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ARDEN HILLS SPECIAL CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — JULY 22, 2024 3 Councilmember Rousseau supported this item coming back to the Council on the Consent Agenda. Councilmember Holden recommended this item come back to the Council with a presentation from Kimley Horn or that staff be allowed to address questions. She explained if the AUAR were to come to the Council on the Consent Agenda, she would pull it. Mayor Grant suggested the AUAR then be placed under New Business. City Administrator Perrault noted it was out of scope for Kimley Horn to come to another meeting and it would be an additional charge. Councilmember Monson supported the AUAR being under New Business with representatives from Kimley Horn in attendance to address questions. B. 2025-2029 CIP Discussion Finance Director Yang stated annually, the City prepares a five (5) year Capital Improvement Plan for budgeting and forecasting. The focus of the CIP is on the maintenance and protection of the City's existing assets, redevelopment, and investment in new initiatives. The CIP is part of the budget process, but it is not a budget, it is a plan, and one that changes often. The CIP does not commit the council to the proposed projects, nor implement the assumptions made during the preparation; however, this is the basis for the 2025 Budget as we continue with its preparation. The city has a finite amount of resources, so prioritizing and then being able to finance projects is crucial for ensuring the city's long-term sustainability and being responsible stewards of the city's investments. Staff has been working on completing a comprehensive study of the City's current and future needs for infrastructure projects to better estimate project costs and ensure more accurate forecasting of available fund balances. Staff commented further on the CIP, noting changes from the prior year CIP and requested direction from the Council on how to proceed. Councilmember Holden asked if staff had information on the Lake Johanna Fire Department's 2025 budget. Councilmember Monson reported the Fire Board just had their first look at the 2025 budget on Wednesday of last week for the Lake Johanna Fire Department. She did not anticipate there would be a huge increase from 2024 to 2025. Councilmember Rousseau questioned how much funding was put aside in EDA funding on a yearly basis. Finance Director Yang stated the City put $100,000 towards the EDA each year. The Council supported the EDAC reviewing or considering gateway signs in the City to see how much funding would be needed in 2025. Councilmember Rousseau stated she would be curious to learn what other cities were doing with their EDA funds. Finance Director Yang explained she could investigate this further.