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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023/10/02 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study Session Official minutes City council study session St. Louis Park, Minnesota Oct. 2, 2023 The meeting convened at 5:15 p.m. Council members present: Mayor Jake Spano, Tim Brausen, Sue Budd (arrived 5:21 p.m.), Yolanda Farris, Lynette Dumalag, Nadia Mohamed and Margaret Rog Council members absent: none Staff present: Deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), communications and technology director (Ms. Smith), planning manager (Mr. Walther), redevelopment administrator (Ms. Monson), community development director (Ms. Barton), economic development manager (Mr. Hunt), housing supervisor (Ms. Olson), administrative services director (Ms. Brodeen), city clerk (Ms. Kennedy) Discussion items 1. Housing and neighborhood-oriented development system introduction Ms. Barton presented the staff report along with Mr. Walther, Mr. Hunt, Ms. Monson and Ms. Olson. Council Member Budd asked if there are a total of 464 units in the 4D program. Ms. Olson stated this was correct, housing providers must commit to a minimum of 20% of their units and most properties who applied exceeded the requirement with 40% to 80% of their units committed as affordable. She confirmed that 464 units have the tax incentive. Ms. Barton added the tax incentive is only for those kept affordable. Council Member Rog asked if any applications were approved. Ms. Olson stated that the timeline for housing providers who applied for state certification in 2023 is to receive the benefits in 2024. Council Member Rog asked about the 80% area median income that is counted toward affordable housing goals and providing incentives for, how does staff feel about not monitoring and leaving it on the city’s system for property developers and managers? Ms. Olson stated if they have tax credit, this process takes place through MN Housing. She added in the city’s inclusionary housing policy, 80% is not required. The options are at 30%, 50% or 60% of area median income, or AMI. Council Member Rog asked why 80% AMI is mentioned in the report if it is not a requirement. Ms. Barton stated usually 80% is not typically included as an option; it was with the Via Sol project at the time of its negotiation. She reiterated that 80% of area median income is not part of the inclusionary housing policy, it is tracked for Met Council goal requirements. DocuSign Envelope ID: 5551A7C4-2DF7-4CB5-9444-6CBF19CBB925 Study session minutes -2- Oct. 2, 2023 2. Community development year in review Council Member Brausen asked if staff recommends the city readjust the inclusionary housing policy to just the 30% AMI. Council Member Mohamed added it is a challenge to get more units in the city at 30% AMI, adding she is very hopeful for this outcome. Ms. Barton stated staff are working on getting more 30% AMI units, including larger units constructed to meet the Met Council goals set for 2030. Ms. Olson summarized that the goal is not the same as the need – the need for more affordable housing is still there, and the city is still working to fill that need. Council Member Rog stated we are not counting the 30% AMI in the voucher program and asked staff to speak on this. Ms. Barton responded that vouchers are not counted in the total number of units being constructed because the voucher goes with the household and not with the unit. She noted that 30% AMI affordable units are difficult to create because of the extensive subsidies that are needed to construct the units. Vouchers are another way to help households get into housing that is affordable to them at 30% AMI. Council Member Rog asked how many vouchers are used in St. Louis Park, noting the end result is the cost to the renter. Council Member Dumalag added it is also up to the building owners if they accept the vouchers. Ms. Olson stated owners are required to accept vouchers and noted the compliance is that tenants are renting at the correct amounts and that with screening, they are meeting the income minimums and requirements. Ms. Barton noted that the League of Minnesota Cities and Metro Cities have added language to their 2024 legislative priorities supporting legislation prohibiting discrimination of source of income for rental housing. Council Member Mohamed asked what the city’s plan is for housing vouchers if the federal government shuts down. Ms. Olson stated typically funds are drawn down monthly and a plan was in place for these drawdowns through December in case the government shuts down in November. Council Member Mohamed asked if it is more difficult to get housing vouchers within the suburbs versus larger cities. Mr. Olson stated that has not been an issue for St. Louis Park and that the city had to add another staff person to manage all of the additional vouchers. Mayor Spano asked when the Project for Pride in Living project will be breaking ground. Ms. Monson stated they close on finances the week of Oct. 16, 2023, and then they will start construction. Mayor Spano asked how timing is communicated with the school district with openings of new developments. Ms. Monson stated staff meets with the school district development group once per year. She added they also receive a quarterly update, as does the council. DocuSign Envelope ID: 5551A7C4-2DF7-4CB5-9444-6CBF19CBB925 Study session minutes -3- Oct. 2, 2023 Mr. Hunt added the school district also attends the monthly business development meetings where information is shared regularly on projects. Council Member Dumalag noted there is a school board liaison on the planning commission as well. Council Member Rog asked about the quarterly updates and how often they come through. Ms. Monson stated they are distributed quarterly and the next one will be Oct. 23, 2023. Council Member Rog asked what kind of oversite the housing authority provides. Ms. Olson stated primarily they provide oversite of the federal programs and housing budget. They approve the housing authority budgets and resolutions and then staff present these to HUD, and they also provide oversight to make sure the city stays in compliance. Council Member Budd asked for clarification on the vouchers. Ms. Olson