2015-08-03_HRA_Special_Meeting_Minutes

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HRA Special Meeting Minutes – Monday, August 3, 2015 Page 5 1 Since the 2016 Preliminary HRA Budget would include funding for priority items, Ms. Kelsey 2 noted that the bold, highlighted initiatives should be clearly addressed and pointed out to the 3 City Council to make any additional revisions before assigning budget allocations. 4 5 Ms. Raye concurred, noting that the bold items were budget-related, and capital may be 6 required to meet some of those goals, an important note for both the HRA and City Council as 7 they moved forward with the Strategic Plans and priorities for each group. Ms. Raye 8 suggested part of the discussion at the joint meeting include inviting the City Council to 9 address anything they found missing or not captured by the HRA. 10 11 Members concurred that the twenty bold priority items out of forty items total was still an 12 ambitious work plan over the next four years. 13 14 Ms. Raye agreed, opining some were also large initiatives; suggesting it would be up to the 15 HRA to assert those goals and defend them to the City Council and community. 16 17 Chair Maschka and members of the HRA thanked Ms. Raye for her facilitation of this strategic 18 planning process. 19 20 b.Living Smarter Home and Garden Fair 21 With August being when decisions were needed and vendor space began being confirmed for 22 the 2016 Fair, Ms. Kelsey provided several options as detailed in the staff report dated August 23 3, 2015, asking for staff direction going forward. Ms. Kelsey provided estimates of staff time, 24 third party options, or other partnership options for the Roseville Home and Garden Fair. Ms. 25 Kelsey also provided an option that would eliminate the Fair as it is currently held, retaining 26 six workshops or adding more workshops as determined. 27 28 Member Lee opined that Ms. Kelsey’s time was needed elsewhere as proven with the updated 29 Strategic Plan goals. 30 31 Chair Maschka agreed that Ms. Kelsey had better things to do; and while the options presented 32 were all interesting to some degree, he was unsure which would be the best to pursue at this 33 time. 34 35 Member Etten agreed with Member Lee regarding staff time and the higher order initiatives 36 and goals needing the expertise of HRA staff when possible. When reviewing the attendance 37 numbers from the last H & G Fair, a majority of them being from Roseville, it obviously 38 provided an area of continuing interest and outreach for 600-800 people, and he was still 39 hearing a positive buzz around the Fair. Member Etten opined that he found it to be of 40 continued benefit for the City, as well as providing exposure for other City departments from 41 their booths at the Fair and residents being able to ask questions of City staff at that time. 42 However, Member Etten noted that the Fair, while promoting HRA programs, involved a 43 broader area of connection for the community, providing that value in addition to other 44 outreach models. Based on that benefit, Member Etten spoke in support of continuing the Fair 45 to reach that group, but spoke in opposition to any option that used another connection (e.g. 46 joining with the North Suburban Home & Garden Fair, or promoting other Home & Garden 47 Fairs), questioning the Roseville connection and who would staff the fair and to what purpose. 48 49 At the request Member Wall as to the third-party contractor option as an alternative, Member 50 Etten expressed interest in that potential. However, Member Etten questioned what savings in 51 staff time would be realized if staff had to coordinate those third-party efforts also. With that 52 option, Member Etten also questioned some of the projected costs shown in the Castle Vision 53 proposal (Attachment D) and all time billed at the hourly rate of $80, when some of those 54 efforts (marketing/advertising through coordination of newspaper and billboard advertising) 55 may be overly-inflated. Before signing a contract with a third-party contractor, Member Etten