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scope. She suggested staff speak with neighboring communities to assist with the position’s job description. <br />She recommended that the new position be in alignment with the City’s other directors. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson stated her main concern was that it was not always easy to recruit people for open Commission <br />seats. However, after the recent election she believed the City was ready to embrace diversity. She believed it <br />would be important to have the right folks on the Commission who are willing to ask the tough questions and <br />have tough expectations. She indicated the recruitment effort would be important and the Council may want to <br />assist with asking people to apply. <br /> <br />Councilmember Allen commented applications were typically taken in March and April for commission <br />positions. He questioned if the citizen’s voice group should be selected at that time to assist with the hiring <br />process. He indicated a more formal process for Commissioners could then be completed later in the year after <br />the DEI position was filled. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson reported hiring decisions were made by the City Manager. Massopust stated this was the case. <br />However, he noted it was not lost on him that the DEI position was unique and brand new. He indicated he <br />appreciated the feedback from the City Council. He commented there were pros and cons of bringing people <br />in to assist with the interviews. He explained he liked the idea of bringing residents in to assist with the DEI <br />interviews. <br /> <br />Councilmember Fynewever stated the Council was offering its feedback at this time, but the new Council <br />would set the timeline for 2021. She wanted to allow the new Councilmembers to live out what they ran their <br />campaigns on, which included task force continuation, citizen inclusion and listening to the residents. She <br />indicated this was not the Council that got to think through the Commission timeline, but rather would <br />recommend the Commission move forward. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson stated this was her last official worksession meeting. She noted it has been the desire of the <br />City Council to create a more inclusive New Brighton. She explained it has been hard for her to accept how <br />slow government moves, but she appreciated the groundwork that has been put in place to move this issue <br />forward. She reported the 2021 budget included funding for a DEI position. She hoped that the new <br />Councilmembers were listening, would follow through and take the next step. <br /> <br />Councilmember Dunsworth indicated she takes Councilmember Fynewever’s comments to heart. She <br />indicated the Council had to continue this work. She stated she has pledged to continue this important work <br />because the community was asking for it. She wanted to see more voices heard. She explained she was excited <br />to see the DEI initiative moving forward. <br /> <br />Mayor Johnson thanked the Council for all of their feedback regarding this topic. <br /> <br />Short Term Rental Discussion <br /> <br />Massopust reported this topic came up briefly this past summer. He explained the Council wanted to discuss <br />the regulation of short term rentals, such as AirBNB’s. <br /> <br />Schlichting provided the Council with a brief presentation on how other communities were regulating short <br />term rentals. He described how short term rentals were defined by the City noting these units were seen as <br />alternatives to hotels. He reviewed a map of short term rentals that were available in New Brighton. He noted <br />the City does not regulate short term rentals. He explained when these properties become a problem the City <br />deals with them through code enforcement or with the public safety department. He described how other <br />communities were regulating short term rentals and requested feedback from the Council.