Meeting of the St.

Paul City Council to order.

Roll call, please.

Coleman.

Here.

Johnson.

Here.

Joe?

Here.

Kim?

Here.

Yang.

Here.

Bowie?

Here.

Council President Naker.

Here.

Seven present, zero absent.

Welcome everyone to our chambers for our city council meeting.

It is wonderful to see our chambers at standing room only and beyond capacity.

Uh, so thank you all for being here.

We invite everyone to join us in standing for the Pledge of Allegiance.

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States to America.

Liberty and justice.

I understand that we are going to be taking items ten and thirteen for separate consideration.

Is there anything else to come off of consent?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Bowie for the balance of the consent agenda.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The consent agenda is adopted as amended.

Item number ten is resolution twenty-six-three eleven supporting the designation of the West Seventh Corridor as the future Metro J Line.

And I wanted to just pull this item off of consent because this is a really big deal, as many of you know.

Um, the West Seventh Corridor that uh both Councilmember Jost and I represent has been waiting for decades for transit improvements as well as for improvements to the streetscape, the sidewalks, the tree holes, um, and and all of the pedestrian safety enhancements that we know the area needs.

Um, I'm so grateful to our city staff to Director Kershaw and his team for stepping up when the county's Riverview Corridor plan uh had to be paused and um working out a plan with Mindot and with Metro Transit to reconstruct West 7th Street, um, hopefully in twenty twenty-nine and bring enhanced bus rapid transit to the corridor uh with the Metro J Line and uh grateful to Metro Transit for that investment as well.

So this is just supporting that designation.

So this is just supporting that designation and it's it's a critical next step in this progress toward a better West 7th.

And I would look to Ms.

Joe to see if she wants to add anything as the other council member responsible for the area.

Thank you.

Yes, this is such a critical issue to my ward and to our West 7th neighborhood.

You know, I when I joined the council, we were nearing the end of the Riverview Corridor process, and I'm just so grateful to everyone that stepped up, you know, when uh when that process ended to be able to see through a vision for West 7th that is going to invest in the infrastructure of the street while looking to the future with transit-oriented development and investment.

I also want to thank our former chief resiliency officer, Russ Stark, who really took the lead on that process and and championed it to where it is at today.

Great.

So I will uh take that as a motion for approval from Councilmember Jost.

Is there any further discussion of the motion?

Seeing none, all in favor say aye.

All opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Item number 13 is resolution 26-330, restoring Ford's area C.

Ms.

Jost.

Uh thank you, and thanks to my colleagues for um for uh listening to this resolution.

Um this is uh an issue that's really important to the folks in my community in ward three.

A little bit of background area C is owned by the Ford Motor Company.

It is located in Highland Park near Highland Bridge on the river bluff.

It is currently capped and operating primarily as a parking lot.

For several decades, um Ford Motor Company disposed of paint sludge and solvents from its operations throughout the mid-20th century.

There were also disposals of construction rubble, contaminated soil, scrap metal, a variety of different things.

Uh the site currently contains several monitoring wells, which are in place for measuring groundwater contamination.

In 1990, the site was removed from the Superfund list, and it is now part of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency MPCA's voluntary investigation and cleanup program, uh, which is which was a program that was introduced after around around that time.

I don't know the exact exact year.

Um so part of the process of the voluntary um cleanup program is is focused on a feasibility study.

Um there's a feasibility study done on this site for AC, which was revised in last October, and it outlines six alternative cleanup options.

And basically, this resolution is putting forth our support for one of those options, alternative six.

However, just want to make sure it's clear that the MPCA is the regulatory body, they will be the ones that will be determining the final cleanup plan, and then Ford will implement that cleanup plan.

Um I just want to share a little bit of um of the reasoning for this resolution.

So I've read this feasibility report, and there are also several historic reports on this item that were available on the MPCA's website and the City of St.

Paul's website.

And if you if you read the feasibility study, there are six options which increase the amount of cleanup from uh which the amount of cleanup increases from option one to option six, which with six being the most cleanup, one being the least.

However, when you read the report, you'll find there really only are three options to consider because two of them don't meet the threshold criteria by the MPCA, and one of them is not very feasible.

So after reviewing all this information, um it is my opinion and also the opinion of um my community members and the friends of the Mississippi River, who have been a really strong partner on this, that uh we we um would like to see the MPCA consider alternative six, which is a removal of all waste and site restoration.

I think it's the best option, and that's why it's reflected in this resolution.

Other local elected leaders, including our mayor, um Senate Majority Leader Murphy and Representative Pinto are also supportive.

And I'm gonna share just really briefly my reasoning for this, which I submitted in my own public comment to the MPCA.

A few things that concern me around this uh this area C site, which is on the river bluff, is that we are likely to see increasing uh flood events beyond a hundred-year flood, which could potentially mobilize hazardous waste, which is very which is buried dozens of feet down.

I'm also concerned about the risk to the slope stability and the integrity of the site.

Um I do believe that a more comprehensive cleanup than uh the two options that aren't the full cleanup is needed if we as a city we want to have the opportunity to envision the site as being more than just a parking lot.

Uh there's also, you know, in one in our uh our Crosby Farm Regional Plan looking into uh expanding Hidden Falls and including this area C site.

I also have concerns about the surrounding ecology, you know, not just our human health, but also the health of our plants and animals and endangered species, which has been addressed in this report.

I want to be clear, but just having a little bit more investigation and analysis for how each of these implications would impact those is important.

Um I also think that you know these containment strategies that are in the other two options, not alternative six require indefinite monitoring, ongoing maintenance, and enduring a lot of uncertainty.

I think a more comprehensive cleanup really minimizes the long term financial, environmental, and operational liabilities to the site.

Um Arcadis, who developed this report, they're the technical experts on this.

Recommended alternative three.

Um that includes an amount of cleanup that does meet the requirements.

I also understand the MPCA's role and why their proposed plan is for alternative four, which is removing accessible waste and site stabilization, which also meets the threshold requirements of protecting human health and environment and isn't, of course, in compliance with all the rules and regulations while considering balancing criteria, feasibility, cost and effectiveness in the short and long term.

And so I understand their role and totally totally get from a technical perspective why they chose that option.

And while I do understand the option six is more intensive and costly, I think that when we're thinking about the future of our community and my role as a representative and representing the will of our constituents and also the values that we have for our city, I think that that's the best option.

You know, we also have this is a unique site, but this isn't the only place in our city where there are convert concerns about environmental pollution and the impact on our community and then the future of our city decades from now.

So I believe this is the best long-term solution for Ford in our community.

Well, three and four focus on control and moneting the rate waste rather than eliminating it.

I think six addresses the root of the problem.

Elimination, and I believe elimination and not containment is the only path that fully protects the community, the environment, and the future of the site.

Um with that, I'll move approval of this resolution.

Great.

Thank you, Ms.

Joe.

So the motion is for approval.

Is there discussion of the motion?

I will just say, Ms.

Jost, I really appreciate your thoughtful analysis of this.

I strongly support your decision.

Um, and I think it is important for the city to take a strong stance on the need for the uh most thorough cleanup at the site as you're doing.

So um thank you for your leadership on this.

Uh with that, all in favor say aye.

Aye, aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, non opposed, the resolution is adopted.

Sorry, just before we keep going, I I do recognize that we are beyond capacity uh in the room at the moment.

I I want to let folks know out of respect uh for those of our guests who are here for item 22.

Uh, we are gonna move that item up right after item 15.

So um there will not be as long to wait.

Um, just wanted just wanted folks to know.

Um, also want to encourage people that we we can all be friends.

So if you have a little room next to you and you can scoot a little closer, uh maybe we can make some more space.

All right.

Item 14.

And there's sorry, and you there's also space on this side of the room as well, if you want to sit over there.

All right.

Item 14 is resolution 26-343, recognizing Portia Hampton Flowers career with the city of St.

Paul and thanking her for her service.

Uh so as the old lady of the city council, uh, unfortunately, I've had to do a lot of these, um, but this one is particularly bittersweet.

Um, as we recognize Portia Hampton Flowers' extraordinary career at the city and wish her all the best as she goes on to be the best administrative law judge the state of Minnesota has ever seen.

Um I don't know if this is gonna prejudice all of those future cases against us for me to say this on the record, but you know, anything that comes from this Hampton Flowers desk in the future is just gonna be an automatic approval as far as I'm concerned.

I probably shouldn't have said that on the record.

I'm sorry.

Portia's like, no, you're not gonna be able to do that.

Uh I will just say on a personal note, um, and I know many of us have stories to share about our work with Portia, um, but it has always been striking to me how I sat in a number of settlement conferences with Portia.

I will say one of them was 48 hours ago.

So while this is her last day in the city of St.

Paul, uh, working for the city of St.

Paul, we hope you spend many more days in the city of St.

Paul.

Um, she spent Monday uh 9 a.m.

to 6 p.m.

plus at a settlement conference, uh so working up until the very last minute.

And it has always been striking to me how much she deeply cares about and defends um the integrity of the city of St.

Paul in all ways, and also how willing she is to uh stoop to whatever level of legal misunderstanding to explain the way that the law works.

Uh, I I always joke that I feel like I've gotten sort of free law school just from being in uh Ms.

Hampton Flowers Company many times.

Uh so really grateful for your professionalism, your love of our city, um, and just the the way that you do your job every day, and also manage to somehow be a wonderful human being.

And those things um are not always the same.

So I'm not gonna read this entire resolution, but I do want to read a couple parts of it.

It's also very small because we had to get a lot of words on here.

Uh so this is recognizing Portia Hampton Flowers' career with the City of St.

Paul and thanking her for her service.

Whereas Portia began her legal career with the office of the attorney general, where she handled personal injury lawsuits against the state of Minnesota and eminent domain land acquisitions on behalf of the Minnesota Department of Transportation for almost nine years.

Whereas Portia joined the St.

Paul City Attorney's Office in July of 2002 and has served as the civil litigation deputy and then the chief deputy for over 15 years.

Whereas in her time with the city, Portia has defended the city of St.

Paul and its mayors, city council members, and employees from a wide variety of civil lawsuits, including discrimination claims, employment disputes, personal, and we won't list all of the things you've defended us.

Whereas Portia has guided her team through difficult challenges, including a raft of assessment disputes, the garbage wars, the 2008 Republican National Convention, the COVID-19 pandemic, and the death of George Floyd, subsequent civil unrest in the Twin Cities, and a cyber emergency.

And whereas Portia has led by example with her hard work and dedication and mentored and collaborated with staff and attorneys ranging from the brand new to the highly seasoned, each of whom benefited from her wisdom that they gained from her many decades of experience.

And whereas Portia's team fondly remembers her sharing her love of Werner's ginger ale on special occasions, I'll have to hear that story.

And whereas Porsche has always brought a steady and careful approach to providing the city council with the information needed to understand settlement offers related to her work defending the city of St.

Paul and Rule 68.

Whereas Portia is highly regarded as a fierce negotiator, a skill that has greatly benefited the city and its residents over the years.

And whereas Portia's service has gone beyond the walls of City Hall, as she has taught undergraduate courses on constitutional law to law enforcement and criminal justice students at Metropolitan State University and continues to coach high school students in mock trial.

Now therefore be it resolved that the St.

Paul City Council thanks Portia Hampton Flowers for her many years of dedicated public service to the people of St.

Paul and be it finally resolved in honor of Porsche's years of public service to the City of St.

Paul, February 25th, 2026 will be known as Porsche Hampton Flowers Day in the City of St.

Paul.

Thank you.

One of the things that I think has maybe helped me have such a great relationship with the city council and department directors and clients and the people that I've had an opportunity to advise is that I only say something when it really matters.

And so I don't have a speech.

I wish I could work with you all someplace else doing something different.

But that's not the way it works.

So thank you.

I appreciate all of you.

I appreciate the people of St.

Paul because you all allow me to do good work for you.

Thank you, City Council members, past and present.

Thank you for all of my colleagues for all the support you've given me.

And thank you for this recognition.

I am humbled beyond belief.

Thank you all so very, very much.

And don't go too far away, Ms.

Hampton Flowers, because we might say nice things about you now, and I don't want you to be too far away to hear them, but you can certainly stay seated because I'm sure you'll be able to hear them from here.

Um I uh I will make a motion for approval of the resolution.

Is there any discussion of this motion?

Ms.

Johnson.

And then Ms.

Yay.

Okay.

All right.

So I think you actually do want to, sorry, you wouldn't want to be around.

Yeah, come on up.

Come on up.

So then we can see you.

Because I want to read your next one.

Well, I am so excited that I was able to come back today, be my first meeting back in time to catch you.

I wouldn't would have been really, really sad to not have been able to just say thank you for your time with not only with the city, but in particular getting us all through the settlement conferences when we didn't know what we were doing, but we were looking to you for guidance, for clarity.

Um I think you are absolutely correct that when you speak, uh, we all listen because it is not um something that we assume is without substance.

It's genuinely continual, it's continuously just something that adds to what we're doing, to our judgment calls, to what's in the best interest of uh ourselves and of the city.

And so, you know, I I'm just like, take us with you.

No, but in actuality, I'm really excited that I got a chance to work with you, and I'm excited that uh for all of the things that you'll go on to do um for our state as well.

I'm sad that we have to share you, but I'm also really just thankful that I got a chance to be here to say it in person.

So we really appreciate it, Portia.

Thank you so much.

Ms.

Yang.

Thank you, Council President.

I will echo everything that the council president and council member Johnson said, Portia, it's been such an honor to work with you.

I I have learned so much from you every single time we've been in meetings together.

You have modeled to me what being a great listener looks like, what being a great communicator looks like, and most importantly, to me, I you've just always showed up so strongly in the skill of meeting people where they're at in meetings that we have with you.

Um, you know, there we often talk about very complex situations.

Every single situation is very different.

But you had this wonderful skill of being able to just make people feel like they belong, even if it's you know, they're learning about something new for the first time or for maybe the hundredth time.

And you're so patient.

And so I want to say thank you for everything.

I know you're gonna be such an amazing administrative law judge, and I wish you all the best.

Vice President Kim.

Yeah, it is the um it's a tough day in St.

Paul.

Um, this is absolutely uh a loss for the city of St.

Paul, but obviously we're gaining such an incredible person at that level as an administrative law judge.

I I I continue to echo the same thoughts, but like a lot of our interactions are in closed door sessions.

We're talking about very sensitive things.

And I think the thing that I appreciate the most is like your kindness and patience as we sort through all of the information with you.

It's not like choose your own adventure, but it feels like any path we choose, you sort of outline what are the options, um, what's viable for us, and I think that takes an incredible amount of skill and patience.

And the other thing I really appreciate is, you know, oftentimes, and I feel like I've already said this to our city attorney um already about sometimes you you ask the question, we you get the answer to the question that you want from that you ask from a lawyer, not always the question, the answer that you're looking for.

And I think that is also an incredibly unique skill that you have, is regardless of the question that we ask, you hear what we're looking for, and you answer accordingly, and in a way that sort of titrates really complex information to provide simple, clear responses, and I cannot echo that enough.

You take it in and you listen and you listen deeply.

And so I I'm really proud to see you re and also I'm sad for the city of St.

Paul.

Um, but it's just to note that your tenacity, your kindness, your care, your clarity of your work and your dedication to your craft is um a loss for us, but obviously a gain for community.

So congratulations, and you'll be very sorely missed.

Thanks, Ms.

President.

Ms.

Bowie, and then Ms.

Just.

Thank you, Council President.

Of course, right?

I just uh all the things that were said earlier today.

I share that um it's just been such a pleasure working with you when I think about just being a first-time city council member and trying to navigate the terrain of local policies, state statutes, and what our powers are.

You've always been so gracious and kind.

Um I think about just your approach in terms of how you provide counsel, um, has been just really affirming.

Um, and in all the things that were said, particularly around how you not only interpret the law, but how you also allow, you know, me as a council member to really wrestle with some things that I may not like, right?

Um, or even ask those questions, particularly of why is it this way, right?

Um and just being the soundboard um that you've always been, and I just you know wanted to share that I am sad that you're going to go, but I do know you are you have deep roots in St.

Paul, and um uh uh you will remain um committed and dedicated to the work that we're doing here in St.

Paul.

So thank you so much for your leadership.

Um, and not even to aid you, but I just remember when I was a high school student, I just admired I always was admired you.

So um it's uh the it's been a long time um for someone like me, even outside of my role as a council member, just really admire and acknowledge all the strides that you've made here in the city of St.

Paul and made it possible um for uh people that look like me and look like you to see you know these as opportunities to work in the city of St.

Paul.

So thank you so much for your leadership.

Ms.

Um thank you, Council President.

And uh Portia, I just want to thank you again also for me being a new council member, the way that you um like Council Vice President Kim said were so patient with us and explain things.

I learned so much in those closed door meetings with you that really helped me understand you know how how some of these processes work.

Uh and so I just really really appreciate your support in that.

And I know you've done that for for so many council members in similar situations.

So thank you so much.

You will be missed.

I don't know how we'll make it through a closed door meeting without you.

Um, but we'll have to figure that out.

And I am really happy for you uh in your future as an ALG.

So I wish you the best.

Um and we will be missed.

Uh and last but not least, Miss Coleman.

I uh mostly just want to echo what all of my colleagues have said, and I will add two things.

The first is that what I think about the time that we've spent together in the last six months since I joined the council.

It um is a lot of meetings and closed door sessions where I have left with a headache because we are wrestling with very challenging issues, and there's a lot to think through, and that is your day every day, and so just the amount of work that we can't possibly capture here that you have put in to the city and the amount of brain energy and the amount of thoughtful wisdom that you have brought to our city for over 20 years, um, just cannot be deeply appreciated enough.

The one other thing I will just say is you know, there are so many opportunities for brilliant talented lawyers to choose to make a lot of money and pursue certain career paths, and so to see people who devote their talents to the city and then go on to continued service on the bench on behalf of the entire state.

It is just it's very remarkable, and I think it is something that should not go unnoticed in this space.

So thank you so much for everything.

Like others have said, you'll be so deeply missed.

Um, and we are just grateful for everything you have brought for many decades at the city.

Well, thank you to all of my colleagues for your eloquent, beautiful comments.

Um, this Hampton Flowers, thank you again.

Um, there is a motion on the table for approval of this resolution.

I'm not sure how this vote is gonna go.

But I think it's time we take it.

All in favor, say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

I just have one more thing I want to say.

Which is I know there's a slight typo in your name.

I saw it.

Oh, no, I didn't see that.

Oh.

It was the apostrophe S.

I thought you were gonna catch it.

Okay, we're no.

I just wanted to sort of remind everyone that you have such a great group of lawyers in the city attorney's office that I've had the pleasure of working with that you will continue to receive the same kind of guidance and support that you've accused me of providing to you.

I've done what they've told me to do.

So I just want to echo that they're a great group and you are in great hands.

And now maybe people when they see me, they'll be happy to see me.

Thank you.

I also think I'm gonna have I only say something when it really matters, put up on a poster in my office.

All right, hard pivot.

Item number 15 is resolution 26-326, approving the mayor's appointments of policy aides, constituent services associates, and director of public engagement and commun and constituent services.

And speaking of the mayor, I noticed that Mayor Hur is in the house.

Welcome.

Uh glad you're here.

Uh is there a uh staff or we're just doing the signing in.

There's I mean the swearing in, there's no staff working.

Okay.

Yeah, so I will move a version two, which has all of the correct names.

Um as we've had previous resolutions to this effect, we are really happy to see the mayor's team expanding and to welcome more folks to work with us uh in the city of St.

Paul.

So um uh welcome and looking forward to working with you.

Um we'll do the vote and then the swear.

Okay.

Uh so I will move approval.

Is there any discussion of the motion?

Ms.

Yang.

Um, thank you, Council President.

I do want to make comments, but can we do it after the swearing or would you do you prefer now?

Uh we can do it after the setting.

Okay, okay.

Uh any further discussion.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted as amended.

And welcome up.

Mr.

Wilms will do the swearing in.

If you stand in between the two golden columns, all five live cameras will capture you at once.

All right.

So you're um we'll do this as a group.

Joseph.

Yay, don't make us maybe.

So we'll have you state state your name individually and then your title individually.

So just raise your right hand and repeat after me.

I state your name.

I'm sorry.

Do you solemnly swear to swear to support the constitution?

Of the United States, of the United States.

And of the state of Minnesota.

And the state of Minnesota.

And to discharge faithfully.

The duties devolving upon me.

The duties of all me.

As the state your title.

As a director of financial processes.

Of the city of St.

Paul.

To the best of my judgment and ability.

Congratulations.

Welcome again.

We're not gonna say nice things about you until you retire.

No understanding.

We're really excited to work with you.

Ms.

Yang, I think I saw a comment.

Thank you, Council President.

Well, I I just wanted to say May or her, it's been so exciting to see who you brought brought on to your team.

I thank you for um choosing and being so intentional and bringing on such skilled and you know such a diverse team to work alongside you, the the um staff who have been sworn in.

It it's just been a pleasure being able to work with them and get to know them all.

I want to congratulate all of you.

It's so exciting to uh get to meet you and look forward to working with you.

There's a couple of people who I do want to acknowledge because of our work in the past, and um Abdul, it feels like yesterday that we were on the student senate together over at Manqueto State University, and to be here working in study hall with you, it is so special.

