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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION—MARCH 12, 2012 2 Mr. Mansky discussed the proposed new precincts for the City as being the portion of the City south of the railroad tracks, the part between the railroad tracks and the freeway, and the portion north of the freeway. These three sections of the City were divided almost equally by population. The number of voters per precinct varied, which was based on demographics more than anything else. Mr. Mansky recommended the middle and northern portions of the City vote at North Heights Church with the southern portion of the City voting at Church of the Way on Lexington Avenue. In the long run, the County was looking to use a fewer number of large facilities to be used as polling places. He reported that the number of absentee ballots was on the rise, with over 15% of Arden Hills residents voting absentee. He questioned if the Council was open to these suggestions. Mayor Grant stated he was in favor of accomplishing both tasks this evening, deciding on both the precinct boundaries and the polling locations. He questioned how the Council would like to proceed with the boundaries. Councilmember Holden agreed with the three boundaries as presented by the County. Councilmember Holmes questioned why the City has been turned from four districts into three districts. Mr. Mansky indicated that he felt the new boundaries made the most geographical sense for the City. Councilmember Holmes commented she had a lot of concerns about using North Heights Church as a polling location. Councilmember Holden asked if precinct lA (located within the boundary of precinct 1) voted in a separate location than precinct 1. Mr. Mansky explained that everyone within precinct 1 would vote at the same location and that the ballots would differ only if the school districts had a referendum. Mayor Grant questioned if the City should move to two precincts with the two polling locations. He stated he supported North Heights Church as a polling place. Mr. Mansky stated this would be an option, allowing those south of the railroad tracks to vote at Church of the Way with the portion of the City north of the railroad tracks voting at North Heights Church. Councilmember Holden stated with the road construction and road closures, residents would have a difficult time reaching these polling places. Councilmember Holmes was not in favor of North Heights Church due to the fact it was not centrally located for Arden Hills residents. She asked if Church of the Way was large enough to be used as a single polling location for the entire City.