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The North Branch Chief of Police presented a draft of a new tobacco sales ordinance to city council last week initiating a process to fix some recurring problems North Branch has experienced.
 
Chief Meyer said he was “looking for feedback” and would do a re-write and eventually the council will be asked to accept wording that will go to a public hearing.

Meyer explained his recommendation to put the age minimum of employees selling in a tobacco shop at 21.  The current age is 18 and he feels going to 21 could help reduce any peer pressure and grant more cultural seperation between staff and younger clientele.

North Branch has 14 tobacco license holders and Meyer suggested the council may want to adopt a cap in licensees allowed.

Council member Patrick Meacham said “my ask” is to ban flavored products.  He said about one quarter of the state already has limits on candy and exotic flavored products meant to entice younger smokers and vape users.  He wants North Branch to be a leader in this area on this issue, he added.

Chief Meyer said the new ordinance is meant to better define “tobacco’ products, will include conditions on location, beef- up penalties for violations and he welcomed council to take some time and read through it and get back to him.  The ordinance will require a public hearing which includes a 30-day notice, so there won’t be any action in the immediate future.

In other action the mayor motioned to appoint Peter Schaps onto the empty seat for the EDA.

It was approved 3-1 Councilmember Amanda Darwin absent and Kathy Blomquist opposed.

The polling places were established. North Branch has three precincts with polling at Access Church, Mainstreet Church and the Fire Hall.  Blomquist questioned the polling place on the west side of the freeway at Access Church asking if it may be too congested now with population growth in that precinct?

Ragini Varma, North Branch’s elections official, said she wants to get a year of voting activity under her belt, using Access Church, and see how it goes. She added that precinct polling locations can always be changed if the site isn’t functioning well.

This year Mayor Swenson and Kathy Blomquist and Patrick Meacham are on the ballot. All state legislators are up for election due to redistricting.

On a more local level—North Branch is represented by three county board commissioners and there was some discussion on whether the city wants to recommend to the County Board to redraw commissioner district lines and find a way to have just one commissioner represent North Branch, or leave it alone.  (At this time only Rick Greene and Chris DuBose serve on the Board for North Branch, with the recent death of Commissioner Mike Robinson, whose fifth district included a strip of North Branch west of the freeway.)

The county is aiming to close public input on configuration of districts by April 1 and then have maps ready to review,  at a public hearing a few days later.  No council consensus was reached last week.

Varma also noted that she doesn’t expect any election judge  shortages but anyone who is interested in applying for election judge training can find details on the city webpage. She relies on having 10 polling place judges for each of the three precincts.

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