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<br />businesses to leave: such as expansion limitation of their current location or building quality <br />standards. <br /> <br />Councilmember Grant asked if there were current statistics on Arden Hills businesses leaving <br />and ifthere were problems to fix in that regard? <br /> <br />Mayor Aplikowski stated from past experience of visiting businesses, some of it was the feel <br />good stuff, but some of it was the need for more space. Would this business be one that we <br />would want to cultivate since there was an opportunity of possibly encouraging businesses to <br />grow within the city? Right now, we don't know what those pools of businesses are. <br /> <br />Ms. Wolfe stated in response to Councilmember Grant's original question of what are would be <br />getting, we would get resources, data and information. <br /> <br />Councilmember Grant stated he didn't think businesses would say that they want to be in Arden <br />Hills. He thought that as businesses looked for a location in the surrounding communities of <br />Little Canada, Shoreview, and New Brighton, that the image of Arden Hills simply stood out as a <br />more desirable location. There may be a nice building on a nice corner in New Brighton or Little <br />Canada but maybe we have the trump card in being a more positively viewed community. <br /> <br />Councilmember Holden stated that in addition, they would look at the bottom line. If New <br />Brighton taxes were 15 percent and ours were 6 percent, this would be another selling factor. <br /> <br />Ms. Wolfe stated that another factor and a key thing when businesses look to locate, relocate or <br />expand, was the need for information quickly. One of the products ofthis plan would be the <br />development of that information. In fact, some of the information that the EDC pulled together <br />was used to provide to DEED when there was a company looking for a location. <br /> <br />Councilmember Pellegrin stated that the thought of the increased involvement of Council with <br />the upcoming TCAAP project and its implications in addition to the routine responsibilities of <br />the Council was sobering. The Council already had to devote a lot oftheir time to their routine <br />responsibilities and now there would be the added responsibilities associated with TCAAP. One <br />of Councilmember Pellegrin's on-going themes, which were also mentioned in the plan, was the <br />strengthening of the City Administrator position. Councilmember Pellegrin commented that he <br />would like to see that change happen in year one because it would set the tone and give the <br />person who was accountable and responsible the authority to carry out the mission. <br /> <br />Mr. Kunkel stated that TCAAP didn't have to be developed in three years, and that it would be <br />over the next ten to twenty years, which was still a staggering amount of work to do. Mr. Kunkel <br />commented that in the time he spent with the Council over the years, he had been surprised and <br />sometimes not surprised at the level of detail that the Council got involved in. Mr. Kunkel <br />further stated that a way of empowering staff must be sought or those on the Council would be <br />overwhelmed with the burden of all that needed to happen. <br /> <br />Ms. Wolfe stated that such a change would require a referendum and it could be a big <br />undertaking. She stated that since she was in that position she didn't want the appearance of <br /> <br />3 <br />