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CONSENT ITEM - 8M <br />'It <br />-ARZEEN HILLS <br />MEMORANDUM <br />DATE: December 8, 2025 <br />TO: Honorable Mayor and City Councilmembers <br />FROM: Jessica Jagoe, City Administrator <br />SUBJECT: Acknowledgement of Twin Cities Gateway Grant Funds — MN Braille Challenge <br />Budgeted Amount: Actual Amount: Funding Source: <br />N/A 2025 - $20,182 Twin Cities Gateway <br />2026 — Amount will be <br />available in March <br />Council Should Consider <br />Motions to approve, table, or deny the following: <br />Acknowledgement of Twin Cities Gateway 2026 Grant Funds being used to support <br />community related activities of $650 for SparkPath towards the MN Braille Challenge. <br />Discussion <br />The City of Arden Hills is a member of the Twin Cities Gateway (TCG) Visitors Bureau. As a <br />member, the City facilitates a pass-thru lodging tax on hotel receipts in the City. These lodging <br />receipts fund marketing activities in the area administered by TCG. As part of the organization, the <br />City also receives an annual grant based on receipts from TCG, which must be spent on marketing <br />activities to draw in visitors from outside the city. For 2025, the City's grant amount is $20,125; the <br />TCG will notify the City in March of our 2026 grant amount. <br />The City received a request from SparkPath for grant funding of $650 towards purchase of 50 t-shirts <br />that would be distributed to volunteers and students participating in the MN Braille Challenge <br />(Attachment A). The event will be held on February 16, 2026, at the Anderson Center. This event <br />highlights students from across the state and in their first year had over 70 attendees. Funds will be <br />used to purchase t-shirts that will be distributed to competing students and volunteers. The t-shirt <br />design will feature "Arden Hills, MN" along with the Twin Cities Gateway logo. <br />Page 1 of 2 <br />