Minutes - Council Work Session - 02/05/2013

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Mayor Strommen stated she does not want to duplicate efforts. needs to stay involved and Mr. Tinklenberg already has strong relationships in Ramsey. Councilmember Elvig noted Mr. Tinklenberg can take a secondary seat in a County issue. Mayor Strommen suggested staff run this proposal by Anoka County, about whether Mr. Tinklenberg needs to be involved in some of the issues. She stated she does not want the City to pay for the same set of services for which that Anoka County is also paying. Mayor Strommen supported Ramsey working in cooperation with Anoka County and the City of Anoka so all are on the same page but she is concerned that if each starts hiring their own resources, it may defeat the purpose to coalesce around this issue. City Administrator Ulrich confirmed that Anoka County has this project as its number one priority, has a coordinator, a lobbyist in former Representative Kathy Tingelstad, as well as Federal lobbyists. He noted that he and Mayor Strommen will be meting with those lobbyists while in Washington, D.C. He stated he hopes The Tinklenberg Group proposal will pull together the local steering group, business people, Anoka County, the City of Anoka, Chambers of Commerce, and other interested stakeholders to put pressure on the State and Federal governments. City Administrator Ulrich agreed it may be possible to cut back this proposal and he is interested in talking with Anoka County about that possibility. City Administrator Ulrich stated this is an opportunity for Ramsey to put forth its best effort so it will take some discussion. Mayor Strommen stated she would like staff to hold conversations with Anoka County to assure this proposal is scaled appropriately before it is considered by the Council. Councilmember LeTourneau stated when he asked Mr. Tinklenberg about how it will look in four months and form of delivery, Mr. Tinklenberg had been very clear and indicated the majority focus on what he will deliver: the State funding piece, the Federal funding piece specific to this project, and relationships that reside in other bodies with decision makers. Mayor Strommen asked how much of that Anoka County is already doing that Ramsey can "piggyback on" without duplicating that effort. She wanted to assure the City moved in concert and compliment their efforts. Councilmember Backous agreed, noting the entities could end up working against each other so he thinks it is prudent to touch base with Anoka County and make sure efforts are coordinated. Councilmember Elvig stated he does not want Ramsey to fall just short of being successful and for $5,000, he would prefer to "push." He noted that Anoka County has a bigger picture in mind than Ramsey and it may be a question of how it is managed. City Administrator Ulrich agreed that Ramsey has its own interests that are independent of Anoka County and the City of Anoka, and that is Armstrong Boulevard. City Council Work Session / February 5, 2013 Page 16 of 18