Minutes - Charter Commission - 11/21/2017

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City Administrator Ulrich confirmed that there are two full-time positions and the remaining members of the department are paid on-call/volunteer. He stated that there are some members of police and public works that are firefighters and can respond during the day. He noted that members of local business are also firefighters and could respond during the day, along with the mutual aid the City receives from other communities. Mayor Strommen stated that City Administrator Ulrich has presented the outcomes and successes. She noted that the strategic plan helps to provide focus. She stated that the focus of the City Council has been to maintain a stable tax rate, noting the challenges in doing that with a growing community. She stated that the increased tax base helps the City to invest further in the community. She stated that the Council has lengthened the timeline that the budget is reviewed, not only working on an annual budget but also projecting five years into the future and ten years into the future for the capital improvements. She stated that this allows the City to not only maintain a stable tax rate for the year but into the future. She stated that under the connected community item, Highway 10 has continued to be a focus. She reported that the City of Anoka was awarded $20,000,000 for the Thurston and Fairoak interchanges, which will also help Ramsey as the Ramsey residents traveling on Highway 10 have to pass through Anoka. She stated that public safety is a focus of the smart citizen goal, along with citizen participation. She provided information on the citizen police academy which began the previous year. She stated that she continues to be proud of the police department, especially in the climate of the past year. She referenced effective organization and stated that one of the strong elements of that item is ensuring that the City is staffed appropriately. She stated that because staff cannot simply be added everywhere, the Council and staff have aimed to add staff in strategic value-added positions. She stated that the strategic plan is used by staff every day and by the Council when they continue to make decisions. She thanked the Commission for allowing her time to speak tonight. Chairperson Field thanked staff and Mayor Strommen for providing this update tonight. He stated that he continues to focus on Highway 10, noting that the Armstrong interchange has been a success, but it would be nice to see continued improvements. He stated that one of Ramsey's strengths is its trail system and its ability to be close to the metro area but still feel like it's further away. 5.4 Approve Year End Activity Letter to Chief Judge for Years 2016 and 2017 City Clerk Thieling reviewed the staff report, noting that an annual report reflecting the activities of the Charter Commission must be submitted to the Chief Judge of the Tenth Judicial District. She stated that a draft summary letter was attached to the case for years 2016 and 2017 for the Commission to review, provide comments on, and approve. She stated that the 2017 activity report will be amended to include the actions taken tonight with regard to the Commission terms. Motion by Commissioner Deemer, seconded by Commissioner Barrows, to approve the year-end annual report letter for 2016 and submit the report to the Honorable Douglas B. Meslow, Chief Judge of the Tenth Judicial District. Charter Commission/November 21,2017 Page 4 of 6