Um I want to say thank you for your commitment to continuing to serve our communities and doing that work here in St.

Paul in the city that I know we both love so much.

And also, Mary, like you are one of the first few people that people that I met when I started community organizing almost 10 years ago, and to see you um rise in so many so many important roles in government.

Um, you came to us from the governor's office, and here you are really extending your your skills and talent and wisdom and leadership to the city of St.

Paul.

That is also so special.

And I know that someone very near and dear to our heart, our sister, our late sister Marnie Zhong, who served as the St.

Paul School Board chair on St.

For St.

Paul Public Schools.

She passed away during COVID at a very young age.

But she she's here with us in spirit and celebrating you.

And so I want to say congratulations to you and to all of you.

Thank you, Ms.

Yang.

I saw Vice President Kim as well.

Oh, hit me in the fields with that.

Um, yeah, I'm so excited to work with all of you, and I do just want to take the opportunity of kind of pointing first approach to also call out a few folks.

Yeah, Mary, I met you many years ago.

I'm already first campaign, and you are just a shining star.

And you're it continues to rise.

We are so lucky to have you here.

Um, I'm so elated to work with you, Abdul Aziz.

We did a coffee uh a few years ago.

We talked about where you're going, what you want to do, and I remember telling you like you could literally do anything.

Like, what do you want to do?

And so I'm so grateful that you want to be in City Hall with us.

So I'm so excited to work with you.

I know there's other personal connections here that you know a few of us, and then uh to Joan Phillips, you can't get you can't go too far without us.

So thank you for coming back.

Um, you are one of the like the sunshine of that office, and I can only expect that you'll continue to be the sunshine of the new mayor's office.

So thank you so much for supporting this new administration, and it's gonna be lovely to work with you again.

Ms.

Johnson.

Well, I just want to say uh Mayor Herr, I'm officially jealous, and uh you have first of all, your team did not come to play.

Look at how they're dressed, how they look, they look serious.

You mean business.

Um but it's been such a pleasure to just see the team come together.

It's no small feat to put together an office um and to really just decide who's gonna leave this work for the city.

Um we all had to give the same oath that you all have taken today.

And I think that's what's most important.

Yes, I um can see several familiar faces.

Um I'll uplift Marcus uh as well because um I genuinely as a Jossi R.

Johnson leadership academy alum.

Um, your time at the African American Leadership Forum was transformative.

And so to be able to see you here as well and leading in the office of financial empowerment is incredibly important and crucial to the future of that work.

And so welcome.

Um and Joan, you sparkle today, literally, and always.

Uh, but just genuinely want to say that the work that we're stepping into is in partnership, and I look forward to being able to work with all of you and get to get a chance to know you.

Um you just don't know how important sometimes a return phone call to an to our St.

Paul residence is, and and don't take that for granted.

Um that communication and the the relationships that we build here are gonna see us when we're long and gone from the city.

And so today is the first of many.

Yes, I have uh a special place in my heart for many of you.

Um, but genuinely really excited to see if Dolzy is here as well, and welcome to the city of St.

Paul in this official capacity.

I'm glad that you're working with Mayor Her and Marcus.

It's great to work with you again, and Mary, welcome as well.

And for Laura, I'm you know, already just having one meeting with you.

Um it was a lasting first impression of just the attentiveness that you showed.

Um, that's what all matters.

So genuinely, I'm looking forward to working with all of you, and uh those that haven't gotten a chance to get to know know that it's not intentional.

This is my first day back.

Have grace.

Good to see you.

Great.

Well, we already did uh take the vote and swore you in.

So again, uh welcome, we're excited to work with you, and uh we'll hard pivot to our next item, uh, which is item 22.

Yep.

Item number 22 is resolution public hearing 26-58, commemorating the hundredth anniversary of Black History Month and uplifting the significant contributions of historically black colleges and universities, the National Pan Hellenic Council, the Divine Nine and Lynx Incorporated to the City of St.

Paul.

Ms.

Johnson and Ms.

Bowie.

All right, well, thank you all.

We have a bit of a program plan for you.

Um, sorry, not sorry.

It's definitely uh our centennial, and so we're gonna act up a little bit out of order.

Um I'm gonna first welcome up uh Mayor Her, who is here to personally uh deliver a proclamation today for this item as well.

Welcome, Mayor, welcome, Anne.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Did you want me to read the proclamation?

Yeah, okay.

Of course, of course.

Okay, wonderful.

Well, thank you.

And I wanted to first thank Councilmember Johnson and Bowie and um also uh Naker for bringing the resolution forward.

I did uh prepare a proclamation for today, and so I'd like to read that proclamation with your permission.

Umas 100 years ago in 1915, Dr.

Carter G.

Woodson, known as the father of black history, first set out to designate a time to promote and educate people about black history and culture, which included the suffered enslavement, injustice of lynch mobs, segregation, and the denial of basic and fundamental human rights, and whereas historically black colleges and universities, HBCU, emerged through the work of philanthropists and free blacks after the civil war to provide black Americans the most basic human rights access to a full education.

And whereas the National Pan Hellenic Council or Divine Nine formed in 1930 to unite historically black uh fraternities and sororities facing segregation segregation, which would become a crucial organization for uplifting civil rights and education, and whereas in 1946, Margaret Russell uh Rosell Hawkins and Sarah Strickland Scott co-founded the Lynx, a not-for-profit corporation which grew to be one of the nation's oldest and largest volunteer service organizations committed to enriching the culture and economic survival of African Americans and other people of African ancestry, and therefore be it resolved that the city of St.

Paul recognizes all Minnesota chapters of the Divine Nine, the National Pan Hellenic Council, the Minnesota HBCU alumni, and the Lynx for their unquantifiable local and global impact and commitment to service, justice, community, education, and uplifting the black community.

Now, therefore, I, Khali Her, Mayor of the City of St.

Paul, do hereby proclaim February 25th, 2026 to be Minnesota HBCU alumni, National Pan Hellenic Council, Divine Nine, and the Lynx Inc.

Day in the City of St.

Paul.

Thank you, Mayor.

All right.

So I will just start uh both uh Councilmember Bowie and I have paired a few remarks, and then we are going to uh defer our time uh to uh several folks that will be speaking in front of you today because we find it to be vital and important, especially during this time to continue to make history, her story, and to ensure that our public record reflects that while our federal, you know, our federal administration is actively trying to erase that.

Um we can bat that with the truth.

We combat that with our leadership, and we combat that with black history because black history is American history.

Yes.

Like I said, black history is American history.

The leadership, the innovation, and service of our historically black college and university alumni members and members of the National Panelinic Council and the Divine Nine, members of the Lynx Incorporated, and genuinely the entire black population overall, if I may say, has shaped the city in tangible ways, from public leadership and education to entrepreneurship, health care, arts and culture, and community advocacy.

It's often while navigating barriers that should have never ever existed.

The centennial is more than just a hundred years of what we call a black celebration that lasts for a month.

It's actually a hundred years of a legacy that is not abstract.

It lives in the opportunities created for young people.

It lives in the opportunities created through institutions that have strengthened through service and neighborhoods sustained through collective care and investment.

This resolution is both recognition and gratitude.

It's a recognition of excellence that cannot be ignored.

And it's gratitude to black residents whose commitment to community, justice, and collective progress continues to move St.

Paul forward for everyone.

We are community centered, we're rooted in the belief that when no that when one of us rises, we all rise.

You will hear from many organizations today, many leaders that have truly catered to 100 years of black history through movement building, and we also affirm this by honoring that history by continuing to work and investing in equity, by expanding our opportunity, and ensuring that our black residents and families here and all residents of St.

Paul can strive, can thrive in the city to help lead and love every day.

Thank you.

Hello, everyone.

My name is Anika Bowie.

I serve as a city council in Ward 1.

I proudly represent Rondo Frogtown, the Midway, and also the North End.

And I just want to say thank you so much, Council Member Johnson, when you gave the idea for us to invite the Divine Nine and the Lynx and NPHC and also our Black Minister Alliance and African American Leadership Council, I saw it as important, right, for us to celebrate the 100th year anniversary.

And as we gather here in the chambers on the centennial anniversary of Black History Month, I am reminded of the words of James Baldwin, who says, our crowns are already paid and bought for.

The self-determination, making sure that we're creating these institutions for our survival and also our advancement.

So being a history maker is not a choice.

When I was born, I did not think I had to make stride to be a history maker.

And me and myself and council member uh uh Johnson are history makers, but it is an inheritance.

One passed down from ancestors who taught us to lift as we climb, to lead with courage, and to stand in truth, even when the cost was high.

And as a member of this council, I do not sit in this seat alone.

I stand on the shoulders of many black leaders who have paved the way before us.

Former council member Bill Wilson, Jerry Blakey, Debbie Montgomery, Nathaniel Khalik, Melvin Carter the Third, Russell Ballinger, and even Mayor Carter the Third, and now my colleague, Councilmember Shaniqua Johnson, and myself, alongside them, I am honored to continue clearing the path for future leaders who carry a deep passion for public service and community.

Today we also celebrate our Divine Nine.

Hey.

Hello, y'all.

Yes.

Our big steppers, the Lynx, the National Pan Hellenic Council, and the Black Minister Alliance and African American Leadership Council.

These are not social clubs.

Let's be clear, these are legacy institutions.

They are built like lead with leadership and service at the center of their mission, designed for black survival, collective advancement, and self-determination at a time when our existence itself was under threat.

What is striking is that in many of these issues faced by our founders in the early 1920s are the same issues we are confronted with today, often in more overt and aggressive forms, and yet the blueprint remains divine nine women leaders like Sturley Chisholm, Rosa Parks, North Zora Neil Hurston, and has showed us how to fight for voting rights, access to education, economic opportunity, health equity, and full quality of life.

Their courage continues to guide us.

Today we will hear from many speakers whose legacies have shaped the city, this state, and even the nation.

And I just want to share to my divine nine.

If you feel called to stroll, please let the spirit move you, okay?

We we are here to celebrate black leadership, black legacy, and black joy.

So please let the spirit move you, and I'm gonna pass it to Queen.

I mean Chair Johnson.

Listen, you said Queen.

Yes.

Um class is Queen Latifah an insult.

Okay, and said it's being called Queen Latifa an insult.

Someone thought that that was an insult, but we all know exactly.

We all know the privilege of being unified.

And we all know the privilege of unity.

And that's what I hope that we will see here.

So today we'll just kick it off.

I will call up the Minnesota HBCU alumni.

So if Annette Lee, who is the co-founder and an alumni of Fisk University can join me, if Miss Maya Sullivan, who is uh president of the Minnesota HBCU, and an alumni of Tennessee State University and a member of Alpha Calpa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, Mr.

Brian McCoy, vice president and alumni of Jackson State University, and is a member of Alpha Fight Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, and a member of 100 Black Men of America Incorporated, and Miss Nicole Green, who is the chaplain, alumni of the North Carolina ANT State University, and member of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated.

Sorority Incorporated.

Thank you.

Hello, okay.

So we're staffed.

All right.

Good afternoon, St.

Paul City Council members, and a special thank you to Councilmember Bowie and Councilmember Johnson for inviting us.

Your leadership brings us all together.

My name is Annette Lee, and I am co-founder and executive director of Minnesota HBCU Alumni, which was founded in 2022.

On behalf of Minnesota HBCU alumni, we thank you for this recognition as we celebrate 100 years of Black History Month and enduring the legacy of historically black colleges and universities.

I would also like to give a nod to Bill Wilson, our former St.

Paul City Council president who has recently passed, who was also an alum of Knoxville College, an HBCU, and a member of Omega Sci-Fi fraternity.

Minnesota HBCU alumni was founded to connect and mobilize graduates of institutions rooted in excellence, resilience, and opportunity.

Today, our alumni serve Minnesota as educators, healthcare professionals, engineers, public servants, CEOs, and community leaders.

Our work is grounded in impact.

We mentor students and recent HBCU graduates.

We have we host college fairs, and we open doors for young people who have not yet seen themselves in higher education.

We are not just preserving history, we are building futures.

As a co-founder and executive director, a proud double HBCU alumna of Fisk University and Howard University.

You know, and a St.

Paul native, this work is deeply personal to me.

And I have seen what happens when students are exposed to possibility, and hear the words, you belong here.

Lives change, families change, communities change.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hello, and thank you, Councilmember Johnson and Bowie and the entire council and mayor her for today's recognition.

My name is Maya Sullivan, and I have the absolute pleasure of serving as the president of Minnesota HBCU alumni.

I'm a fourth generation HBCU alum in my family, including both of my parents.

I am a proud alum of Tennessee State University, where the motto was think, work, serve.

These are characteristics I have embodied professionally in my public service career or my own businesses, as well as providing service to the community.

And most of our HBCO alums embody these principles too.

There are more than 100 HBCUs with rich legacies in describing an HBCU, a simple word I like to use, is home.

For many, not all people, home signifies safety, connection, love, support, opportunities for growth, and so much more.

And this is indeed the feeling that brought me to and kept me at TSU.

Coming of age with this type of support is significant.

Many other HBCU alums would likely say something similar.

These feelings cannot be duplicated in the same way at a PWI.

I've attended both.

In fact, data provides that black HBCU alums report a greater sense of belonging and support from college personnel than black alums who attended PWIs.

Some of the results, our alum in Minnesota are well represented in many industries and community service.

Also, half of black teachers, 80% of black judges, 50% of black attorneys, 40% of black engineers in the U.S.

attended HBCUs.

We are representing all of these industries and so many more in Minnesota and other places.

This is not all the data, but hopefully you got the picture.

I am also a proud member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, actively serving the community within the Delta Phi Omega chapter with initiatives that our president will speak about shortly.

Again, thank you for this recognition.

We continue in service.

Hello, everybody.

Thank you for inviting us.

My name is Brian McCoy.

I'm the vice president of the Minnesota HBCU association.

One quick thing.

And I ended up transferring to HBCU.

The first thing that I learned in my first class as the HBCU was upward mobility.

Had never heard it in my life.

Had never been exposed to it.

But that conversation, that one word, that one phrase, however you want to say it, changed my life.

It led me to get a master's degree.

It led me to going on and working at the Capitol in DC.

It led me to places that allow me to have access to people conversations.

One thing I can say about attending an HBCU is that it allowed me to see my culture.

It allowed me to see my culture in a way that advanced me and that put me in situations where I can be myself.

The next thing is that moving here to St.

Paul, I moved here from Scottsdale.

And it was a joy to see the presence of HBCU, not only Jackson State, but all of the HBCUs here in Minnesota and how they work together and how they all coincide and how they all piggyback and thrive off each other.

So thank you for inviting us and looking forward to other opportunities.

Good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Nicole Green, and I want to thank you, Council President Laker, for allowing us to be here today.

Thank you to Council Members Johnson and Bowie for commemorate commemorating this time.

And thank you to the honorable mayor her for the proclamation.

I think there's an Aggie in the house today, and I know that I know they know what to do.

When I say Aggie, you say pride, Aggie, Aggie, when I say Aggie, you say pride, Aggie, cry, Aggie, thank you, thank you, thank you.

That's how we do.

It is family, and it is joy.

And there are so many things that go on in this chambers.

Uh, and so I am a proud uh representative of the uh proud member of the Minneapolis St.

Paul alumni chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, as well as an actively engaged and committed alum of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University, and also the chief financial officer for the City of St.

Paul's uh planning and economic development department.

So I am here today representing right the coordination and the collaboration of all of our work.

And most of the time when I'm here, I'm in front of you, and it's about business.

And I just want to say that the existence of black people, our business built this nation.

And so I'm still doing the work as I represent all three uh unified forces here today.

Uh, I just want to talk about the fact that uh as the largest HBCU in the nation, North Carolina AT State University currently has a research innovation project with the University of Minnesota, and that just means Aggies do.

That's what all HBCUs do.

That we don't sit still and we don't sit, we don't sit quiet, we reach out, we reach across.

We do not exclude, as as the uh as the building and the founding of our institutions was required because we were excluded.

We do not exclude.

We include everybody in the work that we are doing.

So we are very, very excited about that today that we are currently working with the University of Minnesota, and also our alumni, uh local alumni are active and engaged.

I will call to your attention Matthew Little, who who uh moved here in 1952 and led the delegation, the Minnesota delegation to the March on Washington.

I will call to your attention Jay Tyson, who is a premier architect, one of the first licensed architects uh in the state of Minnesota, first black licensed architects in the state of Minnesota.

I will call to your attention Brenda Hill, who has educated for years at uh Century College, uh, and many, many local uh alumni who are reaching across and doing the work.

We thank you for this time.

Uh, on behalf of uh my chancellor James Martin, uh, we appreciate you.

We recognize the history and the achievement of this all women council.

You all are the dreams, right?

You've achieved the dreams of the nation, uh, and we salute you.

Thank you.

Thank you all very much.

Okay, so we have more speakers to come.

I'm going to introduce four of our speakers here.

Uh, we have uh the vice president of the NPHC, Michelle Benson, um, representing also the board member of the Minneapolis St.

Paul chapter of Kappa Alpha Psy.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Sorry about that.

I didn't put that in there.

Let me make that correction.

But we have the vice president of um of the NPHC, and I'll have you also um introduce the chapter that you're representing, and then we'll have uh Raisan King, um, representing the uh Gamma Psi Lambda chapter president, uh representing all Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, and then we have the president of the Delta Phi Omega Alumni Chapter, Marsha Henry, uh representing the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated, and last but not least, um also we have president of the Alpha Delta Sigma Omega Alumni Chapter, Jennifer Harris, uh representing the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

And welcome up.

And as you come up, something I normally say before our public hearings, but forgot to say today, those two microphones are a little bit strange, but they don't need to be adjusted.

They'll pick up your voice just fine, and you can stand up tall without needing to lean over to them.

So always want to make sure people feel comfortable.

Welcome.

Thank you.

I appreciate all of the the pointers.

Um good afternoon, council members, community leaders, divine nine presidents, and honored guests.

On behalf of the Minneapolis St.

Paul chapter of the National Panalinic Council, thank you for this meaningful recognition.

My name is Michelle Benson, and I'm a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated.

It's an honor to stand here as your vice president of the council and represent an organization grounded in scholarship, service, leadership, and unity.

This month marks the hundredth anniversary of Black History Month.

What began in 1926 as Negro History Week, founded by historian Carter G.

Woodson, has grown into a national month of reflection and celebration.

This year's theme, a century of black history commemorations, announced by the Association for the Study of African American Life and Honors and History, honors a hundred years of intentionally documenting, protecting, uplifting the achievements and resilience of African Americans.

That legacy is deeply connected to the Divine Nine.

Our historically black fraternities and sororities were founded during times of limited access but limitless determination.

For generations, we have championed education, civic engagement, and community empowerment.

Here in the Twin Cities, our members mentor youth, provide scholarships, promote voter engagement, and partner with local organizations to strengthen our communities.

We do not simply celebrate black history, we actively contribute to it.

As we approach this centennial milestone, especially amid ongoing conversations about how black history is taught and preserved, we remain committed to service, advocacy, and collective advancement.

Thank you for honoring the National Panalinic Council and the Divine Nine here today, and we are proud to continue building a legacy of excellence that strengthens St.

Paul and beyond.

Thank you.

So thank you, Council President, Councilmember Nikki Bowie, and Councilmember Senequa Johnson, and congratulations on your St.

Paul, Minnesota history as well.

Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, the first intercollegiate Greek letter fraternity established for African American men, was founded on an ice cold Tuesday, December 4th, 1906 at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by seven college men.

In 1907, Alpha established the first intercollegiate Greek letter chapter of an organization established for African American men at an HBCU at Howard University.

In 1912, Alpha established MU chapter at the University of Minnesota and Minnesota as a state was only 48 years old years old, making it the first intercollegiate Greek letter fraternity chapter for an organizational established for African American men in the state of Minnesota.

And in 1946, establishing Gamma Zarlambda chapter, making it the first Greek letter chapter for the intercollegiate alumni in the state of Minnesota for African American men.

Today, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated has a membership of 880 chapters worldwide and a total number of members of 200,000.

Our efforts are many, but a few to call out.

All fraternities initiative with the University of Minnesota, Carlson School of Business, Voteless People is a hopeless people, including our general president Lucy and J.

Mattellis Jr.

Statement released on ICE aggression and disregard of civil rights and rule of law, the local foundation, Raymond W.

Cannon Foundation, and so much more.

A shout out to all my fellow Alphas in the room and recognizing our district director for the state of Minnesota, Carlos Sneed, Gamma Zalambda Vice President, Richard Torrell.

Our college brothers couldn't be here because they're in class.

Good job.

John Knighton and Jaden Montez.

And a huge thank you to my fellow Black Greek letter organizations and their presidents, their poll marks, ambassadors for sitting at the table together, together to get things done.

Thank you, 06.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, and hello, everyone.

Thank you to the St.

Paul City Council members, Johnson and Bowie, for your invitation and for this recognition.

Thank you to the members.

My name is Marcia Henry, and I am the president of the Delta Phi Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated here in the Twin Cities.

We have three chapters in Minnesota.

We have an undergraduate chapter, Muroe, and we also have a new chapter, and you'll hear from my sister president in a moment.

Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated just celebrated our 118th year anniversary this year.

And we stand on the tenets of service to all mankind into high scholastic standards.

Here in the Twin Cities, Delta Phi Omega chapter has served the community for 78 years.

We are more than a social club.

One of the things that we are more proud of, most proud of, is the fact that we are able to uh award scholarships yearly to deserving students.

Over the past two years, we've awarded 20,000 annually to deserving students in the Twin Cities.

We are in the season of the taking applications.

So if you know of any students, please direct them to our website.

We just held our biannual cotillion a few weeks ago, where we awarded 17 young ladies almost 28,000.

Again, more than a social club.

One of our national programs that I want to highlight is the Childhood Hunger Initiative.

This is implemented across the country and across the globe by our sorority.

This is where we pack food and snacks for elementary aged students.

Here in the Twin Cities, we are supporting Maxfield Elementary School here in St.

Paul.

I just want to end with one thing, and that is as we look at how our cities have been impacted.

Supporting black businesses as well as packing hygiene pits.

We are here to serve our community.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Good afternoon, and thank you, Councilmembers Bowie and Johnson, for the honor.

My name is Jennifer Harris, and I bring you greetings on behalf of my sisters of Alpha Delta Sigma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated.

Our chapter is the second graduate chapter chartered in over 78 years in the state of Minnesota.

I am also a proud 1989 alumni of Southern University and located, yes, located in Baton Ridge, Louisiana.

We are the only HBCU system in the United States, where we have campuses on the campuses in the city of Shreveport, Bozier City, New Orleans, and where its main campus sits in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

My husband and I are both proud alumni of the university where we both pledged Alpha Kappa Alpha and Kappa Alpha Psi on the campus of Southern University.

I have represented Southern University in many college fairs in the Twin Cities over the past five years.

It is very important that we continue to bring awareness of HBCUs to our cities.

In Alpha Kappa Alpha, we make sure that we provide access for all of our young people.

We have provided scholarships for this for St.

Catherine University, and now we have begun the opportunities of bringing school supply drives to deserving schools.

We are so honored to be here for the hundredth anniversary of Black History Month, and we continue to uplift our communities in the work that we do.

We thank you for the honor and the pleasure of being here.

Thank you all very much.

All right.

Next up we have Mr.

Larry Kenzie, who is the founding member and former poll march of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Incorporated.

We also have Omega Sci-Fi Fraternity Incorporated, Mr.

Jerick Horton, Chairman Achievement Week of the Epsilon Road Chapter.

And we have Dr.

Stephanie Baraj, president of the Minneapolis St.

Paul alumni chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Incorporated, followed by Daryl Young, who is the president of Zionu Chap uh Sigma Chapter of the Minnesota Phi Beta Sigmas Fraternity Incorporated.

Welcome up to the evening.

Along with my fraternity brothers, Kappa of Asai have been in Minnesota since 1924.

Started at the university in April of 1924, serving our undergraduates.

We had an alumni chapter founded here in 1954, and a second alumni chapter in 1984.

We are proud men of achievement.

Kappa Pasai was founded at Indiana University by 10 great men who had a dream and have been around for 115 years.

In the state of Minnesota, we're proud of the fact that we provide a number of scholarships.

But mostly things that we're proud of is our program, what we call Guide Right.

It is a mentoring program that served young men from sixth grade through 12th grade.

And so we're super proud of being able to guide those young men right in terms of assisting them in mentoring and sending them to college.

And so we thank you for the opportunity to come and uh receive and be recognized today by the city council.

Thank you.

Oh, come on.

So one of the things we're also proud about is our relationship with the Divine Nine.

Um of the things we've done, if you may have saw the Turkey Drive with 1200 Turkeys, where we're included all the fraternities and sororities, as well as all the HBCUs.

Me, myself personally, I didn't go to a HBCU.

I took the opportunity to go to the University of Minnesota, but I'm happy that the Divine Nine and the fraternities and sororities that were there were there for me because I did not see people like myself on that campus at that time.

Um I'm grateful to the leaders such as McKenzie and the other leaders in the city that gave us the opportunity to understand and know our heritage.

The St.

Paul chapter also is there.

So I want to thank both AKA, I want to thank the Delta Sigma Thetas, Zeta Fibetas, uh, because you are all family to us uh just as anyone else is.

And thank you for this opportunity, City of St.

Paul.

Welcome.

Good afternoon, Council, visitors.

My name is Jared Horton.

I am the Achievement Week Chair of the Epsilon Road chapter of Omega South Fraternity Incorporated.

Um I was going to brag on our fraternity a little bit, um, but some things caught me, and I want to adjust.

You know, I could talk about our talent hunt.

That's for high school students that's coming up Friday where we highlight arts, talk about Omega Dear, which is the childhood reading program that me and other brothers of fraternity do, but um, something that caught me was that we we tend to forget history.

And I think what we're seeing now in America is that history forgotten tends to lead to devastation amongst the populists.

Um we have been celebrating Negro achievement for 100 years, correct?

But as our brother Carter Codson Woodson founded Negro Achievement Week in 1926, who was not recognized for another 50 years.

That means that when Roy Wilkins, who's a graduate of the University of Minnesota, was the first black editor of the Minnesota Daily and was a 20-year executive director for the NAACP was active.

We did not celebrate a month of black achievement.

We celebrated a week.

When Horace Huntley, my fraternity brother, was part of the Moral Hill Take Moral Hall takeover at the University of Minnesota in 1969.

We were still celebrating a week.

The achievements of black people are the history of this nation, and we have to be sure to continue to celebrate them so we don't forget them.

What we see a lot in our youth now is a forgotten legacy of the people that they come from and what we're capable of and what they're capable of.

So as we accept this honor from the city and we appreciate it, 50 years is not long enough for us to sit back and relax.

50 years is the beginning.

And there's a bunch of black professionals, black educators that who have given a lot to the city and the state.

So I want to make sure that we recognize real history, 50 years of a month, under years of recognition of a week and a lifetime of achievement.

Thank you.

Okay, come on, come on.

We do.

All right.

Come on.

Welcome up.

They're coming.

There's a lot of us.

Are we all here?

All right.

All right.

Good evening, Council President and the honorable members of the St.

Paul City Council.

On behalf of the 188 members of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, the Minneapolis St.

Paul alumni chapter, we thank you for this recognition.

We were founded in 1913 by 22 visionary women at Howard University.

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated has grown into a global sisterhood of more than 350,000 college-educated women with over a thousand chapters across the United States and internationally.

Just weeks after our founding, our 22 founders made history as their very first public act of service.

They marched in the 1913 women's suffrage march.

Procession in Washington, D.C., standing boldly for voting rights at a time when both their race and gender made that stance courageous and costly.

We are still living in that moment today.

We were founded in courage.

We were built in conviction, and we continue in commitment.

For 60 years in the Twin Cities, our chapter has carried that same spirit forward.

We invest in futures.

We fund opportunities.

And through scholarship support, totaling over 150,000, we turn potential into possibility.

Through mentorship, voter education, health initiatives, and economic empowerment programming.

We also contribute thousands of service hours annually to strengthen this community.

Our work moves intentionally through our five programmatic thrusts economic development, educational development, international awareness and involvement, physical and mental health, political awareness and involvement.

We mentor, we invest, we advocate, and we mobilize.

And we do not stand alone.

As proud members of the Divine Nine, we stand shoulder to shoulder with our D9 brothers and sisters.

Nine historically black Greek letter organizations, united in service and collective impact.

When one of us serves, we all serve.

When one of us rises, we all rise.

When our communities call, we answer together.

Tonight's recognition is not simply about longevity.

It is a legacy in motion.

It is partnership in action.

It is a continued commitment to building communities where equity is real, opportunity is accessible, and every voice matters.

And as women of Delta, we close with the same spirit in which we began, rooted in sisterhood, relentless in service, and resolute in social action.

We are Delta Sigma Theta, still standing, still serving, still answering the call.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Welcome up.

All right, greetings.

Hello, how are y'all doing?

Greetings, how are y'all doing?

All right.

Um my name is Darrell Young.

I am the president of uh for our chapter, Zate New Sigma, uh, Five Bit of Sigma Fraternity Incorporated.

Um I'm just really just taking this moment right now.

I'm in awe because I'm seeing generations of leadership here, uh, of service for us.

We do um we do a lot in the community, but the biggest thing for me, and I'm very close to my mom.

I'm a mama's boy, I would probably say that.

Um, but my mom is a person of service, and that was the one thing that for our fraternity here is about service.

And so that's was really the biggest push for me, and this is what I see here with the divine nine is like we're about service.

Um, so I want to just thank you for this time.

Thank you for the opportunity.

This is amazing.

But well, really excited about is what's gonna happen after this.

We're gonna mobilize, we're gonna work together.

We all talk all the time, but at the same time, we're about the action.

So thank you on behalf of our chapter with these wonderful men back here.

They look very nice too.

So, we just want to say thank you, and we're open for anything you want to do in the community.

We are here for you.

Thank you so much.

Thank you very much.

Wow, this is so affirming.

I just want to make sure I can save this video and play it back from my own personal affirmations, honestly.

We have uh five more or four more um fraternities.

We have the Zeta Five Beta Sorority Incorporated, the Dr.

Zakia Robbins McNeil, uh, who is the president of the IOTA Zeta Zeta Chapter.

Also next is the Sigma Gama Sem Sigma Gamma Row sorority incorporated.

Uh Dr.

Ella Gates Mahmood, vice president of the Psy Iota Alumni Chapter in St.

Paul.

Then we have the IOTA Phi Theta Fraternity Incorporated, have Tibbs.

Hopefully I said that right, Tibbs.

Tobias, thank you.

Thank you, Tobias.

Thank you for that correction.

Hill, uh, chapter state director of the MSP alumni chapter.

And then we have the Greater Twin Cities, the Minnesota Chapter of the Lynx Incorporated.

Dr.

Kristen Morris Chapter President, and then last but not least, we have the Minneapolis St.

Paul uh chapter of the Links Incorporated, Cinnamon Pelley, who's the chapter vice president.

Welcome up.

Okay.

Just want to share too.

We have two minutes for each speaker.

Yep.

He said, we gonna listen, listen.

We gonna we're gonna keep it brief.

We're gonna keep it brief.

Come on, come on, get behind me, get behind me, get behind me.

Hello.

My name is Dr.

Zakia Robbins McNeil, and um I am here from Zayta Fibeta Sorority Incorporated.

Um, and I am bringing all of my sisters up here with me, and I'm gonna share my time.

So I'm gonna start with my state director.

Thank you.

Thank you for having us here today.

My name is Keisha Mitchell, and I am the fifth Minnesota State Director for Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Incorporated.

I want to bring greetings on behalf of our international grandpasilists, our president, Dr.

Stacy N.

C.

Grant, our amazing regional director, Keisha D.

Smith, and our uh Minnesota chapters of Zeta Fibeta Sorority Incorporated.

That would be our Minneapolis chapter, our Roseville chapter, and our Mankato State chapter.

All right, I'm gonna take the pleasure of giving a little bit of knowledge about Zeta Fibeta Sorority Incorporated.

We were in uh created in 1920 at Howard University, well on the campus of Howard University, uh just like some of our other counterparts.

Um we were created in partnership, I'll just say in partnership.

Um, our brothers of Five Beta Sigma, they were up here a few minutes ago, but we do have five founders.

We call them our five pearls, uh Arizona Cleaver Simmons, Pearl Anna Neal, Myrtle Tyler Faithful, Viola Tider Goins, and Fanny Petty Watts.

Our five principles are scholarship, service, sisterhood, and finer womanhood.

And um, I want to continue to acknowledge the fact that all of the members of the Divine Nine, we continue to work together as the other members have stated, and we will continue to do so.

I'm gonna pass it over to uh to my sorority sister, Latrice Daniel, who will tell you about what we do here in Minnesota specifically.

Hi, I am Latrice Daniel, the president of Sigma Beta Zeta chapter.

So here in St.

Paul, these are some things we've done recently.

We had a community baby shower.

We donated school supplies for St.

Paul public schools, and we raised prematurity awareness and black maternity health awareness in the city, in the greater twin cities.

Uh when Zeta calls, we answer when the community calls, we answer.

When the Annunciation School incident happened, we focused in on the people who were helping the people.

So we donated to the first responders, and we donated to children's Minnesota.

When George Floyd happened, we needed to take care of the community.

There was fear and there was food insecurity.

We don't have time to sit around and wait to figure out who's gonna help us.

We showed up, we made sure that people can eat when businesses were having trouble.

Recently, as it's happening now, there are people afraid to leave their houses here, right?

So we are making sure that our food shelves are uh stopped, and that people have awareness of how they can help with that.

So again, when Zeta calls, when the community calls, we answer.

Thank you, and thank you, everyone.

Sorry, thank you very much.

You can so much right now.

That's how you right here.

So if you're watching us, welcome to one good afternoon.

Thank you for inviting us.

My name is Irene Campbell, and I'm a proud member of Sigma Gamma Road Sorority Incorporated, a worldwide uh organization formed in 1922.

Our uh anti-bashless Dr.

Ella Makhmood is attending a funeral, so we're filling in.

Um we have expanded a little bit in the state of Minnesota, and our new chapter, which was established in St.

Paul, the first Greek letter organization to be formed in the city of St.

Paul ever.

And uh we're greater service, greater progress.

We have reached out in uh a number of different ways for service to our community, like with the um Michelle and Barack Obama School.

We work with the um drown prevention with um 1922, swim 1922, and uh we have a number of upcoming uh activities and events.

One is our annual walk run ride, which will be at the end of the summer, and we'd love to have you come and join us, and I'm gonna share with my sewer from the links.

Good evening.

Thank you, Council President and City Council members for inviting us here to celebrate the hundredth centennial anniversary of Black History Month.

What a legacy.

As I stand and follow my MPHC leaders and presidents on behalf of Sigma Gamma Rose Sorority Incorporated, we are the only historically African American sorority founded on a predominantly white campus.

We were founded in the early 1920s when it was neither politically or socially correct to be a woman or a black person pursuing higher education.

It was in the height of the Ku Klux Klan era, birth of a nation had just dropped.

It was in this moment that our founders, seven young women, decided to become educators.

They did they determined that scholarly research was the pathway to upliftment for the race and for the gender.

So they donned these royal colors of royal blue and gold.

They were hiding from no one on that campus in the middle of Indiana, and they created a legacy that more than a hundred years later continues to thrive.

So I'll be on behalf of both of our chapters here in the Twin Cities.

Thank you for letting us celebrate with you here today.

Thank you so much.

Welcome.

I promise I'm gonna keep this to two minutes.

Good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Dr.

Kristen Morris, and on behalf of Greater Twin Cities Minnesota chapter of the Lynx Incorporated.

I extend warm greetings to our chapter leaders, our chapter members, and our sister chapter.

It is an honor to stand with you.

I also want to acknowledge the black organizations gathered here today and offer deep gratitude to Council members Anika Bowie and Shanika Johnson for this invitation and for choosing to uplift the legacy and leadership of HBCUs, the National Panhellenic Council, and all nine historically black fraternities and sorority during this milestone year celebrating a hundred years of Black History Month.

Lynx is a service organization, yes.

But more than that, we are builders of community capacity, and our chapter has poured thousands, thousands of service hours into work that strengthens families and expands opportunities.

We invest in health and wellness.

We are showing up consistently through monthly food shelf volunteerism, and we've wrapped our arms around young people through our umbrella programming at Roseville Area Middle Schools.

We've helped register hundreds of youth to vote.

Hooray.

And we brought the Minnesota, our babies from Roseville to the Minnesota State Capitol, so that they can be able to meet their legislators.

And because civic power belongs to them, we wanted to show them.

Our aim is simple light a path to a better future, and make sure our children can see themselves as the full story of possibility in arts, politics, and leadership, and in pride knowing exactly who they are.

And we do the standing on the shoulders of Twin Cities Trailblazers and those who built and protected black community through every season, including here in St.

Paul, where places like Rondo remind us what resilience looks like when it has a zip code and a history.

To the council, our community partners, and to everyone honored today.

Thank you for your time, your leadership, and your commitment.

We are here.

We are serving.

We are not done.

We are still building.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Good evening again.

Welcome back.

Welcome, thank you.

My name is Cinnamon Pelle, and I'm the vice president of the Minneapolis St.

Paul chapter of the Lynx Incorporated.

Good evening to President Knocker and the City Paul and the St.

Paul City Council.

It is my privilege to stand before you.

Our chapter was chartered on December 10th, 1972 by visionary women who believe that the strength of our community lies in the links we throw between friendship and service.

For over 50 years, we've been a constant presence in the Twin Cities and dedicated to the cultural and economic survival of African Americans and those of African descent.

Black History Month is an opportunity to honor those who didn't just witness history but wrote it.

Our chapter is home to some of the architects of St.

Paul's progress.

We stand on the shoulders of educational giants, like Dr.

Dolores Henderson.

The longest the longest sitting administrator in Minnesota history with 46 years of service to St.

Paul Public Schools and Shirley Kaiser, St.

Paul's first black elementary school principal.

We're also proud to count among our members, Lisa Lissamore, a daughter of Rondo and a legend of St.

Paul Central, who champion our youth for decades.

Gay Massey Adams, who led the YWCA St.

Paul with such distinction, and scholars like Dr.

Duchess Harris of McAllister College.

I should have paused after all of those shout-outs.

From the halls of our neighborhood schools to the highest levels of civic leadership, these women remind us that the link we provide is only as strong as the leaders who forge it.

The commitment to St.

Paul's youth remains our heartbeat.

We're incredibly proud of past partnership with the East African Magnet School.

And today we're honored to continue that work with our partnership with City View Community School in North Minneapolis.

Whether we're supporting the arts, health equity, or the next generation of scholars, we do so knowing that Black history made every single day, not just in our past, but in our neighborhood, classrooms, and within these very chambers.

Thank you for this recognition.

The Minneapolis St.

Paul chapter of the Lynx Incorporated remains steadfast your partner in service and ensuring that the chain of progress in St.

Paul remains unbroken.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Just switched up real fast.

Thank you for doing it.

Thank you.

Okay, so with that.

I just wanted to make sure there wasn't a member of Iota of the AOTAs here today.

Okay.

I have his, I'll keep his as well.

But with that, we will actually make a motion to close the public hearing and approve.

Okay.

I think I should open the public hearing first just to make sure anyone else uh who realized that call it up.

Uh so this is still a public hearing.

Is there anyone else here who wishes to testify on this item?

Uh seeing none, Ms.

Johnson makes a motion to close the public hearing and approve.

Yes, we'll do the vote here, and then for everyone who is here with us, um, it would be very really hard to do a picture here.

We are gonna make some time to do a picture outside, right where you walked in by the elevators.

Um, if we could have, I see Nicole here, and I'm gonna delegate to Nicole and to Paul if you could help us just getting folks together ready for the photo.

We do have, we will make sure that each chapter gets it.

So we'll take it outside because there's no way we're gonna fit right here.

Um so just to uh No, we didn't miss them.

We didn't miss them, Mrs.

Clark.

We got them, but yes, go ahead.

So the motion on the table is to close the public hearing and approve.

Um is there discussion of the motion?

Ms.

Yang.

Thank you, Council President.

Well, Councilmember Johnson and Bowie, I want to say thank you for thank you for bringing forward such um a heartfelt resolution celebrating the 100th year of the of Black History Month.

This was so beautiful.

Um, the the unity, the joy, black excellence, the commitment to your ancestors and uplifting their dreams and living out their wildest dreams is so deeply contagious.

I want to say thank you to all of you for coming and speaking, um, speaking your truth, your commitment to service to your community to our youth.

I mean, there was just there were so many moments when I was listening to the to the testifiers um that I felt we're gonna be okay.

We are in good hands because of all of you.

So many leaders, um, people who are trailblazers out there doing incredible work in the communities and our youth.

Like they they see you all out there, and that is so incredible, and I'm so proud that um today I get to share such a you know special space with you all here in the chambers.

There was something that the first speaker said that really um that that I really um just resonated with and and it stuck with me, which is that um our special guests here for the resolution, they're all here because of Councilmember Bowie and Councilmember Johnson, and that is really special because you know, to me, it just really speaks volumes about how representation it truly matters.

It's not gonna be what saves us.

I mean, the truth is that we are gonna be the ones who save us.

We have the power to save us, and you all are out there living that every single day, and I'm so proud to be able to serve alongside an all-woman city council.

We have our first evermong um among American mayor here too in St.

Paul.

And I know you know, like I'm just excited.

I'm excited for what is in store for our future generations and for our generations here today, too.

So thank you, everybody.

I'm very excited to support this and vote in in favor of this resolution.

Thank you, Ms.

Yang.

Council Vice President.

Yeah, I'll just be very brief.

I am so humbled and honored to have all of you here in the council.

I mentioned to our lawyer and the council president, I said this is the best day in council we've ever had.

Um just kudos to you, and I um yeah, I'm just very honored to be to be witness of this resolution today.

It does not uh like the last speaker spoke to it.

Like we're making history right now in our neighborhoods.

The fact that you all came to celebrate this occasion um and show up in full force.

Um, it is incredibly beautiful.

Um, so congratulations to all of you, and I am just so so honored that all of you continue to serve.

