Agenda - Council - 02/26/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Police Chief Katers said yes and explained that their calls have slightly decreased after hitting an all-time high in 2021. He noted that medical calls are off the charts as people are calling for everything. He added that they are included for mental health calls which have increased by 48%. He shared they will need to look at the future for their building to anticipate areas in the building that are going to have to start being replaced since the building was built in 2006. City Administrator Hagen asked if anyone foresees any major impacts in the demographic or age of the City over the coming years. Police Chief Katers shared that they have diverse pockets in the City where his officers have seen quite a bit of change in the demographics and are seeing an increase in migrants from Eastern European countries. Councilmember Musgrove asked how this is an impact. Police Chief Katers explained that they need to make sure they are reaching these groups and the City needs to have an understanding that demographics are changing in the City. City Administrator Hagen noted this could also lead to a change in culture in the City, especially if these migrants are all settling in similar neighborhoods. Councilmember Musgrove shared she does not know how this is an impact. City Administrator Hagen said this impact is not something that is negative for the City, it is just something that is changing and will play into maintaining the connected community feel that Ramsey has. He noted that if they are aware of this now, they can implement processes to make sure they are reaching these groups. He added that there could be language barriers with these individuals, and this could be an issue with communication. Councilmember Musgrove asked if they would be able to lean on the County for support for this. Police Chief Katers explained that for public safety they have a language line and options for this. He noted he brought this up for an awareness that some of these individuals are first generation migrants and only speak a language that Staff may not speak. Councilmember Musgrove said this would just be a language concern and not necessarily a cultural concern. Planning Manager Larson said it could be a cultural concern and gave an example of how someone may be expected to keep up with their property and how that may differ from what was expected of them in other parts of the world. City Administrator Hagen said it is good to be aware of this. He gave an example of when they go into the census every 10 years and larger cities had an emphasis on connecting with community leaders and changing demographics may respond differently to this. City Council Special Work Session / February 1, 2024 Page 15 of 20