09-14-1993 Charter Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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population f igure and noted that the population of the City has more than doubled since 1982 . He also noted that in 1982, there were very few residents connected to sewer and water and now over half of the City is connected. Mr. Smith explained that there are 15 Charter Commission members and only one (1) member is actually connected to the utility system. The terms of seven (7) members expired in August, 1993 and an Anoka County judge will be making seven (7) appointments from a list of names submitted by the Charter Commission. Mr. Wessel told the audience that he appreciated the opportunity to bring the EDAAB proposal before them. He gave a brief background about the EDAAB and noted that EDAAB was well supported by the City Council. The EDAAB was dedicated to bringing quality economic development to Lino Lakes. Mr. Wessel briefly explained that he is a resident of Lino Lakes and felt his background in business would be helpful to getting an economic development program for the City going. He noted the unique environment of the City and expressed a desire to protect it. Mr. Wessel also briefly gave some background about the EDAAB and again noted that he felt that he had the full support of the City Council. Mr. Wessel explained that the Comprehensive Plan was adopted by the City Council and provides a basis for establishing commercial/industrial development. An interchange study was completed in 1991 involving both intersections of I35W/Lake Drive and I35E/Main Street. After the study was completed the City purchased the former Lino Industrial Park and incorporated it into the Apollo Business Park which now contains about 100 acres. Both public and private ownership of land is incorporated into the Business Park. The City adopted five (5) Tax Increment Financing (TIF) districts prior to 1990. To date the only construction in any of the districts has been Apollo Drive in the Apollo Business Center. The life of each TIF district is limited and already three (3) years have expired in each district. Mr. Wessel noted that TIF creates an incentive for quality business in Lino Lakes. Mr. Wessel read the mission statement developed by the EDAAB. He noted that the underlying objective of the EDAAB is to generate commercial/industrial taxes to relieve residential taxes. Mr. Gorowsky used the overhead projector and provided information regarding how Lino Lakes taxes compare to neighboring communities. He noted that of the 95 metro communities, Lino Lakes has the 10th highest tax rate. The purpose of the Charter amendment proposal is to attract commercial/industrial development to help reduce the tax base and relieve the tax burden of homeowners. One (1) of the charts showed that Lino Lakes spends less that the average of 41 of PAGE 2