CC WS 2021 04 12CHANHASSEN CITY COUNCIL
WORKSESSION
MINUTES
APRIL 12, 2021
Mayor Ryan called the meeting to order at 5:00 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Ryan, Councilwoman Rehm, Councilman Campion,
Councilwoman Schubert, and Councilman McDonald
Councilwoman Rehm joined via Zoom.
MEMBERS ABSENT: None.
STAFF PRESENT: Laurie Hokkanen, City Manager, Kate Aanenson, Community
Development Director, Sergeant Tyler Stahn, Lieutenant Lance Pearce, and Charlie Howley,
Public Works Director/City Engineer
LAW ENFORCEMENT THREE-YEAR REVIEW.
Sergeant Tyler Stahn and Lieutenant Lance Pearce presented the Carver County Sheriff’s Office
three-year review encompassing 2018-2020.
COVID-19 had an effect on statistical changes from 2019 to 2020 including mental health
incidents and total time on mental health incidents increasing. The Sheriff's Office has an
employee who helps with mental health incidents as a crisis therapist and goes out for service
calls M-F, 40 hours per week. Her help has been invaluable, particularly in incidents when the
residents do not want uniformed police presence. Carver County mental health statistics show
face-to-face client evaluations increasing from 102 in 2018 to 116 in 2020.
Burglary (defined as entering a dwelling to remove an item), robbery (defined as taking an item
from a person), and theft (defined as taking an item in a location outside of your home) have also
been affected by COVID-19. Burglary has increased since 2018 but remains relatively consistent
and robbery has trended downward. Theft has increased, in large part due to vehicle thefts. 70%
of vehicle thefts involved unlocked vehicles with the keys inside. Theft also includes theft of
mail and packages and taking items from inside parked vehicles.
Mayor Ryan added that the Sheriff’s office response includes calls to residents but also to retail
and other businesses that might report theft of items.
Councilwoman Rehm asked about theft of license plates.
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Sergeant Stahn stated license plate theft is a common problem. Residents are less likely to notice
one of their license plates is stolen.
There has been an increase in unemployment scam fraud calls, particularly surrounding when
stimulus checks were deposited.
Assault calls increased from 40 in 2018 to 57 in 2020 but sex crimes are down by half.
DUI and drug offenses have decreased, likely due to entertainment venues and bars being closed.
Domestic (defined as two people in an argument who reside together) and domestic assault
(defined as a domestic call where an assault has taken place) have increased due to COVID-19.
Citations were up, particularly in regard to speeding and winter parking violations. While there
were fewer cars on the road, there were more cars speeding significantly. Prior to the first
significant plowable snowfall, the Sheriff’s office gives warnings for winter parking violations
and offers permission to overnight park (if there is no snow coming) if a resident contacts them
ahead of time. However, less traffic also led to fewer crashes - including no fatal crashes since
2015.
Annual arrests are down 19% but reports have increased 7%. Misdemeanors include cases which
are closed (defined as inactive) or cleared (defined as solved). Closed cases have increased and
cleared cases have decreased between 2019 and 2020.
Sergeant Stahn and Lieutenant Pearce outlined the following impact COVID-19 had on the
organization:
● Staff weighed COVID-19 exposure risk against possible offense and had to consider
Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) protocols when deciding how to respond to certain
crimes.
● Lower traffic volumes decreased crashes.
● There was an increase in speeds and blatant violations, such as running stop signs.
● People staying home increased domestic and mental health incidents.
● There were also more calls from parks on suspicious activity.
● Changes in response to medical and face-to-face involved evaluating if someone had
COVID-19 and waiting for the paramedics to arrive unless it was a life-threatening
situation.
● More people received formal charges through the court system rather than being sent to
jail for certain types of crimes, such as low amounts of drug possession. Crimes which
affected a person or public safety were still arrested and brought to jail.
● There were fewer structured community engagement opportunities such as ride-alongs,
citizen academy, or National Night Out.
The Sheriff's office expects to be back to normal operations by the end of 2021.
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Councilwoman Rehm questioned if permits for guns went up due to it being an election year in
2020. Have more shootings occurred?
Sergeant Stahn stated that shootings have not increased. There has been a substantial increase in
requests for permit to carry and acquiring a firearm which may be due to civil unrest.
Lieutenant Pearce outlined the training that peace officers receive, including that required by
Minnesota Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board and Carver County Sheriff’s
Office. Beginning in July 2021, officers will be required to take autism training.
Lieutenant Pearce stated that the Sheriff’s office develops an annual “policing plan” with the city
manager to address policing based on City and Council directive.
Councilwoman Rehm asked about the use of tasers.
Lieutenant Pearce stated that peace officers have the option to carry a taser and are required to
take training on how to use them.