That was the thread through so many of the speakers that we had was your commitment to service and community and to each other, and um, you know, as one rises, we all rise.

So I'm just I'm just in awe, and thank you so much.

I'm looking forward to celebrating with all of you.

Thank you, Vice President.

Any other discussion of the motion, Ms.

Jost.

Um, thank you, Council President.

Um, I just want to thank uh Councilmember Johnson and Councilmember Bowie for putting this together when I saw like the entire divine nine show up here in the chambers and just uh how much work that must have taken to organize this, and I just really appreciate um everything that you've done and everyone that showed up here today.

I really want to uplift um the commitment that was shared around excellence and the commitment to service in our community, and I just really appreciate um everyone that came here today and all that they do for our city.

I also want to recognize that um, you know, I looked around the chambers, how many folks that are city employees or have been city council members or mayors that have also um attended HBCUs and have been members of our members of the Divine Dine too.

So I just want to make sure that we're recognizing that as well because they are um everywhere and all uh over our city and our state and right here um in City Hall.

So thank you.

Thank you, Ms.

Joast.

Ms.

Coleman.

I truly have so little to add, but I will just echo the thanks to Councilmembers Bowie and Johnson for bringing this resolution forward.

And like Councilmember Joe said, this must have been an incredible amount of work to pull off this coordination, and so thank you both for bringing it to us.

Thank you so much to everybody for being here and and celebrating this milestone.

Um this was a really powerful presentation.

Uh I will echo my colleagues' thanks to you both for the extremely hard work to uh coordinate all of this.

Thank you so much to everyone who joined us today.

I I agree with my colleagues.

I feel like we are really honored to have you all here in the chambers.

This is a really special day, celebrating black history, celebrating American history, which are the same thing.

And I also want to note something that many of you touched on in your remarks, which is this theme of paying it forward, the service, um, the the giving back that you are doing in so many different ways.

Our community is truly stronger and better because of your uh commitment and dedication.

So thank you so much.

Um and with that, I think we will take a vote on this resolution.

All in favor say aye.

Aye, all opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Thank you.

Wait for it.

Wait for it.

There you go.

UNICY.

UNICE Y next on UNC.

UNICER.

They probably should have played the censored version.

But it's okay.

Oh no, no.

All right, we are gonna pivot to our next item.

We have a lot of other folks here for other items.

So thank you all again for joining us.

We are gonna move on.

I'll ask the city clerk to read our next item.

Thank you.

Item number 16 is resolution 26-341 directing the Department of Safety and Inspections to proceed with adverse action and imposition of a thousand dollar matrix penalty against Wizards Auto Repair LLC, doing business as Wizards Auto Repair for the premises located at 985 Randolph Avenue.

Welcome up, Ms.

Schaefer.

Thank you.

Council President Naker, members of St.

Paul City Council.

My name is Monica Schaefer.

I am an assistant city attorney, and I am here today on behalf of the Department of Safety and Inspections.

This matter is related to the business license held by Wizards Auto Repair located at 985 Randolph Avenue.

Mohammed Mohammed holds the license for Wizards.

Specifically, the license is for an auto repair garage and secondhand dealer of motor vehicle parts.

On January 12th, 2026, the city attorney's office sent a notice and request for adverse action of citing violations of various license conditions, including keeping customer cars for more than 10 days, obstructing the maneuvering lane, exterior storage of car parts, and parking cars on the lot that are missing body parts and using cars for salvage.

This is all in exhibit three.

The notice provided the facts in the law under which this city council may act on the department's recommendation to take adverse action.

The notice statement that the stated that the department would recommend the imposition of the presumptive matrix penalty, which is a 1,000 dollar fine, because this is the second violation within two years.

In response to the notice, the licensee contacted the city attorney's office, admitted to the violations, and outlined in the notice, and the licensee requested that he be allowed to appear before council today regarding the recommended penalty.

That communication is exhibit five.

My purpose today is to demonstrate for the council what happened in the spring of 2020, or excuse me, what happened and um how the department has reached this recommendation.

The first violation happened in the spring of 2025 and was also for violations of the license conditions, including obstructing the maneuvering lane, extent um exterior storage of car parts, and parking cars on the lot that are missing body parts.

Exhibit two shows that this was paid that the recommended penalty of $500 was paid, and that he admitted to that violation.

The facts supporting that violation are exhibit one.

Because the current violation that we are here for today happened within two years of that first of that previous violation, section 310.03 of the code tells us that the adverse action we are here for is a second violation.

So I will walk through those violations, the violations before council today with the voice activated projector.

You said the voice activated projector, correct?

Yes, if that's okay.

Yes.

Cool.

Speaking sure.

Thank you.

All right.

So turning to the second violation, this one that we are here for today.

The department received complaints about the business in September of 2025.

Um in November, the department inspector Latiphani Porter visited the licensed premises at 985 Randolph Avenue.

During the inspection, Inspector Porter identified multiple violations of several conditions.

These photos that I'm going to show you today are all from exhibit number three.

So first up is page 23 of that exhibit.

We do need the voice activated projector.

But keep going, Miss Schaefer, while you're while we're waiting.

Yeah, there we go.

Okay, sure.

Um this is the first photo.

This is on page 23.

This is photo number three.

This shows a car that is parked in violation of the approved site plan, a violation of conditions one and six.

Next up is page 24 of exhibit of this same exhibit.

There we go.

Um photo six.

Sorry.

This photo here shows the outside storage of vehicle parts, a violation of condition number eight.

Photo 26 shows or page 26, photo 13 shows vehicles not completely assembled and parked in the lot.

This is a violation of condition number nine.

Following this inspection, Inspector Porter sent a notice of correction or a correction notice, excuse me, to um the licensee on December 1st, detailing the violations and directing that they need to be corrected by December 12th.

She then returned to the license premises for a follow-up inspection on December 15th and realized that the inspections had not been corrected.

And then over the next week, the DSI received yet more violate notices of violations from or excuse me, complaints from neighbors.

So she returned to the premises again.

So on page 22 of Exhibit 3.

These are the photos collected from those two December inspections.

Page 24 showed photos four and five.

Show outside storage of vehicle parts, which is a violation of condition number eight.

Page 25 shows again outside storage of vehicle parts, scrap material and tools related to the business.

Also the anti-freeze not being properly disposed of according to Ramsey County Hazardous Waste Regulations.

Page 26.

Photo 11 and photo 12 show vehicles parked for more than 10 days on the plot on the lot and not completely assembled.

These are violations of conditions 9 and 12.

Page 28, photos 15 through 17 show vehicles not completely assembled and parked on the lot, violation of condition nine.

Page 30 shows vehicles not completely assembled and yet parked on the lot.

Page 31 again shows vehicles not completely assembled and parked on the lot.

Page 32, photos of vehicles parked for more than photos of vehicles parked for more than 10 days and not completely assembled, violation of conditioned 12.

Page 33 shows vehicle salvage, which is a violation of condition nine.

That is also available on page 34, photo 30.

Page 34 and 35 also include photos of vehicles parked for more than 10 days, a violation of condition 12.

Finally, page 36 shows the failure to maintain the fence, which is a violation of condition number one.

So the department review took these photos, reviewed them, and determined that there were violations of the license conditions and the city code.

Therefore, um because this took place within two years of the previous adverse action.

Um this is a second, this is a second appearance, and therefore the presumptive penalty is for 1,000.

This is pursuant to the code section 310.03, clause M subclause 1.

Therefore, we respect the department respectfully requests that the city council impose the presumptive penalty.

Great.

Ms.

Schaefer, are there any questions for city attorney?

See none.

So licensee, it's your time to come on up, and you'll have five minutes.

Please start with your name and where you're coming from, uh, and then we'll have five minutes.

Welcome.

Thank you.

My name is Mohammed Mohammed, owner of Wizards Auto Repair on Randolph.

I want to thank you for allowing me to speak.

My intention was never has never been to negative negatively affect the neighborhood.

I run a small local auto repair business, so it's pretty hard to uh keep up with everything by myself.

Understand that operating in a residential corridor requires a higher level of organization and accountability.

I've treated this as a learning experience and have made changes to how I operate since the inspection.

Uh a daily closing check checklist to make sure the property is compliant at every single at the end of every single business day.

I also have been looking for a flow lot where I could have vehicles that do need to be there for longer than 10 days where they could be parked there.

Uh I care about this community and I invested my livelihood into this business.

My goal is to be a long-term responsible business owner and a good neighbor.

I'm here.

Strike on my license and instead consider probationary period.

And uh that's about it.

Thank you for your time.

Thank you very much.

Um make sure to sign in.

Uh well, Mr.

Mohammed, I really uh appreciate you being here.

Um I uh I do recognize um and appreciate your desire to be a good neighbor and to um make sure that you understand the terms of your license and are not violating them.

Um I am happy to help you connect with the Department of Safety and Inspections to better understand, make sure you you know the terms of the license and what all of those conditions are because I hear you saying that you you want to be complying with them.

Um that said this was a second violation after an earlier violation um in the same year.

And so um, while I might have been a little bit more sympathetic to that after a first violation, it appears there's been a second violation, and there have also been reports even since the inspector came out for the second violation of additional violations since then.

So I am going to be recommending the Department of Safety and Inspections recommendation today.

Um I again would be happy to help you connect with them to better understand how to make sure there are no further penalties after this.

Um, but at this point, it appears to me that all the facts plus the subsequent violations since the last inspection and the the quickness with which this second violation occurred compared to the first violation, um seems to me to warrant the $1,000 matrix penalty for a second violation.

So again, the please sign in.

This isn't this isn't a conversation, but I'm happy to connect with you afterwards.

That's going to be my motion.

Um is there any discussion of that motion?

Ms.

Kim.

Um, just a clarifying question.

Um generally speaking, those payments can be made over a payment plan over time.

What does that what does that look like?

Thank you.

That's a great question, Vice President.

Ms.

Schaefer, do you know how the matrix penalty can be staggered over time?

So yes, and um I'm gonna give in my business card too.

Um so I believe that there's a way to set it up with DSI, but I am not sure how that works.

Um, but DSI again wants to partner with business owners as much as possible.

And so if that's something that DSI can accommodate, they will do that.

So um, and he has contact information for DSI as well as myself, but I'm gonna give it to him again.

Okay, and I will certainly again assist with making those connections.

I appreciate that point, Vice President.

We we the goal of this is not to uh harm the business.

The goal of this is to compel um compliance with the conditions on your license um to make sure the business is an amenity to the neighborhood.

So if there's a way that we can work that out, uh we will definitely do that.

Yeah.

Um all right, any other discussion of the motion.

Seeing none, all in favor say aye.

Aye, all opposed?

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

I'm gonna thank you.

Oh so um I'm going to do another switcheroo just because uh we have folks um here who have been waiting a while on item 24.

Um, so I'm going to actually move item 24 ahead of item 17.

Um, and then we will go 24 to 17 from there.

So 24.

Item item 24 is resolution public hearing 26-59 authorizing the write-off of police staffing costs for qualifying free public cultural festivals and community events.

Um but this is this is a public hearing, Ms.

Bowie.

Did you want to make any comments prior to the public hearing to introduce the item?

I can make it brief for um some of my colleagues who want more clarification.

So this was essentially a write-off, particularly for uh events and festivals that meet the criteria on the other item.

Um, item 17 where we establish the criteria being events and festivals that lasted for five years or more, are in an area of concentrated poverty.

Um, this is in the same spirit, right?

Of uh eliminating some of the financial burdens and relieving and granting relief to our cultural festivals, um, our legacy festivals that um are not able to um persist this year due to their outstanding balances.

Reviewing um many of the outstanding balances, thank you so much to our um our partners in the police department.

Um they have shared with us that the total amount um for those who meet our criteria is about 60 or excuse me, 75,000 dollars.

That essentially we will just be writing off, um, which is uh particularly um outstanding balance.

It's uh we have done prior write-offs in um before, um, like for example, writing off the library um late fees is example.

We've done it with outstanding balances for ambulance fees and police fees.

Um, so this essentially would just be a very clear, clean cut um vote, particularly uh to support our cultural festivals um to ensure that they can continue on this year.

So you hear you will be hearing, particularly in the public um hearing uh many of the event organizers and residents who support our cultural festivals and the importance of you know council taking lead on actually eliminating these cost burdens so they can have the opportunity to um still present or excuse me host their events this year.

Great.

Thank you, Ms.

Bowie.

Um we will go to the public hearing now, and because I didn't make this uh uh didn't do my usual public hearing spiel before the last public hearing, I'll do it now.

So for public hearing items, um, when we call for your item, we ask that you uh come line up on both sides of the columns in the middle.

Um, when it's your turn, come stand in between the two microphones.

Um again, you shouldn't need to adjust them, they should pick you up just fine.

You'll have two minutes to testify, which do go by quickly, and my job is to keep everyone to two minutes, which is not always fun.

Um, but there is a timer right in front of you, so we ask that folks uh try to time yourselves.

Um start with your name and where you're coming from, and when you're done testifying, please sign in on the sign-in sheets on either side.

Um so with that, this is a public hearing.

Whoever's here to speak on this item, please come on up.

And remember to start with your name and where you're coming from.

Welcome.

Thank you.

Good afternoon.

My name is Harry Colbert Jr.

I am the vice president for the Center of Broadcast Journalism in Power 104.7, and as of December, I am a resident of St.

Paul.

Uh I am representing Power 104.7, which in August, every year puts together a cultural festival, Seventh Street Live.

It's in East St.

Paul.

It is a free festival that celebrates the beauty of East St.

Paul.

And one of the big things that is, and we're a nonprofit.

We put the event off for free.

Any funds that we do rent maintain goes right into our program, which we teach youth ages 16 to 24, the ins and outs of journalism.

One of our biggest expenses, though, with the festival is with um uh the cost of security and police, and that's a really big line item for us.

And so I'm here to ask the council to consider um that line item being removed so that we can continue to provide the programming that we want to do for our youth that we again offer at no cost to them.

Thank you very much, and make sure to sign in.

Thank you.

Uh, welcome up.

Good afternoon, everybody.

My name is Marina Neil.

Um, I'm gonna do this in two minutes.

I came here in 1998 and witnessed the Rondo Days parade.

Um, I decided with my husband to raise my family within the Rondo community.

I'm originally from Canada.

I have worked, I called myself a Rondo Transplant baby.

I've had the honor to work at Golden Time over the years, continue to raise my amazing family, including my son Justin and Cecil, um, and grow within this community.

Back pre-COVID, I had the honor of hosting Rondo Days as a KMOJ host, and now I am on the Rondo Days board for the last three years, working with the people I call the Fabulous Five, okay, scale smaller, Nick Mohammed, Charmaine Fulford, and Aquineta.

We are a small but mighty team.

I'm a senior event manager for a living, and I take great pride, not only being the treasurer for Rondo Days, but also helping to crack the whip when it comes to making sure we stay on time with our permits, our costs, as well as meeting other community members' needs.

Like many other community events, we survive with grants and sponsorships.

It is a very small but mighty task that we take to host Rondo Days.

We also take great pride in hosting our safe and free event.

We've had the honor to partner with St.

Paul Police, the State Patrol, many um St.

Paul Black Firefighters, as well as many other community agencies to ensure that our main priority of hosting a safe event is accomplished every year.

We plan to do that again for the third year.

I'm asking on behalf of the Fabulous Five team, the Rondo Days uh event that happens the third Saturday of July.

Um, that you just strongly recommend and take in consideration that you um reduce our rates for the previous year and going forward that we have a say on how the fees are managed again, just like any other requirement with the city.

We'd love to sit down in advance and go through our budget.

Um, again, it is a great task to have the security and policing free fee.

We understand the need.

We are they are amazing partners, um, but we just can't afford it when it gets outside of thousands and thousands of dollars.

So thank you in advance for your consideration, and thank you for everybody being here today.

Thank you so much.

Make sure to sign in.

Welcome up.

Hello, Adrian Perryman, uh St.

Paul resident uh 55104 Live St.

Paul, Mighty Midway.

Uh, I'm I'm gonna read the the more polite words of my fellow uh co-planner of the Rondo Block Party instead of speaking off the cuff.

Uh for the 2025 Rondo block party.

We acknowledge a budgeting mishap.

We did not add adequately set aside funding for the police staffing invoice as it arrived months after the event.

For after the event, we used available funds to cover required operational costs and close out other financial obligations.

When the police bill arrived, paying it in full would have required completely depleting our remaining funds.

We could not fully deplete those funds without jeopardizing the financial stability of the organization and or ability to plan for the next festival season.

A partial payment has been made, and the plan would be to continue partial payments until the pills bill is paid in full over the next couple of months, unless you adopt resolution 25-5-9 and waive the remaining balance.

For future plans for the Rondo Community uh coalition and Rondo uh Black Party, we plan to create a public safety reserve line item in our budget and keep keep it restricted.

We'll set aside a fixed percent total cost, whatever that percent may be, specifically for police security cost that may arrive later.

We'll budget to the high end of the uh projection, not the estimate.

If we receive a range, we will lock in the upper bound as the budget to the amounts and treat any savings as a surplus.

We will separate operating funds from event funds, use separate accounts, uh so general operating costs don't unknowingly absorb what should be reserved for late notices.

We'll plan to secure a dedicated sponsor grant uh for public safety and secure costs and restrict that funding for safety items.

Suggestions will be to provide for the St.

Paul police department, provide a deposit plus a true up model, collect a reasonable deposit based on the estimate before the event, then invoice or refund, credit the difference quickly after, provide written estimates for this uh and scenario updates, faster invoicing, uh progress updates during planning, and also right-size staffing with shared goals, collaborate on a safety plan that meets public safety needs while minimizing unnecessary staffing using a control alternatives, volunteers, ambassadors, and conduct uh contracted unarmed security where appropriate.

Thank you very much.

Make sure to sign in.

Uh welcome up.

And we'll do the last call for anyone else who's here to testify on this item.

If you could line up just so we know who's here, please do.

Welcome.

How are you guys doing again?

My name is Bob Cruz, co-chair of Synchronomia on Mexican Independence Day, City Council members.

I understand only the mayor can request the 155,000 be moved out of the general fund and restored for festival support from 2025.

But you are elected leaders, you can advocate, please publicly push for those funds to be restored.

Now looking at this year's funding, we are being told the maximum per festival is 7,000.

We already know some festivals may not happen because of financial strain or uncertainty.

So fewer events apply and the money is not redistributed.

What happens to the excess of money?

Last year, when money didn't get spent and went back in the general account.

And why is this amount the same for everyone?

Why are you settling a flat amount for events that are not equally in size, impact, or cost?

That's not fairness.

That's a formula that ignores reality.

If police presence is required, then the cost belongs in the police budget, not on the backs of the event organizers organizers.

Council members, why are you not actively pushing to recover last year's promise credit for all the events?

Advocate for it, fix this.

You have that power.

Put the cost where it belongs and show this community that the support is more than words and start the conversation about reducing or ending security charges for cultural festivals and show the community that when you say you support us, it shows up in the budget.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Make sure to sign in.

Welcome up.

Good afternoon.

I'm Clint Roberts.

I'm the founder and director of Lower Town Sounds, which takes place on Thursday nights in Mears Park.

Uh want to share a different perspective.

Um I took over Thursday programming in Mears Park in 2018.

Uh, have booked music there since 2008.

Obviously, the landscape's changed and it's been a very, very difficult uh since 2020, especially.

I do thank you for this conversation because it is incredibly difficult to put on events in the city, and they're probably more important now than ever.

So even the conversation to help out and look at the microfinancing is incredibly important.

So thank you for that and to shine a light on that.

When events go away, they're hard to get back.

And I think my my issue is um we need to look at things more broadly and take a macro vision to things.

Um we're seeing as Lower Town Sounds is seen as a successful event.

I think that a better word may be is we're an established event, but that doesn't mean we don't struggle.

Uh we've lost money the last couple years, in large part because of rain, um, but also because of perception issues in Lower Town St.

Paul.

Our our attendance has gone down in that regard.

When we lose a night, we lose several thousand dollars a night.

We still have to pay our policing fees as well.

Um so it's it's and then we had two rain dates this year in September, one of which was also rained out.

So it's incredibly challenging to run the operation to get people to come out to overcome those perceptions to create an event that is a beacon for St.

Paul, St.

Paul's proud of, but there's also business side to it as well.

Um we always pay our bills, we paid our bills by the end of the year.

Um I think that's what needs to be done.

Even if we did lose several thousand dollars last year after some last minute sponsor uh donations.

So I I would just ask to look at this issue broadly.

Uh I think events should be symbiotic with the city.

I think they should benefit everyone.

I've said for years we have organizations that take advantage of this.

We've got a stage most Thursday nights uh in Mary's Park that people can come and talk about Rondo Days and talk about all these different events across St.

Paul, use that as an opportunity to spread the good word because we all need it right now.

Um I will also say that the reality is um, you know, the the competition and the challenge of rising costs isn't going away.

Um is time, so I'm gonna need you to wrap up okay.

Sounds good.

So I would just say the lastly that our event used to be 12 weeks, now it's eight weeks, and and we're we're fighting to stay at eight weeks because that's what it costs.

Thank you very much.

Make sure to sign in.

All right.

Um just no one else here to speak on this item.

