Laserfiche WebLink
MINUTES <br />CITY COUNCIL <br />JUNE 8, 2016 <br />deputy could have detained the suspect. The City Attorney stated that <br />trespassing would be a better option to use in most cases since lurking <br />ordinances are rarely used in Minnesota, and are tough to write in such a <br />way that avoids civil rights challenges. He noted that several cities have, <br />or are in the process of, repealing their lurking ordinances due to pressures <br />from the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota. <br />Fischer stated that since there were a lot of people involved in this <br />situation, he wanted to ensure that the Council publicly addressed the <br />subject of a lurking ordinance, and make it known why the City is not <br />pursuing adopting this ordinance. McGraw stated that he agrees with the <br />City Attorney on why the City should not adopt a lurking ordinance. <br />Torkelson stated he is concerned that residents are not reporting the petty <br />thefts that are occurring, and would like to find a way to encourage <br />everyone to report every theft, and to have more conversation about ways <br />to help prevent thefts in Little Canada. Montour stated that residents <br />should organize into block groups, which is a very effective way to get <br />neighborhoods watching out for each other. The Council consensus was <br />to not pursue a lurking ordinance, and to add the topic of neighborhood <br />safety to the July 13t1i Council Workshop and invite a representative from <br />the sheriff's department. The City Attorney stated that Little Canada does <br />have a window peeping ordinance that is well defined. <br />OLD FIRE HALL The City Administrator explained that a committee was established to <br />EVALUATION make recommendations as to the future use and needs of the Old Fire Hall. <br />He explained that the committee toured the building, looking at the <br />interior and exterior, and reached a consensus to serve as a <br />recommendation to the City Council as to future utilization of the building <br />and plan for improvements. He stated that the committee decided it would <br />be better to start from scratch if a community space is what the Council <br />wants because of the high cost to repurpose the building, along with the <br />lack of parking on the site. The City Administrator noted that the <br />committee did not determine that another community space was really <br />needed. He stated the committee discussed the brick exterior wall, and <br />many of the members wanted to keep the historical look to the front of the <br />building, but were unsure of what to do with the other three sides. He <br />stated the committee agreed that the building has value for storage <br />purposes on the upper level and continued community use on the lower <br />level, and that the City should continue to use the building in the same <br />manner as it currently is. <br />The City Administrator stated that the Council will need to provide <br />direction on how to proceed from here. He noted that staff is <br />recommending that the baseboard in the lower level of the Old Fire Hall <br />11 <br />