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Councilmember LeTourneau agreed this will be a time - consuming endeavor because it is <br />complex. He supported referring this to the EDA and Planning Commission to develop the over <br />arching policy language and once it has structure, to develop an ad hoc subcommittee to address <br />it in more depth prior to presentation to the Council. <br />Councilmember Kuzma asked if a policy has not been in place previously. <br />Development Services Manager Gladhill stated the City has overarching goals but not a policy <br />with details relating to ranking or scoring requests that come in. A checklist is needed <br />identifying minimum thresholds and types of housing that would be considered. <br />Mayor Strommen stated it became a bigger issue when the City was approached for financial <br />assistance which brought to light the need for a policy so the City sets the agenda of what it <br />wants in the community and where the dollars will be used. Mayor Strommen noted these <br />decisions cannot be made arbitrarily. <br />Councilmember Backous stated he likes the idea of a cooperative and collaborative effort but <br />wonders if the EDA is the right body since this policy addresses housing. <br />Councilmember Tossey arrived at 5:41 p.m. <br />Development Services Manager Gladhill stated he had suggested the EDA because it has <br />experience in how to respond to a financial package request. <br />Councilmember Backous stated it seems unfair to ask the EDA to take this on since it has a lot of <br />important work to do and a housing policy is outside of its mission. He noted the Council also <br />wants the industrial and commercial sectors of the City to grow. <br />Development Services Manager Gladhill suggested the Planning Commission be allowed to have <br />the first review of this effort. <br />Councilmember Backous stated another option is to ask EDA members who have expertise in <br />housing to be part of the ad hoc subcommittee on a voluntary basis. <br />Councilmember Elvig stated he understands that concern but noted the Planning Commission <br />does not usually deal with financial requests, which the EDA does have experience considering. <br />He stated the City is trying to encourage mixed use, which would be a commercial application <br />with EDA involvement. Councilmember Elvig stated he does not want to take 6 -9 months to <br />"polish the penny" and not be able to move forward when there is interest because the policy is <br />not yet in place. He suggested determining if there are "low hanging" opportunities that should <br />first be considered. <br />Development Services Manager Gladhill stated a lot of the timing has to do with the priority <br />level the Council places on this effort. Once known, staff can determine timing and if <br />professional services would be needed. He indicated staff can deal with the highest priority <br />projects followed by the longer -term vision by the end of the year. <br />City Council Work Session / March 26, 2013 <br />Page 2 of 9 <br />