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Mounds View City Council <br />.Regular Meeting <br />Page Four <br />March 22, 1993 <br />at the last Council Work Session and, if this bill were to pass, it <br />would consolidate municipal prosecution services under the office of <br />the Ramsey County Prosecutor. The action would eliminate a city's <br />ability to contract for prosecution services separately which currently <br />controls costs and ensures accountability and responsiveness to the <br />city's individual and unique legislative needs. <br />Orduno stated that this bill would also increase costs to the City in <br />that the officers would have to travel to St. Paul for court <br />appearances. Orduno stated that the bill could die in committee. <br />Orduno further reported that each year legislation is introduced that <br />affects the City. Bills are called to the City's attention that have <br />the potential to be destructive to the City of Mounds View. Resolution <br />No. 4354 would send a message to the legislators that the City would <br />like to be consulted in matters that would negatively impact the City. <br />Orduno stated that the County Attorney, himself, did not have a great <br />deal of input on this bill. If the Council approves Resolution No. <br />4354 it will be sent to the authors of the bill, Mounds View <br />legislators, and to the members of the Senate Judiciary Committee and <br />the Subcommittee on Criminal Justice and Family Law. <br />Councilmember Quick asked who the authors of the bill were and asked <br />• if they were tied in with the court system in some way or if there <br />were some type of ulterior motive to why this bill was introduced. <br />Orduno stated that the authors of the bill were Senator Kelly and <br />Representative Farrell. <br />Mary Jo MacGuire was a co-author of the bill. Police Chief Ramacher <br />received a copy of the bill and asked Ms. MacGuire what was trying to <br />be accomplished by having the County Attorney handle all suburban <br />prosecutions. Orduno reported that Mary Jo MacGuire was very <br />receptive in talking with Police Chief Ramacher, but the City was given <br />no clue to the motivation behind it. <br />Councilmember Quick stated that last year there was legislation <br />introduced that was a form of control of services. <br />Orduno explained that the sheriff's department and the St. Paul <br />Police Chief had discussed consolidation of police services. The Local <br />Government Study Committee considered this issue. The press got ahold <br />of the report regarding this subject and the whole report was published <br />with no input from the Committee. <br />Councilmember Rickaby stated that the cost of traveling to St. <br />Paul is not the only affect this legislation would have on the <br />City of Mounds View. The fact that it is farther away adds to <br />the time the officer is pulled off the street and also the officers <br />may be hesitant to make as many arrests because of travel time and <br />time spent off the streets. <br />