09-10-2024 Work SessionCITY COUNCIL MEETING MINUTES
Richfield, Minnesota
City Council Work Session
September 10, 2024
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Supple called the work session to order at 5:47 p.m. in the Bartholomew Room.
Council Members
Present:
Mary Supple, Mayor; Simon Trautmann, Sharon Christensen; Sean Hayford Oleary, Ben Whalen
Staff Present:
Guests:
Katie Rodriguez, City Manager; Brittany Barlett, Equity Coordinator; Courtney Miller, Senior Analyst; Jay Henthorne, Director of Public Safety/Chief of Police; Mike Dobesh, Fire Chief; Michelle Friedrich, City Clerk.
Brandon Barnett, POLCO
ITEM #1 COMMUNITY SURVEY RESULTS
City Manager Rodriquez provided a summary of the agenda. City Manager Rodriquez
introduced guest presenter, Brandon Barnett from POLCO.
Brandon Barnett provided details of the POLCO platform system. He explained the many uses
for the survey findings and provided an overview of what the survey contained. All Richfield households were eligible for the survey and 3,000 random households were invited to participate in the survey. Mr. Barnet reviewed the survey process, and noted a total of 353 surveys were completed, and an online survey was published and open for all Richfield residents. The findings from each survey are separate. Mr. Barnett presented a summary of the findings from the Richfield community survey and noted areas of need, and level of importance, within the community. He provided the information on the City ratings given by Richfield residents. He noted most items relating to the economy have declined since 2020; ratings for safety have experienced a slight decline; and ratings on the importance of the focus on additional areas in the community. Mr. Barnett also reviewed the rating of importance on community activities and amenities, and the City’s highest and lowest performing areas.
Council Member Hayford Oleary asked if the answers from the survey are consistent from day to day. He noted that people's emotions on a given day may affect their answer.
Mr. Barnett shared they take this factor into consideration when compiling results.
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Council Member Hayford Oleary asked if the 12% response rate is typical or lower than normal.
Mr. Barnett noted the response rate of 12 % is becoming more typical, adding there is increased difficulty in obtaining responses.
Council Member Hayford Oleary asked if crime rates have increased since 2020 and if that is reflective of the responses from the survey regarding crime. City Manager Rodriguez noted crime rates have been steady since 2020, noting an increase in auto theft and crime. Police Chief Henthorne added auto crime has spiked a bit and civil unrest was heightened at the time of the survey. Police Chief Henthorne noted, compared to 2020, the crime rate is even. Council Member Trautmann added that he is surprised one of the lowest scores is in fire
prevention/education. Council Member Trautmann asked if anyone is aware of why this may be one of the lowest when the Fire Department is ranked high.
Mr. Barnett noted many people consider fire safety and fire prevention as two very different things.
Mayor Supple added while the affordable housing number is not very high, it is still much higher than the national average. Mayor Supple asked if affordable housing is a much bigger problem in other areas. Mr. Barnett noted affordable housing is a very big problem across the United States. Senior Analyst Miller presented graphs displaying the survey results and shared results of the comparison to other Minnesota cities. She listed both the rankings that are higher and lower than those of other Minnesota cities and broke down results where Richfield was ranked within the top three in different divisions.
Council Member Whalen questioned if the school rating in Richfield, is divided into residents with children in school and residents with no children in school.
Analyst Miller noted the group of 55+ felt more positively about the schools. Council Member Christensen asked about the breakdown of the school rating compared to
2020 and why the rating appears lower in 2024. Manager Rodriquez shared the survey does not ask where children attend school. Mayor Supple noted the survey was taken only a year after the pandemic and may affect the results. Senior Analyst Miller noted the school rating is like the national rating. Equity Coordinator Barlett shared the demographic groups missing from the survey.
Mayor Supple asked if the missing demographics could be added to future surveys. Mr. Barnett added enough answers for those demographics would be necessary to add them
to the survey.
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Equity Coordinator Bartlett shared the demographic information from the results of the survey.
Council Member Trautmann stated he would like to ensure those who need a service, are the respondents who are rating them higher.
Council Member Whalen noted a purposeful survey process to expand the demographics being reached.
Council Member Christensen stated she wants to ensure families are aware of programming within the Parks and Recreation Department.
Council Member Hayford Oleary asked if it is common to for high-income residents to rate higher on the surveys.
Mr. Barnett noted some survey items are higher, but other inconsistent factors can affect the final rating. Mr. Barnett noted within quality of life and economic factors, high-income residents
seem to be happier.
City Manager Rodriguez thanked the presenters.
Council Member Whalen gave kudos to Public Works for their continued high ratings.
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Supple adjourned the work session at 6:47 pm.
Date Approved: September 24, 2024
Mary B. Supple
Mayor
Michelle Friedrich Katie Rodriguez City Clerk City Manager