2015-08-03_HRA_Special_Meeting_Minutes

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HRA Special Meeting Minutes – Monday, August 3, 2015 Page 7 1 HRA had available. Member Masche suggested that, if the Fair was discontinued and as time 2 goes by and people seem to miss it and request reinstating it, they be encouraged to volunteer 3 for a committee or group to undertake those efforts. 4 5 Chair Maschka noted the consensus appeared to be that the HRA was no longer interested in 6 using its staff time in coordinating the annual Home & Garden Fair; and was interested in 7 seeking input from the CEC moving forward. 8 9 In the City Council’s overall charge for its advisory commissions and specifically with the 10 CEC in clarifying and helping volunteer committee members understand their roles, Member 11 Etten noted that they had been clear in their expectations that advisory commissioners come up 12 with ideas for recommendation for City Council approval. Member Etten suggested the CEC 13 could provide recommendations to the City Council on how to do the Fair better or options, 14 but that their role was not to actually put on programming. Therefore, Member Etten clarified 15 that the HRA could not ask the CEC to throw the Fair into their bucket of things to do, but the 16 HRA could ask the CEC to help work through how the Fair could be better or done in a 17 different format, but not asked to take over coordination of the Fair. 18 19 Member Lee noted that the bottom line was that with the overall and full strategic plan as 20 developed, the HRA needed its staff to perform those priorities. 21 22 Chair Maschka agreed that the HRA needed its staff time better used than with the time- 23 consuming nature of the Fair. 24 25 Expressing confusion with the costs identified in the staff report, Member Wall noted the 26 current HRA budget was for $21,000. 27 28 Ms. Kelsey responded that no staff numbers were included on that budget; and Member lee 29 clarified that the Fair required staff time beyond that of the HRA. 30 31 Member Wall asked how the HRA would save $21,000 if the Fair was turned over to a third- 32 party vendor. 33 34 Ms. Kelsey clarified that Castle Vision was recommended by staff based on their knowledge in 35 doing other Home & Garden Fairs in the area. Ms. Kelsey noted that given the time-intensive 36 nature of planning the Fair, and things the third-party vendor would not do, HRA and City staff 37 would still be somewhat involved at least in the first year. Ms. Kelsey noted this would 38 involve additional surveys, flyer advertising in local newspapers, hard costs, and other staff 39 involvement that she estimated at $3,000 for her and her assistant’s time, as well as costs of 40 approximately $2,000 for delivery by other departments. 41 42 Member Wall opined that brought up the third-party option cost to current expenditures. 43 44 Member Etten clarified that there would be no overall money savings, only a savings of HRA 45 staff time. 46 47 Member Masche clarified that the first year, even a third-party vendor would require 48 considerable staff time, which would take away from the other forty-three HRA priorities. 49 50 Member Wall asked if the Roseville University was a viable option. 51 52 Member Etten responded that it was a viable option, but a different option than having 600 – 53 800 Roseville residents coming through the Fair that would allow a much more in-depth or 54 one-on-one experience for them. 55