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HomeMy WebLinkAbout07 18 2022 City Council MinutesPRip\/o U txy \�INNESOS� 4646 Dakota Street SE Prior Lake, MN 55372 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES July 18, 2022 CALL TO ORDER Mayor Briggs called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. Present were Councilors Burkart, Churchill, Thompson and Braid. Absent: None. Also in attendance was City Manager Wedel, City Attorney Kendall, Fire Chief Steinhaus and City Clerk Simon. PUBLIC FORUM John Peet, Grainwood Senior Living: Before I begin my testimony may I hand you some exhibits that will explain why I am here? Again, my name is John Peet and I live at Grainwood Senior Living here on Gateway Street. I am here because there is a serious problem going on in Prior Lake that I am sure you are not aware of. There is a lot of discrimination, racial profiling, a lot of calling the police, bad management, lot of fire department and conditions in the building are horrible. The management is horrible. They are currently being investigated by the Human Rights Department, the HUD Department, they have been investigated by Channel 11 news, they are being investigated by the housing authority basically being investigated by everybody. In that, they have been investigated by the Human Rights Department and the HUD Department and in the investigation, there has been a lot of police reports and there have been a lot of white tenants that have called the police on innocent black people like myself. I do not have any lease violations. No police contact. Just unwanted police contact. One of the tenants has called the police to help my manager on me and made up over 42 police reports. In those police reports I went to the police department and asked the constantly and asked them to help me stop this behavior because it is dangerous for people to run up on me, making threats, calling me names, racially profiling my kids, calling the police on my grandkids, you name it they are doing everything under the sun. In me asking the Chief of Police and Police Officers to help me stop this, they didn't. The Prior Lake Police Department and the Chief of Police is aware of this situation hasn't been helping to hinder an investigation. They have been withholding police reports, redacting police reports for one year. When myself and my aid came to them to get the police reports they told us that they gave us the police reports that they could give us and after fighting for over a year and a half and interfering in an investigation providing my managers with fraudulent reports and information and management trying to use this to do damage control to report to the investigators they finally came back and gave us the police reports unredacted and they changed the rules. In changing their rules, we found out through the Scott County Attorneys Office that the police department of Prior Lake have been hiding police reports. Myself and another tenant got sprayed in the face with this poison and the detective covered it up. The Detective didn't even investigate the case. The only thing he did was when I called the non -emergency, he took the non -emergency report and made it a report and ever since then he has been basically covering it up. So, the only way that the Prior Lake Police Department covered up was by having #57 make up more fraudulent police reports. If you look at the police reports I provided you, you will see in there where all of those police reports are fraudulent and each time, we asked the police department hey- what's going on can't you stop this? I mean can't you go to management and say hey management you need to do something you need to stop these tenants or whatever. The police departments response is always well its just informational. Well if its informational it shouldn't be there. Prior Lake police department helped my management build a file on me. I now have 47 police reports and it's not very fun being discriminated and retaliated and the police called on you and unwanted police attention. And our building is nonsmoking, so you have to go outside. That is my point thank you. Oh, I am actually in the Committee to have an outside investigation on them, not in house, they had an in-house police investigation with redacted police reports, and they failed to and I am asking the Council to please help me stop them from continuing to help them in this investigation. I would like a fair investigation. Thank you. Patricia Freeman, live in aid for Mr. Peet at Grainwood Senior Living: I have a problem with the Prior Lake Police Department. On April 2nd, I was assaulted by the Community Manager at Grainwood Apartments. Officer #57 came, was bias when he pulled up because I was standing outside and he chose to talk to the perpetrator before he talked to the victim. When he got through talking to the perpetrator, he walked directly past me. I had to follow him to ask any questions. When I asked him a question, basically he told me I got the fist of it. I asked him what does that mean? He said I pretty much know what happened. I explained to him how could you know what happened if you never talked to the victim? Which is me. Never talked to me, never took a statement, but the next following Monday morning it was a police report wrote out based on what the perpetrator said. Went up to the police department multiple times, every month last year asking for multiple police reports. On April 14t", 2022, 1 am going to touch on some of the things that Mr. Peet already touched on that you do have evidence on. April 14t" of this year, the supervisor of the Prior Lake police that works in the front came and told me and Mr. Peet I apologize all the police reports you have gotten from us up to this date has either been redacted, or privileged information in there which you should have had was not in there. And I said Oh, I can understand it being a mistake twice but for a whole year? You are covering up some things. No it was just an error. No it was not an error that is just a cover up. Especially if you go in there multiple times asking for the same police reports and they are giving you the same ones knowing that they are not to their full capacity. Those same police reports were put in evidence in certain cases where they depended on that evidence that wasn't right. Then, last month I went and had a meeting with the Chief of Police. I told him I never talked with the officer, how could officer make a police statement based on what the perpetrator said and never talk to the victim? He had a smirky face and said I believe my officer. I said how can you believe your officer if the victim is sitting here telling you he never talked to me. I said are you willing to bet your career on that? Huh, he smirked and said yes. Then he put me out of the police station for asking for my case and for that officer to be disciplined for being bias, confrontational bias and violating about 1/4 of his oath that he agreed. Now I have I would like to come back next meeting and show a video of the police chief