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Home My WebLink About2024/04/01 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - RegularOfficial Minutes City council meeting St. Louis Park, Minnesota April 1, 2024 1. Call to order. Mayor Mohamed called the meeting to order at 6:30 p.m. a. Pledge of allegiance b. Roll call Council members present: Mayor Nadia Mohamed, Paul Baudhuin, Tim Brausen, Sue Budd, Yolanda Farris, and Margaret Rog Council members absent: Lynette Dumalag Staff present: City manager (Ms. Keller), city attorney (Mr. Mattick), administrative services director (Ms. Brodeen) Guests: Becky Bakken, Discover St. Louis Park; Jim Brimeyer, St. Louis Park Rotary Club president 2. Approve agenda. It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Baudhuin, to approve the agenda as presented. The motion passed 6-0 (Council Member Dumalag absent). 3. Presentations. a. Discover St. Louis Park (DSLP) annual updated Ms. Bakken presented the report. She shared a presentation and video that announced the organization’s new name; Discover St. Louis Park is now known as Westopolis. Following the presentation, Council Member Rog asked whether the increase in leads and booked room nights, 35% and 34% respectively, increased the budget. Ms. Bakken agreed and stated there is an increased budget but that leads do not always become actuals. Council Member Rog recalled that in 2020, during COVID-19, DSLP had to cut staff and asked if they have been able to build back the organization. Ms. Bakken confirmed this and explained that they had gone from five employees, down to one, and are now back up to three employees, adding that the organization feels very good about building back. She noted the pandemic was a learning experience for DSLP where staffing was concerned. Council Member Brausen shared that he is glad DSLP is building back up. Regarding the leads data, he observed that 70% of the visiting demographic are female and 30% are male, noting that is interesting. He stated the outreach being done is incredible, adding he has concerns DocuSign Envelope ID: F8F39AA0-3E48-4A9B-B03C-C5D802C07E82 City council meeting -2- April 1, 2024 about the name change because they have done so much to build recognition with the current name, but added he trusts Ms. Bakken’s judgement. He stated he is happy to see the positives and also makes the case for a local city sale tax to capture revenue for infrastructure. Council Member Rog asked Ms. Keller about the 5% the city retains of the city lodging tax and if it is for public art and if that is still the case. Ms. Keller stated she will look into it and get back to council on that. Council Member Baudhuin expressed his thanks for Ms. Bakken’s work and asked if she knows how the Wirth Park Cross Country Ski World Event impacted St. Louis Park and if there are more conversations about more ski races at Wirth Park because of that success. Ms. Bakken stated her inkling is yes there was impact in St. Louis Park and did really well in February 2024. She stated they hosted the media in St. Louis Park hotels, and they had hoped to get the athletes also, but did not this year. She stated there were many visitors and lots of dollars were spent in St. Louis Park during this event. Council Member Budd asked about the $985 noted in the report. Ms. Bakken explained the State of MN Tourism office provides this number which points to the amount saved by Minnesota households because it is collected by visitor generated taxes. Mayor Mohamed stated she serves on the board of DSLP and added her congratulations on the new name, which is very clever. She added she is very proud of the work being done here. b. Presentation accepting monetary donation from the St. Louis Park Rotary Club for the summer concert series ($3,000) Mr. Brimeyer, 1306 Westwood Hills Road, noted he is the former city manager of St. Louis Park and also served 8 years on the council. He added this is his second term as president of the St. Louis Park Rotary. He explained they fund various projects such as STEP and have also raised funds for projects including two sculptures at the Westwood Nature Center. He also noted sponsorships with their raffle and presented the council with a $3,000 check for the St. Louis Park summer concert series. c. Presentation accepting a monetary donation from Maureen and John Drewitz for the Access to Fun scholarship program ($600) On behalf of the city council, Mayor Mohamed thanked Mr. and Mrs. Drewitz for their donation. d. Proclamation designating Arbor Day and Arbor Month, April 2024 Mayor Mohamed read the proclamation into the record. 