St. Paul HRA authorizes municipal-advisory agreements with Baker Tilly, PFM; approves minutes

The St. Paul Housing and Redevelopment Authority (HRA) voted unanimously to adopt a resolution authorizing municipal advisory services agreements with Baker Tilly Ehlers and PFM Financial Advisors LLC and approved its September 2025 meeting minutes.

Director McMahon told the authority the agreements would be joint contracts with the city and the Saint Paul Port Authority and would cover financial analysis for city and HRA items, including development sites and bond issuance. McMahon said the staff issued a joint request for proposals and that the review — led by the Planning and Economic Development (PED) office, the Office of Financial Services and the Saint Paul Port Authority — considered qualifications, responsiveness, understanding of scope and cost.

“They provide services for financial, you know, financial analysis of items for the city and the HRA including development sites throughout the community and bond issuance,” Director McMahon said in presenting the item.

McMahon said the recommendation is to enter into joint contracts with the same service providers for a new five-year term beginning in 2026. The transcript records an end date spoken as “02/1930,” which is unclear; the record does not specify a definitive contract end date.

Chair Johnson called for a motion to approve the September 2025 HRA meeting minutes; Commissioner Yang moved to approve and the authority recorded a 7-0 vote. Later, Vice Chair Jones moved to approve the municipal advisory agreements and the authority again voted 7-0 to adopt the resolution.

The discussion did not record additional amendments to the contracts or the motion; no public comment is recorded in the provided segment. Chair Johnson closed the meeting by noting staff will schedule budget check-ins with individual offices before Oct. 15.

Votes at a glance: - Approval of September 2025 HRA meeting minutes — motion by Commissioner Yang; outcome: approved, 7-0. - Resolution approving and authorizing municipal advisory services agreements with Baker Tilly Ehlers and PFM Financial Advisors LLC (joint with the city and Saint Paul Port Authority) — motion by Vice Chair Jones; outcome: adopted, 7-0.

Staff and board members did not state a named third firm during the discussion; transcript language references “these 3 entities” but only Baker Tilly Ehlers and PFM Financial Advisors LLC are named in the meeting record.