I'll take a motion from Ms.

Bowie to close the public hearing.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed, the public hearing is closed.

Uh Ms.

Bowie, did you want to make a motion?

Uh I actually want to just um bring up if we have a representative here from the police department, because I do have a question particularly about um our unpaid balances, and uh my apologies if this question is kind of taken you by storm, but I think want to just make sure while we have people here who are hosting events and have organized in the past, um, if we can just have on record, particularly around what is the process, um, what is the process for the police to actually recoup um some of the the balances because currently what's on the agenda right now is about one, two, three, about seven organizations that um have an outstanding balance.

If you can speak to what are some of the conditions, you know, when an organization has outstanding balance, uh, what are some of the you know circumstances for them?

Are they able to continue on or what is the process with the police, particularly with recouping these um uncollected funds?

Thanks, Ms.

Bowie for the question.

I I will say I'm glad Commander Holstrom, you're here.

I wanted full disclosure.

I invited Commander Halstrom at Councilmember Johnson's request, I think, for the next item to talk about um the festival's event security credit uh proposal.

So if you're able to answer Ms.

Bowie's question, that would be great, Commander.

But I just want to be clear that he um didn't know he was here on this item.

So thank you, Council President, Councilmember.

The police department traditionally does not get involved with collecting of debt and bills.

We we submit a bills to Office of Financial Services for uh payment, and then um that is that is the capacity for the police department's involvement.

So I mean, we we give an estimate and we calculate our actual cost, we submit the bill, and we we don't want to be uh involved in determining what percentages or who gets to pay their bills.

Okay, thank you for that clarification.

Do we have anyone here from OFS?

I know I had requested for Director Laura to be here.

I'm hearing that Director Lodston had to leave, had to leave, but was here earlier.

Well, um I will want on one of the things I wanted to share, you know, after a series of weeks, um if not months, uh, particularly talking with some of the directors.

Uh one of the things, the reason why you know I'm taking this vote is because I I don't believe that no police, our community should be in the business of billable expenses for something that should be treated as a public purpose.

Um, in the resolution, you know, here uh we're also determining that the police costs when they service these uh based off our criteria, these type of events that they're treated as a public purpose.

Um there was um there are some questions that people may have, particularly around um council's authority, but I do want to just have this discussion and also take the vote, particularly.

My motion is for us to um you know decide on uh writing off the expenses, and I can read um some of the organizations into the record, and I want to be clear this wasn't just a council-led selection process.

This was um uh information, data that was received from um the police department of those who have outstanding balances and as we have heard earlier today, um the um critical need to have these festivals and the um the negative impact, right?

Um, that not only on the festival event organizers, but for our community who will no longer have access to celebrate.

We just had a resolution earlier today.

We were celebrating not only Black History but the joy and all of the excellence that comes with our beautiful celebrations.

So the organizations that we have here, particularly you know, African Ec African Economic Development Solutions, Little Africa Festival, we have the Fourth and Park Festival, Little Mekong, Night Market, Rondo Avenue, Inc., uh, which hosts this Ronda Days, and then we have the Rondell Community Coalition with hosts the Rondo Block Party in the Pride Festival that we know takes down takes um place downtown, St.

Paul, and last but not least, the St.

Anthony Park Branch Library Association.

They host the St.

Anthony Park Festival.

Um so those are the ones that we have the power to actually write it off.

Um like I mentioned that total is about $75,000 is listening in the resolution.

Um, but I'm open for discussion, but I really want to move forward with the vote because I think this is uh an opportunity for us to make make good on our promise in terms of last year.

We were not able to administer the 155k to some of those organizations that would have met our criteria, and because of that, um they're paying the price.

Um so I think this is an opportunity for us to make good on you know supporting our cultural arts and festivals.

Thanks, Ms.

Bowie.

So we'll take that as a motion for uh for the item for approval.

Um, so I first of all just want to thank everyone who came out to testify.

I am so grateful for all the vibrancy, um, the fun, the connection that you bring to our community.

I couldn't agree more, that is more needed now than ever.

Um, and I also appreciate all the hard work that all of us have been doing to try to find both a solution in the short term for the 155,000 dollars that I know we're all eager to get out the door, um, and the long term, and I know we many of us around this table have expressed concern as we heard today about the fact that we're charging these very high costs for security for our festivals at all, and how much of an impact that is having on our community festivals, our community organizations in particular.

Um, and so I know at the our public safety committee very soon we're gonna have a conversation about the opportunity to remove these fees in the future in period in total, and whether we can move that into next year's budget and do that next year.

Um but we're talking right now about the resolution that's in front of us, and I will say that I have some very serious concerns about the resolution in front of us, um, which I have shared with council member Bowie.

Um, there are uh three main concerns I have.

The first one is that we all received a memo from our city attorney's office um letting us know that this um would be an illegal gift.

Um so this would not be uh legal, this would be a gift to seven organizations that um as Bowie just named that do not warrant a public benefit and that do not meet the level of um need for um collections having been done, as we heard from our police department, we don't even try to collect on these debts for them to be written off.

So um our city attorney's office has opined that this would be an illegal gift, and I take that seriously.

The second reason I have a concern about this is that this is just fundamentally unfair.

Um I don't understand why we would waive the balance for organizations that held a festival last year that have not paid their bills and do nothing for organizations, many of whom testified today, who did pay their bills, um, and in some cases worked very hard to pay their bills.

So we heard the list of organizations that would be waived, but here are some of the organizations that would receive nothing.

Uh the Cinco de Mayo Festival paid 65,000 dollars last year.

Grand Old Day is paid 95,000, Lower Town Sounds, 8,000, Juneteenth, 755, Mmung New Year, 11,000, Mexican Independence Day, 18,000, Fiesta Latina, 9,000, and 7th Street Live, who testified today, $5,900.

All of those costs were heavy burdens for those organizations, and they paid those bills.

We don't know what kind of a hardship it was for them to pay them, but they did.

Those organizations under this proposal received nothing.

And the seven organizations that Ms.

Bowie mentioned that did not pay their bills uh receive a complete write-off.

That's not fair, that's not equitable, it's not something that I can justify to the people who came here today to testify or to the people who have reached out and submitted public comments that you can see on the record.

And finally, um, there's no funding source for this.

We've heard uh via email from Director Laura Logston that the 155,000 for this year cannot be used to write off a balance from last year.

Um, and if it were used to write off the balance for last year, um, that would be taking away further dollars from those organizations that we are hoping to help support this year.

So this is not legal, it's not fair, and it's not the right thing to do.

And I will be voting against this item and looking forward to bringing forward uh the next item, item 17 uh version two to give out the 155,000 in a fair um and equitable way to our community festivals.

Ms.

Bowie.

Thank you, Council President.

I just want to call onto question because I think it's really important as we are using very substantial uh legal terms saying that this is illegal.

I recall as a council member, we have written off many expenses before.

We have written off library fees, we have even written off people's vacancy buildings, we've written off people's fees and fines, and and we've even uh written off people's loans and forgiven people's loans in the benefit of building affordable housing, our meeting our housing policy.

Um I think it's really important if we are gonna cost something and a legal gift that we have on record, particularly how that law is being interpreted, um, because in this uh resolution, we are actually exercising the authority that's in our charter, which is authorizes the council to write off these expenses.

Now we are the ones to determine whether someone whether an expense is a public purpose or not.

But uh, but that is a direction that you know I am speaking for my colleagues to go.

If we if the question is, is security cost for uh community festivals is a public purpose?

I would say it is.

I we've heard um particularly earlier today, how these festivals actually are more of a benefit to the city than they are to the ones who's hosting it.

Um so I I think it's really important that we have on record, maybe from our um city attorney to particularly um reference our source how riding off an expense that we actually have authority to do based on our charter is considered illegal because I think those are really some serious allegations that I want to clarify.

Yes, and and I'll turn to Mr.

Staley in a moment to be clear the words illegal gift were the city attorney's words in the memo that we received on this subject, um, in which they also clarified what conditions have to be met to do a write-off to your point, um, and that those conditions are not met here.

But Mr.

Staley, feel free to weigh in, and then we'll go to council vice president.

I would rely on the memo that was provided to council members this morning.

Uh it's generally not our policy to get into details of the legal analysis that we we provided to council members, it's attorney client privilege to uh kind of would give a roadmap to people who are unhappy with the decision as to how to go about suing us, so I don't feel comfortable sharing that on the record.

So we all have that memo in our email inboxes and we can consult that on our own.

Council Vice President.

Yeah, thank you.

Just one second.

Um yeah, because I guess um you sort of iterated the thing that I was going to name is that it seems as if there is a process for us to deem something as I think being defined as an uncollectible debt.

And so I guess I have questions for OFS because we heard from police who I thought was attempting to collect the debt, um, whether or not the current correspondence meets those definitions and steps in the process.

And so my understanding is that it is deemed in an illegal gift because it hasn't met that definition, but I'd be very interested in what part of that definition or what steps has the city made so far to begin that process of deeming something as an uncollectible debt.

Um, so that's that was my personal interpretation.

I'm realizing that probably waiting us into the attorney client privilege space, but I just I've got questions about that because I do think that it sort of articulated what that path looks like.

So I'd be interested what steps have already been have already been made.

Um, and so I think my understanding, just to keep us safe, is that because it doesn't meet that definition, um, that's why it's considered a did you call it an illegal gift?

Or not you, but an illegal gift.

Um but that doesn't mean that there isn't a path for these debts to be put into a process for that consideration.

Um, so I'm very open to um, you know, what other whatever path you want to take with is called some memorabilie, but that was sort of my understanding about that.

Um and then as it turns to sort of like you know, hearing from folks and their ability to pay, I think that's also something I'm really um interested in, um interested in, and and again, um I know that you've been working with these organizations and um and this process a lot longer than I have, so I defer to you, but those are some questions that I have that I'm I'm interested in, but don't um need immediate answers for.

Thank you, Vice President.

I saw Ms.

Johnson and then Ms.

Coleman.

Yeah, I um just want to say I appreciate all of the folks that kind of that made it out today to talk.

Uh, you know, I appreciate one of Power 104.7 being here because it's one of the few uh events and festivals that of all the lists of incurred costs exists in Ward 7.

Um I will share that transparently, you know, of the seven that are that this resolution inquires or is actually talking about does not include um your fees, it wouldn't necessarily uh assist you in that.

The next resolution with plans for the next uh the next events for 2026 would pertain to it, but I have had a chance.

You know, this is my first meeting back in person, but I have had a chance to watch every meeting that this item was discussed.

Um, and you know, I'll just share with you all my overall discomfort of the vote today is in part because the briefing came this morning, like the legal memo came this morning.

I was kind of going through a lot of the the details, and I think that at the end of the day, the the issue remains that there is a there's an appetite to actually explore what um being able to not have the security costs be a burden to folks executing events and festivals in our city, and that's initially where this all started.

Um, the initial investment was put in place because of that reality and folks realizing that we had for context as well, right?

Like um we had money different organizations that were seeing a spark in an increase in their overall security costs.

This is an item that I do think mission-riven I align with when it comes to being able to supplement the police staffing costs.

Originally, I was a council member who was very like supportive of being able to utilize the 155,000 that we were having a discussion because I saw a way for these organizations to benefit, especially for the ones that were unable to make ends meet for last year into this year.

And I think you know, there are folks on that list that are not planning to have a festival this year.

Um, there are because of many different reasons, but some of them have named that they're still trying to pay off the debt from this past year.

Um I really wish that we operated in a in an environment where we would be able to work uh within with the city attorney's office with the the office of financial you know services with uh not necessarily a yes or no, but a here's a path forward, here's how a path of how we do that.

Let's find out what we want to do, which we've heard on the pop on the public hearings, we've heard from many conversations.

Folks are having appetite to really watch this uh security cost line item be smaller, and I think we have the resources in house.

I think we do have the ability here in the city to explore what it looks like to be able to not have the security costs be a burden to the events and festivals.

I don't know if this necessarily accomplishes it, but I have seen many emails from council member Bowie um where they get basically told the same response.

I have seen, you know, the the legal memo, which I'm you know, I've reviewed it, but I do have a lot of questions.

I don't necessarily know or agree with the notion that using security costs for an event and festival, something that is public served, like genuinely the whole point of an event and festival is because it is for the public community, it is for the neighborhoods.

I find it hard to find that not a public use, and I'm struggling with that argument um because I don't actually agree with it, and I don't think it's I don't think that that is accurate.

Um, and I'm just being honest and I'm being candid.

But I did share with council member Bowie that I would not be prepared to support uh this today.

I wanted a layover, and you know depending on where the votes lie, um if people are willing to take a vote today, you know, I'll make up my mind as we go along.

But um it's just we tend to have these items come forward, and because we operate in a yes or no form, we get a yes or no answer, and it's not helpful to getting us to what we really want to do, which is like uh you know, reach out and make it more affordable to have events and festivals in our community and our city.

Sixty thousand dollars um for security costs for police, 95,000 to have a parade, those expenses are sometimes double what they that's their entire budget times two.

It's not that is not something that we should be doing in general.

And so at the city, we shouldn't necessarily have a 95,000 dollar fee for grand old days, just like we shouldn't have a five thousand dollar fee for a festival in the east side of St.

Paul.

And so I'm just really grappling with the fact that while we've been doing this yes or no dance, and I've watched many of it, I've watched social media posts and all the things that have been really quite messy, um, and that haven't actually resolved the issue at hand, which is we've all been trying to find solutions of ways to pay the city.

I just want to remind us of that.

Like this item, the write-off is because we couldn't find we couldn't be able to use the 155,000 dollars we use for grants to pay ourselves.

And so, like, I'm here for the the can the candid conversations, but we're literally arguing about how the city's gonna pay the city.

Um, and it's the city and the city not answering itself.

And so it's really frustrating, it's very um counterintuitive.

And whether something, you know, to the piece of illegal versus legal, that's where I wanted to dig in more and I wanted to have more candid conversations because I do think it's unfinished.

Um I will not fault directly laws and perhaps having to leave and go pick up our children.

This is a long meeting.

But I would like more cooperation from the Office of Financial Services on this ass, because I don't think it's an appropriate for folks to want to be able to interpret the law that's given to us.

And if folks, and if the city attorney's office has a different interpretation than the council member, we should be getting that before 9 a.m.

this morning.

Or excuse me, 8 35.

And so, like, I just I'm not prepared to vote on this today.

I will make myself prepared if it's something that our colleagues want to do in moving.

And Councilmember Bowie, if you're I'm willing to withdraw and ask for it, I'll ask you on the record for you know at least a two-week layover to be able to be able to get to a place where we can give more um attention to this.

If that's not something that you're willing to do, and we do have the vote today, and you leave the motion on the table, um, I'll make it, I'll make up my mind in real time, and that's okay.

Because at the end of the day, I just want to remind ourselves, like this was an item we offered to pay the 155,000 to not have to have that be a funding source.

We were told that we couldn't do that.

I have yet to find that an actual ordinance form beyond someone just saying we just that's not a practice that we have.

I don't see anything that would preclude us from doing that legally.

But hey, to each a zone.

And that is the loop that we keep running in, the cycle that we keep running in, and it's getting tiresome.

Um and so you know, and I and I'm just and what I'm saying from that is like that's what you're hearing.

That's the frustration that you're hearing.

Uh and so I'll save some of my questions for the police department uh for the next for the next one, because I have some questions just about community trust, and I also have some questions about how they're gonna execute that fairly, how they're going to execute that, and um, you know, and to do that role.

But yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, this item, this item isn't wrong.

There's nothing about this item that I would say is wrong, or in my opinion, you know, I'm not a lawyer, but I have just the main arguments are it's not a public, not public use.

I don't necessarily agree with that.

And that for some reason this debt that we may not even collect if it stays this way, we don't actually go after we can't write off.

And that seems contradictory at best.

So I'll just say that um and leave it there.

Thank you, Ms.

Johnson.

Yeah.

Um, yeah, and I just we're talking about a lot of different things.

I just want to make sure that we remain clear on what we're actually what is in front of us and what is in front of us is a proposal to write off the balances for seven organizations because they didn't pay their bill, and not to benefit all of these other organizations that did pay their bill.

That's what's in front of us, whether it's legal or not.

Um I think a memo from our city attorney's office saying that it is an illegal gift, I take very seriously.

Um, but even if you set that aside, I think the question is is it fair and is it equitable for seven organizations to get this massive benefit and for all of the other organizations to be left in the cold.

That is what is in front of us.

I saw Miss Coleman's hand.

I will try to keep this somewhat organized.

So I want to start with one of the pieces that um Councilmember Johnson mentioned, which is just I I think we've all been sitting through these conversations for you know, you all for much longer than I have, but but at least for a couple of months now, and have heard from so many folks from throughout the community, and it seems very, very clear to me that a bigger solution is needed here from conversations I've had with folks in the city 25 years ago.

We weren't charging security costs for events and festivals.

It was something that was baked into the city budget, and we had a plan for how to cover those costs.

It seems very clear to me that that is a goal that many people, maybe all of us on this council would be very interested in getting back to, and I think it is something that we could and should prioritize in our budget this year.

And I think all of the conversations that we've had, all of the testifiers we've heard from in chambers speaking to the importance of community celebration, speaking to the importance of these cultural events, has made very clear that this is something that the community is asking of us.

I do I think that there are a number of questions that I don't have answered about this specific proposal at this point.

And I will try to again try to streamline them.

I think one of them is sort of to uh Council Vice President Kim speaking about the the statutory obligation to attempt to collect the debt before it's written off.

You know, I look at this list of festivals and I have questions.

Fourth in the Park, St.

Anthony Park Branch Library Association, could they afford to pay the $72,000 that they owe between the two of them if we attempted to collect that debt?

I think the idea of writing things off before we've even determined if people have the capacity to pay is not a practice that I'm super interested in because I do think that it risks being a poor investment of city dollars if we're writing off funds that that could be paid.

We have to collect money for another but as it was and why it's not implemented as it has been, one of one of my assumptions would be that it's to avoid writing off money that we might otherwise be able to collect with with just some minimal effort.

I think the other um the other piece that I have a lot of concerns about that, just given the timing of of all of this, I haven't had a chance to get answered is with 9606, which my read of it is that there are serious legal questions about what would happen to the festivals whose fees we wrote off, um, and would they be able to apply for future permits from the city.

I think that that's something that I would not want to do something today that would inadvertently jeopardize the ability of any one of these seven festivals to have an event in the future because we've jeopardized their ability to get a permit from the city by doing this write off.

I think that that is a huge unanswered legal question and just kind of prevents me from feeling ready to vote on this today.

And then I the final thought, and and to council president, your point of not wanting to merge two different topics here, although they are the it's hard not to do that because I'm looking at this math, and it looks like of these seven festivals they owe an outstanding balance of almost 82,000, which would leave under or just over 73,000 to distribute for this year to the festivals.

If that is again, I know we didn't have the chance to hear from OFS today, but it sounds like that would be the funding source is this 155,000 that we have committed to allocating this year, so then that leaves us with less than half of that budget, and I think that without going through that process of determining determining if these are the seven festivals that we want to prioritize.

I just it doesn't feel ready to me.

Um again, appreciate the intention, and I think that there's a lot of shared values here.

I just I I think that as this currently stands, I'm not prepared to support it.

Thank you, Ms.

Colman.

I send this joast.

Ms.

Joast.

Um thank you, Council President.

Uh I just want to say that I I agree with like the issue that we're trying to solve and the problem that we're facing, you know, the cost of security, all those other additional events that council president Naker listed were you know tens of thousands of dollars for security.

Um, and that is a problem that we do need to solve, and I think we all are committed to that.

Um, security for events shouldn't be that expensive.

It's not um something that a lot of our events and festivals have been able to meet.

Many events and festivals have been canceled um or had to skip years in order to even continue uh to be able to put be put on in our city, and so that is a major concern I have around the sustainability of those events and festivals.

Um and I also do agree, so I agree with exploring, you know, what are the other security options that we could utilize in our city.

Um and I also uh, you know, I understand that we're trying to we're trying to be able to do what we can to um you know, some of these these organizations were um supposed to receive this money last year, and now we're here into this year, and there are some outstanding debts, and I so I get trying to want to help them out.

I understand that.

Um I do share some of the concerns around um the even before we we received the memo from the city attorney's office, just in my own review of section 96.

If we were meeting the definition uh of a write-off in this situation, and so I I was already concerned about that.

Um, and there is the question of does this meet a public purpose.

I you know reviewed the city attorney's memo, but I think that's a fair question as well.

And so um, you know, for that reason, I I won't be supportive of uh the this uh approving this write-off today.

You know, we have written off other debts and other um situations in the city, but those have met those requirements and the requirements in chapter 96.

And I do also um I was gonna flag the concern about um section 9606 and the ability, um, even if these are written off for these organizations that section reads that they are not able to uh like get permits for other non-emergency services um or something like that.

I can't remember exactly what it says.

Um yeah, for accessing non-emergency services until their previous invoices are repaid, even if you know there was a write-off.

So there are just other questions and concerns that I have around that.

Um, so I won't be supportive of this today, but I do appreciate you know, trying to the ways that we're trying to solve this problem.

Thanks, Councilmember Jost.

Ms.

Yang.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, well, I first would like to thank you and also Council Rabbue for all your work that you put into this.

