Recent actions

July 28: The City Council unanimously voted down a program to require before-sale housing inspections after dozens of residents showed up to the meeting to protest the idea. The program would have required homeowners to schedule a city inspection before they put their home on the market and fix major problems before the house could be sold. Similar programs have been approved in Crystal, New Hope, Brooklyn Park, St. Louis Park and Bloomington.

July 29: The city is considering hiring a consultant to help plan the future of the Ramsey Town Center. The sale of 150 acres of foreclosed land in the development has been postponed for more than a year and certain parcels of land have been late with property tax payments and assessment payments, according to a city memo from a firm being considered for the consultant role.

LSA Design Inc. of Minneapolis submitted a proposal that includes three phases. The first would be an analysis of the remaining land and a look at development options for different sites. The development agreement would also be reevaluated, and changes could be considered in the project's original requirements for a certain amount of park land and other improvements. The total cost of the consultant would be $70,000 to $90,000 and the work would be completed in eight to 11 months.