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HOUSING Housing Inspections From May to September, Jeremiah did many in- spections related to the City rental dwelling li- cense program. This involved scheduling inspec- tions, preparing the correspondence and sending out letters to owners of the rental properties. There are about 1,500 individual units in this category in Mounds View. By the end of 2010, the majority of rental dwelling properties had completed the inspection process. Community Development Technician Barb Benesch completes the bulk of the administrative work involved with sending out reminder notices and continuously updating our list of rental dwell- ings. During 2010, we continued to experience single-family properties changing ownership more frequently than multiple dwellings. As such, the administrative work involved in maintaining this program will continue. Similar with the national trends, foreclosures continued throughout 2010 in Mounds View. Staff continued to maintain a list of identified Vacant and/or Foreclosed properties in the City during 2010. The number of active vacant or foreclosed homes in Mounds View has steadily climbed from less than 5 in 2004, to 40 in 2007, rising to 75 in 2009 and surpassed 100 in 2010. Although many experts believe the majority of the sub-prime foreclosures have occurred, many economists believe the high unemployment rate is sending another wave of foreclo- sures into motion. This is turning out to be the case in Mounds View. The North Metro Home and Garden Show was held on February 27, 2010 at the Schwan center in Blaine. Atten- dance was down a bit from 2009 but still close to the goal of 1,000 people through the door for the one day event. By all accounts, this show was a great success with 70 vendor booths and several informative home improvement seminars. Apartment Managers’ Coalition During 2010, the New Brighton/Mounds View Apartment Manag- ers’ changed their meeting schedule to an every other month schedule and continued to alternate locations between Mounds View and New Brighton. The meetings are rather informal, but offer an opportunity for managers and owners to collaborate and share information with each other and City officials. Several meetings provided specific training about crime prevention strategies. PAGE 11 Vacant/Foreclosed Properties Continue to be an Issue In October 2010, Mounds View recognized Manu- facturers Week with a Mayor’s proclamation and a tour of local manufacturer Homeshield. City offi- cials and fellow manufacturers attended the tour. Before the tour, Mayor Joe Flaherty presented Homeshield with a Certificate of Commendation from Governor Pawlenty’s office and a Certificate of Appreciation from the City of Mounds View. Homeshield is a local manufacturer of door and window compo- nents. Homeshield has leased 125,000 square feet of space in Mounds View Business Park South since November of 2002 and currently employs 106 people. ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Economic Development Commission The EDC met seven times in 2010. The Commission’s main accomplishment was initiating a response to the deteriorating housing stock of Mounds View homes. The City Council began discussing Mounds View’s housing needs at their July 6th Work Session and after a series of meet- ings of the EDC and Economic Development Authority (EDA), the EDA approved four new housing loan programs for Mounds View residents on November 22, 2010. Before the City created the new loans, Mounds View residents were competing with homeowners throughout Ramsey County for access to loan dollars, leaving many Mounds View home- owners on long waiting lists. Four New Business in 2010 Four businesses opened in Mounds in 2010: A-1 Foam & Up- holstery, Mounds View Family Dental, ICS Consulting, Inc. and Mounds View Community Thrift Store Home & Garden Show Manufacturers Week Tour