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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL — MARCH 9, 2026 2 City Administrator Jagoe indicated the spine road should be bid this fall. 3. PUBLIC INQUIRIES/INFORMATIONAL Steve Erler, 1704 Chatham Avenue, reported in 2023 the City Council shifted appointment authority for most commissions and committees from the Mayor to all members of the Council, with all appointments still subject to Council approval. Following that change and in an effort to establish a clear and transparent appointment process, the Council created clear administrative processes to publicize vacancies, conduct formal documented interviews, and use a fixed set of questions in those interviews in order to establish a fair and accountable selection process. He reported the Mayor recently ignored this effort in the recent interviews and appointments for the EDA's two new members. He stated the EDA was a State authorized public corporation with bonding, taxing and property powers with six -year terms. He indicated these appointments should warrant more, not less public scrutiny. He noted that while State law authorizes the Mayor alone to nominate certain members of the EDA, subject to the approval of the full Council, the way in which the Mayor executed this authority is the issue. He noted the Mayor collected a small set of resumes, chose from them the two he wanted to appoint with no interviews or consultation with other Councilmembers. He stated the Mayor then buried the appointments on the Consent Agenda at the January 12, 2026, City Council meeting effectively shielding the appointments from the other Councilmembers. He reported that when Councilmember Weber questioned the appointment process, the Mayor aggressively and successfully employed Roberts Rules of Order to end the discussion, not once, but twice (on January 12 and February 9). He understood State law allows the Mayor to make these appointments and by wrapping them up in the Consent Agenda the Mayor received approval for the appointments as required. The issue, however, was that the Mayor ignored the process created by the Council to establish a transparent appointment process and then aggressively prevented any open discussion of his maneuver. He reported this reveals the Mayor's willingness to resort to procedural manipulation to avoid transparent processes in the governing of the City. Gregg Larson, 3377 North Snelling Avenue, spoke to the Council regarding the recent appointments to the EDA. He reported he has not been able to find the Resolution that establishes the EDA. He requested the City Administrator provide him with this Resolution. He explained that State Statute could allow the authority to exercise many powers, including employment of persons, use of eminent domain, holding, conveying or selling property, awarding contracts, issuing bonds, levying taxes or assessments and creating economic development districts. He reported this was a fairly powerful organization. He understood David Grant did not consult with Councilmembers regarding the process for appointing two members from the EDC to serve on the EDA, nor did the Mayor invite any Councilmembers to sit in on the interviews. He indicated the individuals were not discussed at prior work sessions or Council meetings. He stated given the possibly statutory powers of the EDA, it was difficult for him to understand why there was not a rigorous screening of potential candidates that involved other Councilmembers and public review prior to the January 12 City Council meeting when the two names showed up on the Consent Agenda. It was also difficult for him to understand why David Grant decided on the two candidates from the pool of EDC Commission members who may be qualified but are not Arden Hills residents. He explained it was a disappointment that after the appointments were approved, David Grant attempted further end runs around the City Council. He recommended the two non-resident appointments to the EDA be reconsidered by the City Council.