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Regular City Council Meeting Monday, September 14, 2015 Page 17 Mr. Bilotta agreed, noting the significant activity in the St. Paul Port Authority with the "port" portion of the name originating there, but actually creating a mis- nomer for many in the public when no actual "port" was in place. In her personal review of the various statutes, Councilmember McGehee admitted she found a lot of overlap and some confusion; but agreed with Councilmember Etten's observation that the PA appeared to provide the most flexibility and power in any area should the City Council decide on that entity; and expressing her con- fidence in the City's Attorneys to address areas still unclear. Councilmember Wilhnus asked staff, in their research of other communities, how many used multiple entities; and if the desire was to pursue economic develop- ment avenues, was it necessary to retain an HRA or if it made sense to look at an- other model. Mr. Bilotta reported that many cities had multiple entities such as if they want to have control of tax levy power remaining at the City Council level but want an- other entity to be more advisory. Mr. Bilotta noted there was a lot of entity variety among cities whether the HRA or EDA and City Council were the same or not. Mr. Bilotta opined that the entity choice may sometimes depend on marketing considerations for the desired focus- economic development or housing activities — to avoid confusion for developinent community. Councilmember Willmus asked if an HRA was the best tool to use if the desire was to increase economic development efforts. Mr. Bilotta noted there were some definite efficiencies to be found in not using an outside EDA or HRA board for economic development activities, given the quick movement often required for development efforts and steps in the process that would be delayed in having another entity to work through depending on their meeting schedule. Mr. Bilotta noted this was especially evident when competing with other communities for developments; and since the City's PA provided it with a lot of powers, having two separate groups (e.g. HRA and EDA) playing in the same arena may add to confiision in the market place during that competitive process. Overall, Mr. Bilotta noted in those competitive situations, typically the entity providing the quickest response and presentation to the public logically was the winner. Councilmember Laliberte asked if staff observed any difference in cities having an EDA or HRA when more developable land was available versus a mature de- veloped community like Roseville; or whether there was any difference in multi- ple of singular functions. Mr. Bilotta responded that it depended o� the primary focus desired: if jobs, busi- ness and economic development, then an EDA made more sense. As an example, Mr. Bilotta noted that the City of South St. Paul had an EDA for some time and