Agenda - Council - 05/26/2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember Buscher emphasized that accountability in government is important, but argued the City should focus on issues where it can create tangible local benefits. She suggested the City could instead focus on preventing waste, fraud, and abuse at the local level by overseeing contracts and grants. She raised concerns about wage -theft allegations tied to a development project in the City. She also indicated she had contacted Anoka County Attorney Brad Johnson before the meeting, who advised that cities primarily focus on services such as streets, utilities, public safety, parks, and related operations, and cautioned that pursuing litigation against a governor could create the appearance that the City serves only certain residents rather than the entire community. She concluded by encouraging continued respectful conversations on the state flag issue while emphasizing the importance of unity and focusing on positive community matters, including recognition of the retiring fire chief and National Police Week. Mayor Heineman responded at length to public comments regarding the removed agenda items and rejected suggestions that the Ramsey City Council was neglecting City responsibilities by discussing broader political or state -related issues. He explained that during the past 16 months the Council had acted on approximately 470 items, averaging roughly one issue per day, including water treatment and manganese migration, Highway 10 improvements, the Ramsey Gateway project, splash pad planning, the 2025-2029 strategic plan, tobacco and nicotine code modernization, pavement management, commercial development proposals, zoning adjustments, Mississippi River bridge lobbying efforts, mixed -use development projects, and annual budgeting matters. He argued that the City consistently handles local priorities and that residents could review City records and meeting minutes to verify the Council's workload and accomplishments. Mayor Heineman also pushed back against criticism that the Council was detracting from recognition of City employees or public safety staff, noting that the Council regularly highlights accomplishments involving City departments, including firefighters, police officers, and other employees. He referenced comments submitted by former Councilmember Matt Westerhoff, indicating that while he strongly disagreed with the content and viewed many of the claims as misleading or unsupported, he still believed residents should be able to review the comments because he supports free speech principles. Regarding the Minnesota state flag discussion, Mayor Heineman reviewed the history of previous state flag adoptions and redesigns, including legislative actions in 1893, 1957, and 1983, as well as the 2024 redesign process. He acknowledged that the Legislature legally created the commission responsible for selecting the current flag, but argued the process concentrated too much authority in a small appointed committee. He stated that only seven commission members were ultimately needed to approve the design and argued that the process did not adequately represent Greater Minnesota residents. He further criticized discussions about imposing penalties on cities that choose not to display the current flag, especially while the State faces budget and fraud concerns. Mayor Heineman also addressed arguments that Ramsey lacked legal authority to pursue resolutions or legal actions involving state government matters. He stated that the Council consulted with the City attorney and argued that municipalities have First Amendment protections allowing them to adopt resolutions or proclamations concerning state or federal City Council / May 12, 2026 Page 13 of 15