Based on the context provided, here is the transcribed townhall with speaker names added. **Note on Roles:** This is a meeting of the Economic Development Authority (EDA). Per the dialogue at [3:02], **Tom Melander** serves as the President of the EDA, and **Tim Benetti** (Community Development Director) presents the staff reports. *** **[0:01] [Music]** **[1:26] Tom Melander:** R and check on a few things and then there I'd like go that I would I'd be late to [Music] Celebration I call was oh my goodness yeah I'm guilty as well all this meeting order of the Apple Valley Economic Development Authority uh this is the meeting of uh January 23rd 2025 first item of business is the approval of the agenda changes from staff? **[2:05] Tom Lawell:** Mr. President, we have none from the commission. **[2:11] Lisa Hiebert:** Move approval then. **[2:13] John Bergman:** Second. **[2:13] Tom Melander:** Second in favor? **[2:15] Board Members:** Aye. **[2:15] Tom Melander:** That passes. **[2:16] Tom Melander:** We have a consent agenda item uh which is the minutes of October 24th 2024. Changes from staff? **[2:22] Tom Lawell:** We have no changes Mr. President. **[2:24] Lisa Hiebert:** From the commission move approval. **[2:26] Tom Melander:** Motion made second moved and approved in favor? **[2:28] Board Members:** Aye, aye, aye. **[2:31] Tom Melander:** That also carries. Now we're on to our regular agenda item which is number 4A: resolution approving 2025 board officers for the Economic Development Authority. **[2:42] Tom Lawell:** Mr. President, members of the board, uh you are uh first of the year you are electing your officers serve for the coming up uh year 2025. Uh you are in in essence voting or nominating your president your vice president and your Treasurer. Uh as the report indicated, uh you nominated elected Thomas Melander, Ruth Grendahl, and John Bergman to serve on those capacity roles of last year. Secretary and assistant treasurer formerly City Clerk Pam Gader—uh that defaults now to our new clerk Christina Scipioni. With that you are free to nominate yourself or another member for each of the positions or similar to what you did last year you simply I believe elected the same slate as last year and if you chose to do that it would be Thomas Melander, Ruth Grendahl, and John Bergman as president, vice president and Treasurer respectively. With that you can either nominate uh individually or take a vote for all three. **[3:50] Tom Melander:** It's a great way to nominate Ruth when she's not here. **[3:56] John Bergman:** I would uh if there are no objections I would nominate the uh same slate of officers as last year. **[3:59] Lisa Hiebert:** Second. **[4:01] Tom Melander:** Any other nominations? In favor? **[4:03] Board Members:** Aye, aye, aye. **[4:06] Tom Melander:** That also carries unanimously thank you. Unless you wanted more word—and then uh 4B is the uh resolution approving the 2025 Eda budget. **[4:18] Tim Benetti:** Thank thank you all. I have a very very brief PowerPoint here. Thank you. Uh before you tonight uh this is authorization of the budget for the 2025 year. Uh very simple budget but uh we do have uh two Provisions in our budget primary ones uh we have Staffing for Eda or Eda meetings also our memberships as you are uh hopefully aware we provide for some uh financial assistance to our Open to Business programming which has run through our friends at Dakota County. Um surprisingly we just received our yearend report hopefully you got a copy of it uh there's some great news in there uh one of one of the things that we were surprised at uh uh me and my staff was that 30% of all the technical hours from Dakota County were attributed to Apple Valley which I think is a third is is is actually really good. **[5:15] Tom Melander:** Great. **[5:16] Tim Benetti:** It kind of tells us that we got a lot of anxious business owners or entrepreneurs ready to to uh seek some help and that's what we want this Open to Business be. We spend about $9,000 a year for this uh service and we think it's a great bargain for what uh our consultant does. Also provided for three loans totally about 125,000 to Apple Valley businesses. Also advised 33 businesses and residents for pizza franchise, bubble tea franchise, salons, Italian bakery, grocery consignment store and many more and we we'd love to you know have that business in those that consultant continue. We also are part of a membership with Greater MSP. Some of you may recall that a few years ago there was some controversy about do we want to continue with Greater MSP and I think the consensus was yes but at a reduced rate. We're still planning on doing that at a reduced rate uh we find working with with uh Greater MSP uh it's a great partnership that we find that they help with our marketing uh and uh we also get first I say not dibs but we get first notifications on any request