Council approves outside-agency grants, repeals 'No Mow May,' creates TIF District 17 and approves project plan; names two Market Place streets

The Brookings City Council took a series of formal actions at its regular meeting: it approved the 2025 outside-agency funding distribution recommended by United Way, repealed the city's "No Mow May" vegetation-management provision, created the boundaries for Tax Increment Financing District No. 17 and approved the associated project plan, and adopted the names Market Street and Paskflower Place for two streets in the Brookings Marketplace development.

Outside-agency funding: City staff said the council’s 2025 allocation for social-service agencies increased to $263,715 for the year (the staff memo and presentation described the recommended distribution and a larger total request of $473,500 from agencies). United Way director Heidi Gollocks participated by phone to answer questions about community needs, emphasizing that rental-assistance dollars in the community are limited and that many clients present multiple needs. After council discussion, the motion to approve the recommended distribution passed on a roll call.

No Mow May repeal: The council held a second reading and approved Ordinance 25‑004 to remove the city’s "No Mow May" provision. The Brookings Sustainability Council had recommended discontinuing the initiative after reporting mixed results: increased awareness for pollinators but unintended consequences including invasive-species proliferation, neighborhood aesthetic complaints and enforcement difficulties. The sustainability group recommended alternative pollinator-friendly strategies, invasive-species control, restored lawn standards and public education. The ordinance passed on a roll call vote.

TIF District No. 17 creation and project plan: The council approved Resolution 25‑019 creating the boundaries for TIF District No. 17 and then approved Resolution 25‑020 that authorizes the project plan. Staff said the combined projects within the district would include up to approximately 198 housing units across two building projects and related public improvements on Campanile Avenue, with eligible project costs capped at $9,480,000 (staff said developer requests and financial projections are lower than that maximum). The public-improvement scope described center median landscaping, street widening, new curb-and-gutter and repaving on Campanile between Seventh and Sixth streets. Staff noted the Department of Revenue classifies the district as economic-development TIF primarily due to commercial components; staff also noted the city’s aggregate TIF exposure would remain well under the 10% statutory cap. Council approved both resolutions on roll call; staff said a development agreement will return to council as a next step.

Street names: The council voted to name two streets in the Brookings Marketplace development Market Street (public right-of-way) and Paskflower Place (private east–west drive). Council members described the selection process (council ranked a list of suggested names) and said the names were chosen to reflect local usage ("Market") and the state flower ("Paskflower"). City staff confirmed both names are compatible with the city’s street database and E‑911 addressing requirements. The motion passed on a roll call vote.

Roll-call format and votes: Each item above passed on recorded roll calls. For items without a recorded individual mover or seconder in the transcript, the council proceeded by motion and second noted on the record and then completed roll-call voting; all formal resolutions and ordinances acted on at this meeting that required votes were adopted as presented.