putting me out of the police station for asking questions that I had a right to ask. I have been up to the police station multiple times trying to get this situation situated and it was covered up because the community manager was white and I was black. And the officer made it perfectly clear that he didn't want to jeopardize her career. Just saying forget me oh you deal with it. I have had a breakdown, I had a breakdown in the police station when he kicked me out because this has hindered my life, my mind for quite some time. The Police department had their own little investigation and cleaned up house because half the people that wrote out the police 2 07 18 2022 City Council Meeting Minutes report are no longer working there or are moved to somewhere else. I am asking for my state of mind, peace of mind, that you do another outside investigation. Wedel: Thank you Mr. Peet and Ms. Freeman for coming in and for your comments. My under- standing is that you had previously asked for an internal investigation, that was done and but now you would prefer to have an outside group investigate the police department and their actions as they relate to your situation. What the process looks like is the Minnesota Board of Peace Officers Standards and Training it's the POST Board they are the state organization that would do an inves- tigation of our police department. That is the group that does those types of investigations. I can certainly work with both of you to put you in contact with the folks at the POST board so that you can have their contact information (phone number and email) to start that process. It has to start with you working with them, I can not do that for you. They do also include on their website, there are links for reporting incidents of bias or discrimination to the Minnesota Department of Human Rights. I will be in contact with both of you with the information as it relates to the POST Board and how that process works and who you would speak with. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Burkhart- Adding item 9A; discussion about directing staff towards drafting a moratorium ordi- nance related to the sale of THC products in our community. MOTION BY BURKHART, SECOND BY CHURCHILL, TO APPROVE THE MODIFIED AGENDA AS PRESENTED. VOTE Briggs Thompson Burkart Braid Churchill Aye ❑x ❑x ❑x ❑x ❑x Nay ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Abstain ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Absent ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ The motion carried. APPROVAL OF CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES 4A. APPROVE THE JUNE 209 20229 CITY COUNCIL MINUTES MOTION BY THOMPSON, SECOND BY BRIGGS, TO APPROVE THE JUNE 20, 20221 CITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES AS PRESENTED VOTE Briggs Thompson Burkart Braid Churchill Aye ❑x ❑x ❑x ❑ ❑x Nay ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Abstain ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑x ❑ Absent ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ The motion carried. 3 07 18 2022 City Council Meeting Minutes CONSENT AGENDA A. Approval of Claims Listing B. Approval of June Building Permit Summary Report C. Approval of June Animal Control Services Report D. Resolution 22-088 Accepting 211 Quarterly Donations and Grants E. Approval of Purchase of a Field Striper F. Resolution 22-089 Accepting VEGA 3 Grant Distribution MOTION BY BURKHART, SECOND BY BRAID, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED VOTE Briggs Thompson Burkart Braid Churchill Aye ❑x 0 Nay ❑ ❑ Abstain ❑ ❑ Absent ❑ ❑ The motion carried. 0 0 0 ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Braid: Thank you to Charlies on Prior for their generous donation to the EDA and also thank you to the Prior Lake Lyons Club for their donation. This commitment to the community is just one of the many things that makes Prior Lake a special place to live. Briggs: Also would like to make comment on the donations and most notably for the generous grant and donation by the Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community in the interest of our public safety here in Prior Lake. PRESENTATIONS 6A. Presentation of Badges to Two New Firefighters Chief Steinhaus presented the item. Recess at 7:19 pm for photos. Meeting reconvened at 7:27 pm. PUBLIC HEARINGS No Public Hearings. OLD BUSINESS No Old Business. NEW BUSINESS 9A. Discuss a Moratorium for THC Containing Products 4 07 18 2022 City Council Meeting Minutes Wedel: Thank you Mayor and Councilors. Earlier this evening during the work session, staff met with Council to discuss the new state regulations that went into place July 1st, 2022, related to THC products. The discussion revolved around the city's role in that, and it was ultimately Councils de- cision to direct staff to move forward with the process for implementing a moratorium on those products for the next 12 months. The process will be such that we will now publish notice of the proposed ordinance which will be presented to the Council on August 1st, 2022. Braid: For clarification, this is also in response to give us some time to digest what has just occurred because as my understanding the city did not get a heads up on what was included in that bill is that correct? Wedel: That is correct. The city was not aware of what ultimately was approved at the state level, what the impacts of that were going to be for the city so we had no time to prepare for them. MOTION BY BURKART, SECOND BY CHURCHILL, TO DIRECT STAFF TO DRAFT A MORA- TORIUM ORDINANCE RELATED TO THE SALE THC PRODUCTS VOTE Briggs Thompson Burkart Braid Churchill Aye ❑x ❑x ❑x ❑x ❑x Nay ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Abstain ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Absent ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ The motion carried. REMOVED CONSENT AGENDA ITEMS No items were removed. COUNCILMEMBER LIAISON UPDATES / COUNCILMEMBER REPORTS Churchill: 7/15 agenda review Braid: 6/29 EDA meeting, 7/4 celebrated the 4t" of July, 7/8-7/9 Lakefront music fest, 7/12 Prior Lake Spring Lake Watershed meeting,7/16 Rockin' on the Reeds, 7/18 agenda review Burkart: Several Suburban Transit meetings, Several MVTA meeting, Highway 169 quarter coali- tion meetings, 7/8-7/9 Lakefront music fest, 7/16 Rockin' on the Reeds, agenda review Thompson: 7/15 agenda review Briggs: 6/21 Inaugural Equity Summit, League of Minnesota Cities annual conference 6/22-6/24 in Duluth, 6/29 EDA meeting, 7/8 SCALE meeting, 7/11 Regional Council of Mayors meeting, 7/15 agenda review OTHER BUSINESS None. 5 07 18 2022 City Council Meeting Minutes ADJOURNMENT MOTION BY THOMPSON, SECOND BY CHURCHILL, TO ADJOURN THE MEETING AT 7:33 P.M. VOTE Briggs Thompson Burkart Braid Churchill Aye ❑x ❑x ❑x ❑x ❑x Nay ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Abstain ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ Absent ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ ❑ The motion carried. Respectfully Submitted, � Jason Wedel, City Manager 6 07 18 2022 City Council Meeting Minutes