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Hagen and the rest of the Council have been able to put pressure on the County to help with this <br />matter. She explained that Ames Construction has chosen to ignore threats and fines from the <br />County. She added that Ames Construction is who will be doing the Ramsey Boulevard connection <br />this summer which could put more homes in danger of damages similar to what she has <br />experienced. She said that after months of fighting with Ames Construction's general insurance <br />company, they brought in a biohazard insurance company. She noted that they were told once the <br />biohazard insurance company stepped in, things would be much smoother. She shared that they <br />were offered a ridiculously low settlement amount, which they declined, and were then threatened <br />that since they did not accept the offer, things would be made a lot more difficult. She said that <br />they have had to pay out of pocket to have their basement cleaned and rebuilt after this incident <br />which has caused a huge financial burden. She stated she has been emailing Ames three times a <br />day trying to get answers from them. She shared that she is scared that this is the company that <br />will be working on the Ramsey Boulevard connection project. She explained that they have a <br />mediation date set for March but they are not expecting Ames to step up and take responsibility <br />for this incident. She asked the Council to help them put pressure on the County to help her and <br />the other affected homeowners. <br />Councilmember Specht said this is completely unacceptable and he will keep doing whatever he <br />can to help in this situation. <br />City Administrator Hagen shared that County Staff is continuing to focus on this and they are <br />continuing to put pressure on Ames. He noted that the legal challenges are outside of the City's <br />hands as the contract for the Highway 10 project and the upcoming Ramsey Boulevard connection <br />project are between Ames and the County. <br />Ms. Schumacher shared her appreciation for the City working so graciously with them as they <br />reconstructed their basement and needed permits and inspections done quickly. She stated her <br />home is one of the only ones that have begun reconstruction. <br />Mayor Heineman asked if they are able to provide a paper trail of communication with the County <br />to these residents for their records. <br />City Administrator Hagen said yes, as all of this communication would fall under the Public Data <br />Practices Act. <br />Derick Lind, 15230 Geranium Street, came forward and shared that he is a part of the Anoka <br />County Election Integrity Team (ACEIT.) He explained that Anoka County is set to buy some new <br />poll pads on February 25. He said that ACEIT does not think this is the right idea because they do <br />not believe they are worth the money and they are a security risk. He shared that these poll pads <br />will only last for five to seven years and they are costing a large amount of taxpayers dollars. He <br />explained that these poll pads are iPads with cellular service that use third -party software. He said <br />he does not see how this can be more secure than a paper poll pad at a local precinct. He noted that <br />all 21 cities in Anoka County had service agreements and these agreements were handled by Staff <br />and never seen by the Council. He stated this was a major change to the election system and there <br />should be a political process involved with Council vote, not just Staff. He thanked Ramsey for <br />being a supporter of ACEIT. <br />City Council / February 11, 2025 <br />Page 3 of 8 <br />