Minutes - Council - 09/22/2026 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Ms. Katie Kelly of Alexandra House thanked Mayor Heineman and Council for recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month and for the City’s continued support. She noted that the City would illuminate public spaces in purple and host the Silent Witness exhibit at City Hall from October 7 through October 14. She shared information regarding the prevalence of intimate partner violence. She reported that more than 2,500 incidents involving domestic partners were reported to Anoka County law enforcement agencies during the previous year. She encouraged residents to participate in Domestic Violence Awareness Month by displaying yard signs or purple lights, wearing purple on October 22, attending Hope Fest, and having conversations about domestic and sexual violence. She emphasized that community participation was essential to raising awareness, supporting survivors, and preventing violence. 4. CITIZEN INPUT Mr. Derek Lind identified himself as a 28-year Ramsey resident and a member of the Anoka County Election Integrity Team. He discussed a recent Minnesota Supreme Court decision concerning the authority of municipalities to use paper voter rosters rather than electronic poll pads. He explained that his organization had previously disagreed with Anoka County's interpretation of state law regarding municipal authority to discontinue poll pads and indicated the court decision supported the position that municipalities had authority over that decision. He reported that some area communities were considering or implementing paper voter rosters and requested an opportunity to discuss the issue with Council at a future work session. Mr. Lind also expressed concerns regarding voter privacy and the electronic storage of voter names and addresses. A Councilmember questioned whether the same voter information used to produce paper rosters was maintained electronically within the statewide voter registration system. Mr. Lind acknowledged that the information originated from the State system but maintained that his concern involved information being accessible electronically at polling locations. Council indicated interest in discussing the matter further at a work session. Mr. Lance Klatt, Executive Director of the Minnesota Service Station and Convenience Store Association, explained that his organization represents approximately 300 independent retailers throughout Minnesota. He discussed retailer efforts regarding tobacco and THC age-verification compliance and reported that Ramsey retailers had a 94.1% compliance rate in federal checks conducted between January 2024 and September 22, 2026. Mr. Klatt described TrueAge, an identification-verification system that scans driver's licenses and helps retailers detect fraudulent identification. He explained that the technology could integrate with point-of-sale systems and was available at no cost to convenience stores and fueling locations, with a relatively low cost for some other retailers. He expressed his organization's willingness to City Council /September 22, 2026 Page 3 of 10