2010.04.19 CC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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Hugo City Council Minutes for April 19, 2010 Page 7 of 9 Review State Law Changes to Absentee Voting and Staff Recommendation On April 13, 2010, City Clerk Michele Lindau and Community Development Assistant Dennis Fields met with Carol Peterson from Washington County Elections to discuss State Law changes which affect the absentee voting in municipalities throughout the State of Minnesota. As Council is aware, the 2009 State Legislature made a number of changes to eliminate errors in the absentee voting system which include using the statewide Voter Registration System (VRS) which will be used for registering voters and tracking absentee voter applications and ballots. The mandate from the State of Minnesota dramatically affects how the City of Hugo will provide absentee voting for its residents. City Clerk Michele Lindau and Washington County Election Supervisor Carol Peterson explained the changes in absentee voting and the options available to the Council. Haas made motion, Klein seconded, to have absentee voting done by Washington County with absentee voting done at the Washington County Forest Lake Service Center. All Ayes. Motion carried. Prepare Draft Notification Policy for Elected Officials Councilmember Chuck Haas has requested the City of Hugo include in its personal policy a formal notification police whereby the Hugo City Council would be formally notified in the event of natural disasters, public emergencies, and tragedies like the car in the pond which occurred on Saturday, April 10, 2010. The information received from Commander Cheri Dexter was that the Washington County Sheriffs Department treated it as a vehicular accident, and the victim was alive when she was transported to Regions Hospital. Commander Cheri Dexter made the decision not to notify the City because it was not a DOA. Haas state the importance of notifying the City Council; to be unaware of such events has an adverse effect on the Council's credibility. Miron made motion, Haas seconded, to direct staff to prepare a draft notification policy, to include the police and fire department, for Council review. All Ayes. Motion carried. Citizen Recognition and Rewards Councilmember Haas added this to the agenda. Recently, there has been several individuals who have shown outstanding heroism and bravery. Haas stated that Hugo is a good neighbor community with several outstanding citizens who should be recognized such as Brian Peltier and Caesar and Ricky Romero along with four firefighters who assisted the woman who drove in the pond on April 10, 2010 as well as Russ Semo who woke homeowners to alert them of a fire. Staff was directed to explore recognition policies in other communities.