and council accountable for goals and strategies related to public participation in council meetings. 3. Neighborhood revitalization grant program. Mr. Sund presented the report. Mayor Spano agreed to collaborating with the HRC, and acknowledged the work done on developing boards and commissions by the former mayor. He is interested in this system work and asked if other boards or commissions might also be involved in these conversations as well. Mr. Sund stated this is just a recommendation and council is free to work with or seek feedback from others. Councilmember Rog supported engaging the HRC in this way. She added this current system really works in her neighborhood association, which provides a pathway to leadership and for young people to be exposed to volunteering, as well as neighborhood pride and belonging. She added the sense of partnership neighborhood leaders feel with the city is also positive, as well as the grant program itself. She stated she would want to make sure those impacted would be part of what the HRC is seeing. Ms. Kennedy stated that is a great example of people sharing DocuSign Envelope ID: 303658BA-800E-4585-896D-9F2D74534BE8 Study session minutes -3- May 15, 2023 knowledge so other neighborhoods can see and learn about effective strategies that are resulting in positive outcomes. Councilmember Mohamed stated she is in favor of engaging with neighborhood associations and the HRC as well. She stated if the council does, however, work with the HRC, it may set a precedent that the council work with all the commissions. She added she is in support of giving them meaningful work and making the best use of their time. Councilmember Dumalag stated she supports this as well. She added when thinking about systems work, this is helpful to have the HRC weigh in. She suggested utilizing city parks for events and as a good gathering space for meetings. Councilmember Brausen stated he is also supportive of the recommendation and would like to see the Cedar Manor Neighborhood not divided by Cedar Lake Road, which makes it difficult for folks on either side of the road to work together. Councilmember Farris stated she is supportive and would like to see more opportunities for the community to work together as this is what people like to do. Mayor Spano stated this is very individual, and how much passion and coordination a person is willing to take on with a project like this differs. He stated he likes the fact there is some variation, but it is important to have this pipeline for moving people into leadership also, while striking a balance. Councilmember Brausen noted it is national police week and thanked the city officers for all that they do for the city. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Written Reports 4. Racial equity and inclusion system wrap up. 5. Beltline station redevelopment update. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: 303658BA-800E-4585-896D-9F2D74534BE8