I know we probably have been talking about this for over a year already, and it's really been the both of you who have taken lead in the conversation.

So I I really um am grateful to the both of you.

I commend you, Councilmember Bowie for your clarity in the direction that you even want to take this conversation in completely waiving the security fees for our events of festivals, which I am very supportive of.

Um, I I still remember being on the council here like a few years ago when this issue first came up.

There were many organizations that asked for us to do something like radically different, and that meant we had to be really bold and think outside of the box.

And here we are many years later.

Um, we still haven't resolved it.

And I really appreciate you for the ways in which you have really paved this pathway for the council here to even consider completely weaving the fees in the future.

Because there's clearly questions that council members have from OFS especially.

Like I'd be very curious to find out what they do after the our police department does send them this sort of um, I would say like maybe invoice for the debt or the fees that are owed from organizations.

Like what does that process look like for them to actually get those payments in from nonprofits and organizations?

There's, you know, there's like a few things that I have been just thinking about.

Well, definitely one that doesn't really sit well with me, like this part about well, other organizations they've paid their bills already, so why why should we be uh even considering the resolution to write off um this debt here for the ones who have an outstanding balance and and I I finally figured out why it feels very unsettling for me.

It's because I've actually heard that talking point many times before when it came to wiping out medical debt, um, that the city council here um that we approved and also was led by Mayor Melvin Carter when it comes to even pushing it for um universal health care for free college for all, which are all issues that I care deeply about and and I'm very supportive of.

And I see a lot of parallel um between this conversation and that.

And you know, you've you've named fees that we've written off before in the city here, and I'm very great, very grateful to you for the research you've done because it really shows just the grit that you're willing to put in to figure out a solution or how we can make this work out.

Um, and you know, I I just I definitely see um a pathway forward and I want to be very supportive of that.

Um, and I think it's also really important that we get the questions answered, knowing that they're this was something that came very very suddenly to the city council here.

And so I wanted to let you know that I I would love to see a label happen if you would be supportive of that.

It'll give us time to really get those answered, the questions answered.

Ms.

Bowie.

Thank you, Council President.

First, I just want to say I really appreciate um your your words, um, Councilman Ray Ying, and I know we've been in partnership, particularly around trying to find a solution.

Um, there's a couple of things I want to touch on just after hearing from some of my colleagues.

I'm just want to make really clear too, because I think what's been said on the record, particularly is that you know, unfairness and one person receiving this relief and the others aren't, um particularly because they have paid the bill.

Um, especially in the spirit of Black History Month, I just want to name out that that colonizational mindset is uh something that puts us against each other and it has this type of mentality that one person's liberation is someone else's um injustice, and we can't we can't afford to move as a society or as a city if what we're gonna do for one is if we're gonna frame it as it's hurting another person.

Just like in the same spirit of uh college loan debt relief, right?

With someone um getting their student loans waived, doesn't hurt me in any way.

Just like we're going to be doing a public hearing on the emergency assistance or rental assistance.

Um someone getting their rent um paid for so they can be housed doesn't hurt me as someone who can afford to pay my rent.

Um it's really important that we name it and distinguish um exactly how we approach our boats and that we don't function in a way that pits one um community group against another.

We've heard from many um organizations who have paid their bills and who also share the same exact experience of many of the organizations that have not.

Um another thing I want to mention, you know, for somebody who used to work in Ramsey County.

I was a clerk and used to process many people's um public assistance uh benefits, and one of the um barriers that I saw, particularly with people getting access to public assistance is the burden of paperwork and verifications and proof.

Um, people who are like deep, deep poverty, who are literally homeless going to Ramsey County and waiting in those lines, and then the administration telling them for them to prove that they actually have a financial burden.

Um the burden is now on them instead of the burden being on the city to actually you know do something differently and do something bold to actually grant relief.

Um I think these, you know, we have heard particularly around the organizations that do have outstanding balance that the proof is going to be is whether or not they can exist this year.

I don't need to wait around and find out through a headline that Ronald's is has to cancel because they did not receive support.

I don't want to wait around for to hear that little Me Kong has to stop or cancel their their their festival in my ward um because we didn't take action I am it is appealing to me to lay this over if that means that we're gonna get the questions answered.

I take um the legal guidance very seriously I also do challenge the fact that this will be considered a legal gift.

I want to have the type of relationship with our city attorney that if we are being clear with our policy intentions that we have support from our city attorneys in terms of what is the pathway to get there.

When I brought forth this resolution and it was reviewed by two city attorneys I never received any alerts or um a review or remarks particularly that this was not a a legal path is until literally this morning finding out that if we go this route that it can it can cause some some some legal risk.

Like council has the power to bring forth a recommendation or excuse me a resolution naming it as a public purpose.

The only thing that's different is just literally using if this meets a public purpose or not and the other thing that was mentioned is uh really a question for OFS around how they determine what is an unbillable or excuse me uncollectible bad debt which is um written in the legal memo and in this case uh from my from my awareness that their invoice has gone out um there has been some reason of failure of of payment um I don't it's not necessary for me to to know why they have failed in paying um I think we can literally open up our eyes and see all of the distress that many of our small businesses are faced with especially in our cultural corridors um I don't need people to come and take time off of their day to share with us what their grievances in terms of why they weren't able to pay their bills.

And lastly I will be I will be motioning to to lay this over because I do think there's this calls into question you know our OFS interim director and also our city attorneys particularly around how the law is being interpreted.

I do want to continue having those conversations I also want to you know set a precedence that you know we have the power to make these decisions and however we get there you know need to be in the spirit of actually you know granting relief for these festivals and not creating hurdles and not creating um environments that pits ones against the other we have heard really strongly here in this um in this chambers that all of our festivals are a benefit to our community and although this vote is just about these select um organizations now if we didn't determine which organizations what was determined was based off of the need that we wanted to meet and that was the organizations that have outstanding balance.

So with that I would want to unless there's um more comments I do intend to motion for a two week layover.

Okay so why don't we so you'll withdraw your previous motion and move for a two week layover so we can discuss that I think it makes sense to take that motion so we can discuss that motion.

Is that what I mean okay so the motion is for a two week layover.

I saw Vice President Kim yeah I'd be supportive of that I'm you know again I think just to maybe more articulate our oh if I can't even do it articulately nope can't do it reiterate is um is uh you know I think that um to me my my interpretation of this conversation is like that these these debts don't meet that definition today but I think a large part of it is on our side the city on whether or not we have pursued that process to make those definitions and how we're collecting the payment on these right like what have we done that continues that debt along sort of that that pathway to be defined and then I also have a question around um you know do we even pursue debt collection because then some of these organizations are just kind of in the swirl of like we owe the city money we want to have these events and so I just it's to name those are questions that that I that I have they don't change my confidence in what you're bringing to the table but I do think that at least for me they like I'd love to get some answers on that.

But I just want to emphasize Councilmember Bowie that you have identified a much larger sort of question and issue that's happening in the city around our events and festivals.

And so I just to name for myself and for my colleagues, I see what's happening as separate issues.

You are after a much more systemic question around sort of the the way that A, we even charge for these services, right?

I think the underlying question here is like, why are security costs so high to begin with?

I think a lot of us just now, through what we've experienced, have proven that we keep each other safe.

And so the necessity of security costs, I think should be also on the table, which I'd be very interested in pursuing with you at public safety.

Um so I think that you are bringing a very robust and systemic question to the table.

And um I also see what is uh potentially a version two for 17 or version four as sort of like separate but similar parts of this problem.

Um, but really just commend the way that you've identified such a systemic issue and um fully support your approach today if you want to um move a layover and be supportive of that and would certainly take team to ensure that we get our questions answered together.

Thanks, Vice President.

I see Ms.

Johnson and Ms.

Joast.

Yeah, I I'm gonna support that layover.

Uh thank you for allowing time for that.

I um my follow-up, and I think the thing that I also would just like to make sure we get clarity on before that vote.

I'd like to fulfurt understand, and I'll say that to Dan as well, the the notion that the aspect of writing off these fees or basically being able to cover these fees um is not a public use.

Um I really want to dive further into that because if that is the the ruling that is being placed right now, that doesn't change even if we find the funding for that later.

That's something that to me I'm interpreting as that the the actual write-off of the fee itself is not a public use, and that is actually something that I need to get more clarity on because one, I disagree, but two, I also want to make sure that that's not something that's just not a conversation in the future.

Like we can't, you know, we have it seems to be that there's a mission, or like it seems to me that there's uh some interest from council members to potentially explore what it looks like to do what we've already done in the past, which is to not have to charge folks for our security costs.

And if we're saying that security costs are not a public use when grants like the Cultural Star Grant actually support um compensating security, I actually need to understand why that's being used here and the differentiation between that because it's been deemed an eligible use before.

So that's my clarity.

That's why I would like to have the two-week layover.

That's the clear that I need to have before that vote and the differentiation to understand it fully.

And I just wanted to be clear about that for the record, so for our city attorney's office, because that's what I'd like to see.

Thank you, Ms.

Johnson.

Uh, I see Ms.

Joast, and then I will say something and then see if there's any other comments.

I think we should move on.

Um, yeah, I think um I for me, I feel like it's clear to me that the that it doesn't meet the requirements of chapter 96 to be um that are for a definition of a write-off, and even if it met the definition of a write-off, I don't know that I agree that we should we should write it off for some of the same reasons that there are a lot of you know debts that aren't on this list.

Um, I also um just I don't fully I don't agree with the the um idea that this is similar to medical debt or health care, like those are critical basic needs for people that we're talking about events and festivals, so I I don't agree with that comparison and thinking about how we're making this decision around if we should write this off or not.

Um, while I do really value our events and festivals.

And I also um I also really want to, I mean, I I I do see again, we've been talking about two separate issues, some of the big big systemic issues that council member Bowie has raised and brought to our attention, and then the desire to get this money out the door for this year, it's 155,000 for events and festivals for this year, and that's more so the um priority for me right now, especially given the timeline of how we can take action to make that happen versus this other issue that is gonna take a lot more um a lot more effort, and I also just want to be really cognizant of how much time that we've already put into this.

I originally agreed to a one-week layover for um the other items 17, I think that's what number it is, and now here we are several weeks later.

So I just think it's most efficient if we really kind of separate those issues out, and I want to focus on getting this money out the door, being really cognizant of staff time and staff time that's already been spent on this, that is probably in the amount of tens of thousands of dollars at this point.

And I I just want to make sure we're being most efficient in how we're making our our decisions and decisions and taking action today.

So I will not be supportive of the layover, uh, but I do look forward to still trying to solve the problems that we're talking about.

Thank you, Councilmember Jost.

Um, I also will not be supportive of the layover.

Uh, I am prepared to vote today.

Um, I also believe that this is just further kicking the can down the road.

I want to be really clear that um I am not saying that one event's loss is another's gain.

And I cannot justify right now saying to the folks who've come out to testify tonight, you paid your bills last year and with no hardship assessment whatsoever, without knowing how hard it was for you to pay, without knowing how easy it would be for another organization to pay that hasn't paid yet.

We wrote off one group's bills and we left you holding the bag.

I just I can't justify that.

Um, and I'm frustrated that we are continuing to go back and forth on this.

I recognize that people have questions, but this is continuing to keep us from being able to get dollars out the door that we need to.

Um so I I think we will sound like we'll take a vote on the layover after Ms.

Bowie and then Miss Coleman.

Um just real quickly, um, events and festivals are a lifeline to our neighborhoods and to our commercial corridors, and for someone who's born and raised in Rondo, um, I think Rondo Days is very essential, and it's really like so meaningful um to many of our businesses.

When we had our business awards here, um some of the businesses that got awarded um came out of events and festivals like Rondo Days came out of a lot of our brick and mortars came out of these festivals.

So this is an economic development plan.

This is essential to our city.

I know everyone has different opinions, but particularly in Ward 1, um our events and festivals are a lifeline.

Um, I also wanted to say something on the record too.

This actual vote actually has way less effort and has zero administration.

It's literally a clean cut write-off.

We're not um transferring dollars anywhere.

And I want to make very clear, this has actually this vote has nothing to do with the 155k with a write-off.

We don't we don't have to think that this pot of money is coming out of the 155k budget.

We've seen in other write-offs before it's budget soft through our Office of Financial Services.

That's really a job and um that's really the job and the responsibility of our office and financial services to budget solve for that.

So um those two things are very separate.

Although we're in the same um spirit of talking about events and festivals, I want to make it really clear for the record.

And also to, you know, what was said is like really want to get the money out the door.

The truth of the matter is we're not getting money out the door, we're giving money back to us.

The money, we're just switching the money from one department to the other department.

This is not actually going out the door.

None of our events and festivals are going to actually have any of these dollars.

They're just going to have a uh, particularly in the route that we go in the next item to come, uh, just have a reduction to their police um budget.

And I already had shared that I would not be supportive of that um, mainly because of um people have mentioned before, you know, the the lack of uncertainty with the police expense going up every year.

Is the 7,000 just going to just basically cover inflation, right?

Is that actually going to, like if they're going to be experiencing a are receiving a police estimate that's 10,000 or 9,000 more than we have seen in current trends, is this actually going to cover the issue?

Um, so that's why I am taking this attempt, and it's a different approach because instead of going through uh discussions of playing hot potato with which department uh wants to do it or not.

Um, the truth of the matter is here in St.

Paul, we cannot find a director who can manage manage and administer 155k to give to events and festivals.

That's really unfortunate and really unacceptable.

Um I think that we also, like um Councilmember Johnson have shared, I want to see better relationships and better partnerships with our directors.

Uh, we should not have to be figuring out right here, all seven of us, how we can actually ensure and support our events and festivals.

Like this is not just a council decision.

We really need buy-in from our mayor and buyer buy-in from our departments.

Um, I see that we have um the parks director here.

I want to also just share, have been a really great partner and built those relationships with our community events and festivals.

But as we're talking about high police costs, um, this is the opportunity for our police to come to the table and come up with some solutions.

Um, it's unfair for us to have to figure it out, and I want us to have a clear way forward.

And if we have the authority to um determine that something is a public purpose, which I've already stated my intentions of doing, uh, and also we can show proof that this is an uncollectible debt, then those are the two criteria for us to actually make this vote.

And I understand other council members may not, you know, feel confident or bold enough to take that chance, but I think the the danger in not making a decision are the the consequences of not making this decision is not having these festivals this year.

And that is that is very consequential to me.

Um I don't want to go into a future where we have set um on record that we are not willing to do anything to support these events and festivals.

Okay, thank you, Ms.

Bowie.

So the motion is for a two-week layover.

Take Ms.

Jost, and then I think we're gonna call the question.

Oh, I'm sorry, Ms.

Coleman was after Ms.

Bowie.

Ms.

Coleman and then Ms.

Jost.

And then we're really gonna vote.

My question is mostly procedural, but I don't know if anybody here will be able to answer it because it sounds like there's a disagreement.

And I will say I don't have, I don't think I received an email from Director Logston today, so I don't know.

It's possible I missed something.

I but it so, like I said, I'm not prepared to support this today.

I do generally you know want to support efforts to lay things over in order to try to improve things and strengthen things to the point where there can be you know be a vote with all the questions answered.

That said, because there's the suggestion on the table, or maybe the answer on the table that if we do this, then it does again that's coming out of the that that may or may not be coming out of the 155,000 dollars.

I believe Ms.

Bowie and I have both confirmed with Ms.

Logstan that it does not come out of the 150,000.

I want to be clear.

I think you know, you I have not um received that information from uh Ms.

Lockfront or excuse me, Laura.

Um sorry, I I have uh uh difficulty pronouncing her last name.

Uh but I want to be clear.

This was this vote, which you can see in the resolution, it does not reference the 155k.

The if we were to vote to write this off, the question would be what is what source or what budget solve will we be using.

And since the 155k is unused dollars are current dollars that we have for this year.

Um uh Mrs.

Uh Laura had mentioned that we are able to use this year's funds for last year's balance.

So this is a write-off because we've already close out of last year.

So this is considered, I mean, particularly this is an unpaid balance, and it doesn't seem like there's any avenue to collect on this balance.

So we're essentially like either it's unpaid or remains outstanding, and these events and festivals can't exist, or we could write it off.

So I want to be clear, you know.

I think those are valid questions to be asked, and I wish um Ms.

Lawyer was here to answer them.

Um, but it was not my intentionality for the 155k to be used to solve this.

And to that point, we will move forward with item 17 after this, um, as Ms.

Bowie mentioned.

So thank you, Ms.

Bowie, and then Ms.

Just.

Yeah, I just I just want to say two things.

Um about the money that the write-off does still need to be budgeted somehow.

There needs to be a budget solved, and we don't know what that is right now.

Um, so I think that that matters the other times that we've had resolutions for write-offs that has not been the situation.

I just also um want to say that I I'm just concerned about the comments around like departments not being willing to house this program.

Like a lot of our department directors have put in a lot of effort the last several weeks to try to problem solve this, and it just doesn't seem fair to me uh to say that when so much effort has been put into this, and I don't agree that it's lack of partnership with them.

Um, and so that I just want to flag that comment that really just concerned me.

Thank you, Ms.

Jost.

Okay, so I think we are now ready to vote.

The motion on the table is for a two-week layover um of item 24.

We will do a roll call vote.

Coleman.

Yes.

Johnson.

Hi.

Joast?

No.

Kim.

Hi.

Yang.

I guess Council President Naker.

No.

Five in favor, two opposed, those being council members Joast and Naker.

The item is laid over to March 11th.

All right.

Item number 17 is resolution public hearing 26-37, establishing the festivals and events security credit.

The public hearing on this is closed, and this was laid over from February 4th.

So this has been laid over since February 4th, just to remind folks where we are at.

Uh version two is the version that is in front of us right now.

Um, I want to ask Commander Halstrom, uh, I really appreciate your patience.

Um Commander Holstrom is here to speak to how the program would work and answer questions that folks have about it.

Um Ms.

Johnson, I appreciate your ask that uh police department be here to answer those questions.

And so um, Commander Hulstrom, I will turn it over to you, and I again thank you.

I think you might have had to leave an hour and 15 minutes ago, but you're still here.

I am still here.

Uh Deputy Chief Holstrom uh with the special uh support service.

And I called you commander.

I'm sorry.

That's fine.

I just can't keep out.

I've known you since I was a commander, so um uh support services divisions overseeing special operations who uh conducts and coordinates and and works with the community uh to host and and make these events safe.

Um so the the application for the special event uh as they come in, have the the questions that have been predetermined by the council uh to be uh the qualifiers for the credit have been added to the application.

Uh we are already prepared to push that application out.

Uh even if an event is already submitted an application, um, they are yes or no questions.

Uh, if they are all answered yes, um it will be applied to the to the balance of the of the bill uh based upon the the stipulations of up to $7,000 for 50% of their police uh security costs.

Commander, can you speak a bit?

Because one of the concerns we've heard is just about accountability to the department.

Ms.

Bowie just mentioned this question.

I think it's a really fair one.

One of the parts of our resolution talks about uh regular reporting of the department to the council as to which uh what the security costs were that were billed and who received the credit and how much.

Um I want to confirm on the record that your department is prepared to provide that to us.

We are, and we've we've cooperated or we've we have worked with uh Office of Financial Services and our other city partners uh to make sure that we're able to accommodate that that that quarterly reporting to the council.

Thanks, Deputy Chief.

Ms.

Johnson.

And I um a couple of questions that I had was just the clarity.

So I noticed that there was a version four added.

Um, and I was uh wanted to just say clarity on whether or not we were able to resolve um ensuring that individuals with an outstanding balance from 2025 would still be able to get the credit in 2026, especially if they're not having a festival.

Yes, so individual groups with an outstanding balance from 2025 can get the security credit if they are having a festival.

Um I had initially considered a version four that would allow events that aren't taking place this year to apply the credit retroactively to their bill from last year.

Um, but on consultation with the city attorney's office was informed that that would also be um similar to the item we just considered um not legal because we would be essentially writing off now a portion of the bill rather than the whole bill.

So it would run into some of the same considerations and concerns.

But organizations that have an unpaid balance from last year, this was something that Ms.

Bowie um introduced as an amendment would be able to apply for this credit, get this credit, and have their event this year.

That would not be a ding on them if they have unpaid bills from before.

Okay.

And then I have a couple follow-ups, and I I'm just kind of taking on since you're here, and I thank you so much for being here.

I was hoping that um either yourself or Chief Ford or uh Chief Henry would be here.

So I appreciate you taking the time to make it.

And um, my my question for you uh during the first public hearing when this item was heard, there was a lot of public feedback that came from just I think a general notion with everything that's been going on around community trust.

Um, what is the like?

Is there any communication just trying to understand from the receiving end when uh individuals do apply for the permitting, have to play for the security costs?

Will there be any sort of communication on the staff's end?

Uh, you know, seeing this as an opportunity to kind of rebuild some of that, um, or will there be any communication, I guess, from staff to the entities that are hosting the events at all on the back end?

Thank you for the yes, absolutely.

Thank you for the question.

Um, our my staff spends uh an extensive amount of time coordinating and communicating and and making sure that the event is it meets the expectations of the community and standards for safety.

Um but we we we work extensively with all of the organizers um and participate with their events and you know offer suggestions uh on how to make the event go smoothly and and safely.

