Laserfiche WebLink
ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL WORK SESSION — OCTOBER 15, 2024 10 <br />provision in there that the TIF would be assisted with the parking in the town center. He assumes <br />Bob Lux is probably still anticipating that TIF will be used for that. <br />Councilmember Monson said Councilmember Fabel said no TIF spending to cover the mass <br />grading. <br />Mayor Grant said he had taken that as a more global off -the -table. He said in an ideal world all <br />five members would be available for these discussions. One member has a medical thing. He <br />asked Councilmember Holden what her first available day is. Was it November 6t'. <br />Councilmember Holden said that would be the first Thursday. She feels it has been made clear it <br />doesn't matter if she's here or not so what's the difference? <br />Councilmember Monson refuted that. She said she would like to do these work session meetings <br />in the next two weeks, which is her preference. If that is not possible, option B would be to have <br />the JDA reps go negotiate with Bob Lux and come back with the items. She wants to be clear, she <br />is not saying she wants to have meetings without Councilmember Holden. She would prefer to <br />have everyone there. There is a timeline. The JDA reps can go to the meeting and come back to <br />Council and get everyone's opinion. Staff can also, reach out and talk to everyone individually. <br />Councilmember Holden said it amazes her that now we only have weeks to do this. She has <br />been trying to get the Council to talk about TIF for two years. She kept asking to have it on the <br />agenda to clarify the City's position. That hasn't happened. Now all of a sudden we have to do it <br />in two weeks. We've had 18 months to talk about what the City's position is. Every time she tried <br />to put it on the agenda it was taken off. <br />Councilmember Monson said we have not been able to discuss anything related to the Term <br />Sheet until the mass grading financing was resolved. That has been publicly clear for a very long <br />time. We had months where the JDA did not meet because that solution had not come to the table. <br />That solution has now been proposed. It is in the purchase agreement. <br />Mayor Grant asked what the solution is. <br />Councilmember Monson said the County is going to fund it. She doesn't know the terms. Now <br />that it is part of the purchase agreement, we have to talk about the Term Sheet. We have the <br />pieces so they can confirm the civic site and the planning fees. That all ties back to the Term <br />Sheet where the core issue is the TIF. There was no discussion on the TIF in the past because it <br />was not the time to do it. Council could have talked about it but it would have been worthless <br />because the project didn't have a pathway forward. <br />Councilmember Fabel said as a lawyer, he appreciates precedence and efficiency. He looks at <br />the memorandum that states as part of the 2022 Term Sheet "there were two councilmembers who <br />are leading that process with approvals being brought to the full council and if the Council were <br />to follow the same approach, it may provide a timelier advancement of the discussion". There is a <br />clear precedent. That process resulted in the 2022 Term Sheet which was satisfactory to the entire <br />council, at the time. <br />Mayor Grant said that took nine months. <br />