CC MINUTES 09082016 SPECIAL MEETING

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CITY OF ST. ANTHONY CITY COUNCIL SPECIAL MEETING MINUTES SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 5 I. Preliminaries 6 7 CALL TO ORDER 8 9 Mayor Faust called the meeting to order at 7:00 p.m. 10 11 PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE. 12 13 Mayor Faust invited the Council and audience to join him in the Pledge of Allegiance. 14 15 ROLL CALL 16 17 Present: Mayor Faust Councilmembers Brever, Gray, Jenson, and Stille 18 Absent: None 19 Also Present: City Manager Mark Casey, City Attorney Phil Steger 20 21 II. Public Hearing 22 23 A. Mayor Opening 24 25 Mayor Faust reviewed Roberts Rules of Order and the procedures that apply to Public Hearings. 26 27 Mayor Faust opened the public hearing at 7:02 p.m. 28 29 Mayor Faust stated the purpose of the public hearing is to review the closing of a manufactured home 30 park, as required by City Code and State Statute. Mayor Faust noted that at approximately 4 p.m. today 31 the City received correspondence from the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency ( "MFHA "). A copy of 32 the correspondence was available for review. Ms. Margaret Kaplan, Community Development Director 33 for the agency was present. Mayor Faust explained the letter raises some issues that the public should 34 hear before the public hearing continues. 35 36 Ms. Kaplan stated that part of the MHFA mission is to help residents have safe, affordable housing in 37 the community of their choice. The MHFA is also the administrator of the Minnesota Manufactured 38 Housing Relocation Trust Fund. Ms. Kaplan explained how the Trust Fund works. The Trust Fund is 39 used to assist residents when a park is closed. Currently the status of Lowry Grove is in the courts. It has 40 not yet been determined that the park will close. Ms. Kaplan noted when a park closes, the park owner 41 must pay $3,250 per household to the Trust Fund to assist displaced residents with relocation costs. 42 43 City Attorney Steger asked Ms. Kaplan if there is risk that residents may not get paid from the fund. Ms. 44 Kaplan stated once a third party is appointed and people start making applications to the fund, 45 days 45 after receipt of applications payments are made. Required documentation is necessary with the 46 applications. She does not want people at this point to make a choice between receiving their relocation 47 compensation now or forego the rights they have that are the subject of the lawsuit. The third party 48 would help those residents entitled to compensation receive it. She does not know the timeline of the 49 lawsuit at this time.