4. Minutes – none. 5. Consent items. a. Approve city disbursements DocuSign Envelope ID: F8F39AA0-3E48-4A9B-B03C-C5D802C07E82 City council meeting -3- April 1, 2024 b. Resolution No. 24-040 accepting city manager's performance evaluation c. Approve city council travel for National League of Cities Congressional Cities Conference 2024 d. Resolution No. 24-041 accepting monetary donation from St. Louis Park Rotary Club for the summer concert series ($3,000) e. Resolution No. 24- 042 accepting a donation to the Access to Fun scholarship fund ($600) from Maureen and John Drewitz f. Resolution No. 24- 043 accepting gift of travel expenses from Swiss Visitor Agency (Presence Switzerland) for Nadia Mohamed to attend the 2024 U.S. Delegation of Women Mayors visit to Switzerland on April 21 – 27, 2024 g. Resolution No. 24-044 authorizing final payment for 2023 Alley Reconstruction Project (4023-1500) - Ward 1 h. Resolution No. 24-036, 24-037, 24-038, 24-039 authorizing the removal of truck prohibitions on Vernon Avenue, 27th Street and Princeton Avenue - Ward 1 i. Approve bid for 2024 Pavement Management project (4024-1000) - Ward 2 j. Resolution No. 24-045 approving conditional use permit amendment for 3200 Highway 100 (Groves Learning Organization) - Ward 1 Council Member Rog noted she attended and was impressed by an informational meeting with staff at Groves Learning Organization. At this meeting, she learned that they are open to community meetings in their new spaces. Mayor Mohamed commented on item 5b related to Ms. Keller’s review, remarking on the findings that Ms. Keller is well-suited to her position and scored high in all areas. Mayor Mohamed added the council and staff appreciate Ms. Keller’s leadership. The salary cap for the position of city manager was removed statewide in the 2023 legislative session, and like St. Louis Park, many cities are reviewing their city manager’s compensation. Mayor Mohamed remarked on item 5f, as it relates to her participation with a US delegation of women mayors in Switzerland at the end of April. She looks forward to this experience and opportunity to attend. Council Member Brausen referenced the city manager’s performance evaluation. He shared the results of the review were outstanding and increasing Ms. Keller’s salary to be commensurate with other city managers in the area was necessary. He stated Ms. Keller is one of the best in the business and is doing a great job. He shared that the city is lucky to have her, and thus wanted to pay her appropriately. Council Member Rog added that a focus on gender equity and pay scale was also something the council considered in Ms. Keller’s salary increase. It was moved by Council Member Brausen, seconded by Council Member Budd, to approve the consent items as listed; and to waive reading of all resolutions and ordinances. The motion passed 6-0 (Council Member Dumalag absent). 6. Public hearings – none. 7. Regular business – none. DocuSign Envelope ID: F8F39AA0-3E48-4A9B-B03C-C5D802C07E82 City council meeting -4- April 1, 2024 8. Communications and announcements. Ms. Keller stated that there is a public meeting in council chambers on April 11, 2024, to address the storm water prevention annual report. On April 5, 2024, applications for grants to create rain gardens will be available for up to 40 homeowners and that information can be found on the city website. Mayor Mohamed stated there will be no city council meeting on Mon., April 8, 2024 in recognition of Eid. Council Member Baudhuin offered blessings to Mayor Mohamed and the Muslim community during this special celebration of Eid. Council Member Rog shared that there is a new Caribbean restaurant, Caribbean Tasty, opening in the former location of Nelson’s Meat and Deli on Minnetonka Boulevard. The grand opening is on Sat., April 13, from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. 9. Adjournment. The meeting adjourned at 7:19 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Nadia Mohamed, mayor DocuSign Envelope ID: F8F39AA0-3E48-4A9B-B03C-C5D802C07E82