11-10-25 WS - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — NOVEMBER 10, 2025 12 Councilmember Holden and Mayor Grant are voting no. Mayor Grant said that is three votes in favor and this item will be discussed at the TNT hearing. Council recessed the Work Session at 6: 53 pm. Council reconvened the Work Session at 8:10 pm. Finance Director Yang had a couple of follow up comments regarding the previous discussion. She said Mayor Grant asked about the difference between two numbers earlier and she explained the first number is the preliminary levy that was set on September 29. The new number includes the changes since then. So they will not tie out. Her other point is the Union health increase is about 7% vs. the 15% placeholder. It's not a huge levy change, but that is something that can be adjusted to reflect the actual. B. 7511 Anniversary Planning Budget Councilmember Holden said the committee would like solicit businesses and see if they are interested in sponsoring a portion of the celebration. Councilmembers could be assigned a couple of business to visit. Councilmember Rousseau said the EDC would like to connect with someone on the committee. They are interested in drumming up some sponsorship support. They thought there could be decals that businesses could display in their windows. There could be opportunities for local businesses to have a booth at the event so they can talk about their business with residents. Staff will touch base and either extend an invitation to the EDC to attend the Anniversary Committee meeting or ask one of the Councilmembers on the committee to attend the EDC meeting. C. 2026 Fee Schedule Discussion Mayor Grant requested this discussion stay high level stating that Staff can explain how they came to the changes. Council can ask questions along the way. Assistant to the City Administrator/City Clerk Hanson said the memo outlines the proposed changes to the 2026 Fee Schedule along with narratives from the Department Heads explaining the reasons they are requesting those changes. The changes are reflected as red lines in the text. Councilmember Weber said there are changes requested regarding right-of-way utility permits. The change includes a move to linear foot. He supports that. He thinks the fee is low. Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said he agrees. The Assistant Public Works Director worked with a consultant that also worked with Shoreview. So this format is very similar to Shoreview's format. He found out New Brighton is $0.50 per foot. Councilmember Weber said St. Louis Park is $1.00 per foot.