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<br /> <br /> Staff Report <br /> <br /> <br />To: Mayor Fischer and Members of the City Council <br /> <br />From: Eric Seaburg, City Engineer <br /> <br />Date: April 8, 2026 <br /> <br />Re: 2026 Little Canada Road Improvements – Ramsey County Cooperative Agreement <br /> <br />Action To Be Considered: <br />Motion to approve, table, or deny the following: <br />• Resolution authorizing Cooperative Agreement with Ramsey County for Little Canada Road <br />Improvements Project <br /> <br />Background: <br />The Little Canada Road Improvements Project is in the final stages of project development. Little <br />Canada Road is under the jurisdiction of Ramsey County as County State Aid Highway 21. Early in <br />the project development process, Ramsey County granted the City the authority to act as the lead <br />agency. This allowed the city to play a more direct role in shaping the project scope, schedule, and <br />community engagement efforts. <br /> <br />As lead agency, the City incurred project development costs, with the understanding that Ramsey <br />County would reimburse the City for the County’s share once project development was complete. This <br />arrangement was formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) approved by the City <br />Council at its May 22, 2024, regular meeting. The MOU specified that the County’s financial <br />participation would be limited to its adopted Cost Participation Policy. <br /> <br />With project development nearly complete, a Cooperative Agreement has been drafted for approval by <br />both the City and Ramsey County. The Agreement was reviewed and approved by Ramsey County <br />prior to being brought forward to the City Council. The proposed Cooperative Agreement defines the <br />County’s cost participation for all project phases except construction. Construction cost sharing and <br />long-term maintenance responsibilities will be addressed in a separate, forthcoming three-party <br />Cooperative Agreement among the City, Ramsey County, and MnDOT. <br /> <br />The overall project includes several subcomponents in which Ramsey County is not participating. <br />These include the rehabilitation of Country Drive, sanitary sewer and watermain improvements, and <br />certain aesthetic enhancements. Accordingly, the Cooperative Agreement limits the County’s <br />participation to specific funding groups related solely to the Little Canada Road portion of the project. <br /> <br />Under the Agreement, Ramsey County will participate at 50 percent in the following eligible cost <br />categories: <br /> <br />• Right-of-Way Acquisition <br />• Design Engineering <br />• Construction Engineering <br />• Xcel Energy Lighting <br />• Early Tree Clearing Costs