I'd like to address the comments being made about the conditions of our roads. Some candidates are implying that the current council has not adequately funded our road maintenance, when in fact nothing could be further from the truth.

Ramsey has 180 miles of roads, and they are one of our biggest assets. Because of their importance, the council implemented a 5 year Pavement Management Program that started in 2015. This program provided $500,000 per year for crackseal, sealcoat, and overlay projects. In addition, the city allocated another $8.78 million worth of projects above and beyond the per year spending by bonding, assessments, MSA funds, and other sources. If you would like to read about the complete spending breakdown of this 5 year project, you can find the details on the City of Ramsey 2015-2019 Pavement Management Program Summary.

Moving forward, the Council has included in the CIP (Capital Improvement Program) for 2020-2029 an updated Pavement Management Program (starts on page 181). This program, which you can read on the city website, provides detailed information about where and when specific roads in our community will be improved. We will continue to spend $500,000 per year for maintenance and overlays, plus an additional $1.9 million per year with the funds generated from the franchise fee. As with all projects, the suggested improvements might change based on updated information from our city planners, who rate the roads using the Paser scale.