Good. >> Go ahead and call the meeting to order. Start with a roll call. McKe here. Lantern >> here. Friedrich >> here. >> Maringham >> here. >> Councelor Nichols is out of town, I believe. So, it would be the four of us. And with that, we'll move on to the work session item, which is uh economic development strategic plan visioning workshop. >> No, go ahead, Mary. We're glad you're here. Thank you so much. My name is Mary Bjo with Maxfield Research and also from my office is San Ray and we're here to do the visioning session for the economic development strategy. We're very pleased to be here tonight and on Zoom. Unfortunately, Jim Proer here with us could not attend in person. He contracted unfortunately. You don't mind if I say it. He contracted CO. >> Oh, we're feeling better. >> But he's on medication. He's getting better, but he didn't want to um appear in person. So, but he's here to um listen and also to offer some input. So, just wanted to let you know that. And so, um why don't we just So, we have kind of two parts to this. I have a little bit of a um some slides that'll kind of take us through and then we have our kind of visioning survey portion which is done on mentactive session. There'll be some questions and it will appear the answers will appear on the screen. >> Mr. Mayor, just real quick, >> Mary, thank you very much. I want to recognize Karen and uh >> Lindsay, excuse me, from the planning commission. Thank you guys for coming >> very much. >> Well, well, we'll actually quickly go around, I should say, and do some introductions. So, if we can just have everybody just go around and quickly introduce themselves, say what um role they play and any other small piece of information that um you want to volunteer. >> So maybe council member >> Oh, we can start with you. >> I'm Dean Vancamp, council member for three years. Should be another three more, I think, and then I'm whatever. But I love this whole thing of our planning and stuff. I think it's something that we haven't been visionaries in the past and stuff and this is huge. You're stepping us through this. So, thank you very much. >> Thank you. Hi, my name is Michelle Friedrich. Um, I am a new council member. I ran in 2024, so I started my term in 2025. And an interesting fact about me with B that I'm also a city clerk. >> Mark Lannerman, city council. >> Tom McKe, mayor. >> Deb Johnson, I'm the city clerk. >> Uh, Jay Tobin, I'm the city administrator. And interesting fact, USA beat Lafia 5 to1 a little bit earlier today. So, >> hockey. >> I'm Nicia Williams. I'm the assistant city administrator. >> I'm Natalie Davis Mchuan. I am the community development director. >> Kevin Matson, public works director, city engineer. >> I'm Matt Smire. I'm the finance director. Uh Matt G1, Matt G2 is right next to me here. >> Matt G. I'm the director of public safety. Mr. >> Great. Thank you so much. Really appreciate that. So, what I wanted to do next um actually this is so I just to kind of give a visual location and I know that all of you know this but I just wanted to kind of set this up to understand you know Corkran's kind of geographic location and it sit in between you know several relatively some emerging cities so growing is fairly fully developed fairly fully developed field more rural. So there's Corbin is in kind of I think a very unique position. So it's really kind of in the middle as I see it kind of really on a growth spurt. Um so not has has that rural component but not as rural is starting to develop more in commercially and and hugely residential. So But as we go through this visioning process, I think this kind of geographic location will also be very important as we develop visioning strategy for the future. So key components of the plan, I just wanted to run through these quickly. So strategic priorities that are going to emerge from the analysis and we want to also get buyin from stakeholder groups and the city. So that is going to be important as we move through this process. I think that there's definitely going to be some you know push and pull. There's going to be people who have a different viewpoints and we want to try and we want to include all those. I think what we wanted to do that is come up with some consensus about the plan at the end. So key findings from the fiscal impact analysis and that is one component of this plan and we feel it's a very important component. So we don't want to just give a plan that doesn't identify what the impacts of potential different scenarios are. That's very important. Also how what are the impacts on city policies land use those are also going to be important key resources needed to proceed with the implementation of the plan and that's that's another action you know once we have this plan once we understand the underlying components how are we going to move forward and what are the key tools for implementation to include local community resources staffing resources organization assistance, public and private monetary funding for various goals and objectives and um my colleague Jim Proer is going to be critical a critical component consultant on a lot of the financial aspects. He has a significant background in public finance and also in community. So this is where we get into the good stuff. So, um, I'm going to pull up just a little bit and pull up. >> So, >> so you should be able to access this QR code on your phone. I'm the slowest of everybody, so my apologies. >> No, we've got some time. I kind of went through the first part very fast, so that's good. She just downloaded your bank account information. >> I know she and she's laughing about it. There's nothing