for informations which come from the state either through uh Greater MSP or DEED when they're seeking a business either local, out of state, national looking for a place to relocate and they give us some information on "can you fit this this uh future company or business enterprise into your into your community?" And then we submit that information and then hopefully or luckily sometimes we get a visit from that company and we put on a nice visit for them and hopefully they select our site. So far we did not have any submitted responses from last year; we felt some of those were just not of good fit for the community so we passed on those. However they did post on their own website the marketing and sales information on our Gaslight and Central Village West site so we're very very happy to see that. Uh your budget again very simplified is investment earnings total revenue of 24,000—again that is a number that was provided for by our uh excuse me our our our uh budget director or Finance director—our wages and benefit 690, slight increase from last year from 650. Our consultant services and dues and subscriptions—consultant services is Open to Business, the dues subscriptions those relate more to the Greater MSP. Our total budget 21,748 which is slightly uh uh about 40 bucks more than what we did for last year. With that happy to answer any questions. **[8:21] Tom Melander:** Any questions for Tim? Seems like we're getting a lot of bang for our buck. **[8:24] Tim Benetti:** We feel Mr. President I we think we do and uh yes Open to Business most definitely uh can't ask for a better consultant and our partnership with them and uh Dakota County CDA has been marvelous and we I want to keep that going. Always had great luck with them and the numbers show that they we had some really good numbers that show that. Greater MSP uh I think we can still hopefully get some benefits from that if after next year if there's something different I'll be happy to report whether it was success or whether it was marginalized. We can adjust our our our contribution to that organization if we feel necessary. For now I think we're we're on we're on a good track with both organizations. **[9:09] Tom Melander:** Okay so you're looking for a recommendation to approve? **[9:11] Tim Benetti:** Yes adopt the resolution. **[9:12] Tom Melander:** Mr. President I make a motion to adopt the resolution approving the 2025 Eda budget. **[9:21] Lisa Hiebert:** Second. **[9:24] Tom Melander:** So moved and second. Favor? **[9:26] Board Members:** Aye. **[9:27] Tom Melander:** Opposed? Thank you sign that passes. Thank you Tim. **[9:31] Tim Benetti:** You're welcome. **[9:32] Tom Melander:** Staff updates? **[9:33] Tim Benetti:** Oh we thought you were just making it official and uh right oh thank you sir. Uh Mr. President we have no uh current staff updates uh just to let you know that you're probably hearing uh wind of of a big project that's moving forward through our planning commission uh in the uh AVR pets area uh some of you are going to be able to see that but uh has some really great economic impact to the community potentially so we want to make sure that you're fully aware of it and uh if you have any questions we we are inviting you to please stop in and talk to myself or our staff and we'll be happy to go over some details that aren't really public yet but we're going to make them public very soon so love to provide those for you if necessary so with that... **[10:35] John Bergman:** Tim, I got a—are you done with this this topic? And I guess um seeing all that has been going on in this city and in your division your department um what's it looking like for additional staff members, planners, that kind of stuff? **[10:48] Tim Benetti:** Thank you uh we do have a request in uh for our planner position that was recently vacated by retirement of city planner Kathy Bodmer. Some of you uh are fully aware that we advanced or promoted Planner I Alex Sharp to uh City Planner so we do have that vacancy. We're hoping to be uh uh going out for that uh uh promotion or excuse me for that uh uh advertisement for that position very very soon and uh I believe if we're lucky like we the number of applicants we received on the associate planner uh we we hit a great uh one with our Sydney Stroh, she's phenomenal. I'm hoping that we can hit that same gold mine again with the Planner I positions. I'm hearing some great news that there are some uh uh some great opportunities for people out there so pretty confident that we're going to get something very very soon. **[11:57] John Bergman:** And very well thank you. **[12:00] Tom Melander:** Anything else? Move motion to adjourn. **[12:04] Lisa Hiebert:** Second. **[12:05] John Bergman:** Second. **[12:06] Tom Melander:** Kind of wait down here in favor? **[12:08] Board Members:** Aye. **[12:10] Tom Melander:** Like holding my [Music]