08-12-2024 - Council Meeting Minutes

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LINO LAKES CITY COUNCIL REGULAR MEETING MINUTES DATE: August 12, 2024 TIME STARTED: 6:30 PM TIME ENDED: 7:01 PM LOCATION: City Council Chambers MEMBERS PRESENT: Mayor Rafferty, Councilmembers Cavegn, Lyden, Ruhland and Stoesz MEMBERS ABSENT: None Staff Members Present: City Administrator Sarah Cotton, Community Development Director Michael Grochala, City Engineer Diane Hankee, Public Works Superintendent Justin Williams, HR & Communications Manager Meg Sawyer, Deputy Director/Fire Dan L'Allier, Public Safety Director John Swenson, and City Attorney Jay Squires. The meeting was called to order by Mayor Rafferty at 6:30 PM. Mayor Rafferty provided an overview of the Rules of Decorum and provided first warning regarding enforcement of the rules. PUBLIC COMMENT Mayor Rafferty stated that before opening the public comment period, he wanted to state that the City is in receipt of a complaint regarding an email response sent by a Council member. The statements made do not reflect or represent the views of the City Council as a whole. He statec that the City Council takes the complaint seriously and is reviewing the matter in accordance with the City Council Code of Conduct. Mayor Rafferty opened the public comment period at 6:34 p.m. Jameel Ahmed, 12142 Bataan Street NE. Blaine, stated that regarding the email identified by the Mayor, he requests that the Council demand the immediate resignation of the Councilmember that sent the email. He requested that the Council issue a public apology to the Muslim community, CAIR-MN and Zikar Holdings. He stated that it's about the future of our community, a future that every resident, regardless of race, religion or background feels safe, respected and valued. He stated that we cannot allow hate to fester in our community, nor can we ignore when it rears its ugly head from a position of power. He concluded by submitted documents for the public record. Randy Rennaker, 379 Carl Street, stated that he represented the committee submitting the three petitions. He recognized that this evening the City Council is scheduled to adopt a resolution regarding the legal validity of the proposed Initiative and Charter amendments. He requested that if determined to not meet the legal validity standards, that they not be forward to the Attorney General, as drafted in the proposed resolution. He requested instead that the City Council provide advice to the committee and community on what options are available and how they can assist in planning the northwest quadrant.