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Council debates whether to convert EDA seats to councilmembers
Summary
East Bethel staff advised the council that state law allows council members to serve on the Economic Development Authority; councilmembers discussed reducing the EDA from seven to five and agreed to add the item to the council agenda for formal consideration.
At the Feb. 10 work session, city staff told the East Bethel City Council that Minnesota law permits elected council members to serve on the city’s Economic Development Authority (EDA) once current appointments expire. The council discussed the potential effects of converting the EDA from an appointed seven‑member body to a five‑member body made up of councilmembers.
Gary summarized the legal analysis and said the change would require allowing current appointments to run their course before a rollover and that any change would follow statutory requirements. He noted that the EDA currently has seven members and the council has five members, so a shift to councilmembers would reduce the EDA’s size and change how it operates.
Councilman Vercoe criticized the EDA’s productivity during his time on the board, saying he had attended three meetings in a year and had not seen the EDA complete the duties listed in its charge. Other councilmembers disagreed about whether appointing councilmembers would reduce participation or transparency; some argued keeping citizens on the EDA preserves resident involvement while others said councilmembers could streamline decisionmaking.
The council agreed to place the item on the regular council meeting agenda under “Other” and asked staff to consult the city attorney about the recommended legal and procedural steps (including whether a resolution and public hearings would be required) to transition the EDA’s composition. No formal vote was taken at the work session; the council directed staff to return with a recommended process and any required documents for a future council action.
If the council chooses to proceed, staff said it likely will need to prepare a resolution and conduct at least one public hearing as part of the transition. The city referenced the original enabling resolution (dated Feb. 2008) that created the EDA.
