CC MINUTES 04282026 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

City Council Regular Meeting Minutes April 28, 2026 Page 7 1 Councilmember Jenson reported that he attended the Metro City semi-annual meeting, the Water 2 Education and Conservation fair, participated in the Northeast Youth and Family Services 3 finance subcommittee, attended the St. Anthony Chamber of Commerce annual awards dinner, 4 and participated in the Condo Communication event. He expressed appreciation for 5 Councilmember Doolan's work putting together talking points for the Council at this event. He 6 also complimented Mayor Webster on her effective speaking at the event. 7 8 Councilmember Doolan reported that she attended the Historical Society's annual meeting, 9 participated in many Earth Week activities, and attended the Chamber of Commerce event. 10 11 Councilmember Randle had no report. 12 13 Mayor Webster reported that she attended the St. Anthony Historical Society annual meeting, 14 briefly attended the Water Conservation Fair, and attended the Connect With the Council: Silver 15 Village Condos event. 16 17 XI. COMMUNITY FORUM. 18 19 Laura LaBerge, a resident, began by quoting John F. Kennedy: "There is little that is more 20 important for an American citizen to know than the history and traditions of his country. Without 21 such knowledge, he stands uncertain and defenseless before the world, knowing neither where he 22 has come from nor where he is going." She noted that when Minnesota was first settled, it was 23 occupied by many Native American groups. In 1819, Fort Snelling was established, and it 24 became a state in 1858. She highlighted that the North Star represents MN and that the Lady 25 Slipper is the State Flower. She overviewed the three pine regions in the State, the St. Croix, the 26 Mississippi, and Lake Superior, with the Norway Pine as the State tree. She noted all of this was 27 present in the original State flag, before the new flag was introduced in 2024. She noted that the 28 new flag in the council chambers erases this history. She stated that the old State flag tells the 29 story of the State's history. She stated that she believes that they should hang the old State flag 30 instead of the new one. She finished by quoting George Orwell: "The most effective way to 31 destroy people is to deny and obliterate their own understanding of their history," and urged the 32 council to raise the old flag rather than the new one. 33 34 Dr. Bibi Neumann, a resident, commented on Resolutions 26-032 and 26-033. She noted that 35 these appear routine, but are not. 26-032 is about insurance and liability. By choosing not to 36 waive tort limits, the City is defining the boundary of its exposure, which is a policy decision 37 about risk and accountability. She noted that the reasoning for this decision is missing from the 38 public record. Different explanations denote different levels of review and intention. Without the 39 clarity, the public sees the decision but not the evaluation behind it. In relation to 26-033, she 40 noted that declaring items surplus is optional and operational, but these are public assets. She 41 commented that the evaluation between the steps of acquiring, replacing, and disposing is not 42 visible. The public does not know whether the items were fully utilized, whether reuse was 43 considered, how value was maintained, and more. When this step is not visible, the process 44 appears weaker than realistic. She expressed a desire to see reasoning for decisions more clearly 45 explained to the public in the future. 46