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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCCMIN_01-11-17CITY OF FALCON HEIGHTS Regular Meeting of the City Council City Hall 2077 West Larpenteur Avenue MINUTES January 11, 2017 at 7:00 P.M. A. CALL TO ORDER: 7:00 pm B. ROLL CALL: LINDSTROM X HARRIS X BROWN THUNDER X FISCHER X GUSTAFSON X STAFF PRESENT: THONGVANH X_ FREIHAMMER X C. PRESENTATIONS: 1. Ramsey County Sheriff Update Jack Serier introduced himself as the new Ramsey County Sheriff, appointed for the next two years. He intends to continue the pattern of making an annual presentation to the Council. One project that has happened at the Ramsey County Sheriff s office is that they implemented a new, shared platform records management system about 18 months ago. They are looking into implementing a similar system for their jail management records. They have been scheduling events for "Coffee with a Cop" throughout Ramsey County. Ramsey County created an additional event called "Hot Dog with a Deputy" that's hosted at parks in the summer, serving hot dogs, chips, water, and frozen treats. They came up with PRIME (Positive Responsible Inmates Managed Effectively) which is a program that provides inmates with incentives for good behavior (i.e. more free time, leisure time, etc.). In order to participate, the inmates also have to be enrolled in programs such as anger management, counseling, etc. Another program they have available is a free drop off for medicine for it to get destroyed. Additionally, in the fall, they have a fundraiser at their freight farm event. In regards to community policing, they have begun linking public health efforts and community groups with law enforcement. 2. MnDot - Larpenteur/Snelling Ave Project Chad Casey, MnDot Project Manager and Design Engineer, presented on the Snelling project spanning from Como to Hwy 36. It will be a concrete repair with improvements to safety at Garden, Crawford, County Rd. B, and Larpenteur. There will be a sidewalk installed to connect current sidewalks from Hoyt to Larpenteur. Construction will begin April 3, 2017 and go until October 6, 2017, with work requiring lane closure ending before the State Fair. The total cost is $6,800,000. The crossing of Snelling at Larpenteur has been a concern for residents. Since the space between northbound and southbound is being narrowed, it may not be a legal space for a pedestrian stop if if s less than six feet wide, and in that case, they would need to reevaluate the pedestrian crossing time. Melissa Harrel Sullew-1588 Vincent St: The other night, it took her 25 minutes to get from Fairview on Larpenteur across Snelling during rush hour. There were 12 -second lights so there were very few cars getting across Snelling. Pedestrians could not cross in 12 seconds. 1IPagc Council Member Fischer: The pedestrian light cycles through if, someone pushes it. With that light, it would be longer than 12 seconds for crossing. Karen- St. Anthony Park Resident: Was there community input before this was going out to bid? The city of St. Paul did a large- scale project and they had several community meetings. The more input, the better. Chad Casey: He does not believe there were any public meetings. D. APPROVAL OF MINUTES: 1. December 14, 2016 City Council Meeting Minutes Approved E. PUBLIC HEARINGS F. CONSENT AGENDA: 1. General Disbursements through: 1/05/17 $211,541.07 Payrollthrough: 12/31/16 $38,867.22 2. Approval of City License(s) 3. Designating Official Depositories for 2017 4. Review Elected Official Out -of -State Travel Policy 5. Review and Adopt Council Standing Rules 6. Council Appointment as Liaison for City Commissions 7. Appoint Acting Mayor 8. Commission Member Reappointments 9. Mile Reimbursement Rate for 2017 10. Approval of the 2017 NYFS Cooperative Service Agreement Council Member Harris Moved, Approved 5-0 G: POLICY ITEMS: 1. Accepting Plans and Specifications and Ordering Advertisement for Bids for the 2017 Pavement Management Project City Engineer Freihammer presented that they finalized the plans with St. Paul Water. The only significant change since the December 14 meeting was adding an additional hydrant at the comer of Burton and Folwell. St. Paul Water has agreed to pay for that. They would anticipate opening the project for bids on February 28, 2017 and bringing those to the Council on March 8, 2017. The estimated completion date is August 15, 2017. He recommends approval. City Administrator Thongvanh also presented on flooding issues in the Grove and how those can be mitigated. They will be increasing undersized pipes and installing gutter valleys on Coffman and Folwell. The proposal will then be to put in a four-way stop. When gutter valleys are installed there will be bumps in the road, so the traffic will need to be slowed down in that area. Additionally, they city will be doing the final lift a year after the project is completed. Going into the winter months, the city is proposing doing one-sided parking on the roads in order to still be able to plow and not wreck the gutters. Council Member Fischer Moved, Approved 5-0 21Pnpc H. INFORMATION/ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1. Police Report Council Member Gustafson: The Parks and Rec Commission met, but he was unable to attend. They discussed park planning, and their next meeting will be in April. Additionally, he was encouraged by attending both the DOJ Listening Session and the Falcon Heights Task Force this week. The Task Force is beginning to define their focus and the community values. They are all tasked with asking people in the community questions: