2021.08.10 WS Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Abdulle inquired what would happen if St. Anthony could hire their own building official if they continued to redevelop. Schlichting explained St. Anthony was seeing an influx of growth right now, but they do not anticipate this would continue long term. He explained St. Anthony has no interest in hiring their own person,but rather would like to continue the relationship with New Brighton. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas asked staff what they knew about organics recycling. Schlichting stated it looks like organics recycling was coming and would be part of regular garbage collection. Massopust commented he did not anticipate this additional service would impact the City's budget. Fink discussed the parks budget with the Council. She explained she was working to maintain services levels while also considering maintenance of the City's parks. The proposed changes to the parks staff was reviewed. The forestry budget was described. She noted there was an increased demand for recreation programs. She explained the community center revenues were slated to decrease in 2022 given the fact people have shifted to Zoom meetings and online workouts. It was her hope the City would see growth in the Eagle's Nest usage in the coming year. She commented on the record year the golf course was having and hoped this demand would continue. Paetznick explained he was happy to see all the support the City had for National Night Out after not being able to hold events in person last year. He stated it was great to see the police being able to engage with the community, even if it was modified. He then reviewed the public safety department budget and noted the significant changes that would occur in the coming year. He was pleased to report the SRO program would continue with the Mounds View School District. He commented on the technology the public safety department depended on and stated this came at a cost. He indicated the department lost five officers in the past year. The personnel changes proposed for the coming year were discussed, along with the struggles he was having trying to find new officers. The crime increases that were experienced in 2021 were reviewed with the Council along with the severity of the calls for service. He explained he was working to position the public safety department to meet the City's demand both now and in the future. The budget for the fire portion of the public safety department was discussed. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas questioned how the new supervisory position would address neighbor disputes and code enforcement complaints. Paetznick explained this Sergeant would supervise individuals within the organization that were already doing this collaborative work, specifically the community engagement officer, fire marshal, and the SRO's. He described the communication that occurred back and forth between these individuals when concerns occur in neighborhoods or at multi-family housing units. Councilmember Abdulle asked how many vacancies the public safety department had at this time. Paetznick stated he had four vacancies at this time. He discussed the outreach efforts the department has had at career fairs and noted there were currently 400 to 500 vacancies for law enforcement officers across the State. He commented further on how important it was to hire the right people for this organization. Councilmember Dunsworth inquired if the public safety budget took into consideration extra mental health support for the City's officers. Paetznick explained it does not account for a specific mental health staff member. He reported he has been offering volunteer mental health check ins for his staff members this year. He commented on the importance of peer support noting some officers would rather talk to another officer than to a mental health professional. Mayor Niedfeldt-Thomas commented on how important it was to have a healthy culture within the public safety department and she appreciated how the officers supported one another.