there. >> I'll just watch the screen. >> I'll be honest. This is a little bit new for me. >> It's not a lot of thumbs up. >> You're doing a lot Every time I hit thumbs up, >> it was just coincidence. >> Okay. >> So, today we will explore Corin's future. Your input guide our direction and priorities as we prepare a strategic plan for the city. So, in one word, question. >> We get three choices or what? >> Yes, you actually do get three choices. So, you can pick three different words. >> So, three different words we can throw out there. >> Yes, you can throw out three different words. We did a this in the office and it was so odd because both my staff people picked the exact same word. So then they all just got really big on the screen. So when they appear larger, so that means that more people are selecting that word. Oh, we have a few more. So, aspirational intentionality, small field. This is really interesting. There's a lot of diverse um a lot of diverse I think ideas here, but they all in a way they a lot of them connect both both as it is now and I think with what people are thinking about the future stewardship, prosperity, resilience Yeah. So, I wanted to say too, so I'll be able to deliver these over to you. Hey, distribute 100 points along these priorities for future. So financial sustainability is at the top. Retain and attract businesses. Think outside the box and then expand. To what extent do you agree that these are key challenges for adapting to changing community needs building a strong financial base growing So, actually they're pretty close together. All three of them. Now this is entirely an open question. What bold ideas or changes should consider for his future? So the limit So, we have some great ideas here. Establish a court of code destination and identity based commercial. Updating commercial mixed use and similar zoning districts to modernize and expand uses that are low inensity. Solid tax rates and bring value to the community. Transportation improvements destination drive city. Leave the constraints of my council. So we can build the city and entertainment businesses to see from >> the first time. All right. >> Is John >> consider us in the city more restaurants and businesses so residents have options in town and have it own schools. very tax rate. Actual home ownership by secession. Secession of city property tax when home preservation when own home preservation of agriculture. Okay. What is one thing you hope corporate achieves in the next Mhm. City campus. We get our voice back. The city to keep our identity campus. development campus campus public safety training Way to turn off campus road. That's true. >> That's the old Napa building. Just a dilly bar like sales. Nothing >> dely bar shop right there in the blue. Yeah. >> Acquire. Sorry about that. >> Madina. >> That would be an orderly annexation at all. >> Annexation or by force. You'd have to ask the person who put it. >> So, I think either way, >> acquirement, >> well, it looks like we definitely have a focus on getting a new. >> Yes, we're in the works of that >> in the next five years. >> Before then, >> two before then. Okay. Before five years, >> we just had a meeting today about it. >> Oh, okay. >> Second. >> So, it's it's >> second to seven. >> Okay. up higher priority. Okay, so that's the end of the survey questions. Thank you so much for that. So a little bit kind of a review of what you saw in the survey. So what ideas and thoughts were identified that you would not expect Madina? >> Yeah, I'll be up there. Who would have said that? >> You just better hook a D. >> Bring it on. Winner take all. >> My parents live in Madina. >> Not anymore. >> Isn't that Medina? >> I know how you say it. >> Anybody else? >> The zip code one was >> Well, it was new to me. curious about that one. >> And I had a conversation about that today. I'm paying Rogers city tax to buy my propane from Princeton because I'm associated with the Rogers zip code. >> Wow. >> Wow. >> So check your >> That does not >> I was told that's the way it is. >> No, because you live. >> I agree with you. Wait, I look >> I was just telling you all to check your uh >> check your bills and see what other taxes you're paying. >> Interesting. >> What seemed to be similar or the same? >> Hold on. Lindsay had her hand up. >> I was going to say I thought like the financial aspect to everyone's answers seems very prominent. >> Okay. when we look at what we want to achieve it's not correlated with you know it those can be not supportive of each other and so that I found to be an interesting contrast so when so when you think about that then what would you say maybe how to be able to combine those or blend those so that similar objectives kind of become more consistent. >> I think it's a challenge and I think our citizens, >> right? Okay. Great. >> Part part of that too, Mary, is is a making sure that we're proactively communicating. So, so for example, uh expenses in 2018 >> are not what expenses are in 2026, are not what expenses will be in 2036. And so, uh, strategic decisions when you make those decisions can make a huge difference in terms of cost. So, so we're bearing costs for decisions that were made in 2013 with insufficient space. Uh, that that's causing financial pressure now. And so trying to, you know, strike that balance like, okay, what's how do you prioritize? And that that's why we're having seven listening sessions because because we're wanting to hear what the priority of services are uh in terms of how we deliver them in the community for a long-term plan. And and to a point uh council member Baronamp bring that up. We heard