stated some vouchers are provided to the tenants and can be used at multiple developments and some are project- based vouchers that stay with the development and that tenants cannot take to other locations. The meeting recessed at 6:22 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 7:51 p.m. 3. Boards and commissions program: purpose and structure Ms. Brodeen presented the staff report and noted the policy consideration before the council was if the purpose of the boards and commission program should be to support community- informed decision-making and develop leaders in St. Louis Park. Council Member Mohamed noted the program design options and stated this conversation has been a long time coming. She expressed concerns about this process as council keeps coming back to it, but noted she is in favor of staff’s recommendations. Council Member Mohamed stated there is an opportunity to be intentional about this process and pull from different parts of the community for input. She stated she likes the task force model, and how the smaller group might be more attractive to drawing new people into these groups. She stated the proposed number of 25 members might be limiting, and that council will need to be very intentional about recruiting for membership. Council Member Farris added it would be awesome for the current commissioners to mentor the new members and collaborate. Ms. Brodeen replied that the structure and implementation of a mentorship program has been discussed. She added the city has a strong volunteer program and is looking at how to build programs that are better connected and fit the needs of people who want to participate. Mayor Spano clarified that the statutorily required commissions are still required, the focus of this conversation is purpose alignment for the five boards within the city that are not statutorily required. DocuSign Envelope ID: 5551A7C4-2DF7-4CB5-9444-6CBF19CBB925 Study session minutes -4- Oct. 2, 2023 Council Member Dumalag stated this is a great way to involve volunteers for a finite period and to transparently share expectations with board members. She added there have always been challenges getting youth members onto boards and commissions, and the proposed structure would be a great way to ask a student for a period of their time. She asked staff to be mindful of planning the communication structure and gave the example of a board member with a great idea matriculating through staff and city manager to council. Council Member Budd stated she has not served on a board or commission, and she did not know about this structure until she was elected to council. She recalled being excited to do some interviews for commissioners and was encouraged by the process. She asked if there is a way to modify what is currently in existence, with respect to parliamentary procedure and open meeting laws, adding that one of the unique practices of boards and commissions is that they do report directly to the council. Ms. Brodeen responded that staff had given a great deal of consideration to retaining and improving current structure, with communication as to what other cities are doing. Because boards and commissions are currently bodies that are set by the council and technically may make recommendations to the council, the open meeting law and parliamentary procedure are required, even at the subcommittee level. Ms. Kennedy affirmed that the proposed group of 25 advisors would still be subject to open meeting law. However, the proposed task groups would not be required to follow the same requirements, primarily because of the proposed shift to have the program report up through the city manager. The thought is to create more opportunities for people to participate and engage on topics they really care about without as much formality or commitment. She pointed out that the current structure and framework were established, in some cases, over 60 years ago. Restriction to participation resulting from these requirements was a common response in feedback and outreach. Under the proposed structure, decisions would shift from formal recommendations to timely input, as a function of engagement. Council Member Rog said her primary concern is around staff being the funnel and the way council will get information from the community. She stated she has heard from board and commissions members that sometimes comments do not make it directly to council. She stated the proposed structure could worsen problems that are already occurring within the current structure. Council Member Rog stated when residents are selected to serve on a board or commission, they are very excited. She asked how we harness that expertise and direct relationship with council and will we potentially miss this expertise. She also asked if staff would select the members of boards and commissions. Ms. Brodeen stated that staff could be involved in selection and bring recommendations to council for consideration, but no process has been finalized yet because the purpose of the program needs to be established first. Ms. Kennedy stated that feedback from this council and past councils is that the selection process was time-consuming for council members; the proposed system would be a compromise. DocuSign Envelope ID: 5551A7C4-2DF7-4CB5-9444-6CBF19CBB925 Study session minutes -5- Oct. 2, 2023 Council Member Rog stated her greatest concern would be to lose folks on the larger body of the proposed commission, because the selection process will go through staff to council, which is a change. Mayor Spano noted the discussion topic is a big change. He asked about the possibility of three- year terms, or whether one-year terms could be renewed up to three times to reduce obligation. He suggested shifting the current boards and commissions from parliamentary procedure to the input-based structure, so as not to be encumbered by that. He asked for more information on whether a shift is possible before completely abandoning the current structure. Mayor Spano asked how equity considerations and diversity will come out of the proposed model and how the result would be a different product from the repurposing of commissions. Ms. Brodeen gave an example of different outcomes in participation by addressing the barriers to physical