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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL — MARCH 9, 2026 3 Kelly Rytel, 3585 Ridgewood Road, agreed with the comments made by Steve Erler and Gregg Larson. She believed the Mayor needed to provide the City with more transparency. Anne Hall, 4276 Norma Avenue, addressed the Council regarding the February 9 City Council meeting. She noted she watched this meeting and found herself to be very upset and disappointed. She commented on how the Mayor appointed two members to the EDA in a process that lacked any transparency. She indicated she did not have any issue with the people who were chosen, but she does not know who else could have been considered. She reported the EDA appointment process was extremely important because the EDA was a powerful committee that has the ability to levy taxes on residents. In addition, the EDA has the ability to buy and sell land, and these are six -year appointments. She believed it was unacceptable that the appointment process was not transparent and that the actions of the Mayor set a poor precedent. She understood the Mayor had statutory approval to appoint new EDA members but was required to get Council approval for these new members. She indicated it appears the appointments were placed on the Consent Agenda without discussion and when one Councilmember objected and tried to pull the item there was a procedural mistake and there was no opportunity for him to go back and fix this. This did not feel like the Mayor was operating in good faith. She explained the end result was that two appointments to the EDA were made with six -year terms after the Mayor did not follow a transparent process. She stated this was not how she wanted her City to be run and she was disappointed in the Mayor's actions. She encouraged the Mayor and City Council to adopt a transparent application and interview process for all future appointments, especially to the appointments made to the EDA. As a final comment, she indicated she was disturbed and upset by the tone of the City Council meetings and urged the City Councilmembers to remain professional and to resist making vindictive comments. Lynn Diaz, 1143 Ingerson Road, was of the opinion the process for choosing the EDA members was flawed. She believed all members of the EDC should have been contacted regarding their interest and interviews should have been held with the entire City Council. She indicated the process that was followed was not conducive to finding the best candidate, nor was the process transparent. She was of the opinion it was inconsiderate to have the EDA appointments on the Consent Agenda because this did not allow for discussion. She reported these members needed to be approved by the City Council, even though the appointments were recommended by the Mayor. She wanted to know that these people were thoughtfully chosen and that the entire Council had input. She urged the City Council to work together in good faith for the overall community. She questioned why the Mayor had not asked Councilmember Rousseau for her input, as she serves as the liaison to the EDC. She recommended a motion be made to revoke the EDA appointments and that a proper process be held. 4. RESPONSE TO PUBLIC INQUIRIES Mayor Grant stated while a number of items were brought up, he noted there were a few he wanted to discuss. He explained State Statute allows the Mayor to appoint EDA members, subject to the approval of the City Council. Councilmember Weber asked for a point of order and recommended the Mayor give his response during Council Comments versus giving a response on behalf of the City Council. Councilmember Holden stated this action has been taken in the past. Mayor Grant reported this was the case.