HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023-09-05 City Council Work Session MinutesMINUTES
OF THE EDINA CITY COUNCIL
WORK SESSION
COMMUNITY ROOM, CITY HALL
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2023
5:30 P.M.
CALL TO ORDER
Mayor Hovland called the meeting to order at 5:35 p.m.
ROLL CALL
Answering roll call were Members: Agnew, Jackson, Pierce, Risser and Mayor Hovland
Absent:
Staff in attendance: Scott Neal, City Manager; Lisa Schaefer, Assistant City Manager; Gillian Straub, City
Management Fellow; Alisha McAndrews, Finance Director; MJ Lamon, Community Engagement Manager;
Stephanie Hawkinson, Affordable Housing Development Manager; Anna Dhennin, GIS Coordinator; Emily
Bodeker, Assistant City Planner; Cary Teague, Community Development Director; Chad Millner, Engineering
Director; Lauren Siebenaler, Senior Communications Coordinator; Jeff Matlock, I.T. Specialist; and Sharon
Allison, City Clerk.
CITY MANAGER PROPOSED 2024-25 BUDGET AND PRELIMINARY LEVY
Manager Neal introduced the topic and said the last day for Council to adopt the budget/levy was Dec. 19.
Assistant City Manager Schaefer reviewed the City’s Strategic Policy and Implementation Level, Budget Goals
and Values and the beliefs that guide decision-making and action, and the Budget Pillars. Finance Director
McAndrews presented the proposed levy for 2024 as 9.37%, and 2025 as 12.72%. McAndrews said there were
several big drivers for the levy increases including salary and benefits and contract for goods and services. She
said the impact of the investments to the community were increased security in technology systems, streetlight
replacement, new fire station 3 and more. The increase on the median value home ($696,600) was 9.37%,
$152.97 annually or $12.75 monthly. Manager Neal spoke about one notable change which was a proposal to
increase the HRA levy for sustainable financing for affordable housing, going from $244,400 in 2023 to
$1,251,700 in 2024, and $3,110,016 in 2025. Council member Pierce said the Council has committed to
affordable housing and to fill the existing funding gap, the Steering Committee would present a proposal to
Council at a work session in the very near future. With the HRA levy increase, the new levy increase was
11.61%, $193 annually or $16.08 monthly.
Council asked questions and provided feedback.
DEVELOPMENT PROJECT UPDATES AND PUBLIC INPUT
Manager Neal said there was a collective response from the Council to keep public hearings as is and an
agreement to change how public hearing data was collected and that staff would present its recommendations.
Staff shared how the public hearing process had changed since 2020, how development project evolved pre-
COVID, during COVID and the current process, challenges identified by various groups and staff, reasons why
people participate and barriers to participation, and how the biggest trend shows more than 90% participation
online. Staff recommended changes were to improve mailed notices, create a BetterTogether (BTE) hub with
a development tracker, and to bring back real-time comments that close at a specified date and time. Manager
Neal said the request of Council was to consider all input the same, not just in person input, to regularly look
at BTE to read real time comment, and to encourage residents to participate in the process early.
Council asked questions and provided feedback.
Edina City Council Work Session Meeting, September 5, 2023
ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Hovland adjourned the meeting at 6:54 p.m.
Respectfully submitted, ____________________________________________
Sharon Allison, City Clerk
Minutes approved by the Edina City Council, September 19, 2023.
___________________________________________
James B. Hovland, Mayor