2021.02.02 WS Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas recommended potential partnerships with community organizations be considered and/or offer meetings at the Community Center where childcare could be provided. Councilmember Dunsworth stated she would be happy to serve on the steering committee and would be willing to recruit members of the public. She was hopeful that new members of the public could be contacted to be involved with the City on this steering committee. Councilmember Allen commented he would also be willing to serve on the steering committee. Councilmember Abdulle indicated he would be happy to assist with recruiting individuals for the steering committee. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas requested staff create a description of what the City was looking for and what the time commitment would be for the steering committee members in order to assist with recruiting candidates. Massopust reported he would begin drafting pertinent promotional materials. First Quarter Worksession Calendar Discussion Massopust reported the City of New Brighton utilizes a Worksession calendar to plan and account for items that the City Council would like to discuss from a policy perspective. There are certain items that need to be addressed and discussed at certain times throughout the year, most notably budget items (typically occur in Q3 and Q4). Staff requested direction on if the upcoming meetings are acceptable and to also understand what other issues the Council would like to have added for future dates. These dates and topics are subject to change as new issues arise and as staff time allows. Ongoing discussion about the Work Session calendar will ensure that staff are understanding and working with Council on key priorities. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas commented the goal would be to feed into a larger plan for City Council meetings while eventually rolling down to Commissions. She asked for feedback from the Councilmembers regarding future meeting topics. Councilmember Allen stated he would like to have a discussion on housing issues in the City. Massopust reported this topic was placed "on deck" for the first half of the year. Councilmember Dunsworth suggested the inclusivity work be discussed throughout the year, whether this happened monthly or every other month. She wanted to see the City moving this work forward. Councilmember Abdulle agreed with Councilmember Dunsworth's suggestion because this would ensure the City was making progress on inclusivity initiatives. In addition, he supported the Council having a housing discussion. He recommended an environmental conversation be held. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas noted staff had an update on the City's sustainability efforts. Massopust explained the focus of the 1st quarter newsletter would be on the City's sustainability efforts in order to inform the public that New Brighton was one of fifteen cities in the State of Minnesota that had achieved Step 5 in the GreenSteps City program. Councilmember Abdulle stated he was pleased the City would be putting this information out to the public in order to make them aware of the City's efforts. He indicated he also looked forward to having a conversation about keeping this community safe for all adults and kids.