Minutes - Council - 03/09/2021 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Attorney Langel replied that he is not aware of a City that has passed this type of action. He stated that he is familiar with cities that have passed resolutions supporting businesses but not stating that the city will not expend resources including law enforcement for Executive Orders. Councilmember Heineman asked if the City Attorney is familiar with Oak Grove’s Resolution #20-047. City Attorney Langel replied that he is not. Councilmember Heineman commented that he believes that is a problem. City Attorney Langel stated that if Oak Grove passed a resolution with this language, his opinion would be the same in that the city does not have the jurisdiction to do so. He stated that he can only provide the Council with his understanding of the law as someone that has practiced the law for a number of years as well as the history of the past year and the unsuccessful challenges that have occurred during that time. Mayor Kuzma recognized that there are additional public speakers that would like to provide input. th Justin Loss, 5635 156 Lane NW, commented that he appreciates that the Council is concerned with the dollar value of the resources. He noted that the discussion also seems to include the staff time and where that time could be better spent. He stated that when the mandate came out the Anoka County Sheriff made the statement that they would not be policing this matter. He recognized that if there is an escalation between a customer and business owner, the police would respond. He recognized the comment that there is not a set date for this to end as that bookmark keeps moving. Kristy Kane, 16219 Iodine Street NW, commented that she is speaking against the resolution. She stated that she is a mental health provider and has been working remotely to the extent possible. She stated that the mask mandate allows her to see clients that need to be seen in person. She stated that the pandemic has placed additional stressors on people and therefore those issues need to be able to be treated. She noted that many of her clients are immune compromised, as are members of her family, and that is why the mask mandate is important. She recognized that there are problems that arose from the past year. She commented on the stress that the youth are facing with distance learning. She stated that if people can stay the course, the ultimate goal will be reached faster. She stated that ignoring the mandate is only delaying the time necessary to go back to normal. She commented that the illness is mutating as well. She was concerned with the timing of this item being added to the agenda, noting that the item was placed on the agenda last minute and she was only made aware of it five minutes before the meeting which is ingenious to residents of Ramsey. Carey Christian-Greg, 14670 Helium Street, echoed the comments of the last speaker. She stated that people go into businesses without masks using the guise of medical exemptions. She commented that she feels bad that businesses cannot enforce anything, especially if there is not support from the police department. She commented that her son is 13 and has had two surgeries for his medical condition but is not quite available to receive a vaccination. She commented that City Council / March 9, 2021 Page 14 of 21