02-09-26-R - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Browse Search

ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL—FEBRUARY 9, 2026 8 Mayor Grant commented he did not reach out to him. Councilmember Rousseau explained it would be her preference to have these positions treated more like the JDA Chair where members are given a chance to apply and interviews are held with the Councilmembers. Councilmember Holden stated Councilmember Weber gave a synopsis of what has occurred over past years. She noted there have been many qualified individuals who came forward and put applications in that were not appointed. She indicated this would become a much greater topic if the Council was going to begin addressing who did and did not qualify for a position. Councilmember Monson explained all of the people were fantastic. She commented this situation was a little disappointing because the EDA was one of the few commissions that can levy. She reported these two individuals would sit on a board with the City Council and could levy taxes. She indicated the City had a more formal process for interviewing the parks and trail committee members. She agreed the process needed to be more aligned and formal with staff input and input from the remaining Councilmembers. She noted these appointments could be a liability. She stated she felt very uncomfortable and concerned that a formal process was not followed. Mayor Grant indicated the EDA was a special group and the appointments to the EDA were made by the Mayor. He reported all other commission appointments were conducted in a different manner because they were not statutory. He commented on the process he followed for the EDA appointments, noting he reviewed resumes,held interviews and made a selection. Councilmember Weber reported that everyone gets to apply for the commission positions and these positions are advertised broadly. He indicated this was a much smaller group that was not limited to just the EDC. Councilmember Rousseau requested the Mayor send Ted Brausen's resume to her. Mayor Grant asked if his ranking should be made public. City Attorney Land stated this was a data practices request and any data the Mayor has regarding this business should be provided to Councilmember Rousseau. Mayor Grant clarified for the record he received all of his data from the City, so it was the City's data and not his data. Councilmember Rousseau explained regarding past appointments, the City had two individuals that applied to the PTRC and one said they would not come to meetings unless the PTRC discussed a specific item and another individual wasn't even aware of the name of their neighborhood park. She noted these responses made the appointment process more simple. Councilmember Holden commented she was not part of the interview process and she has not received the interview questions. She questioned if the majority of the Council wanted a certain individual on the EDA.