St. Cloud Ward 2 Council Member Hosts Joint City/County Meeting on Southeast Side Issues

(KNSI) – St. Cloud Ward 2 Council Member Karen Larson will host a joint informational meeting with officials from Sherburne County on Monday, September 29th, focusing on southeast St. Cloud issues and new community collaboration efforts.

Larson tells KNSI News she’s looking forward to the session because, to her knowledge, this is the first time a joint city/county meeting has been held.

The meeting will take place from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. in the community room at the new Community Outpost at 1010 Park, 1114 9th Avenue Southeast. The gathering is open to all ward residents and the general public.

One major emphasis will be educating residents about expanded services available at two new community outposts serving the east side. The meeting venue at 1010 Park represents one location, while a second outpost operates at Salem Lutheran Church in the Benton County portion of the city.

Sherburne County District 4 Commissioner Gary Gray, who represents the southeast side, will be joined by administrative personnel from health and human services, economic development, and Mayor Jake Anderson.

Larson outlined the planned discussions, explaining, “We’ll be looking at possible areas of enhanced cooperation between the county and the city, including housing development, and the delivery of homeless services. I’ll be talking a little bit about road construction updates on the east side and other city news.”

She explained that, unlike formal city meetings with restricted public comment periods, “We’re going to do our best to squeeze voices in as we go along.”

The collaborative approach reflects Larson’s belief that increased communication between elected officials and constituents leads to improved public services.

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