Minutes - Council - 05/14/2024 - Laserfiche WebLink

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City Attorney Knaak noted that there is nothing wrong with a City employee defending the City's property interests that are being encroached on. He said Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick was not doing something wrong in this case. Justin Dahl, the owner of Lawn Monster,the landscaping company doing the work for the Powers family, came forward and shared that he has been in Ramsey for over 15 years and he has never seen anything like this. He explained that what he and his crew went through to try to protect the Powers' land was over-the-top with how City Staff treated them. He said he does work in many cities and has never seen a Code Enforcement Officer jump out of a vehicle and walk up to one of his employees and give them a ticket and ask them questions like "are you hard of hearing?' and accuse his employees of moving the property stake. He stated this treatment of his employees was repetitive and over-the-top. He shared that the only reason that Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick even knew about this job is because he reached out to him to ask him about the setback distance from the bike patch. He added that he is aware that Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick treats other contractors this way as well. He asked the Council to take this into consideration. He noted that the bill to the Powers went up astronomically because of Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick He added that Code Enforcement Officer Swalchick called the police on his staff. Mayor Kuzma interrupted Mr. Dahl and said they have enough information on how to handle this situation. Councilmember Howell said this is citizen input and it is the Council's opportunity to hear from a City business owner in the City that may have some concerns. She said she would like to hear all that Mr. Dahl has to say on this. Mayor Kuzma said City Administrator Hagen will look into this and they can discuss this further in the future if needed. City Administrator Hagen asked Council if they would be agreeable to allow himself, City Attorney Knaak, other Staff, and the property owners come to an agreement and sign it before the Council due to the tight turnaround time. Councilmember Specht stated that as long as the residents are happy with the decision then he is fine with Council not seeing the agreement before it is signed. Councilmember Musgrove agreed. Councilmember Howell agreed. Councilmember Olsen agreed. 4. APPROVE AGENDA Motion by Councilmember Riley, seconded by Councilmember Olson, to approve the agenda as presented. City Council/May 14, 2024 Page 5 of 18