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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JANUARY 31, 2026 11 <br />safe. It makes many of those marginalized in our communities, even those with legal status, afraid <br />to go to work, school, shopping or just go about living their life, as normal. Obviously, Arden <br />Hills cannot control what the federal government does. We can control how our own city <br />resources, land use authority and permitting process are used. We can decide if we will quietly <br />facilitate or normalize this intrusion into our community or if we will draw clear boundaries <br />around what happens in our city. This isn't about defying federal law. It's about exercising local <br />authority responsibly, protecting constitutional rights and making clear that Arden Hills will not <br />be a staging ground for non -routine civil immigration enforcement. <br />Mayor Pro Tem Monson closed the public comment period at 6:10 pm. <br />3. COUNCIL DISCUSSION REGARDING CONCERNS RAISED BY THE PUBLIC <br />Mayor Pro Tem Monson said the next agenda item is Council's discussion in response to <br />concerns raised by the public. She said there is typically only one meeting in January, February <br />and March. The rest of the year there are typically two meetings per month. The first meeting in <br />2026 was January 12 and the next meeting will be February 9. A lot has happened during that <br />time. There have been a lot of conversations. Staff has been working hard to coordinate <br />information. Every day is different. Every day something new comes up. She wanted to address <br />the timing of this meeting. She and Councilmember Weber called the special meeting. Three <br />days' notice is required. We did our best to get the word out. It was clear this couldn't be wrapped <br />in with a normal meeting. This discussion needed to be focused and narrow. We wanted to have <br />this meeting before the February 9 meeting, which already has a packed agenda. She asked City <br />Administrator Jagoe to provide the City's response. <br />City Administrator Jagoe thanked everyone for their comments and attendance. She will try her <br />best to capture all of the items but understands she may not touch on every single comment <br />shared. She appreciates everyone's feedback and the suggested additions to our immigration <br />resources page on the website. She hears the desire for partnering with other communities. Staff <br />and council are having some of those conversations and will ensure those discussions continue. <br />She said when the original statement was approved and adopted by the Council, there were three <br />links on our website. Today there is contact information for our federal representatives, the ICE <br />online locator system, Ramsey County Attorney's office and the Attorney General's office, legal <br />support and more. There are 19 links today. She said links will continue to be added. Staff is <br />looking at New Brighton, Shoreview and Little Canada for improving resources. That has become <br />an hourly challenge because the topic is so fluid. She continues to look for more resources and <br />that landing page will continue to be built out and will change daily. This week an email was sent <br />out to all of the licensed and registered businesses that shared how to reach federal <br />representatives, information regarding the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce, know your rights <br />from the Minnesota Attorney General's office helping businesses understand what rights they <br />have if federal agents come to their property. She has been in contact with the Mounds View <br />School District and talked to the principal on how we can support families in the community. <br />Their greatest message to staff is to share the information for Ralph Reeder Food Shelf. She <br />shared that Arden Hills City Hall is a drop off location where people can donate nonperishable <br />goods. We make sure any donations are promptly delivered to Ralph Reeder. Ralph Reeder is <br />taking food donations as well as monetary donations. The link to donate is on our website. We <br />will continue to build those opportunities into our resources page and will share on social media. <br />She is having regular conversations with the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office. Their official <br />statement is on the website. The RCSO said they will investigate and prosecute enforcements that <br />