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I I I Council Meeting Minutes September 10, 1990 Page 10 Council Business, continued Council Business Williams said a straw vote taken at a recent RCLLG executive meeting showed a large majority would support the Charter, but concerns were Ramsey County Charter raised regarding some areas of the Charter. Benke noted an i tern which refers to the County Board I s abi 1 i ty to manage and make decisions regarding county affairs without going to the legislature. This item could possibly be looked at as a threat because a small er group of people woul d make deci si ons. Brandt Rebelein said that normally before a decision is made in the legislature there tends to be a lot of "horse trading" between legislators regarding unrelated concerns. Brandt Rebelein noted the requirement of 23,000 petition signatures in order to initiate legislation or force a referendum. Williams referred to the City of St. Paul which has the largest population in Ramsey County and would not have a problem obtaining a large number of signatures. However, the signatures would only present the item on the ballot and does not be enough to pass it in a generul election. Gunderman noted large increases in county taxes in recent years and questioned if the Charter would cause further increases in order to subsidize their operation. Brandt Rebelein said the quality of staff and City i nvo 1 vement may offset costs and coul d result in savings. Benke said residents have a greater ability to prevent higher taxes by electing qualified and dependable officials. He noted that the effectiveness of the Charter primarily depends upon the quality of the elected officials. Brandt Rebelein noted that often suburbs have similar concerns and interests and may forge alliances for specific issues. This could result in the suburbs actually gaining some strength. Williams said the fiscal freedom the County would receive under the Charter pertains to bonding of capital improvements. Benke said it is important for residents to elect people who are progressive and give these people the opportunity to make gains. He feels each Councilmember should response individually rather than a group Council vote. Announcements and Updates Announcements & Updates The annual RCLLG bi ke ri de wi 11 be September 15th. September 19th meeting will include discussions on charitable gambling. The RCLLG RCLLG Meeting drugs and