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ARDEN HILLS CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION — MAY 11, 2026 6 Councilmember Weber said in future years he would like to see some of the money go to Northeast Youth & Family Services (NYFS) for their events. They are a multi -city organization. He isn't sure how they will fit in, but he would like to find a way to support them. Councilmember Rousseau said this is a unique year because it's the 50 Anniversary for NYFS. They will be doing a special event in November. She isn't sure if they are looking to expand outside of the region to draw people in. She said the goal of the Gateway funds is to get people to spend the night in a local hotel. Mayor Grant said there are guidelines on how the funds can be spent. NYFS could apply to receive dollars, however, their outreach would need to meet the requirements of the visitor bureau. Councilmember Weber said the National Guard are putting on an event that could draw people into our city. NYSF could do the same thing. He doesn't want us to limit ourselves to just supporting Rib Fest. Expanding the funds to other entities, like NYFS is a target for him. Councilmember Rousseau said when we first learned of the Gateway funds, Staff reached out to the school district to see if any groups could benefit from these dollars. She has talked to the American Indian parent group who put on a pow -wow every other year. They didn't hear anything from the school about this being an option. They have a lot of people from out of the area who attend those events. She noted there may be other groups who could benefit from the funds. She would like to see us attempt to reach out to the school again. Discussion ensued that the Army hasn't received any funds for the Norwegian Foot March. They aren't allowed to accept these funds. The event is being organized by a different entity, now. They will reach out to us in the future, if the organizer is authorized to request funds. Council agreed that $5,000 will go to Rib Fest and the balance will go to the 75 h Anniversary. E. Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee (PTRC) Composition (Item 3D on published agenda) Public Works Director/City Engineer Swearingen said the current composition of the Parks, Trails and Recreation Committee (PTRC) is twelve members with one youth member. The PTRC recommended that Council approve a reduction in membership to be seven regular members and two youth members. He noted the packet outlines the composition of surrounding cities' similar committees. Mayor Grant asked why we would reduce the number of members, if we have people wanting to serve. Councilmember Rousseau said we have been tending to have fewer committee members. One of the challenges, if the committee is full, is having time for everyone to speak at the meetings. It is difficult to get work done without extending the meeting length. Councilmember Weber said quorum can become difficult to achieve, as well. If there are 13 members, you need 7 for a quorum. We are larger than most surrounding cities. He supports seven regular and two youth members.