[Mpls] Aug. 17 Park Board Meeting report, part 1

[Chris Johnson]

5:00pm - Standard & Conduct committee
Carol Kummer, chair; Bob Fine & Walt Dziedzic

In theory, the following were the study/report items [note, no action items]:
1. Board Rules for:
  a. Board agendas & online staff reports
  b. Indexing board meeting DVDs
  c. Board meeting length & broadcast timeframe
  d. Roll call votes
  e. Marked agendas
  f. Board minutes

Kummer moves to amend the agenda [I believe, not clear].

Dziedzic moves to amend [what? the Board Rules?] to include "no speeches 
before votes [then amends that to be "before roll call votes" since other 
votes are simply aye/nay], and to include "no talking if one is recused."  He 
says that's what Robert's Rules say.

Approved.  [what? the agenda? the Rules changes?]

Assistant Superintendent Don Siggelkow gives a long-winded CYA speech about 
how expensive minute taking is, and how they decided it was a great to improve 
on the website like the City has with links to staff reports, and gives an 
estimated cost of 200 hours annually of staff time.  He says DVD indexing will 
cost about 10 hours of staff time annually.  Then he talks about the financial 
cost of cable TV broadcast, that the city charges the Park Board for blocks of 
hours which must be reserved in advance.  Currently the Park Board reserves 3 
hours, from 5pm to 8pm, and broadcasts the meetings from 5pm to 7pm and then 
promotional material from 7pm to 8pm [if the meeting does not use that time?]. 
  He says the board created a new Rule around July/August of 2004 which stated 
that business must be concluded by 7pm in meetings to coincide with the 
broadcast. [I sure don't remember any such rule change, but haven't searched 
the meeting notes yet.]  He says it costs $40 per hour to reserve the 
broadcast time, and it must be reserved for the entire year.

Dziedzic pipes in to say if the board sticks to the 1 minute / 3 minute rule 
(for first and second/last commissioner comments on a motion), the can finish 
by 7pm.  [This very meeting goes until 9:10pm, and no one speaks for more than 
the 1 / 3 minute allocation.]

Commissioner Vivian Mason says she suggested changing the meeting times so 
that the regular meeting starts at 5pm, and the committees meet later [reverse 
of current procedure] so that the important regular meeting decisions are 
televised.

Commissioner Annie Young says that the 1 minute / 3 minute rules is not the 
problem, but rather things like public hearings, open time, award 
presentations, long reports, etc.  It's not about the commissioners talking 
too much.  She suggests they reserve 4 hours, 5pm to 9pm until the end of the 
year as an experiment.

Kummer move to add one hour to broadcast reservation per Young's suggestion.

Dziedzic makes a substitute motion to move the issue to the full board without 
recommendation.

Siggelkow talks about voice versus roll call votes, and says all roll call 
votes would require a rules change.

Kummer asks if there was a motion, or if one was needed.

Dziedzic says he did not make a motion [he most certainly did].

Siggelkow discusses "marked agendas" and claims the reason for them was to 
improve public information [they contain less information].  He talks about 
the staff time to prepare them as well as more extensive minutes.

Kummer calls the marked agendas an improvement.

Fine asks if they need to change the Board Rules to have marked agendas.

Siggelkow says no, it's just an administrative/staff change.  He goes on to 
talk about the history of board minutes, disagreements on the content of 
summarized minutes, etc.  He says marked minutes contain less information and 
thus less subjectivity, and are faster to produce.  He says the alternate is 
transcribed (verbatim) minutes, which would cost $15,000 per year.

Young says she believes in more detailed minutes.  It's important to have good 
minutes, and it's the ethically correct thing to do.

Commissioner Marie Hauser says that board members argued that cable TV 
broadcast was the way to get more information to the public, and now we are 
all saying we are not getting enough information to the public.

Mason supports Young's position.

Dziedzic asks how a member of the public gets the minutes if they have no TV?

Kummer says well, there will always be people we can't get it to, they may 
have no phone.

Mason says they can to the headquarters building and read them.

Hauser says why did we spend money on cable TV broadcast if it is not adequate 
for conveying information to the public.

Young says it is not solely about getting information to the public.  it is 
about ethics, recording for legacy and history purposes.

Siggelkow says they do keep minutes, just not detailed.

Fine gives one of his patented paternalistic lectures on the purposes of 
minutes.  He says anybody can watch the DVD recording of the meeting in 20 
years.  [Fine does not have a clue about technology.  Compact disks (CDs) were 
introduced in 1983; prior to that audiophiles used phonograph records.  How 
many people have phonographs today?  20 years ago computers used 5.25 inch 
floppy disks.  Today, most new computers are sold without floppy disk drives, 
and those which do have them have 3.5 inch floppies.  How about Sony Beta 
video tapes?]

