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administrative assistant will be required. This position may be able to be supported from other capacities in the City's system in the early stages, but it cannot be sustained without permanent staffing added to support this goal. Moreover, should TCAAP mature as expected, a support person for economic development as well as a redevelopment director will become a necessity in order to channel the growth opportunities successfully. In the near term, this position needs to be put in place to assume the support responsibilities necessary for meeting this priority. 3) Council and Commission Development Arden Hills is at a crossroads in economic development. In order for the City Council to support the efforts of its staff, there needs to be a higher level of expertise of economic development issues among the elected officials and commission members. Toward this end, we would recommend up to six, three to four hour training sessions be held at City Hall at a frequency of one every other month. These sessions should be open to the public. Topics for discussion may include: ♦ Redevelopment of Existing Properties ♦ Main Street Revitalization The Link Between Education, Workforce and Economic Development ♦ Incentive Utilization for Competitive Economic Development • ♦ Economic Development Finance ♦ Leadership in economic development. Why everyone is a leader in Arden Hills. 4) Strengthening of City Administrator's Position Economic development in Arden Hills will succeed by maintaining and developing a qualified staff. This is facilitated when the City Administrator has full administrative responsibility of the City while the City Council bears the responsibility for policy and legislative roles. We would recommend that a consultant be employed to help develop the most effective roles and responsibilities for the City Administrator and Council in managing the city. 5) Community Awareness The third leg of the economic development is the community itself. If the citizens understand the vision for economic development they will be much more supportive of an economic development mission. Incorporating citizen support for economic development will require that they be informed of the economic development focus of Arden Hills. This will be accomplished by amending the Mayor's already well received newsletter to include a section on economic development 6) Redevelopment Director Strategic Plan for Economic Development Page 7 of 20 \\Metro-inet.us\ardenhillsWdmin\Committees\Economic Development Commission\AH Strategic Plan-Final 5-16-07.doc