that today too how important this is regarding commercial and industrial development to reduce pressure on the rural on the residential tax base. And and so that's why this is such a critical conversation because if if we are not able to attract those developers to come in here and to invest in Corkran, uh we're we're going to continue to have increased pressure on we we need this bad. >> Right. Right. Okay. Well, >> Jim, you heard that >> in five years, less than five years yesterday. >> And that's probably and I would say that's a large why we're doing this and why. >> So I think so I think you maybe answered the next question. What are you hoping to receive from the strategic plan? But if there's other comments about that, you know, I'd be happy to have people chime in about that or if you need to think about that, you know, we're always available and as we go along, you know, we'd be happy to hear more about that too. >> As I've seen one of these before, one of the questions that I had that would help the council >> is what are key decisions on the horizon. >> Yeah. >> And when to anticipate those key decisions, >> okay? >> And then for staff, what do we need to do to provide the timely data for those key decisions? You know, so when it comes time to make this big decision, how do we make sure that the the community is informed, staff's done their due diligence so that the council has everything they need to make that decision at the time? >> Okay, that's very good. >> A playbook. >> Yes. A guide book, a playbook. Yes. Well, and I've expressed my frustration so many times that I'm getting tired of listening to myself, but uh anything we do today, we aren't going to reap any benefit for two years related to taxes and stuff. So, how do we get through the next two years if all of the things we wish for happen today? You know what I mean? >> We we we see no tax >> benefits. I know I've complained more times than what people want to hear, but why is it you can buy a home today but not pay property taxes for two years? And people tell me that's just the way the system. >> So, not just anybody, Council Member Vancamp, I actually have the county assessor come to brief us on the 26th. >> So, I tried to to ask that. So, that he is the person that has to answer that question. >> I'll be the first one to ask it. To be fair, I have asked him that and I haven't tried. He's a good guy, but >> whatever his answer is is we need the benefit immediately. It cannot wait that long. >> I will say I agree with you and share that frustration, but also the one benefit we do have is that we have a pretty strong pipeline of growth built in that we know is already approved. >> There's stuff that's coming. So, a lot of cities are in the position where they had some growth and there's a two-year gap and they have to serve it before they get any of that money and then there's not that consistent growth that's continuing to fill in some of it. >> I understand all of that. I just want >> public sooner. It just it just seems wrong and uh we have so many things wrong with our government related to speed and agility and stuff that it's just so frustrating. >> Thank you for having me back. >> That's good to know. Yes. May I ask a question? >> Sure. >> Oh, in regards to the hoping to receive from the EP strategic plan, I'm wondering um how does it take into account um that that what this city is wanting for it growth is not happening in a vacuum. So that's happening in the context of a larger um world and there's a lot of economic um implications and so I'm wondering this looks solely at this but how does it relate to that greater context? >> Well that's a very good question and I'm glad you asked it. So why while the plan is to be focused on corporate it really as I kind of mentioned before with the geographical It's intended to place understand where is now but understand it within the larger market that it exists in considering its individual trajectory but also considering the larger trajectory of growth that's occurring around it. So it's both some constraints what are the potential positives what can we get from the market and how should we view the market and then how how can respond to that. So yes, we are taking that into account. We're not definitely not >> but that's a very good question. >> Mayor, can I ask one more question? >> Sure. >> With so many so much of maybe Corkran rural and such, the folks on the west side don't want any development. What do we do? I'm experiencing it for the second time in a lifetime because I lived on the west side of Maple Grove and Maple Grove wasn't there when I moved there initially. So then I moved to the next city over to the west side before it gets to me. I hope it I hope I'm gone before it gets to me now. But how do we talk to those residents? Why are our taxes growing when it's the eastern side that has caused this stress on our finances and this that's what they're saying. I I'm I know a lot of the answers and stuff, but we we need to be able to get that information to >> correct and we need to and that's part of this plan as well. >> Thank you. >> Yes. But we also want to be able to well I can just go on >> and and one more thing to that in in in Maple Grove the city was able to keep taxes relatively flat for the people that had been there for some time. And obviously the the development and everything happened on the east side and moved to the west that paid for a lot of that and taxes stayed relatively flat. And now they're big enough that it's a whole another conversation. But I've been through it. I mean when I moved to Maple Grove there was 27,000 people. When I