Um so we we do our best to engage with them as much as they're willing to engage with us.

One of the things that I think would be really helpful, um, you know, I know that this is not necessarily the police department, but I will share with you um, I'll take the time to just also give you a couple of things that concern me.

Um the first is when I look around the chamber currently right now, um, every single single city council meeting that I have attended since I became a council member, there were deputies in the chambers.

And um, you know, for me that was a big deal, uh, you know, and being able to have that direct uh upfront you know uh piece that sometimes it takes seconds to intervene in something or in a matter of security when we're talking about it, right?

Like I personally don't understand why that's been a tension point.

I don't necessarily understand why that has changed.

Um, and it's something that I wanted to bring to your attention, just of the presence of our police department here in the chambers during meetings that has not continued.

Um I'm not sure, you know, even if they're outside, even if they're watching on a side, I'm not sure the reason or the rationale for why, but that is concerning to me that they're not in here.

So I understand the question is is why are police officers not present and that's one of the questions I had, yeah.

Yeah.

Um that was that was that request of the council.

Which council?

This this city council.

Ms.

Ms.

Johnson, if I could interrupt.

So I think it is important that we stay on the topic at hand.

Um I'm happy to talk to you, and I think Mr.

Wilms is happy to talk to you about the decisions that were made about security in the chambers.

I wanted to be able to vocalize that as well.

My second question to you is do you think that have you seen the um recent posting from the St.

Paul Police Federation about the St.

Paul City Council's votes?

Um it's easy for me as a community ally to be able to talk with my festivals and my community folks about that trust piece and to really you know take that on this in debit or to really stand by this vote today.

I will be supporting it.

Um it is concerning to me though that we have St.

Paul Police Federation kind of mocking the St.

Paul City Council on social media using the efforts that we have made to create a separation ordinance to strengthen our separation ordinance and to put those pieces in place to have security on events that I want to trust or not doing the work of federal agents.

And I just want to be clear that if the if it said if it said the mayor in caption, I think that there would be some internal conversations, and I would hope that that same respect is given to the St.

Paul City Council.

But just wanting to bring that to your attention as two things that I have seen and I haven't had a chance to talk directly to the police department about.

I haven't had a chance to really hear from Mr.

Ross as well.

But I do wanted to bring those to you as things to bring back of ways that we can be helpful when it comes to you know that community partnership.

Because I go back to when this was first heard in the public hearing and the comments that came from those organizers in wanting to have a better partnership with the St.

Paul Police Department because these fees were high, because they wanted to see them on site.

And I, as a council member, can be a better ally when it comes to being able to talk through the you know that rationale when I also feel protected in my own chambers, and when I'm not being mocked on social media by a union that represents sworn officers here in St.

Paul.

And so I just wanted to be very clear about those and bring those to your attention because it's some things that I'm seeing that are just giving me pause because I'm truly just kind of baffled with that.

Um it's not something that we've had in the last two years of just like back and forth pieces, but I just wanted to be very clear that I really want to be able to have that partnership within the St.

Paul Police Department.

I do find the mockery of city council members on on social media, especially from our union that represents our our St.

Paul Police Department, step sworn officers to be inappropriate.

And I also would like to revisit the aspect of what it looks like to be safe even in our own chambers when we're advocating for security and safeness in our community on events and festivals too.

And so I hope that that communication is there and I hope it's landed well.

Um even if it if there's more conversation and it hasn't, I just wanted to give that to you, especially in person and directly on the record.

Thank you, Ms.

Johnson.

I saw Ms.

Joost, and then I think Vice President Kim.

Um thank you, Council President.

Um, I I am we're on version two, is that correct?

Okay.

I will be supporting version two.

I really appreciate the effort to try to find alternatives for um the mechanism of this money.

It's my understanding that you know we have a pretty clear set of criteria, and um the police department is able to check the boxes for us.

It's a first come first serve basis.

That was one concern I had is if we get more applications than we have money for, then who decides who's chosen?

And that's where I had a little bit more concern about um the police department being the administers of that, and I'm not gonna say that I love it either, but I do feel like it works for this year.

I am really open, you know, to other options.

I know we've already explored quite a few options over the past year for how to resolve this, but in terms of this year, this seems appropriate to me at this time.

So I'll be supporting this version two.

Thank you, Ms.

Jost.

I think I saw vice president.

Yeah, just have a booy.

I think the finance finance hand off question for you.

So when you can you talk us through when folks apply for dollars and what that process looks like and at what point do you hand it off to OFS for these types of grants?

So are we I the question is is how would the how would the money flow?

Is that if you can just kind of walk us through that?

Okay, thank you.

Thank you for the question.

Um it's it's not a it's not an exchange of funds.

Uh the in the the applicants will answer the questions.

The the police department is not going to evaluate uh the answers on the questions.

Uh, if all six boxes are checked, yes, um, that would be deducted that amount, whatever seven thousand dollars or fifty percent of the total of the bill would be deducted off of the the final bill, and then they would the the final bill would be less the the credit or the the amount applied in the program.

And then deputy chief, my assumption would be that you would alert the the dollars, the 155,000 are with OFS right now.

So the police department would alert OFS to the fact that that had been the security credit and those dollars would transfer from OFS to the department.

That is my understanding, yes.

Does that from OS from OFS to your department or from OFS to the organization?

To the police department because we're we're not cutting checks, we're just decreasing the amount of the security cost.

Okay.

Thank you.

Got it.

So instead of giving a dollar, we're saying you pay a dollar less.

Yeah, okay.

Sorry.

Yep.

No.

Um Ms.

Bowie and then I said Ms.

Johnson.

Thank you, Cost President.

I'm just trying to understand too on the same vein of um Vice President Kim's question, just like what are the actual steps?

Because it sounds like you are already stated that the police does not handle or manage the accounting or the financing, you don't collect the bills, you don't, I mean, you you set the invoice, but the uh collection or payment is actually administered through OFS.

Um so it sounds like the only thing that the police will be doing is just basically um uh reviewing the application once it's um um um submitted.

So if we can just I'm just trying to understand, and maybe this is a question for OFS, but who actually would be the ones like reducing the balance?

It sounds like that's OFS.

So I guess why why aren't we just like having OFS like why isn't the resolution to have OFS administer it when essentially it's already their funds and they just need to get a signal uh or communication, it sounds like it just sounds like instead of us uh taking uh a vote on how this will be administered, it really sounds like there is any correspondence from the police of when um event or festival checks those boxes and meet those criteria.

Yeah, I think and deputy she feel free to weigh in.

But I think the way that this was designed was to be as easy as possible for festivals to do and for the city to do.

So essentially, since organizations' events are already applying to the police department when they get a permit for a festival, um, the idea is to add those six criteria that the council determined to that application.

So when they come they submit that application, they check those boxes.

Um and then if they check all of those boxes, they are informed by the police department discounts their bill that amount that would I was asking.

And then the dollars come from OFS.

I'm sorry, they want you to repeat yourself.

I guess the the most simplest thing is if an event meets the criteria, who should that event who should the um who should the event organizer reach out to?

Like, are they reaching out to the police to make sure that that um credit was applied to their balance?

Are they reaching out to OFS?

Um, because I think we're trying to solve where that you know they're not coming back to us and we have to scramble and figure out who exactly um has the uh the confirmation that that credit has been applied to their balance.

It sounds like deputy chief, correct me if I'm wrong.

It sounds like they would apply to the police department for their event, they would check those boxes, and the police department would tell them your security cost has been reduced by this amount because you qualified.

Correct.

And then the police department would tell us that that had happened, so we would have oversight and insight into it.

Correct.

It it we would notify the event organizer that you've you've met the requirements that are established in the program, and your bill is being reduced by 7,000 or half of the half of the 7,000.

And just to that point, so it sounds like and when the event organizer is uh receiving the invoice, the credit will already be built into their invoice.

So uh this will be first come first served based off of when they are billed um for their events correct.

Okay, but you don't put a permit to the police.

I'm sorry, this isn't a public hearing.

Ms.

Just Yeah, I I was just I think I think it got figured out, but it's trying to make it simple in that they already have to um reach out to the police for the event security, and we're building that in as and reducing their invoice for the police um so that they're basically getting that credit in that way, and that's that's simpler, I think, by having it go through a channel that they already have to go through.

That's my interpretation.

And it sounds like Director Rodriguez, who is still here also can speak to the city's event process.

So maybe director, do you want to come up and weigh in on how this would work?

I think you help us out.

Hello.

Um I'm happy to answer any questions.

Um we're all getting a civics lesson and event plans.

Yeah, we can do uh a special events one on one.

I had a presentation, but um that was a joke, right?

No, I really not for this meeting, but I'm preparing it for something else.

Um just specific to accounting, you know, how we work across departments is that you know, if there's an outstanding balance for an event and we're looking into future years, we may not issue a permit to that organizer until that unpaid invoice is rectified.

Um sometimes there is a handoff between departments that um sends the invoice to OFS.

We have our own accounting units within departments, um, but there are times when we need to send it to accounts receivable within OFS, and they may seek out uh collections.

That's a very rare circumstance, but it does happen.

Um but that is just partial to the process.

I mean uh the police invoice um on their own for security costs, parks and DSI and public works all have separate invoicing processes for their departments.

So there are many different touch points for an event organizer to have to work with uh within the city depending on the scope of your event.

You might need a permit for a generator through DSI that has a fee.

You might have the police costs, you might have um tents and other things that um require invoicing for different reasons.

So there's a variety of different touch points that an event organizer has to sift through, and one of the things that we're working on is to streamline that process and make it easier for event organizers rather than having to talk to 10 to 20 different people across the city, give you one consolidated point of contact that can help work through those things.

Thanks, Director.

Are there other questions for Director Rodriguez about the process or well?

I my question was just more so just clarity around if we vote on this and we are saying that the police is gonna administer this reduction.

I just want to make very clear, like what are we telling people of who should they go to to make sure that their balance was you know actually reduced?

Is it the permit coordinator?

I don't know like what the role is, particularly when someone submits a permit.

From my experience, it sounds like they submit it online.

Um, and so I just want to have the tangibles, particularly around who was the person that can verify um because we have heard time and time again, right?

There's some um confusion and and and tensions, particularly around how the bill is estimated versus how it's um the the actuals.

Um if we could just make really clear of what someone can expect if we are moving forward with this vote.

Council President, Councilmember, I can just speak to that and then I'll defer to you.

It really depends.

Uh if it's on parkland, you're starting with uh a citywide event coordinator in our shop.

If it's not on park property or expands into the street, you are working directly with the police.

Um and they have a defined point of contact that facilitates any permit.

So I'll let you know.

But just to be clear, Director, because Ms.

Bowie's question is a really important one because we want if we approve this, we want this to be able to go right away.

And what I heard you say, Deputy Chief, is it's ready to go tomorrow if we approve this.

If someone applies to the police department directly, it sounds like there's a process for having them check these boxes and tell them that their bill has been reduced.

If someone comes to the parks department but has security costs, is there a way that you funnel folks to the police department and how would they like how does that interface work?

Council president, yes, we work in sync with one another.

We have what are called block party permit meetings that has every single city department in the same space coordinating um these large events and festivals.

So if it's on park property, we are working with the police on their billing processes, but just note that the the police are billing for police services, nothing else.

So that's coming out of their shop.

Ms.

Bui, does that answer your question?

Um from the parks side.

But um, if um Andy, uh director Andy had shared that it is their um they have a point coordinator.

I'm not sure exactly who within the police department handles that so you can share who's the who is a point person, particularly that does the coordination for the police bills.

Sure.

Thank you, council member.

Um special operations unit.

Uh we have a civilian uh professional staff that that coordinates most of the uh event uh bookkeeping, so to speak, and they will they will receive the event uh requester will receive a shall not exceed bill, detailed bill with uh item itemized line items on it, and it would clearly state that uh the app the credit has been applied and reduced from the overall shall not exceed, and then a final bill is sent after the event is concluded because for rain delays if event gets shortened or something changes, uh the bill could go down from the final estimate.

And what's the name of that um what is the job title?

You said civilian professional staff, is that the actual event event coordinator?

Okay, thank you.

This is Johnson.

Um just a process question, then Chief.

Uh so the credit would be applied to the final bill, so the festival would have to have had to take place for the credit to be applied, or it gets applied when you when the permitting is approved, and it's just I'm just trying to think of I'm trying to know which point when is the credit approved, and if it is kind of like first come first serve, it kind of sounds like yes.

Uh thank you for the question, council member.

Um, it it is it is approved uh upon the first receipt of the application.

Okay.

The six questions or the five questions are asked.

Um, it is authorized for for credit.

Um, if the event is canceled, um no bill would no bill would go out.

Okay, so the event itself doesn't have to take place for the credit to be in place.

Like, well, it doesn't have to take place before the credit concludes.

Correct.

Yes, the credit will be applied day one before we even actually know what the total bill would be.

Okay.

I just I think that would be helpful just for folks who have events later on then the year.

So they're not like feeling like it'll run out by the time you get to them.

So it sounds like if they do apply like earlier, it's still like helpful because then it'll be applied then, right?

It it sounds like a bigger question.

But yes.

Okay.

They will be applied and given right away at the beginning.

Okay, thank you.

So uh thank you both for your help.

Um I am moving version two.

Um, I know this has been the subject of I really appreciate the robust discussion today.

I know all of our goal is to get this done.

Um, I also know that this is a one-year situation because what we're talking about at public safety is hopefully a much more holistic solution to this problem.

Um I think that I want to thank Councilmember Bowie for her partnership on this.

I think that we have really turned over every rock to see if there's another place for this program to live.

Um I'm moving version two because I I don't believe that there is, and I think that this is the most effective way to get these dollars out the door.

Um it is already the end of February.

I really don't want to go through another year um without uh getting these dollars out.

So I'm gonna move version two.

Um if this vote goes down, then um I will leave it to my colleagues to find a path forward for these funds.

But this is what I have um what I feel is the best way to get these dollars out.

Um so any further discussion of the motion before we take a vote?

And Ms.

Bowie.

And also thank you, Council President.

So um just for the record, you aren't moving a version four um because of the reasons why you stated um with the with the uh this this ball this year's balance is not able to um solve for last year's balance, but with this version for those events and festivals that do have outstanding balances and they are applying for this year, they also will be qualified for this credit.

Organizations that are happening this year that have outstanding balances can apply for this credit.

There was there was no way through the city attorney's office to write off a portion of last year's events debt if they're not happening this year.

So for um example, if uh Ronda Days have outstanding balance that's rolled over to this year.

If they were to apply for their credit and approve for that credit, the the credit can apply to last year's rollover balance plus this year's costs is what I'm saying.

Yes, essentially they would get the half of the security costs and it would go towards this year's events.

Okay.

But even though they had an unpaid balance, that would not hurt them in applying for this.

Okay.

Well, I um I do think um, like we had mentioned before, we're gonna have a much larger conversation.

I do want the events that is gonna apply for a permit this year to get this credit.

Um there is questions particularly around if we have remaining dollars, um, because some events aren't going to take place.

They've already announced that they're not taking place this year.

Um, like for example, Little Africa.

I guess the question particularly is what do we do with the remaining funds, you know, if there's a pathway forward to make adjustments um for some of those credits if we have some remaining dollars.

I just want to put that on the record.

Um, that you know, I am in support of us reviewing, you know, what the remaining dollars in you know adjusting those those permits if if those issues come out come about.

Okay, thank you, Ms.

Bowie.

Um, any further discussion of the motion?

Uh do we need to take well, we'll take a roll call vote.

Coleman?

Yes.

Johnson?

Aye.

Joseph?

Yes.

Kim?

Yes.

Yang.

Aye.

Bowie?

All right.

Council President Acre.

Aye.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Item number eighteen is resolution public hearing twenty-six dash.

Oh no, we already did that, sorry.

Uh item number eighteen is ordinance twenty four-26, amending chapters 65 and 66 of the legislative code pertaining to drive-thru sales and services and walk up service windows.

All right, and for those of you who are uh still here and uh follow our legislative process, um, this is the second when we have an ordinance, we have three readings.

The first reading is a staff report where we get information about the ordinance, the second reading is a public hearing, and the third reading is typically final adoption, though sometimes we need more time.

This is the second reading of this ordinance, so this is a public hearing.

We had a staff report last week.

Uh so this is your public hearing.

If you're here for item 18, the long-awaited 18.

I am so sorry.

I'm gonna take a motion from Ms.

Joe's for version three.

All in favor say aye.

Should I say should I say what it is?

She's gonna say what it is right now.

Okay.

Um I'm still here.

We're still paying attention.

Thank you.

Um so there's a version three for this ordinance that's basically modifying the 300 foot buffer adjacent to transit um up to 660 feet, which is basically an increase of about a sixteenth of a mile.

Um this is because uh we we really want to kind of gear our um this this change towards more transit-oriented development in our city, and that is why we made that update.

Okay, so uh essentially limiting drive-throughs to not be too within a block of um high frequency public transit.

Uh not allowing them with a yeah, that's correct.

And and Mr.

Deermodee, um uh I don't think it's still here, but sent out is he still oh I couldn't see you behind Consumer Yang.

Oh my gosh.

Oh, and yeah, I'm still um really appreciate uh uh your work too as well to to provide us with a map of that update so we can really visualize what that would look like.

So thank you.

Uh great.

This is a public hearing.

If you're here to testify on this item, vote on it first.

Oh, we have to we have to amend it.

No, we need to vote to okay.

We are gonna vote on version three.

All in favor of version Ms.

Yang.

I do have a question about the the buffer.

So I have a question for either I mean either you, Councilmember Jose or Bill can take it.

I um when we had our policy committee for this topic, I mentioned that there um, you know, we now have BIPOC owners who are operating the vacant Walgreens on Maryland and uh prosperity, uh it's now a grocery store and it has a drive-thru that's built into it because it was a pharmacy.

So you know, at the at the in the Walgreens.

And so I know that they've shared with me their intentions on in the future um basically opening up a deli and do having a drive-throughs available a drive-thru available um in their store there.

And I just want to make sure that this uh the um the uh changes in version three here won't make it prohibitive for them to actually operate a drive-thru.

So if they were to want to pursue that even after the changes here were approved, what would that process look like so that if if they ask questions for me um of me, you know, in these next few weeks, maybe I can hopefully answer those questions.

Can you share a bit more about that?

Council President, Councilmember Yang.

Um if there was a drive-thru in existence anywhere in the city, there is a process to have a drive-thru there in the future.

Um regard it and you know, if if no matter what it is, whether it's a separation distance or something else in the code that changed, if there was one there today, you can continue it doing it.

And if there was one there in the past, there's a process to bring it back or to change it or expand it.

Um in this case, I think uh that that Walgreens um actually already had an issue because of its distance from residential.

Um then there may be an additional issue with the distance to the nearest transit station if when there is a transit station in place, there isn't one today.

Uh you know, we've got a couple of lines, the bronze line, and I forget whether it's the G or H that would potentially go right by here in the future.

Um but in short, there is a process where that could be considered.

Okay, yeah, even if it's close by to um you know residential properties, and even if the bronze line were to come in, there would there's still a process for that.

There's still a process that could go uh depending on exactly what they're asking for, to the planning commission or to the board of zoning appeals to potentially get approved.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you for the question, Ms.

Yang.

It's a really important one.

And Mr.

Dermotty, one thing I would say is I think it will be really important.

This was a question we got when we considered this item last year from owners of existing drive-throughs.

Um I think there's there's a different level of review and process triggered when it is expanded when the use is expanded.

And there were questions about the definition of expanded.

If I create a new menu, if I you know move my curb out six inches.

So I do think to Ms.

Yang's question, because those processes do matter, um, having very clear guidance as to what expanded means for a non-conforming use would be really helpful.

And we don't need to write that in here.

We defer to you to create it, but thank you, Council President.

It's hard to predict every situation in short, uh, you know, the zoning administrator and DSI will make those determinations as it comes up.

Um of the most common ones that just came up recently, actually, for a site is you know what happens if you uh add a menu board and um split into two lanes and then back into one, and uh the answer to that was it was not an expansion.

So uh that sort of situation we do have recent determination on.

It's hard to predict every situation though.

Um so hopefully you know anybody who wants to reach out in advance should do so either to our office or to DSI, and hopefully we can answer those questions.

Thank you.

All right, any other questions for staff before we hold the public hearing.

Ms.

Clement.

I'm so sorry.

Before we vote on version three.

All right, all in favor of version three to be the motion for consider the one that we're considering.

Say aye.

Hi.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, non opposed.

The amendment is approved.

We will now hold a public hearing on version three.

If you're here to testify on this item, please come on up.

Make sure to start with your name, where you're coming from.

You'll have two minutes.

Make sure to sign in when you're done.

Leave the mics.

Welcome.

Thank you all.

My name is Jacob Hooper.

I'm here with Sustained St.

Paul.

I'm from the Como neighborhood.

I do also put a little visual aid here.

I don't know if that can be projected, but uh in the voice activated projector.

Um I want to thank you, city councilors, for your hard work on this ordinance.

I do know that it has been a really long journey to get here, and that drive-thru regulations are not necessarily the flashiest subject, especially at times like this, but uh this is really important to setting the vision of future development for the city.

