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<br />City Council Regular Meeting - 11/22/04 <br />Minutes - Page 3 <br /> <br />Planning Commission and City Council based on their <br />expertise and research and review of applicable statutes and <br />codes. <br /> <br />Councilmember Ihlan opined that there was an important <br />difference in staff making a recommendation in the context <br />of the Planning Commission or in the context of speaking <br />before the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, and <br />endorsing a proj ect beyond the usual sense of making a <br />recommendation. Councilmember Ihlan concurred with the <br />concerns expressed by Mr. Burwell. <br /> <br />City Manager Beets noted that most major zoning and <br />planning projects, such as the Twin Lakes redevelopment <br />proposal, had many emotional implications; and that staff <br />had been consistent in their recommendations to the City <br />Council and had been on record with that position for some <br />time. <br /> <br />B. Al Sands, 2612 AIdine Street <br />Mr. Sands questioned, in light of tonight's comments, how <br />objective staffs analysis could be regarding the Friends of <br />Twin Lakes petition. <br /> <br />Mr. Sands addressed the recently-mailed Ramsey County <br />property tax statements for upcoming Truth In Taxation <br />Hearings, noting a twenty-one percent (21 %) increase, and <br />suggested that citizens carefully review their statements. <br />Mr. Sands noted that he had been corresponding with the <br />City's Finance Director Chris Miller and City Manager <br />Beets to find an explanation for the substantial increases in <br />proposed 2005 property taxes. <br /> <br />Mr. Sands also referenced a letter from Frank Pafko, <br />Acting Transportation Planning Manager for the Minnesota <br />Department of Transportation (MnDOT), addressing the <br />right turn lane at County Road C and Snelling Avenue for <br />eastbound traffic on County Road C to southbound <br />Snelling Avenue, and asked the City Council to send a <br />written request to Ramsey County and MnDOT to <br />eliminate the proposed right turn lane. <br />