moved out of Maple Grove it was 58,000 people 20 years later. So I've seen a lot. >> Yeah. Well, and even in the past I would say even in the past five years I mean added a lot. Yeah, there's been a few >> comparison. >> I mean, so it's not that >> it is. I think again we have to we have to really strongly consider you know that growth in kind of current context and then that sustainability and management >> of that growth moving forward >> and Corkran J you may or may not know the numbers I don't know if anybody else does 20 years ago we were 3300 >> population ago >> so so when I I was just looking at this >> 3385 when I started working here >> how many years ago Um, when I started working here in 2015, we were at like 20 two 3,385 >> and now we're 86 something or more. >> Yeah. So, so based on uh permits, that's what we used. We we estimate right now we're a little over 9,700. >> So, we'll be shortly as we close out. >> Could I ask Go ahead. >> Oh, no. You go ahead, >> Michelle then. >> Okay. Um, so like in terms of thinking of like the financial aspect of it and like thinking 15 to 20 years down the road when we start thinking about our comp plan and strategic planning, should we be looking at adding more commercial retail space to what we currently have existing in Corkran so we don't short ourselves in like all of a sudden having all the housing which doesn't support our tax base as much as commercial would or late industrial. >> So I would say the answer to that is definitely yes. We're here to try and >> you're going to help us figure that out. >> That's exactly why we're phasing this now as we're starting the comp plan later so we've got that information to inform some of those guiding decisions >> like percentages like what what what percentage would we be looking at and how do you even look at >> where? >> Right. >> So those are important. >> Appreciate it very much. Natalie, did you have something? >> Um, I was just going to say in terms of um another end result and it kind of just came to me now, so we haven't talked about this before, but some kind of like scenario planning because there is just a lot of uncertainty to right now. So, it's like if all of a sudden the growth were to come to a little bit more of a crawl, like what strategies would make more sense in that scenario versus if things continue as is or if things all of a sudden speed up. Um I'm just wondering if um there might be some common strategies that uh come out of the different scenarios that that makes more sense for us to focus on. No, I think that's a very good point and it's really important, you know, as as I've looked at different communities all the time, you know, and and I think we all know too that we've had different scenarios where, you know, we've been speeding along and suddenly we slowed way down and then we kind of speed it up again slowly. I mean, I' I've probably in my work career I probably you know, well, probably four or five real estate. >> So, I think, you know, what you're saying is really important and I am very sensitive to that idea of scenarios and how how do we manage different scenarios based on what we might experience over time. I mean, it is one thing sometimes. I think we do have a tendency to say, "Oh, growth was this, so it'll just continue." We know that's not the case. We've had that experience a number of times. So, it's how you plan. I would say it's not only how you plan for the growth, but how do you plan for those times just as you said >> when we have to figure out then how we're going to move through a more >> and I appreciate that. >> Would that Mary A question with this too, does it take into consideration some of the, you know, as as we try to proactively communicate our concerns about current potential legislation that could become levers that that really impact the city's ability to influence some of the things you're talking about. >> So, so right now we have a certain limited scope on making these decisions about what goes where and how it goes. But there's definitely legislation that takes that authority away from the cities and and now the cities are being dictated on high density housing and where we needed commercial to go. >> I will add to that. I briefly seen one draft version of that similar housing uh bill package all into one uh for this year and I'm supposed to get the updated version any day now. Um, but it does seem like that is coming back with this this session. So something I'll continue to keep council and staff up to date on that. Hopefully it get up on the website. >> So you're you're talking Mr. Mayor the whole your comp plan is null and void. you're going to listen to what is dictated down >> and and we really get screwed in a scenario like that because other cities have have commercial and industrial base >> and some of the choices that they're taking away in terms of where development can go. There's been so much intentional and careful planning just the commercial industrial has to come and now if you take that away >> from all cities in Minnesota not just us >> right >> or for sure all metro you know seven county metro >> the Met Council it's not through the Met Council although there's another thing that we should probably discuss at some point is Met Council is kind of changing philosophies on urban sprawl and wanting to stop that and making it much harder to make changes to comprehensive plans plans outside of the 10 year window or the 10, you know, the planning process for the 50 and 60 whatever uh for changes and for expansion or changes to the where the Musa is which directly affects us more more than anyone or as much as