Anoka City Council

July 20, 2020 (Regular) Page 1 of 6 REGULAR MEETING OF THE ANOKA CITY COUNCIL ANOKA CITY HALL CITY COUNCIL CHAMBERS JULY 20, 2020 1. CALL TO ORDER Mayor Rice called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m., followed by the Pledge of Allegiance. 2. ROLL CALL Present at roll call: Mayor Rice, Councilmembers Barnett, Freeburg, Skogquist and Wesp. Staff present: City Manager Greg Lee; Police Chief Eric Peterson; Finance Director Brenda Springer, City Planner Clark Palmer; Ben Nelson, Engineering Tech, Mark Anderson, Public Services Director, and City Attorney Scott Baumgartner. Absent at roll call: None. 3. COUNCIL MINUTES 3.1 Minutes of the July 6, 2020, Regular Meeting. Councilmember Wesp said a correction was needed showing Mayor Rice adjourned the meeting. Motion by Councilmember Freeburg, seconded by Councilmember Wesp, to waive the reading and approve the July 6, 2020, Regular Meeting as corrected. Upon a roll call vote: Mayor Rice, Councilmembers Barnett, Freeburg, Skogquist and Wesp voted in favor. Motion carried. 4. OPEN FORUM 4.1 Anoka High School Students; Racial Equality. Councilmember Wesp said he had invited Anoka High School Principal Mike Farley and students of color to address Council. He shared how he was recently at a rally and was impressed with their presentation and thought it would be for the Council to hear from these youth. Principal Farley thanked the Council for the opportunity and said he was blessed to work with such amazing student leadership. He explained how the students were interested in creating a dialog with school staff and City leaders in an effort July 20, 2020 (Regular) Page 2 of 6 to improve the quality of life for persons of color living in Anoka and for those who attend Anoka High School. Lomumba Ismail, teacher and coach at Anoka High School, thanked the Council for providing this platform and shared that he was an alumni of Anoka and lived in this community his entire life with little to no diversity. He said it was important not to fall on complacency and said these students believed in community and congratulated them on their courage to share their stories. He introduced the students who in turn shared their stories and ways to address racial inequity in the community. Mr. Ismail spoke about identity at Anoka High School and the change these students wanted to make through partnerships and invited the Council to continue to listen this Fall as the students continued their work then shared a video of the recent student rally. The audience offered a round of applause. Police Chief Eric Peterson thanked the students for coming and said he was very proud of the students and leadership at Anoka High School and shared his commitment to continuing establishing this relationship. Councilmember Skogquist commented how experiences vary for people and how he was impressed with the students and Chief Peterson during the rally. He said it was important to work towards more diversity in the City such as through the concerts in the park and how actions by the City affect people and he encouraged continued conversations. Councilmember Wesp said he enjoyed Anoka’s history and spoke about the loss of Congressman John Lewis and encouraged the community to continue to listen to these difficult conversations and how Anoka will not stand for these concerns. He spoke about former student Henry Hill in 1962 and the importance of being part of a community that cares about its residents and not being afraid to live here and how these students were Anoka’s future. Mayor Rice thanked the students for attending and said society is changing and how this was an opportunity to educate people, because without education, change cannot happen. He thanked the students for their persistence and resilience for change and the importance of changing people’s perception and providing opportunities for everyone. 4.2 Police Activity Update. Chief Peterson shared data from calls for service for 2020 to date stating calls were 17% lower than last year. He explained work surrounding virtual opportunities such as safety camp and landlord association meetings and the increase of overnight park patrol security. He then spoke about the mandatory mask order being proposed by Governor Walz and shared testing data for Anoka. July 20, 2020 (Regular) Page 3 of 6 Councilmember Barnett inquired about the police department’s new officer hire. Chief Peterson said the process was pending a background, physical and psychological test and that they hoped to have the officer on board in the next few weeks. OTHER INFORMATION UNDER OPEN FORUM Mike Clark, 512 River Lane, thanked Security Officer Wall for his quick response to addressing a dead deer on July 4 then spoke about the incident at Rudy Johnson Park and Councilmember Skogquist and how was it addressed by City workers and said he was proud to be from Anoka. Barb Thurston, 1815 3rd Avenue, spoke about recent incidents of stolen produce from the community gardens and asked how the City could help. Councilmember Barnett said this has happened in the past and suggested a simple camera system and signage. Chief Peterson encouraged reporting these incidents because the information was used to direct police patrols. Councilmember Skogquist asked if this was an issue in both gardens. Mayor Rice said it seemed to occur more in the northern gardens and suggested fencing as another deterrent. 5. PUBLIC HEARING(S) None. 6. CONSENT AGENDA Motion by Councilmember Skogquist, seconded by Councilmember Barnett, to approve Consent Agenda 6.1 through 6.2. 6.1 Approve Verified Bills. 6.2 Revising and Setting Council Calendars. Upon a roll call vote: Mayor Rice, Councilmembers Barnett, Freeburg, Skogquist and Wesp voted in favor. Motion carried. 