Rochester considers adopting municipal ID cards
The Rochester City Council reviewed a proposal on Monday that would create a new program for issuing municipal identification cards.
The proposal came to the council by way of the Rochester Public Library, which would administer the ID cards. Andy Stehr, circulation services manager for the library, said the program would provide a “low cost, low barrier” option for community members to obtain identification.
The impact of the program, said Stehr, could be especially beneficial to immigrant and refugee populations, as well as other individuals, such as those with disabilities, who may not be eligible for a driver's license.
The benefits would include providing those individuals with the identification necessary for picking up prescriptions, cashing checks at some banks, and initiating relationships with local law enforcement.
“A community ID says, ‘I am a part of Rochester,’ which is a way of helping people feeling like they belong here,” said Stehr.
The idea of adopting a community ID program was introduced to the library by the Southeastern Minnesota Interfaith Immigrant Legal Defense Community Outreach — and has the support of other local organizations, such as the Intercultural Mutual Assistance Association, PossAbilities, as well as local pharmacies, banks, and the school district, said Stehr.
The concept was first implemented in Minnesota in 2021 by Northfield, where the program is run by the library. In Rochester, Stehr said the library also makes sense given its hours, location, and community outreach.
“We are less intimidating than City Hall,” Stehr told the council.
Federal law allows cities to issue their own ID cards without considering the immigration status or criminal history of the applicant.
The cards do not, however, take the place of state-issued IDs — meaning they are not a substitute for a driver’s license or sufficient for boarding a plane, purchasing alcohol or tobacco, or buying a legal firearm.
Still, Councilor Patrick Keane stressed the importance of being cautious about the criteria being used to obtain an identification card.
“We really want to be careful that we are holding standards and making sure when we are giving out a government-issued ID, that we followed a process to make sure we are not giving them out incorrectly,” said Keane.
According to the proposal from the library, applicants would be required to show multiple documents to obtain a ID card, such as a passport, social security card, and/or W2, as well as proof of residence.
Council President Brooke Carlson said she was supportive of the program, given the opportunity to reduce barriers to services for some individuals. But to be effective, she said, the program will need to be used widely.
“If it’s not widely adopted, there’s the potential for additional stigmatization when somebody tries to use the card,” said Carlson.
To combat the stigmatization of the municipal ID cards, Stehr suggested working with local businesses and other organizations to offer incentives to card-holding individuals. (Details are still being worked out.)
The council is expected to take a vote on the program in the coming weeks.
Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.
