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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/07/2013 EDAC Minutes 1 APPROVED CITY OF LINO LAKES ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE MINUTES DATE: February 7, 2013 MEMBERS PRESENT: J. Stranik, T. Colgan MEMBERS ABSENT: B. Combs, L. Masonik, C. Wagner, J. Schwartz, L. Thor, M. Kassner, D. Johnson OTHERS PRESENT: M. Divine, Jessica Faust APPROVAL OF MINUTES The minutes of January 3, 2013 were held over due to lack of a quorum. PRESENTATION BY MICHELE BACHMANN’S OFFICE, Jessica Faust Ms. Faust, deputy district director for Rep. Bachmann, updated members on Bachmann’s priorities in Congress for 2013: 1) Temporary extensions on tax relief, tax rates, which leads to uncertainty for business and local government. 2) Regulations that don’t make common sense and raise cost of development. Can we accomplish the same goal without over-regulation? 3) Affordable Care Act: Ms. Bachmann is a co-sponsor on the repeal. Many of the regulations haven’t been determined and business can’t plan. Ms. Faust said cities and counties have temporary seasonal employees and have to make sure they don’t go over the 50-employee limit or be prepared to pay the extra health insurance cost. It retards growth. Mr. Colson said the big corporations already figured it out to outsource staffing to avoid paying benefits. Companies may drop coverage if it is cheaper than paying the fine, and their employees could get insurance through the state exchange. It was noted that it is retroactive coverage so young employees can buy the insurance only if they get diagnosed with an illness, so it may be worth the risk. Mr. Stranik said the burden comes with low wage industries. 4) Medical Device tax is a royalty on the revenue from the sale of devices. This could undermine the strong medical device industry in Minnesota. Mr. Stranik said the reason is because so many more people will be able to get these devices under the health care act that their sales would go crazy and would be a gold mine for medical device makers. 5) Dodd-Frank: Congressman Bachmann would like to repeal. Community banks are finding the costs and regulations too difficult. 6) Bachmann is looking at Hwy.10 and Hwy. 94 improvements. 7) Long-term unemployment is a problem. It’s often easier for people to stay on unemployment than to take low wage work, and it keeps them out of the work force for too long. 8) Medicare and Social Security: Bachmann believes those at or close to retirement need to get what they were promised. Reform needs to occur for younger generations. 9) Congressman’s Bachmann district is changed and relocated her office to Hwy 10 in Anoka. 10) Bachmann is on the intelligence committee and is interested in securing the borders. 2 11) Mr. Stranik asked why government spending is always included in the GNP and that we never see private spending separately. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT REPORT TO COUNCIL Mr. Colgan noted that Ms. Divine’s report to council regarding economic development goals was very informative and well done. Mr. Stranik said he believed EDAC should zero in on specific plots of land. Look at what areas are most likely to develop (willing seller, reasonable price etc.) and then look at what is keeping it from developing and what the city can do to fix the problem. Mr. Colgan said if the city can purchase blighted foreclosed properties at a reasonable price; second, long range planning, extending utilities needs to be considered; and third, city doesn’t want to compete with developers and banks as landowners. He agrees that looking at two or three properties is better rather than getting too broad based. Ms. Divine reviewed the state Shovel Ready program and suggested EDAC look at a couple of marketable properties that would be the easiest to develop. Two rise to the top because they are planned out for roads and utilities, one on each side of the city. Southwest quadrant of 35E/Cty Rd. 14 is one, because it is light industrial, the road and utilities are close and planning has been done because of an old proposal. Both Connexus and Excel have programs that help get sites Shovel Ready by helping to pay the fee. Also Anoka County Connect has put in broadband to public institutions and it is close to that site. On 35W many of the properties need redevelopment. Marshan Industrial Park has two parcels that are basically shovel ready and could be certified fairly easily. Xcel Energy pays half of the cost of certification. LINO LAKES ASSISTED LIVING Anoka County has agreed in concept to sell the property and the city will recoup the assessments on that property. SPECIAL LEGISLATION Staff is seeking special legislation to get control of all the Legacy parcels. The county has agreed to support this legislation. The property would be tax exempt until sold for economic development purposes. DOMINIUM TOWNHOMES Ms. Divine said MHFA came out with new proposed scoring that focus on high income areas with high job growth, and Lino Lakes is not among those cities. Dominium also did not score high enough to get at 2013 HOME grant. LIQUOR STORE Ms. Divine wanted EDAC to note that the Council discussed a proposed ordinance to limit the number of liquor stores in a city. EDAC has opposed it in the past so members may want to follow this. Mr. Colgan said the Wal-Marts and Targets will bring competition that could put the small liquor stores out of business in retail centers. We want to protect what we have but we don’t want something that prevents a big box from coming in. Mr. Stranik noted that if you limit a liquor store in one place, it could go to Centerville or Hugo. Meeting adjourned.