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member of the team coding every contact note to ensure consistency and to triangulate our results. <br />Using the data we collected and analyzed from the literature review and interviews, we present the <br />City of Ramsey with information about how comparable cities in Minnesota fund their roads and <br />why. We also provide recommendations to the City based on our research to suggest alternatives <br />that could fit within Ramsey's context to more sustainably fund their roads into the future. <br />Ethical Considerations <br />The projected risk in undertaking this project is low for researchers and participants. This is <br />primarily assessed through the nature of the risk being at the interpersonal level. This mainly stems <br />through potential negative interaction with City Officials/Administrators, which may then lead to <br />less access for further research. Another possible point of risk may be upcoming elections at the <br />municipal level. With upcoming elections and certain city officials campaigning to keep their <br />positions, there may be limited strength in some of the data we collect through these respondents. <br />This could ultimately weaken the results of our analysis research and skew data results and <br />recommendations; however, keeping names of cities and officials confidential allows us to capture <br />more comprehensive information. <br />To protect participants, this study paid close attention to our preparatory work for introduction <br />with our participants. We provided them with the scope of our research and the interview protocol <br />prior to the interview to allow them the opportunity to understand its intent and assess if they <br />would like to participate. We explained to them that nothing they said would be associated with <br />their name, yet we explained that we cannot guarantee their anonymity. Finally, we guided them <br />through an oral informed consent script just prior to the interview taking place, reiterating the aims <br />of the research and informing them that they can opt out of any question, or the interview, at any <br />time. <br />The subjects of our research can also benefit from this research. The first opportunity would be <br />substantive research into financial means of road infrastructure. The City of Ramsey is at a <br />crossroads between what road funding methods it wants to pursue in order to meet their <br />infrastructure needs (property tax, special assessment, franchise fee), and they are likely not the <br />only municipality struggling with this issue. Our published results may be beneficial to the State <br />of Minnesota by coming up with recommendations for infrastructure needs for similar <br />communities, benefiting a state as opposed to just one city. <br />Another policy yield may take the form of greater cooperation and interaction of cities in <br />addressing road infrastructure needs. Our research highlights that the State of Minnesota, <br />specifically the Minnesota State Highway Investment Plan (MnSHIP), is concerned of costs being <br />too high and funding levels being too low for future road infrastructure over the next 20 years. <br />Through our results and recommendations, we may jump-start cooperation and coalitions from <br />other municipal actors in the state to work together in addressing this ongoing issue and create <br />courses of action to mitigate it. <br />CITY FUNDING PROFILES AND RATIONALE <br />Based on the interviews and surveys collected from eight cities in the seven -county metro region <br />the research team was able to document road funding techniques used in each municipality as well <br />6 <br />