City Council Worksession

Watertown City Council Work Session Mayor Steve Washburn Deborah Everson Lindsay Guetzkow Adam Pawelk Michael Walters 10/27/2020 - Minutes 1. Call To Order And Roll Call Mayor Steve Washburn called the City Council work session called to order at 5:30 pm on October 27, 2020 in the council chambers of City Hall. Council Members present: Washburn, Michael Walters, Deborah Everson, Adam Pawelk, and Lindsay Guetzkow City Staff present: City Administrator Shane Fineran, Public Services Superintendent Mike Dressel, and Clerk/Treasurer Lynn Tschudi. Guests: Carver County Sheriff Mark Randall and deputies. 2. New Business 2.I. 2021 Law Enforcement Work Plan & Contract Update City Administrator Shane Fineran said 2021 will mark the first year that Watertown will have three full time employees for law enforcement patrolling in Watertown. Fineran presented the 2020 Carver County Sheriffs Workplan brought to council by deputy Randall. The hope is to revise the document for 2021 in ways that council would want to see changes. Deputy Mark Randall said he has been the town liaison for the past 2 years. Randall walked council through the 2020 Work Plan document. Council member Guetzkow asked the officers to let council know if they have any safety suggestions that they could improve on throughout the City. She would also like to see a partnership with the school district in the future. Council member Walters asked how much time officers are spending at the school. Randall said very little other than a monthly meeting. Walters asked if the sheriffs get many calls regarding people not wearing masks. Randall stated no. Everson asked if the Sheriff’s office can post a public service announcement on Facebook so residents can see that they should call the police before posting on Facebook or a neighborhood site. Randall said the hardest part is getting the information to those Facebook sites to inform the residents. Council member Pawelk commended Randall for taking the approach to getting to know youth on a first name basis. He is pleased with the interaction between the school district and the local businesses. Mayor Washburn suggested an event where the community would be able to meet the deputies. Randall suggested possibly doing it on a micro level by neighborhood. Fineran suggested having council provide updates at a local park and bringing in the law enforcement for a meet and greet. Randall informed council that Carver County has added a specific employee for crisis mental health situations.  Mayor Washburn suggested an event where the community would be able to meet the deputies. Randall suggested possibly doing it on a micro level by neighborhood. Fineran suggested having council provide updates at a local park and bringing in the law enforcement for a meet and greet. Randall informed council that Carver County has added a specific employee for crisis mental health situations. 3. Adjournment Mayor Washburn adjourned the workshop at 6:24 p.m. 309 Lewis Avenue South; P.O. Box 279, Watertown, MN 55388