Um as you all know, rising property taxes are a top concern among voters.

The best way to address this is to encourage sustainable land use, particularly along our transit corridors, um, which are designed to both serve and benefit from density.

Uh for these reasons, we are encouraging you to do version three, which uh increases the minimum distance of that that new drive-throughs must be located from existing and planned light rail, BRT, and ABRT stops from 300 to 660 feet, um, as Councilmember Naker says, uh, about one city block.

Um property tax data from Ramsey County demonstrates that drive-thru properties generate roughly half the per acre tax value of comparable non-drive-through commercial uses.

You can see um an overview of that right here.

Um, and uh restaurants and bars, 2.8 million, multifamily and mixed-use commercial, 2.9 million, drive-throughs, just 1.6 million.

So it's a lot less.

Um we're gonna this data was compiled for us by Urban 3 and some other sustainers are going to show off some specific examples as well.

Um but I'd also say not only do they provide less immediate tax value to the city, they also hamstring transit-oriented development, which has real potential to improve our tax base, quality of city services, and city experience.

We have invested millions upon millions of dollars into light rail, BRT, and the development around them through programs like the county's critical corridor fund.

Um these areas need multi-story residential and mixed-use buildings that generate substantial tax revenue, increase transit ridership, and expand the local customer base for nearby businesses.

Let's not squander the immense potential with immense with let's not squander the immense potential of these transit corridors with low-intensity suburban land use.

Thank you for your consideration.

Thank you very much.

Make sure to sign in.

Welcome up.

Uh good evening, Council President Naker and uh members of the council.

My name is Joe Burkholz.

I represent McDonald's and its owner operators of the city of St.

Paul.

Thank you for the time and thought that went into version two and now version three of this ordinance.

Um acknowledging the changes that are made, removing the total ban on drive-throughs in the mandatory walk-up window was significant for McDonald's owner operators.

Um reflects uh the council listing to small business owners and uh residents about what is workable for their existing and potential future investments.

Uh while McDonald's is a global brand, every restaurant in Minnesota is locally owned and operated by owner operators that are their small businesses run by members of the community.

You've previously heard, and I believe many on the council know Courtney Henry and his father who own and operate um many McDonald's in the city of St.

Paul and the Twin Cities.

Roughly 75% of their business comes from um drive-thru revenue for many customers, especially during the winter, um, for families with young children or for individuals with mobility considerations the option.

It's uh not incidental.

It's important for how they access the business.

Uh we understand the intent behind the updated standards, including the 120-foot residential separation for food and beverage use uses and 12 space stacking requirements.

We're not asking for those standards to be changed.

Our concern is narrower, and I wanted to highlight suggestions.

We had submitted to council staff around these items.

First on stacking.

McDonald's currently designed often includes multiple service windows to keep traffic moving and reduce idling.

We asked for clarification that the stacking requirements be measured.

Um from the final service window of the direction of travel, that request is about predictability and site review, not about reducing the required number of spaces.

On the 120-foot setback, we understand the goal of protecting residue residential areas.

Uh, our concern is that when combined with stacking and placement requirements, it can uh create awkward site layouts and infill and have issues with infill properties that raise pedestrian and ADA challenges.

Respectfully, we would ask that the council incorporate these changes that we have suggested.

They're modest adjustments.

Um happy to answer any questions, whether here or um relay them to council staff that has them.

I appreciate the time.

Thank you very much.

Make sure to sign in.

We might have Mr.

Dermany back up to address some of those.

We'll see.

Welcome up.

Uh good evening to the council.

Uh my name is Brain Holmes, a cabinet maker and resident of Ward 2, and also sustained St.

Paul member.

And I would like the council to pass the amendment for the proposed drive-through ordinance, which provides that there be a minimum distance of 660 feet between any new drive-throughs and all existing and planned BRT, arterial BRT and light rail stops.

I present here a graphic of two properties, midline apartments at McDonald's.

They are roughly the same size lots adjacent to each other and sit just a few hundred feet from a light rail stop.

And yet, one of these properties encourages transit use in walkable neighborhoods, while the other snarls traffic, both auto and pedestrian.

One of these provide substantial tax revenue for the city, while the other has barely one seventeenth the taxable value per acre of the other.

And one can both provide both housing and ground level retail, while the other is rigid and inflexible in its uses.

If St.

Paul is to remain true to its ideals of financial and environmental sustainability, should the land with the greatest potential be wasted on one of the one of a city's least efficient and most deleterious business models.

If there is a place for drive-throughs in St.

Paul, it is certainly not in the vicinity of our great public investments.

Thank you.

Thank you very much.

Make sure to sign in.

Welcome up.

Council President Naker and members of the council.

My name is John Perllich, Vice President of Government Affairs at the St.

Paul area chamber, where we represent more than 1,600 employers, nonprofits, civic partners who are committed to the future of this city.

Removing the outright ban on restaurants and coffee shops and eliminating the requirement that walk-up windows mirror drive-thru hours addressed important operational barriers.

Even with those improvements, the ordinance continues to create regulatory uncertainty that will influence investment decisions across regulated industries.

For that reason, the chamber continues to encourage a NOVO.

The six-space stacking requirement for banks, credit unions, and pharmacies exceed current demand according to our members and may force unnecessary site expansion at best and prevent development at worst.

The ordinance also lacks clarity on how stacking is measured, creating unpredictability during site review.

Questions also remain about how existing drive-throughs are treated when properties are sold, renovated, or upgraded.

Modernization, safety improvements, and technology updates should not place existing operations at risk.

We also have concerns about the proposed expansion, the transit buffer zone in version three, which doubles from 300 to 660 feet.

After more than a year of review, introducing a change of this scale one week before possible final adoption does not allow adequate time to evaluate parcel level impacts or unintended consequences.

Nearly 40% of the city's existing drive-throughs fall within the proposed buffer.

Clear standards are needed regarding how existing operations, property transfers, and reinvestment would be treated under this expanded boundary.

Drive-throughs remain an important operational tool that supports safety, access, and customer expectations.

Adding avoidable uncertainty to the development framework sends the wrong signal as the city works to attract and retain investment.

Thank you so much.

Make sure to sign in.

Welcome up.

Michelle Molstead, uh, board one.

Woohoo.

And uh I'm also here as a member of Sustained St.

Paul.

Uh I want to talk about one of my favorite things, food, and one of my least favorite things, taxes.

But uh you can all see this, right?

We can um and I support uh this version.

When I look at this picture, it says uh one of my favorite places, uh Doge Pizza, which you can probably see.

And then I I have to admit that I have eaten a fair amount of uh Arby's beef and chedgers over the years, uh, and also filet of fishes.

Uh so I don't think anybody is uh saying eliminate those things.

You just might have to go uh slightly further afield or go inside.

And there are lots of things we can talk about, uh 3.5 million uh per acre versus 1.9, other statistics that uh other people have talked about.

But I think it boils down to uh what do we want our city to look like?

And I think for me, over the last couple of months, especially uh as my partner and I have biked and walked and taken transit and driven to local businesses uh where we walk in, we meet the owners, we meet the people cooking the food, we uh meet the people who um have the grocery stores.

Uh what does St.

Paul look like?

And uh I can talk about the heat sink that that parking lot is.

I can talk about waiting in line uh in a drive-through.

Uh and again, it's it's it's not an elimination, it's just a vision of what are our values.

So I encourage you yes vote on this, and uh I look look forward to seeing you all here in other similar places as well.

Um thanks for your time this evening.

Thank you.

And thanks for reminding us we haven't had dinner yet.

Just kidding.

So thanks for reminding us we haven't had dinner yet, but I was just kidding.

Sorry.

That's right.

It actually made me feel better to see those pictures.

Welcome up.

Council, thanks for the opportunity to speak.

I'm Luke Hanson.

I live on Eleanor Avenue in Ward 3.

I tune with sustained St.

Paul, and I'd like to share some more visual examples of the tax value per acre that drive-throughs have relative to other similar nearby businesses that don't have drive-throughs.

I think there were the these examples are pretty staggering, actually.

Uh here's one from Snelling Avenue.

This is the Starbucks, the car bucks that started this whole this whole study in the first place.

Um it yields a tax value per acre of about three million dollars.

That means that the the taxable market value of the property, the building, and the parking, um, divided by the size of the land measured in acres is three million dollars per acre.

Meanwhile, two blocks south of their luminary coffee house and the building that it's in with five other businesses, generates almost four times as much tax value per acre.

We ought to be interested in this metric, value like understanding the efficiency that um buildings, the property are generating tax revenue to pay for the services and the infrastructure that we need to maintain the city of St.

Paul are yielding for us within a finite amount of land.

Another example here, the SEMA pharmacy.

This is the Walgreens nearest my home.

It has a tax value per acre of about three million dollars.

And nearby the St.

Paul Corner Drug, no parking, um, and no parking lot uh yields nearly three times that much.

This is at Snelling and St.

Clair.

Here's a McDonald's close to the state capital at University and Marion Street.

A couple blocks to the west is Tahoe Restaurant.

It has a parking lot and yet yields almost twice as much tax value per acre.

Here's the culvers on Snelling App.

We're on uh University Avenue, um, just a few blocks east of Snelling, 4.8 million per acre.

Meanwhile, a few blocks um to the east of the Blackheart yields 30 to 40 percent more in tax value per acre.

Here's an Arby's on Suburban Avenue, just south of I four east on the east side.

Uh, its tax value per acre is less than half of that of the little oven, a local restaurant a mile to the north.

And unfortunately, that is time.

So thank you.

If you want to share those pictures with us afterwards, we'd love to see them.

Thank you so much.

Make sure to sign in.

Is there anyone else here to speak on this item?

All right, seeing none, I will take a motion from Ms.

Joseph to close the public hearing and lay the matter over till March 11th, or would we like to have comments?

Uh one one week layover would be March.

I'm sorry, March 4th.

March 4th, I think.

Did you also want to leave the public hearing open?

That's what was communicated.

Should we leave?

We can leave the public hearing open.

Yes, sure.

Okay, I just that's what I heard from Tom.

Yeah, yeah, we should leave.

You're right.

So the motion for Ms.

Joost is to close is to leave, is to continue the public hearing and lay the matter over till March 4th.

Um is there any discussion of the motion?

All right.

Uh, want to thank everyone for coming out to testify.

We've got a lot to think about um and some time to do it, so really appreciate the testimony and people being willing to stay quite a quite a while tonight.

Uh, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Uh seven in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is continued to March 4th.

Item number 19 is ordinance 26-9, adopting the geothermal energy franchise by the Heights Community Energy Inc.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak to this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Yang to close the public hearing and lay the matter over till March 4th for final adoption.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Six in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is closed, and the item is laid over to March 4th for final adoption.

Item number 20 is ordinance 26-11, granting authority to the port authority to issue and sell bonds and the principal amount of six million dollars and any bonds to refund such bonds to secure such bonds with a pledge of the full faith credit and resources of the city and to use the proceeds derived from the sale of such bonds to pay for the cost and expense necessarily to be incurred by a said port authority for a portion of the cost of the redevelopment or of a part of St.

Joseph's hospital site.

The Port Authority writes another item like that.

I'm never gonna vote for it again.

Just kidding.

Um this is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak on this item?

Seeing none, I will move to close the public hearing and lay the matter over till March 4th for final adoption.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Six seven in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is closed, and the item is laid over to March 4th for final adoption.

Item number 21 is ordinance 26-12, amending section 310.01 of the legislative code to create new fee categories and associated license fees for transportation network companies.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak to this item?

See none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Yang to close the public hearing and lay the matter over till March 4th for final adoption.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is closed, and the item is laid over to March 4th for final adoption.

Item number 23 is resolution public hearing 26-62, amending the 2026 PD operations budget to include HRA housing trust fund funding for the emergency rental assistance staffing citywide.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak to this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion.

Oh, nope.

Do you have to do that?

Do you want to do the staff report or no?

Okay.

Take a motion for Ms.

Johnson to close the public hearing.

All in favor say aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The public hearing is closed.

Ms.

Johnson.

All right.

Well, I am really excited about today for a lot of reasons, but in part, uh, this is the day that we as a city are um taking the steps to invest additional resources into our emergency rental assistance program.

Um this has been a I would say a very uh long process, but I think in general, really uh responsive process to what we have seen and really had to bear witness to an experience together as a city.

Um we understand we understood before with this investment that there are large amount of uh families and residents in St.

Paul who are having to choose between putting food on the table and being able to keep a keep a roof off of their head, and we are seeing evictions rise and uh in many places throughout the city of St.

Paul.

Uh and then also with Operation Metro Surge, we saw that really um exasperated when it came to families who now are making the painful choice to stay home because they're not feeling secure still to this day for to go back to work.

Or some families who now have their breadwinner who is no longer with us here in the in the United States, but now is elsewhere.

And so this is an effort to also respond to that.

Um point our attention to the administrative order that also was on this agenda that uh codified the transfer of 500,000 dollars from local affordable housing aid dollars, um, and showing that this amendment would that would also match that with an additional 926,000 um to make the grand total today of the investment in the emergency rental assistance fund of 1.4 million and additional funding and resources, which is a huge deal.

Um, that's almost doubling essentially what we have placed into the emergency rental assistance this year.

Um, and it cannot be overlooked, and it's not a small feat.

And I asked for my counterparts and uh your support on this.

I thank council member uh Vice Chair Joe's for also stepping in and being a part of those discussions at the housing authority, uh, with the housing and redevelopment authority with our director, and I think um just everyone's emails and even just the push from colleagues uh to ask about this and to really see it happening.

We know if we've been watching at all, right?

West St.

Paul has put in my resources for emergency rental assistance, the city of Minneapolis has done the same.

And so we're joining other cities that are doing this because right now is a time to react to this.

I appreciated the conversations earlier to try to get these resources out of the door earlier.

I'll be moving to you know, for an April 1st uh launch, as you heard from today, right?

It was open for 23 days, and we received 610 applications.

So if you're wondering if this is needed, um, it definitely is.

And in many ways, I'm you know, I stick around for this as well because I will I um just know how important this is and how important this investment will be, and we need the staffing to do it, and that's just the facts.

And so being able to get this resource in and the additional two staffers that'll be joining this team um in order to get the resources out the door and to really be an emergency response program.

It takes people, it takes capacity.

And I've heard Director McMahon, I've heard um Director Jules Antagna talk about the need to make sure that we're investing in in staffing long term.

So this is what that attempts to do.

And I want to just say thank you to the deputy director Green who sat through this meeting for this particular item.

Okay, um, as well.

And I thank you for your partnership and getting together the board reports.

You all received the slides um that as well for her presentation that she put together and took the time for, but it is echoed in the board report and the financial analysis.

And so um with that I move approval.

Thank you, Ms.

Johnson.

The motion on the tables for approval.

I will just say our apologies.

We just have to.

We had close it.

Hello.

And I move approval.

We're all we're all tracking.

I've almost said that too.

I want to thank you for your leadership on this.

I think it uh it shows uh that you you said that you were following along to our meetings, and uh it was proven when we had a uh public hearing on uh federal immigration operations, and during that meeting, um Vice President Kim was able to read a text from you saying, and we're getting the emergency rent assistance out on March 4th.

Um or actually even today.

So uh so we felt like we were being observed from above and beyond, and you were one of our millions of viewers, and you were even moving from afar.

So thank you for doing this.

Excited to be able to get these dollars out.

Any further discussion of the motion, Vice President Kim and then Ms.

Coleman.

Yeah, just really really grateful.

I know when I initially had asked the question, basically Chair Johnson was like already on it, and I was like, I'm gonna turn you leave.

Okay, great.

Um, but I think so I'm just so grateful for your leadership because we now more than ever, local government is sort of the most flexible, responsive space to be, um, especially in Minnesota.

Right now, there is a bill hearing on rental assistance today that Representative Kazalski brought to the table, and like we are likely not to get that not to get it done this year.

But pre-the-new year, 7% of Minnesotans were at least one month behind on their rent, which equated to over like 50 million dollars.

And so, like if we're talking about what the need looks like, it is astronomical, which is why we're also looking at mutual aid funds.

And um, whole uh like I saw one that the goal for this month alone was a million dollars for their neighborhood.

So it's to name that like the responsiveness under your leadership.

Um, I'm just so incredibly grateful for.

It makes me feel really good to be a part of the city council to go out in community and say yes, and Chair Johnson is adding more money and staffing to ensure that these resources go out into community and they go into community right now.

So just really grateful for your leadership.

Um, and if folks have the ability to go lobby at the Capitol, because we need rental assistance from there as well.

Thanks, Vice President Ms.

Coleman.

Um, yeah, I will add to what others have said, which is that it's up to the new bar for coming back from maternity leave and being like, and also here's 1.4 million dollars for annual assistance.

So nobody can ever go on maternity leave again unless they're coming back with that energy.

Um I'm so but truly like on a serious note and like Vice President Kim said, it's just been so reassuring to know that you've been on top of this and that you are finding this funding and making this happen because this is such a critical need of study that I'm guessing many in this room have seen came out today from North Star Policy finding that in since Operation Metro Surge started, there's been 106 million dollars in wages lost in the Twin Cities alone.

That's devastating.

The scale of this devastation is so hard to even begin to wrap one's head around.

And like Council Vice President said, this has been a need for so long, and like the city has been responding to, like Chair Johnson has been responding to for years now.

We know that people need this type of financial support, and that need has grown uh, I want to say immeasurably, but people are measuring it, but it in massive, massive ways in just a few months, and it will be we know what this looks like when wages are lost, when people can no longer go to work, when people you know have lost jobs, lost security, lost family members.

This this crisis is going to continue.

And so I think that the sustainability of the work that we're doing here is so essential in investing in staff, investing in our capacity to actually get the money out the door because this isn't going to be just something that's needed today, tomorrow, March 1st, April 1st.

This is going to continue to be a long-term need throughout our city.

So I'm very, very enthusiastically supporting this.

Um, and I'm just grateful to the council for continuing to find innovative ways to move forward in response to this crisis.

Thanks, Ms.

Coleman.

Ms.

Just and then Ms.

Okay.

Thank you, Council President.

Um, I just really want to commend Chair Johnson.

Um, since Chair Johnson's joints joined this council, she's been a champion for emergency rental assistance, and she has followed through on that promise.

And especially because she's been working so hard and well on maternity leave and been very proactive on this issue.

Um, we are ready to go with this now in this moment when our community really needed it.

So thank you so much.

And um just really excited to see this this pass and the positive impact that it'll have on our community.

Thank you.

Ms.

Yang.

Thank you.

I just wanted to echo everything that uh my colleagues already shared.

Thank you to you, Councilmember Johnson or Chair Johnson and also Vice Chair Joes and all the staff for their work and really to the council here too for um the enthusiastic support for this.

I mean, um, you know, Councilman Johnson, you and I shared the 55106 zip code, which we know is the zip code in our city that has experienced the highest levels of eviction, and more families are on the verge of eviction um because of the of Operation Metro Surge in our communities too.

So this is gonna have such a huge impact to many families um who are being harmed and experiencing violence in so many ways right now.

So I'm very excited to support this.

Thank you, Ms.

Yang.

All right, any further discussion of the motion?

If not, Ms.

Johnson.

Just want to say also um I really do appreciate the partnership and the effectiveness as well of our assistant mayor, Nick Sumo Langer, and our mayor called her as well, because things can move quickly when we're in when we are in partnership with and so with the council when folks are online with the departments and when the mayor's office is ready to go as well.

So that's a huge part of this too.

Um the 500,000 dollars could not have happened as fast without their support, so I just want to say thank you for that.

Thank you.

And agreed.

Uh all right, all in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Item number 25 is resolution public hearing 26-42, amending the financing and spending plans and department of public works, capital and capital maintenance contingency budgets to transfer 90,000 for the Dale Street uh roof replacement.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak to this item?

Seeing none, I will take a motion from Vice President Kim to close the public hearing and approve.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Item number 26 is resolution public hearing 26-38, authorizing the Department of Parks and Recreation to amend the financing and spending plan in the amount of 10,000 dollars and to enter into a grant agreement with the Minnesota Historical Society to accept Minnesota Historical and Cultural Heritage Grant Funds.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak to this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Ms.

Coleman to close the public hearing and approve.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Item number 27 is resolution public hearing 26-55, authorizing an increase in the parks and recreation 2026 grant fund budget in the amount of 510,000 dollars to reflect grant fund awarded from the state of Minnesota DNR for a recurring operational grant at the Como Zoo and Conservatory for state fiscal years 2026 and 27.

This is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak to this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion from Vice President Kim to close the public hearing and approve.

All in favor say aye.

Aye.

All opposed.

Seven in favor, none opposed.

The resolution is adopted.

Item number 28 is resolution public hearing 26-52, approving the application of Meefi Beat Inc.

DVA Shamracks Irish Nook for a sound level variance, 900%.

Amplified sound for St.

Patrick's Day weekend event on Saturday, March 14th and Tuesday, March 17th at 995 West 7th Street, Shamrocks, Irish Nook.

I feel like there might be a holiday coming up based on our sound level variance uh roster.

Uh this is a public hearing.

Is there anyone here to speak to this item?

Seeing none, I'll take a motion for Ms.

Joe's to close the public hearing and approve.

All in favor say aye.

Okay.

All opposed.