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legal issues that leave the direction, their job-related stuff, with the administration. He added the <br />other key thing, that hasn’t been a problem here at all, is that there aren’t individual <br />Councilmembers trying to run departments. He stated maybe there is a misunderstanding on the <br />part of the Staff but that kind of thing shouldn’t be happening. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht asked if Councilmembers hear from residents about an issue, such as a <br />park, if communication should go to the Mayor or if communication should go directly to the City <br />Administrator. <br /> <br />City Administrator Hagen replied that is something that can be worked out as time goes on. He <br />stated some Staff are far more comfortable talking directly to Council than others. Not that they <br />are mean or directing work but some Staff can be intimidated simply by the title of <br />Councilmember. He stated shifting things going forward will depend on the individual Staff <br />member. He stated as issues come up, such as mowing at a park, an email could go to the <br />department head and he would appreciate being copied on it to keep him in the loop. He stated he <br />has asked the Staff to do the same if they are sending a message to Council so he has an idea of <br />what was said. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell commented that just because people say things, it doesn’t mean it is <br />accurate. She stated they aren’t going to be able to control the media. They have to look at their <br />own interactions and decide if they are reasonable or not. <br /> <br />City Attorney Knaak commented if they are getting those kinds of rumors, it is something that <br />needs to be addressed. He suggested at a Council meeting they address that this is in the media <br />and say categorically that is not the case, that is not a part of the culture, instead of letting it fester. <br /> <br />Councilmember Howell agreed, adding they are going to have to change the direction. If it doesn’t <br />come from the presiding officer’s seat, it is not going to change. There can be disagreements but <br />the way things have been handled lately and assigning intense malignant to every decision or poor <br />question, is really unhelpful and is creating the Council culture. It creates content for the papers <br />and reflects poorly on the City. She stated the City Attorney has had good advice and the League <br />does have helpful resources but it is going to take all of the Councilmembers. She suggested there <br />is a stop to putting Councilmembers in Political categories. <br /> <br />City Attorney Knaak stated he has gotten the sense that that is going on but from his perspective, <br />it isn’t as apparent as they might think. He stated one thing that you can never get rid of, especially <br />with growth and the issues Ramsey has, is politics. He stated they are going to be raised at City <br />Council meetings but it doesn’t have to be taken personally. He stated disagreements are going to <br />happen and have happened. He stated this Council has gotten through them just fine and he <br />expected that will continue. He thought the reason why the Mayor raised the topic is to continue <br />to get through this without it becoming dysfunctional. <br /> <br />Councilmember Specht referenced the examples given and asked if there were parliamentarian, <br />when a member says point of order, how can that kind of thing be handled better. <br /> <br />City Council Work Session / June 28, 2022 <br />Page 14 of 20 <br /> <br />