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

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history. He urged the Council to move forward from the issue and focus on matters that benefit the broader community. Ms. Dara Grimmer, 15931 Xenon Street Northwest, Ramsey, asked about the rationale for the proposal to designate the historic Minnesota flag as the City’s official flag and sought clarification on when that rationale would be discussed during the meeting process. Mayor Heineman explained that citizen input is generally not conducted as a back-and-forth discussion and indicated the Council would discuss the matter after public comment concluded. Ms. Grimmer stated she wanted to better understand the intent behind the proposal and how supporters viewed the symbolism of the historic flag before the Council proceeded with its discussion. Wayne Grimmer, 15931 Xenon Street Northwest, Ramsey, referenced comments from the previous meeting regarding the Council’s ability to address multiple issues at once and clarified that residents were not suggesting the Council was failing to perform its duties. Instead, he expressed concern about the amount of time and taxpayer resources being spent on the proposed flag discussion, including staff and legal review time. He encouraged the Council to focus its efforts on other City priorities. Mayor Heineman explained that he would personally introduce the resolution because he had drafted it, rather than turning the presentation over to staff. He clarified his previous comments regarding the history of Minnesota flag approvals, noting prior versions of the state flag were approved directly by the state legislature in 1893, 1957, and 1983. He stated he believed the recent redesign process complied with the law but disagreed with its structure, explaining that the redesign committee consisted of 13 appointed members and had broad authority to select and modify the final design. He also noted there is no legal requirement for cities to fly the current state flag and referenced earlier legislative discussions about potential funding penalties for cities that did not adopt the new flag. However, those provisions were ultimately not enacted. He stated that the resolution was intended to address local control, then opened the matter for Council discussion and questions. Councilmember Buscher questioned several statements contained in the proposed resolution designating the historic Minnesota State flag as the official flag of the City of Ramsey. She asked how the resolution would make City leaders more accountable to residents and challenged language suggesting that citizens were denied a voice in the state flag selection process. She also questioned how many residents had contacted Councilmembers in support of the proposal, expressed concern that the resolution was drafted by a Councilmember rather than City staff, and noted that it had not been discussed during a work session. She argued that the City already flies the historic flag, that adopting the resolution would have little practical impact, and that the proposal risked creating division within the community. She indicated she would oppose the resolution. Mayor Heineman responded that elected officials are accountable to residents through the election process and are expected to exercise independent judgment on behalf of the community. He noted City Council /May 26, 2026 Page 9 of 19