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4.1. DRAFT HRA MINUTES (2 SETS) 07-05-2022 Regular Meeting of the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, June 6, 2022 Members Present: Chair Larry Toth, Commissioners Denny Chuba, Nate Ovall, Jayme Swenson, and Jennifer Wagner (5:34 p.m.) Members Absent: None Staff Present: Economic Development Director Brent O’Neil, Economic Development Intern Josh Mollan, and Sr. Administrative Assistant/Recording Secretary Jennifer Green 1. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority was called to order at 5:30 p.m. by Chair Toth. 2. Pledge of Allegiance The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. 3. Consider June 6, 2022, Agenda Moved by Commissioner Chuba and seconded by Commissioner Swenson to approve the June 6, 2022, HRA meeting agenda as presented. Motion carried 4-0. 4. Consent Agenda Moved by Commissioner Ovall and seconded by Commissioner Swenson to approve the consent agenda as follows: 4.1 May 2, 2022, Regular HRA and Joint Meeting Minutes with EDA. 4.2 Check registers as outlined in the staff report. 4.3 Balance sheets as outlined in the staff report. 4.4 Revenue/expenditure reports as outlined in the staff report. Motion carried 4-0. 5. Open Forum No one appeared for Open Forum. Housing and Redevelopment Minutes Page 2 June 6, 2022 ----------------------------- 6. Public Hearings There were no public hearings. 7.1 HRA Housing Rehabilitation Loan Update Mr. O’Neil presented the staff report. He explained he would like to continue to do a more sustained run of advertising in both the newspaper and web-based for the loan program. He indicated the first round of analytics from the web ad showed out of 10,000 web page impressions, they received 5 click-throughs to CEE, which does not sound like a lot, but it is actually promising. He’ll continue to do 4 weeks of advertising in the summer and 4 weeks in the fall, with the goal to strike the balance between online advertising and in-print. He noted the web ad is more affordable than the print ad. Commissioner Ovall suggested placing an insert in the Star News or in with resident’s utility bills with a partnership through ERMU for direct impact to residents. Commissioner Swenson suggested a booth at the Sherburne County Fair. Mr. O’Neil was not sure about the fair, but he indicated they have been at the Farmer’s Market. Mr. O’Neil stated he would like to take more exhaustive review of the programs we offer. He asked the HRA to consider one adjustment presently: raising the current $25,000 lending limit to $35,000 limit. CEE would be able to modify this very easily. $150,000 is allocated program-wide for 2022. Commissioner Ovall is a little torn on this decision but realizes the increase is not a huge amount. He reminded the HRA that the purpose of this program is to help residents qualify for a loan that wouldn’t be typically financed in the traditional financial market. He worries a little bit about the conflict of competing with the banks, but what is our mission from the HRA standpoint. He does understand costs have increased and now considering the current economic market, this loan rate and increased lending amount will be very competitive. Moved by Commissioner Chuba and seconded by Commissioner Swenson to approve the modification of maximum loan limits for the Housing Rehabilitation Loan managed through CEE from $25,000 to $35,000 effective immediately. Motion carried 5-0. 7.2 Update on Placer.ai Mr. O’Neil presented the staff report. He asked if the HRA was interested in financially contributing a portion of the annual subscription cost with the EDA, who recently voted to approve purchase of a one-year subscription. Housing and Redevelopment Minutes Page 3 June 6, 2022 ----------------------------- Commissioner Ovall felt the software was incredible and asked what size cities are using this software but wondered if our city was large enough to find this type of software useful, thinking that perhaps a larger entity like the county would have more use for it. Commissioner Ovall asked how he would roll out this platform and will it be accessible to a broader base of users. Mr. O’Neil stated per the license agreement, staff would have access to the software so any use would need to be coordinated through staff. He envisions seven or eight people from different internal departments having licensing access. Whether we renew the license after a year or not, his goal is to really harvest the data and create a good baseline for our community. Mr. O’Neil felt any public request would have to be brought to staff and determine how it is produced and distributed. He stated part of the license agreement is only those authorized may access the data, but they Placer supports disseminating the data provided it is not for commercial use. He will ask if there is something more open for others to log into it, to see if anyone can use it. Commissioner Ovall wondered if it could be used by non-profits as a valuable resource. He did have concerns of staff time and if we would charge for it. Mr. O’Neil stated he will seek guidance from Placer.ai to see what other cities are doing as best practice. Chair Toth asked if any smaller cities have used this and is it for city use. Mr. O’Neil stated Placer has not named any specific smaller cities. He intended for the EDA to share the information with others within the city. Commissioner Wagner stated she serves on the EDA and felt this would benefit the HRA find data to find a buyer of the Main and Gates property, as well as showing potential buyers useful data from our community. She stated it would also benefit the gravel mining areas and specifically once the 169 Redefine project is completed. Commissioner Ovall stated if we contribute to it to not charge for services this year while staff learns how to use and apply it, along with creating awareness that we do have this tool, and especially directed at the Chamber of Commerce and non-profits. The HRA discussed where the financial contribution would be taken from the HRA budget. Mr. O’Neil suggested there are funds from the unfunded position from Colleen Eddy’s departure and before Mr. Mollan came on board. Commissioner Chuba did not feel the HRA needed to contribute funds. Commissioner Ovall felt the HRA would be a solid user, especially regarding the Mississippi Connections plan, initiatives, downtown projects, and redevelopment. Moved by Commissioner Ovall and seconded by Commissioner Swenson to approve payment of half of the annual subscription for Placer.ai software. Housing and Redevelopment Minutes Page 4 June 6, 2022 ----------------------------- Motion carried 3-1 with Commissioner Chuba opposing and Commissioner Wagner abstaining. 7.3. General Updates Mr. O’Neil presented the staff report. Mr. O’Neil introduced Economic Development Intern Josh Mollan to the HRA. 8. Adjournment Chair Toth adjourned the HRA meeting at 5:58 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jennifer Green. _____________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk _____________________ Larry Toth, Chair Housing & Redevelopment Authority Closed Meeting of the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority Held at the Elk River City Hall Monday, June 6, 2022 Members Present: Chair Larry Toth, Commissioners Denny Chuba, Nate Ovall, Jayme Swenson, and Jennifer Wagner Members Absent: None Staff Present: Economic Development Director Brent O’Neil, Economic Development Intern Josh Mollan, and Sr. Administrative Assistant/Recording Secretary Jennifer Green 1. Call Meeting to Order Pursuant to due call and notice thereof, the meeting of the Elk River Housing and Redevelopment Authority was called to order at 6:01 p.m. by Chair Toth. 2. Closed Meeting – MN Statute §13D.05, Subd, 3(c)(3) The HRA held a closed meeting per MN Statute §13D.05, Subd. 3(c)(3) (the “Act”). The purpose of the meeting was to develop or consider an offer or counteroffers for the purchase or sale of real or personal property. The property discussed was PID #75-405- 0225, also known as 724 Main Street NW, Elk River. 3. Adjournment There being no further business, Chair Toth adjourned the meeting 6:22 p.m. Minutes prepared by Jennifer Green. _____________________ Tina Allard, City Clerk _____________________ Denny Chuba, Acting Chair Housing & Redevelopment Authority