Minutes - Council Work Session - 06/06/2023 - Special Strategic Planning

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Councilmember Musgrove noted that when she went there were a lot of volunteers that were excited to be a part of the event. She added that there were also a lot of participants which is why they wanted to reach out and see if there were other areas that could hold the event as they had a waiting list. She stated that it was her understanding that they had all of the equipment and received a grant for this. She said that this does not necessarily need to be on the strategic plan. Parks and Assistant Public Works Director Riverblood stated that this can be tracked without a formal strategic plan item. He noted that there will be more hours and effort that would go into this beyond the volunteers. He stated that he is a little concerned with the time. City Administrator Hagen discussed fire hydrant and storm drain sponsors. He stated that this item could fall under recognizing volunteer efforts. He noted that this does not need to be on the strategic plan unless there is a desire for it to be formally identified. Councilmember Musgrove shared that with being on the Lower Rum River they talk a lot about storm drains and there are also a lot of fire hydrants in the City. She suggested allowing residents to adopt a fire hydrant. She noted that the Fire Chief and a Fire Captain have been working on trying to organize something for the fire hydrants. Fire Chief Kohners stated that one of the Fire Captains is working on an ‘Adopt a Hydrant’ program and is reaching out to other communities to take a look at how they have gone about this to enhance their community outreach. He stated that they are moving forward with this; however, it does not need to be in the strategic plan. Councilmember Musgrove agreed since it is already being worked on. City Administrator Hagen discussed the next item of utilizing neighboring city's events to promote local businesses, such as sidewalk sales for businesses along Highway 47 during Anoka River Fest. Councilmember Musgrove stated that she brought this item up as there are a lot of businesses along Highway 47 that sometimes get missed in planning and thoughts. She stated that there is a lot of traffic during Anoka River Fest and she wonders if some of the businesses in this area would want to capture some of this traffic from the event. Mayor Kuzma stated that it would be hard to capture this. Councilmember Musgrove stated that this year may not be a good year to start this. She stated that the businesses on Highway 47 are in her ward and she sees them often and wants to see if there is a way to capture and support these businesses. City Administrator Hagen suggested an annual sidewalk sale like the annual garage sale. He stated that this does not necessarily fall on the plan but it will be kept in mind moving forward to be supportive of businesses. He discussed implementing QR codes in printed materials for development information. He stated that Monticello does this to help direct people towards the City Council Special Work Session /June 6, 2023 Page 10 of 13