what needs to be remedied and healed, and what are your thoughts and values in regards to policing. At the January meeting, they will be talking to mediators who are putting together a series of community conversations. They are working towards getting as many community members input as possible to make the city and policing more inclusive. Council Member Fischer: A year ago, Professor Dutchess Harris presented at Ramsey County Libraries on African American history before Black Lives Matter. She will be presenting the three-part series again this year starting on Thursday, January 19. Council Member Harris: All of the City Council members were interviewed today by the DOJ. A week from today the Tri -City Work Group will be meeting. Sack has been attending all these meetings. Council Member Brown Thunder: NYFS is still looking for seniors to assist for the senior chore program. Call them if you need assistance. They will also be having their service to youth awards on February 9, 2017 at the Discovery and Events Center. Mayor Lindstrom: He also attended the DOJ listening session. He was moved by the testimony, and what has become clear to him is that in many ways Falcon Heights is a tale of two cities with different treatment for different people. The Task Force is planning on crowd sourcing the city for values on policing. There will be facilitated, small group discussions on the community's values and how to implement those values, policing recommendations, and inclusion recommendations. City Administrator Thon$vanh: The co-chairs of the Task Force will be providing a mid-term update at the January 25, 2017 Council Meeting. The Tri -City Work Group will be meeting every third Wednesday of the month, and the location will be 'to be determined'. The Task Force is looking to have five listening sessions. He also wanted to thank the people that attended the DOJ Listening Sessions. He also wanted to thank the Larpenteur Ave. property owners who have maintained their sidewalks to keep the pathways safe during this weather. COMMUNITY FORUM: Akil Foluke: Is there a law on the time limit of three minutes? Mayor Lindstrom: It's not a law, but has been a long-standing practice of the Council. 31Pagc Akil Foluke: Ifs not the first time that America has admitted that people of color have been done wrong. History repeats itself. People's values are changed when they are held accountable. Are you ready to make a motion to end the contract with SAPD? Council Member Gustafson: It is protocol that the community forum portion of the meeting is not a back and forth dialogue. As it has been stated before, the Council is not going to make a motion to end the contract right now. Council Member Brown Thunder: He is not going to make a motion tonight, but he agrees with what he's saying, and he is listening. These concerns are things that he has brought up in his meeting with the DOJ. Melissa Harrel Sullew-1588 Vincent St: One thing that troubled her from the DOJ is their omission that they make no binding recommendations. It is up to the community to monitor the police department. Is there a way that we can insert into whatever new contract we have a say in recruitment and training. She wants to urge members of the Task Force that we as a city have a supervisory role City Administrator Thongyanh: One of the things that he has actively been advocating for is being more involved in the hiring process, more than just the chief. Not only the recommendation of the DOJ and Task Force, he wants to make sure we convey to those hired the values of Falcon Heights. Melissa Harrel Sullew- 1588 Vincent St: Could Sack veto the hiring of someone? City Administrator Thongvanh: It is the responsibility of St. Anthony, but they do very seriously take into consideration the recommendations of Falcon Heights and Lauderdale. Karen- Saint Anthony Park Resident: She's driven down Snelling with tabs expired and has never been pulled over in Falcon Heights but has seen many stops involving Black people. If the amount of stops that Philando experienced happened to a White person, it would have stopped by now. Black people are being made into a revenue source. Change this now. Kirt Schappen-1447 Iowa Ave: Where are you at with releasing the traffic stop statistics? City Administrator Thongvanh: Raw data has been released regarding traffic stops on the St. Anthony website. If ifs not on the website, they can be contacted for the information. Mark Hove -1824 Tatum St: He saw consistency at the DOJ Listening Session from what he has heard at the Council Meetings. An appropriate step would be to hold the police accountable for their actions. We need to do what we can. Without the input of others, we will never learn. 411'agc Chuck Laszewski-1713 St. Mary's St: He was quite taken by what the Mayor and Council Member Gustafson said in regards to Falcon Heights not being the welcoming community he always thought it was. Therefore, we have to take action. In three weeks' time, you need to announce that you will end the contract in July. Then, put out a request for proposals, which could include St. Anthony. That new contract will include exactly what Falcon Heights wants per the recommendations from the Task Force. Council Member Fischer: He is listening and has been learning a lot. He does not think ending the contract at this time is helpful, but he does think the contract that exists is inadequate in terms of providing oversight. We should at least renegotiate that contract if anything. J. ADJOURNMENT: 8:47 pm Peter Lin strom, Mayor Dated this I I' day of January, 2017 "hack Thongvanh, City Administrator 51Pagc