The Sheriff's office plans for all license patrol staff to wear body-worn cameras by the end of
2021, continue Sheriff-led Crucial Conversations meetings, return to in-person training, focus on
community engagement, prepare for potential civil unrest, increase social media presence, and
improve peer support and wellness in the Sheriff’s office.
Councilmember Schubert asked how the Sheriff's department internally checks on each other's
mental health.
Lieutenant Pearce stated he was in charge of the peer support team which includes members
from various roles in the Sheriff’s department. There are also resources through an outside
vendor, employee assistance at Carver County, and a local organization which is starting in
Minnesota to offer free public safety member sessions.
Council thanked the Sheriff’s department for their service.
DISCUSS STRATEGIC PLAN.
City Manager Laurie Hokkanen presented progress on the Strategic Plan and asked for Council
feedback before it is approved.
The Strategic Plan will be a “living document” and revisited annually for updates.
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If it is approved and adopted at the April 26, 2021 Council meeting, the next steps will include
community engagement, presentations to staff, presentations and social media to the community,
as well as staff-created calendars and timelines.
The following changes were proposed:
● For the Vision statement, remove “for all generations” and change “a great place to call
home” to “a community for life”.
● Under the Value of “Respect” it was suggested that “treat them with dignity in and
equitable and inclusive manner” be changed to “treat them with dignity in an equitable
and inclusive manner”.
● On page 10, change the heading to “a community for life”
● On page 8, replace the picture with a more updated photo.
Ms. Hokkanen stated the Strategic Plan would be published on the website and presented to the
public. She addressed the following strategic priorities: financial sustainability, asset
management, development and redevelopment, operational excellence, and communications.
Council should spend the most effort on the Strategic Plan Summary columns including: desired
outcome, key outcome indicator, and target. The column for strategic initiatives will have action
plans and calendars created to track its progress.
Ms. Hokkanen asked, if the City implements this plan and achieves these desired outcomes, will
the Council consider that a successful Strategic Plan? Is there something missing? A Strategic
Plan will not cover everything and will need to change in response to residents and conditions in
the world. It serves as a roadmap for competing priorities and a way to track where time is spent.
Ms. Hokkanen addressed holding a “roundtable” meeting quarterly where Council can bring
things they have heard about and ask staff to do more research. The first roundtable meeting is
tentatively scheduled for June 2021.
Mayor Ryan asked where “technology” could fit in the Strategic Plan Summary table.
Particularly, identifying that council is willing to consider technology to make things more
efficient for city staff.
Ms. Hokkanen suggested adding “including incorporation of new technology” to the chart under
row “operational excellence”, column “Desired outcome”, and statement “Improved operational
effectiveness” to read “Improved operational effectiveness, including incorporation of new
technology”.
Councilmember Rehm suggested adding “natural resources” to the Strategic Plan Summary”
table to include lakes, parks, creeks, and wetlands.
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Public Works Director/City Engineer Charlie Howley added that “protection of natural
amenities” may fit in row “asset management” column “Desired Outcome”, statement “Effective
utilization of assets”.
Mayor Ryan addressed that, in row “Operational Excellence”, column “Target” it sounded odd to
highlight that “70% of employees report being satisfied” and “70% of workforce meets
standards/certifications” and suggested eliminating some of the percentage statements.
Ms. Hokkanen stated that staff would research other forms of measurement that cities use to
measure employee improvement.
Councilwoman Schubert felt there was a disconnect between key outcomes and target strategic
initiatives in regard to type of units in the “Development and Redevelopment” section. Is the city
looking for a certain ratio?
Community Development Director Kate Aanenson stated that units could include senior housing,
rental, small lots or executive homes and the numbers are tied to the Comprehensive Plan. The
information will be reviewed annually to make sure the City is aware of cyclical development
which affects the market.
Ms. Hokkanen added that the Comprehensive Plan is a 20–40-year picture whereas the Strategic
Plan focuses on a 3-year timeframe.
Councilman Campion added, in regard to Development and Redevelopment, “make appropriate
improvements when possible” could be added to addressing infrastructure and improvements.
Ms. Hokkanen agreed that there are some projects which aren’t discussed for a while and tying
them to the Strategic Plan will help the Council see progress and the public understand how the
conversation has carried over, allowing for more transparent communication without a hidden
agenda.
Mayor Ryan added that, on page 16, “The Council led the way” should be changed to reflect that
it was a collaborative effort between Council and staff.
Mayor Ryan added that, if something needs to be changed, it can be adjusted at the April 26,
2021 meeting where it will be on the agenda for approval.
The meeting adjourned at 6:41 p.m.
Submitted by Laurie Hokkanen
City Manager
Prepared by Kim Meuwissen