Kummer has a question about how minutes are taken at the Legislature.

Counsel Brian Rice says the legislature has audio recordings and their 
committees have brief written minutes.

5:35pm - Stds. & Conduct committee is Recessed

Administration & Finance Committee called to order.
Marie Hauser, chair; Dziedzic, Mason, Young, Rochelle Berry Graves, members.

* Action Item 7.1 - That the board approve the NRP funding agreement with the 
city of Minneapolis for the Folwell Neighborhood Association to install air 
conditioning in Folwell Community Center in the amount of $25,000.

Dziedzic wants to know what the [operating] electrical bill will be.  Then he 
starts talking about parking, but apparently meant AC.

Planning Director Judd Rietkerk says he will find out.

President Jon Olson asks are you referring to the Powderhorn Park issue? 
Folwell is the most generous neighborhood where parks are concerned.  Thank 
you Folwell.

Dziedzic says he stands corrected.

Young says we have 49 community centers and asks how we are doing this?  She 
recommends looking alternative roofs and environmental methods.

7.1 passes.

* Study / Report Item -- Reorganization Update by consultant Jeff Schoenbauer. 
  [I wonder why staff could not have made this report, as Schoenbauer 
primarily just reads his Powerpoint presentation to the board.  Why pay him 
for this?]  Schoenbauer gives a lot of accepted facts and platitudes.  He 
describes lots of new hires and promotions [where is the money coming from for 
this?].  Then he claims [incredibly] that the structural change is cost 
neutral.  Schoenbauer talks about the 3 parts to the change, with big new 
usage of Information Technology Systems (ITS) being one of those three.  He 
talks about lots of good stuff if they could actually implement and follow it. 
  He contrasts "anecdotal information" with "factual information in a robust 
way."  He discusses what is best left to staff and what is best left to 
commissioners.  He gives a good description of staff versus commissioner 
roles, relationships, respect for planning, professional versus political. 
Much hinges on working relationship and respect.

[At this point, there is lots of noise in the hall making it hard to hear the 
meeting.  The hall is filled with DeLaSalle supporters, and 2 or 3 Park Board 
youth teams who receive sportsmanship awards later.]

Young tries to make a suggestion regarding Mr. Schoenbauer's time with respect 
  to the upcoming recess for the regular meeting.  Hauser cuts her off and 
ignores her.

6:03pm -- Hauser Recesses the Admin & Finance committee

Olson convenes the full board for the regular meeting.

* Open Time

Brandon Heath, InnerCity Tennis, and Ellen Doll, Kenwood Isles Tennis 
Association present their case for the Support-the-Courts Tennis Project, a 
great program which provides a lot of opportunities for underprivileged kids 
(2533 kids participated) but the park's courts are in terrible shape.  The 
board budgets $150,000 per year for all tennis court renovation, but one court 
alone can cost as much as $35,000.  They are raising money to help.

Dan Myklebust, a professional forester, strongly criticizes the Park Board's 
Dutch elm disease (DED) program.  He passes out extensive information on the 
disease and his observations.  His comments and information can be viewed 
here:  http://www.mplsparkwatch.org/node/346

6:14pm -- Presentation of the Sportsmanship Awards:  wrestling goes to Bryant 
Square Park team, track & field to a Kenny Park team, girls softball to Pearl 
Park 15 and under team, and open baseball to Van Cleve / Matthews park 15 and 
under team.  Awards are handed out and lots of photographs with the kids are 
taken.

6:21pm -- Teams file out noisily.  A resolution recognizing Todd Pufahl for 
union work on behalf of employees is read.  Pufahl is moving on to a job at 
the legislature.  Pufahl makes some comments and then there is another photo 
session.

6:28pm -- Regular meeting is Recessed.

Admin & Finance is Reconvened by Hauser.

Hauser, who blew off Young earlier, now says she considered Young's suggestion 
and let Mr. Schoenbauer leave, so he is no longer available for questions. 
Mason also had a question, but Hauser says time constraints don't allow it to 
be answered.

Superintendent Jon Gurban suggests having Schoenbauer come back and answer 
questions at a "Dry Run."

6:30pm -- Hauser adjourns Admin & Finance.


--
Chris Johnson
Fulton
-- 
http://MplsParkWatch.org/
http://ParkBoardReform.org/