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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-07-16 Work Session Meeting MinutesMINUTES OF THE EDINA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION COMMUNITY ROOM, CITY HALL TUESDAY, JULY 16, 2024 5:30 P.M. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:30 p.m. ROLL CALL Answering rollcall were Members Agnew, Jackson, Pierce, Risser, and Mayor Hovland. Absent: None. Staff in attendance: Scott Neal, City Manager; Ari Lenz, Assistant City Manager; Jeff Brown, Public Health Administrator; Addison Lewis, Community Development Coordinator; jack Brooksbank, City Attorney; Zoe Johnson, City Management Fellow; Pa Thao, Finance Director; Cary Teague, Community Development Director; Jennifer Bennerotte, Communications Director; Bill Neuendorf, Economic Development Manager; Jeff Matlock, IT Specialist; and Sharon Allison, City Clerk. Others in attendance: Community Health Commissioner members: Nick Mattison, Vice-Chair; Matt Giljahn; and Tracy Nelson. COMMUNITY HEALTH COMMISSION UPDATE Community Health Commission (CHC) Vice-Chair Mattison and Commissioner Nelson provided an update for the Council on what the CHC was working on in 2024 that they have had success with and things they planned to continue with into 2025, including the declaration of public health emergency around racism. They asked for Council input. The Council asked questions of staff and discussed the possibility of the CHC working alongside the Human Rights & Relations Commission and the DEI Manager, and clarification of the intent behind declaring racism as a public health emergency. Vice-Chair Mattison and Commissioner Nelson continued review of the 2024 initiatives that included Aging Community/Social Connectedness/Mental Health events and the possibility of finding a way to advertise the City as a good and healthy place to live. The Council asked questions of staff and discussed supporting the idea of finding a way to market the City as a good place to live; initiatives in Bloomington Public Health that focus on breaking down isolation and improving mental health outcomes; if there was some sort of nationally recognized assessment options to be declared a healthy destination; importance of action plans for areas where the City is found to have gaps; AARP program for healthy cities; past program involvement alongside Blue Cross Blue Shield around wellness and well-being; the overall goal or intent; potential use of Quality of Life survey; and, statistics related to things like the distance of City parks from residences. Vice-Chair Mattison and Commissioner Nelson asked for Council feedback on engaging the neighborhoods as part of marketing, distribution and dissemination. The Council asked questions and shared feedback that they liked the idea of engaging with neighborhoods as a way to hyper localize but not utilize the neighborhoods for larger, City-wide items. Vice-Chair Mattison and Commissioner Nelson noted that this was the age of legalizing various 'vices' including cannabis and sports betting and asked if the direction from Council on those types of things was to 'wait and see'. Page 1 Ili • on Allison, City Clerk Minutes/Edina City Council Work Session/July 16. 2024 The Council discussed the warning on cannabis products that other States have implemented; possible City signage or flyers that would provide warnings; questions about the expected outcomes of taking action; looking into research to find out what other communities have done; possible support programs for people who may get addicted; ways to minimize the negative impacts; feedback received that many adults were not talking about the dangers of opioids with their children; explosion of the opioid crisis; role of the student commissioners; mental health especially for youths and ways that the CHC could tackle those issues; partnering with the school district; embedded social worker; the importance of thinking of the `community' in broad terms and making sure to include neighborhoods that may not be well organized; possibly thinking about the City in quadrants and not neighborhoods; and, the goal of helping residents build relationships with one another. CANNABIS UPDATE Assistant City Manager Lenz reminded the Council of details surrounding the decision by the State to legalize cannabis at the end of their 2023 legislative session and establishment the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM). She explained that they were looking for direction and feedback from the Council in order for staff to begin drafting the City's ordinance. Lenz and City Attorney Brooksbank, provided an update on the current moratorium; the model ordinance from OCM; the licensing process; local registration; number of retail establishments allowed; the enforcement process; zoning; and, buffers. The Council asked questions of staff, gave feedback, and discussed issues including: the number of recreational retail establishments allowed in the City; importance of using the right messaging; compliance management; money the City would receive from the State based on the number of establishments and not related to sales; their hesitancy to give an opinion because they did not have a full understanding of potential impacts; comparisons with alcohol establishments and whether that was the correct comparison; State lottery selection if there are more applications than the City will allow; the offer from the County to handle zoning and the recommendation from staff not to accept the offer; the importance of total transparency about where these establishments may be allowed; importance of getting feedback from the community; zoning districts; daycare proximity; possible buffer areas; consistency with the liquor and tobacco ordinances to allow them in PCD- I, PCD-2, and PCD-3; potential messaging issues if the City only allows cannabis in the southeast quadrant of the City; regulations and enforcement that would be outside of the City's control; possible odor concerns; micro businesses/onsite consumption; possible creation of a light industrial zone and a heavy industrial zone; being prepared to articulate why the City may institute buffer zones; and, perceived differences between having cannabis served and just picking it up and taking it away. The Council reached consensus to direct staff to draft an ordinance permitting cannabis businesses, within the City's control, to be located in PCD- I , PCD-2, and PCD-3 zoning districts. There was additional discussion to consider some modifications to the buffers. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hovland adjourned the meeting at 6:55 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Minutes approved by Edina City Council, August 7, 2024. James B. Hovland, Mayor Page 2