7. REPORTS OF OFFICERS, BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS None. 8. PETITIONS, REQUESTS AND COMMUNICATION None. July 20, 2020 (Regular) Page 4 of 6 9. ORDINANCES AND RESOLUTIONS 9.1 ORD/Adopting and Enacting the Codification of the City of Anoka Code of Ordinances. (1st Reading) Mr. Lee shared a background report stating for the past couple of years, staff has been working with Municode (Municipal Code Corporation) on the Codification of our City Code. A codification involves going through the entire code, making sure that all the references to other sections and/or to State Laws are accurate and up to date. It also corrects any spelling, formatting, or numbering errors. The new code will be set up according to the Municode standard and result in a renumbering of the entire City Code. Once the codification is approved, it will be posted online. The online Code is what the Council, staff and the public will access when they need Code information. The adoption of the Codification will not include discussions on any regulatory content changes. The Codification is merely an administrative review and approval. The Recodification cost was approximately $15,000 plus ancillary costs for supplements, printing, etc. and there will be an annual cost for online hosting and support. Councilmember Barnett noted the current Code was difficult to navigate and confirmed the updated Code would be searchable. Mr. Lee confirmed Municode would allow the Code to be easily searchable and updated. Councilmember Skogquist asked if outdated items prior to 2018 would be removed and updated. City Attorney Scott Baumgartner said outdated ordinances no longer applicable would be updated but no changes would be made to subject matter or other sections and that part of the codification process included removal of sections and ensuring consistency within the Code and State law. Motion by Councilmember Freeburg, seconded by Councilmember Skogquist, to hold first reading of an ordinance adopting and enacting a new code for the City of Anoka, Minnesota, providing for the repeal of certain ordinances not included therein, providing a penalty for the violation thereof; providing for the manner of amending such code; and providing when such code and this ordinance shall become effective. Upon a roll call vote: Mayor Rice, Councilmembers Barnett, Freeburg, Skogquist and Wesp voted in favor. Motion carried. 10. UNFINISHED BUSINESS None. 11. NEW BUSINESS July 20, 2020 (Regular) Page 5 of 6 11.1 Approve Capital Improvement and Equipment Replacement Plan. Finance Director Brenda Springer shared a background report stating the final copy of the 2021 – 2025 five-year capital improvement and equipment replacement plan for the City of Anoka has been provided. Council and staff reviewed this document in detail at the worksession on Monday, June 22, 2020, and all of the Capital Improvements and Equipment Replacement requests will be included in the 2021 budget process for discussion. Mayor Rice confirmed the document was posted on the City’s website for public viewing. Motion by Councilmember Barnett, seconded by Councilmember Wesp, to approve the Capital Improvement and Equipment Replacement Plan. Councilmember Skogquist clarified this action would adopt the CIP but there would still be time to review the document during budget discussions then asked why the request for a police officer was included in the CIP. Ms. Smith said the position was included for additional discussions and to include the expense for the officer each year early on. Upon a roll call vote: Mayor Rice, Councilmembers Barnett, Freeburg, Skogquist and Wesp voted in favor. Motion carried. 12. UPDATES AND REPORTS 12.1 Tentative Agenda(s). The Council reviewed the tentative agendas of the upcoming Council meetings. 12.2 COVID-19: City Operations, Changes, and Impacts – Questions, Comments, and Discussion. Mr. Lee stated that on July 7, 2020, the City of Anoka received $1,399,295 in CARES federal funding. The CARES Act provides that payments from the Fund may only be used to cover costs that are necessary expenditures incurred due to the public health emergency with respect to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID–19); were not accounted for in the budget most recently approved as of March 27, 2020 (the date of enactment of the CARES Act) for the State or government; and were incurred during the period that begins on March 1, 2020, and ends on December 30, 2020. To date the City has spent approximately $49,000 in COVID related expenses. He said staff was working on a list of possible other uses of the funds and noted the remaining amounts could be used for business grant programs. He stated counties were required to use 10% of CARES Act funding for grant programs and that while staff was in the July 20, 2020 (Regular) Page 6 of 6 preliminary stages of review the City could either offer a similar program or opt into the County’s program and said this topic would be scheduled for an August worksession for review. Ms. Springer noted detailed expenses have already been compiled and that other items that could qualify include upgrades to the EOC and asked how involved the Council wanted to be in these discussions. Mayor Rice said if department heads were aware of necessary items that staff should propose those for discussion at the worksession. Councilmember Wesp asked about restrictions on spending. Ms. Springer explained the criteria used for expenses which were very flexible and said guidance was being given by the League of Minnesota Cities that included the importance of clear documentation. She said to date expenses have totaled approximately $50,000 but did not include items such as temperature scanners, elections protections, and staff salaries due to school closures. Councilmember Skogquist spoke about getting feedback from businesses and citizens on use for these funds such as rent assistance, past due utilities or sanitizer stations around the City. Ms. Springer said staff has reached out to the County regarding their energy assistance program and the possibility of providing funds to that program as the City cannot use CARES Act funding for lost revenue such as utility shut offs. 12.3 Staff and Council Input. None. 13. ADJOURNMENT Councilmember Freeburg made a motion to adjourn the Regular Council meeting. Councilmember Wesp seconded the motion. Upon a roll call vote: Mayor Pro Tem Skogquist, Councilmembers Barnett, Freeburg, and Wesp voted in favor. Motion carried. Time of adjournment: 8:41 p.m. Submitted by: Cathy Sorensen, TimeSaver Off Site Secretarial, Inc. Approval Attestation: Amy T. Oehlers, City Clerk