Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-10-01 Work Session Meeting MinutesMINUTES OF THE EDINA CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION COMMUNITY ROOM, CITY HALL TUESDAY, OCTOBER I, 2024 5:15 P.M. 1.0 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:16 p.m. 2.0 ROLL CALL Answering rollcall were Members Jackson, Pierce, Risser, and Mayor Hovland. Absent: Member Agnew Staff in attendance: Scott Neal, City Manager; Ari Lenz, Assistant Manager; Zoe Johnson, City Management Fellow; MJ Lamon, Special Projects & Engagement Manager; Thomas Brooks, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Manager; Jeff Brown, Community Health Administrator; Perry Vetter, Parks and Recreation Director; Laura Fulton, Recreation Supervisor; Marisa Bayer, Sustainability Manager; Andrew Scipioni, Transportation Planner; Chad Miller, Engineering Director; Cary Teague, Community Development Director; Jennifer Bennerotte, Communications Director; Jeff Matlock, I.T. Specialist; and Sharon Allison, City Clerk. 3.0 2025 PROPOSED COMMISSION WORK PLANS Manager Neal explained the process of working to find a way to intersect what the Council and the Commissions want to do within the community. He noted that the Commissions have been asked to bring their proposed 2025 Work Plans to the Council without modification by City staff for discussion. Human Rights & Relations Commission Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Manager Brooks explained that in January 2025, they were ready to begin working on the Equity Strategic Action Plan from the work done by the Race and Equity Task Force and they expect to be intensive. He introduced Chair Daisy Khalifa and Commissioner Bianca Dawkins to present the HRRC work plan. HRRC Chair Khalifa shared the history of the formation of the HRRC, accomplishments, the current focus, and things that ended up leading them to a very different work plan than they have had in the past. HRRC Commissioner Dawkins presented the 2025 Work Plan and described ways that their impact can be deepened and support inclusion efforts within the City. She explained that they would like to change from a Commission into an Equity and Engagement Task Force because it will give them more power to serve as consultants to other Commissions to take a DEI lens to the issues that they are dealing with, but also work more closely to assist City staff with development of the Equity Strategic Action Plan. The Council asked questions and discussed the thought that the work plan was premised on a stable world and possible changes that may occur with the upcoming election; overall feeling of positivity for the energy and direction of the HRRC; the importance of having more inclusive community engagement; the need for the Council to have engagement to help frame what the task force would actually do; recommendations from the Race and Equity Task Force and the need to have the community and City staff embrace the concepts and become part of the fabric of how they live, work, and play; the hope to get to a point where oversight for community engagement would not be necessary to ensure that City staff was being inclusive and were just infused in how the City operates; past interactions between the HRRC and the Race and Equity Task Force; and, the importance of the Council having a good understanding of the scope of the proposed task force. Commission Presentations Special Projects & Engagement Manager Lamon gave a brief overview of the City-wide process for annual work plans for the Commissions and explained that each Commission would make a brief presentation to Page 1 Minutes/Edina City Council Work Session/October I, 2024 the Council. She noted that on November 6, 2024, staff would bring some recommendations to the Council for the work plan proposals. Community Health Commission CHC Chair Absolon presented the proposed work plan initiatives for the Community Health Commission. The Council aslced questions and discussed the interviews that took place with the student commissioners and the importance of listening to them to look at the mental health of students; a desire to look at this through the lens of a teenager/young people/children perspective, because the City serves all kids and not only those that are within a particular school system; and, the importance of adults in children's lives talking about the threat of opioids. Park & Recreation Commission PRC Vice-Chair Pfuhl presented the proposed work plan initiatives for the Parks and Recreation Commission. The Council asked questions and discussed ways that they could look at what other communities have been doing; 8 80 Cities organization; requirements from the Met Council related to continuous greenspace; work happening at the Braemar Arena; ribbon cutting at the new mountain bike trail; progress on the Fred Richards Park planning; the Courtney Fields Complex; and, the possibility of creating a space within the parks for people to be able to learn about things that may be beneficial related to the Climate Action Plan, for example, being able to see different types of ground cover with signage explaining the amount of maintenance, water, or mowing required. Arts & Culture Commission ACC Chair Westlund and Vice-Chair Zbaren presented the proposed work plan initiatives for the Arts & Culture Commission. The Council asked questions and discussed the utility box wraps and their expected life expectancy; and, the current use of the Art Center for programming. Energy & Environment Commission EEC Chair Lukens presented the proposed work plan initiatives for the Energy and Environment Commission. The Council asked questions and discussed the link to food security assessment within the Climate Action Plan; the Pale Blue Dot; past initiatives to identify possible community garden locations; possible connections with organizations such as Climate Mirror, the Community Energy Network, or City Climate Coalition; and, connections with other metro cities to share ideas. Transportation Commission TC Vice-Chair Brown presented the proposed work plan initiatives for the Transportation Commission. The Council asked questions and discussed possible Met Council grants within the active transportation arena; how transportation systems have changed in a post-pandemic world; possible ways to encourage Congress to consider diverting money from traditional pathways/channels into a greater localized channel; the Edina Morningside Rotary Club event, Edina Rides and a possible partnership; e-bikes, speeding issues, and possible inclusion of taking a closer look at policies within their work plan; and possible upgrades to affordable housing projects to install chargers for electric vehicles. Planning Commission PC Chair Bennett presented the proposed work plan initiatives for the Planning Commission. The Council asked questions and discussed when they would get to see the results of the zoning audit; the possibility of issuing RFPs for design work once the City has insight into the background aspects, finding Page 2 4.0 ADJOURNMENT Mayor Hovland adjourned the meeting at 6:35 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Allison, City Cler c Minutes approved by Edina City Council, October 15, 2024. Minutes/Edina City Council Work Session/October I, 2024 a way to have another set of eyes on projects other than just Mic Johnson; ways to be more open, inclusive, and provide more opportunities more equitably; Southdale Design Experience Guidelines and surveying Planning Commissioners who have tried to interpret it, their level of comfort with its complexity, and how hard it was to use; and, possible individuals they could bring in by casting their nets a bit wider, such as Chuck Marohn of Strong Towns who is based in Brainerd. The Council also discussed, in general, its past discussions about the concept of diving into affordable housing including how zoning should change for things like enabling medium density on the west side and questions about where it should be included within the City's plans; past work session discussions about things the Commissions presented tonight but were unencumbered by things like budget/expenses; the thought that it is not good to have the discussion without including budget/expenses if it moves to the next level; and, the desire for the Council to understand the total costs, which needs to include staff, when it comes back before them. Heritage Preservation Commission HPC Chair Lonnquist presented the proposed work plan initiatives for the Heritage Preservation Commission. The Council asked questions and discussed the need to ask more about the historic preservation of the Country Club District related to the Race Action Plan; and, the possible value in having Commissioners tour properties with staff in order to report back to the Commission and give insight on the work that was being done. ames B. Hovland, Mayor Page 3