Agenda - Charter Commission - 12/20/2024 - 2023 Annual Report

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Councilmember votes related to franchise fees, they can act on that. She noted that the City had a study completed by the University of Minnesota, which provided a lot of information. She recognized that the study requested by the Charter Commission was shorter because of the limited budget available, but also provided information. She commented that it would seem that some people did not like the results of those studies and therefore keep coming back to request more. She asked where this is coming from as she has not been contacted by anyone about franchise fees. She stated that she does not want to keep rehashing this if it is the agenda of just one or two members. Commissioner Rusert recapped that the franchise fee was enacted and then taken away. She asked if the funds had been misappropriated. Commissioner Bendtsen commented that the Council used the franchise fee to raise funds because they wanted to spend the property tax funds in other ways. Chairperson Field stated that the Council has supported and then not supported the use of franchise fees because membership of the Council changed. He stated that franchise fees could be seen as an unregulated income source. Commissioner Deemer commented that there is a lack of knowledge related to how other communities use their franchise fees. Commissioner Moore commented that she would not want to take options away from the City Council that could potentially be used. She stated that if people do not support the actions of the Councilmember representing their ward, they can vote as such in the next election. Commissioner Rusert stated that the franchise fee would seem to be another source of revenue, noting that the City already has sources of revenue and if additional funds are needed perhaps the City should review its spending. Chairperson Field recognized that the Charter Commission was limited in the amount of funding available for the study completed. He noted that some of his questions were not answered in the study. Commissioner Deemer commented that the intent of the franchise fee was to complete road projects without assessment, noting that the Council seems to have found a way to do that without the franchise fee. He stated that it would seem pointless because the City has found a wayto fund the roads without the franchise fee. Chairperson Field stated that it has come and gone and could come back again. He believed that there should be some type of regulation on the use of franchise fees but did not believe the Commission had enough information to take action on that. Commissioner Bendtsen withdrew his previous motion. Charter Commission/ February 2, 2023 Page 6 of 7