anyone because Musa runs straight through town. Um, the only potential positive of that is don't know if any or how many of the people that are on the Met Council dictating policy right now will be there in 11 months because there's going to be a different governor regardless and they appoint all of those positions. So something to keep an eye on, but it is a concerning trend that I've seen as a member of the LUAC that they're looking to take make it more difficult for cities to make changes to their comp plans, MUSA changes, and adding all sorts of Orwellian sounding fees like land use inefficiency, search charges, stuff like that. Those are all very important about how to develop scenarios rather than just one because we know nothing is always going to be changing. we have to be able to. So just a little bit about some of the things that we're moving along with. So demographic, economic and market analysis, assessment of comparative development priority areas, fiscal strategy and fiscal impact analysis and we need to I need to get with staff so that we can for stakeholder and community. >> Great. Thank you. >> Yeah. Do you have some other comments that you want to make? >> Yeah, >> you can put the microphone. >> Yeah, put the microphone. Oh, I think I >> can hear. >> Is the mic on? >> No, it's not. What if we take it to Council Member Nichols microphone? That going to work? >> Bring it to Nicholls. All right. No, I'm try. >> All right. Can you hear me now? >> Yes. >> Great. Thank uh first my apologies for not being present first. But this is uh this has been very useful from my perspective and one of the observations I want to make based upon the questions and the comments that occurred so far is first of all your the the context that you've helped establish includes the importance of uh intentionality and fiscal or financial sustainability. That's really key in the type of work that we're proceeding with right now. One of the one of the challenges we've seen with other communities that we've worked with uh not just in Minnesota but across the country is that a lot of communities in your position with a lot of fast growth have >> experienced >> Jim can you speak up just a little bit more because we're having a little difficulty hearing you. Thank you. >> Health try to make adjustments here. Turn up the the volume on the laptop maybe. >> Yeah, that's what I'm working on. >> Is that better? Is that better? >> We're getting there. >> Yep, we're getting there. >> All right. >> That's much better. >> Okay. So uh I was indicating that the observations uh in question that you've made so far are really important because one of the things that we see not just in Minnesota but really across the country and other areas that we've worked is a lot of communities in the position that Corkman's in see growth and really they tend to want to uh live off of their building permit fees and that growth and residential is always is always an important feeder but the problem that these communities experience is that once that growth tops out, uh they find that the cost the the cost of services exceed the revenue that they're able to provide. And so it's really important to be intentional uh about about your growth, not just from a financial stability standpoint, but also because uh you need it for uh job opportunities. You needed to be able to develop the amenities that you're talking about. You need to look at all of those those issues. So um it's it's important to continue with that focus. The other point that I wanted to make is that idea of of looking at what are the options as time goes along is really important. As Mary indicated, the market's going to change over the course of time. you want to be ready uh and to be in a position to accept the the market that's compatible with the growth that's occurring within the region but also supports what type of community you and your residents want to live with. The other observation that I think is important and you were getting at it in the last section is to talk about the Met Council. My council tends to focus a lot on the housing part. Uh but they're not looking necessarily, and I'm not criticizing them, but they're not looking at financial stability for communities or financial sustainability. Uh that's what you have to do. Um and uh if you just follow the direction that appears to be coming from that council regarding housing without looking at other aspects of the market uh without looking at how do you build the the uh economic base that feeds the taxes or revenues for the services in your community, you're gonna you're going to have some difficulty. So it's important to be intentional. Uh you've already identified that. So important to keep your eye on the financial s sustainability. It's also important uh getting to the last point I want to make is the residents. This is a lot about educating residents and they're going to educate you. But you're going to learn from them what their expectations are and they're going to learn from you what are the what's the reality because people like services, they like amenities in their community, but there's a cost of doing that. And uh being able to build uh to be patient enough to develop the tax base that you need in order to uh in order to build that economic uh base and that revenue base is very important. That's uh again, thanks for the opportunity to participate virtually. >> Thank you. >> Feeling better. >> Thank you. >> Feel better, please. >> Okay. >> And with that, there's no other questions. >> I will entertain a motion to adjurnn. >> I'll make that motion. >> Second. >> All those in favor say I. I. I.