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City Manager's 2005 Budget Memo Page 8 of 27 the I-35W Corridor Coalition. Last year, along with the other re- maining members of the Coalition we cut back our membership con- tribution 10%, or $3,500, based on total membership dues of $35,000 each year. This year, I think Roseville needs to take the next step and do what our neighbors in Shoreview and Arden Hills have already done, and that is drop our Coalition membership. The Coalition does not provide direct services to taxpayers. It doesn't zone property, issue building permits, or conduct inspections. In- stead, it is a group that emphasizes lobbying and studies. And while I generally support targeted efforts to lobby and study, in 2002 we dropped our membership in similar lobbying groups: the Associa- tion for Metropolitan Municipalities (AMM) and the Municipal Leg- islative Commission (MLC). And the value of studies, in my opinion, can be substantial but should be evaluated on a case-by-case, project- by-project basis; I don't think we can afford any longer the luxury of having the Coalition permanently on the city payroll in order to do studies if and when the need arises. Council Action Recommendation #3: Council motion eliminating [continuing] the City's membership in the I-35W Corridor Coali- tion. Similarly, I recommend not continuing taxpayer support for the Roseville Ambassador Foundation. The Foundation has operated successfully for many years with support only from the private sec- tor: primarily the Edina Realty branch office in Roseville and Ann and Mike Hermes. They have done a great job. Clearly it is a passion of theirs. Sut private sector funding, not public funding, is how Ambassador Foundations are funded elsewhere in the metro. I suggest that pri- vate funding from locally successful businesses is an appropriate way