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Home My WebLink About2026/02/26 - ADMIN - Minutes - City Council - Study SessionOfficial minutes City council workshop St. Louis Park, Minnesota Feb. 26 and 27, 2026 February 26, 2026: The workshop convened at 4:04 p.m. at Westwood Hills Nature Center. Council members present: Mayor Mohamed, Sue Budd, Tim Brausen, Paul Baudhuin, Daniel Bashore, Jim Engelking Staff present: City manager (Ms. Keller), deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), organizational development coordinator (Ms. Smith) Guest: Dave Unmacht, consultant Mayor Mohamed welcomed the city council members to the workshop. Ms. Smith presented on the True Colors inventory and how our colors show up in decision- making and under stress. The council participated in a conversation regarding their personality assessments and communication styles. Mr. Unmacht presented on the concept of local government governance along with roles and responsibilities and facets of a premier council. Following his presentation, city council norms were reviewed and discussed. One norm was added to read, "Do assume staff are providing their best recommendation and have good intentions.” The council and Mr. Unmacht discussed what is working and what opportunities exist between council and staff interactions. Staff’s professionalism and responsiveness was noted, as well as the thoroughness of agenda packets and the pre-meeting question and answer protocol. Opportunities to continue strengthening the relationship include encouraging both staff and council to ensure clarity of inquiries before spending staff time creating a response. Council members also encouraged each other to be mindful of the power dynamic inherent in being a council member and to ensure staff members are not put on the spot or in difficult positions when questions are asked during council meetings. The workshop adjourned at 7:50 p.m. February 27, 2026: The workshop convened at 8:15 a.m. at STEP Council members present: Mayor Mohamed, Sue Budd, Tim Brausen, Paul Baudhuin, Daniel Bashore, Jim Engelking Staff present: City manager (Ms. Keller), deputy city manager (Ms. Walsh), organizational development coordinator (Ms. Smith), finance director (Ms. Cruver), administrative services director (Ms. Brodeen), engineering director (Ms. Heiser), communications and technology director (Ms. Smith), parks and recreation director (Mr. West), public works director (Mr. Hall), community development director and interim building and energy director (Ms. Barton), city clerk (Ms. Kennedy), fire chief (Mr. Hanlin), police chief (Mr. Kruelle), human resources director (Ms. Vorpahl) Docusign Envelope ID: CDCBCAE1-8A09-4E4D-8C34-C6A9AFE193F7 City council workshop -2- Feb. 26 and 27, 2026 Guests: Todd Graham, Metropolitan Council; Edwin Nelson and Nadia Akhtar, TerraLuna Collaborative; Rochelle Younan-Montgomery, The Reset. Following brief welcome from Ms. Laura Smith at 8:15 a.m., city council members and city leadership staff participated in the following workshop discussion topics: Facilitated conversation with consultant – current and future demography of St. Louis Park community Mr. Graham presented demographic forecasts for the Twin Cities region and St. Louis Park. The region expects to gain 660,000 people and 320,000 households between 2020-2050. Growth is slowing due to declining birth rates and limited domestic migration. The senior population (65+) will double by 2030 and continue growing. St. Louis Park specifically will gain approximately 19% population growth with most increases in older age groups. Senior citizens over the age of 65 will grow by 73% while other age groups show minimal growth. Mr. Graham explained workforce shortages will persist for 15 years as the traditional working- age population remains flat. Foreign-born workers and delayed retirement will help fill employment gaps. Housing demand will shift toward apartments and condos which will comprise 52-61% of new construction while single-family homes will be only 30-35% of new units. Council members asked questions about household definitions, housing supply constraints and regional economic impacts. Mr. Graham clarified that demographic trends drive housing demand patterns rather than local zoning restrictions alone. Strategic priorities discussion Mr. Nelson and Ms. Akhtar facilitated discussions on strategic priorities derived from the Vision 4.0 community engagement process. Five draft priority areas were presented: welcoming and vibrant community, safe and connected community, diverse affordable housing options, natural spaces and environmental stewardship, and good governance. Council discussed including good governance as a strategic priority rather than treating it as an overarching value that belonged in a mission or vision statement. Environmental stewardship was discussed as potentially needing expansion to reflect the city's leadership in sustainability initiatives. Council members completed individual reflection exercises and used a scale rating system to indicate support levels for each priority. Most priorities received middle-to-high ratings, indicating general support with reservations requiring discussion. The session transitioned into carousel-style small group discussions where council members rotated between stations to refine priority language. Staff facilitated conversations focused on what resonates with council members, identifying missing or problematic words, and Docusign Envelope ID: CDCBCAE1-8A09-4E4D-8C34-C6A9AFE193F7 City council workshop -3- Feb. 26 and 27, 2026 determining necessary changes for council support. The goal was to produce revised priority statements that council could support. The council engaged in extensive discussion to develop strategic priority statements. Staff facilitated small group conversations with council members to refine language and concepts. The process involved council members working with staff to develop five strategic priority areas. Each group presented their priority statement for council feedback using an informal scale to gauge support levels. The good governance priority generated discussion about fiscal responsibility language. The final draft statement read: “A city that delivers reliable services, operates transparently, uses all city resources sensibly and responsibly, and builds strong relationships with residents " The draft welcoming and safe community priority was refined to: "An inclusive, equitable and vibrant city where everyone feels safe and experiences a strong sense of belonging." The draft environmental stewardship priority became: "Advance sustainable practices that care for people and the planet, including well-maintained parks and natural resources." The draft infrastructure priority was stated as: "Safe and reliable infrastructure that connects neighborhoods, people and places " The draft housing priority was titled "Diverse, affordable and dignified housing options" with the statement: " A range of quality, affordable and attainable housing options for all residents and people who want to reside here.” Council members noted the value of working directly with staff during the priority development process and felt the iterative approach helped move toward consensus efficiently. As next steps, the consultants will refine the draft priority language for readability and return to council at a future meeting for further review and discussion. Facilitated Training with Consultant – REI Topic "Difficult Conversations and Hurt vs. Harm" Ms. Younan-Montgomery led a training session on accountability practices and managing difficult conversations. The session included mindfulness exercises with guided meditation and breathing techniques. Council members participated in group discussions about times they feel most supported by colleagues and how they typically respond to challenges or criticism. The training covered the reset method focusing on inner change as prerequisite for outer change. Components included rest and recharge, explore values, simplify, embrace boundaries and truth-telling. Ms. Younan-Montgomery facilitated exercises where participants mapped accountability breakdowns and distinguished between hurt and harm in interpersonal situations. Council members identified patterns where accountability breaks down, including people going quiet which can result in breakdown of trust, deflection and disengagement. Docusign Envelope ID: CDCBCAE1-8A09-4E4D-8C34-C6A9AFE193F7 City council workshop -4- Feb. 26 and 27, 2026 The session concluded with introduction of restorative dialogue techniques using the "open the front door" method for structured difficult conversations. Debrief And Farewell The retreat concluded with closing remarks and distribution of evaluation surveys. Participants reflected on the collaborative process and strategic priority development work. The workshop was adjourned at 2:45 p.m. ______________________________________ ______________________________________ Melissa Kennedy, city clerk Nadia Mohamed, mayor These minutes were created with the assistance of a generative AI transcript service, then edited and finalized by a city staff person. Docusign Envelope ID: CDCBCAE1-8A09-4E4D-8C34-C6A9AFE193F7