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City Council Minutes <br />August 3, 2020 <br />Page 5 <br />Moved by Councilmember Christianson and seconded by Councilmember <br />Westgaard to approve an extension to the suspension of temporary sign <br />permit fees and standards to September 30, 2020. Motion carried 5-0. <br />8.3 Discuss Work Session Items <br />Mr. Portner presented the staff report. <br />Councilmember Wagner indicated she would like special event races discussed by <br />September as non -profits are already trying to plan races for next year. She added a <br />large race was just denied by city staff and we need to make sure we are good <br />community partners and helping as we are able. <br />Mr. Portner indicated he spoke with the police chief and he is close to having the <br />information completed. He added city staff is working with the organizers of the <br />recently denied race to come up with a solution. <br />9. Council Liaison Updates <br />Council provided updates of various advisory board activities as noted in the <br />respective board or commission minutes. <br />Council recessed at 7:13 p.m. to go into work session. The meeting reconvened at 7:16 p.m. <br />10.1 Provide Direction Regarding Council Wards <br />Mayor Dietz asked if the Council is interested in considering the elimination of the <br />elective Council ward system currently in place. He provided a brief history of the <br />ward system. <br />Councilmember Christianson stated he believes the advantage for the ward system is <br />for each councilmember to form a relationship with the people in their <br />neighborhoods. He believes all four parts of town have different factors and believes <br />the areas are best represented by someone who lives in and is familiar with the area. <br />Councilmember Westgaard indicated eliminating the ward system could force <br />councilmembers to know and understand all areas of the city which wouldn't hurt <br />the council when making decisions. He stated it doesn't matter to him as he has <br />always taken the approach to review a request to see if it is consistent with the city <br />vision as a whole as he believes all councilmembers represent everyone. He added <br />some residents get confused on who their representative is and they should be able <br />to call whoever they are comfortable with. <br />Councilmember Ovall indicated he could see eliminating wards as a barrier to <br />campaigning for time, energy, and resources. <br />Councilmember Wagner stated she sees advantages and disadvantages to both. <br />P 0 V E A E 0 e r <br />ATUREJ <br />