Minutes - Council Work Session - 03/25/2025

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Mayor Heineman suggested having Staff apply for all grant opportunities that are available, unless it would be too time-consuming, then to just focus on the larger grants. Councilmember Buscher agreed as long as getting some smaller grants does not impact their ability to get the larger grants. She added that she is not opposed to this building not being rented for retail space. The consensus of the Council was to move forward, maintaining the property and pursuing grant opportunities from the Minnesota National Historical Society. 2.02: Discuss the Policy for the Recruitment, Application, and Interview Process of Appointing City Board and Commission Members and Chair Member Term Rotations City Administrator Hagen reviewed the Staff report concerning the policy for appointing Board and Commission Members and Chairs and the term limits for Chairs. He shared that Councilmembers Riley and Stewart requested that they eliminate the term limit for Chairs. Councilmember Riley shared that he and Councilmember Stewart sit on the EDA, and when it was announced that they had to pick a new Chairman everyone was confused, as the current Chair is doing a great job. He stated that each Board and Commission should run itself and the Council should not have a say in limiting the terms for the Chair. Councilmember Stewart agreed and added that this takes away some of the power of these Boards and Commissions. Councilmember Specht noted that the EDA is separate, and this rule should not apply to them; however, he thinks the rule should apply to other Boards and Commissions as it is a great way for other people to get involved with local government and give them the opportunity to hold a leadership role. Mayor Heineman shared that he was on the Council when they decided to limit Chair terms because, at the time, there were Chairs who had been in the role for up to 12 years. He said he likes the idea of having someone new in the Chair position every so often. He stated that two-year limits are too short, but he likes the idea of rotating the position. Councilmember Buscher stated that the decisions for who is the Chair should not be up to the Council and should be decided by these Boards and Commissions. She noted that if someone wants to serve as the Chair, they could voice this to their Board or Commission to be voted in. Mayor Heineman added that these Board and Commission members are not elected, and they could have the same members continually outside of intervention from the Council. Councilmember Olson noted that the approvals for reappointment come before the Council anyway, so they still have a partial say in this. He said he is in favor of not trying to impose any control over the Boards and Commissions. City Council Work Session / March 25, 2025 Page 3 of 5