Minnetonka City Council — Transcript
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Votes (2)
DEI Commission Candidate Interview - Alyssa Dean
The City Council conducted an interview with Alyssa Dean, a candidate for the DEI Commission. Dean introduced herself as a queer, white, cisgender woman with local ties and professional experience at the U of M, including advising LGBT student organizations and DEI initiatives. She emphasized her role as a 'connector' and her vision for an inclusive community as one where all members feel welcomed, valued, supported, and seen. Council members inquired about her understanding of city code related to inclusivity, her enthusiasm for collaboration on the commission, and her anticipated challenges in building trust with existing members while navigating complex external factors like executive orders. Council Member Calbert also asked a specific question regarding Dean's experience with alleged anti-semitism at the College of Liberal Arts, to which Dean responded by describing her support for students and her efforts to share her voice within her capacity.
Director Budget Presentations
The meeting transitioned to the first part of the annual budget process, a 'prelude' to the official kickoff. Directors presented an overview of their departments, including organizational structure, 2024 accomplishments, 2025 outlook, anticipated challenges, and potential federal impacts. The overall budget timeline for the year was also reviewed, with key dates for future presentations on CIP, EIP, operations, tax levy, and enterprise funds. **Admin Services (Brandon Domin)**: Highlighted key measures like 24,000 annual front desk calls, 40,000 email subscribers, and managing 396 city positions. 2024 accomplishments included successful elections, launching the DEI Commission, enhancing the internship program, and improving internal communication tools. Challenges for 2025-26 focused on recruitment/retention, navigating technology disruptions like AI, rising costs, increased data practice requests, and staff space limitations. Future goals include improving performance management, strengthening records, and developing a robust cybersecurity incident response plan. **Community Development (Julia Wishnack)**: Reported $370 million in construction value for 2024, contributing to $1.4 billion over the last five years, and managing 8,600 annual permits. Highlights included a variety of planning projects and strong progress on sustainability actions. Key challenges are recruitment in inspection roles, workload for climate action initiatives, rising construction costs, and managing city vacancies. Future goals include elevating housing work, making progress on climate goals, and advancing zoning efforts. **Finance and Assessing (Darren Nelson)**: Presented key measures such as 17,000 utility customer accounts (75% paid electronically), a 3.74% return on investments for 2024, and maintaining a AAA Moody's credit rating. Noted the 41st consecutive GFOA award. 2024 highlights included implementing new accounting standards (GASB 94 & 96), beginning water meter change-outs, and a project to document processes due to a key retirement. Challenges include increasing commercial tax court petitions, further GASB pronouncements, the failure of an ERP implementation, and an ongoing IRS audit. Future goals involve new utility billing and ERP software, and exploring priority-based budgeting. **Fire Department (Kevin Fox)**: Emphasized the public safety master plan goals, including onboarding nine new full-time firefighters and bringing Fire Station 5 online. 2024 highlights included implementing a new records management system, new station alerting that cut response times by 60-90 seconds, and an AED loaner program. Challenges for 2025-26 include increasing call volumes with 35% overlap, difficulties with mutual aid, recruitment/retention of firefighters, and potential impacts from new OSHA standards. Federal grant uncertainty for SAFER and AFG programs was also noted. **Police Department (Scott Borman)**: Reported on key measures such as 96% community service satisfaction, relatively flat criminal offenses (Type A/B), and a drop in auto theft/burglary due to targeted enforcement. All officers completed 40-hour crisis intervention training in 2024. Highlights included significant internal work due to high turnover (13 officers hired in 2 years, 7 vacancies), a successful citizen police academy, and bringing on a dedicated social worker. Challenges include optimizing staff space, adapting to new technology (Axon, VR headsets), extensive training for new officers, and maintaining equipment costs. Future goals focus on enhancing community engagement (with dedicated officers), leveraging real-time crime intelligence, piloting AI reporting, exploring drone use for first responders, and developing an alternative mental health response model.
Notable Quotes (12)
I identify as queer, white, cisgender woman. Um, I kind of come from Minnotonka as far as I spent part of my middle school here and then graduated from the high school as well. Wandered around in my 20s and then came back to Minnetonka to live and then also work at the U of M Twin Cities.
For me that really comes down to being welcomed, valued, supported, and seen within the city of Minnotonka. And so, how can we create spaces, experiences, opportunities where all the members of our community can feel all of those things?
Collaboration. Really, for me, I love being able to be in a community of folks doing the work so that we can collaborate and connect with each other and the many different perspectives that brings on an issue that comes up in the city.
At the College of Liberal Arts, there were several faculty members who really engaged in pretty um, blatant anti-semitism. It wasn't just anti-sionism, it was anti-semitism.
It's one of the most important things you do as a council and we do as a city.
I mean, that's over 400 a week. I mean, when you consider I mean, you know, people aren't sitting on their hands wondering what to do. There's real work here.
It feels like if 77% of people are paying their utility bill online, but only 33% are getting their their bill online, by my math, we've got a 34% opportunity of people who are willing to engage online.
What are what is your what are you seeing coming down the road on us being able to replace the our assets that need to be replaced?
over 30 and I think I looked today and it's actually closer to 35% right now of our calls are overlapping.
We charge people for false alarms. Can we go back and charge these um these facilities for um lift assists?
But I mean that's important. I think you're seeing in the news with even Minneapolis and other jurisdictions that is dropping and um I can contribute part of that towards there's there's more of targeted enforcement and so we have an autotheft detective that works with Henipin County Sheriff's Office and they've done um details and I and I think over the last probably eight months they've done four of them.
when we first um approved um I guess another employee I at the time it seemed like it was under under the assumption that it'd be more like a like a community engagement person but now it sounds like we kind of made it into a officer. So it seems like to me that instead we're not getting really a community engagement person, we're getting another officer to take the place of an engagement person.
Ordinances & Resolutions (30)
City code section describing the powers and duties related to an inclusive and equitable community
City-wide plan with 'inclusive community' as one of its six pillars
Source of feedback for council priorities, discussed in May study session
Survey by Peter Leman Leatherman to be presented at May study session
To be presented in June study session, focusing on long-term capital investments
To be presented in June study session alongside the CIP
An updated internal tracking document for grants, developed by Sarissa
Government Accounting Standards Board pronouncement dealing with public-private and public-public partnerships
Government Accounting Standards Board pronouncement dealing with subscription-based technology arrangements
Award received by the Finance Department for its annual financial report, 41st consecutive year
Guiding document for the Fire and Police Departments, entering year two of implementation
Document outlining response times and effective firefighting force, to be presented to council in April
Study by W architects on fire stations, to be presented to council in April
State-level issue related to ambulance services that is progressing slowly
A new federal standard potentially impacting fire departments, slated for release this year
Plan guiding sustainability work in Community Development
A state-mandated plan developed and being implemented by Admin Services and Jace
New requirement for auditing and scrubbing the city's website for digital asset accessibility
System implementation that did not go as planned; the city is now looking for a new standalone solution
Applications to be sought as part of a new ERP system
A new software application being explored to help prioritize city programs and resources
New AI-based reporting system for police, entering pilot stage for low-level crimes
Federal source for DWI traffic safety officer funding, administered through the state
Urban Areas Security Initiative grant, administered through Hennepin County via FEMA, which the police department applies for on an as-needed basis
Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response grant, a federal grant for which the fire department typically applies
Federal equipment grant for which the fire department typically applies, currently facing uncertainty
Federal programs whose potential changes could lead to a spike in EMS calls
A preferred communication method for city residents
City platform for active project communication and marketing
Ongoing group focused on zoning work within Community Development