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Page 1 of 2 <br />AGENDA ITEM – 3D <br /> <br /> <br />MEMORANDUM <br /> <br />DATE: May 14, 2025 <br /> <br />TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers <br /> <br />FROM: Jessica Jagoe, City Administrator <br /> <br />SUBJECT: Twin Cities Gateway Funding Discussion <br /> <br /> Budgeted Amount: Actual Amount: Funding Source: <br /> N/A N/A N/A <br /> <br />Council Should Consider <br /> <br />Council should provide further guidance on how to spend 2025 Twin Cities Gateway Grant <br />monies. <br /> <br />Background <br /> <br />For 2025, the City has received $19,375 from the Twin Cities Gateway (TCG) Visitors Bureau; <br />this money comes from a portion of the lodging tax that the City charges its hotels and remits to <br />the Visitors Bureau. Additionally, at the end of the 2024 period there was $807.25 in grant <br />dollars remaining which were carried over to this year for a total dispersal of $20,182.25 in 2025. <br /> <br />Last year, the City chose to spend the money on Ribfest and activities put on by Bethel <br />University, both entities received half of the City’s overall grant. I should note that Staff also <br />reached out to Beyond the Yellow Ribbon to see if they had an upcoming qualifying event or <br />activity, but they did not in 2024. <br /> <br />The City Council should identify entities or activities it wants to potentially utilize this money <br />for and Staff can begin to work with the organizations to see if there is a viable path forward. <br />Below are the stipulations put forward by TCG regarding how the money can be spent; in short, <br />the money is intended to bring outside visitors into the City. <br />