CCP 09-13-1999 - Laserfiche WebLink

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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL - AUGUST 30,1999 DRAFT 20 , it would appear as though Mr. Bright is being targeted. Mr. Bright and his neighbors called the . City to express their concerns. Mr. Bright and his family are alarmed and wanted some assurance that the City was concerned with the activity and was willing to pro-actively do something to prevent this from happening again. Councilmember Larson asked if staff was aware of the reason Mr. Bright was being targeted. Mr. Post stated it may because Mr. Bright is a member of a minority group. Mayor Probst stated that he had spoken with Mr. Post regarding this situation and staff was in the process of pursuing with the Ramsey County Sheriff Department what the City can do to apprehend the perpetrator. Mayor Probst stated that he had not been aware that this vandalism was this focused as he had been under the impression that this was a neighborhood issue. The City should make it clear that this is not acceptable behavior in the City of Arden Hills. He suggested that Mr. Post continue working with the Sheriff Department and contact Mr. Bright to inform him that the City will support him in solving this issue. With regard to the letter sent from Mr. Stafford to Joe Janson regarding the speed on Old Snelling Avenue, Councilmember Larson noted that the letter states that the City lacks jurisdiction over the roadway. He wondered if it was enough to state this or should the City also be communicating with Ramsey County regarding this issue. He did not understand the reason behind the variation in speed limit in such a short stretch of roadway. Enough people complain about it, and there is enough traffic on the road that the City should communicate to Ramsey County that it wants a uniform speed limit. Mr. Post stated that the deputies present at a recent meeting had indicated it was not simply a matter of putting up new speed limit signs. This issue would require a State review of the circumstances. One of the risks the community would face was that the speed limit could just as likely to go up, as go down. . Councilmember Malone stated that there was a misconception that, in order to control traffic, speed limits must go down. It was his belief that the most controlled traffic occurs when all vehicles are traveling at the same speed. Councilmember Larson stated he was not as concerned about whether the speed limit was higher or lower. His primary concern was that the speed limit be consistent. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that when she first started with the City Council, the Council had tried to have this situation resolved. Mayor Probst asked if the Council at that time had actually submitted a request to standardize the speed limit. Councilmember Aplikowski stated that the Council did submit a request and was informed that the change was not warranted at that time. Although, the Sheriff Department at that time has also agreed that there should be only one speed limit on that stretch of roadway. Mayor Probst suggested that the City send a letter to Ramsey County requesting a change to one speed limit. He cautioned that there may be some risk in the outcome not being what the City really wants. Councilmember Malone asked if this was necessary at this time, given the limited City staff level. He did not believe that this was a serious issue. Councilmember Larson stated .