attendance. She added that in all models, there is an opportunity to be more deliberate about outreach and helping all to participate. She added with the engagement coordinator that staff hopes to hire, the city will be able to work more intentionally on building these relationships with and between constituents and council. Council Member Mohamed asked if there is enough work for each of the commissions. Ms. Brodeen replied that currently, there is variance in the flow of meaningful work. She stated this is also one of the key aspects the proposed model would address. Council Member Mohamed stated she had worked to recruit a fellow resident to commission work. The fellow resident is a mother of children who did not apply because the lack of ability to attend commission work virtually was her deciding factor. Council Member Mohamed queried whether a smaller advisory board model might provide the ability to offer a stipend or other forms of appreciation for input and participation. She asked if being intentional with a smaller group under the proposed structure might allow for thanking residents for their time and knowledge. She listed providing food, childcare and attendance assistance as potential ways to overcome barriers to participation. Mayor Spano agreed and asked whether these appreciation tangibles were available under the current boards and commission framework. Ms. Kennedy responded that staff is reviewing the legality of offering stipends or other types of assistance. Mayor Spano expressed his desire for more clarity on questions related to the concerns he has at this point. He asked the city council to come to a clear consensus on what they want out of the boards and commissions program. His main concern is creating a small insular group that influences council by choosing whose voice reaches the decision makers. Council Member Brausen stated that he has served on boards and commissions over the years and thanked members for their service. He stated he supports staff’s recommendations because there does need to be a shift from a recommendation system to an input system. Council Member Brausen added that the proposed structure would be more nimble, responsive and manageable, providing a mechanism for real-time input from the community. He noted staff can present a range of issues to specific task forces, encouraging cross-topic collaboration and that the REI impacts will be noticeable. DocuSign Envelope ID: 5551A7C4-2DF7-4CB5-9444-6CBF19CBB925 Study session minutes -6- Oct. 2, 2023 Council Member Brausen added that the proposed structure is similar to how the city has invited experts to serve with work groups within the Environment and Sustainability Commission. He appreciated staff thinking strategically on how to better utilize the talents of folks serving on commissions. He added that if the proposed structure does not work it can be updated again. Council Member Dumalag stated that the proposed structure will address the barriers to serving with respect to demographics. She added that the new structure would bring timelines for feedback into a realistic space, and residents getting to know each other in the context of smaller task force groups is an added benefit. Council Member Rog stated that she agreed that change needs to happen. Elements like childcare and term durations could be implemented in alignment with the city’s strategic priorities. She added that her concern is that there may be more applicants than open spaces for serving, and that with the proposed structure, we are reducing the number of engaged residents further. Council Member Rog added she would like to attend meetings, whether under the current or changed structure, to engage directly. Ms. Brodeen stated that the proposed structure meetings would be open to the public to attend and would have remote/virtual attendance flexibility as well. Ms. Kennedy stated she also was concerned about the number of open spaces to serve. She explained that in the current structure, two or three people fill vacant positions per year on each board or commission. She added that the goal is to create more opportunities for people to engage as they want to through the smaller bodies. Mayor Spano stated that there are currently 53 people serving on five commissions, and engagement would likely remain at that same level when considering the additional public participation with topic-focused work groups. Ms. Brodeen explained that the primary body of 25 people would be able to help create smaller work groups made up of a few members of the primary body and members of the public. Ms. Kennedy added that the city would hope to combine with the existing volunteer program network work to make opportunities more widely available to the larger public. Mayor Spano added his concern that task force leaders may hand-pick fellow participants that are like-minded. Ms. Kennedy stated that is why staff would need to be part of the process to set these groups up and assist in facilitation. Ms. Brodeen stated staff has scheduled visits with the current members of the city’s boards and commissions. The plan is to bring more details back to the council before the end of this year. Ms. Walsh summarized that four council members are in support of staff’s policy considerations, while three still have more questions. She added staff is very much aware of and has had similar questions to what the council is bringing up, and noted that council agrees DocuSign Envelope ID: 5551A7C4-2DF7-4CB5-9444-6CBF19CBB925 Study session minutes -7- Oct. 2, 2023 that any structure, whether current or proposed, seeks to convene a group of residents with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and interests. Ms. Walsh reminded the council that there will be no final decisions tonight, and staff is looking for direction on whether to proceed work on this topic for future discussion. Council Member Brausen added that council will seek input from constituents as well. Ms. Brodeen thanked the council for thinking broadly. The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Written Reports 4. Cultural observances ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Jake Spano, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: 5551A7C4-2DF7-4CB5-9444-6CBF19CBB925