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Record of Proceedings

Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority Meeting - January 27, 2026

Board of Commissioners & Authorities — Tuesday, January 27, 2026
BodyRamsey County, Minnesota
SessionBoard of Commissioners & Authorities
DateTuesday, January 27, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
2:02

Like to call to order the Ramsey County Regional Royal Authority roll call, please.

2:07

Chapin Singh?

2:08

Here.

2:09

Maguire.

2:11

Here.

2:12

McMurtry is excused.

2:14

Thank you, Commissioner McGuire.

2:16

Miller?

2:17

Thank you.

2:18

Moran.

2:19

Stepped out for a moment.

2:20

Commissioner Zhang.

2:22

Here.

2:22

And Ortega.

2:23

I'll entertain a motion on the agenda of January twenty-seventh, twenty twenty-six.

2:31

So moved.

2:32

Second.

2:34

See no discussion.

2:37

Roll call.

2:37

Miller.

2:38

Here are me and I.

2:43

Chapin Singh?

2:44

Aye.

2:45

Maguire.

2:46

I.

2:47

McMurtry is excused and Ortega.

2:49

Hi.

2:51

I'll entertain a motion on the minutes of January sixth, twenty twenty-six as presented for approval.

2:56

So move.

2:57

Second.

2:59

See no discussion roll call.

3:01

Miller?

3:01

Aye.

3:02

Moran?

3:04

Chevin Singh?

3:05

I.

3:05

Maguire.

3:07

I mcmurch excused and Ortega.

3:11

Administrative item number three purchase of eighteen forty English street from one less L L C um Can I say seconds?

3:23

Yes.

3:24

During discussion?

3:25

Okay.

3:29

Okay.

3:29

Commissioner L.

3:30

I just um wanted to quickly say that I really appreciate Maplewood stepping up and our team um or our Maplewood for Sephiot with the planning process.

3:38

Uh this is really what city and county partnerships look like.

3:42

Uh we work together really well um by creating this redevelopment opportunity that wouldn't exist if these parcels um stayed separate.

3:50

So um I think it's a smart forward thinking investment that really helps um that really helps move currently tax exempt land back into productive land use and could strengthen our you know tax base for both the city and the county.

4:02

So thank you.

4:04

Thank you, team for working together on that.

4:06

I really appreciate and look forward to hearing more.

4:08

Good, thank you.

4:09

Good job, Commissioner Miller.

4:12

Any further discussion?

4:14

Roll call.

4:15

Miller.

4:16

Moran.

4:19

Chapin Singh.

4:20

Hi.

4:20

Maguire?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Transportation Safety█████████████████████████████████████████████70%
Procedural███████████████████30%
Summary of Proceedings

Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority Meeting - January 27, 2026

The Ramsey County Regional Railroad Authority met in regular session on January 27, 2026, at 10:45 a.m. (per minutes, though the agenda listed 10 a.m.). The meeting was held in Council Chambers - Courthouse Room 300, Saint Paul, MN. Members present were Jebens-Singh, McGuire, Miller, Moran (arrived at 10:46 a.m. and missed roll call), Ortega, and Xiong. McMurtrey was excused. Also present were County Manager Ling Becker and Assistant County Attorney Kathleen Ritter. The meeting was chaired by Chair Ortega. All votes were unanimous among present members, with McMurtrey excused.

Consent Calendar

  • Agenda Approval: Motion by Miller, seconded by Jebens-Singh, to approve the January 27, 2026 agenda. Passed unanimously.
  • Minutes Approval: Motion by Moran, seconded by Miller, to approve the January 6, 2026 minutes. Passed unanimously.

Discussion Items

  • Purchase of 1840 English Street from Wanless, LLC (Item 3, Resolution R2026-005): The authority approved the purchase and sale agreement for parcel 152922320083 at 1840 English Street, Maplewood, MN, for $325,000. The motion also authorized the Chair to execute closing documents, the County Manager to approve non-financial amendments, and Property Management to pursue sale of the combined surplus property (parcels 152922320083, 152922320093, 152922320094, and 152922320095) per the Real Estate Management Plan. Additionally, the transfer of $325,000 plus closing costs from tax levy fund balances to the 2026 capital budget was approved. Commissioner Miller expressed appreciation for Maplewood's partnership, stating this redevelopment opportunity would not exist if parcels stayed separate, and noted it moves tax-exempt land into productive use, strengthening the tax base for both city and county. Motion by Miller, seconded by Moran, passed unanimously.
  • Corridor Updates: Commissioner Xiong reported the following:
    • The Dayton's Bluff community council approved a resolution to explore an additional stop on Earl Street for the Metro Bronze Line; this will be vetted by staff.
    • East Metro Strong continues to support BRT and RTL BRT projects, including the Met Council's ranking to advance three more lines, including West 7th.
    • East Metro Strong also supports the "Our Car" car-sharing service for last-mile stops, which offers membership-based, discounted rates for low-income residents.
    • Xiong was elected vice chair of the Transportation Advisory Board (TAB). The regional solicitation is out for public comment; discussion focused on community indicators weighting. Ramsey County was the lone county representative supporting the proposed shift, but TAB advanced it to public comment.

Key Outcomes

  • Approved agenda and minutes unanimously.
  • Approved the purchase of 1840 English Street and related authorizations via Resolution R2026-005 (unanimous).
  • Noted corridor updates; no formal action taken.
  • Meeting adjourned at 10:52 a.m. by Chair Ortega.

Note: The minutes report the meeting started at 10:45 a.m., while the agenda stated 10 a.m. The raw transcript refers to "Commissioner Zhang," but the minutes list Commissioner Xiong as present; this is likely a transcription error.

Meeting Transcript

Like to call to order the Ramsey County Regional Royal Authority roll call, please. Chapin Singh? Here. Maguire. Here. McMurtry is excused. Thank you, Commissioner McGuire. Miller? Thank you. Moran. Stepped out for a moment. Commissioner Zhang. Here. And Ortega. I'll entertain a motion on the agenda of January twenty-seventh, twenty twenty-six. So moved. Second. See no discussion. Roll call. Miller. Here are me and I. Chapin Singh? Aye. Maguire. I. McMurtry is excused and Ortega. Hi. I'll entertain a motion on the minutes of January sixth, twenty twenty-six as presented for approval. So move. Second. See no discussion roll call. Miller? Aye. Moran? Chevin Singh? I. Maguire. I mcmurch excused and Ortega. Administrative item number three purchase of eighteen forty English street from one less L L C um Can I say seconds? Yes. During discussion? Okay. Okay. Commissioner L. I just um wanted to quickly say that I really appreciate Maplewood stepping up and our team um or our Maplewood for Sephiot with the planning process. Uh this is really what city and county partnerships look like. Uh we work together really well um by creating this redevelopment opportunity that wouldn't exist if these parcels um stayed separate. So um I think it's a smart forward thinking investment that really helps um that really helps move currently tax exempt land back into productive land use and could strengthen our you know tax base for both the city and the county. So thank you. Thank you, team for working together on that.

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