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Lakeville councilors ask staff to 'explore' EDA and levy rather than commit to implementation
Summary
City staff presented a four-year economic development plan that includes creating an Economic Development Authority (EDA) and an EDA levy; council members asked staff to soften language to 'explore' the EDA/levy idea, involve the finance committee early, and clarify timelines and priorities before any levy decision.
City staff presented a five-goal economic development strategy and a menu of financing tools — including tax increment finance (TIF), revolving loan funds and housing/EDA levies — and recommended the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) outreach program as the first implementation step.
Speaker 1 (city staff) said the plan includes success measures after each goal, that the BRE/VRE program will roll out this winter to survey local businesses, and that staff will provide an appendix of financing options for future council consideration. "We could say, explore the creation of an EDA and implementation of a levy?" Speaker 1 asked during discussion about the plan's wording.
Multiple council members pushed to soften the plan's action language. Speaker 3 and others argued that phrases such as "implement levy" signal a commitment before subcommittees and the finance committee have reviewed funding impacts. "Anything in here should be 'explore' until we give direction," Speaker 3 said.
Council members also asked staff to clarify priorities and timelines and to bring the finance committee into the conversation early. Speakers raised concerns about how a dedicated EDA levy differs from general-fund levies and the potential implications for levy limits under state law. Staff said that some cities levy under EDA or HRA authorities while others appropriate the same resources from the general fund; the policy choice affects how the levy is presented on tax statements.
The council directed staff to soften the implementation language to reflect an exploratory posture, to provide clearer definitions of short- and medium-term priorities, and to route revised materials to the finance committee and the Economic Development Commission (EDC) for technical input before any formal levy proposal.
