09-17-25 EDC Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION – SEPTEMBER 17, 2025 7 Commissioner Bonine said if there is a fee that needs to be collected, then we’re back to combining a form. He asked what is the basis for having a sign fee. He assumes that gets missed a lot. Is that a fee we want to still charge on a registration? Senior Planner Fransen said in the past the fee has been collected in case there were any follow up actions if a sign falls into disrepair and it is on the City to remove the sign or abate the issue. Commissioner Bonine asked how often a sign has fallen into disrepair where the City had to step in. He isn’t sure the City needs that level of “insurance” unless that situation occurs regularly. If this is just a revenue driver, fine. He doesn’t understand it. Is this a Council decision or is there a state requirement for it? It makes sense to him to charge an initial fee for a sign, but he’s not sure it should be an ongoing thing. Chair Murchie said it’s not a revenue driver. This is a very small portion of the budget. It’s a way of covering costs for if someone calls to talk to Staff about a sign. Commissioner Bonine said that probably isn’t happening. It feels like a nuisance fee for business owners. Chair Murchie said the way the fees are structured has not been discussed for a while. The fees are intended to cover the cost of Staff time. Senior Planner Fransen summarized that EDC members are looking to have a better understanding of the sign renewal fee on the form. She is hearing them question if this needs to be on both forms or if it is a necessary component to either form. Commissioner Bonine said if we separate the forms, then we should charge $25 for a registration and drop the sign fee. That could also start to create a budget to use for the events we are trying to put together. Commissioner Gronquist said City Administrator Jagoe said that we can’t use it to generate revenue. That confused her even further. Commissioner Bonine assumes the amount of Staff time used is less than the amount of revenue generated. Community Development Director Reilly said the fee schedule will be discussed at an upcoming work session. He will include this feedback in that conversation. Commissioner Poelzer said the EDC is here to help the Council understand how to grow businesses here and keep them here. Commissioner Brausen said there are certain businesses that are pinpointed. His business pays tobacco, service station and about three other things. Commissioner Poelzer said it depends on if we are looking at Arden Hills fees or State or Federal mandated ones.