2020.06.30 WS Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Dunsworth commented she understood the staffing limitations. She indicated she did not want the City to get hung up on the fact that no work could begin until a staff member was hired. She believed there was plenty the City could do to address the action items and recommendations from the task force until a consultant or shared staff member could be added. Councilmember Allen agreed. He suggested multiple languages be considered for City services. He understood this would take staff time and stated he would like further information on how the City could staff a new human rights/inclusivity position. Councilmember Fynewever stated if the Council wants to activate having community conversations staff was available to assist with this work. She commented on how these conversations could facilitate further discussions and action for the City. She indicated there was a great deal of activism in the community at this time and she understood there was a number of people in the community ready and willing to speak. She wanted to see the City facilitating conversations with these people in order for their voices to be heard. She stated once these voices were heard the City could then take action on what the next steps should be. Councilmember Jacobsen supported this idea. He indicated this would be a budget neutral method of moving the City forward. He supported the City providing information in multiple languages and noted this would be a low hanging fruit that the City could address now. Mayor Johnson stated these conversations would allow the City Council to see what members of the community were interested in serving on a commission. Councilmember Allen discussed how all in-person Public Safety Department initiatives and community events had to be canceled for 2020 due to COVID-19. He asked how the department was addressing this matter. Massopust commented a Zoom listening session was being planned for Tuesday, July 7th. He noted policing and community-wide concerns could be addressed at this meeting. Paetznick stated the Public Safety Department has been using its website to gather feedback from the public at this time. He reported a community, inclusion and equity survey was being uploaded to the City’s website. He noted a Spanish version of the survey was available. Massopust indicated it was important for the City to get into the neighborhoods for feedback versus requiring the public to come to the City. Councilmember Fynewever commented on the new groups that were being formed in New Brighton to address inclusivity issues and believed these groups would be great resources for the City to draw from for future human rights conversations. She discussed how it would benefit the City of New Brighton for the Council to facilitate conversations with these groups, along with community faith leaders and other diverse groups on a quarterly or bi-monthly basis. Mayor Johnson thanked Councilmember Fynewever for her comments. She believed the Council had done some great things to address inclusivity. She appreciated the Parks Comprehensive Plan, the City’s National Night Out efforts, the multi-language efforts on the City’s website and the efforts that had been made to build relationships in the City’s multi-unit housing facilities. She stated she was enthusiastic about the plans that were being discussed by the Council and looked forward to the City creating spaces for further dialogues that could grow into a commission, which could then grow into a staff position. Councilmember Fynewever concurred but stated she would like to see a timeline in place for curating further conversations beyond the July 7th community conversation. She wanted the Council to be cognizant of its strategic vision in order to match the good work that has begun. She challenged the Council to consider how long the City should be listening and when the focus should shift to positive action.