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<br /> <br /> Staff Report <br /> <br /> <br />To: Mayor Fischer and Members of the Little Canada City Council <br /> <br />From: Ben Harrington, AICP, Community Development Director <br /> <br />Date: February 25, 2026 <br /> <br />Re: Economic Development Authority Revised Enabling Resolution <br /> <br />Actions To Be Considered <br />To adopt/not adopt <br />• A resolution amending and restating the enabling resolution establishing the Little Canada <br />Economic Development Authority for the City of Little Canada. <br /> <br />Background <br />The City of Little Canada established an Economic Development Authority (EDA) pursuant to <br />Minnesota Statutes Chapter 469 by enabling resolution adopted in 1989. At that time, the City elected <br />to have the City Council serve as the governing body of the Authority. <br /> <br />Under Minnesota law, an EDA may be granted the powers of a Housing and Redevelopment Authority <br />(HRA) if those powers are expressly conferred in the enabling resolution. While the City’s 1989 <br />enabling resolution established the EDA, it did not clearly and expressly grant HRA powers as <br />authorized under Minnesota Statutes Sections 469.090 to 469.1081. <br /> <br />Over time, the City’s economic development activities have increasingly intersected with housing <br />policy, redevelopment financing, and administration of state and local housing-related funds. In <br />particular, the City now receives Local Affordable Housing Aid (LAHA) dollars, which are intended to <br />support affordable housing initiatives and related programming. <br /> <br />Granting HRA powers to the EDA expands the Authority’s statutory purview and provides clearer <br />authority to undertake housing and redevelopment activities, including the use and administration of <br />LAHA funds. Formalizing these powers ensures that the Authority operates within an unambiguous <br />statutory framework and reduces legal uncertainty when implementing housing-related programs. <br /> <br />Accordingly, the proposed revised enabling resolution expressly grants the EDA the powers of a <br />Housing and Redevelopment Authority as permitted under Minnesota law. <br /> <br />Pursuant to statutory requirements, a public hearing is required prior to adoption of the revised <br />enabling resolution. Notice of this public hearing was duly published in the Pioneer Press on February <br />11 and February 18, 2026. <br /> <br />Recommendation <br />Staff recommends that the City Council adopt the resolution amending and restating the enabling <br />resolution establishing the Little Canada Economic Development Authority for the City of Little <br />Canada.